Category: news
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Founding Club Member Paul Pompa Passes Away at 96
On 12/21/2020 the club learned that much loved and founding member Paul Pompa had passed away the previous day. Below are some words from the secretary about Paul’s involvement with the club. Paul was one of the founding members of LHAAC in 1956, was active for many years and served several years as president. He…
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Members brave single digit temps to capture lunar eclipse
Club members Denis Williamson, Mark Croce, Jamie Caron, and Liam O’Brien were on the scene the night of January 20th to view the last lunar eclipse for North America until May 16th, 2022. Despite temperatures of 4F or -12F with windchill factor, some intrepid members managed to keep their camera going long enough to capture all the…
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LHAAC Art Show – Starlight: Astronomy meets art
The LHAAC will be having a gallery show at Five Points Gallery Annex from November 16th through the 25th. Opening night reception is Friday, November 16th 6-8:30pm (refreshments will be served). Come to see photographs of galaxies, nebula, planets, the moon, and even the Aurora Borealis! Members of the Litchfield Hills Amateur Astronomy club will be available…
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Rare Sighting of “Bantam Phantom” at WMCC
Just in time for the Halloween season, authorities believe that the photo above is the first time that the elusive “Bantam Phantom” has been captured on film. Recent sightings in South Carolina where he is known as “Pumpkin Head” may also be true, since reported sightings only occur in the dark and South Carolina recently experienced…
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The Great American Solar Eclipse of 2017
What’s all the fuss about? “A total solar eclipse is when the moon moves between the sun and Earth, lasting for up to about three hours from beginning to end, according to NASA. The lunar shadow will darken the sky, temperatures will drop and bright stars will appear at a time that is normally broad…
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PiKon Telescope – DIY, 3D printed, Raspberry Pi enabled
This neat project from Royal Astronomical Society member Mark Wrigley showcases what can be done with new low cost disruptive technologies like 3D printing and single board computers such as the Raspberry Pi. Costing only ~$312 as a fully built kit or much less if you have some of the parts and tools needed. This is among one…
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Russ Leonard builds 6in refractor
Member Russ Leonard recently put the finishing touches on a brand new 6in F/15 refracting telescope, mounted on a DIY Alt-Az mount built from stained Oak, the design utilizes a friction clutch complete with precision settings circles, much like a Dobsonian. Weighing in at almost 500lbs and standing taller than Russ (who is pretty tall to start with) this telescope means business,…
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Member published in Astronomy Technology Today
Member Shef Robotham recently had an article published in the “Astro Tips” section of Astronomy Technology Today, detailing a modification for mounting the guide scope used for imaging. You can see a copy of the article below (click to enlarge). Great job Shef!
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Gravitational Waves Discovered
At a press conference on Feb. 11, 2016 we learned that researchers detected gravitational waves, predicted a century ago by Albert Einstein’s theory of General Relativity. In the early 1600’s Johannes Kepler worked out the mathematics of the motions of the planets, showing that they orbit the Sun in nearly circular ellipses. Though Kepler’s laws…
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News From New Horizons Spacecraft
The New Horizons mission to Pluto was a complete success. On July 14, 2015, the spacecraft flew past Pluto at 7 miles per second and took thousands of photos and measurements. Over the next month a few hundred low-resolution images were returned to Earth. (Images and lots more information about the mission here.) The first…