What we’re about
We are a group of people in the Mid-Hudson Valley who are interested in Astronomy and Science. We hold monthly star parties at Lake Taghkanic State Park, and monthly presentations at SUNY New Paltz -- both open to the public.
Our star parties are generally held on the Friday before a new moon (with Saturday as a back-up). The dates are listed our web page about Astronomy at Lake Taghkanic State Park. You must register to attend the event (here on Meetup) and you will need to provide your car's license plate and make and model so that we can give that info to the park police. You can see the forecast for viewing conditions on the Lake Taghkanic State Park Clear Sky Chart. If you will be attending one of our star parties it may help for you to review our MHAA Etiquette Guide.
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic we hold our monthly meetings both in person at SUNY New Paltz and share then live online using Zoom.
We also participate in local education and outreach events; our members are available to make presentations or arrange for public observations of the night sky or the sun, and to help beginners learn how to get started in astronomy. When the weather allows, we often set up telescopes on the Walkway Over the Hudson when they hold their Walkway At Night events.
Club events are listed on the MHAA Google Calendar. Both our Star Parties and our Monthly Presentations are open to the public. (Our Monthly Presentations are preceded by an open club business meeting, which may be less interesting.)
Recordings of our public presentations, some star parties, and some other activities are available on our YouTube channel. Occasionally our events are also announced (and broadcast and recorded) on Facebook. If you would like to keep up with club news then you can follow us by joining our email list on groups.io. None of these require you to become an MHAA member.
If you are interested in becoming a member of MHAA (not just following us here on Meetup or by email or Facebook) then you can use these instructions. Annual dues are $25, which we use to support our activities, including insurance for our star parties and paying for Zoom. MHAA members can borrow club telescopes or DVDs from our collection and can participate in exclusive discussions on our Slack discussion channels.
Donations are always welcomed to help support the club's education and outreach activities. You can use this PayPal link or send email to [email protected].
If you have any questions, send them to [email protected].
Upcoming events (3)
See all- Second November 2024 Star PartyLake Taghkanic State Park, Elizaville, NY
Our second star party in November marks the beginning of serious planetary observing, with 7 planets observable if you stay late. Enjoy the night sky away from the bright lights of the towns and cities in our area! The night will be dark - perfect for star gazing. Bring your own telescopes and binoculars or use those provided by our members. A telescope is not required.
The short day provides a fantastic range of observing options if you stick around long enough. Hercules will be setting into the sun glare just after sunset at the same time as Venus -- the brightest object in the sky -- will be making a cameo appearance low in the SW. Saturn will be bright, and nearly 40° above the horizon, readily visible to the naked eye and spectacular in some of the longer focal length telescopes. Neptune, and later Uranus, will be observable through a telescope, and Jupiter will rise in the mid-evening. If you stick around long enough, you can see Orion rise in the east, harbinger on the approaching winter. Mars will sneak over the eastern horizon around 11:30, enabling you to see all of the planets except Mercury in the one night.
Telescope operators will arrive about 30 minutes early to set up. Observing begins about an hour after sunset and will probably end around 11, or whenever club members decide. All will take place at the park's West Beach parking lot.
You must RSVP with your car's make, model, and license plate number at least one day beforehand. This info is required by and sent to the State Park authorities because we are there after park hours. If you attend without being on the list and the police show up, the consequences can include revocation of our permit for after hours use.
If you have not been to one of our star parties before then please review our guide to star party etiquette.
A forecast of the viewing conditions can be found on the Clear Sky Chart for Lake Taghkanic State Park. It shows various viewing conditions (cloud cover, transparency, darkness) as well as temperature, wind, etc. Even more information about Astronomy at Lake Taghkanic State Park is available at http://www.spy-hill.net/myers/astro/ltsp/
Note: late Fall viewing conditions can be very clear - but also quite cold. Since you will be standing around looking at the stars for a while you may feel even colder than otherwise when outdoors. Dress warmly and consider bringing extra layers in case you get colder as the night goes on.
For further information, text or call Tim Denman at 845-245-5483 or Jack Chastain at 845-430-6851.
Featured image credit: Steve Dittmar, MHAA member and Webmaster, has been learning astrophotography since 2014. Today he's also an instructor at the Adirondack Sky Center and Observatory's astrophotography workshop and teaches privately as well. He loves imaging deep sky objects and sharing views at our public star parties that make guests say, "Oh wow!".
- December 2024 Star PartyLake Taghkanic State Park, Elizaville, NY
Our last star party of calendar year 2024 features another opportunity to see 7 planets, and the appearance of Taurus early in the evening. Enjoy the night sky away from the bright lights of the towns and cities in our area! The night will be dark - perfect for star gazing. Bring your own telescopes and binoculars or use those provided by our members. A telescope is not required.
Taurus brings us the Pleiades, one of the years most spectacular asterisms, and gorgeous viewed in all modalities from the naked eye to long focal length telescopes. Our wide-field featured image shows the nebulosity visible in telescope views, and obvious in EAA captures which live-stack astrophotograps and display them on the screen. If you arrive before sundown, you will again have the opportunity to view all of the planets except Mercury. If you hang around long enough, you will will be able to watch Orion rising.
Telescope operators will arrive about 30 minutes early to set up. Observing begins about an hour after sunset and will probably end around 11, or whenever club members decide. All will take place at the park's West Beach parking lot.
You must RSVP with your car's make, model, and license plate number at least one day beforehand. This info is required by and sent to the State Park authorities because we are there after park hours. If you attend without being on the list and the police show up, the consequences can include revocation of our permit for after hours use.
If you have not been to one of our star parties before then please review our guide to star party etiquette.
A forecast of the viewing conditions can be found on the Clear Sky Chart for Lake Taghkanic State Park. It shows various viewing conditions (cloud cover, transparency, darkness) as well as temperature, wind, etc. Even more information about Astronomy at Lake Taghkanic State Park is available at http://www.spy-hill.net/myers/astro/ltsp/
Note: Winter viewing conditions can be very clear - but also cold. Since you will be standing around looking at the stars for a while you may feel even colder than otherwise when outdoors. Dress warmly and consider bringing extra layers in case you need them as the night goes on.
For further information, text or call Tim Denman at 845-245-5483 or Jack Chastain at 845-430-6851.
Featured Image Credit: David Parmet, a recently-joined MHAA member and new to astrophotography. His new-found love for astrophotography combines his passions for photography and astronomy, both of which he's be pursuing since he was a boy.
