NOTE: As Always, check back here on the afternoons of each observing session for final announcements and/or weather-calls!
Greetings fellow astrophiles!
This post is one part bulk announcement and one part organizational test. August is full of scheduled observing sessions in the area just before everyone’s summer shifts back into school mode and we start back into doing more lectures. In order to let social media do some of the promotion work for us, we’re cramming all of the sessions into our Facebook Group Calendar and Meetup.com Events Listing.
This month is dominated (by the outdoorsy type, anyway) by the annual Perseid Meteor Shower peaking on August 12/13. Those big on “super-things” will be made aware by news agencies of the August 29th Full Sturgeon SuperMoon – which to me sounds like a jam band (the Sturgeon Moon is actually derived from many of the NY tribes who fished the Great Lakes – noting that this time of year (marked by the full Moon around towards the end of Summer) was prime for sturgeon fishing).
Venus and Jupiter set earlier and earlier each day, but we do gain Mercury in the same location. Expect a few pics trying to capture all three to appear on your Facebook feed. The night belongs to Saturn this summer and fall, with observers able to look in the direction of Pluto (and those with really big mirrors (I mean in the +25″ range) may even be able to see it. In fact, it’s right between the easily-findable stars Xi1 (5th mag) and Xi2 (3.5 mag) Sagittarii), see Ceres soon after, and, if they wait until after 11 or so, even scout out Neptune.
The Events List is summarized below, with links to our Facebook (FB) and Meetup (MU) calendars, as well as to the locations themselves and any additionally relevant information. AS ALWAYS – nearly all of these events are weather-pending, with an alternate scheduled for either the next day or, for Clark Reservation, the next week.
Feel free to RSVP by either/both of the links (including those listed for each event by the hosts) – and note some potential overlap on the 13th!
1. (FB/MU) August 8(Sat), 9 p.m. – ??? * Friends Of Rogers in Sherburne, NY
One of the few CNYO sessions ever beyond Onondaga and Oswego County, some of us will be taking our scopes on a short excursion down to Sherburne, hopefully to (1) take in a little more of the Southern Sky than we have previously, (2) catch some early shooters from the Perseid Meteor Shower and (3) introduce some Sherburne residents to some prime late-Summer observing. This event is a bit of a drive (about an hour) and, if interested, some of us may be able to arrange car pooling (depending on the sizes of the scopes being brought down).
Marcellus Free Library is hosting a How-To Fair this evening. Like the same session we ran a solar session at for Liverpool Public Library, this event will host several local organizations showing how to do any of a number of activities. To this session, Bob Piekiel will be hosting a Solar Viewing Session (weather-permitting). I’ve still several pairs of solar glasses available from our International SUNDay attempt that I’ll be giving away to attendees.
NOTE: BW charges a fee to all events to help support the maintenance of and other programs at its Nature Center ($6 for BW members, $9 for nonmembers). They also request that you RSVP with them so that they can keep a head-count of how well-attended their activities are (but Bob will also keep track of registered and last-minute attendees). Registration info is available at:
events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ear3qbwsa598223a&llr=zznsoncab
Bob Piekiel will be opening the gate this evening in hopes of a busy and early Perseid Meteor Shower session. We’ve had some excellent past sessions from the parking lot and front clearing of BW and hope for similar this year. Bring a blanket, reclining outdoor chair, and plenty of bug spray.
CNYO returns for its twice-yearly observing session at Beaver Lake Nature Center, which is free with your general Beaver Lake admission fee. Beaver Lake requests prior registration so they can keep tabs on attendees (and event interest). Registration info is available at:
events.onondagacountyparks.com/view/160/stargazing-with-the-cny-observers
Bob Piekiel and I return to Green Lakes State Park for a second S’mores & Stars session (S’mores start at 7:00, observing after 8:30). Additional info is available on the Green Lakes Calendar at:
nysparks.com/events/event.aspx?e=76-13818.0
NOTE: BW charges a fee to all events to help support the maintenance of and other programs at its Nature Center ($6 for BW members, $9 for nonmembers). They also request that you RSVP with them so that they can keep a head-count of how well-attended their activities are (but Bob will also keep track of registered and last-minute attendees). Additional info is available at:
baltimorewoods.org/programs/website-calendar/
Bob Piekiel returns to the Syracuse outskirts for a nighttime session in Jamesville. This is an excellent starter session for new observers, as the city lights simplify the sky considerably by washing out many of the faintest stars (excellent for those wanting to learn the constellations).
Pluto’s demotion to dwarf planet status suddenly made more people aware of its fellow dwarf planet Ceres in the Asteroid Belt. With Ceres a snapshot of a planet that might have been, and Pluto the most famous member of the Kuiper Belt, both are of special interest to scientists studying the history and complexity of our own Solar System as a way to better understand the many extra-Solar Systems now being discovered by professional and amateur astronomers. This lecture will feature some historical background and as-recent-as-the-web-will-allow views and findings from both the New Horizons and Dawn NASA missions.
