Hiking, Astronomy & Skygazing with Telescopes at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center

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Hiking, Astronomy & Skygazing with Telescopes at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center

The Basics:

Event Type:

Adventure

Event Location:

Near Covington, GA: 1 Hr east of Atlanta via I-20

Adventure: Hiking, Astronomy & Skygazing with Telescopes at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center

Date(s) & Time:

Sat, Mar 24 2012 1:45 pm >> Sat, Feb 11 2012 10:45 pm (Carpool Departure: 12:30 pm *log in for location*)

Registration Opens:

Tue, Mar 6 2012 10:00 pm

Registration Cut Off:

Fri, Mar 23 2012 10:00 pm

Event Duration:

About 9 hours

Difficulty Rating:

D2: Easy to Moderate

Distance:

5 Miles

Pace:

Leisurely

Trip Leader(s):

Charlie Cottingham

Email Trip Leader(s)
You must be logged in to get the Trip Leader contact information.

Member Cost:

None

Participant Info:

Who's Invited:

Members Only, 21 And Older Only

Maximum Group Size:

Minimum Group Size:

Number Registered So Far:

7 / 0 (To see who's signed up, log in to the Member Area)

Are Dogs Permitted:

Itinerary:

OVERVIEW: On this unique AOC outing we'll enjoy about two hours of easy to moderate afternoon Hiking, then join the Trip Leaders' friends from the Atlanta Astronomy Club for an exciting late afternoon and evening program that includes an indoor Astronomy Program including a nice Group "Potluck Dinner," then a Deep-Sky and Lunar Observing Session with telescopes on the Wildlife Center's spacious observing field. If it turns out to be rainy or cloudy, the event will still be on with the exception of the observing session, in which case we can each bring some rain gear for the hike.
Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center (CEWC) is a pristine 6400-acre GA DNR nature preserve about an hour's drive east of Atlanta (15 miles SE of Covington, GA near I-20). It is an excellent destination for hikers, with more than 10 miles of well marked forested trails that loop around its lovely lakes and granite outcrops. Its dark skies unpolluted by nearby glaring lights make it also a favorite place for stargazers.
Each month amateur astronomers from the "Charlie Elliott Chapter" of the Atlanta Astronomy Club (AAC) hold a 90-minute meeting and program at the Charlie Elliott Visitor Center, then (a few minutes before sunset) set up their telescopes in the nearby low-light-pollution observing field and aim them skyward, weather permitting. Our CE astronomers encourage non-members to attend these free sessions to learn more about astronomy and to enjoy telescopic views of numerous heavenly wonders - not only within our own Milky Way galaxy but also millions of light years beyond it. Tips on basic "sky-gazing" and "star-hopping" tours of the universe are offered for those who are interested in observing constellations, planets, deep-sky objects, eclipses, etc. with their own telescope or binoculars, or with an equally miraculous stargazing instrument, the naked eye...our best choice of all for meteor showers and many other awesome sky phenomena.

WHEN & WHERE? We'll all rendezvous at 1:45 PM just inside the entrance of the Charlie Elliott Visitor Center & Museum—see detailed directions, lat/lon coordinates & address below.  Drive directly to the event if you like, or optionally meet for carpooling at 12:30 PM in NE Atlanta (~1 hour each way to CEWC).  Our carpoolers will gather in the WSB Radio Tower shopping center parking lot near the I-285 LaVista Road exit (directions below) where we can safely leave any unneeded vehicles. Carpoolers will depart that lot by about 12:40 PM and should arrive at Charlie Elliott a few minutes before our 1:45 rendezvous time.

AFTERNOON PLAN: After introductions just inside the Visitor Center entrance and a brief walk through the museum we'll begin our Hike at about 2:00—then at 4:45 PM we'll join our hosts for their Indoor Astronomy Program and quarterly Potluck Dinner in the museum's spacious conference room. The program this month will include an exciting MOVIE on Astronomy plus a discussion of "What's Up?" in the night sky and worthy of observing in the spring of 2012.

OUTDOOR OBSERVING SESSION:   At about 7:15 PM (weather permitting) we'll convene with our astronomer friends on CEWC's "Jon Wood Astronomy Field" (1/4 mile north of the Visitor Center) and enjoy a leisurely and friendly observing session with them and their wide variety of types and sizes of telescopes.  We're each encouraged to stroll around, chat with the astronomers and take a look at whatever heavenly objects they may be focused on.  Individuals and carpool parties are free to stay as late as you like at this Saturday night telescopic (+ naked eye) session. About 10:45 PM is a suggested appropriate departure time, but feel free to leave at any time. Some of the Club's more serious astronomers may continue observing as late as dawn Sunday morning—so if you prefer, stay up late with them and return home "after the rooster crows!"

FOR MORE on the CHARLIE ELLIOTT WILDLIFE CENTER (including a nice color Trail Map if you click on "Hiking,") go to:
http://www.georgiawildlife.com/node/694

FOR MORE  on the CHARLIE ELLIOTT CHAPTER of the ATLANTA ASTRONOMY CLUB go to:
http://ceastronomy.org/blog/home

Required Items to Bring:

• For our Hike, wear comfortable well-broken-in Athletic Shoes or Hiking Boots with a coarse tread and lightweight Clothing Layers appropriate for the weather, including Rain Gear (for the hike) if showers are forecast. At least one warm Extra Upper Layer and a warm Cap are recommended esp. if temps in the 50s or lower or windy conditions are expected and esp. for the nighttime observing session.

• For the Hike, hydrate in advance and carry in your pack a filled Water Bottle or two (or other favorite soft beverages)-or if you have one, your filled "Camelbak" hydration system.

• Please bring a small Food or Refreshment Item of your choice for the Potluck Dinner - perhaps enough of your item to serve about 5 or 6 people. About 3 days prior to the event Charlie will send out a list of suggested items that may be still needed based on an e-update he expects to receive from the Astronomy Club President.

• IMPORTANT: AT THE OBSERVING SESSION WHITE LIGHT IS NORMALLY NOT PERMITTED. Only small RED LED HEAD-LAMPS/FLASHLIGHTS are used so as not to impair observers' night vision. Please bring such a small red LED light if you have one—otherwise the trip leader will have a couple of red lamps to share.

Recommended Items to Bring:
Use our Event Checklists to make sure you have everything you need.

If you have Trekking Poles or a Hiking Stick, consider bringing them for the hike.

• If you have a pair of Binoculars and/or a small Telescope, you may want to bring them for the Observing Session. Also, some of you may have a "Sky Chart App" on your i-Phone that we may enjoy using in conjunction with our star maps, etc.

• Consider bringing your Camera. The Wildlife Center is very photogenic!

How to Get There:

Event Directions:

DIRECTIONS to CHARLIE ELLIOTT WILDLIFE CENTER from the EAST-SIDE I-20/ I-285 INTERCHANGE: (From this interchange which is 12 mi. E of downtown it's about 42 miles further eastward to the CEWC Visitor Center.)

1. Take I-20 E toward Augusta for about 31 miles and exit to your Right at Exit #98, "GA-11".

2. Turn Right onto GA-11 (toward Monticello) and go straight ahead about 9.5 miles to its junction with Marben Farm Road. (En route you'll pass through the town of Mansfield. Look for the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center directional sign at the Marben Farm Rd junction.)

3. Turn Left onto Marben Farm Road and go 1.0 mile to Elliott Trail.

4. Turn Right onto Elliott Trail and go 0.5 mile to the Visitor Center parking lot. At 1:45 PM our AOC group will rendezvous with one another just inside the main entrance of the large Visitor Center building.

5. At about 4:45 PM (after our museum visit and hike) we'll use the special entrance into the LEFT side of the Visitor Center to attend the indoor portion of the Astronomy Club program. After that program (weather permitting) we'll drive a short distance back down the entrance road to the "Jon Wood Astronomy Field" for the stargazing & telescopic observing session.

ENTERED "DESTINATION" for use with GPS Navigation or GOOGLE.com/maps in conjunction with above directions:
ADDRESS: Elliott Trail, Shady Dale, GA 31085.
LAT/LON COORDINATES: 33.4628,-83.7338

Carpool to Event Distance (round trip):

100Mile(s)

Carpool Departure Time:

12:30 pm

Carpool Location:

Carpool Directions:

Carpool Cost:

Estimated cost per vehicle for this event is $40.00 using a reimbursement rate guideline of $0.400 per mile. The total amount should be divided by the number of people in the vehicle, including the driver. This is a guideline, not a rule, for drivers but the cost should not be higher unless there are extenuating circumstances.

Notes:

* We encourage all members to follow our Etiquette Guidelines while participating in AOC events.

Cost Includes:

No Charge—Free event with Free parking!

Cancellation/Partial Attendance: Please review the AOC cancellation policy.
*Note:
In fairness to those who may be wait-listed, if and when you find that you cannot attend this event for whatever reason, please go ASAP to the bottom of this online article and "Delete your Registration," and if it's within 2 or 3 days of the event please also email the Trip Leader to that effect so others can be invited from the wait list. Thanks!

For hiking/astronomy events at Charlie Elliott we normally go ahead with them rain or shine. In the event of cloudiness we can still enjoy hiking, the wildlife museum and the indoor astronomy program, plus of course the fun of being together in such a beautiful place.