Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh

Your Bridge to the Stars

Star Party

AAAP June 10 & 11 Star Parties at Wagman Observatory and Mingo Observatory

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Pittsburgh Sky, East, 9:30 PM. June 11, 2016 from Stellarium.org Screen Capture.

AAAP Star Parties at both Wagman Observatory and Mingo Observatory, Friday and Saturday, June 10 and 11, 2016 will feature a rich array of celestial delights. Bright Jupiter trails close to the First Quarter Moon. Ringed Planet, Saturn follows not far from the Red Planet, Mars. Mars, not long from its May 30 close approach is still prime for viewing . Saturn, too near its June 2-3, 2016 opposition, is prime for its best viewing of the year. Jupiter is up all evening too, along with all four of its moons. Planet Venus, too graces the sky until just before 9 PM. It only begins with the Moon and these four bright planets. Experience the AAAP telescopes and those of our members as they reveal our solar system and more distant objects, including galaxies and nebula. See the sparkling  Great Cluster, M13, in the constellation Hercules and other delights. Look forward to the likelihood of meteor sighting, too. The star parties are free and open to the public.

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Mars At Closest Proximity To Earth In 11 Years

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Image of Mars in the night sky in May 2016. source:http://mars.nasa.gov/allaboutmars/nightsky/mars-close-approach/
Image of Mars in the night sky in May 2016. source:http://mars.nasa.gov/allaboutmars/nightsky/mars-close-approach/

From May 18 to June 3, 2016 Mars will be at its brightest.  Just go outside and look up (SE) for a bright “orange star” that does not flicker. That will be the “red” planet Mars.

It takes the planet Mars about two Earth years minus 50 days to make its trip about the Sun. Mars appears brightest * in our Earth sky when Earth is in the line between Mars and the Sun.  This happens about every other Earth year. Those other years Mars appears dimmer in our sky because at those times Mars and Earth are on opposite sides of the Sun. Some opposition years find Mars and Earth not only on the same side of the Sun, but also in closer proximity. 2016 is one of those years. Enjoy the view!

This year to the unaided eye Mars looks brigher and through a telescope Mars looks larger. Enjoy close-up views of the planet Mars and other wonders of the night sky at the June 10 and 11 Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh Star Parties scheduled at the Wagman Observatory and at the Mingo Observatory.

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Weather Cancellation – Tonight’s May15, 2016 Wagman Star Party

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Last updated 2016-05-14 12:01:09. No Image below? Read this. Not showing todays data? Clear your cache.
Near Deer Lakes Park, Russellton. Observatory of the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh

There is now 100% that tonight’s SP is canceled. See yinz in June. The next good weather that we will see will probably be next weekend during Full Moon. Typical for our area. Except for that week or so in Mid-April, it’s been a lousy Spring. The Sky gods are probably balancing out the good observing weather in Jan, Feb and March.
 
Tom Reiland

Wagman Star Parties May 13 & 14, 2016

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Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh opens Wagman Observatory to the public Friday, May 13 and Saturday, May 14, 2016. No reservations. No charge. No limit to group size. Just show up. Please refer to the Wagman 2016 Star Party Schedule for details.  The Nicholas E. Wagman Observatory is located in Deer Lakes Regional Park, Frazer Township, Pa., near the village of Russellton in northeastern Allegheny County and some 18 miles from Pittsburgh. Observatory Phone 724-224-2510.

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Mingo Star Parties May 6 & 7, 2016

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Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh opens Mingo Observatory to the public Friday, May 6 and Saturday, May 7, 2016. No reservations. No charge. No limit to group size. Just show up. Please refer to the Mingo 2016 Star Party Schedule.  The Observatory is located in Mingo Creek County Park, Nottingham Township, and is 10 miles east of Washington PA. The park is located off Route 88 or Route 136 in the northeast section of Washington County. Inside the park, the observatory is at the end of Mansion Hill Ext. Road (across from the Henry Covered Bridge) on the top of the hill past Shelter 10. Observatory  Site: Lat: 40° 12’ 42” N Long: 80° 1’ 14” W Elevation: 1180 ft. (360 m). Observatory Phone 724-348-6150.

Wagman Star Parties – Fri, April 15th & Sat, April 16th

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Come see the evening planet, Jupiter. Catch one last glimpse of the Great Orion Nebula. It is all part of the show during the April Star Parties at Wagman Observatory sponsored by the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh. View the night sky with the Moon two days after First Quarter. Observe the Spring Constellations and Jupiter with its four Galilean satellites. This event is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, April 15 and 16 starting at 8:00 PM EDT.

The Nicholas E. Wagman Observatory is locatedin Deer Lakes Regional Park, Frazer Township, Pa., near the village of Russellton in northeastern Allegheny County and some 18 miles from Pittsburgh. This is an opportunity for amateur astronomers, students and the general public to observe the wonders of the Spring sky such as the galaxies in the Coma-Virgo Cluster, planetary nebulae and star clusters.

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