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 57th 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. Members in good standing have access to the gated Barnegat Road Observing Site in the dark New Jersey Pines.

 

President:

Vice President:

Secretary:

Treasurer:

Jim Fusco

Bob Lill

Suzanne Leap

Wade Evans

   

 

Announcements   Last Update: Saturday, October 19, 2024

Oct 23 Public Star Watch at Historic Smithville Park in Easthampton, NJ, (near Mt Holly) beginning at 6:30 pm EDT. A no-fee registration is required. Check back here on the afternoon of the event for the go/no-go weather call.
Oct 26 Public Star Watch at Batsto, beginning at 6:30 pm EDT. No registration is required. Check back here on the afternoon of the event for the go/no-go weather call.
Nov 1 New Moon at 8:47 am EDT in Libra.
Nov 1 Formal Meeting at the Virtua Health and Wellness Center, Conference Ctr, Room 155A, Moorestown, NJ, 7:30 pm. Guests are welcome.
Nov 3 Daylight Saving Time ends, 2:00 am EDT becomes 1:00 am EST ("Fall back, Spring ahead").
Nov 15 Informal Meeting at the Virtua Health and Wellness Center, Conference Ctr, Room 155A, Moorestown, NJ, 7:30 pm. Guests are welcome.
Nov 15 Full Moon at 4:28 pm EST in Aries, near the Taurus border.

Photo Spotlight   Image posted 10.10.2024

Club Secretary and Star Watch Director, Suzanne Leap, was out to Wharton State Forest on Monday night, October 7-8, 2024, for some stargazing, with the hope of sighting an aurora. As she was preparing to pack up around 1:00 am on Oct 8, she noticed the sky lit up with a pink/red aurora display. It lasted about 10 minutes and she was able to capture them, as seen here, with her Canon EOS 80D camera at ISO 1250. With the increasing solar activity this cycle, aurora sightings have been on the rise. Click the picture for a larger version. On Thursday evening, Oct 10, numerous aurorae were seen by many in our region.

 

 

Earlier on the night of October 7, airline pilot and club member C. Steeves captured this view of aurora with an iPhone 11 at 9:26 pm from 41,000 ft over Nashville, TN. Notice the Big Dipper just above the horizon. Click the picture for a larger version.

 

 Click here for the previous home page image.

 

Sky & Telescope's This Week's Sky at a Glance, October 18 to 27, 2024.

The USNO's The Sky This Week, October 8, 2024, Comets, Cats & Clusters.

Get the monthly Evening Sky Map.

 

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.

Astrospheric Forecast for the Barnegat Road Observing Site...

Star & Constellation Pronunciation Guides

United States Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications

Minima of Algol

Lunar X Predictions for 2024

Best Comets of 2024
New! Bob King Oct 2: Get Ready for Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS — The Best Is Yet to Come! - Sky & Telescope
Bob King: Status Report and Expectations for Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS - Sky & Telescope
Jerry Lodriguss: A Guide to Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) – A S T R O P I X
Nick James: Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS looking good for October – British Astronomical Association