DeKALB – People will be able to view starry skies with members of the Northwest Suburban Astronomers club at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Afton Forest Preserve, 13600 Crego Road – provided large clouds don’t get in the way.
Stargazers will learn about celestial objects such as planets, star clusters and nebulae, said John Schwartz, social programs and membership director for NSA. He said some observer highlights anticipated for Saturday evening are Jupiter and its moons, along with galaxies in the Leo and Virgo clusters.
“They’re quite spectacular and beautiful to view,” Schwartz said. “People like those.”
Schwartz said the club tries to host events like this twice a year during the spring and fall seasons, so the weather is comfortable for viewers to attend the outdoor event. Regardless of the season, however, “There are always things to look at in the sky,” he said.
Schwartz said between 20 and 40 people usually come to the events, which includes larger groups such as Boy or Girl Scout troops on occasion.
Schwartz said he recommends eventgoers dress for the evening and bring insect repellent and flashlights covered with red plastic. He said the red plastic is important because he doesn’t want people to be blinded, which could affect their ability to see through a telescope.
“It robs you of your night eyes,” Schwartz said.
For that reason, he said, it’s better for people to come to the event before sunset, which is set for about 7:50 p.m. Saturday.
He said it also could be hazardous for people to drive to the event without headlights if they come after sunset.
Schwartz said the club will bring telescopes, but event participants have been known to bring their own telescopes and binoculars, as well.
Schwartz said astronomers at the event make a point to casually educate attendees if they ask what club members are looking at through their telescope, such as mentioning that the Leo cluster they might be viewing is about 300 million light-years away – meaning it took that long for the light to reach Earth, he said.
“We could pull in light basically as far back as dinosaurs,” Schwartz said.
Schwartz said the event will be canceled if skies are really cloudy, but “cirrus clouds won’t stop us,” he said.
“If there’s any chance, believe me, we want to do this,” Schwartz said.