Mtg&Talks

The Warren astronomical Society meets on the first Monday of the month in the auditorium of the Cranbrook Institute of Science. At the meetings, we spend the first hour or so of the meeting on club business and observing reports, then have two presentations, one short and one full-length.
Main Talk:
The Astrophotography Decathlon: 10 Events, from Easy to Hard
By Brian Ottum
The goal of this talk is to help you understand the many ways you can explore this exciting (and addicting) hobby. Brian will show you ten different types of imaging, each requiring different mix of equipment, skills and location. The ten types run from easy (use just your phone) to moderately difficult (camera, tracker, processing) to just plain hard (camera, telescope, mount, guider, filters, lots of time). You will learn how to save yourself stress and money by choosing the right “decathlon event” that matches your skills and resources. You will be able to see where you are and where you want to go.
About the Speaker
Brian Ottum saw a lunar eclipse when he was 12 and has been hooked ever since. He is highly accomplished in many facets of amateur astronomy. He has shared his passion for the night sky with the public at hundreds of events across the United States. He was the “astronomer-in-residence” at resorts in Texas and Florida. Bryce Canyon National Park was his home for a summer, so he could provide volunteer help at the evening programs, the annual festival, and at the front desk.
Brian has supported professional astronomers as well. A year ago, he traveled to Chile’s Cerro Tololo Observatory to assess the University of Michigan’s telescope and was able to help get it working again. Several years before that, he helped Wayne State University re-start its observatory. He is a co-author on a paper on comet morphology. His unique public outreach method was presented at an academic conference.
But astrophotography has been his main interest for over 50 years (yes, film). Results really improved when his camera started to have a “trash” button. Brian had a big 16’ dome in his backyard and used it until the prison nearby “upgraded” its outdoor lighting. So he pushed all his chips to the center of the table and installed a remote-control observatory in the New Mexico desert. His work has been published on magazine covers and websites. He enjoys displaying his work at art galleries, art shows and big astro events. He has given dozens of invited presentations on astrophotography around the US. He’s made all the imaging mistakes, and enjoys helping folks avoid the same fate.
Short Talk:
Dragon Fly Mission to Titan
by Mike O'Dowd
Dragonfly may be the most ambitious science mission NASA has ever attempted: sending a car-sized, nuclear-powered octocopter to explore the surface of a distant ocean world. In this talk, Mike will bring us up to date on the development of NASA’s Dragon Fly Mission.
About the Speaker
Mike has had a lifelong interest in Science and Astronomy. He joined Warren Astronomical Society in 1988. He was a Treasurer and Observatory Chairman of the WAS back in the 1990s.
Some of his hobbies include Star gazing, Computer flight sims, Building and collecting scale model rockets and space craft, and occasionally flying Drones.

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If you would like to present either a short talk (10-15 minutes) or a full-length talk (45-60 minutes) at a future meeting, please email Dale Partin at firstvp@warrenastro.org.

The views expressed in presentations are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent, and should not be attributed to, the Warren Astronomical Society.