State park debuts Astronomy Night

• Saturday night, Georgia Veteran Memorial State Park will host an event-filled evening that leads up to stargazing.

Cathy Higgins

CORDELE — Southwest Georgians looking to enjoy a night under the stars should head to Georgia Veterans State Park this weekend for its first-ever Astronomy Night.

The event is set for 6 p.m.-midnight Saturday.

Admission is $1 per person.

The evening’s activities include a wagon ride at 6 p.m., a potluck dinner in the campground at 7 p.m. and stargazing at the astronomy field, which is located south of the park office, at 9 p.m.

Participating stargazers should be able to see a variety of astrological features Saturday night.

“This is a good time of year to see the Perseid meteor show,” said Park Ranger Mike Goodwin in a recent news release, “even though the best time to see meteors is between 3 a.m. and morning twilight.”

A few planets and stars might come in view, as well.

“You should also be able to see Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus and first-magnitude stars such as Arcturus, Antares and Deneb,” Goodwin said.

The event is open to both novice and experienced stargazers.

“The park will have telescopes and astronomical binoculars set up in the astronomy field,” Goodwin said, “but visitors are invited to bring their own equipment, if they wish.”

For more information, call the park office at (229) 276-2371.

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