2017 November

AEA Astronomy Club Newsletter November 2017

Contents

AEA Astronomy Club News & Calendar p.1
Video(s) & Picture(s) of the Month p. 2
Astronomy News p. 11
General Calendar p. 15

    Colloquia, lectures, mtgs. p. 15
    Observing p. 17

Useful Links p. 19
About the Club p. 20

Club News & Calendar.

Club Calendar

Club Meeting Schedule:

2 Nov	AEA Astronomy Club Meeting	Astrobites Website & Don Lincoln YouTube video(s)	(A1/2906)
7 Dec	AEA Astronomy Club Meeting	The Search for Life in the Solar System and Beyond, Dr. Bonnie J. Buratti, JPL	(A1/1735)

AEA Astronomy Club meetings are now on 1^st  Thursdays at 11:45 am.  For all of 2017, the meeting room is A1/1735. 

Nov. 2:  We will take a look at the Astrobites website, and some of the articles on it summarizing recent research topics.  Possibly including:  independent measurement of the Hubble constant using the gravity wave detection, the Trappist-1 7-planet system (3 in the habitable zone), the historical & future rates of star formation in the universe, etc. 

Astrobites is a daily blog that acts as a reader’s digest of astrophysical literature, making current astronomy results accessible to more than just the researchers in that field.  Every day a graduate student from the Astrobites collaboration selects one article from the arXiv, a public preprint server where scientists publish their work, and summarizes it in a brief post intended to be understandable by undergraduate physics and astronomy majors.

Astrobites posts typically run around 500-1500 words, and they strive to be jargon-free.  Each astrobites summary first provides the background that readers might need, explaining the historical context for the research and why the study presented in this paper is important.  The summaries then present the main results from the paper and a few plots or figures from the study, with careful explanation of what’s being represented in each.  All Astrobites posts include a link back to the original article – which is freely available on the arXiv, so that readers can easily access the full study for more information after they read the Astrobites summary.

Possibly also a short YouTube video or 2 of Don Lincoln’s (senior scientist at Fermi Lab) – “It was for these videos, as well as his Great Courses lectures, numerous articles in popular media, and a TED Talk – among other scientific communication achievements – that Lincoln was awarded the 2017 Gemant Award from the American Institute of Physics.”

[from the Fall, 2017 issue of Radiations, the official publication of Sigma Pi Sigma, the physics honor society, an organization & publication of the American Institute of Physics ]

Dec. 7:  Title: The Search for Life in the Solar System and Beyond

Abstract:

One of the greatest questions confronting scientists is whether life exists outside the Earth. This talk is a survey of our current understanding of life in the universe. Starting in the Solar System, Dr. Buratti addresses the possibility of life on Mars and the “Ocean Worlds” in the outer Solar System. Current research on exoplanets around other stars, including Earth-like worlds, is summarized. Finally, Fermi’s paradox – why we have not found anyone – is discussed.

Bio:

Dr. Bonnie J. Buratti is a Senior Research Scientist and technical manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. With expertise on the structure and evolution of planets and moons, she received degrees from MIT and Cornell. She holds leadership roles on the Cassini Mission to Saturn and on the New Horizons Mission to Pluto, and she has served as an adviser for many NASA committees. She is the NASA Project Scientist for the Rosetta mission to a comet.  She is a past Chair of the Division of Planetary Sciences (DPS) of the American Astronomical Society. She is the author of over 200 scientific papers and book chapters, and she is a frequent public speaker and TV and radio guest. Dr. Buratti was awarded the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, and the International Astronomical Union recognized her work by naming asteroid 90502 Buratti after her. She is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union. Her popular science book “Worlds Fantastic, Worlds Familiar” was published in April 2017 (copies of the book at the author’s cost will be available).

[Dr. Buratti was referred to us by Nahum Melamed, who heard her speak at a recent conference]

Nov. 28 – the club (including Nahum Melamed presenting) is supporting Smith Elementary School’s (Lawndale) astronomy night, together with the South Bay Astronomical Society that is bringing some telescopes.

Dec. (14?)  Eclipse show (& potluck dinner?) -- a more polished photo, video & Powerpoint presentation for the broader Aerospace & eclipse group audience.

Club News:  

We need volunteers to help with: 

·         Preparing a more polished eclipse photo & video show for a broader audience possibly late Nov. or early Dec.

·         Nov. 28 STEM night at Smith Elementary School

·         Populating our club Sharepoint site with material & links to the club’s Aerowiki & Aerolink materials

·         Arranging future club programs

·         Managing club equipment

Astronomy Video(s) & Picture(s) of the Month

(from Astronomy Picture of the Day, APOD: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html

VIDEO:  GW170817: A Spectacular Multi-Radiation Merger Event Detected https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap171016.html
Illustrative Video Credit: NASA's Conceptual Imaging Lab

Explanation: Both gravitational and electromagnetic radiations have been detected in rapid succession for an explosive merging event for the first time. Data from the outburst fit well with a spectacular binary neutron-star death-spiral. The explosive episode was seen on August 17 in nearby NGC 4993, an elliptical galaxy only 130 million light years distant. Gravitational waves were seen first by the ground based LIGO andVirgo observatories, while seconds later the Earth-orbiting Fermi and INTEGRAL observatories detected gamma-rays, and hours after that Hubble and other observatories detected light throughout the electromagnetic spectrum. Pictured is an animated illustrative movie of the event's likely progenitors. The video depicts hot neutron stars as they spiral in toward each other and emit gravitational radiation. As they merge, a powerful jet extends that drives the short-duration gamma-ray burst, followed by clouds of ejecta and, over time, an optical supernova-type episode called a kilonova. This first coincident detection confirms that LIGO events can be associated with short-duration gamma-ray bursts. Such powerful neutron star mergers are thought to have seeded the universe with many heavy nuclei including the iodine needed for life and the uranium and plutonium needed for nuclear fission power. You may already own a souvenir of one of these explosions -- they are also thought to be the original creators of gold.

NGC 4993: The Galactic Home of an Historic Explosion 
Image Credit: NASA & ESA

Explanation: That reddish dot -- it wasn't there before. It's the dot to the upper left of galaxy NGC 4993's center, do you see it? When scanning the large field of possible locations of an optical counterpart to the unprecedented gravitational wave event GW170817 in August, the appearance of this fading dot quickly became of historic importance. It pinpointed GW170817's exact location, thereby enabling humanity's major telescopes to examine the first ever electromagnetic wave counterpart to a gravitational wave event, an event giving strong evidence of being a short gamma-ray burst kilonova, the element-forming explosion that occurs after two neutron stars merge. The featured image of lenticular galaxy NGC 4993 by Hubble shows the fading dot several days after it was discovered. Analyses, continuing, include the physics of the explosion, what heavy elements formed, the similarity of the speeds of gravitational radiation and light, and calibrating a new method for determining the distance scale of our universe.

Two Black Holes Dancing in 3C 75 
Image Credit: X-Ray: NASA/CXC/D. Hudson, T. Reiprich et al. (AIfA); Radio: NRAO/VLA/ NRL

Explanation: What's happening at the center of active galaxy 3C 75? The two bright sources at the center of this composite x-ray (blue)/ radio (pink) image are co-orbiting supermassive black holes powering the giant radio source 3C 75. Surrounded by multimillion degree x-ray emitting gas, and blasting out jets of relativistic particles the supermassive black holes are separated by 25,000 light-years. At the cores of two merging galaxies in the Abell 400 galaxy cluster they are some 300 million light-years away. Astronomers conclude that these two supermassive black holes are bound together by gravity in a binary system in part because the jets' consistent swept back appearance is most likely due to their common motion as they speed through the hot cluster gas at 1200 kilometers per second. Such spectacular cosmic mergers are thought to be common in crowded galaxy cluster environments in the distant universe. In their final stages the mergers are expected to be intense sources of gravitational waves.

Where Your Elements Came From 
Image Credit & License: Wikipedia: Cmglee; Data: Jennifer Johnson (OSU)

Explanation: The hydrogen in your body, present in every molecule of water, came from the Big Bang. There are no other appreciable sources of hydrogen in the universe. The carbon in your body was made bynuclear fusion in the interior of stars, as was the oxygen. Much of the iron in your body was made during supernovas of stars that occurred long ago and far away. The gold in your jewelry was likely made from neutron stars during collisions that may have been visible as short-duration gamma-ray bursts or gravitational wave events. Elements like phosphorus and copper are present in our bodies in only small amounts but areessential to the functioning of all known life. The featured periodic table is color coded to indicate humanity's best guess as to the nuclear origin of all known elements. The sites of nuclear creation of some elements, such as copper, are not really well known and are continuing topics of observational and computational research.

Haumea of the Outer Solar System 
Illustration Credit: Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía

Explanation: One of the strangest objects in the outer Solar System has recently been found to have a ring. The object, named Haumea, is the fifth designated dwarf planet after Pluto, Ceres, Eris, and Makemake. Haumea's oblong shape makes it quite unusual. Along one direction, Haumea is significantly longer than Pluto, while in another direction Haumea has an extent very similar to Pluto, while in the third direction is much smaller. Haumea's orbit sometimes brings it closer to the Sun than Pluto, but usually Haumea is further away. Illustrated above, an artist visualizes Haumea as a cratered ellipsoid surrounded by a uniform ring.Originally discovered in 2003 and given the temporary designation of 2003 EL61, Haumea was renamed in 2008 by the IAU for a Hawaiian goddess. Besides the ring discovered this year, Haumea has two small moons discovered in 2005, named Hi'iaka and Namaka for daughters of the goddess.

Under the Galaxy 
Image Credit & Copyright: Yuri Beletsky (Carnegie Las Campanas Observatory, TWAN)

Explanation: The Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, stands above the southern horizon in this telephoto view from Las Campanas Observatory, planet Earth. In the dark September skies of the Chilean Atacama desert, the small galaxy has an impressive span of about 10 degrees or 20 Full Moons. The sensitive digital camera's panorama has also recorded a faint, pervasive airglow, otherwise invisible to the eye. Apparently bright terrestrial lights in the foreground are actually very dim illumination from the cluster of housing for the observatory astronomers and engineers. But the flattened mountain top along the horizon just under the galaxy is Las Campanas peak, home to the future Giant Magellan Telescope.

Unusual Mountain Ahuna Mons on Asteroid Ceres 
Image Credit: Dawn Mission, NASA, JPL-Caltech, UCLA, MPS/DLR/IDA

Explanation: What created this unusual mountain? Ahuna Mons is the largest mountain on the largest known asteroid in our Solar System, Ceres, which orbits our Sun in the main asteroid belt between Mars andJupiter. Ahuna Mons, though, is like nothing that humanity has ever seen before. For one thing, its slopes are garnished not with old craters but young vertical streaks. One hypothesis holds that Ahuna Mons is an ice volcano that formed shortly after a large impact on the opposite side of the dwarf planet loosened up the terrain through focused seismic waves. The bright streaks may be high in reflective salt, and therefore similar to other recently surfaced material such as visible in Ceres' famous bright spots. The featured double-height digital image was constructed from surface maps taken of Ceres last year by the robotic Dawn mission.

Global Aurora at Mars 
Image Credit: MAVEN, LASP, University of Colorado, NASA

Explanation: A strong solar event last month triggered intense global aurora at Mars. Before (left) and during (right) the solar storm, these projections show the sudden increase in ultraviolet emission from martian aurora, more than 25 times brighter than auroral emission previously detected by the orbiting MAVEN spacecraft. With a sunlit crescent toward the right, data from MAVEN's ultraviolet imaging spectrograph is shown in purple hues on the night side of Mars globes simulated to match the observation dates and times. On Mars, solar storms can result in planet-wide aurora because, unlike Earth, the Red Planet isn't protected by a strong global magnetic field that can funnel energetic charged particles toward the poles. For all those on the planet's surface during the solar storm, dangerous radiation levels were double any previously measured by the Curiosity rover. MAVEN is studying whether Mars lost its atmosphere due to its lack of a global magnetic field.

Ice Ring around Nearby Star Fomalhaut 
Image Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), M. MacGregor; NASA/ESA Hubble, P. Kalas; B. Saxton (NRAO/AUI/NSF)

Explanation: Why is there a large ice ring around Fomalhaut? This interesting star -- easily visible in the night sky -- lies only about 25 light-years away and is known to be orbited by at least one planet, Dagon, as well as several inner dust disks. More intriguing, perhaps, is an outer ring, first discovered about 20 years ago, that has an unusually sharp inner boundary. The featured recent image by the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) shows this outer ring with complete and unprecedented detail -- in pink -- superposed on a Hubble image of the Fomalhaut system in blue. A leading theory holds that this ring resulted from numerousviolent collisions involving icy comets and planetesimals, the component objects of planets, while the ring boundaries are caused by the gravity of yet unseen planets. If correct, any interior planets in the Fomalhaut system are likely being continually pelted by large meteors and comets -- an onslaught last seen in our own planetary system four billion years ago in an episode called the Late Heavy Bombardment.

Concept Plane: Supersonic Green Machine 
Illustration Credit: NASA, Lockheed Martin Co.

Explanation: What will passenger airplanes be like in the future? To help brainstorm desirable and workable attributes, NASA sponsors design competitions. Shown here is an artist's depiction of a concept plane that was suggested in 2010. This futuristic plane would be expected to achieve supersonic speeds, possibly surpassing the speeds of the supersonic transport planes that ran commercially in the late twentieth century. In terms of noise reduction, the future aircraft has been drawn featuring an inverted V wing stretched over its engines. The structure is intended to reduce the sound from annoying sonic booms. Additionally, future airplanes would aim to have relatively little impact on our environment, including green limits on pollution and fuel consumption. Aircraft utilizing similar design concepts might well become operational by the 2030s.

Astronomy News:

(from https://www.sciencedaily.com )

Statement on Impact of Hurricane Maria on Arecibo Observatory

·         Press Release - Source: NSF

·         Posted September 28, 2017 11:28 AM

·         1 Comments

©NSF

Arecibo staff after the storm.

With winds of 155 miles per hour, Hurricane Maria devastated the island of Puerto Rico Sept. 20.

The eye of the storm passed over Arecibo Observatory, which is operated and managed for the National Science Foundation (NSF) by SRI International, Universities Space Research Association (USRA), and Universidad Metropolitana (UMET).

While Arecibo Observatory suffered some damage, initial indications are that the damage was less severe than might have been expected from a storm of the magnitude of Hurricane Maria. Operations at the Observatory are suspended until further notice. NSF Acting Assistant Director Jim Ulvestad issued the following statement to address continued concern.

NSF is deeply concerned about the impact of Hurricane Maria on the people of Puerto Rico, and our thoughts go out to Puerto Rico at this challenging time. The number one priority for NSF is the safety and recovery for Puerto Rico's population and any concerns regarding NSF activities are secondary to that top priority. While we know that there is some damage to Arecibo Observatory, we do not yet know the full extent of the damage. Inspections to assess the infrastructure are underway. Preliminary assessments describe minimal damage in comparison to many other parts of Puerto Rico. As a result of the relatively intact Arecibo Observatory infrastructure, the Observatory is currently being used as a search and rescue hub by FEMA. At this time, we cannot predict when research operations at Arecibo Observatory might resume, however test observations to evaluate performance have begun. After the damage assessments are completed, NSF will evaluate whether any adjustments need to be made to our ongoing environmental review process regarding future operations of Arecibo Observatory. We will provide further updates once we have more information.

Jim Ulvestad, NSF acting assistant director for Mathematical and Physical Sciences i
September 27, 2017

New Telescope Attachment Allows Ground-based Exoplanet Observations

·         Press Release - Source: Penn State

·         Posted October 9, 2017 7:28 PM

·         3 Comments

©PENN STATE

Exoplanet observation

A new, low-cost attachment to telescopes allows previously unachievable precision in ground-based observations of exoplanets -- planets beyond our solar system

With the new attachment, ground-based telescopes can produce measurements of light intensity that rival the highest quality photometric observations from space. Penn State astronomers, in close collaboration with the nanofabrication labs at RPC Photonics in Rochester, New York, created custom "beam-shaping" diffusers -- carefully structured micro-optic devices that spread incoming light across an image -- that are capable of minimizing distortions from the Earth's atmosphere that can reduce the precision of ground-based observations. A paper describing the effectiveness of the diffusers appears online on October 5, 2017, in the Astrophysical Journal.

"This inexpensive technology delivers high photometric precision in observations of exoplanets as they transit -- cross in front of -- the bright stars that they orbit," said Gudmundur Stefansson, graduate student at Penn State, NASA Earth and Space Science Fellow, and lead author of the paper. "This technology is especially relevant considering the impending launch of NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) early in 2018. It is up to ground-based facilities to rapidly and reliably follow-up on candidate planets that are identified by TESS."

Diffusers are small pieces of glass that can be easily adapted to mount onto a variety of telescopes. Because of their low cost and adaptability, Stefansson believes that diffuser-assisted photometry will allow astronomers to make the most of the information from TESS, confirming new planet candidates from the ground.

"Beam-shaping diffusers are made using a precise nanofabrication process," said Suvrath Mahadevan, associate professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State and an author of the paper, "where a carefully designed surface pattern is precisely written on a plastic polymer on a glass surface or directly etched on the glass itself. The pattern consists of precise micro-scale structures, engineered to mold the varying light input from stars into a predefined broad and stable output shape spread over many pixels on the telescope camera."

The research team tested the new diffuser technology "on-sky" on the Hale telescope at Palomar Observatory in California, the 0.6m telescope at Davey Lab Observatory at Penn State, and the ARC 3.5m Telescope at Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico. In all cases, images produced with a diffuser were consistently more stable than those using conventional methods -- they maintained a relatively consistent size, shape, and intensity, which is integral in achieving highly precise measurements. Using a focused telescope without a diffuser produced images that fluctuate in size and intensity. A common method of "defocusing" the telescope -- deliberately taking the image out of focus to spread out light -- yielded higher photometric precision than focused observations, but still created images that fluctuated in size and intensity.

"Diffused observations are by far the most stable", said Ming Zhao, data scientist at The New York Times and former research associate at Penn State who led the diffuser effort at the 5m Hale telescope at Palomar.

By shaping the output of light, the diffuser allows astronomers to overcome noise created by the Earth's atmosphere. "The stable and smooth images delivered by diffusers are essential in minimizing the adverse effects of the turbulent atmosphere on our measurements, and in maximizing our precision," said Zhao.

"This technology works over a wide range of wavelengths, from the optical -- visible by humans -- to the near infrared," said Jason Wright, associate professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State and an author of the paper. "As such, diffusers can be used for a wide range of exoplanet science. We can use them to precisely measure the times exoplanetary worlds transit their stars, which will help us measure their masses and compositions, and even find new planets in their systems; and we can use them to study the temperature structures of giant planets' atmospheres."

The research team is already establishing collaborations to implement this technology on other telescopes around the world. "Our goal is to equip the broader exoplanet community with low-cost precision tools to deliver precise measurements to aid future observations in exoplanet science," said Stefansson.

 General Calendar:

Colloquia, Lectures, Seminars, Meetings, Open Houses & Tours:

Colloquia:  Carnegie (Tues. 4pm), UCLA, Caltech (Wed. 4pm), IPAC (Wed. 12:15pm) & other Pasadena (daily 12-4pm):  http://obs.carnegiescience.edu/seminars/ 

Carnegie astronomy lectures – only 4 per year in the Spring www.obs.carnegiescience.edu.  Visit www.huntington.org for directions.  For more information about the Carnegie Observatories or this lecture series, please contact Reed Haynie.  . Click here for more information.

2 Nov			AEA Astronomy Club Meeting	Astrobites Website & Don Lincoln YouTube video(s)	(A1/2906)
	3 Nov	Friday Night 7:30PM SBAS  Monthly General Meeting in the Planetarium at El Camino College (16007 Crenshaw Bl. In Torrance) Topic: TBD
	5 Nov
		EXPLORING YOUR UNIVERSE 2017 SCIENCE OUTREACH Location: UCLA Campus - Court of Sciences Time: 12PM Exploring Your Universe (EYU) is an annual science outreach day held on the UCLA campus, filled with exciting science demos, fun activities, and interesting talks. EYU has family-friendly activities that provide a wonderful look into real science for all ages, “from K through Gray”!

13 Nov

LAAS General Mtg. 7:30pm Griffith Observatory

November 16 & 17  The von Kármán Lecture Series: 2017

Mars 2020, or There and Back Again

Four years from now, NASA and JPL will once again rove the red planet with Mars 2020. This time mission objectives include exploration of extremely ancient habitats to enable the collection of a set of samples that could one day be returned to Earth. Analysis of carefully selected samples from Mars in laboratories on Earth would transform planetary science and the search for extraterrestrial life.

The speaker will discuss the evolving scientific strategy for Mars 2020, including the impending selection of a landing site.

Speaker:
Ken Williford is the Deputy Project Scientist for Mars 2020 and directs the JPL Astrobiogeochemistry Laboratory (abcLab).

Location:
Thursday, Nov 16, 2017, 7pm
 Click here to add the date to your online calendar
The von Kármán Auditorium at JPL
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, CA
› Directions 

Friday, Nov 17, 2017, 7pm
 Click here to add the date to your online calendar
The Vosloh Forum at Pasadena City College
1570 East Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA
› Directions

Webcast:
Click here to watch the event live on Ustream

7 Dec

AEA Astronomy Club Meeting

The Search for Life in the Solar System and Beyond, Dr. Bonnie J. Buratti, JPL

(A1/1735)

Observing:

The following data are from the 2017 Observer’s Handbook, and Sky & Telescope’s 2017 Skygazer’s Almanac & monthly Sky at a Glance.

Current sun & moon rise/set/phase data for L.A.:  http://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/usa/los-angeles

Sun, Moon & Planets for November:

  

Moon: Nov 4 full, Nov 10 last quarter, Nov 18 new, Nov 26 1^st quarter                 

Planets: Venus prominent all month dawn low east.  Mars all month early dawn, low east.  Mercury visible all month in evening sky.  Saturn vanishing into evening twilight low in SW. Jupiter appears late in the month in morning twilight.

Other Events:

2 Nov. Daylight Savings Time ends

1,8,15,22,29 Nov

LAAS The Garvey Ranch Observatory is open to the public every Wednesday evening from 7:30 PM to 10 PM. Go into the dome to use the 8 Inch Refractor or observe through one of our telescopes on the lawn. Visit our workshop to learn how you can build your own telescope, grind your own mirror, or sign up for our free seasonal astronomy classes. Call 213-673-7355 for further information. Time: 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM Location: Garvey Ranch Obs. , 781 Orange Ave., Monterey Park, CA 91755

13 Nov Venus 0.3 deg N of Jupiter

SBAS Saturday Night In Town Dark Sky Observing Session at Ridgecrest Middle School– 28915 North Bay Rd. RPV, Weather Permitting: Please contact Greg Benecke to confirm that the gate will be opened! http://www.sbastro.net/

15 Nov  Mars 3 deg S of moon

16 Nov Jupiter 4 deg S of Moon

17 Nov Venus 4 deg S of Moon

17 Nov Leonids Meteors peak

18 Nov	LAAS Private dark sky  Star Party
18 Nov	LAAS Public  Star Party: Griffith Observatory Grounds 2-10pm

21 Saturn 3 deg S of Moon

24 Nov Mercury greatest elongation East (22deg)

SBAS out-of-town Dark Sky observing – contact Greg Benecke to coordinate a location. http://www.sbastro.net/.

Internet Links:

Telescope, Binocular & Accessory Buying Guides

Sky & Telescope Magazine -- Choosing Your Equipment

Orion Telescopes & Binoculars -- Buying Guides

Telescopes.com -- Telescopes 101

General

Getting Started in Astronomy & Observing

The Astronomical League

 e! Science News Astronomy & Space

NASA Gallery

Astronomical Society of the Pacific (educational, amateur & professional)

Amateur Online Tools, Journals, Vendors, Societies, Databases

The Astronomy White Pages (U.S. & International Amateur Clubs & Societies)

American Astronomical Society (professional)

More...

Regional (Southern California, Washington, D.C. & Colorado)

Southern California & Beyond Amateur Astronomy Organizations, Observatories & Planetaria

Mt. Wilson Observatory description, history, visiting

Los Angeles Astronomical Society (LAAS)

South Bay Astronomical Society (SBAS)

Orange County Astronomers

The Local Group Astronomy Club (Santa Clarita)

Ventura County Astronomical Society

The Astronomical Society of Greenbelt

National Capital Astronomers

Northern Virginia Astronomy Club

Colorado Springs Astronomical Society

Denver Astronomical Society

About the Club

Club Websites:  Internal (Aerospace): https://aeropedia.aero.org/aeropedia/index.php/Astronomy_Club  It is updated to reflect this newsletter, in addition to a listing of past club mtg. presentations, astronomy news, photos & events from prior newsletters, club equipment, membership & constitution.  We have linked some presentation materials from past mtgs.  Our club newsletters are also being posted to an external blog, “An Astronomical View” http://astronomicalview.blogspot.com/. 

 
Membership.  For information, current dues & application, contact Alan Olson, or see the club website (or Aerolink folder) where a form is also available (go to the membership link/folder & look at the bottom).  Benefits will include use of club telescope(s) & library/software, membership in The Astronomical League, discounts on Sky & Telescope magazine and Observer’s Handbook, field trips, great programs, having a say in club activities, acquisitions & elections, etc.

Committee Suggestions & Volunteers.  Feel free to contact:  Mark Clayson, President & Program Committee Chairman (& acting club VP), TBD Activities Committee Chairman (& club Secretary), or Alan Olson, Resource Committee Chairman (over equipment & library, and club Treasurer).

Mark Clayson,
AEA Astronomy Club President