CLUB NEWS
NECTARIS BASIN
This webcam mosaic of the Moon's Nectaris Basin was taken by Andrew Chaikin. He took it thru Wayne Garvin's 8" reflector at Hildene on 15 Jan 2005 during a public event sponsored by the Hildene Astronomy Club. Click on the image for a larger version.
HILDENE ASTRONOMY CLUB CHOSEN BY NASA TO DO PUBLIC OUTREACH
The Hildene Astronomy Club located in Manchester, VT, has been selected by NASA to be a member of the Night Sky Network, a nationwide coalition of amateur astronomy societies committed to sharing their time, their telescopes, and their enthusiasm for astronomy with their local communities. Hildene Astronomy Club recently received their first Outreach ToolKit from NASA. Entitled "PlanetQuest", the kit is designed to help amateur astronomers answer questions about how scientists hope to find Earth-like planets circling other stars. Club members will use the Outreach ToolKit at public astronomy nights, during classroom visits, at youth group events, and at other public events catering to students of all ages.
Membership in the Night Sky Network includes training for club members, special opportunities for working with NASA scientists and educators, access to a dedicated website for communicating with other Night Sky Network participants, and public recognition by NASA for their outreach activities.
"NASA is very excited to be working closely with the amateur astronomy community," said Michael Greene, head of public engagement for NASA's Navigator Program based at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "Amateur astronomers want more people to look at the sky and understand astronomy, and so do we. We have a strong commitment to inspiring the next generation of explorers. Lending support to the energy that the amateur astronomy community brings to students and the public will allow NASA to reach many more people."
For more information go to http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov. To find out about the schedule of programs sponsored by the Hildene Astronomy Club click here.
The Night Sky Network is sponsored and supported by JPL's PlanetQuest public engagement program. PlanetQuest is a part of JPL's Navigator Program, which encompasses several of NASA's extra-solar planet-finding missions, including the Keck Interferometer, the Space Interferometry Mission (SIM), the Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF), the Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI), and the Michelson Science Center (MSC).
Member Announced as Rising Star
Hildene Astronomy Club member, Josh Marsfelder has been accepted to the Rising Star Internship Program at the Dudley Observatory in Albany, NY! This program
allows high school students to learn about amateur astronomy and participate in
the observatory's planning of star parties among other things. They only accept
10 students from the whole area!! On top of that, they present each student with a 6"
Dobsonian to keep! The Dudley Observatory website has all the details.
Club Member Events
Due to the intrinsic nature of the sport of astronomy, (ie: the weather) we often have spur-of-the-moment gathers to view the heavens above. When we see that the weather will be clear we may plan a get together. Currently, we are a small body of active members.
Hildene Astronomy Club Steering Committee
HAC is run by a group of five persons creating the Steering Committee: |
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 Doug Harrigan |
 Wayne Garvin |
 Cathy Hammond |
 Ivonne McManus |
 Claudio Véliz |
Photos
Observing Logs
Claudio's Log Sheet
From the The American Association of Amateur Astronomers (AAAA):
AAAA Observing Log - Record essential information during your observing session. 10 objects per page.
AAAA Observation Log and Sketch Template - Make drawings at the eyepiece. 1 object per page.