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East County News Service
July 2, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) - The San Diego Astronomy Association hosts events throughout the year. You can visit their calendar or scroll down for events that the SDAA will be participating in or sponsoring in the next month–including several at East County locations. Inclement weather may postpone or cancel outdoor events, so check with the SDAA or the event coordinator to be sure the event is still scheduled.
- Stars in the Park
- Stars at Mission Trails
- Stars at Sycamore Canyon
- Stars at West Sycamore
- Program Meetings
- Tierra del Sol (TDS)
- Julian Star Fest
Stars In the Park
At dusk on the first Wednesday of each month, following the monthly "Sky Tonight" planetarium show in the Reuben H. Fleet Space Theater, members of the SDAA set up telescopes west of the Fleet on The Prado, for free public sky viewing.
Stars at Mission Trails
Event Coordinator: Kin Searcy
The SDAA holds a monthly Star Party at Mission Trails Regional Park (MTRP) on the second Friday of every month at sunset at the Kumeyaay Lake Campground on the Santee side of MTRP. We set up at the day-use parking lot, which is just to the right after you enter the campground. Directions to MTRP may be found on the MTRP website.
Stars at Sycamore Canyon
Event Coordinator: Kin Searcy
The SDAA holds a monthly Star Party on the third Friday of every other month at sunset at the Sycamore Canyon/Goodan Ranch Open Space Preserve at the Hwy 67 Staging area. Located at the east end of Poway, this venue offers a pretty dark sky for being only 19 miles, as the crow flies, from downtown San Diego. There are no homes or business directly around the viewing area and the panoramic view of the city below is amazing.
To access this venue, do not use the street address of the park headquarters. Instead use the park entrance on Hwy 67, ½ mile south of Scripps Poway Parkway. Continue through the gate and up the dirt road about 1½ miles where the Rangers will direct you where to park.
Stars at West Sycamore
Event Coordinator: Kin Searcy
The SDAA holds a monthly star party on the fourth Friday of each month at sunset at the Mission Trails Regional Park West Sycamore location, at the very east end of Stonebridge Parkway in Scripps Ranch. We set up in the day use parking lot just through the gate at the cul-de-sac forming the end of Stonebridge Parkway. Directions and maps are on the Mission Trails Regional Park website.
Program Meetings
Event Coordinator: Mike Chasin
The SDAA Program Meetings are held on the third Wednesday of every month at the Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor and Interpretative Center, beginning at 7:00 PM. Doors open at 6:30 PM. After making announcements and conducting a small amount of business, the audience is treated to a talk or presentation by a featured speaker. The event is open to the public. Directions to MTRP may be found on their website.
For a complete Program Meeting schedule, go to the Program Meeting web page.
Tierra del Sol Public Star Parties
Event Coordinator: Jim Traweek
Once a month, the SDAA Tierra del Sol observing site and the 22-inch Lipp Telescope are open to the public. Star Parties at the site start at sunset. The public is invited to come view through the Club telescopes and request views of their favorite objects. Check out the Tierra del Sol page of the Resources section of this website for directions to the site and other important information.
Starfest in Julian at Menghini Winery August 6
Anyone can enjoy the Julian StarFest by participating in the free public star party on Saturday, August 6, 2016. Arrive between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. and you can enter the StarFest grounds (1150 Julian Orchards Ln, Julian). Take a star tour of the heavens using the many telescopes set up in the viewing area. Experts will be on hand to answer questions. Parking is available nearby and we suggest you bring a red light flashlight to guide yourself to the observing area, or red film will be provided to cover a white light flashlight. Please, no white lights in the observing area.
For more events and information, visit www.sdaa.org.
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