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
Upcoming Monthly Meetings
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 2/29 BSIG Presentation – 1:30pm Golden Valley Library
Speaker: Steve Emert
Topic: Selecting and using a telescope, mount and accessories
In the February BSIG meeting, we are getting back to basics. Did you get a telescope for Christmas, or are you still considering your first (or second) telescope? What about the necessary accessories to make it useful? This month we’ll discuss the different types of scopes and mounts available, what you should consider and what you should stay away from.
In addition to discussing the telescopes themselves, we’ll talk about accessories – finder scopes and zero power finders, the pros and cons of various red flashlights, dew mitigation, planispheres and star charts and how to use them, how to keep comfortable and warm while observing, and some ideas how to get (and stay) organized.
Sat 3/14 BSIG Presentation – 1:30pm Edina Library
Speaker: Suresh Sreenivasan
Topic: Deep Sky Objects
Weather permitting
