Be sure to check out the February tools at the Monthly Sky Charts, Celestial Events & Tools link below, or at: https://test.astroleague.org/navigating-the-night-sky-guides/

We hope you can join us at 7:00 PM EST for the February 16 AL Live event: 12P/Pons-Brooks: Comet with a Popcorn Personality.

See the attached flyer for details and connect information:  https://test.astroleague.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/AL-LIVE-2-16-24.pdf

In celebration of the 2024 eclipse, Sky & Telescope just released a 64-page special edition of our magazine titled The Great 2024 Eclipse – Your Complete Guide to the April 8th Solar Eclipse, (https://shopatsky.com/products/2024-eclipse-guide) plus it includes 2 free pair of eclipse glasses.

Many of us are familiar with Sky and Telescope and the American Astronomical Society.  They have published this guide to the upcoming Solar Eclipse (in April).  We are bringing this to you because the Astronomical League is an official Sky and Telescope Great 2024 Eclipse Partner.

Do you observe south of the Equator?  Are you looking for a significant observing challenge?  Then the Bambury 600 Southern Skies Observing Certification is for you.  The Astronomical League and OZSKY are offering a joint certificate to those who complete the entire list of 600 observations.  You do NOT need to be an AL member to participate.  This Observing Certificate allows for Imaging and Remote Telescopes.  Information and rules can be found on the Southern Sky Telescope Observing Program web page:

https://test.astroleague.org/southern-sky-telescopic-observing-program/

The Herschel 400 certification now allows the use of remote telescopes.

Do you live south of the equator? Are you stuck because some of the Herschel 400 objects are too far north for you to observe them? We have just published a new Observing option to solve that issue: The Southern Herschel 400 Supplemental Observing List. The list has 150 new objects that may be combined with at least 250 objects from the original Herschel 400 Target List (for a total of 400 observations). This certification may be used to replace the Herschel 400 certification in the Master Observer Progression.

While you may earn two certificates, a pin will be award ONLY for the first one..

For more information on how to earn this new certificate, go to the Herschel 400 web page:

https://test.astroleague.org/herschel-400-observing-program/

Upcoming AL Live – Solar Eclipse

AL LIVE! has been moved to 7 pm EST Friday January 26, 2024. (It was originally scheduled for Friday January 19.) Please join the session featuring Alan Dyer who will discuss photographing the April 8 Solar Eclipse.

Click Read More… then click on the link to get information on the upcoming AL Live! event coming up on January 19, 2024 at 7;00 PM EST, or copy the link to your web browser.

AL Live – January 2024 – https://test.astroleague.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20240126-AL-LIVE-Alan-Dyer-and-Eclipse-2.pdf

A new resource has been added to the AL website to provide guidance for teachers who plan to observe the April Eclipse with their students.  You can access this tool here:

https://test.astroleague.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Teacher-Guide-for-Observing-Solar-Eclipses-with-Students.pdf

The Astronomical League is offering a Special Observing Challenge to commemorate the 2024 (April 8) Total Eclipse.  It is quite similar to the Annular Eclipse Challenge in 2023.  You should start collecting data for the Gold Level immediately (it requires at least 6 months of data).  For more information and all of the details, go to the website:  https://test.astroleague.org/solar-eclipse-observing-challenges/

The 2023 Annular Eclipse is behind us.  We hope that many of you were able to view it in person.  It is not too late to participate in this Observing Challenge, even at the Gold level, but you must begin the lunar observations at this time.

For more information and details, click on the web page:  https://test.astroleague.org/solar-eclipse-observing-challenges/

The Observe the Moon Night Observing Challenge is upon us.  Observations may be done from today through October 25, 2023.  Deadline for submission is November 21, 2023.

For details on the Challenge, click on:  https://test.astroleague.org/al-observing-challenge-special-observing-award/

For the downloadable certificate, click on:  https://test.astroleague.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IOMN-Certifictes-2023-v6-downloadable.pdf