[Friends_of_SSASTROS] May Meeting Followup

Thu May 2 15:00:47 EDT 2024

Thanks Mike.   So much going on!
I wanted to add a note for April.   Several of us had the pleasure of attending another dramatic presentation by Brendan Smith.  His performance in Gypsy in Hingham was excellent.   Great to hear his terrific singing voice as well.
Sue D.

> On 05/02/2024 1:06 PM EDT Mike McCabe <cartech2000 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>  
>  
> Greetings Members and Friends of the SSAStros,
>  
> Excellent meeting last night! We had a wonderful crowd in the room for an interesting evening of some eclipse memorabilia material and an inspiring presentation on mirror making by Hal. The March/April period was an exceptional one for our group, and I wanted to touch back on a couple of things brought up at the meeting and remind folks about an ongoing observation project that everyone in the group should be engaged in!
>  
> First up; Going back to just after our March meeting, many of us participated in an outing to get a look at the now gone comet 12/P Pons-Brooks. I had taken a short video of that session but needed to resize it to share it. That got done and it's attached to this email.
>  
> Next up; The month of April was all about the eclipse, as it should have been, but we did sneak in a visit to the Harvard College Observatory just before it. Somewhere in my travels along the interweb highway I came across an article from the New York Times series "Overlooked" collection. This one was about Henrietta Swan Leavitt, who as anyone who has attended the Silent Sky play or came along on the Harvard junket, will know that she played a pivotal role in our modern understanding of the universe.
>  
> Overlooked No More: Henrietta Leavitt, Who Unraveled Mysteries of the Stars https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/27/obituaries/henrietta-leavitt-overlooked.html
>  
> If you can't access the NYT website, the article is also attached to this email as a PDF.
>  
> Also, one of our experiences that wasn't covered in my Harvard College Observatory trip was seeing how smoothly the Great Refractor moved on its mount. I've attached a short video of just that to this email.
>  
> Concerning the eclipse, we've had a steady flow of simply phenomenal reports on many people's experiences to the event, and right after it Alden threw out a request for folks to conjure up a one-word response to their reaction to the eclipse. He did get several replies, but we still fell far short compared to the number of people in the group that experienced the event. If you'd like to add your offering to the mix, I can readily edit the image to include it. It's just a cool little fun thing that I think exemplifies the status of our club at the moment, which I'd describe as very active and very enthusiastic! Take a gander at the image below and consider if you'd like to be represented on it. I'll give it some time and if I get any new offerings they'll get added to the collection.
>  
> [Inline image]<454094c2-b27d-ebc4-0310-d3b1e80f8863 at yahoo.com>">
> 
> At the end of April a few of us visited the Wellesley College astronomy observatory complex, and we've already reported on the experience both in writing and verbally at the meeting. I think one the best ways I can describe the experience is that you can just feel the history of the venue in the air when you visit it. Again, I was on the interweb highway and came across a document that speaks a little bit to the origins of the facility and where it's headed almost 125 years later. The document is attached.
>  
> Onward and upward is what they say, and so now we need to turn around and look out the windshield, lest we crash into a tree and burn to the ground; Every member, friend and just enthusiast of the sky should be looking east every clear night at around 9:30pm to check in on the constellation Corona Borealis. It is there that we may very well bear witness to a phenomena known as a "nova", which in Latin means "new star". T CrB is the name of the star we're waiting for to explode, and when it does it should become visible to the naked eye. Use the chart below to become familiar with the star field, and keep an eye on the area with the hash marks. It there that a star exists which currently shines at a measly 10th magnitude, but will burst out to 2nd magnitude when it lights up sometime in the near future. 
>  
> [Inline image]<f2661b65-3463-34b8-35e6-8af9d734686d at yahoo.com> ">
> Print this out, hang it on your refrigerator, and when innocent passerby's ask what it is tell them that it's a road map for your plans for world domination. Then just walk around muttering "Alphecca, Alphecca..." Hey, at least they won't eat your food. </f2661b65-3463-34b8-35e6-8af9d734686d at yahoo.com>
>  
> See you guys on the 18th at the Mass Medical Society outreach at Centennial Field!
>  
> Mike M.
> 
> 
> 
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