The Astronomical League is looking for a few good men and women to volunteer as observing program coordinators. We are specifically looking for coordinators for the Outreach Program and for the Herschel 400 Program. If you are interested and willing, please contact Aaron Clevenson, a National AL Observing Program Coordinator, at aaron@clevenson.org by the end of December 2014. There may be additional opportunities as well.
The Astronomical League is working with NASA to bring you some special observing opportunities and awards. The first of these is coming up very soon. It is to celebrate the flyby of Mars by Comet Siding-Spring. The target date is October 19, 2014. Submissions must be made to the NASA website by December 19, 2014.
In brief, you need to take a picture of the comet and/or Mars and submit it to the NASA website. You also need to do an outreach event related to this event before December 19, 2014 and note it when you submit your image. There is no pin, this does NOT count towards a Master Observer Certification, but there is a certificate signed by NASA and the AL President.
The NASA website address is:
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/challenges.cfm
If you have questions, send them to Aaron Clevenson at aaron@clevenson.org.
Did you know that the Astronomical League provides a way for you to get answers to your questions from astronomers who have done a good bit of observing? We do. It is the Master Observers Network. It is a list server that sends an email to participating Master Observers, and they will respond to your querries.
To submit a question, use the Observe Tab and select Ask A Question.
If you are a master observer and would like to be added to the list of recipients, please contact Aaron Clevenson at aaron@clevenson.org. We would love for you to join us.
The Astronomical League offers posters for clubs to download, then have printed for display at their public events such as Astronomy Day. They range in size from 20 x 30 inch sheets to materials that can be mounted on tri-fold project display boards. Some are available in 8.5 x 11 inch format. These documents can be printed at a local print shop at a rate of about $0.75 per square foot for black and white copies. Please visit https://test.astroleague.org//outreach
A few of the titles offered:
You Are Here — Illustrates our location in the Milky Way galaxy.
Navigating the Spring (or Fall) Night Sky — Gives the novice a tour of the sky.
How is Your Stargazing Knowledge? — Tests the public’s knowledge of the night sky in a friendly, interactive way.
Our Unnatural Night — Confronts the problem of light pollution.
What Telescope is Best for Me? — Guides the newcomer towards a suitable telescope.
How to Find Celestial Objects — Shows the methods amateur astronomers use to locate faint objects with ease.
The Need for Telescopes — Using the moon for comparison, the relative sizes of the planets are shown.
The ABCs of Stargazing — Explains the concepts of angular distance, brightness, and the altitude-azimuth coordinate system.
Is That a Planet or a Star? — Answers the question of how to tell a planet from a star.
If you would like to develop a set of downloadable materials in the style of those already available at Outreach Downloads, please contact Astronomical League President John Goss, president@astroleague.org.