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Upcoming Events:
(last
Update: 26/08/2010)
Special Lecture
by Peter
McLeish
7:00 PM Saturday September 4th at the
Planetarium - gold coin
donation.
My name is Peter McLeish
and I am a multimedia artist, filmmaker and painter from Montreal. I am
an international artist, who has been involved in a collaboration (based
on Red Sprites) with American scientist Walter A. Lyons, 2005 President
of the American Meteorological Society and President-2007-08 of the
National Council of Industrial Meteorologists as well as President of
FMA Research Inc. (Colorado, USA). I have also been cooperating with Dr.
Colin Price from University of Tel Aviv-Israel/NASA Space Shuttle
Columbia's MEIDEX mission.
Since 2001, I have been collaborating with American scientist Dr. Walter
A. Lyons, on multi-media projects based on an upper atmospheric optical
phenomenon (associated with thunderstorms) named Red Sprites. This
collaboration eventually led to Walter A. Lyons receiving a National
Science Foundation (NSF) grant for the creation of the DVD titled The
Hundred Year Hunt for Red Sprites and interactive website. My work on
sprites has appeared in many international forums in museums/centers
such as the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum in Chicago, the
Carnegie Science Center-Pittsburgh, The National Museum of Australia in
Canberra, The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) in
Melbourne, the Spazio Oberdan in Milan- Italy , Sala Emilio Saraco /
Neuquén Museum of Fine Arts in Neuquén -Argentina, the Otago Museum
-Dunedin, New Zealand and the Ferens Art Gallery in Hull-United Kingdom.
In addition to my work on Red Sprites, I am in the process of creating &
developing a series of works that explore the psychological aspects of
(global warming) atmospheric & climate change in the Polar regions as
well as a upcoming 2010 film about the creation of the Universe.
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Next
monthly meeting
The society
will next meet on Wednesday 8th September,
7:00 PM
at the
Planetarium.
The
fund-raising raffles are going well and we are starting to get some $$$
in the bank towards equipment for our observatory.
Bring
a gold coin for your raffle entry to be drawn on the night. There will
be an interesting (and often, tasty) selection of prizes
for the winners to choose from.
We are currently
running a major prize raffle to raise $$$ for our observatory. The
prizes are:
1st - iPod Dock &
Stereo System - donated by
WASPNZ
2nd - An Original Oil Painting by Jacqui Mackrill - donated by Jacqui
Mackrill
3rd - Family Portrait Sitting - donated by
Graham Palmer Photography Ltd
4th - Escan Internet Security Package - donated by HB Astro Soc
5th - A pair of Chibi Graphic Charactures - donated by
Lockerby Design
6th & 7th - A Family Pass to the Holt Planetarium - donated by
Holt
Planetarium
8th, 9th & 10th - A Bag of Pinecones - donated by Valhalla Farm
Tickets are $5
and can be obtained from most members of the HB Astro Society, or via
the
Planetarium.
Raffle will be drawn on
September 10th 2010
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Movie Night
As part of the growing
activities for the club, we are now going to run a monthly movie night.
This will be at 7:00 PM at the planetarium on the Friday evening
following the monthly meeting. The movie will be from a selection of
classic Sci-fi epics - anything from the original "Flash Gordon" to
the latest "Stat Trek" and beyond. The final selection will be made at the monthly
meeting prior to the movie night.
Free entry (recommended $5 donation).
All money raised will go to the observatory fund.
BYO drinks and nibbles.
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Lecture
Series
Back by popular demand
- our winter lectures were so popular that we were forced to turn people
away. However if you did miss out, the series will be rerun in
September. The lectures will take place at the planetarium at 7:00 -
9:00 PM. The subjects will be:
Week 1 - September 14 -
Stellar Evolution; the private lives of stars. Presented by Graham
Palmer.
Week 2 - September 21 - Exploring The Solar System. Presented by Gary Sparks.
Week 3 - September 28 - Galaxies & Beyond. Presented by Gary Sparks.
Bookings are essential. Entry is $10 per person
per night. All profits go to the Pukerangi Observatory fund.
E-mail for bookings.
Click
here for a printable poster.
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Pukerangi Observatory - Further
progress.
On site construction is well under way.
Fences have been built, all of the structural steelwork is in position &
telescope piers are poured in concrete. All the flooring and wall
framing has been very skilfully fitted. The roofing is now in place and
we will soon be attaching the wall cladding. The site looks fantastic!
My personal thanks go to all those who have contributed to
this project - we
couldn't do it without you. Financially, we have received another good injection of funds
recently, but still need more $$$ to complete the project... We are not
across the finish line yet.
All donations to the society of $5 or more
are tax deductible and would be very gratefully received. Click
here for a printable fund-raising
poster.
Below: The roof
is on and wooden wall framing is ready for cladding.
Below: Fences & gates in place, roof frame running on it's tracks and a
warm room installed.
Below: A work gang takes a break in the building frame.
Below: The building framework arrives on site ready to be set on piles.
Below: Gary Sparks gets busy with the steelwork for Pukerangi
Observatory.
Below: The architect's impression of Pukerangi Observatory.
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