April 17, 2024
Astronomical Society of Greater Hartford
Hybrid Online/In Person Business Meeting Minutes
Date: April 17, 2024
The April 17, 2024 meeting of the Astronomical Society of Greater Hartford was called to order over Zoom and in person from the Rocky Hill Community Center in Room 1C, at 7:31 PM by President Markiewicz. There were 20 people in attendance. 8 were in the room at the Rocky Hill Community Center. 12 were online over Zoom.
Tonight’s speaker was Solar System Ambassador and ASGH Member, Greg Shanos, PharmD. Last meeting with all of the anxiety and excitement over the upcoming Total Solar Eclipse, Secretary Sillasen asked if Greg would pull together all the member images and we could have an online group discussion of the experience. President Markiewicz concurred and thanked Greg, a regular speaker at our meetings for his continued support for our organization and for the presentations he has done at our meetings. Greg solicited location and photos from members who stayed back in Connecticut to experience one of the best partial eclipses the state has ever had and images of Totality from members who traveled all over the country and into Canada to have their experiences. The presentation with supporting experiences from the members was well received despite challenges with audio over WiFi by some. The presentation did not go the entire hour which was good – there was a lot to cover tonight! Thank you again to all the members who shared their experiences! Plus a very big Thank you to Greg Shanos for collating and presenting those experiences!
Reminder that we are video-recording meetings, videos will be on our YouTube channel. You can watch, like, and subscribe at https://www.youtube.com/@ASGH_CT
New Members:
Two new members were present at the Rocky Hill Community Center and introduced themselves. Patricia Jepsen, who has been a member for a year but this was her first meeting she was able to attend. Patricia was also one of the members who traveled to Totality and shared an image with Greg to present to all who were here.
Patty Spector of Rocky Hill, is a brand new member attending for the first time. Welcome to both Patricia and Patty! We hope to see you at many more meetings and events!
Secretary’s Report:
The Secretary’s report was approved as post to the ASGH website.
Nominating Committee:
J. Sillasen, Nominations chair reports that each officer is willing to again run for their perspective offices for one last year! One last year. Christopher Markiewicz agreed to be President for an additional year. This impetus propelled the additional elected officers to also agree for one final year.
Members – please keep this in mind – especially our younger members. We need new blood to keep this organization the outreach focused program our charter demands. Please consider the available options.
Nominations from the floor were opened and will remain open in the May committee. Should there be no more, the President will ask the Secretary to cast a single vote for the slate of officers.
Public Observing at the Van Vleck Observatory:
J. Sillasen reports that the next public observing session at the Van Vleck Observatory will be on Saturday, April 27, 2024 from 9 – 11 PM. Last month’s date was rained out.
Dark Sky Presentation at Wesleyan University – Don’t Let the Milky Way Go Extinct!
Friday, April 19th 7-10pm @ Van Vleck Observatory
Come soak in the splendor of a dark night sky and learn about urgent threats to the space environment. Activities for all ages include a guided moonlit walk, stargazing through modern and historic telescopes, student talks, science demonstrations, and a planetarium star show. Snacks provided! Follow our Instagram for the forthcoming schedule! @wes_astro
John Sillasen was contacted by the Van Vleck Observatory with a special invitation to this Dark Skies Forum Friday night, April 19, 2024 from 7 – 10 PM at the Van Vleck Observatory. The presenter is a graduate student at the Van Vleck. The program will take place both indoors and outside with a focus on education and advocacy for dark sky initiatives. There is no cost or registration required.
Treasurer’s Report:
Treasurer, Cynthia Barron provided a report for both March and April as the M&T Bank website was down at the time of last meeting.
March: Checking account balance: $2612.79. Savings: $6332.42.
April: Checking account balance: $2627.86. Savings: $6332.53. There are currently, $25,000 in ASGH funds invested in Treasury Bills. Once they come due, they will be reinvested.
Treasurer’s report was accepted as reported by all in attendance.
WebMasters Report:
J. Allen reports no issues have been reported.
Outreach:
Space Expo 2024 (New England Air Museum). April 27, 9am – 3pm. Keynote Speaker: Mike Mullane, NASA Astronaut (Ret.), Col., USAF (Ret.) Mike Mullane was selected as a Mission Specialist in 1978 in the first group of Space Shuttle Astronauts. He completed three space missions aboard the Shuttles “Discovery” and “Atlantis” before retiring from NASA and the Air Force in 1990. He is the author of several books, including his uniquely entertaining memoir Riding Rockets, The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut.
Supporting the event are C. Markiewicz, A. Johnson, Jr. & C. Barron. One more person would make it easier to support. Please contact. C. Markiewicz.
Town of Ellington Trails Committee
June/July Date/Time TBD:
Stargazing – possible dates: June 25-27 or July 16-18
August 12, Time TBD: Perseid Meteor Shower viewing and stargazing
Good of the Organization:
The Northeast Astronomy Forum is this weekend! (NEAF) April 20 & 21, 2024. World’s largest astronomy & space expo at Rockland Community College, in Suffern NY. See https://NEAFExpo.com for ticket and directions and speakers and everything! You may also pay at the door. The North East Solar Star Party will take place both days – weather dependent. Talks will take place both days in the Field House (where the NEAF Exhibits and dealers are) as well as in the Theater Auditorium (near the café). Parking is Free. Tolls, well, they are not… Sorry.
Observing opportunities recent/until next meeting
Check out https://in-the-sky.org/ for a list of observable objects/events in your area.
Upcoming Presentation:
ASGH May ’24 Meeting – The CT Science Fair winner(s) – The Student Presentation – winner recipient of the Charles Hammond Memorial Award for Recognition on their Achievement in Astronomy, Astrophysics or the like. Our Two CT Science Fair winners are:
Junior Division
Middle School (Gr 7) Dylan Karpf, Greens Farms Academy, Westport
“Radiation Shielding and Plant Growth on Mars”
Senior Division
High School (11th Grade) Thomas Armstrong, Brunswick School, Greenwich
“Use of Reaction Wheels as an in-flight steering mechanism for rockets”
Each recipient is being asked to speak at our May meeting. Sometimes, we are lucky enough to have both provide an exciting presentation where we get to see our future researchers in action. Sometimes, only one or neither are available or willing to speak. Invitations are out now. S. Tracy is doing his ‘stellar’ best to have them speak. Embellishment by Sec’y Sillasen.
Old Business:
None
New Business:
President Markiewicz has requested that the Rocky Hill Community Center provide a quote to reserve the 1C meeting room for next year’s ASGH meetings held September 2024 to May 2025. In the hopes we are able to get the same rate of $45/night, the total cost should be 9x$45 = $405 plus any applicable taxes. Markiewicz will verify the costs and once received a final vote on the expenditure would need to be done at our May meeting.
The Plainville Library asked if we would be willing to show them some photos/videos our members took during totality. Could we use our consolidated April presentation for that purpose? Any modifications needed? Is everyone OK with having their names and faces publicly displayed?
Additional question – OK to use the same presentation on auto-play at Space Expo? After much discussion online between the presenter and the President & Secretary, a decision for now is not to upload the presentation to YouTube. In order to allay any concerns about privacy and permissions, we will ask those who provided them and/or remove them to make room for more images. A simple task that will only take a brief edit of the Power Point.
Library Loaner Telescope Accessories
Per last month’s discussion, Bill DeNio and Chris Markiewicz still need to produce and present a projected cost for a ‘stock’ of sets of accessories for future loaner telescope builds. This would include the following items to have on hand to save time and consolidate shipping costs:
Headlamps, National Audubon Society “Constellations” Book, Accessory Carrier Pack & an ASGH Instruction Manual which needs yet to be printed, laminated & bound. Pricing for these items is still outstanding and is expected to be resolved for the next meeting.
Meeting adjourned at 9:10 PM ET