June 2020 Online General Meeting

Hello to all members — another month has flown by, so it’s time for our June meeting, which will be held on Friday at 7:30PM. The May meeting went quite well and lots of members were able to join in through Zoom and catch up. Please join us for this one too, as we will be discussing several important topics regarding future virtual events and club leadership.

 

Here are the tips on how to join from last month:

You will receive an email containing the June meeting details within the coming week. If you don’t get anything, please reach out.

On a laptop or computer?
In the email you received with the meeting invitation, click the link at the top. It will take you to Zoom’s website. You may need to download and install the Zoom application first. Once the Zoom app has opened, follow the prompts to join with your computer’s audio (microphone and speakers) and turn on a camera if you have one.

On a smartphone?

Download the Zoom app from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android.) Then, open the email you received with the meeting invitation and click the link at the top. This should open the Zoom app. Follow the prompts to connect using your smartphone’s microphone and camera.

Using a landline or phone? (Audio-only)
Look in the meeting invitation email for the “dial by your location” section. Dial the corresponding number, then enter the Meeting ID and Password when prompted. You might miss out on the video aspect of the presentations (and you won’t get to see everyone else’s lovely faces) so joining with a computer would be preferred.

 

-Emilyann

June Upcoming Event – Virtual Stargazing with Penn Dixie (6/6/2020)

Hi all,
The BAA will be participating in another virtual stargazing event. This one will be on Saturday, June 6th, starting at 8:30PM, and is being held in place of our typical Public Night. Like the other Virtual Astronomy events, representatives from Penn Dixie, the Explore & More Children’s museum, and the Williamsville Space Lab Planetarium will be lending their knowledge and expertise alongside seasoned BAA members. If you want to watch along, you’ll be able to view the stream through Facebook — you can find the upcoming event page here.

If you are a BAA member and would like to show a view through your telescope, help answer questions from the public, or present on astronomical topics, please contact Ernie Jacobs or reach out in the Members forum. It might not be Public Nights like we are used to them at the BMO, but this is still a great way to reach out and bring the stars to people. Personally, I’m anticipating a lot of great lunar views due to the proximity to full moon (providing the weather holds up!) Hopefully lots of people can join in. See you all there!

May 2020 Events – Virtual Stargazing with Penn Dixie!

Welcome back to the BAA blog. We had two virtual astronomy events as the moon waned this week — a “Tuesday Night” imagers meeting on Wednesday, and a joint event with Penn Dixie Fossil Park Thursday night. Both events showcased a variety of live views, knowledge, and images from our members.

 

Wednesday Night Supernova – M61 and 2020jfo

Dan M. took a great image of M61 on Wednesday evening during the Tuesday Night Imagers group, which shows emerging supernova 2020jfo.Click the image to open it in a higher-resolution view:

Image of M61 and SN2020jfo

If you’d like to find out more about 2020jfo, you can read Sky and Telescope’s article on it, or check out this page from ASRAS where you can view a compilation of images taken by fellow amateur astronomers.

By the way, if you’re a BAA member, don’t be shy — the Tuesday Night group is a good chance to hang out and show others what you might be up to, or ask about imaging. It is open to all members, not just those among us who are imagers. You can find out when the virtual meetings are held (not always on Tuesdays!) in the members’ forum.

 

Thursday Night – Looking Up With Penn Dixie

Thursday was clear and perfectly cloudless (a rarity here in Buffalo) so Penn Dixie Fossil Park and the BAA were able to hold the Looking Up! Virtual Astronomy event, streamed live through Zoom. Aside from great pics, there was also helpful information from Mark P. from the Williamsville Space Lab Planetarium on how to find certain constellations in our night sky at this time of year. For the younger astronomers, Dan W. from the Explore & More Children’s Museum led a nebula-making craft session, and there was also a live question-and-answer section between Penn Dixie representatives, BAA members, and some young participants.

Here are two images from Dennis — the Leo Triplet (M65, M66, and NGC3628) as well as a capture of Venus and Mercury. Venus is the crescent shape on the left, while tiny Mercury is on the right. You may need to click on the image and get the close-up view to see Mercury:

(click on the images to see a larger view)

Ernie has a live view showing the awesome crescent shape of Venus:

Venus - Ernie Jacobs(click on the image to see a larger view)

Dan shows the Great Hercules Cluster, M13, as well as the Cheerio-like Ring Nebula:

(click on the images to see a larger view)

Pat shows an amazing close-up live view of M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy:

M51 - Pat Crants(click on the image to see a larger view)

Overall, the stream was a great time, and proves that no matter what, astronomy can happen — even virtually! If you’re interested in watching the next event, make sure to check out Penn Dixie’s main Facebook page to find when the next Virtual Stargazing event is going to happen. You can also still view the full stream on Facebook here. If you’re a BAA member with a telescope and camera, and think you might want to help out during these Penn Dixie events, contact Ernie Jacobs for more information.

The next club event we will be having virtually is the monthly member meeting on June 6th — more information will be posted closer to that date. Hope everyone is staying safe and enjoying astronomical pursuits as well as they can.

-Emilyann