Richastro
Richmond Astronomical Society

    News

    Sydney at Astronomy Day 2013 The next meeting of the Richmond Astronomical Society will be on Tuesday, June 11, 7:30 PM, at the Science Museum of Virginia.  Sydney Mabry, who has presented previously on the construction of her own telescope, will present on her latest project involving a study of variable stars.  

    Please join us for this very special presentation.  A number of us will also be gathering for dinner before the meeting at Arby’s across the street from the Museum.  

     

Events

Comet PANSTARRS possibly visible to eye in March 2013 | Space | EarthSky

Could it be another Hale-Bopp?

Comet PANSTARRS possibly visible to eye in March 2013 | Space | EarthSky.

Capt. Kirks Vulcan entry wins Pluto moons contest – WTOP.com

I sure wish Richmond had seen this kind of creativity when they used a similar contest to name the local baseball team The Flying Squirrels.

Capt. Kirks Vulcan entry wins Pluto moons contest – WTOP.com.

Friday’s (2/15) asteroid pass

SLOOH SPACE CAMERA TO TRACK ASTEROID 2012 DA14
SKIMMING BY EARTH AT ONLY 17,000 MILES (27,330 KM) AWAY
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Solar System Explained From the Inside Out Infographic | Solar System, Planets & Moons | Solar System Explained | Space.com

Great representations of the size of the solar system, from Earth to the location of Voyager.

Solar System Explained From the Inside Out Infographic | Solar System, Planets & Moons | Solar System Explained | Space.com.

Science Hobbyists Needed for a National Study

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The Richmond Astronomical Society was asked to pass along this survey request to astronomy hobbyists.  Please consider helping the researchers by completing the online survey as described below.  The link to the survey is here.

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Web Announcement
Science Hobbyists Needed for a National Study
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Are you a science hobbyist?

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We need your help with a new National Science Foundation sponsored research study that will investigate the characteristics and educational experiences of people who are active in science hobbies. More and more people are engaging in science hobbies; schools and science centers would like to know more about the characteristics of science hobbyists and how these organizations might better support hobbyists’ networking and education.

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What will happen if you take part in the study?

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The information gained from this research can help science educators and researchers understand how to better teach science in schools and museums, and how to design better community-based science programs. Participation in this study is voluntary. Information you provide will be anonymous. If you complete the survey, you may elect to enter a drawing for a $100 Target gift card.

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Survey Link: http://ncsu.qualtrics.com//SE/?SID=SV_7OOsR9G0Pkp5I2N

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Thanks!
Dr. Gail Jones
North Carolina State University

 

 

Three planets visible

If you’re an early riser, you can see 3 planets in the morning sky-look east, Venus is the brightest, Saturn above right and Mercury below left

This Weeks Sky at a Glance – SkyandTelescope.com.

RAS has style

Jason Roop’s (Editor of Style Magazine) newsletter highlighted us this week. It included this verbiage, which contains a link to the Style Magazine page describing our sky watch.

WEEKEND ASSIGNMENTS:

1. Gaze at the stars through these powerful lenses with the Richmond Astronomical Society.

Thanks, Jason. And here’s a clip of the page.


Perseids meteors this weekend

The peak of this show is either tonight (Saturday, Aug. 11), or tomorrow night, depending on which web site you look at. But I’d go with Sunday, because we’re going to be clouded out tonight in Richmond. This is one of the best meteor showers of the year, and I was planning on trying tonight too, because even though the peak will last only a few hours, there will be a heavier frequency of meteors for a week on either side of the peak. The closer to the peak, the better, of course.

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