Making the darkest nights most enlightening, just needs a pinch of cosmosity and hunger for knowledge!

Welcome

• Welcome to Light Benders Amateur Astronomy group. Thanks for bringing your cosmic hunger.

• We have been more primitively meeting in smaller group in person with those of similar gravitation fling in the orbit with us and take a ride along. Events and open houses are conducted weekly weather permitting.

• Become a member and enjoy additional benefits.

  • Learning to live in a post pandemic world, LightBenders is going Digital. Soon launching the AstroDigital virtual observatory. Opportunity to tune and focus a telescope virtually using digital tools.

  • Membership includes access to selective study material on various celestial categories from Earth and Solar system to distant galaxies and dark matter.

  • Please fill out this survey to become a member.

  • Contribute to newsletters released annually - visit the News Letter for annual cosmic connection series.

What's out there tonight?

• Cant wait to get out there and look up into the clear night sky? Help yourself with some basic info and planning using the link for sky tonight.

• This will help you plan and know ahead of time the direction of objects, constellations with rise and set times, especially to watch any events.

• It will help with patience to making skywatch more enjoyable as you will already know about the sky and find it familiar. 

• Checkout our events page and photos for latest activities and updates. For remote yet more active participation.

Planets visible Tonight

• With a dark night sky seeking your attention most of time you may wonder what's all visible tonight.

• You notice a bright object glaring at you. Is that a star or is that a planet? You will need either a star chart or similar app and know how to use it. Or just grab a binocular and watch the object. If it appears bigger and brighter its a planet. 

• Follow the planets chart link to find which planet you are looking at. 

• How do you differentiate planets from stars? Well you can't unless you watch it for a  few days, planets move across the ecliptic in matter of days, stars don't as much, it take a season for constellations to move across ecliptic.   

Dark Sky parks in Michigan

Michigan Light Pollution Map

IDA Dark Sky Parks:

• Headlands International Dark Sky Park

• Dr. T. K. Lawless International Dark Sky Park

Michigan state parks designated as Dark Sky Reserves:

• Wilderness State Park

• Thompson’s Harbor State Park

• Rockport State Park

• Negwegon State Park

• Port Crescent State Park

• Lake Hudson Recreation Area

Michigan Dept of Natural Resources Dark Sky Events

• The 7 Best Spots for Stargazing in Michigan, Detroit Free Press, March 5, 2017