Exclusively for AAC members!
AAC has organized a dark sky star party at one of the darkest skies on the east coast!
Sunset is 7:07 pm. Arrive at least one hour before sunset for setup and to get familiar with the observing field before dark.
Please review the Star Party etiquette for Chiefland. http://shorturl.at/cgkMO
You need to register to attend and receive directions to observing field.
Event Alerts - Members please register to attend. A "GO" or "NO GO" will be emailed to registrants by noon the day of the event. Your need to be registered for me to send you updates
Our speaker will be attending in person, please try to attend in person too!
Agenda:
7:00 - 7:15 General Meeting & Announcements 7:15 - 7:30 Short topic presentation by a club member
7:30 - 7:45 Refreshment break
7:45 - Public Presentation
Speaker: Dr. Brian Lee, Associate Professor of Physics, Santa Fe College
Title:
Exoplanets
Abstract:
Since the advent of wide-field, space-based planet transit surveys such as the Kepler Space Telescope (launched 2009, deactivated 2018) and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (launched 2018; mission ongoing), astronomers have confirmed the presence of thousands of planets around other stars. Combined with data from other planet detection methods such as radial velocity planet searches, this wealth of exoplanet discoveries has enabled astronomers to discern trends in planetary systems that we never expected until we discovered planets outside of our own solar system. In this presentation, based on recent statistics, I provide an update on the intriguing connections that have emerged, both regarding correlations between planets and their host stars, but also correlations between one planet and another within the same planetary system.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Lee has been teaching physics and astronomy at Santa Fe College since 2014. Born in Vancouver, Canada and raised in Victoria, Canada, he earned his Bachelor of Science in Physics & Astronomy from the University of Victoria in 2001, and his Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy & Astrophysics from the University of Toronto in 2007. He conducted postdoctoral research with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey at the University of Florida from 2007-2012, and at the University of Washington from 2012-2013. From 2020-2023, he served as president of the Florida Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers.
Research Interests:
Dr. Lee’s Ph. D. thesis work was on searching for exoplanets in open clusters using the transit method with ground-based telescopes. As a postdoctoral researcher, he continued to work on exoplanet searching for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, but using the radial velocity method. He is also interested in characterizing brown dwarfs and binary stars. His pedagogical research interests include active learning strategies and the cultivation of growth mindset in students.
Co-Hosting with KikaSilva Pla Planetarium – Santa Fe College
AAC volunteers are invited to set up for solar viewing in the courtyard in front of the Planetarium starting at 11 am, then by noon we should have people showing up to see the eclipse.
Eclipse viewing will be between noon and 2:45 PM.
The time frame for the eclipse is:
11:57 EDT (partial eclipse begins) = 2% coverage
13:17 - 13:27 EDT (max eclipse for Gainesville) = 54% coverage
14:47 EDT (end of eclipse for Gainesville) = 3% coverage
The Planetarium will be showing "Eclipse: The Story of Our Nearest Neighbor in Space" at 11:00 AM. The Planetarium's regular schedule will resume at 3 PM.
Event coordinator contact Lisa Eager 352-318-4074
Silver Springs State Park International Observe the Moon Outreach
Looking for AAC members with telescopes to celebrate InOMN and show off the night sky at Silver Springs State Park in Ocala. Members need to be set up before 6:30 pm for visitors starting at 7 pm.
Members without telescopes can help too! Please sign up if interested.
Sunset is at 6:53 pm. Moon rise is at 1:25 pm and will be at 36.7% illumination, so the moon will be at the top of our observing list. Members should have a couple of items they would like to show off along with some information about them.
GO or NO GO will be emailed to registrants by noon the day of the event.
Lisa Eager will be the contact for this event.
Directions:
Silver Springs has multiple entrances. Please set your GPS to "Silver River Museum", 1425 NE 58th Ave, Ocala, FL 34470".
Via US-441:
Take 441 South about 30 miles to FL-326 near Anthony. Turn left. Follow FL-326 for 6.4 miles then turn right at a light onto NE 58th Ave, AKA CR-35 or Baseline Road. Pass SR-40, Silver Springs Blvd (DO NOT TURN LEFT) and drive for another mile. Look for signs for Silver Springs State Park on the left.
Via I-75:
Take 75 South to exit 356. Turn left on FL-326 and drive for 9.3 miles. Turn right at a light onto NE 58th Ave, AKA CR-35 or Baseline Road. Pass SR-40, Silver Springs Blvd (DO NOT TURN LEFT) and drive for another mile. Look for signs for Silver Springs State Park on the left.
Via I-75 and SR-40:
Take 75 South to exit 352. Turn left onto SR-40, Silver Springs Blvd. Drive 6 miles to NE 58th Ave, AKA SR-35 or Baseline Road. Turn right and drive for another mile. Look for signs for Silver Springs State Park on the left.
AAC volunteers are invited to set up telescopes in the courtyard in front of the Planetarium starting at 6:30 pm.
Sunset is at 6:52 pm, moon rise is at 2:20 pm, crosses the meridian at 7:25 pm @ 33.4 ° above the horizon, and 48.2% illumination.
Will email a GO or NO GO by noon the day of event to registrants. Will also post on website.
Board members and coordinators should forward documents (minutes of last meeting, financial report, etc.) and agenda items at least two (2) days prior to the meeting to: terry.smiljanich@alachuaastronomyclub.org
Speaker: James Albury
Planetarium Director and host of the YouTube Series "The Sky Above Us"
Topic: TBD
Join James Albury, host of the YouTube astronomy program "The Sky Above Us" (TheSkyAboveUs.org), and 2011-2019 co-host of the PBS TV Show "Star Gazers", as he takes you on a personally guided tour of our night sky, using our GOTO Chronos Space Simulator. Florida Skies is our weekly star show that familiarizes you with some of the popular constellations visible from sunset to sunrise, as well as the stories behind them. We'll also show you how and where in the sky you can find the brightest planets.
Speaker: Dr. Howard Eskildsen
Title: Observing and Photographing the Sun
This presentation will provide a brief overview of current solar cycle activity and then concentrate on imaging the Sun. Various techniques will be discussed along with a demonstration of processing high quality solar images will be given during the session.
Howard Eskildsen has been interested in the stars, Sun and Moon since childhood. In grade school he learned the stars from star charts in a book and spent hours looking at the sky and watching for meteors. His first telescopic views came from his high school’s sadly abused Dynascope that he restored to working condition. Later he made a 6” reflector and placed it on a pipe fitting mount per designs by Sam Brown and used it for observing when time permitted.
In the years that followed, he attended medical school and raised a family, which left little time for stargazing. Finally, after a quarter of a century hiatus, he returned to regular observing in 2002 when his wife, Fairy, purchased him a Meade ETX-125. Since then he has observed the Sun and Moon regularly and anything else in the sky when time permits. He has sent nearly 5,000 observations of the Sun to the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO) which he is a member of. He also wrote a piece on solar photography for their website. He also provided photos and written material for Jamey L. Jenkin’s book, The Sun and How to Observe It, and has given several presentations on solar activity.
Howard also observes the moon and has submitted more than a thousand lunar photos to the ALPO Lunar Section. He has also written articles for Sky and Telescope, The Strolling Astronomer, Selenology, and The Lunar Observer. His photos have appeared on spaceweather.com, LPOD, Astronomy Magazine’s Photo of the Day, National Geographic, and other web sites.
Speaker: Dr. Daniel Britt, Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Sciences, Department of Physics, University of Central Florida.
Title: Meteorites
Abstract: TBD
