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Next Meeting January 16, 2007 8 p.m.
Mt. Cuba Astronomical Observatory’s Projects Judy Provencal
Volume 52, No. 1
January, 2007
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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE – Hank Bouchele
Folks:
My sincere wish that you all had a wonderful holiday, and that the new year treats you generously and well!!
Many thanks to the folks who made the Christmas party such a success. We had wonderful speakers, great and plentiful food, and a smashing planetarium show by Rob Lancaster and Meredith Jackson. Bravo!
Looking ahead, our February meeting is a mini-talk night, where those interested in presenting a short talk can share with the membership and guests. Also in February is the Christiana Care Life Options Fair on the 9th. We are looking for folks willing to spend an hour or so chatting with people who might be interested in our group. And remember, too, that the coming spring (yes, it will arrive) means DAS elections. This year we will have elections for Board Members at Large. Give some thought to putting your name forward, or to nominating a possible candidate.
Be sure to mark your calendars for the April regular meeting and May dinner meeting, which will feature celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the DAS. We are looking for people with ideas and energy to help make it an event to remember. Emil Volcheck is coordinating the effort. Let him hear from you at his e-mail address: . And if you have nominees for the Porter Award or Astronomer of the Year Award, both given at the dinner meeting, contact Gus Swartout at
I am very pleased to remind us all that this month’s program features Judy Provencal, who will give us the lowdown on astronomical projects at Mt. Cuba Astronomical Observatory.
Finally, please remember that all members are cordially invited to the DAS Board of Director’s meeting, especially if there is an agenda item about which you would like to have input. We meet in the Mt. Cuba library just before the regular meeting. Please come!
DAS OBSERVING COURSE: – Emil Volcheck
This spring the Delaware Astronomical Society (DAS) will conduct a seminar series on introductory astronomy. This informal and interactive series is intended for those individuals who wish to have an introduction to "Observing the Sky". It will present basic information for observing and understanding a wide range of astronomical topics, including solar and lunar happenings, stars and constellations, appearance and locations of planets, as well as types of telescope and their use. Participants will receive a syllabus, sunrise/set tables, a calendar of astronomical events, and a handy planisphere to use in locating celestial objects. There will be opportunities for sky viewing (weather permitting). The 4-session series will be held on March 21 & 28, April 4 & 11. Each session will begin at 8:00 PM and end at approximately 9:30 PM. All sessions will be held at the Mt. Cuba Astronomical Observatory on Hillside Mill Road in Greenville. The fee for the series is $20 for DAS members ($35 for non-members). The deadline for registration is Mar 12 and pre-registration is required. Call the Observatory, at 302-654-6407, (or email to ) for a registration form.
Journal Watch: “The Astronomy of Mason and Dixon” - Marc Hutton
This month’s Journal Watch article is from one of the DAS’s own: Bob Mentzer. Bob has managed once again to combine his interests in local history and astronomy to write an article entitled "Running the Line: The Astronomy of Mason and Dixon". The article appears in the November/December issue of Mercury Magazine; the publication of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. (Vol 35 #6 p. 30). The magazine is available in the Mt Cuba Library. In addition more information can also be found on the web at:
www.astrosociety.org/pubs/mercury/mercury.html
Global Warming Watchdog Report: – Rene VanCaneghem
There has been a growing awareness of the effects that global warming is having upon the earth. Some of the effects that have been documented by science include the melting of polar and glacial ices worldwide, a rise in sea levels, and the release of what is believed to be large amounts of methane (also known to be a greenhouse gas) from the Siberian tundra. Other studies have been published that link phenomenon such as an increase in the number of wildfires, flooding, and even the prospect of an increase in the number of destructive hurricanes which form each year to the recorded increase in the mean global temperature.
There are now several private groups in the USA, like the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), as well as governmental agencies such as the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and others who are actively engaged in trying to protecting the environment. Many other groups or corporations worldwide are now researching for cleaner fuels and other means to keep the land, sea and air free of pollutants. I hope that we, the USA, will become more involved in finding solutions to this very ominous environmental problem. Currently the USA is the number one emitter of carbon dioxide in the world in terms of total tonnage emitted and number five in terms of per capita emissions). It's our planet and we must live on it! To start, I feel that it is imperative that a major effort be made worldwide to reduce the amount of CO2 emissions from cars, trucks and aircraft ASAP because their numbers are about to skyrocket and the results are cumulative.
Board of Directors’ Meeting Agenda– Hank Bouchele
(More than we can accomplish in one meeting, but important items, all)
Review of Minutes
Treasurer’s Report
DAS Anniversary
Reports on…
Dinner meeting
Our speaker?
Budgeting?
Library
Education Programs
Sawin Observatory
Other?
Scheduling for close-up after meetings
Recruiting younger members/youth outreach
Spring elections: Nominations committee
Cancellation alerts
Status of DAS Banner
Board of Directors’ Meeting Summary– Hank Bouchele
BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ MEETING MINUTES
December 19, 2006
TREASURER’S REPORT
FOCUS: For future discussion, Marc H. advised the Delmarva Stargazers have bought a laser printer to print their newsletter. He suggested that MCAO and DAS could go together and buy one. Before more discussion, he would like to see how it works out for the Delmarva Stargazers.
ASTRONOMY COURSE: Dates set – 03/21 and 28/07 and 04/04 and 4/11/07. Instructors set. Bob K. has been contacted by Kelli Martin of the Delaware Dept. of Education, who is looking for astronomy instruction.
JIM BUCKLEY III: Jim’s estate is donating his telescope to the DAS.
LUTHER PORTER AWARD: Hank and Gus Swartout summarized progress so far in the awards planning committee discussions, including the idea of a chartered Awards Committee, since it may at some point be handling sums of money.
DINNER MEETING: Hank suggested the possibility that the Luther Porter Awardee may also be our speaker. There was some discussion of costs incurred for travel and lodging.
AWARDS COMMITTEE: Gus S., Sarah, B., Bob K will be having a meeting to discuss awards.
CHRISTIANA CARE LIFE OPTIONS FAIR: Lee Kaser has volunteered to be ou contact person for the Life Options Fair to We have been contacted to have a table. Friday 02/09/07; 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Newark Senior Center. We are looking for folks able to put in an hour or two to chat with visitors about the DAS. Contact Lee at .
DAS Meeting Cancellations
In the event of inclement weather, or should a meeting must be cancelled, members and guests can find cancellation information by listening to:
WSTW – 93.7FM
WJBR – 99.5 FM
WILM – 1450 AM
WDEL – 1150 AM
STAR PARTIES AT MT. CUBA – Tom Sidowski
The schedule for DAS star parties at Mt. Cuba for the first part of 2007 are as follows:
Day / Date / TimeFriday / January 19th / 7:30 pm
Saturday / February 17th / 7:30 pm
Saturday / March 24 / 8:00 pm
Friday / April 20th / 8:00 pm
Mason Dixon Star Party - A Family Event
Wednesday, July 11 thru Sunday July 15, 2007 (New moon is the 14th) Wellsville, Pennsylvania
The 18th Annual Mason Dixon Star Party is The Star Party for all members of the family. This location offers a flat and level camping /observing area with unlimited space for attendees. This is a Star Party for all members of the family. There will be workshops, speakers, field trips and raffle prizes for all ages. We also have camping areas, bunk houses, food, showers and facilities, horse shoe pits, sand volley ball courts and a swimming pool too!
www.YCAS.org
http://www.masondixonstarparty.org/
LOANER TELESCOPES -- Emil Volcheck
Spring's mild weather months will be a good time to get out and try your hand with a scope. So, if you are new to the club and/or do not have a scope, you can get the loan of either:
1) a Celestron 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain
or 2) an Orion 6" Dobsonian reflector
The loan is for at least a month (depends on how long the waiting list is). To get on that list, promptly, contact Emil Volcheck, 610-793-5156 or 302-654-6407.
DAS Meeting Topic Schedule, 2006-2007
February 20 Mini-Talk Night
Costas Krikelis on ancient Greek astronomy, Hank Bouchelle on planispheres, and others
March 20 Messier Marathon
With Greg Lee
At the McCullough Planetarium, New Castle
April 17 DAS Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration
With former officers, guest speakers, general good times!
May 15 Dinner Meeting at The Terrace at Greenhill
Speaker TBA
June 19 Astronomical Equipment Show & Tell
With Marc Hutton and others
MCAO PUBLIC NIGHTS – Emil Volcheck
The Mt. Cuba Observatory Public Nights continue year round! In addition to learning about many aspects of the heavens, you'll have a chance to visit and view our all-digital full-dome planetarium! You can pick up a schedule when you next come to a meeting - or get the latest updated version off the website at: http://mountcuba.org.
DAS Astrophotography Special Interest Group (AP SIG) – Bill Hanagan
The DAS Astrophotography Special Interest Group meets on Friday nights at 7:30 PM every other month at Mt. Cuba regardless of weather. The SIG also meets for photo shoots scheduled on 1-2 day notice to synchronize with the weather.
The monthly meetings are informal and typically include the presentation of astrophotos taken by the members along with an extended question and answer period. Objects commonly photographed include constellations, auroras, lunar eclipses, and planetary photos, as well as a wide variety of deep-sky objects such as nebulae, galaxies, star clusters, etc. The topics discussed cover the entire gamut of astrophotography, from how to get started with a minimum of equipment, to polar aligning your telescope, all of the way to the fine points of using auto-guiders and post-processing digital images.
If you are interested in joining the AP SIG, just email your name, address, and phone number to me at .
SAWIN OBSERVATORY REMINDER
-- Tom Sidowski
DAS members who are interested in becoming users of the Sawin Observatory and/or the Big Red DOB, should contact me at 302-239-1844 to arrange for some hands-on training in using the facility.
DAS AMATEUR TELESCOPE MAKING SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP (ATM SIG)
-- Bill Hanagan
The DAS Amateur Telescope Making Special Interest Group meets on evenings and weekends according to the availability of the members and the particular projects that are underway. The general range of activities of the ATM SIG includes all manners of telescope making, mirror making, and the making of accessories for telescopes and observing.
Anyone interested in joining us should email their name, address, and phone number to me at .
DAS FORUM/E-MAIL SITE ON YAHOO
--Don Shedrick
This is a restricted e-mail service for use by DAS members for DAS purposes. To use this site, go to http://groups.yahoo.com; search for Delaware astronomical society; and click on the link that comes up. To join, you must have a Yahoo ID and password; if you don’t, you can register at this time by following Yahoo’s instructions. You will then be allowed to “Join the group” upon clicking in that box. You must then register for the DAS group and add your profile by clicking on “add new profile” and completing the form. When adding or editing your profile, you will need to enter your actual name in the "Real Name" box so you can be identified as a DAS member so Don Shedrick can approve your application to join the DAS group, and everyone will know to whom they are communicating. Finally, specify your desired e-mail address for delivery of messages. Note you may choose to not have your name and email address displayed to anyone other than DAS members who are members of the Yahoo DAS email group. For more detailed instructions, go to the DAS web site under DAS Resource Links.
LEARNING AID - Emil Volcheck
The Mt. Cuba Observatory offers an aid to learning the sky. For new folks and not-so-new who want something easy to carry around, we have the "Night Sky" planisphere, at a price of $3 each. This is David Chandler's design that provides much better constellation forms than most other such designs, to make finding them easier! Makes a nice gift, too!
MEMBERSHIP EXPIRATION NOTICES:
If the mailing label on the envelope containing your FOCUS is marked with Red Marker, your membership is expiring or has expired. To continue to receive the Focus, Sky and Telescope, and Reflector, send the renewal form below with your check to:
DAS, c/o Robert Mentzer
605 River Road
Wilmington, DE 19809
Or give it to Bob at a meeting. Thank you.
Call any of us with your concerns!
DAS CONTACTS
Membership: Any of the following:
President: Hank Bouchelle------302-429-4013
Vice President: John Case ------302-836-4888
Secretary: Lynn King ------302-764-8816
Treasurer: Bob Mentzer------302-764-1926
DAS/MCAO Advisor: Emil Volcheck----- 610-793-5156
Education Chair: Bob Karcha ------302-999-9509
Messier Club: Lynn King ------302-764-8816
Observing: Greg Lee ------302-762-5358
Youth Coordinator: Sarah Baird ------302-292-8950
Archivist: Rene Van Caneghem ------410-392-3718