Highland Road Park Observatory

Calendar of Events 2019 - February

Friday, 1 February

6:00 pm to 8:00 pm: Archive Display Night (first) BREC, LSU and BRAS showcase the twenty-plus-year history of HRPO with astronaut autographs, factory samples of new technology, framed newspaper articles, limited-edition prints with spacecraft materials and more! [No admission fee. For all ages.]
8:00 pm to 10:00 pm: Evening Sky Viewing Weather permitting, viewing through one or more telescopes will take place. During this time the waning crescent Moon will be below the horizon. Please keep headlights off while parking and leaving, and drive slowly! [No admission fee. For all ages.]

Saturday, 2 February

10:00 am to 12:00 pm: Weather Forecasting Clouds and rain, snow and ice. Heat waves, fog banks and twisters. Cadets will learn the basic symbols and techniques of the craft of weather-watching. [For ages eight to twelve. $5.00 per in-parish Cadet; $6.00 per out-of-parish Cadet.]
3:30 pm to 7:30 pm: Learn Your Binocular This class is a hands-on introduction to the operations of your personal binocular. We’ll even take it outside for some practice, weather permitting. Also included will be an overview of all major binocular events for the next twelve months. [For ages eighteen and older. $15.00 per in-parish participant; $18.00 per out-of-parish participant.]
7:30 pm to 10:00 pm: Evening Sky Viewing Weather permitting, viewing through one or more telescopes will take place. During this time the waning crescent Moon will be below the horizon. Please keep headlights off while parking and leaving, and drive slowly! [No admission fee. For all ages.]

Wednesday, 6 February

6:15 pm to 7:00 pm: Light Pollution Committee Meeting BRAS’ open house is for all skygazers, homeowners, business owners and other stakeholders in a natural-contrast night sky. This month’s meeting will include a preliminary outline of this November’s third-annual Natural Sky Conference and the current state of BREC’s Environmental Sustainability Policy. [No admission fee. For ages eighteen and older.]

Friday, 8 February

6:00 pm to 8:00 pm: Archive Display Night (second) BREC, LSU and BRAS showcase the twenty-plus-year history of HRPO with astronaut autographs, factory samples of new technology, framed newspaper articles, limited-edition prints with spacecraft materials and more! [No admission fee. For all ages.]
8:00 pm to 10:00 pm: Evening Sky Viewing Weather permitting, viewing through one or more telescopes will take place. During this time the waxing crescent Moon will be 16% illuminated at a maximum altitude of 15°. Please keep headlights off while parking and leaving, and drive slowly! [No admission fee. For all ages.]

Saturday, 9 February

10:00 am to 12:00 pm: Clouds Clouds should be appreciated. From the glowing beauty of the noctilucents to the clunky, imposing lenticulars…clouds are Cadets’ friends! [For ages eight to twelve. $5.00 per in-parish Cadet; $6.00 per out-of-parish Cadet.]
7:00 pm to 10:00 pm: Evening Sky Viewing Plus Weather permitting, viewing through one or more telescopes will take place. Additionally, there will be a marshmallow roast, physical science demos and a sky tour. During this time the waxing crescent Moon will be 23% illuminated at a maximum altitude of 32°. Please keep headlights off while parking and leaving, and drive slowly! [No admission fee. For all ages.]

Monday, 11 February

7:00 pm to 9:00 pm: Baton Rouge Astronomical Society Meeting For over thirty years BRAS has educated countless numbers of citizens in the joys of planetary and deep-sky gazing, the perils of light pollution and factors to consider when buying a pair of binoculars or a telescope. BRAS members have published in Astronomy, Sky & Telescope, and Scientific American. BRAS members have constructed their own telescopes and photographic platforms. BRAS members have entered robotics competitions, imaged comets, earned observing certificates and discovered asteroids. BRAS members have been interviewed by local media and the National Geographic Society. Anyone interested in learning more about BRAS is invited to attend. The speaker will be BRAS member Chris Desselles; the topic will be astrophotography. [Free admission. For ages for ages fourteen and older.]

Friday, 15 February

7:30 pm to 8:30 pm: Astrophotography for Beginners BRAS member Chris Desselles presents a variety of techniques absolute beginners can use to take stunning images of celestial objects. [No admission fee. For ages fourteen and older.]
8:30 pm 10:00 pm: Evening Sky Viewing Weather permitting, viewing through one or more telescopes will take place. During this time the waxing gibbous Moon will be 83% illuminated at a maximum altitude of 80°. Please keep headlights off while parking and leaving, and drive slowly! [No admission fee. For all ages.]

Saturday, 16 February

10:00 am to 12:00 pm: Storms! There are the cute spring showers that wet the garden’s whistle and keep us indoor reading. Then there are the violent lightning-bringers that have spotters reporting via ham radio and local forecasters issuing warnings. Cadets know—storms are never dull! [For ages eight to twelve. $5.00 per in-parish Cadet; $6.00 per out-of-parish Cadet.]
7:30 pm to 10:00 pm: Evening Sky Viewing Weather permitting, viewing through one or more telescopes will take place. During this time the waxing gibbous Moon will be 90% illuminated at a maximum altitude of 81°. Please keep headlights off while parking and leaving, and drive slowly! [No admission fee. For all ages.]

Friday, 22 February

7:30 pm to 8:30 pm: Mercury☿ and Venus♀ These two closer-than-Earth♁ planets—one the fastest, one the hottest—are surveyed, together with an explanation of the next best times to view them. [No admission fee. For ages fourteen and older.]
8:30 pm to 10:00 pm: Evening Sky Viewing Weather permitting, viewing through one or more telescopes will take place. During this time the waning gibbous Moon will be 83% illuminated at a maximum altitude of 3°. Please keep headlights off while parking and leaving, and drive slowly! [No admission fee. For all ages.]

Saturday, 23 February

12:00 pm to 2:00 pm: Solar Viewing Weather permitting, safe viewing of the Sun☉ in three different manners will occur. During this time the Sun☉ will be in the constellation Aquarius♒ at a maximum altitude of 49°. [No admission fee. For all ages. Solar viewers available for $2.00; limit four per adult purchaser.]
3:30 pm to 7:30 pm: Overview and Expansion Premiere This brand-new program will offer advanced topics, topic extensions and all-new games and activities to an older crowd. [For ages twelve to sixteen. $15.00 per in-parish registration; $18.00 per out-of-parish registration.]
7:30 pm to 10:00 pm: Evening Sky Viewing Weather permitting, viewing through one or more telescopes will take place. During this time the waning gibbous Moon will be below the horizon. Please keep headlights off while parking and leaving, and drive slowly! [No admission fee. For all ages.]

Tuesday 26 February

5:30 pm to 7:00 pm: Mercurian Elongation Periodically Mercury☿ reaches its greatest angular separation in the sky (elongation) from the Sun☉. This is the safest way to view Mercury☿ by amateurs. Come join us at the Burbank Soccer Complex! The planet will appear as a “half-Mercury☿.” Mars♂ may also be seen. [No admission fee. For ages eight and older.]

Please also check the HRPO front page or the BRAS Forum for special celestial events or live broadcasts that could not be confirmed for publication time.

Created by Frederick J. Barnett on Thursday, January 24, 2019, 12:35 PM.