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June 2, 2026 Protecting Our Night Skies for People, Wildlife, and Nature - Registration
Jim Webster — Amateur astronomer and Astro-photographer from New Jersey, and has been a member of the Astronomical Society of the Toms River Area since 2017. His concerns about the impact of light pollution on astronomy and, more importantly, on nature led him to join the International Dark-Sky Association, becoming an advocate for them in 2021. One of the tools utilized to study light pollution was the citizen science project "Globe at Night" found on SciStarter. Jim’s interest in SciStarter and citizen science projects has expanded over time, becoming a SciStarter Ambassador in 2023.
SciStarter and citizen science are now part of the growing number of available presentations he has on astronomy, photography, light pollution, and citizen science of both Earth and Space sciences.
“I have been doing this for a few years and still consider myself a beginner and always will; there is always something new to learn.”
This all fits into his interest in protecting the night sky, and as of 2026, we have established DarkSky New Jersey as a 501c-3, Protecting Our Night Skies, for People, Wildlife, and Nature.
May 5, 2026 Artemis: Humanity’s Return to the Moon - Recording
Elaine Fortin — As well as being an active board member for the Adirondack Sky Center & Observatory, Elaine is a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador and an accomplished amateur astronomer. She is a former employee of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and has a background in Information Technology and software engineering.
April 1, 2026 marked the launch of NASA’s 10-day-Artemis II mission, sending four astronauts around the moon and the first manned mission in the Artemis Program.
Join us as Solar System Ambassador Elaine Fortin discusses the NASA Artemis Program and its focus on reviving human exploration of the moon as a step to reaching Mars.
The Apollo missions, ending in the 70s, were all about NASA. Today, many new partners are involved. Besides major space agencies from other countries, today’s world has seen a shift in players who can afford to build and explore space.
Lots to discuss! And it starts with Artemis! We hope you will join us!
April 7, 2026 Students to Scientists: Radio Filaments in the Galactic Center
Nora Salem — Senior Physics & Astronomy Student at Haverford College
At the center of our Milky Way lies an energetic region populated with long, vertical, thread-like sources of radio emission. High resolution radio images of these unique and perplexing strands continue to reveal new information that may improve our understanding of the Milky Way's evolution.
March 3, 2026 From Students to Scientists: The Next Generation of Radio Astronomy - Recording
Masha Kilibarda — Senior Astrophysics Student at Haverford College
Some of the most iconic images of the night sky involve the dramatic spiral arms found in Galaxies. These structures are found all around us including our own galaxy, the Milky Way. However, even after decades of study, the nature of these spirals remains a mystery. Masha Kilibarda is currently a senior at Haverford College where she is majoring in Astrophysics. In this talk, she will discuss her personal pathway in astronomy, as well as her own research on current spiral formation. She will cover multiple possible theories as well as ways to test them observationally using different methods.
February 3, 2026 The Astronomers' Library: The Books that Unlocked the Mysteries of the Universe - Recording
Karen Masters — Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Haverford College
Karen Masters has written and co-written many books including 30-Second Universe and 30-Second Space Travel. In this talk, she will be discussing her latest book, The Astronomers' Library: The Books that Unlocked the Mysteries of the Universe. This work covers over 800 years of astronomical texts, stretching all across the globe. It describes the most significant astronomical books and libraries with beautiful detail and images. From the earliest star charts and astrological recordings to our modern-day scientific texts. A mix of art, history, and science, this talk has something for everyone!
January 6, 2026 Astronomy Year In Review 2025 - Recording
David Bishop — Astronomy Section of the Rocester Academy of Science
As an avid space enthusiast, David Bishop keeps a keen eye on the latest astronomy news. In honor of the new year, he will review some of the most interesting space news stories you might have missed. This talk will provide fascinating insights on the recent discoveries, missions, and astronomical breakthroughs that shaped our evolving understanding of the universe.
December 2, 2025 Getting Started in NightScape Photography - Recording
Bruce Berger—Amateur Astronomer
Have you ever seen spectacular photos of the night sky reflected in a rural lake? Or the moon rising or setting behind an iconic building or statue. Or the colorful Aurora Borealis dancing around a lighthouse? If you’ve tried taking photos like these, you may have walked away frustrated. But this doesn’t have to be!
In this talk, avid NightScape photographer Bruce Berger will teach you how to use your Digital SLR or Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Cameras, a sturdy tripod, and remote shutter to create stunning images of the cosmos combined with terrestrial features like buildings, landscapes and water. Learn the best techniques to get you started on your NightScape Photography journey.
November 4, 2025 Cosmic Waves - Recording
Simon Thill—ASC&O Associate Director of Astronomy Outreach
Gravitational waves are the next frontier in astronomy. They are radiation emitted from some of the most extreme events in the universe: the merging of massive stars. After the first direct detection only a decade ago, hundreds have since been detected and we now know they fill the space all around us.
Gravitational wave astronomy is a rapidly growing field and many exciting discoveries are being made. In this talk, Simon Thill will discuss how gravitational waves can be used to study the early universe, the large-scale distribution of matter, and fundamental physics. Discover how these signals open a brand-new window into some of humanity’s biggest cosmic questions.
October 20, 2025 The Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) at the Vera Rubin Observatory - Recording
Aileen O'Donoghue—ASC&O Board Member, St. Lawrence University
On the 8,800 foot peak of Cerro Pachón in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory has begun it’s ten-year mission to observe the southern sky. The unique, specially designed 3,000 megapixel camera sensor array will conduct a wide-field survey of the universe that will be deeper and wider than all previous surveys combined. Unlike other telescopes, Rubin’s telescope will not target specific objects, but will survey the sky in a predetermined cadence of observations at different sky positions in a varying pattern of order, duration, and filters. In this way, it will obtain images applicable to different scientific questions from finding slow-moving asteroids near Earth to characterizing distant galaxies and quasars forming near the beginning of time. The repetition of observations over ten years will allow astronomers to spot changes in appearance and behavior of objects too slow to be detected by traditional observatories.
October 7, 2025 Blinded by Science - Recording
Jeffrey Miller—ASC&O Board Member, St. Lawrence University
Radio astronomers have long had to deal with human-created sources of interference when scanning the heavens: radio transmissions, microwave ovens, Wi-Fi routers, cell phones. As technology advances it creates more problems for astronomers trying to understand the nature of the Universe. Satellites in orbit around the Earth have frequently caused streaks on photographs taken through large visible-light telescopes, but with the increase of large “satellite constellations” we are now also seeing interference at radio wavelengths. St. Lawrence University astronomer Jeffrey Miller will talk about some of these sources of radio telescope interference, and the measures that astronomers are undertaking to protect the darkness of the night.
September 2, 2025 Welcome to the Adirondack Sky Center & Observatory: Your Host to the Skies - Recording
Seth McGowan —President, ASC&O
After a long break in the Cygnus series, Seth McGowan will kick off a new season and provide a sweeping overview of the Adirondack Sky Center & Observatory's multifaceted mission to provide immersive educational experiences and demystify the Universe for everyone. From public stargazing nights and astrophotography workshops to educational outreach and citizen science initiatives, you will see how the Center fosters curiosity and wonder under some of the darkest skies in the Northeast. You will gain insight into the Observatory’s cutting-edge equipment, its role in regional STEM education, and the collaborative spirit that drives its programming.
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