Agenda

AANC 2011 October 30 Agenda

1. Call to order 10:05 AM Ken

2. Roll call – Jim

Ken Frank (ASP), Richard Ozer (TMW), Alan Gould (LHS), Ed Pieret (SMCAS), Jim Head (MDAS), Colleen Ferguson (VMOA, SCAS),

Guests:

John Panagos

3. Treasurer's report - Richard

4840 in bank, includes $175 for calstar insurance to SJAA, $600 for SFAA Randall $546 for MDOA solar program and $200 for awards.

4. Old business

A. Review of FPOA Star BQ: Once again a total success. Rick Morales <rickmorales@charter.net>

For photos and review: http://fpoa.net/

Ken: Event was a big success.

B. Bay Area Science Fest - Ken

Requests on Saturday, November 5th, AANC/NSN clubs of the Bay Area to put on a public star party. How to "do it"???

Enter your event on the NSN Calendar with BASF or Bay Area Science Festival in the subject line:

http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/club/event-edit.cfm

Just your own local event(s) on NSN calendar...

This event is expected to be a huge and will be an excellent time to promote your club via free PR blurbs.

Astronomy and Space will be a main theme of this Festival.

There will be events all week, but the three main public festivals will be:

Saturday, October 29th at Cal State East Bay in Hayward

Saturday, November 5th at Infineon Raceway in the North Bay at Sears Point

Sunday, November 6th at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

http://www.bayareascience.org/

Again, just list your event on the NSN Calendar with BASF or Bay Area Science Festival in the subject line:

http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/club/event-edit.cfm

Richard: should it be public event (not private, or club only)? Ken: yes.

Andy F. asked for notice to him. Ken: If you post it on NSN, you can just send that link to Andy.

C. Project 40 - Jim DeManche <jimdemanche@sbcglobal.net> and/or Colleen Ferguson <cferguson@rfo.org> http://project40.wordpress.com/2010/12/25/a-new-member-of-the-project-40-family/

Colleen: Mount & drive are working. Newer info is on blog. Mirror is very close to being done and work will begin on secondary (need to keep grit away from polishing of primary). There will be PR when we're ready to deploy. Original goal was to deploy this winter. May end up being late spring or next winter. Fund-raising seems to have been adequate to the job. JDS Uniphase is doing the mirror coating.

5. New business

A) Getting membership back on track to support what our mission is - Richard will go through list of clubs that have not renews MDAS SFAA SCAS Hercules, SA, FPOA, Scope City are paid up and the rest are in arrears (EAS, PAS, SMAS, SJAA, SCAS, ASP, Las Positas, College of Marin, TriValley, MDOA, LHS, SFSU, SAS, EITU, SETI Inst, Santa Cruz Astronomy Club). Letters have not been sent out asking for dues. Richard does not have up-to-date contact info. There may be a MeetUp solution to that. Ken has text for dues request e-mail. One reason to join is eligibility for grants, support public outreach, coordinate N Cal amateur astronomy efforts. Social networking portal (Meet-up).

B) Promoting MeetUp properly - Richard/Mark

Currently being used for events at San Jose. Chabot has had visitors who heard about it through MeetUp. SFAA has gotten 12 new members from MeetUp. We need step-by-step explanation of what it's for and how to use it (Mark Wagner as lead on AANC MeetUp initiative?). Cost is $144/yr, so we should use it. It's an experiment---successful so far---could be better though. Each club president and AANC rep should be active in the MeetUp. Colleen: Jim DeManche might be able to do MeetUp events---needs help from Mark W.

C) EAS and MDAS's Dr. Margaret Race, received a grant to do outreach at a few libraries in underserved areas: San Pablo, Pittsburg, and Lafayette. We need scopes for the San Pablo Library Sep 29. - Jim & Richard

D) Opportunity for Geology & Astronomy to Cross Pollinate

As part of the upcoming Bay Area Science Festival Oct 29-Nov 6, one of our club's sponsor, The Sports Basement, has asked if we can round up an astronomer/geologist to lead a hike in the open space area of Walnut Creek on Oct 29 or 30. I like the idea of talking about astronomy to explain the Earth to hikers and bikers, and other walkers. - Jim H.

E) Grants

Striking Sparks?

AANC contributed funds to sponsor a Striking Sparks telescope this year.

Richard: We have not done a conference in 3 years and conferences have been primary means of raising revenue, though most recent ones have not been so lucrative in revenue-raising. If we continue giving grants, our treasury will soon go to $0, with no new revenue (other than dues). AANC functions to facilitate regional events.

F) Future Tentative AANC Meeting Dates/Locations: (Telecon Only: 30 October), 8 January, 11 March, 3 June, (ToV is June 6), (GSSP is July 18-22) 5 August, 28 October

6.Club reports and website updates. Please send to: Mike Koop <koopm@koopm.best.vwh.net>

7. Announcements

CalStar

http://www.observers.org/CalStar/

InOMN/Fall Astronomy Day Saturday, October 8th

http://observethemoonnight.org/

ToV

http://www.transitofvenus.org/

Other Announcements??

8. Adjourn 10:44. Next meeting date(s): Oct 30 (telecon)

Hope to see you at the Chabot library, Sunday, September 11th at 10 AM for the Board Meeting.

SUPERNOVA!

Ken Thanks go to the ASP Night Sky Network for providing the toll free teleconference.