What Are You Doing This Weekend? May 25-27

What’s happening on the Emerald Coast this weekend?

Memorial Day weekend is upon us! How will you spend this holiday weekend? Will you gather the family and head to the beach? Grill some burgers and dogs on the backyard patio? Hit the town and take in a fireworks display? No matter what you decide to do with your holiday weekend, you can’t go wrong when you spend it here on the spectacular Emerald Coast. With no shortage of scenic coastlines, and beautiful beaches, in combination with a wealth of fun-filled activities for the whole family, you’ll be pleased to find there’s something for everyone. Take this opportunity to enjoy this gorgeous holiday weekend.

 

Don’t Forget! Here at Life’s A Beach there’s nothing we love more than seeing others enjoy this stunning area. Be sure to send us your fantastic vacation photos! Photos may be uploaded to Life’s A Beach here: http://lifesabeachllc.com/upload_photos.htm.

Multi-Day Events

Come out to HarborWalk Village for their Memorial Day Concert Celebration at May 26-27. Enjoy a vibrant fireworks display over the Destin Harbor after Sunday night’s concert. Free face painting and crafts for kids each night.

EmeraldGrande.com

Join in the Memorial Day Weekend Festivities at the Village of Baytowne Wharf May 26-28. Live music, kid's activities and fireworks make Baytowne Wharf the place to kick off your summer this Memorial Day Weekend!

BaytowneWharf.com

 

Friday, May 25

Stargazing by the Shore will take place from 7-10 p.m. at Henderson Beach State Park, hosted by the Department of Environmental Protection. Volunteers from the Northwest Florida Astronomy Association will set up several telescopes for public viewing of star clusters, planets, and galaxies, and be available to answer questions about the night sky. All ages are welcome. Please arrive at the park prior to the park’s sunset closing.

FloridaStateParks.org/HendersonBeach/Events

 

Saturday, May 26

The Memorial Day Weekend Car, Truck & Motorcycle Classic hosted by the Choctaw Style Marchers band will take place at Choctawhatchee High School. Event is free and open to the public and will feature multiple classifications, awards, door prizes and food vendors.

StyleMarchers.org/Carshow

 

Sunday, May 27

Jamfest Comedy Jam will be held at the Emerald Coast Convention Center from 8:30-11 p.m. Don’t miss the laughs!

JamProductionsMobile.com

Head out to the Alys Beach Amphitheatre at 7:30 p.m. for A Night at the Movies with Sinfonia Gulf Coast. Round up the family and enjoy your favorite movie soundtracks such as “Star Wars,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Harry Potter,” and more as performed by Sinfonia Gulf Coast, our region’s only fully professional symphony orchestra. Food vendors and a cash bar will be available throughout the evening. Patrons are encouraged to bring low back chairs for comfortable seating. Stick around! The concert will end with a bang in a fireworks finale.

SinfoniaGulfCoast.org

Have a beautiful, beachy holiday weekend!

            -The Life’s A Beach crew

Watch the Transit of Venus and Explore the Cosmos at Henderson Beach State Park

Photo taken by Vena-Yvonne Photography

The Transit of Venus and Stargazing at Henderson Beach State Park

What’s more peaceful than looking up at a star-filled night sky? Looking up at a star-filled night sky on the beach of course. Imagine your toes in the silky smooth quartz sand, which shimmers bright white in the moonlight, the celestial beauty twinkles down at you as you breathe the salty air and listen to gulf waves gently breaking onto the shore. Sounds heavenly doesn’t it? Maybe you’d like to get a better look at those sparkling diamonds in the sky. Maybe you’d like to spend an afternoon enjoying a once-in-a-lifetime experience, seen by few men. If this sounds like an evening well spent to you, then you just may want to check out a couple of the upcoming events at Henderson Beach State Park.

This coming Friday, May 25, the Department of Environmental Protection and Henderson Beach State Park will host a star gazing event from 7-9 p.m. Volunteers from the Northwest Florida Astronomy Association will set up several telescopes for public viewing of star clusters, planets, and galaxies. Volunteers will also be available to answer questions about the night sky. All ages are encouraged to attend. Please remember the park closes at sunset, therefore anyone planning to attend the star gaze should arrive to the park prior to its sunset closing.

FloridaStateParks.org/HendersonBeach

On Tuesday, June 5, head out to Henderson Beach State Park once again to witness a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon with the pros. The transit of Venus will begin at approximately 5 p.m. and will be seen as a small dot gliding across the face of the sun. This rare and amazing event will not occur again until 2117. Volunteers from the Northwest Florida Astronomy Association will once again be onsite and will set up several telescopes for public viewing of the transit. After sunset, the telescopes will focus on the night sky, for public enjoyment of the stars and constellations.

FloridaStateParks.org/HendersonBeach

 

About the Transit of Venus

A transit of Venus occurs when Venus passes directly between the sun and earth. This rare alignment comes in pairs that are 8 years apart but separated by over a century. These transits follow a strange pattern of frequency. A transit will not have happened for about 121.5 years, then there will be one transit followed by another transit of Venus eight years later. Then there will be a span of about 105.5 years before then next pair of transits occur, again separated by eight years. Then the pattern repeats (121.5, 8, 105.5, 8).

If Venus and earth orbit the sun in the same plane as the sun, transits would happen frequently. However, the orbit of Venus is inclined to the orbit of earth, so when Venus passes between the sun and the earth every 1.6 years or so, Venus is usually a little bit above or below the sun making it invisible in the sun’s glare.

A similar phenomenon happens with our moon. Every month, the moon passes between the sun and the earth, yet we do not see a solar eclipse every month. The reason for this? The moon’s orbit is also slightly inclined to earth’s orbit, so the new moon usually is just slightly above or below the sun.

How Transits Help Us Determine Our Place in the Cosmos and How You Can Help

In 1716 astronomer Edmond Halley calculated that you can quantify the distance from the sun to the earth by having observers across the globe time the passage of Venus across the sun. Knowing he would not live to see the next transit, Halley predicted global sites that would be suitable for viewing a transit and called upon future generations to pursue his plan. For the 1761 transit and every transit opportunity since then, explorers have sailed to distant lands to time the transit.

You can easily be a part of this effort during the upcoming transit, using the latest technologies like the free Transit of Venus phone app. This easy-to-use app will allow individuals to send their transit observations to a global experiment to measure the size of the solar system. Join this unique effort by downloading the app here:

Click here for iTunes App

Click here for Android App