The Pittsburgh Chapter of the International Dark Sky Association will hold a meeting on Thursday, June 7 at 6:30 pm at Wagman Observatory. We’re hoping to discuss new streetlights and strategies for darker skies. Invite friends! Bring portable chairs, if you like. The Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh supports dark skies and light pollution outreach.
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Urban Outreach Star Parties at the Schenley Overlook
Urban Outreach Star Parties are at the Schenley Overlook unless otherwise noted.
All times are from 9PM-11PM.
May
Sunday 5/6 (Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower) [Rescheduled to Mon., 5/7, due to inclement weather.]
Monday 5/7 (Weather Makeup Date)
Thursday 5/17
Sunday 5/20 (Weather Makeup Date)
Tuesday 5/29 (Emerald View)
Thursday 5/31 (Emerald View Makeup)
June
Sunday 6/10
Monday 6/11 (Makeup)
Tuesday 6/19
Thursday 6/21 (Makeup)
Friday 6/29 (Emerald View)
Saturday 6/30 (Emerald View Makeup)
July
Friday 7/13
Sunday 7/15 (Makeup)
Sunday 7/22
Monday 7/23 (Makeup)
August
Friday 8/3 (Emerald View)
Saturday 8/4 (Emerald View Makeup)
Saturday 8/11 (County Star Party – Boyce) – New Moon!
Tuesday 8/14
Thursday 8/16 (Makeup)
Friday 8/24
Saturday 8/25 (Makeup)
Tuesday 8/28 (Emerald View)
Thursday 8/30 (Emerald View Makeup)
September
Thursday 9/6
Monday 9/10 (Makeup)
Sunday 9/16
Tuesday 9/18 (Makeup)
Friday 9/30
October
Monday 10/1 (Makeup)
Thursday 10/4
(Emerald View)
Sunday 10/7 (Emerald View Makeup)
Friday 10/12
Sunday 10/14 (Makeup)
Sunday 10/21
Monday 10/22 (Makeup)
November
11/1 (Emerald View – No Makeup Date)
If you would like help learning how to set-up and use your own telescope or binoculars, please feel free to bring them and arrive an hour early. AAAP telescope volunteers will share views through their telescopes.
This free event is being run by the Pittsburgh City Park Rangers. Park ordinances are enforced at all times. All ages event. Leashed dogs are permissible but must be under the direct control of their owners, and must remain a minimum of 10 feet away from the telescope at all times.
AAAP 2018 Star Party Season Kicks-Off This Weekend
The Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh kicks-off its 2018 Star Party Season this weekend with the added “fireworks” of the Lyrid Meteor Shower and the weather looks good to very good all weekend! Wagman Observatory will have a star party on both Friday and Saturday starting at 8:05 PM. Mingo Observatory will open on Saturday at 6:00 PM for Safe Solar Viewing. Also on Saturday during the day, there will be AAAP telescope viewing and astronomy activities at the Westmoreland Earth Day, 1-6 PM, Winnie Palmer Nature Center, Latrobe, PA. On Sunday, AAAP will be at the Mt. Lebanon Earth Day (SUNDAY, 22nd APRIL 2018,11am – 3pm, MT LEBANON PARK, 900 Cedar Blvd, Mt. Lebanon, PA15228) offering telescope safe solar viewing and astronomy activities. At Laurel Hill State Park the Earth Day Celebration starts early at 9AM, Saturday, at the Visitor Center.
During the daytime events, enjoy safe solar viewing and astronomy activities. Night sky observing begins at dusk. Look for Lyrid Meteors when the sky darkens. These meteors will be best seen before dawn on Saturday and Sunday mornings. See the planet Venus. View the Waxing Crescent Moon. Catch a last glimpse of the Orion nebula and other wonders of the Spring sky such as the galaxies in the Coma-Virgo Cluster, planetary nebulae and star clusters. These events are free and open to the public. Star party donations are appreciated. Be sure to obtain our 2018 Star Party Schedule, printed copies at our events and downloads on our website. Contact AAAP via Facebook or our website calendar for more updates and more information.
AAAP Announces 2018 Scholarship in the amount of $1,000.00
The Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh announces the award of a scholarship in the amount $1,000.00.*
Objective: To promote and encourage the profession of astronomy. Must be enrolled and accepted to study astronomy, physics, or mathematics.
This scholarship is limited to seniors presently enrolled in High Schools located in either Allegheny or Washington Counties of Pennsylvania.
Deadline for submission: Postmarked by April 1, 2018 – Award will be announced and winner notified by May 1, 2018.
*This fund, administered by the AAAP, was initially made possible through the donation of an anonymous benefactor.
Additional information and application form can be found here:
(AAAP_logo_all.zip)*
Please log in, Register or Reset your Password.
If you are unable to login, please request assistance using the Contact Form and choose either Website inquiry or Membership as the Reason for Contacting.
October 6, 2017 AAAP Meeting: Milky Way Cartography, Loren P. Anderson, Phd. West Virginia University
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/
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.