B.C.A.A.S. MEETING MINUTES
October 13, 2005
President Dave Brown called the meeting to order at 7:35, with 31 in attendance.
Upcoming Events: 1) There will be a public talk and star watch at the Dry Brooks Day Use Area at Blue Marsh Lake on Saturday, November 5 at 6:30 pm. The event will be held rain or shine. 2) There will also be a public talk and star watch at Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center on Friday, November 11 at 7:30 pm. There will be observing at the Turtle Pond after the talk if weather permits. 3) We will have a club member star watch at the Flying Field on Saturday, October 29.
Treasurer’s Report: Linda reported a balance of $9,318.83. It was unanimously approved to pay the renewal dues for the International Dark Sky Association.
New Business: 1) Barb has volunteered to update our club’s brochure. If anyone has any suggestions, please contact her. 2) Dave noted that John Dethof has the club’s old 12” mirror. It is in excellent condition and is free to anyone who wants it.
Space News: China has two men in space. This is there second manned space flight. Japan tested a new supersonic airplane. It can carry 300 people at Mach 5 (3500 mph).
There is a 114 mm Meade reflector with Autostar available for $225. If anyone is interested, contact Dave Brown. Also, Mike Bashore brought in a Bushnell telescope that was donated to the club. If anyone is interested in it, please contact Mike – it is free to a good home.
Presentations: After the rumor about a cosmic dust cloud heading toward Earth, Dave presented an amusing CDEV – cosmic dust escape vehicle. Our guest speaker was Nancy Bower on Archeo-Astronomy. She talked about stone ruins in Oley Hills that are part of a series of ruins across the U.S. that represent different constellations and are aligned as they are seen in the sky. These ruins are reported to be about 5000 years old. If anyone is interested in more information, check the website http://www.megalithic.co.uk/. Ron Kunkel gave a presentation on the Solar System, Galaxy and Universe, and Black Holes and Gravity.
Respectfully submitted,
Barbara Geigle, Secretary