The Celestial Observer
Newsletter of the North ShoreAmateur Astronomy Club
Summer, 2007
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From the President
I am very pleased that we were able to
put together a Star Party Committee and that this important aspect of our
public outreach will continue. The committee will be exploring different
options for the presentation aspect of the programs. We were going to test
drive the Seeker planetarium software at the June meeting, but our four year
old laptop will not handle the graphics. Barrie Sawyer entertained us at the
meeting instead with a talk and slide presentation on his astronomy trip to
There are no club meetings in the month of July. The next business meeting is August 3rd. The next newsletter will be the September issue which will be published in late August.
The annual club picnic will be on Saturday, July 28th at my home in Billerica. There will be simple fare; burgers, hotdogs, salads and drinks. Entertainment will be solar observing, classical music, yard games, and the swimming pool. Please email me president at nsaac.org or call 978-663-5305 by July 25th if you plan to attend so we are prepared for you. Feel free to bring a dish, beverage or some form of entertainment if you’d like.
The June Starport party of the 15th and 16th may have passed by the time you read this, but Barrie announced at the meeting that we will attempt to have events there during both the July and August new moons. I really need to get some observing time in!
I hope that you and your loved ones have a healthy, safe and fun summer with great weather, and of course, clear skies!
Kevin Ackert
President
NSAAC Welcomes Our New Member:
Danny Smith of Kingston, NH
Jim Koerth,
Membership Director
Minutes of the NSAAC Business Meeting, June 1st, 2007
President Ackert called the June Business Meeting of the NSAAC to order at 8:12 PM.
There was one new guest: Jim Holland. There were 11 members present plus 7
Board members. There was an official
quorum.
Secretary: The minutes of the May business meeting were accepted by acclamation.
Treasurer:
The finances are in good order. The Board is waiting for the FY 2006 Annual Report from the treasurer.
Membership:
There have been no new members since the last Business Meeting.
Early Meeting Announcements:
There will be a new item on the business meeting agenda which will be an open forum after the meeting where anyone who wants to can give an informal presentation on a new gadget or book or whatever.
Committee Reports:
Young Astronomers Program:
Merrimack College:
Bill Drown has joined the staff but has yet to be trained on the scope. Kevin Ackert had about 6 people one night. Scout troop 59 from Peabody has contacted Fred Sammartino for a merit badge session at the observatory. Jeff Hayes indicated that the eyepieces are dirty and need cleaning. The scope has been fixed and is on target.
Salem State:
Dennis Gudzevich reported that the observatory is closed for the summer and will reopen in the September. Dick Collins and his son have made contact with Dennis Gudzevich, but have not yet gotten together.
Entertainment Report:
August entertainment will be a repeat of the Cygnus constellation by Kevin Ackert if something else doesn’t materialize. John Hobbs has made contact with John Briggs to see about another presentation on historical instruments in either September or October.
Star Party Committee:
The star party committee has been formed with John Hobbs as the coordinator. Kevin, Jim Foy, Fred Sammartino, Brewster LaMacchia, and Jim Koerth have volunteered to serve on the committee and assist with star party presentations.
We looked into the Seeker program, but it will not run on the club laptop. The committee will look into other presentation programs and alternatives for the club laptop.
There will be a star party at IRWS for Family campout on July 7 with a rain date of the 14th.
News, Correspondence and Upcoming Activities:
There were 5 attendees for the Webcam event on May 25th, but the seeing was not great. John and Jim will do it again sometime soon.
Barrie Sawyer is planning a star party for club members at Starport the weekend of June 15 & 16. Let Barrie know if you plan to attend.
Audubon Nature Festival will be Sunday June 3 from 10 to 4 PM at IRWS.
The NSAAC server will be down June 7.
IRWS blackout dates are:
1) Family campout on June 16 with rain date of 23rd.
2) Family campout on July 7 with rain date of 14th.
3) Family campout on July 28 with a rain date of August 4.
4) Halloween Program nights of Oct 26 and 27.
The club picnic will be a pool party July 28 at Kevin Ackert’s house in Billerica. No Booze. Bring anything special that you want to eat or drink.
Old Business:
Ron Sampson has sent a letter and a proposal to the owners of Long Hill Farm regarding using their site for observing. We have not heard back form them.
Member John Tulik has made contact with the officials at Bradley Palmer State Park and they would like to meet with President Ackert to discuss using the park as an observing venue. Kevin has not yet been able to schedule a meeting.
The hat purchase is on hold until we get a new logo or decide to keep the old one. Board thought that we could update and correct the comet on the logo. We are looking for pictures of comets that we could use.
The VMP work weekend went well and we logged 20 hours; still need about 30 hours under our agreement.
New Business:
No meeting in July. The July newsletter will be mailed around June 21. The September newsletter will be mailed in late August.
The club has made a donation of $52 to the Clear Sky Clock for one year. This gets the club priority updates and supports Attilla Danko, the author.
The entertainment for the evening was a talk by Barrie Sawyer on his
astronomy trip to
Board Meeting will be Tuesday June 12th at 8:00 PM at VMP.
Meeting adjourned at 9:08 PM.
Respectively submitted,
John Hobbs, Secretary NSAAC
by Barrie Sawyer
Below are some of my favorite astronomy theme books. If you have a list of books you want to recommend, send them along to me at barrie_sawyer at yahoo.com
The Soul of Night by Chet Raymo. Raymo is one of my favorite authors. In this book he shares his personal experiences from hunting for quasar 3C273 to looking at Halley’s Comet from Ayers Rock with the perspective of someone who is enchanted with the deep night.
The Perfect Machine by Ronald Florence. The 200 inch Hale Telescope on Mt. Palomar was the Hubble Space Telescope of my generation. This book tells the tale of its construction and the history of its use. It is full of wonderful details and anecdotes.
Seeing in the Dark by Timothy Ferris, another favorite author. Ferris tours the world to visit with the talented mateur astronomers who are leading the revolution in backyard stargazing.
Earth by David Brin. My vote for the best science fiction book ever written. Earth is both entertaining and believable.
Shoemaker by Levy: The Man Who Made an Impact by well known author and collaborator David Levy. Shoemaker is one of my heroes. He was the much admired scientist who almost single-handedly invented the study of astrogeology and co-discovered the comet that crashed into Jupiter in 1994.
The Stars by H. A. Rey. Though written for a young audience, I still prefer to use the constellation drawings in this classic to find my around the night sky. His illustrations are also very handy when trying to explain basic astronomical concepts to a novice.
The Discovers by Daniel Boorstin is just the book to read if you want know how astronomers like Copernicus and Kepler came to their great insights. The Discovers is one of the best overviews of the history of astronomy.
Deep Sky Wonders by Walter Scott Houston. For many years Houston wrote an observing column in Sky and Telescope. Well known amateur Steven O’Meara selected some of the best articles and provides insightful commentary into Houston’s life and influence on amateur astronomy.
The Night Sky Observer’s Guide by Kepple and Sanner has my vote for the best observers guide. It has standardized, detailed descriptions of everything you are likely to see. Included are helpful finder charts and drawings of how objects look in various sized instruments.
Entertainment for August
At this time the only entertainment for the August meeting is a re-run of the Cygnus Constellation Conversation which was presented last summer.
If you have a suggestion for an entertainment idea please submit it to us with no obligation to do it yourself.
Help Wanted
Below is a list of positions which need to be filled in our club. Please consider volunteering for one of these positions if you have the means. Please contact any Board member with questions about these positions
Long Term Positions:
Merrimack College Observatory: We currently have a staff of four, which is the minimum. Bill Drown has volunteered to be trained as the fifth Wednesday back-up person. Additional staff people are always welcomed. Please speak to Kevin Ackert if you would like to join us. Operating this observatory with its twenty inch R/C is a rewarding experience.
Star Party Committee: We have a Star Party Coordinator now and three people on the committee. We will be purchasing presentation software so that very little speaking will be required of the presenter. We would like to have one or two more on the committee.
Getting to Veasey Memorial Park
From Interstate 95 north, take the Route 133 west (54B) exit, and follow it into Georgetown Center. Go straight through the light, now on Route 97N. Go about 1.5 miles and take a left onto Salem Street (Tea Garden Restaurant at this intersection). Stay on Salem Street and turn left onto Washington Street. VMP is down a bit on the right.
Directions to all of the NSAAC observing sites are available on our web site's “About” page at:
http://www.nsaac.org/about.htm
Contact Information
For more information about the club and its activities, contact Jim Koerth, Membership Director, email: membership at nsaac.org or contact Kevin Ackert, President, e-mail at president at nsaac.org. If you have no email access, you may phone Kevin Ackert at (978) 663-5305
Our club web site is: http://www.nsaac.org.
The Celestial Observer is edited by Leor Zolman. Feedback, and member contributions are welcome. Contact: newsletter at nsaac.org.
New development on the NSAAC web site is currently being coordinated and implemented by Mike Deneen. Suggestions regarding the content of the NSAAC web site are always welcome; Please email webmaster at nsaac.org with your ideas.