Free and Open to the Public 

In-person and via Zoom

Ask for the Zoom link via info@vtastro.org

VAS Members will be emailed the Zoom link

The in-person will be at the Brownell Library on 2A near 5-Corners in Essex Junction.
 
At this time the library policy is that attendees of group meetings at the library must continue to wear masks. That policy may change over time, so watch for announcements.
 
Note:
The meeting starts at 7:30 pm, but you can join starting at about 7:15 or 7:20 PM to give you time to connect and work out any issues.

2 Mini-Talks

Advanced Imaging Conference, San Jose, May 2022
Highlights and Insights
By Richard Whitehead
Good conference! Some good presentations and all the well known astro-imaging experts were there.
Richard will do a PowerPoint presentation of some of the highlights and cover some downloadable content that was available prior to the conference.

2nd talk:
Observatory Deck
By Paul Walker
Paul built a deck last year and placed 3 sheds on it that house 4 telescopes.  2 of the sheds were pre-existing with telescopes in them.  It is modeled after the observatory setup that the club (VAS) build a few years ago.  The clubs deck is bigger with bigger sheds and 2 telescopes.
This is short version of what may be a longer presentation down the road.  He will give an overview of the setup and show some pictures of the construction steps, providing descriptions of each step.

Following the main presentation, our recurring monthly presentations will include Constellation of the Month  by Terri Zittritsch

Free and Open to the Public 

In-person and via Zoom

Ask for the Zoom link via info@vtastro.org

VAS Members will be emailed the Zoom link

The in-person will be at the Brownell Library on 2A near 5-Corners in Essex Junction.
 
At this time the library policy is that attendees of group meetings at the library must continue to wear masks. That policy may change over time, so watch for announcements.
 
The intention is to also stream the main speaker and presentation via Zoom for those who choose to attend remotely. If you don't have Zoom installed, the application will automatically download and install when you click the link.  Or go to Zoom.us to download the interface application.

Note:
The meeting starts at 7:30 pm, but you can join starting at about 7:15 or 7:20 PM to give you time to connect and work out any issues.

2022 Texas Star Party – The First Since COVID Arrived
By Steve Grimsley
The first official Texas Star Party, after a two year hiatus, was held at the Prude Ranch in the Davis Mountains of west Texas.  Because of the threat of Covid, attendees were required to sign a five page legal release of liability for the star party organizers and the host ranch.  Attendance was around 350, good but significantly less then typical pre-Covid numbers.  Nevertheless, it was very gratifying to see many friends again after three years.  
A thirty object observing list had numerous small planetary nebula and faint galaxies, some of which were a visual challenge in my 155mm refractor.  These star party observer lists are fun to do and can provide useful ideas on objects for imaging.  Three of my six images captured this year were objects from the observer list.  Another welcome benefit is getting an official 2022 observing pin after completing the list and turning in your notes.
Highlights for me this year were capturing fair to good images of colliding galaxies, a supernova, a structural analog galaxy to our own Milky Way, a super thin edge on galaxy, and the M64 Blackeye galaxy.  My image, from last year, of Markarian’s chain of galaxies won the Peoples Choice award.  An unwelcome problem this year were the several strong dust devils that crossed the main upper field toppling over some scopes.  
This presentation will show images of equipment, local observatories, weather phenomenon, and my night sky images from this year.

Following the main presentation, our recurring monthly presentations will include Constellation of the Month  by Terri Zittritsch

Free and Open to the Public 

In-person and via Zoom

Ask for the Zoom link via info@vtastro.org

VAS Members will be emailed the Zoom link

The in-person will be at the Brownell Library on 2A near 5-Corners in Essex Junction.
 
At this time the library policy is that attendees of group meetings at the library must continue to wear masks. That policy may change over time, so watch for announcements.
 
The intention is to also stream the main speaker and presentation via Zoom for those who choose to attend remotely. If you don't have Zoom installed, the application will automatically download and install when you click the link.  Or go to Zoom.us to download the interface application.

Note:
The meeting starts at 7:30 pm, but you can join starting at about 7:15 or 7:20 PM to give you time to connect and work out any issues.

Introduction to Observing Jupiter “The Amateurs’ Planet” in Autumn 2022
(The best opportunity to observe it in 70 years)
By Gary T. Nowak
Jupiter is the King of the Planets; being the largest planet in the Solar System. This makes Jupiter an easy target for visual telescopic observations. Jupiter is the most rewarding planet in the Solar System for the Amateur Astronomers. Its disk presents more detail, color, and variations than any other planet in the Solar System. Those features that are visible through the amateur telescope eyepiece are the top layers of Jupiter’s clouds.
Galileo first discovered Jupiter’s four largest and brightest moons with a “crude telescope”  on 7 Jan 1610. These 4 bright moons are one of the best know planetary moons in the Solar System. Amateur telescopes give a great view of these 4 moons. Their positions changing hourly as they revolve around Jupiter.
This presentation  will be divided into 4 sections:
The first section will briefly go over Jupiter’s orbit, atmospheric make up and its observational window time frame.
The second section will briefly go over the amateur telescopes for observing Jupiter, planetary colored filters and seeing conditions.
The third section will look at Jupiter’s main cloud belts and cloud zones. This includes an overview of the main cloud belt features and Great Red Spot.
The fourth or last section will deal with the 4 Galilean Moons and their orbital activities which produce transits, eclipses, and occultations. Each of the 4 moons will be looked at individually for their disk details.
After this presentation, the audience should have an understanding on why Jupiter is known as “The Amateurs’ Planet” and a very popular amateur telescopic showpiece.

Following the main presentation, our recurring monthly presentations will include Constellation of the Month  by Terri Zittritsch