Our guest speaker for our OKCAC Friday, January 10th, 2025 meeting is:
Jack T. Howard
Adjunct Instructor - Physics & Astronomy
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Salisbury, NC
ACEAP 2018
Topic: “INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL”
I will update more with the abstract at a later date! And yes, Jack will discuss the Movie “Interstellar” but there will be more to present! Seasons Greetings to all!
Seasons Greetings to all!
Eileen Grzybowski
Program Chair, OKCAC
Remember folks the club will notify if the weather is too dicy to hold the meeting !
Due to the weather forecast keep watch of this thread for last minute changes of the Jan 10th meeting. Thanks.
We have decided to livestream this meeting. Here is the YouTube link to watch.
Ron Mc
It’s sunny and just got above freezing in north Yukon. I suspect it will melt some, then refreeze tonight, making the roads an ice rink. I do not recommend that anyone be on the streets tonight, for this, or anything else, unless it’s an emergency.
As some of you may have heard me say before, I’ve lived in Alaska, Idaho and Colorado, I can drive on snow and ice. But most Oklahomans do not have that experience and I stay off the streets in weather like this, as I do not want somebody crashing into my brand new car!
Excellent call to make this one virtual, Ron!
That was a great meeting last night.
Thanks Danny and Eileen! I hope he comes to Okie-Tex!
Thanks, Mitche, & thanks to Danny for his IT magic!
For those of you who did not make it, check out the link in our YouTube Channel for OKC Astronomy Club!
Please contact me if you are willing to give a talk in person!
eileen.grzybowski@okcastroclub.com
Stay warm! Hoping for clear skies!
Eileen
PS The Globe at Night Citizen Science Project to monitor light pollution features the constellation of ORION for January, February & March. (In March you can also do Leo).
Record your observations at:
Upcoming OKC Astronomy Club Speakers:
February 2025 Speaker: Bobbie Hamilton - February 14th - 7 PM, SMO Auditorium
UPDATE- This speaker just canceled 1/31/25. Hopefully we will be able to reschedule. Check back for more updates! 
Topic: Constellation Stories from the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma.
Our original February JPL Speaker responded to me yesterday and asked to be moved to March. He is on a mandatory evacuation order. I told him he could let me know if March was too soon and that we were sending good vibes and prayers for the winds to abate and the rains to begin.
March 2025 Speaker: Dr. Marc D. Rayman - March 14th - 7 PM, SMO Auditorium
Topic: JPL’s Dawn Mission to Ceres
Dr. Marc will join us via ZOOM connection. Thanks Bill Murrell for the contact suggestion.
Sincerely,
Eileen
Update on our February program will be a Zoom presentation by Dr. John Barentine (pronounced like Valentine). John spoke at the Okie-Tex Star Party in 2024 and was gracious enough to step in when our planned February speaker had to cancel at the last minute. John’s presentation will be titled “Light Pollution Beyond Skyglow: Why Astronomers Should Care About the Accelerating Loss of the Night.” John is the founder of Dark Sky Consulting, LLC, and holds a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Texas. During his presentation, John will explore the growing issue of light pollution, its global impact, and what amateur astronomers can do to help reverse the trend. He’ll also touch on the rise of satellite constellations and how they affect our night sky.
OKC Astronomy Club Meeting - Friday, March 14th - Pi Day! 7:00 PM
Location: Science Museum of Oklahoma Auditorium
Presenter: Dr. Marc Rayman, NASA/JPL will be joining us by ZOOM.
Title: “To Boldly Go… Well, You Know: NASA’s Dawn Mission to the Main Asteroid Belt”
Abstract:
The ambitious and exciting Dawn mission was one of NASA’s most remarkable ventures into the solar system. The spacecraft completed a dramatic exploration of Vesta in 2011-2012 and conducted a spectacular mission at Ceres from 2015 until late 2018. These were among the last uncharted worlds in the inner solar system prior to Dawn. They are the two largest residents of the main asteroid belt, that vast collection of bodies between Mars and Jupiter. Ceres is so large that it is included in the category of dwarf planets, along with Pluto.
Dawn is the only spacecraft ever to orbit a dwarf planet and is the only one ever to orbit any two extraterrestrial destinations. Such a mission would have been impossible without the use of ion propulsion, a technology that had largely been in the domain of science fiction before Dawn.
Marc Rayman, who was the mission director and chief engineer (as well as a lifelong space enthusiast), will describe the mission and its unique use of ion propulsion as well as its two exotic destinations. He also will share the excitement and profundity of controlling a spacecraft in deep space.
That is really a good article. I enjoyed it very much.
Ida and I will not be able to make it to this meeting. Avoid the line and pay your dues online. If you didn’t get your renewal email which was sent out last month on Feb 12th just let me know and I can resend it to you.
Due to current wather conditions, we are trying to reach our scheduled speaker to reschedule his talk. We cannont broadcast the meeting tonight. A couple of us are going to SMO to catch anyone that shows up and have an abbreviated meeting. You will not be able to pay your dues tonight at the meeting because our Treasurer will not be there. It is easy to renew online and we do not charge a PayPal fee. Sorry for the late notice. Everyone stay safe.
Ron M.
The Meeting tonight is cancelled. Sorry for the late notice.
Ron M.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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:
The Night Sky for June;
The OKC Astronomy Club - What’s that all about?
Astronomy as a Hobby or a Career
Astrophotography display of the Solar Eclipse last June (we have a short presentation of photos sent in by club members); and
the Lunar Eclipse on March 14th (we would need folks to submit pictures)
Citizen Science Projects for families like Globe at Night…
Your suggestions are welcomed! What are you willing to contribute? Thanks!
Has any consideration been given for making all club meetings available live on YouTube? I don’t know how much extra work that would be, but if it’s not too difficult it could be a great way to make the meetings more accessible to people who can’t make it in person.
The Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association has their meetings live on YouTube for example.
We’ve wanted to do this for awhile. The issue is that the internet in SMO isn’t strong enough to both do a Zoom meeting AND broadcast that out to YouTube/Twitch/Facebook. Add to that the logistic problems of hauling a bunch of cameras and stuff to SMO every month, and it’s just not really feasible right now. There’s been some discussion about recording the meetings and then putting them on YouTube after, but again, that’s a lot of cameras and sound gear to bring to SMO.
So, we want to do it, but right now we just don’t have the resources
Observing Coordinator Mike Mitchell will make a brief 10-minute presentation 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.
