AstroAssembly 2021
AstroAssembly is the annual convention and fundraising event for Skyscrapers, Inc., owners and operators of Seagrave Memorial Observatory, located in North Scituate, RI. This 69-year tradition brings together amateur astronomers from all over the New England area.
AstroAssembly returns to Seagrave Observatory in 2021 with an in-person event dedicated to the memory of Ed Turco, Tina Huestis, and other members of the Skyscrapers family who have recently passed.
Note: We are not holding a Friday evening program this year. Nor will there be a Saturday evening banquet and speaker. Instead, the observatory will be open for observing by attendees on Saturday Night
COVID UPDATE
Increasing concern for the Delta Variant of COVID-19 has caused reconsideration of aspects of this event
Presentations by all speakers will be shared on Zoom
Masks will be required for all indoor activities
Social distancing should be practiced outdoors
Program changes may be necessary to address speakers' concerns
Advance registration is required for Zoom participants
Advance registration is encouraged for in-person attendance
Saturday Program
Poster Session, Swap Table (please bring your own table), Solar Viewing, Astrophotography Contest, Homemade Telescopes (bring yours), and the Famous Astro Bake-off Contest.
Dedication of Memorial Garden
Boxed Deli Lunch
Consisting of choice of grinder or salad from D’Angelo, chips, drink and cookie/brownie. Cost $10. Pre-order and payment with registration required.
Remembering the Life of Leslie Peltier
Rick Lynch
In 1990, Skyscrapers member Rick Lynch visited the home of Leslie Peltier, ten years after his passing. He was fortunate to have a wonderful relationship with his wife Dottie and made several visits to the "Place on Jennings Creek." The observatory was still standing but in great disrepair as was the Merry-Go-Round Observatory. They received permission to remove and restore the Merry-Go-Round observatory. He also was also given access to all of Leslie's notes, papers, natural history collections, and much of his astronomical items. The presentation will follow Leslie's life as presented in "Starlight Nights" and the "Place on Jennings Creek." A look back on a simpler time in astronomy!
Rick has been a member of Skyscrapers since 1969 when he gave his first presentation at a monthly meeting. Over the years his astronomical interests have primarily focused on meteor observing, comets, variable stars, and deep sky observing. For the last several years Rick has been very focused on measuring double stars, and observing the many star clusters listed in the lesser known catalogues; Trumpler, Berkley, King, Dolidze, Basel, Czernik, Ruprecht, etc. He observes is from his two home observatories in Greenville, RI
Increasing Science Capabilities in the Apollo Lunar Exploration Program: Perspectives for Artemis
James Head
The Apollo Lunar Exploration Program accomplished six successful lunar landings. Each succeeding Apollo mission was characterized by increasing exploration capabilities (landing accuracy, stay time, EVAs, mobility, experiments, tools, etc.). We present a brief review of the landing sites, surface operations and science return of each succeeding Apollo mission and show how science and engineering synergism resulted in a rapid transition from achieving a national goal (Apollo 11) to sophisticated scientific expeditions targeted to areas critical to understanding the origin and evolution of the Moon. We suggest some potential insights that might be useful for Artemis Program planning.
Door Prizes Awarded
Extraterrestrial Life: Are We the Sharpest Cookies in the Jar?
Avi Loeb
The search for extraterrestrial life is one of the most exciting frontiers in Astronomy. First tentative clues were identified close to Earth in the form of the weird interstellar object `Oumuamua. Our civilization will mature once we find out who resides on our cosmic street by searching with our best telescopes for unusual electromagnetic flashes, industrial pollution of planetary atmospheres, artificial light or heat, artificial space debris or something completely unexpected. We might be a form of life as primitive and common in the cosmos as ants are in a kitchen. If so, we can learn a lot from others out there through the new frontier of "space archaeology."
The lecture will feature content from my book "Extraterrestrial",
https://www.hmhbooks.com/shop/
as well as from my commentaries,
https://lweb.cfa.harvard.edu/~
I will also discuss the Breakthrough Starshot Project.
Saturday Evening
Dinner Break
Dine on your own at a local restaurant. A list of suggestions will be available.
A Recent Visit to Warner and Swasey Observatory
Rick Lynch
Rick has been a member of Skyscrapers since 1969 when he gave his first presentation at a monthly meeting. Over the years his astronomical interests have primarily focused on meteor observing, comets, variable stars, and deep sky observing. For the last several years Rick has been very focused on measuring double stars, and observing the many star clusters listed in the lesser known catalogues; Trumpler, Berkley, King, Dolidze, Basel, Czernik, Ruprecht, etc. He observes is from his two home observatories in Greenville, RI
Observing at Seagrave Memorial Observatory
The observatory’s telescopes will be available for observing (weather permitting), or set up your own telescope on the grounds.