Whittier, NC
Conleys Creek
35.41° N | -83.36° W | 2118 ft
7/03/2008 - 9:17:59 PM EDT
70.7° F | .0
Wind: SSW 0.0 mph (1.0 gust)
Humidity: 73%
Dewpoint: 61.6° F
Pressure: 30.00in. 
Visibility: 0.06 miles
Weather Data: wunderground/yahoo! composite
sun data
7/03/2008 - 9:17:59 PM EDT
A Twilight: 4:36:47 AM EDT
N Twilight: 5:17:14 AM EDT
C Twilight: 5:53:54 AM EDT
Sunrise: 6:23:32 AM EDT
Transit: 1:37:54 PM EDT
Sunset: 8:52:16 PM EDT
C Twilight: 9:21:54 PM EDT
N Twilight: 9:58:34 PM EDT
A Twilight: 10:39:01 PM EDT
Sun Data:
soho/d web designs composite
moon data
7/03/2008 - 9:17:59 PM EDT
Phase: New (Gem)
Age: 0.74 days old
Illumination: 5.02% illuminated
App. Disc: 32.89' X 1.65'
225665.8 mi | 363173.8 km away
Moon Data:
sponsors
activities
overview
activities
We have lined up a multitude of day and night activities to give everyone plenty of options. In the event of poor weather conditions, we will have movies and astronomy documentaries in the heated activities tent. You can also always lounge around and chat in the heated food tent.
astronomy classes
Astronomy classes will be geared toward kids from Wednesday through Saturday and are free. We will meet at the activities tent nightly before making our way to the field classroom area. They will cover the brief history of astronomy, identifying stars and constellations, the solar system, deep space objects, telescope and binocular basics, and include observing sessions through different types of telescopes and binoculars, as well as discussions. Star charts and activity worksheets will be provided for everyone who attends.
If you are an adult and have little or no observing experience, you may also find these classes helpful. Feel free to set your telescope up in our field class area and we'll help answer any questions you might have on using your telescope.
All adults are welcome to join in and participate!
church services
If you wish to attend church, Pastor Styrling Strother will lead non-denominational services in the activities tent on both Sunday mornings. There will be music and a sermon.
door prizes
All attendees will recieve raffle tickets for door prizes. During the Saturday morning swap meet, vendors will display their door prizes with drop boxes for raffle tickets. There will be plenty to give away, including door prizes just for kids. Door prize drawings will take place in the activities tent on Saturday evening. You are also welcome to purchase additional door prize tickets from the registration tent.
field trips
Field trips are somewhat weather dependant. The higher mountain roads (to Clingmans Dome and Whitewater Falls) may be closed if there is snow on them. If this is the case, field trips will be made to lower elevation alternate areas in the National Parks/Forests. If driving safety becomes a concern due to snow/ice on high elevation roadways, we will cancel field trips. Any changes or cancellations will be posted at the registration area.
Field trips to Nantahala National Forest and Smoky Mountains National Park will cost $5/person to cover gas and lunch (sandwiches and sodas). They may also require a moderate fitness level to hike up to the Clingmans Dome and Whitewater Falls overlooks. If you can't make the walk, there will still be plenty to see! The trip to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian will cost $9 for adults and $6 for children under 13, though transportation will be free. Please sign up for these field trips at the registration tent when you arrive, as space will be limited.
messier marathon & 9 planets
The weekend of March 29th - 30th is a secondary weekend for the messier marathon. The moon will be just past last quarter and, weather permitting, we should be able to observe all 110 objects plus all 9 planets on each night (if you count poor, downgraded Pluto as a planet). We'll have several telescopes on-hand to allow those without scopes to participate and to allow everyone the opportunity to observe in detail (instead of frantically), take notes, and practice star-hopping. We'll also have a 16" f/4.5 Newtonian for detailed observations of select objects.
On these dates, we will also have binoculars set up to help get through the AL's Binocular Messier and Deep Sky objects list, which we will concentrate more heavily on from March 31th - April 1st. Though we'll fall short of a few Binocular Deep Sky objects, most should be visible during these nights.
Anyone who wants to participate is welcome to meet at the activities tent at 7:00 PM on each night or find us through the darkness and stop in for a visit. Telescopes and binoculars will be set up in the field class area and we will star hop to all of the objects. You are welcome to bring your own telescope or binoculars to the field class area to help everyone observe everything in a night!
solar observing
Big Bang Astronomy Shop will sponsor daily solar observing sessions. They will have telescopes set up for both prominence and sunspot observations. The location of their setup will be available at the registration area.
speakers
We will have speakers lined up for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in the activities tent. Please see the calendar for more details.
swap meet
On saturday morning, all vendors and attendees are welcome to participate in the swap meet. We will set up tables in the activities tent for everyone to buy and sell equipment. If you want to win a door prize, this will be a great time to put your raffle tickets in the boxes as vendors will be displaying their prizes and taking tickets. Vendors are also welcome to set up their own tables outside the tent.
walk and talk
Philip Sacco will be conducting a "walk and talk" nightly during the event. Everyone can meet at the registration area at 10:00 PM and take a short walk to the hotel at the bottom of the hill, where there will be a fire pit and some chairs. You are encouraged to take something warm to drink, a red flashlight, and a blanket.