The UVA Department Of Astronomy and Super Bit Cville are teaming up to host “Comet Con 2025” from 9-11 p.m. on Friday, August 15 at Albemarle CiderWorks. This night of nostalgic games & stargazing is free to the community, and will feature vintage video games, cider, and a chance to witness the Perseid Meteor Shower.
NASA describes the Perseid Meteor Shower as “one of the most plentiful showers with about 50 to 100 meteors seen per hour”. They also say, “the Perseids are also known for their fireballs: larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer than an average meteor streak. This is due to the fact that fireballs originate from larger particles of cometary material”. These meteor showers occur once a year, typically sometime in mid-August.
Guests are encouraged to bring a blanket for stargazing on the lawn, where volunteers from the UVA Department Of Astronomy will be happy to give pointers, insights, and answer cosmic queries. Inside the cidery, local retro gaming store Super Bit Cville will have several old school CRT TVs set up with throwback consoles like the Nintendo Entertainment System and SEGA Genesis. Guests can take a turn playing classics like Sonic and Mario on original hardware.
The Cidery will open during its regular hours from noon to 6 p.m. throughout the day on Friday, with doors opening at 8 p.m., and the event beginning at 9 p.m. Cider & charcuterie will be available for purchase throughout the event, but outside food is welcome. This event is rain or shine (but of course, meteor visibility will depend on weather conditions)
The UVA Department Of Astronomy will next be at the CiderWorks on September 20 for their 15th Annual Star Party: a family-friendly event including telescopes, star tours, and a traveling planetarium.
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