On Friday, Sept. 11, the St. George Astronomy Group and the Town of Leeds will host a free public solar viewing party at Leeds Town Park followed by a star party at the Silver Reef Museum as part of Leeds’ Wild West Days. All are invited to view the sun and stars through a variety of telescopes and to learn the constellations. Telescopes will be on hand, but anyone with their own is encouraged to bring it to the event.
The solar viewing party begins at 6 p.m. Solar telescopes will be set up at Leeds Town Park, and viewers are welcome to bring their own solar telescopes as well. The driveway at the back of the park, beyond the pavilion, will remain clear to allow vehicles to get close to the large open area in the park. Babylon Mill Road will be blocked off, but vehicles with solar telescopes will be allowed access. Setup time will be around 5:30 p.m., and there will be a shade canopy to provide some relief from the direct heat.
The star party begins at the Silver Reef Museum at 9 p.m. and lasts until approximately 11 p.m. Telescopes will be pointed to such celestial objects as the planet Saturn and its fabulous rings, different types of star clusters, double stars, and more.
Parking for the St. George Astronomy Group star party will be at the Silver Reef Museum, located at 1915 Wells Fargo Dr. in Leeds.
Cloud cover will result in the cancellation of the event.
The St. George Astronomy Group is southern Utah’s astronomy advocacy organization with the mission of reaching out to the public through free star parties and other public events and to preserve the dark skies over southern Utah through proper outdoor lighting. It is an informal association of amateur astronomers in St. George, Toquerville, and other nearby communities in southwest Utah. There are no officers, dues, or formal meetings. Membership is open to anyone who wishes to actively participate in hosting star parties and working for dark skies over St. George. The group was formed to exchange ideas and foster fellowship among people with an interest in astronomy, to host public star parties, and to promote proper lighting and dark skies over southwest Utah. The group represents the greater St. George area as far as Kanab and works in cooperation with the Southern Utah Astronomical Society and the Colorado Plateau Dark Skies Cooperative (a unit of the International Dark-Sky Association).
For more information, please visit the St. George Astronomy Group website or contact the Silver Reef Museum at (435) 879-2254.
