Lovers of the stars will receive an extra treat in mid-August: The chance to star gaze during the Perseid Meteor Shower.
Tahoe Star Tours will host a special mountainside star gazing event that corresponds with the Perseid Meteor Shower on Friday, Aug. 14, at The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe.
The Perseids, a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle, are visible from mid-July each year, with the peak in activity happening between Aug. 9-14. During the peak, the rate of meteors reaches 60 or more per hour.
“The Perseid Meteor Shower provides an incredible show across the night sky, and with the dark skies in North Lake Tahoe, our viewing venue at The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe is ideal,” said Tony Berendsen, owner of Tahoe Star Tours and president of the Northern Nevada Science Coalition.
While viewing the constellations and meteor shower through Tahoe Star Tours’ high-powered Celestron telescopes, guests will also be treated to a special live concert performance by Accent, a Reno-based chamber music ensemble comprised of highly trained local artists.
The event will also include cheese and dessert stations, wine and champagne, and the personalized service of the Ladies and Gentlemen of The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe, which is located mid-mountain at Northstar California Resort.
From 5-7 p.m. that evening, the The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe will also offer its Backyard Barbeque Family Cookout, a for purchase barbeque cookout that includes live music until 8 p.m., and complimentary access to a variety of oversized outdoor lawn games. Tahoe Star Tours participants will enjoy access to the private viewing area, comfortable seating, blankets and cocktail service throughout the event.
Hosted mountainside at The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe from 8:15-10:30 p.m., the cost to participate is $100 USD per person, including tax. This event is limited to 35 people. Tickets can be purchased online in advance through Eventbrite (http://www.eventbrite.com/e/tahoe-star-tours-concert-evening-at-northstar-california-tickets-17699204798?ref=ebtnebtckt).
Berendsen is an award-winning amateur astronomer residing in Reno, Nevada. He is President of the Northern Nevada Science Coalition, a past President of the Astronomical Society of Nevada, and has been showing the skies above northern Nevada and California for the past 17 years, including five years at the Fleischmann Planetarium observatory in Reno.
Additional Tahoe Star Tours events are scheduled Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings through September 4, from 8:15-10:30 p.m. Events on Thursday and Saturday evening are hosted at the Dark Skies Cosmoarium at Northstar California Resort in Truckee. On Friday evenings, events take place at The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe.
Advance reservations for all Tahoe Star Tours events are recommended, and all tours are offered weather and conditions permitting. For more information and the complete schedule of events, visit www.TahoeStarTours.com.
Jeffrey Weidel can be reached at skiweidel@gmail.com. Thanks for visiting his website at www.tahoeskiworld.com
