Sorauren Stargazers
Join Sorauren Stargazers for fun group viewing of the stars, planets, moon and other celestial phenomena! Use the sign-up form at the bottom of this page to get event news and alerts.
NEW EVENTS! All programs start by the shipping container between the baseball diamond and off-leash area.
Friday, September 2, meet at 8:30 pm
Weather date: Saturday, September 3
- Moongazing and Late Summer Constellations
- We’ll explore the lunar surface and “terminator” line
- Ancient and modern moon stories including current orbiters and the Artemis mission
- We’ll look for the area where Apollo 11 landed
- Learn the location of the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way
- Bonus: Hunt for Comet 2/2017 K2 Panstarrs
Monday, September 26, meet at 8:00 pm CANCELLED due to weather and COVID
- Jupiter and Neptune at Opposition
- Jupiter looms large and we’ll look at its four main moons
- Hunt for Neptune
- Views of Saturn and its great ring
- Explore the Autumn Constellations
PREVIOUS EVENTS
Sunday, March 27, meet at 5:30 am: CANCELLED due to weather
- Early-morning conjunction of Venus, Saturn and Mars. We’ll have the telescope to look for the rings of Saturn.
Friday, April 29, meet at 8:30 pm:
- Early-evening viewing of elusive Mercury by the Pleiades star cluster. Plus a tour of the spring constellations.
- Event report: A big success! We had great views of Mercury and other spring celestial delights. Bonus viewing of Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn for those who returned to the park early the next morning before sunrise.
Sunday, May 15, meet at 9:00 pm:
- Total Lunar Eclipse! The eclipse starts at 9:32 pm and peaks at 11:29 as the Earth’s shadow falls across the Moon.
- Event report: Clouds obscured the beginning of the eclipse, but we had an excellent surprise bonus view of the International Space Station fly-over. Later in the evening the eclipse was clearly visible through breaks in the clouds.
Sunday, May 29, meet at 5:00 am:
- Early-morning close conjunction of Jupiter and Mars. We’ll look for the moons of Jupiter through the telescope before. Venus and Saturn should also be viewable.
VIEWING INFORMATION
We meet up by the shipping container by the dog park. If we move around the park, look for people with a tripod and telescope.
Events will be confirmed a day or two ahead of each date and will depend on the forecast or other variables.
Dress for the weather.
Bring binoculars if you have them, but not necessary. All events have naked-eye delights plus we’ll have some equipment.
If you have questions, sign up to the Sorauren Stargazers list below or Contact us.
Summer 2021 Season Wrap-up
Through the telescope, we had good views of the four biggest moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn, with many participants seeing these celestial sights for the first time with their own eyes. We took tours of the brightest summer constellations and stars and learned how to find Polaris, the North Star. Venus appeared briefly and over the course of the three viewings, our own Moon got brighter, giving us some great views of the craters and “seas.” We saw five Perseid meteors on August 12, many satellites, and enjoyed a bonus fly-over of the International Space Station on August 2. There is always something to see in the sky!
Many asked for more opportunities to view and learn about the night sky. Use the form below to sign up for Sorauren Stargazing alerts and event notices (the email list is used only for this purpose). Or follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter @SoraurenPark for future Stargazing gatherings.
Sorauren Stargazers Email Alert Sign-up
Complete this form to get email alerts on alternate dates, cancellations, and special opportunities like International Space Station fly-over viewings. Also let us know if you’d like to volunteer and have any special experience or stargazing equipment. You can unsubscribe from this list and the list is not shared or used for purposes other than Sorauren Park information.
Sorauren Park 