AstroFest is an annual Star Party at Kopernik that features extraordinary speakers and night sky observing. Join the Kopernik Astronomical Society at the 41st Annual AstroFest. Enjoy astronomy workshops, talks, exhibits, demonstrations, and solar and nighttime observing. Check out the detailed schedule of the event below! AstroFest registration form can be found here. You don’t have to register ahead of time, you can also pay at the door.
NOTE: This is a preliminary schedule, and planning is still underway. Scheduled Activities may change without notice. As soon as changes are made, every effort will be made to update this listing. Please check back often for your planning purposes.
Friday – October 6
2:00 PM Facility open to campers for setup, bathrooms open
Viewing in the yard, both solar and astronomical
2- 6 PM Solar Viewing hosted by Ana Castillio, in the Yard (Spectroscope, H-Alpha and white
light), in the Domes (Herschel Wedge on 6” Astro Physics Refractor)
and with the Heliostat Refractor, dedicated to the memory of the
“Legendary Barlow Bob” Godfrey in 2014, in the Physics Lab.
6:00 PM Doors open to the public, facility tours and observing (starting with the planets
Saturn and Jupiter, the Moon does not rise until after midnight). Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, juice, snacks available in Lobby.
6:30 PM Welcome to AstroFest 2023 – Drew Deskur, Executive Director,
Kopernik Observatory & Science Center
George’s Best Images, a Video Slide Show
most captured right here at Kopernik Observatory,
George Normandin, KAS President
7 – 7:50 PM Opening of the 50-year-old Time Capsule,
placed in the wall of the original exterior of the building fifty years ago when
Kopernik Observatory was first built. Witness this historic unveiling.
8:00 PM Keynote Speaker: Alyssa Pagan, Webb’s Image Specialist –
Science Visuals Developer, Space Telescope Science Institute, Office of Public
Outreach, Alyssa is part of the main team of NASA Imagers who transform
the raw black and white data from the Webb Space Telescope and transform
it into wonderful color images.
After the program: Night Sky Viewing – in the Domes and in the Yard, Demo of the Dwarf II (our new ZWO SeeStar S50 telescope is on backorder), Night Sky Laser Tours, “Learner’s Land” – bring your scope and set it up with help from the KAS and Kopernik staff, hot beverages, and snacks available, bathrooms and domes open all night, Lobby closes at Midnight.
Saturday – October 7 The start of 100 Hours of Astronomy
7:30 – 9:00 AM Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, juice, and snacks available in the Lobby
9 AM – all day Vendors in Physics Lab, Dark Sky Exhibit, Facility Tours
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM Solar Viewing hosted by Anna Castillio, in the Yard (Spectroscope, H- Alpha and
white light), the Domes (Herschel Wedge on 6” Astro Physics Refractor), and with
the Heliostat, Refractor, dedicated to the memory of the “Legendary Barlow Bob”
Godfrey in 2014, in the Physics Lab (clear only).
10:00 – 10:55 AM Show and Tell Meteorites – Patrick Manley, Kopernik Astronomical Society
11:00 – 11:55 AM IOTA’s Work on Occultation Timing hosted by Steve Conrad
Steve will also do a live demonstration of amateur spectroscopy equipment during
our Solar Viewing. Presented by Steve Conard, lead engineer for the LORRI
instrument on New Horizons, AAVSO.
12:00 – 12:55 The Everest Mirror – See and learn about a piece of local and national
astronomical history. The honeycomb cell structure that made large mirror
castings successful was designed and made by Wally Everest, Sr.
Presented by Art Cacciola, Kopernik Astronomical Society.
1:00 – 1:55 PM. Lunch and Musical Entertainment by Robert Siegers
2:00 – 2:55 PM Astronomy Clubs Roundtable Discussions (to include the NYPENN Girl Scouts)
2:00 – 5:00 PM Swap Meet – buy and sell your treasurers (in vendor’s area), used equipment
for sale to raise funds for our new equipment.
2:00 – 2:55 PM Electronic Enhanced Consumer Telescopes – learn about this fascinating new type
of telescope that combines a digital chip, with a small, easy-to-operate, telescope.
It does this all while remaining portable and working almost automatically.
Image deep sky objects while your telescope locates the object and focuses.
It does this while at the same time collecting data on your smartphone or tablet.
It even stacks multiple images to enhance the image.
Both the Dwarf and ZWO SeeStar S50 will be discussed.
Presented by Keith Werkman, Kopernik Astronomical Society.
Demo to follow in the evening.
3:00- 3:55 Cherry Springs State Park – Learn what CSSP has to offer and what to expect. Susan Schenck, Pennsylvania DCNR, CSSP Environmental Education Specialist, Astronomy.
4:00 – 4:55 Solar Eclipse – Presented by Zoe Learner Ponterio, Manager, SPIF
(Spacecraft Planetary Image Facility), Cornell University.
5:00 – 6:00 PM Dinner Break
6:30 PM Raffle and Door Prize Drawings – you need not be present to win!
7:00 – 7:55 PM International Observe the Moon Night – Learn about this great event from
NASA Solar System Ambassador, Tish Bresee. Tish will also speak on Artemis
and possible landing sites.
8:00 – 8:10 PM. Welcome to AstroFest 2023 – Andrew Deskur, Executive Director
8:15 PM Keynote Address – Pranvera Hyseni – Public Education and Outreach.
Pranvera is the founder of the largest astronomy outreach program in Eastern
Europe, Astronomy Outreach of Kosovo. She discovered the Main Belt
Asteroid: 2020 SS13 and has numerous international awards and recognitions,
including having Asteroid 45687 Pranverahyseni that is named after her.
After the program: Night Sky Viewing – in the Domes and in the Yard, demo of the Dwarf and ZWO SeeStar telescopes, Imaging Demo of FLI Camera on 20” OGS RC, Night Sky Laser Tours, hot beverages and snacks available, bathrooms and domes open all night. If cloudy: Movie in Space Science, Lobby closes at Midnight. If cloudy: Movie in Space Science, Lobby closes at Midnight.
The registration form is available here.