May 2011
President's Message: May 2011
By Tom ThibaultDear Skyscrapers Members,
Spring has sprung at Seagrave and as Dave Huestis noted, the glaciers have receded. We were able to open the observatory for Public Viewing for the first time this year on March 19th. We had an enthusiastic crowd all wanting to take in a close-up view of the “Super Moon”. It was a great evening; the weather was what we all have been waiting for — relatively warm and clear skies.
The evening began with naked eye views of Jupiter and Mercury’s twilight conjunction above the western horizon. Our visitors where then treated with a tour of the observatory and recently restored 8-1/4” Alvan Clark. Dave enlightened our visitors to the historical facts of Frank E. Seagrave, the Clark and observatory, as well as Skyscrapers. The scopes went into operation including Bob Horton’s home-made reflector, and the society’s 12” Meade. The early part of the evening was focused on the Orion Nebula, a scattering of deep sky objects, and of course the “Super Moon”. The end of the evening treated those that remained to a splendid view of Saturn which had risen high enough in the east to clear the tree line. I urge all interested in sharing their knowledge of the night sky to volunteer to assist on Open Public Nights and to contact our Trustee’s regarding training on our equipment. These activities will provide you with great satisfaction and contribute to our mission as Skyscrapers.
Our April Meeting featured our own Steve Hubbard. He exposed us all to the wonders of modern technology as it relates to astro-imaging and viewing through the use of his Mallincam video camera. Steve treated us to some wonderful pictures he captured with this device. He informed us he is still learning the nuances of the Mallincam, so I look forward to seeing additional photo’s in the future. Steve is also intending to have the Mallincam set-up on the 16” Meade from time to time and I urge all to take the opportunity to see the views it provides. You will be amazed. Let me extend a thank you to Steve Hubbard from all of us for sharing the amazing capabilities of the Mallincam.
Our business meeting followed, the results of our election were announced by Dave Hurdis. Penny Lesperance and Dave Hurdis tallied the ballots that evening revealing the re-election of myself as President, John Briggs as 1st Vice President, Ed Haskell as Secretary, Jim Crawford as Treasurer, and Gene Kusmierz as Member at Large. The results also revealed Kathy Siok as our newly elected 2nd Vice President, Jim Hendrickson as Member at Large, and Steve Siok as Trustee. Congratulations to all and I look forward to working with you all as well as our current Trustee’s Tom Barbish and Pat Landers. Let me thank Ed Haskell and Linda Bergemann for heading our Nomination and Election Committee’s. The hard work by both of you and your assistants is greatly appreciated by myself and the society.
Our 2011/2012 Operating Budget was discussed and approved by vote of the membership. I thank all those who participated in the discussions and the support of all the membership in its approval. The conclusion of our elections and approval of our operating budget has paved the way for another successful year for Skyscrapers.
Lastly, a number of members’ activities were announced for the end of April, a visit to the Charles Hayden Planetarium, Constellation Night, and CCD Marathon. I sure all will find an interest in one or more of these, so come join us. Information regarding these activities can be found on our Web Site, http://www.theskyscrapers.org/
Clear Skies
Tom Thibault
The Past, Present, and Future of the Van Vleck Observatory
Roy KilgardThe Van Vleck Observatory sits atop Wesleyan University's Campus in
Middletown, CT, painting a scenic backdrop for all who visit the
University. For 175 years, Wesleyan has been the site of active
astronomical research, and the Van Vleck Observatory is currently the
home to two telescopes of note: a 20" Alvan Clark refractor and a 24"
Boller and Chivens Cassegrain telescope. I will provide a brief
overview of the Observatory, its historical instruments, its scientific
work, and the people who have called VVO home. I will then turn to the
present, discussing observations currently taking place with modern
instruments on campus and at facilities around (and above!) the world.
Bio:
Roy Kilgard grew up in rural south Georgia near one of the best dark sky locations in the eastern United States, and became a dedicated observer from an early age, using a 4" Newtonian reflector with no clock drive. He attended Valdosta State University, triple-majoring in Astronomy, Physics, and Philosophy. While there, he and 3 college friends attempted the Messier Marathon twice, finding (and sketching) 83 objects the second time.
From 1997 to 2001, he worked at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics as a research assistant for the Chandra X-ray Observatory; primarily writing and documenting analysis software and providing support for observers.
From 2001 to 2005, Roy attended graduate school in a joint program between the University of Leicester (in the English midlands) and the Center for Astrophysics, hopping back-and-forth across the Atlantic every few months. In 2005, he completed his Ph.D. in astrophysics, entitled "The X-ray Point Source Populations of Spiral and Star Forming Galaxies", and returned to the Center for Astrophysics full-time as a research astronomer and post-doctoral scholar.
In 2007, Roy moved to Connecticut and the Van Vleck Observatory at Wesleyan University, where he is now a Research Assistant Professor of Astronomy. His research emphasis is in X-ray emission from galaxies, with recent work centered on stellar- and intermediate-mass black holes and their link to episodic star formation events in galaxies. His most recent achievement is the birth of his first child, Tabetha Patrice Kilgard, born March 7th, 2011.
Related Links
