Starlight Astronomy Club Web Site

[Key Personnel    Upcoming Events    External Links]

Application for Membership ] Bylaws of the Starlight Astronomy Club ] Information for New Observers ] Three Astronomy Books ] New and Full Moons in 2013 ] Primary Meteor Showers ] Monthly Sky Tour Podcast ] Sky & Telescope's Weekly News Bulletins ] Sky & Telescope's AstroAlert News Service ] Sky & Telescope's Online Archive ] Photo Archive ] Clark Thomas' Astronomy Links ]

Next Meeting:  Thursday, May 16, 7:00 PM,  Penn-Mont Academy, Hollidaysburg.

undercon.gif 40 x 38This page is always under construction!

Welcome to the Starlight Astronomy Club web site, hosted by the Web Space Outlet in State College, Pa.

 

Public Sky Watch

   May 17
   
8:30 - 11:00 pm
Canoe Creek State Park
(Rain Date: Saturday).
See you in 2013 

 

Updated for 2013: Plan your observing schedule around New and Full Moons

Download Sky & Telescope's monthly sky tour Podcast for your MP3 player

 

The address for the club's e-mail list-server is astroclub@alt3.com.

The club runs a Yahoo! chat group at http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/starlightastronomy/

Bill, one of our more active members, maintains a help page for the club.  It's address is
http://webpages.charter.net/paastroman/grouphelp.html

 

Celestial Almanac

Evening Events Morning Events


Apr  27  Saturn at opposition
May 28  Mercury 3 degrees northwest of Venus
             Venus 1 degree north of Jupiter 
Jun  12  Mercury at greatest eastern elongation
                (24 degrees from the Sun)
Jun  20  Longest day of the year, 15 hr 01 min
Jun  24  Latest evening twilight 
Jun  27  Latest sunset


Mar 20  Sun at Vernal Equinox, 7:02 am EST (spring begins)
Mar 31  Mercury at greatest western elongation
                (28 degrees from the Sun)
Jun 14  Earliest sunrise
Jun 17  Earliest morning twilight
Jun 21  Summer solstice, 1:04 am EDT (summer begins)
July 5   Earth at aphelion, 11 am EDT 
               (94,508,960 miles from the Sun)

 


The table of New and Full Moons now includes the approximate time of sunset for your planning purposes.

 

Wanted: A Little Common (Sky) Sense

When it comes to things astronomical, why do so many people with no knowledge of the sky try to figure things out for themselves — and come to the wrong conclusions?   Read more

 

Starlight_Astro_Club_2013.JPG  800x600
The Starlight Astronomy Club at their January 17, 2013 meeting.

 

Welcome to the Starlight Astronomy Club.  We are based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, with members active from all of the surrounding counties of south-central Pennsylvania.  You're welcome to join us and get involved as we continue to build the organization.  It's an exciting project.

Meetings are held monthly on the third Thursday of the month at Penn-Mont Academy in Hollidaysburg.  (See the schedule.)  Public sky watches are conducted on the third Friday of the month (the Friday evening after the club meeting) from April through October at Canoe Creek State Park.  (See the schedule.)  Cloud dates are the following Saturday evening.

Anyone with an  interest in astronomy is invited to become active in the Starlight Astronomy Club.  Even if you are just getting started in amateur astronomy or if your interest is only casual, you'll find that we're a group which is open to beginners.  (Our group has many members who are just getting started.)  Families are welcome!

One of the primary benefits of membership in the Starlight Astronomy Club is the opportunity for membership in the Astronomical League.  The League is designed to be an association of affiliated clubs.  Individual members enjoy the benefits of a quarterly newsletter, access to excellent instructional programs, observing clubs, and opportunities to participate in conferences, symposiums, and expeditions.

Below, you will find a schedule of upcoming events, and on the following pages you'll find our current bylaws, brief instructions for subscribing to our list server, and information on getting  started in amateur astronomy.  Your contribution to the dialog is greatly desired.  We want you to be involved in an organization that you can be proud of. 

 

Key Personnel:

Office Name E-Mail Address
President Tom Kasner  takasner@aol.com
Vice-President Scott Alter  domus93@hotmail.com
Secretary/Treasurer Diana Worley  pegasus0416@yahoo.com
   Harold Fultz  HFultzjr@aol.com

 

Upcoming Events:

Subscribe to and monitor the e-mail list server for any announcements of observing plans

Event Date Time Venue
Next Outdoor
Activity:

Friday
May 17

8:30-11:00 p.m.

Canoe Creek State Park
Rain Date: Sat.

 

     
Next Meeting

Thursday
May 16

7:00 p.m.

Penn-Mont Academy
Hollidaysburg
Next Indoor
Activity:

 

 

  
       
Future Meetings

May 16

7:00 p.m.

Penn-Mont Academy
Hollidaysburg
   June 20

7:00 p.m.

Penn-Mont Academy
Hollidaysburg
  July 18
August 15

7:00 p.m.

Penn-Mont Academy
Hollidaysburg
  September 19
October 17

7:00 p.m.

Penn-Mont Academy
Hollidaysburg
  November 21
December 19

7:00 p.m.

Penn-Mont Academy
Hollidaysburg
       
Public Sky Watches

 May 17

8:30-11:00 p.m.

Location: Canoe Creek State Park
Rain Date: Sat.
  June 21

8:30-11:00 p.m.

Location: Canoe Creek State Park
Rain Date: Sat.
  July 19
August 16

8:30-11:00 p.m.

Location: Canoe Creek State Park
Rain Date: Sat.
  September 20 7:00-11:00 p.m. Location: Canoe Creek State Park
Rain Date: Sat.
  October 18 6:00-9:00 p.m. Location: Canoe Creek State Park
Rain Date: Sat.

 

NOTICE: Due to numerous abuses, online applications are no longer being accepted!
To join, you may submit an application in person at the next meeting.
(If you insist, you may join online by paying the $100 Online Application Fee
per application submitted within the past year!)

 

 

External Links:

SKY Online
Astronomical League
Heavens Above
Intellicast National Radar Map
Orion Telescope & Binocular Center

 

Discover the cosmos!
Visit the Astronomy Picture of the Day web site.

Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

 


Visit the Altoona Clear Sky Chart web site
configured for Altoona, PA

 

Visitors: Hit CounterFrontPage Logo.gif 88 x 58    12204 on 12/30/12 

Last Modified: Wednesday, April 24, 2013 12:50 AM

 

Web Site created and occasionally maintained by Eric Hilbert
mailto: ehilbert@outdrs.net

Last Revision: 04/24/13