Von Braun Astronomical Society
January 2012 Planetarium Shows
Written by Gena Crook
Our Public Planetarium Shows Begin at 7:30 PM
FREE Telescope Workshop? - Saturdays, January 7 and 21 at 5:00 PM
Our observing crew will be conducting workshops to help those with new telescopes learn to set them up and provide some basic training to get the most out of that new scope. These workshops are FREE but, if possible, please RSVP to our Vice-President, Don Martin, if you are coming and what type of telescope you will be bringing, so that the crew may 
be better prepared to help. Please send a message to Don at:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
So you got a new telescope for Christmas? - Saturdays, January 7 and 21 at 7:30 PM
Planetarium Director, Roy Young will explain how your telescope works, give you tips on how to get the best out of you telescope and show you some targets in our current night sky that will be good for beginners
.
Is there a map in the sky? - Saturdays, January 14 and 28 at 7:30 PM
For all of the beginner amateur astronomers, Brenda Rogers will explain how to read star maps and use this information to point your telescope in the right direction. You'll learn about Right Ascension and Declination, the Celestial Equator and more.
Admission for Saturday Night Programs
Admission is $5 for Adults, $3 for Students, and free for children under 6, as well as VBAS members. Weather permitting, you will have the opportunity to look at some of the wonders of the universe our telescopes following the planetarium program with the help of our experienced and knowledgeable observing crew!
Refresh the Night Sky
Written by Richard Norman
Please Hurry & Cast your Vote to "Refresh" the Night Sky:
http://www.refresheverything.com/citystarparks
Every year the Pepsi Refresh project gives away tens of thousands of dollars in grants to improve communities.
International Darksky Association (IDA) has proposed a project to bring access to the starry night to urban areas. Projects are chosen by popular vote. Please vote EVERY DAY in the month of December and help IDA bring you the night sky though SUBURBAN OUTREACH SITES.
A Suburban Outreach Site is a "dark sky oasis" right in your community. A safe, public place where people can gather to see the stars and learn about the night sky. Suburban Outreach Sites are easily accessible from cities. They will offer a good place to stargaze (relative to the area) and will hold free events to bring celestial wonders to the young and old. Suburban Outreach Sites will educate the next generation to keep looking up, and inspire them to use better lighting to save energy, conserve natural resources, and help animals like birds, fireflies, and sea turtles. These sites will be created through a partnership between IDA and local astronomy clubs.
The Pepsi Refresh grant will help IDA designate Suburban Outreach Sites around the country. IDA will coordinate action with our Chapters and astronomy clubs to select a safe place with a beautiful nighttime atmosphere. IDA will create "fresh" programming ideas and event coordination, and even offer free materials on how to dim city lights and bring back the stars.
VBAS Email List
Written by Administrator
We now have an email list that those interested in upcoming VBAS events may subscribe. The list is used to inform the membership of upcoming meetings and other events plus planetarium program reminders. To subscribe send an email to the following address with the word subscribe in the subject line; you do not need to put anything in the message body:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
*** If you are already receiving the email updates, you do not need to subscribe.
Monthly Society Meeting
Written by Don Martin
The next VBAS Monthly Society Meeting will occur Friday, January 20 at 7:00 PM.
***PLEASE NOTE*** We will not have a meeting during the month of December.
As usual we will have pizza and soda at 7:00 PM, the meeting will begin at 7:30 PM, followed by club business, our presentation, and Stellar Challenges with Doug Horacek. After the meeting club members will be encouraged to share their own projects, photographs - whatever you’d like to show your friends.
Stay tuned for more details
Don Martin
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Welcome to the New VBAS Website
Written by Administrator
Welcome to the new VBAS website! We hope you enjoy the new look and feel. We have incorporated many of the features you are familiar with and have added several new components. First off, we would like to thank Michael Cowger for managing and hosting our website for the past few years. He has done a spectacular job maintaining our image on the web. Michael will continue as a part of the website team and provide help with his experience and expertise.
There are a few features from the old website that are not yet incorporated on the new website, most notably is our membership database. We are working on a solution for that, both temporary and long-term. Also, we are looking at creating a member's only area, which ideally will work in conjunction with the current membership database; we are still exploring various options. One feature we hope to enable soon that several people have asked about is the ability to join/renew online via PayPal. Although not specifically website features, VBAS is on Twitter and Facebook. Please take an opportunity to follow us on Twitter at VBAS_Huntsville and "like" us on Facebook, as we will be utilizing social media more and more.
Stay tuned to the website for more information and more features!
More Articles...
Page 1 of 2
<< Start < Prev 1 2 Next > End >>