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                             ASTRONOMY Network News
                AN ON-LINE NEWSLETTER FOR ASTRONOMY CLUB OFFICERS

Issue #3 - March/April 1992

        Published by ASTRONOMY Magazine
        PO Box 1612
        Waukesha, WI 53187-1612
        414-796-8776, Fax [phone]
        Compuserve E-Mail: 72000,2704; Internet:
[e-mail]

        Network News is an on-line newsletter for astronomy clubs
uploaded approximately every two months by ASTRONOMY
magazine. It is designed to provide a forum for clubs to share news
of their accomplishments and innovative programs, as well as discuss
issues all clubs have in common - how to raise funds, attract new
members, publish an interesting newsletter, among others.
        We hope the ideas in Network News will help other clubs
provide the best possible services to their members and to their
communities. Address comments, articles, and news of your club
activities to the editor, Tom Gill, at his address below, or contact
ASTRONOMY magazine via mail, e-mail, or the Compuserve
Astronomy Forum.

Tom Gill, Editor, 1391 N. 72nd Street, Milwaukee, WI 53213  (414)
476-6986

        From The Editor
        This issue features an article on Astronomy Day, one of the few
times that astronomy receives the attention of the mass media (other
than during eclipses and other high profile astronomical events). The
celebration provides a great opportunity for clubs to examine and
renew their commitment to educate the public about our hobby.
        As in years past, Astronomy magazine supports clubs by
offering free or at-cost materials for public distribution (see the
product showcase on page 4). Now with the Network News up and
running, we can further extend our contribution by collecting and
sharing individual club experiences for Astronomy Day 1992 or any
other club sponsored event. Send me a brief synopsis of your
activities and the results and I will share them through the ANN.
        Looking ahead, future issues of ANN will focus on: increasing
(and maintaining) club membership, reversing light pollution and
how clubs promote themselves publicly. If you have any success
stories or comments on these subjects, please write to me directly.

        Club Profile
        Prairie Astronomy Club, PO Box 80553, Lincoln, NE 68501
        Founded 1961, Members: 60
        Dues $26 regular, $29 family, special $10/yr Newsletter Only
with no voting rights.
        Contact Dave Knisely, President
        Prairie Astronomy Club members divide their time between a
city-owned observatory and club-owned dark-sky site. Meetings and
public programs are held at the Hyde Memorial Observatory in
Lincoln, Nebraska. The observatory is also used for public viewing
sessions every Saturday night which draws crowds of 50-350 people
on a clear night. The instruments kept at the observatory include: an
8-inch richfield reflector, 12.5-inch Newtonian/Cassegrain and a 14-
inch Celestron.
        The other club telescope, A 12.5-inch Newtonian named PAT
which was originally purchased with a mortgage and with the help of
the Sun, was used to ignite and burn its mortgage papers during a
ceremony.
        For serious observing, members drive approximately 30 miles
to their dark-sky site-a 4.2 acre abandoned Atlas missile site
complete with ample concrete and asphalt telescope set-up area.
President Dave Knisely said acquiring the dark sky site boosted
interest in the club. Keyholder fees which allow a member to use the
site are $15/yr. which cover expenses without financial burden to
the entire membership.
        New club directions include starting a program to educate the
public about light pollution. An effective demonstration of how
ambient light affects the enjoyment of the sky is done at the start of
public viewing sessions-a single switch is thrown which shuts off
every light in a one-block radius! Another focus attracting more
young people to the club, to bring in fresh ideas and keep the club
growing.
        The club received a grant from the Nebraska Committee for
Humanities to create four seasonal slide presentations covering facts
and myths about the constellations which are a part of public night
        Upcoming Astronomy Day activities include a multi-subject
display in the lobby of a local planetarium and museum.

        Astronomy Day 1992 Approaches
        One of the most popular goals of astronomy clubs is the
cultivation of their membership; attracting new people to the hobby
of astronomy. While individual clubs may incorporate various
methods to accomplish this, one event attempts to unite all club
efforts on a grand scale. It's known as National Astronomy Day and
this year it falls on Saturday, May 9, 1992.
        Since 1973, Astronomy Day has existed to share the fascination
and joy of astronomy with friends, neighbors and the public at large.
It is a day to take astronomy to the people.
        Club involvement can be as simple or as ambitious as there are
volunteers to coordinate and conduct the activities. Forming an
outreach task force allows people to be contacted where they already
are used to gathering. Some of the places your club can reach the
public are: shopping malls, parks, schools, museums, movie theaters,
even street corners!
        Beyond the PR benefit your club receives, other good reasons to
host Astronomy Day events are: improved community relations, to
meet new people and potential members and to educate the public
about light pollution.
        To help clubs get organized, the Astronomical League offers a
comprehensive 120-page Coordinator's Handbook covering all
aspects of Astronomy Day. It offers a cornucopia of tips and
suggestions-everything from designing a display sign to ??
SOMETHING possible guest speakers for lectures. The handbook is not
copyrighted and the loose-leaf format makes it easy to photocopy
individual pages or artwork as required.
        Simply put, the Astronomy Day Handbook is a "must have"
general resource for planning, organizing, and conducting not just
Astronomy Day activities, but any event or project which has the
purpose of sharing astronomy with people. Authors Robert Horgan
and Gary Tomlinson are to be commended on creating a compendium
of astronomical benefit to clubs.
        The handbook is also a convenient reference for year-round
use. For example, the section on press releases will come in handy for
any club sponsored public event, //THIS GOES? especially if no one in
your club has had experience in that area. Another section lists the
addresses of companies with astronomical.
        Two areas where the authors place special focus is education
and light pollution. They feel that reaching the nation's students is a
crucial factor in keeping astronomy alive in the public mind and that
understanding and reversing light pollution is necessary to keep
astronomy alive, period.
        A section on attention-getting ideas stresses the importance of
generating curiosity and interest. Among the many discussed were:
door prizes, give-aways, school art contests, remote radio broadcasts,
model rocket launching, indoor observing, quizzes, computer bulletin
boards and a scale model of the solar system.
        To help make this year's Astronomy Day celebration a success
and to plan a knock-their-socks-off encore next year, buy this book.
The handbook can be obtained by sending $7.00 (or $8.00 for first-
class) to the address below. Outside the US add $1.00 for surface mail
or $3.00 for air mail. U.S. dollars and checks should be made payable
to the Astronomical League. If you already have a copy of the first
edition, send a business size, SASE for updates and minor changes.
        Gary Tomlinson
        Astronomy Day Coordinator
        Public Museum of Grand Rapids
        54 Jefferson S.E.
        Grand Rapids, MI 49503
        [phone]

        CLUB NEWS BITS
        the Astronomical Society of Lenawee County, Michigan,
purchased a 1967 rescue van for $1 from the local Fire Department
to transport their new 20-inch Obsession telescope.
        ...the Houston Astronomical Society, TX, with the help of
member and binocular aficionado Lee Cain, are designing a 30-inch
binocular telescope to be completed in September 1993
        ...the Southeastern Iowa Astronomy Club has found a clever
way to show the night sky in their newsletter, The Sidereal Times-
they photocopy a planisphere which is set for the current month
        ...the Amarillo Astronomy Club, TX awarded member Steve
Savalney an honorary lifetime club membership in recognition of this
help and support over the years
        ...the Indiana Astronomical Society presents a series of five on-
hour astronomy programs on "Understanding Astronomy" for the
benefit of retired persons...what's your club up to these days?

        GROW YOUR OWN TELEPHONE TREE
        If you witnessed any of the recent aurora displays you
probably wanted to share the "discovery" with other club members.
It's a great idea, but sometimes calling others becomes a burden. A
solution: create a telephone tree!
        A telephone tree is a great way to communicate dramatic or
fascinating sky information in a timely manner by sharing the task
of contacting others. A tree works like this: The observer of the event
starts the relay by calling one or more members who then call
others, etc. until all participating members have been notified. The
key phrase is "participating" members, whose that want a phone call,
whatever the hour, to notify them of events. Another use is to
announce impromptu dark-sky observing, special meetings,
workshops, etc.
        Poll members through meetings and the club newsletter to
generate interest. Once formed, publish a list and update as needed.
Your members should never miss another good sky show!
        The Eugene Astronomical Society, OR, has been using a simple
top-to-bottom list with success. Thomas Cleveland, Club VP and
Editor of their newsletter IO, said 25% of the club's 60 members
participate and he expects that number to grow as new members
become more active in the club.
        The first caller contacts the person at the top of the list and
each person thereafter calls the one below (skipping those he cannot
contact) until the last person calls the first to complete the cycle. For
events other than sky phenomena, members alert Thomas of people
skipped over. He makes sure everyone that wants to know what's
going on, does.
        Thomas said, "We've used it for awhile and it works. Some
engineers in the club were experimenting with a network design but
we realized there was no real benefit in getting fancy." The tree has
been used mostly for star parties but Cleveland hopes that someday
it will be the vehicle to notify members of the discovery of Comet
Eugene!

        Share the Sky With Loaner Scopes
        Does your club have more members than telescopes? Perhaps
you should think about designating one or more instruments as
loaner telescopes.
        Perusing your newsletters revealed several clubs offering
members the use of a telescope for free or a nominal charge ($5
month).  Some guidelines: require a sighed responsibility agreement
to insure the telescope is kept in good working order. Set a specific
amount of time (two weeks if demand is high) and allow members to
renew the contract if no one else has made a request. Include
eyepieces and a star atlas for a complete observing package, perhaps
even a tutor to spend the first night helping the borrower get
accustomed to operating the telescope.
        Loaner telescopes constitute a club benefit that is especially
attractive to new members who may not have access to a telescope.
Offering a variety of instruments-reflector, refractor, Schmidt
Cassegrain-and configurations-Dobsonian, equatorial, etc.-new and
seasoned members can experience firsthand the differences of each.
        Making a telescope or acquiring funds specifically for this
purpose makes a great project which will benefit the entire club
membership.