Відео

On April 8, 2024, the Moon’s shadow traced out a 115-mile-wide, 4,400-mile-long path from Mexico, the United States (from Texas to Maine), and Canada. Members of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society stood at multiple locations along the path and, weather permitting, got to witness the grandest phenomenon in nature-a total solar eclipse. During our general meeting on June 7th, members who successf...

On April 8, 2024, the Moon’s shadow traced out a 115-mile-wide, 4,400-mile-long path from Mexico, the United States (from Texas to Maine), and Canada. Members of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society stood at multiple locations along the path and, weather permitting, got to witness the grandest phenomenon in nature-a total solar eclipse. During our general meeting on May 3rd, members who successfu...

The Sun is a unique and rewarding subject for the astrophotographer. It can be studied in different wavelengths, imaged from almost any location, and can be presented in different ways to portray our star in a unique and compelling light. The Sun is now well along on its journey to maximum activity (predicted 2023-2026), with eclipses visible from North America in 2023 and 2024. Now is the perf...

150 people from all over the world attended all five parts of the 2024 installment of the "Introduction to Amateur Astronomy" lecture series, making them eligible for a Certificate of Completion. Here we honor them in this short "graduation" video.

Astrophotography is the art of photographing the night sky. Over the past two decades that art has undergone a revolution as digital cameras have overtaken their film counterparts. In some ways this has made the field more technical, but in many ways shooting the sky is easier than ever! We’ll start with the basics like using a stationary photographic tripod and work our way up to imaging with ...

What is it like to experience a total eclipse of the Sun? We will hear eyewitness accounts of totality from great astronomers of the past as well as recent experiences of the speaker. On April 8, 2024, a total eclipse of the Sun will be visible from North America for the first time since 2017. The track of the Moon's shadow will cross Mexico, the central and northeastern United States, and east...

Dr. Gordon Telepun is a board-certified plastic surgeon in private practice in Decatur, AL, who became passionate about total solar eclipses after witnessing his first one in Zambia, Africa, in 2001. He has been fortunate to observe and photograph four total eclipses: 2002, 2006, 2017, and 2019. After the 2001 eclipse, he developed the concept of a digital "talking timer" for eclipses that woul...

Sooner or later, every amateur astronomer faces the decision of purchasing a first telescope. There are literally hundreds of choices today! What's the difference between a refractor and reflector? Which telescope is the right one for you? To make this daunting task easier, we'll compare several of the top telescopes available today and tell you which ones to avoid. We'll also look at the count...

Join eclipse-chasing geographer and cartographer Michael Zeiler on a multimedia tour of the path of totality on April 8, 2024. This includes an animated flyover as simulated from the view of a spacecraft 100 miles high and detailed maps of the eclipse path. Special attention will be given to the Midwest and Texas, an eclipse destination for many amateur astronomers. One obsession of all eclipse...

When it comes to photographing your first total solar eclipse, veteran eclipse chasers all say the same thing: DON’T! Trying to keep the Sun centered and getting the right exposures could make you sacrifice the precious minutes of totality. That was good advice 25 years ago, but today a laptop computer connected to a DSLR or DSLM camera can do all the work for you. Two popular eclipse automatio...

Every amateur astronomer, novice or advanced, should own at least one good pair of binoculars. They make an ideal first "telescope" because of their wide field of view, ease of use, portability, versatility, and low cost. Several types of binoculars are available, but which ones are best for astronomy? You’ll be amazed at what you can see! The companion notes for the lecture can be downloaded f...

Enjoy the wonders of the universe as seen through the “eyes” of the KAS Remote Telescope, located under the dark skies of southeastern Arizona. Participants will enjoy views of deep-sky objects captured fresh off the system’s CCD cameras in Arizona, transmitted directly to you via the internet on your computer, tablet or smart phone screen. Once the session has concluded, attendees will be prov...

Few events in the lexicon of Nature have the intensity and beauty of a total solar eclipse. Over the course of a few magical minutes, the solar glare is blocked to reveal a facet of the Sun’s personality that can only be appreciated by those along the dark path of the shadow. In those fleeting seconds, time seems to race ahead, and before the mind fully grasps the spectacle, it is suddenly over...

Is that a bright star or a planet? Where's the constellation Orion? Your first task as an amateur astronomer is to learn your way around the night sky. We’ll show you how to find any star or constellation in the night sky with the use of a simple star map or planisphere. We'll also look at wealth of other celestial wonders you can observe with just your eyes alone. The companion notes for the l...

Online Viewing Session - January 6, 2024

"Part Two - How to Process Eclipse Images" by Alan Dyer

Online Viewing Session - December 9, 2023

"Part One - How to Photograph the Eclipse" by Alan Dyer

"Sun Moon Earth: Solar Eclipses from Omens to Awe" by Tyler Nordgren

"A Lifetime of Astrophotography" by Jerry Lodriguss

Astrophotography Night 2023

Remembering Roger Williams

"The Search for (Ancient Microbial) Life on Mars" by Dr. Michael Velbel

"The History of the Milky Way" by Dr. Yutaka Hirai

"Tales and Tails of Star Clusters" by Dr. Kyle Cudworth

"Night Sky Photography: From Capture to Post-Processing" by Zolt Levay

"Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington: With Stars in His Eyes" by Dr. Kirk Korista

"Automated Imaging with NINA" by Lloyd Simons

"General Relativity for the Relatively Unenlightened" by Mike Sinclair