[Cmas] February 5th Star Party Postponed

[Central Maine Astronomical Society]

Hello, CMAS!


CHANGE OF DATE

The star party originally scheduled for 7:00pm this Saturday, February 5th, 2011, has been rescheduled for 7:00pm the following Saturday, February 12th. With the weather reports predicting snow for this Saturday, we figured no one would attend, so it seemed just as well to roll the dice for another week. At the time this message is being sent, the listing at the club’s Web site has not yet been updated, but this star party is truly postponed. 

The venue for the 12th will be as originally planned, Galaxy Quest Observatory in Lincolnville, Maine. Among the attractions at Galaxy Quest is an 18-inch Dobsonian telescope capable of gathering the tremendous amounts of light necessary to see extraordinarily faint deep space objects. Come to Galaxy Quest to see beautiful sights that remain invisible through the optics typically available to amateur stargazers. 


BUILDING THE ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP

The officers and historically active core of the club have been busy discussing how best to serve the members, and are pleased to present a little history and our current plans. In conversations with many lapsed members, we learned that there is great demand for our club, but that people are reluctant to commit time to events that are easily postponed due to something as fickle as the number of clouds in the sky. We also learned that people want the club to teach them about the stargazing in a relaxed setting, yet with a clear progression of instruction. They want to be shown how to go from marveling at the night sky, to knowing the constellations, to being able to select and use optics to find beautiful objects hidden in plain sight.

To meet these desires, the club will hold its scheduled events regardless of the conditions in the sky, with exceptions only for weather likely to prevent anyone from attending. If it’s clear, we’ll look at the stars. If it’s cloudy, we will retreat indoors for presentations and discussions. The hosts of the club’s two observatories, Brower and Galaxy Quest, have offered heated rooms for use when necessary. On cloudy nights, we’ll have a pleasant place to meet and learn about astronomy. On frigid nights, we’ll dash outside to the scopes, and then back inside to the heat! We’re working on a solution for indoor meetings at or near the Damarascotta River Association’s land trust, but in the worst case, can meet for coffee and desert at a restaurant nearby. Bad snow or monsoon rains? Watch your eMail for any truly necessary last-minute changes. 

The Society typically becomes important socially to its members. Astronomy mixes the scientific with the aesthetic, the intellectual with the artistic, and so attracts a mix of personalities with a shared passion. In a vast, rural state where people routinely live the joke about driving an hour to the nearest ice cream shop, we promise that driving out of your way to attend meetings will be worthwhile. Beyond learning the constellations and discovering how the binoculars you already own reveal astonishingly beautiful sights, everyone can expect to make some important new friends through the Society. 

We’re lucky. In Maine, astronomy is local. From here to the Rocky Mountains, and well south toward the Gulf of Mexico, we are literally (and sadly) the last bastion of dark skies. Because of light pollution, astronomers all over the Eastern United States drive hours out of their cities to match the viewing conditions we have in our back yards. If you have always wanted to learn the night skies, you are already in the right place, and the club is eager to show you how.  


PRESENTATION ON PRESERVING DARK SKIES

When the skies are cloudy at one of our upcoming parties, Dwight Lanpher will be speaking about preserving Maine’s dark skies. The club believes that this is a battle we can win, because it is not just about politics, but also economics. Dwight is an electrical engineer, and truly understands how Maine could lower its electric bill while preserving the dark skies that are important not only to astronomy, but also to tourism. Dark skies are important to the beauty and feeling of remoteness that attract big dollars to our state. You can read more about Dwight, his home club, and our shared mission here:

       www.islandastro.org
       www.starlightfestival.org

And, yes, at that same meeting, we’ll discuss Constellation of the Month, and start everyone down the road toward being able to find beautiful objects from their own back yards.  

Clear skies!

Jon Silverman
Vice President of Public Affairs
Central Maine Astronomical Society

www.maineastro.com
MaineAstro at gmail.com
207/619-CMAS; 207/619-2627

* Public star parties at observatories in Whitefield, Lincolnville, and Damariscotta
* Presentations at schools, clubs, and civic organizations
* Technical and legislative aid in preserving dark skies
* Assistance to beginners
* Fellowship for experts

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