HOWARD

ASTRONOMICAL

LEAGUE


			HAL Website Search:

$M56 by Victor Sanchez [click for full 9 MB size]. Image data collected from Alpha Ridge Park on September 26th, 2021 using HALO's 6 inch refractor and ZWO ASI071 camera. Over one-hundred, 20-second exposures were used to form the image. The data, including darks and flats, was acquired using NINA astrophotography software and post-processed in PixInsight.$ What's New with HAL?

Recent Star Party Reports

Upcoming HAL Events: 10/30 thru 11/30

October 30th: Members Star Party - Last Members-only star party of the year!
November 1st Planning Meeting (7-8PM): All HAL Members are invited. Zoom information can be found via login
November 13th Public Star Party
November 18th General Meeting (7-9PM): Topic and speaker TBA.
November Sky Charts (member login required)

Past HAL and Non-HAL Events

October 21st HAL General Meeting .

October General Meeting slides
October Zoom Recording (guest speaker canceled)

October 4th Planning Meeting
October 16th: Public Star Party and Observe the Moon Night
September HAL General Meeting on Observing the Next Galactic Supernova

August 19th to 21st: Astronomical League Convention [watch replays on YouTube]
August 21st: Herman Heyn Celebration of Life [YouTube link]
(Who was Herman Heyn?)
August HAL General Meeting on Mini-RF Instrument aboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)

John Nagy Slides & Video from the August 21st General Meeting

Polar Alignment and AstroImaging - John Nagy (PDF slides: 15.7MB)
Recorded Zoom session (huge MP4: 933MB)

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST): 29 Days on the Edge [YouTube]
You Can Help NASA Observe Other Worlds! - Exoplanet Watch
How to Join HAL's Impromptu Mailing List?
Rob Zellem's Exoplanet presentation within our July mtg Zoom recording
Jim Johnson's Great North American Eclipse of 2024 slides posted
Zoom recording of June mtg w/Jim Johnson's presentation
Recent Planning Meeting Minutes and Latest Treasurer's Report (member login required)
HAL's COVID-19 Policy for Events
2021 Keyholder Responsibilities (limited access)
Perseverance Mars Rover / James Webb Space Telescope / Artemis
HAL's Astronomical League (AL) Observing Club Awardees

HAL November Monthly Meeting

       Speaker, topic and zoom information to be announced.

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).

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:

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

Last modified: October 27, 2021 @ 15:20 EST