Final Public Stargaze: October 5

Graphic: International Observe the Moon Night - October 5, 2019
Save the Night: International Observe the Moon Night, October 5, 2019

The year’s final public stargazing session hosted by the Cuyahoga Astronomical Association (CAA) will take place Saturday, October 5, from 8:00 to 10 p.m. at our Letha House Park West observatory site.

Given good sky conditions visitors will be able to view Jupiter, Saturn, star clusters, and Earth’s Moon. In fact, the date coincides with International Observe the Moon Night: a worldwide appreciation of our world’s nearest neighbor in space.

The event is free, open to the public, and is conducted as an “open house” — visitors may arrive and depart at any time during the event’s hours. The CAA’s observatory will be open and association members also will be on hand to share views through their personal telescopes.

An interesting activity any time of year is to make note of the daily changes we see in the phases of Moon. Open the PDF to print a handy guide and journal for lunar observation: Moon Observation Journal.

To find our observatory, and what to expect with a “star party,” visit the following: https://cuyastro.org/caa-observatory/

Seeing Stars Saturday!

Simulated View of Saturn and Moons as they will appear Saturday, September 7, at 9:30 PM EDT. Image via Gas Giants.
Seeing Stars Saturday! Coming this weekend: from 9 to 11 PM at Medina County Park District’s Letha House Park West on Saturday, September 7: Visit our observatory and peer through telescopes at our amazing cosmos. Planets Saturn and Jupiter will be spectacular, the Moon will be bright! And let’s not forget amazing star clusters; they would be sad if we did not look at them. {Such showoffs.}
Public observing nights are conducted in the open night air so dress appropriately for fall-like temperatures. There may also be mosquitoes so insect repellent may be a good idea.

Public Night at Letha House Saturday, June 8

Photo: Waxing Crescent Moon, July 29, 2017. Photo by James Guilford.

Come see deep-sky objects, planets, and the Moon up close using the Cuyahoga Astronomical Association’s (CAA) telescopes, from 9:00 to 11:00 PM, Saturday, June 8.

The CAA Observatory will be open for public viewing, and members will be available to answer your questions. Activities and/or displays will be set up inside the barn for further interest on cloudy nights. Given clear enough skies, visitors may view Earth’s Moon, planet Jupiter, and star clusters through a variety of member-owned telescopes.

This is an outdoor program so attendees should dress appropriately for conditions; use of insect repellent is also recommended.

Click here for more information about the observatory and its location!

Clouds, clouds, go away!

Photo: Panoramic view of Letha House Park Lake. Photo by James Guilford
August 26: Day’s End – Letha House Park – Photo by James Guilford

After a day featuring fair skies, the evening saw a layer of clouds slide in messing with our Public Night. The slender crescent Moon slowly disappeared into a light smudge. Later, a few stars showed up overhead but, overall, not much to look at. We hope for better weather on September 9, at 8:00 PM when we will host our next Public Night at Letha House Park and our Observatory.