March 21 – April 3, 2016
Mt. Washington — Most often as a solitary observer I look up to Earth’s blue atmosphere, radiant with sunlight or, at dawn and dusk, to the brightest stars and planets; after twilight deepens and darkness falls, star patterns connect me to ancient legends and the changing seasons. In April (which is Global Astronomy Month,) I leave my post as lone, naked eye sky gazer to seek out a gathering where astronomers, astronauts, telescope builders, astrophotographers, spaceship builders and space-floating mechanics, among other pioneers, share their close-up views of the cosmos with amateur astronomers and the general public, including children. Billed as the world’s largest astronomy and space expo and telescope show, the 2016 Northeast Astronomy Forum (NEAF) takes place the weekend of April 9 – 10 in Suffern, New York, a 2 – 3 hours drive from western Massachusetts.
“Pluto Mania” is the theme of the program this year, although there are always more astronomy topics to take in than there is time for. The featured speakers, among the most celebrated scientists in the world, are often quite approachable. Alan Stern, the force behind the New Horizons Pluto Mission and its Principle Investigator, and NASA’s Fred Espenak, known in the field as “Mr. Eclipse,” top the list. (A total solar eclipse is visible from the United States on August 21, 2017.)
Clyde Tombaugh, the astronomer who discovered Pluto in 1930, will be remembered in a presentation by his children, Alden and Annette Tombaugh. Kevin Schindler of Lowell Observatory, where Pluto was discovered, is also a featured speaker. For up to date information about presenters, workshops, the 120 vendors, and admission fees, go to https://www.rocklandastronomy.com/neaf.html
A pre-NEAF session, the Northeast Astro-Imaging Conference (NEAIC,) is “devoted to all aspects of astronomical imaging.” The conference, which takes place Thursday and Friday, April 7 – 8, brings together experts in extrasolar planets, variable stars, minor planets, asteroids, comets and supernova research.
I became acquainted with Terry Hancock of the Downunder Observatory, the creator of this article’s awe-inspiring nebulae image, by way of NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) series, which is accessed at https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/. Terry will offer an Introduction to Astro-Imaging at NEAIC. See Addendum for his course description and the backstory on his photograph.
For complete NEAIC program and fees, go to https://www.rocklandastronomy.com/neaic.html
Addendum
Terry Hancock’s NEAIC course description: “Astrophotography is a rewarding pastime, one that blends art and technology with an in-depth understanding of astronomy. My approach is to reduce complexity and keep it simple to improve the photographer’s overall level of enjoyment. In these 4, 1-hour workshops I will show the basics including selecting the right equipment and software, using equipment, gathering data, pre-processing and finally, post-processing images using Photoshop.”
You might need his course to understand the description of his photograph: “This is a combination of data captured from my backyard observatory in Western Michigan between 2011 and 2014 using QHY9 and QHY11 Mono CCD’s, 5-inch TMB 130 and TMB92 refractors, AT12RC and Takahashi E180 Astrographs, processed with CCDStack, Registar and CS5.”
Resources:
NorthEast Astronomy Forum (NEAF): https://www.rocklandastronomy.com/neaf.html
Northeast Astro-Imaging Conference (NEAIC):https://www.rocklandastronomy.com/neaic.html:
Terry Hancock, co-author of The Armchair Astronomer https://cosmicpursuits.com/e-books/armchair-astronomer-volume-1-nebulae/
Terry Hancock: www.downunderobservatory.com
Global Astronomy Month, April 2016: https://astronomerswithoutborders.org/gam2016-programs/program-schedule-2016.html
