RAC Indoor Meeting Minutes
11 February 2022
Meeting was held at Morehead Planetarium in conjunction with CHAOS. Meeting chair was Amy Sayle. Co-chairperson Ann Murphy was the RAC host.
103 participants, 51 indicated RAC affiliation
Welcome & tonight’s plan & COVID-19 policies by Amy Sayle
Morehead Planetarium, Statewide Star Party hosts, CHAOS and RAC leadership were introduced.
CHAOS Announcements by Jayme Hanzak
Staunton River Star Party registration is open via email (see instructions at http://chaosastro.org/starparty/). Dates are March 28 – April 3. Fee is $80/week or $45/weekend. Public night is Friday April 1.
RAC Announcements by co-chairperson Mike Keefe
- Drawing for Sky Atlas – Ned Robinson winner
- Poster door prize – Rose Lee winner
Outreach Committee Update by Matt Lochansky
- Upcoming outreach events
- March 2 – Stargazing on the Willard Rooftop, Downtown Raleigh
- April 1 – NC Science Festival at White Deer Park in Garner
- State-wide Star Party Events:
- April 8 – SWSP at Prairie Ridge
- April 8 – SWSP at Annie Wilkerson
- April 9 – SWSP at Williamson Preserve with Triangle Land Conservancy (East Raleigh)
- May 15 – Skywatching at Dix for Lunar Eclipse (9:30pm-Midnight)
- August 28 – Skywatching at NC Museum of Art
Education Committee Update by co-chairperson Mike Keefe
- February 15 – Planetarium software (Starry Night, SkySafari) workshop
- February 22 – Planetarium software (Stellarium, Cartes du Ciel) workshop
NC Science Festival by Erik
- Calendar of events will be posted on Monday February 14 (see https://ncsciencefestival.org/find-events)
- UNC Universe Week Science Expo – Saturday April 9
Statewide Star Party by Amy Sayle
This year’s theme is Understanding the Universe. This is the tenth annual star party and 35 events are planned. Funding is provided by NC Space Grant.
Boys and Girls Club Event by Amy Sayle
Planned for Monday April 11 (late afternoon) at the Granville County Boys and Girls Club, near the birthplace of James Webb. Volunteers requested.
Planetarium Program
Business
Treasurer’s Report by Steve Izzo (not presented at the meeting)
Membership – 418 total (3 new memberships)
- 301 single memberships
- 70 family memberships with 70 secondary members (47 registered)
- 33 cancellations/inactive members removed
Balances
- Business checking: $ 649.86
- Savings: $ 22530.79
- Special purpose checking: $ 544.63
Upcoming Meetings
- Feb 17 – Imaging SIG meeting
- Feb 25 – RACOBS
- Mar 11 – RAC Club Meeting – Electronically Assisted Astronomy (EAA)
