OKC Astronomy Club Meeting Friday, April 11th, 2025 -
Location: Via OKC Astronomy Club’s YouTube Channel - 7 PM https://youtube.com/live/sruMq6_nsE8
The Science Museum of Oklahoma has been very gracious in allowing us to meet for free and use their world-class facilities. Reasons for past Club Cancellations or moving to ZOOM with our speaker and YouTube with ur membership include:
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Sometimes we have to change our plans due to the Museum being rented out by other groups. In the past, this happened most frequently in the months of April, June, and December.
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Other times we have to “switch horses in midstream” to make decisions for safety (as was the case on March 14th). Authorities asked folks to avoid travel due to the strong winds & wildfires that hit central Oklahoma. Board members made the uncomfortable & never popular decision to cancel our meeting. We apologize for any inconveniences we caused but this was the advice from authorities and the consensus of board members.
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This is Oklahoma and while everyone seems to be their own meteorology expert, there are times, we have to consider any severe weather predictions for the safety of our club members.
Whenever we can, we switch to our OKC Astro Club YouTube Channel for the meeting. We connect with our speaker via ZOOM but with our club members by our YouTube Channel. Connecting via ZOOM requires previous planning and time. That could not be accomplished last month at the last minute. Our March speaker, Dr. Marc Rayman, will be scheduled on Friday, May 9th. (He and his family experienced the Eaton Fire in LA and totally understood the cancellation and wanted all to remain safe.)
Our APRIL MEETING will take place on our YouTube Channel. Why? A week ago, Waylon Troyer, our April speaker & Planetarium Director, advised us that the Museum had been rented for a special Engineering Day Planning Event that extends into the evening. After exploring other options, it was decided to meet on our YouTube channel on Friday, April 11th. We did try to locate other venues but had no luck. Should any of you know of other locations, please contact us for future events. FYI - All Metro Area Public Libraries close at 6 PM on a Friday.
Friday, April 11th - 7 PM via the OKC Astronomy Club’s YouTube Channel:
After Club Announcements, the first part of the evening will include a brief 10-minute presentation by our Observing Coordinator, Mike Mitchell, on how to use our Discourse Forum. Several Club Members have commented that they do not know how to use this platform and have asked for assistance.
Our Main Speaker will be Waylon Troyer, the Director of Love’s Planetarium at the Science Museum of Oklahoma.
The title of the presentation will be “Astronomy in Chile: From Desert to Dome.”
Abstract:
Studying the entire universe is no small effort, and no single telescope can do the job alone. Astronomy relies on teams and facilities around the world, spanning multiple countries, languages, and cultures. With radio arrays in the deserts of Chile and the Australian outback, neutrino detectors in Japan, and optical telescopes across the northern hemisphere, astronomical research is one of the largest global scientific efforts in human history. Who are the people that make it all happen? What does it take to keep it running? What big things can we accomplish? During Waylon’s time with the Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassadors Program last June, he was able to visit some of these facilities in person and find the answers. In this presentation, he will share that experience with you and paint a picture of what modern astronomical research looks like at a global scale. We will also take a look at how these projects and their stories are shared in the planetarium and beyond.
Background Information:
Waylon has only been the director of the Love planetarium since March of 2023, but he’s been with the planetarium as a presenter and later as a technician since 2017. This was right around the time that the “new planetarium project” started coming into being.
Waylon remembers looking at Saturn through a telescope for the first time when he was a 12-year-old in Boy Scouts, and that is where “it” began for him. Before then, he wanted to be a musician or perhaps a chef, but that one encounter with the “rings” was all it took for his life to be redirected. If the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics is correct, then in another universe he’s an harmonica-playing restaurant owner, but he is glad that he lives in this universe. He wouldn’t trade his job for anything in this world.
Waylon enjoys reading up on new studies in cosmology and particle physics, especially using high-energy systems like quasars. He’s also interested in research on the early universe, specifically the study of the first galaxies using the JWST. When it comes to observing and imaging, however, he can’t keep his eyes off of the Sun. SMO has several telescopes that allow viewing and imaging the Sun with guests. Solar observations offer one of the easiest ways to get people excited about using a telescope. It’s something that can be accomplished on any sunny day in the museum gardens.
Waylon has said this all before, but astronomy is a science for everyone. The act of exploring the unknown is baked into human biology, and tapping into that instinct has allowed humanity to overcome incredible challenges. As an educator, his biggest goal is to give someone the courage and confidence to ask another question, and to stay curious. As an astronomy planetarium educator, he hopes that their curiosity motivates them to be kind and help others, so that we all have the chance to explore the skies together.
- Waylon at ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter Array) on the Chajnitor plateau in Chile (June 2024). Waylon was a Planetarium Educator participant in the 2024 Astronomy in Chile Education Ambassadors Program (ACEAP).
Our May Presentation will be the rescheduled talk from March 14th:
OKC Astronomy Club Meeting - Friday, May 9th - 7:00 PM
Location: Science Museum of Oklahoma Auditorium
Presenter: Dr. Marc Rayman, NASA/JPL will be joining us by ZOOM. We hope to meet in person!
On Friday, June 13th, the Club will be participating in the SMO’s celebration of Space Day and Sally’s Night! These will both be on Friday, June 13th. Space Day will take place from 10 AM to 2 PM. If there are some volunteers from the club that would like to set up a table and talk with guests about what the club offers and how they can get involved, that would be awesome. Sign-up’s will be posted! Sally’s Night will be held that evening from 7PM to 10PM. We expect club members to set up a table or two that evening, as well as some volunteers that would like to bring out their telescopes. We may also plan some “Make-And-Take” items for families along with some short ongoing talks in the SMO Auditorium. Please plan on this as a way to thank SMO for offering us their facilities to hold meetings throughout the year.
Topics may include:
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The Night Sky for June;
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The OKC Astronomy Club - What’s that all about?
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Astronomy as a Hobby or a Career
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Astrophotography display of the Solar Eclipse last June (we have a short presentation of photos sent in by club members); and
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the Lunar Eclipse on March 14th (we would need folks to submit pictures)
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Citizen Science Projects for families like Globe at Night…
Your suggestions are welcomed! What are you willing to contribute? Thanks!