Get Involved: Star Parties at Mt. Tam

Mountain Theater Lecture

It's spring, and that means it's time for star parties at the Mountain Theater on Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County. Always a favorite place for stargazing, I am looking forward to being a part of the magical Saturday nights with lectures, star gazing and amateur astronomer telescopes each month.

The Friends of Mt. Tam (formerly the Mt. Tam Interpretive Association) have been sponsoring astronomy nights on Mt. Tam for 25 years, and this year will be another excellent one with monthly lectures from professional astronomers on topics such as Dark Energy, Asteroids, Mars Exploration and Climate Change. Following each lecture, I give a short tour of the night sky, and the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers host a star party with powerful telescopes to peer into the dark sky visible high above the fog on Mt. Tam.

The nights on Mt. Tam are a terrific astronomy experience and the price is free, so there's no excuse for not taking part. Families are welcome, and guests bring food and drink as well as cushions and warm blankets to really enjoy the evening there. The first event kicks off this Saturday April 13th at 8:30 pm, featuring Dr. Robert A. Rhode of the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature. His lecture is entitled “Understanding the Climate Change of the Last 250 Years”. Click here for details.

I hope to see you Above the Fog on Mt. Tam sometime this season.

Image courtesy of Weekend Sherpa.