October 9, 2012 AAAP Meeting Minutes

Posted on November 11, 2012 by ST Editors

by Michael Wright, Secretary

After a brief delay for member to find the new meeting location, the meeting was called to order by Director Ludy D’Angelo. He welcomed everyone to the meeting and reminded members that 2012-2013 membership dues are now due.

Kate Otto, Program Chair, introduced the speaker, Dr. Rashid Sunyaev, Director of the Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik. Dr. Sunyaev explained how he and Prof. Yakov B. Zel’dovich of the Moscow Institute of Applied Mathematics theorized that electrons associated with gas in galaxy clusters scatter the cosmic microwave background radiation, which led to a theory for the evolution of density fluctuations in the early universe.

Before leaving to drive Dr. Sunyaev home, Kate proposed a combined fishing and astronomy trip to Maine.

After a brief break, Ludy reconvened the business portion of the meeting.

  1. Board Meeting: The October 3, 2012 meeting was cancelled due to a lack of a quorum.
  2. 50th Anniversary Dinner: Ludy announced that the 50th anniversary dinner that was planned for November has been postponed until the spring. The dinner will probably be held in a local restaurant because Prospect House is too expensive.
  3. Secretary’s Report/Sidereal Times: The editors were planning a special booklet to be distributed at the anniversary dinner in November. Since the dinner is postponed to the spring, the deadline for submitting articles has been extended. The deadline for the November regular issue of Sidereal Times will be twelve days before the next meeting. Ludy said that we should include anniversary related articles in the November issue anyway. He asked members to submit photos and reminiscences to the editors for the November issue.
  4. Treasurer’s Report: No report
  5. Program Report: No Report
  6. Planetarium Show/Observatory Night: Bill Murray reported that the public planetarium show/observatory night planned by the museum for Oct. 19 has been postponed to November because of a lack of participation.
  7. Outreach Report: David Letcher announced that outreach star parties are planned for Oct. 16 at Linwood Middle School in North Brunswick and Oct. 23 in South Brunswick. Anyone interested in helping should contact David.
  8. Observatory Report: John Church reported that Bear Claw Exteriors power washed and painted the exterior of the observatory. Rex Parker reported that Team 6 had many visitors on their last observatory night despite poor sky conditions. Michael Wright reported that Team 4 was also very busy with visitors. Ludy reported that Brick Yard Road is still not open for AAAP’s use. He remains in contact with the park superintendent about the issue. Teams are no longer required to post someone at the parking lot because visitors appear to have learned the way to the observatory. Repairs to the power supply for the new G-11 mount were discussed. John Giles and Jeff Bernardis agreed to work on the power supply.
  9. Observatory Donation: Ludy reported that the next step is to prepare a sketch to submit to Jenny Jump for approval.
  10. Board Meeting: announced that the next one will be January 15.
  11. Princeton Adult School: John Giles announced that he received a request from Princeton Adult School for someone to teach an adult astronomy class including sessions at the observatory. Ludy said that this would be too big of a commitment for the club; however, we could put a notice in Sidereal Times to see if any individual members would be interested. Mary suggested that they contact Princeton Astrophysics Department.
  12. Facebook: Michael encouraged members to “friend” the AAAP on Facebook. The club page has announcements and event listings that he will update.
  13. 50th Anniversary Booklet: Surabhi explained that she and Kate have looked through the archive and found pictures, which she is digitizing. More are needed for Sidereal Times and the anniversary booklet. If members have any that they would like to share, please submit them to Surabhi.
  14. Loaner Scopes: Mary asked what scopes the club has for loan. Ludy replied that currently the club has an 8-inch Orion dob and a PST at the observatory, which the members can borrow. He suggested that this be publicized in Sidereal Times.

Ludy adjourned the meeting.

Before the meeting Mary Hayes passed out name tags that she prepared for the members to wear. Thank you Mary.

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Treasurer’s Report

Posted on November 11, 2012 by ST Editors

Michael Mitrano, Treasurer

Member renewals have been coming in. At this point, AAAP has 22 renewing and new members for the current fiscal year. Expenses thus far have been modest – picnic supplies, hard drives for the AAAP archives, and some minor items. At this early point in the fiscal year, revenues exceed expenses by about $500.

On a cumulative basis, our surplus is about $21,900.

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The PSRC Cosmology Group Invites New Members

Posted on November 11, 2012 by ST Editors

by Steve Newfield

Six months ago eight people with a great interest in cosmology started meeting weekly to discuss all aspects of cosmology. We meet each Friday for about an hour and a half to discuss various cosmology topics (big bang, dark matter/energy, black holes, galaxies, etc). We would like to add new members to our group.

Current members have varied backgrounds. Most don’t have degrees in astronomy, and most have not worked in the field, but we have a lot of knowledge through classes, books, lectures, web, etc. Some have technical backgrounds, some don’t. We realize that there is much to learn and discuss.

At the weekly meetings, we decide what topics to cover next and a few members volunteer to do some research for future discussions. They research the topic (web, books, etc) and send email to the group with web links and/or short write-ups. They then lead a discussion at a future meeting.

The meetings are at the Princeton Senior Resource Center (PSRC) from 10 to 11:30 am on Fridays.

We would like to add the new members on December 7 or soon thereafter.

If you are interested in joining our study group, please contact me at steve.newfield@yahoo.com

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When I Worked on Mars

Posted on November 11, 2012 by ST Editors

by Arshad Jilani

Viking OPAG Team 1977 (Arshad is fourth from left.)

Viking OPAG Team 1977 (Arshad is fourth from left.)

Canopus is a bluish-white star, about 300 light years away. This star, the second brightest in the sky after Sirius, became a major focus of my life, thirty-five years ago.

In April, 1977, I moved from the Philadelphia area to Pasadena, CA, to work on assignment with NASA at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), from my parent company, General Electric. This was early in my career, where I had been working in GE’s Aerospace Business on missile reentry systems, robotic manipulators, control algorithms for Space Shuttle manipulator prototypes and other such esoterical projects. In the summer of 1976, NASA’s Project Viking, the first successful attempt at soft landings on Mars, had put two Landers on the planet, each with an associated Orbiter. One section of the Viking Flight Team was called the Orbiter Power Analysis Group (OPAG), which was staffed by GE.

I, along with two colleagues from Philadelphia, was asked if I would like to work on the Viking program. All of us, being single and early in our careers, jumped at this unusual opportunity. Upon arrival at JPL, we were each given different assignments in OPAG; mine was to work on the Canopus Trackers of the two Orbiters. As JPL employees, we were also Caltech faculty. We also had to very quickly familiarize ourselves with a million acronyms, as NASA-speak is totally unintelligible without knowing these.

Goddard Trophy

Goddard Trophy

The Canopus Star Tracker (CST) is a small ‘telescope’ mounted on spacecraft to provide orientation to the vehicle by acquiring reference stars during and after planned maneuvers. These trackers are upgraded with the latest optical and electronic technology each time a new spacecraft is launched into space. During maneuvers, a vehicle drifts ever so slightly from its planned trajectory, and without being able to track a specific reference star, it would be very difficult to return the spacecraft to its intended path. The CST is a very sensitive instrument and, like other devices on a spacecraft, degrades over time due to particles settling on the lens and deterioration of its light detectors. The star Canopus, which gives its name to the device, is used to periodically re-calibrate the Tracker and gives us a measure of deterioration of the optics over time.

My task was twofold. First, I had to select the stars to be used for roll reference and secondly, I had to determine the deterioration of the device so that tracking calculations could be upgraded to reflect the lat-est baseline.

Goddard Trophy Citation

Goddard Trophy Citation

I had been a casual rooftop astronomer from the age of fifteen, when a friend, whom I met on a visit to Sri Lanka, showed me the fascinating sight of Jupiter and its moons through his six-inch refractor. At eighteen, in my hometown of Peshawar, Pakistan, my mother got me a three-and-a-half-inch Newtonian which I used every evening on the flat roof of our house, which was located in a sparsely populated area, on the edge of town. In those days (the late sixties) you could clearly see the sky at night including the Milky Way and such dim features as the Andromeda Galaxy with the naked eye. This, as in most metropolitan areas of the world, is no longer true.

My knowledge of the stars made my task at JPL much easier than it might have been. I had to look at many factors to determine which star to recommend as a reference before a maneuver could take place. One of the major challenges was that during a maneuver, we had to avoid any star that might enter Mars Straylight. Mars Straylight refers to unwanted light that could enter the CST from the surface of Mars or due to the proximity of sunlight during maneuvers. A lot of time was spent finding ‘bright’ stars that would remain in the ‘dark’ throughout and immediately after the maneuver. After pouring over printouts of star intensities and Mars Straylight maps I would select the reference star to be used. Each week, I would provide my selection by Tuesday, which, along with maneuver commands, would be uplinked to the Orbiter on Wednesday. Typical maneuvers included thematic mapping of the Mars surface, picture taking, etc. Maneuver results would be received at JPL by Thursday. These results would be reviewed on Friday along with requests for the next week’s maneuvers, and the cycle would be repeated all over again. The data received from maneuvers was reviewed, each week, by several astronomers such as Carl Sagan and others, to determine the next steps.

One time we were having a hard time finding a satisfactory star because Jupiter kept popping into the Tracker’s field of view. I suggested using Jupiter instead of fighting it, due to the short length of the maneuver, and to my surprise, my suggestion was accepted and it was added to the list of reference ‘stars’ for space missions.

Goddard Trophy, Letter from Jimmy Carter

Goddard Trophy, Letter from Jimmy Carter

With my knowledge of robotics, I also worked, informally, with the Viking Lander team on tricky problems that would arise from time to time with the robotic arms on the Landers. I also got to know some of the leading experts in robotics, who were at JPL at the time, and was able to participate in discussions of future planetary rovers.

While working on Viking, we received a letter of congratulations from President Jimmy Carter and the prestigious NASA Goddard Award.

I made many friends among the Viking Mars community and joined the JPL Ski Club. In addition, I was able to visit Mt. Wilson Observatory a number of times to satisfy any observational desires.

This experience, working across so many disparate teams, had a major impact on my successful thirty-seven year career in GE, spanning many countries in Europe and Asia, and was extremely rewarding for my family also, who moved with me on several of my assignments.

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Leonard Digges – Inventor of the Telescope?

Posted on November 11, 2012 by ST Editors

by Dave Letcher

Sometime around 1515 – 1520 Leonard Digges was born in Barham, a parish in Kent, UK. He died about 1559. Digges was well-known as a mathematician and surveyor; in fact he is credited with the invention of the theodolite. Digges wrote on many topics including military engineering, surveying, and cartog-raphy, in English too rather than the Latin or Greek traditionally used for scholarly articles.

Much of what we know about Leonard Digges comes from writings by his son, the famous English mathematician and astronomer Sir Thomas Digges, who was born in 1546 and died in 1595. Thomas promoted the Copernican system and postulated the “dark night sky paradox” but more about him in a future article. It should be noted that, after Thomas’s father died, he was entrusted to the guardianship of a Mr. John Dee, whom historians regard as a Renaissance natural philosopher.

Thomas, in his 1570 book, “Pantometria” describes his father’s use of a “proportional glass” to view people and objects at a distance. Colin A. Ronan, FRAS (1920 – 1995), a British astronomer and specialist in the history and philosophy of science claimed that Thomas’s description is of a telescope, either a reflector or refractor. Ronan suggests Leonard’s invention of a functioning telescope dates to sometime between 1540 and 1559. Some have suggested that some of Thomas’s description is exaggerated, perhaps due to praise given to an adored father but other parts appear to be credible. In the quote that follows we read a portion of what Thomas wrote.

“… my father by his continual painful [painstaking] practices, assisted with demonstra-tions Mathematical, was able, and sundry times hath by proportional Glasses duly situate in convenient angles, not only discovered things far off, read letters, numbered pieces of money with the very coin and superscription thereof, cast by some of his friends of pur-pose upon downs in open fields, but also seven miles off declared what hath been done at that instant in private places.”

Writings by William Bourne (c. 1535 – 1582), an English mathematician and Leonard’s colleague have provided us with information about Leonard’s experiments using lenses and mirrors. Why don’t we know much more from Leonard himself? Probably because he took part in the 1554 rebellion-went-bad led by Sir Thomas Wyatt against Queen Mary. Leonard, initially condemned to death had his sentence commut-ed but he forfeited all of his estate.

Sources:
Leonard Digges (scientist). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Digges_(scientist) Retrieved October 24, 2012.

Greene, Nick. Leonard Digges. http://space.about.com/od/astronomerbiographies/a/Leonard_Digges.htm. Retrieved October 24, 2012.

Ronan, Colin. Leonard and Thomas Digges. Journal of the British Astronomical Association, 101(6):1991.

The first telescope? http://www.actionoptics.co.uk/The First Telescope.htm.

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Endeavour Departs Kennedy Space Center

Posted on November 11, 2012 by ST Editors

by Dr. Ken Kremer

Endeavour Departs Kennedy Space Center. Photo: Ken Kremer

Endeavour Departs Kennedy Space Center. Photo: Ken Kremer

Space Shuttle Endeavour bid farewell forever to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida as she departed under cloudy skies on September 19, marking the final flight of NASA’s storied shuttle program.

Endeavour was securely fastened atop the specially modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft as she taxied down the runway and embarked on a history-making, cross-country, ferry flight to Los Angeles International Airport and her eternal home in California.

Hordes of excited spectators gathered in hopes of catching one last magnificent glimpse of the piggybacked pair as they flew two looping north-south victory laps over the Florida Space Coast. Finally she made a return pass over the KSC shuttle landing strip before leaving the area behind to the full gamut of emotions both happy and sad.

As a member of the press, I witnessed the entire spectacle with a band of photojournalists from a perch on the roof of the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building.

Seeing the orbiter flyaway from the breathtaking altitude of 525 feet atop the VAB was a decidedly different experience from earlier this year when I watched the arrivals of shuttles Discovery and Enterprise amidst huge crowds of gleeful and cheering onlookers from the National Air & Space Museum at Dulles in Virginia and the Statue of Liberty in New York City. Endeavour landed back in California at Edwards Air Force Base on Sept. 20. In mid October, the 100-ton orbiter was hauled through the streets of Los Angeles to her final home at the California Science Center.

Read more at my Universe Today story here:
http://www.universetoday.com/97446/endeavour-departs-kennedy-forever-for-california-home/
See my latest Curiosity mosaics published at NBC News , PBS Nova Mars Documentary on Nov 14 (9 PM) and Scientific American :
http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/19/14564505-scenes-from-mars-promised-land?lite
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/space/ultimate-mars-challenge.html
http://www.scientificamerican.com/gallery_directory.cfm?photo_id=A0EDAD7B-C88B-291B-317F41BCD4B465C0

Astronomy Outreach by Dr. Ken Kremer

Amateur Astronomer’s Inc (AAI) at Union County College: Cranford, NJ, Nov 16, 8 PM, “Curiosity and the Search for Life on Mars (in 3-D)”.
AAI Website: http://www.asterism.org

STAR Astronomy Club at Monmouth Museum, Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, NJ. Dec 6, 8 PM. “Atlantis, the Premature End of NASA’s Shuttle Program and What’s Beyond for NASA.”
Ken Kremer: Spaceflight magazine & Universe Today

Please contact Ken for more info or science outreach presentations:
Email: kremerken@yahoo.com website: www.kenkremer.com
http://www.universetoday.com/author/ken-kremer/

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From the Director

Posted on October 3, 2012 by ST Editors

Ludovico D’Angelo, Director

Alert! Alert! Our next few meetings will not be at Peyton Hall! Since professors have first dibs on the Peyton Hall space, we have been dislodged temporarily from our usual meeting place. So in October, we will meet in McCosh 10. It was the only room available. It seats 350, so let’s try to fill it up. Our meetings after October will be in McCormick 101, which is much more like Peyton’s lecture hall.

We had a great time at the annual picnic on September 15th. There were about 30 club members and their families there. We had good food and clear observing for a time after it got dark. But of course, it started to cloud up, so we were only there until 9:30 or so. Thanks to Jim McHenry for bringing his grill out and to everyone who helped clean up afterwards.

Plans are under way to have a 50th anniversary celebration dinner at the Prospect House on the Princeton Campus. We hope to get things finalized by the next Board meeting on October 3rd. Volunteers to help plan are needed and appreciated. Please contact Kate Otto, Program Chair. Soon you will get more information on the event. If you know any past AAAPers who can contribute to Sidereal Times for our special issue in November and would like to attend the celebration dinner, please have them contact Michael Wright or Surabhi Agarwal at editors@princetonastronomy.org. Please contribute your own remembrances, special events, experiences, and pictures.

This year, we were not able to secure the Hope Center for an October StarQuest. So it will be postponed until next year. They do have an opening in November during the new moon weekend. The Board decided not to reserve the space since we expect it will be too cold. If anyone still wants to do StarQuest in November (I know there are some cold weather amateurs out there), please contact me. If there is a critical mass of participants, then it may be doable. Of course, there will not be raffle prizes or speakers, but there will be food, fellowship, a warm lodge, and hopefully a clear dark sky.

We look forward to our next meeting on October 9th in McCosh 10. Our guest speaker is yet to be determined. Watch your email or the AAAP Facebook page for updates on the speaker.

See you on the 9th at 8:00 pm in McCosh 10!

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From the Program Chair

Posted on October 3, 2012 by ST Editors

Kate Otto, Program Chair

Sunyaev–Zel'dovich Array, Owen Valley Radio Observatory

Sunyaev–Zel’dovich Array, Owen Valley Radio Observatory. Photo: Emleitch

In an effort to make the evening interesting and informative, we have invited Dr. Rashid Sunyaev to join us on October 9th. Those of you who heard David Spergel speak last month on “Illuminating the Evolution of the Universe with the Cosmic Microwave Background” heard Dr. Sunyaey’s name mentioned a few times; the Sunyaev–Zel’dovich effect being either the Sunyaev–Zel’dovich thermal effect or the Sunyaev–Zel’dovich kinematic effect. Hat’s off to David for being able to say all three quickly!

Rashid A. Sunyaev is Director of the Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik.

Prof. Rashid Sunyaev

Prof. Rashid Sunyaev.

He will be at the Institute for Advanced Studies for the month of October and has expressed an interest in speaking to the AAAP. We will know this week if his calendar is open for October 9th. As a backup, we are arranging for another speaker or panel discussion. Watch you email for more announcements. In the interim, thanks to all of the members who have sent in speaker and interesting club meetings ideas.

A special thanks to the 50th Anniversary Planning Committee, who are currently organizing the Nov. 4 anniversary dinner and other celebrations. They need more volunteers so please contact me or one of the other officers if you are willing to help. Don’t be shy.

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From the Outreach Chair

Posted on October 3, 2012 by ST Editors

David Letcher, Outreach Chair

The four Friday evening public lectures on backyard astronomy, by yours truly, are in full swing. My first class met on Friday evening, September 14. I introduced the audience to vocabulary and the objects commonly seen in our backyards. The second session dealt with the types of telescopes and eyepieces as well as certain vocabulary such as magnification, focal length and field of view. The next class will emphasize the solar system. Finally on October 5, we will study stars and galaxies.

I should mention that members Gene Ramsey and Larry Kane have been helpful to me at the public lectures. Thanks also go to the observatory teams that have shown the class various sky objects after each class.

Well, its star party season! Now that schools are in session, I am receiving requests for star parties. As of this writing, we have a star party on Tuesday, October 16 at the Linwood middle school in North Brunswick. I am pleased to report that we have four volunteers signed up for that one with a couple of tentative ones still deciding.

Another request just came in from an elementary school in South Brunswick but the date has not been decided yet.

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September, 2012 AAAP Meeting Minutes

Posted on October 3, 2012 by ST Editors

by Michael Wright, Secretary

The meeting was called to order by Director Ludy D’Angelo.

Ludy welcomed everyone to the first lecture and meeting of the 2012-2013 season and AAAP’s 50th year. Also, he reminded members that 2012-2013 dues are now due. He announced that AAAP would be holding our annual picnic on Saturday, September 15 at the pavilion at the Nature Center in Washington Crossing Park and a 50th anniversary dinner at Prospect House on the Princeton campus on Sunday, November 4.

Kate Otto, Program Chair introduced the speaker, Dr. David Spergel of Princeton’s Astrophysical Sciences Department. Prof, Spergel gave an absorbing talk on “Illuminating the Evolution of the Universe with the Cosmic Microwave Background” in which he explained recent discoveries based upon data collected by Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe and the Atacama Cosmology Telescope.

After a brief break, Ludy reconvened the business portion of the meeting.

  1. Website:
    1. Kate Otto asked why Sidereal Times on the website is out of date. John Miller, webmaster, replied that after Michael Wright implemented the blog on WordPress, there was no need to post PDF’s of ST on the website. A notice and link on the website points users to the WordPress site.
    2. Victor Davis asked if there are plans to archive audio of the monthly lectures on the website. Ludy replied that Ken Levy did it while he was Program Chair and he has the files. Kate will contact Ken about them. Future lectures could be recorded if someone with the necessary skills and equipment would volunteer. Victor said that he might be able to do it and would look into it.
    3. Mary Hayes asked how to get to the roster. John said that he would provide instructions and the password to her.
  2. Secretary’s Report: no report. The deadline for the next Sidereal Times will be September 27.
  3. Treasurer’s Report: no report.
  4. Program Report: Kate Otto reported that she is still trying to get a speaker for the October meeting. Renee Hlozek of Princeton Astrophysics and Rachel Somerville of Rutgers are committed for December and February respectively. Kate is waiting for commitments from Michael Strauss of Princeton Astrophysics and Robert Wilson, co-discoverer of the CMB.
  5. Outreach Report: David Letcher reported that the school year is just beginning so no schools have contacted him yet. The Meteor Watch co-sponsored with the D&R Greenway was a success even though not many meteors were seen. Victor Davis and Brian Van View brought their telescopes. Dan Reynolds gave an introduction to meteors in general and the Perseid shower.
  6. Bill Murray said that he will be bringing visitors from the planetarium show on October 12 and 19 to the Friday night observatory open houses.
  7. Mary Hayes asked if keyholder could wear name tags when they are on duty so the public can identify them. Ludy said it could be done but someone would have to volunteer to make and distribute the name tags.
  8. Observatory Donation:
    1. Michael Wright reported that UACNJ is asking all clubs to paint their observatories at Jenny Jump. AAAP’s observatory has peeling paint, and some wood needs to be replaced. UACNJ endorsed AAAP’s proposal to place the donated observatory on AAAP’s site at Jenny Jump provided that it does not obstruct views from other observatories and AAAP submits plans to the park for review. They said that AAAP could use UACNJ’s wifi for data if it meets our needs. They recommended an emergency shutdown procedure. Gil Jeffer volunteered to work with AAAP and be our onsite contact in an emergency.
    2. Jeff Bernardes reported that he obtained a quote from Observadome of $11,000 for a ring to install the dome on, plus $6,000 for shipping. A section of the existing dome would have to shipped to Observadome so they cam match it to the ring. The consensus was that this option was too expensive so AAAP will investigate mounting the dome on the existing structure.
  9. Observatory Report: Gene Ramsey, Observatory Chair, thanked members for the cards and well wishes that he received during his convalescence after heart surgery. John Church reported that he received a quote of $900 from Bear Claw Exteriors to power wash and paint the exterior of the observatory, which he recommended that AAAP accept. This quote does not include repairing the stucco on the piers. After a brief discussion, Larry Kane made a motion to accept the quote and hire Bear Claw Exteriors. It was seconded by Bill Murray. The motion passed. Ludy announced that Brick Yard Road was paved but the park had not opened it for AAAP’s use yet. The park was considering how to lock the gates. John Church said that the plan is to install the new G-11 mount when the public observing season is over and asked whether the power supply was repaired. John Giles said that he would make the repair before then.
  10. Robert Vanderbei passed on a request from Gaspar Bakos of Princeton Astrophysics to borrow a 12-inch dob for his class until the one he ordered arrives. Michael Wright suggested lending the club’s 8-inch dob. He could contact Gaspar and make arrangements to transfer the scope. Jeff Bernardis made a motion, seconded by Michael, to loan the club’s dob. The motion passed.
  11. Bill Murray is starting an astronomy club at Trenton Catholic Academy and needs telescopes and books. Ludy asked members to consider donating unused books. Ludy said that he would support loaning the club’s three telescopes that are stored in his garage. They are in various sates of repair, but they be made usable if the students would like take them on as a project. Jeff Bernardis made a motion to loan the scopes to the school. It was seconded by David Letcher. The motion passed.
  12. Starquest: Ludy explained that Hope Conference Center is booked up for the rest of 2012 so we can-not hold Starquest there this year. All of 2013 is available. Ludy asked when members wanted to hold Starquest between June and November 2013. The choices were narrowed down to the weekends of June 8 or September 5. By a show of hands, the membership showed a preference for September 5, 2013
  13. 50th Anniversary Celebrations
    1. Kate announced that the anniversary dinner would be held on Sunday, November 4 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Prospect House on the Princeton campus. A speaker for the event was briefly dis-cussed. Kate and Surabhi Agarwal searched the archive and are working on a slide presentation. They asked John Church to help identify members and events in the pictures, to which he agreed. Surabhi asked for approval to purchase an external hard-drive to store scanned documents. Mi-chael suggested buying a second one for backup. The Board approved the purchase of two 1-TB drives for a total of $250 – $300.
    2. Michael said that he and Surabhi are planning a special edition of Sidereal Times for November. The theme will be “50 years past and 50 years to come”. He has asked Freeman Dyson to contrib-ute an article about how our understanding of the universe has changed over the past 50 years, but has not received a commitment yet. Ken Kremer has agreed to write an article about the past 50 years of space exploration. Michael asked for someone to write about how observing equipment has changed. He requested members write reminiscences and submit photos about the club mem-bers and events. Also, he needs help from a graphic artist to help produce a timeline. Arshad Jilani agreed to help with the timeline.
  14. Ludy announced that the next board meeting will be on October 3.

Ludy adjourned the meeting.

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Treasurer’s Report

Posted on October 3, 2012 by ST Editors

Michael Mitrano, Treasurer

Dues payments are only beginning to come in this early in our fiscal year, which began on July 1. All members who have not made dues payments for the current year are asked to do so.

Thus far we have 17 dues payments along with $125 in contributions for a total of $805 in revenue. Routine minor expenses along with outlays of $162 for calendars to be sold this fall and $900 for the Washington Crossing observatory power washing and painting leave us with a fiscal year-to-date deficit of $476. This will be eliminated as dues renewals come in.

On a cumulative basis, our surplus is approximately $21 thousand.

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Sidereal Times Needs You

Posted on October 3, 2012 by ST Editors

Michael Wright and Surabhi Agarwal, Co-editors

To celebrate the kick-off of AAAP’s 50th year, we would like the November issue to be a celebration of the club’s history and accomplishments. We are producing an illiustrated commemorative booklet with specially written articles. We still need members to make this their celebration by contributing personal photographs, artwork or reminiscences about important events or notable members. If you have paper copies, we will scan them for you. Help make this issue really special by submitting your contributions. Email contribution and inquiries to editors@princetonastronomy.org.

Posted in October 2012, Sidereal Times | Tagged , , | Leave a comment