Vol. 27 No. 12 September 1998 http://physics.weber.edu/oas/oas.html

 

 

THE ANNUAL SEPTEMBER MEETING

The meeting this month will be the Ogden Astronomical Society=s 28th Annual Meeting for the election of club officers for the 1998-99 fiscal year. The meeting will convene this Thursday September 10, 1998 at 7:30 p.m. in the Layton P. Ott Planetarium on the Weber State University campus.

Following the usual introductions, the first order of business will be the election procedures for club officers. (See the following sections in this newsletter for candidate information). Following the elections, Mr. Seth Jarvis from the Salt Lake based Clark Foundation will describe the recent successes of Project ASTRO.

The capper for the evening will be a showing of the newest planetarium show which begins this month at the Ott. Titled "More Than Meets the Eye" This program compares the fantastic images we see from the Hubble Space Telescope and professional observatories with what we see with our unaided eyes and through small telescopes. This program was originally produced by Loch Ness Productions and they have more details available about the program complete with sound bites and sample images through their web site.

A NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Thank you all for your support during the last two years. I've learned a lot form all of you. The support and ideas are all valuable. I know the up coming president will be glad for your input as much as I was. However the only way to get you ideas heard is to be an active member in the meetings. There is much we can do as a club. I for one will be there with ideas and support.

Again thanks, and good luck to the new Executive Committee.

Steve (Thumbs) Petersen

THE AUGUST MONTE CRISTO

STAR PARTY

NO BUGS. That's right hardly a bug to be seen. I used bug spray only once. The Thursday thunder storm might have scared them away; cool weather, nights not bad, temperature wise.

The seeing was good, clean fresh washed air from

the rain. The turn out was a bit low, I guess the July event bummed out a few. Those of us there had a enjoyable time. Well except for 'Thumbs' Petersen, I

got reacquainted with a wedge (splitting not equatorial). Guess it's remedial Logging again for

me.

Potluck was filling, nobody should have gone away hungry. On Friday night a troop of cub scouts stopped by for awhile. They ventured out to see what the red lights are about. On Saturday night we found the Helix nebula and took turns looking through each others >scopes and comparing the contrast. Jupiter was great, Saturn good was good too.

Steve Petersen

ANTELOPE ISLAND IN AUGUST

On Saturday August 29, 1998 the OAS hosted the next in the series of public star parties at Antelope Island State Park. The crowds were again in the hundreds. They came to see and hear the slide show and discussion sponsored by Dr. Sohl and the Ott Planetarium. They came too to view the universe and the objects in it through the telescopes provided by the members of the Ogden Astronomical Society.

A special guest to the star party was Sigfried Jackman, from Salt Lake City, who owns a rare 9-inch Alvin Clark refractor. The telescope was once owned by the University of Utah. Now Mr. Jackman attends public star parties and permits visitors to view one of the finest images of the sky you can find.

The next Antelope Island star party is scheduled for Saturday September 26, 1998. Come All.

MEMBERSHIP DUES IN SEPTEMBER

With the new fiscal year just beginning for the OAS, membership dues are also in order. The dues remain at $12.00 for the year. Membership includes a monthly copy of The Star Diagonal, discounts on major magazines and the many OAS activities.

MEET THE CANDIDATES

Below are your candidates for the club Executive Committee 1998 - 99. Members will have the opportunity to vote for the nominee of their choice at the Annual September meeting to be held this Thursday September 10, 1998 at 7:30 p.m. Every member=s vote is important. Please consider each candidate fairly and, come to the meeting and vote. Note: the offices of Secretary and Treasurer remain open for one additional nomination. The club constitution allows for nominations from the floor at the Annual Meeting if the person being nominated has been contacted beforehand and has agreed to accept the nomination. If no additional nominations are taken, a sustaining vote from the majority will reelect the incumbent Secretary and Treasurer.

 

Nominated for President:

Gordon Heaps

MY VISION FOR THE OGDEN ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY

I feel the goal for the OAS should be Ato bring the joy of astronomy to all@. To do this we must cultivate a spirit of cooperation between the OAS and the local community. By stimulating public interest in the field of astronomy we can increase local support of the club functions and peak interest in the society, thereby increasing out ranks. We must also reach out to all members of the OAS and try to create an atmosphere of learning and trust.

The experience and knowledge level of various members range widely from the novice to the advanced. In order t meet the needs of all members it is imperative that we consider this. We must present information that meets the needs of all. To do this, it will be necessary, in some cases, to go back to the basics and help expand the horizons of the less advanced. But if we can reach out to our fellow club members I feel confident we will strengthen the bonds we share and enhance our enjoyment of astronomy. Gordon Heaps

Nominated For

President:

Ron Vanderhule

A MEANINGFUL FUTURE FOR OAS

In my vocabulary there is no such thing as an "interest" in astronomy. I'll give you your choice between fascination and/or passion. I would like to schedule meetings and events that will generate those kinds of emotions. The rest will be history.

Ron Vanderhule

Nominated for

Vice-President:

David Dunn

GROWTH AND OUTREACH

I would like to see the club continue to grow in its number of members. To do this we must continue to have good star parties. In addition to this we need to make the club more visible so that people can find out about it, as I did.

I also would like to see us continue to do the school star parties. I know that since I joined the club, I have been able to learn how to find many of the objects in space. My son enjoys seeing the objects I get in my >scope and he is always asking questions.

Dave Dunn

 

 

 

Nominated for Vice-President:

Steve Richer

Cooperation and Outreach

 

As Vice President, I would support the idea of a Star Party near Bear Lake. The OAS could share the activity with a group from Idaho. Also, I can see a use of Business support for the newsletter.

Steve Richer

 

 

Nominated For

Secretary:

Bob Tillotson

WE HAVE STOOD THE TEST OF TIME

As a Charter Member of the OAS, beginning in 1970, I have seen incredible changes and growth in the club. We have moved steadily forward in the public eye bringing the fascination of astronomy to the people. Our work with the schools has been one of the most satisfying accomplishments to me. The public star parties at Antelope Island and in the parking lots of local businesses is the way we bring the excitement of this hobby to everyone. I want to see us keep it up. I will work to continue this effort and assist the club president in arranging for meaningful, interesting meetings for the members.

Bob Tillotson

 

 

 

Nominated For

Treasurer:

Doug Say

AWITH ME, YOUR MONEY IS AS SAFE AS THE STOCK MARKET@

A loyal and enthusiastic member of the OAS for over 12 years, Doug has conscientiously managed the club funds for six of those years. He is also the major creative force in the construction of the club=s 18.5-inch telescope, known as B.O.B. Doug is always available to assist and advise the members in their projects. Doug assists regularly with meetings and can fill in the absence of the other Executive members. He can also do a fine job fixing your automobile when you can get an appointment.

Editor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Messier 27

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

M27 - the Dumbbell Nebula, is an 8th-magnitude irregular planetary nebula in the constellation Vulpecula, The Fox. M27 is estimated to be 980 light years from Earth.

This image of M27 was taken on 1 August 1998 at about 10:00 PM from Shadow Valley in Ogden. The camera was operating at -5 deg C and the exposure time was 10 min. The ST-7 was operating at high resolution -each pixel is 9x9 microns. With the Meade 12" SCT operating at f/6.3 using a Celestron focal reducer, the field of view is calculated to be 8.25 by 12.37 arc min. . With all of the bright stars in the area, the AO-7 adaptive optics system was able to guide using an exposure time of 0.1 sec.

Jim Seargeant