STARS AND RAMEN (big meadows stargazing)

OVERVIEW

Holy crap there are a lot of stargazing trips this week/weekend!!!! We are also hoping to take advantage of the new moon, crisp cold air, and meteor shower peaks at the super epic and awesome Big Meadows. It is one of the best places in Shenandoah to watch the stars, with beautiful (almost) 360 degree views of the sky around you and very little light pollution. We have been many times before and are hoping to share the experience with more of you!

We are planning on bringing a small camp stove to heat up water, meaning if you have cups of ramen/hot chocolate/any other food that only needs hot water to make then you should bring it!!! The warm food/drink will make the cold night even more awesome. I will also be bringing my telescope/binoculars which people are welcome to use, I am hoping we’ll get good views of Jupiter (and maybe Saturn)!

It is supposed to be a quite cold night. Please dress in layers, bring blankets, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, anything that will make you feel more comfy while sitting around in the cold for a while. I personally am just going to dress very warm, but a sleeping bag/pad is super nice for laying down and looking up at all the super awesome meteors flying through the sky! I guestimated that we wouldn’t want to be sitting out in the cold for more than an hour, but if people are warm and really enjoying themselves I’m happy to stay a bit longer!

We do not need drivers but priority will be given to someone with a Shenandoah National Park pass so we can get into the park!

The plan:
7PM – meet at corner of echols
drive!
8:15PM – 9:15PM – look at stars and eat ramen!
drive!
10:30PM – back in cville

What you bring:
– stuff to make you not cold (text one of us if you have any questions, go to gear room for sleeping bag/pad)
– excitement to look at cool stuff in the sky!!!!!!
– (optional) ramen/other food that can be made with just hot water
– (optional) headlamp, ONLY if it has a red light setting
– (optional) stellarium (awesome free phone app to help navigate the sky!)

What we bring:
– telescope
– binoculars
– camp stove/water