Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh

Your Bridge to the Stars

AAAP Monthly Meetings

AAAP Meeting, February 9, 2018, “Solarquest – Living with Our Star”

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We wish to extend a warm invitation first to AAAP members and guests, AAAP Facebook Fans, Wagman Star Party Fans, Mingo Star Party Fans, etc.!

Update:  Due to clouds there is no Rooftop Stargazing. Please join us at 7:30 pm for the Solarquest Presentation and guest speaker from DCNR’s Laurel Hill Complex, Kim Peck on astronomy opportunies at Laurel Hill, Laurel Mountain and Kooser.

We will try again for a pre-meeting Meet and Greet with Roof Star Gazing (weather-permitting) at 6:30 PM at the Carnegie Science Center Rooftop Observatory, 1 Allegheny Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. Dress to enjoy the fresh air. Enter through the Main Entrance.The meeting starts at 7:30 PM at the 1st Floor Science Stage. AAAP members remain for the business meeting after the lecture. Download the meeting flyer here or https://tinyurl.com/AAAPFeb9-2018 .

Blast into orbit around the Earth with NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, our latest, greatest satellite for exploring the Sun! In this show, embark on a SolarQuest—a quest to learn about our star, the Sun! Learn how the Sun works, how we study it with our satellites, and how the Sun interacts with the Earth and makes life possible.

Mike Hennessy, Carnegie Science Center’s Buhl Planetarium and Digital Media Manager will present on behalf of Carnegie Science Center, SolarQuest: Living with Our Star, a production jointly produced with Goddard Space Flight Center. Demonstrations and NASA videos make this lively and engaging production one not to miss!

Special Directions Due to Feb. 9 Over 21 Night
1. Use Main Front Entrance 2. Follow planetarium staff to elevator for Rooftop Star Gazing or to the Science Stage for the Main Meet-ing. Minors are not permitted in Over 21 Night. 3. $5 Parking Fee by Credit Card only at Parking Lot Exit Gate or the Main Lobby kiosk .

Rooftop Star Gazing Meet and Greet/Lecture, Free and Open to the Public. $5 Parking Fee by Credit Card. Updates on our website at www.3ap.org, on AAAP Facebook and https://tinyurl.com/AAAPFeb9-2018 .

January 5, 2018 AAAP Meeting, Space Weather and Astro Access, Anna Voelker

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We wish to extend a warm invitation to university students on break as well as all AAAP members, guests, AAAP Facebook Fans, Wagman Star Party Fans, Mingo Star Party Fans, etc.! There will be a pre-meeting Meet and Greet in the Planetarium Lobby and inside the Planetarium Theater.  The informal show will allow guests to wander into and out of the performance. Roof Star Gazing  will be available, weather-permitting. All this at 6:30 PM  before the 7:30 PM meeting at the Carnegie Science Center Planetarium-Rooftop Observatory, 1 Allegheny Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. Dress to enjoy the fresh air. A warm alternative to the rooftop will be available inside of the planetarium and in the planetarium lobby. The meeting starts at 7:30 PM in the Planetarium. AAAP members remain for the business meeting after the lecture.

Astro Access will be an fascinating lecture on both Space Weather and Astronomy Outreach to the Non-Visual and Autistic Learners  by Anna Voelker, whom some of you may know from Pittsburgh and from her TED talks. Anna Voelker, NASA Space Weather Forecaster and Science Educator specializing in astronomy accessibility, uses 3D printing and theatre games to better the reach of science to children who are blind or on the autism spectrum. Anna’s outreach has spanned Allegheny Observatory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Space Telescope Science Institute, Center of Science and Industry (COSI), and most recently the NASA Kennedy Space Center. Look forward to a lively and fascinating talk about space weather and how astronomy can be accessible and engaging for all. Anna will share videographic data of solar activity and explain its interpretation and implications here on Earth as well as in Space. As part of Anna’s examples of using non-visual means in astronomy outreach there will be a demonstration of a 3D printer courtesy of the Carnegie Scinece Center Fab Lab.  The 3D printer will be tasked to make a tactile globe of the night sky constellations.

Rooftop Star Gazing Meet and Greet/Lecture, Free and Open to the Public. $5 Parking Fee by Credit Card only at Parking Lot Exit Gate, only. Please refer to the event flyer.

Special Directions Due to Carnegie Science Center Public Construction Closure:  1. Use Lower Level Front Entrance (far left of Service Entrance). 2. Follow planetarium staff to Rangos Elevator, Planetarium, Rooftop. 3. Parking Fee by Credit Card only at Parking Lot Exit Gate. Main Entrance Lobby and Parking Kiosk are closed.

Updates on our website at www.3ap.org, on Facebook and Event Flyer Download Link: ( https://tinyurl.com/Jan5AAAP ) .

Next Meeting: February 9, 2018, Carnegie Science Planetarium, Program: Annual Planetarium Sky Show. Please check back for details.

Annual AAAP Astrophotography Contest and November 10, 2017 Meeting of the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh

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The Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh  will meet at 7:30 PM, Friday, November 10, 2017, Allegheny Observatory, 159 Riverview Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15214 . The meeting program is the Annual AAAP Kevin J. Brunelle Astrophotography Contest. Review the images in a stunning presentation. Members vote. Winners announced at the meeting and online.

October 6, 2017 AAAP Meeting: Milky Way Cartography, Loren P. Anderson, Phd. West Virginia University

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Galaxy astronomy is a hot topic, as many discoveries are appearing. We anticipate the results of the Event Horizon Telesope, which as early as December may reveal the first image of the Sag A supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way Galaxy. Recently a second supermassive black hole was discovered in the vicinity of the Sag A black hole. Satellite galaxies near our Milky Way may point to our galaxy being an outlier in its type of galaxies. Fast Radio Bursts (FRB’s) continue to be detected begging questions as well as answers to the structure and cartography of our Milky Way Galaxy.

Although we live in the Milky Way Galaxy, we see only a portion of it as the band of starlight across the sky. Our speaker, Loren Anderson, Phd., Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy West Virginia University , using primarily the Green Bank Telescope and the Aricebo Telescope and the Very Large Telescope Array ( Very Large Array, New Mexico ) studies the structure and properties of the Milky Way. He is locating the most massive star formation regions, “HII regions,” throughout the Milky Way disk, and will talk about progress toward a “complete” census of HII regions in our Galaxy, discussing ongoing work to compare the Milky Way with other similar galaxies. His work is part of HRDS: http://go.nrao.edu/hrds/ and WISE catalog: http://astro.phys.wvu.edu/wise/.

A break follows the lecture. AAAP’s October meeting resumes after break with a review of the current and upcoming club activities including  and astronomical events. The meeting location is the Science Stage, Carnegie Science Center, 1 Allegheny Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. Take the front entrance of the Science Center under the portico. Look straight ahead for signs to the Science Stage, to the right.  The lecture and meeting are free and open to the public.

Parking is $5 payable at the parking kiosk in the lobby. There is no charge to attend the meeting or lecture. The public is invited to attend.  Please see the AAAP Guide Star Newsletter and the AAAP Facebook Page for additional information.

September 8, 2017 Monthly Meeting of the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University, Feature Presentation: Quarks, Strings and Science Outreach for a Better Future by Dr. Patrick Cooper, Phd.

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The 7:30 PM, September 8, AAAP Monthly Meeting will feature a talk titled: Quarks, Strings and Science Outreach for a Better Future by Dr. Patrick Cooper, Phd. assistant professor of physics, Duquesne University and co-founder of Community Forge . Dr. Cooper’s presentation will delve into his research which discusses the problem of understanding the mathematics behind the strong nuclear force, as well as studying aspects of string theory, potentially relevant to particle physics well below the scale of quantum gravity. After the science chat, he will move on to the important topic of science outreach in Pittsburgh where he will discuss his student’s recent eclipse trip, and current project of building a community center in Wilkinsburg to bring astronomy and science education to underserved communities.

Note the meeting will be on the regular night at the regular time but in a different location, the Wolfe Lecture Hall in the Bayer Science Building on the Duquesne University Campus, 600 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15282.  Google map  Bayer Hall is next to Mellon Hall on Bluff Street,  #17 on campus map.  Duquesne University Map   After 3PM on Fridays there is No Permit needed to park on campus. After 6PM street parking on campus is free. There is the Forbes Garage, #34 on the map, diagonally across campus, that charges a flat rate of $6.

Stay for the business meeting to hear reports with AAAP current activities and plans for more and observing tips for the month from John Holtz. In a Special Report:  AAAP’s Jim Surman will give a presentation on the Veteran’s Astronomy Project with  the Aspinwall VA Hospital.

Come out and see your AAAP friends and make new ones at this opportunity to hear an informative astronomy talk and hear about club activities. We have the room as early as 7PM, so arrive early and have some time to visit with others. The meeting free and open to the public. Updates here and on AAAP’s Facebook Page.

Save the Dates:  Next AAAP Monthly Meeting is Friday, October 6, 2017, Carnegie Science Center. The Annual Joint AAAP-SSP Meeting is Wednesday, October 11. 2017 at Duquesne University. Note in each of these cases these meetings are occurring a week earlier than usual.

 AAAP Observatory Star Party Schedules Downloads (2017) and Star Party Dates

2017 Wagman Observatory Schedule Remaining Dates: Sep 9 & 23; Oct 7 & 28; Nov4

2017 Mingo Creek Park Observatory Schedule   Remaining Dates: Sep 15 & 16; Oct 14 & 28; Nov 11

2018 Wagman and Mingo Star Party Dates

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Astronomy Lecture: From John Brashear to 21st Century Optics and Telescopes, by Blaise Canzian, Ph. D., 7:30 PM May 12, 2017, Science Stage, Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh, PA

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From John Brashear to 21st Century Optics and Telescopes, by Blaise Canzian, Ph. D.

The public is invited to the Amateur Astronomer’s Association of Pittsburgh’s Monthly Meeting Lecture, Friday, May 12, 2017, 7:30 PM, at the Science Stage of the Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15212.

Telescopes have evolved both in technology and mission since the early days of John Brashear’s company. Today’s telescopes are tasked with satellite laser ranging, laser satellite communication, challenging astronomical research, and satellite imaging. Complex engineering combined with new technological advancements in optic fabrication have expanded our space situational awareness and enable astronomers to explore the universe like never before.

Dr. Blaise Canzian, Ph. D.  has a B.A. in Physics from Cornell University and Ph.D. in Astronomy from the California Institute of Technology. He is currently the systems engineer group manager for L3 Brashear and has [Read more…] about Astronomy Lecture: From John Brashear to 21st Century Optics and Telescopes, by Blaise Canzian, Ph. D., 7:30 PM May 12, 2017, Science Stage, Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh, PA