RAC Indoor Meeting Minutes

Attendance 

  • In-person: 23
  • Zoom: 15

Date: February 27, 2026

Co-Chair: Susan Herring

Meeting Presentation:

Meeting Topic: PiFinder — From Idea to Observing Companion

Speaker: Richard Wolff-Jacobson

Bio: Richard is a software engineer and hobbyist designer with a passion for astronomy, vintage electronics and unusual form factor computers.  He’s been observing the night sky for over 30 years with various commercial and home-built scopes, but still often feels like a beginner.

Meeting Description:
This talk shares the story of how the PiFinder came to life—what sparked its creation, how it evolved through prototypes, and the problems it set out to solve for observers. We’ll dig into how it works under the hood, especially its plate-solving engine, and look at how it’s become a valuable companion at the scope.  Along the way, I’ll share some lessons learned and a few fun surprises from the journey.

Astronomical League Report:

ALCOR AL Awards:
Awards for the February 27th RAC indoor meeting:

New/Holdovers:
Randal Finden – Herschel 400 – Imaging #679I Cert/Pin
M. Adnan Asif – Sketching OP – Cet and Pin
Dana R Bostic – Observer Award – Cert and Pin
M. Adnan Asif – Observer Award – Cert and Pin

Hubble 35th
Michael Keefe – Dec
Chris Wittum – Dec (sent)
Mustafa M Asif – Dec – (Received)

3I Atlas (certificate)
Robert Parsons

Dean’s AL Messier/Caldwell Monthly Challenge for 2026

  • Doug Lively – January
  • Blair Groden – Jan/Feb
  • Bethany Bennett – January
  • Chris Wittum – January

Upcoming Events:

  • March 4 – The Willard rescheduled from 2/25
  • March 7- Astronomy Night at Joyner Park
  • March 9 –  Martin Middle School Solar
  • March 13 – RACOBS
  • March 14 – Under The Stars at NCMA
  • March 16-22 – SRSP Scottsburg VA
  • March 19 – Abbotts Creek ES Science Fair
  • March 26 – Imaging Meeting
  • March 26 – Creech Road ES – Solar presentation
  • March 27- RAC Indoor Meeting
  • April 3 – First Fridays at 3BA
  • April 8 – The Willard
  • April 10 – RAC Indoor Meeting/Social
  • May 7 – The Hartwell

Astronomy Days:

A big thank you to Chris Cole for taking the lead for Astronomy Days and to everyone who volunteered to work at Astronomy Days.  The official count for the two days was 15,000 visitors!

Treasurer’s Report:

  • Memberships:
    • RAC memberships: 541
    • Cancelled Memberships: 2
    • Admin memberships: 1
    • TOTAL memberships: 540
  • Financials:
    • Checking: $1294.52
    • Savings: $31962.12
    • Special Purpose: $0.46

Outreach Report

Refer to https://raleighastro.org/blog/2026/02/07/rac-outreach-committee-report-january-2026/ with the following changes:

  • Astronomy Days, Scotts Ridge ES, Sherwood Githens MS – Has already happened
  • Stargazing on Tap Star Party got postponed to Saturday Feb. 28
  • The Willard Rooftop got postponed to Wednesday March 4
  • The Hartwell got added on May 7
  • Creech Road ES may happen on March 26?
  • Imagination Station (Wilson) probably happening on May 9

Action Item: Need volunteers for Vandora Springs ES on Monday March 2.  – Got clouded out, so no need for volunteers

Safety: Members interested in First Aid/CPR/AED training can register themselves by finding a convenient class here:

https://www.redcross.org/local/north-carolina/take-a-class/cpr-raleigh-nc

Loaner Scope Report – 

Available Checked Out In for Repair Available
Cassegrains 6 2 3
Dobsonians 6 2 4
Maksutovs 2 0 3
Refractors 0 0 2
Reflectors 3 1 1
Binoculars 2 0 2
Accessories 11 0 24
Outreach 2 0 4
    https://raleighastro.org/loaner-telescopes/

Education Committee Report:

Instructors meeting this Saturday February 28, 2026 – Already happened

Next Class scheduled for:

  • Topic: TBD
  • Date: March 28, 2026
  • Time: 1:00 – 2:00 PM
  • Place: Cherry Building + Zoom

Webmaster Report – No Updates

Web team Reports: – No Updates

Committee Reports

Social Events

  • Our next RAC pre meeting social will be held  at the April 10th Indoor Meeting. More details to follow.
  • Upcoming events: Plans are in the works for a RAC fall picnic in either September or October of this year.

Social Media – No Updates

A/V – No Updates

Imaging Report

  • The next Imagining meeting will be held on March 26, 2026.
  • Topic TBD
  • Check the imaging group or the calendar for more updates!

Key-Holders Report

  • 3BA bathrooms are closed until at least March

Socialize after the meeting at Sammy’s.