Greetings, fellow astrophiles!

I am pleased to announce that the first official CNYO session for 2017 will be held next week (or the week after, weather-pending) at one of our most regular observing locations. Bob Piekiel and Larry Slosberg will be hosting at Beaver Lake from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. at the northern tip of the big loop (just aim for the main parking lot).

The event is free with Beaver Lake admission (click HERE for the direct event link), but they do request advanced registration. If interested, please call Beaver Lake Nature Center at 315-638-2519 or send an email to blnc@ongov.net.

Unfortunately, the event description seems to have been taken from our last Beaver Lake session – Venus won’t be present by event start (having set about three hours before sunset), but a sliver of a crescent moon will be visible for most of the session in close proximity to Mars. Jupiter remains an excellent summer scope target this year and for several years to come.

This outdoor lecture by CNY Observers will describe the history of the spring constellations and offer tips for remembering their relative positions. The moon will be the featured object for the night, with Jupiter and Venus also prominent, making for great views with the telescopes that will be present. (Cloud date is May 4.)