Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut suscipit elit sed diam ultrices hendrerit. Vestibulum feugiat, urna eget ullamcorper tristique, est erat egestas diam, ac imperdiet libero neque sed velit. Curabitur fringilla tortor vitae nisi mattis, dignissim faucibus purus dictum. Sed vel volutpat sapien. Morbi quis tristique dolor. Fusce nec mattis diam. Duis rutrum vitae erat vel fringilla.
Announcement of the digital edition of the September 2015 Reflector was completed Sept. 7 at 9:35 pm MDT. It appears to have went well — nothing crashed at least.
If you did not receive a notice and you are a member of an affiliated club or a Member-at-Large send me an email webmaster@astroleague.org . Let me know your local club name (or MAL) and first and last name and a correct email. I’ll see that your info is corrected. Due to the number emails I’m getting it may take a while. However, I will answer all emails.
In reading my announcement note, you may have gotten the impression that the Reflector will be switching to a digital only version in the near future. I apologize for giving that impression.
The Astronomical League has no plans to drop the paper edition at the present time. In order to be more environmentally friendly, increase access to our readers, and to reduce costs, the AL is offering both a digital and paper option. Over time, a growing percentage of people will prefer a digital format and we are making that option available now. The cost savings will enable the AL to expand its programs and offer additional benefits to its membership
Vern
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut suscipit elit sed diam ultrices hendrerit. Vestibulum feugiat, urna eget ullamcorper tristique, est erat egestas diam, ac imperdiet libero neque sed velit. Curabitur fringilla tortor vitae nisi mattis, dignissim faucibus purus dictum. Sed vel volutpat sapien. Morbi quis tristique dolor. Fusce nec mattis diam. Duis rutrum vitae erat vel fringilla.
It is my great pleasure to announce that, by unanimous vote of the NERAL Executive Committee, the Walter Scott Houston Award of the North East Region of the Astronomical League (NERAL) is being awarded to Dennis di Cicco of Sudbury, Massachusetts at this year’s Stellafane Convention in Springfield, Vermont on Saturday evening, August 15, 2015.
Dennis di Cicco’s famous award winning photograph of the Sun’s analemma in the 1970s was a milestone in his astrophotography career. A long time Stellafane devotee, he was inspired to build his own backyard observatory which he would put to good use for many decades to come. He was recognized for his observational talents in 1997 with the Astronomical League’s Leslie C. Peltier Award for his significant observations of minor planets, lunar & planetary astronomy, and general astronomy. In 1978 he was presented the Clifford W. Holmes Award at Riverside Telescope Makers Conference Astronomy Expo for his work popularizing astronomy.
Since then he has gone on to make great contributions as a writer and Senior Editor for CCD Astronomy quarterly and most notably for Sky & Telescope Magazine from 1974 through 2014. His generosity in sharing his knowledge in articles, equipment test reports, eclipse trips and talks with the amateur astronomy community at clubs and star parties across the country makes him a star on our earthly sphere for which we are extremely grateful.
On Behalf of the North East Region of the Astronomical League, we are very pleased to give this award to this amateur astronomer, astrophotographer and writer who used the professional world to promote and increase the visibility of astronomy for our community.
Congratulations, Dennis!
Very sincerely,
Maryann Arrien
Chair: NERAL – The North East Region of the Astronomical League
www.neral.org
EarthSky and the Astronomical League have agreed to partner in the years 2016 to 2018 to bring the wonder, beauty, and mystery of the night sky to the public. The partnership was finalized today (July 30, 2015). John Goss, president of the Astronomical League, said:
The Astronomical League, the nation’s largest federation of astronomical societies, is proud to partner with EarthSky … We recognize the importance of what stargazing and amateur astronomy offer to the betterment of our society, especially to the benefit of our young.
Among many other activities, the Astronomical League hosts a national meeting for all people interested in astronomy. It’s called ALCon, and you are hereby invited.
Deborah Byrd, founder and editor-in-chief of EarthSky, added:
We are thrilled and honored to be partnering with the Astronomical League, and we’ve got some exciting plans for the coming three years. For example, after surveying our audience and getting their ideas on what they want to see, we’ve been working toward a slightly different design for our website (bigger pictures!), which we hope to implement in early 2016. We also hope to add two new features to EarthSky.org, first, a global map where people can pinpoint their favorite stargazing locations, and, second, a calendar of events (star parties and the like) that people can attend and enjoy. The Astronomical League will be helping us with both features, and we are grateful for their support.
In the coming three years, we also want to help our audience understand, prepare for and
enjoy the August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse, which will be visible from North America.
And we want to continue building providing information about astronomy to our audience, enabling them to take next steps toward enjoying astronomy as a lifetime pursuit.
The partnership will include co-promotion of EarthSky and the Astronomical League in each organization’s outreach to club members and the public. And it will include an exchange of information, designed to help each group accomplish their goals.
Bottom line: EarthSky and the Astronomical League announced a partnership for the years 2016-2018.
If you are a Master Observer, we want you! The AL has a Master Observer Network set up to answer questions from members and the general public. It is also a means for the League to talk with you as a group. If you are already on the list – Awesome! If not, please join us.
Please send an email to Aaron Clevenson, an AL Observing Program Director, at aaron@clevenson.org. Please include your name and your MO number. We are trying to have the list updated by 8/15/2015. Thanks. Aaron
This is a reminder that the third NASA Observing Challenge is “On!” (an AL Special Observing Award)
The website: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/challenges.cfm
The requirements:
Image Pluto and submit it to the NASA Flicker site.
Have an outreach event regarding the New Horizons encounter with Pluto.
Submit the form to NASA.
The reward:
A NASA/AL certificate.
