Michigan’s largest public astronomy event will take place next month not in a planetarium, but on the beach at the Island Lake Recreation Area.
Astronomy at the Beach (AATB) will take place Friday, September 22, and Saturday, September 23, from 7 p.m. to midnight at Island Lake State Recreation Area’s Kent Lake Beach.
AATB is sponsored by the Great Lakes Association of Astronomy Clubs (GLAAC), Michigan DNR, Michigan Science Center, UM-Dearborn Observatory, planetariums, and other organizations and will feature a display from NASA.
“We here in SE Michigan are fortunate to be just a short drive from the event of the decade: the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse!,” states a press release. “Come hear talks on the eclipse and how to see & photograph it. See the moon & Saturn with big telescopes, a laser-guided constellation tour and kids’ scavenger hunt of space objects (all three weather permitting).”
There will also be science demonstrations, including comet making, along with meteorites, astrophotography, a local astronomy club and vendor tables. AATB is a free event for those with a Michigan State Parks ‘Recreation Passport’ on their license plate (otherwise $18 annually for state residents, $9 daily pass for nonresidents).
For more info, visit https://www.glaac.org/astronomy-at-the-beach-2023/ or Facebook event https://fb.me/e/1qZb0uzeM or email contact@glaac.org or call Island Lake at (810) 229-7067 during business hours.
