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Yes, we are now firmly entrenched in the 20th century with the addition of our first ever website. Here in the Home section is where you can find the latest information about the club, viewings, and other events in the works. Also, we'll keep various tidbits and recent happenings in astronomy here for your viewing pleasure. In the Newsletter section will be a copy of the latest MHS Astronomy Club newsletter, with a link to subscribe (for family and friends, etc.). The Links section has some- you guessed it!- links to various astronomy-related sites and organization, and is definitely worth taking a look at. Contact Us is yet another link to our email account for the club.
I had the chance to meet with Dr. Bruce Wilking, the department chair of Physics and Astronomy at University of Missouri- St. Louis. He gave me a tour of the campus, which included a small, 36 seat planetarium within the main science hall. The dome is maybe 20' tall, and has a projection machine which can be programmed to show the sun, planets, and stars at any time of the year. Dr. Wilking has graciously offered us the use of the facilities, but due to the faculty locking up the building after school, we need to be there during school hours. Our next day off from school is only a half day, April 19th. We get out of school at about 12:15 (12:45 with traffic) PM, and it takes roughly forty-five minutes to get to UMSL. Anyone interested in going can contact me via email or talk to Mr. Shouse in room 369; he can relay the info to me. The seniors in the group (Tom and I) can transport only 8 other people, so other drivers are wanted! We'll be in contact with Dr. Wilking to confirm this date as soon as possible.
Another generous invitation on behalf of Dr. Wilking: the same campus observatory used for research and professional observing, the Richard D. Schwartz Observatory, has open house nights for amateur astronomers and clubs like ours. We'll be bringing along our own gear (up to three telescopes and three pairs of binoculars); plus any others there will keep everyone busy! Each night has a certain starting time and key objects to watch.
| Saturday, April 16th, 8:30 PM | Saturn, Jupiter, Orion Nebula, Globular Cluster M 3 |
| Saturday, May 14th, 9:00 PM | Saturn, Jupiter, Hercules Cluster, M 81 Galaxy |
| Saturday, June 18th, 9:00 PM | Jupiter, Hercules Cluster, Asteroid ‘1 Ceres,’ Ring Nebula |
More are planned for the summer. Contact us early if you'd be interested in coming.
The SLAS holds meeting at Washington University on the third Friday of each month, making their next meeting April 15th. We'll be contacting Mr. Mark Jones for confirmation of this date.