Stargazing

Earth's Moon: How it Came to Be and Why We Have Solar and Lunar Eclipses. In this 30 minute presentation, with North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club (NSAAC) Star Party Coordinator, Brewster LaMacchia, we'll start with a look at the event 4.5 billion years ago, referred to as the Big Splat, that led to the formation of Earth's moon.  Using a variety of simple models we'll develop an intuitive understanding about the moon's orbit around Earth, moon phases, and what it takes for eclipses to happen.  After the presentation we'll head outside to look through telescopes provided by volunteers from the NSAAC.

Join the North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club (NSAAC) at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge to experience the wonders of the night sky. NSAAC Volunteers will set up telescopes for viewing stars, planets, nebula, and more. Participants will be aided by members of the North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club in viewing the wonders of the night sky, and learn about the importance of dark skies for migratory wildlife from refuge staff.

The Gloucester Area Astronomy Club hosts the monthly meeting in Lanesville, North of Gloucester Massachusetts! We haven’t seen the usual summer planets in our evening skies yet this year, but Jupiter and Saturn rise earlier every night, and along with Uranus they’ll be visible during more convenient evening hours this fall. 

Bring a flashlight and climb Sagamore Hill to watch one of the year's best meteor showers. The North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club members will also have their telescopes set up, so you can take turns taking a closer look at galaxies, nebulae, stars, planets and more! The Club members will answer your questions about the night sky while you enjoy the Aquarids Meteor Shower.