San Bernardino Valley Amateur Astronomers

Member Bruce Herwig has been taking beautiful pictures of the comet and auroras https://www.facebook.com/groups/2503903462984985/user/1422708510/

Start looking for comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ALTAS) in the morning sky right before sunrise beginning Sept. 27 through to Oct. 1. This is the best chance for the comet to be seen at its brightest. Beginning after Oct. 9, the comet transitions into the evening sky, right after sunset. Easier time to view but the comet will begin to dim making it less prominent.

Check out this Space.com article

There are several chances to see NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) as it orbits the Earth testing new solar sail capabilities. The satellite at times could be as bright as Sirius. Check out this Space.com article for details and view the follow visibility times.

Created by a high school junior, guided by faculty and graduate students in the University of Washington’s Department of Astronomy, Cosmo is an astronomy chatbot that aims to make learning about the universe accessible to various age group.

Give Cosmo a try.

April 8, 2024 is the next Great American Total Solar Eclipse. The path starts in Mexico, cuts across Texas then up through the Southeast and Midwest. If you stay in San Bernardino, the eclipse will be approximately 60% covered.

Here are some resources:

• NASA – https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/where-when/
• San Bernardino – https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/san-bernardino?iso=20240408
• National Weather Service – https://www.weather.gov/pah/April8_2024SolarEclipseClimate

Our certificate for participating in Observe the Moon night, October 21, 2023.

Thanks everyone.

The Saturday, October 14 eclipse is from approximately 8:00 AM to 10:50 AM. This is an annular eclipse for parts of the country whereas for us, the moon will cover approximately 80% of the sun.

Eclipse information

Photos from the May 27, 2023, viewing party to dedicate the newly refurbished 16-inch telescope at San Bernardino Valley College have been uploaded.

If the clouds part enough, look for Venus and Jupiter in the evening sky right after sunset. They will be separated only by a little over half a degree (0.53 degrees) which is roughly the apparent with of the moon. They will not be this close again until 2032. This Space.com website has additional details.

The Moon with occult Mars for the second time since last they met nearly eight weeks ago. We will see Mars disappear behind the dark limb of the moon starting at approximately 8:35 pm and reappear around 9:29 pm. Read this Space.com article for more information.