The Delights of Sky Watching he new Star Trek film won’t be in theaters until May, but fans of outer space don’t have to wait until then to explore strange new worlds–there are plenty of opportunities to get acquainted with the night sky, and even hurtle through time and space to distant galaxies, in our own backyard. The Piedmont Region is home to two excellent planetariums, a university observatory, and three astronomy clubs that host plenty of events for budding young Galileos and their families. Astronomy Day One of the largest astronomy clubs in the area is NOVAC, the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club, which will be hosting Astronomy Day at Sky Meadows State Park on Saturday, May 11 from 3-11 p.m. The club members promise “safe views of the sun, special presentations, fun stuff for kids, a guided tour of the night sky and spectacular views of the universe through club members’ telescopes” at this celebration of amateur astronomy. Saturday Star Parties NOVAC members also partner with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum to host Saturday Star Parties on select weekends at Sky Meadows. These Star Parties kick off with a short “Junior Astronomer” program geared toward elementary and middle school students, followed by a multimedia program presented by one of the Smithsonian’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Solar System Ambassadors. If the skies are clear enough, NOVAC members then help attendees find and view stars, constellations, planets, and other astronomical objects through telescopes provided by the Smithsonian and astronomy club members. The first of these events takes place on April 13 beginning at 7 p.m. Visit novac.com for more information. Two other area astronomy clubs host Star Parties within driving distance of the Piedmont region. The Shenandoah Astronomical Society holds Star Parties on Saturday evenings at locations such as T by Katie Fuster Shenandoah County Park in Maurertown and Andy Guest State Park in Bentonville, and the Rappahannock Astronomy Club, RAC, hosts monthly Star Parties at locations such as Caledon Natural Area State Park, which is about twenty miles east of Fredericksburg. The Star Parties are open to all and serve as an opportunity for astronomy club members to share their knowledge–and their telescopes–with the general public. Most of RAC’s Star Parties occur on the Saturday closest to the date of the new moon, when the stars do not have to compete so much with the light reflected by the moon; dates and locations can be found on the RAC’s Web site (raclub.org). Information about upcoming events can be found at shenandoahastronomical.org. National Park Planetarium Just across the Teddy Roosevelt Bridge in northwest D.C. is the National Park System’s only planetarium, which is located at Rock Creek Nature Center. Families with younger children may enjoy the planetarium’s weekend program for 5-7 year-olds, held at 1 p.m. It introduces youngsters to the night sky as it appears that week in our area, with special attention given to location and movement of the more easily-identifiable stars, planets, and constellations visible at that time. Families with older children should visit the planetarium at 4 p.m., on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, when the staff presents programs that focus on what will appear in the night sky that week, as well as more in-depth information on astronomy. All of the planetarium shows are free but require tickets that can be picked up at the Rock Creek Park Nature Center’s information desk. The planetarium also hosts monthly “Exploring the Sky” stargazing sessions at nearby Military Field in conjunction with the National Capital Astronomers. One of the first stargazing events of 2013 occurs on Saturday, April 21, and the night’s focus will be on the winter constellations and the Lyrid meteor shower. These events, like other area Star Parties, are held until November, when temperatures make television-watching on the living room sofa seem more appealing than stargazing in the great outdoors. All ages are welcome to these stargazing sessions. National Capital Astronomers President Joe Morris notes that generally children 4 and younger are totally mystified as to what’s going on, but he adds, “I’ve occasionally been startled at the way that 5-year-old kids respond to the program.” Albert Einstein Planetarium The National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall is home to the largest and most impressive planetarium experience in the area, the Albert Einstein Planetarium. The planetarium’s state-of-the-art IMAX theater immerses visitors in the viewing experience and sends them soaring through the galaxy during films like Undiscovered Worlds and One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure ($9 per ticket for adults; $7.50 per ticket for children) as well as the popular and free live program “The Stars Tonight,” which is presented by museum experts on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings at 10:30. George Mason Observatory Finally, George Mason University in Fairfax houses its own observatory and, on select Tuesday evenings during the school’s spring and fall semesters, hosts on-campus observing sessions and presentations given by the university’s astronomer researchers and instructors. “The lectures given prior to our public observing sessions are geared toward the average family,” explains Observatory Director Dr. Harold Geller, who believes that these lectures should be understandable at a middle school education level. So while you wait for the latest installment of Captain Kirk’s adventures, gather your family together and explore the mysteries of space from right here in Northern Virginia. Katie Fuster is a graduate of the University of Florida and George Mason University who teaches writing at Lord Fairfax Community College. Katie lives in Warrenton with her husband and two children. 2013 • Issue 2 Piedmont Family Magazine 17