Night Sky

Explore the night sky with the TriState Astronomers Friday and Saturday at the annual free public star party at Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg. Telescopes will be set up both nights near the Visitors Center parking lot for all to view Saturn, the Moon and other wonders of the night sky. Bring your own telescope or binoculars if you wish. This is an ongoing event throughout the evening for the whole family. There will also be laser guided sky tours pointing out various stars and constellations of the spring night sky. The event will be held from 6 to 11:30 p.m. It will be canceled if cloudy.

April is upon us. That means a last opportunity for some early evening viewing of some of the famous winter constellations like Orion, while familiar spring and summer constellations rise earlier each evening to take their place. Let's take a look at some things you can expect to see this month, beginning with the stars!   Start by using the Big Dipper to help us locate some familiar constellations in the night sky. Find the Big Dipper by looking high in the northern sky, with four stars forming the cup and the three stars that form the handle pointing back to the east where the sun rises in the morning.

When my dad woke me up in the dead of the night to see the meteor shower, I thought, "What's so special about these things that I have to get up at 3 in the morning?" My family and I bundled up in our coats and gloves to lie outside in our sleeping bags and watch the sky fall. I was about 8 at the time and had never seen a meteor shower, so I did not know what to expect. The sky was clear as glass, so we could see everything perfectly. I waited for a while before finally seeing movement.

ANTIETAM NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD - Dozens of people showed up for a party with the stars at Antietam National Battlefield on Friday night. There was no Julia Roberts, Michael Jordan or Tom Cruise, but the night sky offered plenty for stargazers to look at, including the moon, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars. The Tri-State Astronomers have been hosting the star parties since 1986, the last time Halley's Comet passed by Earth, said Jim Taylor, the group's past president. Taylor said the group hosts the parties once or twice a year to show people what is involved in astronomy.

Once a year, more than 23,000 candles glow bright in the night sky over Antietam National Battlefield - a somber reminder of the men who were killed, wounded or missing in the Sept. 17, 1862, Battle of Antietam. The 19th annual Memorial Illumination is a driving tour of the grounds traditionally held the first Saturday in December. This year, that will be Dec. 1, with a rain date of Dec. 8. Luminarias for each of the 23,110 men killed, wounded or missing during that battle cover the fields where the men fell during the bloodiest one-day battle in American history.

Field day event The Monocacy Valley Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation will hold its annual field day for ages 6 to 16. Trail walk, turkey-calling demonstration, shotgun patterning and a cannon net demonstration. Lunch will be served to participants and parents or guardians. Today, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Woodmont Lodge, Hancock. Call Bobby Dutrow at 301-845-1366 or Ian Hill at 240-446-2776. Civil War presentation Volunteer to help clean and maintain a Civil War site, the Pry House Field Hospital at Antietam National Battlefield.

It's Christmas season again. Perhaps you are considering buying a telescope for someone on your shopping list. TriState Astronomers wants to help make stargazing a fun and exciting adventure into the night sky. Following Christmas, TriState Astronomers will conduct telescope clinics to help telescope owners set up their new telescopes and learn how to use them. If you are buying your first telescope and if you are not knowledgeable about them, there are many factors you should consider before you go shopping.

When my son brought home a paper from his science teacher detailing how he could earn extra credit by attending the planetarium program "The Stargazer," we checked our calendar and made plans with friends to attend the show. It was such a nice evening. I would recommend it as a worthwhile family experience. The program, which is presented by the William M. Brish Planetarium of the Washington County Public Schools, will take place again on Tuesdays, Feb. 17 and 24, at 7 p.m. If you go, you will be encouraged to check out many aspects of the winter sky. These days, for example, if you look to the west on a clear night, you will be able to see the planet Venus.

April is upon us. That means a last opportunity for some early evening viewing of some of the famous winter constellations like Orion, while familiar spring and summer constellations rise earlier each evening to take their place. Let's take a look at some things you can expect to see this month, beginning with the stars!   Start by using the Big Dipper to help us locate some familiar constellations in the night sky. Find the Big Dipper by looking high in the northern sky, with four stars forming the cup and the three stars that form the handle pointing back to the east where the sun rises in the morning.

Gazing up into a night sky, it's easy to get swept off into the heavens. Thousands of stars appear, like diamonds on velvet, with more graduations of intensity than the naked eye can perceive. Rod Martin was no more than 5 years old when he peered into the universe and became starstruck. It was the beginning of a hobby that would eventually become a career and a lifelong passion. For the past 27 years, Martin has been director of the William M. Brish Planetarium in Hagerstown.

Explore the night sky with the TriState Astronomers Friday and Saturday at the annual free public star party at Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg. Telescopes will be set up both nights near the Visitors Center parking lot for all to view Saturn, the Moon and other wonders of the night sky. Bring your own telescope or binoculars if you wish. This is an ongoing event throughout the evening for the whole family. There will also be laser guided sky tours pointing out various stars and constellations of the spring night sky. The event will be held from 6 to 11:30 p.m. It will be canceled if cloudy.

It's Christmas season again. Perhaps you are considering buying a telescope for someone on your shopping list. TriState Astronomers wants to help make stargazing a fun and exciting adventure into the night sky. Following Christmas, TriState Astronomers will conduct telescope clinics to help telescope owners set up their new telescopes and learn how to use them. If you are buying your first telescope and if you are not knowledgeable about them, there are many factors you should consider before you go shopping.

HAGERSTOWN -- The colorful image revealed intense activity near the galactic core. Onlookers were awed by the energetic explosion of colors. They were not viewing a science fiction film or a kinetic video game, but NASA images of the Milky Way unveiled Saturday at Discovery Station in downtown Hagerstown. NASA released the images to 150 institutions across the United States, including a partnership of Discovery Station and the William M. Brish Planetarium. NASA's Great Observatory Images were released in celebration of the International Year of Astronomy 2009, which coincides with the 400th anniversary of Galileo first using a telescope.