As many of you know, we got clouded out on the date chosen for the Diamond Bar G Ranch Star Party. Several AOAS members and their guests managed to get together and have a great time, anyway. We had a great meal and a lot of good fellowship. It was discovered that many had not seen the PBS presentation of 400 Years of the Telescope that ran at 2:00 AM on a Sunday morning, so we watched at after the meal, and also had an impromptu Magic Show put on by our own Dr. Chuck Larson, who by the way, won the 2009 Magician of the Year from the IBM Magician’s association (I’m not sure of the name.) At any rate, this is a national association, so this is quite an honor. Way to go, Chuck!
For those of you who missed the festivities, or those who could not make it due to other obligations, we have scheduled a second attempt at the Diamond Bar G Ranch Spring Star Party for May 23rd, 2009. Be sure to mark it on your calendars! Again, we will have a potluck dinner, so bring a covered dish and your favorite beverage. We’ll start eating at 6:00 PM and then retire to the observing field for some dark-sky viewing and camaraderie.
Some of you may have seen the wonderful article in the Living section of the Times Record’s Saturday, April 25, 2009 edition. If you haven’t seen it, be sure to drop by the times record offices on Wheeler and get a copy of that edition, or check it out at the Fort Smith Public Library. Mike Baker, Leonard Lynch, Dr. Chuck Larson, and Bob Moody participated in the interviews and the articles make a great case for AOAS’ relocation efforts. In fact, we’ve already been contacted by interested parties wanting to help out in some way. The Observatory Relocation committee is now working these leads to see what we can do.
Summer observing is getting into full swing now, and we have star parties scheduled at the Janet Huckabee Nature Center for Jun 12, August 14, Sep 11, and Nov 13. In addition, the Mulberry Mountain Star Party is happening next month (June) on the 19th and 20th. Camping spots are filling up fast so get your reservations in now!
We’ve had a great turnout at meetings and events this past four months. If you haven’t made it to a meeting recently, I encourage you to come to one. We usually have several topics of interest to all amateur astronomers, so you should get something out of it. Normally, we have at least one constellation to cover, equipment tips and tricks, and a highlighted feature on a selected Astronomical League Observing Club. We are looking at Astro-Imaging (AI) and Amateur Telescope Making (ATM) projects in the future as well. With all of this, there should be something for everyone’s taste. So come on! See you at the meeting!
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