RAC – Page 13 – Raleigh Astronomy Club

RAC Business Meeting – September 9, 2016

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,…

Member’s BBQ and Solar Observing – October 15

Meetings, Uncategorized

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: September 9 Indoor Meeting – Astrophotography

Meetings, Uncategorized

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…

Recap: RACOBS – August 26

Meetings, Uncategorized

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…

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…

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…

RAC Meeting and Business, May 12, 2016

Club Reports, Uncategorized

Chris Cole ran the meeting 14 people signed the roster Mark Lang acting secretary Speaker: Dr. Rachael Smith Topic: Astronomy from the Stratosphere – Observing with EXES on SOFIA Synopsis: The first 30 minutes of Dr. Smith’s talk described her experience on the SOFIA aircraft itself. She took lots of photos and wore a GO-PRO camera and shared her images. She showed how the Boeing 747 was modified to house the 2.5 meter telescope in its own airtight room and…

March Business Meeting

Club Reports, Uncategorized

Co-chairman Mike Mantini hosted the meeting at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, 4th Floor ECC room. 29 members and visitors attended. The evening’s presentation was “Observing Galaxy Evolution at Intermediate Redshifts” by NC State Senior Mia De Los Reyes. A recording of the talk can be viewed on the RAC YouTube Channel, or directly, here. 1.Co-Chair Phyllis Lang talked about RAC’s ongoing education series at the museum. On a monthly basis a RAC volunteer delivers a presentation aimed for the general…

Meeting Minutes 25 Feb 2016

Club Reports, Uncategorized

Co-chairman Chris Cole hosted the meeting. 31 members and visitors attended. The evening’s presentation was “Binary Stars” by club member Jim DellaPenna. The talk was streamed live and recorded for YouTube, and it was very well received by attendees. 1. Club elections are coming up. We will need to elect 3 new Co-chairpersons and a new Secretary. Our current Treasurer (Steve Izzo) plans to run again. Please contact an officer at [email protected] if you have questions about fulfilling any of these…

In Memoriam: Gerald F. Watson II

RAC News, Uncategorized

22 May 1937- 28 January 2016 The Raleigh Astronomy Club lost a long time member and contributor on January 28, 2016. Born and raised in Erie Pennsylvania, Jerry obtained his Bachelor of Science in meteorology at Pennsylvania State University in 1959 and continued his meteorological studies earning a Master of Science degree from The University of Chicago in 1962 and a Ph. D. from Florida State University in 1971. He joined the faculty at North Carolina State University in 1972…

Astronomy Days 2016

RAC News, Uncategorized

The Raleigh Astronomy Club and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences hosts Astronomy Days 2016 on Saturday and Sunday, January 30-31, 2016. This years event was very successful with over 15,800 visitors coming out to learn about space and astronomy.