events – Buffalo Astronomical Association

August Upcoming Event – Astronomy Day @ BMO (08/05/23)

Posted on July 17, 2023 by Emilyann Kerr

Hi all,

Hope everyone has been enjoying the warm summer nights. We have an upcoming event on August 5th, 2023 — Astronomy Day! It’s an all-day astronomical extravaganza, held at our very own Beaver Meadow Observatory. The main focus of this event will be on eclipses, predominantly the upcoming April 2024 solar eclipse visible from Buffalo, as well as the partial solar eclipse in October.

We’ll have something for everyone between the hours of 10AM to 4PM:

Multiple informative and interesting lectures on eclipse science — these will be held at different times throughout the day
Solar viewing, using member telescopes — see various solar features such as sunspots, filaments, and prominences
Kids’ activities — simulate an eclipse, learn about time with the Big Dipper, or create astronomy buttons of your very own!
Telescope repair — have a telescope, but don’t quite know what to do with it? Bring it to the Beaver Meadow Observatory and let our expert BAA members help you out.
Solar eclipse glasses will also be available (for a donation of $2)

This is not only a great opportunity to join in on some astro-fun, but it’s also a good chance to check out the Beaver Meadow Observatory in daylight and enjoy the grounds of the Beaver Meadow Nature Center.

GPS users, the Nature Center’s address is: 1610 Welch Road, North Java NY 14113
For updates, keep up on our Facebook and the event page on our website. Hope to see you all there!

April Upcoming Event – Public Night @ The BMO (4/2/2022)

Posted on March 31, 2022 by Emilyann Kerr

Hi all,
It’s not an early April Fools’ Day joke — it’s real! Our first in-person public event of the year will be taking place this Saturday at the Beaver Meadow Observatory, starting at 8PM. We’ll have BAA members on-site with telescopes providing views of stars, planets, and various deep-sky wonders. You’ll also be able to check out our observatory itself, as well as the grounds of the Beaver Meadow Audubon Center. Additional info can be found on our page here: https://www.buffaloastronomy.com/event/public-night/?instance_id=1052

Unfortunately, the weather isn’t looking super great for Saturday — but it might still be worth taking the chance and coming out. We’ll be holding these in-person public events every month this year until October, so there’s always May, too! Regardless, hope to see lots of other members and fellow astronomy lovers there.
–Emilyann

February 2022 Online General Meeting

Posted on February 10, 2022 by Emilyann Kerr

Hi all,
Just a reminder that our monthly member meeting will be held this Friday (aka tomorrow!) starting at 7PM. Our own Martin Pepe will be unveiling an exciting new collaboration with colleagues at RIT. It’s something that will benefit all BAA members, so be sure to join in and check out the presentation.
The invitation went out on Monday (2/7), so please check your inbox and reach out to Mike Humphrey if you didn’t get it. See you then!
–Emilyann

December Event Notice — General Meeting Date Change

Posted on December 10, 2021 by Emilyann Kerr

Hi all,
Just a reminder to BAA members that the December general meeting is not tonight (12/10) — due to a time conflict with the Buffalo Museum of Science’s Science After Hours event, it’ll be held tomorrow night (12/11) instead, from 7PM to 8PM. Our very own Devon Dice-Jaffri will be presenting on nebulae and their characteristics. Thanks and hope to see some fellow members tomorrow night!
–Emilyann

November Happenings — BAA Member Meeting and Looking Up! Event

Posted on November 8, 2021 by Emilyann Kerr

Hi all,
Just a reminder that there are two virtual BAA events happening this week:

The first event is our monthly member meeting, which will be held this Friday (11/12) starting at 7PM. The Zoom invite went out today (Monday), so please check your email and reach out to Mike Humphrey if you didn’t get it. Our speaker this month will be David Bishop, a fellow local astronomer who’s involved in the Rochester scene.

The second event is this month’s Looking Up!, which will be the very next day, Saturday (11/13) starting at 7:30PM. Additional details can be found on the blog here, or on our Facebook page for the event. Just wanted to remind everyone so that you don’t miss out! Thanks and hope to see you there.

–Emilyann

November Upcoming Event – Looking Up! (11/13/21)

Posted on October 31, 2021 by Emilyann Kerr

Hi all,
Hopefully you were able to attend one of the two in-person public nights we held out at the observatory this autumn. Don’t worry if you didn’t though — we’ll be moving back to in-person events starting in the spring of 2022. Keep an eye out on the website and on our Facebook page!

We still want to keep the momentum going despite the changing weather, so our next virtual Looking Up! event will be in just about two weeks, on November 13th, starting at 7:30PM. This month we have a variety of presentations from knowledgeable folks from the BAA, the Buffalo Museum of Science, Penn Dixie Fossil Park, and the Williamsville Planetarium. We’ll discuss upcoming lunar and stellar events, and of course we hope to have live telescope views and photography too.

As always, you can catch the stream live on our Facebook event page here. See you then!
–Emilyann

BAA Member Notice: Volunteers Needed for Upcoming In-Person Event

Posted on July 13, 2021 by Emilyann Kerr

UPDATE: The August 7th Public night has been canceled for lack of volunteers and lack of public interest. We may try again in September

Hi all,
Hope everyone has been keeping cool and enjoying some sizzling summer astronomy! As New York moves back into the swing of things, the club is preparing for a return to in-person public nights. We’re currently looking for club members who would be willing to volunteer at a potential event at the BMO on August 7th. If you’d like to help out, please follow this link to the Volunteer page, and click Sign Up on an available slot. We want to get a count of how many members can volunteer before formally announcing anything. Additional information can be found in Gene’s post in the member forums. Stay tuned!
–Emilyann

June Upcoming Event – Looking Up! Celebrating Solstice (6/19/21)

Posted on June 12, 2021 by Emilyann Kerr

Hi all,

It’s been a big month for the sun already! Hopefully you caught the partial solar eclipse this past Thursday (Ernie wrote a great article on it here if you want to catch up.) Well, we’re not done yet, because this month’s Looking Up! event is all about celebrating the Summer Solstice, which falls on June 20th this year. We’ll have presentations on all things solstice, as well as live viewing from member telescopes. You’ll also want to tune in if you’re a fan of the Buffalo Museum of Science, as our friends Holly and Tim will have something to announce…

You can catch the stream on our Facebook Live page next Satuday, June 19th. We’ll start at 8:30PM EST (which is nearly 30 minutes before sunset!) Hope to catch you there.

–Emilyann

May Upcoming Event – Looking Up! What’s Up In May? (5/22/21)

Posted on May 20, 2021 by Emilyann Kerr

Hi all,

Hope the recent warmer weather has been getting everyone in the mood for astronomy. (I always get excited for summer objects and end up staying out too late…) This month, our Looking Up! event will focus on what’s visible in our skies for May. It’ll be a slightly shorter program, but as always, we’ll be highlighting live views from members and holding presentations. This gives you a chance to get outside yourself after the event and enjoy the waxing gibbous moon before the super full moon (and a penumbral lunar eclipse) on May 26th!

You can catch the stream on our Facebook Live event page this Saturday, May 22nd, starting at 8:30PM EST. See you then!

May 2021 Online General Meeting

Posted on May 11, 2021 by Emilyann Kerr

Hi all,

It’s time again for our monthly club meeting! Please join us virtually through Zoom at 7PM this Friday, May 14th. Our guest speaker this month is Kelly Beatty from the International Dark-Sky Association with a presentation on a topic that is sadly too familiar to many astronomers — the vanishing dark skies that are caused by light pollution:

Darkness in Distress – presented by Kelly Beatty

Light pollution, simply put, is any unnecessary or excessive outdoor illumination. Sadly, it’s become a pervasive and ugly consequence of modern 24/7 society. Light pollution robs us of the night sky’s beauty, negatively affects the ecosystem, and creates an in-your-face waste of energy. But a new mindset and new technology are poised to slow — and perhaps reverse — this bane of modern life. Come learn how you can safely light up your home, business, and community without wasting energy, disturbing your neighbors, or creating an unhealthy environment for humans and wildlife.

Kelly Beatty has been explaining the science and wonder of astronomy to the public since 1974. An award-winning writer and communicator, he is a Senior Editor for Cambridge-based Sky & Telescope magazine. Beatty enjoys sharing his passion for astronomy with a wide spectrum of audiences, from children to professional astronomers, and you’ll occasionally hear his interviews and guest commentaries on National Public Radio and The Weather Channel. He served for a decade on the Board of Directors for the International Dark-Sky Association.

The Zoom invitation went out yesterday, so please check your BAA email, and notify Mike Humphrey if you don’t see it. You can also access the invite if you log into the members-only forum and check the Recent Posts section. Here are instructions on how to join a Zoom meeting as well: https://www.buffaloastronomy.com/may-2020-online-general-meeting/ See you then!

–Emilyann