Welcome to the Howard Astronomical League. HAL is an
astronomy club located in Howard County, Maryland. We hold monthly meetings on the lower (mezzanine) level of the Robinson Nature Center in Columbia, MD, conduct public star parties at Alpha Ridge Park utilizing the "HALO" observatory, and provide community outreach events at various Howard County locations - often in public library parking lots.
We invite everyone to be a part of amateur astronomy with us. You will find information about our meeting dates on the Our Meetings page. Information on membership is located on the HAL Membership page.
The monthly board of directors' Planning Meeting and the HAL public General Meeting are being held virtually using Zoom.
However, as of September 2023, we have resumed in-person General Meetings at
Robinson Nature Center (as well as on Zoom).
The parks have re-opened.
HAL is now scheduling public events. HAL keyholders are also
free to call members-only impromptu observing sessions via the closed hal_impromptu email list for
Carrs Mill Park or Alpha Ridge Park.
Information to help plan your observing sessions is available on the
calendar page or the astrolinks page -- where you can check for moonrise
times, Iridium flares, International Space Station sightings, Jupiter's Great Red Spot transit and a lot more. And don't forget to check the weather before you venture out.
HAL's Observatory at Alpha Ridge Park (HALO)
HALO houses HAL's 6 inch "Illig" Refracting telescope.
Check these web pages for full details about the observatory.
For a schedule of events at the observatory, check the HAL star parties page or the
HAL calendar.
