In The Saddle Sunset, International Space Station, Meteor Shower, New Moon, and Fireworks - On The Rock

Should the weather and the skies cooperate, we'll have an opportunity to pack in some great sights from the top of Stone Mountain on this evening. We should have a beautiful sunset which will land on the horizon right between Big and Little Kennesaw Mtns - in the Saddle - at 8:44. At about 9:40, we'll have an opportunity to watch the opening fireworks of the SM Laser show. A short time later, 9:55, the International Space Station will do its fly-over. Then about 10 minutes after the ISS goes out of sight, we will see the larger fireworks finale of the laser show. We may also get to see some shooting stars from the Delta Aquarid and Perseids Meteor Showers. Although it will not be the peak for either meteor shower, it will still be in the window of opportunity for both. Being that the two meteor showers overlap, and the fact that it will be a new moon (i.e., no moonlight), we may get lucky and catch some - so bring your wishes to make.

We will hike to the top of Stone Mountain and should arrive on the summit about 10 min before sunset. We will get comfortable, socialize, and watch the sun set "in the saddle" of Kennesaw Mtns. Shortly after the sun sets, we will move around to the east side of the summit where it's a bit darker, lay down and scan the skies for shooting stars (meteors). We will then move to the north side of the summit for the opening fireworks, and a few minutes later, watch the brightest man-made object in the sky wiz by for a whopping 6 minutes. A short time after the ISS leaves our view, we'll see the fireworks, which will explode right in front of us, from the SM Laser show finale.

About the ISS....  Wiz by?... that's right... it's zippin' along at 17,200 miles per hour! Brightest man-made object in space? Yep... it's the brightest object in the sky next to the sun and moon!  And if that's not enough to impress you, how about seeing $150 Billion speeding through space.  Yeah, that's 150,000,000,000 bucks, and your American tax dollars contributed about $75,000,000,000 of that (yeah, that's "billions").  How much does it weigh?... about 1 million lbs.  Only 6 minutes?... well, it travels entirely around the earth over 15 times in a day, so 6 minutes is about as long of a view as we will ever get in one pass.  How big is it?... about the size of a football field - including the end zones.  Yes, since we contributed more than any other country, it's measured in real football fields (per NASA)... not soccer fields. Alrighty... enough with the numbers... in layman's terms, it's big, it's fast, it's expensive, and it's cool.

Feel free to bring beverages and/or snacks of your choice to enjoy while we're hanging out on top - we'll be up there for about an hour and a half total. It's meant to be a leisurely, sociable, enjoyable evening. If anyone wants to leave early, you're welcome to head back down whenever you want as long as you let the TLs know you're leaving early.

We will begin the hike (yes, there is a hike) from the Confederate Center at 7:55 PM sharp. Plan to arrive 6-8 minutes early for introductions. I will be taking a side trail through the woods, so if you're even two minutes late, you're not going to find us except at the top.

If you have a pair of binoculars you may want to bring them for an even better view of the ISS.

Please take the time to look at the park map and parking options in order to be on time!

There is a $15 daily parking fee to drive into Stone Mountain Park unless you have an annual pass.