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President: Vice President: Secretary: Treasurer: |
Al Meloni Wade Evans Suzanne Leap Jim Brennan |
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West Jersey Astronomical Society www.wasociety.us
Welcome to the Official Home Page of the West Jersey Astronomical Society (additionally known as the Willingboro Astronomical Society). Our club is in its 55th 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, including a PayPal link to pay dues (click here to make a separate donation). Members in good standing have access to the gated Barnegat Road Observing Site in the dark New Jersey Pines, while Atsion Field in the Pines is available to those with valid membership cards.
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President: Vice President: Secretary: Treasurer: |
Al Meloni Wade Evans Suzanne Leap Jim Brennan |
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Announcements Last Update: Wednesday, March 23, 2022
| Apr 1 | New Moon at 2:24 pm EDT in northern Cetus (about 45 min RA, +1° Dec). This is the last-chance weekend to run the Messier Marathon, trying to spot each of the nominal 110 objects in Messier's non-comet catalog. |
| Apr 1 | Formal Meeting, at the Virtua Health and Wellness Center in Moorestown, NJ, 7:30 pm. We are now meeting in-person at Virtua! It will also be simulcast via Zoom (log-on information posted to the WAS e-group). Guests are welcome at Virtua. |
| Apr 9 | NEAF, the Northeast Astronomy Forum has been postponed to April 15-16, 2023 -- next year! |
| Apr 15 | Informal Meeting, at the Virtua Health and Wellness Center in Moorestown, NJ, 7:30 pm. |
| Apr 16 | Full Moon at 2:55 pm EDT in Virgo. |
| Apr 21 | Public Star Watch at Historic Smithville Park in Easthampton, NJ (near Mt Holly), 7:30 to 10:30 pm. Participation is limited and guests must register (no fee) at the Burlington County Parks site (at the top, select Nature Programs, scroll down to the Outdoors section and click Star Watches then Star Watch 4/21). Registration opens April 7. |
| Note: | The Public Star Watch season for 2021 was lost to COVID-19 restrictions; however, plans for 2022 are nearly complete. Member observing at the Barnegat Road Observing Site commenced in July 2021 (sessions organized through the WAS e-group), and WAS members are now permitted nighttime observing at Atsion Field in Wharton State Forest, as long as they are carrying their membership card and have astronomical equipment in use. |
Photo Spotlight Image posted 2.23.2022
Club member Howard Schneck captured this image of the Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33), a dark nebula silhouetted by the bright emission nebula, IC 434. B33 is located in the constellation Orion, and is 1,375 light years away. The red color of background IC 434 is from ionized hydrogen (H-alpha), energized by the nearby star, Sigma Orionis (which is out of the field of view ). At the bottom left, note the largely blue reflection nebula (with some red emission), NGC 2023. Mouseover for labels.
The sub-exposures for this image were shot on January 11, February 11 and February 21, 2022, from his backyard in light-polluted Mt Laurel, NJ. The field-of-view is 26 arc min wide x 37 arc min high with an image scale of 0.72"/pixel. The image is oriented with north to the left.
Howard used a modified Canon T3 digital SLR camera with an Astronomik CLS clip-in light pollution filer at the focus of a Celestron Edge HD8 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope with a focal reducer (FL = 1488 mm). It was tracking on a Sky-Watcher NEQ6 Pro German equatorial mount. Guiding was accomplished with an Orion 60 mm guide scope and a ZWO ASI120MM-S digital camera. Integration time was 4.8 hr (29 x 300 sec, 18 x 480 sec, 30 flats). No darks were used, but dithering was employed for every sub. Capture was assisted with N.I.N.A., PHD2 and Stellarium.
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date and time, as well as equipment and photo data.
Astrospheric Forecast for the Barnegat Road Observing Site
Star & Constellation
Pronunciation Guides
Lunar X Predictions (UT)
Some items from the March 18, 2022, metting.
