8 PM Presentation about Summer Sky

by Dr. Randy Hemann

This presentation offers an engaging journey through the summer night sky, guiding stargazers of all experience levels through the season’s most striking celestial highlights. Attendees will learn how to locate prominent landmarks like the Summer Triangle—a massive stellar trio composed of Vega, Deneb, and Altair—and trace the glowing band of our Milky Way galaxy stretching across the warm evening air. The session also previews highly anticipated seasonal spectacles, including the spectacular Perseid meteor shower, while providing practical tips on using basic stargazing gear and mobile apps to navigate the cosmos from your own backyard. Whether you are a casual observer or a budding astronomer, this presentation provides the essential tools and knowledge to transform an ordinary summer night into an extraordinary cosmic exploration.

Dr. Randy Hemann is president of the Rochester Astronomy Club and NASA Solar System Ambassador. Randy is a retired physician and former chief medical officer from Rochester, Minnesota. His interest in astronomy was planted at age 10 in his backyard on a cold winter night when his 3-inch reflector telescope “discovered” Saturn as this new “star” entering the constellation of Orion. That indelible impression never left him. Later in life, after extensive education in medicine and establishing his career, he purchased a 6-inch reflector telescope from a friend — and then it began. He joined a local amateur astronomy club and has performed as its president for the last 25 years. He enjoys producing daytime and nighttime astronomical outreach events for local schools, scouts, libraries, and regional state parks. Now retired, he and his wife Lynne travel the country in his motorhome, always toting several telescopes for impromptu campsite night observing sessions with others. He often pulls a trailer that houses his 18- and 30-inch Dobsonian telescopes for more extensive observing opportunities.

9 PM Observing

Public Sky Observing of the planet Venus, bright stars, double stars, and more by telescope with guidance members of the Rochester Astronomy Club. At 10 pm, the Moon rises above the eastern horizon, two days after the full moon phase on July 29 at 10:36 am with clearly visible craters on the terminator of the waning moon.

What to expect at Public Sky Observing – click here.