RCA Astronomy Fair
This month's general meeting will be an exhibition of some of the best aspects of our club. It will primarily be an in-person meeting and will be open to the general public. This year, there will be a special telescope library sale of quality used astronomy gear and our annual swap meet for selling or trading equipment. The team of students that have been building a 3-meter radio telescope for the club will make a short presentation and be available to tell us about their work; there will an opportunity to learn how to assess, support, and enhance nighttime darkness; and we'll have a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope. The meeting will also feature visits from our friends at the Portland State Aerospace Society (PSAS), who will be launching their third satellite soon, and the Lake Oswego High School robotics team "Mostly Operational", who we have been sponsoring. Oregon Astronomy & Rocketry will also be visiting and offering top-quality astronomy gear for purchase.
Although most of the meeting will be in-person, the club news and monthly sky/space report will be streamed via Zoom for members who can't or prefer not to attend the meeting in-person. Please note that some details might change by meeting time.
In addition, if you have something astronomy-related that you would like to share with other members, such as a cool scope or a specialized piece of equipment that you'd like to demonstrate, please feel free to bring it in. There will be space in the Auditorium for member displays.
The fair will provide
- opportunities to learn about the range of activities within the club, see exhibits and demonstrations, and talk to club experts;
- a variety of short presentations from club members and special guests;
- a chance to reconnect with friends or make some new ones;
- member access to the book and telescope libraries;
- opportunities to learn about ways you can volunteer to support club activities;
- information about public and members-only star parties;
- a way to request star parties for outside groups;
- a chance to buy, sell, or exchange equipment in a swap meet;
- purchase quality used gear at a special Telescope library sale;
- an opportunity to purchase new merchandise from special vendors and the club;
- discounted prices on Astronomy and Sky & Telescope magazines for members;
- and, as usual, the monthly club news and sky/space report.