Fun, lots of fun under starry skies above

Not only does the Lane County area offer terrestrial wonders to delight diehard and weekend warrior explorers, it presents shining opportunities for out-of-this-world discoveries.

Just look up on any clear night for a peek into the twinkling, streaking, simply astounding cosmos.

Granted, “clear night” is rarely a given in this part of the country. But with reasonably scant urban light pollution and plenty of “dark-sky” sites within a short drive, stargazers can see what’s out there with stunning clarity on those nights when the clouds are drawn back like cosmic curtains.

“We have some of the darkest skies in the U.S., and people are amazed sometimes by what they can see even with a small telescope,” said Sam Pitts, president of the Eugene Astronomical Society.

Weather permitting, the club hosts star parties open to the public on the Friday closest to each quarter moon at College Hill Reservoir, 24th Avenue and Lawrence Street in Eugene. Remaining 2011 dates are May 13, June 10, July 8, Aug. 5, Sept. 2, Oct. 7, Nov. 4, Dec. 2 and Dec. 30.

The club also puts on an annual dark-sky star party at Dexter State Recreation Site, 15 miles southeast of Eugene on Highway 58. The 2011 event starts at dusk on Saturday, July 23, during the last quarter moon.

“The whole goal of the club is to expose as many people as we can to the night sky and astronomy, which is the father and mother of all sciences,” Pitts said. Otherwise “it’s easy for people to kind of lose track of how everything’s interconnected, how everything’s moving and nothing stays the same.”

Optical introductions

At every EAS star party, some of the club’s 35 to 40 members are available to answer questions about what’s visible through the eyepieces of numerous telescopes. These are valuable free learning opportunities for newcomers, Pitts said — especially for anyone considering buying a telescope.

“It’s like buying a camera; you get what you pay for,” he said. “Pretty much everything’s mail order, so the best thing is to go to a star party and look through six or a dozen instruments before you buy one.

Frog-Man.net Message Board: Perseids meteor shower August 12-13

From earthsky.org :

August 12 and 13, 2010 Perseids
And when we say August 12 or 13, we mean the morning hours after midnight � not that night. These typically fast and bright meteors radiate from a point in the constellation Perseus the Hero. But you don�t need to know Perseus to watch the shower. The meteors appear in all parts of the sky. The Perseids are considered by many people to be the year�s best shower, and often peak at 50 or more meteors per hour. 2010 is a great year for the Perseids. This year, the slender waxing crescent moon will set at early evening, leaving a dark sky for this year�s Perseid show. The Perseids tend to strengthen in number as late night deepens into midnight, and typically produce the most meteors in the wee hours before dawn. These meteors are often bright and frequently leave persistent trains. On the mornings of August 12 and 13, watch the Perseid meteors streak across this short summer night from midnight until dawn. Lie back and watch meteors until dawn�s light washes the stars and planets from the sky. The morning of August 11 should be good, too � in fact, this shower tends to rise gradually to a peak for about a week. Then it�s known to drop off rapidly after the peak mornings.

Anyone interested in staying up all night?

David Levy's guide to observing meteor showers

Astronomy for All Ages, Discovering the Universe Through Activities for Children and Adults

Meteor showers, a descriptive catalog

Field guide to meteors and meteorites

The cosmos, astronomy in the new millennium