Meetings

July 2013 Meeting Minutes

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Richmond Astronomical Society 766th Consecutive Meeting July 9, 2013 Greetings – approximately 33 in attendance at the meeting. Jim Browder called our meeting to order in the Eureka meeting room. Announcements / Share Table Bill Jefferies had some equipment to show and sell Book on share table were used during tonight’s presentation Nametags for members … Read more

October 2013 Meeting Minutes

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  October 2013 Meeting Minutes September 2013 Meeting Minutes August 2013 Meeting Minutes July 2013 Meeting Minutes June 2013 Meeting Minutes May 2013 Meeting Minutes April 2013 Meeting Minutes March 2013 Meeting Minutes February 2013 Meeting Minutes January 2013 Meeting Minutes December 2012 Meeting Minutes November 2012 Meeting Minutes ——- Richmond Astronomical Society 769th Consecutive … Read more

June 2013 Meeting Minutes

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Richmond Astronomical Society 765th Consecutive Meeting June 11, 2013 —- Greetings – approximately 32 in attendance at the meeting. Jim Browder called our meeting to order in the Eureka meeting room. Announcements / Share Table John was cleaning house and brought in several things he wanted to get rid of. Most were give-aways, but he … Read more

May 2013 Meeting Minutes

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Richmond Astronomical Society 764th Consecutive Meeting May 14, 2013 —- Greetings – approximately 31 in attendance at the meeting. Jim Browder called our meeting to order in the Eureka meeting room. Announcements / Share Table • For individual sharing: Old SMV astronomical equipment, free for the taking. The C8 will be donated to the club. … Read more

April 2013 Meeting Minutes

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Richmond Astronomical Society 763rd Consecutive Meeting April 9, 2013 —-   Greetings – approximately 32 in attendance at the meeting. Jim Browder called our meeting to order in the Eureka meeting room.   Announcements / Share Table Antares on launch pad – scheduled to launch 4/17 at 5pm Civil Air Patrol offers teachers a free … Read more

March 2013 Meeting Minutes

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Richmond Astronomical Society 762nd Consecutive Meeting March 12, 2013 ————————————————— Announcements / Share Table Annual dues are due: This is the time of year when we ask our members to make sure their dues are paid for the upcoming year. Please contact Jim Blowers to pay dues or use the RAS web site at the … Read more

February 2013 Meeting Minutes

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Richmond Astronomical Society

761st Consecutive Meeting

February 12, 2013

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Greetings – approximately 32 in attendance at the meeting.

Jim Browder called our meeting to order in the Eureka meeting room.

 

Announcements / Share Table

  • Annual dues are due: This is the time of year when we ask our members to make sure their dues are paid for the upcoming year. Dues are $30 per year for regular membership, $10 additional for observatory operators. You can give your dues payment to our Treasurer, Jim Blowers, in person at a meeting or you can pay online with PayPal or by mail. Information on PayPal and mail payments is on the RAS web site under the “Membership/Dues Payment” link.
  • Jim Blowers has astronomical maps to show path of Comet PanStarrs
  • Books for Betty’s talk
  • John Barnett brought in a new Orion dobsonian telescope that he recently got a good deal on.  Facts: f’4, 100 mm lens diameter, approx 100x power, needs a Ploussel eyepiece.  Through it he saw the Moon and a “glorious Pleiades”.
  • JohnR is selling a rotating round table, large enough to hold a dob.  By using a 12volt battery, it can be used to handle an hour of tracking.
  • Prashant brought in a Photographic Moon Atlas, containing many amateur photos..
  • Madhu stated that someone in Providence Forge is selling a 12-inch Meade LX90 (make an offer)

 

 Library Report:

Virginia is starting to do inventory at the library.  Everything is great at the RAC where the library is.

The books she brought in for perusal and checking out:

  • How to Identify the Stars (1909)
  • Ancient Life (1991)
  • PBS Documentary:  Seeing in the Dark (2002)
  • Future of Space Time, by S. Hawkins
  • Sleepwatcher
  • Galaxies
  • Space Shots, with an introduction by Michael Collins
  • The Elegant Universe

 

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January 2013 Meeting Minutes

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Richmond Astronomical Society

760th Consecutive Meeting

January 8, 2013

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Greetings – approximately 30 in attendance at the meeting.

Jim Browder called our meeting to order in the Eureka meeting room.

 

Announcements / Share Table

  • Annual dues are due: This is the time of year when we ask our members to make sure their dues are paid for this year. Dues are $30 per year for regular membership, $10 additional for observatory operators. If you joined RAS after July 1 of this year, your dues payment will be credited to next year. You can give your dues payment to our Treasurer, Jim Blowers, in person at a meeting or you can pay online with PayPal or by mail. Information on PayPal and mail payments are on the RAS web site under the “Membership” link.
  • Dan S brought 3 books for display:
    • Glance at the Sciences (1844)
    • Stars in their Courses
    • Pamphlet – History of Xerxes Observatory (Chicago)
  • Leslie brought in an Albert Einstein bobble head.
  • Prashant brought in a Moon Atlas (Lunar Picture of the Day)
  • John R brought in “The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide”
  • Jim Blowers brought in the 2013 version of the Guy Ottewell Astronomical Calendar
  • Ken Wilson brought in another gadget, a defroster fan for your telescope.  He bought it at Harbour Freight.
  • Scientific Astrophotography: Local astronomer, accomplished astrophotographer and president of the Rappahannock Astronomical Society, Jerry Hubbell, has authored a book called,

“Scientific Astrophotography: How Amateurs Can Generate and Use Professional Imaging Data.”

The book is available at Amazon.com and has received some great reviews.  Recommended by Jim Browder.

 

Library Report – Virginia said that all is great and orderly at the library!

She brought 7 books in for us to look at and check out:

  • Blackholes and 100 other questions
  • Life on Other Worlds (1940)
  • Minding the Heavens
  • Amateur Astronomy (1957, by Patrick Moore, who just recently died)
  • Mysterious Universe
  • Out of This World Space Photography
  • Hubble Vision

 

Visitors:

  •  Maja White
  • Jess Rice

 

Events and Individual Observing

Recent Events:

  • ScienceMuseum Skywatch – cloudy, winded out
  • PowhatanCounty Library – nice, people there served hot chocolate.  Covered by members JimBr, Mark, John, Prashant, Madhu, David Hagen.
  • Belmead on the James Skywatch – best attendance ever, interest is picking up.
  • Courthouse – new doublestack and solar observing
  • Powhatan – Madhu said about 40-50 young orderly young kids arrived to see the Geminids.
  • Geminid status:  JohnR in Powhatan watched from 9pm-12mid, saw 1 per minute; several others observed in many places at different times and saw different rates.  Many reported bright fireballs.

 

 

Upcoming Events:

  • Science Museum Skywatch, Friday, January 18, at dusk. The LiveSky program preceding that at 6pm is named “The Whole Universe is in a HotDenseState”
  • Belmead on the James Skywatch, Saturday, February 16, 7:00 PM: Skywatch at Belmead on the James / Thomas Berry Educational Center, Powhatan. RAS will deploy astronomers and telescopes for the event and there will be an indoor introductory session prior to the observing session. This is an easily accessible dark sky location with plenty of parking adjacent to the observing site. Please contact Jim Browder at president@richastro.org if you can help with this event. More info about Belmead and the ThomasBerryEducationalCenter is at http://francisemma.org/.
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StauntonRiverState Park on March 7-10.  It is sponsored by the Chapel Hill Astronomy Club.  The Fall event was great and this event comes highly recommended.

NorthEast Astronomy Forum on April 20-21.  JohnR is “required” to be there.

 

 

Short talk: Ken Wilson found a 5-minute informative video on how Orion UK telescopes are made.  It’s on the web and part of the series “How’s It Made?”.

 

Break

 

Long Talk: Skylights of 2013, by Ken Wilson

Ken started off showing photos from the Solar eclipse expedition that he and Betty recently went on in Australia.  Wow!!!!!

For the past couple years, Ken has provided us during the January talk with a calendar of many things to look for during the entire year.  These are predictable naked-eye objects in the mid-northern atmosphere.  It does not include the unpredictable events like sunspot activity, auroras, fireballs, novas, supernovas, . . .

Here is his list.  Thanks Ken!!

 

Skylights of 2013 — Ken Wilson

 

January

3          Quadrantid Meteor Shower peaks (8 a.m.LQ 5)

21        Moon visits Jupiter

29        Zodiacal Light (evening) for next two weeks

 

February

8          Mercury 0.3° N. of Mars

11-13   Crescent Moon + Mercury + Mars

16        Mercury greatest E. elongation (18°)

27        Look for evening Zodiacal Light for next two weeks

 

March

12 – Apr 5        Comet Panstarrs

15 – 18             Moon+Jupiter

27 – 29            Moon+ Saturn

31                    Mercury at greatest W. elongation (38°)

 

April

11-14   Moon + Jupiter

20        Astronomy Day

22        Lyrid Meteor Shower peaks 7 a.m. (FM 25)

23-25   Moon + Saturn

25        Partial Lunar Eclipse (not vis. In U.S.)

28        Saturn at opposition

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December 2012 Meeting Minutes

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Richmond Astronomical Society 759th Consecutive Meeting December 11, 2012 —-   Greetings – approximately 26 in attendance at the meeting. Jim Browder called our meeting to order in the foyer outside of the Planetarium entrance.   Announcements / Share Table Annual dues are due: This is the time of year when we ask our members … Read more