See the stars in a state park at ‘Astronomy at the Beach’ – MLive.com
BRIGHTON, MI — In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, “Astronomy at the Beach” will bring astronomy lovers and their telescopes to Kent Lake Beach at the Island Lake State Recreation Area in Brighton.
The 23rd annual event is 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 13-14 and is hosted by the Great Lakes Association of Astronomy Clubs, which describes itself as a loose group of southeast Michigan astronomy clubs and educational institutions.
The volunteer-run event is free, but attendees must have or purchase a state park “Recreation Passport” to access the park.
Last year, the event had more than 5,000 visitors across two days and featured more than 50 telescopes, said Brian Ottum, a volunteer spokesman for the event.
The event unites astronomy fans and offers visitors a chance to view the night sky in a state park area with minimal light pollution. Jupiter’s cloud bands and four moons are highly visible Friday night, Ottum said, and people can see the planet’s “great red spot” Saturday night. Saturn and its rings are visible both nights.
A full “harvest moon” is set to occur Friday.
“We just love astronomy, we love our telescopes,” Ottum said. “We love to share our passion.”
A photo of the full moon taken by Astronomy at the Beach volunteer spokesman Brian Ottum.
The event will also feature hands-on science experiments, such as making a comet out of dry ice or making water boil at room temperature by creating a vacuum, Ottum said.
While storms are moving through the area today, Ottum said, forecasts estimate the sky should clear up by sundown Friday and will be clear throughout the evening Saturday. The events are rain-or-shine, he said.
“(The weather is) good tonight, and spectacular tomorrow night,” Ottum said.
