March 7, 2024 MONTHLY MEETING
San Juan Stargazers monthly meeting on Thursday, March 7, to answer questions about the April 8th Eclipse and see a video & discuss Exploring Mars, from Space & the Ground
The San Juan Stargazers will hold their next monthly meeting on Thursday, March 7, 2024, at the Community United Methodist Church on 434 Lewis Street. You can use the parking lot & enter at the side door right off the parking area. You enter through the kitchen & go to the large meeting room. (We leave the front doors locked.) We have new members at almost every meeting, so this might be a good night to join us.
There is a social hour starting at 6PM with coffee/tea and treats. You can bring something to share if you would like. We have copies of the Sky & Telescope issue called SHOWTIME FOR NORTH AMERICA’S GRAND ECLIPSE with much good information.
We have two different topics for the educational part of the meeting, the first one being the important eclipse this year on April 8th. It will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the U.S. & Canada. In the U.S. it will be visible from Texas to Maine. The next total solar eclipse that will be visible over North America will not happen until 2045.
The eclipse will be visible in Pagosa as an approximate 64% partial eclipse which should still be exciting AND will require special glasses for you to safely view. (Eclipse glasses are free at the Library due to a special grant they received. We also have glasses for a small donation.) Club members who are remaining in Pagosa will gather for the eclipse with community members who want to join them in Centennial Park at the amphitheater for the Geothermal Growing Domes on the river-walk. Look for our members to answer your questions & document anything special that happens in Pagosa. Please feel welcome to join in this rare event of the moon passing between the sun & the earth. Of course, you can view it anywhere by yourself using SPECIAL SOLAR GLASSES, but we will be there to share this unusual astronomical event with our community. There will not be a regular monthly meeting in April, except to gather to watch the eclipse.
If anyone, from the community or any club members, has questions about the eclipse, be at our meeting at 7PM & we will take time to find your answers. Since this is an important eclipse, we feel our club has the responsibility for making sure that everyone in our community has the correct information to decide where they want to be & how they want to see it. We are here to help you.
The second topic for the night will be Mars, Exploring from Space & the Ground from a Great Courses lesson. We will have a summary to read & discuss written by Ann Marie Kemp & then have a video presentation by our favorite lady-astronomer, Dr. Sabine Stanley. It should be fascinating. She always does a great job. Last month we all were in shock over the unbelievable information we learned about Mercury that we hadn’t heard before.
We are starting to gear up for a summer of great astronomy activity. We will have “members-only star parties”, 8 to 10 Night Sky Programs at Chimney Rock & some public events, plus regular meetings. If you want to learn how to use your telescope or one of our club telescopes it is time to get started at the beginning of the season. 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 you can join using Paypal on our website: sanjuanstargazers.org. Check out our continuously changing website with new information & fabulous photos.