There is now a set of sample astrophotography data available for RMA members to practice with. After logging into our website, navigate to Resources > Tutorials where you will find a link to an RMA Google drive folder. Here, you'll find DSO, Lunar, and Planetary samples that you can download and practice your processing skills with. If you have questions about the data or techniques, please visit our Discord server, where our experienced members will be happy to lend a hand. 

Comet Lenard (c/2021) was discovered only in January of this year.  It is visible in binoculars or small telescopes in the early morning hours around 4-5am.  It is currently visible between Arcturus and the handle of the Big Dipper.  It is moving rapidly through the sky so watch the YouTube link to see how it will move from day to day.

https://youtu.be/rMiLUB-skEg

Set your alarm clock for 4:00am EST and run outside to see the 99.1% lunar eclipse. Stargazers across the United States will be able to watch the peak of this brilliant Beaver full moon, which will be the longest partial lunar eclipse in over 500 years! Reflecting back on the fall colors we just experienced, the moon will have a red-brownish tint due to the light scattering across the earth's atmosphere. 

https://www.npr.org/2021/11/17/1056205732/lunar-eclipse-moon-friday-morning-how-to-see

Last night we held our make up date Star Party at our Dark Sky Location, the Furman observatory. The night was clear and cool, and although we had a very bright moon high in the sky we had a great time observing and imaging a wide range of targets. 

The long list included: The Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Neptune, Uranus, The Orion Nebula, The Ring Nebula, The Heart Nebula, M35, M37, and a wide range of double stars that had varying colors.

New members were there, and we enjoyed lots of teaching and being taught. If you have never joined us for an in person Star Party, please do so soon! The next party is scheduled for December the 4th, assuming good weather.

Clear Skies, Look Up!

Member Ed Overstreet was recently featured in a segment on WSPA, speaking with Meteorologist Christy Henderson about astronomy. The club also received a special on-air mention for viewers who are interested in learning more about astronomy and telescopes. You can watch the story here:

https://www.wspa.com/news/top-stories/fall-weather-week-the-best-stargazing/

Christy has also joined the club as an Honorary Member and we are looking forward to meeting her at an upcoming star party. Welcome, Christy!

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as the club president for the last two years. It has certainly been a crazy two years to say the least.  The club has made some significant strides forward in many regards, despite the pandemic.  Our web page is phenomenal to say the least.  A very special thanks to Josh Palmer for championing that effort and making it happen.  Additionally, the depth and breadth of our monthly presentations has reached a new level.  The club’s ability to use Zoom and have speakers from Austria, United Kingdom, Colorado, and New Mexico, to name a few locations, has been outstanding.   Our star parties have expanded to other locations as well, which is also been new and exciting.  I want to thank the previous Board Members for making all this happen.  A special thanks goes to Dennis Wilde, our Spectrum editor.  Dennis is stepping down from this roll after doing it for at least the last 5 years.  Thank you Dennis for producing such an awesome publication, and doing it for so long! I want to also thank the new Board Members for stepping up and serving.  Many of them have been routinely participating in our monthly Board meetings already.  I feel confident this transition will be seamless.  Thank you again and see you soon!

ex-president

Bill Michaud

Congratulations Cathy Z on winning our club raffle. We hope you enjoy your SkySync GPS and we will be in touch with you to deliver your prize!

The weather cooperated and we were able to hold our July Star Party at the Observatory site as planned.  We experienced clouds and some rain in the area until 9:30pm when it started clearing.  By 11:00pm the western and northern skies were very clear and the east/south skies had patchy clouds.

We had an unusually large turnout this month.  A lot of first time visits from members that have joined since we had to quit using the dark site last year.  It felt very good to be back in our "home" star party site.  The security of the site and the comfort of the training room has been missed!  Before darkness, we were able to meet and greet each other.  We also shared a lot of snacks and camaraderie during the evening.

The younger visitors really enjoyed themselves with nature and other activities along with the exposure to astronomy. It was great to see the kids enjoying the beauty of the darkness and night sky with no game machines or phones glued to their faces!

Everyone appreciated the opportunity to be surrounded by our fellow club members and to be able to enjoy the skills of our talented members.  Many members enjoyed casual observing with binoculars and telescopes. We were also treated to see Josh Palmer's obtain real time video of transiting satellites and David Quattlebaum's capture of nebula and galaxies!

Thanks to David Moffett, Kepler Tumler, and David Quattlebaum, we were also able to remove the Meade 14" SCT from the Observatory and store it safely in the training room.  There will be a lot of maintenance activity in the Observatory this summer and we wanted the telescope to be safely stored. 

We will post some photos in the members Photo Gallery area so you can be treated to some extremely nice smiles and happy faces.

Have you ever wished upon a star? Now is your chance!

Date
August 12, 2021
Time
9:00 pm
- 11:00 pm

Have you ever wished upon a shooting star? Now is your chance! Join PARI from 9-11pm on August 12, 2021 for evening viewing of the Perseids Meteor Shower and the night sky at our historic, mountaintop, Internationally certified Dark Sky Park.

Grab a picnic blanket or bring your own lawn chair and sit back and relax while enjoying the show that space provides as meteors rain down throughout the night!  Expected to be the brightest with the most meteors all year, so wrap up your summer with the experience of a lifetime at PARI.  PARI astronomers will also be on hand with telescopes for you to experience the night sky.

REGISTER HERE for AUGUST 12, 2021 9-11pm

Arrival time for this event is 8:30-9pm.  Please make arrangements to arrive during this time.  Late arrivals will not be permitted.

Want more PARI?? Check out our OVERNIGHT CABIN  and OVERNIGHT CAMPING packages for the Perseids Meteor Shower that PARI will host on August 13-14, 2021.

For additional information please contact PARI at 828-862-5554 or programs@pari.edu.

Perseids Meteor Shower - Evening Viewing ONLY - PARI

Club Members

Summer is here and so is our unpredictable weather.  The star party portion of our recent picnic at Musgrove Mill State Historic Site was cancelled.  However, the picnic portion with Bucky’s BBQ did take place.  If you haven’t done so check out the pictures on our website.  Thanks to all who helped make this event happen! 

 

We do have some great news!  The Furman Observatory is reopening.  Our July 10th Star Party will be held at the Furman site. Additionally, the Roper Mountain Science Center is reopening.  Our July 15^th Club meeting will be in person at the Science Center in the conference room, at 7:30pm.  We intend to broadcast this meeting via Zoom as well!   July’s topic is practical astronomy.  Based on our club survey there was a request for more hands on observational topics.  This is the first meeting of this topic and we hope to have more in the near future.  Randy Cockrill will demonstrate “Electrically Assisted Astronomy”. Josh Palmer will cover “Satellite Observing and Photography”.  Ed Overstreet will discuss “Permanent Outdoor Telescopes With Wireless Remote Access”.  We had a successful rehearsal broadcasting on Zoom from the science center this last week. 

 

Josh Palmer has created a Private Discord Server for our club.  Discord is a free platform that allows communities and special interest groups to come together to chat and hold video meetings.  Check it out on our website under the Forums tab.

 

The October Club Meeting will feature Executive Committee Board elections.  There are seven Board positions.  All positions are open for election.  Any club member can nominate someone for a position.  You can also nominate yourself for a position.   The seven positions are President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and three each Board Members at Large.  If you are interested in serving in anyone of these positions please contact me.  It is highly suggested that you attend a board meeting prior to nominating yourself.  Board meetings are all done via Zoom the second Thursday of each month. 

See you soon!

Bill Michaud

President

Roper Mountain Astronomers Club