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Enthusiasm for observational astronomy, curiosity about cosmology, achievements with CCD imaging and technology. These and all other aspects of astronomy are interests shared by members of the Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton. The club is based in Princeton, (Mercer County) New Jersey. This organization of 100 + promotes astronomy-related activities for members and non-members, novice to expert. A wide spectrum of astronomy interests are explored at the AAAP through regular meetings, workshops, use of the two club observatories, public outreach and regional star parties. Come explore our web site. Here you'll find details about our organization's meetings, discussion topics, members and their scopes, and a lot more. Our organization maintains two observatories: the larger in Washington Crossing State Park (housing a research-grade 355mm Schmidt-Cassegrain catadioptric and historic 159mm Hastings-Byrne refractor). A second facility is found at Jenny Jump State Park in northwestern New Jersey. This houses a 318mm custom-built Newtonian reflector. Check out our current events page and mark your calendar! Click here to get today's latest astronomy and space news! Hey! --------> We're on Twitter! Hey! --------> Sidereal Times, our monthly newsletter, is now available as a cool blog! |
| Tuesday - February 14, 2012 -
The AAAP welcomes Dr. Paul J. Steinhardt, lauded Princeton University cosmologist and theoretical physicist. His talk is titled: Inflationary Cosmology on Trial
Steinhardt is the Albert Einstein Professor in Science and Director of the Princeton Center for Theoretical Science at Princeton University, where he is also on the faculty of both the Department of Physics and the Department of Astrophysical Sciences. He received his B.S. in Physics at Caltech in 1974; his M.A. in Physics in 1975 and Ph.D. in Physics in 1978 at Harvard University. He was a Junior Fellow in the Harvard Society of Fellows from 1978-81 and on the faculty of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Pennsylvania from 1981-98, where he was Mary Amanda Wood Professor from 1989-98. He is a Fellow in the American Physical Society and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He shared the P.A.M. Dirac Medal from the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in 2002 for his contribution to the development of the inflationary model of the universe; and the Oliver E. Buckley Prize of the American Physical Society in 2010 for his contribution to the theory of quasicrystals. Steinhardt's research spans problems in particle physics, astrophysics, cosmology and condensed matter physics. He is one of the architects of the inflationary model, an important modification of the standard big bang picture that explains the large-scale homogeneity, geometry and structure of the universe. He introduced the concept of ``quintessence,'' a dynamical form of dark energy that may account for the recently discovered cosmic acceleration. He has also explored novel models for dark matter. Recently, Steinhardt and Neil Turok (Cambridge U.) proposed the ``cyclic model," a radical alternative to big bang/inflationary cosmology in which the evolution of the universe is periodic and the key events shaping the large scale structure of the universe occur before the big bang. Come spend your Valentine's evening filling your heart with inflationary cosmology. You'll fall in love with the topic and the presentation. |
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Peyton Hall (right) is the location of the 2012 AAAP monthly meetings. The building is home to the Department of Astrophysical Sciences, and is located just east of Washington Road, adjacent to Palmer Stadium, on the Princeton University campus. Meetings begin promptly at 8:00 PM in the lecture hall (first floor) of Peyton. Meetings start with brief announcements of general interest, followed by a guest speaker presentation. After the guest speaker, the general meeting commences, reviewing current and future club activities, astronomy news, and public outreach projects. Regular attendees of the lectures are encouraged to become paid members to support these popular speaking events. Please email the AAAP for additional details. Princeton University students also host a telescope open house at Peyton Hall concurrent to the end of our meeting. If the sky is clear, stop up to glimpse the universe. |
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The Simpson Observatory Open House season begins Friday, April 6, 2012. The facility is located in Washington Crossing State Park, a few miles outside Pennington, NJ. Weather permitting, the observatory is scheduled to be open to the public each Friday evening through October 26, 2012. 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM Guests are shown a myriad of astronomical wonders including planets, The Moon, galaxies, nebulae, star clusters and much more. Learn the seasonal constellations and how to identify them. AAAP astronomers operate a 6.25" Hastings Byrne refractor and a research-grade Celestron 14" Schmidt-Cassegrain on a Bisque Paramount ME mount. AAAP members often set up additional equipment adjacent to the observatory. Visitors are welcome to bring telescopes. For directions, and further details, please visit the observatory page. |
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