Forty Years of AAAP History

[Compiled by John Church from selected club newsletters since 1971, and other records]


11/5/62 Founding of AAAP. See minutes of first meeting, below.

2/11/63 AAAP adopts its first constitution.

1964 Kark Koehler is Director (formerly Asst. Director).

11/1/68 Member Henry Kalman purchases the 6 inch refractor from Frank Faltum of the old Galileo Club of Trenton for $200. He then sells it to the AAAP.

2/70 AAAP constitution is revised.

9/71 [First newsletter in JC files.] Minutes of 7/71 meeting. Election of officers: Barry Hancock, Director (continuing); Norman Sperling, Assist. Dir.; Kurt Rahlfs, Sec.; Art Martz, Treas.; Leith Holloway, Prog. Chmn. George Parker, outgoing treasurer, repts. balance of $255.

2/72 First issue of Sidereal Times, so named by Editor Roxanne Tobin. Announcement of talk by J. Richard Gott III, graduate student at Princeton, on black holes.

5/72 Election of officers: Norman Sperling, Director; John Church, Assist. Dir.; Roxanne Tobin, Sec.; Barry Hancock, Treas.; Bob Richardson, Prog. Chmn.

6/72 Membership list published (55 members).

7/72 Meeting at John Church’s home to discuss results from the July 10 total solar eclipse in Canada, observed by many AAAP members. Treasury at $280. Norm Sperling and others organize Cluster, a cooperative magazine published by several NJ astro clubs including the AAAP.

9/72 Vol. 1, no. 1 of Cluster is published. John Church volunteers to take custody of the 6-inch refractor, then being stored outdoors on George Parker’s farm in Plainsboro. In the Oct. Sidereal Times, John gives the following report:

THE SIX-INCH REFRACTOR IS BACK ON ACTIVE DUTY
Our large refractor, which has been sitting unused for some time, has been recently restored to active service. At the September meeting of the AAAP, the writer was given the responsibility of moving the instrument from George Parker's farm and putting it in reasonable condition for use. George's station wagon and my car proved adequate for the task, and by Sept. 14th the basically fine but antique and neglected telescope was in my back yard.

The first order of business was to arrange, somehow, to have the instrument protected from the weather. It has been sitting exposed for a lengthy period, and al though most of the mechanism is brass and painted iron (thus being relatively immune to moisture), a few vital parts, such as the steel worm for the right ascension drive, were showing serious signs of corrosion. The assembly weighs in the neigh borhood of a quarter-ton -- about the same as an upright piano -- and is NOT your ordinary garden variety portable telescope. It could not be stored in my garage and moved out for observation without some sort of moving equipment. However, a solu tion was soon found. A strong dolly was constructed, with 4 heavy-duty ball bearing casters, and the base of the pier is now firmly bolted to the wooden platform. It is now possible for me to wheel the telescope in and out of my garage unassisted, al though it is still considerable effort, inasmuch as there is a slight grade to my black top driveway. When placed on a level spot on the driveway, however, the telescope is quite stable, even on wheels, due to its great mass. Problem satisfactorily solved.

The objective of this telescope has a clear aperture of 6.19". It was filthy. Although the exterior surface was protected by a heavy brass cap, some corrosion had taken place inside the cell, and flakes of corroded brass had gotten between the crown and flint elements. There was also a fair amount of gummy brown residue on the interior surfaces. The objective was therefore carefully disassembled, with due regard to the orientation of the elements relative to each other, and given a thorough but gentle cleaning. There remain some scratches, however, as would be expected from the estimated 100-plus years of age. The scratches are not serious and do not appreciably degrade the contrast and resolution of the image. More on this below.

The brasswork has been cleaned as far as possible, and the pier and tube have been repainted. The tube has 2 coats of white enamel, and the pier has been repainted black. The equatorial head is difficult to paint, due to its intricate construction, and this has been left with its original battleship gray paint for the time being. Mechanically, the mount is in good condition. All bearings work smoothly, and even the declination slow motion is OK. Corrosion of the steel worm should not be a problem, provided no further corrosion occurs.

The telescope had no finder. A 7x30 model has been ordered from Jaegars, and should arrive soon.

The original eyepiece holder is 2 inches ID. An ancient Ramsden eyepiece was fit ted to this. This eyepiece has a focal length of about 1 inch, and consequently gives about 90x with the 90 or 91-inch focal length of the objective. However, it has very short eye relief and is uncomfortable to use, especially with objects high in the sky. I have adapted the eyepiece holder of my own 4-inch refractor to the eyepiece holder of the large scope, and it is now usable with a diagonal and any standard 1-1/4 inch eyepiece.

Optically the scope is performing excellently. Due to poor seeing, I have not yet attempted very difficult objects, but even with relatively poor seeing, the close pair of Epsilon Lyrae is very cleanly split, with the smallest diffraction discs I have yet seen on this pair. M l3 is bright and beautifully resolved. The Perseus double clusters are magni ficent. Jupiter shows great detail, even with bad seeing (at moments), and a shadow transit was spectacular. The big aperture and long focal length make for much better image contrast than usually seen with smaller apertures. At 300x, I could practically count individual boulders in Copernicus, or so it seemed.

Most good nights will find me out with this telescope. Club members are invited to use it whenever the spirit moves. Call me early any good evening at 799-0723; with few exceptions, I will be home and the instrument will be available. Use it: it's your telescope.
*****************

11/72 This issue of Sidereal Times contains the minutes of the first meeting of the AAAP, held on Nov. 5, 1962. These were as follows:

MINUTES OF OUR FIRST MEETING: Nov. 5, 1962

After introductory remarks by Robert Sanders, founder of the Association, it was moved that the name of the organization be Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton. The motion was passed. Mr. Sanders suggested that three committees be formed, and appointed members as follows. Meetings and Programs: Gifford Havens, chairman; Stan Wells, Nancy Harris. By-Laws: Fred Bowers, chairman;Milo Wadlin, Ron Rogers. Nominating: it was suggested that this committee wait for a couple months to allow members to become acquainted. After some discussion of meeting dates and times, it was decided to hold meetings on the second Monday of each month. The next meeting will be on December 10, 1962 at 8 PM.

There was some discussion of telescopes owned by members. Six members have their own telescopes, and four have observatories. Mr. Sanders suggested that the next meeting be devoted to telescopes. A motion to make Sanders temporary chairman was passed. He offered to have the next meeting at the Lawrenceville School. A motion to adjourn was passed.
(Signed) Gifford Havens.

The treasury balance was $490 before reimbursing John Church $67 for expenses in refurbishing the refractor (finder scope, clock drive motor, and assorted minor items). A possible club observatory was discussed at some length.

12/72 Report on the AAAP’s Tenth Anniversary Dinner, held on Nov. 13, 1972 at Emerson’s Steakhouse. Approximately 35 members and guests were present. An observatory committee was appointed, consisting of John Church (chair), Dave Apgar (co-chair), Harry Bernhagen, Mike Clark, Barry Hancock, Joe Lopez, Dick Peery, Bill Phillips, Steve Shutt, and Roxanne Tobin. The first meeting of the committee was held at John’s home on Nov. 29. Possible observatory sites were discussed.
NOTE:[Ironically, the consensus was to eliminate Washington Crossing State Park from further consideration.]

1/73 Exasperated by constantly overcast skies in NJ, Roxanne Tobin, writer of the column “Roaming The Skies” in Cluster, writes satire on her own column called “Roaming The Clouds.” Article is accompanied by sky map showing such objects as Dubheious, Vague, Denebulus, Ridiculous, and Beta Cumulonimbus.

5/73 Election of officers: John Church, Director; Karl Koehler, Asst. Dir.; Roxanne Tobin, Sec.; Mike Clark, Prog. Chairman; Joe Lopez, Treasurer.

7/73 Announcement of Star Party/Picnic at Wash. Crossing on 8/25. At the July meeting, it was announced that it might be possible to put a club observa tory on the grounds of the Institute for Advanced Study.

11/73 Nov. 10 transit of Mercury was observed and timed from John Church’s driveway, using the 6-inch refractor. Present were Freeman Dyson and Tullio Regge of the Institute for Advanced Study. A report was sent to Sky and Telescope, and the timings were published. Plans proceed to place observatory in a modified aluminum garage at the Institute that would be put on roll-off tracks. Karl Koehler prepares detailed drawings. This proposal is not adopted, however, due to finding that the Institute would have required all construction to be performed by outside unionized labor, which the AAAP could not possibly have afforded.

12/73 Leith Holloway appointed by AAAP Board to fill unexpired term of Joe Lopez as Treasurer, as Joe had to resign due to the press of other business. Treasury balance stands at $430, and the Observatory Fund at $300. Dick Peery is Observatory Committee chair. Comet Kohoutek disappoints.

4/74 Mike Clark arranges for AAAP to sponsor a special public lecture by Dr. Immanuel Velikovsky in 10 McCosh Hall, Princeton Univ. on Monday, April 22 at which he discusses his controversial theories, published in “Worlds In Collision” and elsewhere. The large lecture hall is nearly full. Difficult questions are adroitly side-stepped by Dr. Velikovsky, who cites his remarks in various published articles without further elaboration.

5/74 Current officers are re-elected for another term.

8/74 AAAP sends a large contingent to Stellafane. Observatory Fund stands at $807, with $107 in pledges outstanding. Treasury at $300.

12/74 AAAP prepares a preliminary Certificate of Incorporation as a non profit NJ organization.

4/75 AAAP constitution is revised and adopted.

5/75 New officers elected: Richard Peery, Director; Steve Shutt, Asst. Dir.; Roxanne Tobin, Secr.; John Church, Prog. Chair; Leith Holloway, Treasurer.

8/75 Another large AAAP contingent goes to Stellafane.

9/75 Attribution of 6-inch refractor to Henry Fitz, ca. 1851, proposed earlier by Norman Sperling, remains in the forefront of possibilities.

10/75 AAAP constitution is amended to reflect need to distribute any assets on dissolution to another nonprofit organization, in order to achieve nonprofit tax exemption and tax savings for donors.

12/75 Observatory Chair Bill Phillips reports favorable progress towards establishing an observatory at Washington Crossing State Park, following a meeting with DEP, the State Museum, and the AAAP observatory committee. About $1500 is now in the Observatory Fund, and the total cost of materials is estimated at $4500.

1/13/76 Motion passes to authorize the Board of Trustees of the AAAP to propose an appropriate formal agreement with the State of NJ regarding the construction of an observatory at Washington Crossing. By passing this motion, the AAAP commits to constructing an observa tory upon final ratification of an agreement with the state.

2/3/76 AAAP officially incorporates. For the first year, the Trustees are Richard Peery (Director), John Church (Prog. Chair), and Leith Holloway (Treasurer). Also signing the certificate are Anthony Miskowski and Henry Kalman.

2/14/76 IRS notifies AAAP that it is exempt from Federal income tax as a nonprofit 514 (c) (3) organization. Our Federal ID No. is 51-0146820. Donors can deduct donations on their own income taxes, retroactive to 1963.

5/76 Current officers re-elected. Negotiations proceed with state for the site at Washington Crossing.

10/76 Planetarium and AAAP continue to hold observing sessions at the site selected for the observatory.

1/77 Lease for the observatory site is nearly finalized.

2/8/77 Text of lease approved by AAAP at general meeting.

4/77 In April issue of Cluster, John Church tentatively identifies the lens of the 6-inch refractor as having been made by Charles Hastings, from its measured surface radii and other optical data.

4/2/77 Ground is broken for the observatory. Regular Saturday work sessions begin, with pick and shovel excavation of footings to 36 inches depth.

5/77 Officers elected: Dick Peery, Director (3rd term); Roxanne Tobin, Asst. Dir.; Dave Brown, Sec.; Leith Holloway, Treas.; Steve Shutt, Prog. Chair. Foundations and floor poured at observatory.

6/77 Rough piping in, pier foundations poured.

9/77 Four courses of cinder block have been laid. Five AAAP members observe and time a spectacular grazing occultation of 5.6 mag. Zeta Librae in Bordentown by a crescent moon. Comments are taped and played at the next general meeting. [Transcript published in Cluster and reprinted in the March ’92 issue of Sidereal Times.]

3/78 First meeting in Peyton Hall; previously, meetings had been held in Room A-07 of Jadwin Hall. Russell Hulse, future Nobel laureate, talks on “The Observable Properties of Pulsars.”

5/78 Officers elected: Leith Holloway, Director and Acting Treasurer; Roxanne Peery, Asst. Dir.; Scott Smith, Sec.; Dave Brown, Prog. Chair.

6/78 Observatory roof under construction. Cluster ceases publication.

Summer/78 Doug Wurzler appointed Treasurer. Roof completed and door installed.

8/29/78 Six-inch refractor is moved from John Church’s garage and installed in the observatory.

9/78 Total observatory expenditures to date are $3,800, and $200 remains in the fund.

11/78 Roof crank assembly under construction. Roof presently has to be pushed off by several people with poles. Trench for electric power being dug.

12/78 Roof opening mechanism is installed.

2/79 Power not yet hooked up due to delays in township inspection. Long time member George Parker passes away in Florida at 68.

3/79 First joint AAAP-NJ State Museum Star Party at the observatory is scheduled for 3/23. Nine AAAP-ers saw the total solar eclipse in Manitoba on 2/26. John Church’s article on the history of the 6-inch Hastings-Byrne refractor is published in the March Sky & Telescope.

4/79 Dr. Tullio Regge, formerly active AAAP member, receives Einstein Award at the opening ceremonies of the Einstein Centennial Symposium at the Institute for Advanced Study on March 4th. Electric wiring at observatory passes Hopewell Township inspection.

5/79 Special guests at the AAAP meeting are Mrs. Thomas Lowry, granddaughter of Charles Hasting (designer and grinder of the objective lens in our refractor), and her son and grandchildren. The current slate of officers is re-elected. Long time member, co-founder, and observatory designer Karl Koehler is honored on his retirement and presented with an engraved pewter mug for his many contributions to the AAAP. Karl is moving to Arizona, where the skies are not cloudy all day and night.

6/79 Electric power is connected at the observatory.

7/79 AAAP inaugurates “Star Wash” car washing events to raise funds. Karl Koehler’s 10-inch reflector installed at observatory. Good progress on plumbing wastewater disposal system. Long-time active member and Program Chair Mike Clark moves to South Carolina.

Late 7/79 AAAP picnic and 100th birthday party for refractor scheduled for 8/18. First “Star Wash” (organized by Doug Wurzler) raises $170 for the Observatory Fund. Although it was cloudy, Kurt Goepfert had brought his telescope so that customers could view sunspots by projection. (Many other such events are to be held in the future, raising significant funds. )

8/79 AAAP picnic is held on 8/19. Burglar alarm built and installed at the observatory. Septic tank is built and covered. Water supply not yet hooked up.

10/79 300 foot water pipe laid to the observatory from the Nature Center’s well. Pat Kane has a friend with a backhoe dig the trench, and John Church connects the water. Bathroom fixtures still to be installed. Dave Brown initiates idea of starting a weekend retreat near Blairstown in North Jersey, near the Water Gap. This later matures into the famous “Jersey Starquest.”

12/79 Sink installed. Toilet donated by Karen Procaccini. Septic tank and leach field are completed and covered with dirt. Left-over gravel put on access road. Roxanne Peery reports that in our first year of observatory opera tion, 54 sessions were held, with 8 public star parties and more than 150 guests from the public.

1/80 Harry Johnson is appointed to fill vacant post of Secretary.

3/80 Some frost heaving and freezing of the roof occurs at observatory.

4/80 Karl Koehler reports that he laid 3,000 bricks for his new round ob servatory in Arizona. In a special April Fool’s Day report, the AAAP is said to have been awarded $50,000 for a research grant to study the famous correlation between public star parties and bad weather.

5/80 Long-time member Cdr. Joe Richey, USN (retired), passes away on April 25th at age 81. Joe had been a member since the early ‘60’s and was also very active in amateur radio, holding a coveted “short call” (K2AT). Water turned on at observatory, and toilet connected. Telephone to be installed. Future Director Jay Albert joins AAAP. Roxanne Peery elected Director, Kurt Goepfert Asst. Director, Dave Brown Prog. Chair, Doug Wurzler Treasurer, Harry Johnson/Pat Kane co-Secretaries.

Summer/80 Wall finished between bathroom and utility room. Roof mechanism adjusted. Drainage pipe work around foundation to alleviate frost heaving problem.

10/80 Meeting site is changed to the Institute for Advanced Study for one year.

2/81 About a dozen AAAP members made a field trip to Sproul Observa tory at Swarthmore, organized by Dave Brown. Prof. Wulff Heinz conducts the tour, but unfortunately the weather is cloudy.

3/81 Frost heaving problem at observatory prevents roof opening and causes interior door sticking. Drought causes postponement of popular “Star Washes”.

5/81 Current officers re-elected, with addition of Marc Halfon as Secre tary and Kurt Rahlfs as Program Chair. Low member participation noted as an issue, with dropping attendance. Treasury at a low point.

9/81 Treasury replenished due to a successful Star Wash. Meetings resume at Peyton Hall.

11/81 Member Freeman Dyson receives the Wolf Prize for his work on unified field theory.

3/82 Floor continues to heave at the observatory and jam the roof by its effect on the main partition, which does not have an indepen dent footing.

5/82 New officers elected: Kurt Goepfert, Director; Marc Halfon, Asst. Dir.; Dave Crisp, Prog. Chair; Doug Wurzler, Treasurer; Kurt Rahlfs, Secretary.

8/82 Nine AAAP members attend Stellafane.

9/82 AAAP sponsors an Astronomy Weekend at Quaker Bridge Mall on Sept. 25-26, organized by Jay Albert. More than 160 shoppers stop at our exhibit. Star Wash on 10/16 brings in $169.

11/82 Dave Brown plans a club outing at Beemerville, later to be the site of numerous Jersey Starquests). Co-founder Robert Sanders returns to Princeton area and renews membership, as AAAP marks its 20th birthday.

12/82 Don and Mike Monticello and future Director Larry Smith join AAAP.

2/83 By-Laws are revised to recognize existence of observatory.

5/83 Officers re-elected, with addition of Jay Albert as Secretary and Dave Brown as Program Chair.

7/83 Ninth “Star Wash” brings in a record $254. Participants included Art Esposito, Leith Holloway, Kurt Goepfert, Signe Harrison, Dick and Roxanne Peery, Larry Smith, Scott Smith, Robert Sanders, Jay & Mike Albert, and the Monticellos.

9/83 AAAP sponsors “QB Mall II” at Quaker Bridge Mall. About 200 club brochures are handed out.

12/83 AAAP rents 12.5” reflector from Don Monticello and Mark Halfon, who purchased it from John Simpson. Purchase price to be eventually paid to them from club pledges, and the telescope to be permanently acquired. Beemerville weekend was a success, with clear weather.

5/84 New officers elected: Jay Albert, Director; Art Esposito, Asst. Dir.; Al Zampirri, Secretary; Doug Wurzler, Treasurer; Dave Brown, Program Chair.

6/84 Installation of the Simpson 12.5” reflector proceeds at observatory.

7/84 Installation of 12.5” completed. Steelwork needs repainting. Cinder block painting planned.

9/84 Six-inch tube repainted. Scraping of steelwork begun. Roof opening problem under consideration (cable slippage). Thieves break in observatory through rotted roof ends and take 2 eyepieces worth $100 each. Alarm functions, rangers come out, but thieves escape.

11/84 Roof cable system improved. Louisa Lockette becomes Public Relations chairperson. Second Beemerville star party is held.

12/84 Special recognition given to Dave Brown and Doug Wurzler for their many years of hard work on behalf of the club.

1/85 Amendments proposed to Constitution and By-Laws to clarify voting procedures on major expenditures. Roof cable snaps and pulley comes off of wall. William Sharp, AAAP member and associate of Dick Peery at the NJ State Museum Planetarium, dies of injuries sustained in an auto accident at age 42.

2/85 AAAP joins the PC revolution with the first issue of Sidereal Times prepared with a primitive word processor and dot-matrix printer.

3/85 Constitution and By-Laws amendments pass by 35-0 vote.

4/85 Chain drive being planned for roof.

5/85 John Simpson joins AAAP and begins astrophotography training sessions. Officers elected: Jay Albert, Director; Art Esposito, Asst. Dir.; Doug Wurzler, Treasurer; Larry Smith, Secretary; Dave Brown, Prog. Chair.

8/85 AAAP is well represented at Stellafane.

11/85 Halley’s Comet begins its mediocre apparition, requiring much explanation to the general public. In compensation, AAAP gains new members.

2/86 Of the original 19 members in the AAAP, three remain on the rolls: Bob Sanders, Karl Koehler, and Frank Shallcross.

5/86 Officers elected: Art Esposito, Director; Don Monticello, Asst. Dir.; Doug Wurzler, Treasurer; Larry Smith, Secretary; Dave Brown, Program Chair. About 300 people came to view Halley’s Comet on the May 2nd public night.

9/86 AAAP member and Institute for Advanced Study Prof. Freeman Dyson is the speaker.

12/86 Observatory duty assigments will continue through the winter as the floor heaving problem seems to have abated.

4/87 Treasury is down to $225 after the last payment on the Simpson telescope.

5/87 Officers elected: Art Esposito, Director; Jay Albert, Asst. Dir.; Dick Sivel, Secretary; Wes Walton, Treasurer; Don Monticello, Program Chair. Thanks are given to Doug Wurzler for his ten-year stint as Treasurer. Finances are in better condition.

Summer/87 Roof cable still slipping at observatory. Leith Holloway (now retired in Vermont), former director, treasurer, and active member, makes a significant donation to the AAAP.

9/87 Beemerville star party a success; only the second clear night in five years.

5/88 Jay Albert elected Director, Dave Brown Asst. Director, Wes Walton Treasurer pro tem, Dick Sivel Secretary, Noah Levy Program Chair.

9/88 Field trip to US Naval Observaory in Washington. Rain prevents any observations with the 26-inch refractor.

10/88 Field trip to Sproul Observatory at Swarthmore. Cold clear weather, but poor seeing and a poorer eyepiece prevent good observations.

2/89 Treasury is very low at $240.

3/89 Karl Koehler’s 10-inch reflector, formerly at the observatory, was sold to a group of amateur astronomers as GE Astro for $130. The mirror is good, but needs re-aluminizing.

4/89 Membership list stands at 91, with a few extras due to family affiliations.

5/89 John Simpson assumes editorship of Sidereal Times, bringing much en- thusiasm to the assignment. Roof chain drive almost ready for installation; Karl Koehler provides remote design help from Arizona. Dave Brown elected Director; Larry Smith, Asst. Dir.; Ron Mittelstaedt, Treasurer [beginning a long stint]; Dick Sivel, Secretary; Don Monticello, Prog. Chair.

5/89 The May 20 work party accomplishes a great deal. The steelwork is wire-brushed and Rustoleumed, exterior trim is replaced, and the roof chain-drive mechanism is worked on but still needs some parts before final installation.

8/89 Roof chain drive installed. Dave Brown resigns Directorship due to his new position at JPL, working on the Hubble Space Telescope at Pasadena. [Compiler’s note: is this why it ended up with such bad spherical aberration? ::grin:: Dave contributed so much to the club that it is impossible to list everything he did.] Larry Smith succeeds to the Directorship, as provided in the Constitution.

1/90 Treasury stands at $1,718 before paying insurance premium of $457.

2/90 AAAP meets at the Plasma Physics Laboratory for a lecture and tour hosted by Don Monticello and Pat Colestock, featuring the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor.

3/90 Sidereal Times converts to a booklet format. The field trip to Fels Plane tarium at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia on Feb. 7 was discussed. The Beemerville party is referred to for the first time as“Jersey Starquest.”

5/90 Officers elected: Director, Larry Smith; Asst. Dir., Greg Mauro; Secretary, Dick Sivel; Treasurer, Ron Mittelstaedt; Program Chair, Vic Belanger.

6/90 UACNJ formed. Treasury stands at $2,167, with a nice gain from Jersey Starquest net proceeds.

11/90 Prof. Freeman Dyson, long-time AAAP member who participated in the observatory construction in the late ‘70’s, presents a talk entitled “Hunting Comets and Planets.”

3/91 UACNJ is proposing a joint observatory. Messier Marathon held on 3/16.

4/91 Buzzer and new power supply installed on burglar alarm. Second Jersey Starquest announced for June 14-16.

5/91 Officers elected: Director, Greg Mauro; Asst. Dir., Chip Yuill; Secretary, Dick Sivel; Treasurer, Ron Mittelstaedt; Program Chair, Vic Belanger.

Summer/91 Jersey Starquest very successful, with 103 attendees. Treasury stands at $1,834.

9/91 Program Chair Vic Belanger announces complete lineup of speakers for the entire meeting season through next June. Treasury at $1,863. As reported in Sidereal Times, the New York Times estimates that a 50-year-old person has one chance in 6,000 of being killed by a meteor; this has never happened to anyone before as far as is known (? Tunguska?), although a number of people have been injured and many others have had meteorites land close to them. Digital setting circles installed on the 12.5”.

10/91 Light pollution is a major topic of discussion. Membership at 88.

3/92 1985 Constitution and By-Laws published in March Sidereal Times, along with transcript of the 3/77 grazing occultation expedition noted previously.

5/92 Election of officers: Greg Mauro, Director; Chip Yuill, Asst. Dir.; Secr., Ralph Marantino; Treasurer, Ron Mittelstaedt; Prog, Chair, Vic Belanger.

6/92 On the lighter side, Editor Simpson publishes “Guide To Safe Fax” in Sidereal Times, along with “Mufi’s Laws,” e.g. “Common sense will always be defeated in a contest with common nonsense.”

Summer/92 Observatory Chair Bill Murray reports that everything is in good condition.

9/92 Treasury at $3,053. Insurance premium of $500 due soon; state required increase in liability insurance to $1,000,000. Dues at $40.00 including subscription to either Sky & Telescope or Astronomy.

11/92 Thirtieth anniversary of AAAP founding.

1/93 Ralph Marantino writes article in Sidereal Times about amazing computers now available for $1,500, having 8 megs of RAM and a 210-meg hard drive BUILT RIGHT IN (sic). CCD’s start being made available to amateurs. John Simpson voices opinion that CCD’s have a very long way to go to match film in resolution at a reasonable price (still true). Simpson also reports physically destroying his home computer, resulting in the police being called to his home to investigate. Truth of report not established.

4/93 Bill Murray proposes selling the 12.5” reflector and purchasing a 14 to 16-inch fully computerized and CCD-equipped Schmidt-Cassegrain. UACNJ identifies Jenny Jump as a good site for their observatory. Larry Smith visits site and serves as AAAP liaison to UACNJ on this and other matters. Member George Lewicky reports on his upcoming Hubble Space Telescope spectroscopy project, searching Titan’s atmosphere in the ultraviolet for formaldehyde.

5/93 Officers elected: Vic Belanger, Director; Bill Murray, Asst. Dir.; Ralph Marantino, Secretary; Ron Mittelstaedt, Treasurer; Herb Johnson, Program Chair. Thanks to Bill Murray for five fine years as Observatory Chair. Chris Moser now assumes this position.

6/93 Treasury at $4,187, of which $2,215 are prepaid Jersey Starquest funds.

9/93 Final issue of Sidereal Times to be edited by John Simpson. John dies of a heart attack while bicycling on Sept. 19, a heavy blow to the AAAP and his many friends.

10/93 Sidereal Times carries several tributes to John Simpson. A memorial service is held at Trinity Episcopal Church in Princeton on Oct. 16. John was a 1966 graduate of Princeton University and a professional photographer. Steve Cole assumes editorship of Sidereal Times. A complete description of the duties of the officers and appointed chairpersons of the club is printed in this issue.

11/93 AAAP votes to name the observatory the John W. H. Simpson Observa tory. Member Russell Hulse is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in the mid-seventies on binary pulsars, jointly with his teacher Joe Taylor of Princeton. Treasury is at $4,001 with $300 in the capital improvement account. Sidereal Times reverts to previous format (8.5” x 11”) for most future issues.

12/93 Prof. and member Freeman Dyson speaks to the AAAP on the subject of “Revolutions in Astronomy.”

4/94 Astronomy Day at Jenny Jump State Forest, with AAAP participation.

5/94 Officers elected: Vic Belanger, Director; Greg Mauro, Asst. Dir.; Secretary, Ralph Marantino; Treasurer, Ron Mittelstaedt; Program Chair, Bill Murray. Fifth Jersey Starquest scheduled for 6/10-6/12 at Beemerville.

9/94 A large unattributed donation increases our total assets to $10,728, divided up as $9,500 in the Capital Improvement Fund and $1,228 in the Treasury itself. Many observed the impact of the fragments of Comet Shoemaker Levy on Jupiter around July 17. UACNJ holds its first annual symposium of amateur astronomy at Jenny Jump. Capital Improvement Committee meets on Sept. 8 and recommends acquiring a 16-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain as well as moving the 12.5-inch to the AAAP site at Jenny Jump. Funding for this will require another $8,000. Archivist Rex Parker writes a short piece in Sidereal Times on some early highlights in the AAAP’s history

12/94 Member Russell Hulse speaks about his Nobel Prize-winning work on binary pulsars.

2/95 Member Peter Mitchell continues his series of articles in Sidereal Times challenging the notion of the constancy of c, the speed of light. Editor Vic Belanger notes that publication in Sidereal Times does not constitute an endorsement of his views. [Compiler’s note: Those interested in current intense discussions on the validity or non-validity of Special Relativity and the existence of an ether are referred to the Internet newsgroup, sci.physics.relativity.]

4/95 Member Mike Stevens arranges for a grant of $2,125 from Bristol-Myers Squibb for our Capital Improvement Fund. Sixth Jersey Starquest set for May 26-28 at Beemerville.

5/95 Officers elected: Vic Belanger, Director; Greg Mauro, Asst. Dir.; Larry Koss, Secretary; Ron Mittlestaedt, Treasurer; Larry Smith, Program Chair. Membership at 95. Star Quest VI very successful; 94 attendees.

6/95 Membership reaches 100 for the first time in AAAP’s history. Treasury also hits an all-time high with $5,028, plus a CD now worth $9,183. Mel Bartels describes the current status of the Big Bang and its challenges, in a piece in Sidereal Times. [Compiler’s note: Pure mathematics is often confused with physics, leading to difficulties, as many everyday things in physics cannot be explained by mathematics (e.g. the unrestricted three-body problem, for which there can be no analytical solution, but which is easily solved by nature itself.)]

10/95 Illustrated article in Sidereal Times on the UACNJ clubhouse at Jenny Jump, with story of a visit by Ron Mittelstaedt. On behalf of the AAAP, Director Vic Belanger is presented with a Certificate of Appreciation by Gregory Marshall, NJ Director of Parks and Forestry, on Oct. 14 (photo in Nov. Sidereal Times.)

12/95 Inspiring letter from Moscow amateur Albert Garnelis, describing his ambitious and energetic program to further amateur astronomy in Russia under very difficult circumstances. He and other amateurs there are making their own Newtonians from scratch, using techniques popularized in the West during the Great Depression. Roof rails scraped and painted. Freeman Dyson presents talk, “How the Dinosaurs Might Have Been Saved: Detection and Deflection of Earth-Impacting Comets.”

2/96 We have $14,000 in a CD and $1,044 in the Treasury proper.

3/96 Comet Hyakutake begins its fine apparition. Dan Benedict and George Lewicky launch AAAP homepages on the Web.

4/96 Rex Parker’s anti-light-pollution efforts gain momentum. Seventh Jersey Starquest set for June 14-16 at Beemerville 4-H Camp, where it has always met since before it was called Jersey Starquest.

5/96 Officers elected: Bill Murray, Director; Vic Belanger, Asst. Dir.; Larry Koss, Secretary; Ron Mittlestaedt, Treasurer; Rex Parker, Program Chair.

Summer/96 Vic Belanger arranges for 4th consecutive introductory astronomy course to be held at the Nature Center on consecutive Friday eves. in September and early October.

9/96 Correspondence and photo exchanges continue with Moscow amateur Albert Garnelis. Work parties at the AAAP site in Jenny Jump’s UACNJ complex continue under Director Bill Murray’s leadership. Member Ralph Marantino is President of UACNJ.

10/96 Concrete poured for all five observatory foundations at Jenny Jump.

11/96 Gene Ramsey demonstrates his homemade observing chair.

12/96 More exchange of photos and newsletters with Albert Garnelis. Peter Mitchell reviews asteroid-earth collisions in Sidereal Times.

2/97 Bill Murray and Vic Belanger attend Winter Star Party in the Florida Keys despite numerous car difficulties. Treasury at $2,742 with another $14,783 in the CD. AAAP membership reaches 120.

4/97 Bright apparition of long-awaited Comet Hale-Bopp; approximately 600 observatory visitors swamp AAAP staff and local law enforcement on April 4. Eighth Jersey Starquest scheduled for June 6-8 at Branchville, NJ.

5/97 Officers elected: Bill Murray, Director; Vic Belanger, Asst. Dir.; Greg Cantrell, Secretary; Ron Mittelstaedt, Treasurer; Rex Parker, Program Chair.

6/97 Director Murray notes that only a few keyholders are capable of finding more than a few objects in the sky without assistance - a poor state of affairs for advanced amateurs, indeed making us similar to many so-called “professional” astronomers! Bill therefore initiates his well-known “star hop” training sessions. Dick Sivel, long-time active club member and Secretary 1987-91, passes away on June 22 at age 68. CD at $15,079 and Treasury at $4,379. Materials being purchased for AAAP observatoryat Jenny Jump.

9/97 Active member and expert solar observer Ralph Marantino relates his journey as an amateur astronomer in Sidereal Times. Jenny Jump construction proceeds.

11/97 Photo of Jenny Jump progress in Sidereal Times.

1/98 Founding member, former director, generous contributor, and observatory designer Karl Koehler passes away in Arizona on January 5 at age 81; tribute published in March Sidereal Times. Upgrade Committee proposes to replace Simpson reflector with a C14 on a computerized Software Bisque Paramount GT-1100 mount.

3/98 Proposed Merrill Lynch complex on Scotch Road threatens observatory with increased light pollution. Hopewell Twp. resident Rex Parker active in efforts to diminish local night lighting. Club approves purchase of C14 on Paramount computerized mount. Ninth Jersey Starquest set for June 19-21at Hope Conference Center, Hope, NJ.

5/98 Officers elected: Director, Rex Parker; Asst. Dir., Greg Cantrell; Secretary, Gloria Kendall; Treasurer, Ron Mittelstaedt; Program Chair, George Lewicky. Treasury at $4,921 with $13,559 in the CD.

6/98 Old Brickyard Road entrance to observatory abandoned. Access now is through the soccer fields and camping area from Bear Tavern Road. Jersey Starquest a great success, with two clear nights. Celestron 14 OTA received. Member George Briggs donates valuable optics to AAAP.

9/98 Jenny Jump AAAP observatory nearly completed. Simpson reflector removed from Washington Crossing, and reconfiguration of pier and base under way to accomodate the new C14. DOT planning revamp of Scotch Road I-95 interchange, with more lighting threatened.

10/98 Photo of nearly finished JJ observatory, with worker Ralph Marantino, in Sidereal Times. New C14 on computerized Paramount sees first light at Washington Crossing.

11/98 Photo of new C14 in Sidereal Times. Member Peter Mitchell reflects on weaknesses of purely mathematical (as opposed to observationally-backed) theories of the universe, from Plato and Ptolemy onwards. Simpson reflector installed at Jenny Jump.

12/98 Archivist Herb Johnson publishes table of AAAP officers from 1963 onwards, in Sidereal Times. Mark Jaworsky, Chairman of Light Pollution Committee, reports on progress in dealing with local issues.

1/99 Treasury at $7,583 after paying insurance for both observatories. Simp son reflector has been installed at Jenny Jump. Constitution and By-Laws published in Sidereal Times (last revised in October, 1992). New mount under consideration for the Hastings-Byrne 6-inch refractor.

2/99 Capital Upgrade Committee proposes new Losmandy G-11 mount for the 6-inch refractor plus a new focuser ($3,000), and ST-7 CCD camera for the C14 ($3,000). Discussion of changes in public viewing nights policy at WC.

3/99 Club authorizes expenditures proposed by Capital Upgrade Committee. More correspondence received from amateur Albert Garnelis in Moscow, with photos of restored observatories.

4/99 Plans underway to improve rutted driveway at observatory.

5/99 Officers elected: Rex Parker, Director; Mark Jaworsky, Asst. Director; Gloria Kendall, Secretary; Ron Mittelstaedt, Treasurer; Greg Cantrell, Program Chair. Quotes obtained for driveway upgrade.

6/99 Components for Losmandy G-11 mount arriving. Successful 10th Jersey StarQuest at Hope Conference Center with over 130 attendees.

9/99 Greg Cantrell resigns as Program Chair; Mark Jaworsky appointed in his place.

10/99 Losmandy G-11 mount installed for the 6-inch refractor; larger tube rings on order. Simpson reflector collimated and fine polar aligned at Jenny Jump.

11/99 Treasury at $6,253. New refractor mount completely installed.

1/00 Completely redesigned AAAP website in preparation.

2/00 New website will have URL, http://www.princetonastronomy.org

3/00 Jersey StarQuest 2000 announced for June 2-4 at Hope Conference Center.

4/00 New AAAP website goes on-line.

5/00 AAAP adopts $2.500 proposal to improve unsatisfactory slewing performance of Paramount C14 mount at WC observatory. Officers elected: Kirk Alexander, Director; Ralph Marantino, Asst. Dir.; Mark Lopez, Secretary; Ron Mittelstaedt, Treasurer; Mark Jaworsky, Program Chair. UACNJ honors Ralph Marantino as Volunteer of the Year. John Miller is appointed Editor of the website. Membership list is published in Sidereal Times.

Summer/00 StarQuest on June 2-4 had one thunderstorm night and one clear night. Revised gate and parking rules listed by Washington Crossing Park. All Friday nights are considered Observing Nights, with special gate open hours.

9/00 Treasury at $8,788.

9/00 John Church gives illustrated talk on the building of the WC observatory.

10/00 Work party reports a vole, yellow jackets, and a snakeskin in the Simpson observatory. All observatory users reminded about need to dry off optics with the hair dryer before closing up the building, especially on humid nights. Landmark lighting ordnance passed by Hopewell Township Committee, after much effort spearheaded by Rex Parker and Mark Jaworsky.

11/00 Nobel laureate and AAAP member Russell Hulse reviews his work on binary pulsars. Letter in Sidereal Times from former director Jay Albert, in retirement in south Florida. AAAP now has 137 members. Legendary astronomy personality and entrepreneur Roger Tuthill passes away.

2/01 Mark Lopez appointed to fill unexpired term of Mark Jaworsky as Pro gram Chair. Saul Moroz writes remembrance of Roger Tuthill for Side real Times. Archivist Rex Parker reviews some tidbits from AAAP’s history. Joe Bartolick reviews history of astronomy at Princeton University.

3/01 Roxanne Tobin Peery, long-time AAAP member, former Director, Asst.. Director, Secretary, and namer/Editor of Sidereal Times, passes away in Florida at 44. Roxanne was an energetic sparkplug of the AAAP in the 70’s and early 80’s as well as a tireless worker during the WC observatory construction. Ron Mittlestaedt continues his column “Observations” in Sidereal Times, remembering significant events in his progress in amateur astronomy. Messier Marathon conducted at FitzRandolph Observatory with the 36-inch reflector. Spectacular aurora visible.

5/01 Officers elected: Kirk Alexander, Director; Ralph Marantino, Asst. Dir.; Bill Murray, Secretary; Pete Oppenheim, Treasurer; Mark Lopez, Program Chair. Thanks offered to Ron Mittelstaedt for his long stint as Treasurer. Editor Vic Belanger’s son, V. James Belanger II, a recent physics graduate, contributes article in Sidereal Times on “The Geometry of Cosmology”

6/01 Despite poor weather at Jersey StarQuest June 22-24, 80 attend and share their experiences in amateur astronomy.

Summer/01 In Sidereal Times, Peter Mitchell continues his stimulating presentations on alternative approaches to explaining astronomical data and cosmogony. Editor Vic Belanger offers some points in rebuttal.

9/01 Terrorist attacks at World Trade Center and Pentagon on Sept. 11; AAAP meeting cancelled that evening. Treasury at $10,254.

10/01 Bill Murray relates events at the Rockland Astronomy Club Summer Star Party, a 10-day event held 60 miles from Stellafane (going on the same week), which Bill also attended and reports on. Five of Bill’s fine CCD images of M-objects also published in Sidereal Times. J. Richard Gott III talks on “Time Travel in Einstein’s Universe.”

11/01 Leonid meteor shower delights viewers with spectacular display in clear skies on the morning of Nov. 18th. Reports in Dec. Sidereal Times.

12/01 Funds appropriated for grounds improvement at Washington Crossing.

1/02 New Paramount drive for the C14 and the deluxe Burg Optics/Denton focuser for the refractor are anxiously awaited, but have not yet arrived..

2/02 Letter from former member Wes Walton (now in Florida) published in Sidereal Times.

3/02 Illustrated report on the Winter Star Party in the Florida Keys by Mark Lopez. Rex Parker arranges for an observing trip to nearby Baldpate Mountain in early April. 13th Jersey StarQuest set for June 7-9 at Hope, NJ. Messier Marathon at Jenny Jump, March 16th.

5/02 Officers elected: Kirk Alexander, Director; John Miller, Asst. Director; Bill Murray, Secretary; Ron Mittlestaedt re-assumes Treasurer spot after one year off; Mark Lopez, Program Chair. Superb new focuser for the 6-inch refractor received and installed in late May. Major exterior and interior maintenance/refurbishment of Simpson Observatory under way.

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