President's Message: January 2012
by Tom Thibault
Dear Skyscrapers Members,
Hopefully all of you good little stargazers received some new observing gadgets this holiday season. The winter solstice has passed and the winter skies are amongst the best to test out those new goodies. Jupiter continues to dominate the evening and some of the premiere deep sky objects have begun to display their wares. To me, the winter skies are the best, the skies appear their darkest, the air is crisp, and the nights start early.
It was good to see so many of you at our December Holiday Meeting. The Skyscrapers tradition of our membership gathering to feast with friends continued with a fabulous Pot Luck spread of varied dishes. Our speaker Richard Sanderson’s, “Night of Raining Fire” was captivating. As Richard read the eyewitness accounts of the 1833 Meteor Storm, I became envious of those that had witnessed this rare astronomical event. I find history an interesting subject to begin with, but add the astronomy component, and you have me hooked.
Bob Horton and Bob Napier put together a wonderful display honoring long time member John Hopf. It included numerous examples of John’s work as a professional photographer as well as stunning photos of comets he captured during his lifetime. Our attendees were treated to an early holiday gift. All were invited to choose one of numerous postcard examples of John’s works in memory of our fellow Skyscraper. Bob Horton also, to the delight of the crowd, shared a great aerial photo of John within a small plane accompanied by a pair of UFO’s, apparently John’s reputation as a great photographer had spread throughout the universe.
As you all know, light pollution is the bane of all those with an interest in astronomy. There are studies now showing that light pollution is not only hindering our view of the night sky, but are also having effects on us physically. January’s Meeting will feature the film “City Dark”. Francine Jackson will present the film and has extended an invitation to our membership to invite any of their public officials to attend. If we want to see improvements regarding this issue, we need to have those representing us to work on our behalf.
Our Observatory Committee and Outreach Program have completed a very active year. Even with the late start last year, our Public Nights finished strong due to the lack of snow and ice. We have added to the ranks of the committee two additional members and invite all to come up and join us on Saturday Nights. We participated and hosted a good number of Public Outreach events and shared the beauty of the universe with hundreds. We’ve had a great year displaying our commitment to public education. I would like to encourage anyone with the time and interest to come join us in our mission.
Clear Skies
Tom Thibault
Skyscrapers
President
