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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).

The next HAL General Meeting is October 16th at 7pm. This meeting is open to the public.

Time: Sep 23, 2021 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: New Horizons and the Kuiper Belt
Presenter: Dr. Carey Lisse, Johns Hopkins University / Applied Physics Laboratory

This will be a Zoom Meeting. Zoom Info Coming Soon
More Info Here.

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?

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.

HAL's COVID-19 Policy for Events

  • For HAL impromptu and member-only star parties, participants should wait for an invitation before approaching to look through others’ telescopes; respect each other’s desires for social distancing.
  • Face coverings are encouraged for non-vaccinated people while participating outdoors.
  • Face coverings are required for all inside the Alpha Ridge HALO building.

Currently, the monthly board of directors' planning meeting, Astroschool, and the HAL public meeting are being held virtually using Zoom. Check back frequently for updates. HAL looks forward to resuming in-person gatherings.

The parks have now re-opened. HAL is now scheduling public events. HAL keyholders are also free to call members-only impromptu observing sessions via the closed hal_impromptu email list for Carrs Mill Park or Alpha Ridge Park.

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)
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:
RNC Robinson Nature Center Astronomical League
Howard County Recreation & Parks

Alpha Ridge Park		 International Dark Sky Association
Howard County Conservancy Alpha Ridge Park

© 1999-2021 Howard Astronomical League
All Rights Reserved

Last modified: September 24, 2021 @ 15:20 EST