Ludovico D’Angelo, Director

May is upon us, and our last 2 meetings for the season are imminent. On May 11th, our 50th Anniversary dinner/panel discussion/observing will take the place of our annual meeting that would have occurred on May 14th. For those of you who haven’t signed up for the dinner, there is still time to join in. Please contact Kate Otto to make your reservation, as of today, there are an estimated 70-80 that will attend the dinner. If you can’t make the dinner, please come to the panel discussion and observing sessions. See the website for details. There will be a short business meeting prior to the main meal to vote in the new Board of Directors of the club.

Our June meeting on June 11th at 8 PM will be at the State Planetarium in Trenton. Members and their families are invited to attend.

Communiversity was on April 28th and there was a large turnout for this event. The AAAP represented with white light solar scopes. Information about the club and astronomy were given out. Many thanks to those volunteer members that helped out!

Super Science Saturday at the State Museum and Planetarium will be from 10-4 on May 4th. AAAP will again be on hand to show the sun to interested attendees. This is a great event for discovering all the available recourses for science in the area.

The next major event for AAAP will be NJ Starquest at Hope Conference Center. This event is our almost annual observing event in North Jersey., scheduled for September 6th to the 8th. There will need to be advertising and organizing to be done over the summer in order to make this a success. I hope that a group of club members will step up and take the reins of this event. Over the years it was typically a fundraiser, with raffle offerings and gust speakers. Weather it takes this form or not this year will be left to the new Board and the membership.

In closing, I would just like to say thank you to all of you who make the AAAP a vibrant force for amateur astronomy in the central New Jersey area. I have been on the Board in various positions every year except one since 2005 (I became a member in 2004). As with any organization, the success of its ability to function, promote itself, teach others, provide knowledge, is fully dependent on the membership of the club to act. I fully hope that many of you will step up and do those things that are required to make the AAAP continue to be a highly recognized club that will last for many, many years to come.

See you on May 11th at the AAAP 50th Anniversary Gala Dinner!