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Alachua Astronomy Club, Inc. |  Member Astronomical League |
 Member International Dark-Sky Association |
| Monthly Meetings 2007 |
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| 29°39' N, 82°21' W Altitude: 50 Meters (more or less) |
Updated Nov. 14, 2007 | ||
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Location
POWELL HALL EXHIBITION CENTER
of the Florida Museum of Natural History
Located near S.W. 34 Street &
Hull Road intersection
(Western edge of UF campus
in UF's Cultural Plaza)
Gainesville, Florida USA
[Directions and Map]
NOTE: Powell Hall is located in the UF cultural complex that includes the Phillips Center for Performing Arts (CPA) and the Harn Museum of Art. Also across the street is the SW Recreational Center. Unless the CPA is holding a performance on the evenings when the AAC meets at Powell Hall, parking should not normally be a problem.
However, if an event is also happening at the CPA, people attending AAC events at Powell Hall should plan accordingly (arrive early! ).
Check the UF Calendar of Events to see when performances are scheduled at the CPA.)
At the present time there is one known conflict with AAC meetings and the CPA during the first half of 2006. (The CPA 2006/2007 schedule will not be published until spring 2006.)
- All monthly meetings are free and open to the public (but why not become a member!)
- Check detailed schedule for any changes in time or location
- The AAC Executive Council also meets the first Tuesday of the month
Speaker Schedule
(Click on date to see details)
Date (2007) Guest Speaker Title or Topic January 9 David Liles Personal Observatory Domes: The SkyShed POD February 13 Justin Crepp Gamma-Ray Bursts and the SWIFT Space Satellite March 13 Don Loftus Weird Telescopes April 10 Dr. Frederick Gregory Extraterrestrial Life Over the Ages May 8 Scott McCartney A History of the Telescope: What You Don't Know June 12 Dr. John Axe Gamow's Fireball July 10 Dr. Sally Hoffman The Solar System (at SFCC Planetarium) August 14 Bob O'Connell Why and How to Observe the Moon September 11 Bill Helms Building the Suwannee Skies Observatory October 9 Howard Cohen Celestial Perversions: Distorted Visions of Our Heavens November 13 Patrick Simpkins Vision for Exploration December 8 None (Holiday Party) Help Celebrate Our 20th Anniversary
Details of 2007 MeetingsTuesday, January 9, 2007, 7:00 p.m. EST
Speaker: David Liles
E-Mail: hillcrestobs "at" windstream.net
Title: Personal Observatory Domes: The SkyShed POD
Location: Powell Hall, Florida Museum of Natural History (Lucille T. Maloney Classroom), UF Campus, Gainesville FL
Preview: David will speak about the development of the SkyShed POD (an acronym for Personal Observatory Dome), a product developed by SkyShed Observatories. (To see a pdf file on the SkyShed Pod click here.)
About the Speaker: A native Floridian born in Tampa in 1962, David Liles moved to Titusville in 1965. He attended the University of Central Florida, majoring in Finance with a minor in computer science. David has worked in the automotive service industry for almost 30 years, and was been approved as a beta tester for SkyShed PODs in the summer of 2006.
Living across from the Kennedy Space Center, David was exposed to much of the space age. His father, who was a City councilman and mayor as well as a local radio personality, broadcast the launches on WRMF 1060 AM throughout David's youth.
David has always had an interest in astronomy; a serious accident in 2003 limited his activities, but allowed him to take up his interest in astronomy with renewed enthusiasm. David contacted AAC member Fred Heinrich, who has been David's astronomy mentor and friend for a little over a year now. In that year, David has built, rebuilt, and owned 13 scopes. He is currently in the process of building a rolloff-roof observatory.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007, 7:00 p.m. EST
PARKING ALERT! The Phillips Center for the Performing Arts will be having an event the night of this meeting (starting 7:30 p.m.). People attending the AAC meeting should arrive early enough to avoid parking hassles with those attending the CPA event.
Speaker: Justin Crepp, Department of Astronomy, University of Florida
E-Mail: jcrepp "at" astro.ufl.edu
Title: Gamma-Ray Bursts and the SWIFT Space Satellite
Location: Powell Hall, Florida Museum of Natural History (Lucille T. Maloney Classroom), UF Campus, Gainesville FL
Preview: With exception only to the Big Bang, cosmic gamma-ray bursts are the most energetic explosions ever to be detected in the knowable universe. There exists a rich history in our understanding of their true nature. Justin will tell the tale of the Gamma-Ray Bursts, and will also describe the space satellite that has provided recent key insights to the physical mechanisms that lead to such astonishing events.
About the Speaker: Justin Crepp received his Bachelor's degree in Physics from the Behrend College at The Pennsylvania State University - Erie in 2002, and a Master's degree in Astronomy from the University of Florida in 2005. Justin's previous work includes the study of chaos using numerical simulations and its relationship to solar system dynamics and the stability of satellites. Currently, Justin is a fourth-year graduate student working on imaging and radial velocity exoplanet detection techniques.
This is Justin's second presentation to the Alachua Astronomy Club. In March 2005, he gave a presentation on Direct Imaging of Extrasolar Planets.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007, 7:00 p.m. EST
Speaker: Don Loftus
E-Mail: TBA
Title: Weird Telescopes
Location: Powell Hall, Florida Museum of Natural History (Lucille T. Maloney Classroom), UF Campus, Gainesville FL
Preview: When one thinks of a telescope, it is probably a tripod mounted, long metal tube with a lens at one end and an astronomer at the other. Telescopes, however, come in many different flavors, and the resourcefulness of some telescope designers is truly amazing. This talk will present a quick review of what we would consider "normal" telescopes and then dive into the "really weird."
About the Speaker: Don Loftus is an active sky observer, and has been an invaluable AAC member since its early days. Among other duties, Don has served as AAC treasurer and vice president. When not working at his University of Florida job in broadcasting, observing or building gadgets, Don tends his farm north of Gainesville where he is also currently growing grapes.
Don has previously given many talks, including talks on transient lunar phenomenon and the Apollo missions. See, for example, "Transient Lunar Phenomena," 2006 August;"Man on the Moon," 2002 October;"Observing the Moon," 1998 September; and "Everything You Wanted to Know About the Moon, But Were Afraid to Ask," 1997 April. Don also gave our keynote address at our public viewing event for the total lunar eclipse of 2004 October 27 titled "Man on the Moon: NASA'S Golden Age." Despite his interest in dark sky objects and a bad case of "aperture fever" so he can see them better, he still can't stop looking at the Moon and be fascinated by its beauty. You can view some of Don's pictures on his picture page.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Speaker: Dr. Frederick Gregory, Professor, Department of History, University of Florida
E-Mail: TBA
Title: Extraterrestrial Life Over the Ages
Location: Powell Hall, Florida Museum of Natural History (Lucille T. Maloney Classroom), UF Campus, Gainesville FL
Preview: Some of the earliest considerations of the possibility of life on other worlds originated as a problem in theology. While this development is to be expected, a survey from the 13th century to the present day reveals that the issue has enjoyed a surprising staying power as a central problem in theology.
About the Speaker: Professor Frederick Gregory received his Ph.D. in 1973 in history of science from Harvard University, his M.A. in 1970 from the University of Wisconsin, and his B.A. in 1965 from Wheaton College. He joined University of Florida Department of History in 1978 after teaching at Eisenhower College. He has published Scientific Materialism in Nineteenth Century Germany, and Nature Lost? Natural Science and the German Theological Traditions of the Nineteenth Century. Among recent article-length studies are "The Neo-Kantian Vitalism of J.F. Fries" (1997), "Two Dogmas of Historiography" (1997), "The Mysteries and Wonders of Natural Science: Bernstein's Naturwissenschaftliche Volksbücher and the Adolescent Einstein" (2000), "Intersections of Physical Science and Religion in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries" (2002), and a historiographical study of the nineteenth century entitled "Science and Religion" (2003).
In addition to the undergraduate survey course in history of science, he regularly teaches classes on "The History of Science and Religion," "The Nuclear Age," and "Europe, 1763-1848." At the graduate level he teaches seminars on "Science and the Enlightenment," "Science and Romanticism," and "Modern Physical Science." He has served as president of The History of Science Society (1996-1997) and has recently completed a 36-lecture audio/video course on "History of Science, 1700- 1900" for The Teaching Company in Washington, DC. With Professor Stephen McKnight and two colleagues from Germany, he is currently participating in the three-year collaborative research project supported by the Volkswagen Foundation on "Mysticism and Modernity."
This is Dr. Gregory's second presentation to the AAC. In March 2001, he gave a presentation entitled "Extraterrestrials: Ancient Historical Challenges to Religion."
Tuesday, May 8, 2007, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Speaker: Scott McCartney
E-Mail: scott.mccartney "at" cox.net
Title: A History of the Telescope: What You Don't Know
Location: Powell Hall, Florida Museum of Natural History (Lucille T. Maloney Classroom), UF Campus, Gainesville FL
Preview: We are about to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the astronomical use of the telescope. This presentation will review the major advances of the telescope over the past 400 years -- and some little-known and surprising facts about the people who contributed to its development.
About the Speaker: Alachua Astronomy Club member Scott McCartney has been actively involved in amateur astronomy since the age of ten. He is currently the programs chair and assistant webmaster for the AAC, and has previously served as secretary and board member.
Scott has a bachelor's degree in Computer and Information Sciences at the University of Florida. He is married and has three children.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Speaker: Dr. John Axe
E-Mail: TBA
Title: Gamow's Fireball
Location: Powell Hall, Florida Museum of Natural History (Lucille T. Maloney Classroom), UF Campus, Gainesville FL
Preview: The Russian-American physicist George Gamow thought that all the chemical elements were formed in a hot early time in the history of the universe. He wasn't right, but his work transformed cosmology from an esoteric philosophical and mathematical pastime into respectable branch of science. Dr. Axe will talk about the man, his idea, and its importance in our understanding of the universe.
About the Speaker: Dr. John Axe received his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of California - Berkeley in 1960. He then began a 40-year career masquerading as a physicist in physics departments at Johns Hopkins University (1961-1963); IBM Research Center (1963-1970); and Brookhaven National Laboratory (1970-1998), serving eventually as Associate Laboratory Director. Since retiring to Florida, he is indulging twin early interests in golf and astrophysics.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Speaker: Dr. Sally Hoffman
E-Mail: TBA
Title: "The Solar System": A Presentation at the Kika Silva Pla Planetarium, Santa Fe Community College
Location: NOTE DIFFERENT LOCATION, THIS MONTH ONLY!, Building X, Room 213, Santa Fe Community College, Gainesville FL (MAP)
NOTE: RESERVATIONS REQUIRED FOR PLANETARIUM. While the AAC prides itself on its meetings being free and open to the public, this month's presentation can only accomodate 66 people in the planetarium. For this meeting only, we ask members to reserve seats for themselves and, if they wish, for their immediate family members or significant other. To reserve seats, you must be a member in good standing (i.e. paid 2007 member dues). Any seats remaining at the meeting will be offered to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. The meeting announcement on the home page will indicate the number of seats remaining.
Contact the AAC Programs Chair for more information — E-Mail: programs at floridastars.org
Preview: TBA
About the Speaker: TBA
Tuesday, August 14, 2007, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Speaker: Bob O'Connell
E-Mail: TBA
Title: Why and How to Observe the Moon
Location: Powell Hall, Florida Museum of Natural History (Lucille T. Maloney Classroom), UF Campus, Gainesville FL
Preview: Aware that most amateurs are deep-sky observers, Bob will present the case for why amateurs should also research and observe our nearest celestial neighbor. He will then review how amateurs can approach observing the Moon at three different levels: recreationally; seriously for personal study; and finally, making and reporting scientifically useful observations of the Moon.
About the Speaker: Bob O’Connell has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Colorado at Denver and nursing degree from Santa Fe Community College. He is currently a registered nurse at Shands at AGH. Bob got his first telescope at age 5, a Sears 2.4" refractor, and the first object he observed was the Moon. During the ensuing 40+ years, he has owned several other telescopes and currently uses an Orion 7.1" Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope in his lunar studies. His interest for the past four years has been researching the controversial issue of Transient Lunar Phenomena, on which he gave a presentation at the August 2006 AAC meeting with Don Loftus.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Speaker: Bill Helms
E-Mail: president "at" floridastars "dot" org
Title: Building the Suwannee Skies Observatory
Location: Powell Hall, Florida Museum of Natural History (Lucille T. Maloney Classroom), UF Campus, Gainesville FL
Preview: Bill will cover the process of defining his personal requirements for an observatory, will look at a number of alternative observatory types, and describe the building process, with a particular look at the unique features of this particular observatory. Numerous photographs document the building process. Discussion will address the outfitting of the observatory with furniture and other necessities. A list of resources will be available to prospective owners of an observatory for the North Florida region.
About the Speaker: Bill Helms is the President and past Programs Coordinator of the AAC. He has a Bachelor's degree in Physics and a Master's degree in Management from Florida State University. Bill retired to the dark skies of North Florida after a 35-year career with NASA at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), where he was a Firing Room launch console operator for both the Apollo lunar landing missions and the early Space Shuttle missions. While at NASA, Bill designed launch complex instrumentation for the Space Shuttle, and designed the Hazardous Gas Detection System used at the launch complex for over 20 years. The instrumentation he designed was credited with saving three shuttle missions from launch with potentially catastrophic hydrogen leakage. Bill established and managed KSC Instrumentation Development Labs for 20 years. He has been awarded two NASA Exceptional Service Medals.
Bill has been an amateur astronomer for 35 years, and is a percussionist in the Gainesville Community Band.
This is Bill's third presentation to the Alachua Astronomy Club; he has previously given talks on purchasing a telescope in November 2005, and reviewed lunar atlases, books, and maps in February 2006.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Speaker: Dr. Howard L. Cohen, AAC Vice President and Associate Professor Emeritus, Department of Astronomy, University of Florida
E-Mail: cohen@astro.ufl.edu
Title: Celestial Perversions: Distorted Visions of Our HeavensLocation: Powell Hall, Florida Museum of Natural History (Lucille T. Maloney Classroom), UF Campus, Gainesville FL
Preview: Ever since our ancestors first gazed upwards, people have used the sky to express emotions in words and images. Today we continue to exalt the sky. Sometimes we get it right; often we get it wrong! This unusual, entertaining, informative and sometimes humorous presentation illustrates how we have often mangled stars, planets and moons in an attempt to capture the heavens in our literary and artistic works. You won't want to miss this multimedia program filled with many examples of celestial perversions! This program is suitable for both beginning and advanced star gazers. You may even learn some astronomy along the way. (Note: This program is based on a presentation about "perversions of the heavens" given by Professor Cohen in 2001.)
About the Speaker: Howard Cohen has been actively pursuing astronomy for over 50 years, first as an amateur, then as a professional astronomer. He is a founding member of the Alachua Astronomy Club, Inc. and is AAC's vice president for 2007. He helps serve as club web master, edits and moderates the club's e-mail listserv, and has been a previous vice president, program chair, and editor of the club newsletter, FirstLight. Dr. Cohen has also served on the AAC board for more years than he can remember and continues to contributes articles for FirstLight. He was also instrumental in helping to design and bring about the Royal Park 16 Theater Astronomy Murals and the Gainesville Solar Walk. Recently he helped coordinate the club's successful efforts to observe the occultation of the bright, colorful double star Iota Cancri by asteroid 411 Xanthe.
Dr. Cohen is also an emeritus professor in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Florida, where he was on the faculty for more than thirty-five years. Original research interests have included binary stars, star clusters, occultations and the Hebrew Calendar. He was among the first to test the Air Force ground-based electro-optical deep-space surveillance system (GEODSS) for the detection of asteroids and comets. During the 1980s he was a consultant and regional sales manager for Meade Instruments, a world leader in the design and manufacture of telescopes and accessories for amateur astronomers. Professor Cohen is an accomplished public speaker. His "down-to-earth" presentations use lively computer displays, which he has perfected through years of teaching at the University of Florida. Dr. Cohen has presented interesting and unusual talks to the AAC in ten out of the last eleven years.
With his wife Marian, a travel specialist with Continental Capers Travel & Cruises, Dr. Cohen helps plan, organize and escort unique tours centered on astronomical themes. Tours have included trips to observe total solar eclipses in the Caribbean, Africa, Australia, the South Pacific and Egypt. In 2005 Dr. Cohen helped organize and guide an unusual 12-day tour of Arizona astronomy, archaeology and geology with the Florida Museum of Natural History. (He also worked and observed at Lowell Observatory, a featured attraction on the tour.) He and his wife are now planning a 2009 July tour to Asia to visit China and observe the great solar eclipse of July 22, 2009. And they are also planning a 2008 tour that will take people above the Arctic Circle on a Norwegian Coastal Cruise, regarded by some as the most beautiful cruise in the world.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007, 7:00 p.m. EST
Speaker: Dr. Patrick Simpkins, D.B.A., Director, Engineering, NASA Kennedy Space Center
E-Mail: patrick.a.simpkins "at" @nasa.gov
Title: Vision for Exploration
Location: Powell Hall, Florida Museum of Natural History (Lucille T. Maloney Classroom), UF Campus, Gainesville FL
Preview: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is celebrating 50 years of spaceflight, beginning with the October 4, 1957 launch of Sputnik and continuing with the January 1958 first launch of an American satellite. Dr. Patrick Simpkins will present an overview of "where we've been" and introduce "where we're going". The great observatories and robots of exploration from the past, the present, and the future will be discussed. The talk will include a brief overview of the Vision for Exploration and the world of space travel in the future.
About the Speaker: Patrick Simpkins is the director of Engineering for NASA at the John F. Kennedy Space Center. In this position, Simpkins leads a group of engineers from multiple disciplines in the design, development and operations of spaceflight hardware and ground systems assigned to the Kennedy Space Center.
Simpkins began his NASA career in 1983 as a shuttle engineer and served in various roles of increasing responsibility in the Space Shuttle Program for 15 years. After realizing his strengths in helping others maximize their abilities, he pursued an education in human resource management and served as KSC's Personnel Officer. After completing the Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program, he worked in human resources at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., for two years.
Simpkins has been a recipient of a number of awards and leadership development programs throughout his career. He was selected to the Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program in 2001 where he received executive level education from the University of Michigan and as a Harvard Senior Executive Fellow. His developmental assignments included a role as project manager in the Intelligent Synthesis Environment Program at the Langley Research Center and as a facilitator at NASA Headquarters in the design and development of the NASA Strategic Human Capital Plan enabling NASA to achieve the first "green" rating in Human Capital on the President's Management Agenda. Awards have included the Astronauts' Silver Snoopy Award and the Exceptional Achievement medal.
Simpkins helped modernize NASA's human resources information systems and led the design, development and implementation of the agency's competency management system. Other accomplishments have included leading the human resources community's involvement in the e-Payroll project, enabling integration of various processes and tools for improved HR Office service, designing and implementing organizations for consolidating engineering at KSC that were the most sweeping cultural and operational changes since the Apollo Program.
Simpkins holds a bachelor's degree in environmental engineering from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla., and a master's in human resource management from Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla. He received a doctorate in business administration from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Simpkins and his wife Beth, his high school sweetheart, reside in Merritt Island, Fla. They have one child, Dainius, 12.
Saturday, December 8, 2007, 6:00 p.m. EST (dinner served at 6:30 p.m.)
Speaker: Nothing formal but lots of fun!
Celebrate Our
20th Birthday
Title: "Holiday Party" and Celebration of AAC's 20th Birthday!
Location: Home of Mark & Cindy Barnett, 3111 NW 18th Place, Gainesville, Florida, (352) 373-2244
Maps to Barnett Residence: 640x512 [Color, B/W], 800x640 [Color, B/W], 1024x768 [Color, B/W]
Preview: AAC will hold its annual December holiday party — a potluck dinner. (There will be no regular Tuesday meeting in December.) Club will buy drinks and paper products. (There will be a food sign up sheet at our October and November meetings — see below.)
This is a Potluck Affair — You Need to Sign Up
If you missed signing up at the November meetings, please respond to treasurer "at" @floridastars.org and indicate what food dish you will bring and how many plan to attend:
- Examples: Wings, ham rolls, cheese & crackers, finger sandwiches, taco salad w/chips, dessert or other (please designate)
- Also indicate the number of adults and children (give ages) who will attend.
Last year we celebrated our 19th anniversary. This year we celebrate our club's 20th anniversary! Learn about AAC's history. Good food, our traditional astro slide quiz, sci-fi space music with spectacular slide show, videos and more!
Please arrive by 6:00 p.m. We need your food contribution set up by then since dinner is at 6:30 pm.. Lasts till whenever.
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