Event

S*T*A*R owns an 8" f/8 Dobsonian scope made by Don Odegard.  The scope features a very fine mirror, a Gary Wolonski secondary holder for accurate collimation and buttery smooth movement.  This scope produces excellent images of the planets.  Members can borrow this scope by contacting the Vice President.

S*T*A*R owns a 25" Dobsonian, the fifth ever built by Davde Kriege of Obsession Telescopes.  The scope is equiped with digital setting circles and a tall fruit picking ladder that has smaller gaps between the steps.  If you want to track down Stephan's Quintet under a dark sky, have we got a telescope for you!  Because of its large size two qualified operators are required to use the telescope.  To borrow the 25" or become a qualified operator ("QO"), please contact the Vice President.

S*T*A*R owns a 13" Coulter Odyssey telescope which is ideal for deep sky obersving.  This scope is currently being renovated by the ATM group and will be available for use again soon.  Current members can borrow S*T*A*R telescopes by contacting the Vice President.

Every summer S*T*A*R holds a picnic at the Bucks Mill Recreatio Area in Colts Neck.  This year we tried something new - an underwater picnic!  We were all set to have a good time when a monstrous thunderstorm arrived and bombarded us for two hours.  Surprisingly enough we all had fun anyway and held another dry picnic the following month.

S*T*A*R member Mike Lindner polishes a monster 18" mirror at an ATM (amateur telescope making) session.  Telescope mirrors are among the most accurately made surfaces produced - the difference between a good one and a bad one can be a few hundred atoms thick!  S*T*A*R members can learn how to make a mirror of better quality than those in the majority of commercial telescopes and borrow a grinding stand on which to make one.  For more details see the telescope making section.

 S*T*A*R members John Armata, Ann Silverman and Dennis O'leary at a public star party

 S*T*A*R members at the inaugural observing session with the club's 25" Obsession Dobsonian telescope, the largest portable telescope in the tri state area.  The telescope produces astounding images of astronomical objects. S*T*A*R members can attend a training session to become a qualified operator of the telescope.
 
Left to right: Tim Tierney, Mike Sullivan, John Heidema, Nancy McGuire, Charles Kirby

Expert observer and S*T*A*R member Dan Pontone packs up his 18" telescope after a night under the stars.

This was our first meeting at the Monmouth Museum.