Return-Path: rwhigham@mindspring.com
X-Sender: rwhigham@mindspring.com
Date: Wed, 01 Jan 1997 22:54:17 -0500
To: rjenkins@eng.auburn.edu (Rhon & Joyce Jenkins),
owsley@alumni.auburn.edu (Larry Owsley),
screwea@mail.auburn.edu (Allen Screws),
cscrews@lib.auburn.edu (Christy Screws),
gmarfoe@eng.auburn.edu (Gerald Marfoe),
fodorfe@mail.auburn.edu (Ferenc Fodor),
jshaw@physics.auburn.edu (John Shaw),
hammekr@eng.auburn.edu (Rich Hammett),
whighjr@mail.auburn.edu (John Whigham),
enebak@forestry.auburn.edu (Scott Enebak),
stanbury@mail.auburn.edu (David Stanbury),
russell@strudel.aum.edu (Randy Russell-AUM),
wknock@huntingdon.edu (Ward Knockemus-Huntingdon),
mdschrier@msn.com (Marc Schrier), jclark@yourcall.com (Jeff Clark),
TheRocks@mont.mindspring.com (Robert Rock),
chesnutt@aub.mindspring.com (Jim Chesnutt),
furman@mont.mindspring.com (Furman Smith),
rwhigham@mont.mindspring.com (Russell Whigham),
rainmkr@syl.mindspring.com (Mike Fulmer),
dnewton@auburn.campus.mci.net (David & Raye Newton),
ronh@mail.wrldnet.net (Ron Hatherley),
tmiller@wrldnet.net (Tony Miller), NMurphree@aol.com (Neal Murphree),
droberts@the-link.net (Gerald Roberts),
dengrath@aol.com (Dennis Grantham),
baugh@eng.auburn.edu (William Baugh),
lrich@electro.physics.auburn.edu (Luther Richardson),
bozack@physics.auburn.edu (Michael Bozack),
wersing@magneto.physics.auburn.edu (Jean-Marie Wersinger),
crutland@ccssc.org (Carole Rutland), EJWERTetc@aol.com (Jim Wert),
wsfa@traveller.com (Bob Howell - Channel 12)
From: rwhigham@mindspring.com (Russell Whigham)
Subject: ASTROFILES, January 1997
Cc: rmollise@aol.com (Rod & Dorothy Mollise - Mobile Ast Soc),
grobinso@traveller.com (Greg Robinson - B'ham Ast Soc),
sasmith@cneti.com (Scott Smith - Cullman AL),
cornutt@hiwaay.net (Dave Cornutt - Von Braun Ast Soc),
103235.1473@compuserve.com (Keith Hudson - Florence AL),
erg@america.net (Eric Greene - AAC),
aleko@mindspring.com (Alex Langoussis - AAC),
102745.313@compuserve.com (Ken Poshedly - AAC),
artrussell@mindspring.com (Art Russell - AAC),
jacomet@mindspring.com (Jerry Armstrong - AAC),
lphilpot@popalex1.linknet.net (Len Philpot - Pineville LA),
gre@communique.net (Gloria Erdington - PAS),
astrox@ix.netcom.com (Mike Sandras - PAS),
walt@premier.net (Walt Cooney-B.R.A.S.),
76665.3160@compuserve.com (Larry Luke - Jackson Ast Soc),
floflin@internetpro.com (Frank Loflin - Jackson Ast Soc),
jhill@kopower.com (Jim Hill - Rainwater Ast Assn),
thufir@ix.netcom.com (Frank Moon ),
daveh@emeraldcoast.com (Dave Halupowski - EAAA),
wwooten@pjc.cc.fl.us (Dr. Wayne Wooten - EAAA),
yerbyl@aol.com (Yerby Land - Brevard A.S.),
henryf@freenet.tlh.FL.us (Henry Freedenberg - TAS),
cshoward@freenet.tlh.FL.us (Scott Howard - editor of the TAS Newsletter),
rcurry@mailhub.jaxnet.com (Roger Curry - North East Florida Ast Soc),
praesepe@aol.com (Barry Beaman - AL President),
eflaspo@aol.com (Ed Flaspoehler - AL Reflector),
73357.1572@compuserve.com (Berton and Janet Stevens - AL Executive Secretary),
bstevens@mcs.com (Berton and Janet Stevens - AL Executive Secretary)
Happy 1997 Astrophiles,
JANUARY MEETING
===============
The January meeting of the Auburn Astronomical Society will be in room 215
of the Aerospace Engineering building, on the main campus of Auburn
University, Friday, January 3rd, at 8:00PM. Be sure to bring any new
astro-toys that Santa may have brought.
Montgomery area car poolers, meet at my house (518 Seminole Dr.). As usual,
we head for Auburn at 7:00PM sharp. If you've never been to my house, you
can get a map from our web site: Select "Members and Friends" from the main
menu, find my name, and click on [Map to my house].
If you can get out of bed a copule of hours before dawn on Friday of the
meeting, you should try to catch the Quadrantids. This shower has a sharp
peak, so you you probably won't see many the evening before. See more on the
World Wide Web, at URL:
http://medicine.wustl.edu/~kronkg/quadrantids.html
This month's regular star party will be Saturday, January 11 at Holley' Field.
GEMINID REPORT
==============
We had a cold, but extremely clear night for the Geminid meteor shower. It
was quite an impressive display. I was out at Holley's Field from about
8:00 PM 'til midnight, on Friday, December 13. Bundled up in full winter
observing attire and snuggled up in a warm sleeping bag, I observed plenty
of 2nd, 1st, 0, and -mag meteors, many with persistent trains. They seemed
to come in bunches of several per minute then a lull for several more
minutes. From the reports I read on ASTRO, the Geminids amy be usurping the
Perseids as the shower of the year. If you couldn't make it to Holley's
Field, I hope you were out for this one somewhere else.
HALE & BOPP IN ATLANTA JANUARY 24
=================================
Here's a note from Jerry Armstrong, with the Atlanta Astronomy Club:
-----------------------8<-------------------------
>From: Jerry Armstrong
>Subject: Hale-Bopp
>
>Hello to all South East Astronomy Clubs
> The Atlanta Astronomy Club in conjunction with Fernbank Science Center is
>proud to announce that both Alan Hale and Tom Bopp (discoverers of comet
>Hale-Bopp), will be speaking in Atlanta at Fernbank Science Center's
>Planetarium. In all likelyhood this will be the final time that both
>discoveres will share the same spotlight together while their comet is still
>visible in the northern hemisphere.
> The time will be 8:00 PM Friday, January 24, 1997. There is a possibility
>of one or two more talks, depending upon the response. The planetarium can
>seat about 650 people.
> If you are interested in attending, please contact Jerry Armstrong, Vice
>President (program chairman) at the following:
>
> snail mail: Jerry Armstrong
> 8526 Moccasin Lake Drive
> Winston, GA 30187
>
> telephone: (770) 942-4249
>
> e-mail: jacomet@mindspring.com
>
> Further details may be found at our webb site for the Atlanta Astronomy Club:
>
> http://stlspb.gtri.gatech.edu/astrotxt/atlastro.html
>
>Thank you,
>Jerry
-------------------------8<-----------------------------
We can talk more about this at the meeting. I can send Jerry a list of
those of us who will plan to go.
MEMBERS & FRIENDS NEWS
======================
The Mobile Astronomical Society has their Web Page up now with Web Master
Rod Mollise at the helm. Check it out at URL:
http://members.aol.com/RMOLLISE/index.html
Also note the change in Rod's e-mail address.
Marc Schrier writes:
>My scope [10 inch Meade] is now complete! I installed some Dob Driver (Tech
2000)
>tracking motors on it last month and am very happy with the result. I must
>admit that it probably doesn't track as well as an equatorial - but it does
>pretty good using built in fuzzy logic. The ability to pan is the best feature
>- no more having to do the bump and nudge. I'll have to show it off sometime -
>it took me 3 days to install everything (it required a lot of drilling).
Thanks for the note, Marc.
Anyone who enjoys improving their telescope could probably pick up some good
tips and resources from our new ATM link from our web page.
We were glad to have visitor William Baugh with us at the December meeting.
William has a new Meade 12 inch Dob. We hope you'll be a regular with us,
William.
We've added long-time observing friends from the Deep South Regional Star
Gaze, Frank Loflin and Larry Luke, with the Jackson (Mississippi)
Astronomical Society, to our list of "out of the area" subscribers. Stay in
touch, guys.
NEW LINK FROM OUR WEB SITE
===========================
Astro-Ads is a new free astronomy classified advertisement service
established through SEDS at the University of Arizona. The purpose is to
assure that a cost free, commercial free location is available for amateur
astronomers to buy, sell or trade. It's under
"Our Favorite Web Sites"/"Miscellaneous".
Hope to see you Friday,
Russell
Russell Whigham
Montgomery AL
rwhigham@mont.mindspring.com
Auburn Astronomical Society
http://www.mindspring.com/~rwhigham/