by Rene Gedaly, President

2016 Picnic & Open House

Every observing pad was filled. So were most of the private observatories. We spilled over toward the south tree line. That must’ve been where the caravan of 20 cars parked. The HAS Observatory was standing room only with lines out the door. The swap meet was in full swing into the first light window. The Women's SIG had a phenomenal turnout and a great time learning the night skies—telescopes and binoculars provided. Overnight camping was so full we should have opened Logan's Cove (more about that next time.) Darth Vader helped me emcee the shout outs to Stephen and Mario. And the food. Yes, the food. Amazing.

Thanks to all

This kind of event doesn't just happen. It takes many hands and lots of heart. The Picnic & Open House is an annual event put on by Field Trip & Observing. Somehow chairperson Stephen Jones one-ups himself each year. New this year are Mario & Margot Moreno who served up restaurant quality fajitas and fixings, Steve Munsey who kick started our long-awaited Swap Meet, and Amelia Goldberg, Jayne Lambert, and Andrea Kowalczyk who helped me with the Women’s SIG Telescope & Observing Lab.

Many, many members pitched in. I’m sure to miss a few of you—please let me know who you are; we want to draft you again next year(!) Here’s who I know about:  Bill Kowalczyk, Chris Ober, Ana Taylor, Margot Moreno, Mike Edstrom, Allen Wilkerson, Joel Brewer, Mario Moreno, Steve Munsey, Steve Goldberg, Rob Torrey, Marty Levine, Jessica Jones, Don Taylor, Joe Khalaf, Amelia Goldberg, Melanie Black, Bob Wiesner, Becky Brewer, Don Selle, Mark Ferraz, Andrea Kowalczyk, Ed Fraini, Jayne Lambert, Stephen Jones—and all you wonderful members who brought dessert for the coffee bar at the Dob Shed.

What a fabulous time with some great observing. Some of us got to see the Milky Way for the very first time. There’s more, new members. Much, much more. See you back at the dark site soon.

HAS Facebook group anniversary

Can you believe it? The HAS Facebook group has completed its inaugural year with 180 members and counting. It's the place to be to share astro news, photos, and club gossip. Contact publicity@astronomyhouston.org and get added to the group.

UH observatory; UH Astronomy Society

Our meeting host, the University of Houston, now has a student astronomy club and a refurbished observatory right on top of the Science & Research 1 building where we meet. Another reason to join the HAS Facebook group is to keep up-to-date with UH Observatory happenings. Or go directly to https://m.facebook.com/UHAstronomy/.

by Rene Gedaly
Don’t blink, members. Lots happening at HAS. 

• Outreach, Star Parties, and more. Look often at that right vertical banner of the website under UPCOMING EVENTS. Outreach and club events are added often.
• Have you seen the 2017 slate of candidates for election at the Annual Meeting Nov 4? VP Ed Fraini has hit it out of the park. The slate includes a mix of generations of singular ability and all have a passion for astronomy coupled with a dedication to the Society. This includes your ad hoc committee chairs who are too valuable to risk the vagaries of election.
• New to the slate for 2017 is Walt Cooney. Earlier this year the AAVSO recognized Walt's discovery of two variable stars observed from his Starry Night Observatory at the HAS Dark Site. Walt brings back to the board a grounding in astronomical research, the science part of our mission to foster the science and art of astronomy for our members and the community. Current leaders running for new positions are Don Selle as VP, Rob Morehead as Secretary, Jessica Kingsley as Treasurer, and Mark Ferraz as a member of the board of directors.
• If you're new to the club and don't know much about a candidate on the slate, let me suggest you go to astronomyhouston.org and type the candidate's name in the search field. An illustrious bunch.

More info...