The weather forcast is for clear skies. We are GO for the star party 🙂 See you there!
The APL Astronomy Club’s fall Friends & Family Star Party will be held November 4th, starting at 6:30 pm (club telescope set up starts at 6). Check for a Weather Status Update at this web site on Nov. 4 in the afternoon. NO FLASHLIGHTS.
APLers and their friends and families are invited. Club members will have several telescopes out for your viewing pleasure. Bring your own optics if you have ’em – the more, the merrier!
Where: on the lawn next to the Big Dish on the West side of the Main Campus, outside the perimeter fence.
Dress for temperatures at least 10 degrees colder than predicted. NO FLASHLIGHTS.
Park near the turnstyle entrance by building 21, or near the building 23 lobby entrance.
Sun: sunset at 6:05 pm; end civil twilight at 6:32 pm.
Moon: waxing gibbous (69%), transit at 8:47 pm EDT.
Jupiter: rises 5:41 pm, 32 degrees altitude by 8:30, transits just after midnight, visual magnitude about -3.
Neptune: 11 degrees from the Moon (west and below), about 8th magnitude, transit at 8pm at about 38 degrees altitude.
Uranus: 23 degrees from the Moon (east), about 6th magnitude; at 8pm at altitude 40d, azimuth 135d; transit is at 10 pm.
Bright double stars: Albireo in Cygnus; eta Lyrae (the double-double).
Nebulae at 8pm: M31 (Andromeda Galaxy) ENE at 57d altitude. M13 (globular cluster) WNW at 29d altitude. M57 (Ring Nebula) W at 52d altitude. M45 (the Pleiades) just rising in the East at 15d altitude.
JHU/APL Astronomy Club 
Yesterday evening (around 6:30 PM) as I was walking across the green in front of building 200 I could see Venus in the west and Jupiter in the East. Both were quite close to the horizon. The view of the sky was wide open. If we could get the lights in the back part of the parking lot turned off, that might be a good place for future star parties. Thoughts?
I also posted this comment on the Cooler Astronomy page.
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