December Minutes

2017 Schedule of Events

Club Dark Sky Star Gaze
January 07 14 Saturday 6:00PM at NMR-DSO
Moon rise set: 1337-0205 2015-0915 Dark sky, then lunar

Star Gaze postponed one week due to bad weather/dangerous roads.

Look for beautiful double stars, double clusters, and nebulae in the winter sky.

Please arrive before dark.
Park with your headlights toward the road.
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope, towel to lay on.
Wear hat, layered clothing.

Come Rain, Shine, or Cold:
Fun astronomy activities planned for cloudy nights.
Ask new members Margaret, John, and Mary. They know what we learn and what fun we have,
even with clouds!


Monthly Meeting
January 20, Friday 7:00PM, at AU The Public is invited!
Moon rise set: 0104 1233
Program: Where on Earth Are We - The Celestial Bodies Can Tell Us
Finding our location on Earth is based on the techniques of Navigation.
Finding our position using the Heavenly Bodies is a special branch of Navigation known as Celestial Navigation.
Though used primarily out at sea, out of the sight of land, the same techniques can be used on land
with a few modifications. A good example of Celestial Navigation on land was its use during the
Corps of Discovery Expedition by Lewis & Clark in the early 1800s while mapping the Louisiana Purchase.
This presentation will be a brief overview on the method used to find our location on Earth
(specifically on land) using Celestial Navigation techniques.
Speaker: Stephen Miller
enlisted in the U.S. Navy in December 1963 and went on active duty in January 1965,
specializing in Celestial Navigation (position finding using only the heavenly bodies).
In 1989, Steve received his U.S.C.G. Master license, and prepared students for their USCG Master licenses.
This led to teaching Celestial Navigation, and in 1994 writing his textbook: Reaching for the Stars.
Rewritten and retitled Celestial Navigation in the New Millennia, it was used at the Chapman School of Seamanship
in Stuart, FL beginning in 2000, where Captain Steve was the Celestial Navigation Instructor, prior to retiring in 2012.
With this background and a natural, burning curiosity Captain Steve was led to the world of astronomy.
In 2002, he started with an Orion 102mm Mak Cass telescope and joined the Treasure Coast Astronomical Society.
From 2004-2008, he studied under the tutelage of Astronomer Michael Palermitti, and joined the Amateur Research Group.
Captain Steve is now an advanced astrophotographer, specializing in Lunar, Planetary and Solar work,
with extensive professional equipment. His Lunar images have been published in Selenology -
-the Journal of the American Lunar Society. He joined the Astronomy Club of Augusta in April 2015.
Captain Steve loves to share with others by imaging with his telescopes, cameras and lenses.

Refreshments: Joyce Schlosser

Dark Sky Observing after the meeting
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope.
Wear layered clothing.

January Minutes

Club Star Gaze
February 04 Saturday 6:00PM at NMR-DSO
Moon rise set: 1219 0102 Slightly gibbous first quarter Moon

Enjoy a great view of the first quarter moon.
View in series from naked-eye to binocular to small then big telescope.
Or start with the details, and work your way out.
Either way, maria, craters, valleys, rills, and astronaut landing sites are very interesting.

With just a quarter moon, other parts of the sky will be available for some dark sky observing.
Find Venus, Mars and Uranus. Vest is on the right arm of Pollux in Gemini.
Look for beautiful double stars, double clusters, and nebulae in the winter sky.

Please arrive before dark.
Park with your headlights toward the road.
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope, towel to lay on.
Wear hat, layered clothing.

Come Rain, Shine, or Cold:
Fun astronomy activities planned for cloudy nights.

Monthly Meeting
February 17, Friday 7:00PM, at AU The Public is invited!
Moon rise set: 2346-1043 Dark sky
Program: Stellar Evolution, Understanding Our Neighbors
will discuss how stars form, how they are the building blocks of galaxies, the birth,
life, and death of stars, and provide an understanding of the life cycle of main sequence stars.
It will also touch on supernovae, neutron stars, and black holes.

Speaker: Courtney Morrison,
is an 2nd yr. undergraduate physics major at Augusta University , and
President of the AU Physics Club & SPS. Ever since she was a young child,
she was always curious about space and passionate about astronomy. She spent
a lot of nights growing up in the Georgian back country, looking at the stars above her,
wondering how they got there, and hoping to travel to them one day.
After graduating from Augusta University with her physics degree in a few years,
she plans to continue her education and go to graduate school
to earn a PhD in Physics, specializing in astronomy or astrophysics.

Refreshments: ___

Dark Sky Observing after the meeting
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope.
Wear layered clothing.

February Minutes

Monthly Meeting
March 10, Friday 7:00PM, at RPSEC The Public is invited!
Moon rise set: 1650 0530 Lunar
Just before the meeting, check out Venus, Uranus, Mars in the west, Canopus low in the south.

Program: Rossby Waves at Mars ,
. . . in the north polar jet stream of Mars as detected by amateur imagers in 2007-8. . .

Speaker: Roger Venable,
has been star gazing since 1960, and was a President of our ACA some years ago.
He is the Coordinator of the Mars Section of A.L.P.O., and Vice President of IOTA.
He regularly lectures and writes about Mars and about observing occultations.
With his wife Anna, he enjoys deep sky observing, and dabbles in astro-imaging.
He has 14 telescopes, each with a different, specialized purpose.
Roger is a Board-certified family physician and practices in rural Georgia emergency rooms.
Please welcome Roger back home to our ACA in the CSRA.

Refreshments: ___

Full Moon Observing after the meeting, Mars in the West.
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope.
Wear layered clothing.



ACA Star Gaze Public Outreach
March 11, Saturday at 6:00 PM, Phinizy Swamp Nature Park
1858 Loch & Dam Rd, Augusta GA 30906

Moon rise/set: 1800- Lunar

See the very gibbous Moon rise in the East
As the Sun sets in the West, look for bright planet Venus.
What shape does it appear, and where?
Red Mars is above and to the left.
Uranus can be seen with binoculars or telescope between Venus and Mars.
The Andromeda Galaxy is above and to the right.
Just a bit further right is the Milky Way Galaxy, crossing the sky from Cassiopeia
through Perseus, the Winder Hexagon, to Puppis.
Learn the seven stars of the Winter Hexagon in the South.
Can you name the six constellations too?
Share binoculars to see details of the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters.
Look low to find bright Canopus.
Praesepe is visible naked eye, but pops out with binoculars.
Leo, Cancer, and Hydra are bathed in the sunlight reflected from the moon.
Jupiter rises in the East at ~9PM, just after Arcturus to its left and before Spica to its right.
Look for 3 of Jupiter’s 4 Galilean Moons, and the Red Spot!
Io will peek through from behind Jupiter just after 9:30PM
To the North, you can see and name the stars of the Big and Little Dippers.
Look for beautiful clusters, nebulae, and double stars all along the way!

Please arrive before dark.
Park with your headlights toward the road.
Bring what you have of
planisphere, moon map, binoculars, telescope, towel to lay on.
Wear layered clothing.

hot chocolate, tea, coffee, and light snacks provided by Phinizy Park

Click on:
https://www.angelfire.com/ga/astronomyclubaugusta
Calendar of Events page for details

ACA Messier Marathon
March 25 , Saturday at 7:00 PM, at NMR-DSO

In the year 2017, New Moon will occur on March 28, thus providing a good opportunity
for a Messier Marathon on both the weekends of March 25/26, 2017 (primary)
as well as April 1/2, 2017 (secondary option). On the primary date (March 25/26),
there will be a good opportunity to attempt to hunt down all Messier Objects in one night
from suitable mid-northern latitude locations, while the second date will be
a tough challenge for the evening objects, M74 and M77. According to Tom Polakis'
investigation, on the first primary occasion, a full score of 110 Messier Objects
should be possible from locations between 12 deg and 37 deg Northern Latitude
with most difficult object M30 in the morning, and southern limit from M110,
while on the secondary date in April, the limits will be 20 deg to 41 deg North.
M74 and M110 will limit to the south, M30 to the north; it will just be around these days
of the year that M74 will become invisible for its annual conjunction with the Sun.

Messier Objects Everywhere!

Rest up this afternoon, so you are ready for an evening sky, full of wonders.

We will have copies of the Messier Objects, listed by time of appearance.

Please arrive before dark.
Park with your headlights toward the road.
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope, Messier list,
lounge chairs, sleeping bags/blankets, towels to lay on, etc..
Wear socks, shoes, long pants, layered clothing.

Please eat ahead or bring a snack.
6AM: Join us for waffles, eggs, sausage, fruit & juice.

Please come rain, clouds, or shine!
We have some fun astronomy projects ready!

March Minutes

ACA Club Meeting
April 07, Friday at 7:00 PM, at RPSEC The Public is invited!
Moon rise-set: 1641 0510

Program: Great American Solar Eclipse
... and what groups in our area are doing with this event . . .

Having a solar eclipse near where someone lives is a rare event.  A common generality is
that having a total solar eclipse where one lives is a once-in-a-life-time event.  
South Carolina is a prime target for the eclipse on August 21, 2017
that will provide eclipse-viewing opportunities across the United States.  
Totality, when people can see the moon cover the entire disk of the Sun,
will extend from Oregon to South Carolina.  The Augusta/Aiken area will be near 99% of totality
and within a short drive to locations of totality.  As the eclipse approaches totality, 
sunlight shines through craters on the edge of the moon.  When this occurs,
there is a bright spot on one side of the dark “ring” of the moon.  
This has been called he “Diamond Ring Effect.”   With this in mind,
we are calling Aiken and Augusta the “Jewel of the Eclipse.”  
Learn about solar eclipses and how you can prepare to take advantage of this unique event.

Speaker: Dr. Gary J. Senn
is the director of the DuPont Planetarium and the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center.
He is a full professor at the University of South Carolina Aiken.
His teaching duties include courses in the Master of Education in Educational Technology program,
various STEM courses for teachers, and undergraduate science education courses.
His other responsibilities include Manager of the RPSEC Observatory,
Director of the Center of Excellence in Middlelevel Interdisciplinary Strategies for Teaching (CE-MIST),
and Director of the Center of Excellence in Educational Technology. http://rpsec.usca.edu/Staff/SennVita.html
As such, Gary has arranged and supported our meetings at the RPSEC.
Gary is a long time member of the Astronomy Club of Augusta. We are happy to have him speak.

Refreshments: Victor & Kathy Levy

Lunar Observing after the meeting
Also, Jupiter at perigee!
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope, towel.
Wear layered clothing.


Prep for NAN
April 22, Saturday 5:00 PM, at NMR-DSO
Light supper provided
Eclipse update
Club Dark Sky Star Gaze
April 22, Saturday 5:00 PM, 7:30 PM at NMR-DSO
Moonrise/set: 0225 1334 Dark sky
Come early to help Prep for NAN = National Astronomy Night
Be the first to spot Mars and Jupiter.
Review the Winter Hexagon.
Focus on Cancer, Leo, Hydra, Crater, Corvus,
Ursa major, Ursa minor, Bootes, Virgo.
Look for beautiful double stars, clusters and nebulae.
Please arrive before dark. Park with your headlights toward the road.
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope, towel to lay on.
Wear socks, shoes, layered clothing.


ACA Telescopes on the Lawn
for Earth and Sky and National Astronomy Night The Public is invited!
April 29, Saturday, 7:30-10:30 PM at RPSEC
Moon rise set: 0934 2351 Setting Crescent Moon

Members of the Astronomy Club of Augusta will host
naked-eye, binocular, and telescope observing
of the moon, planets, and stars this evening on the Lawn.

Bring what YOU have of: your planisphere, binoculars, telescope, 2 towels, a lawn chair...
Wear socks & shoes, layered clothing.
We will have a number of telescopes available for the public to look through.

We appreciate our ACA VOLUNTEERS helping the public locate and identify sky objects:

Telescopes: StanH: solar scope & sunspots, Televue 4"Refractor: Mare Crisium and craters, Jupiter, +.
SteveM: Solar Scope on Sun, Scope on Moon, 102mm Refractor on Jupiter, Camera on M42. ,
KennethB: The Moon and some craters.
VinayK: Double Star, Cluster
John:8" Schmidt Cassegrain w Binocular Eyepiece,
MarkMof: 8" reflector: Lunar Messiers A&B
AndyC: Orion 6":
AllisonH: Celestron Powerseeker
Victor&KathyL:


Binoculars: Stan: 15x70 w tripod, some smaller,
Kenneth: use with eyeglasses, with solar filter
John: 10x50, 15x70, with stand
JulianM: Focus,
ShaneS: Spotting Scope: Leo and Cancer

The Moon
Kenneth: Moon Terminator, Earthshine, Maria, Highlands, Craters, Mountains, Rills, Rima
Naked Eye: AdelaD: Moon Phases, Motion: Earth apparent, spacial, Sides, Terminator, Earthshine
Binocular:
Scopes:

Constellations/ Stars, Planets:
Look for planets, famous stars, beautiful double stars, clusters, and nebulae.
AlexH: Big Dipper to Polaris: Merak & Duhbe
______: Little Dipper: Kochab & Pherkad

Refreshments: Gary Senn: water & sodas, Ervin Davenport: cookies

April Minutes

ACA Meeting: Elect Officers, 2-Minute Talks
May 12, Friday at 7:00 PM, at RPSEC The Public is invited!
Moon rise-set: 2156 0752 Quarter Moon

Report of Officers: President, VP Observing, VP Programs, Secretary, Treasurer.

Report of Nominating Committee.
Election of Officers

2 Minute Speakers: Please EVolunteer, include Name, Title
TeddaH: Eclipse Update
StanH: Stellarium Eclipse
BrunoH: 1999 Eclipse in France

MarkM: HOW TO USE YOUR COMPUTER TO MAKE ASTRONOMICAL DISCOVERIES
The Zooniverse is a Citizen - Science program that uses average everyday citizens to
sort thru data in search of Planets , Supernovas, and understand the histories of Galaxies, etc.
BrettA: Northern Lights
RichardB: BoyScout Astro Merit Badge
KennethB:  Kardashev/Sagan Civilizations

Refreshments: Mark Moffatt

Lunar Observing after the meeting
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope, towel.
Wear layered clothing.




ACA Outreach for Science Day
May 19, Friday 7AM -3PM at Hammond Hill Elementary
Please volunteer: Outreach
Already volunteered: DonH, BrunoH, TeddaH, StanH, KennethB, RichB JohnW, MarkMof,
Thank you!




Annual DAV = Deerlick Astronomy Village Memorial Weekend Picnic
May 28th, 2017, Sunday, 4:00 PM
Sign up / RSVP with Marie at http://www.deerlickgroup.com by Thursday, and bring a side dish or dessert for 4-6 people.

If you are going and/or would like to caravan or carpool, please call or email Stan:

I would like to carpool / caravan with you to the DAV Picnic on May 28, 2017, Sunday.
I will be waiting for you at
1:45 PM at your house (NMR)
2:00 PM at HotSpot, Hwy19=Whiskey Road and Hwy 278, near the entrance to the SRS
2:15 PM at Hwy 278 at Mean Jean Subway Gas Station in Beech Island
2:30 PM at Kenneth's House
2:35 PM at I-520 and Wheeler Road First Baptist Church parking lot
2:45 PM at I-20 and Exit 190-Grovetown, turn left off I-20 and go to the Wal-Mart parking lot behind Arbys.
We will leave from there promptly at 3:00 PM.

Thank you,
Name: ______________
Home phone: __________
Cell phone you will have with you that day: __________
I signed up with Marie at the DAV to bring the following side dish: __________
I will bring binoculars, water, hat, towel.

Tedda and Stan: Potato Salad
Kenneth: Walter Sausages

We have had a group attend every year for several years now, and it is a great day. We look forward to your joining us.
Bring binoculars, water, hat, towel.

May Minutes

ACA Club Meeting
June 09, Friday at 7:00 PM, at AU The Public is invited!
Moon rise-set: 2132-0616 Dark sky, then Lunar/font>

Before the meeting, in the hall:  Money money, money!!!
Please pay your dues if not already done.
Please order/pay for you ACA Logo Polo Shirts, cash or check
Good news: 21 members have already ordered.
Bad news:  last chance to order.
Please refer to previous email and order now.
Sign up to help with Eclipse Stations on Aug.21
Click options below, suggest others

Installation of New Officers

Program: The Egg Beaters of Space
: Helium-Core White Dwarfs, Binaries, and Globular Clusters

will begin with an overview of several topics:
1) What are white dwarfs? How is a helium-core white dwarf different
from a regular white dwarf, and how are they formed?
2) What are binaries? How common are they? What kinds of stars form binaries?
What happens when they get really close together?
3) What are globular clusters? How are different from open clusters in appearance and age?
How do globular clusters change over time?
I’ll conclude by tying these various topics together, and how they relate to the research
I conducted for my master’s thesis on the globular cluster, Omega Centauri.

ACA Calendar of Events
2016-17

Encourage your family to study astronomy!

Minutes
2016: May June, 2016-17: July Please click on orange highlights to explore new pages!
Helpful Information about Refreshments and Programs

Aps, Astronomy News

Please volunteer: Outreach, 2-Minute Talk, Refreshments

Please support astronomy and your local Astronomy Club of Augusta.
If you have not already done so,
bring your 2016-17 dues to the meeting, and
give/ or mail to John White, ACA Treasurer, 4254 Woodland Drive, Martinez, GA 30907
Please include your name, address, phone, email, with your $10.
Thank you.

2016

New Officer Planning Meeting June __ ,. . . . via phone and emails.


Observing Option
July 02, 3 days before Full Moon, Saturday _____ PM at Flyers Field
For Members only. Contact John White for details and directions.


Monthly Meeting
July 08, Friday, 7:00 PM at AU The Public is invited!
Moonrise/set: 1038/2338 Lunar

Club Business: Treasurer's Report

Program: Imaging the Solar System and Processing Those Images
I will be conducting a live demonstration of How to Process a Video Clip
into a Published Image following a step by step process.
I have a number of clips that I have taken over the years and some that I have
recently captured with my Canon T3i (in video mode) and the AIO video camera.

First, I will use a program called RegiStax and open a video clip.
I ALIGN all the frames in the file. Then I will STACK all of the frames.
The Final step, in this program, is to work with the WAVELETS (or technically the color temperatures).
This step is a process of trial and error processing to make the, at this time, single image look as desired.
When this is complete the file is saved as a jpg (picture) file.

Second, I go to other programs to determine the data about the specific Body at the time I captured the video.
I also gather the camera data (zoom, shutter speed, gain, etc.) for inclusion.

Third, I open the saved jpg file in Photoshop to fine tune the image to its final state.
Before saving the file I have saved templates that I can import into Photoshop that will contain the data for this image.
I then edit the text in the template, inserting the data I just gathered.
The last thing that I do is to merge all the layers to produce the Final Image.
Once this is done, the image is fit for publishing so I save it and make a photo print of the file.
This is the image that I show others at a later date.

Depending on the timing, I plan on demonstrating this process on a few video clips.
If time and weather allow I might be able to demonstrate imaging in the parking lot after the meeting.

Speaker: Stephen Miller
___________
___________

Refreshments: snacks for our break time will be "potluck".
Everyone should bring their favorite food or drink. Thank you Mark

Lunar Observing after the meeting
Bring what you have of planisphere, lunar map, binoculars, telescope.



Observing Option
July 09, 3 days before 1st Qtr Moon, Saturday ___PM at Flyers Field
For Members only. Contact John White for details and directions.



Club Dark Sky Star Gaze
July 23, Saturday 8:30 PM at NMR-DSO
Moonrise/set: 2308/1018 Dark sky
Please take a nap ahead so you can stay later.

A beautiful summer sky!
Look West and catch Regulus before it sets. Jupiter is above it on the ecliptic, followed by Spica, then Mars.

Look North and follow the Big Dipper to Polaris, and to Arcturus.
Check the handle of the Little Dipper to know how clear it is.
The head of Draco is high in the sky: name Rastaban, Etamin, and Grumium.
Find Thuban across from the LD Sentry stars, Kochab and Pherkad.
Look for Cepheus: his Garnet Star and Elephant's Trunk Nebula close by.

Up above/East is Hercules, higher to Alphekka, crown jewel of the Corona Borealis, up to Arcturus again.
Easy to see is the Summer Triangle: Vega leading Deneb and Altair. Name their constellations.

It is a glorious southern sky.
By 9:30 it is easy to follow the Milky Way from its center in Sagittarius.
Name 8 stars that form the Teapot. Look for clusters and nebula all around,
generally from magnitude 4-7, naked-eye or with a pair of binoculars or scope.
Shaula, Lesath, and below Girtab form the Scopion's stinger.
Pick out beautiful Antares, the heart, and Dschubba, the head of the Scorpion,
flanked on each side by Saturn and Mars. Wow!

Moving west, pick out Zubeschamali and Zubenelgenubi in Libra, then Virgo, and catch Jupiter before 10PM.
Below these you can find Corona Australis, Lupus, Menkent in Centaurus, Algorab and Gienah in Corvus.
By then you can see a lovely view of Albireo in Cygnus, ENE.
What a night! We'll help you find each and every one of these, and more.

Please arrive before dark. Park with your headlights toward the road.
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope, towels to lay on.
Wear socks, shoes, long pants, layered clothing.

Come Rain or Shine:
Fun astronomy activities planned for cloudy nights.

Refreshments


July Minutes


Monthly Meeting
August 05, Friday, 7:00 PM at AU The Public is invited!
Moonrise/set: 0922/2210 Lunar

Program: Skype Virtual Astronaut Virtual Speaker:___ - Cancelled.

Program: Astronomy Together
It takes a village to raise an astronomer. That's what we do.
Each of us focuses on different aspects of astronomy,
and together we have a substantial knowledge base.

Tonight we will each tell about how we first became interested in astronomy, our main focus now,
and how we pursue continuing and deeper knowledge and broader skills.
Our "village" has one common focus and that is to share our knowledge with our community,
encourage and assist new and young scientists.

Please join us this evening to hear short 3min. talks from our experts,
and share your hopes for developing your astronomy base.

Host: Mark Moffatt
ACA Vice President of Programs

Refreshments: Snacks for our break time will be "potluck".
Everyone should bring their favorite food or drink.

Lunar Observing after the meeting
Venus,Mercury,WaxCresc.Moon,Jupiter
Bring what you have of planisphere, lunar map, binoculars, telescope.


Club Dark Sky Perseid Meteor Count
August 13, Saturday morning 1:30 AM at NMR-DSO
Moonrise/set: 1530/0200 Dark sky

Please arrive before 2:00AM. Park with your headlights toward the road.

Bring what you have of
planisphere, binoculars, telescope,
towels, lounge cot/recliner, sleeping bag, blankets, . . .
Wear hat, layered clothing.

6:00 AM Breakfast ! Waffles, sausage, eggs, juice, etc.!



Annual Club Picnic and Dark Sky Star Gaze
August 20, Saturday 6:30 PM at NMR-DSO
Moonrise/set: 2146/0911 Dark sky
Invite your family, and astronomy friends
Make plans for a great time, getting to know each other better, eating well,
sharing astronomy experiences, and showing them what you like about astronomy.

Sign up now. Bring your whole family! - Get in on a great experience.

The ACA will provide the Bar-b-cue, hamburgers, and hotdogs via chief Chef, Stan Howard.

Please bring a side dish to share.
Signed up so far: Stan&Tedda: setup, BBQ Chicken, hamburger patties, hotdogs, sweet tea, John: pork BBQ, fudge brownines,
MarkM: 16 hamburger & 16 hotdog buns, Kenneth: soft drinks, water, bag ice, Maryglenn: baked beans, Ervin: Cole Slaw,
Morris: 2 bags chips, Suzanne&M: veggie tray, John & Susan: green salad, potato salad, Zack,
Needed: fresh circle-sliced tomatoes & vidalia onions, green salad, potato salad,
condiments (1 each: ketsup, mustard, Baby Rays), corn pudding, banana pudding, Jalebi, desserts, etc.
chairs

Prep your food ahead, take an afternoon nap, and come hungry!

Please Park with your headlights toward the road.
Bring what you have of: binoculars, telescope, planisphere, AL Lunar & Messier lists,
lounge chair, towels, tea table.
Wear socks & shoes, pants.

Observe the summer constellations & dim fuzzies.
Look for Saturn, Mars, and Antares.
Study Cygnus and M29 near Sadr (See Sky&Telescope pp.58,63, Stellarium).

Come Rain or Shine:
Fun astronomy activities planned for cloudy nights.


August Minutes



Club Dark Sky Star Gaze
September 03, Saturday 7:00 PM at NMR-DSO
Moonrise/set: 0902/2115 Dark sky
A beautiful September sky!

Please arrive before dark. We will practice telescope set up and tracking.
Park with your headlights toward the road.
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope, towels to lay on.
Wear socks, shoes, long pants, layered clothing.



Observe the Moon Night
September 10, Saturday, 7:00PM at RPSEC The Public is invited!
Moonrise/set: 1411/0000 Lunar

Program: Moon-Made for You
The Moon is the closest natural outer space object to us.
It affects everything we do.
It is gray, but its surface terrain and geography is variable and fascinating.
It moves in a predictable pattern, but varies enough to disappear, turn blood red, or turn black,
form a bracelet of Bailey's beads, or a ring of fire and a brilliant diamond.
It's very cold, and hides origins and history of the Earth in its deepest recesses.
It pulls at us, and we yearn to return to it.
It is a strange and dangerous place, but we learned and are learning how to manage there.
It makes shadows here, but usually we can enjoy its reflected, guiding night light.

Speaker: Tedda Howard
has a MS in Biology from the University of South Carolina.
She was President of the ACA for four years from 2010-2014,
and has been our Web Editor since 1998.
She earned the Lunar Award from the Astronomical League in 2011.
She enjoys teaching others about the moon,
showing them surface details and how it moves through the sky.

Refreshments: cookies -CourtneyM, soft drinks - GaryS

Lunar Observing on the Lawn, after the meeting - 10:00PM.
Bring what you have of
planisphere, lunar map, binoculars, telescope, two towels.
Check out the lunar maria.
See how the moon turns as it moves through the sky.
Figure out where you will see the moon: tomorrow night, at the same time.
Use the telescopes to check out and name some craters near the maria.

Club Volunteers: will help and show you
maria: naked eye, binocular, low power -
maria: high power -

maria and craters:
M Frigoris: Aristoteles, Eudoxus - MaryglennB
M Crisium: Cleomedes, Macrobius, Picard -
M Serenitatis: Posidonius -
M Tranquilitatis: Palus Somni, Proclus - StanH
M Tranquilitatis: Sinus Concordiae, Da Vinci - CourtneyM, SuzanneH
M Fecunditatis: Taruntius, MessierA -
M Fecunditatis: Langrenus, Vendelinus - JohnW
M Fecunditatis: Petavius, Furnerius -
M Nectaris: Theophilus, Cyrillus, Catharina - KennethB
M Nectaris: Fracastorius, Piccolomini -StephenM
Highlands between M Frigoris & M Imbrium: Plato, Montes Alpes - VinayK
M Imbrium: Montes Caucasus, Montes Archimedes, Montes Apeninnus - MarkM
M Insularum: Copernicus - ShaneS
Highlands S of M Nubium: Tycho, Clavius - Victor & KathyL

Observe some planets, stars, and constellations also:
Be the first to spot Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Neptune.
North: Follow Cassiopeia to Andromeda, then name Pegasus' four 4 corners.
See Draco, Hercules, Corona Borealis, Bootes.
Follow the Milky Way Galaxy across the sky.
Look for the Summer Triangle: Vega, Deneb, and Altair; then Albireo, Vulpecula, and Sagitta.



Club Dark Sky Star Gaze
Prep for SEED:
September 24, Saturday 5:00 PM at NMR-DSO
Please come and help.
Light supper provided - Stan&Tedda Howard

Club Dark Sky Star Gaze
September 24, Saturday 7:00 PM at NMR-DSO
Moonrise-set: 0113 1522 Dark sky
See the last of Venus and Saturn, Scorpius and Sagittarius in the Western sky.
Review the Summer Triangle up high.
Marvel the colors of Albireo. Look for Vulpecula, Sagitta, and Delphinus. How about the Ring Nebula in Lyra?
Follow the Milky Way Galaxy from Sagittarius & Scorpius, through Aquila & Cygnus, to Cepheus & Cassiopeia.
Look for Andromeda again, Neptune in Aquarius, Uranus in Pisces, and Ceres later, all to the East.
Watch Perseus rise in the NEast. Check out his purse and Algol, the Medusa head.
Look for Herschel's Garnet Star, beautiful double stars, double clusters, and nebulae.

Please arrive before dark. Park with your headlights toward the road.
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope, towel to lay on.
Wear socks, shoes, long pants, layered clothing.


September Minutes



ACA Solar Observing on the Lawn, DAWN Mission to Vesta and Ceres,
NEW HORIZONS Mission to Pluto, and Planet Walk
for SEED and National Astronomy Day
October 01, Saturday, 10AM-3PM at RPSEC The Public is invited!
Have it both ways:
Focus on the SUN! and out to the Asteroids and Pluto!
Wear socks, shoes, light clothing to cover, hat, sun block.
For SEED Volunteers





Monthly Meeting
October 14, Friday, 7:00 PM at RPSEC The Public is invited!
Moonrise/set: 1811 / 0429 Lunar
Program: The Life Cycle of Galactic Winds
Newly formed stars affect the environment around them through stellar winds and supernovae ejecta.
On the scale of a galaxy the contribution from each star is small, but when added together
the winds generated by star formation can produce winds on a galactic scale.
These galactic winds are hard to detect using optical imagery
but are very prominent in different wavebands. Large galaxy surveys have found
galactic winds present in more than 50% of galaxies.
There is evidence that our own Milky Way has recently produced such a wind.
Understanding how these galactic winds are produced and how they operate
allows us to better understand the shape and evolution of galaxies, including our own.
Speaker: Ryan Tanner
recently joined the faculty of the Department of Chemistry and Physics at Augusta University.
He recently completed his PhD at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
where he worked on computer simulations of galactic winds
and producing synthetic spectra to compare his simulations to observational results.
Please welcome Dr. Tanner to the CSRA, and to our Astronomy Club of Augusta.

Lunar Observing after the meeting
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope.
Wear layered clothing.


Club Dark Sky Star Gaze
October 29, Saturday 7:00 PM at NMR-DSO
Moonrise-set: 0637 1822 Dark sky
See Saturn, Venus and Antares together before setting in the West.
Mars is red, just to the NE of the tipped over teapot (Sagittarius).
Follow the beautiful Milky Way Galaxy from Sagittarius up through the Summer Triangle
and all the way across the sky to Cassiopeia. Look for dark lanes.
Can you find Alnair(Grus), Formalhaut (Piscis austrinus), Diphda and Menkar(Cetus)
below Capricornus, Aquarius and Pisces, all in the S to E sky?
Help or get help, and use a telescope to find Neptune in Aquarius, Uranus and Ceres in Pisces.
Due East, the Great Square of Pegasus is nestled above Pisces. We'll name the four corners.
Learn to find the constellations: Andromeda, Triangulum, and Ares.
Here comes Perseus, such fun to label his starry parts.
The Big Dipper has just about set, but the other 4 circumpolar constellations of
Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Draco and the Little Dipper have much to offer in the North.
Hercules has no bright stars, but a distinctive shape. We'll look NW early in the evening.

Please arrive before dark. Park with your headlights toward the road.
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope, towel to lay on.
Wear socks, shoes, long pants, layered clothing.


October Minutes


Monthly Meeting
November 11, Friday, 7:00 PM at RPSEC The Public is invited!
Moonrise-set: 1543-0319 Lunar
Program: All I Want for Christmas !
My talk is about the equipment amateur astronomers use, and where to purchase the equipment from.
Our club usually suggests a $5 - $15 spending limit. I will keep that in mind.
My talk will be in 3 parts:
1) The Beginner
2) The Intermediate
3) The Expert
Speaker: Mark Moffatt
I have been an amateur astronomer since 1967. My parents bought me a telescope for Christmas.
and I have been hooked since. I joined the Astronomy Club of Augusta in the 1990s.
I have done both the Messier and Lunar list. and am the current VP for Programs.

Refreshments: Mark Moffatt,

Lunar Observing after the meeting
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope.
Wear layered clothing.


Happy Turkey Day to you and yours!

November Minutes


Club Dark Sky Star Gaze
December 03, Saturday 5:30 PM at NMR-DSO
Moonrise-set: 1021-2107 Dark sky .
Catch Mercury close to the setting sun. Venus is just below the crescent moon.
See the Summer Triangle in the Western sky
Marvel the colors of Albireo. Look for Vulpecula, Sagitta, and Delphinus.
How about 5Lyr double star, Sulafat, Sheliak, and the Ring Nebula in Lyra?
Follow the Milky Way Galaxy from Sagittarius through Aquila & Cygnus, to Cassiopeia.
Look South for Mars in Capricornus, and Aquarius, Pisces, and Cetus in a row.
Fomalhaut is further south just below Aquarius.
Scope out Uranus, 3.5 stars in the tail beyond Pisces' pentagon head. Ceres is south of Uranus.
Keep moving east to find 2-point Ares and Triangulum.
Check out Perseus: his purse below Mirfak, Algol the Medusa head, and follow his foot to
Taurus' Pleiades, including the parents, Atlas and Pleione, and those gorgeous seven sisters:
Alcyone, Merope, Electra, Celaeno, Taygeta, Asterope, and Maia.
Wait a while longer and you will see the belt of Orion / the Three Kings rising in the East.
At Cepheus, find Herschel's Garnet Star, a red pulsating variable, and The Elephant's Trunk Nebula, just to the north.
Look for many more beautiful double stars, double clusters, and nebulae.

Please arrive before dark. Park with your headlights toward the road.
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope, towel to lay on.
Wear hat, layered clothing.

Come Rain, Shine, or Cold:
Fun astronomy activities planned for cloudy nights.


Annual Holiday Club Dinner
December 15, Thursday 6:30PM, at Golden Corral
All members, family and friends are invited to attend our annual holiday gathering.

Please Reserve a place for you and your family now.
Private room req.: 20-50 people.
Host: Mark Moffatt.
Buffet $8.99, seniors:$8.19, age4-8:$4.39, age8-12:~$5. Drinks:$2.09

1. DINNER at Golden Corral (Pay when you arrive: adults:~$10, ages8-12:~$5)
The varied buffet is hot and hearty, great salad bar, with many delicious desserts.
Please bring a few dollars for our waitresses.

2. Mark's PREVIEW of Upcoming 2017 Programs

3. GIFT EXCHANGE: Host: Mark Moffatt
Bring your thinking caps. He'll have puzzles and trivia to keep us all on our toes.
Check out: https://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/lunar/lunar2.html
and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_object#Lists_and_editions

Please bring a wrapped gift for the Gift Exchange, range $5 to $15.
Drop off your gift at the gift table, and select a number when you arrive.
This makes for a lot of speculation, intrigue, negotiating, and fun!

All, especially children, are encouraged to make a gift with an astronomy or science related theme:
satellite models 1 , models 2 (many available free online), paper weights, mugs, night lights, or other.
or buy a gift, range $5 to $15.

It's not the gift that counts, but the happiness we bring by giving to each other.
See you there!

December Minutes

2017 Schedule of Events

Club Dark Sky Star Gaze
January 07 14 Saturday 6:00PM at NMR-DSO
Moon rise set: 1337-0205 2015-0915 Dark sky, then lunar

Star Gaze postponed one week due to bad weather/dangerous roads.

Look for beautiful double stars, double clusters, and nebulae in the winter sky.

Please arrive before dark.
Park with your headlights toward the road.
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope, towel to lay on.
Wear hat, layered clothing.

Come Rain, Shine, or Cold:
Fun astronomy activities planned for cloudy nights.
Ask new members Margaret, John, and Mary. They know what we learn and what fun we have,
even with clouds!


Monthly Meeting
January 20, Friday 7:00PM, at AU The Public is invited!
Moon rise set: 0104 1233
Program: Where on Earth Are We - The Celestial Bodies Can Tell Us
Finding our location on Earth is based on the techniques of Navigation.
Finding our position using the Heavenly Bodies is a special branch of Navigation known as Celestial Navigation.
Though used primarily out at sea, out of the sight of land, the same techniques can be used on land
with a few modifications. A good example of Celestial Navigation on land was its use during the
Corps of Discovery Expedition by Lewis & Clark in the early 1800s while mapping the Louisiana Purchase.
This presentation will be a brief overview on the method used to find our location on Earth
(specifically on land) using Celestial Navigation techniques.
Speaker: Stephen Miller
enlisted in the U.S. Navy in December 1963 and went on active duty in January 1965,
specializing in Celestial Navigation (position finding using only the heavenly bodies).
In 1989, Steve received his U.S.C.G. Master license, and prepared students for their USCG Master licenses.
This led to teaching Celestial Navigation, and in 1994 writing his textbook: Reaching for the Stars.
Rewritten and retitled Celestial Navigation in the New Millennia, it was used at the Chapman School of Seamanship
in Stuart, FL beginning in 2000, where Captain Steve was the Celestial Navigation Instructor, prior to retiring in 2012.
With this background and a natural, burning curiosity Captain Steve was led to the world of astronomy.
In 2002, he started with an Orion 102mm Mak Cass telescope and joined the Treasure Coast Astronomical Society.
From 2004-2008, he studied under the tutelage of Astronomer Michael Palermitti, and joined the Amateur Research Group.
Captain Steve is now an advanced astrophotographer, specializing in Lunar, Planetary and Solar work,
with extensive professional equipment. His Lunar images have been published in Selenology -
-the Journal of the American Lunar Society. He joined the Astronomy Club of Augusta in April 2015.
Captain Steve loves to share with others by imaging with his telescopes, cameras and lenses.

Refreshments: Joyce Schlosser

Dark Sky Observing after the meeting
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope.
Wear layered clothing.

January Minutes

Club Star Gaze
February 04 Saturday 6:00PM at NMR-DSO
Moon rise set: 1219 0102 Slightly gibbous first quarter Moon

Enjoy a great view of the first quarter moon.
View in series from naked-eye to binocular to small then big telescope.
Or start with the details, and work your way out.
Either way, maria, craters, valleys, rills, and astronaut landing sites are very interesting.

With just a quarter moon, other parts of the sky will be available for some dark sky observing.
Find Venus, Mars and Uranus. Vest is on the right arm of Pollux in Gemini.
Look for beautiful double stars, double clusters, and nebulae in the winter sky.

Please arrive before dark.
Park with your headlights toward the road.
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope, towel to lay on.
Wear hat, layered clothing.

Come Rain, Shine, or Cold:
Fun astronomy activities planned for cloudy nights.

Monthly Meeting
February 17, Friday 7:00PM, at AU The Public is invited!
Moon rise set: 2346-1043 Dark sky
Program: Stellar Evolution, Understanding Our Neighbors
will discuss how stars form, how they are the building blocks of galaxies, the birth,
life, and death of stars, and provide an understanding of the life cycle of main sequence stars.
It will also touch on supernovae, neutron stars, and black holes.

Speaker: Courtney Morrison,
is an 2nd yr. undergraduate physics major at Augusta University , and
President of the AU Physics Club & SPS. Ever since she was a young child,
she was always curious about space and passionate about astronomy. She spent
a lot of nights growing up in the Georgian back country, looking at the stars above her,
wondering how they got there, and hoping to travel to them one day.
After graduating from Augusta University with her physics degree in a few years,
she plans to continue her education and go to graduate school
to earn a PhD in Physics, specializing in astronomy or astrophysics.

Refreshments: ___

Dark Sky Observing after the meeting
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope.
Wear layered clothing.

February Minutes

Monthly Meeting
March 10, Friday 7:00PM, at RPSEC The Public is invited!
Moon rise set: 1650 0530 Lunar
Just before the meeting, check out Venus, Uranus, Mars in the west, Canopus low in the south.

Program: Rossby Waves at Mars ,
. . . in the north polar jet stream of Mars as detected by amateur imagers in 2007-8. . .

Speaker: Roger Venable,
has been star gazing since 1960, and was a President of our ACA some years ago.
He is the Coordinator of the Mars Section of A.L.P.O., and Vice President of IOTA.
He regularly lectures and writes about Mars and about observing occultations.
With his wife Anna, he enjoys deep sky observing, and dabbles in astro-imaging.
He has 14 telescopes, each with a different, specialized purpose.
Roger is a Board-certified family physician and practices in rural Georgia emergency rooms.
Please welcome Roger back home to our ACA in the CSRA.

Refreshments: ___

Full Moon Observing after the meeting, Mars in the West.
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope.
Wear layered clothing.



ACA Star Gaze Public Outreach
March 11, Saturday at 6:00 PM, Phinizy Swamp Nature Park
1858 Loch & Dam Rd, Augusta GA 30906

Moon rise/set: 1800- Lunar

See the very gibbous Moon rise in the East
As the Sun sets in the West, look for bright planet Venus.
What shape does it appear, and where?
Red Mars is above and to the left.
Uranus can be seen with binoculars or telescope between Venus and Mars.
The Andromeda Galaxy is above and to the right.
Just a bit further right is the Milky Way Galaxy, crossing the sky from Cassiopeia
through Perseus, the Winder Hexagon, to Puppis.
Learn the seven stars of the Winter Hexagon in the South.
Can you name the six constellations too?
Share binoculars to see details of the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters.
Look low to find bright Canopus.
Praesepe is visible naked eye, but pops out with binoculars.
Leo, Cancer, and Hydra are bathed in the sunlight reflected from the moon.
Jupiter rises in the East at ~9PM, just after Arcturus to its left and before Spica to its right.
Look for 3 of Jupiter’s 4 Galilean Moons, and the Red Spot!
Io will peek through from behind Jupiter just after 9:30PM
To the North, you can see and name the stars of the Big and Little Dippers.
Look for beautiful clusters, nebulae, and double stars all along the way!

Please arrive before dark.
Park with your headlights toward the road.
Bring what you have of
planisphere, moon map, binoculars, telescope, towel to lay on.
Wear layered clothing.

hot chocolate, tea, coffee, and light snacks provided by Phinizy Park

Click on:
https://www.angelfire.com/ga/astronomyclubaugusta
Calendar of Events page for details

ACA Messier Marathon
March 25 , Saturday at 7:00 PM, at NMR-DSO

In the year 2017, New Moon will occur on March 28, thus providing a good opportunity
for a Messier Marathon on both the weekends of March 25/26, 2017 (primary)
as well as April 1/2, 2017 (secondary option). On the primary date (March 25/26),
there will be a good opportunity to attempt to hunt down all Messier Objects in one night
from suitable mid-northern latitude locations, while the second date will be
a tough challenge for the evening objects, M74 and M77. According to Tom Polakis'
investigation, on the first primary occasion, a full score of 110 Messier Objects
should be possible from locations between 12 deg and 37 deg Northern Latitude
with most difficult object M30 in the morning, and southern limit from M110,
while on the secondary date in April, the limits will be 20 deg to 41 deg North.
M74 and M110 will limit to the south, M30 to the north; it will just be around these days
of the year that M74 will become invisible for its annual conjunction with the Sun.

Messier Objects Everywhere!

Rest up this afternoon, so you are ready for an evening sky, full of wonders.

We will have copies of the Messier Objects, listed by time of appearance.

Please arrive before dark.
Park with your headlights toward the road.
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope, Messier list,
lounge chairs, sleeping bags/blankets, towels to lay on, etc..
Wear socks, shoes, long pants, layered clothing.

Please eat ahead or bring a snack.
6AM: Join us for waffles, eggs, sausage, fruit & juice.

Please come rain, clouds, or shine!
We have some fun astronomy projects ready!

March Minutes

ACA Club Meeting
April 07, Friday at 7:00 PM, at RPSEC The Public is invited!
Moon rise-set: 1641 0510

Program: Great American Solar Eclipse
... and what groups in our area are doing with this event . . .

Having a solar eclipse near where someone lives is a rare event.  A common generality is
that having a total solar eclipse where one lives is a once-in-a-life-time event.  
South Carolina is a prime target for the eclipse on August 21, 2017
that will provide eclipse-viewing opportunities across the United States.  
Totality, when people can see the moon cover the entire disk of the Sun,
will extend from Oregon to South Carolina.  The Augusta/Aiken area will be near 99% of totality
and within a short drive to locations of totality.  As the eclipse approaches totality, 
sunlight shines through craters on the edge of the moon.  When this occurs,
there is a bright spot on one side of the dark “ring” of the moon.  
This has been called he “Diamond Ring Effect.”   With this in mind,
we are calling Aiken and Augusta the “Jewel of the Eclipse.”  
Learn about solar eclipses and how you can prepare to take advantage of this unique event.

Speaker: Dr. Gary J. Senn
is the director of the DuPont Planetarium and the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center.
He is a full professor at the University of South Carolina Aiken.
His teaching duties include courses in the Master of Education in Educational Technology program,
various STEM courses for teachers, and undergraduate science education courses.
His other responsibilities include Manager of the RPSEC Observatory,
Director of the Center of Excellence in Middlelevel Interdisciplinary Strategies for Teaching (CE-MIST),
and Director of the Center of Excellence in Educational Technology. http://rpsec.usca.edu/Staff/SennVita.html
As such, Gary has arranged and supported our meetings at the RPSEC.
Gary is a long time member of the Astronomy Club of Augusta. We are happy to have him speak.

Refreshments: Victor & Kathy Levy

Lunar Observing after the meeting
Also, Jupiter at perigee!
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope, towel.
Wear layered clothing.


Prep for NAN
April 22, Saturday 5:00 PM, at NMR-DSO
Light supper provided
Eclipse update
Club Dark Sky Star Gaze
April 22, Saturday 5:00 PM, 7:30 PM at NMR-DSO
Moonrise/set: 0225 1334 Dark sky
Come early to help Prep for NAN = National Astronomy Night
Be the first to spot Mars and Jupiter.
Review the Winter Hexagon.
Focus on Cancer, Leo, Hydra, Crater, Corvus,
Ursa major, Ursa minor, Bootes, Virgo.
Look for beautiful double stars, clusters and nebulae.
Please arrive before dark. Park with your headlights toward the road.
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope, towel to lay on.
Wear socks, shoes, layered clothing.


ACA Telescopes on the Lawn
for Earth and Sky and National Astronomy Night The Public is invited!
April 29, Saturday, 7:30-10:30 PM at RPSEC
Moon rise set: 0934 2351 Setting Crescent Moon

Members of the Astronomy Club of Augusta will host
naked-eye, binocular, and telescope observing
of the moon, planets, and stars this evening on the Lawn.

Bring what YOU have of: your planisphere, binoculars, telescope, 2 towels, a lawn chair...
Wear socks & shoes, layered clothing.
We will have a number of telescopes available for the public to look through.

We appreciate our ACA VOLUNTEERS helping the public locate and identify sky objects:

Telescopes: StanH: solar scope & sunspots, Televue 4"Refractor: Mare Crisium and craters, Jupiter, +.
SteveM: Solar Scope on Sun, Scope on Moon, 102mm Refractor on Jupiter, Camera on M42. ,
KennethB: The Moon and some craters.
VinayK: Double Star, Cluster
John:8" Schmidt Cassegrain w Binocular Eyepiece,
MarkMof: 8" reflector: Lunar Messiers A&B
AndyC: Orion 6":
AllisonH: Celestron Powerseeker
Victor&KathyL:


Binoculars: Stan: 15x70 w tripod, some smaller,
Kenneth: use with eyeglasses, with solar filter
John: 10x50, 15x70, with stand
JulianM: Focus,
ShaneS: Spotting Scope: Leo and Cancer

The Moon
Kenneth: Moon Terminator, Earthshine, Maria, Highlands, Craters, Mountains, Rills, Rima
Naked Eye: AdelaD: Moon Phases, Motion: Earth apparent, spacial, Sides, Terminator, Earthshine
Binocular:
Scopes:

Constellations/ Stars, Planets:
Look for planets, famous stars, beautiful double stars, clusters, and nebulae.
AlexH: Big Dipper to Polaris: Merak & Duhbe
______: Little Dipper: Kochab & Pherkad

Refreshments: Gary Senn: water & sodas, Ervin Davenport: cookies

April Minutes

ACA Meeting: Elect Officers, 2-Minute Talks
May 12, Friday at 7:00 PM, at RPSEC The Public is invited!
Moon rise-set: 2156 0752 Quarter Moon

Report of Officers: President, VP Observing, VP Programs, Secretary, Treasurer.

Report of Nominating Committee.
Election of Officers

2 Minute Speakers: Please EVolunteer, include Name, Title
TeddaH: Eclipse Update
StanH: Stellarium Eclipse
BrunoH: 1999 Eclipse in France

MarkM: HOW TO USE YOUR COMPUTER TO MAKE ASTRONOMICAL DISCOVERIES
The Zooniverse is a Citizen - Science program that uses average everyday citizens to
sort thru data in search of Planets , Supernovas, and understand the histories of Galaxies, etc.
BrettA: Northern Lights
RichardB: BoyScout Astro Merit Badge
KennethB:  Kardashev/Sagan Civilizations

Refreshments: Mark Moffatt

Lunar Observing after the meeting
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope, towel.
Wear layered clothing.




ACA Outreach for Science Day
May 19, Friday 7AM -3PM at Hammond Hill Elementary
Please volunteer: Outreach
Already volunteered: DonH, BrunoH, TeddaH, StanH, KennethB, RichB JohnW, MarkMof,
Thank you!




Annual DAV = Deerlick Astronomy Village Memorial Weekend Picnic
May 28th, 2017, Sunday, 4:00 PM
Sign up / RSVP with Marie at http://www.deerlickgroup.com by Thursday, and bring a side dish or dessert for 4-6 people.

If you are going and/or would like to caravan or carpool, please call or email Stan:

I would like to carpool / caravan with you to the DAV Picnic on May 28, 2017, Sunday.
I will be waiting for you at
1:45 PM at your house (NMR)
2:00 PM at HotSpot, Hwy19=Whiskey Road and Hwy 278, near the entrance to the SRS
2:15 PM at Hwy 278 at Mean Jean Subway Gas Station in Beech Island
2:30 PM at Kenneth's House
2:35 PM at I-520 and Wheeler Road First Baptist Church parking lot
2:45 PM at I-20 and Exit 190-Grovetown, turn left off I-20 and go to the Wal-Mart parking lot behind Arbys.
We will leave from there promptly at 3:00 PM.

Thank you,
Name: ______________
Home phone: __________
Cell phone you will have with you that day: __________
I signed up with Marie at the DAV to bring the following side dish: __________
I will bring binoculars, water, hat, towel.

Tedda and Stan: Potato Salad
Kenneth: Walter Sausages

We have had a group attend every year for several years now, and it is a great day. We look forward to your joining us.
Bring binoculars, water, hat, towel.

May Minutes

ACA Club Meeting
June 09, Friday at 7:00 PM, at AU The Public is invited!
Moon rise-set: 2132-0616 Dark sky, then Lunar/font>

Before the meeting, in the hall:  Money money, money!!!
Please pay your dues if not already done.
Please order/pay for you ACA Logo Polo Shirts, cash or check
Good news: 21 members have already ordered.
Bad news:  last chance to order.
Please refer to previous email and order now.
Sign up to help with Eclipse Stations on Aug.21
Click options below, suggest others

Installation of New Officers

Program: The Egg Beaters of Space
: Helium-Core White Dwarfs, Binaries, and Globular Clusters

will begin with an overview of several topics:
1) What are white dwarfs? How is a helium-core white dwarf different
from a regular white dwarf, and how are they formed?
2) What are binaries? How common are they? What kinds of stars form binaries?
What happens when they get really close together?
3) What are globular clusters? How are different from open clusters in appearance and age?
How do globular clusters change over time?
I’ll conclude by tying these various topics together, and how they relate to the research
I conducted for my master’s thesis on the globular cluster, Omega Centauri.

Speaker: Suzanne Hayward Harris
has had a deep and abiding interest in the science of astronomy since the age of 12.
She received B.S. degrees in physics and astronomy (along with minors in geology & Latin)
from the Univ. of Washington in Seattle and a M.S. degree in physics from San Francisco State Univ.
She has previously taught at Midlands Tech and Augusta University.
Her current goals including keeping up with developments in astronomy & space exploration and
fostering in her daughter a love for all things space.
Suzanne is a long time member of the Astronomy Club of Augusta. We are happy to have her speak.


Refreshments: Maryglenn Brown

Lunar Observing after the meeting
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope.
Wear layered clothing.




NASA "Two Months to the Eclipse" Press Conference
June 21, Wednesday 1-3:30 PM, NASA TV and www.nasa.gov
https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/save-date-june-21-2017
Thanks to Mike C.



Please support astronomy and your local Astronomy Club of Augusta.
If you have not already done so,
bring your 2017-18 dues to the meeting, and
give/ or mail to John White, ACA Treasurer, 4254 Woodland Drive, Martinez, GA 30907
Please include your name, address, phone, email, with your $10.
Thank you.

You show your support of your Astronomy Club of Augusta in so many ways.
We had a total of 32 orders for new ACA logo Polo Shirts.
Many Thanks!
The Polo Shirts should arrive in time for our meeting on July 07.
Please attend and pick up your shirt then.

Also, thank you for your enthusiasm to sign up to man a Station at the Eclipse.
After some discussion, Lorelei and her Dad George decided that
most people don't know much about LaGrange Points and the benefits of locating spacecraft there,
so Lorelei has decided this is a good topic (that wasn't on the list, but is now),
and named her soon to be poster "Sweet Spots in Space". Isn't that great!

If you would like to man the station next to hers, a list and description of the
spacecraft at those LaGrange points for the Earth and Moon would be a great topic!

New Member, Andrea, has volunteered
to make a poster list of spacecraft focused on studying the Sun!

Eclipse day will be a great opportunity to teach people about astronomy.
Some topics/stations are suggested on the list below.
Pick one out, let us know, and start working on it NOW!
Teaming up with two to three people is a good idea too. We can always use your help.
Email and Let us know.
Come on June 24, Sat. 6PM to get more ideas and help.



ACA Planet Repair Shop and Eclipse Stations Prep
June 24, Saturdayat 6-8:30PM, at NMR-DSO
All ages - have fun with balloons, papier mache, and paint!
also, Demonstrate your Eclipse Station Plan, Progress, or Choice!
See and hear what your teammates are doing. Help them!


ACA Star Gaze
June 24, Saturdayat 8:30 PM, at NMR-DSO
Moon rise-set: 0657 2118 Dark sky

Jupiter is first out tonight in the SE. Saturn rises shortly thereafter.
Vega, Arcturus and Spica appear shortly after 9PM. Then Corvus is visible.
Cygnus and Aquila rise up to form the Summer Triangle with Vega.
Draco appears nicely to the N. with the Big & Little Dippers.
- all before 9:30
with many more discoveries to make.

Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope, towel.
Wear layered clothing.



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2017-18


Please support astronomy and your local Astronomy Club of Augusta.
If you have not already done so,
bring your 2017-18 dues to the meeting, and give/ or mail to:
Tedda Howard, ACA Secretary, 4327 Williston Road, Windsor, SC 29856
Please include your name, address, phone, email, with your $10.
Thank you.

You show your support of your Astronomy Club of Augusta in so many ways.
We had a total of 32 orders for new ACA logo Polo Shirts.
Many Thanks!
The Polo Shirts should arrive in time for our meeting on July 07.
Please attend and pick up your shirt then.

Also, thank you for your enthusiasm to sign up to man a Station at the Eclipse.
After some discussion, Lorelei and her Dad George decided that
most people don't know much about LaGrange Points and the benefits of locating spacecraft there,
so Lorelei has decided this is a good topic (that wasn't on the list, but is now),
and named her soon to be poster "Sweet Spots in Space". Isn't that great!

If you would like to man the station next to hers, a list and description of the
spacecraft at those LaGrange points for the Earth and Moon would be a great topic!

New Member, Andrea, has volunteered
to make a poster list of spacecraft focused on studying the Sun!

Eclipse day will be a great opportunity to teach people about astronomy.
Some topics/stations are suggested on the list below.
Pick one out, let us know, and start working on it NOW!
Teaming up with two to three people is a good idea too. We can always use your help.
Email and Let us know.


ACA Club Meeting
July 07, Friday at 7:00 PM, at AU The Public is invited!
Moon rise-set: 1929-0431 Lunar

Handout: ACA logo Polo Shirts
Sign up for Eclipse Stations
Sign up for SEED
Installation of New Officers
Annual Club Awards Presentation

Program: Various Solar Cycles
will briefly review the major different cycles of our Sun’s ongoing dynamic activity.

Speaker: Ron Ferris
is a longtime member and past vice president of the Astronomy Club of Augusta.
He has been interested in all aspects of astronomy since childhood. At age 13
he built all major components of his first 6” Newtonian reflecting telescope from scratch,
including grinding, polishing, figuring and silvering its mirror.
Ron was a longtime member and past vice president of the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club
where he participated in various observing projects and meets. Ron’s increased interest in the Sun
occurred several years ago. He has subsequently used his Coronado telescope to share that interest
in observing the Sun with scores of children at the annual ACA on the Lawn
for Science Education Enrichment Day events, at the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center, USC-Aiken.
We look forward to hearing Ron speak.

Refreshments: Theme: NASA Firsts in July: __

Lunar Observing after the meeting
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope, towel.
Wear layered clothing.




Planning Meeting of New Officers
July 22, Saturday 5:00PM at NMR-DSO
Plan for 2017-18
Installation of New Treasurer
. . .

ACA Planet Repair Shop and Eclipse Stations Prep
July 22, Saturdayat 6-8:30PM, at NMR-DSO

Please pick up your ACA Logo Polo Shirt tonight. We don't want to carry the box of shirts around anymore!

Bring your Eclipse Station Poster! We will help you mount your poster on a luan board with holes in each corner.
Be sure to let Tedda know the size of your poster/s before July 19, Wednesday so your luan backboard is available.
also, Demonstrate your Eclipse Station Plan, Progress, or Choice!
See and hear what your teammates are doing. Help them!
Demonstrators: Kenneth: Solar Structure, Tedda: Lunar Interior and Motion, Stan: Lunar Phases, John: Indirect Solar observing with Solarscope, Mark M: Direct Solar observing with #14 welder glass filter, Tedda: Astronomy Storytelling, Campus map of Stations, Adela: Registration, AL Observing list, Lorelei&George: LaGrange Points 1Where, 2Why:Gravity, 3Usefulness and Use, Mike C.: Size and Distance in the Solar System, Suzanne+: . . . . . and YOU!


ACA Club Star Gaze
July 22, Saturday at 8:00 PM, at NMR-DSO
Moon rise-set: 0540-1958 Dark sky

Look for Mercury at 8:50PM. Regulus is dimmer at ~10PM from Mercury,
Algieba is even dimmer at ~12:30. Denebola is 3X further at ~11PM.
Look for Jupiter and Saturn
Trace the Big Dipper handle to Arcturus, then speed on to Spica.
Vega, Altair, and Deneb are out this night as well. Can you name their constellations?




ACA Club Meeting
August 04, Friday at 7:00 PM, at AU The Public is invited!
Moon rise-set: 1812-0356 Lunar

Eclipse Stations Review
Sign up for SEED

Program: ____________________


Speaker: _________________








Refreshments: ________

Lunar Observing after the meeting
Bring what you have of planisphere, binoculars, telescope, towel.
Wear layered clothing.





Load Truck for Eclipse
August 11, Saturdayat 10:00AM, at NMR-DSO

Please volunteer to help load up.

Total Solar Eclipse: August 21,
Total Solar Eclipse

Eclipse Poster
Please volunteer to help using this volunteer guide and email Tedda.
Directions for volunteers.


ACA hosts the Total Solar Eclipse The Public is invited!
August 21, 2017, Monday, 9:00AM - 4:00PM at Lexington County Museum on the field
Moon rise set: 0535 1911 New Moon, Total Eclipse at LCM ~1440+

Bring what YOU have of: your planisphere, your solar glasses
Wear socks & shoes, layered clothing.

We will have solar telescopes available for the public to look through directly, and solarscopes to observe indirectly.
We will also have a limited number of solar glasses.

We appreciate our ACA VOLUNTEERS helping the public
understand the eclipse phenomena with projects and demonstrations,
and to locate and identify sky objects:

Telescopes: StanH: solar scope, prominences & flares, Televue 4"Refractor:
________
________
________


Refreshments: LCM: cold water,
Many local eateries and grocery store nearby.




ACA Star Gaze
August 26, Saturdayat 6:30 PM, at NMR-DSO
Moon rise-set: 1143 2257 Crescent moon

ACA Birthday, Annual Picnic, Eclipse Review




Deadline to sign up for SEED
August 28

Beginners to experts can benefit
from the abundance of knowledge, skill, and enthusiasm
at our local meetings and star parties.
Astronomy is not a simple sport. Get help to get good.
Go to our Membership page, and become a member now.

Email: Comments





ANNUAL Calendar of Events 2016-2017



ANNUAL Calendar of Events 2015-2016

Calendar of Events 2015-2016