- May 2024 Star PartyLake Taghkanic State Park, Elizaville, NY
Enjoy the mid Spring constellations 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.
Gemini will be visible early, and Leo will be dominating the night sky, along with Ursa Major (which includes the Big Dipper). Hercules will be rising towards the end of the evening. "Galaxy Season" will be in full swing. The famous Leo Triplet should be visible both through the eyepiece and live-stacked on a screen.
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.
If you have not been to one of our star parties before then please review our guide to star party etiquette at http://midhudsonastro.spy-hill.net/MHAA_Star_Party_Etiquette_Guide.pdf.
A forecast of the viewing conditions can be found on the Clear Sky Chart for Lake Taghkanic State Park. It shows various viewing conditions (cloud cover, transparency, darkness) as well as temperature, wind, etc. Even more information about Astronomy at Lake Taghkanic State Park is available at http://www.spy-hill.net/myers/astro/ltsp/
Note: Mid Spring viewing conditions can be very clear – and are usually pretty mild. However, since you will be standing around looking at the stars for a while, you may feel colder than you expect. Consider bringing a sweater or jacket in case you get colder as the night goes on.
For further information, text or call Tim Denman at 845-245-5483 or Jack Chastain at 845-430-6851.
Featured Image Credit: Michael Goldstein, an MHAA member since 2023, practices Electronically Assisted Astronomy (EAA), real time astro-imaging, which he frequently demonstrates at Star Parties.
- June 2024 Star PartyLake Taghkanic State Park, Elizaville, NY
Enjoy the Spring constellations 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.
Leo will be visible early, with Ursa Major (which includes the Big Dipper) near zenith, and Hercules rising towards comfortable viewing levels by mid-evening. While Galaxy Season is ending, M101, a showcase galaxy, will be high in the northern sky, and readily visible in many of the party’s telescopes.
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.
If you have not been to one of our star parties before then please review our guide to star party etiquette at http://midhudsonastro.spy-hill.net/MHAA_Star_Party_Etiquette_Guide.pdf
A forecast of the viewing conditions can be found on the Clear Sky Chart for Lake Taghkanic State Park. It shows various viewing conditions (cloud cover, transparency, darkness) as well as temperature, wind, etc. Even more information about Astronomy at Lake Taghkanic State Park is available at http://www.spy-hill.net/myers/astro/ltsp/
Note: Late Spring viewing conditions can be very clear – and are usually pretty mild. However, since you will be standing around looking at the stars for a while, you may feel colder than you expect. Consider bringing a sweater or light jacket just in case.
For further information, text or call Tim Denman at 845-245-5483 or Jack Chastain at 845-430-6851.
Featured image credit: Steve Dittmar, MHAA member and Webmaster, has been learning astrophotography since 2014. Today he's also an instructor at the Adirondack Sky Center and Observatory's astrophotography workshop and teaches privately as well. He loves imaging deep sky objects and sharing views at our public star parties that make guests say, "Oh wow!".
- July 2024 Star PartyLake Taghkanic State Park, Elizaville, NY
Summer is here! If you're not picnic'd out, why not dine lake-side and then join us to view the heavens 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.
July is when Hercules dominates the sky! The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules (M13) is one of the top binocular/small telescope deep-sky objects of the year, and something to behold! It will show up in even modest binoculars, so bring your own, especially if you can mount them on a tripod or monopod... Otherwise our friendly Star Party guests will be happy to let you look through their telescopes.
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.
If you have not been to one of our star parties before then please review our guide to star party etiquette at http://midhudsonastro.spy-hill.net/MHAA_Star_Party_Etiquette_Guide.pdf
A forecast of the viewing conditions can be found on the Clear Sky Chart for Lake Taghkanic State Park. It shows various viewing conditions (cloud cover, transparency, darkness) as well as temperature, wind, etc. Even more information about Astronomy at Lake Taghkanic State Park is available at http://www.spy-hill.net/myers/astro/ltsp/
Note: Late Spring viewing conditions can be very clear – and are usually pretty mild. However, since you will be standing around looking at the stars for a while, you may feel colder than you expect. Consider bringing a sweater or light jacket just in case.
For further information, text or call Tim Denman at 845-245-5483 or Jack Chastain at 845-430-6851.
Featured Image Credit: Greg Salyer, an MHAA member since 2011, specializes in deep sky astrophotography. This includes the photography of galaxies, star clusters, supernova explosions, planetary nebula, and beautiful clouds of gas and dust scattered throughout the Milky Way.
- First August 2024 Star PartyLake Taghkanic State Park, Elizaville, NY
Early August! The first of our two star parties this month: 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.
Hercules is still high, but now past the meridian, while Cygnus and the Summer Triangle (Altair, Vega, and Deneb, the 3rd, 8th, and 15th brightest stars in the northern hemisphere, respectively) are dominating. Tonight is one of the best nights to see M8, the Lagoon Nebula, through a telescope. We have a great view of the Southern Sky from our dark site, and the Lagoon, never particularly high from our latitude, will be close to its annual high. This is an enormous object, about 3x the width of the full moon, and one of the most active star forming regions in our part of the galaxy. A stunning object in a wide field telescope equipped with an OIII filter, as many of our members will bring.
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.
If you have not been to one of our star parties before then please review our guide to star party etiquette at http://midhudsonastro.spy-hill.net/MHAA_Star_Party_Etiquette_Guide.pdf
A forecast of the viewing conditions can be found on the Clear Sky Chart for Lake Taghkanic State Park. It shows various viewing conditions (cloud cover, transparency, darkness) as well as temperature, wind, etc. Even more information about Astronomy at Lake Taghkanic State Park is available at http://www.spy-hill.net/myers/astro/ltsp/
Note: This is usually one of the warmer nights of the year, and very pleasant to be outside as it cools off throughout the clear night. Rarely it can feel nippy by the end of the evening, so bringing a light jacket or sweater is a good idea (you can keep it in the car unless you need it).
For further information, text or call Tim Denman at 845-245-5483 or Jack Chastain at 845-430-6851.
Featured Image Credit: Image by David Parmet, a recently-joined MHAA member and new to astrophotography. His new-found love for astrophotography combines his passions for photography and astronomy, both of which he's be pursuing since he was a boy.
- Second August 2024 Star PartyLake Taghkanic State Park, Elizaville, NY
Late August, and our second star party of the month due to the lunar cycle. The evenings are getting longer, foreshadowing cooler days to come. 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.
Hercules is still high in the sky, while the summer triangle of Altair, Vega, and Deneb will be surrounding the zenith. If you stay late, you'll see Pegasus and the Great Square rise in the east with Perseus' cap just sneaking over the horizon. Many of the fabulous nebulae that track the great arc of the Milky Way will be visible in telescopes and particularly on live-stacked astrophotography screens that will be available for viewing, including the Elephant Trunk (IC1396A, featured image), North American, Pelican, and Veil nebulae.
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.
If you have not been to one of our star parties before then please review our guide to star party etiquette at http://midhudsonastro.spy-hill.net/MHAA_Star_Party_Etiquette_Guide.pdf
A forecast of the viewing conditions can be found on the Clear Sky Chart for Lake Taghkanic State Park. It shows various viewing conditions (cloud cover, transparency, darkness) as well as temperature, wind, etc. Even more information about Astronomy at Lake Taghkanic State Park is available at http://www.spy-hill.net/myers/astro/ltsp/
Note: It's usually pretty warm in late August, but it can sometimes get a bit nippy later in the evening. Bring a light jacket or sweater, and leave it in the car until you need it..
For further information, text or call Tim Denman at 845-245-5483 or Jack Chastain at 845-430-6851.
Featured Image Credit: Michael Goldstein, an MHAA member since 2023, practices Electronically Assisted Astronomy (EAA), real time astro-imaging, which he frequently demonstrates at Star Parties.
- September 2024 Star PartyLake Taghkanic State Park, Elizaville, NY
Late September brings longer evenings and an hour earlier start than last month. 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.
Bootes and Arcturus will make their final appearance of the year, early, Hercules and the fabulous M13 will still be visible. But focus will be shifting eastward, with Pegasus and Andromeda starting to dominate the Eastern skies in the mid-evening. Saturn will also be putting in an appearance and makes a great telescope target. After 8 PM you may be able to see the Great Andromeda Galaxy (featured image) as a barely perceptible smudge with the naked eye, and a definite smudge through binoculars. Viewed via a telescope, you'll be able to see some additional definition. And if someone is demonstrating EAA (stacking and displaying astro images in real time) you might think the Hubble Telescope had been magically transported to the Taghkanic Lake parking lot.
Our featured image of Andromeda here was taken by an MHAA member using his DSLR, a 100mm lens, and a home-made mount, proving that you don't need to spend a fortune to capture great pictures of the heavens.
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.
If you have not been to one of our star parties before then please review our guide to star party etiquette at http://midhudsonastro.spy-hill.net/MHAA_Star_Party_Etiquette_Guide.pdf
A forecast of the viewing conditions can be found on the Clear Sky Chart for Lake Taghkanic State Park. It shows various viewing conditions (cloud cover, transparency, darkness) as well as temperature, wind, etc. Even more information about Astronomy at Lake Taghkanic State Park is available at http://www.spy-hill.net/myers/astro/ltsp/
Note: Early Fall viewing conditions can be very clear - and therefore chillier than you might expect. 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 or call Tim Denman at 845-245-5483 or Jack Chastain at 845-430-6851.
Featured Image Credit: Joe Sorace is a new MHAA member and a beginning astrophotographer with a passion for capturing the beauty of the night sky. His journey into astrophotography is fueled by a curiosity about the universe and a desire to share it with others. His favorite objects include Galaxies, Star clusters, Nebulae, and Dark Nebulae.
- First November 2024 Star PartyLake Taghkanic State Park, Elizaville, NY
Our first of two star parties this month is scheduled for the night after Halloween! In addition to enjoying the night sky away from the bright lights of the towns and cities in our area, we will be holding our first annual Alien Costume Contest (read down for details)! 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.
After a long featured run, Hercules will be setting early. Andromeda is now high in the east, and the Triangulum constellation will be just below it. Tiny, and not well known to many star-gazers, it's home to M33, the second closest galaxy to our own Milky Way and a fabulous target for telescopes and EAA (featured image).
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.
If you have not been to one of our star parties before then please review our guide to star party etiquette at http://midhudsonastro.spy-hill.net/MHAA_Star_Party_Etiquette_Guide.pdf
A forecast of the viewing conditions can be found on the Clear Sky Chart for Lake Taghkanic State Park. It shows various viewing conditions (cloud cover, transparency, darkness) as well as temperature, wind, etc. Even more information about Astronomy at Lake Taghkanic State Park is available at http://www.spy-hill.net/myers/astro/ltsp/
Note: Mid-Fall viewing conditions can be very clear - but also pretty 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.
Alien Costume Contest Details -- Judging will take place at 6:45 PM sharp. It will be twilight, but "serious" viewing will just be starting. Creativity is encouraged, but if you have lights on your costume please ensure that they can be turned off as soon as judging is completed so as not to compromise viewing. The winner will receive a nice LED headlamp as a prize (donated by a MHAA member for this event), along with the admiration of all who attend.
For further information, text or call Tim Denman at 845-245-5483 or Jack Chastain at 845-430-6851.
Featured image credit: Greg Salyer, an MHAA member since 2011, specializes in deep sky astrophotography. This includes the photography of galaxies, star clusters, supernova explosions, planetary nebula, and beautiful clouds of gas and dust scattered throughout the Milky Way.
- Second November 2024 Star PartyLake Taghkanic State Park, Elizaville, NY
Our second star party in November marks the beginning of serious planetary observing, with 7 planets observable if you stay late. 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.
The short day provides a fantastic range of observing options if you stick around long enough. Hercules will be setting into the sun glare just after sunset at the same time as Venus -- the brightest object in the sky -- will be making a cameo appearance low in the SW. Saturn will be bright, and nearly 40° above the horizon, readily visible to the naked eye and spectacular in some of the longer focal length telescopes. Neptune, and later Uranus, will be observable through a telescope, and Jupiter will rise in the mid-evening. If you stick around long enough, you can see Orion rise in the east, harbinger on the approaching winter. Mars will sneak over the eastern horizon around 11:30, enabling you to see all of the planets except Mercury in the one night.
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.
If you have not been to one of our star parties before then please review our guide to star party etiquette at http://midhudsonastro.spy-hill.net/MHAA_Star_Party_Etiquette_Guide.pdf
A forecast of the viewing conditions can be found on the Clear Sky Chart for Lake Taghkanic State Park. It shows various viewing conditions (cloud cover, transparency, darkness) as well as temperature, wind, etc. Even more information about Astronomy at Lake Taghkanic State Park is available at http://www.spy-hill.net/myers/astro/ltsp/
Note: late Fall viewing conditions can be very clear - but also quite 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 or call Tim Denman at 845-245-5483 or Jack Chastain at 845-430-6851.
Featured image credit: Steve Dittmar, MHAA member and Webmaster, has been learning astrophotography since 2014. Today he's also an instructor at the Adirondack Sky Center and Observatory's astrophotography workshop and teaches privately as well. He loves imaging deep sky objects and sharing views at our public star parties that make guests say, "Oh wow!".
- December 2024 Star PartyLake Taghkanic State Park, Elizaville, NY
Our last star party of calendar year 2024 features another opportunity to see 7 planets, and the appearance of Taurus early in the evening. 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.
Taurus brings us the Pleiades, one of the years most spectacular asterisms, and gorgeous viewed in all modalities from the naked eye to long focal length telescopes. Our wide-field featured image shows the nebulosity visible in telescope views, and obvious in EAA captures which live-stack astrophotograps and display them on the screen. If you arrive before sundown, you will again have the opportunity to view all of the planets except Mercury. If you hang around long enough, you will will be able to watch Orion rising.
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.
If you have not been to one of our star parties before then please review our guide to star party etiquette at http://midhudsonastro.spy-hill.net/MHAA_Star_Party_Etiquette_Guide.pdf
A forecast of the viewing conditions can be found on the Clear Sky Chart for Lake Taghkanic State Park. It shows various viewing conditions (cloud cover, transparency, darkness) as well as temperature, wind, etc. Even more information about Astronomy at Lake Taghkanic State Park is available at http://www.spy-hill.net/myers/astro/ltsp/
Note: Winter viewing conditions can be very clear - but also 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 need them as the night goes on.
For further information, text or call Tim Denman at 845-245-5483 or Jack Chastain at 845-430-6851.
Featured Image Credit: David Parmet, a recently-joined MHAA member and new to astrophotography. His new-found love for astrophotography combines his passions for photography and astronomy, both of which he's be pursuing since he was a boy.