The camp out and potluck are this Saturday, June 7th, at McIver State Park. We are at the Kingfisher Group site, which will be clearly marked. From the main entrance, take the first left and go until you see the entrance to the site on the right hand side of the road.
Schedule of Events
4:00 Reservation begins. Families may arrive any time after 4:00 to set up tents, or just hang out.
6:00 Potluck begins. If you haven't signed up to bring a dish, click here.
8:00 We are very fortunate to have not one, not two, but three volunteers from the Rose City Astronomers coming to share their telescopes and their expertise! We will have a presentation around 8:00 which will shift into telescope viewing as it gets closer to sunset. Here's a sneak peek from astronomer Mike, who will be our star guide:
We will start with Jupiter..At sunset it will be to the west, about 23 degrees above the horizon. Assuming we have a low enough horizon to the west, we’ll want to catch Jupiter before it goes lower and we lose sight of it, then move on to the Moon, etc. The Moon, which at sunset will be almost due south, almost 40 degrees above the horizon, a little past first quarter. The Moon is so bright it is actually more comfortable to observe through a telescope at twilight, downright blinding after dark. Mars will be near the Moon, go there next. Saturn will a little lower and to the east of the Moon. We can spend some time with Saturn...
With a waxing gibbous Moon the sky will be bright and we will be limited to looking at relatively bright objects. Of course there will be nearby Portland light pollution too. Bright objects that can be interesting include double-stars, globular clusters, open star clusters in addition to the very bright Moon and the three planets that will be available. WOW!
10:00 Officially, the gates close, but we've never had anyone locked in ;) If you are not staying the night, you may leave whenever you wish.
Sunday morning Everyone's on their own for breakfast, packing up, etc. We have the site until 11:00am, and need to leave it clean and ready for the next group.
What should we bring?
If you are camping, bring whatever items you'd normally take for sleeping outside. There are 2 porta-potties, and no running water. The site has a very large field, and we will set up tents around the perimeter.
Camping or not, please feel free to bring blankets, camping chairs, your telescope, frisbees, balls, and other group games. There are trails to hike (kids must be accompanied by an adult), too.
Oh, and don't forget your camera!
Sorry, no animals allowed. Also, no smoking or alcohol. Thank you for keeping our family event FUN!
Have I forgotten anything? This is going to be an AMAZING night. Thank you all for making this a phenomenal year!
Mrs. Gausman
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