Before our speaker was introduced,  Stan announced that the comet Catalina is flying through the Big Dipper if anyone else is interested in trying to locate it. 

Also, Alexander has uploaded several videos on You-Tube of some ACA events if anyone would like to view them.  This is something new the club is trying, and any comments would be appreciated.

Our speaker, Dr. Monique Aller, was introduced by our V.P. of Programs Kenneth Beard.  Currently Monique is Asst. Professor of Physics at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, GA.  Monique has spoken with us several times, and as always we look forward to her talks.  Tonight she spoke to us about the Evolution of Galaxies and their Dust. Dust in, near, and in front of galaxies affects the results of our observations, and using and developing new observing techniques improves our accurate understanding of our universe.  This is not always easy to do, but there are plenty of new techniques and improvements that can be made from/based on data already available on which Monique's research program focuses.  Her talk was very interesting and along with a good colorful slide show it made for a very enjoyable evening.  As I looked around during the presentation, I could tell everyone was enjoying themselves.  Some good questions were asked during and after the presentation.  
Kenneth presented Monique with a  Certificate of Appreciation from our club.  As always our V.P. of Observing Stan Howard made a video of her talk, and those that missed it can request a copy of it to view.  Email Stan or ask him at the next Stargaze or at our next monthly meeting.  Thank you Monique!  You inspire us to want to learn more about Astronomy and the Universe and our place in it.  And thank you Kenneth for your continued great line up of speakers.

After the talk a few short announcements:

Phinizy Swamp Nature Park  invited us to present an ACA Outreach Public Star Gaze on March 12, Sat.6:30PM. Nine members signed up to help.   We could use lots more help.  Please contact Stan to volunteer.

Also, Tedda reported on her visit to Helping Hands on January 5, when she presented a Constellation Drawing Project to 10 teens and ~8 elementary age students.  She provided them with stick drawings, and they enjoyed working in teams to produce some very nice large chalk drawings.  We posted them at NMR-DSO, when the teens came out to our Jan.09 Star Gaze.  It was a very cloudy night, but they were all good sports, enjoying the food, popcorn, and video of the Mercury Astronaut Program.  We plan to display their art again on April 15, Sat. 7PM for our program at the RPSEC.  Don't miss this opportunity to welcome these bright students and their chaperones to our club. 

Our Treasurer John White announced the possibility of an alternate site for star gazing at the Flyers Field located at the CSRA Flyers Club site. More information is being gathered to present to the club for a possible alternate stargazing site to have along with our current site at NMR-DSO.

John has also taken some interest to arrange for our MEA4 visit to PARI and the Ashville, NC Astronomy Club. No date, schedule, accommodations, or events for a weekend in the mountains have been determined yet. We just think it could be a great time, and we didn't want you to think we had forgotten. Maryglenn and Jean have both provided helpful inspiration and information. If you want to participate, please let John know.

You cannot have a club meeting w/o refreshments. It seems that each month the snacks are getting yummier and yummier. Thank you Maryglenn, Mark, Kenneth, and any others who brought us snacks to enjoy. There was lots of laughter and “little” discussions here and there throughout.  A great time was had by all.

Unfortunately the skies did not participate so no lunar observing was done tonight.

Our skies have not cooperated very well lately. So…..check our website and email. If the weather is good, by popular request,  we may be stargazing on Jan.29, this Fri.5:30PM at NMR-DSO or 1/30 at NMR-DSO to make up for that. The planets are in alignment. Hope to see you there!!!!  We will try again on Feb.06, Sat. as well.

Respectfully submitted,

Ray Owens – ACA Secretary

20160129ACATHMin

The Astronomy Club of Augusta met for a specially scheduled dark sky star gaze on Jan.29, Sat.5:30PM at NMR-DSO, due to member request because of the consistently bad weather we have been having for several previous star gazes! Eight members attended.

We were an enthusiastic group. It had been a clear sunny day, and as the sun set we knew that we could depend on a cold, clear sky for the evening. Some of us set up in a jiffy, while it had been a while and took longer for others to calibrate their scopes, but not much longer. We had five nice scopes lined up in the hay field: 1 reflector, 1 reflector dobsonian, 1 Maksutov Cassegrain reflector, 1 refractor, and 1 binocular refractor.

All scopes had good views of the trapezium, separating those distant four little stars quite well. We went on to view lots of clusters during the evening, including M35 at the foot of Castor in Gemini. Mike also pointed out how to continue on to 3 clusters in a row in Auriga (M36, M37, M38). Most of us now have that down pat. Mike also showed us his favorite Owl near the Big Dipper, as well as M41, which seems to be where the heart of Canis Major belongs. Mike discussed chromatic aberration problems with refractor telescopes, which was mostly eliminated with reflector scopes. Ray and Steve enjoyed talking together, while Steve took lots of photos and video of M42 Orion Nebula with trapezium. He also tried M31 Andromeda, but it didn't come out. Later Jupiter was high enough to see the bands for stacking a good print.
Kenneth, Ervin, and Vinay practiced reviewing the Winter Hexagon stars and constellations with Tedda, and then finding Andromeda from Alpharatz in the setting Great Square of Pegasus, count two stars, then right two more stars, and there it is. Instead of a right turn, Stan showed us how to count 3 and see beautiful double star, Almaak, in the Televue.

Mike started looking SE again, and suddenly saw a beautiful twinkling, multi-colored something below Canis major. We were all impressed by its beauty, and decided that it must be caused by the Earth's low heat waves between us and a lovely star. I think all of us will remember the location of Naos in Puppis now. By the time we figured out we were looking at Naos, using Stellarium with Stan's laptop, another even brighter twinkly star appeared to the south. Sure enough, it was Canopus, which we lazily watched with delight, crossing the low southern horizon.

Comet Catalina, C/2013 US10, has now progressed from an early morning event to a dim evening smudge with a vague tail. Actually we couldn't find it at first, as Stan, who has been following it in the mornings, the last time about a week ago, took a first try to check it out near the Big Dipper at night.
It was getting cold, so we took a hot chocolate break. Vinay used his Smart Phone to locate the path for Comet Catalina approaching Polaris. When we went out to observe again, Stan found CCatalina in binoculars and pointed to it for us as well. It was fun to catch it again, as it is now traveling away from the sun and Earth, never to return again.

Respectfully submitted,
Tedda Howard, Web Editor