First Area Star Party Planned May 21-24

By Brad Solomon
   The first of three summer star parties will be held Thursday through Sunday, May 21-24, at the Sutter Ranch, located 10 miles east of Snowflake. Amateur astronomers based in Snowflake-Taylor and surround-ing areas have formed a new star club, the Little Colorado River Valley Astronomy Club (LCRVAC). It is open to anyone with an interest in astronomy, providing a social and educational forum in perhaps the best remaining area of Arizona for stargazing. To get things rolling, the club has announced its schedule of star parties.
   “A star party is all about fun and discovery,” said Bill Wood, owner of EWS Hobby Shop in downtown Snowflake. “It’s about learning what’s out there in the universe we all live in.” Bill explained that the Sut-ter Ranch is an extremely dark sky location perfect for this event. “We will have many different types and sizes of telescopes set up. Everyone is welcome--families with children, astronomy buffs and those who are just curious.” The group intends to publicize the parties statewide and in New Mexico.
   Some of the sights that will be visible through powerful, computer-guided telescopes include planets, globular clusters, galaxies and nebulae. Computerized imaging equipment with sensitive color cameras will display stunning views that are not visible with the naked eye. The club’s Web site (lcrvac.com) touts: “See the rings around Saturn before they temporarily disappear from view this September. See the International Space Station fly into the Earth’s shadow. See Iridium satellite flashes with your naked eyes.”
   Those who register before May 21 will be entered into a drawing to be held each night of the event for astronomy-related prizes. Early registration is encouraged so that organizers can provide sufficient creature comforts, including sanitary facilities, camping space and of course, telescopes! To register, visit lcrvac.com, e-mail starparty@lcrvac.com or call (602) 228-0231. Specify which event(s) you plan to at-tend, how many people will be attending and whether you will be bringing a telescope, binoculars or just your eyes. All events are open to anyone, including visitors and tourists, and will be completely family friendly.
   The star parties were inspired by discussion of maintaining the pristine dark skies around Snowflake-Taylor, which are among the best in the nation for star gazing due to the high altitude, distance from major population centers and relatively clear skies.
   Taylor Town Manager Eric Duthie presented a dark sky proposal early this year to the Snowflake-Taylor Tourism Committee. “In Taylor and Snowflake, we have the perfect location to attract amateur as-tronomers and families with children who want to learn about the stars,” said Duthie. The formation of LCRVAC is a step in bringing this initiative from talk to reality.
   The Little Colorado River Valley Astronomy Club is dedicated to supporting amateur astronomers at all experience and interest levels throughout the Northeastern Arizona region, including those from Winslow, Holbrook, St. Johns, Concho, Show Low, Snowflake, Taylor and other area communities. In addition to the May party, the second star party is slated July 23-25 at the Kane property, located about two miles east of Snowflake, and the third for Sept. 17-19, with the location to be announced.
   The star parties are sponsored by the Snowflake-Taylor Chamber of Commerce, the Snowflake-Taylor Tourism Committee, the Little Colorado River Valley Astronomy Club, The Moore Observatory, SutterPride, Reidhead Farrier Service and EWS Hobby.
   This year is the International Year of Astronomy, with star parties and other events scheduled across the globe. Together, the late 20th and early 21st century have been referred to as the golden era of astronomy as increasingly sophisticated instruments such as the Hubble Telescope and Chandra X-Ray Observatory peer to the very edges of time and space. Perhaps the most profound event within the past decade or so has been the discovery of planets orbiting numerous distant stars, with recent news that planets have been ob-served directly.
   More information is available at The Little Colorado River Valley Astronomy Club Web site www.lcrvac.com, and at the International Year of Astronomy Web site at www.astronomy2009.org.