Tag Archives: 21 August 2017

The August 21st Solar Eclipse From Central/Upstate NY – Scheduled Lectures And Observing

Greetings, fellow astrophiles!

The time is finally approaching – but, before the anxiously-awaited total solar eclipse over New York on April 8th of 2024 (this is true!), we’ve another solar eclipse that will include partial coverage of the Sun by the Moon from our location this coming August 21st afternoon (plan to make yourself available from roughly 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.).

In preparation for the eclipse, CNYO will be hosting a number of lectures in the area and, for the actual observing session of the eclipse, CNYO members will be at a number of local libraries with solar-safe observing equipment. Additional sessions will be added to this page as events get scheduled.

Scheduled Lectures (Same Presentation, Different Locations):

NOPL North Syracuse, August 14th, 6:30 p.m.

* 100 Trolley Barn Ln, North Syracuse, NY 13212, nopl.org, (315) 458-6184
* Event listing on meetup and facebook

Cazenovia Public Library, August 16th, 7:00 p.m.

* 100 Albany St, Cazenovia, NY 13035, cazenoviapubliclibrary.org, (315) 655-9322
* Event listing on meetup and facebook

Jamesville Public Library, August 21st, 12:00 p.m.

* 5110 Jamesville Road, Jamesville, NY 13078, (315) 446-3578 (DeWitt Branch)
* Event listing on meetup and facebook
* The Jamesville Library lecture will combine several events into one – a noon lecture, followed by the afternoon observing the the eclipse, all as part of the opening of this brand-new library on Jamesville Rd.

Observing Sessions, August 21st (1 to 4 p.m.) (Same Eclipse, Different Locations):

Liverpool Public Library – Observing with Christopher Schuck

* 310 Tulip St, Liverpool, NY 13088, www.lpl.org, (315) 457-0310
* Event listing at library, meetup and facebook

Marcellus Free Library – Observing with Bob Piekiel

* 32 Maple St, Marcellus, NY 13108, mflib.org, (315) 673-3221
* Event listing at library, meetup and facebook

Jamesville Public Library – Observing with Damian Allis

* 5110 Jamesville Road, Jamesville, NY 13078, (315) 446-3578 (DeWitt Branch)
* Event listing on meetup and facebook

If you have solar-safe observing equipment and would like to include your setup at one of these sessions, or if you plan on hosting an eclipse event in the CNY area and would like to be added to the lecture or observing list, please contact Damian at info@cnyo.org.

“Upstate NY Stargazing In May” Article Posted To newyorkupstate.com And syracuse.com

Greetings, fellow astrophiles!

The latest article in the Upstate NY Stargazing series, “Upstate NY Stargazing in May: A Meteor Shower and Preparations for the Solar Eclipse,” has just been posted to newyorkupstate.com and syracuse.com.

Direct Links: newyorkupstate.com and syracuse.com

* With only four articles to go before the great total solar eclipse on August 21st of this year, we’ve shifted gears in the article opener from great nighttime observing to great daytime observing. You’ll be seeing more and more from all kinds of news sources as the data approaches, and CNYO is figuring out what we plan to do for the event (besides a few scheduled eclipses lectures in the CNY area in the weeks before).

For the record, amateur astronomers reserved their rooms years and years ago in all the best places – if you’ve not figured out your flight plans around the 21st already, there is a seriously good chance that you’ll be stick driving to see the best view of totality.

Caption: The transit of Venus across the Sun on June 5/6, 2012. By NASA/SDO, AIA.

* We continue our look north with Cassiopeia, the third of six constellations that are always visible in the nighttime sky from our latitude (readers then can guess where the next three articles are headed).

* This month, we await the Eta Aquariid (or Eta Aquarid, or eta Aquarid… Halley’s Comet doesn’t care what you call it) Meteor Shower, which peaks on the early mornings of May 5/6. In doing the homework for the article, I found it interesting to note that we’re not entirely sure that this meteor shower originates from particles attributable to Halley’s Comet, the object we most associate with this shower. It is possible that Halley’s Comet is indirectly responsible for the particles by being directly responsible for the redirection of the debris from a different object in to the current Eta Aquariid path.

Caption: The Eta Aquariid radiant, complete with Venus, Saturn, the newly returned Summer Triangle, and one perfectly-placed 5 a.m. ISS flyover on the morning of May 6. Image made with Stellarium. Click for a larger view.