Lee: Raleigh astronomers delight daytime stargazers at James Creek Cider House

Rays of heat rippled off cars as stargazers made their way past rows of peaches and muscadines to a tent packed with stellar science.

Families and friends took turns peering through four powerful reflector and refractor telescopes built for sun-gazing, brought by the Raleigh Astronomy Club (RAC). Outfitted with special filters, the telescopes protected viewers from the sun’s intense light, while offering a rare glimpse at its dramatic activity.

“This is our first solar event,” said Alan Bolton, a member of RAC and a resident of Moore County. A hub for stellar science since 1977, the club is one of the country’s largest, with nearly 500 members, including volunteers from NASA’s Solar System Ambassadors program, run by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Dubbed the “Sunspots and Solar Flares” Solar Gazing Experience, the event marked RAC’s first daytime skywatch in collaboration with James Creek Cider House.

“We’ve hit a solar maximum,” Bolton explained, referring to the peak of the sun’s 11-year cycle of heightened activity. “It’s the best time to see CMEs, coronal mass ejections, along with sunspots and flares.” 

According to James Creek’s social media page, the event was inspired in part by witnessing the aurora borealis last May, another effect of the increased solar activity, and “many attendees recounted their amazement at experiencing it firsthand,” Bolton said.

Located about 40 miles east of the cider house is the Uwharrie National Forest, an official North Carolina Dark Sky site. Moore County boasts some of the darkest skies on the East Coast. Nearby Robbins Dark Park has hosted the Mid-Atlantic Star Party since 1995 (on hiatus since 2020), drawing over 300 visitors each fall to camp under the stars and explore planets, constellations, satellites, and nebulae.

“Astronomy is user-friendly,” said Susan Herring, one of RAC’s three co-chairs. “Most people start with binoculars and a solar filter.”

“We’ve got everyone from former astronomers and teachers to housewives,” she added.

“I’ve been surprised by the number of women who never pursued this interest—or never thought it was available to them,” said her husband, Dean Herring, also a club member. “They’re the ones glued to the telescopes.”

RAC’s calendar is packed with events in and around the Research Triangle. “We host monthly speakers at the Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh,” said Blair Groden, another co-chair. “We usually bring telescopes and schedule meetings close to the full moon.”

At James Creek Cider House, RAC showcased reflector scopes and a Seestar S50, a hybrid solar camera that streams images to digital devices via an app—available to hobbyists for around $500. But for just $25 a year, families can join RAC and participate in their loaner program or find used scopes through their active community, in addition to gaining membership in the national Astronomical League.

“We just love the night sky,” said Ann Marie Thornton, who co-owns James Creek Cider House with her husband, David. “When we thought about what we love most about our farm and orchard, it’s the sky.”

“The change in what we see in the sky is reflected in the seasonality of our work,” David added.

Ann Marie recalled her first Mid-Atlantic Star Party in Robbins: “When my eyes adjusted, I realized there were hundreds of people stargazing. I was so curious—it ignited something.”

That sense of wonder now lives in their StarGazer cider line, including varieties like The Mighty Hunter—a tribute to her favorite constellation, Orion.

Nine-year-old Drew Schmidt eagerly described each telescope, pointing to a photo of a cosmic nebula on the cider house wall he planned to research later. “In the last telescope, I spotted a flare—it looked like a horse jumping!”

His family, who initially came for music bingo, returned for stargazing and now for solar viewing, seeing the events on Instagram. “We just keep coming back to the cider house,” they said, smiling.

Laura and Jim Douglas came to escape the heat—and were thrilled to find RAC back at the orchard. “We love that they do this,” said Laura.

The next chance to glimpse the heavens is October 18, when James Creek and RAC team up again for an event they held last year, Stargazers on Tap, in partnership with Astronomers on Tap. Like all of RAC’s skywatching events, the timing will depend on the skies.

July 28, 2025

Diara Townes

Journalist