Apr 23

Total Lunar Eclipse Viewing at Rinderer Park

Image credit: Simon Menz

The River Bend Astronomy Club invites you to experience the total lunar eclipse at Rinderer Park and see closeups of the Moon’s surface through our telescopes.  On Sunday, 5/15/2022, from 9:00 PM – 12:30 AM, club members will be on hand with their telescopes as well as their expertise to explain how eclipses occur, why we do not have one every month, and to answer any questions you may have about the Moon, astronomy, or telescopes.  There will be some hands-on activities as well.  Rinderer Park is located at 2548 Veterans Honor Parkway, Highland, IL 62249. Proceed with caution when entering the park as telescopes will be set up along the drive across from the playground.  Restrooms at the park will be open. The timeline of the eclipse is as follows: 9:28pm–partial eclipse begins; 10:29pm–totality begins; 11:11pm–maximum eclipse; 11:54pm–totality ends. Please note that this event may be cancelled due to rain or complete cloud cover.  The River Bend Astronomy Club ~RBAC Facebook page or the RBAC website, www.riverbendastro.org will have any cancellation posted.

River Bend Astronomy Club serves amateur astronomers of the American Bottom, the Mississippi River Bluffs and beyond, fostering observation, education, and a spirit of camaraderie. Visit our website to locate upcoming activities, astronomy resources, or membership information. To schedule an event through our Outreach Coordinator, complete the form online or email president@riverbendastro.org.

Jan 02

Amateur Astronomy Series Begins Jan. 15th

Taken For the KAS Web Site

The Kalamazoo Astronomical Society’s five-part Introduction to Amateur Astronomy lecture series begins in 2 weeks (January 15th at 1:00 pm EST). Over 300 people from around the world have already registered, including members from many astronomy clubs like yours. This is about 100 more than this time last year and registrations more than tripled after our last two-week reminder. We’re hoping lightning will strike twice!
Please remind your membership about this FREE online series that covers all the basics of getting started in our wonderful hobby. Hopefully, it’ll encourage your novice members to maintain their membership and stay or become active for years to come! Full details on the series and how to register can be found on the Introduction to Amateur Astronomy web page:
https://www.kasonline.org/ amastro.html

FYI: We will most likely NOT be offering the series again for the next year or two, so now is the time to participate!

Thank you to those that have already helped spread the word. We’re very grateful. We hope this series is a benefit to the amateur astronomy community.

Clear Skies,

Richard Bell
President
Kalamazoo Astronomical Society
https://www.kasonline.org/

Apr 19

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Succeeds in Historic First Flight

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter captured this shot as it hovered over the Martian surface on April 19, 2021, during the first instance of powered, controlled flight on another planet. It used its navigation camera, which autonomously tracks the ground during flight.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

“Now, 117 years after the Wright brothers succeeded in making the first flight on our planet, NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter has succeeded in performing this amazing feat on another world,” Zurbuchen said. “While these two iconic moments in aviation history may be separated by time and 173 million miles of space, they now will forever be linked. As an homage to the two innovative bicycle makers from Dayton, this first of many airfields on other worlds will now be known as Wright Brothers Field, in recognition of the ingenuity and innovation that continue to propel exploration.”