Gardner-Webb University Astronomy Symposium
Date: January 16th 2016
Location: Tucker Center on Campus at Gardner Webb University, Boiling Springs, North Carolina
Formerly Known as “Regional Meeting of Amateur Astronomers”, AKA BoBfest
This Will Be Our 24th Event!
8:00 AM – Doors open
9:45 AM – Dr. Don Olive: Opening and Announcements
Speakers: Forty Five Minutes Each
10:00 – James “Jim” Lamm
Jim is an independent consultant in the newspaper industry, whose career spans over 40 years at six different newspapers across the country. His primary interest outside of his profession is amateur astronomy and meteorite collecting. A member of the Southeast Planetarium Association, The Planetary Society, Lunar and Planetary Observers, and the Astronomical League. Jim currently serves as the “Southern Star” Team Leader for the Charlotte Amateur Astronomers Club.
Title: “Meteorites: Pieces of the Night Sky”
We’ll explore what meteorites are, where they come from, and a historical look at the “impact” they have when they fall to Earth.
11:00 Speaker: Dr. Don Olive – Title and Subject To Be Announced
11:45 – 1:30 Lunch
1:30 – Joe Heafner
Joe is an AAPT Fellow, providing learning environments for astronomy and physics at Catawba Valley College since 1992. His introductory astronomy course has a flavor unlike that at any other institution. He is currently writing his second book, which will be an inquiry-based introductory astronomy textbook. Joe was a contributing editor to Sky & Telescope Magazine from 2000-2014.
Title: So What Can You Do Without A Telescope? LOTS!!!
So you want to get into amateur astronomy but don’t have a telescope? Can you still do productive observing with just your eyes? The answer is a resounding yes, and I will describe some of the amazing things you can discover just by watching the sky with your eyes. Sometimes a telescope just gets in the way and keeps you from seeing the literal big picture. You can watch Earth rotate. You can observe the Milky Way’s structure. You can deduce that Earth’s equatorial plane doesn’t coincide with its orbital plane. If you happen to have a stick handy, you can deduce Earth’s shape and size on a sunny day. In this talk, I will describe how to do these things and more!
2:30 – Tom English
Tom teaches astronomy at Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown, NC, and directs the programs of GTCC’s Cline Observatory, including TriStar, a regional amateur astronomy meeting held the first Saturday of March each year. Tom taught physics and astronomy at Gardner-Webb University for 12 years, and was the founding Director of Williams Observatory, and served as Editor of the CCAS Newsletter during the 1990s.
Title: The Best Man: America’s Pioneering Astrophysicist, J.E. Keeler
Tom’s presentation will outline the remarkable life and important discoveries of one of America’s outstanding and unsung scientists, James Edward Keeler.
Keeler was considered the preeminent astrophysicist of his generation (and his generation included George Ellery Hale!), but he died at age 42, with a productive career ahead of him. The announcement of his death in the Astrophysical Journal declared that astronomy had suffered an incalculable loss.
In the Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the announcement stated that astronomy had suffered a loss it could ill afford. Keeler made many pioneering discoveries in astrophysics, and his death stunned the astronomical community. But he is now largely forgotten.
4:00 – Prize Drawings and Ending
Date: January 16th 2016
Location: Tucker Center on Campus at Gardner Webb University, Boiling Springs, North Carolina
Formerly Known as “Regional Meeting of Amateur Astronomers”, AKA BoBfest
This Will Be Our 24th Event!
8:00 AM – Doors open
- Swap Table and “For Sale” – Be sure to bring your valuable and not so valuable astronomy stuff!
- Astronomy Vendor To-Date: Jim Sinclair With Meteors For Show & Sale
- Prize Drawings Display:
- Astronomy Magazine Subscription by Kalmbach Publishing Company
- Assorted Astronomy Books: Donated by the estate of long time CCAS member, Marion “Rusty” McDonald.
- Celestron 70 mm zoom binoculars: Donated by Don Brooks
- As donations are received they will be added….so please check back.
9:45 AM – Dr. Don Olive: Opening and Announcements
Speakers: Forty Five Minutes Each
10:00 – James “Jim” Lamm
Jim is an independent consultant in the newspaper industry, whose career spans over 40 years at six different newspapers across the country. His primary interest outside of his profession is amateur astronomy and meteorite collecting. A member of the Southeast Planetarium Association, The Planetary Society, Lunar and Planetary Observers, and the Astronomical League. Jim currently serves as the “Southern Star” Team Leader for the Charlotte Amateur Astronomers Club.
Title: “Meteorites: Pieces of the Night Sky”
We’ll explore what meteorites are, where they come from, and a historical look at the “impact” they have when they fall to Earth.
11:00 Speaker: Dr. Don Olive – Title and Subject To Be Announced
11:45 – 1:30 Lunch
1:30 – Joe Heafner
Joe is an AAPT Fellow, providing learning environments for astronomy and physics at Catawba Valley College since 1992. His introductory astronomy course has a flavor unlike that at any other institution. He is currently writing his second book, which will be an inquiry-based introductory astronomy textbook. Joe was a contributing editor to Sky & Telescope Magazine from 2000-2014.
Title: So What Can You Do Without A Telescope? LOTS!!!
So you want to get into amateur astronomy but don’t have a telescope? Can you still do productive observing with just your eyes? The answer is a resounding yes, and I will describe some of the amazing things you can discover just by watching the sky with your eyes. Sometimes a telescope just gets in the way and keeps you from seeing the literal big picture. You can watch Earth rotate. You can observe the Milky Way’s structure. You can deduce that Earth’s equatorial plane doesn’t coincide with its orbital plane. If you happen to have a stick handy, you can deduce Earth’s shape and size on a sunny day. In this talk, I will describe how to do these things and more!
2:30 – Tom English
Tom teaches astronomy at Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown, NC, and directs the programs of GTCC’s Cline Observatory, including TriStar, a regional amateur astronomy meeting held the first Saturday of March each year. Tom taught physics and astronomy at Gardner-Webb University for 12 years, and was the founding Director of Williams Observatory, and served as Editor of the CCAS Newsletter during the 1990s.
Title: The Best Man: America’s Pioneering Astrophysicist, J.E. Keeler
Tom’s presentation will outline the remarkable life and important discoveries of one of America’s outstanding and unsung scientists, James Edward Keeler.
Keeler was considered the preeminent astrophysicist of his generation (and his generation included George Ellery Hale!), but he died at age 42, with a productive career ahead of him. The announcement of his death in the Astrophysical Journal declared that astronomy had suffered an incalculable loss.
In the Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the announcement stated that astronomy had suffered a loss it could ill afford. Keeler made many pioneering discoveries in astrophysics, and his death stunned the astronomical community. But he is now largely forgotten.
4:00 – Prize Drawings and Ending
