| Friday, 6/20 @ 7:00 PM at the Cumberland Congregational Church | ||||
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6/20/08 |
Asteriods, Comets and Craters... Southern Maine Astronomers (SMA) is pleased offer a talk by one of the world’s foremost authorities on planetary cratering. Dr. Peter Schultz, Professor at the Planetary Sciences Group at Brown University in Providence, RI, will be addressing the recent impact crater event in Peru, and what it might mean for life on Earth. “We live in a shooting gallery,” said Paul Howell, President of SMA. “Since their formation 4.5 billion years ago the Earth, Moon and all the planets have been subject to periodic bombardment by comets, asteroids and meteoroids, some of which have had planetary-wide effects. We are therefore delighted to have so prominent an authority on this topic as Dr. Schultz to help us understand the significance of this latest impact,” Howell said. In late September 2007 a meteor burned through the skies of a remote area of Peru that terrified local residents and left a 3 x 13 meter impact crater. Scientists have confirmed its non-manmade origins and have observed that it is characteristic of debris raining down continuously on Earth. Similar stories abound of small objects hitting Earth, such as one that crashed through a roof in New Jersey early 2007. “Dr. Schultz will help put these events into perspective and give us some sense of how vulnerable our planet truly is from something that could have global consequences. He’s a very entertaining speaker so his presentation will be understandable by everyone,” Howell said. Most recently, Dr. Schultz served at Co-Principal Investigator on NASA’s Deep Impact mission that crashed an object into Comet Temple 1 so that the elements of resulting ejected debris could be analyzed. plus 6:30PM - 7:00PM |
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The Cumberland Congregational Church is in the center of Cumberland at the intersection of Tuttle Road and Rt. 9. The address is 282 Main Street, Cumberland. Here is a map. We welcome visitors and new members. |
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Typical Meeting Schedule: 6:00 – 7:00 Doors Open / Social Hour 6:10 – 6:50 Beginner's Astronomy 7:00 Meeting Starts7:00 – 7:30 New members, What's Up, club business 7:30 – 8:15 Outside speaker, or club program (alternates roughly each month). 8:15 – 8:25 Q+A , meeting ends. 8:25 – 8:45 Extended time to socialize, ask questions about astronomy etc. In addition, at the meeting club members will often bring displays of their astrophotography, or new equipment to show and tell. Everyone (including non-members!) are encouraged to bring any questions or equipment to the meeting. Our purpose is to help with astronomy. We look forward to seeing you at our meetings!
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| Upcoming and Past Meetings | ||||
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5/16/08 |
Mars Phoenix Mission Learn about NASA's pans for Solar System exploration and the Mars Phoenix Mission! The talk will provide timely information about this imminent new chapter in robotic space exploration. Launched in August 2007, the Mars Phoenix mission is the latest probe headed to the Red Planet. Set to touch down in the northern polar region of Mars on May 25th, the lander will then conduct a series of wet chemistry experiments by scooping up soil and water-ice samples and analyzing them in an on-board laboratory for complex molecular structures that could help indicate if life occurred or exists on Mars. “We are fortunate to have our presenters, Joan Chamberlin and Rob Burgess, both NASA Solar System Ambassadors for Maine, as members of our club,” said Paul Howell, President of SMA. “Through the regular tele-conference training and information they receive as part of the NASA Solar System Ambassador program, these two individuals will be able to bring both the science details of the missions and the excitement of exploration to our audience,” Howell said. “Their knowledge and enthusiasm will provide for an educational and fun evening,” Howell added. plus 6:30PM - 7:00PM |
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4/18/08 |
Supermassive Black Holes in Galaxies Long theorized, never seen, black holes are presumed to exist and represent the most gargantuan force in all of nature. As such, they are intriguing to professional astronomers and non-scientists alike. Dr. Ryan Hickox, a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the High Energy Astrophysics Division of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, MA will discss his research which explores supermassive black holes in distant galaxies. Dr. Hickox observes with the world’s leading observatories including the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Infrared Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory, all three of which are in Earth orbit. Dr. Hickox will illustrate his talk with recent photos from all of these observatories and update the audience on the latest developments and theories surrounding galactic evolution. “We are extremely pleased to welcome Dr. Hickox back,” said Paul Howell, President of SMA and himself a doctoral candidate in Astrophysics at Boston University. “His talk last year drew the largest attendance we have ever had and the audience found his presentation understandable and entertaining,” plus 6:30PM - 7:00PM |
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3/28/08 |
Light Pollution Project What's Wrong With This Picture?The pernicious effects of light pollution! At our March meeting we will dicuss light pollution, its effects on astronomers, humans, animals and even global waming. SMA has been working with more than a half dozen local middle schools to educate children about light pollution and then have them participate in the worldwide GLOBE at Night project to actually measure it and report their results. We will report on the success of the project and address lighting standards in our club's footprint communities and how we can take a more active role in combatting this needlessly wasteful situation plus 6:30PM - 7:00PM |
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2/15/08 |
Chandra! The Universe is a mysterious place. Some of its secrets will be revealed at the next meeting of Southern Maine Astronomers when its speaker, Misty Pendexter, discusses the CHANDRA X-Ray Observatory, its operation and its amazing discoveries over the last eight years of its operation in Earth orbit.“The Hubble Space Telescope understandably gets all the attention,” said Paul Howell, President of SMA, “but there are several orbiting telescopes, operating in different wavelengths of light, that are making amazing discoveries. CHANDRA, as part of NASA’s Great Observatories, is one of them. “What makes this lecture especially interesting is that our speaker is a local young woman who has gone on do to great things in science.” Misty Pendexter is a graduate of Cape Elizabeth High School who earned her B.S. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering at MIT. Ms. Pendexter has worked at TRW/Northrup Grumman for six years, the last two of which have been as part of CHANDRA’s Flight Operations Team as a Mission Planner. Her talk will focus on the unique contributions of X-Ray Astronomy, provide a first-hand account of what it takes to operate the orbiting observatory and will show images of the amazing discoveries CHANDRA has made during its eight years of operation. plus 6:30PM - 7:00PM |
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1/18/08 |
So Santa Brought You a Telescope! - How to
set up your telescope. plus 6:40PM - 7:20PM |
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11/23/07 |
Bi-Monthly Stargazing Chat, Annual Meeting, and a Movie! Push away from the turkey leftovers and join us for our Bi-Monthly informal chat meeting. Also at this meeting will be the (short) annual SMA meeting but don't let that scare you away. We will be showing the recent PBS film on the joy of amateur astronomy call 'Seeing in the Dark'. Everyone is welcome! Come join us
(member or not) to talk about local astronomy and stargazing. Often, we
go over what the current sky has to offer and we may chat about a
particular constellation, or about new experiences or new equipment.
It's all about networking and talking astronomy. plus 6:10PM - 6:50PM |
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10/19/07 |
Lecture meeting: Space tourism. Southern Maine Astronomers is
pleased to host a
lecture by Pamela Hurley Mosher to explain where the Space Tourism
industry is going and how it may affect our lives in the
not-too-distant future. plus 6:10PM - 6:50PM |
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9/21/07 |
Club Meeting Public welcome! We talk local astronomy at these meetings. plus 6:10PM - 6:50PM |
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8/24/07 |
All about open star clusters Open star clusters are numerous in the sky, particularly in the plane of the Milky Way. Much has been learned about these stellar associations and one of the most prominent researchers in the field is Professor Kenneth Janes at Boston University. Dr. Janes will outline for us how open star clusters form, and how we can tell their age by looking at their composite HR diagram. This information is useful in itself, and helps us to measure cosmic distances as well. Pictured at right is the open star
cluster
Pismis 24 and its associated stellar nursery nebula. Pismis 24 is an
extremely young cluster and hosts some of the biggest stars known. plus 6:10PM - 6:50PM |
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7/27/07 |
No Meeting - Star Parties Instead!! |
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6/29/07 |
Local students showcase their work
plus Learn about lunar eclipses. 6:40PM - 7:20PM |
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| 5/25/07 |
What do politicians and stars have in common?
7:30PM - 9:0PM Grant Foster, of Peaks Island, a mathematician and former analyst with the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) for nine years will explain what causes stars to vary in brightness and its significance to scientific understanding. As an experienced musician and actor, in addition to his mathematical prowess, Mr. Foster brings a unique combination of talents to his presentations, making them lucid, lively and educational. plus 6:40PM - 7:20PM |
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4/26/07 |
Club Meeting
plus Learn about lunar eclipses. 6:40PM - 7:20PM |
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3/30/07 |
How did Kepler do it? One of the greatest breakthroughs in classical physics is Kepler’s laws of planetary motion. Johannes Kepler cemented the Copernican revolution and left no doubt about a new vision for the cosmos. Presented by Kerry Kertes, SMA
member and
physics teacher at Cape Elizabeth High School, you will not only learn
how Kepler made his measurements, you will do them for yourself! plus Learn about lunar eclipses. 6:40PM - 7:20PM |
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2/23/07 |
Black Holes - Monsters of the Universe? Long
theorized, never seen,
black holes are presumed to exist and represent the most gargantuan
force in all of nature. As such, they are intriguing to professional
astronomers and non-scientists alike. plus 6:40PM - 7:20PM |
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1/26/07 |
So Santa Brought You a Telescope! - How to
set up your telescope. plus 6:40PM
- 7:20PM |
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| 11/17/06 |
Telescope Buyers Guide! In
addition to an outside
speaker, this month we feature a 'buyers guide' to astronomy purchases.
It can be confusing to decide what to get, and there are a lot of not
so good products out there. plus 6:40PM
- 7:20PM |
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| 10/27/06 |
Member Meeting plus 6:40PM
- 7:20PM |
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9/29/06 |
What Happened to Pluto? 7:30PM
- 9:00PM Dr. Lasala chairs the physics department, and was a representative in Prague for the historic International Astronomical Union vote on whether Pluto (and other bodies) should be reclassified. Join us for what should surely be an interesting evening filled with tales of intrigue, backroom negotiations, and old fashiond hardball tactics by bespeckled academics. plus 6:40PM
- 7:20PM |
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| 8/25/06 |
Member Meeting plus 6:40PM
- 7:20PM |
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| 7/28/06 |
Faster than a speeding bullet Professor Meers Oppenheim (Boston University) studies the physics of meteors entering the upper atmosphere. Large radars and wide-field cameras generate detailed measurements of some of these particles. Join us for his entertaining lecture. plus 6:40PM
- 7:20PM |
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| 6/30/06 |
A night with the Stars - and introducing our first Beginner's Astronomy class! Starting this month, we are very happy to announce the Beginner's Astronomy class. This is a class for anyone that would like to learn some of the real basics of backyard astronomy. The class will start at 6:40 and end at 7:20 so you can still enjoy the entire regular SMA meeting. The class is $5 for non-members, free to members. In addition, we have decided to alternate our monthly meeting format. Half of the meetings will feature a speaker with a formal talk, while the other half will be dedicated to club interests, member participation and activities. This month is a club meeting, and we are pleased that our own Joan Chamberlin will use some NASA prepared materials to stimulate discussion about the stars we see with our naked eyes. Find out how similar (or not!) they are to our own Sun This month's Beginner's Astronomy class will discuss star maps, planispheres and how to use them. |
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| 5/26/06 |
A New Planet! Hear about a new planet discovered circling another sun-like star. Paul Howell is a member of the discovery team, and will outline the process that has lead to an interesting cooperative effort between the pros and amateurs. |
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| 4/28/06 |
A Smorgasbord of Astronomy. Come and chat about many aspects of astronomy and astrophysics. Several of our members will present short talks on some astronomy topic, with club participation. Here is a chance to debate the finer points of observing, telescopes, and the universe.
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| 3/31/06 |
How it all started, and how it might end. Dr. Eric Wollman is a professor of Physics at Bates College where he has conducted research in cosmology and dark matter. Dr. Wollman's talk is entitled "Cold Early Universe Cosmology." His talk will combine a discussion of cold early universe ideas and recent work with a summary of the standard hot big bang picture. |
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| 2/24/06 |
Astrophotography Someone once said that astrophotography is the art of taking a picture of some tiny moving thing that is so dim that you cannot see it, even with a telescope, in the middle of the night when every other sensible person is sleeping. Welcome to the crazy, obsessive world of backyard astrophotography. The hobby has been revolutionized by the development of computerized telescopes and advanced CCD cameras. Amateurs routinely produce images now that challenge or exceed the quality obtainable from large observatories. Come hear some of SMA's active astrophotographers talk about how to get started in this fascinating hobby. |
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| 1/27/06 |
So Santa got you a telescope! Now come to our meeting to learn how to use it. We will teach you about equatorial and alt-az modes and where stuff really is, and what you can see and what you cannot. |
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| 12/30/05 |
No meeting scheduled due to holidays. See you
at the end of January!
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| 11/18/05 |
Where did that killer asteroid come from? If anybody knows its Dr. Chris Magri. Dr. Magri will discuss his research concerning the use of radar to learn more about asteroids. |
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| 10/28/05 |
Mars Attacks! Timed to coincide with this month’s spectacular conjunction with the Red Planet, Dr. Carl B. Pilcher will detail recent findings from the NASA twin rovers and other areas of NASA planetary research. Dr. Pilcher is the Science Program Director (Solar System Exploration) at NASA Headquarters in Washington, where he has has responsibility for overall general management, budget, and strategic planning for NASA's Solar System Exploration programs, including the Galileo mission to Jupiter, the Cassini/Huygens mission to Saturn, NASA's low-cost Discovery missions and several upcoming missions to Mars. Other meeting highlights include: Astrophysics
Sampler: Unwinding a spiral galaxy. |
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| 9/30/05 |
Welcome! SMA's inaugural meeting will be kicked off by Paul Howell, president of SMA. Paul will talk a little about what SMA is and what we hope to do. After that he will give a talk entitled Revolutions in our understanding of the Cosmos- from Aristotle to Einstein and beyond. Paul is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Boston University. Other meeting highlights include: Astrophysics Sampler:
Why there are lots of binary star systems, while trinary systems are
rare?
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