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Opening
Welcome Guests and New Members.
Major Presentation
This was Peter Birren's second presentation to the club this year. In this delightful evening, Peter shared the many ways to enjoy our hobby, from naked eye, binocular, and telescope observing, to smart scopes and serious imaging. While Peter did not plug his excellent astronomy field guide, "Objects in the Heavens", our club members certainly recommend it. See https://www.birrendesign.com/astro.html to order your own copy! (Members and guests, if there is a topic you would like to know more about or a topic you would like to present, please send an email to vicepresident at oaklandastronomy.net.)
Visual Observers Guide
Veteran observer Dave Holt shared highlights of October's exquisite targets nestled in the Milky Way rich constellation Cassiopeia. Download this month's Visual Observer Guide, .skylist, and skymap files from the "Observation Tab" of the club website under "What's Up?"
Club Events Report
Community-Sponsored Events and Star Parties since our last club meeting
- September 14, Tonight's Star Party was a lot of fun as seventeen club members shared International Observe the Moon night with 44 guests at our observing field.
- September 20-21, This year's Astronomy at the Beach saw twelve OAC club members with club members from all the regional clubs sharing their love of the night sky with several thousand guests at Maybury State Park. Kudos to the entire AATB planning committee who did a great job putting this together--as ALWAYS!
- September 27, Three club members shared family-friendly astronomy activities on this cloudy night at the annual West Bloomfield Family Campout. Thanks, Gary, Dave, and Bill for providing "Plan B" for this event.
- October 4, The Saturn Party and Solar System Trail Walk hosted by Addison Oaks County Park was a great hit for 119 guests; the skies were looking unfriendly when almost on cue at dusk, clouds were replaced with clear skies! Thirteen club members hosted planetary stops on the trail or shared their scopes. A very enjoyable evening for all who bet against the clouds!
- October 10, Twelve club members and twenty-four guests enjoyed the surprising and spectacular Auroral displays at our club observing field. What a show!
- October 11, Rob, Bill, Dana and John shared telescopic views of Saturn, the Moon, and more at the Addison Oaks annual "Camper's Boo Bash". Thanks, Rachel, for putting this well-loved program together.
- October 12, Dave Holt, Dave Brooks, David Kastl, and Bill Slogeris were ready to share the skies with 32 family members at the Rochester Montessori School tonight, but the observing opportunity was clouded over. The educational segment went forward, but the eyes-on-the-skies portion was sorely missed by the eager students!
Club-Members-Only Observing Nights since our last club meeting:
- October 5, Nine club members and nine family members enjoyed a beautiful Addison Oaks evening.
Upcoming Community-Sponsored events for October and November were reviewed and are posted on the Events Page of our club's website. The complete copy of upcoming events, including club-member events and public events, will be mailed to club members after this meeting. Look for event-specific emails asking for your RSVP's in the coming weeks.
News from the Vice-President
Tom shared that November's presentation will cover new astronomy gear, with a focus on smart scopes. A survey will be sent to smart scope users in the club so as to include their real-world experiences in the presentation. Tom also introduced there will be a second opportunity for club members to participate in an auction for some very nice equipment that has been recently donated to the club; check your email for additional details.
News from the President
Gary invited club member participation in the upcoming December club officer elections, noting that nominations will be refined at the November meeting.
Open Discussion and Image Sharing
There were a ton of beautiful images shared by club members. Such talent! Thanks to all for sharing these wonderful images, they were truly enjoyable.