HOWARD

ASTRONOMICAL

LEAGUE


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Note: Nominations for HAL's annual Board of Director elections (held at HAL's January meeting) are now open until 24 hours before the January meeting. Jim Johnson is this year's election chairperson. Contact him at election@howardastro.org if you or another member you have confidence in is willing to run. Positions are president, 1st vice president, 2nd vice president, secretary, treasurer, and event coordinator. (Observatory Director and Webmaster positions are appointed by the new Board during the February Planning Meeting as are other committee chairs.)

The International Dark Sky Association is holding a meeting on Dec 11th at 7PM in Clarksville Commons on Clarksville Pike (Rt 108), Clarksville, MD. See the entry for this free event in the HAL calendar. You will also find a registration link and full location address. Even though it's free, you must register in order to attend as space is limited.

There will be a HAL general meeting on Thursday, Dec. 19th at 7PM on the lower mezzanine level of the Robinson Nature Center. This combines a Holiday Potluck, a 20th Anniversary Celebration, and an astronomy swap meet. This event is open to the public. Everyone is asked to bring a dish for the potluck. NO ASTROSCHOOL THIS MONTH. THE TIME BEFORE THE MEETING WILL BE USED TO SET UP FOR THE POTLUCK AND SWAP MEET.

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 open monthly (excepting Jan & Feb). It 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.

The Leona and David Illig Donation Plaque Mounted on the Telescope Pier 8/18/2018

HAL Makes David Assist with Plaque Installation as His "Just" Reward. Thanks Illig's!

HAL is proud to have official affiliations with:

	Robinson Nature Center		Celestial Searchers Astronomy for Howard County Kids (K-8)
	Howard County Recreation & Parks Alpha Ridge Park		Astronomical League
	Howard County Conservancy		International Dark Sky Association

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