December 22, 2022, Our First Winter Star Party
THE REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING OF THE SAN JUAN STARGAZERS IS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22TH. IT WILL BE A STAR PARTY WITH TELESCOPES.
Our monthly meeting in December will be on, Thursday, December 22, starting with a social time of coffee, tea & other treats at 5 PM and setting up telescopes . Also, please bring your telescopes from home. We will not be meeting at the church, rather at one of our Star Party Sites. If you need directions please call : 720-626-9304 & leave a message for a return call. Non-members are welcome, but will need to call ahead. As always, please be caring of our members & stay home if you’re not feeling 100% well. Wear a mask for caution against our new “ winter-triple- threat.” Wearing a mask is a great statement of LOVE for yourself & others. It is a small price to pay for your life.
“Meadows West” is where we held our 10th Anniversary Dinner and where our December Meeting will be held. The beauty of having Star Parties at someone’s home is that when we get cold we can go inside to warm up with tea & hot chocolate & maybe a warm fire. Many of us are not as hardy as we used to be.
If the weather does not allow for telescope use, we will have a great program with a speaker & birthday cake. This Fall, Dr. Andy Green, who worked as an Astronomer at the Australian National Observatory joined our club. He has spoken to the club in the past when he was visiting his mom, Nancy Green, a dedicated CRIA volunteer of at least 25 years . Andy is now living in Pagosa and if we can’t use our scopes, he will answer “ Astronomy Questions.” He is an exceptional teacher.
One other activity of the night will be to prepare for our James Webb Programs to be held on Thursday, January 12, & Thursday, February 9. Monte McAllister will be gathering a list & pictures of the most recent Webb discoveries. Members can pick a favorite to present to Pagosa in the new year.
There are only a few Space Mysteries Calendars left. We actually sold out our first order, but got more for the many people of Pagosa who purchase calendars every year. The space photos for each month are fabulous, mostly from Hubble. Seriously studying the pictures & information is like having an Introduction to Astronomy class. The calendars are $15, which includes a partial club donation. They are a perfect gift to mail to your grandchildren so that when you talk with them you can give them a mini-astronomy lesson & maybe even a quiz. You can all get more in touch with our amazing Universe in a simple & fun way. Call 303-995-2888 & leave a message with the number of calendars & your name & phone number. Someone will get back to you to make pick-up plans. Stargazers will be at the Xmas in Pagosa event on Saturday, December 17, 4:30 to 7PM next to the CRIA booth & heaters. We can not sell calendars, but people can pick up calendars that they have ordered.
We will be having many Star Parties this Winter. As our club is growing, we now have 3 homes for winter star parties. They will be identified as “ Meadows West”, “Meadows East” & “Downtown”. The dates are: —Friday, January 20, Deep-sky viewing at Meadows East. —Saturday, January 28, Moon viewing at Meadows West. —Friday, February 17, Deep-sky at Meadows West. — Friday, March 17, Deep-sky at Meadows East. —Tuesday, March 28, First Quarter Moon viewing at Meadows West. — Fridays, April 14 & 21, Deep Sky at Meadows East. Note that there are no Star Parties at the beginning of the months
because each month begins with a Full Moon. If these dates get clouded-out, we will do some impromptu parties. Our goal, besides having fun, is to be prepared for Summer Night Sky Programs at Chimney Rock WITH TELESCOPES (until our next pandemic.)
If you would like to join the San Juan Stargazers you will also receive Reflector Magazine which is the publication of the National Astronomical League of which you automatically become a member. The December 2022 Reflector Magazine has been delivered. If you didn’t get yours, please contact Joan.
To join both groups & get an excellent astronomy magazine, annual membership is only $25/ family. This year there is a fabulous special gift for new & renewing members. It will help you become the astronomer you have always dreamed of being. You will LOVE it! You can join the club at any of our events or on our web-site.
The San Juan Stargazers Club is part of the Astronomical League celebrating its 75th year of service which includes over 300 clubs from all over the US including over 20,000 members. Our local group also has a web-site—www.sanjuanstargazers.org. CHECK IT OUT for more information & beautiful Hubble and Webb photos. We welcome everyone to learn more about our AMAZING UNIVERSE. Hope to see you soon!