It’s time for RACOBS, the monthly outdoor observing session of the Raleigh Astronomy Club! Check back for a go/no-go decision and timing to open the gate. It’s been a few months, so let’s hope the weather cooperates! Date: Friday, February 24, 2017 Sunset: 6:05pm As always, visitors are welcome! Just email the club, [email protected], at least 24 hours in advance so we can provide details (location, timing, etc). If you’ve been to our site in the past, please let…
Location: NCSU Crafts Center (directions) Date: February 10, 2017 Time: 7:30-9:30pm Please join us Friday night at the NC State Crafts Center for a presentation by our own Mark Lang titled: “Celestial Occultations – an overview of astronomical occultations” Additionally We will have: 1) An announcement concerning a memorial fund honoring Dr. Jerry Watson. 2) Discussions concerning the August 21 Eclipse 3) Distribution of solar eclipse glasses to RAC Members attending the meeting. 4) General RAC Business
Astronomy Days Recap The Raleigh Astronomy Club, in conjunction with the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and many other groups, put together another very successful weekend for Astronomy Days 2017 where the theme was “The Sun and The Stars”. Nearly 15,000 visitors attended the events. It’s always great to see our community so engaged in astronomy, space, and science. A big thank you to everyone who volunteered to make the event what it is! One of the most popular exhibits…
Join us at the Brickhouse Restaurant (3801 Hillsborough St, Raleigh, NC 27607 – the Royal center) on Thursday, January 19, 2017. The meeting begins at 7pm. We meet in the hallway just behind the restaurant. We will be discussing plans for future topics, possible imaging outings for 2017, and a brief mention of how you can contribute for the Astronomy Days Event.
RACOBS is cancelled due to wet and cloudy conditions… perhaps next month?! *NOTE* RACOBS has been moved a week earlier due to Astronomy Days Bring the family out to RACOBS! The Raleigh Astronomy Club’s monthly observing session at our usual dark sky site. Check back for a go/no-go decision and timing to open the gate. It might be cold, so dress appropriately. Date: Friday, January 20, 2016 Sunset: 5:30pm As always, visitors are welcome! Just email the club,…
I know it’s not astroimaging related, but I decided to post the instructions I used to connect my Sky Commander digital setting circles to my Skywatcher USA 10″ collapsible dobsonian. This was mainly to test the forum system out and see how it goes. Proceed at your own risk. This installation does require modification to the base board of your Skywatcher USA Dobsonian mount and it not a reversible operation. The 3D Printed parts have been designed by me for…
When: December 9, 2016, 7:30pm-9:30pm Where: NC State Crafts Center (directions) Who: The meeting is open to the public! “Can I See It? Modern tools for observation planning” by RAC member Phyllis Lang. Phyllis is a long-time visual observer and the author of Deep-Sky Planner software. Abstract Go beyond charts and magazines to plan your observing sessions. Determine the best observing order for a list, plan observing around obstructions at your local observing site, and predict whether you can see…
RACOBS is cancelled, primarily due to a forecast with more clouds than clear sky Black Friday turns into the Raleigh Astronomy Club’s monthly observing session at our usual dark sky site. Check back for a go/no-go decision and timing to open the gate. This is our first peak at the winter sky close to dark! It’s also the first session since DST ended, so we have an extra hour of darkness in the evening. Date: Friday, November 25,…
When: November 11, 2016, 7:30pm-9:30pm Where: NC State Crafts Center (directions) Who: The meeting is open to the public! We will have a short business meeting at 7:30 followed by a swap meet and social. There should be quite a bit of gear there available for purchase. If you have spare gear you want to get rid of, be sure to bring it in. If you need a table to display your items, please let us know. If you have any…
We had one of the best showings that I’ve seen in a while for RACOBS. Sky conditions were above average and everyone was petty excited to be out there. There were at least 10-15 people there. Some members of the NCSU astronomy club showed up, and we had a chance to talk and help them out. Mike M. offered to do an imaging class for them on campus sometime. Thanks to David K. who spent most of the the evening with…
When: October 14, 2016, 7:30pm Where: NC State Crafts Center (directions) Who: The meeting is open to the public! The October RAC indoor meeting will feature RAC Solar Astronomers presenting some of their latest work. Sit back and enjoy the fascinating beauty of our nearest star. This meeting is intended to be an informal presentation/discussion, a chance to show off some of solar observing talent, and an opportunity to share some excellent solar observing tips and practices! Our own…
Date: September 23, 2016 Time: 7:30pm RECAP: About 15 club members and guests ventured out to RACOBS this month. Once dark, the skies were unusually steady. Mars, and Saturn were sights for the first hour, but unfortunately Jupiter set soon after the sun. The milky way was obvious with some structure visible. Some of the objects observed include M31 Andromeda Galaxy, M57 Ring Nebula, the double cluster (NGC 869/884), NGC 6760, M8 Lagoon, M17, Swan nebula, and more. Several new…
About 25 members attended the club’s monthly indoor meeting. Many thanks to the club members who presented some of their astrophotography work during the presentation portion of the meeting. From single photos to time lapses, the galaxy (and beyond!) was well represented. Club Business: BBQ: A club Barbecue is being planned for October 15. Chris Cole is organizing. At least 20 participants are needed to lock in the catering. The club will provide barbecue, wings, ice cream,…
All RAC members are invited to an outdoor club barbecue. The club will provide midwestern style pork barbecue, hot wings, homemade ice cream, and maybe hot dogs. Members are encouraged to bring a side dish to share. Host/Organizer: Chris Cole When: October 15, Time TBD (late morning/early afternoon) Where: Apex, NC (see member’s email listserv for address) Please RSVP via the club email discussion. We need at least 20 attendees to make this happen and an accurate headcount for…
Recap: What a wonderful meeting where several club members got up in the front of the group and presented some of their favorite photos they’ve taken. We saw great views of many objects including the Eagle nebula, Orion Nebula, the Sun and Moon, Pleides star cluster, the Shark Nebula, and much more. What was also impressive was the many different approaches club members take the capturing photographs… From multi-night LRGB images to very short video captures, to wide field DSLR…
