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Alachua Astronomy Club, Inc. |  Member Astronomical League |
 Member International Dark-Sky Association |
| Monthly Meetings 2008 |
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| 29°39' N, 82°21' W Altitude: 50 Meters (more or less) |
Updated Dec. 2, 2008 | ||
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| Meeting Schedule | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| CURRENT SCHEDULE BELOW |
| « INDEX OF SPEAKERS SINCE 1996 (pdf file) » |
LOCATION
POWELL HALL EXHIBITION CENTER (FLMNH) of the FLORIDA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
University of Florida Cultural Plaza — Hull Road
(Just east of S.W. 34 Street at western edge of UF campus)
Gainesville, Florida USARoom: Meeting usually held in Lucille T. Maloney Classroom. (Meeting may meet elsewhere in building during summer due to special museum classes.) [Directions and Map]
Parking Warning 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 there is a CPA performance on the same evening as AAC meetings at Powell Hall, parking should not normally be a problem.
However, if an event is also schduled at the CPA, plan accordingly and arrive early!
(You can check UF's Calendar of Events for scheduled CPA performances)
- 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 date to see details)
Date (2008) Guest Speaker Title or Topic January 8 Chuck Broward & Bob O'Connell The New "Golden Age" of Lunar Exploration February 12 Scott McCartney The History of the Optical Telescope: Part 2 March 11 Tyler Desjardins Characteristics of Active Galactic Nuclei and Correlations in Variability April 8 Tim Malles Astronomy and Space Art—An Artist's Impression May 13 Chuck Broward, Joe Haldeman,
Fred Heinrich & Tim MallesReview of the 2008 Winter Star Party June 10 Dr. Eric Ford Searching for Extrasolar Planets: Care to Join the Hunt? July 8 Dr. J. William Doyle How the Eye Works to Let You See the Stars August 12 Cancelled (Due to unforseen circumstances) September 9 Dr. Ata Sarajedini Globular Clusters Seen in a Whole New Light October 14 Dr. Fred Hamann Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg? — Super-massive Black Holes and the Birth of Galaxies November 11 George F. Haddad NASA Science Missions I have Know and Loved December 6 None (Holiday Party) Help Celebrate Our 21st Anniversary
DETAILS OF 2008 MEETINGSTuesday, January 8, 2008, 7:00 p.m. EST
Speaker: Chuck Broward & Bob O'Connell
E-Mail: oboblunar "at" aol "dot" com; cbroward "at" ufl "dot" edu
Title: The New "Golden Age" of Lunar Exploration
Location: Powell Hall, Florida Museum of Natural History (Lucille T. Maloney Classroom), UF Campus, Gainesville FL
PARKING WARNING: The Phillips Performing Arts Center hosts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra the same evening as this meeting. (Performance begins 7:30 p.m. with many guests likely to arrive before 7:00 p.m.) Come early because parking spots may be at a premium. Parking is also available in the parking structure if you cannot find a space in the surface parking area.
Preview: Chuck Broward and Bob O'Connell will give a PowerPoint presentation on four current lunar spacecraft missions. Chuck will discuss Japan's SELENE lunar orbiter (nickname Kaguya)launched September 14, 2007 and China's Chang'e 1 lunar orbiter launched October 24, 2007. Bob will cover India's Chandrayaan-1 orbiter, set for launch April 9, 2008 and the United States' Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)to be launched October 31, 2008. Chuck and Bob will cover spacecraft instrumentation, mission goals as well as the most recent data and findings from the two spacecraft already in lunar orbit. These four probes are just the beginning of a new international "Golden Age" of lunar exploration.
About the Speakers: 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 several years has been researching the controversial issue of Transient Lunar Phenomena, on which he gave a presentation at the 2006 August AAC meeting with Don Loftus. Bob also gave a presentation to the club on Why and How to Observe the Moon in 2007 August.
Charles (Chuck) Broward is the AAC's Astronomical League Correspondent (ALCOR), and Amateur Telescope-Making (ATM) Coordinator, as well as an avid amateur observer and telescope maker. He is also our Astronomical League club coordinator. Chuck is one of the AAC's earliest members, was the club's first newsletter editor, a post he held for about seven years, and was the original designer of the AAC logo. (For more information on the club's history, see the AAC's 20th FirstLight Anniversary issue, 2007 December.) Chuck has been a frequent speaker at AAC meetings. Talks include October 1996 and 1997 November on purchasing a telescope; 1998 August on How to Make Your Own Telescope; 2000 October on The RLT ("Rather Large Telescope"); 2001 June as part of a Members' Medley of observing experiences; in 2002 March on The Messier Marathon; and 2005 June on The 2005 Winter Star Party / The Astronomical League.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008, 7:00 p.m. EST
Speaker: Scott McCartney
E-Mail: scott "dot" mccartney "at" cox "dot" net
Title: The History of the Telescope: Part 2
Location: Powell Hall, Florida Museum of Natural History (Lucille T. Maloney Classroom), UF Campus, Gainesville FL
PARKING WARNING: The Phillips Performing Arts Center presents "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" same evening as this meeting. (Performance begins 7:30 p.m. with many guests likely to arrive before 7:00 p.m.) Come early because parking spots may be at a premium. Parking is also available in the parking structure if you cannot find a space in the surface parking area.
Preview: In May 2007, Scott discussed the early study of optics and lenses, the controversial origin of the telescope, and early refracting and reflecting designs. In this presentation, Scott will review the further development of the optical telescope from the 1700s to the present day.
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, March 11, 2008, 7:00 p.m. EST
Speaker: Tyler Desjardins
E-Mail: omega86 "at" ufl "dot" edu
Title: Characteristics of Active Galactic Nuclei and Correlations in Variability
Location: Powell Hall, Florida Museum of Natural History (Lucille T. Maloney Classroom), UF Campus, Gainesville FL
Preview: Active galaxies, in contrast to normal galaxies, contain a compact object near the center called an “active galactic nucleus” or AGN. These objects are believed to be supermassive blackholes accreting material and giving off intense radiation along the entire electromagnetic spectrum, however the intensity of this radiation is variable over time. This talk aims to give a basic introduction to the characteristics and structure of the AGN as well as discuss possible correlations with variability.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Speaker: Tim Malles
E-Mail: timmalles "at" aol.com
Title: Astronomy and Space Art—An Artist's Impression
Location: Powell Hall, Florida Museum of Natural History (Lucille T. Maloney Classroom), UF Campus, Gainesville FL
Preview: Tim Malles will give a brief history of astronomy and space art, from cave paintings to computer generated images. He will discuss the important contribution artist's have made in the development of the space program. Tim will also display examples of his own astro art and give club members the inspiration along with some basic knowledge and tips for creating their own space art.
Tim would like to invite club members to bring a piece of their own astro art that they have created to share, show and tell.
About the Speaker: Tim has been an active AAC member since 2001, serving as star party chair, board member, and volunteer at numerous public outreach events. He also volunteered in the construction of the Gainesville Solar Walk including the design and installation of the bronze information plaques.
See a Beautiful Example of Tim's Space Art — Lunar Eclipse (2008 Feb. 20)
(Artwork Copyright © 2008 Tim Malles)
Tuesday, May 13, 2008, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Speakers: Chuck Broward, Joe Haldeman, Fred Heinrich & Tim Malles
E-Mail: N/A
Title: Review of the 2008 Winter Star Party
Location: Powell Hall, Florida Museum of Natural History (Lucille T. Maloney Classroom), UF Campus, Gainesville FL
Preview: Next year the Winter Star Party will celebrate its 25th annivesary (February 21–28) with a special eight day event at West Summerland Key, Florida. This year this grand celebration of the heaven, hosted annually by the Southern Cross Society, brought out hundreds of amateur astronomers from around the world. Dark skies and a chance to view southern celestial objects not visible from most other places in the continental USA makes this one of the most popular and largest gatherings of amateurs. (Warm winter weather is also an attraction!) Hear AAC members who attended the 2008 Winter Star Party explain why this star party is a must for anyone interested in gazing at the stars.
About the Speakers: Chuck Broward, Joe Haldeman, Fred Heinrich & Tim Malles are all active members of the AAC. Chuck is one of the AAC's earliest members, is AAC's Astronomical League Correspondent (ALCOR), and heads the AAC Amateur Telescope-Making (ATM) group. He spoke to the AAC this past January. Joe is an award winning writer of science fiction. He has won every major award for his science fiction, including many Hugos and Nebula awards. Fred with his wife, Lucille, are registrars for the annual Winter Florida Keys Star Party hosted by the Southern Cross Astronomical Society. Tim has been an active AAC member since 2001 and is a professional artist. He was also our last month's speaker.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Speaker: Dr. Eric Ford, Assistant Professor of Astronomy, University of Florida
E-Mail: eford "at" astro "dot" ufl "dot" edu
Title: Searching for Extrasolar Planets: Care to Join the Hunt?
Location: Powell Hall, Florida Museum of Natural History (Lucille T. Maloney Classroom), UF Cultural Plaza, Gainesville FL
WARNING: UF's Performing Arts Center has an event scheduled at the Phillips Center, June 10 (American Big Band at 7:30 p.m.). Come earlier to our meeting to avoid parking hassles.
Preview: During the past 15 years, astronomers have discovered over 200 planets orbiting stars other than the Sun. These discoveries have unveiled an unexpected diversity of planetary systems. While many professional astronomers are working hard to detect planets more similar to Earth, the detection of Jupiter-sized planets is within the grasp of amateur astronomers. Dr. Ford will provide an overview of what we've learned about extrasolar planets and describe how amateur astronomers are contributing to the field.
About the Speaker: Dr. Eric Ford is an assistant professor of Astronomy at the University of Florida. His research focuses on studying extrasolar planets and improving our understanding of planet formation. Dr. Ford received bachelor's degrees in Physics and Mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1999 and his Ph.D. in Astrophysical Sciences from Princeton University in 2003. He continued his research on extrasolar planets as a Miller Fellow at the University of California Berkeley and as a Hubble Fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics before joining the faculty of the UF Astronomy department in Gainesville. You may read more at Dr. Ford's website.
Note: Dr. Ford is the key note speaker for the 2008 Starry Night Program at the Florida Museum of Natural History (Apr. 17), a yearly event sponsored by the University of Florida Student Government in collaboration with the Department of Astronomy and the Alachua Astronomy Club, Inc.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Speaker: Dr. J. William Doyle, M. D., Ph.D.
E-Mail: TBA
Title: How the Eye Works to Let You See the Stars
Location: Powell Hall, Florida Museum of Natural History (Lucille T. Maloney Classroom), UF Campus, Gainesville FL
Preview: Dr. Doyle will cover the working of the eye, as well as complications such as Dry Eye, Presbyopia, Cataracts, and LASIX.
About the Speaker: Dr. Doyle is an associate professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Florida's College of Medicine. Dr. Doyle obtained his medical degree and doctorate in pharmacology from the University of Florida. After graduation, he pursued an ophthalmology residency and glaucoma fellowship at the University of Florida. He joined the UF faculty in 1992 and has received the prestigious Honor Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s. Dr. Doyle is director of clinical research for UF’s Department of Ophthalmology. His interests include all glaucoma and cataract surgeries.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Meeting cancelled due to unforseen circumstances. Dr. Hamann's talk has been moved to 2008 October 14.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Speaker: Dr. Ata Sarajedini, Associate Professor of Astronomy, Department of Astronomy, University of Florida
E-Mail: ata "at" astro "dot"ufl "dot" edu
Title: Globular Clusters Seen in a Whole New Light
Location: Powell Hall, Florida Museum of Natural History (Lucille T. Maloney Classroom), UF Campus, Gainesville FL
Preview: Star clusters are distinct points in space and time that allow us to unravel the formation history of galaxies. I will begin by discussing the tools and techniques we use to study globular star clusters and their application to galaxies. Using these methods, we have come to some startling realizations, not about the galaxies that host these star clusters, but about the clusters themselves. I will present the latest results on this topic with an eye on the historical development of our knowledge base.
About the Speaker: Dr. Sarajedini received his Ph.D. in Astronomy from Yale in 1992, and did postdoctoral research at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory as well as at the University of California in Santa Cruz. He was on the faculty of Wesleyan University until joining the astronomy faculty at the University of Florida in 2001 along with his wife, Dr. Vicki L. Sarajedini, who is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Astronomy. Dr. Sarajedimi research interests include stellar populations, galactic structure, distance scales, precision photometry, WIYN Open Cluster Study, and HST Globular Cluster Treasury.
Professor Sarajedini captivated his audience in March 2004 with his his stunning talk on the (The Eating Habits of the Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies). Like Dr. Hamman, who will speak next month, his presentation should again thrill the audience with his current presentation
Tuesday, October 14, 2008, 7:00 p.m. EDT
(Note: This talk was originally scheduled for 2008 August.)
Speaker: Dr. Fred Hamann, Professor of Astronomy, Department of Astronomy, University of Florida
E-Mail: hamann "at" astro "dot" ufl "dot" edu
Title: Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg? — Super-massive Black Holes and the Birth of Galaxies
Location: Powell Hall, Florida Museum of Natural History (Lucille T. Maloney Classroom), UF Campus, Gainesville FL
Preview: One major milestone in astronomical research was the recent discovery that super-massive black holes reside in the centers of galaxies, including our own Milky Way. These holes in the cosmic space-time devour any matter that haplessly ventures too close. They can accumulate masses equal to a billion Suns, but they are still tiny compared to the sizes and masses of the galaxies themselves. One might expect the black holes to have almost no effect on their galaxy-scale surroundings, but the reality is probably just the opposite. These little pinholes in space-time might actually regulate galaxy formation at critical evolutionary stages billions of years ago. I will provide an overview of this fascinating research field, including some recent results from my own group here at the University of Florida.
About the Speaker: Dr. Hamann received his Ph.D. at the State University of New York at Stony Brook (SUNY) in 1987, and subsequently worked as a research fellow at the Carnegie Observatories, the Ohio State University, and the University of California at San Diego, before joining the faculty at UF in 1999. Main interests are studies of quasars, active galaxies, galaxy evolution, early-epoch star formation, elemental abundance evolution, circumstellar environments of pre- and post-main sequence stars, nebular astrophysics.
Professor Hamann is becoming a tradition at AAC meetings. He has unselfishly spoken to the AAC numerous times in past years including May 2004 (Twinkle, Twinkle, Huge Explosion: The Story of Gamma-Ray Bursts), February 2005 (From Darkness Into Light: The End of the Dark Ages), and July 2006 (Life on the Edge: The Story of Eta Carinae). His wonderful talks are always interesting, informative and enthusiatically received. And they are easily understandable by even novice star gazers.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008, 7:00 p.m. EST
Speaker: George F. Haddad, NASA Aerospace Engineer
E-Mail: George.F.Haddad "at" nasa "dot" gov
Title: NASA Science Missions I have Know and Loved
Location: Powell Hall, Florida Museum of Natural History (Lucille T. Maloney Classroom), UF Campus, Gainesville FL
Preview: George Haddad, from NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida, will present and overview of NASA Science missions (Cassini, STEREO , Gravity Probe B, etc.) on which he has worked. He will describe their objectives, the instruments on board, and what has been learned from them thus far.
About the Speaker: Mr. Haddad is an Aerospace Engineer at NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC). He started his career with NASA in 1989 as a Fluid Systems Engineer at the Glenn Research Center, in Cleveland, Ohio where he designed fluid systems for aeronautic test rigs, and for various microgravity space experiments that flew on the Space Shuttle and on the sounding rockets. George has supported the Integration and launch of many of NASA's scientific and planetary missions such as the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), the GOES weather satellites, the Cassini mission, the Gravity Probe B mission, and recently the STEREO mission. He is the principal investigator for several research projects, and presently is developing the Ground Systems for the Constellation Program at KSC. He has a Master Degree in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Central Florida. George is fluent in French and Arabic. He lives with his wife and three boys in Melbourne, Florida.
Saturday, December 6, 2008, 6:00 p.m. EST —
(See special note about SEC Championship Game below)
Speaker: None but lots of fun! (However, see SPECIAL THIS YEAR below)
Title: "Holiday Party" and Celebration of AAC's 21st 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.)
Food to Bring: If you miss signing up at the October or November meetings, please respond to potluck (at) floridastars.org and indicate what food dish you will bring:
- 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 20th anniversary. This year we celebrate our club's 21st anniversary! Good food, games, our traditional astro slide quiz, sci-fi space music, more.
SPECIAL THIS YEAR Our celebration this year will feature a brief, animated astronomy lesson by Prof. Howard L. Cohen (AAC VP) on a basic star gazing topic followed by one of his notorious and preposterous quizzes. The quiz will help teach and reinforce the star gazing lesson. Make sure you don't miss this FREE lesson. (UF students used to pay big bucks to attend his lessons!)
In addition, Rich Russin, has also prepared additional entertainment. He says, "Come ready to play a game of Musical, Astronomical, Trivial Pursuit. Teams of up to four players will compete in a game that will challenge your knowledge of music and astronomy. Questions will vary from Easy to Diabolical."
Party begins approximately at sunset. Lasts till whenever.
SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Worried about missing the Florida-Alabama 2008 SEC Championship Game? (Scheduled to begin 4:00 p.m. EST)
Don't worry. The game will be on the Barnett's big screen TV!
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