🌟Kleb Woods -  a Spectacular Night Under the Stars! 🌟
February 1st, 2025Â Kleb Astronomy Night was a fantastic success, bringing together 87 enthusiastic participants; parents, kids, and outreach volunteers; for an evening of discovery and wonder.
The night kicked off with an engaging presentation on how telescopes help us explore the universe. We covered the basics of refractors and reflectors, how ground-based and space telescopes work, and the incredible role they play in expanding our knowledge of the cosmos. A huge help during the talk was having example telescopes on hand, including a home-built Newtonian and Classical Cassegrain, which gave everyone a hands-on look at different designs. Big thanks to Bob for bringing them! The kids were full of curiosity, firing off great questions that kept us on our toes!
After the talk, we headed outside for a spectacular dark sky star party at Kleb Woods Nature Preserve, a hidden gem in northwest Houston. This secluded, wooded area; normally closed to the public at night; was specially opened for our event, offering a rare chance to stargaze in a beautifully dark setting.
The conditions couldn’t have been better! With clear skies and great seeing, we observed: Orion, Rosette and Horsehead Nebula, Jupiter, it’s moons and a shadow, Mars, Venus, craters on our own moon, Andromeda, the Cigar Galaxy and the seven sisters.
A huge shoutout to our dedicated volunteers who brought an amazing variety of equipment, from Dobsonian telescopes to Smart telescopes and guided binoculars. This allowed everyone to experience the night sky in different ways, perfectly complementing the earlier talk on telescope technology.
The mix of hands-on experience, great company, and a sky full of wonders made for an unforgettable evening. Thank you to everyone!
📢 Volunteers, don’t forget to log this outreach event to claim your Astronomical League Outreach Pin (after 5 events!). Contact Stephen Jones for more details.
🔠Join us for the next event at Kleb Woods, March 29th 2025. Clear skies! ✨