Mtg&Talks

The Warren Astronomical Society meets on the first Monday of the month in the auditorium of the Cranbrook Institute of Science.

We simulcast meetings online using Zoom. Meetup charges even more money to set up hybrid meetings, so subscribe to our email list on warrenastro.org to get the Zoom links! Meetings are also livestreaming on our YouTube channel.

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:
"From Peenemunde to the Moon (The Space Race 1945 – 1969)"
by Jim Shedlowsky
On October 4th, 1957, in an unprecedented display of technology, the Soviet Union caught the world’s attention, with the orbiting of Sputnik, the earth’s first artificial satellite. This shiny metal ball, only 23 inches in diameter circled the earth every 96 minutes, beeping out a radio signal that proclaimed the USSR’s technical superiority to the world. This event marked a milestone in a competition between the USA and USSR, which had begun in 1945, at the end of World War 2, and would not end until July 11, 1969, when Neil Armstrong created that ”one small step for a man” on the moon. This presentation reviews the circumstances, events and the personalities of that epic struggle for political, military, and technical dominance in Rocket Science, which was a highlight of the “Cold War”, and captured the imagination of the world for over 30 years.
Short Talk:
"The McMath Hulbert Observatory"
by Jim Shedlowsky
Jim brings us up to date on the status of the McMath-Hulbert Observatory and what the future may hold.
About the Speaker
Jim Shedlowsky graduated from the University of Michigan in 1960 with a degree in Engineering Physics. After spending 2 years as an artillery officer in the US Army in Germany, he worked for 36 years at General Motors as a Vehicle Development Engineer/Manager specializing in Acoustics, Noise and Vibration, retiring in 1999. In his spare time he wrote and recorded music for Epic and Roulette Records as one of the “Skee Brothers”, appearing on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand in 1958.
Jim rekindled a lifelong interest in astronomy upon his retirement in 1999 and he joined the Warren Astronomical Society. His interests include observing and outreach, and he owns several telescopes, but in recent years his “passion” for astronomical history and technology has become a major interest. He is the Treasurer/Board Member of the McMath - Hulbert Astronomical Society, has visited a number of major observatories and has assembled a significant library in this regard.
Jim and his wife wintered in Mesa, Arizona for some 16 years (… a great place for observing ) and he participates in the activities of the Superstition Mountain Astronomical League. He took part in the “All Arizona Messier Marathon” in March of 2009, earning a certificate for observing 104 Messier objects in one night.

***

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 Jonathan Kade 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.