Roane County citizens are invited to enjoy the first SRSS Bad Light Shootout on August 1, when Tamke-Allan Observatory will operate N4TAO as a Special Event Amateur Radio Station. The public is invited to participate in these events. The Bad Light Shootout is sponsored by Save Roane Starry Skies, and participants will shoot at targets picturing inefficient and poorly-designed light fixtures using marshmallows and water balloons. Help stamp out "bad" lights, old-fashioned street lights that shine out and up, wasting energy and money, causing dangerous glare, and blotting out the night sky. Admission is free before 7 PM.

Local hams from the Roane County Amateur Radio Club will operate our radio transmit/receive station, as we celebrate the two-year anniversary of our site radio license. The observatory is also active in optical and radio astronomy, and radio astronomy lectures and demonstrations are planned. Refreshments will be available. Operation will begin at 1600 h (4 PM) and continue into the evening hours. This Special Event Amateur Radio Station will coordinate activities with other stations operated from lighthouses around the world. We are “TAO Lighthouse, Collecting Starlight under Dark Skies” and we expect to be the only observatory participating in the radio net.

The Public Stargaze begins at 7:00 PM and the public will be treated to astronomy lectures, views of the night sky, and participation in ham radio activities. This will be an excellent evening to visit and enjoy some astronomy. The observatory sponsors public Stargazes on the first and third Saturday evenings of each month. Amateur astronomers bring telescopes and binoculars and offer views of astronomical objects, while visitors are invited to bring their questions and food to share with the astronomers.

TAO is a part of Roane State Community College, and supports light conservation and energy conservation. Poorly directed light is wasted and causes glare – a hazard on our highways.. Directing light downward where it is needed conserves energy and gives us a safer, more secure community. It also keeps our observatory open for education and research. When was the last time that you could see our beautiful milky way? We are losing our Roane County heritage to the glare of unshielded lights.

TAO is located just off Caney Creek Road between Midtown and Rockwood. Please check the observatory web site at (link...) for driving instructions and a map. TAO is wheelchair-accessible.

www.roanestate.edu/obs

www.SaveRoaneStarrySkies.org