Here's a few more specifics about some of the events that will be taking place this weekend.

- The Saturday bike ride will be leaving from the Visitor's Center at around 11am. We'll be going into town for some lunch on the paved trails that connect the conservancy with Coon Rapids, doing some solar observing in town, then heading back. We'll try to be back by 4 at the latest, to give people time to shower and take a little rest before the banquet starts. Whiterock has 4 bikes available for rent if you aren't planning on bringing your own.

- I spoke with the resort manager at Whiterock this morning, and he mentioned another Saturday activity that may be of interest: they will be hosting a bird release on Saturday from 3-6pm at the Visitor's Center. I believe the birds they will be releasing are ospreys. For more information about this or other Whiterock activities like canoeing, fishing, kayaking, or to rent the aforementioned bikes, contact Trent Milam at 712-684-2964 ext. 112.

- We will be trying to get together a composite image of some objects in the sky over the course of the Star Party. If you're interested in astrophotography, be sure to snap some images of the galaxy NGC 7331 in the north, and in the south we've chosen NGC 7293. It would also be great to get some exposures of M13 and get a wide-field shot of the constellation Cygnus. All of these images should be saved in your camera's RAW file format, then sent to Jim Bonser, the Ames Area Amateur Astronomers' ace astrophotographer (his email will be published in your welcome packet). He will process them together using the magic of technology, and they will be put on the web site at a later date.

- Here's some more specifics about our speakers on Saturday night, following the banquet (starting around 7:30pm):

From Martians to Modernity - A Visual History of Lowell Observatory"
Presented by Allison Bair
Allison will be presenting a visual journey of the history of Lowell Observatory; from Percival Lowell's search for life on Mars to current research by today's astronomers. Some highlights include Percival Lowell's Martian canals, the first evidence of the expanding universe, the discoveries of Pluto and the rings of Uranus, and Lowell's role in sending astronauts to the moon.

"Open Source Astronomy" Presented by Sasha Karcz
We are living in an age that is permeated by computers and technology. Most, if not all of us, have used computer systems to aid in our observing sessions. There are many software packages available for purchase that can contribute to our observing experiences either through planning, the creation of charts, or though the control of our telescopes themselves. What if you were to find out that there were free, powerful tools available on the internet that could replace any of the before mentioned software? Join Sasha on a journey through the history of the open source movement, and learn about some of the most refined, powerful, and free, open source software packages for astronomy.