NOTICE
Due to the heightened risk of COVID-19 virus, all MAS public events have been CANCELLED until further notice.
The MAS Executive Board will reassess the situation as conditions change. Please check the MAS web site before attending any MAS event.
For additional information, visit the Discussion Forum post HERE
Monthly Meeting Online via Google MeetWe are going hold a Monthly Meeting online using Google Meet.
May 7, 2020 – 7:00pm
If you would like to join us you will need use the following URL:
Meeting ID. https://meet.google.com/pdp-kefi-jas
For additional information and updates, visit the MAS home page.
Monthly Meetings
Monthly meetings are open to all – you needn’t be an MAS member to attend. These meetings normally take place the first Thursday of each month at the Fairview Community Center in Roseville (The Great room). Monthly meetings usually start at 7:00 p.m. and last about two hours.
Each meeting features Board member introductions, general announcements, “Better Know a Constellation”, normally presented by a member, main speaker (around 45 minutes duration) and an after-meeting social gathering. Society business is occasionally transacted as needed.
Monthly meeting programs cover a wide variety of interests and vary from introductory to advanced in nature. Programs may include talks by professional astronomers from the University of Minnesota, presentations by members on topics of interest to amateurs, videos, slides or planetarium shows.
The latest information about the meeting time, location and featured topic, will be posted on the MAS home page or you can call the Society’s message line at 952-467-2426.
NOTE: Meeting time and / or location sometimes change to take advantage of special program opportunities Please check the MAS homepage or recorded message for the latest information.
Business and Special Meetings
While the Society’s constitution provides a means for business meetings to be called at any time, it also establishes at timetable for meetings related to elections and adoption of the annual budget, as follows:
- Election nominations take place at the November regular meeting.
- Annual elections take place at the December regular meeting
- Newly elected officers take office at the first monthly meeting of the new year (usually January)
- The annual budget and dues structure is presented and adopted at the second monthly meeting of the new year (usually February).
Other business meetings may be called as needed, per the process outlined in the Society’s constitution.
Executive Board Meetings
The executive board of the MAS meets monthly to conduct the Society’s business. At a typical meeting, members of the board approve expenditures, review the status of projects, approve new projects and make decisions regarding the operation of the Society.
Executive board meetings are not closed to members, but they are often conducted at the homes of individual board members. Members interested in attending a meeting should contact the board using the email address masboard@mnastro.org to request details regarding upcoming meetings or to submit a topic for consideration. (Individual email addresses for board members are available at http://www.mnastro.org/about-us/leadership/ )
Other Meetings
There are a number of other committee and Special Interest Group (SIG) meetings scheduled each month. Please refer to the MAS events calendar (http://www.mnastro.org/events) or other sections of the web site (http://www.mnastro.org/explore/special-interests/ for example) to learn about them.
The latest meetings and information on our Special Interest Groups can be found on the Special Interest Groups Discussion Forums at:http://www.mnastro.org/forums/viewforum.php?f=35
The latest meetings and information on our Special Interest Groups can be found on the Special Interest Groups Discussion Forums at:http://www.mnastro.org/forums/viewforum.php?f=35
Upcoming Monthly Meetings
| Joining info | Join with UberConference |
| https://www.uberconference.com/president888 | |
| Join by phone | |
| 612-601-1116 (No PIN) | |
Speaker: TBD
Topic: TBD
Monthly meetings are open to all – you needn’t be an MAS member to attend. These meetings normally take place the first Thursday of each month at the Fairview Community Center in Roseville (“Great Room”). Monthly meetings start at 7:00 p.m. and last about two hours.
Each meeting features Board member introductions, general announcements, “Better Know a Constellation”, normally presented by a member, main speaker (around 45 minutes duration) and an after-meeting social gathering. Society business is occasionally transacted as needed.
NOTE: Meeting time and / or location sometimes change to take advantage of special program opportunities. Please check the MAS homepage at www.mnastro.org for the latest information regarding the meeting.
Speaker: TBD
Topic: TBD
Monthly meetings are open to all – you needn’t be an MAS member to attend. These meetings normally take place the first Thursday of each month at the Fairview Community Center in Roseville (“Great Room”). Monthly meetings start at 7:00 p.m. and last about two hours.
Each meeting features Board member introductions, general announcements, “Better Know a Constellation”, normally presented by a member, main speaker (around 45 minutes duration) and an after-meeting social gathering. Society business is occasionally transacted as needed.
NOTE: Meeting time and / or location sometimes change to take advantage of special program opportunities. Please check the MAS homepage at www.mnastro.org for the latest information regarding the meeting.
Upcoming B-SIG Meetings
Sat Dec 12, 2020 BSIG Presentation – 1:00 pm via Google Meet
Speaker: Bob Kerr
Topic: The ABC’s of Stars
The ABCs of Stars (Remember, it’s called star-gazing)
Under clear, dark skies it’s possible to see over 3,000 stars with just your eyes. Use a modest telescope or even binoculars, and this number quickly jumps to well over a 100,000 – just a fraction of our galaxy’s billions of stars.
Everywhere we look the universe seems to be busy with stars: making stars or making stuff out of stars (like planets and us). But bright stars have a confusing assortment of names, letters, and numbers, and their nightly patterns can be hard to follow.
Think about it: the smallest star is just a little larger than Jupiter, but there’s a star larger than the orbit of Saturn. The farthest star we can see is five billion light years away. The age of the oldest star known is estimated to be over 13 billion years (the sun is only 4.6 billion). Many stars change in brightness, and about half the stars in the sky are orbited by companion stars.
So what’s going on with all these stars? Join us, and let’s get some of this star-stuff figured out.
