The Moonstruck Astronomy Club held its monthly meeting on Thursday, Nov. 14. Jim Di Paolo, club president, reviewed the agenda for the day. Beverly Bergmann, club treasurer, gave the financial report, and Larry Isenberg, club vice president, followed up with the minutes of the last meeting. Larry led a discussion on plans for the club’s Christmas party and the Kennedy Space Center field trip.
Club member Shari Schopp did a presentation titled “Moon Minute,” which was about Christina Koch, the first woman astronaut who will go to the moon. Shari informed members that Christina holds the world record for the longest spaceflight by a woman and will be a crew member mission specialist for the Artemis II flight to the moon.
Larry Isenberg and Russell Martin’s presentation was about their recent trip to the Chiefland Astrofest. Images were shown, including photos of other attendees’ telescope setups, guest speakers, and deep-sky photos taken during the event.
Doug George presented a monthly report for November on the night sky. He reported on the planets that can be seen in the November night sky, along with information and photos he had taken of the Comet C/2023 A3 that is currently fading away from our view. Doug talked about the upcoming Leonid meteor shower that peaked on Nov. 17 and pointed out that the moonlight would interfere with obtaining some good views this year. He concluded the presentation with information on ISS flyovers for November and early December.
Jim presented another series on the planet Saturn and informed members about Earth’s new mini-moon, which has been in the news. He concluded the meeting with information on the recent SpaceX Starship Flight 5 that tested recovering the Super Heavy Booster back onto the launch site, where it would be cradled by two mechanical arms, referred to as “chopsticks.” The test was successful, and Jim played a video of the launch and booster recovery.
Club members are reminded to watch for emails announcing more evening observation sessions in the coming weeks and months. Sessions will be announced on any day that weather conditions allow for an open sky, and club members are willing to set up their telescopes to share observations. Members are welcome to arrive and stay if they wish throughout the evenings. All sessions are held adjacent to the R/C flying field.
Regular meetings of the Moonstruck Astronomy Club are on the second Thursday of every month from 1:30 to 3 p.m. in the Hobby Building Event Room. All residents and Gateway of Services pass holders can join the club, and new members are welcome! Yearly club dues are only $20 per year, and they include a subscription to the quarterly Reflector Magazine. For information or club registration, please contact club President Jim Di Paolo at moonastroclub@gmail.com. More information is always available at moonstruckastronomyclub.org.
Author: Jim Di Paolo
