Roger Blake  of TAURUS Technologies  has been an amateur astronomer specializing in 35mm film astrophotography for 30+ years.  He is a graduate of Drexel University in Philadelphia with a degree in Physics.  Roger has spent 20 years in nuclear core physics analysis in support of many of the nuclear power plants around the country.  In 1994 Roger founded TAURUS Technologies, specializing in astrophoto equipment for amateurs.

 Roger will conduct a hands-on demonstration/workshop of astrophotography methods and equipment.  This is a FREE workshop.  Star party attendees may participate either actively, or as observers.  TAURUS Technologies will provide the astrophoto equipment, or attendees may bring their own.  The objective is to provide the equipment and hands-on training to allow a novice participant to take astrophotos during the star party.  The workshop is not a single scheduled event.  It is a continuous informal, interactive activity during the entire star party.  Roger will be available on the observing field to help/advise participants on basic issues such as polar alignment, night sky navigation, focusing, target and guide star aquisition, exposures, etc.   For a more detailed description of the workshop Click Here.  TAURUS Technologies will provide astrophoto equipment (flip mirrors, off-axis guiders, 35mm cameras) at no charge, for use during the show, but quantities are limited so register early to reserve the equipment you will need.
 Contact Roger Blake for questions or to register.   

Tom Crowley  is currently President Emeritus of the Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA).  After serving 5 Years as President, Tom lead an extremely successful international amateur project that detected comet SL/9 impacts into Jupiter at decametric frequencies.  Tom recently retired from a forty-year career in IT and international telecommunications.  He started his career as an Engineer at IBM and moved into Sales Engineering and management.  Then during the Telecomm boom of the 90's Tom worked in various management capacities outsourcing IT and building a European Fiber network.  Tom and his wife Lynn live in Atlanta, GA.  Since retirement they are enjoying traveling in their RV and spending time with radio and astro imaging at their vacation home in the Chiefland Astronomy Village  Tom will be presenting "Amateur Radio Astronomy - Searching for Life Among the Stars".  With the rapid downward change in electronics costs today it is possible for the amateur radio astronomer to do real science with a small radio telescope.  Tom will discuss a brief history of radio astronomy, an introduction to the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence through radio astronomy and a few SETI projects that an amateur can do at home.

Art Glaser  is a retired senior high school science teacher who has served for the past 22 years as Allegheny Observatory's Historical Consultant.  During this time Art researched many questions and projects for professional astronomers from around the world.  He also conducted countless tours of the Allegheny Observatory.  Art will be presenting "The History of Allegheny Observatory from 1860 - 2004".  While Art's presentation will show many slides illustrating the instruments of and changes in the observatory from its founding to today, he will also emphasize some of the critical research conducted at Allegheny Observatory, including: the solar research of Langley, the planetary research of Keeler, Schlesinger's initiation of the observatory's primary, permanent research project, that of stellar parallax.  The continuation of this work by other Allegheny astronomers and their major discoveries will also be examined.   

Dr. Steele Hill  has been the media specialist for SOHO since 1996.  Steele has a Ph.D. in English and supported graphics production and training at the U.S. House of Representatives for 15 years.  At Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, he has produced most of the outreach and educational materials for SOHO, including illustrations, CDs, posters, brochures, video clips, and web-based materials, like the SOHO Weekly Pick and the Best of SOHO.

Steele will be presenting "The Sun through the Eyes of SOHO".
 SOHO is the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, a spacecraft mission operated jointly by NASA and the European Space Agency.  The presentation will give an overview of the mission, explain what we know about the Sun and the solar cycle, and showcase SOHO’s best images and video clips as well as resources from ground-based solar observatories and other NASA missions.   

John Holtz  is the current Treasurer of the AAAP and a longtime member of the organization.  John has been enjoying the night sky for over 20 years.  Factors such as growing up in a small community, enjoying the evening on the back deck, and a scientific curiosity combined to draw his attention to the night sky.  In between his "serious" pursuits of variable stars and occultations, Holtz enjoys astrophotography and watching for man-made satellites.  His observing experiences cover a wide spectrum of events: solar eclipses, transits, comets (in the Earth’s sky and crashing into Jupiter), aurora borealis, meteor showers, grazing and asteroidal occultations, man-made satellites (in Earth orbit and solar orbit), novae and supernovae, nice lunar conjunctions, and so many other wonderful sights of the universe.  For the Beginner's Class, he will step back to his early observing days to help explain to newcomers how to understand the night sky, and what to expect when observing with the unaided eyes and binoculars.     

Dr. Noam Izenberg  Ph.D. (Earth and Planetary Sciences - Washington University), of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.   Noam will be discussing the MESSENGER mission to Mercury, which should launch in the first half of May.

Dr. Karen Jensen  PhD, is a physical chemist/chemical physicist with the Physical Chemistry Division, Department of Chemistry University of Florida Gainesville, FL., where she is currently conducting research in Plasma Physics and Astrochemistry.  Karen 'grew up' in the Space Program on Florida's east coast as her father was an electrical engineer on all the Saturn V/Apollo moon missions.  Karen worked for Lockheed Space Operations Company in the mid-80's, where she supervised engineering and technical support personnel and directed on-line payload processing, integration, and testing activities inside the Space Shuttles at the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF), Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), and Launch Pads 39-A & 39-B Payload Change-Out Rooms (PCR). She worked nine Space Shuttle missions, including Challenger's last four and was a member of the first damage inspection team to enter Launch Pad B after the Challenger accident, representing Orbiter Engineering.  Karen is previous member of the AAAP and is currently Vice-President of the Alachua Astronomy Club in Gainesville, Florida, and an active member of SARA, where with Tom Crowley, she co-teach's the Basic Radio Astronomy Course to new SARA members at the Green Bank NRAO each summer.  Karen will present "Introduction to Amateur Radio Astronomy", a presentation on basic radio astronomy, along with a demonstration of the NASA supported and internet-based 'Radio Jove Project' for solar and Jovian radio observations in the decametric RF region.

Mark Kochte  is a Science Operations Specialist with the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland.  When he's not working with Hubble data, Mark might be involved with a team of astronomers searching for low mass companions around nearby stars, working with the spacecraft occulter design project, UMBRAS, or he might be found out in the wilderness somewhere climbing something.  Mark is currently part of a team of people who are using the Hubble to study extra-solar planets.  Mark will update us on this research and will also, of course, thrill everyone with the latest version of his very popular Hubble Update presentation