CAA

October 8: Monthly Membership Meeting

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The October meeting of the Cuyahoga Astronomical Association (CAA) will take place Monday, October 8. Speaker for the evening will be CAA member and club secretary Trevor Braun on the topic, “Astronomical Tools.” There have been a variety of important astronomical tools dating from antiquity to the present. Trevor will give us an overview of the history of astronomical tools, show us how they have been and are being used, their impact on our knowledge of the Universe and ourselves, and best of all, how to make some of your own!

The CAA’s monthly meetings are held on the second Monday of every month (except December) at 7:30 PM at the Rocky River Nature Center; 24000 Valley Parkway; North Olmsted, Ohio, in the Cleveland Metroparks.

Following the presentation and a brief social break, the club will conduct its membership business meeting.

At Monday, August 13 meeting: Crewed American space missions: 2018

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The program for the August 13 General Membership Meeting will cover American Crewed Space Missions: 2018. The talk will be delivered by Tom Benson, a retired NASA aerospace engineer.

SpaceX Falcon 9 - Credit: SpaceX

On July 8, 2011, the final Space Shuttle mission was launched from Cape Canaveral.

For the last six years, the United States has paid the Russian Space Agency to deliver crew members to the International Space Station (ISS). That process is about to end as Americans will once again ride on American spacecraft launched from U.S. soil!

The Commercial Crew Program of NASA has contracted with SpaceX and Boeing to each develop a spacecraft which can deliver and return astronauts to the ISS. The first flights are scheduled for this year. Tom Benson, retired from NASA Glenn Research Center, will report on these missions and share with us any breaking news from the “high frontier!”

The CAA’s monthly meetings are held on the second Monday of every month (except December) at 7:30 PM at the Rocky River Nature Center; 24000 Valley Parkway; North Olmsted, Ohio, in the Cleveland Metroparks.

Following the presentation and a brief social break, the club will conduct its membership business meeting.

Illustration: Falcon 9 booster with Dragon crewed spacecraft. Credit: SpaceX

June 11’s monthly meeting and upcoming programs

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Coming up on Monday, June 11 is the monthly meeting of the Cuyahoga Astronomical Association (CAA). The evening’s program will feature several members showing their favorite telescopes and what they appreciate about them and is appropriately entitled, “Telescope Show and Tell.”

The CAA’s monthly meetings are held on the second Monday of every month (except December) at 7:30 PM at the Rocky River Nature Center; 24000 Valley Parkway; North Olmsted, Ohio, in the Cleveland Metroparks.

Following the presentation and a brief social break, the club will conduct its membership business meeting.

Here is a list of programs scheduled to take place at upcoming meetings of the CAA:

June 11, 2018
“Telescope Show and Tell”
Speaker: Members of the Cuyahoga Astronomical Association
Tonight, various club members will display their favorite telescopes and explain why, how, and how much!”

July 9, 2018
“Journey to Another Solar System”
Speaker: Jay Reynolds, Club member and Research Astronomer at Cleveland State University
Research astronomer and host of WKYC’s “In The Sky,” Jay Reynolds will discuss how scientists are working now on a project to send high-speed probes to our nearest neighboring star, with data results in less than 40 years of launch! (This is a make-up talk originally scheduled for January that did not take place due to illness!)

August 13, 2018
“American Crewed Space Missions: 2018”
Speaker: Tom Benson, Retired NASA Aerospace Engineer
On July 8, 2011 the last Space Shuttle mission was launched from Cape Canaveral. For the last six years, the United States has paid the Russian Space Agency to deliver crew members to the International Space Station (ISS). That process is about to end as Americans will once again ride on American spacecraft launched from American soil! The Commercial Crew Program of NASA has contracted with Space-X and Boeing to each develop spacecraft that can deliver and return astronauts to the ISS. The first flights are scheduled for this year. Tom Benson, retired from NASA Glenn, will report on these missions and share with us any breaking news from the high frontier!

September 10, 2018
“Moon Bases”
Speaker: Bryan A. Paleszewski, NASA Engineer
NASA Engineer Bryan Palaszewski will bring us close to home and discuss plans and ideas for humans to “live off the land,” i.e. establish a permanent base on the surface of our nearest solar system neighbor, the Moon!

Star Trails and Space Station Track

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Photo: Star trails around Polaris are interrupted by a pass of the International Space Station. Photo by Alan Studt.
Star trails around Polaris are interrupted by a pass of the International Space Station. Photo by Alan Studt.

On a seemingly rare clear night recently in Northeastern Ohio, Cuyahoga Astronomical Association (CAA) member, photographer Alan Studt traveled to Hinckley Lake for a bit of stargazing. CAA members can access Cleveland Metroparks for after-hours astronomy.

“Gale and I watched the nice ISS pass on Thursday night. Since it was clear Friday night we went to Hinckley Lake Reservation and sat by the lake while I shot a star trail. Nice surprise – the ISS flew by and photo-bombed the star trail!” — Alan Studt

Technical Items:

  • 102 shots, 20 seconds each
  • Tamron 15-30mm @ 15mm, f2.8
  • ISO 200, Nikon D810