by Gene Allen, Secretary
The meeting was convened at 1930 on Zoom by Director Rex Parker with the agenda for the evening. All other board officers were present: Assistant Director Larry Kane, Treasurer Michael Mitrano, Program Chair Victor Davis, Observatory Co-Chairs Dave & Jen Skitt, Outreach Chair Bill Murray, and Secretary Gene Allen. Other leaders in attendance were Editor Surabhi Agarwal, Promotions Chair Debbie Mayes, Astrovideo Chair Michael DiMario, and former Program Chair Ira Polans.
Monthly Meetings in the Peyton Hall Auditorium
Victor Davis will be the designated contact person for access to Peyton Hall. Our welcome was renewed by Department Manager Susan Duncan and Events and Communications Coordinator Stephanie Reif. They advised that class schedules, which have priority for use of the auditorium, will be available mid-September and offered a refresher on the use of the new A/V equipment. Dave Skitt and Ira Polans will schedule a session and Gene Allen offered to attend and provide backup/assistance. Dave requested that doors be unlocked by 6pm to allow him more time to get set up. He said some members start arriving by 6:30. We were all in agreement that we need to provide an electronic version of in-person meetings for those physically or geographically unable to attend. Making a recording for later display on YouTube prevents live participation but will be considered as a possible alternative to Zoom transmission.
Program Update
Victor recapped the speaker schedule published in Sidereal Times and brought up that a couple of our upcoming speakers will be Zooming in rather than presenting in person unless we are unable to handle the technicalities of double Zooming. He pointed out that our April meeting date is the day after the solar eclipse when many of us will be dispersed throughout the country and suggested that members Zoom in with their experiences.
Observatory Update
Dave reported that the first of two benches is popular with attendees but storing it inside is awkward and risks damaging the scopes. Permanent mounting outside presents an undesirable additional challenge to mowing and trimming. He will look into finding a way to hang them under the roof rails on the north side of the building.
Some testing of filters was accomplished during the previous public night, but it was so well attended that another opportunity is needed to decide on which ones the club should purchase.
Dave is planning a solar observing session from 1300-1600 on September 16 for members, family, and friends. It is not to be advertised to the general public.
It was suggested that the observatory be opened and staffed for the partial solar eclipse on October 14.
Outreach Update
Rex and Bill will appeal to Keyholder and Members to bring scopes to support a number of star party requests over the next few months. Bill indicated that if he does not get an adequate number of volunteers promptly, he will withdraw from participating in the event.
Promotions Update
Debbie reported that social media is contributing to attendance as well as the website. She created a couple of draft flyers advertising our monthly meeting and public nights at the observatory and sought approval to employ a professional graphic designer to amp them up. Officers pointed out that as a designated leader she may spend up to $1000 for flyers or other promotional materials before any board approval is required.
Everyone acknowledged that our website is functional but dated. Maintenance is challenging due to accumulated layers of uncommented and confusing code. Surabhi pointed out that WordPress web-building software is already available on our server. The approach would be to create a new website alongside the existing one and swap over when we are satisfied with it. Michael DiMario shared that both Delaware Valley and Southwest Florida astronomy clubs have much more appealing sites. Rex designated Debbie to lead a team of Surabhi, Jeff Pinyan, and Michael DiMario to begin the long and difficult process. John Miller’s long history of the creation and maintenance of the website and its hosting was acknowledged but no one thought it appropriate to formally burden him with this challenge given his continuing health struggles.
Astroimagers Update
Michael reported that while there are 44 members in the group, very few participate and there is disappointingly little traffic on Groups.io compared to some other small clubs. It was pointed out that many of the members are only aspiring astroimagers, and Michael realized that “how to” sessions might be popular. Larry suggested competitions but Michael countered that the same few experts among us would easily always win.
This and That
A bronze plaque honoring the memory of the late Gene Ramsey has been proposed. He served as Observatory Chair for many years, and those of us he trained would agree that he was our most passionate and dedicated outreach ambassador ever. Victor agreed to wordsmith an appropriate tribute. A source for a bronze version of a popular photo needs to be identified. His surviving family members would be invited to its dedication.
At Michael Mitrano’s suggestion the board voted to end our post office box lease. Infrequent mailings can be directed to his home or checks can be handed to him at meetings. Website pages will need to be revised.
Surabhi reported that a high school senior, Yugandhara Luthra, has volunteered to be an editor for the Sidereal Times. A bio and photo were published at:
< https://princetonastronomy.com/2023/03/05/introducing-new-student-member/ >.
An available eclipse ambassador outreach opportunity that includes training was brought up by Ira. Anyone interested should contact him for details.
The meeting was adjourned at 2127.
Submitted by Secretary Gene Allen
09/09/2023
Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton 
A Year of Oppenheimer
by Gene Allen
Some of us followed the recommendation at the November 8, 2022, AAAP meeting to read American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Even though the book bogged down in minutiae of the hearing testimony, its beginnings were quite enlightening and entertaining. A handful of AAAP members were sufficiently interested to attend what was to me a disappointing live chat with its author, Kai Bird, at the Institute for Advanced Study on May 18. While there was some fun encountering a celebrated author live and in person, none of his responses to even intellectually appealing requests for depth and elaboration consisted of more than quotes from the book. One got no feeling that he had any personal involvement with the world of his subject. His Pulitzer-winning creation seemed no more than a project he had completed some time ago. It made me expect that his researcher and coauthor, the historian Martin J. Sherwin, would have been a more invested and interesting interviewee. He sadly died in October 2021, but it was interesting to learn that he had once held a faculty position at Princeton University.
American Prometheus is reported to be the starting point for Christopher Nolan’s movie “Oppenheimer” which was released this past July. One should always question the authenticity of any supposedly historical account, but in general movies are particularly unfaithful to truth. Most TV and movie representations of semiautomatic handgun operation, for example, are shamefully false. When the last round has been expended, the slide locks open. It is utterly impossible to point it at someone and be surprised that pulling the trigger gives an empty click sound. And don’t let me get started about aviation sequences. Most are too preposterous for me to abide even sitting through them. So how much license did Nolan take with his account?
An alumni contact email in late September led me to an impressively erudite review of “Oppenheimer” at < https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/fact-fiction-and-the-father-of-the-bomb-on-christopher-nolans-oppenheimer/ >.
The reviewer, Alex Wellerstein, is a professor of science and technology studies at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, and the author of Restricted Data: The History of Nuclear Secrecy in the United States, which appeared from the University of Chicago Press in 2021. He also writes Restricted Data: The Nuclear History Blog online, and his next book will be on atomic policy during the Truman administration. Wellerstein’s command of the historical record borders on awesome and his forensic evaluation of the movie is even-handed. He is neither derisive nor patronizing. Overall, one comes away with the sense that it is a worthy production. While sitting in a theater for three hours is not appealing, the movie will certainly deserve my attention when it reaches streaming services.