ALCon 2015 Online Registration is now available

Feb
17

Online conference registration is now available at the ALCon 2015 website at https://alcon2015.astroleague.org/registration/conference-registration/

Tour registration is available at https://alcon2015.astroleague.org/registration/tour-registration/

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The Astronomical League's Youth Awards 2015 — Prepare Now!

Jan
30

Wouldn't it be great to be young again and to be entering amateur astronomy! Now is the time to start considering the Astronomical League's youth awards for 2015: the National Young Astronomer Award (NYAA), the three Jack Horkheimer Youth Service Awards, and the Horkheimer/O’Meara Journalism Award.

If you know a young person who has been involved in an astronomy-related research project — either of his or her own doing or though an educational institution — please consider nominating that person for the National Young Astronomer Award. He or she must be between 14 and 19 years of age.

If you know a League member, 18 years or younger, who has brought amateur astronomy to your club or to the public through outreach, presentations, writing, or observing, please consider nominating that person for one of the four Horkheimer Service Awards. One of these awards is more specialized than the others — the Horheimer/O'Meara Journalism Award. It requires a person who is 8 to 14 years of age to compose a 300 to 500 word essay on any science related topic. 

Since the deadlines for the National Young Astronomer Award is January 31, 2015 and for the Horkheimer Awards is March 31, 2015, now is the time for potential candidates to work on their projects and to participate in various astronomy activities.

If you are a club officer, nominate them. If you don't, no one else will! Complete information about each award can be found at www.astroleague.org/al/awards/awards.html

 
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2014 Leslie C. Peltier Award Goes To Jim Fox

Having been “bitten by the bug” as a young boy in the 1950s, Jim began his amateur astronomy “career” as a member of a “Junior Moon-Watch Team,” eagerly awaiting the launch of the first artificial Earth satellites during the International Geophysical Year toward the end of that decade. But, unlike the young man in Walt Whitman’s famous poem, he never tired of the “Learn’d Astronomer” and quickly grew tired of simply gazing up at the beauty of the stars. He wanted to “Do something to contribute.”

 

 

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Library Telescope Program

Put telescopes in the hands of those who are most interested: The Library Telescope Program

Library Program TelescopeMany clubs have loaner scopes for their members. The New Hampshire Astronomical  Society (nhastro.com), led by its member Marc Stowbridge, takes a slightly different path by developing a “Library Loaner Scope” program where low cost, quality  telescopes can be checked out by library patrons in the same manner as they do books.  The NHAS selects a modified Orion StarBlast 4.5 inch Dobsonian reflector as their telescope of choice. This thirteen pound instrument is easy to use, is very portable, and comes with quality optics. Novice observers can easily obtain their first views of the moon and its craters, Jupiter and its Galilean satellites, and Saturn and its rings. The brighter deep sky objects can be seen, as well. To help prevent unauthorized fingers from meddling with the optical collimation, access to the primary mirror is physically restricted. A Celestron 8 mm - 24 mm zoom eyepiece is semi-permanently installed to prevent the inevitable loss of removable eyepieces. Full zoom (60x) splits the Trapezium stars in the Orion Nebula, while the lowest power (20x) and widest field (2º) captures the entire nebula.

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What's Up with the Astronomical League - January 2015

Jan
15

The January 2015 issue of the periodic publication “What’s Up With the Astronomical League” is now available and is attached. 

This issues includes:

  • Great idea for promoting Astronomy Societies
  • Staff changes at the A.L. National Office
  • Reminder about the 1/31/2015 deadline for NYAA submissions (with form & instructions included)
  • 2014 Mabel Sterns Newsletter Award Presentation
  • New Years greetings from the League

Download "What's Up with the Astroleague - January 2015" (PDF format, 1 M-Bytes)

Posted By Carroll Iorg read more

Club Liability Insurance for Astronomical League Clubs

Imagine the challenges and issues faced when finding liability insurance to benefit astronomy clubs across the country. No two clubs are alike: Large club vs. small; city locations vs. rural; and varying club activities – meetings, outreach, and star parties. Can one national insurance source be suitable for all clubs?

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