NCKAS - Schedule of Events 2011

North Central Kansas Astronomical Society

NCKAS 2012 Schedule of events

Public Viewing Sessions
Kansas State University
Special Events

Watch this page for the latest updates, announcements , and weather updates to the viewing events. Please note that we will not cancel a scheduled event for clouds or weather before 5:00 PM the day of the scheduled event unless absolutely necessary. Predicting the weather is almost impossible and there will be times when an event will be held that is completely clouded out. There will be other times when an event will be cancelled and it will completely clear off by the time of the event. We will do the best we can. Current upcoming events that look good weather-wise will be in GREEN. Viewing sessions where the weather is starting to deteriorate, and caution is warranted, will be in YELLOW. Last, dates that will almost certainly be cancelled, or have been cancelled will be in RED. (Some browsers may have difficulty with this color scheme). This site will be updated with all information pertinent to the scheduled event and we strongly suggest you look at this site before you leave to the scheduled event. The page will automatically reload every 30 seconds.

Public Dark Sky Viewing Sessions:

Welcome everyone! These viewing sessions open to the general public. Maps can be found to our viewing locations. Watch the weather page as close as you can! We've teamed up with KSU physics department to bring you Neigborhood Astronomy Program (NAP) and hold viewing events all over Manhattan.

January -
- 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan 5 – Boston Circle Cul-de-sac.
February -
- February 25 - 7:30 Birch Court Cul de sac, in Manhattan, KS: Telescopes and expertise will be available for ALL ages to enjoy the night sky. Our Targets this month is the Moon. Jupiter and it's moons. The Great Orion Nebula M42 & The Pleiades M45 in Taurus.
March -
- March 24 - Messier Marathon 2012! Watch as Live images come in and join in on the discussion.
April -
- April 21 - 9:30pm: KSU Class Observing Session - Washington Marlatt Park north of Manhattan. Mars and Saturn will be showcases tonight. Deep Sky objects will include M51, the Leo triplet of M65, M66 and NGC 3628. We'll try hunting down one of the most red Carbon stars in the sky; V Hydrae.
May -
- ***Cancelled***May 19 - 10:00 pm Riley Dark Sky Site: Spring is the time for Galaxies, and we will be hunting plenty. From Ursa Major through Coma Berenices and on into Virgo. Some stops will be M51, M63, M64, M100, M101. Some double stars in these constellations as well. Our Carbon Star of the month: V Hydrae, arguably the reddest star in the entire sky!***Cancelled***
June -
- June 23 -10:30 pm: Washington Marlatt Park north of Manhattan (PDF Map). Mars and Saturn will again be the showcases tonight. We hope to have an 11" SCT set up to capture some images and view on a monitor. The 5 day old moon will be a wonderful target too in the western sky. The moon is not yet bright enough to wash out any deep sky objects, and some of our deep sky targets include the Whirlpool, Pinwheel, Sunflower and Black-Eye galaxies. Globular Clusters M3 and M5. Some wonderful double stars in Canes Venatici, Corona Borealis and Virgo. Our Carbon Star of the month is in the North Crown, Corona Borealis, V CRB.
July -
- July 21 - 9:30 pm Tuttle Point Loop Shelter in Tuttle Creek Cove Park. Click here for a map.
August -
- No observing sessions scheduled
September -
- ***Cancelled*** September 15 - 9:00pm: The constellation of Sagittarius is our focus tonight. A huge number of beautiful open clusters, globular clusters, and nebulae will be visible. Sagittarius, The Archer, is host to our Galaxy's core and targets abound in this part of the sky. We'll swing through Scutum, Aquila, Delphinus and Sagitta on our tour of the heavens. The Great Andromeda Galaxy, M31 and it's companions are in east for viewing. More of late summer's best are still viewable too. Our Carbon Star of the month is V Aquilae. ***Cancelled***
October -
- Oct 20 - 7:00 PM KSU Campus Beach Museum - Unfortunately the weather is too cloudy and there will be no telescopes set up tonight. The Beach Museum is still open to the public however if you want to stop by and see the exhibits.
November -
- No observing sessions scheduled
December -
- No observing sessions scheduled

Here are some observing tips:

Please dress appropriately. It can get very cold at the events, even in summer! You can always shed layers, but once you're cold, it can be hard to get warm again in the night-time air.
Be aware that the viewing sights will not have any amenities at all! Bathrooms, shelters and seating accommodations will not be provided. Bring something non-alcoholic to drink if you plan to stay awhile. Something warm in the winter, cool in the summer. At the very least bring some water to keep hydrated. Alcohol will not be tolerated. All viewing session areas are strictly NON-SMOKING. Not only will this bother your fellow viewers, but the smoke can damage the delicate instruments and optics and contribute to litter at the sites and be an extreme fire hazard.
Shut off your headlights as soon as safe and reasonable. Better to arrive before the event time while it's still light out. Please do not let your headlights shine on the star gazing party if you can help it. It takes over 30 minutes to re-adjust night vision. Please don't blast everyone with your headlights when you leave. However, be as safe as you can. If you need help driving in or out, just ask, someone can help you navigate. Many newer cars have their headlights on when you start your car. Please be aware of this and try to not shine your lights in the eyes of the astronomers. Night vision adaptation can be destroyed equally by bright white flash lights and even bright cell phone lights. Please be aware of this and be courteous. It can take up to an hour to regain the dark adaptation lost!
Please do not allow children to run around or play next to the party and delicate instruments. This kicks up dust and can damage the delicate instruments... Children will be children, and we love to have them at the viewings. They can play away from the party and equipment.
Bring your telescope or binoculars if you have them. We are glad to help out in any way and appreciate the extra help and equipment.
Bring your questions and an open mind. We will be looking at some incredible objects, not all of which are easily seen, especially in the heavily light polluted skies around Manhattan. Observational Astronomy is a skill that you can develop over time. Don't be discouraged if you just can't see some of the objects. Remember, we're nuts about this stuff and have been doing it a long time...

Kansas State University Class Sessions:

These sessions are for pre-arranged group sessions and are not open to the general public as a general rule. Maps can be found to our viewing locations. Watch the weather page as close as you can!

January -
- No observing sessions scheduled yet
February -
- No observing sessions scheduled yet
March -
- No observing sessions scheduled yet
April -
- April 21 - 9:30pm: KSU Class Observing Session - Washington Marlatt Park north of Manhattan. Mars and Saturn will be showcases tonight. Deep Sky objects will include M51, the Leo triplet of M65, M66 and NGC 3628. We'll try hunting down the most red Carbon star in the sky, V Hydrae.
May -
- No observing sessions scheduled yet
June -
- June 5th - 4:30pm, KSU Campus Ward Hall: We'll be observing and imaging the Venus Transit of the Sun. This is a once in a lifetime event, so come join us at the KSU campus on the west side of Ward Hall. We'll have several specialized telesocpes set up, safe to view the Sun. Dr. Chris Sorensen has created a PowerPoint® presentation on this years event available here.
September -
- No observing sessions scheduled yet
October -
- No observing sessions scheduled yet
November -
- No observing sessions scheduled yet

Special Events Schedule:

These sessions are for special or un-foreseen events. Due to the nature of observational astronomy, notices may be posted on very short notice. Please watch this site closely! Maps can be found to our viewing locations. Watch the weather page as close as you can!

March 24 - Messier Marathon time again - We'll have a blog/posting site up so people can follow along, comment and post at http://messier.nckas.org/ Watch for more announcements. This year was finally clear. We were able to gat 60 Messier objects which is a new record for Kansas. Nowhere near NMT's record of 104 though. Still, the event was an enormous success!
***Cancelled***March 29 - 8:45pm: USD 383 GT Student viewing at Washington Marlett Park north of Manhattan. We'll be viewing Jupiter, Mars, M42 the Great Orion Nebula and the Moon.***Cancelled***
***Cancelled*** May 3 - 5:30pm - 7:30pm, Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School Science Fair - We'll have a hydrogen-alpha solar telescope to look at the sun. Come support TR Science Fair.***Cancelled***
June 2nd - 10:00am - Noon: Manhattan Public Library Summer Reading Kick-Off, Manhattan Public Library Lawn - We'll be looking safely at the sun with special Telescopes.
June 5th - 4:30pm, KSU Campus Ward Hall: We'll be observing and imaging the Venus Transit of the Sun. This is a once in a lifetime event, so come join us at the KSU campus on the west side of Ward Hall. We'll have several specialized telesocpes set up, safe to view the Sun. Dr. Chris Sorensen has created a PowerPoint® presentation on this years event available here.
***Cancelled***June 6th - 10:30pm, Belolit, KS: North Central Kansas Technical College "Tech Boot Camp" - Mars and Saturn are still going strong. Some of early summer's best are out in the summer Milky Way. M4, M6, M7, M8, M13, and M57 are a few of our targets. The nearly full Moon will rise just after 11:00 pm, so we'll try and get as many targets as possible before we loose our dark skies.***Cancelled***
June 9th - 9:00pm, North Park Junction City KS: The Dorothy Bramlage Public Library is planning a viewing the night sky event. We be able view Saturn and Mars and some of early summer's best in the sky.

If you wish to contact us, you can email nckas@nckas.org

This page updated: 11/14/12 10:35:42 AM