Serving
and
Low Country Stargazers Club News Letter
“Affiliated with the Southeast Region Astronomical League since
1983"
On the web: http://www.geocities.com/cdrabitoy/LCSHome_Page.html
Volume 24
June 2005
Number 01
President................................................................................
Kirsten Watson...........................................................................
367-5564
Vice President....................................................................................
.......................................................................................................
Treasurer...................................................................................
Carol Swan...............................................................................
764-3727
Secretary............................................................................................
.......................................................................................................
Editor.......................................................................................
Kevin Rasso..............................................................................
873-6750
Executive Board
Member...................................................................
.......................................................................................................
Alcor.......................................................................................
Chris Morrow.............................................................................
207-0496
Special
Announcements
New Editor in Town! By Kevin
Rasso
And just when you thought your inbox
was safe! Welcome to my first LCS
Club Letter! It has been a while
since a letter has been issued, but rest assured, we are back on track! The Club Newsletter is going to become a
forum for LCS to get members involved and keep everyone informed. The whole purpose of LCS is to get
together with all manner of enthusiast, be they amateur or formally educated,
and share experiences with astronomy!
From observations, tips and techniques, to equipment and useful (or just
plain fun) resources, The Stargazer
Gazette is going to have a place for you. A few new tweaks in the form of
recurring articles will help accomplish this goal. But the biggest part of making all this
work is YOU! If you know of, or
find a neat website, let us know.
If you found the best super do hickey that makes your telescope perform
like Hubble, let us know. If you
had the best (or worst…L) observing session in your life,
let us know! Please feel free to
submit anything pertinent to astronomy and LCS to me at [email protected] by the 20th of each
month for inclusion in the proceeding month’s letter. I am a self taught amateur astronomer
with a Meade ETX-90 and a bunch of books.
Please feel free to share, I will not make fun of you or chastise you at
the next club meeting…I promise!
Just have fun, and share.
It’s your club and your news letter…let’s continue to
grow.
June Means Yearly Club Dues
Club dues are required to be in by the 20th of this
month. This is to allow the
treasurer enough time to deposit the funds to pay for the Astronomical League
registration, and send in the required paperwork by month’s end. For members who joined after June 04,
talk to Carol Swan for your pro-rated fee.
Forms can be found on our website.
Recap: May
05
Recap is the place to talk about the
preceding month’s events. Club
minutes will be incorporated to keep members who couldn’t make it to the monthly
meeting abreast of club plans.
6th: Program by Kevin
Rasso: Observing the moon
This was an informative program that discussed basic observation
techniques for the moon. It covered
everything from what to look for, where to look for it, and the best time to do
it. Different geological features
were explained. Everyone learned
something, including the guy giving the lecture (Thanks DJ!). Good job!
7th: Club Observing
If you haven’t been to the rifle range…go! It is definitely one of the darkest sky
sites around. We played with a 10”
Reflector for some Messier Observing and color filters for planetary views of
Jupiter and Saturn (they really make a difference). We also had a 6” reflector and a 90mm SC
(that could make out the structure of M51…do that from your light polluted back
yard!). Great
night!
LCS Calendar of Events: June
05
3rd: LCS Club Meeting
Club Business
No scheduled
lectures
Social: Let’s talk about what to
talk about!
4th: Club Observing @ Rifle
Range
25th: Rain Day
Check This
Out!
Check This Out! is the place for members to share everything from resources,
websites, product reviews, etc. If
you find something good or bad…let us know!
Websites
I found a freeware called the
Virtual Moon Atlas. I downloaded it last night and have been playing around with
it. It’s pretty nifty. You can customize it and if you have a PC/laptop hooked
up to a go-to telescope, it will let you find objects easier. It gives you
object information, moon phases, pictures, personal observing log, and a place
for your own pictures and much more.....Check it out!!
Virtual Atlas of the Moon / Free
astronomy software
Clear
skies,
Kirsten
Observations
Observations
is the place to share your
victories (or defeats) on observing, and tips to help others share and record
their experiences with astronomy.
No submissions at press time
Look at Me: June
05
Know of something good, rare, or
exotic to look at for the upcoming month?
What is your favorite thing in the sky this month? Share it here!
Moon:
New:
6th
First Quarter:
14th Look for
volcanoes near Hortensius and Mare Nubium on the
15th-16th
Full:
22nd
Last Quarter:
28th
Planets:
Jupiter in good viewing position at night for most of
month
Saturn, Venus, and Mercury will make a very tight knot about 45 minutes
after sunset on the 24th
Deep Sky:
M13 (Hercules Globular) is near zenith for prime time (2200 to
2400)
…Another Man’s
Treasure
Do you know of a good deal that a
club member could benefit from?
Have you upgraded equipment and have a scope or accessory you don’t need
anymore? Here is a free classified
section.