Next Star Party October 29th & 30th
Several evenings per year, in the period October through March, KNVWS 't Gooi organizes public star parties in a park near Huizen, NH, which is centrally located in the 't Gooi area & about 30 minutes from both Amsterdam and Utrecht. All ages are welcome.
The next Star Parties will be held October 29th & 30th, since in the Summer at 52N, it gets dark very late (if at all).
During the Star Parties, several members of the Workgroup Practical Astronomy will be on hand with their telescopes to give you a guided tour of the night sky and tell you more about the objects we are viewing. We are also happy to answer your questions as best we can.
Depending on the time of year, we can view planets, galaxies, star clusters, nebulae and the Moon. In October, we hope to get a good look at Jupiter and its moons, Uranus, Neptune and a number of galaxies, clusters and nebulae.
At the beginning of the evening, Lynn van Rooijen-McCullough, who is a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, will also give a short overview (in both English & Dutch) of recent science results from the Cassini-Huygens Mission and other sources concerning possible life on the Enceladus, a moon of Saturn and Europa, a moon of Jupiter. This can be repeated later in the evening for late-comers
Entrance to the Star Party is free, but voluntary donations are always welcome. Donations are used solely to support further activities for the public. There are also books and star charts for sale, suitable for both adults and children. You are also welcome if there are light clouds, as Dutch weather is very unpredictable, and it often clears around 20:30. However, the evening will be cancelled if there is heavy cloud-cover, high wind or rain.
During the star party...
During star party evenings, our telescopes are ready by 20:00 (but not earlier!) and you are then welcome at the "Nieuwe Bussummer Heide" picnic-park location on the Langerhuizenweg, which lies between the Nieuwe Bussummerweg and the Naarderstraat just west of Huizen. This location is easily reached within 5 minutes after taking the Huizen-Blaricum exit on the A1, near the A27/A1 junction. The picnic grounds have a small, but adequate parking loop.
Depending on the number of visitors and weather, we keep the telescopes set up through at least 22:00, and sometimes later. It is often the busiest at the beginning of the evening, so if you come a bit later, there will probably be more time for viewing and questions.
Clear evenings are usually also very cold. Warm clothes, including gloves, hats and even snow boots, can make the evening more pleasant, especially for the kids.
Please pay attention to your car headlights and any other lights you may have with you. White light destroys night vision, and it will take several minutes for both your and our eyes to readjust to the dark. Even though it may seem dark, you'll be surprised how much you can see without any light at all, an unfortunate side-effect of our growing light-pollution.
Red lights do not have such a negative effect, and so a removable red bicycle tail-light or some red cellophane over a flashlight will help considerably if you wish to bring a light with you.
