<![CDATA[Friends of Galileo Astronomy Club - FoG Blog]]>Sat, 30 May 2026 06:03:12 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[2024 Solstice Lantern Walk Highlights]]>Thu, 26 Dec 2024 21:38:18 GMThttps://www.friendsofgalileo.com/fog-blog/2024-solstice-lantern-walk-highlightsOur sixth event was a great success! We brightened the longest night, celebrated the return of longer days, and met great people. Here are some highlights:

We had great weather for another year - a rainy week but a dry event.

We estimate about 550 people walked part or all of the 3.7 billion miles from the Sun at the south end of Lake Sacajawea to Pluto at the north end.  We had the world's longest Fun Run from the Sun to Pluto. Couples, individuals, families, and pets had a great time - many dressed up with lanterns and lights. Once again we had visitors drive in from far and wide just to participate. We even had some from Scotland! Thanks for joining us! Some made it all the way to Pluto, and some made it there and back.

Our route followed the Solar System Walk given to the City of Longview by the Friends of Galileo Astronomy Club in 2001. The walk is a series of granite markers showing the relative distances between the Sun and the planets - our solar system, scaled down to Lake Sacajawea. The markers follow the path on the west side of Lake Sacajawea, over 1.64 miles.
Solar System Walk

We had passports for people to take to each planet and get stamped. Thank you to Pat Palmer at Copies Today/Speedy Litho for donating the printing for our passports - again. They looked great!
speedylitho.com

The planets were lit up in a small way or in a big way. Kids got candy at several planets and people got to know some of the great clubs in our community.

Bonus - Cowlitz River Kayakers had their annual Christmas Paddle at Lake Sacajawea. What a great sight to see all the lit up kayaks on the lake!
Cowlitz River Kayakers

Bonus - Cowlitz Valley Runners hosted our second Solstice Fun Run - the world's longest! It was 3.7 billion miles from the Sun at the south end of Lake Sacajawea to Pluto at the north end.
Cowlitz Valley Runners Picture
Bonus - Adiel Boaglio, celebrating her birthday the next day, was kind enough to start the Fun Run and was one of our event judges. Stay tuned to find out which planet won.
* * * * * If you walked the whole Solar System (3.7 billion miles!), you saw:

The Sun - Friends of Galileo Astronomy Club started off the event with lanterns and passports and candy for the kids. FoG has monthly meetings, sidewalk astronomy, star parties, and our annual overnight event at Mount St. Helens.
friendsofgalileo.com

Mercury -  Silver Lake Resort came out for the first time and had an interactive booth. How did you do on their corn hole toss?
silverlake-resort.com

Venus - The Girl Scouts of Western Washington came out again with a big, welcoming tent. Cookie season is right around the corner!
girlscoutsww.org

​Earth - Three Rivers Christian School came out again to support the Solstice Lantern Walk. What a great turnout they had!
https://3riversschool.net

Mars - Shinju Dojo Aikido Martial Arts School was our very first planet sponsor in 2018! They handed out chocolates and glow sticks for everyone. Learn self-defense and confidence in a friendly, low-impact, non-competitive atmosphere right here in Longview.
shinjudojo.com

Jupiter - Freemasons of Cowlitz County - Thank you, Masons! Freemasons have been making good men better for over 100 years right here in Kelso and Longview.
freemasoncowlitz.org

​Saturn - Cowlitz Coin Club. New to the event in 2023, the Coin Club had great conversations about the interesting coins they had on display. And guess what - Cowlitz Coin Club was our Grand Prize winner for Best Planet in 2024! Congratulations!
Cowlitz Coin Club (on Facebook)

Uranus - The Boy Scouts of America, Cascade Pacific Council didn't just have a good set up and interesting information about their planet ("12 Facts About Uranus!"), they added s'mores and a warming tent! Both were very welcome at that point in the walk.
cpcbsa.org

Sacajawea - First-time sponsor Cowlitz County Historical Museum came out with lots of great info about our area. Have you visited the museum yet? Honorable Mention - People’s Choice for Best Planet in 2024. Congratulations!
cowlitzcountyhistory.org

​​Neptune - The Lower Columbia School Gardens returned with an even better booth than last year, and more samples of terrific homemade bread. Honorable Mention - People’s Choice for Best Planet in 2024. Congratulations!
lcschoolgardens.org

Lunar Library - Our friends at Kelso Library came out for their first time at the Solstice Walk. Check out the library! Honorable Mention - People’s Choice for Best Planet in 2024. Congratulations!
kelso.gov/library

Pluto - Friends of the Longview Public Library returned to anchor our event at the north end of the lake. Well done!
friendslongviewwalibrary

For those too tired to make the return journey, Affi Shrine once again provided our Space Shuttle, a van to take folks back to the start of the event. The Shriners have funded and supported hospitals across the country.
afifishriners.org

Join us for our next event!
]]><![CDATA[2023 Solstice Lantern Walk - Winners!]]>Mon, 26 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMThttps://www.friendsofgalileo.com/fog-blog/2023-solstice-lantern-walk-winnersAll our planet sponsors do a great job putting on a fun event.

For extra encouragement, we recognize some for going above and beyond. We have a judge walk the event to score our sponsors on various criteria.

Here are the 2023 winners - lots of ties this year!
Picture
Our grand winners, first-time sponsors Lower Columbia School Gardens (Neptune) - great job and congratulations!

Best presentation (tie)
  • Sacajawea, Kelso-Longview Chamber of Commerce
  • Pluto, Friends of Longview Public Library

Best overall vibe (tie)
  • Earth, Three Rivers Christian School
  • Sacajawea, Kelso-Longview Chamber of Commerce

Most worth visiting again (tie)
  • Mars, Shinju Dojo Aikido
  • Uranus, Scouts BSA
  • Neptune, Lower Columbia School Gardens

Most benefit to the public
  • Neptune, Lower Columbia School Gardens
  • Pluto, Friends of Longview Public Library

People's Choice: Friendliest Planet
  • Venus, Girl Scouts of Western Washington

Overall winner
  • Neptune, Lower Columbia School Gardens

Congratulations, everyone!

]]><![CDATA[2023 Solstice Lantern Walk Highlights]]>Sun, 28 Jan 2024 19:58:47 GMThttps://www.friendsofgalileo.com/fog-blog/2023-solstice-lantern-walk-highlightsOur fifth event was a great success!

We brightened the longest night, celebrated the return of longer days, and met great people. Here are some highlights:

  • Spectacular weather! We started early this year and so got to see an amazing sunset.
  • We estimate over 600 people walked part or all of the 3.7 billion miles from the Sun, at the south end of Lake Sacajawea, to Pluto, at the north end.
  • We had the world's longest Fun Run! From the Sun to Pluto.
  • Couples, individuals, families, and pets had a great time - many dressed up with lanterns and lights. Once again we had visitors drive in from far and wide just to participate. Thanks for joining us!
  • Some made it all the way to Pluto, and some made it there and back.

Our route followed the Solar System Walk given to the City of Longview by the Friends of Galileo Astronomy Club in 2001. The walk is a series of granite markers showing the relative distances between the Sun and the planets - it's our solar system, scaled down to Lake Sacajawea. The markers follow the path on the west side of Lake Sacajawea, over 1.64 miles.
Solar System Walk

We had passports for people to take to each planet and get stamped. Thank you to Pat and Bill at Copies Today/Speedy Litho for donating part of the printing for our passports - again. They looked great!
speedylitho.com

The planets were lit up in a small way or in a big way. Kids got candy at several planets and people got to know some of the great clubs in our community.

Bonus - Cowlitz River Kayakers had their annual Christmas Paddle at Lake Sacajawea. What a great sight to see all the lit up kayaks on the lake!
Cowlitz River Kayakers.

Bonus - Cowlitz Valley Runners hosted our first Solstice Fun Run - the world's longest! It was 3.7 billion miles from the Sun at the south end of Lake Sacajawea to Pluto at the north end.
Cowlitz Valley Runners

* * * * * If you walked the whole Solar System (3.7 billion miles!), you saw:

The Sun - Friends of Galileo Astronomy Club started off the event with lanterns and passports and candy for the kids. FoG has monthly meetings, sidewalk astronomy, star parties, and our annual overnight event at Mount St. Helens.
friendsofgalileo.com

Mercury - Santa! It was a very busy time for him, of course, but he helped start start the walk with Christmas cheer.

Venus - The Girl Scouts of Western Washington came out again with a big, welcoming tent. They worked with the Boy Scouts to light up the path with luminaria... By the way, it'll be cookie season soon.
girlscoutsww.org

Earth - Three Rivers Christian School came out again to support the Solstice Lantern Walk. What a great turnout they had!
https://3riversschool.net

Mars - Shinju Dojo Aikido Martial Arts School was our very first planet sponsor in 2018! Learn self-defense and self-confidence in a friendly, low-impact, non-competitive atmosphere right here in Longview.
shinjudojo.com

Jupiter - Longview Freemasons Lodge #263 - Thank you, Masons! Freemasons have been making good men better for centuries. Longview Lodge will celebrate its first century in 1924.
freemasoncowlitz.org

Europa - Bethel #65 of Job's Daughters, located in Kelso. They are 10-20 year old daughters of Masons. They learn leadership and develop great friendships.
joinjobies.org

Saturn -  Cowlitz Coin Club. New to the event in 2023, the Coin Club had great conversations about the interesting coins they had on display.
Cowlitz Coin Club (on Facebook)

Uranus - The Boy Scouts of America, Cascade Pacific Council didn't just have a good set up and interesting information about their planet ("12 Facts About Uranus!"), they added s'mores and a warming tent! Both were very welcome at that point in the walk.

The Boy Scouts worked with the Girl Scouts to cover more than a mile and a half with glowing luminaria to mark the path. What a cheerful trail to follow. Wow!
cpcbsa.org

Sacajawea - Kelso-Longview Chamber of Commerce. Another new sponsor this year. The Chamber puts on great networking events through the year.
kelsolongviewchamber.org

Neptune - The Lower Columbia School Gardens had a very popular planet - with sample of terrific homemade bread. It was their first time at the Solstice Walk.
lcschoolgardens.org

Comet Swift-Tuttle - Columbia River Reader brightened up the outer solar system again. Thanks for supporting us with a great description in the CRR!
crreader.com

Pluto - Friends of the Longview Public Library - another new sponsor. came all the way from Portland to set up at the far end of the solar system. Check out their calendar of events next time you're in Portland.
friendslongviewwalibrary

Join us for our next event!
]]><![CDATA[2022 Solstice Lantern Walk Highlights]]>Tue, 26 Sep 2023 04:29:50 GMThttps://www.friendsofgalileo.com/fog-blog/2022-solstice-lantern-walk-highlights4008189We had a great time at our fourth event, December 17, 2022.

We brightened the longest night, celebrated the return of longer days, and met great people. Here are some highlights:

  • Hundreds of people walked part or all of the 3.7 billion miles from the Sun, at the south end of Lake Sacajawea, to Pluto, at the north end.
  • Couples, individuals, families, and pets had a great time - many dressed up with lanterns and lights. Once again we had visitors drive in from far and wide just to participate. Thanks for joining us!
  • Some made it all the way to Pluto, and some made it there and back.
  • Many appreciated riding our Space Shuttle so they didn't have to walk both ways.

Our route followed the Solar System Walk given to the City of Longview by the Friends of Galileo Astronomy Club in 2001. The walk is a series of granite markers showing the relative distances between the Sun and the planets - it's our solar system, scaled down to Lake Sacajawea. The markers follow the path on the west side of Lake Sacajawea, over 1.64 miles.
Solar System Walk

We had passports for people to take to each planet and get stamped. Thank you to Pat and Bill at Copies Today/Speedy Litho for donating part of the printing for our passports - again. They looked great!
speedylitho.com

The planets were lit up in a small way or in a big way. Kids got candy at several planets and people got to know some of the great clubs in our community.

* * * * * If you walked the whole Solar System (3.7 billion miles!), you saw:

The Sun - Friends of Galileo Astronomy Club started off the event with lanterns and passports and candy for the kids. FoG has monthly meetings, sidewalk astronomy, star parties, and our annual overnight event at Mount St. Helens.
friendsofgalileo.com

Mercury - Santa and Mrs. Claus! It was a very busy time for them, of course, but they came to start off the walk with Christmas cheer.

Venus - The Girl Scouts of Western Washington came out again with a big, welcoming tent. They worked with the Boy Scouts to light up the path with luminaria... By the way, it'll be cookie season soon.
girlscoutsww.org

Earth - Three Rivers Christian School came out again to support the Solstice Lantern Walk. What a great turnout they had!
https://3riversschool.net

Mars - Shinju Dojo Aikido Martial Arts School was our very first planet sponsor in 2018! Learn self-defense and self-confidence in a friendly, low-impact, non-competitive atmosphere right here in Longview.
shinjudojo.com

Jupiter - Longview Freemasons Lodge #263 - Our most generous donor. Thank you, Masons! Freemasons have been making good men better for centuries. Longview Lodge will celebrate its first century in 1924.
freemasoncowlitz.org

Europa - Bethel #65 of Job's Daughters, located in Kelso. They are 10-20 year old daughters of Masons. They learn leadership and develop great friendships... and probably had the best-organized tent.
joinjobies.org

Saturn -  Kelso-Longview Elks, Lodge #1482. The Elks did a great job again. Did you see all the glowing Saturn models?
elks #1482

Uranus - The Boy Scouts of America, Cascade Pacific Council didn't just have a good set up and interesting information about their planet ("12 Facts About Uranus!"), they added s'mores and a warming tent! Both were very welcome at that point in the walk.

The Boy Scouts worked with the Girl Scouts to cover more than half our route with glowing luminaria to mark the path. What a cheerful trail to follow. Wow!
cpcbsa.org

Sacajawea - Longview YMCA. On short notice, we had an awesome staff member come out and represent the Y at our event. Have you checked out the Y? Great facilities and classes, and part of Longview for a century!
longviewymca.org

Neptune - Even with *two* astronomy clubs involved in this event, the Mount St. Helens Hiking Club was the only one to bring along a telescope - four years in a row.
mtsthelensclub.org

Comet Swift-Tuttle - Columbia River Reader brightened up the outer solar system again. Thanks for supporting us with a great description in the CRR!
crreader.com

Star Team - Mike Wallin's Star Team with Keller Williams was a new sponsor this year. They did a terrific job helping line the path with beautiful glowing luminaria.
mikewallin.kw.com

Pluto - Rose City Astronomers came all the way from Portland to set up at the far end of the solar system. Check out their calendar of events next time you're in Portland.
rosecityastronomers.net

Space Shuttle - thank you Pat Edwards and the Afifi Shrine for helping our walkers get back to the start. Again! The Shriners meet to have fun and to support Shriner Hospitals around the world.
afifishriners.org

Bonus - Cowlitz River Kayakers had their annual Christmas Paddle at Lake Sacajawea about an hour before we started. What a great trip to see all the lit up kayaks on the lake!
Cowlitz River Kayakers.

Join us for our next event!
]]><![CDATA[Sky Report, May/June 2023]]>Fri, 19 May 2023 16:50:34 GMThttps://www.friendsofgalileo.com/fog-blog/sky-report-mayjune-2023Sky Report by Ted Gruber

Evening Sky

Venus (magnitude -4.2) is easily visible in the west at dusk. The bright planet currently sets just after midnight, and just before midnight by mid-June. The moon and Venus appear about 2° apart the evening of May 23. On the evening of June 21, the moon and Venus appear about 3° apart, with Mars appearing about 5° south of the moon.

Mars (magnitude 1.5) becomes visible high in the western sky as darkness falls, currently setting about 1:15am. The red planet dims slightly to magnitude 1.7 by mid-June and sets about midnight. The moon and Mars appear about 4° apart the evening of May 24 and again on the evening of June 22.

Morning Sky

Saturn (magnitude 1.0) currently rises in the east-southeast about 2:45am, and about 30 minutes earlier by mid-June. The ringed planet remains visible until fading into the morning sunlight. The moon and Saturn appear about 3° apart the morning of June 9.

Jupiter (magnitude -2.1) follows Saturn, currently rising about 4:30am. By mid-June, Jupiter rises just before 3:00am and remains visible until fading into the morning sunlight. The moon and Jupiter appear about 1.5° apart the morning of June 14.

Mercury (magnitude 0.6) returns to the morning sky at the end of May, rising about 45 minutes before sunrise. The innermost planet brightens quickly, reaching magnitude -1.1 by June 20. The moon and Mercury appear about 4° apart the morning of June 16.

Moon Phases

New (5/19), first (5/27), full (6/4), last (6/10), new (6/18), first (6/26).
]]><![CDATA[FoG Newsletter, vol. 29, no. 1, May 2023]]>Fri, 19 May 2023 16:49:01 GMThttps://www.friendsofgalileo.com/fog-blog/fog-newsletter-vol-29-no-1-may-2023Click the link below to view or download this month's newsletter.
2023_05_may_fog.pdf
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]]><![CDATA[Sky Report, April/May 2023]]>Fri, 21 Apr 2023 19:34:50 GMThttps://www.friendsofgalileo.com/fog-blog/sky-report-aprilmay-2023Sky Report by Ted Gruber

Evening Sky

Venus (magnitude -4.1) becomes visible in the west at dusk. The bright planet currently sets just before midnight, and just after midnight by mid-May. The moon makes a close approach to Venus the evening of April 22 and passes about 1° north of Venus the next night.

Mars (magnitude 1.2) becomes visible near the zenith as darkness falls, currently setting about 2:15am. By mid-May, the red planet dims slightly to magnitude 1.5 and sets about an hour earlier. The moon passes about 3° north of Mars the evening of April 25.

Mercury (magnitude 1.8) becomes visible in the west-northwest about 30 minutes after sunset, currently setting just past 9:30pm. The innermost planet will become more difficult to see in the next few days as it sets sooner and becomes lost in the twilight. The new moon appears about 4° west of Mercury the evening of April 20. The moon sets at 9:07pm that evening.

Morning Sky

Saturn (magnitude 1.0) currently rises in the east-southeast about 4:30am, and just before 3:00am by mid-May. The ringed planet remains visible until fading into the morning sunlight. The moon passes about 3° south of Saturn the morning of May 13.

Jupiter (magnitude -2.1) returns to the morning sky in late April, rising in the east-northeast just before sunrise, and about an hour earlier by mid-May. The giant planet remains visible until fading into the morning sunlight.

The moon occults Jupiter the morning of May 17. That morning, the moon rises at 4:34am and Jupiter follows one minute later. From Longview, the occultation begins when Jupiter passes behind the moon at 4:51am, but the pair will only be about 2° above the horizon at that time. Jupiter reappears at 5:30am in the morning twilight and 8.5° above the horizon.

Mercury (magnitude 2.0) returns to the morning sky in mid-May, rising in the east-northeast about 30 minutes before sunrise. The moon passes about 3.5° north of Mercury the morning of May 17. Mercury rises at 5:00am that morning.

Meteor Showers

The Lyrids are a medium-strength meteor shower active from April 15-29, peaking the night of April 22-23. The shower usually produces good rates for three nights centered on the peak. The moon is favorable. The meteors appear to emanate from a point in the constellation Lyra, high in the east-northeast sky.

The Eta Aquariids meteor shower is active from April 15 to May 27, peaking the night of May 5-6. The shower is best viewed from the southern hemisphere, but it can still produce rates of 10-30 meteors/hour from the northern hemisphere. Unfortunately the night of the peak coincides with the full moon this year.

Moon Phases

New (4/20), first (4/27), full (5/5), last (5/12), new (5/19), first (5/27).
Picture
]]><![CDATA[FoG Newsletter, vol. 28, no. 12, April 2023]]>Wed, 19 Apr 2023 21:47:22 GMThttps://www.friendsofgalileo.com/fog-blog/fog-newsletter-vol-28-no-12-april-2023Click the link below to view or download this month's newsletter.
2023_04_april_fog.pdf
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]]><![CDATA[FoG Newsletter, vol. 28, no. 11, March 2023]]>Sat, 11 Mar 2023 18:24:24 GMThttps://www.friendsofgalileo.com/fog-blog/fog-newsletter-vol-28-no-11-march-2023Click the link below to view or download this month's newsletter.
2023_03_march_fog.pdf
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]]><![CDATA[Sky Report, February/March 2023]]>Sun, 19 Feb 2023 23:23:17 GMThttps://www.friendsofgalileo.com/fog-blog/sky-report-februarymarch-2023Sky Report by Ted Gruber

Evening Sky

Venus (magnitude -4.0) and Jupiter (magnitude -2.2) become visible in the southwest at dusk. Brighter Venus becomes visible first and will appear lower to the horizon than Jupiter. Venus currently sets about 8:00pm, followed by Jupiter just before 9:15pm. The two planets appear less than 0.5° apart the evening of March 1, close enough to fit within a binocular field of view. Thereafter, Jupiter will begin setting before Venus and will thus appear lower to the horizon than Venus. By mid-March, Jupiter sets just before 8:00pm, followed by Venus about 9:15pm.

Mars (magnitude -0.6) becomes visible high in the eastern sky as darkness falls. The red planet currently sets in the northwest a bit past 3:00am and about an hour earlier by mid-March.

The moon passes about 2° south of Venus the evening of February 21, about 1° south of Jupiter the next night, and about 1° north of Mars the night of February 27.

Morning Sky

Mercury (magnitude -0.2) now rises in the southeast about 6:30am, about 45 minutes before sunrise. However, the innermost planet will be difficult to spot because it is only about 5° above the horizon, and within a few days will be lost in the morning sunlight.

Moon Phases

New (2/20), first (2/27), full (3/7), last (3/15), new (3/21), first (3/29).
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