Schedule of Events: Click here for the latest schedule of events.
Get to know the new Mingo Creek Park Observatory and hang out with amateur and professional astronomers at Summerfest at Mingo Creek Park, sponsored by Amateur Astronomy Association of Pittsburgh, on this new moon weekend.
We put the "party" back in "star party." With two telescopes, a planetarium, videos playing and slide shows running simultaneously, Mingo Observatory is a five-ring circus.
Best of all Mingo Creek Park Observatory offers front row seats to the Summer Milky Way. See the "steam" pour out of the Sagittarius teapot! Watch the Star Cloud sparkle! See the Swan Nebula float through the eyepiece.
Main activity: All night observing (star clusters, galaxies, nebula) through the observatory's two giant telescopes-our brand new 24 inch Ritchey-Cretien reflector and Refractor 10-inch D& G Refractor. Campers will also have (perhaps) a hundred scopes set up outside the observatory.
Speaker program: Hear talks on Stargazing, Solar Observing, Cosmological Simulations, and the History of the Mingo Park/Monogahala area.
Planetarium: Shows are free. (Donations are accepted at the desk.) Outdoor Green Laser Tours of the Night Sky, follow the twenty minute indoor presentation. The outdoor portion includes a Space Shuttle Tile - Heat Torch Demonstration.
Children's activities: Build a scale model of the solar system. Science fiction movies at night.
Food Concession: The Boy Scouts' food concession will be open 24 hours serving full breakfast, lunch and dinner and late-night food and coffee to fuel your all-night observing. Take a peek at the menu.
Souvenirs: NASA will be providing free pictures and posters of objects imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope.
Camping: Friday and Saturday overnight camping is extended to the public, free of charge. Bring your tent or trailer. Remember when life was simple? You weren’t tied to the TV and computer for entertainment. And real fun meant catching fireflies with friends and camping out in the yard. Re-live that simple life for a night with your own kids and grandkids when you join AAAP at Summerfest and as well, on June 24 be part of the National Wildlife Federation’s Great American Backyard Campout! Enjoy a night of stargazing and nature-watching right in Mingo Park. Join us a registered participant in the National Wildlife Federation;s Great American Backyard Campout. For more details: www.nwf.org/campout.
Day trip options: Trip to the Spring House Country Market, working dairy farm (ten minutes from Mingo and $5.00); Yough/Ohiopyle for water activities/biking (45 minutes from Mingo); register for the Meadowcroft Rock Shelter (50 minutesfrom Mingo, $20.00 for Saturday insider tour, $6.50 for regular tour.) There will be biking from Mingo Park led by Dave Smith, and a mushroom walk lead by Jim Tunney. Day trip to Monongahela (ten minutes from Mingo) for St. Anthony's "Festa," extravaganza of ethnic food and music, visits to riverboat museum, historic places and antique and resale shops, also Hacker Shack Internet Cafe to catch up on your email.
Directions: From the main road through MingoCreek Park, Little Mingo Creek Road, Turn up the Hill at the Henry Covered Bridge, follow Shelter 10 Road to the top of the hill, continuing up the gravel extension to the right, after the pavement ends at Shelter 10.
No reservations are necessary, but if you plan on camping send an email* so we can get a count. Also let us know if you are interested in the dairy farm or Meadowcroft Rock Shelter. *No messages will be returned from this email address.
Printable PDF file with maps and directions or Star Party Schedule with Map
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Page last modified Dec 8, 2007 at 07:57 PST. Send site issues to: IT Committee |