New Moon Stargazing and Meteor Night

Field Trips for GrownUps + Making Strides

We're teaming up with Making Strides for a nighttime field trip into the Ojito Wilderness!
On Friday, October 9, we're heading to Seismosaurus Trail to get away from the city lights and spend a couple of hours under the New Mexico night sky.

And we picked a pretty great night to do it.

🌑 THE NEW MOON
We'll be going out right around the October New Moon, which means very little moonlight interfering with the night sky. Once our eyes adjust, we should have some excellent conditions for seeing stars that normally disappear in the glow of the city.

☄️ AND WE MAY HAVE SOME SHOOTING STARS
There are actually three meteor showers active during this part of October.

The Draconid Meteor Shower reaches its maximum around October 8–9, putting us right around its best viewing window. The Draconids are especially nice for an event like this because they're an evening meteor shower rather than one that requires us to be outside in the middle of the night.

The Southern Taurids are also active. They don't usually produce huge numbers of meteors, but they're known for occasionally producing impressive bright fireballs.

And the Orionids, created by debris left behind by Halley's Comet, are active as well, although they won't reach their peak until later in October.
We're not promising a sky full of meteors. But we'll have dark skies, multiple active meteor showers, and a chance of catching a few shooting stars while we're out there.

And even if we don't catch a single meteor, we'll still have the stars.

THE PLAN
Meet: 7:45 PM
Location: Rio Rancho Home Depot
Depart: 8:00 PM sharp
Arrive at Ojito Wilderness: Approximately 8:30 PM

Stargazing: Approximately 8:30–10:30 PM
Return to Rio Rancho: Around 11:00 PM
We'll try to carpool from Home Depot so we aren't taking a bunch of separate vehicles out there. We'll figure out drivers and passengers before we leave.

NO HIKING REQUIRED
This is not a hiking event. We're going out there specifically to look at the night sky.
We usually park our vehicles just outside the Seismosaurus Trail parking area, then set up our chairs and blankets right there in the parking lot. Once we're settled, we'll turn down the lights, let our eyes adjust and enjoy the sky.
So you won't need to hike anywhere in the dark to participate.

Bring a camping chair or blanket, warm layers, water, snacks, and something warm to drink if you'd like.If you have binoculars, bring them. If you have a telescope, definitely bring it!

Please also bring a flashlight or headlamp. A red-light setting is strongly preferred. Once we're settled, we'll keep regular white lights to a minimum so everyone's eyes can adjust to the darkness.

IMPORTANT: MAKING STRIDES MEMBERS
This event is being co-sponsored by Field Trips for GrownUps and Making Strides and will be posted in both groups.

If you are already a member of Making Strides, please sign up through the Making Strides event, even if that event develops a waitlist.
Please don't use the Field Trips for GrownUps RSVP as a way around the Making Strides waitlist.

We want to leave the spots here available for people who are only members of Field Trips for GrownUps, so both groups have an opportunity to participate.

Thank you for helping us keep the spots divided fairly between the two groups.

This event is weather dependent. Clouds can ruin a stargazing trip pretty quickly, so we'll keep an eye on conditions as we get closer and make a call if necessary.

No hiking experience required. No astronomy experience required.

Just bring a chair, dress warm and come spend a couple of hours looking up.

See you under the stars! 🌌☄️