Welcome to Houston Astronomical Society

Observatory building training will be conducted Saturday, April 15 for the first six members who meet all class requirements. Watch for a reply email from Chris Ober to see if you made the cut. Please do not request a spot in class if you cannot meet the time and weather commitments listed in my email. 

Prior to observatory training, users are required to have:

• Knowledge of basic telescope functionality and procedures.
• Working understanding of equatorial-mounted astronomical telescopes.
• Know how to read star charts and locate/identify constellations in the night sky.
• It is also strongly recommended, though not required, that users be familiar with using TheSkyX software.

All requirements are listed on the Observatory page. Good luck!

Rene Gedaly
Observatory Trainer

HAS Monthly Meeting – via Zoom

Friday April 7^th at 7:00pm CDST

Comets: Tracers of our Past

By: Dr. Anita Cochran,

 Assistant Director, McDonald Observatory

The University of Texas at Austin

Comets are the least altered bodies left over from the formation of our Solar System. Therefore, study of comets yields constraints on conditions when the planets formed. 

In this talk, Dr. Cochran will explain about the formation scenario for planets and what comets represent in that scenario. In addition, where the comets originally formed, where they currently reside and how an occasional comet comes into the inner Solar System to show off and be studied will be presented.

From 40 years of studying comets, we have developed information on their composition. However, the picture is not as simple as we would have hoped, and the complications will be shown.  Finally, Dr. Cochran will discuss some peculiar cases and give a coming attraction of an upcoming comet!

Please join us for what promises to be an interesting and informative discussion!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This meeting will be held virtually via Zoom. In order to attend, you must register for the meeting. You can do so using the link below. You will receive a email with the details of the meeting and a link that will allow you to join in.

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUpfumhpjsjHtYSZXmIJIKO4atqcgQuaI2g 

You only need to register once!

Join us Friday, April 7, 2023 at 7:00 pm CDST. See you then!

Tour of the Spring Night Sky/The Sky Down Under

by Chris Morisette

Spring weather in SE Texas can be quite variable. It can and does bring some very pleasant weather for astronomy and camping out at the HAS dark site. Nights temps are crisp and dark hours are fairly long.

The night sky shows off its great variety in springtime! Winter constellations are setting in the west at evening twilight and the galaxy rich constellations are overhead. As a bonus, the summer Milky Way presents itself to those observing into the wee hours of the morning!

Novice Chairperson Chris Morisette will lead us on a tour of the spring night sky. He will give us tips on preparing to observe the spring night sky and point out several objects available for observation that should not be missed.

In addition, Chris will share some highlights of his recent trip to New Zealand, and highlights of the night sky there.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This meeting will be held virtually via Zoom. In order to attend, you must register for the meeting. You can do so using the link below. You will receive a email with the details of the meeting and a link that will allow you to join in.

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAtfumpqz0vGtZrn58jBmPOqlaWXFSqtUue 

You only need to register once!

Join us Thursday, April 6th, 2023 at 7:00 pm CDST. See you then!

Food For Thought

Presented by Jim King

Produced By The Fertile and Talented Mind of Juliane McAdam, IDA Contributor

A   P o e m  :  H o n o r   t h e   N I g h t

It is said that in the time of Galileo, the Milky way shone brightly

Enough to cast a shadow.

Now, who can even see the broad band of our galaxy in the night sky?

We hide it with bright city lights, go inside our houses and flip switches.

We no longer honor the night sky.

Ancient cultures measured time in the moon’s phases,

The days of each cycle counted out; they knew when the moon would wax and wane.

But who today is aware whether the moon is crescent, full, or gibbous?

We no longer honor the night sky.  The ancients saw pictures in the night sky,

Each culture telling the stories of its creation, its heroes and its gods, in the stars.

Who today can see these celestial forms or knows their stories?

We no longer honor the night sky.

On a retreat with preteen students, far enough from city lights to see the cosmos,

On a night when bright Venus casts a shadow, we asked them to turn off their flashlights,

Let their eyes adjust, trust their steps to the starlight.

We honored the night sky.