Dudley Observations

Volume 9, No 9 - September 2010

Hi,

 

The Skywatch Lectures start this month, with "guest stars" Anna Frebel, Alex Filippenko, and Jay Pasachoff. See you there!

Clear Skies,
Janie Schwab
Executive Director

Three popular lectures presented in the GE Theatre at Proctors
Tuesday Evenings at 7:30

Tickets available soon at the Proctors Box Office
$6 - Students
$8 Members of Dudley Observatory (Join now!)
$11 - General Admission

Individual and Corporate Sponsor info: http://www.dudleyobservatory.org/Events/Skywatch_Lectures/Sponsor.htm

September 28, 2010
Anna Frebel
"Our cosmic ancestors: The oldest stars in the Universe"

 

There are stars in our own Milky Way Galaxy that are almost as old as the Universe itself, which is some 14 billion years. I will present some of those stellar fossils, and show what we can learn from studying them. This includes the origin and evolution of the chemical elements from which we humans and the world around us are made off. We really all are made from 'star stuff' and even a little bit of Big Bang material.
 
Anna Frebel is currently a Clay Fellow at Harvard Center for Astrophysics. Her research interests broadly cover how the oldest stars can be used to learn about the very first stars, their supernova yields, and stellar nucleosynthesis. She is best known for her discoveries and subsequent spectroscopic analyses of the oldest stars, and how they can be employed to uncover information about the time shortly after the Big Bang. She did her undergraduate studies at the University of Freiburg (Germany) and received her PhD from the Australian National University's Mt. Stromlo Observatory in 2006. Since then, she has received a numerous awards for her work.

**********************************************************************

October 19, 2010
Alex Filippenko
"Dark Energy and the Runaway Universe"

Observations of very distant exploding stars (supernovae) show that the
expansion of the Universe is now speeding up, rather than slowing down
due to gravity as expected. Over the largest distances, our Universe seems to be dominated by a mysterious, repulsive "dark energy" that stretches the very
fabric of space faster and faster with time.
 
Alex Filippenko, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, is one of the world's most highly cited research astronomers. Winner of the top teaching awards at UC Berkeley, he was named the National Professor of the Year in 2006. He has produced several astronomy video courses for The Teaching
Company and appears in numerous television documentaries.

**********************************************************************

November 30, 2010
Jay Pasachoff
"The Sun and Solar Eclipses"

 

Prof. Pasachoff will describe the most recent of a series of eclipse observations, including Greece in 2006, Siberia in 2008, China in 2009, and Easter Island in 2010, and place ground-based eclipse observing in the context of contemporary solar research from the ground and from space."
 
Jay Pasachoff is especially known for his scientific work at total solar eclipses; the total solar eclipse of 11 July 2010 was his 51st! He worked at the Harvard College Observatory and Caltech before going to Williams College in 1972. He received the 2003 Education Prize of the American Astronomical Society, "For his eloquent and informative writing of textbooks from junior high through college, For his devotion to teaching generations of students, For sharing with the world the joys of observing eclipses, For his many popular books and articles on astronomy, For his intense advocacy on behalf of science education in various forums, For his willingness to go into educational nooks where no astronomer has gone before"

My Latest Get-Rich-Quick Scheme

GreatNonprofits Education Campaign 

GreatNonprofits wants to hear from people who have volunteered or donated to nonprofits, as well as those who have benefited from their services. If we get 10 good reviews this month, they will boost our exposure to potential donors.

Just go to: http://greatnonprofits.org/reviews/profile2/dudley-observatory, and answer a few questions about what we do well, what we could do better, and...
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
Be sure to choose "Education" from the drop down menu of campaigns in the review template!

...All you need is $10,000,000 and a dream!

 

Dutch Apple Starlight Cruise 

Starlight Cruise on the Hudson River
Wednesday, August 25

Thanks to all for your generous support! 

 

Welcome Aboard!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cruising Down the Hudson

 

 

 

 

 

All Hands on Deck!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many thanks to those who donated auction items!

A Video View Production
Dutch Apple Cruises, INC.
I Love Books
Malika International Gift Shop
MDM Business Products
Open Door Bookstore
Party LiteSouth Street Framers and Gallery
Symmetry
Zola Kids

New Scholarship Announced during Cruise!

Scholarship Supports a Rising Star Intern
We are happy to announce that the Capital Region Women's Network awarded a $350 grant to support a young woman in our Rising Star Internship program. The group promotes Education, Empowerment and Enrichment for women in the Capital Region.

Several members  of CRWN joined us for the Starlight Cruise, where the presentation was made. Among them were Lyn Malinowski, who has been an invaluable volunteer at Dudley and who made many of the arrangements for the evening, and Carmela Daubney of Sam's Restaurant, who provided the delicious dinner and amazing cannolis

 

 

 

Star Parties at Landis Arboretum with the
Albany Area Amateur Astronomers

September 10 (Fri)  8:30 pm
September 11 (Sat)  8:30 pm
October 1 (Fri)  8:00 pm
October 2 (Sat)  8:00 pm
November 5 (Fri)  8:00 pm
November 6 (Sat)  8:00 pm

More info
Landis Arboretum Directions

******************************************************************************
Open Houses at the Union College Observatory

Saturday, Sept 18,  8-10pm

Open to the public. The observatory is reached by going to Olin Science Center, room 301, then up the stairs inside the classroom. Further information is available at:
http://www1.union.edu/wilkinf/observatory/observatory.htm
as well as the recorded phone message at 518-388-7100.
Last minute cancellations due to weather are announced on the phone.

 

 

Clear Skies,
Janie Schwab
Dudley Observatory