Prior Events

 Suncoast Stargazer member Andy Harrell has recently purchased some property in the darker skies of Eastern Manatee County. The property is in the very early stages of development. Andy will discuss his reasons for this purchase and how it might benefit the Suncoast Stargazers as a dark sky observing site in the future. As any stargazing group member will tell you, a dark sky site is an indispensable part in truly maximizing one’s enjoyment of astronomy. 

 Sunset is 7:45 and the event will start at 8:00. We can start setting up by 6:30. The feature attraction is the 20% Waxing Crescent Moon. We also have Venus in the western sky. Mars, though fading, will still be visible. We will also hunt down the faint but interesting planet Uranus which will be in the western sky, very close to Venus. Some brighter deep sky objects should also be visible featuring the Orion Nebula and some interesting double stars. The deep sky objects will be determined based on sky conditions. We look forward to seeing you there!!! 

 Please join us for Suncoast Stargazers Appreciation Night at the dark skies in Myakka. Ranch owner, Suncoast Stargazer founding member, local conservationist and philanthropist Elizabeth Moore is welcoming us to a fun night of dinner and stargazing. Please arrive by 5:30, BBQ At 6:00 and stargazing after the golden hour of sunset over the Myakka River. Spouses/partners/significant others are welcome. For those who wish to stay longer and chase down some Messier objects, bathrooms and resting places are available. Camping overnight is also available and of course optional. I think this is a very important evening to bond and discuss where the Suncoast Stargazers are and where do we want to go. IMPORTANT - please respond to me (emcdonough@celestron.com) by Wednesday March 15th so that we can properly plan the BBQ arrangements and other logistics. 

Suncoast Stargazers member Chris Schementi will discuss the foundations of astrophotography, for both deep sky and planetary.  He will present basic techniques and equipment, as well as processing skills. The presentation is designed for anyone looking to begin astrophotography.

Sunset is 6:30 and the event will start at 7:00. We can start setting up by 5:30. The feature attraction is the 30% Waxing Crescent Moon. We also have Venus and Jupiter in a fairly close alignment in the western sky. Mars, though fading, will still be visible and we will hunt down the faint but interesting planet Uranus. Some brighter deep sky objects should also be visible featuring the Orion Nebula. The deep sky objects will be determined based on sky conditions. We look forward to seeing you there!!

 Shannon Staub Library, 4675 Career Lane, Northport:

Suncoast Stargazer member and Solar System Ambassador Linda McKenna will host an astronomy event at the Shannon Staub Library. There will be indoor activities from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. At 7:00 PM the action will move outdoors where weather permitting Suncoast Stargazers telescopes will provide views of the waxing crescent Moon, a Venus and Jupiter conjunction, and some brighter deep sky objects featuring the Orion Nebula.

 Monthly dark sky event at the Manatee County Gun Club. Sunset is 6:30 PM. We can begin setting up at 5:30 PM. We’ve requested access until midnight. 

Friday February 10th, Silent Sky Play – Members Only:

Asolo Repertory Theater, 5555 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. We will meet for dinner before the play at The Ringling Grillroom, 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota (inside the McKay Visitor’s Pavilion) at 5:30. We will reserve tables with the restaurant, but this cost isn’t included in the price of the ticket. The restaurant is just a short walk to the theatre. Silent Sky tells the true story of 19th century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt and her fellow “computers” who discovered the way to calculate distances of stars, which is still the gold standard today. The play celebrates her struggles and triumphs. Discounted tickets are available for Suncoast Stargazer members. Please contact Donna Wright (donnareidwright@gmail.com, phone 727-432-5060) for details on how to purchase the tickets. Donna will pass out the tickets during dinner.

  Sunset is 6:08 and the event will start at 6:30. We can start setting up by 5:00. The feature attraction is the First Quarter Moon. Jupiter will be shining brightly, and Mars will still be good. We will also hunt down the faint but interesting planet Uranus. The deep sky objects will be determined based on sky conditions. We look forward to seeing you there!!! 

 Sunset is 6:08 and the event will start at 6:30. We can start setting up by 5:00. The feature attraction is the First Quarter Moon. Jupiter will be shining brightly, and Mars will still be good. We will also hunt down the faint but interesting planet Uranus. The deep sky objects will be determined based on sky conditions. We look forward to seeing you there!!! 

  Monthly Zoom Meeting:  7:00 PM  

NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador and Suncoast Stargazers member Linda McKenna will present a talk about the fleet of spacecraft in NASA’s Earth Observing System. She will discuss their imagery, data, and the role they play in monitoring our home planet.   

  Monthly dark sky event at the Manatee County Gun Club. Sunset is 6:00 PM. We can begin setting up at 5:00 PM. We’ve requested access until midnight.  

Monday December 19, 2022 – 7:00 PM, Members Only: 

Star of Bethlehem:

Suncoast Stargazer, NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador and former Director of the Bishop Planetarium Howard Hochhalter will reprise his decade long community holiday favorite, the Star of Bethlehem. Learn the historical context of what was going on in the ancient world leading up to the time of 7 BC to 2 BC. Just what was the astronomical explanation of the celestial events adorning the sky at that time?

 Location - Robinson Preserve. Sunset is at 5:35 and the event will be publicized to start at 6:00. Please arrive by 5:00 to set up. New telescope owners wanting some help and instruction should arrive by 4:00 and we will help you out.  

 Suncoast Stargazer member Jeff Sjoquist will discuss the history of Celestial Navigation and how it translated into aircraft use. Jeff was an Air Force Navigator, Instructor and Evaluator in the late 80’s. He’ll show pictures of different kinds of sextants used and talk about how Celestial Navigation appeared to be a dying art, what replaced it, and why it’s making a comeback in the military. Jeff will then demonstrate how celestial position is derived, plotted, and used in navigation. 

 Join us at the College Hall Bayfront (351 College Dr, Sarasota, FL) for stargazing with the NCF Astronomy Club! If you are bringing a telescope, please plan to arrive at 6:00pm for set up. The event will run from 7:00 - 10:00pm. Historically, New College Astronomy Club events draw upwards of 150 people. There will be music, snacks, and lots of young people interested in learning about the night sky! 

   Location - Robinson Preserve. Sunset is at 6:49 and the event will be publicized to start at 7:00. Please arrive by 6:00 to set up. New telescope owners wanting some help and instruction should arrive by 5:00 and we will help you out.  

 Monthly Zoom at 7:00 PM.  

Our own Cori Laughrey will present a talk about our Sun: how it produces light and heat, the global solar dynamo that drives space weather, and her current research in solar granulation. Cori is a physics student and president of the Astronomy Club at New College of Florida, and has been a member of Suncoast Stargazers since its inception.
 

The Suncoast Stargazers are honored to be a part of the Bay Park Conservancy’s Grand Opening Celebration at the Bays new “Common Ground” location. The event starts at 7:30 so please arrive by 6:30 to set up your equipment. Additional details about this event can be found at:

10 Day Grand Opening micro-site: https://www.10daysatthebay.org/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=cdf37841-931c-4f60-93cc-b16351ffdb31

FB : [not yet available]

Eventbrite registration link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/astronomy-at-the-bay-tickets-413719555327
 

 Monthly Zoom at 7:00 PM. Community updates and interesting astronomy discussion. 

 This month’s speaker is NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador Gregory Shanos who will present a lecture entitled: Mars 2022: An Observers Guide. Mars will rise at sunset on December 8th so now is the time to familiarize ourselves with the planet. Greg will discuss how to observe the planet visually through a telescope under high power and how to use various color filters to bring out subtle details on the planet. He will also discuss how to attach a planetary video camera to your telescope to take some images of The Red Planet!!! 

 Location – Robinson Preserve. Sunset is 7:48 and the event will be publicized to start at 8:00. Please arrive by 7:00 to set up. New telescope owners wanting some help and instruction should arrive by 6:00 and we will help you out.

Monthly Zoom at 7:00 PM.  George Ruppeiner, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at New College of Florida, will discuss his class “Descriptive Astronomy”. The class is mostly non-science students interested in learning about the planets and the moons, as well as the basics of the stars. The course is non-mathematical, in person, and has an observational component that the students always find very interesting. 

On Saturday August 20, 2022 from 9am till 12pm at the NEST in Robinson Preserve we will be doing both Solar Observing in Hydrogen Alpha and white light.

Secondly, we'll be setting up a hands on, interactive Astrophotography demonstration covering the hardware and software our members use to do Planetary and DeepSky imaging with DSLR's, planetary cameras, and cooled CMOS cameras. We will have separate tables manned by our best experts to explain each type of imaging and you can experience the entire process. Each session will be short and repeated every 30 minutes so that you can stop by each table before noon.

And for the 3rd section a detailed walk thru on the Celestron StarSense technology, where your cell phone becomes your guide through the Cosmos, will be demonstrated. If your contemplating a telescope purchase this tech might be just for you.

The Nest is located off the same road as our sidewalk setup but don't take the sharp right, just continue straight down the road.

See you there.

 Monthly zoom at 7:00. Celestron telescope product manager Lance Lucero will discuss the development of the Celestron Starsense plate solving technology which has completely revolutionized the ease of use of introductory level telescopes

 North Manatee  County Kiwanis Club. Ed and Martha doing a 7AM presentation on Suncoast Stargazers

Zoom meeting     ... 7pm to 8pm  Discuss the first  Webb Telescope images   

Monthly Zoom at 7:00 PM. Community updates and interesting astronomy discussion.   

 Suncoast Stargazers will be at “The Nest” at Robinson Preserve this Saturday from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM, weather permitting. We’ll be viewing the sun in an H Alpha telescope. If the sky conditions are really good we might even try to find Venus in the daytime sky with a second telescope. Hope to see some of you there. 

 Monthly Zoom at 7:00 PM. Community updates and interesting astronomy discussion. Howard will send the link out on Monday 5/23.

 (Lunar Eclipse, starts at 10:00 PM) – Robinson Preserve, 840 99th St NW, Bradenton Fla. 34209   

Zoom Meeting

 Guest speaker joining meeting

Alec Engell - Principal Scientist at NextGen Federal Systems:

Alec Engell received his BA from Harvard College in 2008 in Earth and Planetary Science.  Afterwards, he worked at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics studying the Sun.   Today, he works at NextGen Federal Systems as a scientist focusing on using machine-learning and data-driven methods to predict space weather events that adversely impact technologies including astronaut health, communication, and power grids.  He is the chair of the American Meteorological Society's Space Weather Conference and serves on the Executive Board for the American Commercial Space Weather Association.

Abstract:  Astronomy happens during the daytime too!  Mr. Engell will give the group a tour of resources that can be used to identify exciting events that occur on the Sun and at Earth so you can prepare to observe whether it's using a solar telescope for a prominence or with your own eyes for the aurora.  This will be a highly interactive presentation where attendees are encouraged to ask questions and have discussions.