Astronomy is looking up!

UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE THE MEMPHIS ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY HAS SUSPENDED ALL PUBLIC GATHERINGS.
However we are meeting via Zoom once a month. Come here frequently for links.

April 9th @ 8pm – for ZOOM meeting click here
The Great Dimming of Betelgeuse

By: Tom Calderwood, Sky & Telescope Magazine – March 2021 Cover Article, MIT Graduate, leader- AAVSO Photoelectric Group.

Last year, Betelgeuse captured the headlines with its unprecedented fading. There was some speculation that the star might be on the verge of becoming a supernova. The last such event in the Milky Way blazed in our skies over 400 years ago, so interest was high, and astronomers around the globe were on alert. But what really happened? Tom Calderwood- author of “The Great Dimming of Betelgeuse”, S&T March 2021 Cover- will discuss the 2 competing hypotheses for sudden fading of Betelgeuse last year. He acknowledges that there is no universally accepted explanation for this star’s behavior. His talk will review scientific results to date with a special emphasis on work by the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO).

Tom Calderwood is the leader of the Photoelectric Photometry section of the AAVSO. He is the author of The Great Dimming of Betelgeuse, cover article for Sky & Telescope magazine’s March 2021 issue. He is a retired software engineer, holds a degree in mathematics from MIT, and is a member of the “Months of Betelgeuse” (MOB) professional research collective. Join us for this highly-informative presentation!

April 24th @ 7pm CDST -Astrophotography Focus Group Meeting-(click here at 7pm to launch ZOOM meeting)

Our FOCUS (pun intended) for the next Forum will be AUTO-FOCUS, and any thing else anyone wants to dicuss. All levels of experience are welcome and encouraged.

For everyone’s safety, all public observing events are canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

We are anxious to get back with you. Check here for updates.

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The Memphis Astronomical Society is a non-profit, public service organization promoting interest and education in astronomy and related sciences. Founded in 1953.

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