AstroBlast

What is AstroBlast? Beginning in June 1994, AstroBlast became an annual event hosted by ORAS. It is a regional gathering of amateur astronomers and anyone interested in astronomy! Lectures, information, educational sessions, on-site camping, and dark sky observing are all a part of our annual star party.

AstroBlast is open to registered participants only. We ask that you register in advance, if at all possible by visiting www.oras.org/

Newcomers are encouraged to attend! One of the benefits of our observatory's remote location is the truly dark sky we get each night. As you may already know, we are located far from the lights of any city plagued by light pollution.

The dates for this year's AstroBlast will be from the evening of Wednesday, August 8th, to the morning of Monday, August 13th. Early registration for the event will begin in late March, when a pre-registration form will be posted on this site. It will also be possible to register during the event itself. We expect to have a full schedule of speakers on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, as well as some of our traditional AstroBlast activities, such as a nature walk and swap meet. Our new 30" f/3 Starstructure telescope with a mirror by Mike Lockwood will be available for viewing by AstroBlast participants. Our site also offers great dark sky observing for those using their own equipment.

If you are an ORAS member, and you would like to take part in the training program to operate the 30" telescope, please contact Tim Spuck at (814) 354-6515.