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• General Astronomy Dates and Links 

• Especially for Kids

• Northwest  Astronomy Resources
• Eastern Washington
• Western Washington
• Oregon State
• British Columbia

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If you want to participate in astronomy events around the year, 
here are some general dates to remember:

Astronomy Day

• Astronomy Day is celebrated around the state by the various astronomy clubs.  It is held between mid-April and mid-May on a Saturday near or before the 1st quarter Moon.  This is an international public education and entertainment event sponsored by various astronomical societies, academies, and publications.

• The Camp Delaney Star Party at Sun Lakes State Park near Dry Falls is often held in August or September as an alternative for those who wish to avoid the longer drive to the Oregon Star Party. Consult the appendices for individual astronomy society phone numbers and web sites.

• Table Mountain Star Party
Annual high altitude gathering (usually held in July) of people interested in astronomy and its many related topics. Meals, speakers, workshops, seminars, a swap meet, door prizes, a young astronomer program, and much more. During the day, astronomical programming plus beautiful areas to hike, mountain bike, and explore.

• Ask the Astronomer  (Answers to 3001 astronomy questions)
• Saturn's Mysterious and Magnificent Rings
(from Science Directorate at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center)
• Solar System Simulator  (Color images of planets and satellites)
• Sky at a Glance  (What's up in the sky)
• Sky Online  (Astronomical news and events)
• Sunrise/Set  (Sunrise/set, moonrise/set for your location)
• Yohkoh  (Images of the sun from the Yohkoh satellite; hands-on solar learning activities)
• eNature  (click on Sky Guide to see what to look for in the sky this week)
  
  

• Adastra Freestar  (software with real-time sky display - views of night sky from any location on any date plus extensive display manipulation capabilities)

• Discovery Channel
(Space, astronomy, planets and asteroids, satellites, sun cams)
• Discovery Channel Space Guide

• Imagine the Universe  (Site for students age 14 and up)

• Science Magazine  (Magazine for young adventurers, ages 10-16)

• StarChild  (Learning center for grade school age astronomers)

• ZoomAstronomy  (Enchanted Learning: Space and Astronomy for kids and adults)

• George Stahl Planetarium
• Eastern Washington University, 526 5th St., Cheney, WA 99004
509-327-7074

• Goldendale Observatory Interpretive Center
Goldendale  or 509-773-3141
• Caters to the general public with programs designed to educate the novice 
as well as the experienced stargazer. They have a number of telescopes 
used in the evenings for public viewing sessions
• Links to NASA, JPL, Hubble pictures, space missions, planets, satellites, 
astronomical data center, sun and moon data

• Washington State University Astronomy and Astrophysics Program
WSU, Program in Astronomy, Pullman, WA 99164
WSU  or  509-335-8518
• Jewett Observatory -- reopens in March, 2003  
  (students use the Jewett Observatory, operate the Planetarium in Sloan Hall, and give shows by appointment)
• WSU Planetarium  (used for astronomy classes and school and service groups)

• Tri-City Astronomy Club    New URL! 4/9/08
• Holds monthly open star parties at schools and local parks. Rattlesnake Mountain Observatory is operated by AASTA and will be used remotely, via the Internet, 
in science classrooms throughout the Pacific Northwest


• Links to clubs, telescopes and equipment, astrophotography, earth/moon, solar system, deep space, NASA, observatories and planetariums, software observing aids, magazines)

• Yakima Valley Astronomy Club
143 Sole Rd., Selah, WA 98942
Yakima  or  509-697-4260
• Holds public viewing sessions at the first quarter moon with the Yakima Parks & Recreation
• Links to telescopes and telescope makers, planets, observatories, museums, associations, clubs

• Spokane Astronomical Society
P.O. Box 8114, Spokane, WA 99203
• Holds star parties each month at a “dark sky” location south of Spokane. 
Public star parties are also scheduled at various locations around Spokane
• Links to astrophotography, Hubble space telescope, observing, observatories, telescope making, fun stuff, astronomy clubs & orgs, magazines & publications, astronomy equipment dealers, NASA, solar astronomy & aurora, weather & time

• Whitman College Department of Astronomy
• Operates the Clise planetarium for students, and provides planetarium presentations for school classes. The rooftop-observing lab has telescopes available for astronomy student use
• Miscellaneous links - 2 pages

• Battle Point Astronomical Association
Battle Point  or  206-842-9152
They operate the Edwin E. Ritchie Observatory in the Helix House at Battle Point Park. Local star parties are held at the park, special star parties are held at Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park, and the Bainbridge Island Winter Solstice Event occurs in mid-December.
• Links to NASA,  Current Events and Publications,  Weather,  Astronomy Organizations,  Astro Lists and Searching, Amateur Telescope Makers, Sky Charts and Pictures, Archaeoastronomy,  and Telescopes & Equipment Vendors.
• Kid's Page

• Eastside Astronomical Society
Judy Mason, Friends of the Planetarium
P.O. Box 7482, Bellevue, WA 98008
Eastside  or  425-746-4077
• Holds star parties in Kelsey Creek Park
• Links to sun charts, sky guides, calendars, astronomy resources, and astronomy organizations.

• Bellevue Community College Astronomy Program, Geer Planetarium
3000 Landerholm Circle SE, Bellevue, WA 98007
BCC  or  425-641-2321

• Whatcom Association of Celestial Observers
P.O. Box 7, Custer, WA 98240
Whatcom  or  360-671-1665
• Hosts events and star parties at Van Zandt Dike on the Saturday before the new moon
• Links to guides diaries and calendars, astronomical resources, societies and organizations, local clubs and resources

• Western WA Univ, Bellingham, WA 98225
WWU  or  360-650-3399

• Olympic Astronomical Society
P.O. Box 458, Keyport, WA 98345
Olympic  or  360-698-0381 (hotline)
• Meets on the Campus of Olympic College
• Hosts the Camp Delaney Star Party at Sun Lakes State Park
• Links to magazines, guides, telescope making, personal home pages.

• Everett Astronomical Society
P.O. Box 12746, Everett, WA 98206
Everett  or  425-486-9733
• Holds star parties during the spring, summer, and fall at sites near Everett
• Links to NW astronomy clubs, associations, product vendors, local resources, ski info, imagery, solar system, deep space, observatories, kids, amateur telescope making.
• LInks to astronomy clubs in Canada, Oregon, Idaho, Hawaii

• Squak Mountain Telescope Gang
• Hosts star parties at the Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park and works with Issaquah Parks to host astronomy camps and "street side" star parties for the public
• Links to magazines and guides, astronomy for kids, cool space pictures, clubs and organizations, where to get a telescope, astronomy software, space exploration.

Southwest Washington Astronomical Society
6909 43rd Loop SE, Olympia, WA 98501
360-491-4598
Also try:
2521 Wedgewood Ct. SE,  Olympia, WA 98501
360-943-9509
• Links to academic institutions, mirror grinding machine plans.

• Boeing Employees' Astronomical Society
• Hosts star parties in the Mount Si, Cle Elum, and Ellensburg areas
• Links to astronomy picture of the day, breaking astronomy news, JPL comet observations, CNN space page, NASA space science news.

• Seattle Astronomical Society
P.O. Box 31746, Seattle, WA 98103
Seattle  or Star party hotline, 206-523-ASTR (2787)
• Holds star parties every month at two locations - Green Lake in Seattle and Paramount Park in Shoreline. The society has five special interest groups, newsgroups, astronomical library.
• Links to member home pages, tips and tricks, general astronomy resources, newsletters, northwest astronomy departments, comet information, star parties and other events, equipment, space telescopes.

• UW Astronomy Department, Campus Public Observatory
UW  or  206-543-2888
• Open Monday and Thursday evenings for public stargazing at no charge
• Links to campus observatory, research, physics/astronomy library and computing support.

• Pacific Science Center and Willard Smith Planetarium
200 Second Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98109
PacSci  or  206-443-3648
• Links to star maps, space exploration, sun, solar system, telescopes, observatories, "Ask an Expert" sites, extrasolar planets, star myths, women in astronomy, space sciences, astrophysics, cosmology, black holes, local (Seattle) resources, education resources.

• Tacoma Astronomical Society
6103 132nd St. E., Puyallup, WA 98373
Tacoma  or  253-531-1171
• Holds Mount Rainier Star Parties at Sunrise Point in June, July, and August.
• Miscellaneous links - 2 pages
• Pettinger-Guiley Observatory, Puyallup
Open to the public two Saturday evenings every month

• Vancouver Sidewalk Astronomers
Vancouver, WA
Vancouver  or  360-574-5276

Bend

• Friends of Pine Mountain Observatory

• Mt Hood Community College
• Planetarium Sky Theater

• Oregon Star Party

Sun River

• Sunriver Nature Center and Observatory
• Mt/. Bachelor Star Party

Corvallis

• Heart of the Valley Astronomers

• Eugene Astronomical Society

• Inter-Club Star Party
(Eugene, Rose City, Umpqua, NightSky, and Heart of the Valley clubs)

Southern Oregon Skywatchers
541-779-3420  or  zajac@aol.com

• Rose City Astronomers
• Camp Hancock Dark Sky Star Party

• Umpqua Amateur Astronomers
  

• NightSky 45 Astronomy Club

• Veronia Peak Observatory
(operated by the Northwest Astronomy Group)
• Fieldstar - 2002

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• Fraser Valley Astronomers Society
• Dark Sky Park
• Mount Kobau Star Party
(near Osoyoos)

• Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Vancouver Centre
• Canadian Amateur Research Observatory  (near Maple Ridge)

• Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Okanagan Centre

• Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Victoria Centre

• Dominion Astrophysical Observatory
(West Saanich Road, 10 km north of downtown Victoria)