Autumn Stargazing program, Nov. 13

The Winnebago County Conservation Board will be holding an Autumn Stargazing program at Thorpe Park this Friday evening, Nov. 13. The program will be held at the entrance to the park beginning at 7 p.m., and will last 45-60 minutes. Thorpe Park is located five miles west of Forest City on “I”/345th Street.
During the program, Winnebago County Naturalist Lisa Ralls will give an informal tour of the autumn nighttime sky. The summer triangle will be disappearing in the west, but the first of the winter constellations, such as Taurus the Bull and Auriga the Charioteer, will be rising in the east. The Pleiades star cluster will be easy to spot, and year-round constellations such as the Big and Little Dippers, and Cassiopeia, will also be visible. In addition, Mars will also be shining brightly overhead.
People will learn how to identify these things, as well as some of the brighter autumn stars. Fascinating tidbits of information will also be shared about what people are seeing and star charts will be handed out afterwards to help people identify the stars and constellations once they return home. People are also encouraged to bring along lawn chairs to allow for social distancing.
In case of clouds, the program will have to be canceled and that announcement will run on KIOW Radio (FM 107.3), as well as on the WCCB website (www.winnebagoccb.com), the WCCB Facebook page, and the WCCB Twitter feed (@WinnebagoCCB).
For more information about the Autumn Stargazing program, people can contact Lisa Ralls at 641-565-3390 or at lralls@winnebagoccb.com.