JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Northeast Florida Astronomical Society [NEFAS] is hosting a stargazing event Saturday at Hanna Park. This event is open to the public to attend and see see stars, planets, the Moon, and interesting sky objects through the provided telescope.
The forecast looks great on Saturday evening for stargazing, expect only about 30% sky cover during the time of the event and temperatures turning cool as they slip out of the 80s and down through the 70s. The chances for a shower are only around 10%. Expect southeasterly winds between 5-10mph.
The location is at Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park, 500 Wonderwood Dr, Jacksonville, FL 32233. According to NEFAS' website, "park entry fee is $5 per car. You must have paid and entered NO LATER THAN 5:30 PM when the gate entrance is closed for the evening. There will not be re-entry once you leave.
NEFAS provides the following information about its event, you can find NEFAS in Parking Lot #8. The club asks you to limit your use of vehicle headlights whenever possible during stargazing hours. Bring and utilize red lights if you have them.
There are restrooms, water fountain, but few lights. You may wish to bring a flashlight for the restrooms. Consider bug spray in case its needed, but be mindful of any insecticide overspray that may reach telescope equipment and apply in another location.
All NEFAS volunteers bring their personal stargazing equipment and will instruct guests how to look at the sky objects safely without damage. Adults may need to assist children.
If you are considering purchasing a telescope this is an opportunity to examine several different types and sizes of telescope – ask lots of questions!
If you are having trouble with your own telescope, bring it along and one of our Telescope Doctors will take a look at it.
Sometimes cloudy conditions make it unfeasible to stargaze. In the event that weather conditions cause NEFAS to scrub this event, you can find that information on our website main page [www.nefas.org]. We recommend you check the website before leaving for the park. Every attempt will be made to post a “no-go” message prior to the start of event night.
What might you see?
Here's what the different planet's visibility will be like locally on Saturday.
Planet visibility
| Mercury (99%) | 07:16:07 | 12:50:03 (48??) | 18:24:48 | Aquarius |
| Venus (98%) | 07:38:20 | 13:20:08 (51??) | 19:02:29 | Aquarius |
| Moon (10%) | 09:24:54 | 15:39:39 (62??) | 21:02:26 | Cetus |
| Mars | 02:14:42 | 07:22:19 (38??) | 12:29:51 | Ophiuchus |
| Saturn | 03:50:49 | 08:57:10 (37??) | 14:03:32 | Sagittarius |
| Jupiter | 00:31:53 | 05:51:48 (42??) | 11:11:42 | Libra |