All events are free and open to the public. Outdoor events are subject to cancellation or postponement due to to weather–check our Facebook or Twitter feed to get the latest scheduling updates.
Rain Date Only
VAS Member & Invited Guest Star Gazing at the Hinesburg Observing Site.
View Jupiter and the Galilean moons, Saturn and Titan, Deep Sky Objects. Early in the evening maybe see the Jupiter’s Great Red Spot and Ganymede transiting on the 18th or Europa transiting on the 19th.
If you are not a member and would like to be an Invited Guest contact Paul Walker and Jack St. Louis at the email below.
Contact info@vtastro.org
VAS Member & Invited Guest Star Gazing at the Hinesburg Observing Site.
View Jupiter and the Galilean moons, Saturn and Titan, Deep Sky Objects. Early in the evening maybe see the Jupiter’s Great Red Spot on the 25th.
If you are not a member and would like to be an Invited Guest contact Paul Walker and Jack St. Louis at the email below.
Contact info@vtastro.org
Rain Date Only
VAS Member & Invited Guest Star Gazing at the Hinesburg Observing Site.
View Jupiter and the Galilean moons, Saturn and Titan, Deep Sky Objects. Early in the evening maybe see the Jupiter’s Great Red Spot on the 25th.
If you are not a member and would like to be an Invited Guest contact Paul Walker and Jack St. Louis at the email below.
Contact info@vtastro.org
VAS Member & Invited Guest Star Gazing at the Hinesburg Observing Site.
View Jupiter and the Galilean moons, Saturn and Titan, crescent Moon (sets 10:15), Deep Sky objects.
If you are not a member and would like to be an Invited Guest contact Paul Walker and Jack St. Louis at the email below.
Contact info@vtastro.org
Rain Date Only
VAS Member & Invited Guest Star Gazing at the Hinesburg Observing Site.
View Jupiter and the Galilean moons, Saturn and Titan, crescent Moon (sets 10:15), Deep Sky objects.
If you are not a member and would like to be an Invited Guest contact Paul Walker and Jack St. Louis at the email below.
Contact info@vtastro.org
Free and Open to the Public
So, you want to take some pics… where to start?
By Michael Stadtmauer
Interested in getting started with Astrophotography? Confused about the myriad of equipment choices? Concerned about costs? This talk will cover the basic equipment you need to get started on a budget, and options to consider if your budget allows. We will cover the important points to consider when choosing equipment, how to choose the best camera for your situation (DSLR or Astro-cam?), how to find the best prices, and what - exactly - you need to start capturing images today (or, reasonably soon). Come with all your Astrophotography questions.
VAS Member & Invited Guest Star Gazing at the Hinesburg Observing Site.
View Jupiter and the Galilean moons, Saturn and Titan, waxing gibbous Moon. Maybe see the Jupiter’s Great Red Spot first thing on the 9th.
If you are not a member and would like to be an Invited Guest contact Paul Walker and Jack St. Louis at the email below.
Contact info@vtastro.org
Rain Date Only
VAS Member & Invited Guest Star Gazing at the Hinesburg Observing Site.
View Jupiter and the Galilean moons, Saturn and Titan, waxing gibbous Moon. Maybe see the Jupiter’s Great Red Spot first thing on the 9th.
If you are not a member and would like to be an Invited Guest contact Paul Walker and Jack St. Louis at the email below.
Contact info@vtastro.org
Free and Open to the Public
Part 1 of 2
Visually Observing the Planet Venus - 2020 Eastern Elongation
By Gary T. Nowak
Venus is the brightest planet in the sky and the closest planet to Earth. Yet some planet watchers have never turned their telescopes toward the planet. The planet has developed a "bad" reputation of sorts of not being a good object for study with a small telescope.
Venus’s almost blinding brilliance and thick, seemingly featureless cloud cover make this easy to believe. Thus Venus is sometimes given the nickname of "The Featureless Orb" or "The Blank Cloudy Planet."
This 2 part talk on observing Venus would like to dispel the myth of "Venus the Featureless Orb". The planet is not an easy object to observe, however, persistent observations with a good planetary telescope and good sky conditions will yield some interesting details. As Venus changes phases, there are certain anomalies that can sometimes be observed. The planet will have a favorable evening showing along with the Moon in late winter / spring of 2020.
Part I of the talk:
There will be a quick overview of the upcoming favorable Moon apparition. Then the following points about Venus will be discussed:
● Introduction to the Planet Venus
● Orbital Parameters / Phases of Venus
● Amateur Telescopes for Visual Observations of Venus
● Filters for Visually Observing Venus
● Venus as an Optical Tester of Telescopes
● Observations of the Planet: Phases, Terminator, and Cusp Features
Free and Open to the Public
Part 2 of 2
Visually Observing the Planet Venus - 2020 Eastern Elongation
By Gary T. Nowak
Venus is the brightest planet in the sky and the closest planet to Earth. Yet some planet watchers have never turned their telescopes toward the planet. The planet has developed a "bad" reputation of sorts of not being a good object for study with a small telescope.
Venus’s almost blinding brilliance and thick, seemingly featureless cloud cover make this easy to believe. Thus Venus is sometimes given the nickname of "The Featureless Orb" or "The Blank Cloudy Planet."
This 2 part talk on observing Venus would like to dispel the myth of "Venus the Featureless Orb". The planet is not an easy object to observe, however, persistent observations with a good planetary telescope and good sky conditions will yield some interesting details. As Venus changes phases, there are certain anomalies that can sometimes be observed. The planet will have a favorable evening showing along with the Moon in late winter / spring of 2020.
Part II of the talk:
● More Observations of the Planet Venus: Cloud Markings
● Crescent Phase Anomalies
● Cloud Optical Illusions
● Unaided Eye Observations - Venus Effects
● Venus Illusions in Our Atmosphere (continued on next page)
● Venus as "The Imposter UFO"
● Summary / Conclusion