The November edition of What’s Up with the Astronomical League is available for download  here – Whats Up with Astro League November 2024

Are you an officer in your local astronomical society?  Especially the President or the ALCor?  We have made great progress in getting the individual member societies on the AL web site.  We are about half done, but we need information from the other societies.  This is a great way for potential future members to find you.  The more information you can provide the easier it is for them to reach you, and join!

To find out if we have you in the database:

• Connect to the AL website.
• Hover over Regions & Clubs
• Click on Astronomical Societies
• Click on your State
• If your society is NOT on the list, jump to the next section.
• If your society is on the list, then review that information.
• Then click on your society and review that infoormation as well.
• If you notice any errors, then please send the corrected information to aaron@clevenson.org to be updated.  OFFICERS ONLY should respond!

If your society is NOT in the database, then:

• To make this process work, we need you to use the Google Form link below.  Do NOT send an email.
• Please only have one officer in your club submit the data to the form.  Multiple submissions from the same club cause delays and confusion.
• Please fill in the Google Form at:
  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdiGR1EmsVWVqjBm0PglcCLxflFvk4dcGvcSh5kf3e2xPZxaA/viewform?usp=sf_link
• When you fill it in, the data will be collected so that we can post it on the AL website.
• Please have your information submitted by December 15th if possible.  We know this is rather short, but we are trying very hard to get this completed.
• The form is comprehensive.  Please fill in as much of the information as you can.
• You should be able to complete it in 10-15 minutes for most clubs.  (Some clubs that have more information may take a little longer.)

Thanks for helping us help your society reach propective members.

If you are participating in this observing challenge, then you have your first observation already done.  If not, you seem to have plenty of time to get one done.  It has not happened, and the latest prediction I have seen suggests that is could be between March 27 or November 10, 2025 (or later).  Keep your initial observation and watch for news about an eruption.  The Special Observing Challenge is just waiting for it to occur.

For more information on this latest timing approximation, check out this website:  https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2515-5172/ad8bba.

2025 is the Hubble Telescope’s 35th Anniversary.  To celebrate this awesome 35 years, NASA and the Astronomical League is bring you a year-long Special Observing Award.  There are monthly silver level certificates, and there is a gold level certificate and pin at the end as well.  Note:  The gold level requires more monthly observations than the individual silver levels…  For more information check out the NASA Observing Challenges web page:  https://www.astroleague.org/nasa-observing-challenges-special-awards/

Did you know that the AL has a presence on ouTube and Facebook?  Lots of good information.  To see the poster click here:  PDF Format, JPEG Format.

The Observing Program Division is pleased to announce the inclusion of a new Observing Program Relationship Graphic.  It is a represetation of the Universe, the Milky Way, and the solar system with the Observing Programs grouped and superimposed to show how they relate to the cosmos.  It is available through our menues by using Observe>Observing Program Division, and scrolling down to the bottom of the Observing Program Planning Tool section, by clicking on this link to go directly to that page, or by clicking here to see it directly.  The explanation of the graphic is contained on the Observing Program Division web page.  Enjoy.

The Astronomical League is pleased to announce its newest Observing Program: The Extragalactic Objects Observing Program. This is not a galaxy program, but an observing program featuring very Deep Space Objects (other than galaxies). These are the familiar objects from our own galaxy (Open Clusters, Globular Clusters, etc.) but they are part of other galaxies (such as Andromeda). Check out the new program, its requirements and its object list: https://www.astroleague.org/extragalactic-objects-observing-program/

Did you miss the opportunity to participate in the Special Award in August?  Do you want to have a second round with the Parker Solar Probe?  This is your chance!  To honor the probe’s closest approach to the Sun in December we offer version 2.0.  For details and requirements for this Special Observing Award, go to the AL’s NASA Observing Challenges web page:  https://www.astroleague.org/nasa-observing-challenges-special-awards/ .  This is our 11th NASA Observing Challenge.

This AL Live has been cancelled.

Join the AL Live for a char with Barbara Harris on doing Science with Seestar.

10//25/2024 at 7 PM EDT.

To see Flyer – click here.

It is finally in the evening skies.  Best viewing (weather permitting) will be from 10/12 through 10/26.  After sunet, look west and above where the sun just set.  It should be awesome in binoculars.  NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN!!!  On 10/12 the comet will be 16 degrees altitude at sunset, and will climb steadily each night.  By 10/26 it will be at 49 degrees altitude at sunset, but it will also be about 2 magnitudes fainter.  Enjoy.