Find yourself the proud owner of a shiny new telescope this holiday season and not sure how to use it? Or perhaps thinking of buying one but have some questions? You’re in luck! The Hamilton Amateur Astronomers will be hosting a Scope Clinic and Open House on Saturday February 2, 2019. Held in the auditorium of the Hamilton Spectator Building, 44 Frid St Hamilton, the doors are open to the public from 1:00 – 5:00PM.

A wide variety of astronomical equipment will also be on display, including telescopes, binoculars, astro-photographic equipment, charts and meteorites! Bring your own telescope to get tips and pointers on using it, or help fixing it if it is in need of repair.

Admission is free so bring your family and friends!

Location:
Hamilton Spectator Building
44 Frid St, Hamilton

When:
Saturday, February 2nd, 1:00 – 5:00pm

Food Share Donations:
Donations of non-perishable food for the Hamilton Food Share program will be collected at this meeting. Please drop off any items at the drop-box located near the entrance of the auditorium. All donations gratefully accepted and thanks to your generosity we’ve collected thousands of pounds of food since we began. Let’s keep up the great work as the need continues.

Photo credit: John Gauvreau

Join us on January 11^th 2019 at 7:30pm – Admission is free and everyone is welcome!

William Shakespeare lived at a remarkable time – a period we now recognize as the first phase of the Scientific Revolution – and yet “Shakespeare” and “science” are rarely uttered in the same breath. But as award-winning journalist Dan Falk has found, a reassessment is at hand. In this illustrated talk, Falk will explore Shakespeare’s interest in the scientific discoveries of his time, with a particular focus on the changing conceptions of the cosmos, from Aristotle to Copernicus and Galileo. 

The latest issue of the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers Event Horizon newsletter is now available for download!

In this issue you’ll find…

• Information About the 2018 Christmas Social
• The 2019 HAA Celestial Events Calendar
• The Sky This Month for December 2018
• November Astrophysics Group Meeting Summary
• Upcoming Events
• Plus More

Download the latest issue or visit the newsletters section for past issues.

Photo credit: Pleiades (M45) and dust clouds, by Peter Wolsley

Join us this December 14^th 2018 at 7:30pm – Admission is free and everyone is welcome!

Our topic for this evening will be an overview of astronomy in light-polluted areas using video-assisted observing or for public outreach.  There will also be a Christmas Social during the extended meeting break to allow members and guests to mingle over coffee and treats.

Continue Reading

Mark your calendars! Join the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers on November 16 at 6:00 PM for our Fall workshop.  As with our spring event, there will be several speakers discussing various aspects of astronomy and how to get the most out of this very rewarding hobby.  As always, be sure to bring your questions and curiosity as there will be several knowledgeable amateur astronomers available to help you start out in astronomy, take it to the next level, or perhaps give you some holiday gift ideas for the amateur astronomer in your life.

The schedule of speakers is as follows;

6:00 PM – Jim Wamsley,  Meteorite Display (this will be an on going display throughout the evening)
6:30 PM – Barry Shermann, Introduction to Telescope Types
7:00 PM – Bernie Venasse, Choosing the Right Star Atlas
7:30 PM – Kevin Salwach, Binoculars for Astronomy
8:00 PM – Sue MacLachlan, The Astronomers’ Library
8:30 PM – Matthew Mannering, Eyepieces and Accessories

Admission is free so bring your family and friends!

***Please note that this event will be a workshop only.  The scope clinic will held in January 2019.  Stay tuned for those details.

Continue Reading

The latest issue of the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers Event Horizon newsletter is now available for download!

In this issue you’ll find…

• • Details about the 2019 HAA Celestial Events Calendar
  • October Astrophysics Group Meeting Summary
  • The Sky This Month for November 2018
  • NASA Mission to the Asteroid Bennu
  • Upcoming Events
  • Plus More

Download the latest issue or visit the newsletters section for past issues.

Photo credit: This month’s Saturn, M8 (the Lagoon Nebula) and M20 (the Trifid Nebula), by Bob Christmas

Join us this November 9^th 2018 at 7:30pm – Admission is free and everyone is welcome!

An entertaining and educational ramble through the sky and the past, we will touch on a loose constellation of objects and ideas, from far flung galaxies to the newest earthbound telescopes that study them.  In the end, we will tie them all together with a thread that connects them to each other and to the HAA.

This talk is suitable for all ages and all levels of expertise, including beginners.

Continue Reading

General Meeting for October 12^th 2018.

Our guest speaker will be Paul Delaney. Paul has been a guest of the club several times and his talks are always informative and educational. This time around, Paul will be speaking about variable stars and binary star systems.

Stars have social lives too!

Stellar evolution has generated (almost) all the elements in the universe with the notable exceptions of hydrogen and helium.  This process has allowed for planet formation and the existence of life.  Yet despite their pivotal place in the grand scheme of the universe, we talk very little about stars let alone their habit of forming in multiple associations and clusters. This talk will focus on the 101 of star formation and reveal the social habits of stars especially in regards binary star systems.

Continue Reading

The latest issue of the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers Event Horizon newsletter is now available for download!

In this issue you’ll find…

• • The Sky for October 2018
  • HAA Astrophysics Group Report
  • DARK Current… the Devil in the Details
  • Upcoming Events
  • Plus More

Download the latest issue or visit the newsletters section for past issues.

Photo credit: NGC 7380, the Pacman Nebula, by Peter Wolsley