Public Events AANC-CON 2005

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Public Free Events

The San Francisco Amateur Astronomers along with the San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers is hosting the anniversary of John Dobson's 90th birthday celebration and AANC Conference at the Randall Museum.

Volunteer & be a real Sidewalk Astronomer

SFAA members and John's former students are requested to attend and/or volunteer.
Sign up for this historic event by emailing Stacy Jo McDermott at: aanc2005volunteers at hotmail.com In the body of the email please leave Stacy Jo your name, phone and preference of morning or afternoon shift and which activity you'd like to help out with. Here are the
events planned that you can help out with. We're expecting larger than normal public participation, so your help is crutial to a sucessful
event.

Meet RTMC Award winners

Award winning telescopes will be on display from this and previous years Riverside Telescope Makers Conference
including the girls of Troop 83 of Santa Rosa.

Valley of the Dobs

If you took John's telescope making class and you still have your scope kicking around...bring it! We'll have the "Valley of the Dobs" for a great photo opportunity. Re-connect with your fellow classmates pushing glass.
Here's an article that David Perlman, Science Editor of the Chron wrote some five years ago about John.

"Dob-in-a-Day"

Where you too can take turns grinding a mirror under John's tutelage and signing the optical tube assembly of our 8 inch telescope.
The OTA (Sonotube optical tube assembly), grit for grinding and polishing, mirror and tool will be donated by the Telescope Makers
Workshop at Chabot.
The telescope, once completed will be shipped, thanks to Scope City to the Huachuca Astronomy Club in Arizona to be used as
a loaner telescope in their outreach program with the local military base.

John Dobson's Birthday Celebration at noon

Cake will be provided by King Sams, courtesy of the Sidewalk Astronomers. (Her son Bill may have been the first to build his own telescope in their kitchen, under John's instruction.)
Other presentation suprises await you as well...

Group Photo

Take part in this historic record which after the conference, will soon be available online for free.

Grind a Mirror

John Dobson says, "The mirror must be accurate to within one-thousandth the thickness of Saran Wrap." Just how do you make a mirror this accurate? Test your skills. We'd like everyone to spend a few moments grinding the mirror and signing the optical tube.
This will be a true tribute to the one who started it all, John Dobson.

Make planets, telescopes, sundials and more

The Randall Museum staff, with volunteer assistance, will help youngsters make their own Saturn, working refractor telescopes,solar timepiece or artwork.

Sun Viewing

Take a good look at our very own star. The San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers will have powerful, safe solar telescopes providing viewis of the Sun.

Star Party

Once it gets dark, join us for a star party. View the heavens through telescopes provided by the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers, the San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers and other AANC Club member telescopes. We'll have good views of Venus, Jupiter, The Milky Way, Neptune, plus M 13 the Hercules star cluster, M 57 the Ring Nebula, and M31 the Andromeda Galaxy for you to enjoy.