Greenbelt Star Party
2023-04-15 21:00 - 23:00, 2023-04-29 21:00 - 23:00, 2023-05-13 21:00 - 23:00, 2023-05-20 21:30 - 23:30, 2023-06-10 21:30 - 23:30, 2023-06-17 21:30 - 23:30, 2023-07-08 21:30 - 23:30, 2023-07-15 21:30 - 23:30 (America/New_York) and 3 more dates | City of Greenbelt Observatory, 8101 Northway Road, Greenbelt, MD, 20770, United States
Weather permitting, we will be holding a star party at the Greenbelt Observatory. The observatory will be open to visitors to view the wonders of the heavens. People are also welcome to bring their own telescopes to set up for observation.
The event is open to members and non-members of all ages at no cost. We provide a fun, family-friendly environment for learning about the universe. This is a great way to meet other astronomers in the community. And, if you are new to the hobby, members are always willing to help you learn how to use your telescope.
Our star parties generally begin about an hour after sunset and run for two hours.
Please note that star parties may be cancelled without prior notice in the event of overcast skies or extremely inclement weather conditions. In accordance with Prince George’s County guidelines, masks are voluntary.

South Jersey Astronomy Club Star Party
2023-04-20 - 2023-04-23 | Belleplain State Forest, 1 Henkinsifkin Road, Woodbine, NJ, 08270, United States
This star party is not hosted by the Astronomical Society of Greenbelt. It is listed here as a courtesy to another club in the Mid-East Region of the Astronomical League. Please consult the event website for the most up-to-date information.

NOVAC Astronomy Day
2023-04-22 18:00 - 23:00 | C.M. Crockett Park, 10066 Rogues Road, Midland, VA, 22728, United States

Monthly Meeting
2023-04-27 19:00 - 21:00 | Greenbelt Community Center, 15 Crescent Road, Greenbelt, MD, 20770, United States
The Astronomical Society of Greenbelt will meet on Thursday, April 27, in Room 114 of the Greenbelt Community Center. We will gather at 7:00 pm for informal discussion, and the lecture will begin at 7:30 pm. Drs. Joan and David Dunham will give a presentation on observing occultations. The lecture will be followed by an observing session of a lunar occultation of a ninth-magnitude star. This is a hybrid in-person/virtual event.

Our meetings are free and open to the public.
Join the Zoom Meeting
URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88925186668?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 889 2518 6668
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdA9ynYmqF

Monthly Meeting
2023-05-25 19:00 - 21:00 | Greenbelt Community Center, 15 Crescent Road, Greenbelt, MD, 20770, United States
Our monthly meetings are generally held on the last Thursday of the month, 7:00–9:00 pm, at the Greenbelt Community Center. They are also streamed via Zoom for those who cannot meet in person. We gather at 7:00 for informal discussion, and the lecture begins at 7:30.
This month’s meeting with feature Dr. Louth “Lu” Chou, will speak on “Searching for Life-as-We-Don’t-Know-It on Future Planetary Missions using Mass Spectrometry.” Her research area is agnostic biosignatures, requiring life detection methods that identify unknowable, unfamiliar features and chemistry that may represent processes of life as yet unrecognized. She is also involved in instrument design for future planetary missions that may search for such life.

Dr. Chou, an astrobiologist and organic chemist, is currently a postdoctoral research associate at the Center for Space Science and Technology at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, working on the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite onboard the Curiosity rover in the Planetary Environments Lab at Goddard Space Flight Center. She loves sharing her work with the public. This is a hybrid in-person/virtual event. It is free and open to the public, in room 114 of the Greenbelt Community Center.
Join via Zoom

URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89328647944?pwd=[REDACTED]
Phone: (301) 715-8592
Meeting ID: 893 2864 7944
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Greenbelt Star Party
2023-05-27 21:30 - 23:30 | City of Greenbelt Observatory, 8101 Northway Road, Greenbelt, MD, 20770, United States
Weather permitting, we will be holding a star party at the Greenbelt Observatory. The observatory will be open to visitors to view the wonders of the heavens. The moon will be up this evening and will be one of our viewing targets. People are also welcome to bring their own telescopes to set up for observation.
The event is open to members and non-members of all ages at no cost. We provide a fun, family-friendly environment for learning about the universe. This is a great way to meet other astronomers in the community. And, if you are new to the hobby, members are always willing to help you learn how to use your telescope.
Our star parties generally begin about an hour after sunset and run for two hours.
Please note that star parties may be cancelled without prior notice in the event of overcast skies or extremely inclement weather conditions. In accordance with Prince George’s County guidelines, masks are voluntary.

Officers' Meeting
2023-06-05 19:30 - 20:30, 2023-07-11 19:30 - 20:30, 2023-09-11 19:30 - 20:30 | Zoom

York County Star Party
2023-06-14 - 2023-06-18, 2023-09-13 - 2023-09-17 | Susquehannock State Park, 1880 Park Drive, Drumore, 17518, United States

Cherry Springs Star Party
2023-06-15 - 2023-06-18 | Cherry Springs State Park, 4639 Cherry Springs Road, Coudersport, PA, 16915, United States

Green Bank Star Quest
2023-06-21 - 2023-06-24 | Green Bank Observatory, 155 Observatory Road, Green Bank, WV, 24944, United States

Monthly Meeting
2023-06-22 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom
At our monthly meeting on June 22 at 7:00 pm, Dr. Kevin P. Hand will deliver a lecture entitled “Alien Oceans on Earth and Beyond.” Due to a conflict, this meeting will be held a week earlier than our usual last-Thursday-of-the-month slot. This meeting will also be virtual only, with no in-person meeting at the Greenbelt Community Center.
This lecture is free and open to the public. The meeting will begin with casual conversation at 7:00 pm, and the lecture will start at 7:30 pm.
Lecture Abstract
Where is the best place to find living life beyond Earth? It may be that the small, ice-covered moons of Jupiter and Saturn harbor some of the most habitable real estate in our Solar System. Life loves liquid water and these moons have lots of it.
These alien oceans of the outer solar system have likely persisted for much of the history of the solar system and as a result they are highly compelling targets in our search for life beyond Earth. Dr. Hand will explain the science behind why we think we
know these oceans exist and what we know about the conditions on these worlds. He will focus on Jupiter’s moon Europa, which is a top priority for future missions. He will also detail how the exploration of Earth’s ocean is helping to guide our understanding of the potential habitability of worlds like Europa.
Speaker Bio
Dr. Hand is a planetary scientist and astrobiologist at NASA’s JPL, where he directs the Ocean Worlds Lab. His research focuses on the search for life in the solar system, with an emphasis on Jupiter’s moon Europa. He is helping lead NASA’s Europa Lander mission concept, and from 2011 to 2016 he served as the deputy chief scientist for Solar System Exploration at JPL. His fieldwork has taken him from the Artic to the Antarctica and to the depths of Earth’s ocean. His book Alien Oceans was recently published by Princeton University Press.
Zoom Information

Meeting URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89859006757?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 898 5900 6757
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Meeting Phone: (301) 715-8592

Northern Lights Watch Party
2023-07-13 22:00 - 23:59 | City of Greenbelt Observatory, 8101 Northway Road, Greenbelt, MD, 20770, United States
High-intensity solar winds may cause displays of the Aurora Borealis—also known as the Northern Lights—that will be visible in Maryland as far south as Annapolis this week. Due to requests from the community, we will be holding a Northern Lights watch party at the Greenbelt Observatory on Thursday, July 13, 10:00 pm–midnight, weather permitting.
Members of the Astronomical Society of Greenbelt will be on hand to answer any questions.
This event is free and open to the public.
Please note: The forecast from NOAA has changed, and the new forecast shows little chance of the aurorae being visible in our area. We will still host the party as scheduled, but people should temper their expectations.

Astronomical League Annual Convention
2023-07-26 - 2023-07-29 | MD
The 2023 Astronomical League Convention (ALCon 2023) will be held in Baton Rouge, LA, July 26–29.

Monthly Meeting
2023-07-27 19:15 - 21:00 | Greenbelt Community Center, 15 Crescent Road, Greenbelt, MD, 20770, United States
The Astronomical Society of Greenbelt will meet on Thursday, July 27, at 7:15 pm (note the earlier start time) in Room 114 of the Greenbelt Community Center. We will be showing the documentary Good Night, Oppy, the story of NASA’s Mars rovers “Spirit” and “Opportunity”. Originally planned for 6-month missions, “Spirit” functioned for over 6 years and “Opportunity” for an astounding 15 years, during which time they greatly added to our knowledge of the red planet.
The event is free and open to the public.
Due to licensing restrictions on the movie, this will be an in-person-only event, with no concurrent Zoom meeting.

Greenbelt Star Party
2023-08-19 21:00 - 23:00 | City of Greenbelt Observatory, 8101 Northway Road, Greenbelt, MD, 20770, United States
Weather permitting, we will be holding a star party at the Greenbelt Observatory. The observatory will be open to visitors to view the wonders of the heavens. People are also welcome to bring their own telescopes to set up for observation.
The event is open to members and non-members of all ages at no cost. We provide a fun, family-friendly environment for learning about the universe. This is a great way to meet other astronomers in the community. And, if you are new to the hobby, members are always willing to help you learn how to use your telescope.
Our star parties generally begin about an hour after sunset and run for two hours.
Please note that star parties may be canceled without prior notice in the event of overcast skies or extremely inclement weather conditions. In accordance with Prince George’s County guidelines, masks are voluntary.

Monthly Meeting
2023-08-31 19:00 - 21:00 | Greenbelt Community Center, 15 Crescent Road, Greenbelt, MD, 20770, United States
Kevin A. Wilson, PhD, will give a presentation on astronomical spectroscopy for amateur astronomers. Spectroscopy is the analysis of the light emitted by astronomical objects. He will discuss the concept of spectroscopy, what we can learn from it, and how amateurs can do spectroscopy. Kevin is the vice president of the ASG and a life-long amateur astronomer.
Our monthly meetings begin with casual conversation at 7:00 pm. The lecture starts at 7:30 pm. The meetings are free and open to the public. People may attend in person at the Greenbelt Community Center or online via Zoom.
Join on Zoom
By computer: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83521167612?pwd=[REDACTED]
By phone: (301) 715-8592
Meeting ID: 835 2116 7612
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Black Forest Star Party
2023-09-15 - 2023-09-17 | Cherry Springs State Park, 4639 Cherry Springs Road, Coudersport, PA, 16915, United States
