Autumn Stargazing program scheduled

The Winnebago County Conservation Board will be holding an Autumn Stargazing program at Thorpe Park on Friday evening, Nov. 22. The program will be held at the entrance to the park beginning at 7 p.m., and will last 45-60 minutes. Thorpe Park is located five miles west of Forest City on “I”/345th Street.
During the program, Winnebago County Naturalist Lisa Ralls will give an informal tour of the autumn nighttime sky. The summer triangle will be disappearing in the west, but the first of the winter constellations, such as Taurus the Bull and Auriga the Charioteer, will be rising in the east. Year-round constellations such as the Big and Little Dippers, and Cassiopeia, will also be visible.
People will learn how to identify these constellations, as well as some of the brighter autumn stars. Fascinating tidbits of information will also be shared about what people are seeing and star charts will be handed out afterwards to help people identify the stars and constellations once they return home. People can bring along a pair of binoculars, if they’d like, and can also bring along a lawn chair, as well.
In case of clouds, the program will have to be canceled and that announcement will run on KIOW Radio (FM 107.3), as well as on the WCCB web site (www.winnebagoccb.com), the WCCB Facebook page, and the WCCB Twitter feed (@WinnebagoCCB). For more information about the Autumn Stargazing program, people can contact Lisa Ralls at 641-565-3390 or at lralls@winnebagoccb.com.