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.