by William Parker | Nov 8, 2022 | Observatory, Observatory Events, One-Time
**RESCHEDULED to January 7**
Saturday, November 26 6:00 – 9:00 pm
We invite you to enjoy an evening of stargazing and telescope viewing at the Charles and Kathryn Heide Schoolyard Observatory at Hawthorn Hollow Nature Sanctuary and Arboretum in celebration of the installation of our new telescope. Take a trip through our solar system as we discover sizes and distances of our nearest neighbors. Learn about the moon, it’s phases, and why the moon is so important to live on Earth. There will be variety of telescopes on hand with volunteers to guide you in seeing the night’s brightest objects. Visitors are welcome to bring personal binoculars or telescopes.
This is an adult & family outdoor event with no set viewing schedule (arrive or depart when you want), weather permitting (less 30% clouds). Dress appropriately for being still in nighttime outdoor weather.
Questions? Feel free to email: observatory@hawthornhollow.org
by Chad Jocius | Oct 8, 2022 | Observatory, Observatory Events, One-Time
Wednesday, December 7 (7:00 – 9:00 pm)
Because Mars reaches opposition in December 2022, it’s the best month to view it. Mars’s opposition, when it’s opposite the Sun in our sky, means that it’s visible from sundown to sunup. During December, the red planet will also be at its brightest because it’s the closest Mars will be to Earth for the next two years.
Over the evening of December 7, as the Moon moves past Mars, it will pass in front of the red planet for much of North America and Europe. This is known as an occultation, as the Moon covers up or eclipses Mars. We should see Mars disappear at 9:09 pm CST and then reappear 10:11 pm CST. Then, around 12:00 am CST on December 8, Mars reaches opposition. During opposition, the Sun, Earth and Mars will form a line with Earth in the middle.
Come out to The Heide Observatory to see the occultation of Mars. This fascinating and unusual event will start at 7:00pm.
This event is weather permitting. A cancellation notice due to weather will be given within 24 hours of the event via email to ticket holders. Tickets for this and all events can be rescheduled for another event if due to weather.
Dress appropriately for being still in nighttime outdoor weather.
Tickets are available here.
Questions? Feel free to email: observatory@hawthornhollow.org
by Chad Jocius | Aug 24, 2022 | Observatory, Observatory Events, One-Time
Friday October 21 (8:30 pm – 10:30 pm)
When you gaze up at the night sky, through the veil of stars and the plane of the Milky Way close by, you can’t help but feel small before the grand abyss of the Universe that lies beyond. Even though nearly all of them are invisible to our eyes, our observable Universe, extending tens of billions of light years in all directions, contains a fantastically large number of galaxies within it.
The Andromeda Galaxy is the most distant object readily visible to the naked eye. It is 2.5 million light-years away. The light from it that we see right now is 2.5 million years old. We are therefore seeing the Andromeda Galaxy as it was at a time long before modern humans existed!
Come out to The Schoolyard Observatory and we will take you on a tour of visible galaxies going back in time millions of years.
Take turns looking through our 16-inch telescope at binary stars, dim planets, distant galaxies, and other sky objects. Between individual views in the observatory dome, receive a guided sky tour standing outside under the stars to appreciate the broader picture of what you see through the telescope.
This event may need to be rescheduled if the cloud cover outlook is over 40%. Please watch for a confirmation email from the observatory.
Dress appropriately for nighttime outdoor weather, and insect repellent is highly recommended.
Find tickets here!
Questions? Feel free to contact us at Observatory@hawthornhollow.org
by Chad Jocius | Aug 24, 2022 | Education, Observatory, Observatory Events, One-Time
Friday, October 7 (8:30 pm – 10:30 pm)
Come out to the Schoolyard Observatory and observe the moon in the evening sky, as it will guide you to Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, and Uranus the gas giants of our solar system. Given clear skies, you can’t miss these bright worlds. The moon is the second-brightest celestial object, after the sun. Learn about the moon and these amazing worlds as we view them through our telescopes.
This event may need to be rescheduled if the cloud cover outlook is over 40%. Please watch for a confirmation email from the observatory.
Dress appropriately for nighttime outdoor weather, and insect repellent is highly recommended.
Find tickets here!
Questions about this event or others please contact us at Observatory@hawthornhollow.org
by Chad Jocius | Apr 15, 2022 | One-Time
Saturday, April 23 9:00 P.M.
We invite you to enjoy an evening of stargazing and telescope viewing at the Charles and Kathryn Heide Schoolyard Observatory at Hawthorn Hollow Nature Sanctuary and Arboretum. A variety of telescopes will be on hand with volunteers to guide you in seeing the night’s brightest objects. Visitors are welcome to bring personal binoculars or telescopes.
This is a free adult & family outdoor event with no set viewing schedule (arrive or depart when you want), weather permitting (less 30% clouds) with a backup date of April 30. Dress appropriately for being still in nighttime outdoor weather.
Questions? Feel free to email: observatory@hawthornhollow.org
by William Parker | Apr 15, 2022 | Observatory, Observatory Events, One-Time
Friday (Apr. 22) 9:00 pm – 11:00 pm
The Lyrids appear in Chinese writing dating back to roughly 690 BCE, making them one of the earliest meteor showers on record. On the night of April 22, the annual shower will make its appearance for 2022. The meteor shower is a result of Earth passing through the tail of the comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher. When our planet moves through this debris field, the space rocks burn up in Earth’s atmosphere, causing spectacular lights to streak across the night sky.
The Lyrids are one of the weaker annual meteor showers visible from Earth. On peak nights, they usually produce no more than 20 shooting stars per hour. The event is also unpredictable: On rare occasions, spectators are treated to incredible surges of up to 100 meteors per hour. For this reason, the Lyrids are worth checking out for diehard astronomy enthusiasts.
Come out to the Schoolyard Observatory and enjoy a relaxing evening in our anti-gravity chairs as we point out the night-sky objects and watch for meteors.
Tickets are limited so reserve soon.
This event is weather-dependent and will be canceled or rescheduled by e-mail 24 hours before the scheduled start time in the event of a cloud cover forecast greater than 30%. Reservations can be transferred for any other nightly event.
Dress appropriately for being still in nighttime outdoor weather.
Questions? Feel free to contact us at observatory@hawthornhollow.org
Purchase tickets here, or call 262-552-8196.
