Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh

Astronomy News

AAAP 2018 Star Party Season Kicks-Off This Weekend

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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.

8:30 – 9:30 PM, Saturday, March 28, 2018 is Earth Hour

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8:30 – 9:30 PM, Saturday, March 28, 2018 is Earth Hour.

The Earth Hour website: “Starting as a symbolic lights out event in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour is now the world’s largest grassroots movement for the environment, inspiring millions of people to take action for our planet and nature.”

As amateur astronomers we are particularly aware of distracting lighting and loss of the night in our Greater Pittsburgh Area over increasingly short periods of years. Night is needed not only to see the stars but also for the biology of humans and other living things. Over-bright lights and unshielded poorly aimed light is not only wasteful energy inefficiency but is also not doing what it is meant to accomplish. Let Earth Hour with its basis in grassroots, remind us of ways to make a difference even at the home – neighborhood by effecting good lighting that recognizes glare, light trespass, shielding, color temperature of LED lighting, etc. and to ask community leaders and officials to do the same.

The Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh often talks about lighting at our outreach events and shares many members with the Pittsburgh Chapter of the International Dark Sky Association.

Ursid Meteor Shower and December Solstice

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Tonight begins the peak of the annual Ursid Meteor Shower, the spectacular event, caused by dust particles left behind by Comet 8P/Tuttle.  It always peaks near the time of the December Solstice (Winter Solstice) which in Pittsburgh happens today Thursday, December 21, 2017 at 11:27 AM. Experts are calling for the Ursids to peak on the night of the solstice itself, tonight December 21 this year. Best viewing is suggested to be on the morning (tomorrow) of December 22. The waxing crescent moon will set in the evening, providing moon-free viewing for the rest of the night. This shower favors more northerly latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. The expected rate per hour is 5-10 meteors, but bursts of 100 or more meteors per hour have been observed at times, over the past century. Remember as in watching any meteor shower allow a minimum of 15-20 minutes to allow your eyes to become dark accommodated and try to locate your viewing under clear and dark skies!

March 25 & 26, 2017, Astronomy Weekend at Carnegie Science Center

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Space Out Astronomy Weekend at Carnegie Science Center is Saturday and Sunday, March 25 and 26, 2017
Guests to the Science Center will enjoy the extras of Astronomy Weekend with the regular price of admission. Look for the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh Volunteers in the First Floor Lobby Area and if weather is favorable, outside with telescopes and binoculars as wells as with telescopes on the ramp to the 2nd floor (indoors).
“Activities include special presentations in the Buhl Planetarium and the chance to SAFELY observe the sun. Other displays, activities, and exhibitors include: Astronomy displays and literature, NASA’s Night Sky Network, Hands on Moon Rocks and Meteorites. Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh, Nicholas E. Wagman Observatory, Mingo Creek Park Observatory, Amateur Telescope Making, Scopes and Photos, Digital Cameras and Video Astronomy, Computer Controlled Telescopes, Solar System Displays, Astronomy Sketching, National Radio Astronomy Observatory at Green Bank WVA, Make a comet, Make Mars soil, Make a sundial, Make a star clocks.”  From:  www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/
Members of the AAAP who want to volunteer can just show up.  Admission and Parking Fees will be waived. The Science Center will provide tables and chairs.  Please bring materials you will want to share with guests. There are many members who volunteer for this year after year. It is a fun event and new participants are welcome. If you have questions just ask an officer for more information. Ed will be there early as 8 or 8:30 AM on Saturday for set up.  The guests arrive 10 AM both Saturday and Sunday.  We stay to 5 PM on Saturday and to 4 PM on Sunday. Event closes at 7 PM and 5 PM respectively. The Lobby configuration is markedly changed since the CSC renovation.  Some of the telescopes will be set up on the ramp.  The main AAAP installation will be in the usual location. If it is warm enough telescopes and binoculars may be set up outside, too. It is also a good chance to get together with other members. Looking forward to seeing you there! Return here and to the AAAP Facebook Page for updates.

 

Fri, Feb 10, 2017, 5:34 -9:53 pm, Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

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Friday , February  10, 2017, start 5:34 pm, maximum 7:43 pm, end 9:53 pm, a Penumbral Eclipse of the Moon (Lunar Eclipse) will be visible in the Pittsburgh Area, weather permitting. Some individuals will recognize the diffuse shadow moving across the Moon. To others, it may look like an ordinary Full Moon.  With a Penumbral Lunar Eclipse there is no distinct missing “bite” visible as there is at the beginnings of Partial and Total Lunar Eclipses. AAAP will offer 7PM binocular viewing and telescope viewing weather-permitting to attendees prior to that evening’s 7:30 PM February Meeting of the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh. 7 PM the Moon will be at 32 degrees elevation and this time observant people will notice a dark shading on the moon’s face.  Wherever you may happen to be in the Pittsburgh Area on Friday February 10, 2017 with your unaided eyes you should be able to observe this event. Binoculars should heighten the view. Click image below for more Penumbral Lunar Eclipse information.

February 10, 2017 Penumbral Lunar Eclipse, Pittsburgh,PA at Maximum, 7:43 PM