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Western Oklahoma Panhandle at Camp Billie Joe. For info visit www.okie-tex.com

Oct 5^:RMAC Club Star Watch @ 7:30 p.m. at Graneros Gorge, south of Pueblo.

Take I-25 south to exit 71, which is the next exit past Colorado City. Turn left, go over the

interstate and turn left (north) on the frontage road. The pavement will end. Take a right over the cattle guard onto the bumpy, dirt road. Staying to the right, go approximately one mile. The road ends in a cul de sac where we set up.

Oct 14^: RMAC MEETING @ USC Tech Bldg. (Next to KTSC on south side of campus) Rm. 244.

Club Meeting to follow w/ discussion on the USC Observatory dedication and Star Watch.

In October, early risers can see Saturn & the Orion Nebula overhead before sunrise (5-6 am) with bright Jupiter toward the eastern sky. R A F E D C B G H

At the September club meeting, elections were held for 2003 RMAC officers. Current officers, Phil Brown (president), Bill Brown (vice-president), and Walt Russell (treasurer) have all agreed to serve another term and were supported in a vote by the membership. Secretary-Editor Bill Mott declined another term and will finish serving at the end of this year. Bob Adams was nominated and elected as Member-At-Large for 2003. Thanks to Michael Verry for all his time and effort as this year’s Member-At-Large.

The position of Editor, which is very time consuming, has been separated from the duties of Secretary for next year. Fortunately, Debbie Schermerhorn has volunteered for and been appointed Editor of the RMAC newsletter, Stars & Scopes for 2003.

Thank you to all our current and future officers for the time and effort they dedicate toward making the Rocky Mountain Astronomy Club happen.

The position of Secretary remains vacant for next year. Now that the by-laws have been drafted and passed, and the job of editor is a separate position, this job requires much less time. Any individual who is willing to attend a monthly board meeting (held immediately before the regular club meeting) to take minutes should submit their name to any current board member and attend the October 14^th RMAC club meeting. At that time the membership will vote again in a Special Election. You can only get out of your club what you are willing to put into it.

One topic of concern for all local residents recently appeared in the news. A private company wants to build a 500 bed prison on 50 acres of private land near Pueblo Blvd. and 24^th St. This project will obviously impact the whole community, but also the new observatory, the Nature Center, and nearby neighborhoods. Dr. Bill Brown, from USC and our RMAC Vice President, along with Marge Vornadam, director of the Nature Center, will attend the County Commissioners’ Meeting on Oct. 8^th in an attempt to dissuade the automatic approval of the prison. They need your support.

Bill and Marge will show that having a prison in the neighborhood, with its night time light pollution and safety issues, will have a direct and negative impact on the use of the nearby Nature Center area and the new USC Observatory.

Pueblo already has had a cement plant approved against the wishes of the public. That plant will run 24 hrs a day, producing air and light pollution that will affect everyday quality of life for our community. A prison within the city will not only impact our love of astronomy and the outdoors, but degrade an image Pueblo should be working to improve. Long term consequences of such a decision need to be considered, not just a focus on a quick fix of dollars and a few jobs now.

Please show your support for preserving and improving the quality of life in Pueblo by attending the meeting Tues. Oct 8^th at 9:00 am in the County Commissioners Chambers 215 W. 10^th St. in the County Courthouse. Your presence can make a difference.

On Saturday, November 2 at 3:00 pm in the Nature Center Meeting Room, USC will host a ceremony dedicating the new research telescope and observatory. USC’s President, a guest speaker from Lick Observatory and President of the Rocky Mountain Astronomy Club, Phil Brown, will all speak.

Construction continues on the observatory, located on the bluff above the Raptor Center. The ash dome should be installed in early October and the scope itself soon after. Hopefully we will get to look through the scope the evening of the dedication, but the computers and CCD camera may not yet be operational. RMAC will also be having a Star Watch that night at the Raptor Center in the parking lot below the observatory. Set up is at 5:30 pm with the Star Watch beginning at 6:00 pm.

Star Ware: The Amateur Astronomer’s Ultimate Guide to Choosing, Buying, & Using Telescopes and Accessories by Phillip S. Harrington

Star Ware is considered by many as the “must have” resource for amateur astronomers. That’s probably the reason it has been referred to and recommended at most of the RMAC club programs for the last year and a half. It is loaded with easy to read and understand information. The complete title says it all. It helps you choose and buy the right telescope for you, addresses eyepieces and other accessories to consider and helps you become a better astronomer.

The local library has a copy of the first edition of this book. I have read it several times since becoming interested in astronomy and wished I had my own copy. Well, recently I came across a deal at Amazon.com that I couldn’t pass up: a new copy of the 3^rd edition of Star Ware for only $14.56. It regularly lists for $19.95.

For this great deal, follow this hyperlink: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/offering/list/-/0471418064/new/1/104-3353088-2851103 or Go to Amazon.com, click on BOOKS tab, then search for STAR WARE. The results list four titles with descriptions and prices. On the right side of the description, click on USED & NEW, then scroll down that list. You should come to the new copies of the 3^rd edition available from at least 3 other book sellers for $14.56 +s/h of $3.50 (Amazon also sells the 2^nd ed. new for $13.97.) Since the transaction is handled by Amazon.com, I felt confident in placing my order online. Now I’m eagerly awaiting the brown truck with my package.

Star Ware may become one of your least expensive, yet most used accessories for astronomy.

Dr. Bill Brown gave an excellent presentation in September on CCD Imaging. In his power point presentation, Bill covered a wide range of information from the CCD’s advantages over film to the 5 stages that make CCD imaging possible. This program gave us all more information about the process that will be used for research with the new telescope at the USC Observatory. Thanks for a great show, Bill.

FYI

Here are some websites you might find of interest:

* My Stars Live - Interactive Star Chart

http://www.mystarslive.com/

* Our Solar System

~~http://genesismission.jpl.nasa.gov/~~http://pauldunn.dynip.com/solarsystem/

* Universe Today –

http://www.universetoday.com

*Space.com –

http://~~genesis.jpl.nasa.gov/html/index.shtml.~~space.com ~~Visit “Where Is Genesis Now? at~~

*Mars Global Surveyor –

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/msss/camera/images/.