This weekend make plans to attend the largest annual astronomy trade show in America, at the Rockland Community College campus in Suffern, New York — the Northeast Astronomy Forum & Telescope Show (NEAF). Sponsored by the Rockland Astronomy Club and Sky & Telescope, NEAF features the latest telescopes and accessories from more than 100 vendors. It also showcases talks by leading amateur and professional astronomers, and workshops geared toward all levels of hobbyist, from beginner to advanced.

Some of this year's marquee speakers include astronaut Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, planetary scientist Heidi Hammel (Space Science Institute), and astronomer Neta Bahcall. Many activities will be available for families, including solar observing and evening telescope demonstrations.

As a final note, this morning hundreds of astrophotographers kicked off the Northeast Astro Imaging Conference. The sold-out event features lectures from some of the biggest names in astroimaging. I'm here in the crowd, so keep an eye on this site for highlights from some of the presentations.