January 2012 PAC Program How to Use Your Telescope
This month's PAC Meeting will be on January 31st. The Program will be How to Use Your Telescope hosted by the Prairie Astronomy Club Members.
This is our annual program designed to help anyone with a telescope who needs some basic instruction on how to use one. Or perhaps you already know but are having some problems youd like us to help with.
Buy the Book! The Prairie Astronomy Club: Fifty Years of Amateur Astronomy
PAC is fifty years old, and to commemorate the founding of the club we've compiled a history plus the best articles from the club newsletter.
Can I Buy a Star?
Various businesses claim that you can have a star named after you or a friend.
See this page
for more information.
The names of astronomical objects are determined by the International Astronomical Union (I.A.U.).
Build on a Legacy - Become a Hyde Volunteer
Help build on a tradition of astronomy education and public observing at Hyde Observatory. It's a lot of fun and can be very rewarding.
Thinking of Buying a Telescope?
Check out the PAC Telescope Buyer's Guide.
The guide includes information on reflectors vs. refractors,
focal length, magnification and related issues.
Is Light Pollution Interfering with Your Enjoyment of the Night Sky?
Learn what you can do to help.
Visit our Light Pollution Fact Sheet, or
check out the International Dark Sky
Association website.
Can Planetary Alignments Cause Earthquakes?
Doomsayers predict that planetary alignments will cause earthquakes,
floods or other planetary disasters. In reality, alignments have little
effect on the Earth. Read more about it on the
Bad Astronomy website.
Amateur Astronomy: The Universe at your Fingertips.
The Prairie Astronomy Club is dedicated to encouraging the study
of Astronomy and related subjects for the benefit of its members and the general public.
The club holds monthly meetings open to the general public
on the last tuesday of each month,
unless the date conflicts with a major holiday. The meetings are held at 7:30 p.m. at the Hyde Memorial Observatory located in Holmes Park in southeast Lincoln, Nebraska.
The Mathematics of Iridium Flare Prediction by Ben Rush
This article describes a general-purpose system for calculating the time and position of Iridium flares using the most basic mathematics.