Tag Archives: skitt

Observatory Public Nights Postponed. Our Skies Remain Open

Posted on April 1, 2020 by

by Dave Skitt, Observatory Chairperson The State of New Jersey closed our public state park buildings. This is part of the COVID 19 virus response. AAAP delayed the opening of our observatory for Friday Night Public Observing for your safety. This delay will remain in effect until … Continue reading →

Posted in April 2020, Sidereal Times | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Gene’s Tele Vue Baseball Cap

Posted on April 1, 2020 by

by Dave Skitt Observatory Chairperson Gene’s Tele Vue Baseball Cap To keep the memory of Gene Ramsey alive, I wrote a short piece about Gene and his Tele Vue baseball cap. It was posted in Tele Vue’s February 2020 Blog.

Posted in April 2020, Sidereal Times | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Novice EAA Imager Captures Rare, Unseen Astronomical Phenomenon

Posted on April 1, 2020 by

by Dave Skitt, Observatory Chairperson If you’ve been reading my emails lately, you know that Dr. Rex Parker, PhD, and I conducted a Keyholder training session on Sunday, March 8, 2020.  We focused on the clubs’ expanding Electronically Assisted Astronomy … Continue reading →

Posted in April 2020, Sidereal Times | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Page From the Past – March 1996

Posted on December 31, 2018 by

by Dave and Jennifer Skitt The attached page from the AAAP Simpson Observatory Log Book dates back to March of 1996. The AAAP astronomers mentioned are Darryl F., Ralph Marantino, Saul Moroz, Chris Moser, Jim McFee, Bill Murray, Ron Mittelstaedt … Continue reading →

Posted in January 2019, Sidereal Times | Tagged | 1 Comment

let there be light

Posted on June 2, 2018 by

by Dave Skitt let there be light Let there be light! And it was good. You may believe from the title that I will be writing about the beginning of the universe, some formula for the speed of light or … Continue reading →

Posted in June 2018, Sidereal Times | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Winter use of the observatory

Posted on December 31, 2017 by

by Dave and Jennifer Skitt The cold weather has set in but that doesn’t mean the observatory can’t be used to catch that elusive asteroid or your favorite winter galaxy or star cluster. Here are a few considerations to keep … Continue reading →

Posted in January 2018, Sidereal Times | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Hastings-Byrne Refractor Update

Posted on December 31, 2017 by

by Dave Skitt AAAP member Tom Swords, in consultation with John Church and with my assistance, is currently working to improve the connection of the focuser for the Hastings-Byrne refractor to the tube assembly. We have become aware that the … Continue reading →

Posted in January 2018, Sidereal Times | Tagged , | Leave a comment

There’s a Star Gazing App for That

Posted on March 2, 2017 by

by Dave Skitt While training new keyholders, I am often asked to provide the names for the various astronomy related apps that I use or am familiar with. Below are the apps I have on either my iPhone 7 or … Continue reading →

Posted in March 2017, Sidereal Times | Tagged , | Leave a comment

End of an era; potential new beginnings…

Posted on February 2, 2017 by

by Dave Skitt It was a gloomy day on January 21, 2017, when Bill Murray, my wife, Jennifer, and I, made a trip up to AAAP’s former observatory within the UACNJ consortium of observatories in Jenny Jump State Forest. Yes, … Continue reading →

Posted in February 2017, Sidereal Times | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Solar filter crafted for historic telescope

Posted on February 2, 2017 by

by Dave Skitt In early 2016, knowledge of the approaching May 9th Mercury transit and the absence of a suitable solar filter for our club’s historic, 6¼-inch Hastings-Byrne refractor, prompted me, as observatory co-chair, to look for a solution. Protruding … Continue reading →

Posted in February 2017, Sidereal Times | Tagged , | Leave a comment