SunTree Camping Trip to Wildwood Retreat and Resort

By the time that you can read this, the SunTree campers will either be frolicking with the woodland animals at Wildwood, or they will be getting home to unpack and clean their camping equipment.

If you remember, two years ago we went to Wildwood on the weekend after Labor Day to a wonderfully soggy weekend. From what I heard, there were few complaints except from the hikers who got caught on a ridge line, sans clothes (other than hiking boots) by a hail storm. It was a good weekend, but very soggy. Only about eight people showed up for that event.

The following year, we went to Wildwood on the weekend prior to Labor Day weekend (as we are this year). There was no real rain, thought there were a few sprinkles. It was a delightful weekend which was mostly sunny, but with some occasional cooling clouds.

This year, I cannot yet report on since I am writing this prior to the planned camping trip. If everybody shows up who have said that they plan to, we should have more than twenty participants this year. The television weather folks (if you dare believe them) say that it will be a weekend similar to the one that we had last year with little, if any rain. Inspection visits over the last couple of weeks found that the area is super green with lots of water. That is hard to believe given that our camping trip of this past May had to be cancelled due to the gigantic Miller Fire that was burning through the area near Wildwood. The weather is expected to be a little warmer than last years weekend, but comfortable enough for an evening campfire.

I will report on this event in the October undate.

Jupiter Plots a Takeover of the Night Sky

Evening: Saturn is close to the horizon in the west just after sunset. To the left of Saturn is the star Spica as a traveling companion. They are both about the same brightness at this time and they travel closer to the horizon as the month goes on until they disappear into the setting Sun’s glare.

Jupiter keeps brightening through the month. In the early part of the month, Jupiter will rise about 10 PM and by midmonth, 9 PM. At the end of the month, Jupiter will be gleaming in the eastern sky as early as the end of twilight. Through the month, Jupiter will brighten from magnitude – 2.7 to – 2.8 at the end of the month. For surface dwellers on spaceship Earth, Jupiter will appear to get larger in width as the month progresses. This is only the beginning of the 2011 Jovian performance. Just wait until Halloween.

The Moon will pull over to have a chat with Jupiter on 15 and 16 September.

Uranus, is closest to Earth on 25 September, its first opposition north of the equator in 42 years. Unfortunately, unlike last year, when Jupiter came to our aid in finding that green planet, he has other things on his mind this year. Uranus will be difficult to find this year.

Speaking of things that are not too easy to see, this month, there will be a big party hosted by the constellation Virgo this month. It will be on 27 September: The Moon, Mercury, Venus and Saturn all plan to crowd in on this party. We will not be able to see it because of another attendee. The Sun plans on showing up also, so all of the others will become invisible to us Earthlings.

Morning: Mercury”s grand performance for this month will be her grandest morning apparition of 2011. This occurs during the first two weeks of September, with its optimum brightness/height combination on 9 - 11 September. The tiny orange rock will be very close to the blue star Regulus on 9 September.

Fall arrives with the autumnal equinox on 23 September at 3:05 AM.

Although there are a few maverick meteors flying around this month, there are no meteor showers worth mentioning.