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…
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…
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…
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…
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: 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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
