Page 42 - NSAA 2017 Fall Journal

programs as well as other astronomy presentations.
Wyoming Stargazing leveraged the eclipse as a way to raise
funds for a proposed on-mountain observatory (see “Snow
King to Build World-Class Observatory,” pg. 42).
Snow King’s activities kicked off at the summit Saturday
evening with a sold-out pre-eclipse fundraising party.
Attendance was capped at 250 people and tickets were
$375, which included food, drink, and live music. The
night featured a presentation by author and astrobiologist
David Grinspoon and a guest appearance by retired NASA
Astronaut Scott Altman, who flew the space shuttles
and worked on the Hubble Space Telescope. Wyoming
CREATIVE YOUNG ASTRONOMY ENTHUSIASTS AT SNOW KING Stargazing set up 10 telescopes that afforded party attendees
PROVE THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO WEAR STORE-BOUGHT
VIEWING GLASSES TO ENJOY AN ECLIPSE SAFELY. views of Jupiter, Saturn, star clusters, nebulae, and far
off galaxies. The evening also included the dedication of
Courtesy Snow King Mountain
Wyoming Stargazing’s outdoor inflatable planetarium, The
“Being in the epicenter of totality, we anticipated a very Dark Sky Pavilion, with special showings of the American
large turnout,” Rider said. “Many of our guests came in the Museum of Natural History’s film Dark Universe.
week prior to the event and stayed for several days post-eclipse. On Monday, Wyoming Stargazing hosted its own sold-
This was a unique opportunity to showcase Snow King out VIP-style eclipse viewing event. For $595, 250 attendees
Mountain and the entire Jackson Hole area and region.” were treated to a catered breakfast while Astronaut Altman
Excitement for the eclipse at Snow King was fueled by shared stories of his adventures in outer space. Next, Douglas
Wyoming Stargazing, an educational nonprofit located in Leonard, a professor at San Diego State University who took
Jackson Hole that facilitates public and private stargazing the first picture of a black hole forming, presented a detailed

40 | NSAA JOURNAL | FALL 2017