Door Peninsula Astronomical Society

ALCON EXPO 2008

The annual Astronomical League conference is fast approaching, and it\'s not too late to sign up! The early registration date has passed, but for just a few dollars more you can still be included in the League\'s premier event on July 18-19, 2008 in Des Moines, Iowa. Please visit the ALConExpo 2008 website for details: http://www.alconexpo.com

Unfortunately the room allocation we had with the event venue, Marriott Hotels, are all taken, but we are hoping to work with other hotels in the downtown area to facilitate everyone who hasn\'t reserved a room. If you know of someone, or if you have not reserved your lodging, please email chairman@alconexpo.com and let me know your needs. It is critical we have this information this week to make arrangements with the other hotels.

We still have room for more vendors as well. If you know of someone who would like to promote their wares to the amateur astronomy community, please have them email our vendor representative, Doug Rudd atvendors@alconexpo.com

Hope to see you there!

Bryan Butcher
ALCON Chairman

Adler Planetarium Field Trip October 18

DPAS members have been invited to a bus trip to the Adler Planetarium in Chicago on October 18 with NPMAS and NEWSTAR. The bus will cost roughly $40 per person and a gratuity is recommended. The cost will be finalized once the total number of seats is determined. This is clearly a situation where \"the more, the merrier\" applies.

Admission to Adler is $10, and shows which run every 20 to 40 minutes (depending on the show) cost $6.

Please email Susan Basten or click here if you\'re interested in going.

NSN Telecon June 24th: What is Happening During Hubble Servicing Mission 4?

Mark your calendar for Tuesday, June 24th to find out what is happening during upcoming Hubble Servicing Mission 4 (SM4). Our speaker Dr. Kenneth Sembach is a Space Telescope Science Institute Hubble Project Scientist.

**Hubble has graciously donated five posters to be given away at the end of the presentation. Be sure to listen in for your chance to win!**

Click here to request the phone number and login information for the telecon.

The PowerPoint to accompany Dr. Sembach\'s talk is available for download here.

Join the SSA telecon with Mr. Eclipse on June 18th

On Friday, August 1st a total eclipse of the Sun is visible from within a narrow corridor that traverses half of the Earth. Dr. Fred Espenak (Mr. Eclipse) will give a detailed account of the how, why and what of this grand spectacle. Thanks go to Kay Ferrari, national coordinator for the JPL Solar System Ambassador (SSA) program, for inviting the Night Sky Network members to join in on this telecon.

Click here to request the phone number and login information for the telecon.

Bonus Telecon: Mars Phoenix Landing

We have been invited to join in with the Solar System Ambassador group at JPL a bonus teleconference on the Mars Phoenix Landing.

Where: Online Presentation
When: Monday, May 12 5-6:30 pm

Click here to request the phone number for the telecon and login information.

Phone lines will open at 4:30 pm.

PLEASE NOTE: During the training, it is requested that everyone who does not have a telephone Mute button, mute your phone by pressing *6 (star six) to keep the noise level down. Since the *6 feature is a toggle, phones may be unmuted in the same manner to ask questions. For any technical problems encountered during the training, pressing *0 (star zero) will signal the operator who can temporarily remove you from the telecon room to resolve the issue. If entering the telecon after the recording has begun (5 pm), please enter silently and do not announce your name.

May Board Meeting

The May meeting of the DPAS Board will be held one week late, on May 20 instead of May 13. Location is still the Ray and Ruthie Stonecipher Astronomy Center, time 7 PM.

Meeting location changed!

The meeting of the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society has been moved to the Learning Center at Crossroads at Big Creek, so use the Michigan Street entrance.

NCRAL 2008 UPDATE

We have been informed that Jack Horkheimer, for reasons beyond control of Jack and the sponsors of NCRAL 2008, had to cancel his keynote address. The keynote address instead will be given by David J. Eicher, editor of Astronomy magazine and noted astronomer.

For more information about NCRAL 2008, visit the Northern Cross Science Foundation website.

DPAS Invited to Green Bay\'s Messier Marathon

As always, the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society is invited to the NPMAS Messier Marathon in Green Bay. This years event will be held on Saturday, April 5th.

This year we are moving to a new location, Calavera Springs Park. The park is located just west and north of Howard on Green Bay\'s West Side. The horizon is much better getting down to about 10 degrees as the greatest obstruction and the visible stars were 1-2 magnitudes dimmer from this location than our previous one.

As always, this is a party clear or cloudy and we would like everybody to bring a dish to pass. Note that the club will be providing chilli for all so we encourage you to bring something else. The building has a full kitchen.

If you need a map, email me at ddewitt at tds dot net and I will send it to you. We hope to see many of you there!

Show Your Support for Starlight

Wherever in the world you are on Friday, March, 29th, join Americans as they turn off nonessential lights in their hometowns between 8-9 p.m. - An IDA supported event of Lights Out America and Earth Hour. Continue your dark sky support through April 4th in celebration of the sixth annual National Dark-Sky Week. Read more>>