Jack C. Davis Observatory is an educational resource that keeps giving to community members.

This Saturday, Nov. 23, the public has the opportunity to attend a star party and learn more about Saturn, Jupiter and Uranus. In addition, JCDO Director Dr. Thomas Herring will provide a presentation on “Digital Imaging Devices: What, Why and How”.

And both are free to the public.

“We encourage everyone to take advantage of this exceptional community resource,” said WNC President Dr. J. Kyle Dalpe. “Dr. Herring and his dedicated volunteers at the observatory work tirelessly to make stargazing events both educational and accessible, bringing the universe a little bit closer to all of us.”

Dr. Herring’s talk begins at 6:30 p.m. and the star party lasts as late as 11 p.m.

“I'll talk about the sensor chips behind digital imaging, how they work (beware of some quantum mechanics), and what we use at the observatory to capture images,” Dr. Herring said.

Weather pending, Dr. Herring said that the second-to-last star party of 2024 will be an opportunity to view Jupiter, possibly Uranus, and Saturn, as well as the usual host of star clusters, double stars, galaxies and nebulae with the observatory’s assortment of telescopes.

The final star party of the year is scheduled for Dec. 7.

This time of year, doors to the observatory usually open at 6 p.m. and the event lasts until 11 p.m.

JCDO is located at 2269 Vanpatten Ave., on the northern end of Western Nevada College’s Carson City campus.