I had the incorrect date for the astronomy program at Mount Rainier. Ranger Mike Punches will give his presentation at 9 p.m. Friday, followed by viewing through telescopes provided by members of the Tacoma Astronomical Society.

Here is a corrected version of the story:

Friday will be a night of celestial treats, if the weather cooperates, and Mount Rainier National Park will be one of the best places to be.

The evening will begin with the program “Stargazing at Paradise.” Ranger Michael Punches will start with a 30-minute presentation in the lobby of the Paradise Inn at 9 p.m. Afterwards, visitors can join members of the Tacoma Astronomy Society for stargazing through telescopes in front of the Jackson Visitor Center.

As an added bonus, the program coincides with the Perseids meteor shower. While the shower peaked Wednesday, there still will be plenty to see, said Michael Bakich, senior editor of Astronomy magazine.

“If there were no moon, you would see 60 to 80 an hour (at the peak),” Bakich said. “On (Friday) there will be 35 to 40 an hour.”

Whether at the park or at some other dark location, Bakich said the best viewing will be before the moon rises around 1 a.m. He said to look about halfway up the sky to the east.

Bakich also cautioned observers ers not to get frustrated if you miss a meteor.

“If you miss one, wait a couple of minutes and you’ll see one,” he said. “The Perseids are pretty cool, many of them leave smoke trails. Even if you miss it, but people are still pointing, look where they’re pointing and you can see the smoke trail.”

The fun won’t stop with the meteor shower. Jupiter will be in opposition with the sun, meaning it will be its biggest and brightest since October 1999.

While the gas giant will rise at sunset, the best viewing will be after 10 p.m., when it rises above the lower atmosphere in the southeast sky.

If that doesn’t sound like enough, you can start your sky viewing in the early hours of Saturday.

That is when the moon will pass in front of the Pleiades star cluster, Bakich said. The event will start around 1 a.m. and lasts about three hours. The Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters, is one of the brightest star clusters in the night sky.

“The best way to view it is through binoculars or a telescope with a fairly wide field of view,” he said.

Here is Chester Allen's previous story on the pink salmon run that ran on July 9.

Prepare for the pinks
An estimated 5.1 million pink salmon will soon return to the Puget Sound area. Here's what you need to know if you plan to catch some.

Western Washington anglers are on the verge of a salmon-soaked summer.

By Chester Allen
The Olympian

An estimated 5.1 million pink salmon will return to Puget Sound - and Puget Sound rivers. Huge schools of pink salmon, which average 3 to 5 pounds, will begin swarming into Puget Sound within the next few weeks.

Angling for bright pinks in Puget Sound saltwater should be hot from Redondo south to Browns Point at the mouth of Commencement Bay starting in August.

This run of pinks, which return to Washington rivers every other year, is 2 million more than the now-legendary run of 2007.

The fishing should be hot, said Steve Thiesfeld, state Department of Fish and Wildlife Puget Sound salmon manager.

"The sheer volume of fish is incredible," Thiesfeld said. "That's why people like pink salmon - the idea of going out and catching many fish during an outing is fun, and it's a great time to take children out salmon fishing."

=> Read more!