December 2023, Meeting
San Juan Stargazers have 2024 Deep Space Mysteries Calendars for you to purchase,
We will be receiving a visit from Santa Claus with an amazing gift, and
At Our December 7th Meeting we will complete “Tours of the Night Sky” enabling you to become “the Astronomer of your Dreams”
Our spectacular 2024 Deep Space Mysteries Calendars have arrived & are ready for you to purchase. We are doing something special this year. If you purchase a calendar for a child or teenager, you only pay $10.00. This calendar is a fund-raising opportunity for the San Juan Stargazers, so we greatly appreciate when you pay the regular price of $15, but these calendars are such a great learning opportunity for young people that we want to make them more easily available to them. They are great gifts for your children, grandchildren, nieces & nephews, etc. A person never knows when they plant a seed what it might grow into. This seed only costs $10 & is worth so much more. It can provide inspiration which the future only knows how much.
There are several features of these calendars that make them so worthwhile. Each month has a fabulous photo of what is considered a Deep Space Mystery. There is usually one amazing & incredibly unique planet photo, several unusual galaxies are featured & then there are various nebula either at the explosion (supernova) stage or when in a star-forming stage. Beneath each beautiful photo is a total detailed explanation of the object. Another great feature of the calendar is that each day notes unique visible night sky objects so, you will know when to go out to see special sights. If you want to order a calendar call 303-995-2888 to leave a message including your name, phone number & #of calendars. You will get a call-back, so we can figure out the easiest way to get the calendars to you.
Thursday December 7th is the monthly educational meeting of the San Juan Stargazers at the Community United Methodist Church at 434 Lewis Street. Use the parking lot & near-by side door. At this meeting we are getting a visit from none other than Santa Claus & he has a helper named Dena Laterza who is going to help everyone at the meeting understand their Christmas gift, the likes of which we haven’t gotten since we were teenagers. Here is a hint–It is a computer app that you may be playing with for years. Dena explained it to me & I kept playing with it until I almost fell asleep. You will be getting written directions so you will know every step to take. I don’t know how much more I should tell you, but it fits with our Notebook called “Tours of the Night Sky” & adds an unbelievable dimension to the entire idea. I am so excited to have this shared with our club. I’m not telling you to bring your lap-top, because I don’t want to lose everyone from the task we have at hand.
We will be adding missing months with maps & narratives with additional information for the Tours of the Night Sky Blue Notebook. We will also be adding information about each of the visible planets. Judith Jubb has been working very hard gathering material from several sources & most importantly leaving out extraneous material. She did this work for the presentations she gave during the summer months at Chimney Rock Night Sky Programs. Ann Marie Kemp is contributing an entire section of information about the 6 visible planets.
I don’t think there is anything quite like this booklet, being concise, easy to read, direct & uncomplicated. Of course, you have to do some preparation, but we’ve tried to make it as simple as possible to use. Since there is material for each month, you can study a few pages & then forget it until next year when you can look it up again. If there is interest, we can start a study group for those who want to develop expertise & then you can become substitutes for Judith when she cannot attend the Night Sky Programs.
You must find the notebook that you were given when you joined the club or were given in 2022 & bring it with you to work on. After completing the notebook, we will go over how to use this fabulous tool. You will go home one step closer to achieving being “the Astronomer of Your Dreams” with the only step left—get out & DO IT. You may want to practice before you put on a show & get a red-light flashlight (we have some for sale) & a green laser-pointer. Get a good laser pointer because a cheap one is not strong enough to point into the night sky. Please look for the notebook you were given because it is too expensive to give people a second notebook. This is a priceless tool to use for the rest of your life & pass down to your grandchildren! We need everyone working together to complete this great project! Thank you for your help!