Green Mountain Astronomers

09/09/2023

Star party at Hubbardton canceled. We have been watching the forecast for the past day or so, and tonight just does not look good for deep sky observing. Even if we got a break in the clouds, the layer of haze would prevent us from seeing much.
We don't have an alternate date yet, but we'll be working on it.

08/24/2023

Star Party ! Our next public event at the Hubbardton Battlefield is scheduled for September 9th. There is no moon so it will be a deep sky night. Galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, Saturn plus Jupiter later in the evening. During the last event we were treated to seeing a string of the Starlink satellites being released, so you never know what unexpected thing may appear in our skies. We will start setting up around 7 pm for those that want to arrive early. Observing will begin once it is dark enough. As we enter into the late summer/fall months, it gets dark earlier.
Reminder the visitor center will be closed, so bathrooms will not be available. Watch for more info as we get closer to the date.

08/12/2023

Star Party Success ! Hubbardton Battlefield, is one of our favorite spots to observe from, and hold public outreach. It has been 4 years due to Covid and this years bad weather, since we have had a public event there. Well, last night Mother Nature was good to us and we had a very good night. We started with some early clouds, but they eventually subsided and allowed us to get some good views of our usual and favorite double stars, nebulae and galaxies. We had a good view of Saturn and saw a few streaks across the sky from the Perseid Meteor shower. One unexpected thing we got to see was a string of SpaceX Starlink satellites being released.
All in all a good night with an estimated 40 to 50 people attending throughout the evening. Thank You for joining us !

08/11/2023

Tonight's star party is a GO !! Forecast is decent, we may have a few spotty clouds, but otherwise looks promising. We will start setting up in the 7:30 to 8:00 time frame, with observing starting as soon as it is dark enough. Lately that has been in the 9:15 to 9:30 time frame. Hoping to see some of the Perseid meteors !
Reminder the visitor center is not open, so NO restrooms. The nights get cool and sometimes damp, so dress accordingly.
See you there !

08/09/2023

Star party update..... So far, Friday night is still looking decent for our star party at Hubbardton Battlefield. Given the fluctuation in weather, we will post a GO / NO GO decision here around 4 pm Friday. The nights have been cool and damp so dress accordingly. Not sure how the bugs will be, but if you do bring bug spray, be sure to spray far away from the telescopes as the over spray can damage the optics in the telescopes.
Be advised that the visitor center will not be open so the restrooms will not be available.
Stay tuned for final details........

08/03/2023

Star Party ! If Mother Nature cooperates, we are planning a public star party at the Hubbardton Battlefield on Friday, August 11th with the 12th as a "rain date". It will be at the peak of the Perseid meteor shower so there is a good chance of seeing a meteor (shooting star). There is no interference from the moon, so it will be a good night to catch any meteors and observe some deep sky objects.
More info will be posted as we get closer to that date.

06/24/2023

6-24 Star Party postponed. We've been watching the forecast all week, hoping for a shift in the weather, but Mother Nature won the battle. Looks like we are in for a long stretch of rain, once we get past it we will revisit scheduling of the next gathering.

06/20/2023

Star party announcement ! As we continue to plan events for the summer and fall, we have four tentative dates at Hubbardton Battlefield. These dates are, 6/24, 7/22, 8/11 or 8/12, and 9/9. A couple things of importance to note:
First of all, all events are weather dependent. We will post a 4 pm go/no go announcement on the day of the event. This weekends forecast is not looking good, but we are still hoping for a change in the forecast. Second, the visitor center will not be open, therefore there will not be access to the restrooms, so plan accordingly.
Since it does not get dark till late, the first couple events will be lunar nights, with the Moon and Venus as the primary observing targets. There is the possibility of some deep sky objects for those that stay late. As the season progresses and it starts to get dark earlier, we will be able to do more deep sky stuff. The 8/11 or12 event is centered around the Perseids meteor shower.
We are still dealing with the smoke and haze that is coming from the Canada wildfires, so deep sky observing is unpredictable.
For the first couple, we will most likely be setting up around 7:30 with observing beginning once we are setup, approx. 8 pm.
More information for each event will be posted as each one approaches.

05/17/2023

Ron Lewis memorial service -
For those that have not seen the notice elsewhere, here is the information for the memorial service for Ron.
The memorial service and reception for Ronald Lewis, 72, who died March 07, 2023, will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 20, 2023 at the Brandon Inn in Brandon, Vermont. There will be be time for reflection, sharing thoughts and memories and of course, poetry. Please come and bring your collective memories of Ron to share with family and one another.

04/16/2023

The Lyrids meteor shower is here ! From now until the end of the month, the Lyrids meteor shower is making it's annual pass. It will peak on April 21 & 22. While the point of radiance is near the constellation Lyra, meteors can be seen anywhere in the sky. The moon will be a very thin crescent at the peak, so it will not interfere with seeing the meteors. Kick back in a lounge chair and watch the sky. Here is a link to one of many sites to get more information:

The 2023 Lyrid meteor shower peaks in April. Find best dates and use the meteor showers animation to see how, where and when to see the shooting stars.

03/15/2023

It is with great sadness and heartbreak that we announce the passing of our friend, fellow astronomer, club founder and leader, Ron Lewis. Ron was a lifelong amateur astronomer, first looking through a telescope at age 10. Jump ahead a number of years, he led a few other local astronomers in our region and started doing public star parties in 1999, which grew each year. As our group became larger and more active with public activities, our club was given a name, Green Mountain Astronomers. Ron loved engaging with the public, he would often have many people gathered around as he explained the telescopes we use and what we would be observing at an event. One of his notable accomplishments was the spearheading and leading the restoration of the large refractor telescope and observatory at the Castleton University. Ron was well known among the Vermont astronomy community, and was an inspiration and mentor to many over the years. Ron had many interests and hobbies, and was very active in various clubs and groups. He will be greatly missed among the many that had the opportunity to know Ron. The information that we have is a celebration of life will be planned for sometime later this spring.

01/20/2023

Venus - Saturn Conjunction - If you look to the west, close to the horizon just after sunset, You will see Venus and Saturn very close to one another. So close that both can be seen together in binoculars or a telescope. The peak of the conjunction is Sunday, the 22nd, where the two will be snuggled very close together. Of course, even though it will look like they are going to collide, they are still millions of miles apart. It is just the perspective we see from Earth. Since they are very low in the sky, the best time to look is 5:30 to 6:00 time frame, before Saturn disappears below the horizon. Of course, for those of us in the northeast, the current storm is going to make it difficult to see. Maybe we'll get a short break in the clouds. Great opportunity for the astro imagers. More info can be found here.

The two planets will be close enough in the sky to both be seen through a telescope.

12/11/2022

Geminid meteor shower - The Geminid meteor shower peaks December 13th and 14th. While the moon will still be in a waning gibbous phase, just before last quarter. it does rise later in the evening so you may catch some meteors before the moon rises. It's certainly worth a try either night. More information can be found here.

Predicted peak: 13 UTC on December 14, 2022. Radiant: Rises in mid-evening, highest around 2 a.m. See chart below. Nearest moon phase: In 2022, last quarter moon falls on December 16. So, it’s a bright waning gibbous moon that’ll rise in the midst of the Geminids’ peak in 2022. When to watch: ...

12/06/2022

Moon shining through a very cloudy sky producing a nice halo, also a jet stream and according to Stellarium,, Capella on the outside of the halo and a faint Mars on the inside of the halo. Took this with my cellphone tonight

12/02/2022

It's time to look at Mars ! We've been enjoying Jupiter and Saturn in the early evening skies and now Mars joins them. While Jupiter and Saturn are now in the southern sky, and getting lower as the evening progresses, Mars appears in the east and gets higher as the evening progresses. It is currently at its closest it has been in two years, so now is the time to observe it. There are many web sites that will give you good information, just Google "Mars 2022" and you will find many to choose from. A couple of my favorites are earthsky.org and alpo-astronomy.org.
There have been a number images recently from the astro imagers out there and Mars is looking good.
General observing tip: (especially important for viewing Mars) When setting up your scope, it needs time for the air temperature in the scope to equalize to the ambient air temperature.. Unequal temp result in air turbulence until things equalize, causing poor views. Now that it is cold out for many of us, allowing cool down time is very important to get a decent view of an object. It is recommended to set up your scope at least an hour before attempting to observe. This will vary with the type of scope you have.

09/03/2022

Scrubbed again. Artemis 1 will not launch today, as they continue to fix a hydrogen leak issue. Here is the statement from NASA.
"The launch director waived off today’s Artemis I launch attempt at approximately 11:17 a.m. EDT. Teams encountered a liquid hydrogen leak while loading the propellant into the core stage of the Space Launch System rocket. Multiple troubleshooting efforts to address the area of the leak by reseating a seal in the quick disconnect where liquid hydrogen is fed into the rocket did not fix the issue. Engineers are continuing to gather additional data."

09/01/2022

NASA has scheduled a 2nd attempt at launching Artemis 1, Saturday, Sept. 3rd at 2:17 p.m.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/2022/08/30/nasa-targets-sept-3-for-next-artemis-i-moon-mission-launch-attempt/

NASA Targets Sept. 3 for Next Artemis I Moon Mission Launch Attempt NASA will target Saturday, Sept. 3 at 2:17 p.m. EDT, the beginning of a two-hour window, for the launch of Artemis I, the first integrated test of NASA’s Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, and the ground systems a...

08/29/2022

Today's launch of Artemis has been scrubbed. Apparently a pre-launch issue with engine #3. Next launch day/time not announced yet.

08/29/2022

Artemis 1 is scheduled for an 8:33 launch this morning, countdown currently on hold. Follow it here:
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/08/29/artemis-1-launch-live-coverage/
or one of the feeds on NASA TV

Live coverage: NASA gets late start to loading propellants into Artemis 1 rocket August 29, 2022 Stephen Clark Live coverage of the countdown and maiden flight of the Space Launch System on NASA’s Artemis 1 mission. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page....

08/16/2022

Artemis update - NASA will start their live coverage of the rollout at 3 pm eastern time. Not sure what time it actually leaves the building though

08/15/2022

For those into space flight......... NASA's Artemis mission, which is designed to eventually return us to the moon, has moved up the schedule of the "roll out" of Artemis 1, which will be an uncrewed test flight of the Orion capsule and SLS rocket. The "roll out" is the procedure of moving the rocket assembly from the assembly building to the launch pad via the massive transporter. This process will take 8 - 12 hours. Once on the launch pad, final preparations will begin for a proposed August 29th launch. The Roll out is scheduled for Tuesday evening, the 16th, two days ahead of the original schedule. More information, and to follow the progress, visit the NASA website, nasa.gov
You can also Google NASA Artemis for a variety of informative articles.

08/11/2022

Perseid meteor shower - The Perseid meteor shower will peak late evening on the 12th into early morning the 13th (friday night / saturday morning) Even though the moon will be full, some Perseids are quite bright, so it is worth trying a to catch a few.
They orginate in the North/northeast direction. but sometime can be spotted anywhere in the sky.
There are many sites that have more info on this meteor shower, just google 2022 Perseid Meteor shower and you will find plenty of info.

06/22/2022

In case you haven't heard, for the past month, there has been an alignment of the planets appearing in the early morning eastern sky. You have to get up at 4 a.m. to see it, just before sunrise. All the planets are lined up, with Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn all easily visible. Mercury is very low, so unless you have a really low horizon, you probably won't see it. Uranus and Neptune are there as well, but you need a decent telescope to see them, and even then they will be a tiny dot. For the next few mornings, a thin crescent moon makes its way between Venus and Mars, and the Pleiades is just above Venus. A great opportunity for the astro photographers out there. Below is a simulated image from Stellarium.

05/30/2022

Possible "new" meteor shower, May 30th.
Read the full article here:
https://www.amsmeteors.org/2022/05/possible-meteor-outburst-on-may-3031/

The American Meteor Society, Ltd. is established to inform, encourage, and support the research activities of people who are interested in the field of Meteor Astronomy

05/16/2022

One of the better live feeds for the eclipse that I've found if you are currently looking for one, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Q6DTouuLX0

This program is made possible in part by Griffith Observatory Foundation. Join in support of Griffith Observatory and its programs. Become a member: https://...

05/15/2022

Well, the weather certainly is not cooperating for a good view of the lunar eclipse in our area. If your sky is too cloudy, you can live stream it here:
https://moon.nasa.gov/news/173/livestream-the-eclipse/

Watch the eclipse with NASA! NASA will be livestreaming the eclipse with experts commenting on each step of the process from 11 p.m. - 12 a.m. ET. ​

05/08/2022

Lunar Eclipse May 15th ! - A full lunar eclipse will be taking place late evening on May 15th. The eastern half of the U.S. will see a total eclipse, where as the western half will see a partial eclipse. The times will vary based on your location, but for us here in Rutland, the partial phase begins at 10:27 pm, and the full phase begins at 11:29 pm. The full phase will last about and hour and twenty five minutes. During the full phase, the moon will take on a reddish color. The nice thing about a lunar eclipse, is you need no equipment to view it, other than dress for the temperatures, and a chair to relax in and watch it take place. (ok, maybe bug spray too)
There are many sites that have information on the eclipse, I personally like the Time and Date website. Go to timeanddate.com, select sun & moon from the drop down menu and select eclipses from the list. Choose the May 15th eclipse and it will have all the essential information, including a time table of the eclipse for your area.
Unknown if we will be doing a public gathering for this, as we did for the 2015 lunar eclipse, we will announce that once we know our plans.

05/08/2022

Greetings earthlings ! Well, another year of Covid has gone by and it is getting warm enough to tolerate the evening temperatures. We are anxious to start getting back to normal, but with the mutations of Covid still going, our regular venues have not committed to any events yet. We are diligently working on some sort of public observing schedule, although it will most likely be a little different from our usual routine from the past few years prior to Covid.
We will be announcing something soon, So stay tuned !