November 2009

November 6: Monthly Meeting

Astronomy, Templars and Freemasons

Rick Lynch
Recent documentaries, books, and movies have inspired new interest in the Templars and their descendents; The Freemasons. What is not known, is that Astronomy was a major part of the foundation of these societies and continues to be today. My lecture will present the prominent role of astronomy in the religious concepts as well as show, the great medieval churches were all constructed with astronomical alignments as part of their layout. We will visit, Egypt, Malta, Jerusalem, Canada and right here in New England to see how astronomy, religion and history all come together.

Rick is a long time member of Skyscrapers, a 32 Degree Mason, and a historical researcher who has traveled the world in search of these mysteries.

The November Monthly Meeting will be held at the North Scituate Community Center.

Beta Persei (Algol, the "Demon Star")

: By Glenn Chaple
Are you ready for the eclipse of November 13th? I’m not talking about the sun or moon. I’m referring instead to an eclipse of the fascinating star ß Persei (Algol).

November Astronomical Highlights

: By Dave Huestis
Who can forget the great Leonid meteor storms of 1999-2001? Well, researchers are forecasting a potential minor storm level Leonid display from November 17-18. Some estimates range to a couple of hundred meteors per hour for perhaps a little more than one hour at peak activity. Read Dave Huestis' column to maximize your chances of viewing this event should the predictions come true.
7

CCD Workshop

A CCD imaging workshop was held at Seagrave Observatory on Saturday, November 7. Bob Horton set up the Meade 16 inch SCT with an SBIG ST 4000 camera. Club members took turns imaging deep sky objects. All images 1 to 2 minutes exposure, unguided. Images processed by John Kocur.

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