Welcome to the WAA
We are a not–for–profit organization open to people of all ages with the desire to learn more about astronomy and who share an interest in viewing the universe. We range from enthusiastic amateurs and educators to casual stargazers and families. Everything you need to know about our organization is outlined below. Current astronomy news, feeds and astronomy resources can be found on the right side of the page.
Monthly Lectures
Lectures are free and open to the public and begin at 8pm in the Andrus Planetarium, Hudson River Museum of Westchester, 511 Warburton Avenue, Yonkers, NY. WAA Directions. Here are the lecture dates:
Friday, March 6th, 8:00 PM – "Methane Discovery and Its Implications for finding Life on Mars" - Brother Robert Novak will discuss the telescopic discovery of methane on Mars and how that affects the likelihood of finding life. Free and open to the public.
Friday, April 3rd, 8:00 PM – "Energy Technologies for Earth and Other Planets" - Join us as Prof. Steve Greenbaum gives an updated lecture on Energy Technologies for Earth and Other Planets. Free and open to the public.
Friday, May 1st, 8:00 PM – "In Search of Time" - Science writer Dan Fauk, the author of In Search of Time: The Science of a Curious Dimension, will discuss some of the most intriguing aspects of time: how our ancestors first learned to measure it; how Newton and Leibniz argued over its nature; how Einstein linked time and space; and a brief look at the physics of time travel and the paradoxes it seems to entail. Dan has written about science for the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star,The Boston Globe, The Walrus, SkyNews, Astronomy, Sky & Telescope, and New Scientist, and has been a regular contributor to the Canadian radio programs Ideas and Quirks & Quarks on the CBC radio network. Free and open to the public.
Friday, June 5th, 8:00 PM – "The Great Comets of the Last 400 Years" - For our June meeting, Joe Rao will speak on "The Great Comets of the Last 400 Years.” Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for The New York Times and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for News 12 Westchester, New York. Free and open to the public..
Attend our Social Hour at 7pm or the free Friday Star Nites planetarium show sponsored by Fuji Photo Film USA. And after the meeting we meet at Bennigan's for some casual conversations and a bite to eat.
Starway to Heaven
Starway to Heaven is our monthly observing night at The Meadow, Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, Cross River, NY. WAA Directions. The observing dates are:
Saturday January 24th — 6:30pm to 9pm. Raindate: January 31st.
Saturday February 21st — 6pm to 9pm. Raindate: February 28th.
Saturday March 21st — 7pm to 9pm. Raindate: March 28th.
Saturday April 18th — 8pm to 10pm. Raindate: April 25th.
Saturday May 23rd — 8:30pm to 10:30pm. Raindate: May 30th.
Saturday June 13th — 9pm to 11pm. Raindate: June 27th.
Saturday July 18th — 9pm to 11pm. Raindate: July 25th.
Saturday August 15th — 9pm to 11pm. Raindate: August 22nd.
Saturday September 19th — 8pm to 10pm. Raindate: September 26th.
Saturday October 17th — 8pm to 10pm. Raindate: October 24th.
Saturday November 14th — 7pm to 9pm. Raindate: November 21st.
Saturday December 12th — 6:30pm to 9pm. Raindate: December 19th.
"Starway to Heaven" is free and open to the public through the generosity of the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation. We encourage you to bring your telescope — especially if you need help using or setting it up. Don't have a telescope? You can look through our members' equipment. Call 1–877–456–5778 for weather cancellations. A good rule of thumb: Don't show up if you can't count more than 10 bright stars. Please read our General Observing Guidelines. The WAA cannot guarantee the turnout of members and telescopes during the winter months.
Membership
Annual dues are $25.00 per family which includes discounts on subscriptions to Sky and Telescope and Astronomy magazines (see below). To join the WAA, fill out our application and send it along with a personal check or money order to our P.O. Box.
Magazine Discounts
For WAA members only. Sky and Telescope — $32.95. Make check payable to Sky Publishing. Astronomy — $34.00. Make check payable to Kalmbach Publishing. Please mail the completed renewal form, your payment and the return envelope (with proper postage) to our P.O. Box. If you subscribe to both magazines you need to fill out two separate renewals. New subscribers please enclose a note stating new subscription. Note any change of address.
WAA Staff
We'll be glad to answer all your questions; just send your inquiries to the appropriate officer — you'll have to manually type the addresses:
The "W"
The constellation Cassiopeia in its familiar "W" orientation as it appeared just above the treetops on Thursday, June 13, 1991 — the night the WAA was founded.
What's up in Space
From Spaceweather.com
Night Sky Notes
From the Abrams Planetarium
- Thursday, July 2, 2009
Venus and Jupiter are 90° apart in the morning sky. Venus is in the east while Jupiter is in the south. Venus is the brighter of the two planets. - Friday, July 3, 2009
The Earth is at aphelion. Aphelion is the point in the Earth's orbit that is farthest from the Sun. Earth is now 1.017 AU from the Sun or 94,500,000 miles. That's about 1.6 million miles farther from the Sun than average. - Saturday, July 4, 2009
Saturn and the Moon are easily visible in the evening sky. Saturn can be found in the west at dusk, about 20° from the horizon. The Moon is still a waxing gibbous but appears almost full. The Moon is low in the SSE at dusk. If you are watching fireworks tonight, sit NNW of the fireworks launch site to see the Moon as a backdrop for the fireworks show.
SkyTonight.com's Most Recent Articles
Universe Today
- Happy Fourth of July!.
- Perchlorates and Water Make for Potential Habitable Environment on Mars.
- First Images from LRO.
- By Gamma-Rays Alone: Fermi Raises the Curtain on 16 New Pulsars.
- Phoenix Lander Team: It Snows at Night on Mars.
- Messier 87 Shows Off for Hundreds of Earth-bound Astronomers.
- Test-Bed Rover is Now Stuck — Which is a Good Thing!.
- WiFi in Space Coming Soon?.
- Where In The Universe #60.
- Astronomers Discover Medium-Sized Class of Black Holes.
- Your New Guide to the Inner Galaxy.
- Mars Will NOT Look as Big as the Full Moon, But You Can Watch it Get Closer.
Astronomy Resources
Almanacs and Calendars
- Celestial Delights Online by Francis Reddy.
- Space Calendar by Ron Baalke.
- Night Sky Notes from the Abrams Planetarium.
- Yankee Stargazer's Almanac by Roger Ducharme.
Astronomy News
- Astronomy Now The UK's astronomy magazine.
- Night Sky This Week by Emil Neata.
- Sky at a Glance From Sky & Tele.
- Sky Report from Griffith Observatory.
- Space Weather by Dr. Tony Phillips.
- The Sky This Week from the Naval Observatory.
- Universe Today by Fraser Cain.
- Welcome to the Night Sky by Dr Jamie Love.
Auroras
- AuroraWatch from Lancaster U.
- AuroraWebCam Troy Birdsall, Mt. Aurora.
- Estimated Kp Index (over 7 means a possible aurora.)
ATM
- Francis J. O'Reilly's amateur telescope making videos.
Charts and Maps
- SkyMaps.com free star charts each month.
- SFA Observatory Star Charts
Clear Sky Clocks
Clubs
- Astronomical Society of Greenwich
- Mid-Hudson Astron. Assn.
- New Jersey Astron. Assn.
- Rockland Astronomy Club
- Winter Haven Astronomy Club
Databases
- AstroWeb Database over 3000 resources.
Earth
- Current Earthquake Activity from USGS.
- Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Seismograms.
Light Pollution
- International Dark-Sky Association, the light pollution authority.
- SELENE-NY a grassroots group seeking better lighting practices for New York State.
- American Astronomical Society light pollution resources.
Moon
- Virtual Moon Phase from the Naval Observatory.
Museums
- Bruce Museum Greenwich, CT.
- Trailside Nature Museum, Cross River.
- Hudson River Museum, Yonkers.
Satellite, ISS and Shuttle Passes
- Satellite Passes for White Plains, NY.
- Sightings for other cities.
- NASA SkyWatch Satellite predictions.
Satellite Images
- Central Asia visible-light image.
- Eastern Pacific visible-light image.
- Europe and Africa visible-light image.
- North and South America visible-light image.
- Western Pacific visible-light image.
Stargazing
- Seeing in the Dark PBS website.
Sun
- White-Light Solar Image from Big Bear.
Space Exploration
Weather
- Cross River Weatherbug forecast.
- Farmers Almanac prognosticated forecasts.
- Fleet Weather Conditions at White Plains.
- Hastings on Hudson Weatherbug forecast.
- NOAA Weather forecast for N. Westchester.
- Surface Condition Forecasting From Airsports.net.
Webcams
- The Night Sky Live from major observatories.
Additional
- Woman Astronomer to encourage women and girls interested in astronomy.
- Skyway, Inc. meteorologist Joe Rao's site.
- Nuclear Energy Can Save US by Richard Shaw.
The WAA is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.