AAA President Message – March 2020

Dear AAA Members,

Observing season is upon us! Over two dozen intrepid AAA Members joined in the February 22 Messier Marathon Trial Run in The Evergreens Cemetery in Brooklyn. Thanks to John Bills and Tom Haeberle for organizing the event. I was disappointed to have to miss out, and I’m thankful to the observers and astrophotographers who have shared their logs and images from the night. Those as well as John’s Eyepiece article are an inspiration and motivation for the coming Messier Marathon events in March.

Many AAA public observing sites are starting this month, with more beginning in April. Please note that one of our most highly attended sites, the High Line, will be on Wednesdays this year.  Join your fellow AAA Members at an observing site near you!  Members are encouraged to participate, with or without observing gear. Some sites have telescopes for volunteers to staff, and at any site volunteers can help with engaging the public as they wait in line for views of the heavens. In particular, we’re looking for volunteers at Lincoln Center in Manhattan, Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, and Riverdale in the Bronx. If you can help with one of these, or any other site, please contact the site chair, whose email is listed on their site’s page.

For those of you looking for darker skies nearby NYC, keep in mind that AAA is a Member Club of UACNJ, located in Jenny Jump State Forest, NJ. AAA Members are welcome to attend the Public Programs for presentations and observing, organize AAA-trips there during the week, or consider becoming an Observer.

This month’s Lecture, “Crescendo of the Cosmic Symphony: Gravitational Waves and the New Frontier of Astronomy” by Robert Coyne will be on the second Friday, March 13. If you haven’t been to one of AAA’s lectures, or haven’t been to one yet this season, I encourage you to join us. Our Lecture Chair, David Kraft, arranges an incredible series with prestigious speakers who can not only share their research on intriguing astronomy and astrophysics topics, but who are also very engaging presenters. I hope to see many of you soon at the Lecture, or other AAA events.

Clear Skies,
Irene Pease
AAA President