JOHN GOAR IS finishing up this summer’s free astronomy programs with telescopes at Hurricane Ridge, one of the best light-restricted “dark sky” sites on the Peninsula 17 miles up a paved road from Port Angeles in Olympic National Park.
Known as the park’s volunteer “astro-VIP,” Goar is a math and science teacher in Kingston and a member of the Bremerton-based Olympic Astronomical Society.
His programs last about an hour.
Using the telescopes, he shows Saturn and its moons, other planets and stars, globular star cluster M13, the Ring Nebula and the Andromeda Galaxy.
Meet Goar at the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center tonight (Thursday), Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday night, then Friday and Saturday nights, Sept. 11-12. The viewings begin at 9 p.m.
The Sept. 12 session includes a “star party” by Olympic Astronomical Society members “who will be happy for the public to look through their telescopes,” Goar says.
If skies are cloudy, Goar’s program is canceled.
For program status, phone the recorded Hurricane Ridge Road hotline at 360-565-3131 after 4 p.m. the day of the program.
“Dress warmly,” says Goar, noting that the visitor center is situated at 5,242 feet.
While the programs are free, there is a $20-per-carload entrance fee to Olympic National Park (good for seven days) for those who do not already have a $40 annual park pass.
For more information, visit www.olympictelescope.com.
