Dan Williams supports Star Parties.
John Lauder
SaddleBrooke SkyGazers meets the second Sunday each month at 7:00 p.m. from October through April with time off for travel in the summer. We support rookie Astronomers as well as the experienced observer. We also provide periodic educational outreach. For example, club members supported the Biosphere 2 Summer Science Academy Star Party for middle school students in July. We try to support an annual field trip such as U of A Mirror Lab, Mt. Lemmon Observatory and the U of A Planetarium. Mt. Kitt Observatory, anyone?
Our October 9 meeting will feature our resident Cosmologist Lockwood Carlson. He will present the latest findings regarding Gravitational Waves. Imagine two black holes combining and sending a shock wave from across the universe! Einstein was right! Lockwood will explain how they are detected and what it means to Science.
Our November 13 meeting will be geared for the new Astronomer. The presenters will display multiple telescopes and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each configuration. Size, price, lenses, quality, transportability and where to buy telescopes will be discussed. Telescope set-up support will be offered. Experienced observers will be on hand to answer questions and even schedule a time when you can try your hand at using a scope. We also have a monthly Skygazer party where club members bring out their telescopes for other members and the general public to use in the SaddleBrooke area. Skygazer parties are scheduled for Wednesday, September 21 at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, October 20 at 6:30 p.m. and Thursday, November 17 at 6:15 p.m. Location is the empty lot next to 36677 Ventana Place in the Preserve.
Plan to attend and become a member. Our $10 annual fee provides membership to the club and supports dinners for our non-SaddleBrooke lecturers (usually from the University of Arizona) as a reward for traveling and spending their Sunday evening with us. We also have a Christmas party and end of year Sky party. Membership will add you to our email list with monthly reminders of meeting locations since our room assignments tend to shift with HOA 2 trying to satisfy all resident room needs. On October 9 and November 13 we are scheduled to be at the HOA 1 Activity Center at 7:00 p.m.; members and non-members welcome.