Stephen Ferris will talk about the northern constellation Perseus. Followed by Ralph Means who will be  doing a show and tell on
the equipment he uses for observing.

6:30 pm – Introductory Presentation

Title:  Financial Report

Speaker:  Mike McDowell, TAAA Treasurer

TAAA Treasurer Mike McDowell will present the annual TAAA financial report, and an update on Chiricahua Astronomy Complex (CAC).

7:30 pm – Main Presentation

Title:  Dark Clouds and Prestellar Cores – The Beginning Stage of Star and Planet Formation

Speaker:  UA Associate Professor Dr. Yancy Shirley is a Hoosier who received his B.S. in Astronomy and Physics from the University of Arizona, and his Ph.D. at the University of Texas (Austin). He worked at the Very Large Array (radio telescopes) in New Mexico before returning to Arizona and joining the UA faculty in 2008. Dr. Shirley’s main studies are in the earliest phases of star formation, astrochemistry, and astrobiology using observations from infrared and radio telescopes.

In the early 1900s, American astronomer Edward Emerson (E.E.) Barnard photographed dark nebula and realized that these regions were not “vacancies” in the sky, but instead clouds of obscuring material. They contain the raw material—solid particles we call dust and a very rich molecular chemistry—from which stars and planets form today. In his talk, Dr. Shirley will describe how stars and planets form and show how we can observe these earliest phases across the Galaxy.

Come join us for a presentation from the fundamentals of amateur astronomy.

Kay Lehman will talk about the northern constellation Cetus.

Followed by Doug Smith who will be giving a break down on The Mechanics of Clock Drives  for our main presentation.

Email:  fundamentals[at]tucsonastronomy.org

6:30 pm – Introductory Presentation

Title:  Seasonal Night Sky Objects

Speaker:  Mary Turner, PhD

Mary Turner, TAAA’s appointed Chief Observer, takes us on an early tour of the upcoming winter night sky. As usual in her popular talks, Mary’s use of astronomical data, images, and mythology brings the seasonal changes in the sky to life.

7:30 pm – Main Presentation

Title:  Are We Alone: Extraterrestrial Technological Life in Our Galaxy

Speaker:  Dr. Robert Strom is Professor Emeritus at the University of Arizona. Retired after 36 years of teaching and research at UA, Dr. Strom remains active in research; his main interest is the planets, global warming, and exoplanet life. Dr. Strom holds numerous awards, including six from NASA, as well as the Career Distinguished Teaching Award from UA. He’s been part of many Imaging and other Science Teams for space missions, and brings us a wealth of knowledge, experience, and wisdom.

In Dr. Strom’s talk, he evaluates the number of technological civilizations likely to currently be in the Milky Way Galaxy, and presents a thought-provoking argument for why we are almost surely not alone. He begins with our current estimated number of Earth-like planets in the habitable region of Sun-like stars; about 6.6 billion. Using a modified Drake Equation and six constraints, he gives estimates that are “optimistic”, “pessimistic” and “unlikely.” Even “unlikely” values give over 600 technological civilizations in the Milky Way. Furthermore, almost all of their extra-solar system technologies are probably much more advanced than ours. For a lively talk and discussion, join us on September 7^th.