I’m pleased to have obtained the official schedule for Bob Piekiel’s growing observing and lecture programs for the 2017 season and have added them to the CNYO Calendar. For those who have not had the pleasure of hearing one of his lectures, attending one of his observing sessions, or reading one of his many books on scope optics (or loading the CD containing the massive Celestron: The Early Years), Bob Piekiel is not only an excellent guide but likely the most knowledgeable equipment and operation guru in Central New York.
Notes On Baltimore Woods Sessions:
The Baltimore Woods events calendar is updated monthly. As such, I’ve no direct links to the sessions below. Therefore, as the event date nears, see the official Calendar Page for more information and any updates on the event.
Also…
* Registration for these events are required. Low registration may cause programs to be canceled.
* $5 for members, $15/family; $8 for nonmembers, $25/family.
* To Register By Email: info@baltimorewoods.org
* To Register By Phone: (315) 673-1350
Baltimore Woods:
* January 20 (Fri.)/21 (Sat. weather alternate), 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Winter Skies at their finest, and great views of a large, crescent Venus. No other area of the sky contains as many bright stars, clusters, and nebulae as the area surrounding the winter constellation Orion!
* February 10 (Fri.)/No weather backup, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
A penumbral eclipse of the moon. This is kind of an odd-ball program, as most penumbral lunar eclipses go unnoticed. The moon passes through the earth’s partial shadow and turns a bit of a dim brown color. Interesting to see IF you know what you’re looking at (plus winter skies, but the faint objects will be obscured by the moon).
* February 18 (Sat.)/19 (Sun. weather alternate), 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Solar viewing program, plus great daytime views of Venus and the moon.
* March 3 (Fri.)/4 (Sat. weather alternate), 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Goodbye to winter skies, Maybe still a peek at Venus, and Jupiter will be rising in the east.
* March 31 (Fri.)/April 1 (Sat. weather alternate), 6:00-9:00 p.m.
This is our best chance to see the elusive planet Mercury, plus Jupiter will be rising as Mercury will be setting. Spring skies will be replacing the Winter constellations.
* May 19 (Fri.)/20 (Sat. weather alternate), 8:30 – 10:30 p.m. (meetup.com event)
Spring skies offer a large number of galaxies to be viewed, plus interesting star clusters, and the giant planet Jupiter will be visible all evening. We may also get a look at Saturn later in the program.
* June 16 (Fri.)/17 (Sat. weather alternate), 9:00 – 11:00 p.m. (meetup.com event)
Just because it gets dark late doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the night sky! Saturn and Jupiter will be easily visible, plus an early look into the heart of our Milky Way Galaxy near the end of the program.
* July 21 (Fri.)/22 (Sat. weather alternate), 8:00 – 11:00 p.m. (meetup.com event)
Summer skies at their finest, looking at the rich star fields near the center of the Milky Way, plus a farewell to Jupiter. Saturn will be visible all evening, and maybe even a peek at Mercury early.
* August 12 (Sat.)/13 (Sun. weather alternate), 8:30 – 11:00 p.m. (meetup.com event)
The annual Perseid meteor shower, one of the year’s finest. Plus great views of the heart of our milky Way galaxy, and the ringed planet Saturn. Bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit back and watch for meteors while not looking through a telescope. We may also be able to get good views of Neptune.
* August 26 (Sat.)/27 (Sun. weather alternate), 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Solar observing! Using specially-filtered telescopes, come and see our nearest star as you’ve never seen it before. View sunspots, solar flares, and magnetic fields on the sun’s surface.
* September 15 (Fri.)/16 (Sat. weather alternate), 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Goodbye to summer, hello to fall skies and a good view of Uranus and Neptune, our two outermost planets that often go overlooked. Our last chance to see some of the summer Milky Wand its bright clusters.
* October 20 (Fri.)/21 (Sat. weather alternate), 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Fall skies, with their galaxies and clusters, plus great views of Uranus and Neptune, and maybe a few meteors from the Orionids, which peak about this time every year.
* November 17 (Fri.)/18 (Sat. weather alternate), 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Hello to winter skies. A 1st-quarter moon starts the show, and as it gets darker, a first look at the area of the sky preceding Orion, with its many galaxies and brighter star cluster. Still good views of Uranus and Neptune. PLUS the Leonid meteor shower!
* December 13 (Wed.)/14 (Thur. weather alternate), 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.
The Geminid meteor shower – “Nuff-Said.” The Geminids are caused by asteroid Phaethon 3200, and unlike most other meteor showers, begin their display much earlier in the evening, so no need to wait til pre-dawn! Also our first views of the area surrounding Orion, with some of the brightest nebulae and clusters visible in the northern hemisphere.
Green Lakes:
* January 14 (Sat.)/15 (Sun. weather alternate), 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Come view our nearest star, the sun, close up in special telescopes that give interesting views of solar flares, eruptions, and sunspots. At the parking lot behind the main office building.
* February 17 (Fri.)/18 (Sat. weather alternate), 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Come see the winter skies at their finest! The area around the constellation of Orion has more bright stars, nebulae, and clusters than any other part of the sky. At the parking lot behind the main office.
* July 7th (Fri.), 7:00-9:00(?)p.m. – CHOOSING AND USING A TELESCOPE Workshop
Got a telescope as a gift but not sure how to make use of it? Thinking about purchasing one and wondering what are the best choices? Have a telescope and want to be able to take great pictures through it? Want to learn more about the night sky? Come to our first telescope workshop (Bring your own scope if you have one!) and let our astronomer Barefoot Bob show you the ins- and outs- of these wonderful pieces of equipment.
– This program will take place rain or shine, clouds or clear skies. It will be at the nature center (Susan – you may want to clarify the location here) if raining and at the field next to the Frisbee golf course if dry.
– Space will be limited, so please pre-register. This program takes place one week prior to our first public astronomy observing program which is scheduled for Friday evening July 14th.
* July 14 (Fri.)/15 (Sat. weather alternate), 7:30-10:30 p.m.
See the summer skies as we look directly into the heart of our Milky Way galaxy, plus the giant planets Jupiter and Saturn. We may also get a peek at Mercury just before sunset!
* August 18 (Fri.)/19 (Sat. weather alternate), 8:00-10:00 p.m.
Summer skies one more time, and the rich star fields of the core of our Milky Way Galaxy, along with the planets Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune.
* November 5 (Sunday), 1:00-3:00 p.m.
A telescope workshop! This will include some outdoor hands-on work, but will start indoors with some explanation of telescope types, eyepieces, mounts, and camera attachments.
Clark Reservation:
* July 28 (Fri.)/29 (Sat. weather alternate)
There is a 1st-quarter moon low in the sky that will set and leave the skies dark for the later half of a program. Mercury, which we hardly ever get a chance to easily see, is at best viewing for the summer, as well as good views of Jupiter and Saturn. This is also the time to see the summer skies at their finest, as we look directly into the heart of the Milky Way.
