Tag Archives: Nyup.com

Site Content FYI – End Of Upstate New York Stargazing Series, May 2018

Greetings fellow astrophiles,

After almost two years, 28 articles (having even gone weekly last summer to coax people out more often with up-to-date positioning and flyover timings), one well-attended solar eclipse, and a short-stack of Uranus potty humor and misspelled complaints about grammar and punctuation (sorry again, Kathleen), the decision was made by Syracuse Media Group to discontinue the UNY Stargazing series featured at syracuse.com and newyorkupstate.com.

Those seeking monthly astronomy content do not have to look far at all – generally speaking, there is little to differentiate the Upstate NY skies from the rest of the continental U.S. Planetary, some satellite, and various deep space observing opportunities are available for your reading and scheduling pleasure at the many sites listed on the CNYO Cheat Sheet.

If you have not yet done so – I cannot recommend enough that you find and join a local astronomy club. Your membership will help keep them going, and the learning and observing opportunities will help keep you going.

Upstate NY Stargazing In April: The Lyrid Meteor Shower – Posted To syracuse.com And nyup.com

Greetings, fellow astrophiles!

The April, 2018 UNY Stargazing article is up for your reading and sharing pleasure at syracuse.com and newyorkupstate.com:

Links: newyorkupstate.com & syracuse.com

There are still random listserv mentions of hosted Messier Marathons among some of the local clubs. Be sure to check your local astronomy club to see if any events are being scheduled. I wasn’t sure if the article was going to come out before or after the Tiangong-1 final descent, so kept the opening discussion of potential problems with things “up there” general. On top of some excellent planetary viewing this month, The Lyrids make their yearly return, then we continue to zodiac discussion with Gemini – perfectly placed in the western skies this evening for some strain-free scope and bino observing.

The good, the bad, and the potentially ugly things that fall from space. Micrometeorites (IFLScience.com), a SkyLab fragment (from wikipedia), and the Chelyabinsk meteor trail (Alex Alishevskikh).

When asked to list the contents of our Solar System, some stop at the Sun, planets, and moons. Others will remember comets – a list of objects that grows much longer every year. For those looking for up-to-date info, see minorplanetcenter.net – we have comfortably cleared the 4000 comet mark. Some may add the asteroid belt – a region between Mars and Jupiter which looks less like the chaotic debris field from “The Empire Strikes Back” and more like oases of larger rocks separated by vast, empty deserts of tiny particles. Don’t forget the currently 18,000-long list of NEOs, or Near-Earth Objects.

These are among the more than 18,000 reasons why the late-great Stephen Hawking and others have championed the need for colonization beyond the Earth’s surface.

Changing positions in the sky is one thing – changing elevations is very different. Occasional bright flares make the news when captured on video. Events like Tunguska and Chelyabinsk remind us that there thing in space we might miss that could level cities. We are fortunate that most of the roughly 160 tons of debris from space that hits the Earth *each day* is in the form of micrometeorites that you could start collecting with a strong magnet and a flat rooftop.

The highly-anticipated demise of the Tiangong-1 over the weekend was a reminder that we may not be able to always rely on the “dilution-solution” of handling our garbage. Our planet is large, spherical, mostly covered in water, and largely unpopulated – but the number of satellites going to space will only increase as launches get cheaper. It remains to be seen if nations will opt to address the dangers of space junk before or after something serious – and unavoidable – happens here on the ground.

Read more…

Last Before The Eclipse – “Stargazing In Upstate NY” For August 18 to 25 Posted To newyorkupstate.com And syracuse.com

Greetings, fellow astrophiles!

Observers testing solar glasses at Cazenovia Library on August 16.

This week’s “Stargazing In Upstate New York” article is up at syracuse.com and newyorkupstate.com (and posted a little too late here).

* syracuse.com/outdoors/…see_in_the_night_skies_aug_18_to_25

* newyorkupstate.com/outdoors/…see_in_the_night_skies_aug_18_to_25

Nothing left to do now except wait impatiently for approximately 1:15 p.m. Monday afternoon. Below is a final list of scheduled lecture and observing opportunities around Upstate New York for the 21st. As always around here, we can only hope for clear skies!

Solar Eclipse Calendar

Organizer Location Event Date Time Contact Info
Albany Area Amateur Astronomers & Dudley Observatory Schenectady Solar Eclipse Aug. 21 1:22 – 3:56 PM email, website
Cazenovia Public Library Cazenovia Solar Eclipse Party Aug. 21 2:00 – 3:15 PM 315-655-9322 website
Kopernik Observatory & Science Center Vestal Solar Eclipse Aug. 21 11:30 AM – 4:00 PM email, website
Liverpool Public Library Liverpool Solar Eclipse Party Aug. 21 1:00 – 4:00 PM 315-457-0310 website
Marcellus Free Library Marcellus Solar Eclipse Party Aug. 21 1:00 – 4:00 PM 315-673-3221 website
Mohawk Valley Astronomical Society Waterville Solar Eclipse Aug. 21 12:00 – 4:00 PM email, website
Onondaga County Libraries Jamesville Lecture & Solar Eclipse @ DeWitt & Jamesville Library Aug. 21 12:00 – 4:00 PM 315-446-3578 website
Onondaga County Libraries Syracuse Solar Eclipse Party @ Hazard Branch Aug. 21 12:00 – 4:00 PM 315-435-5326 website
Onondaga County Libraries Syracuse Solar Eclipse Party @ Paine Branch Aug. 21 2:00 – 3:00 PM 315-435-5442 website
Onondaga County Libraries Syracuse Solar Eclipse Party @ White Branch Aug. 21 2:00 – 3:00 PM 315-435-3519 website
Skaneateles Library Skaneateles Solar Eclipse Party Aug. 21 2:00 – 3:00 PM email, website

“Stargazing In Upstate NY” For August 11 to 18, “Where To Find Solar Eclipse Parties” – Posted To newyorkupstate.com And syracuse.com

Greetings, fellow astrophiles!

This week’s “Stargazing In Upstate New York” article is up at syracuse.com and newyorkupstate.com (and posted a little too late here).

* syracuse.com/outdoors/…where_to_find_solar_eclipse_parties

* newyorkupstate.com/outdoors/…where_to_find_solar_eclipse_parties

We continue the push for the solar eclipse on the 21st, including a list of scheduled events around the CNY area (and a bit beyond).

Below is a list of scheduled lecture and observing opportunities around Upstate New York for the eclipse – this list will be reproduced in the following articles and will hopefully be added to as other locations announce events. If you know of an event not listed, please send an email with details. As always around here, we can only hope for clear skies!

Solar Eclipse Calendar

Organizer Location Event Date Time Contact Info
Albany Area Amateur Astronomers & Dudley Observatory Schenectady Solar Eclipse Aug. 21 1:22 – 3:56 PM email, website
Cazenovia Public Library Cazenovia Solar Eclipse Lecture Aug. 16 7:00 – 8:30 PM 315-655-9322 website

Kopernik Observatory & Science Center Vestal Solar Eclipse Aug. 21 11:30 AM – 4:00 PM email, website
Liverpool Public Library Liverpool Solar Eclipse Party Aug. 21 1:00 – 4:00 PM 315-457-0310 website
Marcellus Free Library Marcellus Solar Eclipse Party Aug. 21 1:00 – 4:00 PM 315-673-3221 website
Mohawk Valley Astronomical Society Waterville Eclipse Lecture, Clinton Aug. 2 7:00 – 8:30 PM email, website
Mohawk Valley Astronomical Society Waterville Eclipse Lecture, Canastota Aug. 3 7:00 – 8:30 PM email, website
Mohawk Valley Astronomical Society Waterville Solar Eclipse Aug. 21 12:00 – 4:00 PM email, website
Onondaga County Libraries NOPL North Syracuse Solar Eclipse Lecture Aug. 14 6:30 – 8:00 PM 315-458-6184 website

Onondaga County Libraries Jamesville Lecture & Solar Eclipse @ DeWitt & Jamesville Library Aug. 21 12:00 – 4:00 PM 315-446-3578 website
Onondaga County Libraries Syracuse Solar Eclipse Party @ Hazard Branch Aug. 21 12:00 – 4:00 PM 315-435-5326 website
Onondaga County Libraries Syracuse Solar Eclipse Party @ Paine Branch Aug. 21 2:00 – 3:00 PM 315-435-5442 website
Onondaga County Libraries Syracuse Solar Eclipse Party @ White Branch Aug. 21 2:00 – 3:00 PM 315-435-3519 website

“Stargazing In Upstate NY” For July 28 to August 4 Posted To newyorkupstate.com And syracuse.com

Greetings, fellow astrophiles!

This week’s “Stargazing In Upstate New York” article is up at syracuse.com and newyorkupstate.com.

* syracuse.com/outdoors/…what_to_see_in_the_night_skies_jul8_28_to_aug_4

* newyorkupstate.com/outdoors/…what_to_see_in_the_night_skies_july_28_to_aug_4

We start the push for the solar eclipse on the 21st, including a list of scheduled events around the CNY area (and a bit beyond). The Southern Delta Aquariids are announced (with short notice) and a sneak preview mention of the Persieds is made (although the waning crescent on the night of the 12th is going to dull the quality of the shower this year).

Below is a list of scheduled lecture and observing opportunities around Upstate New York for the eclipse – this list will be reproduced in the following articles and will hopefully be added to as other locations announce events. If you know of an event not listed, please send an email with details. As always around here, we can only hope for clear skies!

Solar Eclipse Calendar

Organizer Location Event Date Time Contact Info
Albany Area Amateur Astronomers & Dudley Observatory Schenectady Solar Eclipse Aug. 21 1:22 – 3:56 PM email, website
Cazenovia Public Library Cazenovia Solar Eclipse Lecture Aug. 16 7:00 – 8:30 PM 315-655-9322 website

Kopernik Observatory & Science Center Vestal Solar Eclipse Aug. 21 11:30 AM – 4:00 PM email, website
Liverpool Public Library Liverpool Solar Eclipse Party Aug. 21 1:00 – 4:00 PM 315-457-0310 website
Marcellus Free Library Marcellus Solar Eclipse Party Aug. 21 1:00 – 4:00 PM 315-673-3221 website
Mohawk Valley Astronomical Society Waterville Eclipse Lecture, Clinton Aug. 2 7:00 – 8:30 PM email, website
Mohawk Valley Astronomical Society Waterville Eclipse Lecture, Canastota Aug. 3 7:00 – 8:30 PM email, website
Mohawk Valley Astronomical Society Waterville Solar Eclipse Aug. 21 12:00 – 4:00 PM email, website
Onondaga County Libraries NOPL North Syracuse Solar Eclipse Lecture Aug. 14 6:30 – 8:00 PM 315-458-6184 website

Onondaga County Libraries Jamesville Lecture & Solar Eclipse @ DeWitt & Jamesville Library Aug. 21 12:00 – 4:00 PM 315-446-3578 website
Onondaga County Libraries Syracuse Solar Eclipse Party @ Hazard Branch Aug. 21 12:00 – 4:00 PM 315-435-5326 website
Onondaga County Libraries Syracuse Solar Eclipse Party @ Paine Branch Aug. 21 2:00 – 3:00 PM 315-435-5442 website
Onondaga County Libraries Syracuse Solar Eclipse Party @ White Branch Aug. 21 2:00 – 3:00 PM 315-435-3519 website