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HOWARD ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE |
A MULTIVERSE OF POSSIBILITIES |
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Alpha Ridge CSC
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HAL & Regional Star Parties Plus HAL Outreach
2010 HAL Star Parties and OutreachHAL's star parties at Alpha Ridge Park (held from March through November) feature a relaxed, casual atmosphere where club members, other amateur astronomers from the area, and the public are all welcome to come and enjoy the wonders of the night sky. For detailed information about our star party viewing site and driving directions, click on the Alpha Ridge-View Sites link. During the winter months the viewing is still great for the hearty observer. Even in warmer months members may occasionally want to use our observing sites other than during scheduled star parties. In these cases impromptu viewing sessions are often arranged and communicated via the e-mail group. 2010 HAL Star Party Schedule(Click link on past dates for Star Party Reports and Photos)
2010 Outreach Star Party EventsAs a part of our mission to encourage public interest in astronomy and the space sciences, HAL is sponsoring or co-sponsoring the following events. If there is a separate webpage with more information there will be an active link in the Event column, below.
A Great Place To Begin an Adventure in AstronomyHAL members bring all sorts of observing equipment: telescopes of all shapes and sizes, binoculars, solar viewers, and astro-photography and video setups. If you would like a look through our equipment, or if you just bought a telescope and would like some help with it, or even if you are just thinking about getting one and want to check a few out before buying - star parties are the perfect place to get your feet wet.What Will We Be Looking At?Observing targets really cover the full range of celestial treasures including the Sun, the Moon, the planets, double stars, deep sky objects such as galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters, and even orbiting satellites and the space station.Details... details...Starting time is usually sundown and ending time is officially at 11pm, although on nice evenings members often keep the park open a little later. There is plenty of parking at both parks (directions) and folks can arrive at anytime. Star parties are held twice each month, March to November, on Saturdays, and are scheduled around the lunar calendar - so check the HAL Calendar for upcoming dates.Before You Head OutIf you are not sure if the weather is cooperating, check the top of the home page for the latest news. If you are on the Howardastro Yahoogroups list also check for notification e-mails there. Be sure to bring an extra layer or two of clothes just in case temperatures drop more than you expect. You can't have fun if you're cold! And check the weather forecast, star parties are assumed to be cancelled if it is completely overcast or if it's raining. The Clear Sky Clock at the top of this page is a great way to check out predicted cloud cover for the next 24-48 hours.What is Expected Of You At A Star Party?Absolutely nothing. Whether you own a telescope or not, we encourage folks of all ages to come on out, bring your friends and family, and let us share with you the beauties of one of our most precious natural resources - the night sky - in Howard County's very own public parks. HAL's amateur astronomers come from all walks of life and have a wide range of astronomy experience. We all share a passion for the sky's most stunning sights and love nothing more than to share those sights with others.Impromptu Sessions at Alpha Ridge or Carrs MillHAL members are fortunate to have access to both Alpha Ridge and Carrs Mill parks. Members will often conduct impromptu viewing sessions at one of these locations. Access to the two parks requires a gate key. Carrs Mill remains locked at nearly all times and Alpha Ridge is locked by the County at dusk. HAL has several gate keys, and assigns them to those members most likely to initiate impromptu viewing sessions. When members with gate keys are going to open up one of the parks, they post an e-mail on the HAL e-mail group so that others may join. Gate key members are encouraged to post the e-mail announcement as early as possible prior to the viewing session.If you are not a gate key member and want to attend impromptu viewing sessions, keep your eyes peeled for the e-mail announcements. Also, if you want to observe from either park on a particular evening, HAL encourages you to post an e-mail asking if any gate key members are interested in opening up one of the parks. If an e-mail request to open up a park is posted but no gate key members want to go, arrangements can often be made for the person to borrow one of the gate keys. The benefit of access does come with two responsibilities. First, at least one attendee will need a copy of the special use permit. The permit can be downloaded from our Documents Page and must be accompanied by a current HAL membership card to be valid. Second, it is our responsibility to keep any non-astronomers out of the park, since only HAL is granted after sundown access. We absolutely positively must lock the gate behind us when we leave. Members who are interested in being placed on the key waiting list should contact the HAL Treasurer. A $50 deposit is required when the key is delivered. Regional Star Parties & Astro Events 2010 and 2011
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