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Why be an active member? Because it is fun!! I cannot express the joy I feel when someone looks into my telescope and says “WOW!” You now have the interest of that person to your interest. You now have a common bond for the next 10 to 15 minutes on what they saw in the eyepiece. That is it. Human to human relationship has been established.
Obstacles to overcome:
General Meeting (Second Tuesday of the month at the Planetarium)
Astronomical Society of Nevada’s general meetings are on the second Tuesday of the month. We have improved our monthly meetings with at least one half hour educational event. Many people join our club to gain knowledge about astronomy. Hence, we provide a forum for discussion. Please check http://www.astronomynv.org often and your e-mails for the subject of the month. E-mail me your topic for the month. I will try to schedule it. Okay, no more boring parliamentary business meeting!!
Public Star Parties (1st Friday at the Redfield Campus and 3rd Friday at the Sparks Marina)
The two complaints I hear are:
- My telescope is small and no one will look through it.
- I am not an expert and I cannot answer questions.
Invite people to your small telescope. Small telescopes are great for planet observation, the moon, M13, the double star in the handle of the Big Dipper, etc. They are great for Outreach star parties at schools and organizations. Here there are many people trying to look through two or three telescopes. Having six to ten telescopes makes the line go faster.
How to be a one night expert! Find some object in the sky that you can observe. Then go to the internet and read about it. Copy and paste from several areas to a document to keep with you at the star party. You will have more accurate knowledge of that object that any “expert” in the club. If they ask you a question that is not on your “cheat sheet” direct them to another club member. The club’s combined knowledge should get the answer. The club has no “expert”; just people who have studied astronomy a bit longer. If we had an expert then we would have a profession among us! We are all hobbyist and do this for fun. (PS the public really does not know much about astronomy
I feel it is important to go to schools and organizations and provide them with good knowledge. I spoke to a six grade class once, not one student knew what a “Black Hole” was! No science fiction ideas either! We won the space race but lost the public. Who knows; the ten year old you talked to at a star party may be the next person to walk on the moon. You sent him/her there with your little telescope and your cheat sheet document from the internet. Good job Astronomical Society of Nevada member! See you at the next event.
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