Astronomers of Humboldt

Upcoming Events

The Astronomers of Humboldt are now scheduling observation meetings for Club members and guests on the weekend nearest the new moon. And, in addition, we are holding Zoom meetings for members on most weekends nearest the full moon.

Next events:

• Wednesday November 4. NSN Webinar. "50 Years of Voyager Discoveries" with Dr. Jeffrey Hayes. AOH members can get more information at the members-only webinar page at https://www.astrohum.org/members_only/webinars.php.
• Wednesday-Thursday November 4-5. Southern Taurids Meteor Shower. According to the American Meteor Society, "The Southern Taurids are a complex shower made up of two main components: the annual component, which peaks on October 14th, and the fireball-swarm component, which peaks on November 5th. The Southern Taurids are rich in fireballs and are often responsible for an increased number of fireball reports from September through November." The Moon will be 21% illuminated. Expect favorable lunar conditions, with limited moonlight interference.
• Saturday November 7. Kneeland School Fall Festival. We will participate in the Kneeland School Fall Festival by opening the observatory (if the weather is clear) and/or setting up a demonstration table with information and activities. The event begins at 4 pm. If you can help out contact Ken at ken@astrohum.org.
• Saturday November 7. Observing at Kneeland. Weather permitting, we will hold our regular November observing session at Kneeland Airport. Before you go, check the weather forecast, the Kneeland Clear Sky Chart, the GOES West satellite imagery (single frame or timelapse), the air quality index, and the Barry Ridge Webcam, and check back here for any last-minute updates. Dress warmly and arrive in time to set up before dark. Sunset will be at 5:05 pm.
• Wednesday-Thursday November 11-12. Northern Taurids Meteor Shower. According to the American Meteor Society, "This shower is much like the Southern Taurids, but is active a little later in the year. When the two showers are active simultaneously in late October and early November, there is sometimes a notable increase in f ireball activity." The Moon will be 5% illuminated. Expect very favorable lunar conditions, with little or no moonlight interference.
• Saturday November 14. Pizza Party / Annual General Membership Meeting. We will gather at Babe's Pizza in Cutten for pizza at 5:30 pm. The Annual AOH General Membership meeting will begin at 6:30. On the agenda for the meeting is the presentation of the slate of Nominees for the Board of Directors. Under the bylaws, if there is no change to the slate of nominees, the election may be held at this meeting. Babe's Pizza is located at 4015 Walnut Drive in Cutten.
  Enter your location for directions:
• Monday-Tuesday November 16-17. Leonids Meteor Shower. According to the American Meteor Society, "The Leonids are best known for producing meteor storms in 1833, 1866, 1966, 1999, 2001, and 2002. These outbursts are best seen when the parent object, comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, is near perihelion. It is not fresh material from the comet that we see, but debris from earlier returns that happens to be most dense at the same time. Unfortunately, it appears that Earth will not encounter any dense clouds of debris until 2099. When the comet returns in 2031 and 2064, there may not be any meteor storms, but there may be several good displays with rates exceeding 100 per hour. Each passing year also presents new possibilities from old debris fields." The Moon will be 42% illuminated. Moonlight may obscure fainter meteors while the Moon is above the horizon.
• Friday November 20. Greatest Western Elongation of Mercury. At 5:30 am Mercury, at magnitude -0.5, rises to join brilliant Venus, at magnnitude -4.5, in the morning sky. Look for Mercury 10 degrees lower than and to the left of Venus.
• Wednesday November 25. Opposition of Uranus. The planet Uranus, at magnitude 5.6, appears directly opposite the Sun in the night sky. Here's a finder chart.
• Saturday December 5. Observing at Kneeland. Weather permitting, we will hold our regular December observing session at Kneeland Airport. Before you go, check back here for any last-minute updates. Dress warmly and arrive in time to set up before dark. Sunset will be at 4:48 pm.
• Sunday-Monday December 13-14. Geminids Meteor Shower. According to the American Meteor Society, "The Geminids are usually the strongest meteor shower of the year, and meteor enthusiasts are certain to circle December 13th and 14th on their calendars. This is the one major shower that provides good activity before midnight, as the constellation Gemini is well placed from 22:00 onward. The Geminids are often bright and intensely colored. Due to their medium-slow velocity, persistent trains are not usually seen." The Moon will be an 18% illuminated waxing crescent on peak night. Expect generally favorable lunar conditions, with limited moonlight interference.
• Tuesday December 15. NSN Webinar. "2026 Astronomy Picture of the Day" with Dr. Cecilia Chirenti. AOH members can get more information at the members-only webinar page at https://www.astrohum.org/members_only/webinars.php.
• Monday December 21. December Solstice. The Sun makes its farthest-south sunrise (as seen by geocentric observers). To celebrate the event Mark Wilson is hosting a sunrise gathering, with hot coffee, hot chocolate, and pastries, at the County Park at School Rd and Ocean Dr in McKinleyville. Please rsvp to Mark at mark@astrohum.org by Friday Decenber 18 if you want to join in. Note that this site aligns with the section of Highway 101 that Allison has identified as the Humboldt County Winter Solstice Monument. Sunrise will be at 7:38 am.
• Monday-Tuesday December 21-22. Ursids Meteor Shower. According to the American Meteor Society, "The Ursids are often neglected because they peak just before Christmas and their rates are much lower than those of the Geminids, which peak only a week earlier. Observers normally see 5–10 Ursids per hour during the late-morning hours on the date of maximum activity. There have been occasional outbursts when rates exceeded 25 per hour. These outbursts appear unrelated to the perihelion dates of comet 8P/Tuttle." The Moon will be 91% illuminated, in waxing gibbous phase on peak night. Expect significant interference while the Moon is above the horizon, though brighter meteors can still be visible.

Dues-paying members can get a downloadable and printable calendar of current astronomical events, historical events, and AOH activities here [at https://www.astrohum.org/members_only/calendar.php].

Here are links to some west coast star parties: California Dark Sky Festival [at https://www.easternsierraobservatory.com/california-dark-sky-festival], Golden State Star Party [at https://www.goldenstatestarparty.org/], Joshua Tree Night Sky Festival [at https://www.skysthelimit29.org/night-sky-festival.html], Nightfall Star Party [at https://nightfallstarparty.com/], Oregon Star Party [at https://www.oregonstarparty.org/], Yosemite Glacier Point Starry Night Skies [at https://www.travelyosemite.com/things-to-do/naturalist-walks-programs/#collapse-26967.