Austin Astronomical Society - President's Message

President's Message May 2013

10 May 2013 4:07 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

By Joyce Lynch

I will finish my second term as club president at the end of this month. I'm very grateful for all the help I have received from the Executive Committee and other club members. Thank you so much!

As I look back on the last two years, I remember various highlights. In March 2012 we partnered with the San Antonio Astronomical Society in an attempt to "flash" the ISS. It worked, and I have a photo from astronaut Don Pettit to prove it.

In June 2012 we worked with the University of Texas to help the public view the transit of Venus. Hundreds showed up to experience this once-in-a-lifetime event.

Last fall we raised almost $3000 for the Austin Planetarium in memory of our member Larry Forrest. Then more recently we renamed the Ealing telescope at Canyon of the Eagles for him at the same time as we dedicated the new observatory donated by our member Fred Ruof.

Just recently at SXSW some of us got to see a scale model of the James Webb Space Telescope on display and let visitors look through our scopes.

Interspersed among these happenings were eclipses, comet viewing, many COE star parties and other outreach events, and some very interesting programs and Practical Astronomy sessions.

I'm not going away. I will continue to work at outreach events as well as attend Practical Astronomy sessions and GA meetings. See you around!

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President's Message April 2013

23 Apr 2013 4:45 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

By Joyce Lynch

March was a busy month for the club. The first Saturday we had a public star party with lots of scopes on the field, and the next night we finally got to conduct an observing night at Wild Basin after several cancellations over the last few months. The following weekend some of us went to see the mock-up of the James Webb Space Telescope during SXSW, and the weather was good enough on Sunday for some solar viewing and a star party there. Then there was the week of viewing Comet PANSTARRS. On the 16th, after a postponement the previous cloudy Saturday night, many members tried to do the Messier Marathon, but clouds came in and ended their efforts early. Several of us were at Austin City Hall on the 23rd for Earth Hour and some urban observing, where we got the usual "wows and "awesomes" we often hear from people who are looking through telescopes for the first time. All in all, it was a pretty good month for outreach and personal observing.

I hope to visit with many of you at the Central Texas Star Party at Canyon of the Eagles April 5 and 6. See below for more information.

The following Friday evening, April 12, will be our general meeting, with our own Dawn Davies as the speaker. The election of officers for the year beginning June 1 will also take place that night. Come and help determine your club's future.

See you soon!

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President's Message March 2013

23 Apr 2013 4:42 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

By Joyce Lynch

This month we have several special events on the calendar.

On March 8, 9, and 10, during the South by Southwest Interactive Festival, a full-scale model of the James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled to launch in 2018, will be on display near Lady Bird Lake. AAS and others have been asked to help conduct star parties in connection with the display for the many visitors expected. More information is available on our website, in the Events section.

March 9 is the monthly members’ star party at Canyon of the Eagles, and Member Services Chair Tim Brown is planning a Messier Marathon that evening. Look for more details elsewhere in this newsletter and on our website.

Saturday, March 23, 8:30-9:30pm is Earth Hour. This is a world-wide effort to show concern for the environment by turning off as many lights as possible. We will be at Austin City Hall from 6:30 to 10:30. Check our website for more on this event also.

So keep your fingers crossed for nice spring temperatures and clear skies and come on out!

CENTRAL TEXAS STAR PARTY ON APRIL 5 AND 6

Each year AAS holds the Central Texas Star Party (CTSP), a two-night event for members and guest amateur astronomers. We'll have dinners on Friday and Saturday evenings and lots of good (we hope) observing and lots of good (we know) conversations. This year we will have a couple of extra events on Saturday evening. The Ealing scope will be renamed for the late Larry Forrest, a long-time club member who was instrumental in making that scope operational for use in the Eagle Eye Observatory. Also, our current member Fred Ruof is donating to the club several scopes as well as the building to house them at EEO, and we'll dedicate that building that evening.

More details about CTSP will be available soon, but in the meantime, mark your calendar and plan to be there.

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President's Message February 2013

23 Apr 2013 4:35 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

By Joyce Lynch

The members of this year's nominating committee have been selected. Their job is to find members willing to stand for election to positions on the Executive Committee for the one-year term beginning on June 1. The slate will be publicized to the membership at least 3 weeks before the election takes place at our April 12 general meeting.

According to our Bylaws, the Executive Committee's job is to manage and coordinate all assets and business of the club, with some actions subject to approval by the General Assembly.

I'm going to briefly describe the responsibilities of each EC member so you can consider the possibility of throwing your hat into the ring.

The President works with the other EC members to make things happen and conducts the monthly general meetings.
The Vice-President is in charge of the programs at monthly meetings and fills in for the President as needed.
The Secretary takes minutes at the EC and general meetings and posts them to our website.
The Treasurer is the money person, responsible for handling funds that come in and for paying the bills.
The Communications Chair oversees the website and the monthly newsletter.
The Equipment Chair takes care of the Eagle Eye Observatory at Canyon of the Eagles, including the large telescopes and other equipment.
The Member Services Chair deals with activities for members other than the general meetings, such as Central Texas Star Party, Practical Astronomy sessions, and Mansfield Dam star parties.
The Outreach Chair is responsible for the events the club has for the public, including Austin Under the Stars and monthly star parties at COE, and handles requests from schools and other groups for star parties at their locations.
Members-at-Large (3 positions) work with other EC members on club activities as needed.

These descriptions just barely touch the surface of what EC members do. If you are interested in more detail, you can consult the Bylaws at http://austinastro.org/resources/documents/bylaws.pdf

The nominating committee members are Alan Carruth, Jim Linn, and Ross Clark. You can find their e-mails in the member directory on the website and e-mail them if you are interested in a position. Or, e-mail contactaas@austinastro.org and your e-mail will be forwarded.

Thanks for your consideration.

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President's Message January 2013

12 Apr 2013 4:33 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

By Joyce Lynch

Happy New Year! I send my best wishes for clear, dark skies in 2013, with clouds and much-needed rain only during the day!

To help you plan your year, I'm going to preview the AAS schedule for 2013. Get out your pens and mark your new calendar now!

Monthly meetings are on the second Friday of the month, so those dates are January 11, February 8, March 8, April 12, May 10, June 14, July 12, August 9, September 13, October 11, November 8, and December 13 (holiday party). We will be changing our meeting location for at least the first four months of the year. RLM is now officially closed on Friday evenings, so our meetings will take place across Dean Keaton Street in ETC 2.136. This is the building where our Practical Astronomy sessions have been held, although it is a different room.

Public star parties at COE are scheduled for these Saturday evenings: January 5, February 2, March 2, April 13, May 4, June 1, July 6, August 10, September 28, November 26, and December 7.

Member star parties at COE will take place on January 12, February 9, March 9, April 5 and 6, May 11, June 8, July 13, August 3, September 7, October 5, November 2 and 30.

The April 5 and 6 dates are for the Central Texas Star Party, a two-night members event which this year will include a ceremony to rename the Ealing telescope for the late Larry Forrest. More details will follow.

The first Wild Basin event will be January 27 , and those will continue to occur approximately once a quarter.

Dates aren't set yet, but we usually have Austin Under the Stars in March and the summer.

Outside of Austin, the Texas Star Party will be May 5-12. Okie-Tex is scheduled for September 28-October 6, and El Dorado Star Party will take place October 28-November 3.

Of course there will be other events scheduled as the year progresses, so be sure to check our website and read Yahoo group e-mails regularly to learn about them.

I look forward to seeing many of you at these meetings and star parties.

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President's Message December 2012

14 Dec 2012 9:26 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

By Joyce Lynch

In the spirit of the season let me tell you what I'm thankful for and what my wish list has on it.

I'm thankful for all of the wonderful AAS members who contribute to the club. Some attend public outreach events and help visitors learn about the sky. Some do programs for general meetings and Practical Astronomy sessions. Some share their knowledge via e-mails in the Yahoo group. Some make donations so we can help the Planetarium become a reality.

I'm particularly thankful for the EC members who put in a great deal of time to do their jobs. They make the club function smoothly and productively.

So, what is on my wish list? Simply, it's:

VOLUNTEERS,
VOLUNTEERS, and
MORE VOLUNTEERS.

Specifically, I want VOLUNTEERS for the EC positions that we will vote on in April for the year starting June 1. Or, you can volunteer to work with various EC members as they carry out their responsibilities.

I want VOLUNTEERS who are willing to do programs for our meetings. There is so much we can learn from each other.

And I want even MORE VOLUNTEERS for our public events. There is a lot of interest in astronomy out there, and I hope we can do a better job of meeting the demand.

Let me know if you can help fulfill my wishes. joycedlync@aol.com

I hope to see many of you at the holiday party at Wild Basin on December 14.

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President's Message November 2012

03 Dec 2012 2:40 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

By Joyce Lynch

Our campaign to raise funds for the Austin Planetarium in memory of Larry Forrest has been very successful. Members contributed $1910, and our anonymous donors matched the first $1000 of that. After some PayPal fees for donations coming through our website, our grand total is $2830.75. We're hoping that a Planetarium representative will attend our November meeting to receive the check. Thanks to all who contributed.

Many of you have already renewed your club membership for the year beginning September 1. If you haven't, you better hurry because we are getting to the time when we start dropping people who haven't paid their dues. We don't want to lose you!

I hope you have received your e-vite to our December 14 holiday party at Wild Basin. As usual it should be a lot of fun. If you didn't get the e-mail, contact Dawn Davies at dawnmunroedavies@gmail.com.

Do you know that Executive Committee meetings are open to all members? The EC meets most months on the first Monday at 7pm, usually in Northwest Austin. Look for a blurb elsewhere in this newsletter for more information. Of course, if you can't attend the meeting but have something you want to share with the EC, you can e-mail me at joycedlync@aol.com or call me at 441-2271.

Soon we will be starting the process to elect officers for next year. The nominating committee is formed in January, the election is in April, and the new officers take over in June. Please consider the possibility of serving on the nominating committee or running for office. You may contact me if you have questions or want to volunteer.

I'm looking forward to the end of Daylight Saving Time so we can go out and start observing earlier. Here's hoping for clear skies for that observing (although we sure could use some rain!).

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President's Message October 2012

11 Oct 2012 4:57 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

By Joyce Lynch

I want to make sure you know about some recent club happenings and some things that will happen soon.

At the last General Assembly meeting, the members approved a motion to rename the Ealing telescope at the Eagle Eye Observatory at Canyon of the Eagles for the late Larry Forrest. Larry was a club member for any years and played a major role in obtaining the Ealing and making it a functional telescope for the club. There will be a renaming ceremony next April during our Central Texas Star Party.

Last year the club paid for a corporate membership in the Austin Planetarium. At the September GA meeting the members voted to handle this year's donation differently and approved holding a campaign for members to donate money. Some club members who wish to remain anonymous have agreed to match donations up to $1000. I'm happy to report that we have exceeded that amount, but it's not too late to donate and make the total grow. The donation this year will be in memory of Larry Forrest, who worked very hard with Planetarium staff and board members for several years to get the project going.

We're working to complete the Fred Ruof Observatory, the new building at COE with scopes donated to the club by Fred. You'll be hearing more about a dedication ceremony soon.

In addition to our usual public star parties at COE, there are several community events we have agreed to do in the next few months. We're going to McKinney Falls State Park on October 13, Westwood High School on October 20, and Lockhart State Park on December 8. Also, our last Wild Basin event for the year will be on November 11. We should have some cool, crisp evenings this fall, and we can hope that those coincide with our events. Come on out!

And don't forget our monthly meetings. Our program on October 12 will be Paul Wieland: "The Case for Increasing our Exploration of Space." Our own member (and newsletter editor) Erika Rix will talk about astronomical sketching on November 9. The annual holiday party will be on December 14. Mark your calendars!

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President's Message September 2012

25 Sep 2012 4:18 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

By Joyce Lynch

As I think back on this summer, I remember various opportunities AAS had for public outreach.

The (literally) once-in-a-lifetime event was the Venus transit in June. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 1500-2000 visitors went to the RLM building to look through our scopes. In the days following as I looked at videos of people all around the world viewing the transit, I wondered why we humans on earth can't unite more often for positive reasons such as that.

The club held monthly star parties at COE to show off Saturn, Mars, Scorpius, Sagittarius, the Summer Triangle, and the Milky Way. Maybe those weren't so special to those of us who have seen them in past summers, but to visitors seeing them for the first time, they were spectacular. Austin Under the Stars was another opportunity to share the sky and our knowledge through small sessions and a video as well as observing.

At the August public star party we had the added attraction of the Perseid meteor shower. Many people came out with their chairs and blankets for comfortable viewing. And the skies did not disappoint.

I'd say we have easily reached out to 2500 people this summer. What do we know about outreach? First, people are interested in what is going on in the sky. Second, many people are interested in some of the most basic aspects of astronomy. Galaxies and nebulae may appeal to some, but many are satisfied with looking at the Moon and Saturn and learning about constellations. Third, we amateur astronomers appear to be encyclopedias of knowledge to visitors. We get many questions, some easy to answer and some a bit harder. People are impressed when we can point out the ISS passing over or exactly where to look for an Iridium flare. Such power we have! (Personally, I have found that I just need to keep learning more and more in order to stay ahead of the public.)

Our club has increased outreach efforts in the past few years, and I'm happy to have been a part of that. That is one way we get new members (going to AUTS years ago was what got me to join) and, we can hope, the way we inspire children to be interested in the sky and possibly pursue astronomy as a career.

So come on out to the events we'll have this fall. Sometimes new members are hesitant because they don't know what to expect. You probably know more than most of the visitors, and experienced members will be glad to help you.

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President's Message August 2012

28 Aug 2012 9:55 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

By Joyce Lynch

The subject line of a recent e-mail from Treasurer Mark Lyon read "15 new members in the last 30 days." Wow! That is a lot of new people, and this increase continues a trend that has been going on for a while. My response was "Guess we are doing something(s) right."

It is largely for the sake of those new folks that my message this month is about the things I think we are doing right, as reflected in the club budget that will be presented for approval at the August 10 General Assembly meeting. (Some of the "old" folks may learn something also.)

In most years almost all of our income comes from member dues. During this fiscal year, starting last September, we have made money on the sale of some donated equipment that was sitting around doing nobody any good. Executive Committee Member-at-Large Vic Ellisor, with help from Mark Lyon, really worked on eBay to dispose of the items and bring in over $6000 . (Much of that was then used to purchase a solar telescope, which made its big debut at the Venus transit in June.) We anticipate making much less on such sales this coming year, since the equipment is mostly gone.

Another source of income is donations. Some visitors to COE star parties either give at the welcome table or put money into the donation box in the observatory, and we sometimes receive contributions from other events we do. These donations help pay for handouts to visitors, one of the expenditures of the Outreach Chair.

One fairly large expense is paying $5 per member to the Astronomical League. This means that AAS members receive the AL quarterly magazine, Reflector, and they are eligible to participate in AL observing clubs.

We budget funds for various club events, both for the public (Austin Under the Stars and CenTex star party ) and for members (Central Texas Star Party and the December holiday party). There is also a line item for expenses incurred in the presentation of programs at our monthly meetings.

It seems there is almost always work that needs to be done at the observatory, so the Equipment Chair has money for that.

The club is a contributing member of the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) to support the group's efforts to preserve and protect the nighttime environment. Also, we make a donation to the Clear Sky Clock that many of us consult before deciding on a trip to COE. http://www.cleardarksky.com/c/EagleEObsTXkey.html

Of course we have the less interesting but important costs of office supplies, website hosting, insurance, and post office box rental.

I haven't mentioned everything, and each year has some slightly different details, but I hope you new members have a better understanding of what AAS does. E-mail me at joycedlync@aol.com if you have questions, or come to the August 10 meeting to ask them. And at that meeting you'll be able to vote on how your club's money is spent.

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