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www.iya2009.org
Drake Observatory
Located in Waveland
Golf Course, the Drake Observatory offers spring, summer,
and fall public lectures.
DMAS is a member of the North-Central Region of the Astronomical League
DMAS supports dark skies through our membership with the International Dark Sky Association
Contact the Iowa
Section Leader
Joanne Hailey
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ASTRONOMY DAY 2009 A BIG SUCCESS!
DMAS celebrated Astronomy Day 2009 in four locations around Des Moines. Merle Hay Mall (pictured above with DMAS member Doug Rudd), The Downtown Farmer's Market, Gray's Lake, and at The Science Center of Iowa. Over 500 people visited DMAS booths and viewed the Sun through telescopes.
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On May 30th, Ashton Observatory will host Dr. William Kurth from the University of Iowa. Dr. Kurth will present a talk on the Cassini Mission currently doing science around the ringed planet Saturn, and a future mission to Jupiter named Juno.
Dr. Kurth's website: www-pw.physics.uiowa.edu/~wsk/
The Cassini Mission: saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/
The Juno Mission: juno.wisc.edu/
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The International
Year of Astronomy 2009
2009 is the 400th anniversary of the first use of an astronomical telescope by Galileo Galilei. To celebrate, 2009 has been declared The International Year of Astronomy. Watch for special events in central Iowa and around the world.
Timberline Observatory
In December The Des Moines Astronomical Society was given a very gracious donation - a complete remote observatory. The observatory is located on approximately 12 acres of land in Madison County 30 miles from Des Moines. The 10-foot dome houses a 14-inch Meade LX200 GPS Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope with an Orion spotting scope. The donation included a CCD camera, an off axis guider, and several eye pieces. In March the Observatory Committee made the recommendation to decommission the observatory due to the proximity of the observatory to a highway, and the poor visibility to much of the sky. At the March 7th general meeting of the members the recommendation was voted on and passed. The committee will meet again in April to discuss options for what to do with the equipment, and the observatory.
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May Public Nights
| May 2 |
Astronomy Day |
Open Public Viewing |
| May 9 |
Harry Wood |
The Moon |
| May 16 |
Herb Schwartz |
Messier Skies - Part 1 |
| May 23 |
Herb Schwartz |
Messier Skies - Part 2 |
| May 30 |
Dr. Bill Kurth |
The Cassini and Juno Missions |
[All DMAS Public Nights begin at 8:00 PM]
The "Whirlpool Galaxy" (M-51) imaged by DMAS member Jim Holloway.
Timberline Observatory |
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DMAS General Meetings
Ashton Observatory
All
meetings begin at 6:30 PM
| April 4th |
General Business Meeting |
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Public Night at 8:00 PM |
| May 2nd |
General Business Meeting |
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Public Night at 8:00 PM |
| June 6th |
General Business Meeting |
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Public Night at 8:00 PM |
| By-Law Committee |
May 21st, 6:30 PM
Bosselman's Truck Stop |
| Observatory Committee |
TBA |
| Education Outreach Committee |
TBA |
| Board of Directors |
TBA |
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To submit an article of interest to the StarLight Journal,
please contact the Editor. The StarLight Journal can be
accessed by DMAS members by signing up for our Yahoo Group.
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[Submission deadline for each month is nine days following members meeting, and is published monthly in the newsletter.]
If you would like to become a member
of DMAS, please complete the DMAS
Membership Application (44kb .pdf) and mail it today!
To read the current DMAS By-laws, click HERE
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