Seattle Astronomical Society meeting - Wednesday, July 21, 2010

The next SAS meeting which will be on Wednesday, July 21, so that all can plan ahead for attendance. SAS membership is unnecessary to attend the meeting, so all of our group members who are not SAS members will be welcome. The topic promises to be really fascinating.

Topic: Real Time Spectroscopy with RSpec

Presented by: Tom Field

At the next meeting, Tom Field will give a presentation of his new program "RSpec" that does real-time astronomical spectroscopy. He will review a bit of the history and science around spectroscopy and then discuss various projects that amateurs can undertake. As many members know, spectroscopy is one of the primary tools that are used in astronomical research. If you've got a DSLR, webcam, or classical CCD and a even a small telescope, RSpec and a simple grating is all you need to get into this interesting aspect of astronomy.

Tom says, "Spectroscopy isn't rocket science, but it is one of the last frontiers for amateurs to get involved in on a large scale. It's exciting to be able to actually see the composition of stars with some simple backyard gear. And, once you have some hands-on spectroscopy experience, you'll find that a lot of the articles in Sky & Telescope and on the web take on a whole new meaning in light of your new understanding of the field."

WFW UW Astronomy Dept. Open House May 2nd

Posted on behalf of the Seattle Astronomical Society:

The University of Washington Astronomy Department is holding it's annual Open House on May 2nd and is inviting the SAS to join in. This is always a fun event and a great way to reach out to new amateur astronomers. In the past we have participated with solar viewing and it has always been popular among attendees. The Open House will be from 4:00 to 6:00 PM at the Astrophysics building. If you can help out please let me know. Information for the Open House can be found at http://www.astro.washington.edu/ .

Following the Open House, Franke Drake will give a lecture on The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Anyone who has been to one of his lectures knows what a treat we're in for. The lecture will be at Kane Hall from 7:00 to 8:30 PM.

After the lecture we will set up telescopes for public viewing.