Public Observing
Session
Saturday, May 24, 8:30 pm
Kalamazoo Nature Center
In the fading
light of a spring evening, we watch the stars appear one by one.
Before
too long, twilight's window gives way to the starry curtain, signaling
the
beginning of a night of stargazing. The KAS invites you to a
pleasant
evening under nature's grandest spectacle - the universe itself.
Highlights
of the night include the Moon,
Jupiter, and Saturn.
Sessions
will be canceled if the sky is mostly cloudy or overcast. For
cancellation information, please call the Nature Center at (269)
381-1574. For all other questions please contact KAS
President
Jack Price. Clear skies!
General Meeting
Friday, June 6, 7:00 pm
Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center
Comets are the wandering minstrels of the sky. Throughout recorded
history there have been reports of comets appearing rather suddenly in
the night sky, at least in astronomical terms, and fading to obscurity
equally promptly. While these unannounced visitors caused much
confusion and fear in our ancestors we now know that comets are icy
remnants from the formation epoch of our own solar system. Dr. Kundu shall
discuss some of the recent observations of comets from both space and
ground-based observations that have helped further our understanding of
these "dirty snowballs'' and their place in the solar system.
Interestingly amateur astronomers play a vital role in comet research,
perhaps much more so than any other branch of astronomy, and the study
of comets would be much the poorer without their crucial contributions.
Please
Note: This meeting was originally planned to be held at WMU, but has been moved back to our regular meeting site, KAMSC.
Public Observing
Session
Saturday, June 7, 9:00 pm
Kalamazoo Nature Center
In the fading
light of a spring evening, we watch the stars appear one by one.
Before
too long, twilight's window gives way to the starry curtain, signaling
the
beginning of a night of stargazing. The KAS invites you to a
pleasant
evening under nature's grandest spectacle - the universe itself.
Highlights
of the night include some Grand
Globular Clusters.
Sessions
will be canceled if the sky is mostly cloudy or overcast. For
cancellation information, please call the Nature Center at (269)
381-1574. For all other questions please contact KAS
President
Jack Price. Clear skies!
Astrophotography Workshop
Friday, June 27, 8:00 pm
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Have
you ever wanted to learn how to take photographs of the night sky?
Well now is your chance! The KAS will hold another astrophotography
workshop at the Nature Center. We’ll take full advantage of the 12”
Schmidt-Cassegrain in Owl Observatory, but you’re welcome to bring your
own
telescopes, mounts, etc.
Our subject will be the Moon, which is perhaps the
easiest celestial object to photograph.
Techniques such as prime focus photography and eyepiece projection will
be covered. Feel free to bring a webcam
if you’ve got one!
All members are encouraged to participate in the
workshop, but please register ahead of time.
Please contact Richard Bell if you want to participate. Members interested
in just doing a little observing are also welcome to attend.
Please
Note: This event is
for KAS Members
only. If you'd like to attend then JOIN the KAS
today!
Public Observing
Session
Saturday, June 28, 9:00 pm
Kalamazoo Nature Center
In the fading
light of a summer evening, we watch the stars appear one by one.
Before
too long, twilight's window gives way to the starry curtain, signaling
the
beginning of a night of stargazing. The KAS invites you to a
pleasant
evening under nature's grandest spectacle - the universe itself.
Highlights
of the night include the Jupiter
& the Galilean Moons.
Sessions
will be canceled if the sky is mostly cloudy or overcast. For
cancellation information, please call the Nature Center at (269)
381-1574. For all other questions please contact KAS
President
Jack Price. Clear skies!
General Meeting
Friday, July 11, 7:00 pm
WMU Rood Hall - Room #1110
Today the astronomical marketplace is flooded with telescopes and
accessories of all shapes, sizes, and price ranges. However, even
with the wealth of goods now
available, there are some gadgets that can only be hand crafted.
It just goes to show that necessity really is
the mother of invention and thankfully amateur astronomers are an
ingenious lot. There are also some items that are far
cheaper to build yourself.
For our next meeting we invite KAS members to trot out the results of
their latest brainstorming. Please feel
free to bring any previously seen doodads, doohickeys, and devices from
past
Gadget Nights as well - odds are they’ll be all-new to someone in
attendance. You won't want to miss this fun and entertaining
evening.
Public Observing
Session
Saturday, July 12, 9:00 pm
Kalamazoo Nature Center
In the fading
light of a summer evening, we watch the stars appear one by one.
Before
too long, twilight's window gives way to the starry curtain, signaling
the
beginning of a night of stargazing. The KAS invites you to a
pleasant
evening under nature's grandest spectacle - the universe itself.
Highlights
of the night include some Delightful
Double Stars of summer.
Sessions
will be canceled if the sky is mostly cloudy or overcast. For
cancellation information, please call the Nature Center at (269)
381-1574. For all other questions please contact KAS
President
Jack Price. Clear skies!
Public Observing
Session
Saturday, July 26, 9:00 pm
Kalamazoo Nature Center
In the fading
light of a summer evening, we watch the stars appear one by one.
Before
too long, twilight's window gives way to the starry curtain, signaling
the
beginning of a night of stargazing. The KAS invites you to a
pleasant
evening under nature's grandest spectacle - the universe itself.
Highlights
of the night include Super
Summer Nebulae.
Sessions
will be canceled if the sky is mostly cloudy or overcast. For
cancellation information, please call the Nature Center at (269)
381-1574. For all other questions please contact KAS
President
Jack Price. Clear skies!
General Meeting
Saturday, August 9, 6:00 pm
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Mark your calendar. Pray
for good weather. It's time for the big social event of the year
for the
KAS. So get ready to party! Here are the details:
The KAS will provide the hot dogs, hamburgers, and veggie burgers (by
order). You will be required to bring your own beverages, table
service,
lawn chairs, bug spray, and a dish to pass. Condiments will be
provided
by the KAS.
While dinner is cooking we will have solar observing available through
the
12" LX200 in Owl Observatory and other KAS member telescopes.
Feel
free to bring any type of outdoor games or toys to pass the time while
we wait
for dinner.
This gathering
will take place rain or shine, so be prepared for whatever Mother
Nature throws
our way!
Please
Note: This event is
for KAS Members and their guests
only. If you'd like to attend then JOIN the KAS
today! The proceeding observing session is open to the public.
Public Observing
Session
Saturday, August 9, 8:30 pm
Kalamazoo Nature Center
In the fading
light of a summer evening, we watch the stars appear one by one.
Before
too long, twilight's window gives way to the starry curtain, signaling
the
beginning of a night of stargazing. The KAS invites you to a
pleasant
evening under nature's grandest spectacle - the universe itself.
Highlights
of the night include the Moon, Jupiter, and
Perseid Meteors.
Sessions
will be canceled if the sky is mostly cloudy or overcast. For
cancellation information, please call the Nature Center at (269)
381-1574. For all other questions please contact KAS
President
Jack Price. Clear skies!
Public Observing
Session
Saturday, August 23, 8:30 pm
Kalamazoo Nature Center
In the fading
light of a summer evening, we watch the stars appear one by one.
Before
too long, twilight's window gives way to the starry curtain, signaling
the
beginning of a night of stargazing. The KAS invites you to a
pleasant
evening under nature's grandest spectacle - the universe itself.
Highlights
of the night include The Summer Triangle; an asterism made of the bright stars
Vega, Deneb, and Altair.
Sessions
will be canceled if the sky is mostly cloudy or overcast. For
cancellation information, please call the Nature Center at (269)
381-1574. For all other questions please contact KAS
President
Jack Price. Clear skies!
Public Observing
Session
Saturday, September 6, 7:30 pm
Kalamazoo Nature Center
In the fading
light of a summer evening, we watch the stars appear one by one.
Before
too long, twilight's window gives way to the starry curtain, signaling
the
beginning of a night of stargazing. The KAS invites you to a
pleasant
evening under nature's grandest spectacle - the universe itself.
Highlights
of the night include the distant planets Uranus & Neptune.
Sessions
will be canceled if the sky is mostly cloudy or overcast. For
cancellation information, please call the Nature Center at (269)
381-1574. For all other questions please contact KAS
President
Jack Price. Clear skies!
General Meeting
Friday, September 12, 7:00 pm
Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center
Take
a step back in
time and follow the historic story of how the United States responded
to Sputnik, the world's first Earth-orbiting satellite launched by the
Soviets in 1957.
Public Observing
Session
Saturday, September 27, 7:30 pm
Kalamazoo Nature Center
In the fading
light of an autumn evening, we watch the stars appear one by one.
Before
too long, twilight's window gives way to the starry curtain, signaling
the
beginning of a night of stargazing. The KAS invites you to a
pleasant
evening under nature's grandest spectacle - the universe itself.
Highlights
of the night include the Galaxies of Autumn.
Sessions
will be canceled if the sky is mostly cloudy or overcast. For
cancellation information, please call the Nature Center at (269)
381-1574. For all other questions please contact KAS
President
Jack Price. Clear skies!
General Meeting
Friday, October 3, 7:00 pm
Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center
The tradition continues! Every October the general meeting of the
Kalamazoo Astronomical Society is devoted to astrophotography, the art
of
photographing the night sky. For the past year, KAS shutterbugs
have
traveled to exotic places, ascended to dizzying heights, or just hung
out at the
Kalamazoo Nature Center and other locales, working the graveyard shift
with
their impressive array of camera gear. Now they are ready to show
their
artistic wares in the fourteenth annual KAS Astrophotography Contest,
competing to
win in one or more of five categories, plus Best First-Time Entry and
Best of
Show. As an added attraction we will also feature a general slide
show of
our members' best photographs from years past. So come on out for
what
always proves to be one of our best meetings of the year!
Public Observing
Session
Saturday, October 4, 7:00 pm
Kalamazoo Nature Center
In the fading
light of an autumn evening, we watch the stars appear one by one.
Before
too long, twilight's window gives way to the starry curtain, signaling
the
beginning of a night of stargazing. The KAS invites you to a
pleasant
evening under nature's grandest spectacle - the universe itself.
Highlights
of the night include some Overwhelming Open Clusters.
Sessions
will be canceled if the sky is mostly cloudy or overcast. For
cancellation information, please call the Nature Center at (269)
381-1574. For all other questions please contact KAS
President
Jack Price. Clear skies!
Public Observing
Session
Saturday, October 25, 7:00 pm
Kalamazoo Nature Center
In the fading
light of an autumn evening, we watch the stars appear one by one.
Before
too long, twilight's window gives way to the starry curtain, signaling
the
beginning of a night of stargazing. The KAS invites you to a
pleasant
evening under nature's grandest spectacle - the universe itself.
Highlights
of the night include The Great
Square; an asterism made from
stars in
the constellations Pegasus and Andromeda.
Sessions
will be canceled if the sky is mostly cloudy or overcast. For
cancellation information, please call the Nature Center at (269)
381-1574. For all other questions please contact KAS
President
Jack Price. Clear skies!
General Meeting
Friday, November 7, 7:00 pm
Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center
Details coming soon...