CARINA Star Party 2015

For the past 12 years, CARINA (Caribbean Institute of Astronomy) has been organizing a star gazing party to introduce people to astronomy, I have always heard mention of the event, but I never knew when or where it was held. Yesterday at around lunch time, I just happened to see a friends post on facebook saying that he had 2 tickets for it, and it was that same night. I messaged him instantly and the tickets were secured. I was super excited when I found out that it was being held at the old Tracking Station in Macqueripe, as it was another place I have always wanted to visit. 

I invited my nephew to keep me company, and we headed up. Got there just as the sun was setting, and when we were going to park, we got asked if we were staying overnight, had I known that option was available, I would have definitely packed my tent and planned better. 

On entry, we were presented with a star map, and was given a rundown of the rules, one of which included covering any lights or devices with red cellophane paper, which they considerately provided you with. We walked around looking at all the people setting up their tents and getting their spots to get a good view the inflatable projector, which showed a short documentary on the cosmos, and later on, slides were shown when one of the speakers gave a presentation on the history of the Tracking Station, which was very interesting and informative. The final presenter, gave an overview of the sky and with the aid of one very powerful laser pointer, pointed out all the visible planets and constellations. At the end of the presentations, they invited people up to take a closer look at the stars through the telescopes they had set up.

I was told that they printed 400 tickets, and they were sold out in 2 days, so I was super lucky to get a hold of them. I MUST go to the next one they have, no questions asked, and I WILL take my tent and overnight for sure. It is rare that we get to be in a place away from all the glow of the city lights, where we can look up and be humbled by the vastness of the universe. I would urge anyone who hasn't recently looked up at the stars, to do so tonight.