Star Parties and Special Events
You're likely to find WAS members at all of these events.
July 26 - WAS Picnic! Members and family only, please. Meet at Stargate for lunch, and stick around for great observing on a moonless summer night. There's been some talk about camping out, as well...
Check back soon for more 2009 events!
Past events:
May 2-4 - The Cadillac West spring star party at Bill's.
May 2-4 - The Michiana Star Party (Michiana Astronomical Society).
May 2-4 - The Hidden Hollow Star Party (Richland Astronomical Society).
May 9 - Phil Plait of Bad Astronomy presents at Cranbrook Institute of Science.
May 10 - International Astronomy Day: solar observing during the day at Cranbrook, night observing at Stargate.
May 24 - Members-Only Swap Meet. Join the Oakland Astronomical Society (who are hosting), the WAS, and the Seven Ponds Astronomy Club.
June 7 - WAS Picnic! Members and family only, please. Meet at Stargate for lunch, and stick around for great observing on a moonless almost-summer night.
June 13-14 - Apollo Rendezvous 2008 in Dayton, Ohio, hosted by the Miami Valley Astronomical Society. WAS member Dr. Dale Partin will be presenting "The Hubble Constant: A Historical Perspective" on Friday night at 7:30 PM - Be there!
June 14 - Solar Day at Wolcott Mill Metropark.
July 10-14 - The Two-Hearted Star Party.
August 8-12 - The Manitoulin Star Party at Gordon's Park on Ontario's Manitoulin Island.
September 5-6 - Astronomy at the Beach at Kensington Metropark. If you're a member and can bring a scope to demonstrate with, or can operate the table, please contact the board. If you want to promote the event, please feel free to print out the flyer.
September 25-28 - The Great Lakes Stargaze.
October 17 - The Road to Stardom in the Milky Way - Cranbrook Institute of Science is hosting Dr. Paul Goldsmith, former director of the giant Arecibo radio telescope and world-renowned astronomer, who will be lecturing on star formation and the next generation of research tools to study it. See the PDF or check the Cranbrook site for more information. WAS members can purchase tickets at the member rate - register today!
October 22-26 - The Cadillac West fall star party at Bill's. Contact the WAS for more info.
Presentations
The WAS is notable for its commitment to substantial, high-quality, and entertaining bimonthly presentations.
| Date | Location | Title
Presenter |
|---|
| 1-Dec | C | Astro-Film Festival
Video, with introduction by G. M. Ross |
| 18-Dec | Special Event | BANQUET - Dawn of the Shuttle (Folly)
Mark John Christensen |
| 5-Jan | C | Education for the Stars Over D-A Ranch/Early Winter Meteors
Sidney Keeler/G. M. Ross |
| 15-Jan | M | The Constellations of H. A. Rey
Gary Gathen |
| 2-Feb | C | 10 Greatest Astronomical Discoveries of the Last 35 Years
Larry Phipps |
| 18-Feb | M | Lost Constellations
Diane Hall |
| 2-Mar | C | George Ellery Hale
Ken Bertin |
| 19-Mar | M | T.B.D.
Stephen Uitti |
| 6-Apr | C | Bob Berta's Video Astronomy
Bob Berta |
| 16-Apr | M | Meteor Study With NASA
Sandra Macika |
| 4-May | C | OPEN
|
| 21-May | Special Event | Return to Grosse Pointe North
Grosse Pointe HS Radio Astronomy Team (RATS) |
| 1-Jun | C | OPEN
|
| 18-Jun | M | T.B.D.
David Bailey |
| 6-Jul | C | T.B.D.
Jim Shedlowsky |
| 5-Oct | C | Astronomy Gadgets, Part 2
Jon Blum |
Past presentations:
| Date | Location | Title
Presenter |
|---|
| 7-Jan | C | Seeing in the Dark (Timothy Ferris)
Video, with introduction by G. M. Ross |
| 17-Jan | M | MESSENGER Report / The Earnest Importance of Using the Latest Technology in Astronomy
Larry Phipps/G.M. Ross |
| 4-Feb | C | Beneath the Southern Cross and Beyond
G. M. Ross |
| 21-Feb | M | Arp's Catalogue Of Peculiar Galaxies Revisited
Larry Phipps |
| 3-Mar | C | Variable Stars and the Stories They Tell
Michael Simonsen |
| 20-Mar | M | Observing the Messier Catalogue
Stephen Uitti |
| 7-Apr | C | Lick Observatory - A History of Ground-Breaking Astronomy
Bob Berta |
| 17-Apr | M | Drawn to Mars
Jerry Kuchera |
| 5-May | C | E.E. Barnard
Ken Bertin |
| 15-May | Special Event | Radio Telescope/Control Room Tour / The History of Radio Astronomy / My Stellar Evolution: Beryllium Abundances in Population I Stars / Galaxy Clusters: Local Effects on Star Synthesis
Grosse Pointe HS Radio Astronomy Team (RATS) |
| 2-Jun | C | To Infinity and Beyond
Michael Foerster |
| 19-Jun | M | What Is a Planet?
David Bailey |
| 7-Jul | C | Echoes of Ancient Skies
Diane Hall |
| 17-Jul | M | The Bruce P. Sidell Memorial Lecture: The Galactic Catalogs
G. M. Ross |
| 4-Aug | C | Astronomic Metrics
Jim Shedlowsky |
| 21-Aug | M | Norman's Worlds: A Different Tilt on Planet Earth
Committee of the Whole |
| 8-Sep | C | Eclipse 2008 / Astronomy for Gearheads
Ken Bertin / Philip D. Martin |
| 18-Sep | M | Astronomy at the Beach Kensington: Past, Present, and Future
Dave D'Onofrio |
| 6-Oct | C | Astronomy Gadgets
Jon Blum |
| 16-Oct | M | warrenastro.org Unveiling / Bigger Than the Moon
Jonathan Kade/David Bailey |
| 3-Nov | C | Norman's Worlds Revisited / Algol, the Demon Star
David Bailey |
| 20-Nov | M | Wardriving with Kitchenware / Dark Energy and Black Holes / Lick Observatory and Extra-Solar Planet Discovery
Larry Phipps/Guy Maxim/Sandra Macika |
In PDF format: 2008 general meeting presentations.
Open Houses
Open Houses at Stargate are open to the public. WAS members often show solar activity before dark; we stick around doing sky tours until 11pm - midnight, weather permitting.
Only definite storm conditions will cancel an open house, and sometimes not even those.
The 2008 open house schedule is:
- January 12
- February 16
- March 15
- April 12
- May 10 (Astronomy Day)
- June 14
- July 12
- August 9
- September 13 - CHANGED due to the Kensington star party.
- October 4
- November 8
- December 6
The 2009 open house schedule is:
- January 3
- February 7
- March 7
- April 4
- May 2 (Astronomy Day)
- May 30
- June 27
- August 1
- August 29
- September 26
- October 24
- November 21
- December 26