An Ancient Lake on Mars

Courtesy Euibin Kim, David Paige, UCLA

The Mars Perseverance rover has used ground-penetrating radar to confirm the hypothesis that Jezero crater, its landing site, likely contained a lake billions of years ago.

The rover’s radar detected sediments deposited at the bottom of the lake and in the delta formed where a river entered the lake have been detected. This finding also supports the hypothesis that Jezero crater may preserve signs of ancient life, if it ever existed on Mars, as these locations on Earth tend to be hot-spots for life. The radar images also reveal periods of erosion and deposition over time that help scientists better understand the geological history and environmental changes on Mars

Perseverance is collecting rock and soil samples to bring back to Earth for detailed analysis using powerful laboratory equipment to search for potential biosignatures.

More info can be found in this article by UCLA.

LAPO Garage Sale

November 4, 2023

9am-4pm

25000 W 39th SOUTH
GODDARD, KS

Calling all space enthusiasts and bargain hunters! We are thrilled to announce that Lake Afton Public Observatory is hosting a one-of-a-kind garage sale that will send your astronomical dreams soaring. Mark your calendars for this Saturday, November 4th, and join us from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM for an astronomy-themed extravaganza that promises to be out of this world!

Step into our galaxy of offerings as we clear out our storage and share our treasure trove of celestial goodies with you. Whether you're an avid stargazer, a budding astronomer, or simply enjoy anything related to space, our garage sale will have something for everyone.

Don't miss this opportunity to explore the wonders of our astronomical garage sale. Swing by Lake Afton Public Observatory on November 4th and let the cosmos guide you to your next celestial bargain. Be sure to bring your friends, family, and an eager spirit as we embark on this extraordinary journey through the cosmos, one sale at a time!

A Comet!

[February Edit] The comet has now moved! It’s now visible in the evening sky and we’ve been able to capture it in our main telescope most nights!

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A newly-discovered comet will be making an appearance in our night sky! How can you view it and what can you expect?

Well, it’s honestly hard to say, but we have some hope about C/2022 E3 (ZTF)! The night of Saturday, January 28th is going to be our first shot at seeing the comet through our telescope during our regular business hours.

However, you should be able to view the comet basically any pre-dawn morning between now and some time in February, assuming the comet plays nice and puts on a noticeable tail. While it’s being stated that this is a “naked eye” comet, it will best be viewed by binoculars or a telescope.

You should also know that comets can be pretty diabolical. Their visibility depends almost entirely on their willingness to play along, and they’re not always excited about that. We’ve been wow’d and disappointed before. You never know what to expect, but it’s worth it to try to view it because comets can be breathtaking.

Some comets have long and exciting tails, like the famous Halley’s Comet, or even Comet NEOWISE in July 2020. Some comets can be a bit of a bummer and just refuse to spew the dust and gasses that make them shine, leaving them as small green blobs only viewable in a telescope.

Comet NEOWISE, July 2020 - Photo Credit Seth Duncan

The moon, beautiful as it is, can also play spoiler to our night time viewing. A full moon can make night-sky viewing almost as difficult as it would be if you were in the middle of a well-lit parking lot. Luckily we won’t be contending with the moon on the night of January 28th.

There will be other viewing opportunities (and we do stress that these are merely opportunities) on the following weekend, Fri/Sat February 3rd/4th (which may be competing with the Full Moon) and February 10th/11th.

You should also know that you’re welcome out to the observatory grounds any time, even outside business hours.

If you have any questions feel free to leave a voicemail or text us at 316-247-0372.

Note: Reservations are not required to visit the observatory.

You can find more info about comet C/2022 E3 at space.com

The Bright Star!

We’ve had a lot of calls lately asking about bright star to the south. That’s Venus, shining in all her extraordinarily bright glory!

There’s a big of extra special sauce going on these evenings, though! If you look up and left from Venus, you’ll see a dim star, and another very bright star. Those are Saturn and Jupiter (respectively)!

Enjoy the view, it won’t be long until Venus is below the horizon after sunset.

But don’t fret! As Venus begins setting earlier, the Orion constellation will be coming up earlier. Look east-southeast around 8pm for Orion to make its appearance!

Summer 2021 is here!

The western summer sky from Lake Afton Public Observatory at sunset is stunning!

COVID-19 Update

First off, we want to address our plans related to COVID-19 precautions.

Because local numbers are dropping, vaccinations are increasing, and largely things seem to be opening up, we are going to start accepting walk-ins in addition to reservations, starting immediately.

For the time-being, we still require visitors to wear masks when inside our building.

We have found the reservation system to be very useful, so we will be leaving it in place, and giving priority to reserved slots. What does this mean for walk-ins? On the off chance that we are beyond our building’s safe capacity, people who reserved slots online will be the first ones in the door.

Don’t worry though, we move fast. Everyone will get a shot to see the stars!

Summer Sights

Summer is a great season to visit us! The Milky Way is visible to the naked eye once darkness settles in. Beware the full-moon, as the brightness tends to make it difficult to spot our home-galaxy.

Our hours start later during the summer to account for our late sunsets. Obviously the darker-the-sky the better, so feel free to show up later into our hours!

Volunteers

We’re always looking for more help volunteering at our observatory!

Volunteers fill roles from scope-operator to cashier. We don’t require formal education or credentials, just a willingness to learn and chat with our guests. Don’t worry, we’ll show you the ropes and get you up to speed!

We’ll work around your schedule each month, and have no minimum requirements for time-commitment. Most of our volunteers work one or two nights a month, each shift being about three hours.

If you’d like to know more, please email volunteers@lakeafton.com