April 2011
President's Message: April 2011
By Tom ThibaultDear Skyscrapers Members,
It appears Mother Nature has heard our pleas and has relinquished her grip with Old Man Winter; the sun’s rays have been shining higher, stronger, and longer. This winter is coming to an end, the Spring Solstice has arrived and the winter’s snows are melting. With winter now behind us its time to go out and do what we all enjoy so much, getting out below the night skies and to take in the wonders of the universe.
Our March meeting featured our own Prof. Savvas Koushiappas who treated us all to a wonderful presentation on his ongoing research of cosmic gamma rays. Let me extend a thank you to Prof. Savvas from all of us for sharing some of his knowledge of this interesting subject.
Our business meeting followed, which highlighted that Skyscrapers has a busy month ahead of us. Our 2011-12 operating budget was presented and will be discussed and voted on during our April meeting; please take the time to review our proposal in this month’s newsletter. Ed Haskell, who headed up our Nomination Committee, presented this years slate of candidates for our society as well as soliciting nominations from the floor. This was followed by Linda Bergemann, head of our Election Committee. Linda outlined our election procedures in preparation for the April elections. I urge all members to participate in our elections and to support whom they feel will best represent Skyscrapers in the upcoming year.
We also displayed a Google Earth satellite photo of Seagrave and abutting properties. The photograph was provided by Gene Allen, our neighbor who has generously offered to clear trees from areas of his property abutting Seagrave. As I write this message, Jim Brenek has informed us that the clearing has begun and our access to the night skies is increasing. This is exciting news and we can not thank Gene Allen enough for his generosity. Thank you Gene.
Lastly, since December we have been gathering Member Surveys in regards to members’ interests in an effort to determine and create Member Only Programs and Activities. We have compiled the returns and I am pleased to announce our first program. The returns have shown a great interest in naked-eye viewing and constellations as well as the mythology related to them. It is our intention to schedule quarterly members’ nights for the purpose of viewing our seasonal skies and identifying the prominent constellations of that season and discuss their related mythology. Please take the time to see the related information in this month newsletter regarding this program. Additional programs in the future will be developed based on the survey returns, so visit our web site periodically for updates.
Clear Skies
Tom Thibault
The Mallincam miracle. Real time enhanced observing of deep sky objects and planets
Steve HubbardWhen I started observing over 35 years ago, visual observing was fun. Modest sized telescopes could show most deep sky objects visually from locations even near big cities. Since then, light pollution has wiped out much of the night sky view for us. From my backyard near Worcester, ever growing light pollution has erased my ability to see all but the brightest deep sky objects even with a 16 inch telescope. Since obtaining a Mallincam imaging system a year ago, my interest in observing has been revitalized by amazing color images in real time literally cutting through the light pollution and giving views similar to those through telescopes 3 times the size that the Mallincam is attached to. The Mallincam is a small miracle with incredible sensitivity and versatility that is revolutionizing observing.
Members’ Night: Constellations
