Astronomy event to feature planets

An astronomy event to view three planets will be offered Saturday, Oct. 17, on Conger Heights, seen here under a full moon in this photo taken last month. (submitted photo)

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - A gathering to view the planets Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will be offered Saturday, Oct. 17, by the Klamath County Museum. The free event will be held on Conger Heights. Participants are encouraged to arrive around 7 p.m. Telescopes will be available for viewing.

To reach the site, take Oregon Avenue to the southbound entrance to Highway 97, and follow blue “star party” signs.

“Jupiter and Saturn have been putting on a great show all summer, and it’s about to get more interesting over the next several weeks,” said museum manager Todd Kepple. “The two planets are headed toward a conjunction on Dec. 21. On that date, we’ll be able to see Jupiter with its moons and Saturn with its rings in the same field of view of a telescope.”

“The actual conjunction will occur during that time of year when there’s no guarantee of a clear sky, so we want to encourage people to start watching the movement of these two planets right away,” Kepple said.

Saturn is currently the brightest object in the evening sky. It appears high in the southern sky, with less-bright Saturn to its left.

A conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn occurs once every 20 years. The next one occurs on Halloween in the year 2040.

For more information, contact the Klamath County Museum at (541) 882-1000.