I mentioned it in a previous post, but now I'd like to formally announce the San Jose Astronomical Association's new Mentoring Program - An Introduction to Observational Astronomy. This program, available to SJAA members, has a prime objective of pairing up people new to the hobby with others who have experience to share and can make themselves available to help get the new folks up to speed in a safe and personal environment.
This program covers the following areas:
- how the night sky works,
- the types of objects you can see,
- the types of scopes available to use,
- how how to find objects,
- and many additional topics.
Taking place monthly, the mentoring program provides a crash course designed to get you up to speed in two nights. The first night, held at San Jose's Houge Park on a Friday night, is a hands on personal tour of the gear and the tools so that you know what you're doing. The second night, held at a local, semi dark site, will be spent under the stars, getting some hands on experience practicing chart reading and star hopping skills. You'll be there with someone to guide you and let you ask those seemingly stupid questions (disclaimer: there's no such thing). After the two nights, you should be self sufficient to take it from there, though of course, as an alum, you will always have someone to turn to with questions.
Like I mentioned, this program is available to SJAA members (basic annual membership is only $20), and the SJAA also has a fantastic telescope loaning program in the event you don't have your own scope yet because you don't where to start. It's the perfect combination and a heck of a deal!
Dave Ittner is the brains and the brawn behind this program. He's also the main mentor who's sharing his skills. Members are encouraged to participate, as either a mentee (someone who could use the personal guidance) or a mentor (if you would like to reap the rewards of giving newbies an initial, confidence building boost). For additional information or to join the program please contact Dave Ittner at sjaamentor <at> gmail.com.
Speaking for the SJAA, I am proud to share this new and valuable program to help achieve the organization's mission of educating the public in science and astronomy.
Rob Jaworski
Secretary
San Jose Astronomical Association
04 February 2012
11 January 2012
Dr Filippenko's Dedication of his SJAA Talk
Before too much time slips by after Dr. Alex Filippenko's talk at last Saturday's SJAA meeting, I would like to provide a recap of the exciting event. But I will do that separately; right now, I'd like to let you know that Dr. Filippenko dedicated his talk to a close friend and colleague of his who recently passed, Weidong Li. Weidong was described by Alex as instrumental and invaluable to his research. Alex also mentioned that Weidong's family is now struggling financially and could use some assistance. He said that a web site has been established in Weidong's memory and to manage donations. The SJAA would like to make a respectful request to its membership that if it's at all possible, please help Weidong's family by making a donation at the web site above, either by sending a check or using PayPal.
Dr. Filippenko wrote the following about the time he was able to spend with Weidong.
Weidong and the Lick Observatory Supernova Search
by Alex Filippenko, Professor of Astronomy, UC Berkeley
------------------------------------------------
In 1996, my team at UC Berkeley completed the Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope (KAIT) at Lick Observatory, a 0.76-meter robotic reflector whose purpose was to discover and monitor supernovae (exploding stars). Dick Treffers (my chief engineer) made most of the hardware work correctly, and Michael Richmond (my graduate student) had written much of the software several years earlier. We found our first supernova (SN 1997bs) in April 1997; see http://stupendous.rit.edu/richmond/kait/ngc3627.html .
But progress on our Lick Observatory Supernova Search (LOSS) was slow; I didn't have anyone dedicated full time to the project. So, I advertized for a postdoctoral researcher and was delighted when Weidong Li, a young graduate at the Beijing Astronomical Observatory, applied for the job. I knew that Weidong led a team that found SN 1996W and several other supernovae using a telescope quite similar to KAIT. (I think this makes him the first Chinese astronomer to discover a supernova since 1054 AD!) I offered him the position and was delighted when he accepted.
Weidong arrived at UC Berkeley in September 1997, and though it took him a few months to improve the software enough, in March 1998 he found SN 1998W and SN 1998Y, and LOSS really got going. The rest, as they say, is history: LOSS became, for about a decade, the world's most successful nearby supernova
search, responsible for about 40% of those found each year; see http://astro.berkeley.edu/bait/public_html/kait.html .
In total, it discovered almost 900 supernovae, many of which were quite young and thus scientifically most valuable. All of this was due to Weidong's incredible dedication, knowledge, ability, and enthusiasm. I have rarely met anyone as driven and passionate about their work; whenever there were problems with KAIT, for example, he would drive up to Lick Observatory and try to fix them, sometimes spending several days on the
mountain with little sleep. If a really time-critical and exciting event came up, like a gamma-ray burst, he would stay up late at home, making sure KAIT conducted a thorough set of follow-up observations of the optical afterglow. I greatly admired him for all that he did.
Weidong became my right-hand man, leading LOSS and also collaborating with me on a very large number of research papers. I trusted him completely with everything KAIT did, and gave him nearly full authority in running LOSS. He also played a large role (and in many cases the leading role) in mentoring many dozens of undergraduate students who checked the KAIT supernova candidates each day, as well as some graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in my group. For example, he was the main advisor to Jesse Leaman, whose PhD thesis was the supernova rate in galaxies as derived from LOSS. Weidong and I were very proud that he played such a major part in developing the careers of so many young new scholars.
In public and technical presentations, I highlighted Weidong's enormous contributions, joking that my main goal each year was to secure his funding, and also that KAIT/LOSS would completely fall apart if he were to be "hit by a bus." I always worried that he might be lured away from me by another research group, or by a higher paying nonacademic job... but I couldn't imagine that the world would lose him so suddenly, forever.
Weidong was a great astronomer and a wonderful friend. In many ways he was irreplaceable, and my research team will never be the same without him. He was also a very warm, generous, cheerful person who wanted to enrich the lives of others and make them happy. He had amazing spirit, and was tremendously excited about astronomy. It's difficult to believe that he is no longer with us, and his unexpected, tragic departure has created a hole in my heart that will never again be filled.
Farewell, my dear Weidong. We had an amazing 14 years doing science together, and I'll always cherish your memory.
Dr. Filippenko wrote the following about the time he was able to spend with Weidong.
Weidong and the Lick Observatory Supernova Search
by Alex Filippenko, Professor of Astronomy, UC Berkeley
------------------------------------------------
In 1996, my team at UC Berkeley completed the Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope (KAIT) at Lick Observatory, a 0.76-meter robotic reflector whose purpose was to discover and monitor supernovae (exploding stars). Dick Treffers (my chief engineer) made most of the hardware work correctly, and Michael Richmond (my graduate student) had written much of the software several years earlier. We found our first supernova (SN 1997bs) in April 1997; see http://stupendous.rit.edu/richmond/kait/ngc3627.html .
But progress on our Lick Observatory Supernova Search (LOSS) was slow; I didn't have anyone dedicated full time to the project. So, I advertized for a postdoctoral researcher and was delighted when Weidong Li, a young graduate at the Beijing Astronomical Observatory, applied for the job. I knew that Weidong led a team that found SN 1996W and several other supernovae using a telescope quite similar to KAIT. (I think this makes him the first Chinese astronomer to discover a supernova since 1054 AD!) I offered him the position and was delighted when he accepted.
Weidong arrived at UC Berkeley in September 1997, and though it took him a few months to improve the software enough, in March 1998 he found SN 1998W and SN 1998Y, and LOSS really got going. The rest, as they say, is history: LOSS became, for about a decade, the world's most successful nearby supernova
search, responsible for about 40% of those found each year; see http://astro.berkeley.edu/bait/public_html/kait.html .
In total, it discovered almost 900 supernovae, many of which were quite young and thus scientifically most valuable. All of this was due to Weidong's incredible dedication, knowledge, ability, and enthusiasm. I have rarely met anyone as driven and passionate about their work; whenever there were problems with KAIT, for example, he would drive up to Lick Observatory and try to fix them, sometimes spending several days on the
mountain with little sleep. If a really time-critical and exciting event came up, like a gamma-ray burst, he would stay up late at home, making sure KAIT conducted a thorough set of follow-up observations of the optical afterglow. I greatly admired him for all that he did.
Weidong became my right-hand man, leading LOSS and also collaborating with me on a very large number of research papers. I trusted him completely with everything KAIT did, and gave him nearly full authority in running LOSS. He also played a large role (and in many cases the leading role) in mentoring many dozens of undergraduate students who checked the KAIT supernova candidates each day, as well as some graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in my group. For example, he was the main advisor to Jesse Leaman, whose PhD thesis was the supernova rate in galaxies as derived from LOSS. Weidong and I were very proud that he played such a major part in developing the careers of so many young new scholars.
In public and technical presentations, I highlighted Weidong's enormous contributions, joking that my main goal each year was to secure his funding, and also that KAIT/LOSS would completely fall apart if he were to be "hit by a bus." I always worried that he might be lured away from me by another research group, or by a higher paying nonacademic job... but I couldn't imagine that the world would lose him so suddenly, forever.
Weidong was a great astronomer and a wonderful friend. In many ways he was irreplaceable, and my research team will never be the same without him. He was also a very warm, generous, cheerful person who wanted to enrich the lives of others and make them happy. He had amazing spirit, and was tremendously excited about astronomy. It's difficult to believe that he is no longer with us, and his unexpected, tragic departure has created a hole in my heart that will never again be filled.
Farewell, my dear Weidong. We had an amazing 14 years doing science together, and I'll always cherish your memory.
02 January 2012
Looking Back, Looking Forward
Now that the year has come to a close and another has already begun its limited engagement, on behalf of the SJAA, I would like to take a look back at the year now done and recap the accomplishments of the club.
In January, our loaner program took a much needed revamp as we took receipt of seven new Orion Dobs, all of the XT Classic variety, ranging from a six inch to a ten inch model. Once those scopes were assembled and made available for loan, they were all quickly snatched up by members eager to give them a try. They all have been out on continuous loan since. I'd like to give a big Thank You to Dr. Lee Hoglan for continuing to run our valuable loaner program and ensuring that these new units are available to our members.
In the fall, the board took up the discussion again about the club acquiring a solar scope, with an intention of creating a Solar Observing program. A solar scope committee was formed, and after thoughtful deliberation, the decision was made to put in an order for a 100mm Lunt Visual Package. This telescope will be the keystone of the new Solar Observing Program, which is being spearheaded by SJAA member Michael Packer. More information will soon be on the Announce mail list, but let me give a preview by saying that the solar scope will be set up for public viewing on a roughly monthly basis at a regular location, most likely at our base of operations, Houge Park. We will also bring it to outreach events such as art and wine festivals and other community events to further our educational mission.
Speaking of Michael Packer, he is not only a member of the club, but he is now the newest member of the SJAA Board of Directors. At the December board meeting, Michael joined the board in a special vote to fill a vacancy left by departing board member Gordon Reade.
Also speaking of outreach activities, we have been trying to raise the visibility of the SJAA in the local San Jose and south bay community. In 2010, we manned a booth at the Celebrate Cambrian festival, an event put on by the City of San Jose to bring residents closer to local business and community organizations. In 2011, we did it again at the same event, with an estimated 700 people stopping by to take a peek at the sun through a properly fitted solar filtered telescope. We had so much interest that this past September, for the first time and on very short notice, we were provided with a chance to have a booth at the Almaden Art and Wine Festival in San Jose. A call was put out to the SJAA members, and a very generous handful of individuals stepped up to work a couple of hours at the booth, again, providing information about the SJAA and nice late summer views of the sun.
This year, the SJAA has developed a Mentoring Program to help members who are new to astronomy get into the hobby. Dave Ittner is driving the effort and making himself available as the charter mentor, and is looking for people who are interested in being mentored as well as more experienced people who can play the mentor role. More information will be forthcoming to both the Announce mail list as well as the website about the Mentor Program, but if you can't wait, please contact Dave directly.
On another outreach front, the SJAA is working with the Santa Clara County Open Space District to support their Starry Nights program. The program is the brainchild of SJAA member Chris Kelly, a docent at the Open Space District, and involves providing the public a chance to view the night sky from a relatively dark site in the south bay area, the District's Rancho Cañada del Oro preserve. Beyond Chris, the SJAA has been represented there at least three times throughout the course of the year, and we are working on making this site available, under certain conditions, to the SJAA. If you are not familiar with the Open Space District, please visit their website and plan a trip to their preserves, and be sure to keep a watch for the next Starry Nights event at Rancho Cañada del Oro.
What also needs mentioning is the school star party program. Almost every weeknight of the school year, dedicated volunteers with the SJAA, led by long time member and two time Gregory Award winner Jim Van Nuland, are out at a local south bay area schools, showing the night sky with a variety of telescopes. What keeps them going are the Oohs and Aahhs coming from the students, teachers and parents as they see, for the first time, Saturns rings or the craters of Earth's moon or the Galilean satellites of Jupiter.
The Dr. A. B. Gregory Award is the formal SJAA recognition of a member of the local amateur astronomy community who has demonstrated "Outstanding Contributions of Time and Effort to Others in Amateur Astronomy". In 2011, the award was presented to Rick Morales, a long time ranger at Fremont Peak State Park who was instrumental in helping to establish the Fremont Peak Observatory. A very well deserved congratulations to Rick!
Finally, the club has continued to support its mission to provide educational opportunities to the public by organizing and hosting beginner astronomy classes and monthly speakers. We have had a fantastic line up of speakers come throughout the year; the list of past speakers and their topics can be found at this link. We have a good pipeline of speakers for 2012 already, and leading the pack at January's General Meeting, which is coming this Saturday, 7 January, is the very engaging and entertaining Dr. Alex Filippenko. This is a lecture not to be missed, and I expect we will have a full house!
Of course, the SJAA will continue its tradition of hosting Friday night public star parties at Houge Park. The 2012 calendar has been developed and is available for review, which includes not just our Friday night events but the General Meetings, our annual auction and swap meet, and all of our regular events.
Be sure that you are signed up for the SJAA Announce mail list, or at least check the website regularly for upcoming events. Looking back at 2011 makes it obvious that the SJAA is a vibrant and engaged organization that meets its educational mission in a variety of ways. And there are more ways and other ideas too! If you have an inkling to get involved and be an active part of the SJAA, we would love to help you get started! Don't hesitate to contact me, Rob Jaworski, or any member of the board. Or, drop by any of the SJAA Board meetings, which are held at the same location and about 90 minutes before the start of the monthly General Meetings.
Have a great 2012, and we look forward to seeing you in the dark!
In January, our loaner program took a much needed revamp as we took receipt of seven new Orion Dobs, all of the XT Classic variety, ranging from a six inch to a ten inch model. Once those scopes were assembled and made available for loan, they were all quickly snatched up by members eager to give them a try. They all have been out on continuous loan since. I'd like to give a big Thank You to Dr. Lee Hoglan for continuing to run our valuable loaner program and ensuring that these new units are available to our members.
In the fall, the board took up the discussion again about the club acquiring a solar scope, with an intention of creating a Solar Observing program. A solar scope committee was formed, and after thoughtful deliberation, the decision was made to put in an order for a 100mm Lunt Visual Package. This telescope will be the keystone of the new Solar Observing Program, which is being spearheaded by SJAA member Michael Packer. More information will soon be on the Announce mail list, but let me give a preview by saying that the solar scope will be set up for public viewing on a roughly monthly basis at a regular location, most likely at our base of operations, Houge Park. We will also bring it to outreach events such as art and wine festivals and other community events to further our educational mission.
Speaking of Michael Packer, he is not only a member of the club, but he is now the newest member of the SJAA Board of Directors. At the December board meeting, Michael joined the board in a special vote to fill a vacancy left by departing board member Gordon Reade.
Also speaking of outreach activities, we have been trying to raise the visibility of the SJAA in the local San Jose and south bay community. In 2010, we manned a booth at the Celebrate Cambrian festival, an event put on by the City of San Jose to bring residents closer to local business and community organizations. In 2011, we did it again at the same event, with an estimated 700 people stopping by to take a peek at the sun through a properly fitted solar filtered telescope. We had so much interest that this past September, for the first time and on very short notice, we were provided with a chance to have a booth at the Almaden Art and Wine Festival in San Jose. A call was put out to the SJAA members, and a very generous handful of individuals stepped up to work a couple of hours at the booth, again, providing information about the SJAA and nice late summer views of the sun.
This year, the SJAA has developed a Mentoring Program to help members who are new to astronomy get into the hobby. Dave Ittner is driving the effort and making himself available as the charter mentor, and is looking for people who are interested in being mentored as well as more experienced people who can play the mentor role. More information will be forthcoming to both the Announce mail list as well as the website about the Mentor Program, but if you can't wait, please contact Dave directly.
On another outreach front, the SJAA is working with the Santa Clara County Open Space District to support their Starry Nights program. The program is the brainchild of SJAA member Chris Kelly, a docent at the Open Space District, and involves providing the public a chance to view the night sky from a relatively dark site in the south bay area, the District's Rancho Cañada del Oro preserve. Beyond Chris, the SJAA has been represented there at least three times throughout the course of the year, and we are working on making this site available, under certain conditions, to the SJAA. If you are not familiar with the Open Space District, please visit their website and plan a trip to their preserves, and be sure to keep a watch for the next Starry Nights event at Rancho Cañada del Oro.
What also needs mentioning is the school star party program. Almost every weeknight of the school year, dedicated volunteers with the SJAA, led by long time member and two time Gregory Award winner Jim Van Nuland, are out at a local south bay area schools, showing the night sky with a variety of telescopes. What keeps them going are the Oohs and Aahhs coming from the students, teachers and parents as they see, for the first time, Saturns rings or the craters of Earth's moon or the Galilean satellites of Jupiter.
The Dr. A. B. Gregory Award is the formal SJAA recognition of a member of the local amateur astronomy community who has demonstrated "Outstanding Contributions of Time and Effort to Others in Amateur Astronomy". In 2011, the award was presented to Rick Morales, a long time ranger at Fremont Peak State Park who was instrumental in helping to establish the Fremont Peak Observatory. A very well deserved congratulations to Rick!
Finally, the club has continued to support its mission to provide educational opportunities to the public by organizing and hosting beginner astronomy classes and monthly speakers. We have had a fantastic line up of speakers come throughout the year; the list of past speakers and their topics can be found at this link. We have a good pipeline of speakers for 2012 already, and leading the pack at January's General Meeting, which is coming this Saturday, 7 January, is the very engaging and entertaining Dr. Alex Filippenko. This is a lecture not to be missed, and I expect we will have a full house!
Of course, the SJAA will continue its tradition of hosting Friday night public star parties at Houge Park. The 2012 calendar has been developed and is available for review, which includes not just our Friday night events but the General Meetings, our annual auction and swap meet, and all of our regular events.
Be sure that you are signed up for the SJAA Announce mail list, or at least check the website regularly for upcoming events. Looking back at 2011 makes it obvious that the SJAA is a vibrant and engaged organization that meets its educational mission in a variety of ways. And there are more ways and other ideas too! If you have an inkling to get involved and be an active part of the SJAA, we would love to help you get started! Don't hesitate to contact me, Rob Jaworski, or any member of the board. Or, drop by any of the SJAA Board meetings, which are held at the same location and about 90 minutes before the start of the monthly General Meetings.
Have a great 2012, and we look forward to seeing you in the dark!
04 November 2011
Solar Viewing
As a local, community based astronomy club, the San Jose Astronomical Association mainly focuses on night time activities. After all, this is when the stars are out and viewing celestial objects is best.
There are, however, opportunities to conduct astronomical viewing during the day. Some people challenge themselves by trying to view brighter planets during the day. Or they see if they can view or even photograph the International Space Station against a blue daytime sky. But there is one huge object that sometimes doesn't get its due when it comes to amateur astronomy, that being our own star that powers us all, the Sun.
A post this week by SpaceWeather.com alerted readers to a huge sunspot that recently developed. The alert noted that "[o]ne of the biggest sunspot groups in many years has just emerged over the sun's eastern limb. The sunspot's magnetic canopy is crackling with M-class (medium-sized) solar flares and seems poised to launch even stronger X-class eruptions. The sunspot, named AR1339, is not yet directly facing Earth but it will be turning toward our planet in the days ahead." After a long time with little solar activity, it seems that the Sun is starting to wake up again, and sun spots and prominences will again be regular events viewable from the surface of the earth by amateur astronomers.
Lately, the SJAA Board of Directors has been discussing acquiring a solar telescope for the club's use. While it would not be slated as part of the Loaner Program fleet of telescopes, it would be available for club use during events such as school star parties, swap meets, auctions and other events. The board has a committee made up of Rich N. and Robert A. that is reviewing the options of solar scopes currently on the market. As always, the board welcomes input from SJAA members, so if you have suggestions, ideas or questions related to our solar scope acquisition effort, please reach out and contact the board in general or any individual member. Here's where to do that:
http://www.sjaa.net/contacts.shtml
It's your club, so we hope to hear from you!
Now that the sun is starting to show some activity, the SJAA aims to bring our closest stellar neighbor into our focal plane, in addition to the fabulous sights of the night time sky.
See you in the dark (and maybe sunlight)!
Rob Jaworski
Secretary, San Jose Astronomical Association
There are, however, opportunities to conduct astronomical viewing during the day. Some people challenge themselves by trying to view brighter planets during the day. Or they see if they can view or even photograph the International Space Station against a blue daytime sky. But there is one huge object that sometimes doesn't get its due when it comes to amateur astronomy, that being our own star that powers us all, the Sun.
A post this week by SpaceWeather.com alerted readers to a huge sunspot that recently developed. The alert noted that "[o]ne of the biggest sunspot groups in many years has just emerged over the sun's eastern limb. The sunspot's magnetic canopy is crackling with M-class (medium-sized) solar flares and seems poised to launch even stronger X-class eruptions. The sunspot, named AR1339, is not yet directly facing Earth but it will be turning toward our planet in the days ahead." After a long time with little solar activity, it seems that the Sun is starting to wake up again, and sun spots and prominences will again be regular events viewable from the surface of the earth by amateur astronomers.
Lately, the SJAA Board of Directors has been discussing acquiring a solar telescope for the club's use. While it would not be slated as part of the Loaner Program fleet of telescopes, it would be available for club use during events such as school star parties, swap meets, auctions and other events. The board has a committee made up of Rich N. and Robert A. that is reviewing the options of solar scopes currently on the market. As always, the board welcomes input from SJAA members, so if you have suggestions, ideas or questions related to our solar scope acquisition effort, please reach out and contact the board in general or any individual member. Here's where to do that:
http://www.sjaa.net/contacts.shtml
It's your club, so we hope to hear from you!
Now that the sun is starting to show some activity, the SJAA aims to bring our closest stellar neighbor into our focal plane, in addition to the fabulous sights of the night time sky.
See you in the dark (and maybe sunlight)!
Rob Jaworski
Secretary, San Jose Astronomical Association
29 August 2011
Celebrate Cambrian Festival 2011
Every year, the city of San Jose holds a festival of sorts in the Cambrian Park area of San Jose, which is roughly the south- south west area of the city. It's called Celebrate Cambrian and it was held yesterday at the Camden Community Center on Union Avenue.
The San Jose Astronomical Association was represented there with a booth that was manned by Rob Jaworski and Robert Armstrong, the club's treasurer. We had several telescopes on display, from Orion's popular XT series to a big 20 inch Obsession. We also had a Televue refractor with a solar filter set up so that participants could do a bit of impromptu solar viewing.
Members of the public were really excited to see the sun, for nearly all of them it was their first time. We were lucky to be able to easily see two sunspots the entire day, along with another two that appeared near the limb of the disc in the morning, then later disappeared in the mid afternoon.
This event provides some great publicity for the organization. Many people are not aware that we hold the nearby Houge Park star party events but are definitely interested in checking it out some time. Some folks said they were aware of it, but hadn't gotten around to coming out, so this was a great reminder. There were lots of families that stopped by our booth, and they learned that they could even borrow telescopes through our telescope loaner program, one of the best benefits the SJAA offers.
Big thanks to Dr. Armstrong for helping with this event despite the fact he was out observing the night before until the wee hours, and for bringing a lot of the equipment, most notably his solar viewing gear!
The San Jose Astronomical Association was represented there with a booth that was manned by Rob Jaworski and Robert Armstrong, the club's treasurer. We had several telescopes on display, from Orion's popular XT series to a big 20 inch Obsession. We also had a Televue refractor with a solar filter set up so that participants could do a bit of impromptu solar viewing.
Members of the public were really excited to see the sun, for nearly all of them it was their first time. We were lucky to be able to easily see two sunspots the entire day, along with another two that appeared near the limb of the disc in the morning, then later disappeared in the mid afternoon.
This event provides some great publicity for the organization. Many people are not aware that we hold the nearby Houge Park star party events but are definitely interested in checking it out some time. Some folks said they were aware of it, but hadn't gotten around to coming out, so this was a great reminder. There were lots of families that stopped by our booth, and they learned that they could even borrow telescopes through our telescope loaner program, one of the best benefits the SJAA offers.
Big thanks to Dr. Armstrong for helping with this event despite the fact he was out observing the night before until the wee hours, and for bringing a lot of the equipment, most notably his solar viewing gear!
26 July 2011
SkyTools Offer from SJAA
Hello SJAA members and friends,
The San Jose Astronomical Association is a non profit 510(c)3 educational organization, bringing the science and wonderment of the science of astronomy and the night sky to the public. We encourage people to go out at night to observe firsthand the many amazing features that are visible and readily available from not just dark locations, away from the city lights, but also many from our own back yards.
It's not uncommon for people to use a set of tools when they go out at night, from the basic gear such as binoculars and telescopes, to sky charts, red lights, green lasers and even astronomy software. The SJAA is proud of the loaner program that has been operating for many, many years.
http://www.sjaa.net/loaners.shtml
It's a great way for beginners to try out and become familiar with telescopes, or to try something new.
Observing software is also very useful to help plan observing sessions and make the most of your time. To that end, the SJAA will be coordinating a group purchase of SkyTools 3, "a complete suite of software tools designed specifically for astronomical observing." Learn more about it here:
http://skyhound.com/skytools.html
And be sure to watch the demo, here:
http://skyhound.com/demos/ST3NPVis.html
The SJAA will be accepting orders for SkyTools 3, either the Standard or the Professional edition, between now and end of September. The cost will be either $50.78 for standard or $90.79 for pro version. To take advantage of this opportunity, please send a check made payable to "SJAA" and send it to:
San Jose Astronomical Association
P.O. Box 28243
San Jose, CA 95159-8243
Please be sure to write SkyTools in the memo line of your check.
This offer will be limited to 25 orders and made available only to SJAA members. If we do not reach that level of orders, checks will either be returned or destroyed. If you are not a member of the SJAA, this is a perfect opportunity and reason to join! Memberships start at only $20 (tax deductible) annually and you can send the membership application and fee in the same envelope. Forms are available on the last page of the print version of the Ephemeris, our monthly newsletter, and you can find it here:
http://www.sjaa.net/eph/1107/EphJul11BW.pdf
Remember, orders will be accepted up to September 30, 2011 and you must be a current SJAA member. The software will be distributed at a general meeting or other public event after we receive the shipment.
Thanks, and let me know of any questions.
See you in the dark,
Rob Jaworski
Secretary, San Jose Astronomical Association
The San Jose Astronomical Association is a non profit 510(c)3 educational organization, bringing the science and wonderment of the science of astronomy and the night sky to the public. We encourage people to go out at night to observe firsthand the many amazing features that are visible and readily available from not just dark locations, away from the city lights, but also many from our own back yards.
It's not uncommon for people to use a set of tools when they go out at night, from the basic gear such as binoculars and telescopes, to sky charts, red lights, green lasers and even astronomy software. The SJAA is proud of the loaner program that has been operating for many, many years.
http://www.sjaa.net/loaners.shtml
It's a great way for beginners to try out and become familiar with telescopes, or to try something new.
Observing software is also very useful to help plan observing sessions and make the most of your time. To that end, the SJAA will be coordinating a group purchase of SkyTools 3, "a complete suite of software tools designed specifically for astronomical observing." Learn more about it here:
http://skyhound.com/skytools.html
And be sure to watch the demo, here:
http://skyhound.com/demos/ST3NPVis.html
The SJAA will be accepting orders for SkyTools 3, either the Standard or the Professional edition, between now and end of September. The cost will be either $50.78 for standard or $90.79 for pro version. To take advantage of this opportunity, please send a check made payable to "SJAA" and send it to:
San Jose Astronomical Association
P.O. Box 28243
San Jose, CA 95159-8243
Please be sure to write SkyTools in the memo line of your check.
This offer will be limited to 25 orders and made available only to SJAA members. If we do not reach that level of orders, checks will either be returned or destroyed. If you are not a member of the SJAA, this is a perfect opportunity and reason to join! Memberships start at only $20 (tax deductible) annually and you can send the membership application and fee in the same envelope. Forms are available on the last page of the print version of the Ephemeris, our monthly newsletter, and you can find it here:
http://www.sjaa.net/eph/1107/EphJul11BW.pdf
Remember, orders will be accepted up to September 30, 2011 and you must be a current SJAA member. The software will be distributed at a general meeting or other public event after we receive the shipment.
Thanks, and let me know of any questions.
See you in the dark,
Rob Jaworski
Secretary, San Jose Astronomical Association
19 July 2011
Congratulations to Rick Morales, FPOA
We had a great general meeting for the month of July 2011 this past Saturday night, the 16th. Our guest speaker was Rick Morales of the Fremont Peak Observatory Association.
Jack Zeiders, a long time member and twice past president of the SJAA gave a few introductory remarks about the FPOA and Rick and his long term history with the FPOA. He then presented Rick with the SJAA's Dr A. B. Gregory Award.
Rick certainly deserves the award, given his support of amateur astronomy at Fremont Peak over his years there as a ranger of the state park.
He pulled out his slide projector and provided us with a slide show about the history of Fremont Peak State Park and the observatory that was built there in the mid 1980s.
At the end of the presentation, which brought back memories of many good times to many people in the audience, we asked that some of the people present who were involved in the construction of the observatory come up so we could get a picture of all of them together.
From left to right are Bob Fingerhut, Paul Mancuso, Jack Zeiders, Chris Angelos, and Rick Morales.
Congratulations to Rick and to the long history of the FPOA!
He pulled out his slide projector and provided us with a slide show about the history of Fremont Peak State Park and the observatory that was built there in the mid 1980s.
At the end of the presentation, which brought back memories of many good times to many people in the audience, we asked that some of the people present who were involved in the construction of the observatory come up so we could get a picture of all of them together.
Congratulations to Rick and to the long history of the FPOA!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)