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://test.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:

• Adoption of the proposal.
• Adoption of the proposal with modifications.
• Adoption of the proposal pending with some additional work required.
• Postponement of the adoption until a future Council Meeting.
• Nonadoption of the proposal.
• If the Observing Program Directors do not think a proposal will be successful, we will council you and possible suggest you withdraw it.

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://test.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://test.astroleague.org//observing.html

3/17/2020

With the ever-changing regulation changes from various levels of government, we are suggesting the following steps in responding to the coronavirus:          

• Be alert for information from state and local government officials.
  • In many parts of the country, limits have been placed on the amount of people allowed to congregate, sometimes as few as 10, to better control the virus. In the interests of respecting science, it is strongly suggested  you and your astronomy groups follow these local government guidelines, as much as possible, in your own area.
• Keep current with the latest accurate, scientific information regarding the virus from reputable source such as the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention): cdc.gov.
  • If information you read regarding miracle cures, etc. sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Refer to such sources as Snopes.com or FactCheck.org to check the accuracy
• Cancel astronomy outreach activities and meetings for at least the next month or so, in line with the trend toward suggested or required smaller group gatherings.
• Use internet means of conducting your society’s business and staying in contact with your members—such as Skype, Zoom, etc.—during this challenging time.
• Do the basic tasks the professionals encourage:
  • Frequent hand washing with soap and hot water
  • Cough into a tissue, then toss into the trash, or use the elbow method.
  • Stay home if you are ill.
  • Clean off table surfaces, cell phone screens, electronic device keyboards, with wipes or disinfectants s on a daily basis or more.
  • In your small group meetings, allow 6 feet space between chairs to further minimize the possibility of coming in contact with the virus.
  • Provide adequate tissues and wipes.
• When you do resume your outreach activities again, consider expanding your use of electronics means, as much as possible, in communicating with your members and also in your outreach activities, such as sharing telescope images to a monitor, to further decrease the spread of germs from our guests looking through telescope eyepieces.

We will get through this crisis, realizing that this is drastically restricting our astronomical family of societies in their outreach and day-to-day operations. Use this downtime to plan exciting programs for your outreach programs or make plans for your upcoming personal observing activities.

Thanks for your support as we all move through this challenge.

These Observing Programs have new Coordinators: Solar System , Arp Peculiar Galaxies – Northern Skies, Arp Peculiar Galaxes – Southern Skies, Galaxy Groups and Clusters, and Local Galaxy Group and Neighborhood.  Please join me in welcoming the new coordinators, and thanking all those who volunteered to help.

Read on for details…

A special thank you to everyone who threw their name into the ring to help as Observing Program Coordinators.  This happens about once a year, and thankfully we had more people offer to help the Astronomical League than open positions.

The new Coordinators are:

• Solar System Observing Program – Chuck Allen
• Arp Peculiar Galaxies (Northern and Southern) Observing Programs – Marie Lott
• Galaxy Groups and Clusters Observing Program – Russ Pinizzotto
• Local Galaxy Group and Neighborhood Observing Program – Mark Simonson

Welcome to the team.

We hope many of you will volunteer to be coordinators the next time we have a need.

March 7

Tri-Star 2020

Guilford Technical Community College, Jamestown, North Carolina

Greensboro (NC) Astronomy Club and the Cline Observatory

https://www.gtcc.edu/community-engagement/cline-observatory/special-lectures-and-events/tristar.php

March 28

2020 All Arizona Messier Marathon                

Salome Emergency Airfield

La Paz County, Arizona

https://www.saguaroastro.org/

April 2-3

Northeast Astro-Imaging Conference

Rockland Astronomy Club, Suffern, New York

http://www.rocklandastronomy.com/neaic.html

April 4-5

Northeast Astronomy Forum and Solar Star Party

Rockland Astronomy Club, Suffern, New York

http://www.rocklandastronomy.com/neaf.html

April 23-26

Southern Star Astronomy Convention

Charlotte Amateur Astronomers Club, Little Switzerland, North Carolina

http://www.charlotteastronomers.org/southernstar/

April 23-26

South Jersey Astronomy Club Spring Star Party

Belleplain, New Jersey

http://sjac.us/starparty.html

April 23

Pickett Astronomy Day

Pickett-Pogue Dark Sky Park

Jamestown, Tennessee                                                        

URL to be updated

April 23-26

North Carolina Statewide Star Party

40+ public skywatching sessions from the North Carolina mountains to the coast

http://www.ncsciencefestival.org/special-opportunities/starparty/

April 24-26

Michiana Star Party 12

Dr. T. K. Lawless Park, Michigan

http://www.michiana-astro.org/

May 1-2

NCRAL 2020

Port Washington, Wisconsin

https://ncsf.info/ncral-vision-2020/

May 2

Astronomy Day

Nationwide.

https://test.astroleague.org//astronomyday/spring

May 17-24

Texas Star Party

Fort Davis, Texas

www.texasstarparty.org