You are hereAAA OBSERVING AT GREAT KILLS, STATEN ISLAND
AAA OBSERVING AT GREAT KILLS, STATEN ISLAND
NOTE: Due to damage caused by storm Sandy, this observing site is closed until further notice.
One Saturday each month (except in winter), the Staten Island Chapter of the AAA hosts public stargazing in Gateway Great Kills National Park, off Hylan Boulevard on the south shore of Staten Island.
NOTE: For environmental reasons, the observing site has changed! Read the modified directions to and see the detail map of Great Kills Park below.
Chair: Joe DiNapoli
(Sessions End at 11 PM)
| DATE | START TIME | MOON PHASE (*) | WHAT TO SEE |
| March 24 | 7:30 PM (EDT) | Waxing Crescent | Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Early Spring Sky |
| April 21 | 8 PM (EDT) | Not present |
Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Saturn, Spring Sky |
| May 12 | Dusk | Last Quarter |
Venus, Mars, Saturn, Spring Sky |
| June 23 | Dusk | Waxing Crescent | Mars, Saturn, Late Spring/Early Summer Sky |
| July 21 | Dusk | Waxing Crescent | Mars, Saturn, Summer Sky |
| August 18 | Dusk | Not present | Mars, Saturn, Summer Sky (Mars, Saturn, star Spica close) |
| September 15 | 7:30 PM (EDT) | New Moon | Saturn, Mars, Late Summer/Early Autumn Sky |
| October 20 | 7:30 PM (EDT) | Waxing Crescent | Mercury, Mars, Jupiter (rises 9 PM), Autumn Sky |
| November 17 | 7:30 PM (EST) | Waxing Crescent | Mars, Jupiter, Late Autumn/Early Winter Sky |
(*) A New Moon is invisible, lying between Earth and Sun. A Waxing Crescent Moon is a few days old; it is waxing because the visible crescent grows in size night after night during this period. At First Quarter, half the Moon’s apparent disk is lit. This is an excellent time to see lunar detail, especially near the lunar terminator (the boundary between darkness and light). A Waxing Gibbous Moon is still growing, between First Quarter and Full Moon. When the Earth-facing side of the Moon is completely lit, we have a Full Moon. This is usually a poor time to see other objects in the sky, since the Moon’s light overwhelms them. But eclipses of the Moon occur at this time, and on March 3 there will be one. At Last Quarter, the Moon rises at midnight and is at its highest in the sky around dawn.
Directions:
By car from Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, or Queens:
- Take the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (1 on Staten Island map) to Staten Island.
- Follow signs to Hylan Boulevard south and proceed approximately 5.5 miles (yellow on Staten Island map), past New Dorp.
- After a wide curve in the road, Buffalo Street, the entrance for Great Kills National Seashore (marked as "Entrance" on Detail Map) will be on your left.
- Turn into the park and proceed about one mile (follow the red line on Detail Map) to the sign "Educational Field Station." Turn right, go 1/10 mile to a clearing on your right (marked as "observing field" on Detail Map).
By bus or subway:
- From Brooklyn, take the Broadway Local (R) train to 86th Street, and transfer to the #79 bus, which stops at the park entrance (marked as "Entrance" on Detail Map).
- From Manhattan, the Staten Island Ferry connects to the #78 bus, which stops at the park entrance (marked as "Entrance" on Detail Map).
- Walk into the park and proceed about one mile (follow the red line on Detail Map). Turn right at the sign "Educational Field Station." Turn right, go 1/10 mile to a clearing on your right (marked as "observing field" on Detail Map).
NOTE: People wishing to observe at Great Kills at other times must obtain a permit for their car for $50 from the National Park Service.
|
Staten Island Map |
|
|
|
Detail Map |
|
|
Printer-friendly version