Solar viewing and Star Party- Montgomery Bell State Park
Schedule
Fri Oct 24 2025 at 04:00 pm to 10:15 pm
UTC-05:00Location
1020 Jackson Hill Rd, Burns, TN 37029-5040, United States | Burns, TN
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October 24
4:00 PM - 10:00 PM
On Friday 10/24, the Barnard Seyfert Astronomical Society will have a free public star viewing at the Montgomery Bell State Park ball field:
4:00pm - 5:00pm. Sun observing till sunset. See many magnetic sunspots. Also see exhibits of space science and astronomy posters in the pavilion.
5:00pm - 6:30pm. See the crescent Moon before it sets. See the Sea of Tranquility where the Apollo 11 astronauts first set foot upon the Moon and the south pole where the Artemis astronauts will land soon.
7:00pm - 10:00pm. Look through a variety of telescopes at the night sky to see such locations as Saturn and the Andromeda Galaxy.
Come join us for a night under the stars. Event is cancelled if it is cloudy.
Link to park's event page: https://tnstateparks.com/parks/event_details/montgomery-bell/#/?event=star-viewing-2025-10-24
Star Parties are fun events where we get to share our passion for the night sky with the community. If it's your first Star Party, we've included a small Q & A below that might be helpful if you are on the proverbial fence on whether to attend or not. Hope to see you soon.
Price? Free!
Where is the star party?
Montgomery Bell Park's ball fields
Aka, if you turn into the park off 70, you'll come straight back and the road will curve around the ballfield. We'll be set up in the middle of the ball field
What to bring?
Yourself, friends, family, and anything else. Feel free to bring a chair and sit outside with us if you'd like
Are there any age requirements?
Open to all ages
What's up with the red lights, and why don't you have regular lights in the area?
There's science behind it, but basically, red light doesn't interfere with night vision like white light does. It takes your eyes about 20 minutes to get your night vision, so we don't want to disrupt it by using white light.
So, I'm here. What do I do?
Decide which telescope you want to peek into and ask the BSAS member what they are viewing. Be careful not to touch the eyepiece or telescope, since it might move the object out of view. If this happens, just let the BSAS member know so they can get the nightsky object back in the eyepiece for you.
Who are these people with the telescopes?
These are members of the BSAS Astronomy Club who have brought out their telescopes to share what's in the night sky with you. It's part of our community outreach with the park, and honestly, we love doing it and encourage questions. We enjoy sharing our passion for the night sky with our neighbors.
Where are the food trucks?
No food trucks, just space for us to enjoy searching the night sky.
Event Cancellation?
These events are weather permitting. Please check the event day to ensure the weather is cooperating for a successful event.
Ranger Contact Info:
Eric Runkle
Phone: 615-797-9052
Email: [email protected]
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Where is it happening?
1020 Jackson Hill Rd, Burns, TN 37029-5040, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
