HOWARD

ASTRONOMICAL

LEAGUE


			HAL Website Search:
		Alpha Ridge Star Parties Canceled. Meetings Virtual Until Further Notice

The next General Meeting (open to the public) will be held on Thursday, January 21st at 7PM. The topic will be NOAA'S Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). More information is available on the meetings page.

            Join Zoom Meeting
            https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81424252252?pwd=M2hSS0pTQ1hJZlYvK3NRZEE4RG1OQT09
            Passcode: JPSS
            Meeting ID: 814 2425 2252
            
            One tap mobile
            +13017158592,,81424252252#,,,,*452890# US (Washington D.C)
            +13126266799,,81424252252#,,,,*452890# US (Chicago)
            
            Dial by your location
                    +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C)
                    +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
                    +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
                    +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
                    +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
                    +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
            Meeting ID: 814 2425 2252
            Passcode: 452890
            Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kexDh2bRk

One brief but important part of the January meeting will be HAL's annual election. Election committee chair Jim Johnson said recently: "As required by HAL bylaws, a new board of directors is elected each year at the HAL general meeting in January. The elected positions as defined in the bylaws are: President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Event Coordinator. Even though some present members are likely to stand for re-election, all Board seats are considered open in the election...The duties for each position is provided in the HAL Bylaws."

The next Planning Meeting (for current members only) will be held on Monday, February 1st at 7PM. Zoom information will be available via the member's log-in as soon as it is available.

Looking for member photos of the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn?

NOTE: The parks have now partially re-opened. However, HAL is still not scheduling live members-only or public events. HAL keyholders are free to call members-only impromptu observing sessions via the closed hal_impromptu email list for Carrs Mill Park or Alpha Ridge Park. There are no restroom facilities available at either location at this time.

Due to COVID-19, the monthly Planning (board of directors) meeting, Astroschool, the HAL public meeting, and various observing events will be held "virtually" using Zoom.

Check back frequently for updates. HAL looks forward to getting back to normal as soon as prudent. We look forward to seeing everyone and again showing members of the public the wonders of the night sky.

Welcome
to the Howard Astronomical League. HAL is an astronomy club located in Howard County, Maryland. We hold monthly meetings on the lower (mezzanine) level of the Robinson Nature Center in Columbia, MD, conduct public star parties at Alpha Ridge Park utilizing the "HALO" observatory, and provide community outreach events at various Howard County locations - often in public library parking lots. We invite everyone to be a part of amateur astronomy with us. You will find information about our meeting dates on the Our Meetings page. Information on membership is located on the HAL Membership page.

Join Us
for our Star Parties and Outreach events. We also provide an e-mail group for communication of timely club News and for astronomical discussions.

Information
to help plan your observing sessions is available on the calendar page or the astrolinks page -- where you can check for moonrise times, Iridium flares, International Space Station sightings, Jupiter's Great Red Spot transit and a lot more. And don't forget to check the weather before you venture out.

HAL's Observatory at Alpha Ridge Park (HALO)
is normally open monthly but not at the current time due to the pandemic. HALO houses HAL's 6 inch "Illig" Refracting telescope. Check these web pages for full details about the observatory. For a schedule of events at the observatory, check the HAL star parties page or the HAL calendar.

HAL is proud to have official affiliations with:

	Robinson Nature Center		Astronomical League
	Howard County Recreation & Parks Alpha Ridge Park		International Dark Sky Association
	Howard County Conservancy		Alpha Ridge Park

Last modified: January 13, 2021 @ 14:37 EST