Thank goodness most of you came early to help set up the largest exhibit at SEED.  You were the hustling crew who set up all the exhibits just in time to welcome our young attendees. It is always a hectic beginning, arranging tables and exhibit locations, pounding in posts, placing posters, setting up scopes, rehearsing presentations, laying out our solar system scale model, getting props, costumes, t-shirts, exhibitor labels and other preparations to help make ours the most memorable set of exhibits at SEED.

Helen and Aishu gave tickets for the DAWN mission trip and collected a large list of 185 interested young astronauts and their families. Tedda got SEED badges, t-shirts, and lunches for all, and helped the exhibit stations coordinate their messages to the public.  Later she transcribed the sign-ins to a spreadsheet list for emailing meeting notices.

Ron and Vinay showed direct views of the sun. The families were appreciative, which made up for some bumping and jostling around their great Coronado and filtered scopes. 

John and Mark showed how we can observe the sun indirectly. Ervin and Morris also taught how to safely observe the sun directly through welder lenses, and indirectly with the Solar Scope, and through the Darth Vader bucket head viewers (camera obscura),

Maryglenn helped youngsters learn about rainbow colors with the prism and crayons, introducing the concept of the Electromagnetic Spectrum.  Lauren, AJ, and Madison had fun out on the lawn, blowing and waving out bubbles for the little kids while looking for rainbow colors caused by interference on bubble surfaces. http://www.explainthatstuff.com/light.html

The DAWN Mission to the asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres, always a big hit, was midway-style hawked and introduced by Kenneth and later by Michael. Stan (Bubba Smurf) described the launch vehicle and spacecraft, with all robotic provisions and none for any living thing (not even a Smurf), solar panels and Xenon powered ion ppppropulsion engine used on the way to Mars.

At Mars, Shane explained speed boost strategy using the momentum exchange of gravity assist and the long trip to Vesta.  At Vesta, Star Trek Lt. Nyota Uhura (Kathy) explained the many facts about the newly investigated asteroid. The rocky asteroid was photographed, mapped and studied for a full year before it once again headed out with its ion propulsion engines.

This time the DAWN was headed to the dwarf planet Ceres, where Mr. Spock (Victor) told them about the science and history of the far out but closest dwarf planet. The pixie-eared Vulcan explained that the logical knowledge to be gained from this mission will be years in completion since we have gathered mountains of scientific data. The end of the mission leaves the DAWN spacecraft orbiting Ceres for the next 50 years in a slow spiral down to the dwarf planet.

At the New Horizons station, Steve told our visitors about the trip, what we learned at close fly-by about dwarf planet Pluto, continued travel out to the Kuiper belt to fly-by 2014Mu69 on Jan.01, 2018, and mentioned the three other IAU dwarf planets, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris. That’s a lot to cover, but visitors were rewarded with some good astronomy brochures to take home.

In the end and as usual, we were all worn out, but gratified that our work was seen and so many learned from it.

If you were not able to help with SEED this year, please consider this outreach opportunity for National Astronomy Night next spring and SEED next year.  In the process of helping and teaching our future generations, we learn a great deal ourselves.  Students may get little help or exposure to astronomy in school or at home. You are our local experts! who can encourage and explore the heavens outdoors with them.  You are it! and anything you can do to help is most appreciated. 

Sincerely,

Stan Howard

ACA VP Observing

Astronomy Club of Augusta

https://www.angelfire.com/ga/astronomyclubaugusta

Attached photo.  Video & more photos available at our next meeting.

PS: We expect new and potential members at our Meeting on Oct. 14, Fri.7PM at RPSEC.  Please come, welcome and encourage them.  Thank you.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "John Hutchens" <JohnH@usca.edu>
Sent: Saturday, October 1, 2016 4:02:17 PM
Subject: THANK YOU!  SEED - 2016

Just a quick note to say THANK YOU!  The 31st Annual S.E.E.D. was a huge success, with over 3600 people in attendance.  Thanks for sharing your Saturday with us.  I will follow up later with some more information, but I just wanted you to know how much we appreciate you being an exhibitor this year!

Sincerely,
John M. Hutchens
Director of Special Programs

Ruth Patrick Science Education Center

20161014ACAMCMin

The Astronomy Club of Augusta Meeting was held on October 14, 2016 at 7:00 PM at the RPSEC.  Attendance was 20 including the speaker.