LAS members provided the slide show images, shown in this order: Solar Prominences by Brian Kimball; North America Nebula by David Elmore; Total eclipse of the Sun by Jim Elkins; Jupiter by Gary Garzone; Messier 51 by Glenn Frank; NGC 6888 by MJ Post; NGC 7000 North America Nebula by Eddie Hunnell; Comet Neowise by Brian Kimball; Sharpless 86 Emission Nebula by MJ Post; Eta Carina by Tally O’Donnell; top of the Heart Nebula by Stephen Garretson
You can see more astrophotography from LAS members in our newsletters.
Longmont Astronomical Society
A monthly video of constellations to observe, from the Space Telescope Science Institute What to expect in the sky each night
Click to see photos...May Owl Hollow Excursion Events
News
2021 Calendar is now available The LAS 2021 calendar featuring fabulous astrophotos taken by members of the Longmont Astronomical Society is now available at the LAS Store. Become a Member!Membership is open to all people of any age. We also offer student memberships. Care to donate to the LAS? You can support the telescope fund or the general fund on our Donation page. |
February Monthly Meeting Our meeting on February 18th featured 'A Walking Tour of Optical History' by Dr. John W. Briggs, of the FOAH Observatory and The Astronomical Lyceum in Magdalena, New Mexico. To see the presentation Dr. Briggs gave to LAS, click here.Pioneering telescope makers allowed a revolutionary ascendancy of American astronomy in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Astronomical Lyceum in New Mexico, originally built in 1936 as a theater and gymnasium, now houses a collection of telescopes, optics, archives, and literature from this ascendancy. Its volunteer staff find the artifacts and associated history surprisingly engaging for visitors of all interest levels. The presentation will include unusual items, large and small, created by some of the America's greatest early optical artists, including Henry and Harry Fitz, Alvan Clark and Sons, Carl and Robert Lundin, John A. Brashear, George Willis Ritchey, and the pioneer of astronomical spectroscopy and photography, Lewis Morris Rutherfurd. The collection includes artifacts originating right up through the Space Age, including from the amateur telescope making movement and its surprising influence. While time allows only an overview, the presentation hopes to remind participants how history of science and technology can be powerfully engaging and interesting for essentially anyone when offered in the right spirit. John W. Briggs has lived and worked at far-ranging observatories in various technical capacities, including Mount Wilson, Yerkes, National Solar, Maria Mitchell, Venezuelan National, Chamberlin, and South Pole Station. He came to New Mexico with his family in 1997 to assist in the final commissioning of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. In the 1980s he was an assistant editor at Sky & Telescope magazine and built Bogsucker Observatory in Massachusetts. He is a member of many astronomical organizations including the Springfield Telescope Makers responsible for the annual Stellafane Convention in Vermont, and he has recently been elected to the board of the century-old American Association of Variable Star Observers. Virtual Star Party Presentation 
Dr. Brian Ottum gave a great talk on January 31st about a virtual star party using a remote telescope to view Orion. You can still see his talk on YouTube. Neowise
Many LAS members caught a glimpse of this recent visitor. Click here to view the photo collection... [left: Near Rawlins, WY: Paul Robinson] |
