Alachua Astronomy Club: ATM Monthly Meetings

	Alachua Astronomy Club, Inc.	Member Astronomical League	Member International Dark-Sky Association
	ATM Section Monthly Meetings	Member Astronomical League	Member International Dark-Sky Association
	29°39' N, 82°21' W Altitude: 50 Meters (more or less)		Updated Jan. 6, 2010
(Click logo for home page)	Founded: September 1987

2008 Monthly Amateur Telescope Making & Observers Meetings
A Subdivision of the Alachua Astronomy Club, Inc.
Third Tuesday of Month at 7:00 p.m.)

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

[ 2008 CALENDAR BELOW ]

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Location

Usual Meeting Location (but always check schedule for possible changes in location or times)

2240 N.W. 14 Avenue, Gainesville, FL
Off NW 22 St. (3 streets N. of NW 8 Ave or 2 streets S. of NW 16 Ave)
Look for the mailbox
Map 1 Map 2 Google Map

Contact Chuck, ATM Coorindator, 352-373-7527; E-Mail atm "at" floridastars.org for more info

All monthly meetings are free and open to the public

The AAC monthly meeting meets the second Tuesday of the month

The AAC Executive Council also meets the first Tuesday of the month

Time

Usually 7:00 p.m. ET unless otherwise noted

Purpose

The ATM group is an informal group of AAC members who are interested in amateur telescope making and observing the sky.
Anyone with an interest in ATMing or refining their observing skills is welcome to join.

Objectives

To encourage and facilitate amateur telescope making (ATM)

To encourage and facilitate observing the sky

To obtain guidance and support during their telescope making endeavors or telescope maintenance

To swap and share stuff, and hopefully, to have fun!

If you are interested in Telescope Making, please join us. We chat about gizmos and new toys as well as what may be of interest to all telescopeowners.
ATM Upcoming Meetings/Events

2008 CALENDAR

Date Leader(s) Topics

Jan. 15 Chuck Broward & Tim Malles Tim Malles, local artist, will show club members how to draw astronomical objects at the telescope. Scopes & materials will be available

Feb. 19 Chuck Broward & Other AAC Members Planning for 2008; mostly social; eat brownies!

Mar. 18 Bob O'Connell et al. Moon Observing: Bob will set up his 5" Meade Refractor (with piggybacked 2.4" Unitron Refractor for to video). Others bring scopes to set up around monitor. Five selected features and volunteers who will give a synopsis of each: 1) Crater Clavius (Scott McCartney), 2) Aristarchus Plateau (Don Loftus), 3) Crater Kepler (Don Loftus), 4) Crater Gassendi (Howard Cohen), 5) Crater Schiller (Chuck Broward).

Apr. 15 The Group Cleaning Your Optics ... A Hands-On Session
The ATM-Observer group will spend time in the kitchen cleaning optics.
Bring your own dirty optics & your favorite cleaning tools to share—we will have some materials on hand.

May 20 Chuck Broward Building an Astro Chair

June 17
7:30 p.m. Don Loftus How Good is Your Mirror???
Join the ATM group as we learn how to use a Foucault Tester and Ronchi Grid to test Telescope optics. Bring your optics!

July 15 Howard Cohen How We Used to Do It — Travel back in time over 40 years

Once in Lifetime – Never Before Seen – Don't Miss This Unusual, Informal Presentation

So NO computer presentation!

But lot's and lot's of show and tell

See REAL photographic slides (and not the puny 35mm kind) of telescopes & equipment from the 1960's

Get a rare glimpse of "raw" astronomical data (from the "Cohen Archives")

See how astronomers collected, manipulated & analyzed data almost a half century ago

See and handle real archival data not viewed since the observations were made

See pictures of old telescopes, instrumentation & "computers" used to make, collect & analyze visual, photometric and spectroscopic data
(telescopes & equipment that can only now be seen in museums or at historical sites, if at all)

Astronomy existed before NASA, Apollo and Hubble — How did we do it then? Come, see and learn
Be amazed ... You may never have this opportunity again!

Aug. 26

NOTE: ATM meetings, normally 3rd Tue. of month, will be held this Aug. on FOURTH TUE. Chuck Broward Taking a Look at Making a Good Scope Better

We will be munching desert goodies while dissecting Fred's 10 inch Dob telescope, and... we will talk about the future of the RLT and a mount for it.

Sep. 16
Chuck Broward, Fred Heinrich, et al. Note: Sept. ATM meeting was to be the Sept. 10 LOG Meeting
But cancellation of the LOG Event means regular ATM Meeting now on

Topics: Finderscopes, telescope stuff & more
(Bring your favorite finder)

Oct. 21 Chuck Broward Rescuing the Mis/Mal adjusted SCT Telescope ... What to do when you turned the wrong screw! (Which we have all done)

Does anyone own a artificial star? If so, bring it!

Nov. 18 All Subject of Meeting:

Exploring the ease and use of digital setting circles.
(Argo Navis and Sky Commander, and any others you bring!)

Giving a club member's scope some TLC.

We will start inside then move outside to try this stuff out. Chuck will have a GEM and DOB set up to experiment with. If you have a favorite scope, with digital setting circles, or good non-digital setting circles to compare with ... bring it.

Dec. 16 None — See you in January 2009! None (Holiday Party, Dec. 6)

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Useful Internet Resources
The best way to find resource is to use a search engine such as Google and type the particular keyword you might be interested in learning ATM.

**2008 CALENDAR**
Date	Leader(s)	Topics
Jan. 15	Chuck Broward & Tim Malles	Tim Malles, local artist, will show club members how to draw astronomical objects at the telescope. Scopes & materials will be available
Feb. 19	Chuck Broward & Other AAC Members	Planning for 2008; mostly social; eat brownies!
Mar. 18	Bob O'Connell et al.	Moon Observing: Bob will set up his 5" Meade Refractor (with piggybacked 2.4" Unitron Refractor for to video). Others bring scopes to set up around monitor. Five selected features and volunteers who will give a synopsis of each: 1) Crater Clavius (Scott McCartney), 2) Aristarchus Plateau (Don Loftus), 3) Crater Kepler (Don Loftus), 4) Crater Gassendi (Howard Cohen), 5) Crater Schiller (Chuck Broward).
Apr. 15	The Group	Cleaning Your Optics ... A Hands-On Session The ATM-Observer group will spend time in the kitchen cleaning optics. Bring your own dirty optics & your favorite cleaning tools to share—we will have some materials on hand.
May 20	Chuck Broward	Building an Astro Chair
June 17 7:30 p.m.	Don Loftus	How Good is Your Mirror??? Join the ATM group as we learn how to use a Foucault Tester and Ronchi Grid to test Telescope optics. Bring your optics!
July 15	Howard Cohen	How We Used to Do It — Travel back in time over 40 years Once in Lifetime – Never Before Seen – Don't Miss This Unusual, Informal Presentation So NO computer presentation! But lot's and lot's of show and tell See REAL photographic slides (and not the puny 35mm kind) of telescopes & equipment from the 1960's Get a rare glimpse of "raw" astronomical data (from the "Cohen Archives") See how astronomers collected, manipulated & analyzed data almost a half century ago See and handle real archival data not viewed since the observations were made See pictures of old telescopes, instrumentation & "computers" used to make, collect & analyze visual, photometric and spectroscopic data (telescopes & equipment that can only now be seen in museums or at historical sites, if at all) Astronomy existed before NASA, Apollo and Hubble — How did we do it then? Come, see and learn Be amazed ... You may never have this opportunity again!
Aug. 26 NOTE: ATM meetings, normally 3rd Tue. of month, will be held this Aug. on FOURTH TUE.	Chuck Broward	Taking a Look at Making a Good Scope Better We will be munching desert goodies while dissecting Fred's 10 inch Dob telescope, and... we will talk about the future of the RLT and a mount for it.
Sep. 16	Chuck Broward, Fred Heinrich, et al.	Note: Sept. ATM meeting was to be the Sept. 10 LOG Meeting But cancellation of the LOG Event means regular ATM Meeting now on Topics: Finderscopes, telescope stuff & more (Bring your favorite finder)
Oct. 21	Chuck Broward	Rescuing the Mis/Mal adjusted SCT Telescope ... What to do when you turned the wrong screw! (Which we have all done) Does anyone own a artificial star? If so, bring it!
Nov. 18	All	Subject of Meeting: Exploring the ease and use of digital setting circles. (Argo Navis and Sky Commander, and any others you bring!) Giving a club member's scope some TLC. We will start inside then move outside to try this stuff out. Chuck will have a GEM and DOB set up to experiment with. If you have a favorite scope, with digital setting circles, or good non-digital setting circles to compare with ... bring it.
Dec. 16	None — See you in January 2009!	None (Holiday Party, Dec. 6)

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