Silver Star Party Outreach
Looking for AAC members with telescopes to show off the night sky at Silver Springs State Park in Ocala. Members need to be set up before 6 pm for visitors starting at 6:30 pm. Members without telescopes can help too! Please sign up if interested.
Sunset is at 6:06 pm. Moon rise is at 11:50 am and will be at 49.2% 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.
Lisa Eager (lisa.eager@alachuaastronomyclub.org) will be the contact for this event.
EVENT GO OR NO GO WILL BE EMAILED TO REGISTRANTS AND POSTED HERE BY NOON THE DAY OF EVENT
Directions:
Silver Springs has multiple entrances. Please set your GPS to "Silver Springs State Park, Campground and Museum Entrance, 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.
Join us for an exciting and interesting evening at the Florida Museum of Natural History!
Agenda:
7:00 - 7:30 General Meeting & Announcements 7:30 - 7:45 Refreshments 7:45 - Public Presentation by Richard Wright, Senior Engineer at Software Bisque
Topic: First Principles of Astrophotography
Biography: Richard S. Wright Jr. is a Sr. Software Engineer and Imaging Specialists for Software Bisque where for over a decade his focus there has been imaging and cross platform technologies. A frequent contributor to Sky & Telescope magazine and astrophotography webinars, Richard also authors a monthly Sky & Telescope Blog “Imaging Foundations”, and has written a book, “The Evening Show, Revealing the Universe Though Astrophotography”. His image gallery is at www.eveningshow.com. Richard was diagnosed with an incurable case of the imaging virus nearly two decades ago. Ongoing treatment takes place primarily in Central Florida or at his dark sky site in Okeechobee County Florida.
7:00 - 7:30 General Meeting & Announcements 7:30 - 7:45 Refreshments 7:45 - Public Presentation
Speaker: Howard Eskildsen
Topic: Observing and Photographing the Sun
Speaker: TBD
Topic: TBD
Speaker: Dave Froiseth
Topic: Space Weather
Synopsis:
This presentation will cover space weather phenomena such as solar wind, geomagnetic storms and coronal mass ejections and the resulting effects on satellites, manned high altitude and space flight, radio communications, power grids, etc. Types of optical and radio telescopes used for solar monitoring will be covered, along with other monitoring systems and processes used for reporting forecasts and events. Organizations that perform space weather monitoring, forecasting and reporting will be included, as well as systems in development or planned.
About the Speaker:
Dave Froiseth is a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel who served as the Commander of the 55th Space Weather Squadron. He spent most of his Air Force career in Space Command tracking satellites, launching GPS satellites on the Delta II launch vehicle, writing policy for Air Force support to commercial launch and managing the Technology Safeguard Monitor Program for the launch of US built satellites in China and Russia. He also served on the Safety Investigation Board for the explosion of the Delta II/GPS IIR-1 only 13-seconds after launch. He then worked as an aerospace contractor at Cape Canaveral for 17-years which included serving as the Space Based Space Surveillance Program Office representative at Vandenberg AFB, CA for the processing and launch of the Ball Aerospace built telescope.
Speaker: Lowell Observatory
Topic: Live Tour of the GODO Observation Deck and Clark Telescope
Description:
Join us for a live Webex tour of the newly opened GODO observation deck at Lowell. The tour will wrap up with a look at the recently renovated Clark telescope.
