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: Wednesday, December 06, 2017

The WAS Officers for 2018 have been elected. Click here for the results.

Dec 13 The Geminid Meteor Shower peaks overnight (Dec 13/14) with a favorable moon. More at Sky & Telescope online.
Dec 15 Informal Meeting, 7:30 pm at the Virtua Health and Wellness Center in Moorestown, NJ. Here are the minutes from the December 1st meeting.
Dec 18 New Moon at 1:30 am EST in Sagittarius.
Dec 21 Solstice at 11:28 am EST. The sun reaches its most southerly declination (in Sagittarius, near the Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae) marking the beginning of Winter for the Northern Hemisphere. 
Jan 1 Full Moon at 9:24 pm EST in Gemini.
Jan 5 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.

Photo Spotlight   Image posted 11.27.2017

Dan McCauley captured this image of the edge-on galaxy, NGC 891 in Andromeda, and mostly in the upper-left quadrant of the image, the galaxy cluster, Abell 347 (mouseover for labels of selected objects, galaxies in green, stars in blue). This monochrome image was captured from Steelmantown in Belleplain State Forest, NJ, on the night of November 25, 2017. It was taken with a CCD camera and a Takahashi TOA-130 apo refractor plus a reducer at f/5 (650 m focal length). It was exposed a total of 80 minutes (16 x 5 minute subs). Click here for a larger version.

 

Click here for the previous home page image.

 

Note: Club President, Roger Cowley, has published a 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

Star & Constellation Pronunciation Guides