FUNDRAISER AT YERKES OBSERVATORY February 19, 2012
Posted by jcconwell in Astronomy, Observatory.Tags: ARI, Astronomy, Eastern Illinois University, EIU, Observatory, Yerkes Observatory
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30" RC Astroscope
Yerkes Skynet Night Registration
You are invited…
YERKES OBSERVATORY
Skynet Night
Yerkes Observatory event Friday Feb. 24th – 7:00 PM
In 2012, Yerkes will be engaged in a series of fund-raising events to support the restoration and upgrades of Yerkes telescopes and support funding for Yerkes Education Outreach programs. On Friday evening February 24th, Yerkes will host the first of these events.
Supporting SKYNET and Yerkes telescopes
Funds from this first event will be used specifically to upgrade the mirror coating and operation of the Yerkes 41″ reflector, and to support the redesign of the optics of the reclaimed Hands-On Universe 30” telescope by Robert Holmes of the Astronomical Research Institute. Both of these telescopes are operable through SKYNET (http://skynet.unc.edu/), a world-wide network of telescopes, used by scientists, and teachers and students associated with our Yerkes Education Programs and our Collaborators, including Hands-On Universe (HOU) and International Asteroid Search Campaign (IASC).
Limited participation, register now!
Participation will be limited to 100 guests; cost $50 per person. There will be several scientists, engineers, educators and students attending to mingle with the guests to discuss SKYNET, our participation in SKYNET and the plans we have to restore Yerkes telescopes. If weather permits, guests will also be invited to do some stargazing through the Yerkes great refractor. Wear warm clothes (domes are not heated) and shoes appropriate for climbing narrow stairs; flashlights are suggested as well.
It is our hope to find benefactors among the guests who will be interested in a contribution beyond the initial $50.
Name___________________________________________ Address___________________________________________ City______________________________ State _____________ Zip__________ YES, _____________ Person(s) will attend @ $50 per person
Check enclosed for $_________________
Checks payable to: University of Chicago, Yerkes Observatory
Send checks to Yerkes Observatory, 373 W. Geneva Street, Williams Bay, WI 53191 Additional information, phone: 262-245-5555, fax: 262-245-9805
You may also register online at http://astro.uchicago.edu/yerkes/yo_feb24/index.html
BACK AGAIN! February 9, 2012
Posted by jcconwell in Asteroid, Astronomers, Astronomy.Tags: Asteroid, Eastern Illinois University
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It’s been a busy two months. The end of one semester the beginning of a new semester, but I wanted to share a bit of good news for myself. I’m now official part of the solar system, While there have been some people who wished they could send me into orbit the picture,as you can see below, does not quite mean I’m there yet.
It does mean I’ve just got an asteroid named after me! It’ s a main belt asteroid between Mars and Jupiter, with a maximum magnitude of 15. My thanks to Robert Holmes, director of the ARI observatory, and an adjunct faculty member in the physics department at EIU, who discovered the asteroid and did the naming.
The official designation is 128925 Conwell or 2004 TJ70. You can see more information on this asteroid at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) site:
http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2004%20TJ70;orb=1;cov=0;log=0;cad=0#orb
EIU Astro 