Friday 17 November from 6:30pm to 9:30pm
No admission fee. For ages eleven and older.
There are numerous beautiful deep-sky objects visible to the unaided eye—nebulae of various colors, a galaxy that spans as much sky as the Full Moon, gorgeous constellations and stunning star clusters. Taxpayers have funded a first-class observatory; there is a never charge to look through the facility’s equipment at these objects, and families and skywatchers in this region (until about fifteen to twenty-five years ago) could get a rather good view from their backyards or balconies.
We Baton Rougeans now block our views or these astonishing objects with a curtain of dust particles illuminated by badly-designed, badly-mounted and/or overbright streetlamps, security lamps and other nighttime fixtures.
The Baton Rouge Astronomical Society sponsors the seventh annual Natural Sky Conference. Please consider visiting at that time to show support of a reduction in tax money-wasting light pollution.
ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
*Although open to the general public the Conference will be aimed at those individuals and organizations in town that have a direct ability to quelch the light pollution in the area.
*The time frame of the Conference extends it past twilight so participants can see damage currently being caused by the light pollution in the area.
*The Conference will also see an update of the ongoing Free the Milky Way effort to eradicate a majority of the light pollution in the Baton Rouge area.
THE APOPHIS CONNECTION
In April 2029, the asteroid 99942 Apophis will pass within 32,000 kilometers of the planet Earth. All current data shows that Apophis will brighten to at least magnitude 5.9. This is easily seen with a well-made binocular by anyone whose sky is not choked by extensive light pollution. (Some preliminary data shows Apophis may get brighter that seventh magnitude.)