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The Eyepiece |
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| TABLE OF CONTENTS
September in Detail: Page 1 For Sale/Want Ads: Page 1 A Look at Our Past: Page 2 Happenings This Month: Page 4 |
SEPTEMBER AT A GLANCE
9th: Monthly Meeting 11th - 13th: Astrofest 16th Newstar Monthly Meeting 18th - 19th: Brant Observatory Weekend 25th - 26th: Public Stargazing Weekend |
| A LOOK AT OUR PAST
NEBRASKA STAR PARTY
SHARING ASTRONOMY WITH NEW FRIENDS Well, after our trip to Nebraska, we left for South Carolina where we met some new friends |
that I had met on the Internet. We spent almost a week and a
half with them, and we had a great time. This was the first time
that they looked through a telescope so you can imagine how much fun I
had showing them some of my favorite hobby.
I first showed them the Moon, which was at half and I couldn’t get them away from the eyepiece. Lisa even had to call her daughter to come and see too. Then we all looked at Jupiter with it’s four moons, which they liked also. Next I said "Saturn will be up later, would you like to wait for it?" Well, needless to say, we were up until 1:30 am to get a good look which was worth the wait. It was beautiful, and to be the one to show these people for the first time was a thrill for me. We even got a letter from them and in it, she said " I will never again look at the sky in the same way". To touch someone in that way makes the hobby of astronomy a great thing to share with new friends. -Steve Wicker CLUB PICNIC AND OBSERVING WITH NEWSTAR
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A good time was had by all but the picnic broke up kind of early as the sky’s were clear and there was observing to do. Next we ventured out to Ron Parmentier’s observatory for an evening filled with observing, observing and more observing. About 35 people came out for views through Ron’s 30" classical Cassegrain and 6" Astrophysics refractor. Many also brought their own telescopes along, enjoying the camaraderie of fellow amateurs in an evening of casual observing. My telescope's Sky Commander was working beautifully and I had a great time showing some old favorites to new members. Tom Jorgenson and Tony Kroes did a lot of work with Tom’s new CCD camera. Lasting all night, they kept going even after Ron closed up the dome and headed for home. -Don DeWitt NORTHWOODS STARFEST REVIEW
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and nebulae the best part for myself was the views of the Eskimo Nebula,
M1 and M42 without freezing to death.
It was while eating breakfast on Saturday morning that we heard the first thunder of the weekend. A new record for dismantling Don DeWitt's 18" telescope was set. Thank you Don for letting us borrow it. After that we proceeded to help others cover and take down any other telescope that required it. We may not have put all the equipment in the correct places but they were at least out of the rain. The weekend talks consisted of the Vice President of the host club explaining how to best use your eye for observing deep sky objects. All listened very closely because he is an optometrist. One of his main points was how under certain situations it is better to increase the magnification for very faint objects. The point is that if you spread the object out over a larger area of your retina then more information can be sent to your brain. George or I will be happy to explain further at the September meeting. Saturday afternoon had a large attendance at the afternoon paper sessions and evening lecture because of the rain. The afternoon topics consisted of the improvements to the 24" telescope at the Hobbs Observatory; slides of the February eclipse; a tour by members of the CVAS to Mt. Wilson, Mt. Palomar and the Riverside Telescope Makers Convention and about my involvement with the Moonlink Project. The evening talk was by a student from UWEC who spent part of last winter on an observing run in Chile studying super nova. In all, the food was great, we had one very good night, and an excellent lightning show on Saturday evening. I hope to see more of the NPMAS at next years Northwoods Starfest (Aug. 13 -15). With the improvements to Highway 29 this annual event is now only 3 1/2 hours away. -Gary Baier
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| HAPPENINGS THIS MONTH
BRANT OBSERVATORY WEEKEND
PUBLIC STARGAZING WEEKEND
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If this doesn’t interest you, how about helping with crowd control
and directing people where to go.
Those that have signed up to bring telescopes or binoculars, you will be given your assigned object at the September meeting. I do ask that you read a little about your object so you can answer any questions the public may have. The reason for assigning objects is that we do not want the public to stand in long lines only to view the same object in twelve different scopes. Objects will be given out by what is requested or best viewed with your type of telescope. Everyone attending should be aware that the observing site where we set up is a field and past experience has shown that this area can and does get quite muddy in areas. Also, there are no bathroom facilities in the area, so please plan accordingly. In the event of cloudy weather on either night, the observing will be canceled and no other activities are planned. Past experience has shown poor attendance in the event of clouds. If it is clear, plan on entertaining and "wowing" many people with the sites of the night sky. Past sessions have seen upwards of 300 people. Just like the meetings, pizza is usually to follow. As of this writing, PSA’s have been sent out to the media. However we need everyone to take a few posters at our September meeting and display them in high traffic areas. If you would still like to help or need posters, contact Don or Katrina DeWitt at 405-8534 after 5:00 PM. Thanks in advance for all your help! -Katrina DeWitt DUES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS It's time once again to collect money for your magazine subscriptions, dues and calendar orders. I won't take a bunch of space up asking for money. Included with your newsletter you will have an itemized statement based on last years orders. Return ASAP! The Treasurer |