DOCSLIB.ORG

RTMC Sponsor

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
RTMC Sponsor San Diego Astronomy Association Celebrating Over 50 Years of Astronomical Outreach September 2019 http://www.sdaa.org A Non-Profit Educational Association P.O. Box 23215, San Diego, CA 92193-3215 September Program Meeting Date: September 18, 2019 Speaker: Dave Wood Next SDAA Business Meeting Topic: TARO - History and evolution, how it works and what we are currently September 10th at 7:00pm doing with it 7270 Trade Street San Diego, CA 92121 Dave been with the club since 1991. He has been on the Board since 2011, and held positions as director, treasurer and club president. Next Program Meeting September 18th at 7:00pm Dave has worked on TARO since it’s inception in 2014. Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor and Interpretive Center 1 Father Junipero Serra Trail San Diego Astronomy Association (SDAA) sponsors speakers on a wide range of astronomy topics on the third Wednesday of every month at the Mission Trails Regional Park Visitors Center. The program meeting begins at 7:00pm. Each attendee receives CONTENTS one free door prize ticket. After announcements and a small amount of business, the September 2019, Vol LVII, Issue 9 audience is treated to the featured presentation. At the close of the meeting the door Published Monthly by the prizes are presented. The event is open to the public. The Mission Trails Regional Park San Diego Astronomy Association Visitors Center is at One Fr. Junipero Serra Trail, San Diego CA 92119. Call the park at Incorporated in California in 1963 619-668-3281 for more information or visit http://www.mtrp.org Program Meeting...........1 August Minutes.........2 DoubleSTARS Seminar...........5 Julian Starfest...........6 SDAA Outreach to China.....11 RTMC............................16 SDAA Contacts...............21 NASA Night Sky Notes......22 Astronomy Cartoon............24 The Annual BBQ at TDS will be on the 28th of September. Newsletter Deadline The deadline to submit articles for publication is the 15th of each month. Link to Outreach Calendar https://calendar.google.com/calendar/[email protected]&ctz=America/Los_ San Diego Astronomy Association San Diego Astronomy Association Board of Directors Meeting August 20, 2019 – unapproved and subject to review 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:00pm with the following board members in attendance: Dave Wood, President; Steve Hallman, Vice President; Bill Nguyen, Corresponding Secretary; Brian McFarland, Recording Secretary; Gene Burch, Treasurer; Mike Chasin, Director; Dave Decker, Director. Members in attendance: Dan Kiser, Erik Davies, and Mark Elliott. 2. Approval of Last Meeting Minutes July meeting minutes were approved. 3. Priority / Member Business a. None. 4. Treasurer’s & Membership Report a. Treasurer’s report approved. b. Ed R. sold some telescopes and equipment, and Gene B. deposited the checks in July as donations, since the scopes were donated (per our accountant). c. All our tax information is in the accountant’s hands, all the corrections have been made and she'll have them ready when Gene gets back on the 19th. He'll fill out our raffle forms when he gets back as well. d. We should consolidate some of our accounts – for instance JSF; combine it into the general account. 5. Standard Reports a. Site Maintenance – It was recommended that we include a work party to deal with weeds and ruts at the BBQ. Jerry H. tentatively agreed to lead that effort. b. Observatory/Loaner Scope Report – The Lipp scope continues to perform well. c. Private Pad Report 1. We currently have three free private pads and two people on the waiting list, both current pad lessee's who are looking to upgrade to darker parts of the site. 2. Submission of preliminary edits to pad modification procedures delayed for one month. d. Program Meetings 17 July Guest Speaker/Topic: - Speaker: Jack Lightholder - Presentation: Roving the Red Planet - Attendees: 62 Current Program Meeting Petty Cash (as of 18July19): $413 Previous Report $445 (9July19) Unintentional One-time Reduced Ticket Price Expenses Since Previous Report (as of 18Jul19) $35.90 Snacks & Coffee; $18.23 for 30 pair 3D Glasses; $38.75 for Handcart, Storage Box; $21.54 for Tickets, Raffle Container. Upcoming Programs: 21 Aug - Steve Hallman // Why we Know Dark Matter & Dark Energy Exist // Confirmed 18 Sept - Dave Wood // TARO // Confirmed 16 Oct - Dr. Bill Welsh // Circumbinary Exoplanets // Confirmed, Nominating Com. Elect. 20 Nov - Rob Zellem // Exoplanets - TES & WFIRST // Confirmed, Board, Rec. Sect, Treasurer Elect. e. AISIG – Greg Crinklaw was the featured speaker and it was well attended. f. Newsletter Report – Andrea continues to do stellar work. g. Website Report – If someone sends pictures from JSF to the webmaster, he can post them to the website. Also working with John Downing to get TDS seeing conditions on the website, and it’s now up and running. 2 San Diego Astronomy Association h. Social Media Report – Nothing new to report for social media. i. Outreach Report – No cancellations in July, partly because the evening weather has cooperated and partly because we have substituted classroom “hands on” astronomy for the schools when we lose the sky. The second Lake Morena County Park event, hosted by Ben Grunbaum, was a great night, with good sky until about mid-night, and light but enthusiastic attendance by campers. Coming up in the next month we have SPIE, Borrego Springs Library, KQ Ranch, Green Valley Falls, Dixon Lake, and Mt. Helix. All of these are in addition to our regular monthly events. Note: The totals from last month under reported the yearly total due to a glitch in the spreadsheet. That has been corrected in the numbers below. Totals for July: Events Completed 13.0 Events Cancelled 0.0 Public Attendance 545.0 Private Attendance 448.0 Total Attendance 993.0 Mem Support: 71.0 Average: Mem/Event: 5.5 Year to Date since January 1 Completed Events since January 1: 68.0 Cancelled Events since January 1: 21.0 Events Scheduled since January 1: 89 Public Attendees since Jan 1: 3010.0 Private Attendees since Jan 1: 3061.0 Total Attendees since Jan 1: 6071.0 j. TARO Report – TARO is functional. Collecting data for TESS and deep sky images. We continue to have support issues with ACP. Testing other trial versions of automation software. Discussion followed that the impressive scientific and educational accomplishments performed by TARO are not being disseminated to the club. We need a monthly report in the newsletter describing these things. k. Merchandise Report – No report. l. Cruzen Report 1. Worm stall issue has been fixed, G11 mount is visual-ready. The Cruzen was open during Member’s night (7/27). Slewing was much smoother, but the worm does not sound healthy. 2. Bill reported experimenting with modifying the sidereal rate (RA divisor) to compensate for periodic drift. Bill reported that a 150% sidereal rate works as a temporary fix for visual observing. This resulted in a lengthy discussion about what this problem might be. Much disagreement that the worm is the cause, and much confusion regarding the 150% sidereal rate (Gemini II doesn’t offer a 150% sidereal setting). It was agreed that the Board would look into this further. 3. Cassegrain – Bill reported that he called a few more machine shops capable of boring dumbbell weights and was quoted $400 for CNC lathe job. Still looking. An ad posting has been created for counterweights on AstroMart. 3 San Diego Astronomy Association 4. The east wall has been painted green to mask the vinyl adhesive that had melted. Temperatures inside the building reach 109ºF, dangerously high for sensitive electronics and optical equipment. Further insulation was suggested, but it was felt that more insulation might make matters worse – it will just trap heat in the building. m. Astronomical League Report – No report. n. Julian StarFest Report – The 2019 Julian StarFest was a complete success. We had 247 campers, estimated >1300 attendees at the free star party, and sold out the Palomar Tour and RV spaces. JSF Merchandise booth and raffle sales also exceeded projections. We received many positive comments about JSF, SDAA, the Palomar Tour and the Speaker presentations. All the vendors were thrilled at the business they did on Saturday OPT and Meade said they’d be back and Celestron (and possibly TeleVue) will be there next time. The Menghinis are very happy and want us back – we are to meet with them to pick a date for next year (might be June). Woody was also ecstatic with the public interest and is looking forward to next year. A BIG thanks to the SDAA Board, the JSF Committee and JSF Volunteers for bringing back this much-loved event!! Preliminary financial estimates show approximate gross proceeds were $11k and the net was $4,900. 6. Old Business a. Electrical Upgrade – Still in progress. b. Audit Committee Review – Complete – no issues. Recommendation was provided to shift funds to a different institution with a higher return. c. Other old business – None. 7. New Business a. Received a status report from SDSU regarding the Lucas Scholarship – it is doing exceedingly well. b. Call for new business – None. 8. Adjournment Adjourned at 8:30pm. Lipp Telescope Training By Ed Rumsey Have you wanted to operate a telescope with significant light gathering capabilities? The club’s 22” Lipp telescope is just such an instrument. Introductory training on the observatory and telescope will be held after the SDAA Bar-B-Que. Those interested, should meet me at the observatory no later than 6:30 pm. If you are uncertain about your interests, you may utilize the session as an information gathering exercise. The course will cover preparations for a star party, opening/closing of the observatory, and basic telescope operation.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Measure the Sky
    Measure the Sky Program Type: Demonstration or Audience Type: Grade 4–8 Classroom Program Description: Students assemble a quadrant, a tool for measuring the positions of objects in the sky. Topics: Sky, observation, astronomy. Process Skills Focus: Critical thinking, observing, measuring, predicting. LEARNING OBJECTIVES For Next Generation Science Standards alignment, see end of outline. • A quadrant is a tool scientists use to measure how high an object is above the horizon. • Islamic astronomers during the 11th–13th centuries developed and used quadrants to track the movements of celestial objects, work that led to many scientific discoveries. TIME REQUIRED Advance Prep Set Up Activity Clean Up 15 minutes 5 minutes 25 minutes 10 minutes SITE REQUIREMENTS • Standard size classroom • Desks or tables with chairs • The presence of at least one adult Measure the Sky 1 Lenses on the Sky OMSI 2017 PROGRAM FORMAT Segment Format Time Introduction Large group discussion 5 min Make a Quadrant Instructor-led activity 10 min Quadrant Practice Partner activity 5 min Wrap-Up Large group discussion 5 min SUPPLIES Permanent Supplies Amount Pencils 1/student Scissors 1/student Tape One roll/4 students Major Consumables Amount Notes Quadrant template 1/student At the end of this document String, 12” 1/student Drinking straw 1/student Metal washer, roughly 1” in diameter 1/student ADVANCE PREPARATION • Print the quadrant template on heavy cardstock and cut the page in half to produce one quadrant per student. • Assemble one quadrant to show the students as an example. • Depending on the age group, students might have trouble poking a pencil through the quadrant paper.
    [Show full text]
  • 2002 Convention Bulletin
    STELLAFANE The 67th Convention of Amateur Telescope Makers on Breezy Hill in Springfield, Vermont. Friday, August 9th and Saturday, August 10th, 2002 "For it is true that astronomy, from a popular standpoint, is handicapped by the inability of the average workman to own an expensive astronomical telescope. It is also true that if an amateur starts out to build a telescope just for fun he will find, before his labors are over, that he has become seriously interested in the wonderful mechanism of our universe. And finally there is understandably the stimulus of being able to unlock the mysteries of the heavens by a tool fashioned by one's own hand." Russell W. Porter, March 1923 -- Founder of Stellafane The Stellafane Convention is a gathering of amateur telescope makers. The Convention was started in 1926 to give amateur telescope makers an opportunity to gather, to show off their creations and teach each other telescope making and mirror grinding techniques. If you have made your own telescope, we strongly encourage you to display it in the telescope fields near the Pink Clubhouse. If you wish, you can enter it in the mechanical and/or optical competition. There are also mirror grinding and telescope making demonstrations, technical lectures on telescope making and the presentation of awards for telescope design and craftsmanship. Vendor displays and the retail sale of commercial products are not permitted. For additional information please check out the home page www.stellafane.com. Enjoy the convention! PLEASE NOTE AN IMPORTANT SCHEDULE CHANGE DURING CONVENTION: The optical judging has been re- scheduled for Friday night! There will be no optical judging Saturday night unless clouds interfere with the optical competition on Friday.
    [Show full text]
  • The Observer
    The Observer The Official Publication of the Lehigh Valley Amateur Astronomical Society https://lvaas.org/ https://www.facebook.com/lvaas.astro June 2021 Volume 61 Issue 6 1 ad ast ra * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * After review by the Board of Governors it was decided that additional changes will be made to the By-Laws. This includes changing the Fiscal Year from October - September to the calendar year, so the new Fiscal Year will run from January to December in 2022. This will result in new dates for LVAAS membership dues. As always dues should be received by January 1st. Membership dues will continue to be collected until March 1st; from March 1st until June 1st members will be considered in arrears. If dues are not paid by June 1st you will no longer be considered a member. I'm sad to report Carol Kiely has decided to step down as Star Party Coordinator due to family commitments. Carol has been a mainstay in running Star Parties for the last few years. I am sure Carol will continue to help as she is able. If anyone is interested in this position, please contact me at [email protected] The state of Pennsylvania has decided to lift many pandemic restrictions as of May 31st. In line with this change LVAAS has decided to open up some activities to its members. The BOG has approved the following activities for LVAAS Members Only at the South Mountain site: - Astro Imaging Meeting June 19th - Star Party June 26th - LVAAS Picnic July 10th - Star Party July 17th - Star Party August 14th Note: These events will be held for LVAAS Members Only with the following restrictions: - Masks and Social Distancing are required as per Pennsylvania state requirements in force at the time of the event.
    [Show full text]
  • Martian Ice How One Neutrino Changed Astrophysics Remembering Two Former League Presidents
    Published by the Astronomical League Vol. 71, No. 3 June 2019 MARTIAN ICE HOW ONE NEUTRINO 7.20.69 CHANGED ASTROPHYSICS 5YEARS REMEMBERING TWO APOLLO 11 FORMER LEAGUE PRESIDENTS ONOMY T STR O T A H G E N P I E G O Contents N P I L R E B 4 . President’s Corner ASTRONOMY DAY Join a Tour This Year! 4 . All Things Astronomical 6 . Full Steam Ahead OCTOBER 5, From 37,000 feet above the Pacific Total Eclipse Flight: Chile 7 . Night Sky Network 2019 Ocean, you’ll be high above any clouds, July 2, 2019 For a FREE 76-page Astronomy seeing up to 3¼ minutes of totality in a PAGE 4 9 . Wanderers in the Neighborhood dark sky that makes the Sun’s corona look Day Handbook full of ideas and incredibly dramatic. Our flight will de- 10 . Deep Sky Objects suggestions, go to: part from and return to Santiago, Chile. skyandtelescope.com/2019eclipseflight www.astroleague.org Click 12 . International Dark-Sky Association on "Astronomy Day” Scroll 14 . Fire & Ice: How One Neutrino down to "Free Astronomy Day African Stargazing Safari Join astronomer Stephen James ̃̃̃Changed a Field Handbook" O’Meara in wildlife-rich Botswana July 29–August 4, 2019 for evening stargazing and daytime PAGE 14 18 . Remembering Two Former For more information, contact: safari drives at three luxury field ̃̃̃Astronomical League Presidents Gary Tomlinson camps. Only 16 spaces available! Astronomy Day Coordinator Optional extension to Victoria Falls. 21 . Coming Events [email protected] skyandtelescope.com/botswana2019 22 . Gallery—Moon Shots 25 . Observing Awards Iceland Aurorae September 26–October 2, 2019 26 .
    [Show full text]
  • Cincinnati Observatory
    FAQ's | Rent the Observatory | 513.321.5186 JOIN/RENEW JOIN US ABOUT PUBLIC EVENTS SCHOOL PROGRAMS DEAN REGAS GALLERY DIRECTIONS CONTACT DEAN REGAS ABOUT DEAN DEAN REGAS: YOUR ASTRONOMER 100 THINGS TO SEE IN THE NIGHT SKY Recently featured in the New York Times Dean has been the Astronomer for the Cincinnati STAR GAZERS Observatory since 2000. He is a renowned educator, a national popularizer of astronomy and an expert in LOOKING UP observational astronomy. PODCAST Dean is the co-host of Star Gazers, a new twist on an SPEAKING EVENTS iconic backyard astronomy program which airs on over 100 PBS stations around the world. He is the author of the books "Facts From Space!" hit the shelves in October 2016 and "100 Things to See in the Night Sky" came out this November. Dean is a Contributing Editor to Sky and Telescope Magazine and a contributor to Astronomy Magazine, where he won 2008 “Out-of-this-World” Award for astronomy education. Dean has written over 120 astronomy articles for the Cincinnati Enquirer, blogs for the Huffington Post and is regularly featured on television and radio. Since 2012 Dean has been a frequent guest on National Public Radio’s Science Friday with Ira Flatow, and this year he began an astronomy podcast with Anna Hehman called "Looking Up!" At the Cincinnati Observatory, he has developed his skills as a dynamic writer and public speaker who brings the complicated field of astronomy down to Earth for students of all ages. 100 THINGS TO SEE IN THE NIGHT SKY The New Book by Dean Regas A handy field guide for the best stargazing experience whether in your own back yard, camping, or travelling—including information showing you which planets, constellations, stars, and manmade objects you can see with a telescope, or just your naked eye! Each object is presented as a separate entry, with background information on the makeup, appearance, and history of the object, along with easy-to-follow instructions on how to find it.
    [Show full text]
  • Mingo Creek Park Observatory 2018 Star Party Schedule
    About Mingo Creek Park Observatory: Become an AAAP member and help support the Star Party promotion of astronomy education in The observatory is located in Mingo Creek County southwestern Pennsylvania. Membership dues Park, Nottingham Township in the northeast Hosted by the help to support the costs of operating and section of Washington County about 10 miles east maintaining both observatories. of Washington, PA. The park is located off Route Amateur Astronomers 88 or Route 136 with easy access off Interstate 43. Inside the park the observatory is at the end of Association of Pittsburgh The AAAP has an observatory located in Deer Mansion Hill Extension Road across from the Lakes Regional Park near Russellton, PA in Henry Covered Bridge on the top of the hill past the northeast corner of Allegheny County. Shelter 10. The observatory houses two permanently mounted Nicholas E. Wagman Observatory telescopes and a planetarium. The refractor Latitude: 40.627 Degrees, telescope has a Lunt solar scope for solar Longitude: 79.813 degrees W observing, opening up daytime activity. The Phone: 724-224-2510 Richard Y. Haddad Planetarium, with a 20 ft. digital planetarium dome displays the night sky indoors and is utilized for special presentations and 2018 Star Party Schedule for astronomy lectures. Wagman Observatory At the Apr 20 & 21 Latitude: 40.211 degrees Mingo Creek Park Observatory May 18 & 19 Longitude: 80.020 degrees W Phone: 724-348-6150 June 22 & 23 July 20 & 21 Aug 17 & 18 For more information on AAAP activities and memberships: Sept 15 & Sept 29 Mail: AAAP, P.O. Box 314, Glenshaw, PA Oct 13 & 27 15116 Nov 10 Email: [email protected] Check the website www.3ap.org for driving Check the website at www.3ap.org 2018 Star Party Schedule directions to the Wagman Observatory April 21 Follow us on Facebook General Tips for Driving to Star Parties May 18 & 19 Drive during daylight when possible to NOTE: There is no running water at the June 8 & 9 help spot landmarks observatory.
    [Show full text]
  • The Newsletter of the Barnard-Seyfert Astronomical Society
    February The ECLIPSE 2018 The Newsletter of the Barnard-Seyfert Astronomical Society From the President Next Membership Meeting: Greetings, February 21, 2018, 7:30 pm Well, our plans for the January member meeting did not materialize due to the weather. Te telescope workshop will Cumberland Valley Girl Scout Council Building be rescheduled for later this spring. For now, I thought it 4522 Granny White Pike appropriate to update you on several issues. th Topic: Messier Marathon First, please mark your calendar for Saturday, March 17 . BSAS member Mark Manner has graciously agreed to host a Messier Marathon at Spot Observatory. Te observatory is about 50 miles west of Nashville in a very nice wooded area. Spot Observatory is pretty ideal for this event given the dark skies and facilities that Mark has available. We will start with In this Issue: a potluck dinner and then stay through the entire evening, or at least as long as you would like. We have sure enjoyed Observing Highlights 2 Mark’s site and hospitality many times and it should be another great evening together. Happy Birthday Quasars by Robin Byrne 3 If you are not familiar with a Messier Marathon, plan to attend our February 21st member meeting. Terry Reeves will Deep Sky Daze be presenting an interesting talk on the topic. Basically, a by Mike Benson 5 Messier Marathon is an attempt to locate as many Messier Board Meeting Minutes 8 objects as possible in a single night. I recall my frst Messier January 3, 2018 Marathon several years ago was at Spot Observatory and I was positioned next to Terry and his telescope.
    [Show full text]
  • Oregon Star Party News
    OREGON STAR PARTY NEWS Oregon Star Party Newsletter— Volume 3, Issue 2 Late July 2017 How to Maximize Your Time Under Totality By Judy Dethloff For many of you, this total solar eclipse may be a “Once in a Lifetime Opportunity”. While the entire eclipse from first contact to fourth contact is 2 hours 35 minutes, the total phase lasts 1 minute 28 seconds at Indian Trail Spring. Wow, 88 seconds is short! The morning of the eclipse, you are not going to have a second chance for a “Do Over”. How can you maximize your chances for successfully viewing and photographing totality? To fully maximize those precious 88 seconds, you need to have a game plan. Your game plan is going to tell you what time you need to have all of your equipment setup, which pieces of equipment you are using and how you will set it up. Your game plan will tell you Eclipse Times what specific eclipse features you are looking for and the time to look for them. You will First Contact 9:07:17.9 am have decided when to take off and replace your solar filters. Your game plan can be very simple or very complex depending upon how you intend to observe the solar eclipse. You Second Contact 10:21:05.1 am do have a game plan, don’t you? Max Eclipse 10:21:46.9 am Now that you have a game plan, you need to practice it at home to see if it works. Re- member, “Practice makes perfect.” Find something around you that normally takes 90 Third Contact 10:22:28.8 am seconds or so and during that 90 seconds of time visualize what you would do during the total phase.
    [Show full text]
  • This Months KAS Events
    Highlights of the February Sky . 2nd. Last Quarter Moon . 5th. February 2005 Aurigid Meteor Shower (5th-10th) This Months KAS Events . 7th. Mars 0.7° N of Lagoon Nebula, M20 and M21 also nearby First Light A Beginners Guide to Telescopes th . 8 . By Richard Bell New Moon 7:00 pm Friday, February 4 .. 15th. Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center First Quarter Moon Space Robotics .. 16th. Young Astronomers Moon 1.5° S of the Pleiades, 6:30 pm Tuesday, February 15 best in western states Trinity Reformed church .. 23rd. Full Moon Inside this Newsletter. .. 26th. Zodiacal Light visible in W January Meeting Minutes..................................... p. 2 after evening twilight for next 2 weeks Board Meeting Minutes....................................... p. 2 Observations…………………………........... p. 3 .. 27th. NASA Space Place............................................... p. 4 Jupiter 1.9° S of Moon, best in Young Astronomers…………….…................ p. 5 western states The Book Corner……......................................... p. 6 KAS Officers & Announcements...................... p. 7 Membership Form (Renew NOW).................... p. 8 February Sky Calendar…………....................... p. 9 www.kasonline.org February 2005 Page 2 January Meeting Board Meeting Minutes Minutes As appropriate for a frigid January meeting day, Molly and The KAS board met at 4 pm on 1/9/05 at Trinity Reformed Roger Williams gave a presentation on their trip to Ice- Church (326 W. Cork St.). Present were Richard Bell, land in September, 2004. Beverly Byle, Rich Mather, Robert Havira, Frank Sever- ance, Carol Van Dien, Robert Wade, and Roger Williams. Molly started off the presentation by describing the geol- ogy of the region, which is dominated by black lava, gla- After approval of the agenda, the treasurer’s report was ciers, numerous scenic waterfalls (often with associated examined.
    [Show full text]
  • September 2020
    JANUARY 2018 September 2020 September Meeting Details September Presentation DATE: Tuesday, September 8th WHO: Tom Field MEETING TIME: 7:00 TITLE: You Can Almost Touch the Stars PLACE: La Posada Recreation Center ABSTRACT: Even if you wanted to touch a star, they’re all impossibly distant. Despite these great MEETING SCHEDULE: distances, astronomers have learned an enormous 6:30 ZOOM Waiting Room Available amount about stars. How? The most common method to study the stars is called spectroscopy, 7:00 Meeting Intro and Welcome which is the science of analyzing the colorful rainbow 7:10 Featured Presentation Followed by spectrum produced by a prism-like device. Until Club Activities/Business recently, spectroscopy was too expensive and too complicated for all but a handful of amateurs. Today, though, new tools make spectroscopy accessible to almost all of us. You no longer need a PhD, dark skies, long exposures, enormous aperture … or a big budget! With your current telescope and FITS camera (or a simple web cam or even a DSLR without a telescope) you can now easily study the stars yourself. Wouldn’t you like to detect the Next Member Star Parties atmosphere on Neptune or the red shift of a quasar right from your own backyard?! This talk, with lots of DATE: Thursday, September 17th interesting examples, will show you what it’s all TIME: 6:15 PM Setup about and help you understand how spectroscopy is PLACE: Canoa Preserve Park used in research. Even if you are an armchair astronomer, understanding this field will enhance th DATE: Thursday, October 15 your understanding of the things your read and the TIME: 5:45 PM Setup night sky.
    [Show full text]
  • Cosmic Cockroaches!
    Volume 16, Number 8 August 2007 In This Issue Sail Planes, Music, and ISS Page One Photos by Greg Ozimek, Dale Ochalek • Sail Planes, Music, and ISS • Cosmic Cockroaches! Inside Stuff 2 President’s Corner 3 Meeting Minutes 6 Next Meeting Agenda 7 FAAC Events 2007 7 Treasurer’s Report 7 Astro Imaging SIG 7 Items for Sale 8 GLSG5 – Reserve Your Spot 8 FAAC has Calendars- 2008 8 New Members Doug Bauer is saddled up in back, for a smooth glide in the skies (Greg Ozimek photo). 9 Crater Clavius Start with lots of good food, conversation, sunshine, and sail planes, add 10 Astronomy at the slide guitar music, then top it all with fireworks, a clear night for observing, Beach and even a late flyover by the International Space Station, and you’ve got a 11 Dark Sky Workshop successful, 2nd annual SEMTA/FAAC picnic (August 11 at Richmond Airport). ...continued on page 8 Cosmic Cockroaches! Dr. Tony Phillips Cockroaches are supposed to be tough, able to survive anything from a good stomping to a nuclear blast. But roaches are wimps compared to a little molecule that has recently caught the eye of biologists and astronomers— the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. ...continued on page 3 Page 2 STAR STUFF Ancient Knowledge – Set in Stone STAR STUFF AUGUST 2007 - VOL. 16 - NO. 8 President’s Corner Don Klaser, President, FAAC STAR STUFF is published eleven times each year by the While doing research for the presentation on the FORD AMATEUR ASTRONOMY CLUB P.O. Box 7527 calendar and western culture that I gave last year I came across the subject of archaeoastronomy.
    [Show full text]
  • The Blue Planet Report from Stellafane Perspective on Apollo How to Gain and Retain New Members
    Published by the Astronomical League Vol. 71, No. 4 September 2019 THE BLUE PLANET REPORT FROM STELLAFANE 7.20.69 5 PERSPECTIVE ON APOLLO YEARS APOLLO 11 HOW TO GAIN AND RETAIN NEW MEMBERS What’s Your Pleasure? From Famous Observatories to Solar Eclipse Take Your Pick From These Tours Travel Down Under to visit top Australian Observatories observatories, including Siding October 1–9, 2019 Spring and “The Dish” at Parkes. Go wine-tasting, hike in nature reserves, and explore eclectic Syd- ney and Australia’s capital, Can- berra. Plus: Stargaze under south- ern skies. Options to Great Barrier Reef and Uluru or Ayers Rock. skyandtelescope.com/australia2019 Uluru & Sydney Opera House: Tourism Australia; observatory: Winton Gibson Astronomy Across Italy May 3–11, 2020 As you travel in comfort from Rome to Florence, Pisa, and Padua, visit the Vatican Observatory, the Galileo Museum, Arcetri Observatory, and more. Enjoy fine food, hotels, and other classic Italian treats. Extensions in Rome and Venice available. skyandtelescope.com/italy2020 S&T’s 2020 solar eclipse cruise offers 2 2020 Eclipse Cruise: Chile, Argentina, minutes, 7 seconds of totality off the and Antarctica coast of Argentina and much more: Nov. 27–Dec. 19, 2020 Chilean fjords and glaciers, the legendary Drake Passage, and four days amid Antarctica’s waters and icebergs. skyandtelescope.com/chile2020 Patagonian Total Solar Eclipse December 9–18, 2020 Come along with Sky & Telescope to view this celestial spectacle in the lakes region of southern Argentina. Experience breathtaking vistas of the lush landscape by day — and the southern sky’s incompa- rable stars by night.
    [Show full text]