Star party to view Perseids meteor showers

[August 10, 2009]  LEWISTOWN -- A late-evening stargazing event tomorrow at Emiquon Preserve, between Havana and Lewistown, will take advantage of the peak of the Perseids meteor showers, the annual mid-August display of "falling stars."

"Meteors and Thompson Lake -- 2009" will begin at 8 p.m. on Tuesday and continue until 1 a.m. Wednesday on the shore of recently restored Thompson Lake at Emiquon, a Nature Conservancy restoration project. Professor John Martin will be the guest lecturer and tour guide of the night sky. As the sky goes dark after sundown, the meteor showers should be readily visible.

Martin, assistant professor of astronomy and physics at University Illinois Springfield, will help guide sky-watchers as they view the meteor shower. Members of the Sangamon Astronomical Society will also be on hand to share views of the night sky through their telescopes.

Michael Lemke, associate professor of biology and director of the UIS Emiquon Field Station, will be available to share information regarding the station and associated wetland ecological research.

This program is free and open to the public and is presented by the UIS Emiquon Field Station in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy.

Participants should gather after 8 p.m. at the lakeside entrance to Thompson Lake, located directly off Illinois Route 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 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 Lemke at 217-206-7339 or [e-mail].

[Text from file received]