2009 Monthly Amateur Telescope Making & Observers Meetings

A Subdivision of the Alachua Astronomy Club, Inc.
Third Tuesday of Month at 7:00 p.m.)

[ 2009 CALENDAR BELOW ]

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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.

**2009 CALENDAR**
Date	Leader(s)	Topics
Jan. 20	Chuck Broward	Planning for 2009 (Chuck may have his new little MAK set up to check out if sky looks clear. Will provide some brownies—additional goodies welcome)
Feb. 17	Chuck Broward Tandy Carter	All You Wanted to Know About Filters, But Were Afraid to Ask - Tandy Carter will present a short presentation on the characteristics of various filters. We will, sky willing, test out some filters.
Mar. 17	Chuck Broward & Club Members	Review of Winter Star Party (Short 10-min sllide show) & A First Look at Astro Software Used by Club Members (Let Chuck know if you can participate and also bring software to show) Note Location: "Kanapaha Observatory" (H.L. Cohen Residence) Meadows of Kanapaha, Phase 2 (Lot #67) • 8952 SW 92 La • Gainesville, FL • MAP
Apr. 23	Sandon Flowers & Club Members	Collimating Your Light Bucket/Bridge Do you own a Lightbridge? Learn about this popular telescope's idiosyncrasies. If you own a Lightbridge, please bring it to the meeting. LAST MINUTE CHANGE! The meeting will be held on Thursday, April 23rd, rather than the regular Tuesday. Chuck Broward had to be out of town, so we have moved this month's meeting. Note Location: "Bright Lights, Big City Observatory" (Sandon Flowers' Residence) 3533 SW 24th Avenue * Suite H * Gainesville, FL • MAP
May 19	Chuck Broward, David Liles & Club Members	David's SCT....Almost from Scratch! LAST MINUTE CHANGE! May's meeting was to feature Rusty Keeney and his Mallincam. However, due to the lousy weather, David Liles will demonstrate, and we'll offer commentary, on David's unique SCT project. It you ever wanted to get close up and personal with the innards of a SCT now is your chance. Hopefully we will be able to reschedule the Mallincam, stay tuned. Everyone is invited to meet at Sonny's BBQ, on Archer Road, at 6:00 PM for a pre meeting dinner. Note Location: Chuck Broward's house: 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 Check here for maps.
June 16	Chuck Broward, et al.	Suiter, Scopes, Star-Testing . . . A Hands-On Test of Your Telescopes. We'll have an artificial star available, Suiter's publication ("Star Testing Astronomical Telescopes" by H.R. Suiter), and the program Aberrator to either delight, confuse or sadden you with definitive results on how your scope behaves optically. Bring a scope. Brownies will be provided. (We will also discuss the future of the RLT.)
July 21	Sandon Flowers, Bob O'Connell, et al.	Astrography, digital imaging and time stamps Bob O'Connell has posed a question about auto time and date stamping digital images captured thru the telescope. Anybody got a solution? Bring your laptop, astrocam and telescope, and show us how it's done! I'll have at least one of my webcams converted, and we'll try finishing the second one during the meeting. Note Location: "Bright Lights, Big City Observatory" (Sandon Flowers' Residence) 3533 SW 24th Avenue * Suite H * Gainesville, FL • MAP
Aug. 18	Chuck Broward, et al.	JoAnn's Telescope...turning an optical tube into a working Telescope and Lost in Space...Don will discuss setting circles JoAnn, the lady who graciously provides refreshments for our monthly meetings, has acquired a C-8 and needs to get set up. I will provide a tripod, a diagonal has been donated, but we'll have to build a wedge, and I think we can do that with wood and metal scraps on hand. If anyone has a finder that would mount on a C-8 tube, that would be cool. Also, Don Loftus is going to enlighten us to some of the mysteries of setting circles".
Sep. 15	Chuck Broward & Tim Malles	Construct Easils for Starry Night, plus Meade focusers, and Discussion. We will be assembling and finishing four (4) easels for the club's new posters (just in time for the Starry Night event), and hopefully will have Tandy's focuser working properly. Meeting will be at Chuck's house, and, of course, brownies will be provided!
Oct. 20	Chuck Broward, et al.	A Planning Session & Socializing Event, and Sharing of New Toys We will begin planning ATM'ing and Observing for 2010. Meeting will be at Chuck's house, and, of course, brownies will be provided!
Nov. 17	Rich Russin	The Great DOB Shootout -or- Dinner and DOBs A evening at RICH RUSSIN'S beginning at 6:00 P.M. Dinner and socializing will begin at 6 PM inside Rich's porch and then we will set up and compare the features (and shortcomings) of various Dob-type telescopes (reflectors) that you bring. This is a opportunity to check out a collection of telescopes in one setting. So plan on bringing your scope regardless of size, and some sort of food to either share or munch on during the evening. Please let Chuck and Rich know if you are planning to come. Either respond to ATM "at" floridastars "dot" org or call 352-278-3646 Clear Sky, and brownies will be provided. Bring FOOD for the POTLUCK Meal....we will be comparing 6 to 12 inch DOB style telescopes...and eating. ADDED NOTES: To all planning to attend to Tuesday night's ATM "Dinner and Dobs" Meeting. Mike Toomey has graciously put together a double star list, others have suggested a few objects. If you can, please bring in a object to share with everyone. This could be a deepsky object that your scope shows off well, one or more stars of unique color or a group of stars that might demonstrate a wide range of magnitudes. Rich has a pretty decent sky in most directions above the tree line, but remember Gainesville is to his east.
Dec. 15	None — See you in January 2010!	None (Holiday Party, Tentative Date Dec. 5)

2009 CALENDAR

Date

Leader(s)

Topics

Jan. 20

Chuck Broward

Planning for 2009 (Chuck may have his new little MAK set up to check out if sky looks clear. Will provide some brownies—additional goodies welcome)

Feb. 17

Chuck Broward
Tandy Carter

All You Wanted to Know About Filters, But Were Afraid to Ask - Tandy Carter will present a short presentation on the characteristics of various filters. We will, sky willing, test out some filters.

Mar. 17

Chuck Broward & Club Members

Review of Winter Star Party (Short 10-min sllide show) &
A First Look at Astro Software Used by Club Members
(Let Chuck know if you can participate and also bring software to show)

Note Location: "Kanapaha Observatory" (H.L. Cohen Residence)
Meadows of Kanapaha, Phase 2 (Lot #67) • 8952 SW 92 La • Gainesville, FL • MAP

Apr. 23

Sandon Flowers & Club Members

Collimating Your Light Bucket/Bridge

Do you own a Lightbridge? Learn about this popular telescope's idiosyncrasies.
If you own a Lightbridge, please bring it to the meeting.

LAST MINUTE CHANGE!
The meeting will be held on Thursday, April 23rd, rather than the regular Tuesday.

Chuck Broward had to be out of town, so we have moved this month's meeting.
Note Location: "Bright Lights, Big City Observatory" (Sandon Flowers' Residence)
3533 SW 24th Avenue * Suite H * Gainesville, FL • MAP

May 19

Chuck Broward, David Liles & Club Members

David's SCT....Almost from Scratch!

LAST MINUTE CHANGE!
May's meeting was to feature Rusty Keeney and his Mallincam. However, due to the lousy weather, David Liles will demonstrate, and we'll offer commentary, on David's unique SCT project. It you ever wanted to get close up and personal with the innards of a SCT now is your chance. Hopefully we will be able to reschedule the Mallincam, stay tuned.

Everyone is invited to meet at Sonny's BBQ, on Archer Road, at 6:00 PM for a pre meeting dinner.

Note Location:
Chuck Broward's house:
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
Check here for maps.

June 16

Chuck Broward,
et al.

Suiter, Scopes, Star-Testing . . . A Hands-On Test of Your Telescopes.

We'll have an artificial star available, Suiter's publication ("Star Testing Astronomical Telescopes" by H.R. Suiter), and the program Aberrator to either delight, confuse or sadden you with definitive results on how your scope behaves optically. Bring a scope. Brownies will be provided. (We will also discuss the future of the RLT.)

July 21

Sandon Flowers, Bob O'Connell,
et al.

Astrography, digital imaging and time stamps

Bob O'Connell has posed a question about auto time and date stamping digital images captured thru the telescope. Anybody got a solution? Bring your laptop, astrocam and telescope, and show us how it's done!

I'll have at least one of my webcams converted, and we'll try finishing the second one during the meeting.

Note Location: "Bright Lights, Big City Observatory" (Sandon Flowers' Residence)
3533 SW 24th Avenue * Suite H * Gainesville, FL • MAP

Aug. 18

Chuck Broward,
et al.

JoAnn's Telescope...turning an optical tube into a working Telescope
and
Lost in Space...Don will discuss setting circles

JoAnn, the lady who graciously provides refreshments for our monthly meetings, has acquired a C-8 and needs to get set up. I will provide a tripod, a diagonal has been donated, but we'll have to build a wedge, and I think we can do that with wood and metal scraps on hand. If anyone has a finder that would mount on a C-8 tube, that would be cool.

Also, Don Loftus is going to enlighten us to some of the mysteries of setting circles".

Sep. 15

Chuck Broward
& Tim Malles

Construct Easils for Starry Night, plus Meade focusers, and Discussion.

We will be assembling and finishing four (4) easels for the club's new posters (just in time for the Starry Night event), and hopefully will have Tandy's focuser working properly.

Meeting will be at Chuck's house, and, of course, brownies will be provided!

Oct. 20

Chuck Broward,
et al.

A Planning Session & Socializing Event, and Sharing of New Toys

We will begin planning ATM'ing and Observing for 2010.

Meeting will be at Chuck's house, and, of course, brownies will be provided!

Nov. 17

Rich Russin

The Great DOB Shootout -or- Dinner and DOBs

A evening at RICH RUSSIN'S beginning at 6:00 P.M.

Dinner and socializing will begin at 6 PM inside Rich's porch and then we will set up and compare the features (and shortcomings) of various Dob-type telescopes (reflectors) that you bring.
This is a opportunity to check out a collection of telescopes in one setting.
So plan on bringing your scope regardless of size, and some sort of food to either share or munch on during the evening.

Please let Chuck and Rich know if you are planning to come.
Either respond to ATM "at" floridastars "dot" org or call 352-278-3646

Clear Sky, and brownies will be provided.
Bring FOOD for the POTLUCK Meal....we will be comparing 6 to 12 inch DOB style telescopes...and eating.

ADDED NOTES:

To all planning to attend to Tuesday night's ATM "Dinner and Dobs" Meeting.

Mike Toomey has graciously put together a double star list, others have suggested a few objects. If you can, please bring in a object to share with everyone. This could be a deepsky object that your scope shows off well, one or more stars of unique color or a group of stars that might demonstrate a wide range of magnitudes.

Rich has a pretty decent sky in most directions above the tree line, but remember Gainesville is to his east.

Dec. 15

None — See you in January 2010!

None (Holiday Party, Tentative Date Dec. 5)

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.

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