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Jun 8

Astronomy Smorgasbord

June 8, 2021 @ 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM EDT

|Recurring Event (See all)

An event every week that begins at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, repeating until July 13, 2021

Six classes on a variety of interesting astronomy topics with different instructors. The fee is $45 for all six  for AAA members, or $15 for individual classes.  After registering you will be sent an invite to join the Google Classroom and the Zoom link for the classes. Click any class title below to register for only that individual class.

June 8: Night Sky Landscapes

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. 

This and the following class are organized by Stan Honda, previous AAA Board member and instructor for introductory and advanced Astrophotography courses.

June 15: Deep Sky Images

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. 

June 22: Introduction to Stellarium, a Free Sky Computer App

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 a 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.

June 29: Gravity for the Perplexed

We take our biological reaction to gravity so for granted 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.

July 6: Historic Missions

We’ve come a long way in space exploration in the past 60 years. Today we’re flying helicopters on Mars, and collecting samples from asteroids. These and other achievements built on preceding missions, stretching back to some of our earliest steps away from Earth. This class takes a look at just two of the early programs that were foundational in planetary exploration: Pioneer, and Venera. Each of these programs spanned decades, blazing trails in a new frontier, and inspiring generations. We’ll discuss some of the great challenges and accomplishments of these historic missions.  Instructor Irene Pease is a past president of AAA, co-host of the AAA podcast, AAASky, and Brooklyn’s Friendly Neighborhood Astronomer.

July 13: The Ultimate Two-Hour Telescope Presentation

For most amateur astronomers (and many professionals) the telescope is a surprisingly misunderstood instrument. Yet it is the fundamental tool for all astronomers. By the end of this talk, you’ll know everything you’ve ever wanted to know about telescopes and a lot you were unaware of. Among the topics covered will be the telescope’s origins, fundamentals of telescope optics, how to select the right telescope, how to maintain a telescope and properly diagnose problems. This presentation is for the total newbie all the way up to the most advanced observer. Taught by Bart Fried, the Executive Vice-President of the AAA.

Location: Classes will be online using Zoom. Sign-in with an ID code given to you the weekend before the first day of class. Class recordings available during the course and for 4 weeks after.

Time: 7-9 PM, Tuesdays

Cost: $45, AAA Members only. Not a Member? Join for $35.

Details

Date:
June 8, 2021
Time:
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
EDT
Event Categories:
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