We’re at the Memorial Middle School in Conyers this Thursday at 6:00 P.M. for the 6th grade “Space Night”. If you can spare some time, please come and help in letting these studens see some of the nightsky jewels. If you can’t make it until 7 that’s great too, since they have some inside activities first. Please let me know if you can make it and i will send detailed information.
Clear Skies,
Theo Ramakers

About 900 students and faculty attended an introductory program to Space. October is the school’s “Space Month” and we expanded the view of “weather” as we experience it on earth with an introduction to “Space Weather”. In addition to clips of solar flares, CMEs, a flight from the White House to the sun, etc. the presentation explained the effect the activity on the sun has on our lives on earth. An interactive demonstration of the relative sizes of the sun and planets and and distances in the solar system rounded off the presentation. Next week we will be back to participate in the school’s “Space Night” with hands on projects and observing of the night sky through our scopes. Thanks to Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Schrader for contacting us and asking us to participate. Thanks to Frank and Theo to offer their time.

Next week Wednesday October 27th, we are at the Memorial Middle School in Conyers with a program to get them prepared for Astronomy and Space Exploration. We will do a presentation in the auditorium and will let the students observe the Sun on the tennis court. If you can participate with a Solar scope, please come out and let the students see what the real sun looks like. Please let me know if you can make it, so I can follow up with details.
Clear Skies,
Theo Ramakers

Thanks to Frank Garner, Stephen Ramsden and Theo Ramakers for participating in these two outreach events. We showed them at noon what the sun looks like when there are several sunspots visible as well as some filaments and prominences. It for sure was a beautiful sight. In addition, the students learned a lot about relative distances of the planets, the solar system and our Galaxy the Milky Way. At night (almost full moon) we showed them the moon, Jupiter and a globular and open star cluster. A few of them also saw M31 and M57.
On a side note, Stephen Ramsden awarded the anual Jon Woods Memorial Outreach Award from the Charlie Bates Solar Astronomy Project during the noon session. The award was given as a total surprise to me and consisted of a complete Solar (CaK) imaging kit with PST and camera. This caught me so much off guard that I simply did not have any words to say Thank You.
Clear Skies,
Theo Ramakers

The next outreach event is this coming Wednesday for the 2nd group of the Children’s School in Atlanta who will be at TODS at Charlie Elliott. We will have a solar event at 11:30 A.M near the dining building and a Star Party for them at 8:00 P.M. on the Jon Wood observing Field at CE. So if you can spare a little time please come out and show these students why they should keep looking up.
Clear skies,
Theo

Our chapter was the subject of the lead article of NASA’s Night Sky Network with a picture of our outreach event for the Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School last week at Charlie Elliott’s Outdoor Discovery School.  Come out and support us on future events of you have some spare time!!  It is very rewarding to teach these students something and let them see something they have never seen before!
Clear Skies
Theo

We will have two outreach events this coming Wednesday October 13 at The Outdoor Discovery School at Charlie Elliott.  At noon we will show the first group from the nChildrens School what’s active on the Sun, and give them a feel for the distances in the solar system.  In the evening we will have a star party for them at Jon Wood field and let them see the beauty of the fall skies.  If you can help with either, please let me know.  The second group of this school will come a week later.

Thanks, Clear Skies
Theo

Frank Garner, Steve Bieger and Theo Ramakers did participate in an outreach event for the students of this school. At noon, Frank and Theo showed about 35 students, teachers  the sun, while they discussed the relative distances in the Solar system. At night Steve Bieger also joined in and the students learned more about the solar system and on the observing field they saw Jupiter with its moons, globular and open clusters and a Red Giant star and even the Ring nebula in Lyra. Click here for some pictures 

We have updated the website with some reports and pictures of yesterday’s meeting. As soon as the other reports come in, the links will be populated. We had a great meeting and we did celebrate our oldest member Angus Owens’ 92nd birthday . Congratulations again Angus! We also did host 40 students and parents of the George Walton Academy in Monroe for the meeting and star party after the meeting. I believe they all enjoyed the time of observing the planets, and deep sky objects, and getting an explanation of what they were seeing. A very rewarding event for all.
Clear skies
Theo

Frank Garner and Theo Ramakers did a Solar and dark sky observing event for the students at this event. At noon, about 26 students, parents and teachers observed Sunspot 1109 and some large flares on the sun, and learned about the relative distances in the Solar system. At night they saw Jupiter, globular and open clusters and a Red Giant star. Because clouds moved in we were not able to show them faint objects such as nebulas etc. However, the students appeared to have a good timeClick here for some pictures
Clear skies,