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0° N | 0° W |
7/03/2009 - 9:09:16 PM CDT
° F | .0
Wind: mph ( gust)
Humidity: %
Dewpoint: ° F
Pressure:
in. 
Visibility: 0.06 miles
Weather Data: wunderground/yahoo! composite
sun data
7/03/2009 - 9:09:16 PM CDT
A Twilight: 11:46:00 PM CDT
N Twilight: 12:12:13 AM CDT
C Twilight: 12:38:20 AM CDT
Sunrise: 1:00:43 AM CDT
Transit: 7:04:23 AM CDT
Sunset: 1:08:03 PM CDT
C Twilight: 1:30:26 PM CDT
N Twilight: 1:56:33 PM CDT
A Twilight: 2:22:46 PM CDT
Sun Data:
soho/d web designs composite
moon data
7/03/2009 - 9:09:16 PM CDT
Phase: Waxing Gibbous (Lib)
Age: 11.41 days old
Illumination: 77.28% illuminated
App. Disc: 29.71' X 22.96'
249759.6 mi | 401949.2 km away
Moon Data:
sponsors
smoky mountain stargaze
2008
thank you
SMSG 2008 was plagued with a record amounts of rain, but several dozen people stuck through the weather and enjoyed several presentations and a tour of PARI (Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute).
We just wanted to thank everyone for making it out, thank our vendors, door prize donors, and speakers, and thank our volunteers for helping the event go as smoothly as possible.
As we prepare for next year, the title of this page will change to Smoky Mountain Stargaze 2009. In addition, several new features will be added to further build the community established at this and every other star party such as a forum and picture gallery. We will also be adding to our "tools" section in order to promote education and to provide tools for those trying to achieve AL Certificates.
For questions or comments about the event or this site, please feel free to contact us.
welcome
Welcome to the Smoky Mountain Stargaze Online! This is our inaugural year and plan to make this an annual spring event held under the dark skies of the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. This event will be held from March 28th, 2008 through April 6th, 2008 leading up to the new moon.
With the cooperation and help of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation and local businesses, we have been able to organize this event in Whittier, NC. We will have speakers, a swap meet, beginner's astronomy classes, and door prizes for our attendees. In addition, we plan to have several field trips for nature, hiking, history, and culture. And ,of course, the observing site is in a dark location with a great horizon away from the city lights to make night viewing exciting and rewarding.
Whittier, NC is located just outside of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Cherokee Indian Reservation. It is within a 6 hour drive of many major metropolitan areas including Atlanta, Charlotte, Cincinatti, Nashville, and Raleigh and is not only a great astronomy getaway, but also a great scenic adventure.
Please take a moment to explore our site and pre-register online. We hope you can make it out to make our first year a huge success and thank you for visiting our site!
purpose
Our goal is to make this an annual event to provide a dark observing site, exciting activities, and perform education and outreach to the community. We have organized a wide variety of events, door prizes, and speakers to appeal to amateur astronomers at all levels and are making an effort to get local government, schools, non-profits, and businesses involved by providing observing sessions and classes for beginners.
In addition, we are working with local businesses to purchase food, lodging, equipment, and other services to have an economic impact in the area while working with neighboring businesses to help provide us with a dark sky. We hope to continue these partnerships as this event grows in the coming years.
what is a star party?
A star party is a gathering of amateur astronomers to observe celestial objects. Star party attendees observe everything from distant galaxies to nearby planets and everything in between. Many people who attend also spend the day using filters to make viewing sunspots and solar flares safe. If you've never looked through a large telescope, a star party is a great opportunity for you to do so.
Star parties are also a great way for those interested in astronomy to learn more about it and meet people with similar interests. If you don't have a telescope, it's not a problem! Most people who attend star parties are friendly and enjoy talking about their hobby, showing objects to people, and try to answer questions in an understandable manner. In fact, even those who do bring their own telescopes tend to wander around to see what everyone else is looking at. So just walk up, meet people, and feel free to ask questions or ask if you can take a look at whatever they're observing.
If this is your first time attending a star party, try to arrive before sunset, bring a red light (because white lights are a big no-no), dress warm, and bring the whole family! Please be sure to read about how to prepare for a star party and follow the basic guidelines. These will help keep the experience enjoyable for everyone.