The Albuquerque Open Space Division will host the next International Year of Astronomy event, Hearts, Stars, and Telescopes, at the Open Space Visitor Center on Saturday, February 14, 2009. Observing will occur from 18:30 until 22:00 hours. Details are at the http://www.ABQSky.org Web site, which is also accessible from The Albuquerque Astronomical Society Web site, http://www.taas.org. There will be comet making demonstrations, telescopes setup, night sky observing, and hourly tours of the stellar constellations. The Open Space Visitors’ Center is located east of Coors Blvd., at the end of Bosque Meadows Rd., which is between Montano Blvd. and Paseo Del Norte.

Venus is currently in a crescent phase and is visible to the naked eye in the early evening in the southwest part of the sky. Saturn is in the constellation, Leo, and over the next several months, the planet’s rings will appear to become thinner as seen from Earth.

Enjoy dark skies,

Melissa Kirk

Secretary and Public Relations Coordinator

The Albuquerque Astronomical Society