Comments and anecdotes about the event:
Last night at the meeting the skies were clear, the stars were bright and we had two excellent programs. Rocky told us about E. E. Barnard of Barnard’s Star fame, and how his photography expertise made him a pioneer of astrophotography, leading to many discoveries. Ed told his stories of his last summer’s Stellafane trip, relating how the area’s skilled craftsmen came together in the early industrial era, designing and using precision tooling machinery. Some of these skilled men turned their talents into making telescopes. Their skills combined, the Springfield Telescope Makers astronomy club was born. Members and guests present also completed a survey of interest in astronomical program topics. From a field of over 50 listings, the top scores by category were: #1 Black Holes, tied with Globular Clusters #2 Telescopes, tied with Galaxy groups and clusters, Jupiter and its moons, and Advanced Astrophotography workshop #3 Gravity, tied with The Moon, Light Pollution, Star Life Cycles, Double Stars, and Stellar Evolution That’s the results of 15 survey papers turned in.