RAC Outreach Committee Report – August 2025

Recent events:

• August 16 – Perseid Meteors at Howell Woods (Four Oaks)
  • Coordinator: Dana
  • Volunteers: Dana, Marshall, Ollin, Blair, Steve B
  • Recap: Steve B –

Well, I think we saw a total of one meteor last night. Humidity was > 85% and everything dewed up by 10:00PM, but despite that the Milky Way was visible to the naked eye and we were able to get good views of M13, M7, and a few nebula. About 30 people who had intended to camp out (not sure that any of them actually stayed) go a chance to look through our telescopes. As expected the porch lights stayed on.

• August 20 – The Willard Rooftop (Raleigh)
  • Coordinator: Steve B
  • Volunteers: Keith, Blair, Bill, Susan, Steve B
  • Recap: Steve B –

As predicted, the observing conditions were terrible, but we still had approximately 30-40 people who came out to discuss astronomy with us. I think it is safe to say that RAC was the star attraction at The Willard last night.

Upcoming events:

• September 5 – First Fridays with TLC at Three Bear Acres (Creedmoor)
  • Coordinator: Ana V
  • Volunteers registered:
    • telescopes: 7/15
    • floaters: 1/5
• September 9 – Sanderson High School (Raleigh)
  • Coordinator/volunteer: Tony V
• September 13 – American Heritage Girls – Medoc Mtn. (Hollister)
  • Coordinator: Steve B
  • Volunteers registered:
    • telescopes: 1/5
    • floaters: 1/5
• September 26 – The Hartwell (Raleigh)
  • Coordinator: Steve B
  • Volunteers registered:
    • telescopes: 3/4
    • floaters: 1/3
• October 3 – First Fridays with TLC at Three Bear Acres (Creedmoor)
  • Coordinator: Ana V
  • Volunteers registered:
    • telescopes: 1/15
    • floaters: 0/5
• October 4 – International Observe the Moon Night – Dillard Drive MS (Raleigh)
  • Coordinator: Steve B
  • Volunteers registered:
    • telescopes: 0/8
    • floaters: 0/5
• October 4 – International Observe the Moon Night – Peach Road Park (Raleigh)
  • Coordinator: TBD
  • Volunteers registered:
    • telescopes: 0/3
    • floaters: 0/2
• October 15 – The Willard Rooftop (Raleigh)
  • Coordinator: TBD
  • Volunteers needed (registration begins September 9):
    • telescopes: 3
    • floaters: 3
• October 18 – Stargazing on Tap Star Party (Cameron)
  • Volunteered needed (registration opens September 17):
    • telescopes: 5
    • floaters: 3
• November 7 – First Fridays with TLC at Three Bear Acres (Creedmoor)
  • Coordinator: Ana V
  • Volunteers registered:
    • telescopes: 0/15
    • floaters: 0/5
• November 13 – The Hartwell (Raleigh)
  • Coordinator: Steve B
  • Volunteers needed (registration starts October 8):
    • telescopes: 4
    • floaters: 3
• November 15 – Scouts – Camp Campbell (Clarksville, VA)
  • Coordinator: Matt L
  • Volunteers needed (registration starts October 10):
    • telescopes: 5
    • floaters: 3

Notes:

The Outreach Committee is looking for volunteers to coordinate events and assist at events with or without a telescope. To join the committee send a blank email to [email protected]. Any club member is welcome, regardless of experience level. We will train you! To volunteer for an event, register via the RAC Calendar event entry.

Event coordinators: please send an email after the event to [email protected] indicating:

• How many RAC members volunteered.
• Estimate of how many attendees were present.
• Brief synopsis of the event: what interesting things were observed, attendee reactions, host impressions, etc.