Got more stay at home time than you know what to do with? Do you want to experience the joy of learning and gaining knowledge in science and astronomy? Well I have a suggestion for you! Take an on-line course. I did and it was a great learning experience.

The course was free from Coursera.com and titled " Astronomy: Exploring Time and Space". It consists of a series of videos lectures from Professor Chris Impey at the University of Arizona, and included companion on-line readings and presentation slides.  The description says it takes 59 hours to complete, however it took me a little longer.  Also, included in the course are tests in each chapter, essay assignments graded by fellow students, and regular bi-weekly live Question and Answer sessions with Professor Impey.  Did I mention that it is all free?

If you are looking for a course on how to use a telescope, then this is not the course for you.  However, if you want take a look into Scientific Methods, Our Solar System, The Life Cycle of Stars, Tools of Astronomy, Astrophysics, Theory of Relativity, Exoplanets and more, then I highly recommend this course. 

My only negative is that some of the accompanying video segments (not the lectures) were geared to a different generation of students, so I just skipped them.  

The good news is that if this course does not sound like a good match for you there are over 1400 other classes on Coursera.com that are free. I found the regular routine of the class structure and the stimulation of learning new ideas were just the thing for me - and I think you will too. 

Randy Cockrill

Our first Wild Apricot poll, titled "RMA and Moving Foward With Covid-19" is live and the link has been sent to all current members. Please take a few moments to respond to the poll to help your Board of Directors plan for the coming months. Thank you!

Our club meeting will be conducted via teleconference.  An email will be sent to all club members in the near future on how to participate.  

Something to watch while you are being safe in your home.  

Copy the link below and paste it into your browsers search

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/series/planets/episodes/

Something to watch while you are being safe in your home.  

Copy the link below and paste it into your browsers search

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/earth-from-space/

Since we have some nice weather this evening, I was planning on setting up a little star party for my family. If you're interested in "joining" me, please go on over to the discussion forums tonight and letting us know what you're up to, maybe even share some pics. Venus is in a great position, FYI, and a very thin waxing crescent Moon. Have a great night!

A friend in Albuquerque reminded me this week that while we have not been able to gather together and enjoy our night sky lately, there's always opportunities that present themselves.

Below is his recommendation for make the most of these quiet evenings at home. Let's see how many people want to take advantage of the break in the weather!

Virtual Messier Marathon.jpg

Interested?

Check out the link.

https://www.anecdata.org/

A great crowd of stargazers arrived at the Dark Sky Site for our February Star Party on Saturday. Although the temps were projected to be in the 30's, we had at least 15 people in attendance for much of the evening, including a couple children and other guests. We had two club telescopes in operation, and 5 or 6 more brought by members. This was the first star party for my new CPC telescope, so it was great to work out the remaining bugs with my new setup.

Arriving just before sunset, we found the weather to be a rather pleasant sunny 55 degrees while our equipment was brought out. And thanks to all of the attendees who brought snacks, there was a terrific assortment of treats and nutritious items. We started off with dazzling views of Venus, which is moving towards its maximum Eastern elongation in March. After the sun set, we were treated to a clear sky and good visibility. Just a few thin clouds moved in and out over the course of the evening. Quite a relief after all of the cloudy skies and rain we've had in the Upstate this winter. Our guests and kids were treated to views from multiple scopes as we toured our favorite winter objects like the Orion Nebula, Pleiades Cluster, and the Eskimo Nebula. As the night went on, a few more folks stayed inside to keep warm. The rest soldiered on, but eventually decided to call it a night by 11:00 PM. I worked on some photography of Venus and M42, and those images are below. 

We hope that the weather remains clear for the next Star Party in March, and that you will join us!

Tonight's scheduled RMA member meeting has been canceled due to inclement weather. The presentation on Lunar Photography will be rescheduled for a future date.