by Rex Parker, PhD director@princetonastronomers.org

Return to Peyton Hall, Nov 8 (7:30pm).  At long last we will meet again in person at Princeton University’s Peyton Hall auditorium for our next get together on Nov 8.  Peyton has been the home of Princeton Astrophysics for over 55 years. An interesting history of Peyton presented by Prof. Ed Jenkins in Dec 2016 recalls some of the famed astronomers who have graced its halls. See this link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91inLzBk-pQ  

Since we’ll be back on home turf, it’s appropriate that the guest speaker will be Prof. Michael Strauss, Chair of the Dept of Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton. See the article below from Victor for more information on the talk.  The University asks us to park (for free) in the new garage at 148 Fitzrandolph Rd, at the corner of Faculty and Fitzrandolph Rd.  This is fitting, as the new garage is where Fitzrandolph Observatory was in the olden days. Important: arrive about 15 minutes early, as parking and walking to Peyton will take a good 15 minutes; see the walking map in Victor’s article below.  It’s essential to be aware of the COVID policy, below.  For those who cannot attend in person, Ira and Dave are working on setting up the tech for a Zoom “hybrid” meeting format from the auditorium.  But if you can attend, we really want to see you there in person on Nov 8! 

Princeton’s COVID policy.  AAAP members and public attending our meeting at Peyton Hall must abide by Princeton’s current rules.  The University requires all visitors to be either fully vaccinated, have recently received and be prepared to show proof of a negative COVID test, or agree to wear a face covering when indoors and around others. Conveners of meetings and hosts may continue to ask for proof of vaccine or attestations, though they are no longer required.  See the full policy here:  https://covid.princeton.edu/visitors

Lunar south pole observing challenge. The Artemis lunar rocket launch date has been reset for Nov 14.  The lunar south pole observing challenge  remains right in front of us.  The degree of difficulty is surprisingly high because most phases of the moon do not present the area close to the south pole to earthly observers – the pole is over the horizon.  Lunar libration presents the south pole craters to our view only a couple of nights each month.  See my articles in the last 2 month’s Sidereal Times for more information on the south polar region and the ongoing challenge.