June 2011
President's Message: June 2011
By Tom ThibaultDear Skyscrapers Members,
Our weather has been getting warmer, but the clouds continue to dampen our efforts to gaze upon the starry skies. The remnants of the powerful storms in the central and southeast regions have been finding their way to New England. Yet we have had a number of Public Viewing Nights and hopefully the number will continue to increase.
The arrival of the warmer weather provides an excellent opportunity for interested members to consider volunteering to assist on our Public Viewing Nights. Please consider joining the members of the Observing Committee on Saturday evenings. The personal satisfaction of sharing the night sky with the young, old, and families is very gratifying.
This also provides a great opportunity for you to view through our society’s wonderful telescopes. All experience levels are welcome and what better way to learn than through the tutelage and camaraderie of our membership. Our trustee’s can be contacted regarding training on our society’s telescopes for those interested in joining the Observatory Committee.
Our May meeting featured Professor Roy Kilgard of Wesleyan University’s Van Vleck Observatory. He provided an interesting overview of the past, present, and future of the Van Vleck Observatory. The presentation included historical photos of its original facilities and equipment, as well as the current state of the observatory. Roy outlined the astronomical contributions of the past and continuing research of the present. The Van Vleck Observatory is a beautiful facility with a rich historical background and with its close proximity to Rhode Island deserves to be on your list of locations to visit.
Our business meeting followed and included membership appreciation noted for our exiting 2nd Vice President Steve Hubbard and Trustee Jim Brenek. Their terms of service have ended and their contributions to Skyscrapers have been significant. Steve and Jim, thank you both so much. Al Hall informed us of the upcoming StarConn event presented by ASGH., and invited all to attend. The ASGH annual event is being held on June 4th at Wesleyan University in Middleton, CT. Information on the event for those interested can be found at http://www.asgh.org. Bob Forgiel listed a number of upcoming Public Outreach Programs. It appears Skyscrapers will be busy this year sharing the night sky, so I urge all members to consider volunteering to assist in our mission of educating both our membership and the public to the wonders of astronomy.
Lastly, it was noted that our first Members Night Program “Constellations” was a success, Dave Huestis and Francine Jackson hosted a great session. The group was treated to Dave’s informative explanations of the workings of our night sky in conjunction with Francine’s colorful mythological tales of our featured spring constellations. Our second session of the program featuring the Summer Constellations is being scheduled. I invite all to attend, what’s better than a night under the stars with friends that is both informative and just plain fun.
Unfortunately, the scheduled CCD Marathon was postponed due to the weather. Bob Horton noted a rescheduling of this event will be forthcoming. Astrophotography has become increasingly affordable and now within the reach the reach of most everyone. What better way to determine if this avenue of astronomy interests you than discussing with those that currently find it so rewarding. It’s also a perfect opportunity for those currently involved to exchange their knowledge and expose each other to different equipment and formats. New programs and updates regarding current activities can be found on our Web Site, http://www.theskyscrapers.org/.
We have recently received some generous donations; all those that attended our May meeting were treated to our new projection screen donated by our own Jerry Jeffrey. Jerry’s donation included a digital projector as well and will also be put to good use. Thank you, Jerry, from the entire membership. We received a number of astronomical items donated by Dan and Lois Von Riesen. We have cataloged all the items and will be using a number of them here at Seagrave. The remaining items will be offered to our membership. Please refer to the posting in this month’s newsletter regarding the items and the process for acquiring those you find of interest.
My final note to all: 2011/2012 membership dues were payable beginning in April. If you haven’t remitted your dues please do so at your earliest convenience to continue your support of Skyscrapers. Dues can be mailed to Skyscrapers Inc., 47 Peeptoad Road, North Scituate, RI. 02857, Attn: Jim Crawford, or feel free to see Jim personally during any of our functions he is in attendance.
Clear Skies
Tom Thibault
Skyscrapers
President
"The Power of Stars" - How Civilizations have Responded to the Sky
Bryan E. PenprasePomona College Professor and author Dr. Bryan Penprase discusses his new book "The Power of Stars" and describes the variety of constellations, cosmologies and calendars from cultures across the world and through the centuries. Using a wide variety of sources, Dr. Penprase presents a visual feast of astronomy, with constellation maps, aerial views of aligned celestial structures, and images of the universe as created by a wide range of cultures. He will also discuss how our modern civilization responds to the sky, both with architecture and the dazzling array of new discoveries such as Dark Matter and Dark Energy, and how our modern picture of the universe arose from the work of astronomers such as Herschel, Hale, Hubble and others.
Related Links
Postponed star party turned out to be the best night of the year
The Circumpolar Constellations
: By Francine Jackson
β Scorpii
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