Saturday morning program
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9
AM
The morning
kicks off with a welcome over coffee and donuts at the Northfield Mountain
Environmental Center. The Conjunction's Swap
Table, where astronomical goodies are bought and sold all day
long also opens at 9.
10
AM - 12 noon: Morning roundtable
Topic:
Bad Astronomy
We've
all seen examples of bad astronomy in the media, whether it was
watching a movie, reading the newspaper, of catching the evening
news. Bad astronomy is everywhere. In this roundtable
discussion, panelists Kevin Kopchynski, Glenn Chaple, and Richard
Sanderson will join moderator Ron Woodland to describe some of those
moments that have made them cringe. Bring your own stories to
share with everyone!
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All Day: Conjunction Solar Star Party
| "Barlow
Bob"
Godfrey, Sue and Alan French,
and friends will
treat us to spectacular close-up views of sunspots and solar prominences
through specially filtered telescopes. |
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Moon Rocks
Greenfield
Community College geology professor Skip Price will giving us a really
close-up view of our nearest neighbor in space when he brings along some
samples of moon rocks and soil samples.
Saturday afternoon program
1 PM
- 4:30 PM
175 Moons and Counting
Jack Megas.
As intriguing
as the eight planets are, the many satellites in orbit around them are
arguably even more exciting. This talk will describe some of the
fascinating moons that belong to our solar system's family.
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A Bit of Lunacy
Phil Harrington.
A look at some favorite
challenging features on the Moon's surface, including several
that will be visible this evening. Based on Phil's next book Cosmic
Challenge.
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How to Write an Astronomy
Column
Glenn Chaple. Do you
write for your club's newsletter? If so, this talk will
focus on you. Bring samples and be ready to "show and
tell."
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OUTDOOR DINNER - A
complete hot and cold buffet-style dinner will be
available beginning at approximately 6 PM. Last-minute
registrants must contact Dave Gallup at (413) 525-4697.
Saturday evening address
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7:30 PM
The Day We Found the Universe
Marcia Bartusiak
A dramatic
narrative of the discovery of the true nature and startling size of
the universe, delving back past the moment of revelation to trace the
decades of work—by a select group of scientists—that made it
possible.
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Combining her skills as
a journalist with an advanced degree in physics, Marcia Bartusiak has
been covering the fields of astronomy and physics for three decades.
Currently, she is an Adjunct Professor with the Graduate
Program in Science Writing at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. Bartusiak is the author of Thursday's
Universe, a layman's guide to the frontiers of
astrophysics and cosmology, Through
a Universe Darkly, a history of astronomers'
centuries-long quest to discover the universe's composition, and Einstein's
Unfinished Symphony, about the on-going attempt to detect
gravity waves, the last experimental test of Einstein's theory of
general relativity. All three were named notable science books by The
New York Times. She also co-authored A Positron Named Priscilla,
a National Academy of Sciences book on cutting-edge science. Her
latest books are Archives
of the Universe, a history of the major discoveries
in astronomy told through 100 of the original scientific publications,
and The
Day We Found the Universe.
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