2008 HiDAS Schedule

Astronomical observing is a very special time at the Luz Observatory. During these times, the observatory is open to the public. We encourage families to come, and please include the children. There is no charge to participate at the public viewings, and everyone will have the opportunity to view the skies through the powerful telescopes under guidance of on site astronomers. Though this is not a structured class or lecture, the astronomers are there to explain some of the wonders of the universe.

 

 

 April

 

4th, 7 pm-  Planetarium Show at the Victor Valley College

 

5th, Star Party / Messier Marathon Location changed please check the forum for more information

 

11th, 7:30 pm-  Public viewing at the Lewis Center,  20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley

 

18th, 7 pm- Planetarium Show at the Victor Valley College

 

19th,  7 pm- HiDAS club meeting at the Lewis Center,  Public viewing to follow at 8:30pm. Everyone is invited to attend. 20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley, CA. 92307

 

SPECIAL EVENT FRIDAY the 25th,

HiDAS has been requested to show their scopes for the Boy Scouts at the Lewis Center Mojave River Campus baseball diamond . Be there to set up around 7pm. We expect around 200 scouts to be there. Follow this link for a map.

MAP LINK

 

26th 7:30 pm- Public viewing at the Lewis Center, 20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley

 

May

2nd, 7 pm-  Planetarium Show at the Victor Valley College

SPECIAL EVENT FRIDAY the 2nd, 7pm  at the Apple Valley Albertsons on HWY 18 and Bass Hill Road ( next to Walmart ) HiDAS will be setting up members scopes for public outreach . We request all members to please attend!

3rd,  Star Party at dusk. This star party will be held at the Camp Rock Rd. site. There is a map posted on the directions page. The public is welcome to attend.

9th, 8 pm- Public viewing at the Lewis Center, 20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley

16th, 8 pm- Public viewing at the Lewis Center,  20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley

17th,  7 pm- HiDAS club meeting at the  Lewis Center , Public viewing to follow at 8:30pm. Everyone is invited to attend. 20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley, CA. 92307

23-25th, RTMC Big Bear. More info will be posted soon.

 

June

6th, 8:30 pm- Public viewing at the Lewis Center, 20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley

7th, Star Party at dusk. This star party will be held at the Camp Rock Rd. site. There is a map posted on the directions page. The public is welcome to attend.

13th, 8:30 pm -Public viewing at the Lewis Center, 20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley

21rst, 7 pm- HiDAS club meeting at the Lewis Center , Public viewing to follow at 8:30pm. Everyone is invited to attend. 20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley, CA. 92307

There are no Planetarium shows scheduled for this month.

 

July

 

6th, 8:30 pm- Public viewing at the Lewis Center,  20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley

 

7th,  Star Party at dusk. This star party will be held at the Camp Rock Rd. site. There is a map posted on the directions page. The public is welcome to attend.

 

19th,  7 pm- HiDAS club meeting at the Lewis Center,  Public viewing to follow at 8:30pm. Everyone is invited to attend. 20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley, CA. 92307

 

 25th, 8:30 pm- Public viewing at the Lewis Center,  20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley

August

2nd,  Star Party at dusk. This star party will be held at the Camp Rock Rd. site. There is a map posted on the directions page. The public is welcome to attend

8th, 8:30 pm- Public viewing at the Lewis Center,  20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley

15th, 8:30 pm- Public viewing at the Lewis Center,  20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley

16th, 7 pm- HiDAS club meeting at the Lewis Center , Public viewing to follow at 8:30pm. Everyone is invited to attend. 20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley, CA. 92307

29th, 7 pm- Planetarium Show at the Victor Valley College

30th,  Star Party at dusk. This star party will be held at the Camp Rock Rd. site. There is a map posted on the directions page. The public is welcome to attend.

 

 

September

5th, 7:30 pm- Public viewing at the Lewis Center,  20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley

12 th, 7:30 pm- Public viewing at the Lewis Center,  20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley

20th,  7 pm- HiDAS club meeting at the  Lewis Center , Public viewing to follow at 8:30pm. Everyone is invited to attend. 20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley, CA. 92307

19th, 7 pm- Planetarium Show at the Victor Valley College

26th, 7 pm- Planetarium Show at the Victor Valley College

27th, Star Party at dusk. This star party will be held at the Camp Rock Rd. site. There is a map posted on the directions page. The public is welcome to attend.

 

October

3rd, 7:30 pm- Public viewing at the Lewis Center,  20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley

10th, 7:30 pm- Public viewing at the Lewis Center,  20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley

17th, 7 pm- Planetarium Show at the Victor Valley College

 

18th, 7 pm- HiDAS club meeting at the Lewis Center , Public viewing to follow at 8:30pm. Everyone is invited to attend. 20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley, CA.

 

24th, 7 pm- Planetarium Show at the Victor Valley College

 

25th,  Star Party at dusk. This star party will be held at the Camp Rock Rd. site. There is a map posted on the directions page. The public is welcome to attend.

 

 November

1rst, 6:30 pm- Public viewing at the Lewis Center,  20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley

7th, 7 pm- Planetarium Show at the Victor Valley College

14th, 6:30 pm- Public viewing at the Lewis Center,  20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley

15th,  7 pm- HiDAS club meeting at the  Lewis Center , Public viewing to follow at 8:30pm. Everyone is invited to attend. 20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley, CA. 92307

21rst, 7 pm- Planetarium Show at the Victor Valley College

22nd, Star Party at dusk. This star party will be held at the Camp Rock Rd. site. There is a map posted on the directions page. The public is welcome to attend.

 

 December

5th, 7 pm- Planetarium Show at the Victor Valley College

6th, 6:30 pm- Public viewing at the Lewis Center,  20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley

12th, 6:30 pm- Public viewing at the Lewis Center,  20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley

13th,  7 pm- HiDAS club meeting at the  Lewis Center , Public viewing to follow at 8:30pm. Everyone is invited to attend. 20702 Thunderbird Rd. Apple Valley, CA. 92307

There is no star party scheduled for this month.

Star Party Etiquette


1. The first rule is to have fun. Move around and visit all of the scopes. Talk with the owners and learn about their scopes. This will help you in deciding what scope you would like to purchase in the future.

2.  Bright lights are fundamentally frowned upon after dark. Dome lights in vehicles should be switched off and the use of any flashlight should be covered with red plastic or red paint. Red light affects the eye's dark adaptation the least. Use flashlights that have give off red light.

3. Keep young children under control. There is a lot of expensive hardware around for them to run into.

4. Most of our sites there will be parking a short distance from the viewing site. Many of the sites are chosen for the accessibility of driving your car to your viewing spot. If you did not bring a viewing instrument, please consider parking a short distance away from the viewing site. If you absolutely need to use a white light please warn everybody, that way they can protect  their eyes  from the light.

5. Most of our sites are in the desert and tend to be rather dusty, especially in summer, and dust on a mirror is seldom beneficial. Be careful when driving or walking. When powering your scope from your car, try to tuck the power cord away so as to minimize danger of tripping over it.

6. Soft music in the background is relaxing and tends to hide the boring noises of the night. If you are going to play music, please check with others to make sure you don't disturb them with your music. Tastes in music differ so violently so please respect others requests to turn it down or even off.

7. Eventually you will want to view the sky through another person's scope. Before moving another's scope, be sure to ask if you can peer into it. Some scopes have electrical lines running in weird places.

8. Always bring some extra warm clothing. Few people realize just how chilly it gets out here in the desert nights. In the summer, a light and heavy jacket, warm shirt, jeans may be all you need. The Winter calls for insulated boots, thermal underwear, corduroy jeans, parka, flannel shirt, gloves, and, very important, a warm knit cap! The greatest heat loss is from your head, so you'll want the hood on your coat, too, especially if there's a breeze.

9. You'll need extra energy to remain effective through an observing session, so you'll want to bring along plenty of sandwiches, snacks, coffee, and soft drinks .


10. Be sure to properly dispose of wrappings, cans, bottle caps, etc. so that we continue to be welcome in the various sites. If you bring it with you, take it with you when you leave.

11. Never leave anyone by themselves at the end of the evening, we don't want anyone to be stranded alone.