You are hereAAA OBSERVING AT GREAT KILLS, STATEN ISLAND
AAA OBSERVING AT GREAT KILLS, STATEN ISLAND
One Saturday each month (except in mid-winter), the Staten Island Chapter of the AAA hosts public stargazing in Gateway Great Kills National Park, off Hylan Boulevard on the south shore of Staten Island.
NOTE: For environmental reasons, the observing site has changed! Read the modified directions and detail map below.
Chair: Joe DiNapoli
(sessions end at 11 PM)
| DATE | START TIME | MOON PHASE (*) | WHAT TO SEE |
| February 20 | 7:30 PM | Waxing Crescent | Mars, Saturn, Winter Sky |
| March 20 | 7:30 PM | Waxing Crescent | Mars, Saturn, Winter/Early Spring Sky |
| April 17 | Dusk | Waxing Crescent | Mars, Saturn, Spring Sky |
| May 15 | Dusk | Waxing Crescent | Venus (low), Mars, Saturn, Spring Sky |
| June 19 | Dusk | Waxing Gibbous | Venus (low), Mars, Saturn, Late Spring/Early Summer Sky |
| July 17 | Dusk | First Quarter | Venus (law), Mars, Saturn, Summer Sky |
| August 14 | Dusk | Waxing Crescent | Saturn, Venus, Mars (all low), Jupiter, Summer Sky |
| September 11 | Dusk | Waxing Crescent | Mars, Venus (both low), Jupiter, Uranus (near Jupiter), Late Summer/Early Autumn Sky |
| October 9 | 7:30 PM | Waxing Crescent | Moon, Jupiter, Uranus, Autumn Sky |
| November 13 | 7:30 PM | First Quarter | Jupiter, Late Autumn/Early Winter Sky |
| December 11 (tentative) | 7:30 PM | Waxing Crescent | Jupiter, Winter Sky |
(*) A New Moon is invisible, lying between Earth and Sun. A Waxing Crescent Moon is a few days old -- it is "waxing" because the visible crescent grows in size night after night during this period. At First Quarter half the Moon is lit. This is an excellent time to see lunar detail, especially near the lunar teminator (the boundary between darkness and light). When the Moon is completely lit we have a Full Moon. This is usually a poor time to see other objects in the sky, since the Moon's light overwhelms them. But eclipses of the Moon occur at this time, and on March 3rd there will be one. At Last Quarter the Moon rises at midnight and is highest around dawn.
Directions:
By car, from Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens:
- Take the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (1 on Staten Island map) to Staten Island.
- Follow signs to Hylan Boulevard south and proceed approximately 5.5 miles (yellow on Staten Island map), past New Dorp.
- After a wide curve in the road (white dots on Map 2), at Buffalo Street the entrance for Great Kills National Seashore (2 on detail map) will be on your left.
- Turn into the park and proceed about one mile (follow the red dots on the detail map) to the sign "Information & Permits". Turn right, go 1/10 mile to a clearing on your right (3 on detail map).
By bus or subway:
- From Brooklyn, take the Broadway Local (R) train to 86th Street, and transfer to the #79 bus, which stops at the park entrance (2 on detail map).
- From Manhattan, the Staten Island Ferry connects to the #78 bus, which stops at the park entrance (2 on detail map).
- Walk into the park and proceed about one mile (follow the red dots) to the sign "Information & Permits". Turn right, go 1/10 mile to a clearing on your right (3 on detail map).
NOTE: People wishing to observe at Great Kills at other times must obtain a permit for their car for $50 from the National Park Service.
Staten Island Map
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