Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter on August 27, 2016

ASNH Members Viewed the Event at Bethany Airport

By Donna Pursley

Venus and Jupiter were set to be really close together a little after sunset, so we needed a site with a nice low horizon to the West. Greg Barker chose the Bethany airport. It is close to the Bethany Observatory and has good horizons. As this would be a new location for us, he picked a spot on the field that was near a building that would block the lights from the street. There were over a dozen members gathered for the event. I believe that Bob Carruthers was the first to spot the planets in his binoculars. After that, the rest of us were able to find them. When those planets set, we went about looking for other objects including Saturn. I would call it an average night with a summer haze and a single bright light coming from the airport.

Summer Solstice Picnic

On Saturday, June 25, our annual summer solstice picnic was held at the Pavilion at Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden. Once again we were lucky to have great weather.  It was sunny and beautiful.  As always, there was abundant good food and good conversation.  Alan Sacharow and Bob Carruthers set up their telescopes for solar observing, and we had some impressive views of the Sun.  A few hearty souls even made the hike to the tower at the top of the park!  Everyone agreed that it was a relaxing and enjoyable afternoon.