In this episode MJ interviews Alfredo Viegas, the new President of the AAA.  Alfredo details his vision for the future of the club, and highlights various new programs the club has for its members and New Yorkers in general.  MJ and Stanley discuss the AAA’s collaboration with other groups and tell us about the various upcoming club events.  And they develop a new title for all astronomers, with a bit of help from Mark Twain. Links Hayden Planetarium Astronomy on Tap A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court American Museum of Natural History 2024 Total Eclipse How ..read more

In this episode Stanley interviews Alan and Aaron Sliski, a father-son team of professional observatory builders.  In a discussion full of anecdotes, Alan and Aaron give useful tips, advice, and discuss the various types of observatories and the reasons for building one, as well as the numerous pitfalls to avoid.  We welcome our new AAA President, Alfredo Viegas.  And MJ and Stanley give us a heads-up about the various upcoming Club observing events. Links Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston CKD 17 ASCOM Alpaca Astro Haven Ash-Dome Backyard Observatories Center fo ..read more

In this episode Stanley interviews Paige Godfrey, Senior Software Systems Engineer at Lockheed Martin about life at Lockheed, her inspiring career path, the dichotomy between scientists and engineers and oh yes, the Orion Space Capsule and Artemis missions.  Brian says farewell, and MJ and Stanley speculate about life in a capsule and give us a heads-up about various astronomy events around NYC. Links Orion Spacecraft Slooh Online Telescope For Educators, Students, Astronomers & Space Enthusiasts Artemis-I Have a question or a comment? Reach out to us at aaasky@aaa.org, even if just ..read more

Welcome back to AAA SKY! In this episode we introduce MJ, the newest member of the AAA SKY team. Kat interviews Brian Levine, science educator, who shows us a novel way of modeling the distances between planets in the solar system. And Brian and Kat discuss Astronomy on Tap. Have a question or a comment? Reach out to us at aaasky@aaa.org, even if just to say hi ..read more

In this final episode of the season Yui Hasegawa, AAA member and high school student extraordinaire, tells Maggie how she came up with an idea for how to make stargazing vastly more accessible to the New York public, and how she made it a reality. By combining the respective resources of the AAA and the Brooklyn Public Library, Yui developed a library loaner program for telescopes which she hopes will serve as a model for cities and clubs worldwide. Hear our first all-women episode with Kat joining Maggie for the discussion. Have a question or a comment? Reach out to us at ..read more

In this episode Kat interviews Tony Hoffman, AAA Member and Citizen Scientist. Tony recounts his adventures photographing eclipses from airplanes in Africa, in northern Norway and wherever else the path of the sun and moon has taken him. He also gives tips on finding comets and even exoplanets. Kat and Stan discuss citizen science more generally and we have a new Listeners Challenge. Links PlanetHunters.org - Planet Hunters TESS TravelQuest International Tony Hoffman on Flickr aavso anecdata AAASky Listener Challenge Every 10 years, NASA engages a committee of scientists who develo ..read more

In this episode Stanley interviews physicist and astronomer George Greenstein about Quantum Mechanics, how he became fascinated with the subject and why this highly successful theory still defies visualization and remains essentially strange to us.  It is precisely the unfamiliarity of the quantum world which George captures and explains in his book, Quantum Strangeness. Links Bell's theorem EPR paradox The Uncertainty principle Quantum entanglement Soho Photo Gallery AAASky Listener Challenge The White House just made a request to Congress for NASA's next budget, which is a record in t ..read more

In this episode we mix it up! Join AAA President Brian Berg and Executive Vice President Bart Fried as they debate the merits and demerits of public vs. private space launches. From Sean Connery to Elon Musk, from Apollo to Artemis, our adversaries discuss the operations, financing and legality of putting people and robots into space. And we introduce the newest member of our AAASKY team, co-host Kat Troche. Links Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars) Outland Diamonds Are Forever AAASky Listener Challenge Matthias Schmitt told us that the greatest concentration of dark sky parks ..read more

In this episode Maggie discovers the amazing personal and professional journey of astronomer Matthias Schmitt, Dark Sky Coordinator at Cedar Breaks National Monument in Utah and an astronomy guide for Stargazing Zion. He is an avid eclipse chaser with observations in Oregon, Argentina, Oman, the Antarctic, and other locations.  Find out how joining an astronomy club, surrounding yourself with passion, and following your bliss, can change your life forever.  Read about Matthias’s most recent eclipse adventure to the Antarctic in an upcoming issue of the AAA newsletter, Eyepiece. AAASk ..read more

In this episode telescope historian Bart Fried recounts how New York City became the nation’s center for telescope-making in the early 19th century, and he discusses with Stan some impressive early observatories located in the city.  An episode chock full of anecdotes! And Maggie and Stan discuss Cassegrain telescopes and 19th century light pollution as well as their first telescope experiences. Notable Topics Henry Draper Henry Fitz Lewis Morris Rutherford John Byrne Fitz/Clark 12-in Refractor Stephen V. White AAASky Listener Challenge For which agency was Stan Honda working ..read more