What we're about
We are a group of people in the Mid-Hudson Valley who are interested in Astronomy and Science. We hold monthly star parties at Lake Taghkanic State Park, and monthly presentations at SUNY New Paltz -- both open to the public.
Our star parties are generally held on the Friday before a new moon (with Saturday as a back-up). The dates are listed in our Star Party Schedule. You must register to attend the event (here on Meetup) and you will need to provide your car's license plate and make and model so that we can give that info to the park police. You can see the forecast for viewing conditions on the Lake Taghkanic State Park Clear Sky Chart. If you will be attending one of our star parties it may help for you to review our MHAA Etiquette Guide.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic we are currently holding our monthly meetings both in person at SUNY New Paltz and online using Zoom.
We also participate in local education and outreach events; our members are available to make presentations or arrange for public observations of the night sky or the sun, and to help beginners learn how to get started in astronomy. When the weather allows, we often set up telescopes on the Walkway Over the Hudson when they hold their Walkway At Night events.
Club events are listed on the MHAA Google Calendar. Both our Star Parties and our Monthly Presentations are open to the public. (Our Monthly Presentations are preceded by an open club business meeting, which may be less interesting.)
Recordings of our public presentations, some star parties, and some other activities are available on our YouTube channel. Some of our events are also announced (and broadcast and recorded) on Facebook. If you would like to keep up with club news then you can follow us by joining our email list on groups.io. None of these require you to become an MHAA member.
If you are interested in becoming a member of MHAA (not just following us here on Meetup or by email or Facebook) then you can use these instructions. Annual dues are $25, which we use to support our activities, including insurance for our star parties and paying for Zoom. MHAA members can borrow club telescopes or DVDs from our collection, and can participate in exclusive discussions on our Slack discussion channels.
Donations are always welcomed to help support the club's education and outreach activities. You can use this PayPal link or send email to treasurer@midhusonastro.org.
If you have any questions, send them to questions@midhudsonastro.org.
Upcoming events (3)
Enjoy the night sky away from the bright lights of the towns and cities in our area! The night will be dark - perfect for star gazing. Bring your own telescopes and binoculars or use those provided by our members. A telescope is not required.
Telescope operators will arrive about 30 minutes early to set up. Observing begins about an hour after sunset and will probably end around 11, or whenever club members decide. All will take place at the park's West Beach parking lot.
You must RSVP with your car's make, model, and license plate number at least one day beforehand. This info is required by and sent to the State Park authorities because we are there after park hours. If you attend without being on the list and the police show up, the consequences can include revocation of our permit for after hours use.
Please review our guide to star party etiquette if you have not been to one of our star parties before: http://midhudsonastro.spy-hill.net/MHAA_Star_Party_Etiquette_Guide.pdf
You can see the Clear Sky Chart for Lake Taghkanic State Park at http://www.cleardarksky.com/c/LkTagNYkey.html It shows various viewing conditions (cloud cover, transparency, darkness) as well as temperature, wind, etc.
Note: Winter and late Fall viewing conditions can be very clear - but also very cold. Since you will be standing around looking at the stars for a while you may feel even colder than otherwise when outdoors. Dress warmly and consider bringing extra layers in case you get colder as the night goes on.
For further information, text/call Tim Denman at[masked] or Jack Chastain at[masked]
- Karl L.
- Marguerite
- Jack C.
- 38 attendees
This June’s lecture takes us to one of the most spectacular and dynamic nearby neighborhoods in the Milky Way. Located only 1350 light-years away, the Orion Nebula (M42) consists of a large cloud of gas and dust excited and illuminated from within by ultraviolet and visible light from a multiple-star system containing at least 8 stars, including 4 blue super giants. RAC’s planetary expert Keith Murdock will give a guided tour through the features of this stunningly beautiful nebula and its constantly evolving surroundings – The Orion Molecular Cloud. Keith will also explain some of the nebula’s astrophysics, illustrating why it is such a rich environment for forming new stars and planetary systems – a true Cradle of Creation.
The meeting will be in person at the Coykendall Science Building Auditorium on the campus of SUNY New Paltz. For those who are interested in watching it on Zoom, the link will be distributed the day of the meeting to those who have RSVP'd.
Any questions? call Alex at[masked] or Tim at[masked]
- Karl L.
- Rukhshan123
- Jim R.
- 24 attendees
Enjoy the night sky away from the bright lights of the towns and cities in our area! The night will be dark - perfect for star gazing. Bring your own telescopes and binoculars or use those provided by our members. A telescope is not required.
Telescope operators will arrive about 30 minutes early to set up. Observing begins about an hour after sunset and will probably end around 11, or whenever club members decide. All will take place at the park's West Beach parking lot.
You must RSVP with your car's make, model, and license plate number at least one day beforehand. This info is required by and sent to the State Park authorities because we are there after park hours. If you attend without being on the list and the police show up, the consequences can include revocation of our permit for after hours use.
Please review our guide to star party etiquette if you have not been to one of our star parties before: http://midhudsonastro.spy-hill.net/MHAA_Star_Party_Etiquette_Guide.pdf
You can see the Clear Sky Chart for Lake Taghkanic State Park at http://www.cleardarksky.com/c/LkTagNYkey.html It shows various viewing conditions (cloud cover, transparency, darkness) as well as temperature, wind, etc.
Note: Winter and late Fall viewing conditions can be very clear - but also very cold. Since you will be standing around looking at the stars for a while you may feel even colder than otherwise when outdoors. Dress warmly and consider bringing extra layers in case you get colder as the night goes on.
For further information, text/call Tim Denman at[masked] or Jack Chastain at[masked]
- Jack C.
- Ken B.
- Dave S.
- 5 attendees
Past events (550)
- Jack C.
- Ken B.
- Steve D.
- 36 attendees
