Events on the Horizon – June 2021
If you see a “members only” event in the list below that you want to attend but can’t, become a member ASAP so you can take advantage of these useful opportunities to meet amazing people, gain new skills, and learn about the universe!
New Episode of AAASky
Sundays, June 6 and 20
Cost: FREE
Listen HERE (or on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, or Stitcher)
AAASky is the Amateur Astronomers Association‘s podcast for astronomy fans in New York City and beyond. Join co-hosts Irene and Stanley as they interview club members, prominent scientists, and personalities on the New York astronomical scene. Topics range from current space missions, night sky observing, astrophotography, cosmological research—plus AAA news and messages, and of course, Irene’s celestial forecast. Join us every other week to find out what’s happening above, with AAASky.
Summer Smorgasbord Class Series: Night Sky Landscapes
Tuesday, June 8
7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EDT
Cost: AAA Members Only. $45 for entire 6-class series, 0r $15 for individual class
Location: Zoom
Register HERE for whole series, or HERE for this class only
Maggie Machinsky and Preston Stahly will present night landscape images taken by the AAA Astrophotography group. Both will discuss their shooting techniques for DSLR and mirrorless cameras.
2021 Annular Solar Eclipse Observing
Thursday, June 10
5:20 – 6:30 a.m. EDT
Cost: FREE
Location: You can participate in-person at the Floyd Bennett Field Kayak Launch, Randall
On the morning of June 10, 2021, New York City will be in the path of a partial annular solar eclipse. This celestial event starts below the horizon at 4:38 AM, not directly visible to anyone within the five boroughs.
Sunris
For best possible viewing, always use certified equipment, such as a dedicated solar telescope, a telescope that can support a solar filter attachment, or with solar glasses that have the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard. Also, be sure to observe from an area with little to no obstructions, such as a waterfront with nothing blocking the horizon or from a very high location where buildings may not be an issue. Look east-northeast, and enjoy the show!
Course: Advanced Night Sky Photography
Thursdays, June 3, 10, 17, 24; July 1 and 8
7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EDT
Cost: AAA Members Only. $60 for entire course.
Location: Zoom
Find more info and register HERE.
An in-depth advanced course about wide-field night sky photography with digital SLR or mirrorless cameras and ordinary lenses… not employing telescopes. How to shoot well-composed and exposed starscapes, night sky landscapes, eclipses, the Moon, the Sun, astronomical phenomena.
Pre-requisites: Previous enrollment in AAA Night Sky Photography class (any date) or skill level at intermediate and above. Some night sky photography experience helpful. This is not a beginning class.
Requirements: Digital camera with interchangeable lenses (point and shoot cameras won’t work), tripod, image processing software (Adobe Photoshop/Lightroom recommended). Intermediate-level knowledge of photography and workings of camera. Knowledge of image processing software.
June 3: Composition
Good/bad, visualization, storytelling. Looking vs seeing in evaluating photos. Determining best focal length for picture.
June 10: Equipment, planning
Detailed review of cameras, lenses, accessories. How to plan an image with apps. How to read star charts. Review proper exposure. Prepare for field trip.
June 17: Field Trip
First quarter moon. Demonstration of different lenses, small tracking mounts. Location: Central Park (weather will alter date and location may change. See details in syllabus for those outside of NYC).
June 24: Critique from field trip, start image processing
Review class images from field trip. Discuss organizing files, editing, processing.
Spring Starfest 2021
Friday, June 11
8:00 – 10:00 p.m. EDT
Cost: FREE
Location: The Evergreens Cemetery, 1629 Bushwick Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11207, USA (map)
Join AAA for an evening of stargazing, and looking through our telescopes. Event is free, but masks and registration may be required on site.
Dark Sky Observing at North-South Lake
Saturday, June 12 to Sunday, June 13
7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EDT
Cost: Free, AAA Members Only
Location: North/South Lake Campground, 874 N Lake Rd, Haines Falls, NY 12436, USA (map)
Registration: See Google Group info below
MORE DETAILS AT THE AAA North South Lake Observing site
The Amateur Astronomers Association has an agreement with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation that allows us to have observing sessions at North-South Lake, located in Haines Falls, New York, in the Catskill Mountains. This is an exceptionally dark location for deep-sky observing. Our agreement allows only club members to participate.
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If you are an AAA member but do not yet have access to this group, please contact members
Summer Smorgasbord Class Series: Deep Sky Images
Tuesday, June 15
7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EDT
Cost: AAA Members Only. $45 for entire 6-class series, 0r $15 for individual class
Location: Zoom
Register HERE for whole series, or HERE for this class only
Urban astrophotography? Mauri Ronsenthal and others will show that it’s possible. They will show deep sky images taken by the AAA Astrophotography group in the New York City area and discuss equipment and shooting techniques.
Observing at Brooklyn Bridge Park
Fridays, June 18 and 25
8:00 – 10:00 p.m. EDT
Cost: FREE
Location: Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 3 (map)
See the stars from Brooklyn! In conjunction with the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York will set up telescopes for views of the moon when visible, and stars and other sights in the summer sky. This event is free and you do not need tickets, but masks and sign-in are required on site.
For more information, visit: https://www.aaa.org/observing/observing-at-brooklyn-bridge-park/
Observing at Carl Schurz Park
Friday, June 18
8:30 – 11:30 p.m. EDT
Cost: FREE
Location: Carl Schurz Park, East 86th Street &, East End Ave, New York, NY 10028, USA (map)
The Amateur Astronomers Association of New York hosts observing sessions, free and open to the public, one Friday night each month from April through October at Carl Schurz Park in Manhattan. Carl Schurz Park is located along East End Avenue at the end of East 86th Street. The park has a lovely view of a lot of sky above the East River, Roosevelt Island, Queens, and the Queensborough and Triborough bridges.
We meet on the park esplanade (John Finley Walk), overlooking the East River. The 86th Street entrance to the park is the closest to where we set up, though that entrance requires climbing stairs to reach the esplanade. You may enter the park at many other points, including 87th or 88th streets, thereby avoiding the stairs.
We encourage anyone wishing to bring a telescope or binoculars to do so, but it is not required. You are more than welcome to look through ours.
For more information, visit: https://www.aaa
Summer Smorgasbord Class Series: Introduction to Stellarium, a Free Sky Computer App
Tuesday, June 22
7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EDT
Cost: AAA Members Only. $45 for entire 6-class series, 0r $15 for individual class
Location: Zoom
Register HERE for whole series, or HERE for this class only
Stellarium is your HAL 9000 [from “2001” movie] without the psychotic malfunction. Plan your astrophotography session, learn about the night sky, travel the solar system and Universe, and figure out what you actually see through your eyepiece or binoculars. Instructor Matthias Schmitt is completing a Masters degree in astronomy and teaches public observation sessions for the Park Service in Utah. He also directs TV/cable programs on space science and adventures for young people.
Solar Observing at Pier I
Sunday, June 27
1:00 – 4:00 p.m. EDT
Cost: FREE
Location: Pier I, Riverside Park South, New York, NY 10069 (map)
Join AAA astronomers for Solar Sundays! *Safely* view the Sun through solar filtered telescopes and solar viewing glasses. Never look directly at the Sun without a proper filter. Event is free; masks and registration required on site.
Summer Smorgasbord Class Series: Gravity for the Perplexed
Tuesday, June 29
7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EDT
Cost: AAA Members Only. $45 for entire 6-class series, 0r $15 for individual class
Location: Zoom
Register HERE for whole series, or HERE for this class only
We take our biological reaction to gravity for granted to such an extent that it is a challenge to sit back and carefully dissect its awesome reality. This presentation covers a broad range of topics that examine how gravity impacts our ways of thinking about our place in the Universe. Usually, we simply think about gravity as something that makes us fall down or drives planets around the Sun. But with general relativity and beyond, we are forced to recognize that this phenomenon is fundamental to the way we think about our own existence. By approaching this terra incognita, we are humbled to acknowledge our own ignorance about this experience. Instructor Bob Marx is a retired physics teacher, a student of astronomy and physics history, and AAA member.
AAA continues to follow official recommendations regarding COVID-19 and coordinates with any partner institutions regarding event cancellations.
For the status of any event, check the AAA Calendar or Upcoming Events on the AAA website home page.
You can subscribe to the AAA Google Calendar on this page by clicking the 
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