Tag Archives: Neaf

Event Announcement: Maine Astronomy Retreat 2019

Posted on April 6, 2019 8:09 pm - - Leave a Comment

Greetings, fellow astrophiles!

As you start making your 2019 star party list, consider the following – just in the inbox from the Maine Astronomy Retreat.

We are reaching out to share with you information about the Maine Astronomy Retreat at Medomak Retreat Center in Washington, Maine – a vacation for you and your telescope!

Washington, Maine has some of the darkest skies in the Northeast, with a limiting visual magnitude of 6.3 (SQM value: 21.3 MPSAS). This summer, July 28th- August 3rd, we are hosting our sixth annual Maine Astronomy Retreat. For six nights you will be able to revel under our expansive dark skies – we will have telescopes on hand and we encourage you to bring yours, too. During the day, in addition to engaging lectures and programs by our expert facilitators, our facility is at your disposal. Enjoy our quiet waterfront equipped with canoes and kayaks, play tennis and basketball on our courts, or take a scenic drive and explore the beautiful coastal towns of mid-coast Maine.

The retreat is led by J. Kelly Beatty, Sky & Telescope’s senior editor, and Bruce Berger, director of Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston Research and Imaging Observatory.

Our special guests will be Dava Sobel, former New York Times science journalist and author of Longitude, Galileo’s Daughter, and the recently published book The Glass Universe, and Babak Tafreshi, founder of The World at Night, and nightscape photographer for the National Geographic image collection.

For this star party there’s no need to bring a tent, sleep in a sleeping bag, or eat uninspired food. Medomak has comfortable, private cabins with real beds, hot showers, and electricity, as well as delicious, locally-sourced meals prepared on the premises. And it’s all included in your tuition. Limited to 40 participants.

We would love it if you would pass on this information to your group members or include it in your newsletter and calendar of events. Also, please be sure to stop by our booth at NEAF to learn more, or just for a nice “hello.”

More details and the ability to register can be found here: http://www.astronomyretreat.com

Questions? Would you like to speak with a live human? Please feel free to give us a call at 1-866-MEDOMAK.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration.

Best regards,
David Brunner
Director, Medomak
Summer Camp for Families & Retreat Center for Adults
www.astronomyretreat.com

Winter September-May
12230 Clarksville Pike, Suite C
Clarksville, MD 21029
(301) 854-9100

Summer June-August
178 Liberty Rd.
Washington, ME 04574
(207) 845-6001

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2016 U.S. Star Parties And Astro Events Calendar – Still Remembering Barlow Bob (By Helping Keep The Community Connected)

Posted on February 2, 2016 5:29 pm - - Leave a Comment

Greetings fellow astrophiles,

www.cnyo.org/2016-u-s-star-parties-and-astro-events/

I wanted to get this post out before the year gets any further (not farther) along. I am pleased to announce that the 2016 edition of U.S. Star Parties And Astro Events calendar is available on the CNYO website for your star party planning pleasure (and/or download). This is an as-complete-as-google-and-email-will-allow list of all of the star parties happening in the U.S. for the year (complete as of this posting, so check back to the main page often), including all of the events that were announced in 2015 but that haven’t had 2016 dates announced yet (and we’re keeping track of those links as well).

2016feb2_Barlow-Bob-FullThis list, now maintained by Chuck Higgins of Mohawk Valley Astronomical Society and myself and is a continuation of the same original star party list compiled by the late-great Barlow Bob (shown at-play at right, who co-managed it with Chuck Higgins starting a few years back and before BB’s passing in 2014. For those who don’t know about Barlow Bob, his contribution to NEAF in the form of the NEAF Solar Star Party (Astronomy Technology Today article downloaded from www.asgh.org), or his own solar astronomy outreach, please check out THIS LINK on the CNYO website. The image above comes from a nice remembrance at Stargeezer Radio).

You can always find the page by hovering over the CALENDAR link the top menu list on the CNYO website. The excel file and list will be updated as we find new info for new events. If you want to add events to this list, please do so (contact Damian at info@cnyo.org, or use our CONTACT page)! We are also awaiting corrections, comments, new links, additional announcements, etc., from current items on the list – specifically the blue items at the bottom of the page.

And What Is This Star Party Of Which You Speak?

2016feb2_TexasSta-Party2009_341Very briefly – a chance for you to join many other enthusiastic amateur astronomers for a night of group star gazing, comparing eyepieces, assorted discussions, wandering around to see the variety of scopes in the community, and generally having a great time spending as much of the night as you can looking up. You should try to take in at least one each year!

And might one of the events on this list be your first Star Party? Have you been kicked out of one lately and don’t know why? Do you want to NOT face the wrath of several hundred dark-adapted, caffeine-crazed astronomers in a single flicker of a flashlight? The I strongly encourage you to take a look at a few of the links below – which all cover proper Star Party Etiquette. As you will see, all the links basically say the same thing. With that kind of a consensus view, you know that we fellow attendees mean business. If you need more reading, just google star party guide. Attendees have a lot to say!

* www.astrohbg.org/CSSP/images/CSSP_Images/PDF/StarPartyEtiquette.pdf
* www.astro-tom.com/tips_and_advice/star_party_tips.htm
* www.company7.com/library/starpty.html
* www.astromax.org/faq/aa01faq16.htm
* bfsp.org/rules-and-faq/

I hope to see your dark, featureless outline at at least one of the events on the list. If you find one happening right in your own vicinity that you didn’t even know existed, thank Barlow Bob.

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A Few Quick Updates – MVAS Banquet (April 11), Baltimore Woods (April 17), NEAF Weekend (April 18/19), And Beaver Lake (April 23)!

Posted on April 16, 2015 10:23 pm - - Leave a Comment

Greetings fellow astrophiles!

A few points of note for the next several days (and one from last week).

1. MVAS Banquet – 11 April 2015

A pic from the Mohawk Valley Astronomical Society’s Annual Banquet this past Saturday, April 11th. As a satellite member of the group, I was fortunate to have left Syracuse early, discovering that there are TWO Daniele’s restaurants in the Utica/New Hartford area (and Google Maps only seems to know about one of them!). These events are always a great time, complete with great food, great company, and an engaging keynote for the evening.

Due to the under-the-weather-ness of Joe Eakin from Colgate’s Ho Tung Visualization Lab, Colgate and MVAS’s own Dr. Thomas Balonek (the first MVAS’er to pay their 2016 dues!) gave a high-energy lecture on the scale of objects in the Solar System (and a ways beyond). After his first distance measure sent him out to the parking lot, he returned to send the rest of us outside to enjoy a few minutes of clear skies (the pic below, featuring the back half of CNYO’s own Christopher Shuck (and the front half of his watch)) before helping attendees get a handle on the relative sizes of objects and distances (for when the rest of us give similar lectures). It should also not go unnoticed that the club was still making note of Al Mlinar’s 100th birthday, complete with a sign-able, frame-able copy of Messier 100.

2015april17_mvas

Anyone interested in taking in a few of Prof. Balonek’s lectures are encouraged to check out the Colgate Astronomy website for posted materials: observatory.colgate.edu/lectures.html

2. Bob Piekiel At Baltimore Woods On Friday, April 17

Bob’s first (hopefully) comfortable evening of observing in Marcellus is happening this Friday (with Saturday as the weather-alternate) at Baltimore Woods, with Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn prime for viewing.

As with all Baltimore Woods events, they ask that you RSVP for the event through their facility. Also note that Baltimore Woods is supported by hosting these events, so there is an associated fee for the event ($5 for BW members, $8 for non-BW-members). To RSVP, contact the BW office at (315) 673-1350 or info@baltimorewoods.org.

Also, check back directly with Baltimore Woods about any cancellation and rescheduling.

3. NEAF And NEAF Solar, April 18/19

Ryan Goodson and I will be heading out Friday afternoon and will have with us nearly all of the remaining Stuventory for sale at the New Moon Telescopes booth (and will be accepting credit card payments!). Feel free to pass that info along to any NEAF attendees. And do make sure to stop by the NMT booth and also that of our friends (and fellow members) of the Kopernik Astronomical Society.

4. CNYO Spring Session At Beaver Lake Nature Center, April 23/30

We’ll have another announcement shortly, but our first session of the year at Beaver Lake will happen (weather pending) this coming Thursday, April 23rd (30th as the weather-alternate).

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2015 Northeast Astronomy Forum – Official “One Week Until” Announcement

Posted on April 11, 2015 2:35 pm - - Leave a Comment

Greetings fellow astrophiles!

One week until NEAF and NEAFSolar at Rockland Community College! Ryan Goodson and I will be there Saturday and Sunday at the New Moon Telescopes booth (although I’ll spend most of the time looking for space rocks).

For more information, see the official website: www.rocklandastronomy.com/neaf.html

2015NEAF_PosterLegal

Posted in: US/NASA - Tagged: , , ,

CNYO Observing Log: Two Solar Highlights – International SUN-Day And A Space Science Morning At The MOST

Posted on August 31, 2014 11:43 pm - - Leave a Comment

Greetings fellow astrophiles!

A post to the CNYO Facebook Page by Pamela Shivak of International SUN-Day and the equally great Charlie Bates Solar Astronomy Project about the 2015 Int. SUN-Day reminded me that the CNYO event for 22 June 2014 hadn’t been posted yet. Ergo…

2014august31_sunday_and_most_5_small

Dave Wormuth and passers-by at Larry’s NMT. Click for a larger view.

There for the duration of CNY’s edition of the International SUN-Day 2014 were Larry Slosberg, Bob Piekiel, Dave Wormuth, George Wong, and myself, plus Larry’s Baader-ized 12″ New Moon Telescope Dob, Bob’s 60 mm Coronado SolarMax II, my trusty Coronado PST, and a few pairs of official Charlie Bates Solar Astro solar glasses direct from Stephen Ramsden’s lecture at NEAF 2014 (George demonstrating their usage below).

2014august31_sunday_and_most_4_small

George demonstrating proper technique. Click for a larger view.

The day was excellent for solar observing (made so by the presence of a few trees to provide a little shade) and our two hour session ended up hosting about 30 people, a few of whom definitely took their time to enjoy the view, then many who took a quick glance, then another out of surprise, then attempted the ritual smart phone documentation of the view. As one can see below, the Coronado PST lets in more than enough red light to saturate the iPhone CCD camera. Whereas your eye is insensitive enough to provide you some very nice surface and prominence detail, the image below just barely gives you a view of otherwise wispy visual prominences.

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The H-alpha’ed Sun saturating a CCD. Click for a larger view.

Only a few of the attendees knew in advance from the website, twitter feed, or Facebook page. The others were simply caught as passers-by taking in the Creekwalk and Armory Square. The busy weekend being what it was, I even managed a short music conversation with the tour manager for Don Felder (who’d played with Foreigner and Styx the night before), himself taking in a bike tour of the Creekwalk and greater Syracuse area. And, despite our best efforts, we couldn’t get a couple of the leisurely strollers to veer our way to take in views. If you ever see us set up and observing, we hope you’ll line right up behind an eyepiece and take a look!

2014august31_sunday_and_most_1_small

Larry explaining everything. Click for a larger view.

Not too long after Int. SUN-Day, CNYO members received a request from Nancy Volk at The MOST to lend our solar scopes to a group of area 8th graders taking in a series of Space Science demos on the morning of 18 July 2014. Friday’s being what they are, I was left to sneak out on my own to run a mini solar session with just the Coronado PST and Bates Solar Glasses.

2014august31_sunday_and_most_3_small

The last of four outdoor sessions. Click for a larger view.

The morning session ended 3 hours later with no small amount of Armory Square drama unrelated to the session, the telling and re-telling of every solar fact I could come up with, and 70 enlightened students and teachers.

2014august31_sunday_and_most_6_small

Demonstrating the relative motions of the inner planets. Click for a larger view.

Instructive Demo Of The Day: Solar glasses and a +100 lumen flashlight are themselves an excellent combination in a pinch, as all can agree that the pre-filtered light is blindingly bright, while everyone around the glasses-wearing test subject gets a good laugh from seeing the flashlight waved within an inch of thin Baader film separating the wearer from a really bad case of temporary blindness.

We’ve now the official word on International SUN-Day 2015 – June 21st to be exact. Expect CNYO members to be somewhere (likely the Creekwalk again) hosting another session (weather-permitting, as usual)!

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