Please join us in welcoming Chuck Allen as the newly appointed Coordinator for the Lunar Observing Program.
We would also like to thank the previous Coordinator, Nina Chevalier, for her service to the Astronomical League as part of the Observing Program Division.
Continuing our efforts to recognize that many of our members are seriously into imaging, the Astronomical League has added this as an option for two of our fundamental Observing Programs: the Sunspotter Observing Program and the Hydrogen-Alpha Solar Observing Program. The requirements are the same as they have been, but now an Imaging certificate may be earned. Certificates will have an “I” appended to the certificate numbers.
A member may earn these certifications both ways. Multiple certificates will be issued, but only one pin per Observing Program will be awarded. For more information, contact the Observing Program Coordinators.
Recognizing that many of our membership are very seriously into imaging, the Astronomical League has added this as an option for two of our fundamental Observing Programs: Lunar and Lunar II. The requirements are the same as they have been, but now an Imaging certificate may be earned. Certificates will have an “I” appended to the certificate numbers.
A member may earn these certifications both ways. Multiple certificates will be issued, but only one pin per Observing Program be awarded. For more information, contact the Observing Program Coordinators.
Engage Youth!
Do you have people in your life age 10 and under who you would love to introduce to astronomy, to start their voyage into the Universe? He or she could be a child, grandchild, or a neighbor. If so, then the Astronomical League has an Observing Program that is just what you need, Sky Puppy. This program explores the night sky at an introductory level, introducing concepts and objects to help young astronomers understand what they are seeing and to find their way among the stars. The Observing Program has a list of activities for the youth to accomplish, as well as useful information and stories. Thanks to a partnership with NASA, these workbook guides, certificates, and pins are available at no cost to members of the Astronomical League, as well as to non-members. This Observing Program is great for one-on-one experiences, but has also been used in class settings. If you would like more information on the Sky Puppy Observing Program, visit its website:
https://www.astroleague.org//al/obsclubs/skypuppy/skypuppy2.htm. To request one or more copies of the workbook guides, please send an email to the Coordinator, Aaron Clevenson, at aaron@clevenson.org. Be sure to include your postal mailing address.
The Astronomical League is sorry to announce that due to the global pandemic of COVID-19 virus, Astronomy Day originally scheduled for May 2, 2020, has been canceled. Any assistance you can offer in “spreading the word” would be appreciated.
The Astronomical League is pleased to be a co-sponsor of IDA’s International Dark Sky Week. This is a week-long celebration of the night. This year, IDA is encouraging people around the world to come together online to celebrate the night and engage with authors, creators, scientists, and educators whose works have been vital to the movement to protect the night from light pollution.
The videos will be streamed to YouTube and Facebook daily from April 19-26. For the complete schedule, click here:
We have recently updated the Herschel II Observing List. If you are working on this Observing Program (or thinking about it) be sure to check out the current objects lists on the web site: https://www.astroleague.org/herschel-ii-observing-program
There is also a brief explanation of the reasoning for the change and the objects affected.
During the Council Meeting at the AL Convention each summer, the Council reviews and considers adoptions of new Observing Programs. If you have an idea that you would like to propose, now is the time to pitch it to the Observing Program Directors. If you have a proposal, please contact Aaron Clevenson, at aaron@clevenson.org and let’s get things moving.
Not all proposals are accepted by the Ccouncil. The role of the Observing Program Directors is to help you get your proposal together, give you advice on it, and to position you as well as possible for success at the Council Meeting. Possible outcomes are:
To be adopted, all proposals must go through the proposal process. Information on that process and that documents are required can be found on the web page: https://www.astroleague.org/new-observing-program-proposal
The first step in that process is to discuss it with the Observing Program Directors. Proposals should be additive to the Observing Program Division at the Astronomical League. This means that they need to be educational and go beyond the existing Observing Program offerings. More of the same, or “just a new list of objects” do not meet that criteria.
More information about the Observing Program Division at the AL can be found on the web page: https://www.astroleague.org//observing.html
