ASTRONOMY DAY 2007 was held today at Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center from 12:00 noon until 4:30pm when the Center closed down for the day. We had several members attending this event, namely, myself, Ed Wemmerus, Dale Hall, Charley McLane, Kenny Dickerson, Roberta Parks, and Jon Stone, Jr. Jon was on "Solar Patrol" for the day, greeting visitors as they approached the entrance with invitations to have a SAFE look at the Sun through his 8" Celestron telescope equipped with a Baader Solar Filter.
NEVER TRY VIEWING THE SUN WITH ANY TYPE OF OPTICAL AIDS OR DEVICES SINCE INSTANTANEOUS AND PERMANENT EYE DAMAGE CAN OCCUR. ONLY APPROVED AND SAFE SOLAR FILTERS PROVIDE THE PROPER PROTECTION. CONTACT AOAS FOR MORE INFO ON SAFE SOLAR VIEWING.
Jon proudly turned in a tally of the number of people he actually spoke with and showed the Sun of 193 people! Well done, Jon!
Inside, everyone else was having an excellent time greeting those visitors who took the time to see what all we had setup in the multimedia room. Automatic presentations of a PowerPoint and a VHS videotape were playing at both the front of the room as well as the back. Ed's excellent planning and preparation for these presentations went off without a hitch and helped fill-in any slow moments between visitors. That was a very good plan and I'm proud of you for having taken the time and effort to make it happen.
Of course, everyone was invited to come back to the Nature Center for a star party that we held just beside the road after sunset. At least 50 to 75 people were in-and-out over the course of the 2.5 hour viewing session. Members Jon Stone, Kenny Dickerson, and Ed had their scopes on hand along with Charley and myself for extra support. We were all surprised by FIVE satellites at the same time passing overhead, with two headed northward and another three headed south all passing each other as we watched them directly over us. SO COOOOL!
ALL-IN-ALL, we had a very successful ASTRONOMY DAY. We had the 6" f/8 Celestron pictured on this home page below this forum for examination by the public, and we took several donations for tickets that will be used in a drawing for some lucky donor on July 13, 2007. We'll be right here at the same observing area on that Friday evening, and we'll draw the name of some lucky person who'll have themselves a brand new 6" telescope, and a FREE 1-year membership in AOAS to help them get the most out of this telescope right off from the very beginning.
Consider making a $5 donation to AOAS for a single ticket, or, make it a $20 donation and receive FIVE tickets for an even better chance to win. And remember, ALL DONATIONS TO AOAS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.
We took in $65 in donations from 10 people. Ed Wemmerus made the most sales and swears he'll trade more drawing tickets for donations than any other club member by the time the drawing is held, and after tonight's example, I'll have to agree that he's likely to do just that.
Anyway, Thanks and BEST of LUCK to ALL of the donors! We look forward to helping someone become well versed in the useage and proper care of such a great "First Telescope" as this one. You do NOT need to attend the drawing to win, since the winner will be notified by telephone as soon as the drawing is made. Arraingments will be made to make the delivery of the telescope within 1-2 days after the drawing. Good Luck to everyone!
It was indeed a great day.
First off, I'd like to thank Charley and Kenny for their help in showing people the sun. I couldn't have done it without you guys.
I was overall impressed by the turnout of people at the star party. I was even more impressed to be able to see the detail we saw in galaxies. Everyone got a great tour of the universe. And seeing those 5 satellites crossing each other in the sky was totally amazing.
Oh and for the record, I will sell more tickets then Ed.
Jon
I have to agree with Bob and Jon on all but one thing.
I had a really good time at both the presentations during the day and the star party that night. It's not a perfect place for a star party because of some sky glow and a few lights, but it's pretty darn good. Much better than Carol Ann Cross park ever was when it comes to light polution.
But the sky was clear and the heavens above were beckoning us to show off their splendor for the assembled masses to see. And that's just what we did.
We met a lot of really interesting, and interested people during the day of which many showed up to explore the universe with us that night. Could not have been any better, with the possible exception of a few more members showing up with their telescopes, and of course I don't think it's possible to have too many people show up to look at the stars.
As Bob and Jon stated the satellites going over was just like icing on the cake.
Oh, Jon, about those satellites. I think your satellites are crossed too, if you think you can outsell me on the donation tickets. But go for it BIG BOY.
Now that the bragging is over, Charlie or Joe or maybe someone else will likely kick both Jon and My behind on ticket donations but hey, that's fine with me as long as we all put out a maximum effort and really turn this fund raiser into a winner for all concerned.
Until next time
Reach for the stars by planting you feet on the ground and you eyes to the sky
Ed
As of this evening, we've had 74 tickets bought and we have about another 176 to go. We wanted to raise at least $1,000 beyond what we spent for the telescope, the tickets, and any costs incurred to participate in any festivals such as last weekend's Old Timer's Day Festival in VB. So far we're on track to do at least that well and hopefully exceed it by a small amount.
Thanks to EVERYONE who has bought a ticket, or a AOAS club t-shirt, or by joining the club or in just plain-old cash donated to the club. EVERY donation is tax-deductible due to AOAS's 501-c-3 non-profit status.
Let us know if you'd like to buy a ticket after reading this, or any other mention about this fund-raiser. You can own a $475 retail value telescope for as little as a $5 donation! Where else are you going to get a deal like that?
Send your donation of $5 for a single ticket, or $20 for the extra-value of 5 tickets, to:
Telescope
C/O Coleman Observatory
5533 Wildwood Rd
Van Buren, AR 72956
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