Astronomy Day is coming: This year Astronomy Day will be Saturday, May 7.  As we have done for a number of years, RAS is planning to support a number of Astronomy Day activities at the Science Museum of Virginia.  Prashant Reddy is coordinating volunteer support for the event this year.  Please let him know if you can help out.  He will be sending out requests to the club over the next few weeks.

On a related note, the regular monthly skywatches at the Science Museum have been well attended and our volunteer astronomers have been showing up in force to provide a great experience for the visitors.  Many thanks to everyone who attends these events and allows members of the public to look through their telescopes.  It’s a significant effort to haul our equipment to the site, set it up and take it down every month, but it provides a direct experience with the night sky and a scientific perspective that many people would not otherwise have without these skywatches..

RavenCon 2011 participation: RAS will be participating in this year’s RavenCon science fiction and fantasy festival at the Holiday Inn Koger Center on April 8-10. Although the focus of the festival is, of course, fiction, there is also a science component to the event and RAS will help to enhance that aspect of the event.  We will be having a skywatch, staffing a fan table and presenting at two workshops, one about amateur astronomy and the RAS and another about satellite observing.  Ted Bethune will also be presenting on space program activity.  Thanks to Terry Barker, Hank Nebel, Bill Newman, Jeff Pike, Prashant Reddy and Dave Walton for helping out and thanks to Mike Lewis for connecting us with the RavenCon organizers.  We will be providing a recap of the event at the regular April RAS meeting.

Ted Forte in S&T: The Back Bay Astronomers of the Virginia Beach area report that the May issue of Sky and Telescope has an article by one of their own, master observer Ted Forte.  On page 66 of the issue, Ted has an article titled, “Galaxy-Hopping the Virgo Cluster.”  I don’t have my issue yet, but I’m looking forward to it.  Ted is a long time member of the Back Bay group and those that attend the East Coast Star Party will recognize Ted to the right in this picture with Kent Blackwell.  You might want to get Ted’s autograph at your next opportunity while they are still free.  Congratulations to Ted from RAS!

City Point Skywatch: Thanks to John Raymond, RAS has developed a great relationship with the staff at Petersburg National Battlefield.  John has coordinated a number of skywatches with the Battlefield over the past year and half.  At the latest skywatch, which was held at the City Point Unit of the Battlefield, RAS astronomers, Ray Moody and Tim Streagle brought their telescopes and lended their expertise to the event.  Tim and Ray both have great knowledge of the night sky and they both know how to work the crowd and give a great show.  The Hopewell News & Patriot newspaper was at the skywatch and posted a good article about it at this link.  Tim and Ray are both quoted in the article.  Thanks to both for helping out with the skywatch.

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Watch the full episode. See more NOVA.

Hunting the Edge of Space: Cal Pletcher sent word of a NOVA broadcast called “Hunting the Edge of Space,” which has appeared a few times on PBS and is available for viewing online at this link.  I caught it on PBS and thoroughly enjoyed it.  The description on the NOVA web site is as follows:

“In this two-hour special, NOVA examines how a simple instrument, the telescope, has fundamentally changed our understanding of our place in the universe. What began as a curiosity—two spectacle lenses held a foot apart—ultimately revolutionized human thought across science, philosophy, and religion. “Hunting the Edge of Space” takes viewers on a global adventure of discovery, dramatizing the innovations in technology and the achievements in science that have marked the rich history of the telescope.”

Virginia Skylines: A new edition of Virginia Skylines by Leslie Bochenski has been posted on our web site.  Please have a listen at this link to learn about what is visible in the night sky this week.

Regards,

Jim Browder
Richmond Astronomical Society

February and March meetings: At the last meeting, Dr. Amy Treonis gave us a great overview of her work and research interests, specifically desert environments as analogs for Mars. You can read more about Amy and her work in astrobiology and extreme environments at the University of Richmond here. Sydney Mabry, one of our younger members, also described her adventure in building a Dobsonian telescope (with a little help from her dad, Mark). Sydney gave a nice presentation and she now has a telescope that should provide her with a lot of fun. Her dad might end up using it once in a while.

The next regular meeting of the Richmond Astronomical Society will be on March 8 at 7:30 PM in the Science Museum of Virginia. Betty Wilson, who is one of our Night Sky Ambassadors, will be presenting on “Stargazing with the Night Sky Network.” Ted Bethune will be giving a short talk on the Dragon spacecraft being developed by SpaceX. A number of us will also be gathering at Arby’s across the street from the museum about 6:00 PM for dinner. Please join us at the meeting and for dinner before the meeting if you can.

RavenCon: For those of you that don’t already know about it, there is a science fiction and fantasy festival held annually here in Richmond, called RavenCon. This year’s festival will be at the Holiday Inn Koger Center April 8-10. The RavenCon organizers are also including some guests with a scientific (as opposed to a science fiction) perspective. Since the Richmond Astronomical Society fits very well into the science category, we have been invited to participate in this year’s festival. Although details are not yet final, we expect to make a presentation about our organization and amateur astronomy as well as staff a fan table at the festival and provide RavenCon attendees with some views of the night sky at a skywatch. Please join us at this year’s festival if you can. Many thanks to RAS member Mike Lewis for connecting us with the RavenCon organizers.

Upcoming events: Although the year started a bit slowly for outreach events, we have received a number of requests for our volunteers to provide skywatches for several events and organizations. We have received lots of compliments and thanks from visitors and hosting organizations regarding our skywatches. Given the many expressions of gratitude and the popularity of these events, I’m convinced that these skywatches have a positive impact and provide memorable experiences for folks of all ages. The next event is a skywatch at the City Point Unit of Petersburg National Battlefield on March 19 at 7:00 PM. If you can help out by bringing a telescope along with your knowledge of the night sky, please let me know at president@richastro.org. All support is much appreciated.

Astronomy Day: This year’s Astronomy Day will be on May 7. Prashant Reddy has kindly accepted the position of coordinator for the event. He will be asking for a little help with our joint celebration of the day with the Science Museum of Virginia.

East Coast Star Party: Kent Blackwell will be hosting the East Coast Star Party on June 2-5. A few particulars from Kent follow:

Star Party Admittance $25.00 per person
Pay Kent Blackwell upon arrival, no need to register in advance
Hampton Lodge Camping Resort – Coinjock, NC (252-453-2732)
Portable restroom conveniently located near observing area
Showers and store located in the campground
For more info contact Kent directly at kent@exis.net

Dark Skies Update: As many of you know, Laura Graham of our organization has been doing yeoman’s work in advocating for the preservation of our night sky resources. She serves as the Virginia Coordinator for the International Dark Sky Association. If you are interested in the cause of dark skies and how to preserve them, please give the Virginia IDA Section web site a visit to learn more about local efforts to fight light pollution in the region which directly affects amateur astronomers. You can also reach the Virginia IDA Section web site from the RAS web site. Below are some summary updates of recent IDA activity in Virginia provided by Laura.

• Danville: A citizen in Danville is working on an idea to turn off unnecessary streetlights to save money (and reduce light pollution).
• Washington: The IDA DC office is working on a state wide lighting ordinance in Maryland and has contacted a couple of Maryland Congresswomen to resolve their concerns about safety. The Virginia IDA Section has offered assistance.
• Prince William County, Virginia: Prince William County has a lighting ordinance, but has had some trouble with enforcement, possibly due to some misunderstanding about the ordinance. The IDA has been contacted for assistance. As this situation indicates, ordinances are important, but following up on implementation of the ordinances is just as important.
• Virginia, statewide: Laura reports that shielded lighting is becoming more common around Virginia, but that utilities are often still using unshielded pole-mounted lighting. Laura is planning long-term to approach utilities to make the case for automatically using shielded lights rather than using unshielded lights as a standard.

Nighttime keyboard idea: Tom Kennedy sent me an idea on the use of a wireless keyboard with a laptop in the field. Those of us that use laptops connected to our telescopes or use them with planetarium programs at the scope often need some sort of subdued light on the keyboard. Tom found a solution which may be of help to others. He picked up one of the new Logitech wireless keyboards that has internal, adjustable, lighting. They also have another feature in that the keyboard illumination is totally off unless your hands are on the keyboard. The only drawback is that the light is white. Since the light is adjustable in intensity, this is not such a bad feature. The new mouse, also Logitech wireless, works with the same USB transmitter unit, which is only very small, and does not stick out a county mile. It also works far better than the Microsoft mouse in Tom’s experience. Tom reports that this arrangement works well and had made laptop use in the field easier for him.

Image courtesy NASA

Spacecraft viewing: John Raymond brought our attention opportunities to view the Nanosail-D which is now visible from time to time over the US. You can check on possible sighting times of the Nanosail at the Heavens Above web site. While you are there, you might also want to make a special effort to see the Discovery orbiter pass over since this will be it’s last flight.  An extremely cool view of the Shuttle liftoff is here.

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NASA / GSFC / Arizona State Univ

Half a gigabyte view of the moon: Sky and Telescope reported on a new interactive image / map of the Moon now available at very high resolution. One of the coolest views is of the Apollo 11 lunar landing site. It’s really worth checking out.

Regards,

Jim Browder
Richmond Astronomical Society

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Mention in the media:  The RAS skywatch scheduled for tonight, January 21, at the SMV was mentioned in an online news item at NBC 12 On Your Side.  Please join us and bring a scope if you can.  Dress warmly if you come, temperatures are expected to drop below freezing into the mid-twenties during the skywatch.

At the January meeting, Ken Wilson provided us with a great overview of astronomical phenomena to watch for this year.  The list of events he discussed is posted here.  Lots to watch out for this year.  Thanks to Ken for giving us a good heads up.  Due to the weather in early January, we had to postpone Sydney’s talk about her new telescope, but hopefully she will be able to join us in February.

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Rod Mollise: Those that have a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope or frequent astronomy forums will likely recognize the name of Rod Mollise.  Rod is the author of, “Choosing and Using a Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope: A Guide to Commercial SCTs and Maksutovs,” which was updated, as I recall, not too long ago.  Rod is an active participant in a number of online forums and also writes, “Uncle Rod’s Astro Blog”.  The latest edition of his blog is a piece about belonging to an astronomy club and the social aspect of astronomy which struck a chord with me, as I enjoy observing with groups as well as the occasional solitary observing experience.  You might want to give his blog a read if you have not seen it.  Rod’s perspectives are very insightful and he can turn a fair piece of prose.

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New supernova: A new type 1a supernovae 2011B in NGC 2655 was discovered by Koichi Itagaki.  Earlier this week, it was at magnitude 12.9, which should be bright enough to capture with low-light video or long-exposure imaging, depending upon your aperture.  More information is here.  Those of us that do spectroscopy with simple in-line grating spectrometers or more complex systems might enjoy hunting this one down to capture a spectrum before it fades.

The Science Museum of Virginia has a beautiful new logo and a new look.  Be sure to check out their Facebook page to take a peek.  Later this month they will debut three new permanent exhibits – Science on a Sphere, the Watt Wall and Imagination Playground!  Definitely worth checking out.

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And just for fun, those of us that do astrophotography might get a kick out of the YouTube video on the subject here.

Regards,

Jim Browder
Richmond Astronomical Society

Happy 2011:  I hope everyone had a great holiday season and enjoyed celebrating the arrival of 2011.  To greet the new year, we were treated with a Quadrantid meteor shower under a near-new moon. I spent about an hour or so taking in the sky and looking for meteors early this week.  I saw three good meteors but was not able to catch any on video or still images.  If anyone saw the Quadrantids or captured images, please pass along your reports.

Total lunar eclipse: A group of RAS members observed and imaged the recent winter solstice total lunar eclipse that took place late on the night of Monday, Dec. 20 through the early morning of Tuesday Dec. 21.  The eclipse began before midnight and peaked just after 3:15 AM.  Although it was quite a late (and cold) night it was a lot of fun.   Early in the evening the skies were very clear and then clouded up almost completely as the eclipse began.  Fortunately, the skies cleared well before the darkest part of the eclipse and remained reasonably clear with a few passing clouds through the peak, clouding up again before sunrise.  I took the image to the left during totality.  J. M. P Alves took a series of beautiful images and posted them on Flickr at this link.

December Eclipse - Tim Streagle

Several of us imaged the eclipse and I broadcast much of it on Ustream where a video recording is still available.  At one point, the Ustream viewer count showed over 3300 viewers, which astounded me, but demonstrates I think, that there is an appetite for coverage of astronomical events such as this and that they present an opportunity to generate interest in astronomy.  Many thanks to Tim Streagle for extending the invitation to observe with him from the Heart of Virginia Scout Reservation in Goochland.  Tim also created the beautiful composite image to the left.  The dining hall at the reservation provided creature comforts which made observing on a cold night a lot more enjoyable.

Last meeting: At the December meeting we transformed into the Richmond Gastronomical Society and focused on eating and socializing at our annual potluck dinner.  Our members did not disappoint and brought a wide selection of goodies to feast upon and the Science Museum provided a convenient gathering location.  It was all delicious.  I confess to having a soft spot in my heart for Sue Brubaker’s mini hot dogs.  Thanks to everyone for making it an enjoyable evening.

To top off the evening, we recognized with a certificate and RAS logo mug our own John Raymond for his herculean efforts associated with the outreach work he has done over many months.  We very much appreciate John’s dedication and persistence.  Unfortunately on the night of the meeting John was hard at work paying off his last telescope purchase, so we will present the certificate to him at another meeting.  We also thank the many kind RAS members who bring their telescopes and expertise to the skywatch events to support John and the RAS in our outreach efforts.

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Also at the December meeting, Leslie McClammy with the National Park Service presented the club a plaque thanking the RAS for its support of outreach events at the Petersburg National Battlefield.  The plaque displays a logo used and designed by the Battlefield Park staff to highlight the skywatches hosted by the Park and recognizes the RAS contribution to the events.  Leslie offered her thanks and compliments to the RAS and we were pleased to have the Park representatives as our guests.

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Son of a Biscuit: In early November, the Heart of Virginia Scout Reservation hosted a Family Stargaze.  Lots of scouts visited the observing site where astronomers from the RAS and others were camped.  Several times during the evening, we had folks come by that had not looked through a telescope before and we had the pleasure of experiencing that most wonderful “Oh wow!” moment with them when someone sees a particularly spectacular view through a telescope for the first time.  At one point, one of the scout volunteers took a look through my telescope after the kids each had a turn.  Apparently he found the view quite impressive as he backed away from the eyepiece and loudly exclaimed, “Son of a b….!” which we choose to remember as, “Son of a biscuit!”  The moment was captured in a cartoon by Bill Newman.  Thanks to Bill for doing the cartoon and passing it along.

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Next meeting:  Ken Wilson will be speaking on “Skylights of 2011: Astronomical phenomena that will be happening this year.”  This is a great time of year to review what will be happening in the sky this year and to put these events on our astro calendars.

Many of you will recall that one of our youngest members, Sydney, with the assistance of her dad, Mark, has been constructing a telescope.  Well the scope is finished and now in operation.  You can see a picture of the scope and recount their updates here.  It has made an appearance at skywatches in the area and been quite a hit.  As you can see from the image, the telescope is just the right size for Sydney to use and is nicely adorned with astronomical decorations.  It was obviously a well-thought out design.  Sydney and her dad will be describing their adventure in building the telescope at our January meeting.  Please join us if you can to hear about the fun they had with their project.

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Dues: If you have not paid your dues, please send or hand deliver a check to Jim Blowers at the next meeting, our treasurer, or pay by PayPal as soon as you can.  We try to get everyone’s dues payments current around this time of year.  Dues for regular membership are $30 per year with additional options for Sky and Telescope and Astronomy discount subscriptions and for observatory use.

Name tags: If you would like an RAS name tag, please let Jim Blowers know.

Virginia Skylines: As most of you know Leslie Bochenski does a weekly audio show for the Science Museum of Virginia describing what astronomical events and objects are visible in the sky for the week.  It’s very well done and you can listen here to the latest edition about the Earth’s passage through its perihelion this week.

Best Regards and Happy 2011!

Jim Browder
Richmond Astronomical Society

Thanks to Wayne Boggs and Richmond Alarm Company: As most of you reading this already know, it became necessary earlier this year to find a new location for our library volumes.  After we searched around quite a bit for an appropriate location and debated the various approaches for managing the library, Ken Wilson contacted RAS member and former president, Wayne Boggs, about the possibility of storing the books at the new Richmond Alarm Company facility.  Wayne came to our rescue and very graciously offered to store the books in his new warehouse attached to the Richmond Alarm Company offices near Route 288 and Midlothian Turnpike.  The facility is climate controlled, convenient and Wayne and his staff could not have been more helpful in allowing us to store our volumes there and to periodically allow our Librarian, Virginia Eckert, to access them as members check out and return books.

So, many thanks to Wayne for hosting our library.  Richmond Alarm has been providing security systems in the area since 1947, which is two years prior to the founding of the Richmond Astronomical Society.  You can learn more about Richmond Alarm and the products and services they offer at http://www.richmondalarm.com/.

Thanks Wayne – we appreciate the help!

RAS Board of Directors: This is the time of year when we elect a new slate of directors for our organization.  Directors commit to making arrangements for a presentation at one of our regular monthly meetings and to attend four quarterly board meetings during the year.  We very much appreciate the support that our directors have provided throughout 2010 and also appreciate those who have volunteered to be on the board for 2011.  We could not do what we do without you.

Many thanks to our 2010 board members, John Barnett, Jim Blowers, Jim Browder, Gary Cowardin, Bill Jeffries, Chris McCann, David Medici, Jeff Pike, Prashant Reddy, Tim Streagle, Betty Wilson and Ken Wilson.

And many thanks as well to our 2011 nominees, John Barnett, Jim Blowers, Jim Browder, Gary Cowardin, Chris McCann, David Medici, Jeff Pike, Cal Pletcher, Prashant Reddy, Betty Wilson and Ken Wilson.

Annual Dues: Annual dues are due and should be given to Jim Blowers at one of the meetings or by US mail or  by PayPal at http://richastro.org/ras_payments.htm.  Regular membership is $30.  Observatory memberships and discounted magazine subscriptions to Astronomy and Sky and Telescope are available for additional amounts.

VAAS 2010 Meeting: The 2010 meeting of the Virginia Association of Astronomical Societies was hit.  It was held this year in Salem at Roanoke College and was jointly hosted by the Roanoke Valley Astronomical Society and the College’s Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Physics.  The facility was  convenient and comfortable.  About 70 – 80 folks attended by my estimation.  Presenters included James Thieman, “The Radio Jove Project,” Steve Majewski, “Life Among the Cannibals:  Observing and Exploiting the entrails of Hierarchical Formation of Galaxies,”  Ted Forte, “Planetary Nebula Observing,”  John Simonetti, “Astrophysical Searches for Extra Spatial Dimensions” and Matt Fleenor, “Large-Scale Astronomical Environments and Their Influences on Star Formation.”  All of the presentations were very interesting and well done.

I particularly enjoyed the presentation by Steve Majewski whose research team was able to make great use of amateur images taken by Jay Gabany of large scale tidal structures associated with galaxies.  Jay Gabany’s amateur images were of significant value to Dr. Majewski’s team by virtue of Jay’s ability to image the same object night after night, selecting only the highest quality images which allowed detection of extremely faint structures around distant galaxies.  These structures are believed to be the remnants of galactic collisions.  The professionals were not able to capture the level of detail achieved in the amateur images since the amount of time available on professional telescopes is limited and in high demand by many other teams.  It is simply much more difficult to train a large professional telescope on a single object for many nights until a sufficient number of images can be acquired to bring out fine detail whereas an amateur with a good telescope can do just that – conduct a long-term dedicated imaging campaign narrowly focused on one or a small set of objects.  This was a great story of professional-amateur collaboration and the way in which an amateur astronomer was able to support professional work.

After the daytime presentations, a number of RVAS and other astronomers gathered at the Sunset Fields overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway at an elevation of 3472 feet.  The evening was beautiful, if just a bit windy, and we were treated to some nice seasonal views.

Next year’s event will be hosted by the Back Bay Amateur Astronomers on October 1, 2011 at Tidewater Community College.

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Upcoming Events: We have a busy Fall ahead of us with a number of stargazing events on the calendar:

• East Coast Star Party: October 29 – 30, Hampton Lodge Campground, Coinjock, NC.  Advance registration is not required.  Contact Kent Blackwell at kent@exis.net for more information.
• Fall Star Party at Camp: November 6 – The Heart of Virginia Scout Council is hosting a fall star party and the public is invited.  Please see this link for more information.
• Brandermill Skywatch: November 12, 6:30 PM, Swift Creek Middle School, 3700 Old Hundred Road South, Midothian, VA.  Please contact John Raymond at raymond7419@verizon.net if you can help.  More info here.
• Skywatch at Five Forks: November 13, Five Forks Visitor Center, Petersburg National Battlefield.  Please contact John Raymond at raymond7419@verizon.net if you can help.  More info here.
• Bryan Park Skywatch: November 17, more info here.  Please contact John Raymond at raymond7419@verizon.net if you can help.
• Science Museum Skywatch: November 19 with LiveSky planetarium show starting at 6:00 PM.  More info here.
• Scotchtown Skywatch: November 19, 16120 Chiswell Lane Beaverdam, VA, info here.  Please contact John Raymond at raymond7419@verizon.net if you can help.

Virginia Skylines: Be sure to check out the latest edition of Leslie Bochenski’s weekly audio broadcast, “Virginia Skylines” on our new “What’s Up” page.

Surge Protectors: Tom Kennedy had a discussion about surge protection with some folks at the Fall picnic.  He asked that I pass along the following link to some additional information about surge protectors that might be helpful to those that were interested -  Link to more info.

Sydney’s Telescope: Sydney (with some help from her dad, Mark) is building a telescope.  The optical tube was finished a few weeks ago and now the base is complete.  It looks like they are close to finishing the whole project.  You can see their progress at this link.

Café Press: Richmond Astronomical Society logo items are available at http://www.cafepress.com/RichAstroShop.

Regards,

Jim Browder
Richmond Astronomical Society

Many many thanks! Our volunteers put forth a huge amount of time and effort to coordinate and support our many outreach events and skywatches as well as moving and organizing our library books, caring for our observatory and taking care of the club’s business and other activities.  I cannot begin to thank everyone properly.  It never ceases to amaze me how giving our members are of their time and expertise.  We are truly fortunate to have such a great group of folks in our organization.  Although never said often enough, please accept my thanks on behalf of the RAS for all you do.  We absolutely could not reach as many people as we do, providing stunning views of celestial objects that we all find so fascinating without the support from our volunteers.

I often receive positive feedback and thanks from folks who attend the skywatches we support.  Below is an e-mail regarding the recent skywatch at City Point in Hopewell:

RAS Fall Picnic: RAS will be hosting a picnic on October 16, starting at 5:00 PM at the Heart of Virginia Scout Reservation in Goochland County.  We will have the picnic in the shelter near the entrance of the cub scout section and observing under the dark skies of Goochland County afterward.

RAS will be providing hamburgers and hot dogs.  Please bring a dish to share and let Prashant Reddy know what you plan to bring.  His e-mail address is ReddyPVA@verizon.net.

Directions to the camp are at:  See http://bradysaunders.net/camp/direct.html.

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October events: We have lots of events coming up in late September and throughout October.  Here is a list of the ones for which we have information.  If you know of others, please let us know.

Skywatch at Scotchtown: September 24, 7:00 PM, (http://www.apva.org/scotchtown/calendar/).  Please contact John Raymond at raymond7419@verizon.net if you can help out.

Virginia Association of Astronomical Societies, Annual Conference: October 9, Roanoke College, Roanoke, VA, 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM with evening observing (http://www.rvasclub.org).

RAS Fall picnic: October 16 – details above.

East Coast Star Party: October 29 – 30, Hampton Lodge Campground, Coinjock, NC.  Advance registration is not required. Contact Kent Blackwell at kent@exis.net for more information.

Fall Star Party at Camp: November 6 – The Heart of Virginia Scout Council is hosting a fall star party and the public is invited.  Please see http://bradysaunders.net/camp/starparty.html for more information.

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What’s Up? Whether you want a brief synopsis of what’s up in the sky this week or you want a complete tour of the night sky or just a weather forecast, the What’s Up and Weather pages on the RichAstro web site have loads of information complied in one location for just this purpose.  Tabs at the top of each page on our Richastro site link to theses pages or you can go directly to the addresses below.  Virginia Skylines on the What’s Up page is done weekly by our own Leslie Bochenski.

• What’s Up: http://richastro.org/index.php/whats-up/
• Weather: http://richastro.org/index.php/weather/

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Regards,

Jim Browder
Richmond Astronomical Society

A couple of months ago, several very dedicated graduate students from UVA presented at our monthly Richmond Astronomical Society meeting about the “Dark Skies, Bright Kids” program they are sponsoring in Charlottesville.  The program enhances science education at rural schools.  The graduate students have put a great deal of their personal time and effort into the program, working with elementary school kids in the area.

Well, there is a way we can help them.  The graduate students and faculty have created a children’s astronomy book and are working hard to put a copy of the book in every third grade classroom and school library in Virginia.  To fund the work, they have applied for a Pepsi Refresh grant of $25,000.  The grant will be awarded to the project that receives the most online votes.

Please consider registering at the Pepsi Refresh site and voting:

http://www.refresheverything.com/darkskiesbrightkids

People register once and then can vote once a day, every day, through September 30th. If you think this is a worthy effort, please vote early and often and spread the word to anyone you think may be interested.  The Dark Skies, Bright Kids folks very much appreciate our support and in, my opinion, are very deserving of that support.

Thanks and best regards,

Jim Browder

Masayuki Tachikawa was observing Jupiter early on the morning of August 21st (18:22 Universal Time on the 20th), when his video camera captured a 2-second-long flash on the planet’s disk.  Check out this article in Sky and Telescope.

The video of the flash is at this link and below along with an image captured by our own Randy Tatum just days after the flash.

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I just added a new link to our web page, in the rightmost column, under Categories. To use it, once you open an article for reading, just click on the Share button. This will take you to a page where you can select a social network to share it with.

As we all know, astronomy is an extremely weather-dependent activity (unless you happen to have a space telescope at your disposal).  As such, most astronomers have an interest in the weather and many of us have gained quite a bit of expertise in gauging weather conditions for a night of viewing.  What better subject to hear about at our next meeting than the weather from one of our local meteorologists, John Bernier.  John will be giving the main presentation at our next meeting on June 8 at the Science Museum of Virginia (7:30 PM in the museum’s Eureka theater).

John has been the chief meteorologist for WRIC TV8 since 1984.  He also serves as meteorologist for the Agrinet Farm Radio Network, WGAI in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, WCXL in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, and WWOC-FM in Hatteras, North Carolina.  In short, he knows the local weather patterns and has dealt with severe weather forecasting and warning throughout his career.

Please join us for the next meeting if you can and for dinner before the meeting at Arby’s across the street from the museum.  Everyone is welcome.

Regards,

Jim Browder
Richmond Astronomical Society