by Ludovico D’Angelo, Director

This month we hope to have our regular meeting at Peyton Hall. I was just informed by email that there is a possibility that the hall may be needed for mid term exams. Although we have never had this problem before, we will keep everyone informed if there is a change in meeting place. If everything works out, our meeting will be on March 8^th at 8 PM at Peyton Hall.

This last month seemed to be very busy for me. One thing I did do was to give a star party at my church as a fundraiser. So I set up my binoculars, my small Meade ETX-90, and my Celestron 9.25 SCT. I used the binoculars for general viewing. The small scope was set to the Moon (it was ½ full). The large scope was set to Jupiter in the early evening, then to the Orion Nebula, the Double Cluster, and a few double stars and other objects. It was a very clear night, cold, and everyone enjoyed the views I was able to provide. And it amazes me that everyone experiencing viewing the night sky was so blown away by it. I had young children to older adults, about 25 in all. The big reaction was the view of the Moon, as the viewers came to understand the surface in great detail, the more excited they got. Especially the children, the cries of joy, I can only hope that they will continue to look up and have an interest in one of the most basic natural sciences there is: Astronomy.

At our last meeting, we determined that the club picnic would be June 4^th. So mark your calendars, we will send information about where as we approach the date. We open the observatory to the public again starting in April.

I will be sending out some emails inviting other members to be part of the process of nominating chair. Nominations committee is responsible for finding nominees for Director, Assistant Director, Program Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. Nominations can be made by anyone; you can also nominate yourself for one of the positions. If you are interested in helping your club’s management and growth, please be generous with your interest and time. Drop me an email if you have questions.

See you all on March 8th!