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Participate in Astronomy Day, October 8!
Some people enter our wonderful hobby on their own, first reading books and magazines, later purchasing telescopes as they learn the night sky. Many others, though, are introduced to what lies above by someone who already owns a quality telescope – someone who has not just a good knowledge of the sky, but an exciting way of conveying enthusiasm to others, causing them to want to experience more.
That second path is what National Astronomy Day is all about. On two days each year, one in the spring and the other in the fall, and both just before a first quarter moon, amateurs across the country and around the globe cart out their equipment and unleash their passion on the public, showing what an amazing avocation amateur astronomy truly is.
The Astronomical League is here to help. Wouldn’t it be great if there were helpful aids assisting clubs and individuals in their Astronomy Day and outreach endeavors? There is – download the Astronomy Day Handbook. Wouldn’t it be great if there were materials answering many common questions the public may likely ask? There are – download the numerous Astronomical League Outreach Downloads in either handout or poster format. Wouldn’t it be great if there were inexpensive solar glasses through which people could view the sun? There are – check out the pertinent details for the eclipse glasses at League Sales.
Furthermore, wouldn’t it be great if clubs were recognized for their innovation and efforts in putting amateur astronomy directly in front of the public? The Astronomical League, with help from Sky and Telescope and the American Astronomical Society, presents three $150 cash awards, one each for the best event in a large, medium, and small populated service area. In addition, $50 is awarded to a club that consistently holds a quality event.
What’s the Sunspot Number?
You might be surprised to find out that the ‘Sunspot number’ for any given day is not simply a count of the number of visible sunspots. As with many things in science, it’s not that simple.
September 2016 Digital Reflector Announcement has been sent
Announcement of the September 2016 digital edition of the Reflector has been emailed to all members.
Several people have reported an error with the member affiliation in the greeting line. The error is in the software that sends out the announcements; the profile information is okay.
If you did not receive the announcement it is probably because:
- Your email service provider has marked email from the League as spam; to prevent this add support@astroleague.org to your email service contact list
- We do not have an email address for you
- The email address we have for you is not valid
If you did not receive a notice and you are a member of an affiliated club or a member-at-large, honorary or lifetime member send me an email to webmaster@astroleague.org .
Let me know the name of your local club name (or MAL) and first and last name and a current email and I’ll update your information.
ALCon 2016 is Underway!
John Goss, president, of the Astronomical League, thanks NOVAC volunteers for their work supporting the 2016 conference. John is looking forward to listening to wide variety of speakers in the next few days. ALCon conferences such as this one are an amazing value compared to conferences you may have attended while at work.
John said that there are a variety of reasons for attending a conference such as hearing the talks, going on great tours, etc.. But the primary reason is to meet others and discuss how they operate their clubs, what new techniques and equipment they are using, and how they perform public outreach. You probably know about the challenges in your own club but Astronomical League conferences provide the opportunity to learn from each other and hear how others handle various issues.
