The Annual Meeting, where we elect the next year’s officers, share a potluck meal, and enjoy seasonal revelry will be held at the Thompson Library this year on Monday December 14th. Please note that this is two days later than usual and in a different location. The meeting will be from 7 PM to about 8:30. We have the room from 6:30 and need to be out at 8:45. The library is at 23 Rahling Circle in West Little Rock. Rahling Road runs mainly east-west connecting Chenal Parkway (at the Promenade shopping center) to Taylor Loop Road and Highway 10 on the east side. See map below.
Regular November Meeting Coming Up
This Saturday night, CAAS will have its regular monthly meeting at 7 PM at River Ridge Observatory. John Reed will do a presentation involving the planetarium program Celestia. At this writing, the weather forecast looks good and the Moon will be out of the way for observing after the meeting. Hope to see everyone there.
Woolly Hollow Star Party a Ginormous Success!
by Bill Engberg
Woolly Hollow State Park was a huge hit Saturday night:
- 100-150 people
- Ink Black skies
- Milky Way was so bright a college student took a picture of it tonight…and his image looked like a NASA post card.
- Hubble visible overflight!
- International Space Station made an insanely visible overflight brighter than Jupiter
- Appx 10 scopes!
- “Wow!!!” was heard all night long, at every scope, said by tomorrows Astronauts, scientists, teachers and engineers.
- Electric plug-ins and 50′ extension = Beethoven’s 9th and assorted masterpieces.
- John Reed supplied Laser Light Show.
- Cool weather and no bugs!!!
The IDA Arkansas Section was in attendance with their display on light pollution issues and based upon the dwindling number of IDA pamphlets at the end of the evening a good number of star party visitors stopped by the display.
I highly recommend winter star parties…I think they are as good or better than the summer ones (no sweat and no bugs), and could be done in Dec Jan Feb as well, if people were interested. Tonight’s turn out proved it, the public was driving up from LR to see the show.
Carl gets the MVP award once again for pulling the overflight data and making the Hubble and Shuttle overflight possible and visible to everyone attending. Carl, you rock!