The night sky viewed from White Rock. Photo by Glen Wurden
PAJARITO ASTRONOMERS News:
The Pajarito Astronomers will hold a club and public meeting 2:30-4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23 at the Los Alamos Mesa Public Library in Meeting Rooms 2/3 upstairs.
The club will welcome new members and discuss upcoming events and club business. This will be followed by a talk by Didier Saumon title: “Blinded by the Light: Outdoor Lighting and Life after Dark”.
Abstract:
New Mexico is blessed with relatively dark skies throughout the state and with several remote areas that offer pristine views. Poor outdoor lighting causes light pollution that dulls the night sky and impacts the environment, human health and safety.
There is a growing regional coalition that advocates sound lighting practices for the benefit of public safety, outdoor enthusiasts, amateur astronomers, tourism and the environment. Lighting practices and a path toward making our region a positive example for neighboring communities will be presented.
About Didier Saumon:
Didier Saumon has been passionate about observing the night sky since he learned his way around the constellations when he was twelve years old. After spending many solitary hours in the basement grinding mirrors, he built two telescopes and has since spent countless nights exploring the universe, from the surface of the moon to distant quasars and everything in between. Visual observing of the deep sky keeps him up at night. Moving to Los Alamos with its dark desert skies has been a dream come true. During the day, he’s a physicist at LANL with an interest in theoretical modeling of white dwarf stars, brown dwarfs, and exoplanets.
About Pajarito Astronomers Club:
The Pajarito Astronomers Club consists of amateur and professional astronomers from throughout northern New Mexico and beyond. For annual dues of $10, club members are provided the Abrams Planetarium monthly astronomical events calendars and monthly newsletters that include both astronomical and club information. From April to November, the Pajarito Astronomers Club holds County-Sponsored “Dark Night” observing sessions at Spirio Field in Overlook Park in White Rock, New Mexico. These sessions are open to the public and occur once a month (on a Saturday evening near a new moon). At a typical session we enjoy viewing galaxies, planets, star clusters, the moon, and much more. Weather permitting, observing sessions start at sunset and end near midnight. If you would like more information about this meeting or Pajarito Astronomers please contact: Heidi Morris (President) heidi_ellen@att.net, 505.665.8018; Joyce Guzik (Vice President) joyceannguzik@gmail.com, 505.667. 8927; or Jeremy Best (Secretary/Treasurer) captjsbest@gmail.com, 505.667.4765.
