August 2020 President’s message
by Steve Siok
So last night (July 21) Kathy and I were finally able to see Comet NEOWISE. It was positioned just below the bowl of the Big Dipper. I would like to share a couple of thoughts. Don’t think you are going to find it right after sunset! At least in this area, we had to wait until after all the stars in the dipper were obviously visible to the naked eye. We used Stellarium to locate it. It might be a good idea to start out with binoculars. First find the coma and then scan up to locate the tail. Look for the gas tail in addition to the dust tail. As you try to find it naked eye, begin with averted vision. Then see if you can see it direct on. As the next few weeks progress the comet will head south from the dipper toward Leo, placing it in darker skies away from sunset. But it will also be fading as it leaves the inner solar system. Good Luck!
Plans are proceeding for a virtual AstroAssembly! We will host it on Zoom just like our monthly meetings. We already have a keynote speaker and are looking for a few more. We are trying for a theme of photography and imaging. The meeting will take place in the afternoon, no evening lecture. So keep in touch. More news will follow.
Speaking of Zoom, several members have been reluctant to join our virtual meetings. Remember, you do not need a Zoom account to enter our meeting. Just click on the link in the announcement email sent to you. It will automatically let you into the “waiting room”. The host will let you in before the meeting starts. If you still have trouble please call a member to help you out.
And finally, our virtual meetings have attracted a long time member to rejoin us. Greg Shanos was a member in the 80’s and 90’s prior to moving to Florida. Greg will be presenting our December meeting.
So everyone, stay safe and keep looking up.
