Of course, all events are subject to change due to weather or other external events.
Cass Mountain Scenic Railroad
Whitaker Station Run
Sunday, July 23, 2017
– Train departs at 11:00 am ; meet on outdoor deck at 9:00 am for carpools.
After riding the historic Greenbriar Valley train in 2015, we will return to the Cass Scenic Railroad as a daylight activity on Sunday. Cass Railroad tickets are for the 2 hour round trip to Whitaker Station, which recreates part of the logging tradition of the area. Definitely a family activity, for any weather. We will provide snacks for our group. Lunch will be on your own, either at the lunchroom in Cass or somewhere else of you choosing (suggestions to be provided). Those with SKMC Sunday meals who return immediately will have late sandwiches available.
Tickets for the train ride, the historical town sites, and snacks will be $35 for adults and $27 for children 4-11 (children 0-3 are free). As we were not able to reserve a car this year, we are not limited in the group size. Cass is more than an hour south of SKMC, just beyond NRAO. Depending on how quickly you choose to return, you can be back for afternoon activities and easily for the SKMC dinner and evening program.
If you haven’t been there before, the NRAO Green Bank Telescope Science Center should be open in the afternoon, with public tours on the hour.
Bob Bunge wrote in 2010: “Cass is unique and very much a treasure of mountain history and culture (much like SKMC). It has the largest operating fleet of geared locomotives in the US. One of their locomotives, Western Maryland #6 is the largest Shay type locomotive ever made.
“The trip up the mountain features steep, steep grades; at some points, there are “switch backs” where the train will stop, backup and move forward again since there either isn’t room or the grades would be too steep even for the geared locomotives. The engines work very hard up the mountain, if you are into anything industrial and enjoy sound, the combination of the different noises, the roar of the exhaust, the steam whistle and screech of the wheels is a real treat.”
Volunteer carpools will meet on Sunday morning on the deck after breakfast. Those who wish to be at Cass for the Locomotive Shop Tour should leave SKMC by 8:15 for a 9:30 arrival. The 10:00 Shop Tour leaves from the Visitor center, but be careful to get basck to the train before 11:00! Details of the free tours around the town of Cass can be found on the Cass State Park web site. Those who are going for the train ride only should be prepared to leave SKMC by 9:00 for 10:30 arrival. Leaving in between will give you some time to explore the town around the Cass depot. If you join a carpool, plan ahead for what you will do after the train and what you will do for lunch. You might want to get a box lunch in Cass at The Last Run restaurant (“the best place in town”) before you leave. There should be no problem getting back to SKMC for dinner, programs, and observing.
Events and Speakers
The Monday afternoon special program will be talks and panel discussion for those planning to observe the August solar eclipse.
Dr. Mike Reynolds, Prof. of Astonomy, Fla. State College-Jacksonville and Exec. Dir., Assoc. of Lunar & Planetary Observers
Friday, July 21 , 2017, 6:30 pm in the Yurt
Keep Looking Up!
Summary
That title has been my by-line since 1974, and my friend, the late Jack Horkheimer used this for his PBS Star Gazer show. So I continue to use it in honor of Jack, and what we all like to do: look UP. I hope to give an inspirational look at looking up, which not only includes total solar eclipses, but what draws us to the beauty of the Universe.
Biography
Michael D. Reynolds is a Professor of Astronomy and served as the Dean of Mathematics & Natural Sciences at Florida State College in Jacksonville. Reynolds is perhaps best known for his astronomy and science education efforts, from the classroom to informal education to astronomy and space exploration outreach.
Reynolds received his Ph.D. from the University of Florida in Science Education and Astronomy 1990. His astronomical research has been focused on solar system objects, including meteoritics. He has led expeditions around the world for numerous total solar eclipses, meteorite crater research, and meteorite recoveries. He is executive director emeritus of the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, California.
Reynolds is currently the Executive Director of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO), and has served as president of the Antique Telescope Society. Reynolds is also a member of the American Astronomical Society, and a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.
John Sojka, NOVAC
Saturday, July 22 , 2017, 9:30 am in the Yurt
Fun With Photons – Imaging the Night
Summary
This session is an introduction into the fascinating world of night time photography. It will include the basic camera settings, and required techniques for imaging targets during the night with camera equipment you already own. The session will cover camera sensor basics, so attendees can understand the camera settings and learn how and why to adjust them. By the end of the session, attendees will be able to image objects at night without a flash, light painting, the moon, star trails, the Milky Way, and even a deep space object.
Biography
John Sojka is a Department of Defense professional working in the realm of Space and Intelligence. John is an amateur astronomer who had the privilege of using his astrophotography skills professionally for Government work. His astrophotography journey started in 2010 with his office’s involvement in the NASA LCROSS Mission. He was selected to image the plume on the moon generated by the LCROSS impactor. Subsequently, he received the honor of assisting the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum with a successful Deep Space Imaging program for the public and has been a featured speaker at Almost Heaven Star Parties. John’s passion for astronomy started with his father when he was a boy. His father was instrumental in building several observatories and reflector telescopes. John still uses his father’s home-made 10″ reflector telescope to this day.
Saturday, July 22 , 2017, 1:30 pm in the Yurt
Kevin Quin, NOVAC
Astrophotography: processing
Summary
By a miracle, you got all your gear working at the same time, and braved six hours of mosquitoes to collect your `images. Now what? Good news! You don’t have to read a 300-page book to figure out how to process your first astrophoto. In this talk, Kevin will demonstrate everything you need to know to turn your raw images into a finished picture. We’ll walk through each of the basic steps – calibration, stacking, stretching, and enhancement – using Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop, and PixInsight. This is intended to be a hands-on practical demonstration rather than a lecture. We’ll post the data Kevin will be working on in advance so you can download it, along with free or trial versions of the software we’ll be using. Bring your laptop and follow along as we process the image together.
Getting ready
In my presentation I’ll demonstrate processing techniques with Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop and PixInsight. Deep Sky Stacker is freeware which can be downloaded from http://deepskystacker.free.fr. Photoshop CS2 is available on the web, but newer and more powerful versions (that are also less glitchy with Windows) are available by subscription from Adobe. A 45-day trial version of PixInsight can be downloaded fromhttps://pixinsight.com/trial/.
During the demonstration, I’ll be processing an image of the Eastern Veil Nebula. While the data was captured with narrowband filters, the processing approach is largely identical to that for any other data, including images from DSLRs. I strongly encourage attendees to download the data from the link below so that they can follow along with the processing steps. I’d also encourage everyone to try processing it on their own, and show us their results during the discussion.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxIQ-zRO9iQgNF91SXMyQVd5RWM
That zip file has the stacked images from the three narrowband channels (h-alpha, OIII, and SII). There are versions in both TIFF format, used by Photoshop, and in PixInsight’s XISF format.
Biography
Kevin became an astrophotographer way back in the 20th century, when they recorded on an obscure medium called “film.” In 2003, after his neighbor’s trees all disappeared in a mysterious hurricanes-and-chainsaws episode, he started experimenting with digital imaging from his yard. He warns everyone that he doesn’t really know what he’s doing, yet he still gets some very pretty pictures. And what one fool can do, another can.
Skip Bird, Outreach Coordinator, WestminsterAstronomical Society & Educator, PARI
Saturday, July 22, 2017, 1:30 pm in the Tent
Phun with Physics TOO
Summary
Have you recovered from last years Phun? Has your Shrink Wrapped body finally returned to its original shape? Are people running away from you because you still have the wrapping of a mummy hanging off you? Want to try and reach the cars with your Rocket this year? Then join Skip Bird for round two, as we explore some of the more FUN ways to abuse the properties of Physics.
Biography
Wayne “Skip” Bird is a NASA Heliophysics Ambassador, and presently the Outreach Director/Night Sky Network Guru for the Westminster Astronomical Society, an outreach fanatic (definition of fanatic: someone who will not change his mind AND will not change the subject). He is also an Astronomy Educator for the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) in NC (When the transporter is working). He is the world-renowned author of “Night Flying Astronomy Bird” articles (OK, maybe world-renowned is being a little modest), and the World’s Greatest Dad — he has the button to prove it, but enough about me.
Doug Murphy
Saturday, July 22 , 2017, 3:00 pm in the Yurt
Astro-Video Observing
Summary
A simple webcam and monitor transforms observing in bright suburban conditions to a nearly live experience with an aperture many times larger than the 
telescopes—and in color! Alt-azimuth telescope mounts work just fine. The equipment required will be reviewed for both basic and more advanced setups. Computer-control, power management, and webcasting live astro-video on the internet will also be discussed.
Biography
Over 50 years in microscope and telescope optics; Professor of Cell Biology Johns Hopkins Medical School; Director of Imaging at HHMI Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn VA; book: Fundamentals of Light Microscopy and Electronic Imaging (John Wiley & Sons). Amateur observer since 1970. Ground and figured 8” and 16” Newtonian reflectors. Currently retired. NOVAC member since 2006.
Bob Parks, NOVAC and VOLT
Saturday, July 22 , 2017, 3:00 pm in the Tent
[Dark-Sky Friendly Lighting]
Summary
Dark sky friendly lighting has been promoted for almost 25 years and today over half of public lighting fixtures being sold are fully shielded.
With the introduction of LED lighting we now have the opportunity to completely rethink how we do outdoor lighting. The future of dark sky lighting has to be community friendly too. We will continue to promote fully shielded fixtures, but they also need to be low glare to increase visual comfort and minimize light trespass, use warm color temperature to reduce circadian disruption, and use adaptive controls to reduce the total quantity of lumens. Sky glow over cities won’t recede until we do.
This session will explore the essential elements of quality outdoor lighting design, demonstrate LED lamps and fixtures and discuss real world examples of how cities are improving public lighting.
Biography
Bob Parks is a long-time NOVAC member, an Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) member, Lighting Certified, and an ecological lighting designer/consultant. He currently serves as chair of the of the IES outdoor environmental lighting committee, and is a former member of the IDA/IES Model Lighting Ordinance committee.
Bob is the founder of the Virginia Outdoor Lighting Taskforce (VOLT), an all-volunteer, non-profit, grassroots advocacy group working for safe and efficient outdoor lighting since 2000.
In 2014, Bob formed the non-profit Smart Outdoor Lighting Alliance to promote smart urban lighting and ecologically responsible lighting design. SOLA works with cities to encourage the use of adaptive controls that maximize energy reduction while saving money, reducing CO2, and improving visibility.
Patricia Rostkowski, Intl. Darksky Assoc. and NOVAC
Saturday, July 22 , 2017, 4:30 pm in the Tent
“Our Heritage of Dark Skies” – Workshop on Advocacy and Legacy
Summary
A guided roundtable discussion of light pollution concerns and creative approaches to use at the grassroots level to effect change.
Biography
Dr. Emily Martin, Smithsonian Institution Center for Earth and Planetary Scinces
Saturday, July 22 , 2017, 6:30 pm in the Yurt
Cassini and it’s ‘grand’ tour of the Saturn System
Summary
Biography
Emily is a postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies. Emily’s research interests are in planetary surface processes and tectonic deformation of icy bodies of the outer solar system. Determining how the preserved deformation on an icy surface has evolved provides observational constrains for models to estimate what cannot be directly measured. Emily received her BA in physics from Wheaton College (MA) in 2006, her MS from Northwestern in earth and planetary science in 2009, and her PhD in geological sciences from the University of Idaho in 2014.
Bill Burton, NOVAC
Sunday, July 23 , 2017, 9:30 am in the Yurt
Exploring the Moon: a new class for the general public on observing the Moon and understanding its formation
Summary
The new Roll-Top Observatory at Turner Farm in Fairfax County, Virginia now offers a number of astronomy classes, including one on the Moon. In this class we first use hand-held globes outdoors to understand and walk through the 3D geometry of the Sun-Earth-Moon system and the causes and timing of lunar phases. In the classroom we examine lunar imagery and, using the geologic principles of superposition and crosscutting relationships, reconstruct the sequence of events that led to the formation of the lunar surface we see today. Finally, we use a live video feed on one of the four telescopes in the observatory to show the students where to see, in the eyepiece of an adjacent telescope, some of the features we discussed in the classroom. The students come away with a multi-scale appreciation of the moon, its features, and place in the solar system.
This presentation will be an outline of the class and its major elements and will hopefully prompt a discussion on ways to improve the class and courses on astronomy for the general public overall.
Biography
Bill Burton has been a geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey for 34 years, specializing in the evolution of the Appalachians, and also (wearing another hat) helping to monitor active volcanoes around the world via remote sensing. He got his first telescope, an Edmund 3-inch f/10 Newtonian reflector, in grade school, and has owned a number of reflectors ever since, none of them computer-guided. Bill enjoys both lunar & planetary and deep-sky observing and, for the latter, believes that getting to that dim fuzzy via star-hopping is at least half the fun.
Dr. Myron Wasiuta, OD, Rappahannock Astronomy Club
Sunday, July 23 , 2017, 10:30 am in the Yurt
Your eyes- a users guide to visual astronomy
Summary
Biography
I am a practicing optometrist and have taught astronomy at the college level. I’ve been presidents of several large Astro clubs including NOVAC, and had observing privileges at USNO.
Pete Gural, Analemma Society and NOVAC
Sunday, July 23 , 2017, 1:30 pm in the Yurt
The Observatory at Turner Farm, Great Falls, VA: History and Status 
Summary
The Observatory at Turner Farm is nearly one year old and has been operational for public outreach events during that time with the help of the Analemma Society and NOVAC members. The history of the site will be reviewed from its use as a Nike missile radar site, then a Defense Mapping Agency facility for high accuracy maps, the run-up to GPS, and NGA mapping services, and finally as a Fairfax county park for horseback riding, recreation, sundial garden, and a recently built public observatory housing four telescopes under a roll-top roof.
Biography
Pete Gural is a retired senior scientist, now consulting employee, with Leidos Corporation in Chantilly, Virginia who had managed multiple programs involved with advanced image and signal processing. Those programs that were specifically astronomy related have involved developing algorithms for asteroid detection for the Canadian space based asteroid search satellite NEOSSAT, and a rapid-response mirror tracking system for catching high resolution meteor video.
Pete’s interest in astronomy started at a young age in light polluted New York City, especially after the East Coast blackout of 1965. He observed his first major meteor shower while in high school (the Perseids) after a cold front swept through and cleared out the normal summer haze of August on Long Island. While in graduate school in Astronomy, he would drive up to Kitt Peak Observatory with Mark Adams (a fellow meteor enthusiast) and lay out under the stars counting and photographing meteors while the professional astronomers worked their magic in the big domes. Full time employment hindered regular late night meteor observing, until an opportunity to purchase an intensified video meteor camera arose in the mid-1990’s. Having to watch endless hours of star field video tapes the following morning, had launched Pete into the area of computer assisted meteor detection from video tapes, and later doing the same from live video feeds.
His developed expertise in automated meteor and transient detection in video, grew into rubbing elbows with both amateur and professional meteor researchers from around the world. He has been involved in both the Leonid meteor storm ground and airborne campaigns (traveling once as far as Mongolia), designed and built new instrumentation for meteor observations, and developed software for end-to-end processing of captured video meteors for the CAMS and spectral-CAMS projects. As an amateur meteor enthusiast, he is well known and respected by the professional meteor community, which had the IAU bestow the honor of naming asteroid #24301 as “Gural”.
Skip Bird, Westminster Astronomical Society & PARI
Sunday, July 23 , 2017, 2:30 pm in the Yurt
Life and Times in Gay PARI (Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute)
Summary
Official Title-Explore the past, visit the future. With a rich heritage rooted in the nation’s space program, PARI was established in 1998 to become a recognized center for world-class research while providing STEM educational opportunities for all levels of students: K-12, undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral. PARI’s mission is to promote science and excite the imagination, to become a place where researchers can try unconventional ideas, where pure research combines with practical application, and where people can begin their education and be inspired to continue.
Actual title-Join Skip Bird, the newest Astronomy Educator, and find out what really goes on at a former NASA tracking station, an NSA spy facility, and now the only Radio Interferometer Telescopes to ever be in the path of solar eclipse totality. Journey through time and space and find out where the Aliens are stashed (and you thought it was Area 51). Explore a dark sky site that may even surpass AHSP! Boldly Go where no one has gone before; OK, maybe a few of you have gone before; OK, OK so 5,000 people a year have gone there before so whats your excuse?
Biography
Wayne “Skip” Bird is a NASA Heliophysics Ambassador, and presently the Outreach Director/Night Sky Network Guru for the Westminster Astronomical Society, an outreach fanatic (definition of fanatic: someone who will not change his mind AND will not change the subject). He is also an Astronomy Educator for the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) in NC (When the transporter is working). He is the world-renowned author of “Night Flying Astronomy Bird” articles (OK, maybe world-renowned is being a little modest), and the World’s Greatest Dad — he has the button to prove it, but enough about me.
Jerry Hubbell, Rappahannock Astronomy Club & Dir. of Electrical Engineering, Explore Scientific
Sunday, July 23 , 2017, 3:30 pm in the Yurt
Mark Slade Remote Observatory (MSRO)
Summary
Biography
I am currently the Director of Electrical Engineering for Explore Scientific, LLC. I am the principle engineer heading the team on the development of the PMC-Eight mount control system. I am a retired Dominion Nuclear Instrumentation and Controls Engineer with over 35 years of experience in the Nuclear and Electric Utility business. I spent most of my career at North Anna Nuclear Power Station. I am the author of 2 books published by Springer Books: Scientific Astrophotography: How Amateurs Can Generate and Use Professional Imaging Data (2012), and Remote Observatories for Amateur Astronomers: Using High-Powered Observatories from Home (2015) both from the Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series.
Dr. Stacie Williams, AFRL
Sunday, July 23 , 2017, 6:30 pm in the Yurt
The Maui Space Surveillance Complex
Summary
This talk will provide an introduction to the Maui Space Surveillance Complex (MSSC) located atop Haleakala in Maui, Hawaii with an emphasis on the synergy created by the joint research and operational missions of the site. The MSSC is a research site as well as an applied test bed making it the ideal environment for developing unique operationally relevant sensors and processing techniques to meet the space surveillance operational mission of the site. One such sensor that will be highlighted is a daylight imager that provided the first resolved satellite images collected during the daytime on a large aperture telescope.
Biography
Stacie is a program director with the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. Previously, she was a leading scientist and science, technology, engineering and math educator at the Air Force Research Laboratory’s telescope observatory site on Maui, Hawaii. Williams led several technical efforts in the areas of imagery, spectroscopy and lasers and was the manager for the Maui site’s daylight and geosynchronous earth orbit imaging programs. Stacie is featured in a recent film called “Maui in Space,” (12:38), showing the collaboration between the Air Force and the University of Hawaii Institute of Astronomy researchers. It highlights the Maui Island and DOD’s work in astronomy and research involving space situational awareness. She also served as the site’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics outreach director. She was a board meember of the Maui Science Center.
Speaker, Title, Affiliation
Monday, July 24 , 2017, 10:00 am in the Yurt
Talk Title
Summary
Biography
Dr. Mike Reynolds, Prof. of Astonomy, Fla. State College-Jacksonville and Exec. Dir., Assoc. of Lunar & Planetary Observers
Monday, July 24 , 2017, 1:30 pm in the Yurt
More Than Totality: The Anatomy of a Total Solar Eclipse
Summary
A total solar eclipse has been described by many as simply indescribable. Both eclipse chasers and even professionals state that photographs cannot convey the majesty of an eclipse.
As a part of the Eclipse panel, we’ll look at the various aspects of a total solar eclipse. Starting with the partial phase – the appetizer – there is a lot to see and experience leading up to second contact and those way-too brief couple of minutes of totality. Totality itself is truly a whole senses experience; one does not want to become too engrossed in imaging (like me!) or even spending the entire totality at the eyepiece of a telescope.
So how is the best way to observe a total solar eclipse and what do you look for? I’ll provide a number of suggestions; you’ll provide the opportunity to observe totality on August 21, 2017!
Biography
See Friday 6:30 p.m.
Dr. George Doschek, NRL & NOVAC
Monday, July 24 , 2017, 2:30 pm in the Yurt
Solar Physics and the Solar Eclipse Experience
Summary
A solar eclipse allows us to see the solar corona in all of its glory right down to the solar chromosphere. I will discuss the solar physics that determines the shape of the corona during the eclipse. The corona’s shape and structures within it depend on the Sun’s magnetic field and how it evolves during the solar cycle. I will discuss how emergence of magnetic flux determines solar activity including the sunspot number, the appearance of prominences, and occurrence of flares and coronal mass ejections. I will also discuss prospects for the next solar cycle. There are many mysteries concerning the Sun’s magnetic field and how it energizes solar activity what its role is in heating and maintaining the corona.Biography
Dan Ward, NOVAC
Monday, July 24 , 2017, 3:30 pm in the Yurt
Capturing the Great American Eclipse
Summary
Building on his own personal eclipse photography over the past 30 years, Dan Ward researched classes, articles, new books and webinars on recent innovations in solar, lunar, and eclipse astro-imaging techniques. This presentation offers an overview of what we can capture with modest to more sophisticated techniques ranging from smart phones, simple cameras, DSLR and telescope imaging. Promoting a variety of safe filtering techniques, he provides a chance to leverage his (and others’) sometimes hard learned lessons as we all prepare for one of the solar eclipse events of a lifetime in August.
Biography
As an 11-year old, Dan L. Ward first took “close-up” photos of the moon by holding the family’s Brownie Hawkeye camera to the eyepiece of his Gilbert 3” reflector telescope. The results may have been less than spectacular, but were still sufficient to nurture a love of photography and astronomy that continues five decades later.
While living in Arizona in the 1980s, Dan refined his film astrophotography skills. Several astronomy magazines published his comet, deep sky and planet photos while other images were used in books, including David Levy’s best seller, The Sky: A Users Guide. His techniques for imaging vibration reduction were cited in Peter Manly’s classic, The 20-cm Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope and his video astronomy bracket design was included in Phil Harrington’s Star Ware (ed2). More recently, Dan has become a popular speaker at photography clubs around Northern Virginia on astrophotography, eclipse photography and photo-haiku.
Becca Ljungren, Phoebe Wasserman Public Observatory, SI/NASM
Monday, July 24 , 2017, 6:30 pm in the Yurt
Women in Astronomy
Summary
Explore the history of astronomy through the lens of the women astronomers you may (or may not) have heard of. By hearing their stories, experiencing their work, and discussing their impact, attendees will have a better understanding of important women in astronomy, and have the tools to advocate for their work in the future.
Biography
Rebecca Ljungren is a professional Astronomy Educator at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum and the Phoebe Waterman Haas Public Observatory. She seeks to inspire life-long learners through astronomy, and most importantly, have visitors at the National Air and Space Museum become astronomers themselves. She has a master’s degree in Museum Education from The George Washington University, and her broader academic interests include the intersections between science, gender, art, and society. Her current favorite astronomical object is Saturn, due in part to the spark of excitement it creates in those that see it through a telescope for the first time.
2014 Events Archive Page – 2013 Events Archive Page
Participatory Activities
Swap Table
Friday, July 21, 2017, 4:00-5:30 pm on the Yurt deck
Bring your astronomy, observing, or space-related items to sell. Bring your cash to get those items you need. Bring more cash for the items you want. Bring even more to get items you didn’t even know exist.
Here is a list of some of the items people are offering to sell, or wanting to buy.
All transactions will be simply private between buyers and sellers. Sellers should stay with their items as long as they are on display.
Back Ridge Observatory Open House
Saturday & Sunday, 3:00 pm at the observatory, or meet 2:45 pm on the deck.
Host is Joe Morris
Joe will open the observatory he has made available for SKMC’s use, on the ridge northwest of the observing fields.
Shared Solar Observing
Saturday & Sunday, 3:00-4:30 pm on the Yurt deck.
Bring your solar telescope or filtered astronomical telescope to the deck to share views of the Sun.
Hands-on Introduction to Celestial Navigation
Saturday & Sunday, 3:00-4:30 pm on the Yurt deck.
Alan Goldberg
Learn the basics of celestial navigation using the Sun and a sextant. Use the mariner’s sextant yourself, and also this year a bubble sextant used in aircraft.
Sky Tours
Fri., Sat. & Sun., twilight (~9:00 pm) in the observing fields near the registration tent
Wayne “Skip” Bird
Skip has volunteered to lead the sky tour(s) this year. With sunset at ~8:30, it should be dark enough to start by about 9:00. Skip is an outreach expert. He will provide an introduction to the naked eye sky as it appears in early fall. His bio is found above with his presentation descriptions.
Outdoor Events
Canoeing 
Saturday, July 22, 2017 at 9:00 am – 12:00 n
Spruce Knob Mountain Center Staff
The SKMC’s staff will lead a canoe trip on Spruce Knob Lake. Canoes and safety gear will be provided. Depart from the Yurt deck at 9:00 on Saturday
Hike to the Beaver Dam — FULLY RESERVED
Saturday, July 22, 2017 at 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Spruce Knob Mountain Center Staff
The SKMC’s staff will lead a hike to the beaver ponds and provide a beaver ecology investigation and an introduction to water quality monitoring. Wear sturdy closed-toe shoes, and layered clothing that can be removed as you get hot. Depart from the Yurt deck at 1:00 pm on Saturday
Summit Hike
Sunday, July 23, 2017 at 9:00 am – 12:00 n
Spruce Knob Mountain Center Staff
The SKMC’s staff will lead a hike to the observation tower at Spruce Knob summit. Wear sturdy closed-toe shoes, and layered clothing that can be removed as you get hot. Depart from the Yurt deck at 9:00 on Sunday
Birdwatching
Saturday & Sunday, July 22 & 23, 2017 at 9:00 am – 11:00 am
Ian Carmack
Whether you are a seasoned birdwatcher or a casual observer you are sure to enjoy one of our two birdwatching sessions. Don’t miss this opportunity to see what West Virginia has to offer this time around.
Birdwatching sessions will occur Saturday and Sunday morning right after breakfast, weather permitting.
Bring binoculars if you have them. We will be walking through some uncut grass, so shoes (boots) that can withstand some dew may be a good idea.
Geology Hike
Saturday, July 22 2017 at 10:00 am – 12:00 n
Lyle Mars
This is a fascinating description of the mountain we’re on followed by a hike for those interested in learning more about the geology of the Spruce Knob region. No prior knowledge of geology needed.
Caving
Sunday, July 23, 2017 at 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Spruce Knob Mountain Center Staff
The SKMC’s staff will lead a trip to a local Shenandoah cave. After many years of caves being closed for fear of spreading White Nose Syndrome in bats, it has been determined that human cave visits are not a contributing factor. SKMC staff will lead a caving trip on Sunday. Prepare to get muddy!
Prizes!
AHSP Raffle
AHSP will be having its raffle again this year.
- There will be one special item provided by NOVAC; attendees cannot purchase additonal tickets for this item.
- Attendees will receive several regular raffle tickets with registration, and can buy more.
- Regular raffle prizes are provided by sponsors and by NOVAC.
- Extra tickets will be given to children who are attending, and which can be used exclusively to enter for items appropriate to their ages.
- The raffle drawing will be Sunday before dinner.
[Details subject to adjustment.]
In brief:
- Each adult registrant will be given blue tickets, which can be used for the special raffle item, or general items.
- Each child registrant will be given yellow tickets, which can be used for children’s items, or general items.
- Each registrant will be given red tickets, and can buy more red tickets, which can be used to enter for general items.
All events, times and dates are subject to change based on sky conditions and other factors.
AHSP Photos – Shoot and Show!
Instead of a photo contest, we will have a photo gallery for everyone’s enjoyment in the main Yurt. Once processed, bring your photos in a memory card or USB-cabled device to the Yurt, where you can load them yourself on the designated machine. These can be sky photos, nature photos, or photos of activities of AHSP.