Club Meeting on September 7, 2023 : The subject is Comets, the Kuiper Belt & the Oort Cloud
San Juan Stargazers Astronomy Club Monthly Meeting is on Thursday, Sept 7, 2023
We welcome members, new members & guests at all our meetings.
Saturday, October 14, will be an Annular Solar Eclipse requiring the use of solar glasses.
The Stargazers will hold their regular monthly educational meeting on Thursday, September 7, at the Community United Methodist Church on 434 Lewis Street. Use the parking lot & enter at the door right off the parking area. (We leave the front doors locked.)
There is a social hour starting at 6PM with coffee/tea and treats. (You can bring something to share if you would like.) This evening we will have a special cake to honor Veronica Johnson who will be leaving Pagosa. She has been a Stargazer & worked at many Night Sky Programs. If you know her, you are welcome to join us in recognizing her at our meeting. She will be greatly missed by so many and we want to thank her for her dedication & responsibility, which is how she lives her life.
At 6:15 PM, there will be a brief officer’s meeting. Then at 6:30, we will divide into committees such as: telescope, hospitality, new members, education, technology, and club perks. Our purpose is to make sure people know what team they are on & what part they can play to be an active member of our club. If you did not select a committee or team on your membership form, you can pick one tonight. You can be on more than one.
At 7 PM, Dena Laterza, our Communication Secretary will present the results of the survey that members took in the early summer. With the technology work that she is doing we are becoming better organized and better at communicating. We want the San Juan Stargazers to be the best club possible. We appreciate all the work, creative ideas and patience Dena has shown in bringing us technologically up-to-date. Thank you so much, Dena!
At 7:45 we will have the educational part of our program prepared by Ann Marie Kemp. For the past year we have been studying our Solar System which we will complete tonight or possibly next month. The title of this lesson is Comets, the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud. We will be looking at what lies at the edge of our solar system. What you will learn is so amazing. This is one of the lessons that leaves us with a sense of wonder.
There are some recent changes that I need to mention. Some of you heard that Steve McAlister was to be our guest speaker tonight & later do a telescope workshop, but aging parents had to take precedence. We hope he will offer his telescope expertise next summer. We will not be doing the September Night Sky Programs at Chimney Rock.
In October we will have our regular monthly meeting on Thursday, October 5, but also MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, WHEN THERE WILL BE AN ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE CALLED “RING OF FIRE”, WHICH WILL BE WONDERFULLY VISIBLE HERE, BUT YOU MUST USE ECLIPSE GLASSES which will be available for purchase tonight. If you are not a member and want to purchase Eclipse Glasses, step in briefly at the September or October Meeting using the parking lot door between 6 and 7 PM and look for someone near the door who will be selling them.It is an active part of the meeting so you may not even be noticed. The morning of the Eclipse there will be a program at Chimney Rock National Monument. The price of the program includes a pair of solar glasses.
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. To join both groups & get an excellent astronomy magazine, annual membership is only$25/ family. You can join the club at any of our events or now you can join using Paypal at our web=site: sanjuanstargazers.org. Check out our recently improved web-site with much more information & fabulous pictures.
WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN US TO LEARN ABOUT & APPRECIATE OUR UNBELIEVABLE UNIVERSE.