| There will be a brief introduction on the grapes grown at Alto Vineyards, and a discussion on the production techniques used to create the award winning wines offered by Alto Vineyards. Followed with a review of what stars and constellations that will be viewable tonight. Members of the Astronomical Association of Southern Illinois will have multiple telescopes set up at the Vineyard for viewing starting around dusk. Stars expected to be seen this evening will be Venus (setting in the West), Jupiter and at least 4 of its major moons which will be very close to our moon, with Saturn and possibly Pluto in the low east. Also visible will be several open clusters of stars, including the Butterfly Cluster in the southeast. The public is invited to enjoy the wines, the discussions, and to come out and view the stars with the members of the Astronomical Association.
In case of inclement weather or heavy clouds… Event will be moved to Friday, June 29. |
Dome Party Saturday June 9 and Monthly Meeting Monday June 11
Our Dome party/potluck is at 4pm Saturday June 9 and tthe June monthly meeting is Monday June 11 at 6pm in the back room at Pagliai’s Pizza in Carbondale . This month we will elect officers for the coming year . I hope to see everyone there ,!
May Meeting Monday the 14th 6 PM
Don’t forget the monthly meeting is tomorrow Monday May 14th at Pagliai’s Pizza in Carbondale. This month we will be planning the dome party and looking at officer elections. I also have a partial list books available for loan to club members. I will also share information on other holdings of the club and how to best make use of them.
Tonights Meeting (February 12, 2018)
There will be a special surprise at tonight’s meeting that you will not want to miss! Hope to see you there!
Next Meeting Monday February 12, 2018
Our next monthly meeting is Monday February 12th at 6pm in the back room at Pagliai’a Pizza in Carbondale. The presentation will be how to clean the mirror in a reflecting telescope and how to collimate the telescope when done. I hope to see everyone there!
Public Viewing February 9th Canceled
Due to the forecast of clouds, 50% chance of rain and other obligations this public viewing will be canceled. Hopefully clear skys will grace us soon.
Super Blood Blue Moon Wednesday Morning
Here is some information on the upcoming event of the week. Let’s hope we have clear skys!
http://news.wsiu.org/post/last-day-january-will-see-astronomical-trifecta#stream/0
Public Viewing Friday January 26, 5:30pm
Come to the Giant City State Park Visitor center parking lot for a public viewing. If it is a good night we should be able to view the Orion Nebula, Andromeda Galaxy, the Double Cluster in Perseus and of course the Moon. The current weather forecast is for clouds and rain Friday night so keep your fingers crossed that they are wrong! Check back Friday for updates and also check our Facebook page http://facebook.com/astroaasi
January 8th 2018 Monthly Meeting
I hope everyone can join us for our monthly meeting. We will be making models of asteroids and learning where most of them come from and why.
Geminid Meteor Shower 2017
Articles I have read the last few days indicate this years Geminid shower should be a good one. Expect around 120 meteors an hour. The shower should peak around 2:00 am on the 14th. The Geminid’s are the result of the Earth passing through the debris left behind by a comet/asteroid hybrid named 3200 Phaethon which orbits the Sun about every 550 days. On December 16 it will be passing near Earth about 32 times farther from us than the Moon. While this should not effect this years shower, it may make next years shower even more spectacular.