HUBBLE– FROM ONE GALAXY TO BILLIONS
San Juan Stargazers Study About Galaxies—NEAR & FAR
The San Juan Stargazers will hold their regular monthly meeting on Thursday, February 28, at the Chamber Visitors’ Center Conference Room located at 105 Hot Springs Blvd. We are now a non-profit member of the Chamber of Commerce, so this is our permanent meeting location. The meeting is from 7- 8:30 PM. (SHARP) Hot drinks and maybe a treat, will be served starting around 6:30.
Our program will be another profound one. We will study more about Edwin Hubble’s discovery of galaxies. At one time astronomers thought that the Milky Way was the whole universe. What a jump from one galaxy to 300 billion galaxies? Let that thought blow your mind for a while! Hubble’s views of nebula that appeared to be beyond the Milky Way using the great telescope at Mt. Wilson took place in the 1920’s. He came to learn that these nebula, in fact, were separate galaxies. Then he applied the Doppler Effect to come up with Hubble’s Law about their movement. Way back then he understood the need for Dark Energy to account for movement in the Universe. He was quite the genius, who certainly deserved to have the Space Telescope bear his name.
I love how our lessons take complex ideas and make them understandable for us all. Our programs are for people of all levels of astronomy and it is amazing how much each person learns. Don’t let the fact that you feel like a beginner keep you away. We are all so amazed by what we are learning that we simply DO NOT judge anyone.
Start preparing for Thursday, March 28th, at 6 PM when we will have our first Telescope Clinic of 2019. Many people in Pagosa have a telescope which they were given or picked up somewhere, but have no idea how to use it or if it is even usable. At our Telescope Clinics you can learn how to use it or fix it. We have limited space in our Clinics so call early to reserve a telescope expert. Please call 970-335-8286, with a little information about what you have and what you may be needing in the form of help, so we can match you with the right person. 2019 is the year to add an amazing dimension to your life!!!
Astronomy News Flash– a Super Moon will be visible on February 19 and March 21. “Super Moons” appear larger than the usual moon because the moon’s orbit around the earth is not a circle, but an ellipse. So, there are times when the moon is, in fact, closer to the earth & therefore looks bigger. Check it out & see if you can notice a difference.
The San Juan Stargazers are part of the Astronomical League, which includes clubs from all over the US. We have a new web-site—www.sanjuanstargazers.org, as well as an email address, sjstargazers@gmail.com and a club phone number 970-335-8286.
We welcome everyone who has an interest in learning more about our AMAZING UNIVERSE.