Click here for the Jupiter and Venus Conjunction Star Party

See a map of the location.April 15 at Fort Tryon Park.  It cleared off tonight.  Night #22 is on, see you after 8:30 PM!On other nights, in addition to the Inwood Star Fest on April 3, the skies cleared on the 9th, 11th.  Also, I gave talks on the 4th and the 11th at the New York Public Library.  So now we have done 21 nights out of 100.  It seems I am falling a bit behind, but then, as it warms up, it will be easier, and I will just head out for the next one: number 22.---Last night was very nice.  We had about 20 people show up at our Fort Tryon location.  The clouds were present, as usual.  We had a nice crowd, especially the French Contingent.  I really have to get multi-lingual again.  It would be a big help.  I took the 6" Dobsonian over there, and it was just fine for the event.  I am really liking the Meade Ultra-Wide Field with a 2x Barlow.   You can really get a good view of the ring's gap between the planet.  No Cassini division yet, but I am sure that will pop out in a very dark sky at some point.  Bruce Kamiat showed up and helped me point out some items in the sky.  Not much other than Saturn and a few doubles: Castor and Alcor.  But we had a good time, and got a bunch of first timers.In all, I estimate that about 800 people have looked through  the scopes at various IAP projects so far.  It is quite exciting!

About Jason Kendall

I am the NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador for New York City. I hold a Master of Science in Astronomy from New Mexico State University and am currently adjunct faculty at William Paterson University. I have led numerous "starwatching parties" and astronomy events in New York City, New Mexico, Minnesota and Texas. It all started way back in the fourth grade by the encouragement of two noted astronomers, Charles Schweighauser and Bart Bok. I saw Saturn through Charlie's telescope at then Sangamon State University on a clear Illinois night, and Bart encouraged me under those stars to study hard to come visit him at Kitt Peak National Observatory. I finally did make it down there about a decade after Bart passed away, and I found the favorite spots in Tucson, Arizona, where Bart and his wife Priscilla would spend when they were not gazing at the stars. Bart and his wife were pioneers in the study of the Milky Way, and their studies of the starforming regions called Bok Globules. It's even in my family. My great-grandfather was a Midwestern minister who used to preach his sermons out under the dark, cloudless nights. He always believed that getting out and experiencing the wonders of the natural world was a central part of being human. My family has always been inspired by his words: "We look up to look within." I hope that you'll join me under the stars or at one of my talks.

Come see what's up in the sky!

Jason Kendall
NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador to New York City

The Inwood Astronomy Project is thankful for the support of the NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassadors Program, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, the New York Public Library, the International Year of Astronomy and the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York


We look up to look within