West Jersey Astronomical Society  www.wasociety.us

Welcome to the Official Home Page of the West Jersey Astronomical Society (formerly known as the Willingboro Astronomical Society). Our club is in its 50th year of serving both the public and the amateur astronomers of the Delaware Valley. We have a long history of public education, star parties, interesting meetings, in-depth training and experienced leadership. We are a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Click here for membership information (dues can now be paid through PayPal).

 

President:

Vice President:

Secretary:

Treasurer:

 Roger Cowley

Jim Fusco

Bernie Kosher

Wade Evans

     

Announcements   Last Update: Saturday, August 19, 2017

Aug 19 Public Star Watch at Batsto. The weather forecast looks favorable, so tonight's Star Watch is a GO!
Aug 21 New Moon at 2:30 pm EDT in Leo. There will be a total solar eclipse on a narrow path crossing the continental USA, but in the Philadelphia area, it will just be a partial eclipse with a maximum obscuration of 75% at 2:44 pm. Click here to see general time and position information for the sun, as well as graphical representations of the lunar silhouette on the sun at several points during the eclipse in the Philadelphia area.
Sept 1 Formal Meeting, 7:30 pm at the Virtua Health and Wellness Center in Moorestown, NJ. As always, guests are welcome and no astronomical experience is necessary. Use the Main Entrance and check with the security guard who will direct you to the conference room.
Sept 6 Full Moon at 3:03 am EDT in Aquarius. The moon will be 1.4° from Neptune (center to center).
Sept 15 Informal Meeting, 7:30 pm at the Virtua Health and Wellness Center in Moorestown, NJ.

Photo Spotlight   Image posted 8.14.2017

It's now August 14, 2017, just one week until the path of a total solar eclipse crosses the continental USA on August 21. The last solar eclipse that was visible from the Philadelphia area, a partial eclipse in progress at sunrise, was on November 3, 2013. This image of it was captured by Steve Mattan from the boardwalk in Brigantine, NJ, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. It was taken with a Canon 60D digital SLR camera (on a fixed tripod) and a Canon 100 to 400 mm f/4.5-5.6L zoom lens set to 400 mm focal length, with a full-aperture solar filter. It was exposed 1/200 second at f/5.6, ISO 1600. The eclipsed sun rose at 6:28 am EST and last contact was at 7:11 am when the sun was at a mere 6.8° altitude. As a result, the upper limb of the sun shows some greenish fringe and the lower edge at the upper limb of the moon's silhouette shows some reddish fringe due to atmospheric chromatic aberration.

Here's another set of images from Brigantine on November 3, 2013. In the years since then, the only solar eclipse visible from this area was a partial one beginning just before sunset on October 23, 2014. However, clouds blocked the view.

 

Click here for the previous home page image.

 

Note: Club President, Roger Cowley, has published a new book, Gauging the Solar System: Measuring Astronomical Values for Yourself. Have fun and do more than just snap pictures of the sky! Available at Amazon too.

Click to contact the . Members are encouraged to submit their astronomical images to the webmaster for inclusion on the WAS Home Page. Be sure to include a description, date and time, as well as equipment and photo data.

USNO Solar System Object Apparent Disc