September 2024 Star Party

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.

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.