September  2001

ACT, Inc. has been meeting continuously since 1937 and was incorporated in 1986. It is a nonprofit; tax deductible organization dedicated to promoting, to the public, the art of viewing and the scientific aspect of astronomy.

The Astronomy Club of Tulsa Club

Room M1 inside Keplinger Hall, the Science & Engineering Building at TU.
Enter the parking lot on the East Side of Keplinger Hall from
Harvard and 5th Street. This will take you directly toward the
staircase to enter the building. Room M1 is the first room on the left.

John Land

ASTRONOMY CLUB RETURNS TO TU CAMPUS

DARK MATTER: WHERE IS THE REST OF THE UNIVERSE.
As astronomers we search the darkness straining to see the faint glow of a galaxy or comet. We spend our hours searching for the bright things of the universe and ignoring the dark veil of empty space. Now we are beginning to realize that the shiny things of night represent only about 10 percent of the universe. Most of the mass of the universe is unseen and unknown. This unseen matter has been dubbed "Dark Matter" At this month's meeting we will look at how we know Dark Matter exists and some of the possibilities of its composition.
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010610.html

SPACE SHUTTLE GETAWAY PACKAGE - SPACE BALLS PROJECT.
As an added attraction our own Aaron Coyner is going to give us an overview of a project he has been working on for the TU Physics department this summer. The project is funded through the NASA Get Away Special (GAS) program. The project is designed to examine the behavior of a "gas" of granular materials in space. Specifically they hope to model the perfect gas law to examine the behavior of gases in orbit. I'll let Aaron fill us in the details.

Future Club Meeting Dates at TU - Friday Oct 5, Friday Nov. 2, Friday Dec. 7 -

Astronomy Club Observing Night Friday Sept 14 7:30 PM to Dawn
We have had a great summer of observing nights at the Club's Mounds Observatory. Our June and July sessions had large groups with many visitors. Even though our Aug 10 meeting was cloudy we still had a good group to view Dean Salmon's slides from the Africa Eclipse. We hope to continue having good groups this fall. Bring your lawn chair a few finger snacks and enjoy our voyages into the night. You don't have to have a telescope. You can view through the club's 16-inch reflector or share the view with many of our members' telescopes. If you've never been to the observatory call one of the officers or phone 688-MARS for directions.  On your way out look for the new CLUB OBSERVATORY SIGN painted by our own K.C. Lobrecht at the corner of 241st and old highway 75. http://astrotulsa.com/Club/observatory.asp

Club Business: The club has been made an attractive offer to trade one of our older telescopes for a more modern telescope with digital setting circles. After our regular program time we will present the details and take a vote.

CLUB OFFICER ELECTIONS are coming up this fall. We are in need of several new enthusiastic people to help plan club activities. It is difficult for just a few people to continue to come up with new ideas for the club each month. You don't have to be an astronomy expert to be an officer - Just willing to give it your best.

NEWSLETTER ARTICLES - If you want to write up a project you've done, a special observing interest, science topic - we'd love to see them included. Send us a few paragraphs or up to a page. If possible we'd like to have it sent e-mail. Be sure you've done your research well and grammar checking before you send it in. We would also like to have a few paragraphs relating a to personal observing experience. If anyone would like to take on a Monthly article - I'd like to see an Observing Challenges article featuring a constellation or type of objects and say a top ten targets for u to find this month. I've seen these in some other club letters and they make up a contest to see who can find them.

CLUB DOOR PRIZES - We have found that a door prize or two helps keep our audience around until the end of the program. If you have some good quality but extra astronomy pictures - posters - eyepieces or other astronomy products you'd like to donate they would be greatly appreciated.

OBSERVATORY CARE & REPAIR - Gerry Andries can use help immediately with lawn care and weed control. Due to the extreme heat this summer our repair projects are still undone. We will be looking for help later this fall. If you have time and equipment contact Gerry.

If you have some fresh ideas and are willing to help please contact John Land or one of the other club officers about helping.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
The following is the current schedule of star parties and public groups. Tentatively scheduled dates are bracketed with question marks. All events are at the RMCC unless noted otherwise:

Contact Gerry Andries 369 - 3320

EVENTS AT RMCC OBSERVATORY
SEP
09-14-01 Fri 07:30 Club Star Party
09-15-01 Sat 07:30 Back up for 09/14
09-20-01 Thu 07:30 Skiatook Gifted and Talented (30)
09-28-01 Fri 07:00 Kellyville Cub Scouts
OCT
10-12-01 Fri 07:30 Club Star Party
10-13-01 Sat 07:30 (Back up for 10/12)
NOV
11-07-01 Wed 05:30 Royal Ambassadors of So Side Baptist Church (30)

EVENTS AWAY FROM RMCC
SEP
09-07-01 Fri 07:30 Regular Meeting (at Keplinger Hall)
09-21-01 Fri 07:30 Royal Ambassadors (at Camp Lotridge near US Hwy 75 & 71st)
09-25-01 Tue 07:00 Jarmin Elementary School (at the school in Tulsa)
OCT
10-05-01 Fri 07:30 Regular Meeting (at Keplinger Hall)
10-14 thru 21 Okie Tex Star Party (at Black Mesa, Kenton, OK)
10-25-01 Thu 06:30 Planet Talk and Viewing (at Broken Arrow Library)

OKIE-TEX STAR PARTY - Oct 14 to Oct 20

This premiere week of stargazing is held a Camp Billy Joe in the Black Mesa at the far edge of the Oklahoma panhandle. Several of our members have attended and say it is some of the most spectacular sky on the planet. Registration is $35 before Sept 15 then $50. Meals are $7 each and must be prepaid. Sleeping quarters are available on the grounds. K.C. Lobrecht of our club can give you a review of her experiences at Okie-Tex. For complete information contact:

Okie-Tex Star Party - Box 128 Mustang, OK 73064 - Phone 405-350-3108 or 405-722-1678

Registration on the web at http://www.OKIE-TEX.COM

   

Astronomy Club of Tulsa, 918.688.MARS

President: John Land

Vice President: Dennis Mishler

Secretary: Teresa Kincannon

Treasurer: Nick Pottorf

RMCC Observatory Manager: Gerry Andries

Observing Chairman: David Stine

Web Master: Tom McDonough

New Membership: Dennis Mishler

Librarian: Ed Reinhart

Education Coordinator: Scott Parker