President John Bell opened our meeting on November 12 at 7:30 PM in Room 300, Lawrence Hall, on the Sul Ross Campus.  There were 13 people present.  John gave a program entitled Aspects of the Moon, illustrated with numerous slides.

           The moon is our nearest neighbor in space, at a distance of about 238,000 miles, measured center to center.  The moon is about 2,100 miles in diameter, about 1/4 of the diameter of the earth.  Because the moon rotates only once in its monthly orbit around the earth, we always see the same side of the moon from the earth.  Our knowledge of the far side of the moon comes from the observations of Apollo astronauts and unmanned lunar satellites.
           John’s presentation was structured around an informative set of slides from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.  The first slide showed the full moon taken from Lick Observatory.  The sunlight illuminating the full moon comes from nearly directly behind the observer, lighting the moon with hardly any shadows.  The rays from the great crater Copernicus extend for hundreds of miles radiating outward from the impact area.  The craters of the moon, long thought to be volcanic, are now known to be overwhelmingly due to meteorite impacts.
           Another slide showed an unusual composite of two photos, taken at the first and third quarters of the moon.  Here, the left and right sides of the moon were lighted and shadowed, showing the entire surface of the moon in bold relief.  (This works because when the left side is lit, the right side is dark, and when the right is lit, the left is dark.) This photo showed the mountains, hills, and valleys of the whole moon very nicely, a view  we can see only by combining photos taken at different times.
           Because the moon always keeps its same side toward the earth, our Apollo astronauts saw mankind’s first direct view of the far side of the moon.  The far side is more heavily pockmarked than the near side.  As yet, there is no satisfactory explanation of the differences between the near and far sides of the moon.
           Crater King, on the far side, is one of the freshest craters on the moon, and thus one of the youngest.  About 25 miles in diameter, King is nearly circular, and about 6,000 feet deep.  This crater has a cluster of sharp central peaks near its center, presumably formed by the rebound of material liquefied by the heat of impact.
           Copernicus is a major crater more than 30 miles in diameter.  Located on the near side of the moon, Copernicus is easily visible to the naked eye.  Under good conditions, rays of light-colored material streak-ing outward from Copernicus are readily visible extending several hundred miles from the crater.  Photos taken from lunar orbit show that these rays are pock-marked with small secondary craters formed by small pieces of rock blasted from the main crater at the time it was formed.
           Because the moon has no atmosphere, there is no wind to disturb the soil.  Most of the meteor impacts that have sculpted the lunar surface that we see today are believed to have occurred as long ago as 4 billion years.  The sharp footprints left by the lunar landers as early as 1969, and by our astronauts, are very likely to be there to welcome us when we return to the moon, whenever that may be.
           The next-to-last slide showed the lunar lander resting on the surface of the moon, an ungainly looking craft perhaps 20 feet tall, resting on spindly legs.  Again because the moon has no atmosphere, there was no necessity to make the lunar landers sleek and streamlined, like most airplanes.
           The last slide showed Astronaut Edwin Aldrin, on our first trip to the moon, standing in strong sunlight on the lunar surface.  The horizon and the dark sky are visible behind Aldrin.  But no stars are visible.  Conspiracy theorists have taken the missing stars as evidence that the photo is a fake, and have argued that our alleged trips to the moon are all a grand hoax.  But it’s easy to explain why the stars are missing in such a photo.  So what do you think?

           We still have several members who have not yet paid dues for the current year, 2003.  Even though we will soon begin requesting dues for the coming year, 2004, we need to receive your dues for the current year, 2003.  Maintaining each membership entails several costs, such as liability insurance, insurance on the Murray Newman Telescope, and mailing expenses.
           During the next several days, I will call everyone whose 2003 dues are in arrears to ask whether each person wishes to pay dues for 2003, or wishes to withdraw from the society.  We value all of our members, and we hope that our members now in arrears will pay their dues for the current year, and for next year when requested to.
           Please have a look at your checkbook, and if you have not yet paid your dues for the current year, please send a check to:

           We need everyone’s support for the premier astronomical society between Odessa and El Paso, if not beyond.

           We still have some of our Explore the Universe Calendars available for $12.00 each.  If you would like one or more of these beautiful calendars, please call Jim or Barbara Walker at 364-2467.  These calendars are published by Tide-Mark Press, as were the ones we sold a couple of years ago as a fund-raising venture.

           Because this was the last meeting of the current year, other than the star party scheduled for December (see below), we elected officers and board members for 2004.

           Our bylaws require the appointment of a nominating committee by the month of August, and the election of officers and board members by a secret ballot in November.  But every year since adopting that procedure, we have voted to suspend the rules, which requires a 2/3 majority; we have then carried out our election in the last meeting of the calendar year.
           Jim Walker moved that we suspend the rules governing our election.  The motion was seconded, and it carried unanimously.
           On behalf of the Board of Directors, President John Bell proposed the following slate of officers and two board members at large:
 

           Brenda Bell moved and Jim Walker seconded the motion that we accept the above slate of officers and board members.  The motion carried unanimously.
           Our newly elected and reelected officers and board members will assume their duties on January 1, 2004.  Our thanks to everyone who is willing to undertake these responsibilities.

           A coronal mass ejection swept past Earth during the early hours of November 20th and sparked bright auroras over northern parts of the United States.  At the time of this writing (1600 UT or 11:00 a.m. EST) a strong geomagnetic storm is in progress.  The interplanetary magnetic field near Earth has tilted sharply south -- a condition which promotes geomagnetic activity.  If this condition persists, auroras are possible at low latitudes tonight.
           The source of this space weather is sunspot 484 -- one of the trio of big sunspots that caused intense solar storms last month.  Indeed, all three of those active regions are back on the Earth-facing side of the sun, so more solar activity is possible in the days ahead.  Visit http://www.Spaceweather.com for more information and pictures of today's auroras.
           Auroras have been observed, rarely, in the Alpine area.  I have never seen one, but other local people have on some occasions.  Over the next several nights, conditions may be favorable for auroras, even at our rather low latitude.  So heads up, and look north when you’re outdoors!