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:
May 2 – Brother Novak, TBA.
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:
May 3 — 8:30pm to 10:30pm. Raindate: May 10.
June 21 — 9pm to 11pm. Raindate: June 28.
July 5 — 9pm to 11pm. Raindate: July 26.
August 2 — 8:30pm to 10:30pm. Raindate: August 9.
September 20 — 7pm to 9pm. Raindate: September 27.
October 4 — 7pm to 9pm. Raindate: October 25.
November 22 — 7pm to 9pm. Raindate: November 29.
December 20 — 7pm to 9pm. Raindate: December 27.
"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
- Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Mercury is at its greatest elongation from the Sun, The swift moving planet is now 22° east of the Sun. Look for Mercury in the WNW an hour after sunset. Mercury is now at +0.3 magnitude. Over the next week or so, Mercury will dim quickly as it moves between us and the Sun. On June 7th, Mercury will be at inferior conjunction. - Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Saturn, Mars and Mercury span 75° across the evening sky. Look for Saturn high in the southwest near the star Regulus. Mars is in the west to the left of the stars Castor and Pollux, and Mercury is low in the WNW.
SkyTonight.com's Most Recent Articles
Universe Today
- Podcast: The Hubble Space Telescope.
- Scientific Data Recovered from a Hard Drive that Crashed With Columbia.
- Revealing The Undiscovered - Van Den Bergh 149/50 and Lynds Dark Nebula 1235 by Tom Davis.
- Help Find the Mars Polar Lander.
- Celestron SkyScout Scope 90 Review.
- Scientist Says Texting is More Expensive Than Downloading From Hubble.
- ISS Astronaut on Colbert Report.
- "Tricorder" Checks for Unwanted ISS Microbes.
- That's WMAP, Seen from Earth.
- Learning to Breathe Mars Air (Video).
- Solution to NASA's Glove Problem.
- Hubble Image of the Colliding Antennae Galaxies (with Video).
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.