Jim continued as the first speaker on this Members' Night, enlightening us on the history and current status of the Vatican Observatory. Jim's connections with the Vatican Observatory helped us to get Fr. George Coyne, S.J. as a speaker last season, and has already booked Br. Guy Consolmagno, S.J. for next season. Have you ever noticed Jim's license plate? It reads "JESUIT."

Our second member-speaker was DFAC Treasurer Roger Serrato who, unfortunately as our default photographer, did not get a photo of himself. He spoke about his current project of integrating an old security camera he acquired with his Meade 8" CAT. It's still a "work in progress," but he hopes to have it working for our next Anthem Veterans Day event allowing a live feed from his scope to his laptop for solar viewing.

Speaker #3 was DFAC member Ron Walker, who amazed and impressed us with his long-standing effort to bring a planetarium to Cave Creek. Starting with a "catalog order" cheap star projector, he worked his way up the technological ladder to eventually acquire a "planetarium grade" projector. We knew Ron was a smart guy, but I don't think we appreciated his mechanical and electrical skills until he explained what he'd done with these projectors. We wish him well in his effort, as Planning & Zoning has reared its head in regards to Ron's plans.

Our final speaker was Dan Heim, scheduled last because of his uncertain arrival time. Dan spoke about his "Gravitron Experiment" where he shot video of some students while riding inside the spinning machine. The phenomenon of centrifugal force, and the coriolis effect, were clearly documented as the students threw baseballs and attempted to catch their own throws.

There wasn't much in the way of club business, so it was , as planned, a "Members' Night." This is really a good way to find out what other members are working on, and we may decide to make this an annual event, as many of our members are extremely talented and involved in interesting astronomical ventures that otherwise would not come to light.

This meeting had a good turnout. 14 members attended, two of which joined that night. We adjourned at 8:45 pm, and several of us regrouped at Legends SB&G for libations, grub, and further discussion.

Item 2. I'm pleased to announce that DFAC has grown by another 4 members. I'd like to welcome Daniel & Bernadette Boyce (our newest members), Scott Rohrer , Dee Harrington-Hartwell , and Mark Bosley (who recently escaped from cloudy Wisconsin, as I did back in 1978). Thanks to all for their support. That brings our total membership to 22, which is 2 more than the "critical mass" needed at current membership fees. Truth be told, 2 of our members have not yet renewed for this season, so the total membership is still slightly uncertain. I will be contacting them personally to see if they intend to renew.

Item 3. I recently made contact with one of the engineers up at the Very Large Array (VLA). Daniel J. (Mert) Mertely and I met via a renewable energy website, and when I found out he worked at the VLA, I asked if it might be possible for him to secure DFAC and "inside tour" of the facility. I had tried this many years ago when I visited the VLA, but they wouldn't let me into the actual control center. The astronomers were too busy. Mert says "No problem, provided he gets advance notice." So what I'd like to do is this ... when the weather gets a little warmer, perhaps this summer, we could head up there. It could be a "day trip," with us leaving Phoenix early in the day. Charter air is out, since the nearest commercial airport is in Albuquerque ... still a 2-3 hour drive to the VLA (plus car rental). MapQuest estimated travel time by car would be about 6 hours one way, so it would likely be an "overnighter," carpooling to the nearest town (Magdalena, NM), or possibly bunking at the dorm at the VLA on Day 1, and getting the tour and driving back on Day 2. If any member is interested in pursuing this field trip, let me know. We'll talk about this at our next meeting.

Item 4. Our Saturday, March 20th, "members only" observing night here at Heimhenge is "all systems go." Several members have already responded, even though RSVPs were not required. Restrooms and electricity are available onsite, and plenty of flat ground for setup and parking. Beer and red wine on the house. You want snacks, BYO. We ask that you arrive between 6:00 pm and 6:30 pm to facilitate the parking lineup. Weather permitting, we still register an SQM reading of 21.1 on a clear sky , no moon night. That's pretty good. That night will feature the Moon occulting some minor members of the Pleiades Cluster. Plus, I'll be attempting to split Sirius A & B with my Takahashi. Its resolution is 0.9", and the current separation of Sirius A & B is 9.1"so with decent seeing I should be able to split them, maybe with a red filter to improve the contrast. Check out this recent chart from S&T.

Thanks for reading Quid Novi. If you have feedback, you know where to reach me. Until next we meet, clear skies!

— Robert A. Heinlein, "Starship Troopers"