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Observing Program Division – A Note to Master Observers

May 14, 20250 commentsstory
  1. Have you earned your Master Observer Award?  Congratulations and well done!
  2. Are you going to the AL-Con this year in Bryce Canyon?  Awesome.  I hope to see you there.
  3. Have you received your Master Observer Plaque?  Congratulations again.

If you are a Master Observer, please send an email to aaron@clevenson.org with your answers.  If your answer were:  Yes, Yes, and No, then please send the email IMMEDIATELY.

If you said No to question #2, then you still have time to register on-line (until 5/31/2025).  I hope you will join us.  It will be a great convention and incredible skies!

 

Observing Program Division Announcement – 3-D Printer Tools

May 14, 20250 commentsstory

The Oberving Program Division is pleased to announce a new feature on the Astronomical League website:  A repository of helpful 3-D Printer Files (STL Files).  If you have a 3-D printer available some of these aids might be hepful to you in your observations as well as soutreach activities.  They are located on this web page:  https://www.astroleague.org/navigating-the-night-sky-guides/

If you have printed additional tools on your 3-D printer, please send them to Aaron Clevenson at aaron@clevenson.org for inclusion.  Criteria are simple:

  1. You have to have printed the for your use.
  2. They have to be useful to other observers (not “one-ofs”).
  3. Ideally, they should not require supports to print.  A brim is not an issue.

Thanks.  We look forward to seeing your tools.

 

*** The Sun – An Observing Manual

May 8, 20250 commentsstory

This new manual is now available in the AL Store:  (https://store.astroleague.org/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=206).

It was developed by two of the Observing Program Directors and replaces the prior, and out of print, AL Solar Manual.  This completely revised and updated manual is a collection of information about the Sun. Everything you want to know about our nearest star and an excellent resource for the Astronomical League’s Observing Programs that contain solar requirements:

Observing Program Division – Notice to Award Submitters

May 2, 20250 commentsstory

We have noticed that some award submissions are being placed in the Junk Mail Folder of some of our Coordinators.  We want to make sure that we are not losing any of these submissions.  We are taking steps to minimize this issue, but we need your help too.  Please put the words “Award Submission” in the Subject line.  This way if they do end up in Junk Mail, they should be easy to recognize and recover.  Also, we try to respond immediately with a “Received” email.  Sometimes this may take a few days (life and all that), but if you do not get this email from the Coordinator, please send a follow-up email to ask if your submission was received.  Thanks for your help.

Exoplanet Transits

April 6, 20250 commentsstory

The Observing Program Division is considering creating a new Observing Program for Exoplanet Transits.  We need to do a “proof of concept”.  If you are willing and able to help as a tester, then we need you!  If you have done Novae (and Supoernovae) or Variable Stars, then the process is the same.  All we are looking for is a few successful runs from a few different astronomers.  Observations will count towards earning the future Observing Program.  For more information and to join the testing team, please contact Aaron Clevenson, Observing Program Director, at aaron@clevenson.org

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