About AstroBlast
What is AstroBlast?
AstroBlast 2023 took place from August 15-20, 2023. It is a regional gathering of amateur astronomers and anyone interested in astronomy! In June 1994, AstroBlast became an annual event hosted by ORAS. This year it was held at the Oil Region Astronomy Learning Center. The event featured lectures, educational sessions, a door prize drawing, and dark sky observing. The theme for this year's presentations was "Astronomy: Back to Basics." Saturday evening featured a presentation by Dr. Amanda Bauer, the director of the Yerkes Observatory.
AstroBlast 2024 will mark the 30-year anniversary of our first event. It is scheduled to take place from August 6-11, 2024.
AstroBlast 2024 will mark the 30-year anniversary of our first event. It is scheduled to take place from August 6-11, 2024.
Scenes from AstroBlast 2018, courtesy of Larry McHenry
What to Bring to AstroBlast
Our 30" f/3 Starstructure telescope will be available for viewing by AstroBlast participants. Our site also offers great dark sky observing for those using their own equipment. Participants are invited to bring their own telescopes or binoculars.
If you will be staying overnight, you should plan to bring a tent or a suitable vehicle with you. We will have our traditional pizza party on Saturday evening. Also, we will have a limited menu of food items for sale on Friday evening and Saturday from noon to 8. If you prefer, you can bring and prepare your own food, or buy your meals at one of the nearby stores or restaurants. You should also bring a personal supply of water, hiking equipment (optional), sunscreen, blankets or a sleeping bag, and a flashlight with a red filter. And, of course, bring yourself and all of your friends who are interested in astronomy!
See our About Events page for instructions on how to make a red filter for a flashlight.
Where to Stay and Where to Eat
We have several electrical outlets available on pedestals in the observing field for operating telescopes and other low-wattage devices. We have electrical outlets in the observatory and in the Activity Building, which will allow you to recharge some electronic devices. There is also a WiFi connection at the site. As for meals, we will have a gas grill and a microwave available for visitors to share, and we're planning a Saturday night pizza party. You may wish to patronize one of the restaurants in the nearby town of Knox, or one of the eateries near the Cranberry Mall. There are a number of restaurants in Seneca, directly to the north of the mall.
For groceries, please note that Hirsch's Meats, which is at the intersection of Route 322, Route 338, and Camp Coffman Road, functions as a local convenience store, as well as a meat market. Its hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday (closed Sunday). Also, Ma and Cap's Ice Cream, at 1552 Route 322, offers a variety of options for meals and ice cream. It's open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (This is the former Shreffler's Snack Shack.)
In case you prefer to stay in a hotel during AstroBlast, there's one not far from the Cranberry Mall. This is the Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites, in Seneca. Slightly further away is the Days Inn Oil City Conference Center. Clarion has a number of hotels available as well. If you'd like to check out possibilities for other accommodations, you can find them on the website of the Oil Region Alliance.
General rules of AstroBlast
- If you use a flashlight, please use a red lens or lamp, or tape several layers of red cellophane over the lens.
- Participants who drive: Parking during dark hours will be located near the activity building, at a lower level than the observing field. Please park with headlights facing away from the field.
- There will be no vehicle entry or exit allowed from the observing field after dark.
- Dogs and cats are permitted at AstroBlast. Dogs must remain on a leash, and dogs and cats are the sole responsibility of their owner. Please clean up after your dog! Other animals are not permitted on site for AstroBlast. No animals other than leashed service animals are allowed in the observatory.
- Please be courteous to other participants, and don't touch anyone else's equipment without their permission.
- No one is allowed to use ORAS electricity to power an A/C unit.
- Generators must be turned off between the hours of 10 p.m. and 10 a.m., to allow our visitors to sleep.
These rules are intended to ensure a dark sky, a fun time, and the safety of all our participants. Thank you!
What Else to do in the Neighborhood
There are a number of tourist attractions in the general vicinity. The Sandy Creek Trail, a rails-to-trails trail that leads from the nearby village of Van to the Allegheny River and beyond, is located within ten miles of the observing site. This trail is a wonderful place for bicycling or walking in the woods. Cook Forest State Park has a fabulous collection of old-growth trees, many of them over 100 feet tall. There are also many things to see and do in Oil City, Franklin, Titusville, and the region around Clarion. Be sure to visit the Drake Well Museum and Park in Titusville and learn how Pennsylvania’s Oil Region got its name – and how this region changed the world.
Venango County and Clarion County feature additional tourist attractions.
Group photo of AstroBlast 2022, courtesy of Steve Behringer (at far right)