The 2011 Urban Starfest underway in Central Park. // Credit: Marcelo Cabrera
Last autumn, the
Astronomy magazine crew were on hand to help host a big New York City star party put on by the Amateur Astronomers Association (AAA) of New York, one of the world’s largest astronomy clubs. It was really a joy, and Rich Talcott and I helped hundreds of folks in Central Park discover that you can see a lot more of the sky from New York City than you might expect.
Last year, some 30 telescopes were set up in a line along a portion of Sheep Meadow in Central Park, a great area that allows seeing the park’s perimeter of trees, the tops of tall Manhattan buildings above them, and the Moon and stars straight up. The event was a success thanks to the AAA’s energetic organizers, including President Marcelo Cabrera, Vice President Susan Andreoli, Secretaries Joe Delfausse and Edward Fox, and Treasurer Tom Haeberle. What a fantastic crew they are to work with!
I’m delighted to announce that
Astronomy will once again participate in a big Central Park stargazing event, this time on Saturday, November 9, 2013, which will enable seeing not only the Moon, but also perhaps Comet ISON. The event will be officially titled the Urban Starfest and will take place from 6 to 10:30 p.m.
Just as they did last year, the fantastic folks from Tele Vue will also participate — Al Nagler, David Nagler, Sandy Nagler, and Judy Nagler. And Mike Peoples and his crew from Adorama will also sponsor and participate, too. It will be a magnificent event, and one that shows how much astronomy you can do right in the heart of a major city.
From our own staff, we will proudly dispatch Sarah Scoles, our newest associate editor, who spent time at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia, before making her way to
Astronomy magazine. Sarah is experienced with outreach events like this and looking forward to her first time observing from the heart of Manhattan.
For basic info on the event, see the
AAA’s page.
I’ll keep you posted as plans firm up, but be ready to observe with a stellar crowd in New York in early November!