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Location: Chemistry/Physics Building, MUN
Time: 8:00 pm
Present: 20
Randy will speak on satellite software, in addition to a video on Hubble.
Robert noted that Saturn and Jupiter will be set for viewing over the month. The other planets are not so good. We visited http://www.spaceweather.com and had a look at some very active sunspots, including some movies. Some discussion of deep sky objects, including the Eskimo nebula (close to Saturn), M64 (Black Eye), and M104 (Sombrero Galaxy, with Jupiter close by).
John has recently read "The Big Bang Never Happened" by Eric Lerner. Having acquired a lengthy tome on Fred Hoyle's steady-state universe, he became interested in learning from a more layman-friendly book on alternatives to the Big Bang theory. John prepared a "book report", where he reported his opinions on the book, and asked us to consider whether the Big Bang theory has become a "sacred cow". John has donated his copy to the Centre's library. Members interested can also find reviews online at www.amazon.com.
Randy showed us some free software from Denis Boucher. Although mainly a satellite tracking program, with links to internet databases, there are a couple of unique elements. The software can calculate when a satellite will transit the sun, the moon, or other objects. As an example, he calculated when the next visible transit of the ISS in front of the sun will take place. The program also has some decent, basic planetarium features.
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