"Pillaging the Universe One Star at a Time"

 

The 2024 Bootleg Star Party dates are ................. 

June 6th - 9th and September 5th - 8th!

Save the dates mateys, and make plans to join us!

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The Bootleg Spring Star Party Registration Form is available HERE  (pre-registration deadline is May 18, 2024) 12th)

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*** Due to the number of people doing imaging at the Bootleg Star Parties, Bootleg Management is indicating that Green Lasers will not be permitted starting one hour after sunset ***

 

For directions, go to www.google.com and enter "Green River Conservation", then click "maps" or "directions" and you will be able to enter your starting point for custom directions.

 

 

Bootleg 2019 Pictures

Bootleg 2016 Pictures and videos

Bootleg 2015 Pictures

Bootleg 2014 Pictures

Bootleg 2013 Pictures

Bootleg 2012 Pictures

Bootleg 2011 Pictures

Bootleg 2010 Pictures

Bootleg 2008 Pictures

Bootleg 2007 Pictures

2008 Prairie Skies Star Party Pictures 

CAS Astrofest @ Camp Shaw

CAS Astrofest @ Vana's

Texas Star Party 2009

<<< PSSP home page

CAS Web Site 

SWAOG Web Site 

Jeff's Driveway Astronomy Page

Jeff's Binocular Picks

Free Sky Map from Skymaps.com

PDFs require free Adobe Reader 

 

 

page updated 10/26/2023

 

 

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Upcoming Observing Highlights for January 2024   (from skymaps.com)
 
1 Moon at apogee (farthest from Earth) at 15h UT (distance 404,909km; angular size 29.5').
3 Earth at Perihelion (closest to Sun) at 1h UT. The Sun-Earth distance is 0.983307 a.u. (147.1 million kilometers).
• Sun at Aphelion and Perihelion (Anthony Ayiomamitis)
4 Last Quarter Moon at 3:32 UT.
4 Quadrantid Meteor Shower peaks at 9h UT. Active between December 26 and January 16. Expect up to 25 meteors per hour under dark skies. Radiant is in northern Boφtes. Northern hemisphere only. Moonlight interferes.
• Meteor Shower Calendar (IMO)
• Quadrantids (Wikipedia)
5 Moon near Spica at 2h UT (morning sky).
• Spica (Wikipedia)
8 Moon near Antares at 16h UT (morning sky). Occultation visible from USA, Mexico, Central America, and NW South America.
• Antares (Wikipedia)
• Occultation of Antares (IOTA)
8 Moon near Venus at 19h UT (36° from Sun, morning sky). Mag. −4.0.
• Venus (Wikipedia)
9 Moon near Mercury at 19h UT (23° from Sun, morning sky). Mag. 1.4.
• Mercury (Wikipedia)
10 Moon near Mars at 9h UT (15° from Sun, morning sky). Mag. −0.2.
• Mars (Wikipedia)
11 New Moon at 11:57 UT. Start of lunation 1250.
12 Mercury at greatest elongation west at 14h UT (24° from Sun, morning sky). Mag. −0.2.
13 Moon at perigee (closest to Earth) at 10:39 UT (distance 362,267km; angular size 33.0').
14 Moon near Saturn at 12h UT (evening sky). Mag. 1.0.
• Saturn (Wikipedia)
18 First Quarter Moon at 3:53 UT.
18 Moon near Jupiter at 19h UT (evening sky). Mag. −2.5.
• Jupiter (Wikipedia)
20 Moon near the Pleiades at 15h UT (evening sky).
• The Pleiades (Wikipedia)
23 Moon near M35 star cluster at 3h UT (evening sky).
• Messier 35 (Wikipedia)
24 Moon near Castor at 14h UT (evening sky).
24 Moon near Pollux at 20h UT (evening sky).
25 Full Moon at 17:53 UT.
26 Moon near Beehive cluster M44 at 0h UT (midnight sky).
• Beehive Cluster (Wikipedia)
• M44: The Beehive Cluster (APOD)
27 Mercury 0.24° N of Mars at 17h UT (20° from Sun, morning sky). Mags −0.2 and 1.3.
27 Moon near Regulus at 21h UT (morning sky).
• Regulus (Wikipedia)
29 Moon at apogee (farthest from Earth) at 8h UT (distance 405,777km; angular size 29.4').

>>> All times Universal Time (UT).    USA Central Standard Time = UT-6 hours.  (DST = UT-5 hrs,)

 

Zodiacal Light is caused by sunlight reflected off meteoric dust in the plane of the solar system. Choose a clear, moonless night, about 1-2 hours after sunset, and look for a large triangular-shaped glow extending up from the horizon (along the ecliptic). The best months to view the Zodiacal Light is when the ecliptic is almost vertical at the horizon: March and April (evening) and October-November (morning); times reversed for the southern hemisphere.
• Zodiacal Light (Wikipedia)
• Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD)
• Photographing the Zodiacal Light (Weatherscapes)