Upcoming Meetings
Friday September 10, 2021 (7:30 PM)
Where: Zoom (Monthly Business Meeting, September 10, 20201)
Archived List of Meetings
Friday, November 8, 2019 (7:30 PM)
Where: Allegheny Observatory
What: General Business Meeting
Presentation: Astrophotography Contest
Saturday, December 14, 2018 (6:00 PM)
Where: Shaler Villa Fire Hall, Shaler Twp
What: General Business Meeting & Annual Holiday Party
Friday, January 11, 2019 (7:30 PM)
Where: Allegheny Observatory
What: General Business Meeting
Guest Speaker and Topic: Ryan Muzzio presents “Young Stellar Objects: The Opening Chapter in the Life of a Star”
Saturday, December 8, 2018 (6:00 PM)
Where: Buffalo Inn, South Park
What: General Business Meeting & Annual Holiday Party
Friday, November 9, 2018 (7:30 PM)
Where: Allegheny Observatory
What: General Business Meeting
Presentation: Astrophotography Contest
Friday, October 12, 2018 (7:30 PM)
Where: Room 343 of Alumni Hall, University of Pittsburgh Campus
What: General Business Meeting
Guest speaker and topic: “Simons Observatory: The Next Great Microwave Telescopes”, Prof. Arthur Kosowky, Physics and Astronomy Department Chair at the University of Pittsburgh
Friday, September 14, 2018 (7:30 PM)
Where: Carnegie Science Center, Buhl Planetarium
What: General Business Meeting
Guest speaker and topic: “Making the Moon Accessible to the World”, John Thornton, CEO of Astrobotics which is headquartered on Liberty Ave in Pittsburgh
Friday, May 11, 2018 (7:30 PM)
Where: Carnegie Science Center, Bayer Science Stage
What: General Business Meeting & Annual Officer Elections
Guest speaker and topic: “The Year of Pluto & New Horizons”, Mark Kochte, NASA’s New Horizons Mission Specialist
Friday, April 13, 2018 (7:30 PM)
Where: Carnegie Science Center
What: General Business Meeting & Annual Officer Nominations
Guest speaker and topic: “Swift Observatory’s Findings on Gamma Ray Bursts”, Mike Siegel, Ph.D, Senior Researcher at Penn State University, and UVOT (Ultra Violet Optical Telescope) Lead
Friday, March 9, 2018 (7:30 PM)
Where: Carnegie Science Center, Buhl Planetarium
What: General Business Meeting
Guest speaker and topic: “Storms in Space”, Amy Keesee, PhD, Research Associate Professor in the Physics and Astronomy Department at West Virginia University
Friday, February 9, 2018 (7:30 PM)
Where: Carnegie Science Center, Bayer Science Stage
What: General Business Meeting
Guest speaker and topic: “SolarQuest”, Mike Hennessy, Carnegie Science Center’s Buhl Planetarium & Digital Media Manager
Friday, January 5, 2018 (7:30 PM)
Where: Carnegie Science Center
What: General Business Meeting
Guest speaker and topic: “Space Weather and Astro Access”, Anna Voelker, NASA Weather Center
Saturday, December 9, 2017 (6:00 PM)
Where: Shaler Fire Hall, Shaler Twp
What: General Business Meeting & Annual Holiday Party
Friday, November 11, 2017 (7:30 PM)
Where: Allegheny Observatory
What: General Business Meeting
Presentation: Astrophotography Contest
Friday, October 6, 2017 (7:30 PM)
Where: Carnegie Science Center
What: General Business Meeting
Guest Speaker and Topic: “Milky Way Cartography”, Loren P. Anderson, PhD, West Virginia University
Friday, September 11, 2017 (7:30 PM)
Where: Wolfe Lecture Hall in the Bayer Science Building on the Duquesne University Campus
What: General Business Meeting
Presentation: “Quarks, Strings, and Science Outreach for a Better Future,” Patrick Cooper, Phd., Duquesne University
Friday, May 12, 2017 (7:30 PM)
Where: Carnegie Science Center
What: General Business Meeting & Annual Officer Elections
Presentation: “Space Telescopes”, Dr. Brian Canzian, PhD, Senior Systems Engineer L-3 Integrated Optical Systems (formerly Brashear)
Friday, April 7, 2017 (7:30 PM)
Where: Carnegie Science Center, Bayer Science Stage
What: General Business Meeting & Annual Officer Nominations
Presentation: “Hunting for Powerful Monsters: Supermassive Black Holes in Distant Galaxies”, Chien-Ting Chen, PhD is an astrophysicist at Pennsylvania State University
Friday, March 10, 2017 (7:30 PM)
Where: Carnegie Science Center, Bayer Science Stage
What: General Business Meeting
Presentation: “High-Energy Astrophysics: The Fascinating World of Supernova Explosions and Pulsars”, Harsha Blumer, PhD, Post-Doctoral Researcher at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WVA and Greenbank Observatory
Friday, February 10, 2017 (7:30 PM)
Where: Carnegie Science Center, Buhl Planetarium
What: General Business Meeting
Guest speaker and topic: Annual Planetarium Show
Friday, January 13, 2017 (7:30 PM)
Where: Carnegie Science Center
What: General Business Meeting
Presentation: Thomas Beatty, PhD presents “Well, Now What? What to Do Once You’ve Found Another Earth”
Recent discoveries by the Kepler mission have shown us that Earth-sized planets are fairly common in the Galaxy. We expect to find several “habitable” planets that are the size and mass of Earth over the next decade, but then what? How do we distinguish between a nice temperate Earth, and an acidic metal-melting Venus? What can we learn about the climates, and even the weather, of exoplanets? Could we identify life, or even intelligence?
Presenter: Dr. Thomas Beatty, PhD is a post-doctoral fellow at Pennsylvania State University’s Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds. The meeting will be held at the Science Stage of the Carnegie Science Center.
Saturday, December 10, 2016 (6:00 PM)
Where: Buffalo Inn, South Park
What: General Business Meeting & Annual Holiday Party
Friday, November 11, 2016 (7:30 PM)
Where: Allegheny Observatory
What: General Business Meeting & Annual Astrophotography Contest
Guest speaker and topic: Featured program is the annual Kevin J. Brunelle Astrophotography Contest. During the meeting, AAAP members’ submissions to the contest will be reviewed and voted upon by the members present at the meeting and winners announced before the meeting ends.
For More Info: https://3ap.org/photos/the-aaap-kevin-j-brunelle-photography-contest/
Wednesday, October 19, 2016 (5:00 PM)
Where: Duquesne University, Power Center Ballroom
What: SSP / AAAP Annual Joint Meeting
The Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh (SSP) and Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh (AAAP) annual joint meeting
TECHNOLOGY FORUM – 5:15 PM
“Pittcon Planetarium Presentation”
The current planetarium was purchased in 2010 by Pittcon as part of Science Week in Atlanta. The societies started offering the planetarium program in 2011 to local school districts in Western Pennsylvania on a first come, first serve basis depending on the schedules of the volunteer society members.
TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM – 8:15 PM
Dr. Ori Fox, Research Scientist Space Telescope Science Institute presents “Now You See Them, Now You Don’t: Exploding Stars and the James Webb Space Telescope”
Supernovae are the explosions of stars that reach the ends of their lifetime. These awesome events are nearly as bright as the entire galaxy which hosts them. Yet the astronomical community has surprisingly few constraints on the supernova progenitor systems because it is quite difficult to identify the stars before they explode. In this talk I will provide an overview of supernova explosions, with plenty of fantastic images both before and after the stellar deaths, highlighting both the current state of the field and the remaining mysteries. I will incorporate raw data from telescopes I use, including Keck and Hubble. Finally, I will discuss the future of astronomical observations with NASA’s next flagship mission, the James Webb Space Telescope.
5:15 PM Technology Forum Speaker’s Presentation – Power Center Ballroom Section C
5:30 PM Social Hour – Power Center Fides Shepperson Suite
6:45 PM Dinner – Power Center Ballroom Section C
8:00 PM Business Meeting – Power Center Ballroom Section C
8:15 PM Technical Program Speaker’s Presentation – Power Center Ballroom Section C
PLEASE NOTE: Deadline for Dinner Reservations is Wednesday, October 12, 2016 at 12:00 noon.
For More Info: http://www.ssp-pgh.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/October-Meeting-Notice-2016.pdf
Friday, October 14, 2016 (7:30 PM)
Where: Carnegie Science Center
What: General Business Meeting
Guest speaker and topic: Mark “Indy” Kochte presents “New Horizons: Adventures To Pluto”
Even though the New Horizons space probe encountered Pluto over a year ago, images and data stored in the craft continues to be received and studied. In addition, New Horizons is pressing on to new objects in the Kuiper Belt. Our guest speaker for the club‟s October 14, 2016 meeting, Mark “Indy” Kochte, brings us the latest with his “New Horizons Update” presentation (see page 7 for Mark‟s bio.). This month‟s meeting takes place in the Carnegie Science Center‟s (CSC) “Riverview Café” which on the ground-level floor on the submarine Requin side of the building (can‟t miss it). Normally we would meet in the Bayer Science Stage or the Buhl Planetarium, but the CSC is also hosting its annual “21+ Night” on the 14th. Also, construction is underway in several areas of the CSC, which limits other possible venues such as the Omnimax Theater. To get to the Riverview Café, go in the main entrance and walk straight ahead where there is an up-ramp to the upper floors and a down-ramp to the Café. Sorry, the Café will not be open to serve food or beverages. Don‟t miss this chance to hear from one of our most interesting and engaging speakers.
Friday, September 9, 2016 (7:30 PM)
Where: Carnegie Science Center
What: General Business Meeting
Guest speaker and topic: John Branthoover presents “Astrobotics”
The September 9, 2016 meeting speaker comes to us from Astrobotic Technology, the lunar logistics firm spun out of CMU’s robotics institute in 2007. John Branthoover, one of Astrobotics’ senior electrical engineers, is our guest. Team Astrobotic won three Google Milestone Prizes: The Landing Prize ($1 million), Mobility Prize ($500,000), and Imaging Prize ($250,000), for a total of $1.75 million in prize winnings! Astrobotic has entered into partnerships with DHL and Airbus in their competition for the Google LunarXprize as well as their quest to establish a regular privately-owned lunar payload system. Astrobotic is one of three companies partnered with NASA through the Lunar Cargo Transport and Landing by Soft Touchdown (CATALYST) to advance robotic landing capabilities. Their newly unveiled Peregrine lander features Aerojet Rocketdyne engines. Their next launch is planned for 2017.
Friday, May 13, 2016 (7:30 PM)
Where: Carnegie Science Center
What: General Business Meeting / Annual Officer Elections
Guest speaker Dr. James LoPresto (Topic TBD)
Dr. James LoPresto returns May 13, 2016 exactly one year after his AAAP lecture on another Solar “Maunder Minimum”. We don’t have Dr. LoPresto’s lecture topic as of Guide Star press time. But we always enjoy his “Sunny” disposition during his lectures.
Friday, April 8, 2016 (7:30 PM)
Where: Carnegie Science Center
What: General Business Meeting / Annual Free Sky Show at Buhl Planetarium
The AAAP is closing in on 90 years in business (in 2019), thus it’s not surprising that we honor several decades-old traditions, including the annual free “Sky Show” at the Carnegie Science Center’s Buhl Planetarium. Of course, the tradition dates back (who knows how far) to the original Buhl Planetarium in the central North Side, and is famous for high attendance and spell-binding shows. This year’s installment takes place at the club’s April 8, 2016 meeting and features “The Beginner’s Guide to the Universe (Digital Universe)”. According to the CSC’s web site, “Using the stunning graphic capabilities of the Buhl Planetarium, visitors will take a guided tour of the night sky and travel beyond our solar system and even beyond our own Milky Way Galaxy to the farthest reaches of our cosmos.” Here are the logistics of getting everyone up and back from the planetarium for the remainder of the meeting.
1. Please arrive in time for the normal 7:30 pm meeting start in the Bayer Science Stage.
2. We will then proceed en-masse up to the planetarium for the show start.
3. If you have to arrive late for the meeting, you can go directly to the Buhl entrance if everyone has already gone up. However, after the show starts you will not be able to enter the planetarium.
Thanks for your cooperation and enjoy the show!
PS: The meeting after the Sky Show will include the third installment of Eric Fischer’s “Astronomy Jeopardy”, this time with the planets as the topic on the board.