[AANC Contacts] 2010 Membership Renewal Time: Re-up or Join the AANC

[Kenneth Frank]

Dear Greater Bay Area Astronomy Clubs,

It's renewal time! Time to pay your dues.

The AANC Board suggests your club join or renew your membership in the AANC:
http://aanc-astronomy.org/Renewal-AANC.html

Purpose: The AANC was created to facilitate the flow of astronomical information among the 
various segments of the astronomical community
(public, amateurs, educators, commercial vendors, and professional astronomers) in the 
Northern California area.

Activities: We help coordinate regional activities such as:

ASTRONOMY DAY— Enjoy participating in a worldwide celebration of astronomy in your area. 
Doug Berger, former AANC President created this "Day" in 1973.

MESSIER MARATHON STAR PARTIES — Try to find all 110 Messier Objects in a single 
night.(March 13)

ISAN 4 -- International Sidewalk Astronomy Night:
http://www.sidewalkastronomers.us/id10.html

AWARDS — Annually, we choose an AANC Amateur, Commercial, and Professional of the Year, 
honored for enriching the activities of amateur astronomy in northern California. This 
year they will be presented at the FPOA Star B Q.

SPECIAL EVENTS — We help coordinate special activities related to unusual celestial 
occurrences such as comet viewing, close approaches of Mars, spacecraft encounters 
--Voyager, Galileo, etc.

BIANNUAL ASTRONOMICAL CONFERENCES AND/OR WORKSHOPS — We most recently had, along with the 
ASP Meeting/Conference on September 12, 2009:
http://aancstars2009.org/

where you had the opportunity to "rub elbows" with the pros, find out about the latest and 
greatest astronomical discoveries via workshops, symposia, lectures,  Scope City and Far 
Point Optical displays, raffle and more.

ANNUAL STAR-B-QUE  —  Each year AANC holds a Star-B-Que, again this year at Fremont Peak 
State Park on July 17th, where we will present our Annual Awards, hold a 
astro-gastronomical contest, give out door prizes, and enjoy a weekend of observing fun 
with the 30 inch f/4.8 Challenger telescope,  mounted on an English cross-axis equatorial 
system.

REGIONAL STAR PARTIES — Enjoy exciting observational astronomy at a dark sky site, like GSSP:
http://www.goldenstatestarparty.org/

GRANTS -- Underwriting the likes of Striking Sparks telescopes each year:
http://www.sonomaskies.org/Striking_Sparks.html

and supporting individuals like Avani Bedagkar, who spoke at the AANC Meeting:
http://aancstars2009.org/speakers.shtml

and has been accepted to the NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador Program:
http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/ambassador/profiles/Avani_Bedagkar.htm

History:

The Astronomical Association of Northern California was founded September, 1971 at Fremont 
Peak, by local amateur astronomers, John Bally, discoverer of a comet, Doug Berger, 
co-discoverer of a comet, and founder of Astronomy Day, John Dobson, Creator of the 
Dobsonian Telescope Revolution, Frank Miller, an officer of the Western Amateur 
Astronomers, Joe Farkas, President of the Eastbay Astronomical Society, and two very 
active observers of the area, Gerry Rattley, and Bruce Rhodes.   The original guiding 
principles were:

    1. To act as an intercommunication media for various astronomy groups of the area, 
thereby allowing greater participation in activities.
    2. To hold two annual conferences a year, one that would be oriented towards 
astronomy, and one that would be oriented towards telescopes in connection with a star party.
    3. To serve as a coordinator for projects such as seeing testing, occultations, star 
parties, etc.

Organization:

AANC is a "club of clubs" in which delegates from many of the area astronomy clubs, 
educational institutions, and commercial vendors of the area meet every other month at the 
Chabot Space and Science Center, to exchange views and announcements. We also work 
together to organize annual activities and other functions described above.  We maintain 
the AANC Northern California Resource Guide listing astronomy clubs, planetaria, 
observatories, and astronomical businesses in northern California.

To join AANC (cost-what a deal $20), please mail your check to:

AANC Treasurer,
Richard Ozer
2539 Cordova St.
Oakland, CA 94602

Thanks and Happy 2010,

Ken Frank
AANC VP