By Joan Mieritz
Our first public Night Sky Program will be held this Friday, May 21 at Chimney Rock National Monument. Gate opens at 7:15 with the program, “Our Solar System” starting in the Chimney Rock Amphitheater at 8pm. This is a perfect time for locals to come, no reservations needed, but there is a program fee. We will be completing our Night Sky Programs this year with what we are calling, “Tour of the Night Sky.”
Haven’t you always wanted to look up at the sky and know exactly what you are seeing? This month Judith Jubb is preparing the Tour that will include the brightest stars, constellations, visible planets and whatever else there is. She is fantastic at knowing the night sky, but she will be preparing to make sure that nothing will be missed. This is something you can then start doing yourself and become like a really attuned ‘modern’ ‘ancient’ person.
There will be a Total Lunar Eclipse on the morning of Wednesday, May 26. Because it is a Lunar Eclipse, eye protection is not needed. It will be a ‘supermoon’, meaning the moon is closer to Earth than it normally is because its orbit is not a circle, but an oval. A ‘supermoon’ is at the narrowest part of the oval and appears larger. The eclipse will cause it to become a deep red Blood Moon and the color is expected to be exceptional. The eclipse begins at 2:47am (which I plan on skipping). The Full Eclipse, the most dramatic part, begins at 5:11am with the maximum being at 5:18am and the full eclipse is over by 5:25am. (The end of the eclipse will not be visible from Pagosa because it will be below the horizon.)
Our next Stargazer Club Meeting will be on Thursday, May 27, from 7 to 8:30pm at the Visitors’ Center on Hot Springs Blvd. and the San Juan River. We will be sharing and critiquing all of the power point presentations that will be given at the Chimney Rock National Monument Night Sky programs. We will be indoors, it is free and everyone is welcome. It is a wonderful opportunity for anyone who cannot normally attend our Night Sky Programs. We will show power point presentations on the Ancient People of Chimney Rock, Our Solar System and Stars & Galaxies with people leaving brief written comments and suggestions.
On Friday, May 28 will be our first members-only telescope viewing and training at Chimney Rock. The gate will open at 7pm. This will be our only opportunity to prepare for our important Training session given by astronomer and observatory owner, Steve McAllister, on Friday, June 4. He will provide the best training for telescope use. He will be available for training starting at 1pm, but we are asking that members sign up and commit for the daytime hours. Because telescopes can pass the corona virus on the eyepiece this is for members only. There will be strict rules on sharing of telescopes. If you have your COVID Immunization Card, please bring it.
If you don’t have a telescope we have several extra available requiring pre-arrangements.
May 29 and 30 will be ‘Life at Chimney Rock’, which is a free event from 10am to 4pm on both Saturday and Sunday. There will be all kinds of activities for children and adults, Native Artists, some having ancestors from Chimney Rock, with beautiful jewelry, pottery and other art work available. We are expecting to have the makers of the wonderful Navajo Tacos. We are hoping to have a solar telescope to check on our favorite star which is starting to have an increase in activity on its 11-year cycle. The reason we have Astronomy activities is that Chimney Rock was basically an ancient astronomy site for the Chacoan Culture. We are happily continuing their legacy.
At all our events we will follow the COVID regulations for Archuleta County and Colorado for that date. Wear a mask if not vaccinated, or in case it is again required.
If you would like to join the San Juan Stargazers you will also receive Reflector Magazine which is the publication of the National Astronomical League of which you automatically become a member. To join both groups and get an excellent astronomy magazine, annual membership is only $25/ family. You can join at our events or by following the directions on our website.
The San Juan Stargazers Club is part of the Astronomical League, which includes clubs from all over the US.