May 2024

It is my honor and pleasure to serve you once again as President. My main goal for the coming year is to engage a larger segment of the membership in Skyscrapers’ activities. What activities can we offer that you would attend? Think about it! I will be sending a survey soon to glean information from you to help us with planning activities for the coming year. In the meantime, if an idea strikes you, please contact our new chair of the Program Committee, Dan Fountain, at deanofountino@gmail.com.

If you are interested in getting started in astrophotography and don’t know where to start, here’s an opportunity for you – NASA’s 2024 Summer Astrophoto Challenge. The challenge starts May 20th and runs through July 31st. No need to have your own telescope or camera. Make your own image of Cassiopeia A (Cas A) using James Webb Space Telescope data. Use real astronomical data and tools to create your own images of Cas A. Use your images to explore the supernova remnant or focus on creating an image that you think is beautiful. You can capture your own real-time telescope image using the MicroObservatory robotic telescope network, or work with a set of data files taken with multi-wavelength space-based missions from NASA, ESA, and CSA (Hubble, Webb, Chandra, Spitzer). Visit the NASA’s Astrophoto Challenge page for more information about the project, and see how to work with NASA data by reviewing past challenges. Link: https://mo-www.cfa.harvard.edu/OWN/astrophoto/index.html

You have been challenged, by NASA and by me. Let me know if you decide to participate in the Summer Astrophoto Challenge, and if we get more than three, we will judge the results and award a prize to the winner. I may just give it a try myself!

Warm wishes and clear skies,

Linda