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What's New with HAL?
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Coming December 18th:
Winter Solstice Celebration - Under the Stars [see page 13].
Celebrate the longest night of the year with an evening of activities that
explore the light and the dark! Enjoy a planetarium program to discover the
significance of the solstice, myths, and folklore about our sun. Take in nature's
winter beauty during a night hike as we examine how animals and plants
prepare for the long nights and short days ahead. Warm up with a campfire
and hot chocolate. [6 yrs + Robinson Nature Ctr]
RP4873.550 Saturday, Dec 18 from 6:30-8:30pm, $10 fee.
To register: www.howardcountymd.gov/rap or 410-313-PARK (410-313-7275).
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The next HAL General Meeting is
September 23rd, the 4th Thursday at 7pm. This meeting is open to the public.
Dr. Dan Milisavljevic will be presenting:
Observing the Next Galactic Supernova.
[Read more...] Zoom link below.
Topic: HAL September Monthly Meeting
Time: Sep 23, 2021 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Note: 4th Thursday of September!
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87008550076?pwd=UkJEUnNGUlg2dHhlUVBTOFJvTXF5UT09
Passcode: sun
Meeting ID: 870 0855 0076
One tap mobile
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Dial by your location
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Meeting ID: 870 0855 0076
Passcode: 222814
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kclgZy3vLN
The next HAL Planning Meeting (members only) will be held on
Monday, Oct. 4th at 7PM.
Zoom information will be available to members via login near end of September.
Our next Public Star Party will be
Saturday, October 16th around sunset at Alpha Ridge Park for International Observe the Moon Night.
If you are comfortable sharing your telescope with members of the public, join us in setting up your telescope. It is also a great opportunity
to experience different styles telescopes and sizes. If you are trying to decide which type of telescope you would like to purchase,
this is the place to try them out and get great advice. The number one benefit is that it is a lot of fun.
Read more about our Star Parties.
ALCON Virtual 2021, this year's Astronomical League Convention,
was held virtually from Aug 19, 3:00 PM EDT to Aug 21, 11:00 PM EDT.
See also the website of MERAL, the Mid East Region Astronomical League (which includes Maryland and HAL).
Our first Solar Observing and Imaging (Astro School) (members only) was held
Saturday, July 17th at 9AM to Noon at Alpha Ridge Park.
Phil lead this session encouraging those with a solar telescope, glasses, binoculars, or other method of safely observing the Sun
to bring them along. Topics covered:
- What are we actually observing when we look at the Sun
- Solar Safety
- White Light Observing
- Hydrogen-Alpha Observing
- Why are the differences and benefits of different types of solar scopes
- Imaging
Note: A follow-up Zoom session will be scheduled where we can process solar images together.
See the recap of the Solar Astro School event.
Our second Virtual Public Star Party, April 17th was very successful!
We had over 20 participants that stayed just short of 3 hours. Phil thanks Chuck Cynamon, Brad Martin, Jim Johnson, and Gene Handler
for their preparations, presentations, and leading discussions. [Read more...]
Second Virtual Star Party - Zoom Recording [2:40; 716 MB]
Astro School - Polar Alignment
Report from Phil: "I would very much like to thank John Nagy for conducting Astro School [on April 8th]. We had 32 participants.
The questions and conversations went much deeper than I would have ever expected on the topic of polar alignment.
It was very interesting to learn of John's methodology on how he did trial and error, as well as measured the
relative differences going from no polar aligning to using different tools."
[Read more...]
Mars Report: Update on NASA's Perseverance & Curiosity Rovers
"With no road maps on Mars, I'm building my own as I go. There are lots of places I want to explore, and mapping while I drive will
help me see and do more. "
[Watch on Facebook...]
NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter
What's happening with the Mars 2020 mission and Perseverance?
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