Up There, See Stars and Planets, Library Hosts Astronomy Club

COURT HOUSE – Nov. 1 brought star gazers and star lovers together at the County Library main branch to learn more about how to identify the celestial beings seen above. Many frequently don’t know what they are or what to call them. 
The Library organized a lecture by the South Jersey Astronomy Club (SJAC) whose mission is to serve those with interest in astronomy through the state’s southern part.
Given some of the most optimal conditions in the region that Cape May County offers, budding and amateur astronomers are fortunate to live in such an excellent area to hone their hobby given the lack of nighttime artificial lighting.
Throughout the year, one of the prime locations where the SJAC hosts its public sky watches is on the recreation field at Belleplain State Forest. The next such sky watch at the state park is Nov. 21 weather permitting beginning around 7:30 p.m.
Admission is free. The club will have several telescopes set up and members who will describe what is being viewed to aid participants.
Since the club covers a large swath of the southern part of the state, it is a testament to Belleplain’s attributes for the heavenly observation that it is a center for many of the club’s activities.
In addition to these periodic sky watches, SJAC offers a variety of connections and information designed to spark and keep fanning interest in astrology. 
For example, the club publishes a weekly observing update, “Sky at a Glance,” every Friday with simple sky maps and observation tips for the coming week and the latest celestial events.
These articles and tips are tied to the seasons. In winter one might learn about the shimmering Orion Nebula whose thousands of stars are forming in a cloud of gas and dust “only” 1,300 light-years away.
For spring, the weekly update might guide the astronomer through a small patch of heaven to identify the constellations Cygnus (the Swan), Lyra and Draco. 
According to a May 10 release, NASA’s Kepler mission has verified 1,284 new planets, the single largest finding of “exoplanets” in that area of the sky to date.
The summer sky shows an explosion of meteors from the stunning Perseids which appear each August. For the current season, autumn, there may be the fortuitous alignment of several planets.
Specifically for the first week in November, during twilight hours, Saturn, brilliant Venus, and Antares form a nearly vertical, curving line low in the southwest with Saturn at the top.
This is a dramatic movement from previous evenings when these three celestial bodies formed an almost straight line.
Watch their configuration change rapidly as we move further into November as Venus speeds eastward with respect to the others.
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.