Join us and our good friends at Pinnacle Mountain State Park for a free public star party from 8 PM to 10PM.
Sunset: 7:13 p.m.
Observing highlights: Saturn, Summer constellations: Hercules, Cygnus, Lyra, and Aquilla. (No evening moon)
“Protecting the Night Environment” at the September 10th CAAS Meeting
Please join CAAS at its August 2011 meeting on September 10th at 7 p.m. in the classroom on the grounds of the River Ridge Observatory. Please email info@caasastro.org if you need the link and password to the directions. After a short business meeting, Jim Fisher, in his role as Arkansas Chapter Leader for the International Dark-Sky Association, will give his now nearly famous and recently updated presentation “Protecting the Night Environment.” Jim will explain the causes, perils, and the very simple solutions to the environmental menace that is light pollution. Jim will also talk about the on-going efforts to pass a Nighttime Environment Protection Act in the Arkansas General Assembly.
The door prize for one lucky member or guest in attendance will be Discovering the Universe by Neil F. Comins and William F. Kaufmann, compliments of Larry Sessions.
Clouds permitting we will adjourn to the observing field for fun and fellowship under the Gibbous Moon and stars! We hope to see you there!
River Ridge Observatory Work Party on September 10th
On the morning of September 10th, we will have a River Ridge Observatory clean-up work party, 9 a.m. – Noon (Note: The time change from that previously announced). We will give the buildings some much needed TLC. Bring your work clothes, a snack and cold drinks or water. Priorities for the clean-up will be finishing the mowing in the parking area, organizing and inventorying the storage room, and re-organizing the classroom to accommodate our growing meeting attendance. A full scale work party is not necessary due to the efforts of several members in the past week to get caught up on the grounds maintenance.
NOTE: The program for the meeting has changed. The previously announced program will be presented at a future meeting. The Work Party has been scaled back (due to the fine efforts of Wade Van Arsdale and Danny Flippo to get the grounds maintenance caught-up) and the hours moved to the morning. A smaller number of volunteers are needed, but all are welcome. We will concentrate on cleaning and organizing the two main buildings. The previously announced “Star”-B-Que has been cancelled due to stiff competition from the Razorbacks game. However, the regular meeting will go on as scheduled!