Emilyann Kerr – Page 3 – Buffalo Astronomical Association

March 2021 Online General Meeting

Posted on March 8, 2021 by Emilyann Kerr

Hi all,

We’re having our next general meeting this Friday (2/11) at 7:00PM. The invite went out earlier today (3/8) so please check your email and reach out to Mike Humphrey if you don’t see it.

This month, we’ll be having a discussion focused on outreach, led by Dave Prosper, ambassador of NASA’s Night Sky Network. The purpose of the Night Sky Network is to assist clubs such as the BAA in getting out there and educating the public on astronomical topics. If you’d like to read a little more on the NSN and what they do, their About page can be found here: https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/about.cfm

Also, if you need them, instructions on joining a Zoom meeting can be found at this link: https://www.buffaloastronomy.com/may-2020-online-general-meeting/ See you on Friday!

–Emilyann

March Upcoming Event – Looking Up! Messier Madness (3/20/21)

Posted on March 1, 2021 by Emilyann Kerr

Hi all,

Just wanted to get the word out that the BAA’s next virtual Looking Up! event will be held starting at 8PM on Saturday, March 20th. If you are a fan of Messier objects, then this month’s program might be for you. Every year around this time, it becomes possible (if you’re at a good latitude, and have an excellent horizon) to observe Charles Messier’s entire catalog of 110 astronomical objects in one night. Keeping that in mind, our program will feature discussion and live views of multiple Messier objects from our members/affiliates, both in the WNY area and beyond.

And of course, if you’re considering a Messier marathon yourself, give it a try. There are great websites online that can get you up to speed on all 110 objects and the order to view them in. The SEDS Messier site is an excellent resource on the topic, and I have also utilized this planning page that predicts which Messier objects will be visible and when based on your location, the observing date, and other factors. If I have any wisdom to offer (as a Messier marathon starter, but never a finisher) it would be that it’s always worth it to at least try one to build your observing skills, even if you don’t make it through the entire night. If you’re not planning to observe on the night of the 20th, though, please consider joining us virtually instead — you can find the BAA’s Facebook Live page to catch the stream here. See you there!

–Emilyann

February Upcoming Event – Looking Up! “Above the Clouds” (2/20/21)

Posted on February 17, 2021 by Emilyann Kerr

Hi all,

This Saturday (2/20) starting at 8PM we’ll be having another virtual Looking Up! event with the BAA. One of the perks of astronomy is being able to take part in it in a number of ways, regardless of current outdoor conditions — so we can still look “above the clouds” and keep the hobby alive while we wait for the weather to improve.

Earlier this week, NASA’s Perseverance rover successfully landed on Mars after a seven-month journey. But did you know that local industries from the WNY area contributed to make this engineering feat possible? Come and join us as we interview Steve McDonald from Moog, Inc about Moog’s local contributions to Perseverance, as well as his thoughts on the mission.

Besides the interview, we’ll be featuring photographs and presentations relating to Mars and the Perseverance landing, as well as this season’s sky tour. Sadly I can’t make this event, but I know it’ll be a good time. Head over to our Facebook this Saturday at 8PM to catch the stream, and stay warm out there!

–Emilyann

February 2021 Online General Meeting

Posted on February 11, 2021 by Emilyann Kerr

Hi all,

The days are slowly lengthening again, but the nights are staying cold — no better time than to join your fellow club members at the monthly club meeting, this Friday (2/11) at 7:00PM. Please check your recent email for the Zoom invitation, and if you didn’t get it, reach out to club president Mike Humphrey.

This month’s meeting will be held in collaboration with the great minds over at Penn Dixie Fossil Park & Nature Reserve, and will also feature a talk by Dr. Alan Strauss. The outline of his presentation follows:

Dr. Alan Strauss will present on the education and public outreach programs of the University of Arizona’s Mount Lemmon SkyCenter and Sky School, as well as the Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab. In addition to information on these outreach programs, he will share information on some of the research programs that take place at the Mount Lemmon observatories. Lastly, Alan will also touch on the values that guide these venues in developing education and outreach programs and communicating about science with various audiences.

If you need them, instructions on joining a Zoom meeting can be found at this link: https://www.buffaloastronomy.com/may-2020-online-general-meeting/ See you on Friday!

–Emilyann

January Upcoming Event – Looking Up! Ask the Astronomer (1/23/21)

Posted on January 18, 2021 by Emilyann Kerr

Hi all,

It’s time for another virtual stargazing event with the BAA and our friends from Penn Dixie, the Explore & More Children’s museum, and the Williamsville Space Lab Planetarium, held on January 23rd and starting at 8PM. As you may have seen in the previous post, this event will have a special focus on questions submitted by you! Hopefully you’ve already submitted any astronomy-related question you have, but if not, head over to our submission page at https://www.buffaloastronomy.com/ask-the-astronomer/ and query away. We will also be doing a presentation geared towards people who have gotten telescope equipment over the holidays and who may have some basic questions on how to get started. If either of these topics sounds interesting, please join us this Saturday night at 8. The stream will be live on our Facebook, which you can find here. See you then!

–Emilyann

Seeking Questions For Upcoming Event (1/23)

Posted on January 13, 2021 by Emilyann Kerr

Do you, or does someone you know, have some interesting astronomy questions? Maybe something specific about a star, galaxy, or other celestial object? Have you always wondered about astronomical theorems or history? If you have a question like this, but no answer, come on over to our new Ask the Astronomer page at https://www.buffaloastronomy.com/ask-the-astronomer/ and enter your query to be answered on air during our next Looking Up event! Any and all questions will be taken by astronomers from the BAA, as well as our associates from the Buffalo Museum of Science, the Explore & More Children’s museum, Penn Dixie, and the Williamsville Space Lab Planetarium.

Feel free to pass this onto family or friends — especially younger astronomers — that could have questions too. A post with additional info about the January 23rd event will be up soon, but get in those questions ASAP, since we have a little over a week until the event itself. See you then!

January 2021 Online General Meeting

Posted on January 4, 2021 by Emilyann Kerr

Hi all,

This Friday, January 8th, at 7PM will be our general meeting, and our first of 2021! The invitation went out today, so please check your BAA email to get the details. If you didn’t get it, please reach out to club president Mike Humphrey.

This month we’re holding a virtual presentation from Mark Percy, director of the Williamsville Planetarium, to take the place of the club’s traditional, in-person visit. Mark will be speaking on “Big Astronomy” as it relates to Chile’s giant telescopes — more info can be found in today’s email. If this sounds interesting to you, be sure to join in.

If you need them, instructions on joining a Zoom meeting can be found at this link: https://www.buffaloastronomy.com/may-2020-online-general-meeting/ See you on Friday!

–Emilyann

December 2020 Events – Great Conjunction Recap

Posted on December 23, 2020 by Emilyann Kerr

Hi all,

Over the past week, the BAA held two events showcasing the historic Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. Our first event last Friday (12/18) took place on a clear night, so several BAA members were able to take some great photos that evening.

These three images were taken by Dan M. and Mike P. at the club’s observatory at Beaver Meadow. The first two used our NP101 telescope and Mike’s ASI 1600 camera, and the last image used a Canon T3i DSLR. Click the pics to see them zoomed in:

We also have an image from Phil, taken on Friday, December 18th with his Questar 89mm telescope and ASI ZWO 174mm camera. I really love Jupiter in this — click on the picture to enlarge it, and try to pick out some of its famous features! Saturn is no slouch either.

Our event on Monday (12/21 – the night when Jupiter and Saturn were closest) was unfortunately clouded out in WNY, but our own webmaster Gene provided some stellar live views from his location in North Carolina. Tim from the Buffalo Museum of Science’s Kellogg Observatory showed off some photos taken from their Bistany telescope, as well as a shot of what the conjunction looked like over the Buffalo skyline. And alongside the live views, we featured member presentations relating to the conjunction and the science behind it.

If you’d like to watch the streams for yourself, the link to the December 18th (Friday) stream is here: https://www.facebook.com/BuffaloAstronomy/videos/178995867258913/

And here’s the link to the December 21st (Monday) stream: https://www.facebook.com/BuffaloAstronomy/videos/762148984383296/

We’re extremely grateful to the number of people who watched the streams live on Facebook and provided feedback, questions, and kind words. Sharing these special events is what the club is all about. Remember that even though we’ve passed the day when Jupiter and Saturn are closest, it’s not too late; they’ll still be quite close for a bit longer. If you find yourself out on a clear night, look up and check them out. That’s all I’ve got for now — hope to see everyone at the next Looking Up event in January! Healthy and happy holidays to all.

–Emilyann

December Meteor Mania

Posted on December 9, 2020 by Emilyann Kerr

Other than the upcoming Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on December 21st, this month is also going to be a good time to observe another type of celestial object — shooting stars. The Geminids, one of the best annual meteor showers, is happening now and reaches its peak on December 14th (that’s next Monday) after midnight. From now until 12/14, you may be able to catch a meteor or two in the sky if you head out for a bit on a cloudless night. I’m hoping it clears up for at least a few hours at some point this week — if the weather is good where you are, consider heading out to a remote location for a while with a lawn chair and blankets. You don’t even need a telescope or a pair of binoculars, just patience.

In other meteor news, the Buffalo area had two major visible fireball (aka meteor-falling-to-Earth) events in a single week! On December 2nd around noon, people witnessed a bright streak in the sky in broad daylight. Some spectators closer to Rochester and Syracuse even heard an accompanying noise, which is pretty amazing. I was lucky enough to see it myself as a short streak of white light in the eastern sky, but only for a second.

Another fireball occurred on December 7th around 8:30PM when it was darker, with people from Delaware through Massachusetts reporting a sighting. Sadly I didn’t catch that one, but I feel like it would have been amazing, especially with the dark and moonless skies we’ve had lately. If any BAA members saw either meteor event, tell me about it in the forum as I would love to have some eyewitness reports to add to this post.

You can also read spectator reports of each event yourself and see videos and pictures on the American Meteor Society’s website – December 2 December 7

Lastly, invitations to our December meeting on Friday (12/11) went out Monday in an email — please check your email to find it. If you don’t see it, please reach out to Mike Humphrey in the member forum. The two breakout room topics will be on astrophotography and Stellarium; anyone wishing to learn about either topic should stop by. That’s all I’ve got for now — see you around!

–Emilyann

December 2020 Online General Meeting

Posted on December 7, 2020 by Emilyann Kerr

Hi all,

This Friday, December 11th, at 7PM will be the date of our next monthly general club meeting. Please keep an eye on your email over the next few days for the invite link. If you don’t get one, please reach out to club president Mike Humphrey.

We’re currently looking for suggestions for breakout rooms, since experimenting with them last month turned out to be pretty popular. If you have an idea for a breakout room or even for a topic of discussion during future meetings, please visit the member forum (login required) to suggest it: https://www.buffaloastronomy.com/community/main-forum/general-meeting-topics/#post-3308

If you need them, instructions on joining a Zoom meeting can be found at this link: https://www.buffaloastronomy.com/may-2020-online-general-meeting/ See you then!

–Emilyann