SPEAKERS
Click here to see the detailed schedule of all events including when Speakers are giving their presentations at ALCON.
Word Document of Friday's speakers
Word Document of Saturday's speakers
ALCON 2009 will include speakers in four different “tracks” of Astronomy subject matter. Click on any track or name below to see details about each of the speakers.
I. A Range of Astronomy Topics including but not limited to Astrophysics, Exobiology, Astronomy Hardware, Observing Techniques, Astronomy Art, Astronomy History, and Radio Astronomy:
- David Levy - Keynote Speaker
- Nancy Kiang, Ph.D
- Phil Harrington
- Al Nagler
- Tony Pirera
- Dr. Richard Greenberg
- Prof. Don Lubowich
- Deirdre Kelleghan
- John Goss
- Joe Rao
- Mike Kozma
- Jeffrey Owen Katz, PhD
- Dr. Michael Inglis
- Michael Francis
- Dr. Mike Reynolds
- Bob Crelin
- Terry Mann
- Vivian White
- Robert P. Naeye
- Rob Sparks
- John Pazmino
- Al Carcich
- Richard Schmude
- Wayne Bailey
- Frank Melillo
- John Boudreau
- Dr. John E. Westfall
- Stuart Parker
- Dr. Roger Venable
- Other ALPO speakers
Below is the Biographical Information for each of the ALCON Speakers:
David Levy is the Canadian Astronomer who is most famous for his co-discovery of the Shoemaker-Levy comet which in 1994 collided with the Planet Jupiter. Levy has had an illustrious career as comet hunter with 22 discoveries to his credit. He has written more than 30 books, the most famous being “The Quest For Comets” and his book about Gene Shoemaker, the famous astronomer with whom he collaborated on many of his comet discoveries.
Other books written by David Levy are: Deep Sky Objects: The Best and the Brightest From Four Decades of Comet Chasing (Prometheus Books); Starry Night: Poets and Astronomers Read the Night Sky (Prometheus Books); and David Levy's Guide To Comet Hunting (Cambridge University Press).
David Levy will be the Keynote Speaker during the ALCON Banquet on Saturday night, August 8. The topic for his talk will be, “A Night Watchman's Journey: My life and Hard Times As a Comet Hunter.”
David will also speak during the ALPO Meeting on Visual Comet Hunting, A Requiem?
Nancy is a researcher for NASA Goddard Institute For Space Studies. At Goddard, Nancy studies how the biosphere on Earth exchanges heat, water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen in different forms, and many other compounds with the atmosphere. These exchanges result in the biosphere actively controlling the climate of the Earth. She uses that information to figure out how they could be different for life on other planets. She has also hypothesized how the light from other color stars may affect plant life that could develop.
Nancy is the author of a Scientific American article entitled “The Color Of Plants On Other Worlds.”
For ALCON, Nancy’s talk will be, “Astronomical Detection of Life on Other Worlds: Biosignatures of Photosynthesis.”
A lifelong amateur astronomer, Phil Harrington was a staff member of New York City's Hayden Planetarium and instructor at the Vanderbilt Planetarium in Centerport, New York. As an adjunct professor, he teaches courses in stellar and planetary astronomy, is a member of Custer Institute, and AOS, a founding member of the Westport (CT) Astronomical Society, and is also one of the coordinators of the annual Astronomer's Conjunction, held each summer in Northfield, MA.
Phil has written many books on stargazing and the best equipment to use along with many articles in popular astronomy magazines and is an accomplished and sought after speaker at star parties throughout the northeast.
Phil will be speaking on “Nights of Future Passed”, which reviews the amateur telescope over the 20th century.
As President and founder of Tele Vue Optics,Al has introduced some of the most revolutionary and high quality optics ever conceived for Amateur Astronomers.
www.televue.com/engine/page.asp?ID=2,
Al put his lifelong love of amateur astronomy to work as a professional optical designer in 1958. But, it was his involvement in designing NASA lunar landing simulators (as seen in the movie "Apollo 13") that most directly influences Tele Vue products of today. Al wanted his own observing equipment to deliver that seemingly limitless vista created for the astronauts. Producing wide, full-field sharpness and high contrast images are the keys. In the midst of the eyepiece-crushing Dobsonian telescope revolution of the early 80s, Tele Vue launched its Plössl eyepiece design. So improved in edge sharpness, it was awarded U.S. and international patents. On the consumer front, and in backyards, it also won acclaim - "The sharpest I've ever used" pronounced the editor of "Astronomy" in a rave review.
Al personally try to observe a few times a month, usually with fellow club members from the Rockland Astronomy Club in New York. He also gets away from the cold and snow of the New York winter by making a point of attending the Winter Star Party in the Florida Keys. His favorite objects to view are the wide angle Milky Way and open clusters, multiple stars, and Jupiter since the comet crash.
Al will speak on “How To Choose Eyepieces.”
Please Note: It is a special honor for us to have AL Nagler speak at the ALCON 2009 Convention. Al is a legend in the Amateur Astronomy community and in the Optics Field in general. .
Tony is a member of the Astronomical Society of Long Island (http://www.asliclub.org/) , and is the founder and President of the Spectrum Thin Films Corporation. Spectrum has developed the equipment for depositing optical coatings on many specialized astronomy filters and optics. Tony’s company has provided coatings for government projects such as NASA’s Mars Phoenix Lander project, and it also produces coatings for a wide range of commercial optical products.
*** PLEASE NOTE ***
In addition to speaking at ALCON, Tony has graciously agreed to allow a tour of his Spectrum Thin Films facility in Bohemia, N.Y. This tour is being conducted as part of a “double header” tour on Monday, August 3, 2009. The morning will be spent at Brookhaven Labs in Brookhaven, N.Y. learning about the latest particle physics developments at the labs; the afternoon will be spent at Tony’s Spectrum Thin Films learning how he produces exotic coatings that wind up on our Light Pollution filters and other optical surfaces used by Amateur Astronomers. This is a “must see” Tour which is unusual and only available to ALCON attendees. For more information, please see the “Tours/Events” section of this website and also go to Spectrum’s website at http://spectrumthinfilms.com/
Dr. Richard Greenberg is Professor of Planetary Sciences at the University of Arizona. As a celestial mechanician, his research interests span all aspects of planetary motions, especially those that involve nongravitational effects like collisions and tides, including formation of planets, extra-solar planetary systems, evolution of asteroids and meteorites, and the orbits of satellites. As a member of the imaging team for the Galileo mission to Jupiter, he became especially interested in interpreting the processes that have shaped the satellite Europa. His new book “Unmasking Europa” has been reviewed favorably in Sky and Telescope, Nature, and NASAs Astrobiology magazine. In this book, he contends that the icy surface of Europa is so thin or even melted in some places that it will be relatively easy to sample the ocean for lifeforms.
Dr. Greenberg will speak on “Unmasking Europa."
Prof. Don Lubowich, Hofstra University:
Dr. Lubowich is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Hofstra University and AOS member. He. runs Hofstra University's "Stars on Sundays" series which allows participants to use telescopes for star-gazing while learning about the universe from college astronomers on Sunday evenings throughout the year. He has been awarded several grants from NASA to bring his astronomy Outreach programs to the children receiving medical treatment at the Hagedorn Pediatric Inpatient Center at Winthrop University Hospital and to the children and families at the Ronald McDonald House in Queens, NY. In 2008, he began a new outreach program, Music and Astronomy Under the Stars, through a NASA grant, to bring telescopes and views of the heavens to visitors of the Long Island parks following concerts and movies. This innovative approach toward astronomy education has brought rave reviews from the participants
Dr. Lubowich will speak on his Research Projects and Public Outreach Efforts.
Deirdre Kelleghan:
Deirdre's Blog
Deirdre was “imported” from Ireland. There, she is author of the Deadly Moon children's drawing program which is part of UNAWE (Universe Awareness for Young Children), a cornerstone project for IYA 2009. In this program, Deirdre has been running a workshop where she gets young children to express themselves by drawing their visions of how the Moon and other celestial objects appear to them. In this context, “Deadly” is a slang expression for “cool.” Deirdre also lectures on Galileo’s life and times.
Deirdre is a former President of the Irish Astronomical Society (2005 - 2009) she is now The Outreach Officer for the Irish Federation of Astronomical Societies. She enjoys writing articles on the wonders of astronomy and space, and her work has been published in Irish, English and American astronomical magazines. Her background has been in graphic design for print and magazines before computers. She enjoys speaking to groups about the solar system and the robotic exploration renaissance that is happening every day.
Deirdre is an avid sketcher of her views through the telescope. Her work has been featured as Astronomy Sketch of the Day, http://www.asod.info/?p=1367 and http://www.asod.info/?p=550 and Astronomy Picture of the Day, http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap081206.html. Deirdre just held an International Astronomical Sketching Exhibition in Blackrock Castle Observatory in Co Cork Ireland on February 6th. A larger version of the same exhibition will open in Birr Castle on September 18th, and then later on in the year open in Dunsink Observatory in Dublin during Science Week . A high percentage of work comes from American astronomers/observers /artists. The center piece of the Birr and Dunsink exhibitions are a selection of sketches by Sir Patrick Moore done over his lifetime.
John conducts a Club-Building Workshop entitled “In Search Of the Perfect Club.” This Workshop provides a forum to explore issues directly related to the effectiveness of an astronomy club. Participants will learn club characteristics and will discuss common club problems. Other subjects that may be examined include retaining new members, serving the membership, building new leadership, and creating a community presence.
John has been active in astronomy organizations at the local, regional and national levels: Serving first as President of the Roanoke Valley Astronomical Society, then as Chair of the Mid East Region of the Astronomical League, and now as Astronomical League Secretary.
In addition to his many presentations at conferences and star parties, he has conducted telescope workshops, club improvement workshops, and instructs "Stargazing for the Curious Skywatcher" through Dabney S. Lancaster Community College. John has contributed numerous articles for the Astronomical League's Reflector magazine and writes a monthly astronomy column for the Roanoke Times.
A summary of John’s Workshop is as follows:
In Search of the Perfect Club-What makes an astronomy club run smoothly and efficiently? In short, what makes it perfect? This workshop provides a forum to explore issues which directly affect the efficacy of any club. Participants will learn club characteristics and will discuss common club problems. Other subjects that may be examined include retaining new members, serving the membership, building new leadership, and creating a community presence. If you are interested in building a better club or simply making your club "go," then these interactive sessions are for you.
Joe has had a long and distinguished career as a Meteorologist and Astronomer. He currently works for News 12 Westchester serving the Hudson Valley of New York. As an AOS Member, Joe is also our own personal Astronomy Weather Forcaster, and he has countless times come through with very last minute detailed forcasts for special astronomical events.
During his career, Joe has been a lecturer for the Hayden Planetarium, and he has led three total eclipse ocean cruises. Joe also writes for Space.com, the Farmers’ Almanac, and a regular Sunday column for the New York Times. Since 1986, he has been an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium.
Joe’s topic for ALCON will be: “GREAT COMETS OF THE LAST 400 YEARS” -- Comets can fall into two classes: "Common" comets are those that are visible either with binoculars, telescopes or dimly with the naked eye. Then there are the "Great" Comets, which can put on a spectacular show either by becoming incredibly bright or fantastically structured. In this illustrated talk, Joe Rao takes a look at the most amazing comets that have appeared over the last four centuries.
Mike is a past Vice President of AOS and he is an Electronic Engineer who recently retired from Metro North Railroad as an Engineering Project Manager in the Communications and Signal Engineering Department. Prior to Metro North, Mike was an Engineering Manager in the Electronic industry, overseeing numerous design projects in terrestrial and satellite Communications systems, Broadband Power amplifiers, and radar systems.
In addition, Mike was an Adjunct Professor at Queensborough Community College, and has taught several courses in the Electrical Engineering Technology Department. He has been an amateur astronomer for many years and his detailed and technical approach to optical design and evaluation is a real asset to fellow club members.
Mike is also an active Amateur Radio Operator and he has built and operates several Radio Telescopes to combine that hobby with amateur astronomy. He regularly gives technical lectures at local Radio Clubs on various technical topics, including Radio Astronomy Systems, Transmitters, Receivers, and Antenna design and construction.
Mike has a Masters Degree in Electronic Engineering from Polytechnic Institute of New York. He is married, has three children, and three future-astronomer grand-children.
Mike will speak on Amateur Radio Astronomy.
Dr.Katz has served on the Board of Directors of the Custer Institute and Observatory since 2003 and, in 2004, was appointed as Observatory Director. In 2007, he established a Research Committee consisting of gifted amateur astronomers, as well as active scientists and educators from area colleges and research facilities. The Committee is pursuing investigations into exoplanets, solar phenomena and supernova, has enhanced and is working to automate the observatory's facilities, obtained grants from several prestigious foundations (including the Fund for Astrophysical Research and Brookhaven National Laboratory), and created the Education Through Research program in which students obtain hands-on research experience.
Dr. Katz began as a child prodigy in electrical engineering, rapidly advanced through mathematics, psychology, psychophysiology, physics, computer science, and biology, making significant contributions along the way (including the discovery of a new model in the field of factor analysis). Through his software and consulting company, Scientific Consultant Services Inc., for the past 20 years Dr. Katz has focused his career largely in the area of quantitative finance, where he has applied his knowledge of science, mathematics, and artificial intelligence and made unique contributions to the markets. He has co-authored numerous articles and three books on quantitative finance with McGraw-Hill. In addition to his astrophysical research at the Custer Institute, he has conducted investigations in other areas of interest, including an ongoing, internet-based epidemiological survey of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Dr. Katz will speak about the Research Projects currently going on at Custer Institute. For instance, Custer is currently engaged in Exoplanet Searches. Custer is also participating in the Mariachi Project.
Mike Inglis is an astrophysicist with a life-long passion for the promotion of astronomy and astrophysics. In addition to observing the night sky whenever he can, he teaches several astronomy courses, writes books and magazine articles for various audiences, and lectures to the general public.
He has worked at the University of Hertfordshire and Warwick University (both in the UK) and at Princeton University and Suffolk County Community College (SCCC; in the USA), and has used some of the world’s largest telescopes in Australia, Tenerife, La Palma, and Hawaii.
He is currently Associate Professor of Astronomy and Astronomy Programs Coordinator at Suffolk County Community College, part of the State University of New York. Mike has an honors degree in Physics, a Masters degree in Astronomy & Astronautics, and a PhD in Astrophysics; postgraduate degrees are from the University of Hertfordshire.
Mike is the author of numerous astronomy books for the amateur astronomer and astronomy student. Additionally, he has had many articles published in popular astronomy magazines, such as Sky & Telescope (the world’s best selling astronomy magazine), the Journal of the SPA [Society for Popular Astronomy], and Astronomy Now (the UK’s best selling magazine), as well as in research-level journals.
Mike is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, a member of the International Astronomical Union, a full member of the American Astronomical Society and a member of the Society for Popular Astronomy. He is also very proud to be President of the South Bayfordbury Astronomical Society. Recently, Mike also joined the advisory board members of a Montauk Observatory project. Public outreach is something that Mike is very passionate about, and to support these endeavors, Mike was appointed, in 2004, as a NASA Solar System Ambassador, and has recently become a member of the NASA Saturn Observers Group and the UK Planetary Forum. He is also an active participant in the STARDUST and GALAXYZOO programs.
The diversity of Mike’s work over the past 20 years has generated numerous areas of interest and expertise. He has enjoyed teaching both undergraduates and postgraduates around the world, and he has undertaken research in myriad fields, such as nebula morphology, active galaxies, and cosmology. Mike is currently working on the detection of extremely high-energy cosmic rays.
In a seminal paper in 1993, Mike was revealed as the discoverer of the first radio galaxy (IC5063) to have “hidden broad lines,” a key aspect of the now-familiar unified model of active galaxies.
In 1999, Mike left the UK for the USA and spent some time at Princeton University, involved in the renowned WMAP project. During this time he was invited by NASA to attend the launch of the WMAP satellite from Cape Canaveral as a guest VIP. Four years later, he moved to his new home on Long Island and began a new position at SCCC, where he can now follow his passions of teaching astronomy and playing with telescopes!
Mike’s latest book, “Astrophysics Is Easy,” has just been published; it is for the person who wishes to know just a little bit more about the objects in the night sky, and it explains in very simple terms how astronomers believe the universe works.
For ALCON, Mike will be speaking on his Mariachi Project. Here is a brief overview of his talk.
The MARIACHI Project: Catching Cosmic Rays!
Extreme Energy Cosmic Rays are nuclei that have been accelerated to kinetic energies in excess of 1020 eV. Where do they come from? How are they produced? Are they survivors of the early universe? Are they remnants of supernovas? MARIACHI [Mixed Apparatus for Radio Investigation of Atmospheric Cosmic Rays of High Ionization], a unique collaboration between scientists, physics teachers and students, and amateur astronomers is an innovative technique that allows us to detect and study them.
Mike Francis is known as the “Galileo Impersonator.” In this role, Mike has wowed audiences with his realistic portrayal of the World Famous Astronomer. It is especially fitting that we have him recreate the image of one of the “Fathers of Astronomy.”
Dr. Mike Reynolds is an expert on Meteorites and he conducts a “hands on” workshop to teach people the science of meteorites and how to identify and classify them. This workshop will take place during ALCON 2009. Dr. Reynolds will also give the Opening Remarks and an Eclipse Talk for the ALPO Meeting which will take place during the Convention.
Dr. Reynolds has spent thirty-one years in astronomy and space sciences in the gamut of a high school and college instructor, planetarium and museum director, researcher, writer, and lecturer. He has received numerous recognition for his work, including the 1986 Florida State Teacher of the Year, NASA Teacher-in-Space National Finalist, and the G. Bruce Blair Medal. Reynolds has written a number of astronomy books and articles and has just completed his fifth book about using binoculars for astronomy. Reynolds is a Consulting Editor for Astronomy magazine. He has led numerous astronomical expeditions worldwide, and has also served as an invited speaker internationally. Mike is Executive Director Emeritus of the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland, California and is currently Associate Dean of Mathematics and Natural Science and a Professor of Astronomy at Florida Community College in Jacksonville.
Since 1994, Bob Crelin has been actively working with community and state lawmakers regarding outdoor lighting concerns. A published author on outdoor lighting reform (LD+A 8/99, Sky & Telescope 12/02, Night Sky 9/04), Bob has also written and enacted successful outdoor lighting regulation in the town of Branford, Connecticut (1997), where he now serves as lighting consultant. As a result of Branford's success, he has consulted several other New England and national municipalities in the development of new regulations/ordinances. Bob was also involved in the enactment of three pioneering Connecticut state roadway lighting bills (passed June, 1995, June 2001 & June 2003).
Co-founder of Lighting by Branford, LLC manufacturing, Bob invented the patented GlareBuster™, a unique, 'dark sky' floodlight for homeowners, which won a 2008 Lighting for Tomorrow award from the American Lighting Association. His regular speaking appearances include school astronomy education programs and author appearances for his popular children's book There Once Was A Sky Full of Stars (Sky Publishing). A longtime member of the International Dark Sky Association and former member of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, he also spent many years serving on the Board of the Astronomical Society of New Haven, CT. Bob's outdoor lighting presentation, Promoting Responsible Outdoor Lighting in Communities has assisted many communities in the enactment of lighting regulations, and it is regularly requested by lawmakers and concerned groups around the Northeast.
Bob is the recipient of the 2004 Walter Scott Houston Award, presented by the Astronomical League, Northeast Chapter for his dark sky efforts.
Terry is the current President of the Astronomical League, the parent Organization for the ALCON 2009 Convention. Terry will be discussing the League's involvement with the International Year Of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009).
Vivian is a Night Sky Network Administrator and astronomy educator for the Astronomical Society of the Pacific’s Night Sky Network: http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/, a nationwide coalition of amateur astronomy clubs dedicated to astronomy outreach. Also a board member of the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers, she is passionate about communicating astronomy with the public. She began working with amateur and professional astronomers, teachers, and students while getting her bachelors degree in Astronomy at San Francisco State University. Vivian has written an educational activity book on remote telescopes for children, Slooh Kids, and taught dozens of astronomy workshops to educators and enthusiasts across the country. Currently, she is developing a curriculum to teach Tibetan monks astronomy basics. If there weren't so many interested eyes to inspire, she would be much further along on her AL Binocular Messier list.
Robert is currently Editor-In-Chief of Sky and Telescope Magazine. Before coming to S&T last year, he worked at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, where as Senior Science Writer in the Astrophysics Science Division, he wrote press releases and other material to support Goddard missions and scientists. At Goddard, Robert worked on press releases for NASA's next major space observatory: the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope Mission (GLAST).
Prior to Goddard, Robert worked as a Senior Editor at SKY & TELESCOPE from 2003 to 2007 and prior to that, he was Editor-in-Chief of MERCURY magazine. He has written two books and has made contributions to two more. In 2002, Mr. Naeye won the David N. Schramm Award for Science Journalism from the American Astronomical Society's High-Energy Astrophysics Division. In 2002, he also received the Professional Astronomer of the Year Award from the Astronomical Association of Northern California.
Rob Sparks is a Science Education Specialist at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory in Tucson, Arizona where he works on a variety of project including Hands-On Optics, the Galileoscope, Dark Skies Awareness, and Building Information Technology Skills Through Astronomy. He has taught high school physics, math and astronomy for 11 years. He received the 2001-2002 Fermilab Teacher Fellowship and worked on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. He participated in the Research Experience for Teachers program in 2003 at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia. He has worked as a NASA Educator Ambassador for the Swift satellite mission since 2002 and had also been a Chandra Teacher Resource Agent.
Rob will be giving several workshops at ALCON.
Workshop #1: Dark Skies as a Universal Resource
The ongoing loss of a dark night sky as a natural resource for much of the world’s population is a growing, serious issue that impacts, not only astronomical research, but also human health, ecology, and the economics of our national energy economy. As one of the themes targeted for the International Year of Astronomy (IYA), “Dark Skies are a Universal Resource” has a goal is to raise public awareness of the impact of artificial lighting on local environments by getting people involved locally in a variety of dark skies-related events.
Workshop participants will learn about the various activities planned to raise Dark Skies awareness during IYA and how to become involved either as individuals, members of their astronomy club, or as a local coordinator. Participants will learn about our Dark Skies kit containing instructional materials on preserving dark skies. These kit includes the materials needed for an effective light-shielding demonstration, the book “There Once Was a Sky Full of Stars”, and a newly developed planetarium DVD on dark skies education.
Workshop #2: The Galileoscope in the International Year of Astronomy
The International Year of Astronomy (IYA) will celebrate the 400th anniversary of Galileo's use of a telescope for astronomy. One of the major themes of IYA is "Looking Through a Telescope." We are developing a varieyt of public outreach activities for the public.
The workshop will impart the skills necessary for participants to lead activities as part of the International Year of Astronomy (IYA). Our workshop will give participants a series of activities they can use at their home institution to lead activities for the public and students where they can learn how a telescope works and build their own small telescopes. The activities we present are suitable for use in a variety of settings including museums, planetariums, schools, university outreach efforts, and astronomy club events.
We will also be previewing the Galileoscope, a new low cost, high quality telescope kit that will be a major component of IYA. The Galileoscope is a build it yourself telescope kit with high quality optics. Educational materials allow families to explore the science behind how a telescope works as well as recreate Galileo's historic observations.
John Pazmino (New York Skies):
John is the embodiment of the organization known as New York Skies (www.nyskies.org/). New York Skies is a website and organization which provides a complete support group for home astronomy in the New York metropolitan area. New York Skies is not a club in the usual sense, but a non-profit service and resource for other clubs and individual astronomers.
An overview of John’s life and experiences is as follows:
BIRTH & RESIDENCE: Born (1946) , raised, lives in Brooklyn NY.
EDUCATION: NYC public schools (Midwood H S). and colleges (Brooklyn
College and City College) Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from City
College. Tuition in specialized engineering and computer subjects thru
employment
CAREER: Federal Power Commission, Department of Energy, 40 years
public service as mechanical, electrical, general engineer.
PROJECTS: National Power Survey compendium of US electric utility
industry. Chronicling and interpreting operations of utilities in US
northeast. Applied geophysics for electriomagentic disturbances.
Investigations for utility blackouts and major disruptions. Preparing
material for hearings and committees on electric utilities. Hydrology
studies for various river basins. Delegate for Coastal Zone MAnagement
Commission. Monitor and oversee water power developments. Review news
and trends in energy development.
CULTURE & CHARITY: Habituates Manhattan and other cultural districts of New York City. Member of American Museum of Natural History, American Association of Variable Star Observers, Electric Railroaders Association. Coordinator with Combined Federal Campaign of United Way.
ASTRONOMY: home and public astronomer. Started with solar eclipse (1954) and IGY. Member and officer in varous City astronomy clubs. Assistant at Brooklyn College Observatory (1960s & 1990s) Cofounder of NYSkies Astronomy Inc (2005).
ACTIVITIES: Explaining & interpreting astronomy. Public outreach presentations. Astronomy advise and consulting. Delegate for NYC astronomy at conventions. Eclipse and comet chaser. Editor of club newsletters, curator of NYSkies yahoogroup (2001). Astronomy representative for Earth Day and civic betterment groups.
ADDITION CREDITS: Liaison for Night Sky Network and International Year of Astronomy. SpacekWalk monthly column for National Space Society, NYC Events monthly astronomy calendar. PazMiniBits monthly news digest. Inducing astronomy into public and civic works, City of Stars compendium of astronomy points of interest. Dialog with developers and
agencies to mitigate luminous graffiti and preserve sky exposure. INTERESTS: New York City history, geology, other sciences and maths, construction & engineering, photography (chemo & digital).
For ALCON, John’s talk will be “How We Went To the Moon A Century Ago.” An abstract of the talk is as follows:
In 2008 the Astroland section of Coney Island closed after about 45 years of operation. It will be replaced a new larger amusement district. Its main exhibit, the Astroland Rocket, was claimed as among the earliest virtual reality simulations of a flight to the Moon. While the other rides were cleared away, the Rocket is set aside for installation elsewhere in Coney Island.
Oh, yeah? This talk shows a ride on Coney Island that took customers on an lunar mission, more 'realistic' than the Astroland Rocket. And it did it three generations earlier. More over, it sat in a most egregious specimen of luminous graffiti, so brilliant it could be seen by eye from the real Moon!
Al Carcich (IOTA):
Al is a member of IOTA, which stands for International Occultation Timing Association. This group conducts projects where members make precise timings of disappearances and reappearances of stars, asteroids and other objects at the limb of the Moon. This information is then used to calculate orbits and other information about the occulting celestial bodies.
Al is an amateur astronomer from northern New Jersey who has been involved in amateur astronomy for 25 years. As a member of IOTA, he has focused on asteroid occultation timings and recordings. In the past year, Al and a local group of amateurs have presented talks, videos, and star parties for the local library, local schools and for the National Wildlife Refuge.
Al will be giving a talk entitled "Measuring Asteroids, Lunar Mountains, Close Double Stars, and More using Occultations"
II. Astrophotography Techniques (How the Amateurs Are Now Doing Professional Astrophotography)
Jim is a member of the Rockland Astronomy Club. He is a telescope maker, avid observer, and co-author of The Handbook of Astronomical Image Processing and the Astronomical Image Processing for Windows software package.
Steve is the author of CCDNavigator, has been imaging the night sky since 1980 with film and CCD cameras. Steve is past-President of S*T*A*R Astronomy Society in N.J. and taught Astronomy at Brookdale Community College in Holmdel, N.J. He holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech, is a Fellow of the IEEE, a Telcordia Fellow, and a Vietnam Veteran (USAF). Steve provided the confirmation image of supernova 2008cy for the Puckett Observatory SuperNova Search Team.
Steve’s talk will be: The Race Against Time: Session Planning and Execution. He has summarized this talk as follows:
The sky is crystal clear and the Sun is setting. But when darkness falls, imagers everywhere are in a race against time! Because clear skies are precious, we don’t want to waste a second. And even on a mediocre night, we still want rapid and precise acquisition. In this talk, Steve Walters, author of CCDNavigator, will discuss and demonstrate your best weapons in the race against time, thorough planning and automated execution.
Neil a noted astrophotographer, specializing in the capture of very high-quality images from light polluted locations, such as those in the Boston area. His images have been published in both Sky & Telescope and Astronomy magazines, and featured on the popular, “Astronomy Picture of the Day” (APOD) web site. Additionally, his imagery was included in Timothy Ferris’ PBS documentary, Seeing in the Dark.
His speaking engagements have included such popular conferences as the Advanced Imaging Conference (San Jose, CA), the Midwest Astro-Imaging Conference, and the NorthEast Astro-Imaging Conference – each an annual event oriented towards astrophotographers wanting to learn more about the techniques used for advanced image processing.
In his day job, Fleming is the Director of Professional Services for Lumigent Technologies, Inc., a firm specializing in database auditing products for application governance, risk, and compliance, and regulatory compliance in such areas as Sarbanes-Oxley.
Mike is a member of AOS and an avid astrophotographer since 2003. Many of his stunning photographs have been published in the AOS Annual Astrophoto Calendar in addition to the Long Island Pulse magazine and Space.com.
In his day job, Mike is a Senior Unix computer systems administrator for a pharmaceuticals company. On clear nights you will fine him in his observatory planning the next deep sky target.
Mike’s talk will be an in depth comparison between a dedicated astro color camera using a Bayer mask CCD to a mono camera using filters to address myths and misconceptions. His comparison report has been published in the CCD-Guide in Austria and is a much discussed topic in many astro news groups.
Mike’s talk will be an in depth comparison between a dedicated astro color camera using a Bayer mask CCD to a mono camera using filters to address myths and misconceptions. His comparison report has been published in the CCD-Guide in Austria and is a much discussed topic in many astro news groups.
To see Mike’s excellent astrophotos, go to his website at www.helixgate.net
Bob is an AOS astrophotographer whose excellent astrophotos have also appeared in the AOS Annual Calendar. Bob has been an Employee Benefits Consultant and Actuary for 35 years. He graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from St. Bonaventure University in 1973.
Bob got his first telescope in 1978 – A Meade 6” f/8 reflector. Marriage and kids did not leave him enough time for astronomy until about 4 four years ago, when he got a new scope and developed an old interest in astrophotography.
Bryan is a Consulting Systems Engineer at Cisco Systems in New York City. His job includes both consulting and design of high speed server and Data Center computer networks for various New York area customers. Bryan has been involved in designing computer networks for the past 20 years. His career has enabled him to travel to over 45 states in the US where hundreds of his network designs are implemented.
Bryan has been an avid astronomer for most of his life and an active astrophotographer for the past 10 years. Starting off in film based photography, he has jumped into the DSLR and digital based photography realm of astrophotos. The digital realm of astrophotography is both challenging and exciting as it gives amateurs the means of attaining pictures of our night sky that only professional observatories were able to attain a few decades ago.
Bryan attained his Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY. He also holds his Master of Science degree in Telecommunications and Computer Management from Polytechnic Institute, in NY. He lives with his wife and kids in Babylon, NY.
III. Association Of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO) – Various Topics Germane To Current Planetary Science
Richard first became interested in astronomy when he was six years old (or younger). He remembers seeing a countless number of stars at that time. Richard also remembers seeing the phases of the Moon. He purchased his first telescope at an age of 15 and shared it with some of his siblings and a neighbor girl named Kathy. He received his Ph D degree (physical chemistry) in 1994 from Texas A&M University.
Since 1994 Richard has taught Chemistry, Astronomy and other science classes at Gordon College in Barnesville Georgia. Richard’s first book Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto and How to Observe them was published in September, 2008 by Springer.
Richard will be speaking on the following subjects at the ALPO portion of the ALCON Convention:
Talk 1: Uranus, Neptune and Pluto in 2008-09. This talk will summarize ALPO measurements made in 2008-09 along with a few breakthroughs made by professional astronomers. Images, graphs and results will be presented in this talk.
Talk 2: Recent developments on Jupiter. He will discuss changes in the width of the North and South equatorial belts along with brightness measurements and other developments on Jupiter. He will also give an update on the ALPO Jupiter section.
Talk 3: Comet Lulan. He will discuss his measurements of Comet Lulan along with those made by others. A few remarks about comets in general will also be made.
Wayne is the acting coordinator of the ALPO Lunar Topographical Studies Section. He received his PhD degree in Astronomy from the University of Arizona in 1971 and began his career in Astronomy as a teacher and researcher at a New Jersey state college. In 1978 he went to work on the space program for an aerospace company in Alabama. When the Spacelab science program ended he retired, along with several colleagues, and started a company to develop gamma ray detectors applications for oil well drilling and coal mining. He is now semi-retired, again, and an adjunct professor teaching astronomy at Gloucester County College in NJ.
Wayne will give a talk on The ALPO Banded Crater Program on the Moon..
Frank has been interested in astronomy since the age of 11 when Apollo 11 went to the Moon and he was attracted to the beauty of the universe. He used a Tasco 4.5 inch reflector throughout the 1970’s. In 1980, he purchased a Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain which he still uses today. He started doing astrophotography and joined the Astronomical Society of Long Island (ASLI) in 1982, then the AAVSO, the IAPPP and ALPO in 1985. In 1997, Frank joined the world of CCD imaging and got more interested in planetary imaging.
Frank has been more active in ALPO than in any other national organization since the beginning of his career in Astronomy. In 2001, he became the Mercury coordinator for ALPO. That same year, Frank received the ‘2001 Walter Haas’ award for the most outstanding contribution to planetary astronomy. In addition to his Celestron 8 inch telescope, he now has a Meade 10 inch LX200, a Starlight Xpress MX-5 (16 bit) CCD camera, a Toucam Pro II, the adaptive optics AO-2, the OPTEC SSP-3 photometer, the Rainbow Optics Spectroscope, and the Daystar Hydrogen Alpha 0.6 angstrom Solar Filter. All of these accessories have helped Frank further his planetary studies of our Solar System.
Frank will talk about the following topics during the ALPO Meeting:
- ALPO Mercury observations at the 40th DPS meeting.
- Mercury 2008 Observations.
- Results of the MESSENGER 2nd flyby.
John first became interested in astronomy as a child in the 1960s, and is now an active deep sky and planetary imager. He is a member of the ALPO and the Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston. In the last two years he has concentrated most of his efforts at imaging surface features of the planet Mercury from his backyard observatory with a Celestron C11.
John will speak on Amateur Imaging of the Planet Mercury.
Dr. Westfall (johnwestfall@comcast.net) is an Emeritus Professor of Geography at San Francisco State University. He joined the ALPO in 1953, and now serves as a member of the Board of Directors, the Coordinator of the Mercury/Venus Transit Section, and as the Assistant Jupiter Coordinator, Eclipses of the Galilean Satellites.
Dr. Westfall directed the ALPO in 1985-1995, received the ALPO Walter Haas Observing Award in 1988, the WAA G. Bruce Blair Award in 1991, and the ALPO Peggy Haas Service Award in 1998. He has written the book Atlas of the Lunar Terminator (2000), and has co-authored, with William Sheehan, The Transits of Venus (2004).
Dr. Westfall will speak about the “Timing Transit of Venus Contacts: Blunders, Bias, Results”. An abstract of his talk is as follows:
The European Southern Observatory “VT-2004” transit of Venus observing campaign resulted in a large database of visual timings of the four limb contacts. From this, the ESO derived an extremely accurate distance to the Sun, although only by eliminating timings disagreeing over eight seconds from predictions. Their database provides a unique opportunity to investigate timing errors. From 4464 timings, the writer eliminated 22 percent due to “blunders” – observers influencing each other, or excessively rounding their geographical locations or timings – or to differing from their normalized means by over 3 standard deviations. The remainder showed definite patterns of bias, with uncertainties varying among the types of contact.
Stewart is a New Zealand citizen and an avid Amateur Astronomer for over 25 years. Since getting his first small refractor, he’s been wowed by the beauty of the night sky. According to Stewart, the skies are wonderful in New Zealand and there is nothing better than gazing at the milky way on a winter’s night in June.
Stewart has been a member of the ALPO and Southland Astronomical Society for many years and has always been interested in observing the planets, especially Mercury and Jupiter. He has been always fascinated with observing Mercury especially during the day and has trying to get good image. He and his wife own a Dairy farm in New Zealand which gives him great views of the night sky. Stewart has a small observatory with a Paramount mount and a Celestron C14 Telescope.
Stewart’s observing programs include Astrophotography and imaging planetary nebulae, a supernova search program, and a program to image variable nebulae and record the changes. He is especially interested in Hubble’s variable nebula which he has been recording over the past few years. When seeing allows, his main interest is to capture images of Mercury trying to capture that moment of great seeing which always seems to be quite elusive.
Stewart will speak on imaging the Planet Mercury from The Southern Hemisphere.
Roger is an active observer in all aspects of solar system observing. He is a long-time member of both ALPO and IOTA. Roger currently serves as the Mars Section Coordinator for ALPO, and he is also the science reviewer/peer reviewer for the Journal of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers.
By day, Dr. Venable is an emergency room physician in Georgia.
He will be speaking on Mars during the ALPO Meeting.
ALPO will also feature the following speakers:
David Levy will talk on Visual Comet Hunting, A Requiem?
Dr. Mike Reynolds will give Opening Remarks and an Eclipse Talk.
Carl Roussell will speak on Mercury.
Mike Mattei (topic to be determined).
Dr. Don Parker (topic to be determined).
Dr. Julius Benton’s talks on Venus and Saturn will be given by other ALPO members.
IV. American Association Of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) – Topics Related To Current Variable Star Research
Mike Simonsen, from Imlay City, Michigan, is one of the most active variable star observers in the world. Mike has published papers in refereed astronomical journals, is a writer for the AAVSO publication Eyepiece Views and the astronomy blog, Simostronomy. He is on the governing council of the AAVSO, coordinator of the AAVSO Mentor Program for new observers, coordinator of AAVSO chart and sequence production and a member of the AAVSO Education and Outreach Committee. He is also creator and administrator of the cataclysmic variable website, CVnet.
An animated and enthusiastic speaker, Mike has given dozens of talks on various aspects of variable star science to astronomy clubs, organizations and university groups. In 2005, he coordinated the AAVSO Visual Workshop, bringing in speakers from around the globe to educate visual observers of variable stars. That same year, Mike was the recipient of the AAVSO Director's Award for his numerous contributions to the organization.
Mike will give a general talk on Variable Star Observing and will also talk on the Observations of the Variable Star Epsilon Aurigae.
Variable Stars and the Stories They Tell-
Presenter: Mike Simonsen
AAVSO
mikesimonsen@aavso.org
The study of variable stars permeates all branches of astronomy.
Supernovae are used to determine the scale of the universe; eclipsing
binaries can reveal the mass, size and periods of common and exotic
binary systems; pulsating stars yield clues about stellar interiors
and evolution; accretion disks in cataclysmic variables teach us
things that can aid in our understanding of galaxy formation;
exoplanet transits give glimpses of what other planetary systems
around other stars may be like. Everything varies at some level or
some stage of its lifetime, and these variations are key to
understanding our Universe.
Epsilon the Enigma-
Presenter: Mike Simonsen
AAVSO
mikesimonsen@aavso.org
This summer, an eclipsing variable star, visible to the naked eye,
will begin to dim again. It has done this once every twenty-seven
years, since its discovery in 1821. The exact nature of the eclipsing
companion of Epsilon Aurigae remains a mystery. The mass of this
strange partner is estimated to be equal to the mass of the type F0
primary, yet the spectrum of this enigma shows no light at all. What
lurks at the heart of this unseen beast? Is it a black hole, a dusty
disk, the home of new giant sized planets, or all of the above? We
don't get another chance to witness this event again until the year
2036, so now is the time to untangle the mystery.
--
Mike Simonsen
Development Director
American Association of Variable Star Observers
www.aavso.org
Gordon Myers is a life-long astronomy enthusiast. He graduated from Caltech and worked with NASA on the Apollo and Space Shuttle Programs. After retiring from a career with IBM, he became an "Earth and Space Explainer" at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Over the last four years he's taken astrophysics courses at Columbia University, and is an active variable star observer using remote telescopes operated over the Internet.
Gordon’s talk will be “The Fascinating Universe of Variable Stars.” The following is an abstract of this talk.
Historians debate whether the first confirmed variable star was Mira
(a.k.a. Omicron Ceti, with observations recorded in 1596), or Algol
(a.k.a. the Demon star, with observations recorded in 1667 - but which
may have been known in antiquity). Since then, thousands of variable
stars have been identified. Over the past century, astrophysicists
have started to understand why these “stars” rapidly change
brightness. Yesterday’s “variable stars” are now realized to be a
menagerie of strange celestial objects – including stars in birth
throes, eclipsing binaries, stars in death agonies, and the bizarre
world of cataclysmic variables. These objects give us insight into
star formation and evolution, distances in the universe, exoplanet
detection, and the high-energy physics of nova, supernova and
cataclysmic variables. The presentation will briefly describe various
objects we measure as variable stars. It will also describe the role
the AAVSO has played since 1911 collecting data from amateurs around
the globe and coordinating research with professionals. Current
activities helping astrophysicists collect and analyze data,
supporting space borne telescope observations, and enhancing
collaboration between amateurs and professionals will be described.
Finally, opportunities for individual amateurs to become involved will be presented.
Maryann will lead the discussion during the Light Pollution PowWow that will take place as part of ALCON 2009. The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss strategy and share tools to fight light pollution in the North East Region and beyond.
Maryann is Chairman of NERAL, the Northeast Region of the Astronomical League, and former President of the Springfield Telescope Makers at Stellafane. She is a film maker and is very involved with fighting light pollution. Film clips from the Eyes of Night will also be shown at the Light Pollution PowWow.
Participants in the PowWow will Susan Harder, Section Leader of NY IDA, Gary Citro, Dark Sky Officer of the AOS, The New England Light Pollution Advisory Group, NELPAG, www.nelpag.org, and other IDA members.
