Members-Only Star Party (Alpha Ridge) 10/18/2025
What a perfect night for stargazing! Temperatures were comfortable, and the skies started out beautifully clear. A few high clouds drifted through around 10 PM, but by 11 they had moved on, leaving us with crisp, transparent skies once again. We had a fantastic turnout with about 20 members joining in. The observing field was […]
Impromptu Star Party (Alpha Ridge) 10/15/2025
I hosted a sparsely attended impromptu star party on Wednesday, October 15 at Alpha Ridge Park. Temperature was in the low 60s to upper 50s, winds were calm and skies were clear until 11:00 PM. Transparency seemed a little better than usual to me, but I forgot to take a measurement with my sky quality […]
Public Star Party (Alpha Ridge) 9/13/2025
Clear Skies!
Impromptu Star Party (Alpha Ridge) 8/31/2025
Ten HAL members showed up for a very pleasant evening of observing and imaging at Alpha Ridge Park on the night of August 30th. The first-quarter moon was out until a little after 11:00. The temperature started out in the low 70s and dipped to the high 50s by 1:00 AM. Seeing and transparency seemed […]
Impromptu Star Party (Alpha Ridge) 8/23/2025
At least 17 HAL members enjoyed a wonderful night under the stars at the HAL members start party at Alpha Ridge Park on the night of August 23/24. Skies were clear all night, with comfortable temperatures in the low 70s and a 5-10 mph breeze. Several people were making visual observations. New member Colin was […]
Public Star Watch at Howard County Conservancy 8/29/2025
Public Star Watch at Howard County Conservancy
Public Star Party (Alpha Ridge) 8/02/2025
Clear Skies!
Impromptu Star Party (Alpha Ridge) 7/21/2025
Eight HAL members enjoyed clear skies and pleasant weather at Alpha Ridge on the night of July 21-22. Wildfire smoke reduced transparency, but it wasn’t too bad. Mike imaged M101, the Pinwheel Galaxy in Ursa Major, with his Svbony Sv550 122mm refractor. Gary didn’t have a target in mind for his Celestron Origin smart telescope […]
Public Star Party (Alpha Ridge) 7/05/2025
Clear Skies! Fun for all. MPT Visits.
Impromptu Star Party (Alpha Ridge) 7/04/2025
It was a surprisingly cool night on Friday for the HAL impromptu starparty — several people, including me, wished they had brought a lightjacket as the temperature dropped to about 64 degF by midnight. Windswere nonexistent and there was more moisture than predicted, butconditions were not bad at all and dew didn’t stop anyone fromobserving. […]