UACNJ site open to AAA members

A reminder that the AAA is a member club of the UACNJ (United Astronomy Clubs of New Jersey) and that all AAA members are welcome to their observing site when public programs are held. UACNJ is a consortium of clubs consisting of over 1,400 members. It’s located in Jenny Jump State Park near the town of Hope, NJ. Just over one-hour from Manhattan it is a relatively dark sky site, not as dark as North South Lake but closer. On a clear night with little or no moon the Milky Way is visible and quite a number of deep sky objects.

Public observing and programs begin on Saturday, April 6 and occur every Saturday until October 26. At 8:00 pm an astronomy presentation is given in the lecture hall, then stargazing follows in the observatory’s telescopes until 10:30 pm. AAA members Jason Kendall and Stan Honda are scheduled to give talks this year.

AAA members can become qualified observers at UACNJ by completing a training session, paying a modest fee and agreeing to volunteer for four Saturdays to help with the public programs. In exchange, you’ll be allowed access to the site on non-public days.

Several members of the AAA Astrophotography group make regular visits to Jenny Jump to image deep sky objects. Below are samples of some of their work. Club members can also bring their own equipment to observe or photograph, there is plenty of space on the grounds to set up.

Check out their web site for more information, schedule of programs and directions: http://www.uacnj.org/.