Impromptu Star Party (Alpha Ridge) 6/15/2026
It was a nearly-perfect night of observing at Alpha Ridge Park Monday night. The clouds dissipated completely before sunset and the sky remained clear all night. The temperature was actually a little cool, dipping into the upper 50s by 1:00am, with no dew and some occasional light wind. Transparency was good and seeing was about […]
Past Monthly Meeting: June 11, 2026 – Advancing Earth Observation: The HARP2 Sensor on NASA’s PACE Satellite
Travels to Dark Skies. Tales and images.
Past Monthly Meeting: May 14, 2026 – Why The Moon?
Travels to Dark Skies. Tales and images.
Past Meeting: February 12, 2026 – All Things HAL – a series of mini-presentations
All Things HAL
Impromptu Star Party (Alpha Ridge) 1/07/2026
First of the Year Six HAL members attended the first impromptu star party of 2026 on the balmy (for January) evening of January 7th. The temperature was in the low 50s at sunset and down to 40 by 9:30 PM. Winds were calm and the sky was clear except for a large band of clouds […]
October 2025 Objects of The Month, “Teddy Bear Nebula and Question Mark Nebula”
This image of the “SH2-171 Teddy Bear Nebula
AT115EDT scope @ 805mm, ASI294MM, Astronomik filters. 75×300″ HA, 100×300″ OIII, 74×300″ SII, 10×180″ each RGB for stars. Total 22hrs. Taken across Sept 7, 8, and 18 from Severn (Bortle 7). Processed in PixInsight and combined with the “Foraxx” pallette and RGB stars. -Dave Hickey
and Question Mark Nebula -Jared Case
Impromptu Star Party (Alpha Ridge) 12/20/2025
A Singular Event I was the only attendee for an impromptu star party at Alpha Ridge on December 20. Temperatures were in the mid 30s, winds were calm and the sky was mostly clear, although some clouds moved through in the 7:00 hour. I set up my Vespera EAA scope to image the Flaming Star […]
Impromptu Star Party (Alpha Ridge) 12/12/2025
Three HAL members turned out on a chilly winter night for an impromptu star party at Alpha Ridge Park last night. The temperature was 26 degrees when I took my sky quality meter readings at 8:35 PM, but there wasn’t any wind to speak of, so it was pretty tolerable. Skies were clear for the […]
Past Meeting: January 8, 2026 – The Hubble Space Telescope: 35 Years of Discovery. Presenter: Faith Vowler, Hubble Space Telescope Outreach Coordinator, NASA
Featuring Faith Vowler on the Hubble Space Telescope: 35 Years of Exploration
Members’ Celebration Meeting: December 5, 2025 – Annual Holiday Party (RSVP or Zoom)
Food and Astronomy for the Season