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UIS Emiquon Field Station to host evening viewing of Perseids Meteor Showers
- Location: ISM Dickson Mounds Museum, Lewistown
- Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 through Wednesday, August 12, 2009 , 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM
"Meteors and Thompson Lake - 2009," a late evening star-gazing event, will be held beginning at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, August 11 and running through Wednesday, August 12 at 1 a.m. on the shore of recently restored Thompson Lake at The Nature Conservancy's Emiquon Preserve between Havana and Lewistown. Professor John Martin will be the guest lecturer and tour guide of the night sky. Members of the Sangamon Astronomical Society will also be on-hand to share views of the night sky through their telescopes.
The event will take advantage of the peak display of the Perseids Meteor Shower, the annual mid-August display of "falling stars." As the sky goes dark after sundown, the meteor showers should be readily visible. This program is free and open to the public and is presented by the University of Illinois Springfield's Emiquon Field Station in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy.
John Martin, University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) Assistant Professor of Astronomy/Physics, will help guide sky-watchers as they view the meteor shower. Michael Lemke, Associate Professor of Biology and director of UIS' Emiquon Field Station, will be available to share information regarding the station and associated wetland ecological research.
Participants should gather after 8 p.m. at the lakeside entrance to Thompson Lake, located directly off Illinois Rts. 97/78, approximately one-half mile north of the Dickson Mounds turnoff. A sign will be posted at the entrance. Visitors are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and/or blankets.
Everyone entering the property will be asked to sign a liability waiver. Participants younger than 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult and must have their waiver signed by a parent or legal guardian.
For further information, contact Dr. Michael Lemke at 217/206-7339 or lemke.michael@uis.edu.
For more events at ISM Dickson Mounds Museum.
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