Iowa City Astronomy Club

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1. Rick Kaster - October 4, 2007

Hi. I was wondering if your club will be following Mars’ closest approach to Earth? I would love to see Mars as close up as possible through a telescope? Would you be looking at Mars on your October 8th observing run at Kent Park?

2. Rick Kaster - October 4, 2007

Sorry, I meant October 13th, not the 8th.

As I mentioned in private email, the sessions are pretty laid back, and we look at tons of objects. Our club president brings the largest scope, and enjoys showing off any number of sky objects.
But this weekend, Mars doesn’t rise until late (around 11PM), and won’t be high enough above the horizon to see easily until after midnight. Sorry.

3. Elizabeth - November 30, 2007

Hi. Last night, my husband and I (who live in the older part of east IC) noticed man-made lights in the sky–like one associates with Hollywood (three synchronized, moving spotlights). We wondered who would be so obnoxious to use such a thing–so we investigated.

We live on Bradley Street, which is a short side street of Muscatine, between 7th and Creekside Park (a few blocks from the east side Hy-Vee). We could see these lights all the way from their source–El Dorado Mexican restaurant in Coralville, off the strip!

The lights they used came from a machine called “Sky Searchers”–a slight insult to astronomers, no?

Anyway, I wondered if you knew if a permit must be obtained to use such a thing–and how long it could be used. Perhaps your club could write an informative but succinct piece to the owners of that restaurant, explaining how use of such lights cause light pollution?

Thanks for your time and thoughts.

4. Nancy Keith - April 17, 2008

What are you doing to allow us to see the meteor showers , or aren’t they visible in this part of the world?

Information from club President, Dan Bastemeyer:

Nancy,
The next meteor shower will be the Eta Aquarids, which will peak just before dawn on May 5th. Since the radiant for this shower lies low in the east, most of the meteors will be visible in the eastern part of the sky. Since this will be on a monday morning, there will not be any club observing session, but anyone can see this shower if they are willing to rise in the wee hours of the morning and go somewhere that is away from city lights.
A better meteor shower - the perseids - will peak on August 11th. If enough people are interested we could plan a club observing session . We can discuss this at the next meetings.

5. Leslie White - August 6, 2008

Where is a good place to view the Perseid meteor shower this year? I am getting a group of friends together to view it, but we are unsure of where to go. We are willing to drive a short distance outside of Iowa City, but don’t know where the least light pollution is, or where we could observe without trespassing after hours. Any recommendations?

Thanks,
Leslie

Leslie,

I’ll pass your question on to our club president, Dan Bastemeyer, and write back ASAP. But for now I’ll just mention a few things:

Last year, the Sierra Club planned their Perseid viewing southwest of Riverside. Any dark place will do, though.

For general observing, Iowa City Astronomy Club usually goes either to the Bob White shelter at Kent Park (just west of Tiffin), or far south of Iowa City (see some of the previous posts for directions). But I’ve personally watched the Perseids from my back yard in North Liberty.

http://geology.com/articles/meteor-shower.shtml discusses a bit of how to view a meteor shower, as well as the the physics and best time to view (after midnight). And our post for last year’s viewing (http://icastronomy.org/2007/07/12/perseid-meteor-shower) gives some good advice on how to prepare, like warm clothing, bug repellant, water, and especially a folding chair – preferably one you can lie back on.

The Iowa City Astronomy Club is meeting at the IC public library Monday night (the 11th) at 7PM. The meteor shower is supposed to peak that very night, all night, and so the meeting would be a perfect time to ask more questions.

6. Tyson Wirth - September 5, 2008

Hello,
My name is Tyson Wirth, I’m a recent UI grad working in a home with individuals with disabilities.
One of the guys I work with, Kevin, enjoys weather and I am wondering if he might enjoy your club. Could you tell me when your club meets (what time on the second Monday of each month), what specifically happens at these meetings, and what any membership costs and/or fees might be? Is there a relatively new indoor observatory nearby that you folks use? Any other info would be appreciated.
Don’t hesitate to contact me at 319-530-XXXX or XXXX@gmail.com if need be. Thank you very much for your time!
Tyson

Tyson,
The ICAC has club meetings and star parties.
The meetings are held the second Monday of each month, 7PM, usually at the IC Library in a conference room. Usually, Dan or one of the members gives an A/V presentation or lecture on something astronomy-related.
The observing sessions (star parties) are held the fourth Saturday of each month, with time and place announced on this site. We haven’t used indoor observatories in the past (we try to get away from the city), though I’m told there is one at the Cedar Astronomers observatory.
Anyone is welcome to come to either ICAC get-together for free. If you find them worthwhile, the dues are $15 annually.
Regardless of where or with whom, I hope you and Kevin find a way to go to an astronomy observing session with a knowledgeable guide.
Good Luck!
-ICAC web guy

7. Chris G - October 29, 2008

Are there any telescope dealers in Iowa? or do most people buy over the web? (Orion Mas-Cassegrain is current top pick)

8. Libby - May 17, 2009

Hi. I was wondering if any legislature has passed in Iowa regarding light pollution or “full-cutoff” lighting. I found a proposed bill from 1999 but I cannot find any info since then.

My family is from a small town in northwest Iowa and the town is replacing all of the old streetlights with horrible globe-like lights. Now downtown at night looks almost as bright as downtown during the day. I used to be able to see the Milky Way from my backyard!

Libby ———————— To my knowledge, the state legislature has not passed a bill requiring dark-sky lighting. Many municipalities such as Iowa City have formally or informally gone to downward-only fixtures because of the electricity savings. Your town apparently likes to pay for wasted electricity. The International Dark-Sky Association (www.darksky.org) is trying to organize an Iowa chapter. It sounds like you are ready to help in that effort. Please contact the association about opportunities to bring dark skies back to Iowa. The top priority would be a dark-sky bill for the entire state. Thanks; I wish I had better news for you.

Jim
Iowa City Astronomy Treasurer

9. Rick - July 21, 2009

I am building a Dobsonian 8″ reflector telescope and cannot figure out from the plans how the primary mirror is secured at the bottom? I have the furring nails in place with the four pieces of wood attached to the tube. Can anybody help me figure this out?

10. Setu - September 19, 2009

Is the October 3rd star party open to the public/people interested in joining the club?

I asked the host, and he says sure! I’ll contact you via email.
-Ken
ICAC web guy

11. John Hiett - January 6, 2010

Hi.
I’m updating the list of local organizations kept by the Iowa City Public Library. Would you look over the following information and let me know what information has changed?

[club info redacted
-Webguy]

Thank you,
John Hiett

John,
I forwarded your request for info to the club officers. You should be hearing from them soon.
-Ken Welsch
ICAC webguy

12. Charlie Miller - February 24, 2010

Dear Iowa City Astronomy Club members,

I am pursuing the possibility of developing a “space science” center for the Iowa City / Coralville area and have been laying some groundwork by contacting civic entities. The most large-scale proposal would call for a large new building that offered exhibit, lecture, and classroom space, in addition to a planetarium. The most scaled down version would simply be a planetarium.

If members are interested, I’d be happy to meet up with your group and, if desired, present a powerpoint show about the proposal.

While the economy is in terrible shape, it is an excellent time to plan. I have much to do (IRS filings for a non-profit, business-plan documents, etc.) before “going public”, so outreach to parties that might have special interest is important right now.

I should mention that I own a Spitz A4 planetarium projector and a home-built projector and have experience with making a segmented projection dome.

I hope to help forming a larger group of “grass roots” supporters (people who either enjoy astronomy and related topics and/or see a need for improving informal science education via this angle.)

Thank you,

Charlie Miller
Coordinator,
Iowa Space Science Center project

This sounds like a worthy idea. I think the best way for the ICAC to learn more about the particulars might be for you (or one of your colleagues) to show up at an ICAC meeting: 2nd Monday at the IC public library. We usually have an open issues period before getting to the evening’s presentation. -Ken Welsch, ICAC webguy

13. Dr. Sten Odenwald - March 11, 2010

This is for Howard Cox:

I would like to use your photo of Comet Holmes in a NASA mathematics problem set for teachers and students. It would be properly cited, and you can see other examples of how it would appear by visiting Space Math @ NASA
http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov

Would you be interested in granting NASA permission to use your image in a pdf file?

This sounds pretty interesting! Your comment has been forwarded to Howard Cox. –Ken Welsch, ICAC webguy

14. Jacqueline - April 14, 2010

Hi. I was driving tonight and there was a HUGE, shooting-starish light. I just needed to know what it was. Did anyone see it?

Hi Jacqueline. Yes, driving back from the star party near Oxford last night, my wife and I saw it — bright green, and looked like a sparkler being dragged slowly across the sky before it broke up, turned white, and flared out. A friend in Dubuque saw it, too. It was almost certainly a meteor, or it could have been space debris. Here’s a blurb about it, which includes links to a webcam that caught it, and a police car dash-cam that caught it.
-Ken Welsch, ICAC webguy

15. Douglas - May 6, 2010

I have what is probably a silly query. Having qualifed that I will ask anyway. The other evening I was out looking at the stars and wondered what effect if any to our planet if another one in our solar system was destroyed by a natural disaster. Say a meteor hit Mars or any other planet in our system and it was strong enough to impact the whole planet to a degree that it was vaporized. Would that in anyway change our system or have a direct impact on earth? I know probably an inane question but I was curious. Many thanks to anyone who may have an answer..

16. Charlie Miller (APM: amateur planetarium maker) - May 25, 2010

Greetings.
I would enjoy meeting members of your group and give
those interested a brief description of the Iowa Space
Science Center initiative. Looks like I might be unable
to attend the June regular meeting due to a family committment.
So perhaps I should shoot for the 2nd monday in July?

If anyone is interested in seeing a Spitz model A4 projector
up close, you’re welcome to stop by our house (on Teg Dr,
just across from the relatively new Kiwanis Park). Just give
send a note to my work address: charles-miller@uiowa.edu
(or I’m also in the phone book).

The ISSC plan is to create something fresh and distinctive relative
to what’s usually thought of as a science museum, stressing
higher level content and building design more amenable to a learning
environment. I was one turned onto science in the 60’s and 70’s
by the richer civic environment that gave science more consideration;
I still remember planetarium presentations at Augustana College
and St Louis’s old Goto “Saturn” projector.

Thanks. I hope we can meet up some time soon.

17. scott - June 24, 2010

Has anybody had a chance to see comet McNaught yet?? How far outside of Iowa City do you need to go to view it if so?

18. Harald Stauss - June 25, 2010

Any plans for an observing session for the partial lunar eclipse in the early morning on June 26?
Sorry for the late inquiry.

19. spencer - July 9, 2010

I’m a newcomer to astronomy in the sense that i very recently bought a telescope; I’m curious if anyone has advice about where i can set a scope up in the country without being harassed. At home i can only get a fix on eastern and western skies.. and haven’t had any luck with anything other than planet viewing. Any help would be great.

20. Harald Stauss - July 11, 2010

I just uploaded a few images taken during the observing session yesterday (July 10, 2010) to:
http://www.haraldstauss.com/Astronomy/index2.html
The last 7 images are all from the observing session.

Regards,

Harald Stauss

21. Charlie Miller - August 8, 2010

Hello,

I thought that I would again offer to present some information about the Iowa Space Science Center initiative that I am heading up. If any members or browsers are interested, I could either present at the upcoming regular Monday Library or I could host a meeting at my house, where people could get a close-up view of my Spitz A4 planetarium projector.

Thanks

22. S Rude - August 31, 2010

I’ve got a skyquest xt6 that has been out of collimation for several years - bought the laser collimator and gave it a shot - to no avail. Wondering where a best opportunity to get the scope collimated might be.

Hello,
I forwarded your question to our experienced scope-users. The first response I’ve gotten is that, so long as the laser collimator is working and being used correctly, this sounds more like a repair issue — something must be broken if the scope can’t be laser-collumated.

The advice is to try the collimator again, and this time identify what is preventing you from completing the collimation. If you can identify what has gone wrong with the scope, you should probably then contact Orion about a repair of whatever that is. If it’s unclear what’s preventing collimation, then yes, finding someone with much more collumation experience would likely help. Sorry we don’t know any professional local services.

If our president replies, I’ll pass on that advice as well, as he owns a Skyquest scope.

23. Harald Stauss - October 31, 2010

I uploaded 4 images from the last observing session on October 30, 2010 to:
http://haraldstauss.com/Astronomy/index2.html
The last 4 images on this web site are from the observing session. Unfortunately, I was not able to take a photograph of the transit of Jupiter’s moon Europa in front of Jupiter that Dan was able to show me in his 10 inch telescope. Ganymede also transited in front of Jupiter this night but this second transit only started shortly before Kent Park closed. So we did not see it. However, we saw Uranus which was amazing.

Thanks again, Harald, for the beautiful shots! I hope I make it to an observation one night while you’re there, taking astrophotos.
-Ken, webguy

24. scott - December 13, 2010

in dubuque, ia what is the best time to view the meteor shower on dec. 13th

Sorry, we’re (I’m) not great at timely replies, Scott. Hope you managed to catch a few meteors. I saw one great one Monday night before the blistering cold drove me indoors!
-Ken Welsch, ICAC Web Guy

25. Harald Stauss - January 9, 2011

Hi:

I went out to Kent Park yesterday (Saturday, January evening thinking that there might be an observing session. I should have checked the web site before going out. Anyway, it was a very clear night with a crescent moon that set at about 8:30-9:00 PM. I took an image of the Orion Nebula and another one of the Rosette Nebula. If you are interested, I uploaded the images to:
http://haraldstauss.com/Astronomy/index3.html

I am looking forward to the meeting in the public library tomorrow and of course to the next observing session (when?).

Regards,

Harald

26. Harald Stauss - March 27, 2011

Hi:

Where has everyone been yesterday (March 26) for the observing session in West Branch? I know, initially the sky was overcast but at 8:30 pm the sky was nice and clear. When I arrived at the park in West Branch at 9:15 pm nobody was there. Furthermore there were several street lights at the parking area and further back in the park the light pollution from West Branch was still considerable. I don’t really like this observing site. I then went to the Hoover Park and discovered some nice dark observing sites (around the site of the shelters). However, I did not know when the park closes and I did not want to be locked inside the park. Maybe we should talk with the park officials and see if they allow us to hold observing sessions in the park area. Finally, I went home and put up my telescope on the deck in the backyard and took an image of the galaxies in leo (M65, M66, NGC 3628). Here is a link:
http://haraldstauss.com/Astronomy/galaxiesinleongc3628m65andm66.html

Best regards,

Harald

Harald,

When my wife and I saw it was overcast at 7-something, we decided to go to another event — now we’re sorry we didn’t make it to astronomy! But that’s Iowa cloud cover for you. Glad you made it, and I’m sure we’ll catch you within another session or two. I’m kind of surprised Dan didn’t show up, but maybe he found another spot in the park, like another lot, that had fewer lamps or something? I’ll have to check with him.

I really like your photos! Even NGC 3628 came through impressively clear. I hope we all get a chance to look at your set-up some time this spring.

-Ken

27. Harald Stauss - April 23, 2011

Hi:

I just read on the web site that the next observing session is on April 26. Is there a special reason why it is on April 26 (Tuesday) instead of a Saturday?

Regards,

Harald

Hi there. I just got back from a weekend away from Iowa City and the internet, and noticed that you made another good catch. The observation session was on Saturday, the 23rd. I don’t have a current copy of the newsletter, but I should have at least caught that observation sessions are always on a Saturday! I should probably hang up my web guy hat if I keep this up. I’m very sorry for my mistake (and it was *my* mistake, not Dan’s, the president and organizer’s).

-Ken

28. Harald Stauss - April 27, 2011

Hi Ken:

Please keep on your “webguy hat”. The web site is very well done!
I can’t wait for the weather getting better. There were not many (any?) clear nights lately. So I certainly didn’t miss anything last Saturday because the sky was overcast anyway.

I thought there might have been some special event (a meteor shower or something like this) on Tuesday and you might have scheduled a special observing session.

Keep up the great work on the web site.

Harald

29. Harald Stauss - May 1, 2011

Hi:

After many weeks without clear skies, yesterday, Saturday April 30, the Clear Dark Sky forecast predicted a nice clear sky. Therefore, I packed my gear and drove to our observing site at Sokum Ridge Park. The sky was truely spectacular. I only took my small 4.25 inch reflector along but with the clear and dark sky at Sokum Ridge Park I could see DSOs that I would never see from my backyard in Iowa City. I also took some images (M13, the leo triplet, and the whirlpool galaxy). Especially the Whirlpool Galaxy came out quite nice. Feel free to check it out at:
http://haraldstauss.com/Astronomy/index3.html

Clear Skies,

Harald

30. John Tocornal - May 2, 2011

I service Spitz A-4’s. Need any work done? I have over 15,000 hours on an A-4.

31. Harald Stauss - May 21, 2011

Hi:

I will go out to Sokum Ridge park tonight (May 21). It seems like it will be a mostly clear and dark night. Anyone wants to join in?

Clear Skies,

Harald

32. Harald Stauss - May 22, 2011

Hi:

Just wanted to report from my observing session yesterday night. I arrived at the park around 8:20pm, setup my equipment and took some light frames. Around 9:30pm it was pretty dark and the sky was very clear. In a distance there were lighnings from a thunderstorm (probably over Muscatine). At around 11:00pm clouds and the thunderstorm moved in, so I ended my observing session put my equipment in the car and headed home. So I had about 90 minutes of very good observation time. I took some images of M81/M82 and of some galaxies in the Virgo Galaxy Cluster. Here are the links to my images from yesterday:
http://haraldstauss.com/Astronomy/m81andm82.html
http://haraldstauss.com/Astronomy/galaxiesinthevirgocluster.html
http://haraldstauss.com/Astronomy/fisheyeviewofspringconstellations.html

Regards and Clear Skies,

Harald

33. Harald Stauss - May 28, 2011

Hi:

Sorry, I missed you tonight (May 28) at the observing session. I was at a park in West Branch (off of 2nd street) that I thought was the observing site. However, no one else was there, so I must have been at the wrong site.

My wife joined me tonight and we had our small ETX-80 with us. So we just used the Guided Tour of the GOTO computer to show us what’s up tonight. The site at West Branch was somewhat better than what I thought. We could even see M81/M82 and M51. Not bad for a small 80mm refractor.

Clear Skies,

Harald

34. Antyonae McClain - June 2, 2011

On July 15, 2011 from Des Moines, Iowa at 10:00 p.m. will I be able (with the naked eye) see Venus, Mars, Mercury, Moon, Cygnus, Orion, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto from this location?

35. Harald Stauss - June 3, 2011

Hi Antyonae:

Sorry, most of these objects will not be visible on that date and time. First at 10:00pm it will not yet be very dark. You may be able to see Saturn low in the West. Pluto will be low in the south (not far away from the moon) but at magnitude ~14 you won’t see Pluto with your naked eyes (Pluto is difficult to find even with a telescope). Orion is a winter constellation that can’t be seen in summer, but you will be able to see Cygnus.

For planning your observing sessions I suggest to download the free open-source software Stellarium from:
http://www.stellarium.org/

Clear skies,

Harald

36. Harald Stauss - July 17, 2011

Hi:

I just uploaded a few of my images from RMSS 2011 at:
http://www.csastro.org/forums/modules.php?set_albumName=RMSS-2011-Images-by-Harald&id=MilkyWay_OneShotFinal&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php

The Rocky Mountain Star Stare is always a great event with a very dark and clear sky.

Enjoy,

Harald

37. mark - August 9, 2011

Harald,

My compliments on your photography. I have been a long time amateur photographer and have always wanted to get into astronomy at some level. Also, we have a lake next door and the waterfowl are beyond the limits of my 10×50 binocs. I have read up on digiscoping and astrophotography and am ready emotionally to jump in. Being practical minded, I was thinking, why not combine the two. I have seen some reference to a few people using a Meade ETX 125 for both purposes. You obviously have experience with several scopes and cameras, what do you think? I would love to come to a meeting but am in TX doing reserve duty at the time. Thanks.

38. Kummy - August 10, 2011

Harald Stauss - I am thoroughly enjoying your pictures ! Though quite astonishing, these pictures have cultivated a deep interest in me for astronomy. Thanks for the pictures ! Next time, I wish to join you for the Meteor watching on Aug-12, if you plan to do that ! Do let me know.

39. Harald Stauss - August 17, 2011

Hi Kummy and Mark:

Thank you for the compliments on my photographs. I plan to attend the observing session this coming Saturday (August 20) and I probably will bring some of my equipment. It would be great if we could meet there.

Regards,

Harald

40. Kummy - August 17, 2011

Harald,

I am glad that you are planning to make it on Aug,20 @ Sokum Ridge park ! Eager to meet you and this is my first observing session, so quite excited !

Have a great day !

41. Maikol Concepcion - September 26, 2011

Hello, my name is Maikol Concepcion and i’m a student at University Heights High School. For our science project we have to inter view somebody in the field of science. i was wondering if you could refer me to an astronomer or answer me some questions. thank you very much.

I’m forwarding your email to our club president, Dan Bastemeyer. He teaches an Introduction to Astronomy course at Kirkwood, and has an encyclopedic knowledge of night sky objects. If a phone interview is also okay, I can put you in touch with an astrophysicist acquaintance who worked on the Cassini Project (a space probe that orbits Saturn)?
-Ken Welsch
ICAC Webguy

42. Maikol Concepcion - September 27, 2011

Thank you very much.
I am looking forward for the interview.

43. Harald Stauss - October 29, 2011

Tonight, Saturday, October 29, Kumar and I will be in Kent Park for some observing. Anyone want’s to join in?

Regards,

Harald

44. joe morel - November 25, 2011

Does anyone know about eye pieces? I’m looking for the apo triplet type of eye pieces that are comma and color corrected as opposed to the junk ones that usually come with a telescope. I’m thinking of getting a apo triplet and don’t want to blame the scope for the eye piece blurring, color fringes etc. also, are there any adaptive optics that fit between the eye piece and the star diagonal that I can use for seeing instead of ccd astro photography? Some adaptive optics are for air turbulence, are there any that will correct for the ridges in the primary mirror? Also I’m interested in getting starlight scope electronics mounted in the same place so that I can amplify the light when using the scope at super high power. lastly, I’m interest in the 125 mak cassegrain someone has for sale. How much weight will that mount take?

45. Harald Stauss - December 7, 2011

Hi:

Any chance we can see the lunar eclipse on Saturday from the Iowa City area? Are any observing sessions planned for this event?

Regards,

Harald

46. Harald Stauss - December 10, 2011

Update on the Lunar Eclipse:

I was having a cold and figured I rather stay inside than become even more sick by going outside and observing the lunar eclipse. But then I woke up at 5:30am and looked out of the window and saw a beautiful full moon. Thus, I decided to observe the spectacle from inside through the window. I also took an image. See:

http://haraldstauss.com/Astronomy/lunareclipseondecember122011.html

Through binoculars the eclipse was very prominent and visible. Unfortunately, there were trees in the way and I could not get very good views from the more ecliped phases.

Anyone else observed the eclipse?

Regards,

Harald

47. Harald Stauss - May 21, 2012

Solar Eclips from Kent Park:
http://haraldstauss.com/Astronomy/solareclips.html

That’s a great photo, thanks Harald!
-Ken

48. Charlie Miller - May 21, 2012

Greetings.

Just a note about an upcoming public event of possible interest to your group. The lowa Space Science Center initiative will be hosting a special “space science” outreach event at the Englert Theater on July 7th. It will feature talks by Prof Don Gurnett and author Andrew Chaikin. Plus outreach activities and the screening of a feature film.

49. Harald Stauss - May 27, 2012

Hi:

In preparation for the venus transit on June 5, I constructed a couple of solar filters using Baader AstroSolar Safety Film. Here is a photo of the sun with some sun spots visible:
http://haraldstauss.com/Astronomy/sunspots.html
I hope we have a clear sky on June 5.

See you then,

Harald

50. Harald Stauss - June 5, 2012

Hi:

I just uploaded 3 images from the Venus Transit Observing Session in Morisson Park in Coralville to:
http://haraldstauss.com/Astronomy/solarvenustransit2012.html

Regards,

Harald

51. Jason - June 23, 2012

Did anyone see anything in dubuque last night?
Jason

52. steve erkle - June 23, 2012

I saw the space station I guess it was at 9:50 pm by accident. My friend was on the phone with me he lives in Dubuque. He saw it too.

53. Judy - July 19, 2012

Hi!

I am the President of a group called Take a Kid Outdoors (www.takeakidoutdoors.org). In the past, we have had Star Parties in NE Iowa and have teamed up with the Black Hawk County Astronomy club (Grout Museum).

This year, we are looking at doing a star party in Coralville, Iowa and teaming up with the City of Coralville. Would you be interested in providing telescope(s) and expertise for this event. We are thinking that the first weekend in October might work best — on a Saturday night (Oct 6th or Oct 13th). We were thinking of having the event at Coralville’s Brown Deer Golf Course - nice open space away from the street, easy access for people and less lights than other areas. We wanted a place where people could easily walk to - so are hoping that this site will work.

Please let me know if you are interested.

54. Harald Stauss - July 23, 2012

Dear “Take a Kid Outdoors”:

That would be great. I would be happy to attend with some of my telescopes.

Regards,

Harald

55. Judy - July 23, 2012

Harald -

Great! will you be at the next meeting in August. Maybe we can discuss details then? Feel free to email me at earthview01 “@” aol “.” com.

56. joe morel - July 24, 2012

If any of you members bought a v-block filter from a old lady or her brother near the end of April, it was stolen from me, an ex member, by her … It can be returned to me at P.O. Box 562, I.C. 52244 and the post office will forward it. Thanks for helping a fellow stargazer.

57. Todd Richissin - August 9, 2012

Hi Guys. Thanks for the information on Perseids. We have a story up on IowaCity.Patch.com that references the club. http://iowacity.patch.com/articles/perseids-meteor-shower-2012-peak-time-and-place-to-watch-in-iowa-city

Thanks for the mention!
-Ken

58. CL Lin - August 9, 2012

Hi, I just saw the milky way outside my house in IC despite of light pollution. I used a freeware Stellarium to find the time that Sagittarius would appear in the south around 10-11:00pm. Then, I used Skyview free App on my iphone to find it in the sky. I hope to join the observing session at Sokum Ridge Park @ 10:00pm, Aug. 11 and take pictures of the Perseid meteors with the milky way as the background, although I have never been to Sokum Ridge Park before. Is not the state park closed at 10:30pm?

Here is the map to the place near Sokum at which we stargaze. It’s off a public road, no locked gates, etc.
-Ken, ICAC webguy

59. CL Lin - August 11, 2012

Hi, I am at Sockum Ridge park, checking out the location. However, the Sockum Ridge Recreation area marked on google map is behind two farm houses, which is no accessible. There are signs of “NoTresspass”. Please help! Is there anyone coming tonight who I can either carpool or follow his/her car. Thanks much!

If cloudy tonight, is the stargazing still a go?
Thanks again!

60. Judy - August 11, 2012

Hi - We are thinking of coming to the event tonight in Washington County. How/When do you make a decision if it is too cloudy to have the event?

61. Judy - September 25, 2012

Hi- I think there is something wrong with the website. I am trying to get ahold of the group for the STAR PARTY in Coralville on Oct 6th. I want to make sure we are good to go and if we need to meet to discuss. Please email me and let me know.

Thanks!

Sorry about the glitchy web site for the past month or so. (Go Daddy stopped supporting our WordPress)
Hopefully getting it back online will get some folks to show up, like for our Transit of Venus party!
Better late than never,
Ken (ICAC webguy)

62. Lora - October 26, 2012

Does your group meet with high school classes?? I am interested in setting up a night with your group for them to have an opportunity to look through telescopes. Please let me know.

63. Melissa Craighton - November 20, 2012

I’m a 4th grade teacher in the Polk County area and would like someone to come speak to our classes about the sun, moon, stars or possibly do
a night observation.

Anyone in our area that could do this?

Thank you

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