We are holding a VIRTUAL meeting this month due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Schedule:
6:30 PM: Board meeting (Webex only)
7:30 PM: YouTube goes live / Introductions
7:35 PM: In the News, In the Sky
7:50 PM: Officers’ reports, Special Interest Groups
8:00 PM: Observing Reports, Ask an Astronomy Question
8:15 PM: Short talk
8:30 PM: Informal discussion
8:45 PM: Feature talk

If you’d like to join the webex to speak and share your video if you wish, please email joinlive@warrenastro.org.

If you’re just joining the YouTube stream, go to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC12jUX4Gmweg6fTtUuqa8CQ/live

In order to comment on the YouTube stream, you must have a Google Account and a YouTube channel. Here are guides to setting both up:

Google Account: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/161805
YouTube Channel: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1646861

Main Talk: “The Moon is Not Boring” (and Other Lunar Misconceptions) by Jeff MacLeod

To the layperson, it can be easy to take the Moon for granted; for the astronomer, it can be easy to ignore the Moon entirely, as it can obscure
“more interesting” objects. Isn’t the Moon always the same? NO! The moon is much more dynamic that most give it credit for. In his presentation Jeff Macleod will unravel all these subtle details, as well as dispelling many common misconnections and illusions involving the Moon.

Jeff MacLeod is currently a physics and astronomy major at Wayne State University (<1 year to go!). He is also a former President of the Warren Astronomical Society. He is a presenter at the Wayne State Planetarium as well as a Solar System Ambassador for NASA. He has been obsessed with space nearly his entire life and finds no greater joy than sharing his obsession with the world.

Short Talk: The Best Online (and Offline) Resources For Astronomers by Jon Blum

A few months ago, a new WAS member asked the board for a presentation to cover nine specific categories of resources for beginner amateur astronomers. Jon Blum accepted this assignment. In this talk he will briefly cover astronomy phone apps, podcasts, software, books and other topics, with suggestions for each.

Jon Blum joined the WAS in order come to our observing events at Stargate, to learn how to use a telescope that his children bought him for a retirement present. Then he discovered that he needed to come to our indoor meetings to understand what he was seeing in the telescope.

But the best thing he has learned in the past 18 years is that WAS members are smart, friendly and fun to be with. During the isolation of the current pandemic, he values his WAS friends more than ever, even if he can only see them on Zoom and WebEx.

—
Post-meeting “gastronomy” at the Redcoat Tavern will resume when we can do so safely. The Tavern does offer carryout if you wish to enjoy their fare.
—
If you would like to present either a short talk (10-15 minutes) or a full-length talk (45-60 minutes) at a future meeting, please email Dale Partin at firstvp@warrenastro.org.
—
The views expressed in presentations are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent, and should not be attributed to, the Warren Astronomical Society.