Two of Our Own to Fly on SOFIA!

SFAAA members Nathan Mahoney and Héllen Távora have been selected to become Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors aboard NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). This is a huge honor – for its cycle 2 program NASA selected 12 teams from 10 states. Only one team of two people was selected from the entire State of Florida, and both members of the team are members of our club! After their flight opportunities, our Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors will take what they learned back to their classrooms and into their communities to promote science literacy.
Everything you need to know about the Perseid meteor shower
You’ve seen it reported on televison. You’ve heard about it on the radio. We’ve received numerous requests for information via email on it. We wanted to make it easier for you to get to the information you need, so we scoured the web for you to find some really good info on the Perseid meteor […]
The Moon Now
GOES East Satellite
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Clear Sky Clocks
Astronomy News
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Become a Member
Wether you are a newcomer to the hobby or a long time observing veteran, our range of events, programs, member interests, and observing aids can be at your disposal. We encourage all of our members to be active participants in club activities so all of us can benefit!
New members can join the club for only $20.00. Signing up is quick and easy – so sign up now!
Observing Meteor Showers
Fox Astronomical Observatory is located within Broward County’s Markham Park. The Observatory is open to the public only on Saturdays and only from Sunset until Midnight. Due to the single day operation and County established closing time of Midnight combined with the level of light pollution at the Markham Park location, the SFAAA has no special events planned for meteor shower viewing from Fox Astronomical Observatory.
Meteor showers are best viewed 2-5 AM from a very dark location. No observatory, telescope, or binoculars are required. You’ll need a very dark site as far to the center or Florida and away from city light pollution as your driving tolerance and safety will permit.
How to Buy a Good Cheap Telescope

One of the most frequently asked questions we get is how to buy a good telescope without breaking the bank. This question comes up even more frequently during the gift giving season. This article is our attempt at a complete “soup to nuts” answer to this question.
One of the most frequent mistakes we see is folks running out to the nearest toy or hobby store and quickly picking up a telescope off the shelf that promises much more than it can deliver. Often these telescopes are stocked and sold by folks who don’t have the knowledge necessary to guide your purchase decisions or even the inventory required to supply a suitable product in the first place. This sort of telescope purchase will ultimately frustrate any would be amateur astronomer and your hard earned money will end up collecting dust in a corner or closet somewhere.
Bruce Nebens Asks: How do I aim my telescope (shielded by a mylar filter) at the sun? I obviously can’t use the Tetrad that I use to aim my telescope at night sky objects? How much magnification will I need to look at sun spots?
Bruce Neben Asks: How do I aim my telescope (shielded by a mylar filter) at the sun? I obviously can’t use the Tetrad that I use to aim my telescope at night sky objects? Now much magnification will I need to look at Sunspots? Thanks Bruce for contacting us. There are two ways of pointing […]