Calling All Lunatics!
By Ray Kaville
Our closest planetary object. The Moon.
Many nights of unsuccessful searching for random difficult objects (of course this is all subjective to the
level of my astronomical knowledge) have had me feeling blessed that an object this robust and easy to
find exists in our night sky. Countless times I’ve perused the naked eye surface markings through various
powered Eps and been thrilled to watch this live planet perform so close to home. Recently I ran across
this article from the BBC SkyAtNight magazine that provides an excellent insight into the Lunar Maria
(seas) for the astronomical observer. It’s full of images and some great links to other lunar treasure
chests that you should all explore. I’m sure you’ll enjoy this as much as I did.
Happy viewing!
https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/space-science/lunar-maria-guide-list-seas-moon/
Astronomy Links
By Ray Kaville
A unique view of the historic Apollo 11 launch and a very interesting description:
Apollo 11 Saturn V Launch Camera E-8
Astronomy apps you may want to have:
Found in the base of a statue of Robert E. Lee statue (there is an astronomical connection):
From NASA:
See which spacecraft are talking to the Deep Space Network at any time: https://eyes.nasa.gov/dsn/dsn.html
New Zealand’s attempts to preserve the night sky:
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220202-saving-the-night-sky-new-zealands-craziest-experiment-yet
Features
If you have not looked at the newsletter before, check out some of the regular features. There are four useful links in the menu at the top of this page:
Calendar This is a monthly calendar that includes all the scheduled events of ASNH, other regional events of interest, plus the dates and times of noteworthy events in the night sky.
SkyMap This page has a chart of the sky as it appears over the New Haven area at the present date and time. It is constantly updated, so you can go to this page on any clear night to see what is overhead.
Space Place Read the monthly article from Space Place.
Directions This page gives directions to all the locations where regular activities of ASNH take place, including the monthly meeting, public observing sessions, and the annual Connecticut Star Party.
Other regular features can be found within these pages:
Upcoming Public Events Many ASNH events are free and open to the public. These include the monthly meetings and public observing sessions at Young’s Pond Park in Branford and Silver Sands State Park in Milford. This section gives the dates, times, and descriptions of these events.
Upcoming Events for ASNH Members These events are for ASNH members only. Some are private observing nights, and others are outreach events where volunteers are needed with the telescopes and equipment.
Night Sky Highlights This section lists some objects to observe in the sky during the next few months, whether you are using just your eyes, a pair of binoculars, or a telescope.
Gallery This section features photographs of celestial targets taken by ASNH members and others. If you have a picture you want to share with us, please submit it to newsletter@asnh.org.