OLD NEWS:
1. What does May bring us? Well for starters we have
our end of the year scheduled night out on Saturday, May 17. Students are
expected to have the permision forms filled out an turned in by the May
16, after school club meeting.
2. After the pelting of Park Forest, Illinois, by
meteorites earlier this year, meteorites are again in the news. see the
Sky
and Telescope article on line.
3. Check Sky and Telescope's Sky
at a Glance.
Old News
What does April bring us?
April brought us meteorites. Meterites rained down
over the mid-west. The village of Park forest Illinois in particular was
greeted to a pelting of various size meteorites. See Sky and Telescope
article "meteorites"
What does March bring us?
After all of these years we say Goodbye, Galileo.
The space craft Galileo has completed its mission and NASA controllers
have turned off its recorders. See article "Galileo"
What does February bring us?
This was a difficult month for our club membership
as one of our own lost his father. His family is in our thoughts and in
our prayers.
1. What does January bring us? Well Saturn is a good target this
winter. Clear skies and cold weather make for good seeing.
go to the sky and telescope link about Saturn. http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/planets/article_304_1.asp
2. Check out Sky and Telescope's "This Week's Sky at a Glance".
The week of this month's meeting check out the info about Jupiter and its
moons. http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance/article_110_1.asp
3. For this month's night out, look for the moon, Jupiter and Saturn.
4. This month we will again have a guest speaker. On January 15,
Kim, a former student and president of the club, who is now pursuing a
degree in astronomy will speak about her research experience at the University
of Wyoming where she is studying.
5. We will also have a winter night out on January 17. Dress warm,
it will be very cold.
6. The night out was successful. We observed the moon,
Jupiter
(we saw two of its moons), Saturn
(we saw the rings), we saw Orion,
the Orion Nebula
and the Pleiades.
Old News, Christmas time is here and of course that means the search
for the Christmas star.
1. Decmber is here and the Holiday Season is here.
2. Here are two links to information associated with the Christmas
star. http://www.griffithobs.org/StarofBethlehem.html
and http://www.griffithobs.org/IPSChristmasErrors.html
3. A very Merry Christmas to everyone.
Old News, Thanksgiving is upon us and the Holiday Season is beginning.
1. November is here and mid-fall is upon us. Thanksgiving
can't be far off, with promises of all that the holiday season brings.
2. So what's up for "us" in November? Well for starters
check out: Sky and Telescope
;
3. And don't forget that this month brings us the
Leonid meteor shower. Click on the link under "Old News What did October
bring us?"
4. We'll have a special guest speaker at this month's
(November) club meeting to speak to us about meteors. Everyone, member
or nonmember is invited.
5. Also, under October's "Old News", check out the
web sites that have been added about the moon.
Old News, including links to the moon.
1. What did October bring us? Officers have been elected.
Felecia (our president) ran the elections for officers. The officers names
will
be formally announced at the October MTG.
2. The up-to-date schedule for the club meetings and
outings is posted below and should be checked periodically in case of necessary
changes..
3. Due to the interference caused by spirit week the
topics scheduled for the September mtg. will be covered at the October
mtg. along with the presentation about the moon being done by Zach.
4. We are into October now and we want to direct your
attention to things to see in the sky. A useful link to use is Sky and
Telescope's Sky at a Glance. Use the following link to go to that site.
Sky
at a Glance
5. Though we are in October, November is just around
the corner and that means the Leonid meteor shower. Check out this link
to Sky and Telescope's information page on this event. Leonid
Meteor Shower
6. The Space Shuttle Atlantis was successfully launched
October 7. To see more go to this site. Space
Shuttle Atlantis
7. Want to see more about Astronomy? Then go to Sky
and Telescopes main page. Sky
and Telescope
8. Zach treated us to information about the moon at
his October presentation. To find out the phase of the moon on any day
goto the following website link: Phases
of the Moon ; Also see: Moon
Phases ; Also see: U.
S. Naval Observatory ; And for facts about the moon see:
About
the Moon ; Also see: Moon
Fact Sheet ; Also see: A
NASA site about the Moon .
"OLD" News:
1. What did September bring us? Besides meteorological
fall* and the Autumnal Equinox, It brings the beginning of the year for
the 2002-2003 Astronomy Club. The Introduction meeting was September 6
at 2:30 in room 417. At this meeting a handout was made available explaining
this year's club with a schedule of fall activities. If you you are not
able to come to this meeting, but are interested in joining drop by room
417 and ask for a registration form.
September also brought us the atumnal equinox. To
find out more about the equinox go to this link. Equinox
2. What did August bring us? It brought us meteor
showers. This month we have the Perseid meteor shower. Check out the link
to the site about the Perseid Meteror shower.Perseid
Meteor Shower
*Meteorological Fall is the weather man"s means of dividing the year
into 4 seasons. Unlike the rest of us who use astronomical events with
regards to the position of the earth and sun to measure the seasonal change
(didn't know that?), weather men use the beginning of the months associated
with the seasonal change. See the following link to see a comparision of
the meteorological seasonal dates to the astronomical dates associated
with seasons. Meteorological
Seasons
Remember:
Anyone experiencing an interest in the club
should always feel free to drop in on any
meeting during the year.
Registration forms are available at any meeting.
Simply approach an officer and ask for one.
CLUB SCHEDULE FOR 2002
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Month--Date
Topic / Activity
Sept.----6
Start up meeting / Hand out info and registration forms / Elections of
Officers (On September 25)
Sept.----18
Motions of the Earth / The Seasons / Sky Calendar
Sept.----25
Elections / Seasons, Solstices, and the Equinoxes
Oct.----8
Special Meeting Officers only to discuss open house duties
Oct.----16
(presentation by Zack) Moon, harvest, hunters, etc. / Characteristics and
Motion
Nov.----20
Guest Speaker: Meteors / meteorites / shooting stars / meteoroids
Nov.----22
Fall Night Out - moon / constellations / celestial motion
Dec.----11
In search of the Christmas Star - presentation and discusion
Jan.-----15
Guest Speaker: On going research at an Astronomical Observatory
Jan.-----17
Night out star gazing from 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Jan.-----28
Planning for the club fund raiser
Feb.----7
Time Travel [meeting moved from Feb. 5]
Mar.----12
Meeting Cancelled
Apr.----
Discussion of Fund Raiser and the Spring Night Out
May----16
Telescopes, how they work including how lenses and mirrors are used to
focus light
Bright Line Spectrum and how it is used to identify what stars are made
of.
May----17
Spring Night Out moon / constellations / celestial motion Spring &
Summer |