Free Astronomy Magazine March-April 2020

13 MARCH-APRIL 2020 OUR EXPERIENCES Quality articles and galleries are al- ways worth a click, but those who see Jupiter through quality optics know that there is something special about photons from the source. This mes- sage, and conveying it to the public, literally and figuratively keep the as- tronomy outreach community up at night. The solution is as simple for amateur astronomers as it is for some extraterrestrials – let others know you are out there. Contrary to the alien agenda, amateur astronomers need to let themselves be found. If you’ve ever setup in a dark area, heard commotion in the distance, and shined a flashlight around only to see a pair of eyes blink and disap- pear, you know why some people love group observing. Astronomy clubs provide a place where like- minded people can talk astronomy or let the discussion vary while observ- ing (among a few clubs I’ve attended meetings for, a “no religion, no poli- tics” discussion rule is enforced). Members know the usual benefits – comparing eyepieces and listening to complaints about a scope brand, people reporting on recent discov- eries, seeing an academic lecture or slides from yet another eclipse tour, then hopefully rolling back a roof to see a few Messiers and NGCs. I pay dues to several CNY clubs for these reasons, and one of the best things you can do to help support the hobby even without attending meetings is to keep local clubs vi- able. Mirrors do not recoat them- selves, donation boxes do not auto-fill, and the board members Safety (and preserva- tion) in numbers R yan Goodson of New Moon Telescopes lecturing on telescope history and design for TACNY Jr. Café Scientifique at the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology, Syracuse, NY.