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Public Observing night
We're looking forward to our next public observing night Saturday August 6th at 8pm.? Most of us will be there by 7pm if not earlier. The weather is looking good and improving by the day so lets hope for clear skies These?events?are always free and open to the public but you do need a state park pass which you can get at the gate of the park if you don't have one already..?? If you have a telescope but?haven't had much success using it -- bring it along, we're happy to help.? But we do suggest showing up at least 1 hr before sunset (it's much easier to go over the assembly and use when we still have light). As always these observing?events?are at Spring Mill Pond in Island Lake State Recreational Area.? Check our website?? for details. Hope to see you then.? Ford Amateur Astronomy?Club |
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FAAC and Henry Ford College Planetarium presents ¡°Touring the James Webb Telescope and Its First Images¡±
Launched on Christmas Day 2021, the JWST is the successor to the??as NASA¡¯s flagship telescope in its ongoing mission in astrophysics. As the largest optical telescope in terms of scope, the JWST has greatly improved infrared resolution and sensitivity, which allow it to view objects that are too old, too distant, or too faint for the Hubble to perceive. The JWST is expected to enable a broad range of investigations across the fields of astronomy and cosmology, such as observation of the first stars and the formation of galaxies and detailed atmospheric characterization of potentially habitable exoplanets. Its four key goals are:
The??from the JWST were released on July 12. Register to reserve your seat¡°The HFC School of STEM is excited to re-open the planetarium to the college community,¡± said STEM Dean?. ¡°This event will showcase current photos from the Webb telescope which we have all been hearing about in the news.¡± Seating is limited. Please register as soon as possible. Register here? |
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Public observing Saturday August 6th
We're looking forward to our next public observing night Saturday August 6th at 8pm.? Most of us will be there by 7pm if not earlier. As this is in 2 seeks time, weather forecasts are unknown but we can hope for nice weather and clear skies These?events?are always free and open to the public but you do need a state park pass which you can get at the gate of the park if you dont have one already..?? If you have a telescope but?haven't had much success using it -- bring it along, we're happy to help.? But we do suggest showing up at least 1 hr before sunset (it's much easier to go over the assembly and use when we still have light). As always these observing?events?are at Spring Mill Pond in Island Lake State Recreational Area.? Check our website?? for details. Hope to see you then.? Ford Amateur Astronomy?Club |
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Public Observing Saturday 9th July
We're looking forward to our next public observing night Saturday night.? Most of us will be there by 7pm if not earlier. Saturday should be a great night.? We have a little over the?first?quarter moon so something to observe?before sunset. The forecast looks?great at present. These?events?are always free and open to the public.?? If you have a telescope but?haven't had much success using it -- we're happy to help.? But we do suggest showing up at least 1 hr before sunset (it's much easier to go over the assembly and use when we still have light). As always these observing?events?are at Spring Mill Pond in Island Lake State Recreational Area.? Check our website?? for details. Hope to see you Saturday?night.? Ford Amateur Astronomy?Club |
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Night sky observing Friday
We're looking forward to our next public observing night Friday night.? We updated the date based on the weather forecast. Saturday forecast is not looking positive so we moved to Friday. Sunset is at 9:04pm and most of us will be there by 8pm if not earlier. Friday should be a great night.? The thin crescent moon will only be about 18% illuminated -- making for darker skies and easier to observe deep-sky objects.?? These events are always free and open to the public.?? If you have a telescope haven't had much success using it -- we're happy to help.? But we do suggest showing up at least 1 hr before sunset (it's much easier to go over assembly and use when we still have light). Post questions if you have them. As always these observing events are at Spring Mill Pond in Island Lake State Recreational Area.? Check our website ? for details. Hope to see you tomorrow night.? |
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Public Observing Saturday May 7th 7PM
All, WE ARE BACK? The Ford Amateur Astronomy?Club is pleased to announce we are back doing public observing events at Spring Mill Pond in the Island Lake State Recreational Area Our first event will be tomorrow (Saturday May 7th) starting at 7PM. If you have a telescope and need help, bring it along at 7pm as we will need daylight to instruct you We will have members there with telescopes. The event is weather dependent but so far the weather looks great. Please follow us on Facebook for any changes?such as non cooperating weather.? Come join us and lets get back to exploring the night sky together We hope to see you all tomorrow |
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Public Virtual Astronomy Hangout tonight 9PM
All,
We are holding a public hangout tonight at 9PM where you can join us on YouTube, ask questions and the astronomers will answer them for you. We also plan on doing some live views from a telescope. You can access the stream here? We hope to see you online tonight |
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Tonight - Public Virtual Astronomy Beginners event
Have a new telescope and frustrated trying to use it?? Interested in getting a telescope but don¡¯t want to waste your money on something you¡¯ll regret?? Join us for ¡°Virtual Beginner¡¯s Night¡± on YouTube Live.
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Topics for the night:
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? ? Telescope basics ¡ how to setup & use;? differences in alt/az vs ra/dec; how to align your finder; collimating a reflector; what should you expect to see?
? ? Mini-tour of the night sky ¡ objects in the sky tonight and how to find them.
? ?As we cant do live telescopes due to the expected rain tonight we will be providing a virtual tour of the night sky
? ? ? ? We¡¯ll talk a little about the science for each of these objects ¡ what are they and what do astronomers learn by studying them.
? ? ? ? What should a beginner expect to see when viewing these through a typical backyard telescope??
? ? ? ? Learn how astrophotographers capture and process these stunning images?
? ? Ask us questions!? Stump the astronomer! |
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Ford Amateur Astronomy Club monthly meeting (via Zoom)
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýGreetings,The Ford Amateur Astronomy Club is hosting our monthly meetings online (normally they would be in person). ?These meetings usually occur on?the 4th Thursday of each month. The next meeting is Thursday March 25 at 7:00pm Eastern time. ?You do not need to be a club member to join these meetings ... they are open to?the public. Our featured speaker will be Andrew Macica, an astrophotographer and staff member from the Lick Observatory. ?Andrew will describe how he imaged the recent?conjunction of Jupiter & Saturn ... not at night, but in broad daylight (using a new technique). You can click this ¡®Join Meeting¡¯ image below when it¡¯s time to join.? Clear Skies, Tim |
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Ford Astronomy Club general membership meeting
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýGreetings,The Ford Astronomy club hosts monthly meetings and presentations (currently via Zoom) every month on the 4th Thursday at 7pm Eastern Time. You do NOT need to be a club member to attend ¡ª these are open to the public. The first hour (7-8) are general club business (member observing reports, what¡¯s-up report, etc.) The second hour (8-9) feature a speaker. Tonight¡¯s speaker is Dr. Ed Cackett, Associate Professor ¡ª Wayne State University.? The topic is: ?Mapping a Black Hole Bio: The easiest way to join: Press this button (when the meeting begins at 7pm ¡ we are typically on a few minutes early) Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 831 1133 9308 Passcode: Messier@42 One tap mobile +13126266799,,83111339308#,,,,*8253824992# US (Chicago) +12678310333,,83111339308#,,,,*8253824992# US (Philadelphia) ? Dial by your location ? ? ? ? +1 267 831 0333 US (Philadelphia) ? ? ? ? +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) Meeting ID: 831 1133 9308 Passcode: 8253824992 Find your local number:? Clear Skies, Tim ? |
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FAAC Monthly Club Meeting
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýGreetings,The Ford Amateur Astronomy Club hosts monthly presentations ¡ normally the 4th Thursday of each month from 7-9pm US Eastern Time. These meetings are normally held at Henry Ford College. ?Due to COVID-19, the meetings have been taking place online via WebEx or Zoom. These meetings are open to the public ¡ª club membership is not required. You are welcome to attend. ? Club meetings normally start out with observing reports and a bit of club business (from 7-8pm) and the featured speaker is 8-9pm. Tonight¡¯s featured speaker is Jenny Pon ¡ a planetarium lecturer and Farmington Community Stargazers member. ?She¡¯ll be doing a Halloween-themed talk of night sky objects titled ¡°Space Ghosts¡±. If you¡¯d like to join, the meeting details are here: Topic: FAAC Monthly Club Meeting Time: Oct 22, 2020 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 850 6703 0061 Passcode: Messier31! One tap mobile +19292056099,,85067030061#,,,,,,0#,,9264905819# US (New York) +12678310333,,85067030061#,,,,,,0#,,9264905819# US (Philadelphia) Dial by your location ? ? ? ? +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) ? ? ? ? +1 267 831 0333 US (Philadelphia) ? ? ? ? +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) ? ? ? ? +1 470 250 9358 US (Atlanta) ? ? ? ? +1 786 635 1003 US (Miami) ? ? ? ? +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) ? ? ? ? +1 206 337 9723 US (Seattle) Meeting ID: 850 6703 0061 Passcode: 9264905819 ? (This password only used if joining audio via phone) Find your local number: |
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ISS Pass in Michigan tonight
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýGreetings! Clouds are expected to start breaking up -- giving way to mostly clear (partly cloudy) skies by around 8pm ... and much clearer later in the evening (e.g. 11pm). The International Space Station will make a visible pass tonight at 8:32pm ending at 8:37pm (that's when it passes into Earth's shadows and will dim out and disappear). While I don't normally tell people about ISS passes... this one happens to come directly over the Zenith for those in this part of the state. The chart below is flipped left-to-right such that the right side of the chart is West (not East as you might expect) and the left side is East. ?This is so if you printed it and held it overhead as you look at the sky it will appear correct. ?So the ISS actually rises in the NorthWest and heads toward the SouthEast. Mars will be low in the sky rising in the East. ?Jupiter and Saturn are in the South. ?The ISS will be brighter than Mars ¡ but not as bright as Jupiter.? The diagonal line on the chart below shows the predicted path and the point where the line ends before reaching the horizon is the point where it is predicted to enter Earth¡¯s shadow¡ it will gradually dim and seem to vanish. ?It has no visible external lights¡ the light we see is the reflection from sunlight on its massive solar panel array. ?(The solar panels are stretched out over an area roughly the size of a football field ¡ª which is why it appears so bright to us.) If you've never seen the space station... it looks like a VERY bright star that moves rather slowly. ? Hopefully the clouds are mostly cleared away as predicted. Clear Skies, Tim |
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All Sky Camera
All, I'm pleased to announce the club now has a live all sky camera?now published?to our website. Seeing a we can't?bring you to the sky, we decided to bring the sky to you Tonight?I will tweak the settings to optimize?it? but each morning it will generate a startrail image from the image it collects during the night. It will also auto generate a timelapse for the night. It will also generate a keogram which is??an image giving a quick view of the night activity. It was originally invented to study the aurora borealis. For each image taken during the night, a central vertical column 1 pixel wide is extracted. All these columns are then stitched together from left to right. This results in a timeline that reads from dusk to dawn. The daytime images are not stored, they are just taken and then published. It is on our website on the?left side menu but here is the direct link Enjoy Liam |
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FAAC Monthly Meeting Online Thursday July 23rd
The Ford Amateur Astronomy Club meets monthly online due to COVID-19 on the 4th Thursday of the month between 7PM and 9PM
The meetings are open to the public.
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FAAC Virtual Monthly Meeting - This meeting is open to the Public
The Ford Amateur Astronomy Club Monthly Meeting is Virtual due to COVID-19
Members of the public can join us at our virtual meetings by clicking the meeting invite link below The meetings are open to the public.
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Ford Astronomy Club Monthly Meeting - Online
All, Due to the COVID-19 stay home stay safe, the FAAC Club has moved our meetings virtual You can attend our meetings from the comfort of your home The meeting is 7PM to 9PM Thursday 23rd April You can access the meeting by clicking on the Join Meeting green button below. You will need a computer, mobile phone or tablet with a microphone to join, Cameras are optional Hope to see you there
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Free public Planetarium Show Saturday afternoon
All, I'm hosting a free public planetarium show at Henry Ford College, Dearborn, in the Hammond Planetarium.? The planetarium is in Building J - The science building. Show is this coming Saturday, Feburary8th, , starts at 3pm, doors open at 2:45. Seating is on a first come?first served basis so get there early. Come enjoy the winter night sky in the warmth and comfort of a planetarium.? Hope to see you Saturday at 3pm. Liam |
William Finn
Timothy Campbell
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