Sketching the view seen through a telescope eyepiece has a long history going back to the earliest use of telescopes to observe the heavens, most famously with the sketches and notes taken by Galileo beginning around 1609. Sketching while observing is still popular despite the common use of cameras and cell phones to capture the scene [...]
This region is in a very well known area of the sky, but its neighbors draw more attention from astrophotographers. Close to Deneb, at the opposite side of the North America and Pelican nebulae, lies this emission nebula complex. The whole region is quite strong in Ha, and very faint in SII and OIII. There is [...]
To Bennu and Back Again: the OSIRIS-REx Sample Return Mission Are we alone or do we share our solar system and galaxy with other forms of life? And how widespread are advanced civilizations with whom we could communicate? Dr. Hannah Kaplan Sunday, August 8, 2021 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM EST Online event meet.google.com/osh-bcyd-gti Monthly Meeting - Public Invited Abstract: On October 20, 2020, the OSIRIS-REx [...]
Lloyd Franklin captured a portion of the Annular Solar Eclipse (commonly known as a “Ring of Fire”), on 10 June 2021. The path of annularity only traversed parts of Canada, Greenland, and Northern Russia, and wasn’t easy to get to, but with some research Lloyd found one of the most interesting locations to view the [...]
Searching for Life on Other Worlds Are we alone or do we share our solar system and galaxy with other forms of life? And how widespread are advanced civilizations with whom we could communicate? Robert Naeye Sunday, July 11, 2021 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM EST Online event meet.google.com/osh-bcyd-gti Monthly Meeting - Public Invited Abstract: Are we alone or do we share our solar system and [...]
Expand Your Horizons at Astronomy Day 2021 May 15, 2021, 5 PM to 11 PM at C.M. Crockett Park Hosted by the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club, Astronomy Day is an international event coordinated by astronomy clubs around the world to share the night sky with our communities. We're putting on a day full of [...]
The Last Stargazers Dr. Emily Levesque Sunday, May 2, 2021 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM EST Online event meet.google.com/osh-bcyd-gti Monthly Meeting - Public Invited Abstract: A bird that mimicked a black hole. The astronomer that discovered microwave ovens. A telescope that got shot. The science of astronomy is filled with true stories (and tall tales) of the adventures [...]
Asteroids and Comets: Earth's Nearest Neighbors Dr. Amy Mainzer Sunday, April 11, 2021 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM EST Online event meet.google.com/osh-bcyd-gti Monthly Meeting - Public Invited Abstract: Asteroids and comets, leftover fragments from the formation of our solar system, represent repositories of primordial material. As such, they provide clues to the processes by which planetary systems [...]
This stunning image of the Horsehead Nebula was captured by NOVAC member Jeff McFarlin. Jeff writes: The Horsehead Nebula (also known as Barnard 33) is a small dark nebula in the constellation Orion, and is part of the much larger Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. The Horsehead Nebula is approximately 422 parsecs or 1,375 light-years [...]
The Mysterious Great Dimming of Betelgeuse Dr. Andrea Dupree, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian Sunday, March 14, 2021 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM EST Online event http://meet.google.com/aoj-rfxn-oqd Monthly Meeting - Public Invited Abstract: The bright cool supergiant Betelgeuse became historically faint a little over one year ago in early February 2020. Various explanations have been [...]
