AAA OUT-OF-TOWN OBSERVING

For those of us who need on occasion to seek out truly dark skies, a group of members of the Amateur Astronomical Association organizes regular trips to sites in the New York metropolitan area suitable for deep-sky observing. Around New Moon each month, we get riders together with drivers and head out of town (riders are expected to share expenses such as gas and tolls).

Occasionally we also meet in the city if something interesting is happening.

Out of Town Observers now have their own mailing list.  If you would like to be on it, just say so in an e-mail to outoftown@aaa.org.

The Travel Team .  A few people without cars have expressed interest in renting a car or van with others for out-of-town trips.  Others are looking for rides or riders.  So we will be forming a Travel Team, a smaller list of stargazers who are looking to get together.  Unlike the out-of-town mail list, members of the Travel Team will receive each other's e-mail addresses.  This should help people get together.  If you're interested in joining the Travel Team, send an e-mail to outoftown@aaa.org saying so.

PLANS FOR 2009

We hope to have regularly scheduled monthly observing sessions at dark sky sites during spring, summer and autumn 2009.  These would be at locations fairly far from New York City, involving travel time of at least two or three hours each way.  To make things easier, we hope to be able to "crash" at cabins or summer houses of AAA members.  Watch this space to see if these plans become reality.

Dates of New Moon in 2009