Richmond Astronomical Society

737th Consecutive Meeting

February 8, 2011

—–

Jim Browder called our meeting to order in the Eureka room.

Greeting & Announcements – approximately 28 in attendance at the meeting.

• Roger Brubaker has a Meade 102ED/APO EMC refractor telescope for sale with a TeleVue 2″ diagonal, re-worked CG-5 mount with Bob’s Knobs and an all wood finish Sokkia tripod.  The price for the package is $1500 which also includes 4 eyepieces, an O III and moon filter along with 2 Orion metal accessory cases. Roger advises that everything is in excellent condition and all eyepieces are essentially unused. If you are interested, please see the Richastro Yahoo group for additional details or contact Roger at 804-272-1672 or brubaker.roger@verizon.net.

Past Events:

• Observing session at Heart of Virginia Scout Reservation, February 5
• Individual observing

Upcoming Events:

• Science Museum Skywatch, February 18:  Science on a Sphere and other exhibits for Cabin Fever Night at the museum, which will be promoted as the SMV’s quarterly evening event.  Please add your name to the sign-up sheet if you can bring a scope.  More information at http://smv.org/events.html.
• RAS Board of Directors meeting, February 21:  7:00 PM, Extra Billy’s Restaurant, 5205 W Broad St, Richmond, VA.  Please arrive earlier if you plan to eat dinner.  Meetings are open to all members, but please advise president@richastro.org if you plan to attend in order to ensure sufficient space.
• Skywatch at City Point, March 19:  Public observing session at the City Point Unit of Petersburg National Battlefield.  Please let John Raymond (at raymond7419@verizon.net) know if you can help out by bringing a scope and your expertise.  More information about the Park’s Skywatch program and the City Point location is available at:
  http://www.nps.gov/pete/forkids/skywatch-2011.htm and
  http://www.nps.gov/pete/historyculture/city-point.htm
• Ravencon, April 8-10:  Holiday Inn Koger Center, 1021 Koger Center Blvd, Richmond, VA. Thanks to the encouragement of member Mike Lewis, RAS will be participating in this year’s Ravencon which is a science fiction and fantasy festival held annually in Richmond.  RAS will be supporting the science track of the conference; additional details will be forthcoming.  Please join the fun if you can.  More information is at: http://ravencon.com/.

Short talk  -  “Sydney’s Telescope” Sydney and Mark Mabry

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.

For more details, including an interesting blog and photos, access the following site:

http://mysite.verizon.net/mhmabry/Crimson/Telescope.html

Break – -

February’s Presentation:

“Desert Environments as Analogs for Mars,” by Dr. Amy Treonis, Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Richmond     http://biology.richmond.edu/faculty/atreonis/

“Martian Mysteries and Desert Soils”

Dr. Amy Treonis gave us a great overview of her work and research interests, specifically desert environments as analogs for Mars.  The results of her studies of soil ecology here on Earth can be used to aid us in achieving future goals to visit Mars.  Soil ecology is the study of the organisms that live below ground, interacting with plants, each other, and their environment. Bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes are all microscopic soil organisms that play important roles in decomposition and nutrient cycling. These organisms also are incredibly diverse, and a handful of soil can contain hundreds of different species. The use of molecular, microscopic, and stable isotope techniques allows soil ecologists to study the unseen life in the soil and understand the world beneath our feet. 

Dr. Treonis’s work at the University of Richmond involves astrobiology and extreme environments.

—–

Reminders:

The next RAS meeting will be Tuesday, March 8^th at the SMV.

The next board meeting will be Monday, February 21^st at Extra Billy’s at 7:00 PM (arrive earlier for dinner). Meeting is open to all members.

Check out the web site at http://www.richastro.org/

Virginia Skylines: Be sure to check out the latest version of Virginia Skylines on our web site.  Virginia Skylines is a weekly podcast written by Leslie Bochenski, astronomy educator with the Science Museum and Thomas Jefferson High School.

RAS Café Press store.  Please take a look at the online store where you can purchase items embossed with the RAS label. The site can be found at http://www.cafepress.com/RichAstroShop .

Richmond Astronomical Society

736th Consecutive Meeting

January 12, 2011

—–

Jim Browder called our meeting to order in the Eureka room.

Greeting & Announcements – approximately 21 in attendance at the meeting.

• John Barnett is back!!!!
• RAS blog has been updated:   http://richastro.org/index.php/category/blog/
• If you are in need of RAS name tags, please contact Jim Blowers.

Share table:

• Two plaques to be presented to John Raymond from RAS, but he was not at the meeting.

1)      In Appreciation for your support of the Petersburg National Battlefield Skywatch Program

2)       . . . for his tireless efforts to bring the experience of viewing the wonders in the night sky to people of the greater Richmond area.

• Leslie Bochenski had a personal necklace on display of the planet Jupiter.  The image was from a few years ago when Red Spot, Jr was easily visible.
• Betty Wilson had some astronomical literature about the activities from NASA Langley and the Wallops Island Facility.  Also, some information on the near-future launches from Wallops Island and of the Space Shuttle (STS-133, 134, and possibly 135) from Florida.
• Ken Wilson had a BBC news story about the youngest girl to discover a Supernova.
• Bill Jeffries had a Monitoring Times magazine and discussed meteor scattering as heard on a short wave radio.

Past Events:

Science Museum skywatch was sparcely attended due to cold weather.  Hot chocolate was available for those who attended.  Except for the hot chocolate, the Moon and Jupiter were the 2 biggest attractions.

Upcoming Events:

• Family and Community Night at John Rolfe Middle School on Thursday, January 13 (6:15pm – 7:15pm).  6901 Messer Road in Richmond.    Please contact John Raymond at raymond7419@verizon.net if you can help out.   Bring your telescopes early to set up.  We are expecting a good turnout.
• Science Museum Skywatch / LiveSky show – Friday, January 21.  LiveSky will be held at 6:00pm, and will be “Stellar Evolution”.  Please sign up if you can bring a scope. 
• More information at http://smv.org/astronomy.html

Welcome to Visitors and New members – 3 visitors:

• Dan Salkovitz
• Michael Atkins and his son Michael, Jr.

Short talk  -  “Syndey’s Telescope” Sydney and Mark Mabry

       Postponed until the February meeting

Break – -

January’s Presentation: “Skylights of 2011: Upcoming Astronomical phenomena of the Year” by Ken Wilson

Ken presented the group with a listing of highlights arranged month-by-month and contained many different astronomical events to witness.  Major meteor showers, eclipses from around the world, relative planetary locations during the months, the Zodiacal Light, and even information on an expected comet and Astronomy Day were included in his presentation.  Astronomy Day will be May 7^th and RAS is already planning its activities.  Comet Elenin (C/2010 X1) should be visible in the evening sky in late August.   On September 5^th, Comet Elenin will be reaching perihelion, and should appear in the predawn sky during the next couple of weeks.

Besides the expected events, he reminded us to be aware of the unexpected events, such as fireballs and new comets.  Sunspot activity is on the upswing, so there may be an increased chance of solar flares and a better chance of seeing auroras towards the north.

Very informative arrangement of events.

—–

Reminders:

The next RAS meeting will be Tuesday, February 8th at the SMV.

The next board meeting will be Monday, February 21^st at Extra Billy’s at 7:00 PM (arrive earlier for dinner). Meeting is open to all members.

Check out the web site at http://www.richastro.org/

Virginia Skylines: Be sure to check out the latest version of Virginia Skylines on our web site.  Virginia Skylines is a weekly podcast written by Leslie Bochenski, astronomy educator with the Science Museum and Thomas Jefferson High School.

RAS Café Press store.  Please take a look at the online store where you can purchase items embossed with the RAS label. The site can be found at http://www.cafepress.com/RichAstroShop .

Richmond Astronomical Society

735th Consecutive Meeting

December 14, 2010

—–

Jim Browder called our meeting to order in the Eureka room.

Greeting & Announcements – approximately 45 in attendance at the meeting.

• Dues are due:  Annual dues are $30 per year with additional options available if you want to operate the observatory or subscribe to Sky and Telescope or Astronomy magazine at a discount.  Please pay by check to Jim Blowers or by PayPal on the RAS web site at http://richastro.org/ras_payments.htm.

• Two plaques were going to be presented to John Raymond from RAS, but he was not at the meeting.

1)      In Appreciation for your support of the Petersburg National Battlefield Skywatch Program

2)       . . . for his tireless efforts to bring the experience of viewing the wonders in the night sky to people of the greater Richmond area.

Holiday celebration

—–

Reminders:

The next RAS meeting will be Tuesday, January 11th at the SMV.

The next board meeting will be Monday, February 21^st at Extra Billy’s at 7:00 PM (arrive earlier for dinner). Meeting is open to all members.

Check out the web site at http://www.richastro.org/

Virginia Skylines: Be sure to check out the latest version of Virginia Skylines on our web site.  Virginia Skylines is a weekly podcast written by Leslie Bochenski, astronomy educator with the Science Museum and Thomas Jefferson High School.

RAS Café Press store.  Please take a look at the online store where you can purchase items embossed with the RAS label. The site can be found at http://www.cafepress.com/RichAstroShop .

Richmond Astronomical Society

734th Consecutive Meeting

November 9, 2010

—–

Jim Browder called our meeting to order in the Eureka room.

Greeting & Announcements – approximately 35 in attendance at the meeting.

• Dues are due:  Annual dues are $30 per year with additional options available if you want to operate the observatory or subscribe to Sky and Telescope or Astronomy magazine at a discount.  Please pay by check to Jim Blowers or by PayPal on the RAS web site at http://richastro.org/ras_payments.htm.
• Name tags:  Please contact Jim Blowers (treasurer@richastro.org) if you want an RAS name tag.
• Contact Jim Blowers to update your email address if it has changed.
• Check out Jey Jeyasankar’s images and video from his recent trip to Mauna Kea on the Richastro.org web site.

November’s Presentation: Rich Conti, Director and CEO of the Science Museum of Virginia, spoke on the future direction of the Science Museum.

Break – -

Election of 2011 Board of Directors

The nominees for the 2011 RAS Board of Directors were elected:

John Barnett, Jim Blowers, Jim Browder, Gary Cowardin, Chris McCann, David Medici, Jeff Pike, Cal Pletcher, Prashant Reddy, Dave Walton, Betty Wilson, Ken Wilson.

Share table:

• Several members had photos on display.

Past Events:

• Science Museum skywatch / outreach events : successful; Outreach events are being scheduled and are on our RAS calendar. (See upcoming events.)
• Science Museum skywatch / outreach events
• East Coast Star Party and Fall Star Party at Camp and individual observing

Upcoming Events:

• Brandermill Skywatch, November 12, 6:30 PM, at Swift Creek Middle School, 3700 Old Hundred Road South, Midlothian, VA.  Please contact John Raymond at raymond7419@verizon.net if you can bring a scope.
  (http://www.brandermill.com/?id=4812)
• Five Forks Skywatch, November 13, Skywatch at the Five Forks Visitor Center of Petersburg National Battlefield. Please contact John Raymond at raymond7419@verizon.net if you can bring a scope.
  (http://www.nps.gov/pete/planyourvisit/directions.htm)
• RAS Board of Directors meeting on November 15, 7:00 PM, at Extra Billy’s restaurant, 5205 West Broad Street.  Please arrive earlier if you plant to eat dinner with us.  Current and new board members are invited to attend.  Board meetings are open to all members as well. Election of officers for 2011 will be held at this meeting.
• Bryan Park Skywatch, November 17, 7:00 PM on the soccer fields at Bryan Park.  Please contact John Raymond at raymond7419@verizon.net if you can bring a scope.
  (http://friendsofbryanpark.org/events/bryan-park-events-calendar/)
• Science Museum Skywatch / LiveSky show, November 19,  LiveSky at 6:00 PM.
  (http://smv.org/astronomy.html)
• Scotchtown Skywatch, November 19, 5:00 PM, 16120 Chiswell Lane, Beaverdam, VA 23015.  Please contact John Raymond at raymond7419@verizon.net if you can bring a scope.
  (http://www.apva.org/scotchtown/calendar/)

Observatory Report :

Randy Tatum will be our acting Observatory Director while John Barnett is ill.

Library Report: none

Short talk  -  ”Mid-Atlantic Star Party” by John Raymond

—–

Reminders:

The next RAS meeting will be Tuesday, December 14th at the SMV.  This is the annual ‘eating’ party.  Please bring a dish for all to enjoy.

The next board meeting will be Monday, November 15th at Extra Billy’s at 7:00 PM (arrive earlier for dinner). Meeting is open to all members.

Check out the web site at http://www.richastro.org/

Virginia Skylines: Be sure to check out the latest version of Virginia Skylines on our web site.  Virginia Skylines is a weekly podcast written by Leslie Bochenski, astronomy educator with the Science Museum and Thomas Jefferson High School.

RAS Café Press store.  Please take a look at the online store where you can purchase items embossed with the RAS label. The site can be found at http://www.cafepress.com/RichAstroShop .

Richmond Astronomical Society

733rd Consecutive Meeting

October 12, 2010

—–

Jim Browder called our meeting to order in the Eureka room.

Greeting & Announcements – approximately 28 in attendance at the meeting.

Please check the link to our RAS blog: http://richastro.org/index.php/category/blog/

The nominees for the 2011 RAS Board of Directors was announced:

John Barnett, Jim Blowers, Jim Browder, Gary Cowardin, Chris McCann, David Medici, Jeff Pike, Cal Pletcher, Prashant Reddy, Dave Walton, Betty Wilson, Ken Wilson.

If you are in need of RAS name tags, please contact Jim Blowers.

Check out Jey Jeyasankar’s images and video from his recent trip to Mauna Kea on the Richastro.org web site.

Share table:

• Several members had photos on display.
• John Raymond has eyepieces and a dewstrap for sale.

Past Events:

• Science Museum skywatch / outreach events : successful; Outreach events are being scheduled and are on our RAS calendar. (See upcoming events.)
• Individual observing
• VAAS 2010
• Science Museum skywatch was a success with clear skies and a “decent sized” crowd.

Upcoming Events:

• Brandermill skywatch:  October 14, 7:00 PM, Swift Creek Middle School, 3700 Old Hundred Road South, Midlothian, VA.  Please contact John Raymond at raymond7419@verizon.net if you can bring a scope.
• Science Museum Skywatch / LiveSky show:  October 15,  LiveSky at 6:00 PM.
• RAS Fall picnic:  October 16, 5:00 PM, Heart of Virginia Scout Reservation, 1723 Maidens Rd., Maidens, VA, Goochland County.  See http://bradysaunders.net/camp/direct.html for directions.  RAS will supply the burgers and dogs.  Please bring a covered dish and let Prashant Reddy (ReddyPVA@verizon.net) know what you plan to bring.  This is a rain-or-shine picnic thanks to the Scout reservation!
• City Point skywatch:  October 16, 7:00 PM, Skywatch at the City Point Unit of Petersburg National Battlefield.  Please contact John Raymond at raymond7419@verizon.net if you can bring a scope.
• Montpelier skywatch:  October 23, 7:30 PM, Montpelier Center for the Arts.  Please contact John Raymond at raymond7419@verizon.net if you can bring a scope.
• 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.

Dues announcement:

Annual dues are due and should be given to Jim Blowers.  Membership is $30.  Observatory memberships and magazine subscriptions increase the amount.

Payment can be made by PayPal at http://richastro.org/ras_payments.htm

Observatory Report (John Barnett):

RAS Observatory Open House:  October 17, 8:00 PM at the Ragland Observatory.  Please see http://richastro.org/index.php/observatory/ for more information.  John Barnett will issue a weather update on the Yahoo e-mail list on the day of the open house if there are weather concerns.

Contact Jim Blowers to update your email address if it has changed.

Library Report: none

Short talk  -  ”Recognition and Re-burial of Nicolaus Copernicus,” Bill Jeffries

Break – -

August’s Presentation: “Stellar Evolution,” Leslie Bochenski

—–

Reminders:

The next RAS meeting and elections will be Tuesday, November 9th at the SMV.

The next board meeting will be Monday, November 15th at Extra Billy’s at 7:00 PM (arrive earlier for dinner). Meeting is open to all members.

Check out the web site at http://www.richastro.org/

Virginia Skylines: Be sure to check out the latest version of Virginia Skylines on our web site.  Virginia Skylines is a weekly podcast written by Leslie Bochenski, astronomy educator with the Science Museum and Thomas Jefferson High School.

RAS Café Press store.  Please take a look at the online store where you can purchase items embossed with the RAS label. The site can be found at http://www.cafepress.com/RichAstroShop .

Richmond Astronomical Society

732nd Consecutive Meeting

September 14, 2010

—–

Jim Browder called our meeting to order in the Eureka room.

Greeting & Announcements – approximately 33 in attendance at the meeting.

Please check the link to our RAS blog: http://richastro.org/index.php/category/blog/

The Board of Directors Nominating Committee is been selected at this time.  Prashant Reddy has stepped up to be the chairman of the committee.  Other members of the committee are David Medici, Bill Jeffries, and Cal Pletcher.

If you are in need of RAS name tags, please contact Jim Blowers.

Share table:

Ken Wilson displayed an Orion imaging scope and photos taken through it.

John Raymond has eyepieces and a dewstrap for sale.

Jeff Pike has a 10-inch Dob for sale.  See him, if interested.

John Browder has a thank you card to Wayne Boggs, for members to sign.  Wayne Boggs is a former RAS President and the owner of the Richmond Alarm Company, new home of our library.

Past Events:

Science Museum skywatch was a success with clear skies and a “decent sized” crowd.

Outreach events are being scheduled and are on our RAS calendar. (See upcoming events.)

Individual observing:

Cal was at Powhatan and saw Neptune through a 8-inch scope.  Jim Browder was also in Powhatan.  Tom K hit a deer while out there.

ReedH saw Jupiter and the transit of Io; also saw Uranus.

A new member also saw Jupiter and 3 of its moons.

Jupiter is at opposition, and is at a close approach to Earth.

Upcoming Events:

An open house is scheduled for 8:30pm on Wednesday, September 15^th at the Ragland Observatory Open House, weather permitting.  Watch the Richastro Yahoo group for updates.  Objects to view: Neptune, Quarter Moon, and Jupiter (after 10pm).
Science Museum Skywatch / LiveSky show – Friday, September 17.  LiveSky will be held at 6:00pm, and will be “Jurasic Night”.  Please sign up if you can bring a scope.  Expect a crowd.

International Observe the Moon night is September 18.  More information at http://observethemoonnight.org/ .

2 Outreach events:

September 18, 4:00 PM, Skywatch at the City Point Unit of Petersburg National Battlefield (Grant’s headquarters).  Please contact John Raymond at raymond7419@verizon.net if you can help out.

Skywatch at Scotchtown in Hanover County: September 24, 7:00pm. For more info, see http://www.apva.org/scotchtown/calendar/).  Please contact John Raymond at raymond7419@verizon.net if you can help out.

VAAS (Virginia Association of Astronomical Societies) annual conference on October 9^th at Roanoke College in Roanoke, Virginia.  Scheduled from 8:30am-4:30pm with evening observing (http://www.rvasclub.org/).  There is a New Moon that evening.

RAS Fall picnic is scheduled for October 16 at Heart of Virginia Scout Reservation, 1723 Maidens Road, Maidens, Virginia in Goochland County.  See http://bradysaunders.net/camp/direct.html for directions.  RAS will supply the hamburgers and hot dogs.  Please bring a covered dish and let Prashant Reddy (ReddyPVA@verizon.net) know what you are bringing.

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

Fall Star Party on November 6^th .  The Heart of Virginia Scout Council is hosting a public star party. More info at http://bradysaunders.net/camp/starparty.html .

Dues announcement:

Annual dues are due and should be given to Jim Blowers.  Membership is $30.  Observatory memberships and magazine subscriptions increase the amount.

Payment can be made by PayPal at http://richastro.org/ras_payments.htm

Observatory Report (John Barnett):

Overcast skies and light rain prevented last month’s open house.

John Barnett will be hosting an open house for members and guests on Sunday, October 17^th at 8:30pm.  Weather advisory and a reminder will be emailed to all members.

Prior to the open house, at 6:30pm, an observatory staff training class will be held.

Contact Jim Blowers to update your email address if it has changed.

Library Report (Virginia Eckert).  Virginia has been organizing the books at the newly located library, and is documenting the missing books. She brought in 5 books, having a paperbook theme this month:

Observing For the Fun of It, Discoverers, Origin of the Universe, Rocks From Space, and Tales of Earth.    

Visitors:  none

Short talk  -  “Mauna Kea Observatory” by Jey Jeyasankar

Jey recently visited the Mauna Kea observatory in Hawaii and delighted us with several photos and stories of his journey.  There is an assortment of 18 optical observatories with mirrors ranging from 0.6 – over 2 meters in diameter, along with the largest IR telescope in the world.  At 9300 feet of elevation, the air is very dry and provides clear skies almost every night, at an average nighttime temperature of 40 degrees. Everyone needs to get used to the thin air at that altitude.  The trek to the observatory is an 80-mile journey across dry rocky desert-like land.  There are no stores or gas stops along the way.

Break – -

September’s Presentation: “Dark Flow” by Jeff Pike

Jeff first saw information about the Dark Flow at the end of a Discover show. 

The Dark Flow is about the mysterious flow of many galaxies across the universe towards one region.  Most of us understand the visible matter, but this concerns a theoretical dark matter, which is not directly detectible.  Many theorists believe this dark matter makes up about 25% of the known universe.  Early investigation has been credited to Fritz Zwickey from about 1933.  His studies have suggested a 20-degree patch of the sky that galaxies are moving to.  Research exists that has Vela Centaurus (in the Southern hemisphere) moving towards this sector at 2 million mph.

Keep in mind this is still a theory, and there has been conflicting research, too.

—–

Reminders:

The next RAS meeting and elections will be Tuesday, October 12th at the SMV.

The next board meeting will be Monday, November 15th at Extra Billy’s at 7:00 PM (arrive earlier for dinner). Meeting is open to all members.

Check out the web site at http://www.richastro.org/

Virginia Skylines: Be sure to check out the latest version of Virginia Skylines on our web site.  Virginia Skylines is a weekly podcast written by Leslie Bochenski, astronomy educator with the Science Museum and Thomas Jefferson High School.

RAS Café Press store.  Please take a look at the online store where you can purchase items embossed with the RAS label. The site can be found at http://www.cafepress.com/RichAstroShop .

Richmond Astronomical Society

731st Consecutive Meeting

August 10, 2010

—–

Jim Browder called our meeting to order in the Eureka room.

Greeting & Announcements – approximately 25 in attendance at the meeting.

Please check the link to our RAS blog: http://richastro.org/index.php/category/blog/

Thanks to the many email responses who were willing to help with the telescope training for the Midlothian family.

There is a new link on the RAS website about a girl named Sydney, who asked her dad Mark (one of our members) if they could build a telescope.  They are doing that and have set up a web site, http://mysite.verizon.net/mhmabry/Crimson/Telescope.html , to chronicle their adventure and their progress.  Mark has also set up an email address for comments/suggestions:  sydney.telescope.blog@gmail.com.   It looks like they are going to have loads of fun with this project and have already made a lot of progress.  We look forward to the next update.  Be sure to stop by their blog and say hello.

Share table:

Photographs taken by a member; Televue eyepieces; and a lost water bottle from the July meeting

Past Events:

The Science Museum Skyday Night event on July 16^th was very successful.  Approximately 400 people attended the event which included the RAS skywatch.  Several of the RAS members were there to help, including Gary, Jim Browder, Cal, and Alan.  I apologize if I left others out.

Several members mentioned that they had been observing and has viewed several objects, including Jupiter and solar observing using a SunGun.

Upcoming Events:

Perseid meteor shower peaks this coming Thursday night/Friday morning (10/12-13)

Please contact John Raymond at raymond7419@verizon.net if you can help with any of these events:

• Bryan Park Meteor Watch – August 12, 8:00 PM.
• Skywatch at the Montpelier Center – August 13, 7:30 PM.  For directions and information see http://www.montpeliercenter.org/.
• Battersea Foundation (Petersburg) Skywatch – August 26, 8:00 PM     For directions and information see http://www.batterseafound.org.
• Dinwiddie on Sept 4.
• Scotchtown in Hanover County on Friday, Sept 24

Science Museum Skywatch / LiveSky show – August 20.  LiveSky will be held at 6:00pm.  Please sign up if you can bring a scope.

An open house is scheduled for Wednesday, August 18^th at the Ragland Observatory Open House, weather permitting.  Watch the Richastro Yahoo group for updates.
A job opening was found through Cornell University, for a telescope pointer at Arecibo.  Anyone interested?

VAAS: October 9 at Roanoke College.  More information later.

Dues announcement:

Annual dues are due and should be given to Jim Blowers.  Membership is $30.  Observatory memberships and magazine subscriptions increase the amount.

Payment can be made by PayPal at http://richastro.org/ras_payments.htm

Observatory Report (John Barnett):

John Barnett has asked Chris McCann to hosting an open house for members and guests on Wednesday, August 18^th at 8:30pm.  Weather advisory and a reminder will be emailed to all members.

Thanks to Reed and Dave for cutting the grass in July.

Contact Jim Blowers to update your email address if it has changed.

(more…)

Richmond Astronomical Society

730th Consecutive Meeting

July 13, 2010

—–

Jim Browder called our meeting to order in the Eureka room.

Greeting & Announcements – approximately 25 in attendance at the meeting.

Please check the link to our RAS blog: http://richastro.org/index.php/category/blog/

Share table:

There were several items for sale, including a few eyepieces by John Raymond.

There were a few photos for anyone to look at.

Past Events:

Science Museum Skywatch was held on June 18.  Thanks to everyone who helped out.  With the number of people that came out, it was good to see we had enough scopes to handle the crowd.

Green Bank Star Quest

Outreach events

Upcoming Events:

The next Science Museum Skywatch/LiveSky show is July 16.  Please sign-up if you are available to attend and bring a scope.

Dues announcement:

Annual dues are due and should be given to Jim Blowers.  Membership is $30.  Observatory memberships and magazine subscriptions increase the amount.

Payment can be made by PayPal at http://richastro.org/ras_payments.htm

Observatory Report (John Barnett)

John Barnett will be hosting an open house for members and guests on Wednesday, July th at 8:30pm.  He will email a weather advisory and a reminder to all members. Contact Jim Blowers to update your email address if it has changed.

Library Report was not given.  The RAS library was moved out of the RAS recently.  At this time, it is in public storage with controlled atmospheric conditions.  An effort is in progress to find a long-term location where RAS members can easily access the library contents.

Short talk

“DeepImpact – The Prequel” by Dwight Talley

Break – -

June’s Presentation: “Dark Skies, Bright Kids” by Gail Zasowski, Ryan Lynch, and Nicole Gugliucci, UVA Astronomy graduate students

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.

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Reminders:

The next RAS meeting will be Tuesday, August 10th at the SMV.

The next board meeting will be Monday, August 16 at Extra Billy’s at 7:00 PM (arrive earlier for dinner). Meeting is open to all members.

Check out the web site at http://www.richastro.org/

Virginia Skylines: Be sure to check out the latest version of Virginia Skylines on our web site.  Virginia Skylines is a weekly podcast written by Leslie Bochenski, astronomy educator with the Science Museum and Thomas Jefferson High School.

RAS Café Press store.  Please take a look at the online store where you can purchase items embossed with the RAS label. The site can be found at http://www.cafepress.com/RichAstroShop .

Richmond Astronomical Society

729th Consecutive Meeting

June  8, 2010

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Jim Browder called our meeting to order in the Eureka room.  This meeting was going to have a different format – business first, the main presentation, and then after the break, the short talk.

Greeting & Announcements – approximately 43 in attendance at the meeting.

Please check the link to our RAS blog: http://richastro.org/index.php/category/blog/

Share table:

Jim Browder is a celebrity.  Jim displayed an ad for Astronomy Technology, and showed us a photo of him, but it’s a small photo in the lower corner of the ad. 

There were several items for sale, including a few eyepieces by John Raymond.

There were a few photos for anyone to look at.

A license plate holder that goes on the back of a car was on the table.  It was a recent purchase from the RAS Café Press store.  The shop can be found at http://www.cafepress.com/RichAstroShop .

Past Events:

Science Museum Skywatch was a success on May 21.

Ken Wilson talked about sighting Comet McNaught in the SE sky.

Terry Barker and others mentioned the pairing of Mars and Venus close to each other.

Upcoming Events:

The next Science Museum Skywatch/LiveSky show is June 18.  Please sign-up if you are available to attend and bring a scope.
Skywatch at Willow Oaks Country Club on Friday June 11. Rain date is July 9. 

Cub Scout Twilight Camp at Fairfield Prebyterian Church on Tuesday June 22.  Rain date is June 25.

ECVAR (East Coast Video Astronomy Rendevous) in Luray, Virginia on June 10-13.  Please see http://sites.google.com/site/ecvar2010/  for more information.

Green Bank StarQuest in Green Bank, WV on July 7-10.  Please see http://www.greenbankstarquest.org/  for more information.

Dues announcement:

Annual dues are due and should be given to Jim Blowers.  Membership is $30.  Observatory memberships and magazine subscriptions increase the amount.

Payment can be made by PayPal at http://richastro.org/ras_payments.htm

Observatory Report (John Barnett)

John Barnett will be hosting an open house for members and guests on Wednesday, June 16th at 8:30pm.  On the 15^th, he will email a weather advisory and a reminder to all members. Contact Jim Blowers to update your email address if it has changed.

Library Report was not given.  The RAS library was moved out of the RAS recently.  At this time, it is in public storage with controlled atmospheric conditions.  An effort is in progress to find a long-term location where RAS members can easily access the library contents.

June’s Presentation: “News in the World of Weather Forecasting” by John Bernier

John Bernier spoke about many aspects of the weather affecting our lives and environment.  He started off his presentation by asking about a very active political topic:  “Climate Change – Fact? Fiction? Fantasy?”  He used the beliefs of Al Gore to take the side of there is global warming, Ken Cuchinelli to side with no global warming, and Sargent Schultz (from Hogan’s Heroes) to take the middle ground using Schultz’s well-known line of “I know nothing!”.  Very effective!

Since the dawn of time, we have had 7 ice ages, where the warmer periods have lasted longer than the colder periods.  Sometime during the warmer periods, it has been warm enough for the dinosaurs to venture up to the Arctic. 

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Richmond Astronomical Society

728th Consecutive Meeting

May 11, 2010

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Jim Browder called our meeting to order in the Eureka room.

Greeting & Announcements – approximately 31 in attendance at the meeting.

Please check the link to our RAS blog: http://richastro.org/index.php/category/blog/

Share table:

There were several items for sale, including a telescope, a few eyepieces by John Raymond.

There were a few free magazines and photos for anyone to look at.

Past Events:

Astronomy Day was a big success!!!!

Thanks to all members and everyone else who participated and made this another successful Astronomy Day for RAS.  Unfortunately, the clouds settled in and disrupted any solar observing that we were planning.  It appeared all attendees were enjoying themselves and really interested in all aspects of our Astronomy displays.

Science Museum Skywatch
Skywatch at Woodlake
Individual observing

Upcoming Events:

The next Science Museum Skywatch/LiveSky show is May 21.  Please sign-up if you are available to attend and bring a scope.
East Coast Star Party – May 14-15, Coinjock, NC   Expect a review of the party at the next meeting.
Skywatch at Moore Middle School, May 25, 8:30 PM (rain date is May 27, see Richastro calendar). 11455 Prince George Dr., Disputanta 23842.  Contact John Raymond at raymond7419@verizon.net if you can help.

Stargazing at City Point May 29, 8:00 PM
City Point Unit, Petersburg Nat’l Battlefield, 1001 Pecan Avenue, Hopewell, VA (see Richastro calendar).  Contact John Raymond at raymond7419@verizon.net if you can help.

Annual dues are due and should be given to Jim Blowers.  Membership is $30.  Observatory memberships and magazine subscriptions increase the amount.

Payment can be made by PayPal at http://richastro.org/ras_payments.htm

Observatory Report (John Barnett)

John Barnett will be hosting an open house for members and guests on Wednesday, June 16th at 8:30pm.  On the 15^th, he will email a weather advisory and a reminder to all members. Contact Jim Blowers to update yours if it has changed.

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