To the cover pageGreat Plains Planetarium Association
Spring 1998
Todd VanGorden, editor
Contents:
At the joint Planetarium Association meetings last fall at the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, KS, GPPA members voted to host more "informal" GPPA meetings in addition to the yearly "formal" conferences. This is an effort to strengthen the association and encourage participation. The first of these meetings will be held Saturday, May 30, 1998, at the L. Russell Kelce Planetarium at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, KS. This meeting will feature a tour of the Pittsburg State University/Greenbush Astrophysical Observatory housing a classical Cassegrainian research-grade telescope with a 61 cm (24-inch) primary mirror. Martin Ratcliffe from the Exploration Place in Wichita, KS, will present a talk prior to the viewing session at the Observatory.
To obtain information about the observatory please browse through the following web sites:
www.pittstate.edu/phys/physics.html
www.greenbush.org
Please see the registration form at the end of the newsletter to attend the GPPA meeting in Pittsburg. More details of the meeting can be found here along with lodging options and other pertinent information.
A quick way to communicate with large numbers of the GPPA is to use the GPPA e-mailing list. To subscribe to the list, send an e-mail to:
Majordomo@mikedunn.com
In the body of the message (not the subject line) type: "subscribe gppa-list" which will put you on the list and send instructions about the list to you.
At StarFest '97 last fall the GPPA voted to officially accept the invitation to the Western Alliance conference at the Los Angeles Valley College Planetarium. This is not an official alliance, although there has been some discussion to combine the PPA, RMPA, SWAP, and GPPA into such an alliance.
This joint meeting will be held October 14-18, 1998, in Los Angeles. David Falk and Bonnie Kent have finalized the costs and set the registration fee at $98 per person. This fee will cover all conference events and all meals except for two dinners. The conference will be held at the Airtel Plaza Hotel in Van Nuys (accessable via the LA International and Burbank Airports, with round-trip shuttle rates from $6 to $18 to the hotel). The $98 fee includes transportation to/from the Airtel to the conference tours of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, and the Mt. Wilson Observatory (bring walking shoes). The Airtel Plaza Hotel is the recommended hotel, as all conference events will take place here. Special pricing has been arranged: $75 for a single, $85 for a double, per night, which will be hard to find a better price in Los Angeles. Call the Airtel directly to book rooms (make sure to ask for the PPA Conference rates!): (800) 2-AIRTEL or (800) 224-7835. Any further questions regarding the conference can be directed to David Falk at Los Angeles Valley College at (818) 778-0335 (press * to bypass the recording and leave a 1-minute message).
Fall 1999 Western Regional Planetarium Association Meeting
The following is a formal invitation sent to the GPPA:
To All Cosmosphere Star Fest '97 attendees:
The Arizona Science Center would like to express its interest in hosting the fall 1999 joint meeting of the western regional planetarium associations.
Located in downtown Phoenix, the science center's new 150,000 square foot facility opened its doors in April of 1997. The Dorrance Planetarium boasts a Digistar projector, Sky-Skan interactive system, and five multimedia video projectors in addition to a wide array of projectors and special effects. The science center also includes a large-screen Iwerks theatre and more than 350 interactive exhibits.
Phoenix offers extensive conference facilities and hotels convenient to the science center, as well as an international airport near downtown. And of course, Arizona's astronomical resources have garnered it an international reputation. We look forward to providing planetarians with a truly extraordinary experience.
We hope you will consider the Arizona Science Center for your 1999 meeting location.
Sincerely,
Ryan Wyatt, Manager, Dorrance Planetarium
Christine Shupla, Assistant Manager, Dorrance Planetarium
Solar Physics WWW Site for Teachers
Scientists and educators from Montana State University, working in conjunction with NASA and Lockhead Martin, have completed their new solar physics WWW site. This WWW site provides hundreds of images and movies showing high energy X-rays emitted by the Sun. Using daily images taken by the Yohkoh satellite, this site features more than 100 pages and 1.5 GB of research-quality images and data available via the WWW. Users can select a wide variety of real-time images of our Sun, peruse electronic flip-books filled with exciting solar facts, or utilize investigative learning activities in the YPOP solar classroom. Because the site relies on new images everyday, there are always new images and information available. Check it out at:
http://solar.physics.montana.edu/YPOP/
MSU NASA Center for Educational Resources (CERES) Project
Through funding from NASA, faculty at Montana State University and classroom teachers from across the nation have developed an extensive library of on-line and interactive K-12 science education materials for teaching astronomy. Closely aligned with the NRC National Science Education Standards, these web-based lessons make maximum use of exciting on-line NASA resources, data, and images. In addition to classroom-ready materials using contemporary teaching strategies, CERES has developed several on-line NASA data search engines and two graduate level distance learning courses available over the internet to K-12 teachers. The first course, designed primarily for elementary and middle school teachers focuses on the solar system. It was first offered during the '98 Spring semester and will be offered each following term. The second course focuses on the universe beyond the solar system and is aimed at middle and high school teachers. It will be offered on-line during the Spring semester. For more information, check out the CERES www site at:
http://www.math.montana.edu/~ceres
Or contact Dr. Tim Slater (a GPPA member) at
tslater@physics.montana.edu
What's New at the Mueller Planetarium
In 1998, Mueller Planetarium celebrates 40 years of operation. The actual opening date cannot be determined, but from what we can deduce, it was sometime in the spring of 1958. Over the years there have been many changes: going from circular to unidirectional seating; the addition of video and laser projectors and our large presence on the itnernet's World Wide Web. This spring, combining with the Prairie Astronomy Club, Hyde Public Observatory, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Physics/Astronomy Department, we are attempting to widen the celebration of National Astronomy Day (May 2nd). Traditionally, PAC sets up exhibits and displays in our lobby. This year, with the opening of the new Student Observatory run by the Physics Department (really nice computer controlled Meade 16" Cassegrain with CCD) on the parking garage across from the stadium, astronomy has gained even more visibility. Also, latest figures show that Astronomy 103 is the most popular undergraduate science course at UNL with some ¼ of the student body eventually taking this class. Although we are part of the Museum and not the Physics Department, we have an excellent relationship, especially due to Dr. Martin Gaskell who brings his students into the planetarium several times each semester. Plans now are forming for bringing in a special speaker and making it more in the nature of "Astronomy Week" at UNL. Also on tap for this spring are live concerts by Mirimar recording artist John Serrie in the planetarium theater. We continue with laser shows changing every week including both rock shows on Friday and Saturday evenings and family shows on Sunday afternoons. With another national championship for UNL, we also updated our special Husker salute laser show which ran in Februray.
www.spacelaser.com
-Jack Dunn
High in the Nebraska Sandhill country near the shores of Merritt Reservoir, under some of the darkest skies in the continental U.S., the 5th annual Nebraska Star Party will be held July 18th through the 25th. Located about 27 miles southwest of the friendly little resort community of Valentine, NSP is an experience for the entire family. In addition to formal programs and first-rate observing conditions (limiting magnitude fainter than 7.0), surroundings with plenty of interesting activities. Merritt Reservoir provides excellent fishing, swimming, boating, and sight-seeing activities, along with extensive camping areas along its 27 miles of white sand beach shoreline. Two wildlife refuges are only a short drive away, and the town of Valentine offers golf and other distractions, as well as motels and restaurants. Cabins are also available at the Merritt Resort near the dam.
One new feature of this year's event will be the Beginner's Field School where in the afternoons, classes will be held to help get you started with the great hobby of amateur astronomy. In the evenings, the Field School participants will be paired with experienced observers to give them hands-on help with the "ins" and "outs" of Deep-sky observing.
NSP-5 will also feature many social and recreational events held throughout the week. On Monday, July 20th, a free ice cream social will be held in the campground, while catered dinners will be available on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. The Great NSP Beach Party is planned for Wednesday afternoon at Merritt Resort, with kite flying, games, and a barbecue. On Thursday, July 23rd, the Great NSP Canoe and Tubing trip will provide attendees with half a day of fun and relaxation, as they canoe or just float on a tube down the river in the scenic Niobrara Canyon. Contests will once again be held in Amateur Telescope Making, Astrophotography, and the "Great NSP Deep-Sky Challenge" observing program. Door prizes will also be handed out during the week.
On July 24th, the NSP paper sessions and featured main speaker will be held at the Valentine High School, along with vendor displays and more door prizes. For information on presenting a paper, contact:
Dave Scherping
dscherping@juno.com
640 South 30th St.
Lincoln, NE 68510
(402) 477-2596
Vendors are welcome to attend. and should contact:
Clark Cheney
cdcheney@aol.com
(402) 733-7238
For more information on the Nebraska Star Party, visit our web site:
http://www.4w.com/nsp/
which has pictures and stories from previous years, as well as the details of this year's event. You can also write to:
Nebraska Star Party
c/o Tom Miller
3400 N. 102nd St.
Lincoln, NE 68527
(402) 466-4170