How to Enjoy & Understand Our Starry Sky

Saturday, December 4th from 1-2pm

Presented by John W. Briggs, acting president of the Magdalena Astronomical Society

The dark night sky above and around Magdalena is an increasingly rare natural beauty.  Using photographs recorded locally, John W. Briggs will highlight what astronomers call "Deep Sky Wonders" that can be easily identified by eye, with binoculars, and common small telescopes.  Magdalena is fortunate to host visitors who are among the world's leading astrophotographers.  John will show recent results from both our visitors and from our interested residents.  John will also demonstrate how easy-to-use free sky-map software called Stellarium is amazingly powerful to show essentially everything in the sky and its seasonal cycles.  John will report also on recent activities of local astronomers and our astronomy club.

The star clouds of our Milky Way Galaxy are visible by eye on a dark night, but careful photography records amazing details that are just beyond human vision.  This image was recorded from Magdalena's FOAH Observatory by award-winning Dr. Robert Q. Fugate, the retired founding director of the U.S. Air Force observatory near Albuquerque, the Starfire Optical Range. 

Refreshments provided by the Magdalena Friends of the Library.