Skip to main content
     

Sept HAS Monthly Meeting

Event Date

Trini Mendenhall Community Center

Meeting room open at 6:00pm. Come join us for some social time before the Novice Meeting at 6:30pm. Light refreshments will be served.

General Meeting: 7:15 PM

HAS Master Observers Panel Discussion

 

The Astronomical League Master Observer award is a goal that many amateur astronomers hope to acheive. It is the culmination of an individual’s dedicated effort to learn astronomy and know the night sky, hands on at the telescope.

HAS is priviledged to have seven current members who have acheived this prestigeous award. Several of them will share with you their experiences and the challenges they faced in order to receive this honor.

Amelia_0_0.jpg

Amelia Goldberg

I joined HAS in 1980 after getting a 13.1” Colter telescope. My first observing program was the Messier List. Amelia is the kind of person who needs a structured observing program – a list to follow.

Amelia received the Texas Star Party Lone Stargazer Award in 1999 and the Astronomical League’s Master Observer Award in June of 2006. I love doing outreach and received the League’s Master Outreach Award in March of 2018.

 

Doug Mc_0.JPG

 

Doug McCormick

Doug McCormick, has enjoyed the hobby ever since his childhood interest was rekindled by a college astronomy class and the comet Hale-Bopp in the 90’s. Doug has been a member of the Houston Astronomical Society (HAS) since 1998 and had the honor of earning HAS’s first Master Observer Award, MO #48 in 2005. 

Doug enjoys a variety of astronomical pursuits, but probably enjoys visual observing of the deep sky with his 22” F/3.6 reflector the most. 

Doug is currently a member of the HAS Board of Directors, a member of the HAS Observatory Committee, and the HAS Astronomical League Coordinator. 

Cudnik 4_0.jpg

Brian Cudnik

Brian's interest in astronomy dates back to the 1970’s but really picked up speed in the early 1980’s when he received his first “real” telescope, a 2.4-inch refractor, for Christmas.As a student worker while attending Northern Arizona University Brian assisted Gene and Carolyn Shoemaker with the Palomar Asteroid and Comet Survey and was working with them when Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 was discovered in March 1993.

Since 2001, Brian has been the Physics Laboratory Manager at Prairie View A&M University where he has been recently working to open the new Prairie View Observatory Complex later this summer. The observatory will include an existing solar telescope and two new domes housing Meade 16-inch and PlaneWave 24-inch telescopes.

 

 

Stephen Jones_0.jpg

Stephen Jones

 

When Stephen was six years old, his dad Stan Jones, gave him 60mm Tasco refractor and started trying to teach him to use it.  Having limited success, Stan looked for help and found HAS.  Stan’s efforts lead him to take up astronomy himself and aquire 10” Meade SCT. Stan was a regular out at the HAS Dark Site with Stephen enthusiastically along for the ride. 

Later in life, Stephen rekindled his interest in astronomy, and with a 6 inch dob from the HAS loaner program, then later a 10 inch dob and a 16 inch dob rebuilt using the mirrors from his dad’s scope, he completed the requirements for the Master Observer award. 

Stephen has served three years as Field Trip and Observing chair of HAS, and started to conduct Novice Labs at the Dark Site, which he still currently does for our novice members. 

 

 

 


Novice Presentation – 6:30 pm. Doug McCormick
Observing the Moon

1414 Wirt Rd, Houson, TX 77055

                  Free parking in the lot in front of the TMCC

Meeting Location: Trini Mendenhall Community Center