Astronomy club protocols

[lampblack]

<p><font size="2">I am planning to attend my first -- yes, my very first ever -- meeting of an astronomy club on Friday evening. Yes, I am an astronomy club virgin, at least for a little while yet.<br /></font></p><p><font size="2">Anyone got good advice for a newbie on the club scene? What questions should I ask? Any subjects I should avoid? </font></p><p><font size="2">&nbsp;</font></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#0000ff"><strong>Just tell the truth and let the chips fall...</strong></font> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I am planning to attend my first -- yes, my very first ever -- meeting of an astronomy club on Friday evening. Yes, I am an astronomy club virgin, at least for a little while yet.Anyone got good advice for a newbie on the club scene? What questions should I ask? Any subjects I should avoid? &nbsp; <br />Posted by lampblack</DIV><br /><br />I always find you can learn the most when attending any new meeting type (be it astoronomy club, town council, Bored of Ejucation, or anything else) is to spend the first visit listening, and watching the dynamics of the organization.</p><p>It will quickly become clear whether you would feel comfortable asking any questions.</p><p>That's been my experience anyhow.</p><p>That being said, I wouldn't recommend asking if the earth is going to end in 2012 <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-wink.gif" border="0" alt="Wink" title="Wink" /></p><p>Wayne</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[lampblack]

<p><font size="2">So... listening and learning are in. And whacko eschatological theories are out. Got 'cha! *grin*</font></p><p><font size="2">Thanks, Wayne. That's actually good advice. I'll let you know how the meeting goes.</font></p><p><font size="2">&nbsp;</font></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#0000ff"><strong>Just tell the truth and let the chips fall...</strong></font> </div>

 

[weeman]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I am planning to attend my first -- yes, my very first ever -- meeting of an astronomy club on Friday evening. Yes, I am an astronomy club virgin, at least for a little while yet.Anyone got good advice for a newbie on the club scene? What questions should I ask? Any subjects I should avoid? &nbsp; <br />Posted by lampblack</DIV><br /><br />Just make sure you wear your Vulcan costume. </p><p><img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-wink.gif" border="0" alt="Wink" title="Wink" /></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><strong><font color="#ff0000">Techies: We do it in the dark. </font></strong></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>"Put your hand on a stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. Sit with that special girl for an hour and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.</strong><strong>" -Albert Einstein </strong></font></p> </div>

 

[lampblack]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Just make sure you wear your Vulcan costume. <br /> Posted by weeman</DIV></p><p><font size="2">My Gorn suit won't do? Well, it'd be sort of warm anyhow.</font></p><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#0000ff"><strong>Just tell the truth and let the chips fall...</strong></font> </div>

 

[Boris_Badenov]

<font size="2">Eyes & ears open, mouth closed (MW gives excellent advise). Is it a star party? If so, you should modify a flashlight with red tail light repair tape to emit only red light. If you bring a white flashlight they might kick your ass & throw you out.<img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-laughing.gif" border="0" alt="Laughing" title="Laughing" /></font> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#993300"><span class="body"><font size="2" color="#3366ff"><div align="center">. </div><div align="center">Never roll in the mud with a pig. You'll both get dirty & the pig likes it.</div></font></span></font> </div>

 

[lampblack]

<p><font size="2">Well, the astronomy club meeting was pretty cool. There did seem to be an unusually high percentage of wound-up introverts in the small audience. But that was cool, as I'm a bit of a wound-up introvert myself.</font></p><p><font size="2">There was a program on "the color of night" -- the point being that all the colors in the spectrum are visible in the night sky, as long as one knows how to look for them. We also turned out the lights in the room where we were meeting and allowed our eyes to become dark-adapted. We used red lights and gauges to measure the pupils of each other's eyes.</font></p><p><font size="2">After about 15 minutes in the dark, we all looked (judging from the dilation of our pupils) like we'd been munching magic brownies. The largest -- and therefore, the most dark-adapted -- pupils in the room belonged to a boy who was about 12. One more reminder that growing old sucks. *grin*</font></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#0000ff"><strong>Just tell the truth and let the chips fall...</strong></font> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Well, the astronomy club meeting was pretty cool. There did seem to be an unusually high percentage of wound-up introverts in the small audience. But that was cool, as I'm a bit of a wound-up introvert myself.There was a program on "the color of night" -- the point being that all the colors in the spectrum are visible in the night sky, as long as one knows how to look for them. We also turned out the lights in the room where we were meeting and allowed our eyes to become dark-adapted. We used red lights and gauges to measure the pupils of each other's eyes.After about 15 minutes in the dark, we all looked (judging from the dilation of our pupils) like we'd been munching magic brownies. The largest -- and therefore, the most dark-adapted -- pupils in the room belonged to a boy who was about 12. One more reminder that growing old sucks. *grin* <br />Posted by lampblack</DIV><br /><br />Sounds like you had a pretty good experience. Are you interested in joining? There are good and bad ones out there. I've given meteor talks at 3 or 4, and like ours the best. Others are a bit too formal for me (though there's always business to conduct). We are on the "friendly" side of the spectrum and love sharing our experience with newbies and the public. </p><p><br />Wayne</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[lampblack]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Sounds like you had a pretty good experience. Are you interested in joining? There are good and bad ones out there. I've given meteor talks at 3 or 4, and like ours the best. Others are a bit too formal for me (though there's always business to conduct). We are on the "friendly" side of the spectrum and love sharing our experience with newbies and the public. Wayne <br /> Posted by MeteorWayne</DIV></p><p><font size="2">Yeah... I actually plunked down 10 bucks for the membership fee. The group seems pretty friendly and willing -- almost eager -- to share what they know with others. I'm looking forward to the next star party in November. </font></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#0000ff"><strong>Just tell the truth and let the chips fall...</strong></font> </div>

 

[weeman]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Yeah... I actually plunked down 10 bucks for the membership fee. The group seems pretty friendly and willing -- almost eager -- to share what they know with others. I'm looking forward to the next star party in November. <br />Posted by lampblack</DIV><br /><br />It sounds like fun to me. I've been wanting to join the Denver Astronomical Society for quite some time now! </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><strong><font color="#ff0000">Techies: We do it in the dark. </font></strong></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>"Put your hand on a stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. Sit with that special girl for an hour and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.</strong><strong>" -Albert Einstein </strong></font></p> </div>

 

[lampblack]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>It sounds like fun to me. I've been wanting to join the Denver Astronomical Society for quite some time now! <br /> Posted by weeman</DIV></p><p>Hey... no time like the present! </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#0000ff"><strong>Just tell the truth and let the chips fall...</strong></font> </div>