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At the June 7th General Meeting, Parker Moreland, one of our own DACS members, provided us with an excellent presentation on astronomy. He covered how computers can be used to control telescopes, some of the various programs (free and commercial) that are available to view the night sky and do space simulations, and projects undertaken by the John J. McCarthy Observatory in New Milford. He mixed facts about space with real world examples of what can be done today with both computers and telescopes, along with several amazing shows of pictures of our universe. He described how you can have a normal computer direct a telescope so that a specific object can be located automatically and continue to move the telescope as the object passes across The audience could easily tell, as Parker progressed through the presentation, that he was both knowledgeable on the subject and well versed in a number of the programs available for both the amateur and professional to learn more about the sky and enjoy its fascinating appearance. He also brought along several of the tools used at the observatory, and gave a detailed explanation of each. Of special interest was a camera that attaches to the telescope for picture taking. Several of the key parts of Parker’s presentation were detailed descriptions of projects undertaken by students using the observatory to measure the distance to an NEO (Near Earth Object) and the distance to Mars. One of these projects also relied on coordinating the measurement with a sister group in Europe. The accuracy of these amateur projects using relatively inexpensive equipment was excellent, and I’m sure a great learning experience for the students. What was truly amazing about these projects was the planning time involved and the different software used to do the work. If you would like more information about the observatory, go to http://www.www. mccarthyobserv atory.org. He also showed pictures taken of the heavens by an exceptional amateur astronomer and photographer, Robert Gendler, set to music. He described the preparation done by Mr. Gendler and the equipment used. The amount of time devoted to generate these wonderful pictures shows his dedication. If you would like to see some of Gendler’s photographs just point your browser to http://www.robgendlerastropics.com/Einstein.html. You won’t be disappointed. This writer and the rest of the audience were awed by the accomplishments of the amateurs at the observatory and the mix of wondrous images of our universe. Parker spent a lot of time putting together this well-received presentation for DACS, and it showed. If you were not present you missed an excellent and informative evening.
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