San Juan Stargazers to host a telescope clinic, study winter sky Feb. 27

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By Joan Mieritz

Special to The PREVIEW

The San Juan Stargazers’ regular monthly meeting will be Thursday, Feb. 27, in the Visitor Center conference room located at 105 Hot Springs Blvd. The meeting will be from 7 to 8:30 p.m. sharp. Hot drinks will be served starting at 6:30 p.m. for social time as we gather.

Before our meeting, at 6 p.m., we will have a telescope clinic, which is an opportunity for anyone from the community to bring a telescope they got as a gift or purchased, either recently or in the past, to the Visitor Center for members and telescope experts to help either diagnose a problem or explain how the telescope can be used.

We have some competent members, one who built his first telescope at the age of 12, who can offer expert advice. The only requirement is to call the club number, 335-8286, to reserve the time of a telescope expert. When you call, please try to have the name, model and a little information about your telescope so we can get the right person to help you.

There is no charge for our help and you do not have to become a member, but we will welcome you if you decide to join a group of such caring and smart people who also have a sense of humor and a lot of fun playing with telescopes and astronomy.

At the meeting, our first item will be a report from our newly formed StarLab Fundraising Committee. We are helping the school district and Anita Hinger, science teacher at Pagosa Springs Middle School, who has been gathering money for a StarLab which is a portable planetarium to benefit all 1,636 students of our school district. It is an outstanding multifunctional $40,000 science system that includes programs in astronomy, weather, plate tectonics, geology and other areas. Many of our members are intent on raising more money since it is such a worthy project.

The main program for tonight is from the series of Great Courses called “Our Night Sky.” There are both video and written lessons titled “The Winter Sky.” It tells the story of the birth, life and death of stars. A most interesting example is the large red giant Betelgeuse that is near the end of its life. Fortunately, it is not near enough to Earth to be a threat, but when it dies, it will be a spectacular sight in the night sky.

If you have been thinking of coming to one of our meetings or learning to use a telescope, this will be the best time to begin. We are setting up exceptional telescope training this summer. The Chimney Rock Interpretive Association has gotten grants that can be used for training, probably by the astronomy department at Fort Lewis College and from a group that has a regular astronomy program in Westcliff, Colo. There will be a lot going on, including 10 star parties at Chimney Rock National Monument from May to September. There will be many opportunities for learning and practicing.

New people are always warmly welcomed at our meetings. I hope you can join us to add this new dimension to your life. We welcome everyone who has an interest in learning more about our amazing universe.

The San Juan Stargazers are part of the Astronomical League, which includes clubs from all over the U.S. We have a new website, www.sanjuanstargazers.org, as well as an email address, sjstargazers@gmail.com ,and a club phone number, 335-8286. Our club address is P.O. Box 2217, Pagosa Springs, CO 81147.