The 2018 Eastern Iowa Star Party will be held at the St. Ambrose University Menke Observatory in Dixon, Iowa from Sept 7th through 9th.

The observatory, along with its piered scopes has a climate controlled classroom as well as women’s and men’s restrooms.

Star Party reservations are limited to not more than 50 attendees.

The observatory is located at the Wapsi River Educational and Environmental Center, so nature hikes and bird seeing abound… there is also an antique car museum near by!

The Dixon Legion serves great burgers and meals and is only 5 minutes or so from the site. Other restaurant options are near by. Ask about lodging, but generally a small tent on field works fine.

An email was sent to the 101 QCAS, PAC, and select members of CAA and TCAA for their distribution to their club membership. It was also posted on those clubs Facebook pages as well as the Facebook pages of 14 other astronomy clubs.

The registration options are as follows:

     1) $25.00 for the 3 night Star Party Only

     2)$35.00 for the Saturday afternoon Lecture Series Only

     3) $50.00 for the Party, Lectures, and Door Prizes.

     4) I don’t like astronomy and wouldn’t attend.

Option 1 includes the 3 day event, use of the facilities, and munchies by donation. Munchies include the typical cookies candies, pop, bottled water, coffee, hot chocolate midnight chili one night and midnight stew the next.

Option 2 includes our 3 guest speakers:

Dr. Jennifer L Anderson – Professor of Geoscience, Winona St. University, who is expert in impact craters. I believe that she has done work for NASA, and she was one of the guest speakers at last year’s North Central Regions Astronomical League event.

Dr. Paul P Sipiera – Author and Planetary Studies Foundation President and CEO who will speak on space rocks, and will bring in part of his extremely large collection for us to view.

David H Levy – Canadian astronomer, science writer, co-discoverer of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 in 1993 which collided with the planet Jupiter in 1994 and discoverer of various other comets and minor planets.

Option 3 includes options 1 and 2 above plus 1 raffle ticket per registrant for eligibility to win one of the many door prizes we’ll have. Last year we had a couple pair of new binoculars, a few lasers, flashlights, books, maps, and for grand prizes new Explore Scientific 68° and 100° eyepieces. We expect similar for 2018.

Option 4 includes none of the above, but we will think about ya! (Not!)

Clear Skies!
Jeff