Matt Lochansky – Page 6 – Raleigh Astronomy Club

Recap: RACOBS – August 26

Despite getting off to a cloudy start, last night’s RACOBS was quite enjoyable. 11 people in attendance. The weather was hot and humid. However, over the course of the evening the temperatures started to drop and clouds began to dissipate. The sky conditions were not ideal but allowed for good viewing of Saturn, Mars, nebulae and clusters. However, transparency was quite bad and limited galaxy viewing. Mike Keefe reported using video astronomy and getting a nice capture of the Eagle…

Call for Speakers and Topics

RAC News, Uncategorized

As RAC builds our 2016-2017 indoor meeting schedule, we are looking for ideas for meeting topics as well as speakers. It can be anything astronomy related, from beginner to advanced.This club belongs to us all and we want to make sure you get the most out of it. If you are willing to give a talk, let us know! No idea is too simple – please tell us what you’d like to hear! Please email any ideas or…

Future RAC Meetings – POLL

Polls, Uncategorized

All, RAC is looking to freshen up our indoor meetings due to dwindling attendance. On August 12 the club held a test meeting at the NC State Crafts center and are now collecting feedback. The poll doesn’t allow for text responses, but please respond either on the RaleighAstro yahoo group or via an email to the co-chairs ([email protected]) if you have ideas or want to share your thoughts in more detail. [poll id=”5″]

August 12 Indoor Meeting: NOTE: LOCATION/DATE/TIME CHANGE

Meetings, Uncategorized

All, August promises to be a very special month as Jim Pressley, Carl Moreschi, Al Hamrick and Michael Searle team up to give us their impressions of the OzSky Star Fest held in Australia this April! They traveled together, roomed together and observed together on an excellent 25″ f/5 Obsession. The southern skies must have been excellent. Most important, RAC is trying a different location and time. Plus, this meeting is being moved back to Friday. Currently, this is only for…

RAC Meeting and Business – July 28

Club Reports, Uncategorized

Chris Cole ran the meeting 32 members and guests signed the attendance log Speaker: Dr. Chris Richardson, Assistant Professor of Physics, Elon University Dr. Richardson showed the explosion in the number of known exoplanets. He used a graphic (right) to show all 786 known exoplanets… as of June 2012. Now, in 2016 that number is over 3,000. Looking at the drake equation, most of the variables are reasonably well known, with the exception of the last variable “L” which describes…

Recap: Elections and Exoplanets: July 28!

Meetings, Uncategorized

Recap: The July meeting of the RAC featured a talk by special guest Dr. Chris Richardson, Assistant Professor of Physics at Elon University. Dr. Richardson gave a lively and engaging presentation about Exoplanets. He discussed recent results in this popular area of research, especially the enormous amount of data coming from the Kepler Space Telescope. He also discussed the various components of the famous Drake Equation. Dr. Frank Drake created the equation in 1961. It attempts to compute the number…

RAC Outreach at Governor’s School

Observing Reports, Uncategorized

Several RAC members gathered on the roof of the Science and Math building at Meredith College to provide an observing session for teens attending the Governor Morehead School. The weather looked threatening throughout the afternoon, but storms held off and we were able to observe despite the clouds. Daniel Murphy was our Governor Morehead School coordinator. Over 125 of North Carolina’s brightest rising seniors enjoyed views of Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, the moon and stars through telescopes ranging from…

July Darkness Data

Observing Reports, Uncategorized

Darkness Text Report Location: Raleigh, NC Beginning: 01 Jul 2016 Latitude: 35°52’12” N Ending: 31 Jul 2016 Longitude: 78°46’48” W LT/UT: LT Time Zone: Eastern Standard Time Days to Skip: 1 Dow Date AM Tw Sun Rise Sun Set PM Tw Moon Rise Moon Set Phase AM Dark End PM Dark End Fri 01 Jul 04:14a 06:03a 08:35p 10:24p 03:38a 05:42p 14.5% 12:00a 03:38a 10:24p 11:59p Sat 02 Jul 04:15a 06:03a 08:35p 10:24p 04:28a 06:47p 7.3% 12:00a 04:15a 10:24p 11:59p…

CANCELLED: RACOBS – July 8

Observing Reports, Uncategorized

Due to expected storms coming through the region between 8-10pm, already soft grounds and high clouds, RACOBS is cancelled for the month. It’s time for RACOBS again, the monthly outdoor meeting of the Raleigh Astronomy Club. We’ll be meeting at our normal spot near Jordan Lake. As always, the event is open to the public, however we do not advertise the location. Please email the club, [email protected] if you would like directions. Sunset should occur at 8:33pm, A waxing crescent…

Constitutional Amendment [Vote Ended]

RAC News, Uncategorized

At the RAC Indoor meeting on June 23, 2016 a constitutional amendment was motioned, seconded, and the motion was carried on a unanimous vote. The amendment now has to be voted on by the club as a whole. Voting is permitted online – you will see the form below. Voting will be open until July 27, 2016. After that time, votes will be tallied and formally cast (similar to absentee ballots) on July 28, 2016 at the next RAC Indoor…

RAC Meeting Recap – June 23

Club Reports, RAC News, Uncategorized

Thank you to all who attended the RAC Indoor meeting on June 23. There was no presentation at this meeting as the Ozfest talk was delayed until August. This was an important business meeting primarily to discuss officer elections and future meetings. Constitutional Amendment: A proposed constitutional amendment was discussed, particularly since one of our Co-Chair’s is at his term limit (3 years). Section 5. Limitations of Office‑Holding. No officer shall simultaneously hold more than one elected office. No member…

June Darkness Data

Observing Reports, Uncategorized

Darkness Text Report Location: Raleigh, NC Beginning: 01 Jun 2016 Latitude: 35°52’12” N Ending: 30 Jun 2016 Longitude: 78°46’48” W LT/UT: LT Time Zone: Eastern Standard Time Days to Skip: 1 Dow Date AM Tw Sun Rise Sun Set PM Tw Moon Rise Moon Set Phase AM Dark End PM Dark End Wed 01 Jun 04:13a 06:00a 08:27p 10:13p 03:32a 04:34p 21.4% 12:00a 03:32a 10:13p 11:59p Thu 02 Jun 04:13a 06:00a 08:27p 10:14p 04:14a 05:43p 12.6% 12:00a 04:13a 10:14p 11:59p…

RACOBS – June 10 – Recap

Observing Reports, Uncategorized

The June RACOBS was June 10. About 10-12 RAC members and a few guests enjoyed a night under the stars. Sunset: 8:31pm Astronomical Twilight: 10:19pm For the most part, the weather was average until later in the eve, when the clouds started to roll in. We just can’t seem to get a break with the weather. Interestingly, it actually got warmer as the night progressed. A bright meteor was seen by many early in the evening. Also the ISS made…

May Darkness Data

Observing Reports, Uncategorized

Darkness Text Report Location: Raleigh, NC Beginning: 01 May 2016 Latitude: 35°52’12” N Ending: 31 May 2016 Longitude: 78°46’48” W LT/UT: LT Time Zone: Eastern Standard Time Days to Skip: 1 Dow Date AM Tw Sun Rise Sun Set PM Tw Moon Rise Moon Set Phase AM Dark End PM Dark End Sun 01 May 04:47a 06:22a 08:03p 09:38p 02:58a 02:22p 39.1% 12:00a 02:58a 09:38p 11:59p Mon 02 May 04:45a 06:21a 08:03p 09:40p 03:38a 03:27p 28.5% 12:00a 03:38a 09:40p 11:59p…

May RACOBS – Recap

Observing Reports, Uncategorized

We had 3 present af the RACOBS: Quinten Brener – visitor Chris Cole – RAC Co-chairman Me – RAC ALCOR Quinten setup a camera up by The lake while Chris and I set up in the “traditional” spot. Quintin was there to test out a new Canon DSLR by doing a timelapse. He did manage to capture a bright meteorite that left a smoky green trail in one of his frames. He had never seen any planet or deep sky…