Photo by Keith Hudson Our first star parties were held about five miles south of Auburn at mile marker 179 on US 29 S, then onto a gravel road, Lee County Rd. 395, that led to a cow pasture, owned by Cecil Ward.  To be so close to town, it was surprisingly dark.  I recall seeing M-33 and M-39 naked-eye on transparent nights.       Photo by Keith Hudson From left to Right; Russell Whigham and his 80mm f/15 refractor; Keith Hudson's Celestron C-8; and John Longworth using one of Auburn University's 4-inch refractors.

Astronomy Day 1983 at The Village Mall in Auburn with Rhon Jenkins  at the table, Mike Brown behind him, and Harold Cole inspecting the refractor.       Mike Brown, Allen Screws, Russell Whigham, David Wier, Jim Chesnutt, Rhon  Jenkins, and Keith Hudson at the upper picnic area of Chewacla Park in Auburn

Early in May, we had a surprise visitor by the name(s) of Comet IRAS-Araki-Alcock.  It had only been discovered the night before and was passing very close to Earth.  We called the Birmingham Astronomical Society's observatory to get a position which happened to be very near Polaris.  It was easy naked-eye and motion very perceptible in the telescope.  By the end of May, Keith had secured all of the concrete blocks needed for the observatory from Bickerstaff Brick of Columbus GA at their cost -- $350.00.  Our first group effort to contribute data to the International Occultation Timing Association on May 28, when the asteroid Pallas occulted 1 Vulpeculae.  The predicted center-line path was somewhat south of our observatory location but we ventured into our first attempt at occultation timing just in case there was an error in the prediction.  The prediction was right on target and we were all too far north, so we submitted negative reports to IOTA.  This turned out to be good practice for future timings.  In June, we received preliminary approval of tax exempt status from IRS.  Our first Continuing Education Astronomy Course that had enough people enrolled to justify offering the classes began with the summer quarter. Several AAS members shared responsibilities for the eight-week course.   Keith presented the first two lectures on the inner and outer planets.  Russell followed with a discussion of constellation recognition, and star names and meanings, and the classical mythology associated with the stars. Jim Chesnutt instructed the class on the nature of light, optics, and telescopes.  Rhon Jenkins' presentations were on stellar evolution and cosmology.  One of the sessions was a trip to our dark-sky site for viewing by the students.  The society earned $200 from Auburn University's Continuing Education Department to go toward the observatory construction.  This was the first of several such astronomy courses over about three years, that made the observatory construction possible.  In July, Rhon and Joyce and Russell and his family planned their vacations to include the Astronomical League Convention in Jacksonville FL.  It was here that we first rubbed shoulders with prominent amateur astronomers, authors, and astronauts.  On the night of September 10/11, the society pooled their efforts to make timings of the occultation of 14 Piscium by the asteroid 51 Nemausa for IOTA.  We had observers on a line from a few miles north of Auburn to the observatory site near Society Hill.  he actual path was somewhat to the south of the prediction making Russell, at the southern most location, the only member of the team to observe the brief (4.7 second) disappearance of the star.  This turned out to be one of the shorter "chords" submitted to IOTA, defining the northern limit of the asteroid's profile.  An oblique reference to our contribution was made in the December 1983 Sky & Telescope magazine on page 576.  Construction at Moore's Meadow continued.  Keith arranged for Beck's Turf Nursery to donate 250 square yards of centipede sod for landscaping the observatory.  Many hands made light work of putting down the sod at an October work party.  New officers were installed in October.  Russell succeeds Keith as president, Rhon is elected vice president, Keith, secretary, and Dana Stocks, treasurer.  Jim Chesnutt was appointed observatory director and Jane Thomas, social chairperson.  Also in October, we took delivery of the 12.5-inch telescope, donated by Charles Floyd.  We met at Charles' home in Phenix City and handled the legal paper work that he had drawn up, and returned to Auburn with the centerpiece of our future observatory.  Rhon offered to keep the scope at his home until the permanent site was ready.      Rhon and Russell look on as Charles Floyd signs the transfer of ownership papers at Charles' home. The 12.5-inch f/7 Cave-Astrola telescope came with finder and guider scopes and many eyepieces. 1984 We began the 1984 with  a banquet at the Western Sizzlin restaurant in Opelika.  Mr. Tom Britton, assistant director of the W. A. Gayle Planetarium in Montgomery, gave a multi-media presentation entitled  "Twenty - Five Years in Space".  We gave the continuing education course again for the winter quarter.  Having completed the laying of blocks to erect the walls, the stipend for the course enabled us to purchase materials needed for the roll-off roof at the observatory, and enter the final phase of construction.  In the spring, we again hosted the Astronomy Day activities at the mall followed by a star party at Chewacla State Park.  May 30  Annular Eclipse The big event in astronomy 1984 was the May 30  Annular Eclipse.  The centerline tracked from southwest to northeast up the southeastern United States, and was nicknamed the "I-85 Eclipse".  After months of preparation, and miles of driving to secure the best possible location,  we selected the grassy area in front of the Lake Hill Restaurant, in Alex City, where US 280 crosses the Tallapoossa River.  Keith, Rhon, and Russell requested, and received permission from the owner to set up the telescopes there.   One of the last spring cold fronts passed through the area the day before, ensuring cool clear blue skies for the event.  Rhon and Russell left from Auburn in  pre-dawn hours on the day of the eclipse, to ensure proper polar alignment.  As dawn broke, more and more amateur astronomers arrived from all over the country and one group from Quebec, Canada.  As the moments of annularity approached at about 11:20, the the crowd noise diminished to a hush while cars on the highway turned on their headlights and birds began to roost.  Following the maximum annularity the crowd spontaneously erupted into cheers and applause.  In the newspaper article that followed the next day, several AAS members and there telescopes can be seen.

Throughout the summer of 1983, the walls were added to the foundation by Keith,  Rhon, and Joyce, with Russell serving as mortar mixer.  We had electrical power on the property, but no running water.  Keith managed to borrow a "water tank" truck from the City of Opelika, and used it to fill some 55 gallon drums with water for the mortar mix.
Keith, checking to be sure the concrete block courses are level and plumb.  The walled area was 14 by 40 feet, six feet high.  The building was located on a small ridge the ran north and south.  The door height was only about five feet high.  This may be the only photograph of the opening with no hair, scalp tissue, and blood on it.
A wooden structure the same dimensions as the building, is used as a support for the rolling roof to rest on when the observatory is fully open for observing.  Chief carpenter, architect, and designer, Rhon Jenkins, used a scaled-up version of the Birmingham Astronomical Society's "Spain Park Observatory" as a model.
The roll-off roof was made in two over-lapping sections.  The weight of a one-piece roof would have been too great for one person to push off.  Later when a system of mechanical winches was installed, the two sections were reunited with a flexible connector.  This photo shows the northern most half near completion, with the southern half runners mounted on casters, ready to receive the decking and steel roof panels.
A stucco mix with embedded glass fibers was applied to add strength to the walls as well as giving it the desired white color to reflect most of the heat of the day.  Rhon's little red yard cart was used to mix all of the mortar for the construction of the observatory.  From L-R:  Keith Hudson, John Denale, Pat Grider, and David Weir.
Both halves have the roof panels on here and the stucco veneer finished.  About all that was left to do was to complete the fascia and soffits on the roof sections, painting and landscaping with donated shrubbery.
Exhausted astronomers, Keith Hudson and Russell Whigham look back on the fruits of their labor (as well as the tireless work Rhon and Joyce Jenkins and several volunteers) at the end of a hot summer day in 1984.  The interior walls were painted black to maximize dark adaptation and reduce reflected light.

AAS founder, Keith Hudson and his C-8.  Jeff Crawford and Jim Chesnutt are in the background.		Mike Fulmer with his 10-inch Meade SCT in the observatory with the roof partially opened.
Rhon Jenkins with his 10-inch Meade SCT		Jim Chesnutt with his homemade 12.5-inch Dob
Jeff Crawford		Daniel Morgan

Russell presiding over the dedication of the Moore's Meadow Observatory Sunday, September 23, 1984

The incumbent officers were all  re-elected for their second terms. 

Keith arranged for Geological Survey of Alabama Geologist, Tony Neathery to come to Montgomery in what may have been the coldest day of the year, for a lecture and a guided tour of the Wetumpka Astrobleme.   On February 2, 1985 we caravaned from Auburn to the W. A. Gayle Planetarium, where Mr. Neathery presented the lecture portion of the presentation.  From there, we adjourned to a Montgomery restaurant for a dutch treat meal, then drove up to Jasmine Hill for the field trip, where we saw evidence of the meteoric origin of the horseshoe-shaped arc of uplifted earth just outside Wetumpka.     

 Keith Hudson, Linda Prince, Rhon Jenkins, Tony Neathery, Joyce Jenkins, Russell Whigham, and Daniel Morgan in the crater. 

Also in February, with mechanical winches and cable donated by Davis-Dyar of Opelika, and the engineering skills of Rhon Jenkins, modification to the observatory's roll-off roof, enabled a single user to move the the entire structure back for observing (see the photo below). 

In April, we had the now annual Astronomy Day exhibit at the mall and star party at Chewacla State Park to an increasingly interested public anticipating the return of Halley's Comet. 

The continuing education course was again the major source of revenue for the society.  David Hagan donated his 10-inch Dobsonian telescope to the society, where it found a home at the observatory. 

New members in 1985 were: 
Luc Teirlinck, Tom Brawner, Robert Gardner, Bruce Olsen, Park McGhee, Paul Watts, James Petry, Charles Floyd, 

On the down side, AAS founder, Keith Hudson, accepted a position as a Alabama Wildlife Biologist with the Alabama Department of Conservation in Florence, AL and relocated there.  Eternal gratitude to Keith for his vision and drive, innumerable contributions, and for getting us off to a great start. Thanks, Keith! 

Officers for 1986 were:  Rhon Jenkins, president; Russell Whigham, vice president; and Allen Screws, secretary-treasurer.  Our January star party had up to seventy-five members and friends at the observatory to see Halley's Comet as it grew larger and brighter by the month as it neared perihelion.  Later that month, we mourned the loss of the space shuttle Challenger and its crew. 

Our annual banquet was held at Mr. J's Family Steak House in March.  Our speaker was Dr. Carole Rutland, director of the Patterson Planetarium in Columbus GA, who gave a presentation on Halley's Comet. 

Recent new member, Bob McGwier, stepped in as an instructor to fill the void left by Keith in the continuing education class, that continued to be the society's major revenue generator. 

In April, we took astronomy to the people with our Astronomy Day exhibit at the mall again, but the star gaze at Chewacla was clouded out.   The light drizzle did not deter dozens of enthusiastic people from driving out to see the comet, however. 

Work days were a regular feature of our monthly events, as we were careful to keep the observatory looking good and in good working order. 

In what was to be the most controversial episode of the society's existence, two of the society's members took opposing positions on the minefield topic of science vs. religion.  In January, Earl Kennamer gave a program entitled "Astronomy of the Ancients and the Effects of Religion on Science", in which  Earl made his case, rather forcefully, that religion had been an impediment to science.  Rev. Howard Dunaway took issue with Earl's views and asked for equal time with his presentation, "The Effects of Scientists on Science" in which he attempted expound the creationists' take on the subject .  The discussion that followed Howard's presentation resulted in spirited, and contentious debate, with neither side being won to the other's point of view.  Whoa, Nellie!

In June, Russell's work required his relocation to Montgomery.  "You can take the boy out of the community, but you can't take the amateur out of astronomy."  Larry Owsley assumed the responsibility as newsletter editor. 

By mid-year, the society had 44 members, largely due to the interest in Halley's comet. 

There was an especially good apparition Mars in June and July. 

In the late fall of 1986, there was an attempted break-in at the observatory.  Damage to the door and soffits were repaired, but the observatory was boarded up for the duration of hunting season. 

Officers for 1987 were:  Rhon Jenkins, president; Allen Screws, vice president; and John Zachry, secretary-treasurer. 

Continuing Education continued in winter quarter. 

In March, we had the annual banquet at Mr. J's Family Steak House, with Dr. Satoshi Hinata, of the Auburn University Department of Physics, giving a presentation on Magnetic Fields in the Universe". 

In April, observatory was reopened.  Repairs necessitated by the damage the previous fall had been made and the lock re-keyed. 

Russell attended the Deep south Regional Star Gaze in McComb MS in October, and gave a program on the event at the November meeting. 

Like clockwork, the beginning of hunting season brings another break-in at the observatory.  This time, the society's 60mm refractor, and an 8-inch SCT that belonged to one of our student members, was stolen. 

The year began with the first of the Callaway Gardens Astronomy Day events put on by Dr. Carole Rutland, director of the Patterson Planetarium, in Columbus, in conjunction with the Education Department of Callaway Gardens.  Noted authors and astro-photographers Jack Newton, and Michael Covington along with Phillip Klass of Aviation Week and Space Technology were among the speakers. 

A logging truck on the observatory property collapsed an old septic tank.  The observatory is closed once again to prevent a really "nasty" accident.  By April the damage of the septic tank had been repaired and the clean up of limbs and debris left behind by the loggers, had been completed by work party volunteers. 

In May, we hosted the Astronomy Day exhibit at the mall, and star party at Chewacla State Park. 

A heavy-duty steel gate placed in front of the door of the observatory, was installed by Rex Roach and Rhon Jenkins, in June.  The goal was to make break-in's just too much of an effort from our uninvited guests. 

In August, we received word from the property owner, that we would have to leave the property and tear down the observatory.  Here is Rhon's letter to the society members: 
 

So... the search began for another dark-sky site.  We agreed to accept Mike Fulmer's offer of razing the observatory in exchange for the building materials that he could salvage.  For those who had labored so hard on the observatory, the prospects of starting from scratch all over again, was not very appealing.  Jim Chesnutt stored the telescope at his house, and other accessories were loaned to various members.  What remained was the 14 by 40 foot slab, and the fondest of memories with our best friends. 

With the wind pretty much out of our sails, the January newsletter had only one item -- the date and time for the monthly meeting.  Officers stayed the same for 1989, but now with Jim Chesnutt (since he doesn't have an observatory to direct anymore) at the keyboard as newsletter editor.  The newsletter evolved from typewriter fonts to dot-matrix printer editions as the popularity of personal computers emerged. 

Earthlings survived an asteroid near miss in March when 1989 FC  passed within 0.005 astronomical units of Earth.  That's still twice as far as the Moon but still a close call as these things go. 

We managed to have some good programs at our monthly meetings, but there were no star parties until May, when Rhon -- Rhon seemed to come through with this sort of thing on a regular basis, found a site located only a couple of miles from the old Moore's Meadow location.  It was at the Beatty Christmas Tree Farm, owned and operated by Troy and Sally Beatty.  Frank and Grant Moon had entered into the fold by June.   

Ever in search of the perfect observing location, we took Mike Fulmer up on his offer to let us hold our star parties atop Chandler Mountain, located just east of Goodwater. 

In March, Mike secured the donation of a 14-inch reflector mounted on a "Big Foot" equatorial mount, from Dr. Leslie Weaver of Calhoun GA. 

Comet Austin was our solar system interloper in April. 

During the summer of 1990, we learned that the long awaited Hubble Space Telescope, needed glasses. 

We celebrated our tenth year as the Auburn Astronomical Society Mr. J's restaurant in October.  AAS founder and past president, Keith Hudson, returned to give the keynote address recounting the society's history and concluding with a presentation of Keith's personal observatory. 

AAS members, Robert Rock, and Mike Fulmer walked away with all of the prizes in astrophotography at the Deep South Regional Star Gaze, in October. 

The only surviving newsletter from 1991 was the August issue.  The program that month was Russell's video and narrative of his trip to Hawaii, and total solar eclipse the month before.  Plans were made made for a group Perseid watch at the Beatty farm, in Macon County.  Apparently the location at Chandler Mountain was a bit too far for some to drive.  It seems that some business in Goodwater had put up a quartz halogen light that spoiled the view as well. 

Many of us were getting our astronomy news from electronic bulletin boards, Compu-Serve, and Fido-Net.  This was in the pre-"Windows" days of DOS.  Remember "Sky Globe" for DOS and "Sky Travel"  for Commodore?  Amazing little programs using less than 360 Kbytes. 

Membership in the society is down significantly, with only 18 members.  The newsletter goes quarterly to save on copying and postage expenses. 

Beginning in May the society began meeting in room 302 of the new Aerospace Building on the Auburn University campus. 

Another change of venue, this time for the observing site, when David Ingram received permission from the land owner to use a hay field in Elmore County, later to be called Holley's Field. 

In September, we invested in a video tape player for our programs. 

Monthly programs and star parties keep the society going.  The only big event this year came at the end of the year.  The repair mission to the Hubble Space Telescope was successfully completed and soon began returning never before seen detail in every object imaged. 

For a week in July, comet Shoemaker-Levy-9 gives Jupiter several black eyes -- a truly memorable experience for those who had the fortune to observe this unique event.

Summer meetings were suspended while Rhon was at Marshall Space Flight Center. 

Frank Moon moved to Maryland, and subsequently served as chairman of the Tri-State Astronomers in the Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia area. 

The AAS discovers the World Wide Web after the Netscape Web browser facilitates use of the Internet for the common man.  Astrofiles is introduced as the e-newsletter.  Only the Winter-Summer edition of the newsletter was sent via "snail mail".  Many of our monthly meetings consisted of exploring astronomy sites on the the Web. 

On the night of July 22-23 1995 Comet Hale-Bopp was discovered.  It was the most distant comet ever discovered by amateurs.  Perihelion was two years away.  Word spread quickly throughout the amateur community, and as summer haze gave way to crisp fall nights, we were all dazzled by the new discovery. 

Comet Hyakutake, with its 30 degree tail,  highlighted the spring sky towards the end of March.  The AAS Web page made its modest debut in June. 

Carole Rutland, director of the Coca-Cola Space Science Center, gave  a presentation on their new state-of-the-art facility in September. 

Another meeting room location came in October when we moved down one floor to room 215 of the Aerospace Engineering building. 

The year began with a couple of memorable field trips.  In January, the co-discoverers of comet Hale-Bopp, Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp, were in Atlanta.  Robert Rock and a couple of friends from the Mobile Astronomical Society were there to meet and hear from the famous pair. 

In February, we traveled en masse to Columbus GA to have a private tour of the new Coca-Cola Space Science Center, including a show in the digital planetarium, a simulated shuttle launch, and a trip up to the 16-inch Meade SCT in their observatory.  Scott Thompson and Ricky Wood joined the society. 

From mid-March to mid-April, comet Hale-Bopp, the biggest and brightest comet of a lifetime, was at its finest. 

In May, it looked like we might team up with the City of Auburn and the A.U. Department of Physics in a joint venture to have an observatory at Kiesel Park, just outside Auburn.  But alas, after months of planning and proposals, the project withered on the vine, perhaps to be resurrected some day. 

All eyes were on Pathfiner in July, as the small robotic craft motored around on the surface of Mars.  On a sad note, astronomers and geologists around the world mourned the untimely death of Gene Shoemaker. 

The highlight of the year was a two-part program on the Wetumpka Meteor Crater.  Dr. David T. King Jr.,  gave a presentation of his findings at the site at our November meeting, followed by a tour of the crater the next day.   

Alan Cook, whose architecture class was assigned the design competition for the Kiesel Park Observatory project, the joined AAS and was soon the owner of a 10-inch Meade SCT, and a regular at meeting and star parties. 

In March, Dr. David T. King Jr., and his collegues, gave a presentation on more conclusive evidence the the astrobleme in Wetumpka was in fact an ancient meteor crater.  Core sample drilling began in the summer, eventually finding schocked quartz-  the final piece of evidence to remove any doubt that this was an impact crater. 

Our Astronomy Day redux began on May 2, at the invitation of Rick Evans, the new director of the Gayle Planetarium, in what was "the beginning of a beautiful friendship".

In August, we were off on another field trip, this time to hear the world renouned astrophotographera David Malin, lecture at the CCSSC in Columbus GA.  His work was with photographic emulsion.  Remember that?

In December Rick Evans invited us to the planetarium for a Christmas party and laser show at the Planetarium. 

Tom McGowan, observer extraordinaire, and telescope maker, joined AAS.

Jim McLaughlin arranged to have Dr. Sarma Mukkamala, retired Director of the Department of Astronomy at the University of Hyderabad (India), speak at our January meeting on the subject of  "Binary Systems". 

Eddie Kirkland, Nancy Coburn, and Phillip Hosey joined AAS.

With the threat of losing Holley's Field loomong over us we accepted an offer from Darlene Snipes, to use her prpoerty in Macon County as a possible site for our star parties.  Coincidentally, it's virtually next door to The Beatty Farm and the Moore's Meadow location.  Scott Thompson also arranged to have the Russell Amphitheater opened for us for a trial run there.

In Februry, Rhon accepted delivery of his new 18-inch StarMaster telescope, ensuring his induction into "the big scope club".

Tom McGowan had an extreme field trip for a week-long star party in the "outback" of Austrailia.  Tom recounted his experiences at our April meeting.

Scott Thompson hosted an open house for his recently completed, Walker Ferry Observatory, near Alex City,  in May.  Later in the month we held our Astronomy Day event again at the planetarium.

The AAS Web page was converted to "frames" in July, simplifying navigation.

We were invited to host a star gaze at the Emerald Mountain Christian School, near Wetumpka in September.  This was followed by another school star gaze at the Head Elementary School in Montgomery in December, coordinated by Tom McGowan. 

Everyone on Earth braced for "Y2K".

Whew!  The world didn't come to a screaching halt when the clocks rolled over to January 1, 2000. ;-)

At our January meeting, Jack McDaniel shared with us his findings while investigating the possibility of using an area in the 
Tuskegee National Forest as a possible observing site.  The location seemed to have potential, and we had a few star parties at the site, but alas, the combination of proximity to the city of Tuskegee's lights, the prospects of a never ending battle with kudzu, limited horizons, and the financial complications of paying the National Forest Service for a lease, were more than we bargained for.

In March Jim McLaughlin coordinated a star gaze at St. Bede School, furthering our educational outreach endeavours.

Ever in search of the best night sky, we tried the Lake Martin amphitheater site in June and a new place in Macon County, the private airport of Cliff Hill. 

We celebrated the society's twentieth year with a banquet and presentation by Dr. David T. King Jr., at the Good Ole Boys" restaurant in Auburn. 

We concluded the year with a star gaze at St. Mark's Methodist Church, in Montgomery in November, and two school star gazes at public schools in December.  The first at Thomas Head Elementary in Montgomery, followed a few days later by another at Opelika Middle School.