The Rangers of Lake Mead National Recreation Area and the Las Vegas Astronomical Society invite you to spend an evening stargazing at Lake Mead's Boulder Beach Picnic Area. Come out under the starry skies by the lake and see the wonders of the night sky, including Mars, just 2 days past opposition (when it's closest to Earth), Saturn and Venus in conjunction (just a little more than 2 degrees apart from each other), Jupiter, the Great Orion Nebula, the Andromeda Galaxy, and many other sights.

We will start with a presentation given by fourth-year UNLV Astrophysics PhD Candidate Yuanhong Qu. His talk will be about the discovery and latest research on Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs). First detected in 2007, these are mysterious short-lived pulses of radio waves coming from other galaxies, billions of light-years away. The presentation will start about 5:15 PM in the Water Safety Building to give attendees time to file in (adjacent picnic area parking, see detail map). 

Event Map: bit.ly/LVASMeadMap

Entry Fee Info: www.nps.gov/lake/planyourvisit/fees.htm

PLEASE NOTE: The fee collectors at the entrance gate leave at an unspecified time. Usually it's around dark (sunset is 4:53 PM). While they're at the fee booth, regular park entrance fees for Lake Mead apply for attendees (typically $25 per car). Once they leave for the evening, attendance is FREE. LVAS volunteer astronomers always get in for FREE, but you must contact Keith Caceres (keith.caceres@lvastronomy.org) to sign-up as a National Park Service volunteer.

5:00 PM - Presentation in Water Safety Building w/ Astrophysics PhD candidate Yuanhong Qu on Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs). Starting closer to 5:15 PM
6:00 PM - Approximate start of stargazing / telescope observing
7:30 PM - Green laser tour of the night sky
9:00 PM - Event ends