Hello Astro Friends,

Although the long-range forecast doesn't sound ideal, we're planning to do a star party for the Orem Lakeridge Junior High science students and their teachers at the school on Friday the 30th of September. If you haven't come before, and might like to, contact me directly please and I can answer any questions and get a number I can text if by chance the weather looks too threatening by later Friday afternoon. If you have come before, we'd be delighted to have you come again, but do let me know and ensure I have a number to send a text to, if needed.

Lakeridge is at the corner of 400 W at 900 S with parking behind the school off 900 S (do not recommend using the parking north of the school--no point carrying your gear farther than you have to). We'll set up on the track area to the east of the school to be ready for students around 8 pm; most kids will be gone by the official end time of 10 pm but we generally have some students with particular interest who stick around until most of the scope owners have gone. (If you don't care to schlep your gear to the track, some people have set up between their parked car and the sidewalk along the north side of the track fence.) Drinking fountains & bathroom facilities will be available in the school until they lock up around 10. The students have been very well-behaved in the past.

The intent is to have the floodlights on the east side of the school building turned off, but this isn't a dark site, by any means. The skies are pretty bright in west Orem (limiting magnitude is likely 2.5 or thereabouts), but we've been able to snag a few DSO's in prior years. We expect strong interest in the crescent moon (while it's visible/high enough in the sky to be worth looking at), Saturn (yay!) and Jupiter. Intrepid observers might show the kids Neptune, if you can figure out how to describe where it is in the field so they can recognize it.

Thanks much!

John Craig
jmcraig@xmission.com