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!

January -
- No observing sessions scheduled
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 wonderful Great Orion Nebula M42 & The Pleiades M45 in Taurus.
March -
- March 24 - Messier Marathon 2012!
April -
- April 21 - 8:45pm Riley Dark Sky Site
May -
- May 19 - 10:00 pm Riley Dark Sky Site
June -
- June 23 -10:30 pm Riley Dark Sky Site
July -
- July 21 - 10:30 pm Riley Dark Sky Site
August -
- Aug. 18 - 9:30 PM Riley Dark Sky Site
September -
- September 15 - 9:15 PM Riley Dark Sky Site
October -
- Oct 13 - 8:30 PM Riley Dark Sky Site
November -
- Nov 17 - 7:30 PM Riley Dark Sky Site
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 -
- No observing sessions scheduled yet
May -
- No observing sessions scheduled yet
June -
- No observing sessions scheduled yet
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. Last year was clouded out for us in Kansas, Missouri and Florida, but Luke (Skywalker) Schmidt was able to image 104 Messier objects from New Mexico Tech Observatory. A New Record!

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

This page updated: 02/21/12 11:41:41 AM