[Friends_of_SSASTROS] Notes From The President - Please Read!

[Mike McCabe]

Greetings, Friends and Members of the South ShoreAstronomical Society!

In this email we’ll take a quick look back at the month ofJuly, then look forward to what we have going on in August. So, without furtherado;
July was another tough month from a nighttime observing perspective.Yes, there were a few nights where one could get out and take a look around ormaybe do some astrophotography, but by and large they were few and far between.The Sun did come out on most days, and if you were so inclined you could’veinvestigated it telescopically on at least 25 of the 31 days in the month. Wedid get out and do some outreach, specifically at the Lawson Tower back on the3rd, and then at the Scituate Lighthouse on the 22nd, 23rd,and 28th. We did have our Star-B-Que back on the 7thwhich was a lovely group activity, but as far as deep-sky astronomicalobserving is concerned we haven’t gotten together to do that since back on May13th. Here’s hoping that August is kinder to us in that regard!

There was plenty of sunshine in July - most of it filtered through smoke - but precious few nighttime viewing opportunities. Our night scopes aren't getting worn out lately, that's for sure, but as they say, this too shall pass.
Speaking of August, we’ve got a great month coming up, andhopefully the weather moderates and accommodates us better than it has during the past few months. At minimum, we’re lookingforward to;

·        Lawson Tower, tomorrow night, August 1st.If you haven’t been yet and are physically able, you owe it to yourself to comeon over, climb the big spiral staircase, and see what the hubbub is all about.The views from the belfry are spectacular, the history of the structure isenamoring, and if the sky is clear – which it’s predicted to be – the moonriseover the Atlantic Ocean will be like no other. Things get going around 7:30pmtomorrow evening. Some of us will be there as a ‘ground support’ crew, withtelescopes set up on the lawn, while others will be up in the tower answeringquestions for the paying guests. The Moon is set to rise almost exactly 30minutes past sunset, so this should be a really good one to see. Be there or besquare!

·        There’ll be no regular meeting on the 1stWednesday (August 2nd). Instead we’ll host a gallery opening eventat the Hingham Public Library on the 2nd Wednesday, August 9th.Those that are participating in the gallery display itself will be at thelibrary this coming Friday, the 4th, to hang their artwork. Hanging hoursare from 9am to 1pm. More info about the opening night will be forthcoming.

·        So far we only have one presenter for thegallery opening night and we could use a couple of more. Steve LaFlamme islined up to speak about beginner backyard astrophotography, so if anyone elsehas a topic that might be of general interest to both the library patrons andour club members, please contact Louis Gentile to get on the list. All we’reasking for is 30 minutes at most. Please consider chipping in!

·        A few days after our gallery opening night, you’llwant to be outside in the middle of the night lounging back in your chaiselounge or anti-gravity chair. The Perseid meteor shower peaks on the 13th(Sunday) this year, which is close enough to the New Moon (16th) fora potentially good one. In fact, any clear night from the 13th to the19th has the potential to be a fantastic meteor watching night. Typicallyspeaking, sometime after midnight is when the action really starts, but anytimeit’s dark around those dates is fair game for some real bolides to streakacross the sky.

·        Speaking of August 13th, that thelast day that you can register online for the STELLAFANE CONVENTION. One ofoldest – if not the oldest – and largest gatherings of its kind in the realm ofamateur astronomy, Stellafane holds a place of such importance in some people’slives that their calendar actually revolves around it. One of those people wasa man who’s name will be recognized by some club members – Roger Tuthill – and youcan read about how much Stellafane meant to him and many others in thisarticle;  https://stellafane.org/history/early/beaty.html  Stellafane, like any other specialized event,isn’t for everybody, but I do believe that if you’re passionate about thishobby you should try it at least once in your life. Several of us will beheading up for the weekend of the 17th to the 20th. Checkout their webpage here;  https://stellafane.org/
·        In addition to all of that, Steve LaFlamme willhost his Cosmic Coffeehouse gathering on the 15th, and hopefully we’llbe able to squeeze in a few nights at the lighthouse to boot. So we’ve got abusy month on tap. Here’s hoping that the weather gods are kind to us and thatwe can get back out under the dark skies with our telescopes once again.

August always has the potential to be a spectacular month for amateur astronomers in the northern hemisphere. The summer heat typically moderates, the onset of darkness starts to happen at a more reasonable time, and the sky is rife with spectacular Milky Way targets. This year the Perseids peak during dark skies and the mother of all star parties, Stellafane, bisects the month. What could be better? Oh, clear skies to go along with that you say? Well..........
No matter what, remember, Keep Looking Up!

Sincerely ,

Mike McCabe

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