As the new chair of the club, I warmly welcome you to the new year 2020. I am very pleased to be finally able to lead the club again after so many years! Let’s get active!
I also welcome my board team:
- Treasurer: Roberto Episcopo
- Holger Krämer: EQ(ipment) Manager, replacing Daniel (thank you for all the years!)
Anniversary 2019
Did you know that we, as a Club, exist now for slightly more than 10 YEARS ?
Please thank Ivan Aksenov who had emailed me on 9 July 2009:
After the founding by Ivan (initialised by a concert with Astronomy slides in the background) the Club attracted more “matter” and formed … members! (Antimo, Helmut, Milan,…)
I took this as an occasion to redesign a new Logo – I hope you mostly like it. It is still a bit cartoonistic, but yet looks more modern…if you don’t like it…tough! 😉
Outlook for 2020
As posted on the EUMETSAT Intranet already, there are a few events and ideas for 2020. My personal objective is a controlled supernova of Betelgeuze in the constellation of Orion. I plan to let it explode around May during many EUMETSAT holidays. Let’s see….
On a more Sirius note: I am still in the process of thinking and organising how the club could possibly become more active and more effectively organised. Technology and usage of IT infrastructure has significantly changed since 2009. Placement of information has become more versatile but also more critical with regards to data protection policies (oh no, not that thing again…) etc.
I will brainstorm these weeks with friends and volunteers in order to find (or keep) the optimal process and tools to:
- Organise meetings
- Email?
- Doodle?
- Google Calendar?
- Confluence?
- Execute surveys
- Google Forms?
- Doodle Survey?
- Confluence?
- Store meetings’ material
- Google Drive?
- Confluence?
- Track participation of attendees to events
- Email Appointments?
- Google Calendar?
- Provide temporary communication to attendees to events without the need to exchange phone numbers, etc.
WhatsApp- Google Sheet/Docs?
- Initiate Astronomical projects in the club
- Manage equipment rental process
- Profile leaflets
- Regular checks
- Damage tracking
- …any other ideas..?
WHAT happens for sure this year?
- 1st Quarter:
- 10/01: a very soft Lunar Eclipse
- 24/03: A very shiny Venus in the evening sky
- 2nd Quarter:
- 04/06: a not so shiny Mercury in the evening sky
- 3rd Quarter:
- 14/07: Jupiter in opposition (yes, shiny!)
- 20/07: Saturn, our Lord of the Rings, in opposition (you guessed it: quite shiny)
- 13/08: Perseid Meteor showers…..beter: Perseid Meteor “droplets”
- 4th Quarter:
- 01/10: Mercury is back in the evening sky
- 13/10: Mars is in opposition (I red it somewhere)
- 14/12: Total Solar Eclipse!…cool down, South-America..any plans???
- 21/12: Jupiter and Saturn having a blinding date together
And I propose to fill the gaps with things like:
- May: Visit of GSI Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility (we have been there 2011 and 2013)
Please VOTE: Doodle Vote Link - Anytime: Star Parties
- Visit of Planetariums
- Munich (ESO Supernova)
- Mannheim (since years the same programme)
- Dar Sky Trips: Repeat the successful event from August 2019 to explore very dark skies not too far away from Darmstadt
