October  2001

ACT, Inc. has been meeting continuously since 1937 and was incorporated in 1986. It is a nonprofit; tax deductible organization dedicated to promoting, to the public, the art of viewing and the scientific aspect of astronomy.

The Astronomy Club of Tulsa Club

Guest Speaker: Todd Lindley
Checking your weather forecast for good observing.

Room M1 inside Keplinger Hall, the Science & Engineering Building at TU.
Enter the parking lot on the East Side of Keplinger Hall from
Harvard and 5th Street. This will take you directly toward the
staircase to enter the building. Room M1 is the first room on the left.

John Land

How many times have you been looking forward to a great astronomical event, gotten all your equipment in tip-top shape only to get CLOUDED OUT? Remember the great Christmas Eclipse of 2000? The sun was "eclipsed alright" along with half the nation in a monstrous blizzard.

One of our new members, Todd Lindley, will be giving us some tips on how to monitor the weather conditions ONLINE as we plan those observing trips. He will also give us some tips on the climatology for the Tulsa area relating to observing.

Todd, a recent graduate of OU, has worked at the National Weather Service Forecast Office here in Tulsa since June. Todd previously worked at the NWSFO in Norman (1997-2001) and at the NWSFO in Amarillo, Texas (1995-1997). His responsibilities include routine public and aviation forecast along with warnings and advisories for hazardous weather events.

His main interests are severe thunderstorms and tornadoes, specifically researching relationships between West Texas topography and tornado climatology.

Todd became interested in astronomy while photographing Hale-Bopp in March of 1997 from the Texas Panhandle. We were glad to welcome Todd and several of his friends at our summer observing sessions and look forward to sharing more of his ideas about observing.

Future Meeting Dates

Thurs Nov. 8, Dinner Meeting

Friday Dec. 7 at TU

Club Business: This is the time for our annual reports of club business.

TIME TO PAY OUR DUES FOR 2002 - $25

You can also renew your subscription for Astronomy and Sky & Telescope.

Also time to order Canadian Observing Handbooks - This year you must pay in advance. Nick will have details.

NICK POTTORF is offering his 40+ year collection of Sky and Telescopes to interested club members. They will be bundled by year and you may purchase a whole year's worth by making a donation to the club. Think of all those wonderful discovers you read about in the history books. This is your chance to read about them and "SEE" them "LIVE" through the eyes of those who first discovered them. First Men in Space, The 1966 Leonid Storm - Discovery of Pulsars - First images from the Moon, Comet West in the 70's, First X-ray Images, First Black Hole discoveries, Voyager Missions to Jupiter and then Saturn, Comet Halley 85-86 return, Rings of Uranus and Neptune, plus all those wonderful Deep Sky stories from Walter Scott Houston. The list goes on forever! Dig out you astronomy textbooks and pick your favorite year and join in the bidding. Who knows maybe this will be better than E-bay! !

CLUB OFFICER ELECTIONS are coming up in November. We are in need of several new enthusiastic people to help plan club activities. It is difficult for just a few people to continue to come up with new ideas for the club each month. You don't have to be an astronomy expert to be an officer or board member

Just willing to help out. We will be hosting the 2003 Mid-States Convention and there is lots of work to do before then.

NEWSLETTER ARTICLES - If you want to write up a project you've done, a special observing interest, science topic - we'd love to see them included. Send us a few paragraphs or up to a page. If possible we'd like to have it sent e-mail. Be sure you've done your research well and grammar checking before you send it in. We would also like to have a few paragraphs relating a to personal observing experience like the letter from Hugh below. If anyone would like to take on a Monthly article - I'd like to see an Observing Challenges article featuring a constellation or type of objects and say a top ten targets for u to find this month. I've seen these in some other club letters and they make up a contest to see who can find them.

CLUB DOOR PRIZES - We have found that a door prize or two helps keep our audience around until the end of the program. If you have some good quality but extra astronomy pictures - posters - eyepieces or other astronomy products you'd like to donate they would be greatly appreciated.

OBSERVATORY CARE & REPAIR - Gerry Andries can use help immediately with lawn care and weed control. Due to the extreme heat this summer our repair projects are still undone. We will be looking for help later this fall. If you have time and equipment contact Gerry.

If you have some fresh ideas and are willing to help please contact John Land or one of the other club officers about helping.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:

The following is the current schedule of star parties and public groups. Tentatively scheduled dates are bracketed with question marks. All events are at the RMCC unless noted otherwise:

Contact Gerry Andries 369 - 3320

EVENTS AT RMCC OBSERVATORY

OCT
10-12-01 Fri 06:30 Club Star Party
10-13-01 Sat 06:30 (Back up for 10/12)
NOV
11-07-01 Wed 05:30 Royal Ambassadors of So Side Baptist Church (30)

EVENTS AWAY FROM RMCC

OCT
10-05-01 Fri 07:30 Regular Meeting (at Keplinger Hall)
10-06-01 Sat 07:00 Trinity Christian School
16 acre site East of Broken Arrow - Details later
10-14 Thu 21 Okie Tex Star Party (at Black Mesa, Kenton, OK)
10-25-01 Thu 06:30 Planet Talk and Viewing (at Broken Arrow Library)
NOV
11-08-01 Thu Holiday Dinner Meeting - Furrs Cafeteria 41st & Garnett

NEW MEMBERS

Let's welcome our new members, Todd Lindley, Robert and Mary Gerlack, Stephen Lee, and Craig and Debbie Davis. This brings us to 30 new members (individuals and families) for the year, which is a very fast growth rate for a club of our size. At our October 5th club meeting I would like the older club members to speak to the new faces around you, and I recommend that new members stay after the meeting a while and chat with others. To integrate yourself into the club faster, new members can attend some of the club functions listed in the calendar. Star parties are good events to help you learn the sky and to also see numerous types of telescopes, making you a more informed purchaser when you are ready. Helping our observatory manager Jerry Andries with group events (scouts, school groups, etc) at our observatory (RMCC) will help you to learn how to use the 16" telescope, open the dome, and learn the sky. Give Jerry a call if you can attend an event or to find out the weather prospects for that evening. And whether you are experienced in our hobby or not, we would love to have your participation in running the club. Make your interests known, and if you have questions about our club and our activities, give our president John Land or me a call. Phone numbers are listed on the last page of the newsletter.

Denny Mishler, Club Vice President and New Member Coordinator

OKIE-TEX STAR PARTY - Oct 14 to Oct 20

This premiere week of stargazing is held a Camp Billy Joe in the Black Mesa at the far edge of the Oklahoma panhandle. Several of our members have attended and say it is some of the most spectacular sky on the planet. Registration is $35 before Sept 15 then $50. Meals are $7 each and must be prepaid. Sleeping quarters are available on the grounds. K.C. Lobrecht of our club can give you a review of her experiences at Okie-Tex. For complete information contact:

Okie-Tex Star Party - Box 128 Mustang, OK 73064 - Phone 405-350-3108 or 405-722-1678

Registration on the web at http://www.OKIE-TEX.COM

   

Astronomy Club of Tulsa, 918.688.MARS

President: John Land

Vice President: Dennis Mishler

Secretary: Teresa Kincannon

Treasurer: Nick Pottorf

RMCC Observatory Manager: Gerry Andries

Observing Chairman: David Stine

Web Master: Tom McDonough

New Membership: Dennis Mishler