A message from the Strongs at the Smart Center in the downtown Wheeling:
Greetings Astronomy Fans!
The 13th in a series of Moon River StarWatches will be held on Saturday, June 28th, 2025, from 8:00-10:00 p.m. This family-friendly event is held on the fourth Saturday of each month.
The forecast is for warm weather, some clouds, and possible rain. Be prepared to have more conversations about the wonders of the Universe above our heads and hidden by clouds than “Telescopically” seeing them.
We will have a telescope just in case the local weather cooperates with the StarWatch.
This month’s Moon River StarWatch event will include a view of the Earth’s Planetary-sized Moon – “Luna” in the sky during the entire program. Bring your cellphones to take lunar images through the telescope throughout the StarWatch. Earth’s star, Sol settles into the west northwestern horizon 56 minutes after the start of the StarWatch. The only Light Pollution we will have to deal with is the setting Sun and the temporary twilight glow of the Sun set mixed with faint Lunar light and the Human-made glares and glows from both sides of the Ohio River.
If we get clear spots between the clouds, by 9:20 PM as the sky darkens, we will telescopically search for and observe the elusive planet Mercury lurking in the sol-ar twilight.
The other bright planet to round out our StarWatch will be the Planet Mars, even higher in the western sky than Luna. We will find the small planet Mars along the Ecliptic (the path of the Sun, Luna, and Mercury). A casual glance at Mars, easily shows that the nickname “The Red Planet” is misplaced. Look for dark Martian features and polar caps if the sky is steady.
Our Light-Polluted skies in downtown Wheeling will make Deep Space Objects rather hard to find. We will search for several of the brighter Star Clusters, Double Stars, and a of the few brighter Galaxies.
If you have your own telescope, bring it along – the more the merrier.
Meet at the Wheeling Walking Trail at Wheeling’s Waterfront next to the Walter Reuther statue, just south of the “Wooden Swing”, and west of the splash area – near the Wheeling Arena. Find us at Latitude 40° 03’ 55.5” North and Longitude 80° 43’ 30.2” West.
In case of clouds or light misting rain, amateur astronomers will still be on hand to discuss and answer your astronomically related questions. We will cancel for thunderstorms.
Moon River StarWatches are sponsored by SMART-Center, SMART Centre Market, Near Earth Object Foundation, and funded in part with a partnership grant with Wheeling National Heritage Corporation.
