The Astronomy Club of
Augusta met for its monthly meeting at GRU on Friday evening at 7pm. Members
begin arriving at 6pm to began setting up and to welcome those that attended.
By 7pm we had 23 people at the meeting ready to hear our speaker Dr. Varsha Kulkarni.
Our new President Mark Moffatt lead the meeting with a few words about himself
saying he would like to see more emphasis on observing this year. He then
introduced our V.P. of programs Kenneth Beard. Kenneth spoke about Varsha’s qualifications including current Professor of
Astronomy at the University of South Carolina.
Long Ago, in Galaxies
Far, Far Away was the
title of Dr. Kulkarni’s talk. She began by speaking
about the life of stars and the different types of galaxies we have in our
Universe. She explained how everything is expanding and that there are upwards
of 600 billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy alone. She also explained that
with deep space telescopes we could see that there was no telling how many
galaxies we actually have in the universe. We just can’t see that far back. She
talked of things like Dark Matter, Black Holes, Quasars, and gave us some
insight on how we are learning more about those things. It was a somewhat
technical speech but she explained it in a way that kept it interesting with
her visual slides. Dr. Kulkarni was able to answer
questions during the talk without missing a beat and answered more afterwards.
A hearty round of
applause was given and everyone seemed to enjoy the speech. Kenneth then gave Varsha
a framed Certificate of
Appreciation for taking her time to come and share with us her knowledge and
expertise.
Next up was our annual awards
presentation. These awards are presented at the end of each year by our Immediate
Past Officers, with comments on the merits of each recipient. Tedda Howard presented
the President’s Award to Pat Noisworthy. He was not
able to attend, so we will present it again at our July 26 star Gaze. She also presented the Best Attendance Award to David Price. Kenneth Beard presented the
Best Program award to Ray Owens. Stan Howard presented the Best Observing Award
to Lalit Reddybattula. The
club thanks all of the
recipients for their time and dedication.
Tedda then wanted to personally thank her
officers for helping her out over the year, including Stan, Ray, Kenneth, and
John White by giving out gifts to each.
She also gave Mark Moffatt a beach towel and
wished him well as our incoming president.
Thank you Tedda for your exceptional service as President and your
enthusiasm towards helping others old and new to learn more about Astronomy and
the world we live in. You have truly inspired us and your work was much
appreciated. You truly set the bar high in terms of future Presidents. Thank
you.
Next up was refreshments
supplied by Mark. We all gathered in a separate conference room to enjoy
cookies, rice crispy treats, and sodas. Thanks Mark. Several people gathered
outside to view an absolutely gorgeous Full Moon through several binoculars. No
telescopes were set up due to unfavorable weather, but we had very good views
of the moon none the less. People began leaving around 9:30pm. A good time was
had by all.
Respectfully submitted,
Ray Owens - Secretary
