astro

Program: Sunspots, prominences, general solar info w/new sunspot cycle just started.

Club Dues are $12. to join, $10. to renew, $8. for a second family member and $6. for students. Make checks out to the Jackson (Hole) Astronomy Club and send to LORETTA SCOTT at Box 994, Jackson, WY, 83001-0994. (If students can't afford to make this nominal investment, we will let them join for free.)

Benefits of membership include a monthly newsletter, discounts on national astronomy magazines, instruction and use of the club's three telescopes & astronomical binoculars (Re Telescope Loaner Info for Members below), monthly meetings, observing with others members, discounts on occasional courses, etc. Each meeting includes an observing session if weather allows. Programs are usually given by other members or the occasional professor or other passing through the area.

The club will present Star Parties (scopes, astronomers, etc. for nighttime observing for groups of people). Convention groups may engage the club for the nominal cost of $400. per evening. Local civic groups will be accommodated either free or for a nominal charge. Private small groups, visitors to the valley, etc., may engage us for a date & price to be determined on an individual basis, probably in the $200. range depending. School groups, scouts, or other similar local entities will incur no fee for such an event. We are also engaged in classes for young people, Scout merit badge counseling, and observe National Astronomy Day... usually in Grand Teton National Park in August. This consists of an information table, solar observing, videos in the theatre, an amphitheater program, and then finally, star gazing. Contact WALT via information provided below or click on this LINK to email for more information. For your group, choose the link below for more info:

Star Parties

Sat. night, 5/20/06, MEL and WALT hosted a star party for the classes of Mrs. Dunlap and Mr. Henry at the high school. It had been scheduled the night before, but cancelled due to weather, when MIKE M., VIC, and I think ARLO, were going to attend as well. Sometimes the magic works, sometimes it doesn't. We had about 30 kids & the night started with PC skies, then they totally clouded over, then about 9:30pm, it turned clear until we left just before midnight. And to think MEL was still in Riverton at 5:30pm. We showed the gang: M13, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, M104, M81, M51, Antares, Mizar, & more. Nice evening.

National Astronomy Day in GTNP, August 3rd, 2008

The day will start as we have now for the last 13 years, at the Colter Bay Visitor Center at 1pm. We'll have a visitor table on the back deck for answering visitor questions about astronomy, along with several scopes and binoculars w/solar filters to look at the new sunspot cycle on the sun which is always a hit. About 5pm we'll close up temporarily for dinner and Ranger Bob Hoyle's amphitheatre program about the night skies over Grand Teton National Park w/commence at 7pm. Immediately after that program, about 8:30pm, all are invited to visit with our club members, and about 10 astronomical binoculars and telescopes will be set up on the bay for viewing of the night sky until midnight or later as dictated by the crowd. We've sometimes had as many as 3-500 persons attending. We thank Grand Teton National Park for their ongoing cooperation and our club members for helping to make it a success every year since 1995. It's free and everyone is welcome.

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Below are images from our annual 2006 National Astronomy Day event at Colter Bay.

The above photo from 2006, looks very much like the group that gathered this year, 2007, for National Astronomy Day at Colter Bay. Problem was, we were snookered. We got one hour of solar gazing on the deck, the rest was rained out. Several rain showers busted the nighttime event too, although BOB HOYLE did his amphitheatre program in the auditorium. Attending & making the effort were: BOB, MEL, WALT, ARLO & DALIA, BILL B., JOHN F., & ED. Total visitors this year was about 150. After his amp program, the sky cleared a little & briefly. BOB did a quick laser sky tour for about 15 people & WALT got the club's 8 in. out for about 20 min. of stargazing. Hardly worth the effort, but they liked it & after all, that's what we do.