The month of April saw the AAQ settle in to our new meeting venue, Room 222 in the Parnell Building, St Lucia campus of UQ. Despite the unfavourable weather and cancellation of the observing after the meeting, members enjoyed a lively social discussion over a cuppa & biscuits. When sky conditions are more favourable, I intend keeping the meeting on schedule to allow for setting up of telescopes on the oval in Munro Park on Carmody Road.

Thanks to all who presented images at the April OGM.

DSO Weekend, 15/16th May 2010:

The April DSO was cancelled due to unfavourable weather conditions; that's two months in a row now! I'm I'm pleased to report that this month's DSO weekend at Glen Aplin was blessed with cold, cloudless skies on Friday night....hopefully, tonight (Saturday) will also be clear for those who have made the journey to the Granite Belt. There will be a brief report on this DSO at the OGM on Saturday afternoon, 22nd May.

May OGM & BFN, 22nd May 2010

The May OGM will be held in Room 222 in the Parnell Building, St Lucia campus, UQ.The Main Item will be an Astrophoto competition organised by Tony Dutton. AAQ members submitted their images for this event and Tony has assembled a panel of expert photographic judges. See the April newsletter for details of the competition. Members who wish to submit images for the ‘Items of Astronomical Interest' section of the Agenda, please give your USB drives to David O'Driscoll or myself before the meeting starts. If you arrive after the meeting has started, but want to submit images, please feel free to hand down your images when the Items of Astronomical Interest section is announced. Every level of astrophotography is encouraged.

The BFN observing session will be held after the meeting, weather permitting; a variety of telescopes will be available for viewing. If the sky is clear and there is a good chance of observing, I shall ensure the OGM is completed in time to allow for an orderly setup of equipment at the observing site. Do not hesitate to bring a portable telescope or binoculars if you have them; the plan is to set up telescopes in a park (BCC lists it as Munro St Park) bordered by Coleridge St and Carmody Rd adjacent to the campus.During the meeting, Tony Dutton will provide a summary of observing targets; experienced and inexperienced members & guests will be catered for.

Members who want the AAQ logo stitched on their favourite clothing, please remember to bring their shirts, vests, etc, to the April OGM and arrangements will be made for application of the new AAQ logo.

After the OGM (and before the BFN observing session), there is free tea, coffee and biscuits in the tea room behind Lecture Room 222; the library will be available at the same time. It was gratifying to see so many attendees mixing and socialising over a cuppa after the April meeting.

Parking is free on Saturday afternoon/evening, but please avoid using specific sites that require a permit; see the campus map on the website for suggested parking sites http://aaq.org.au/cms/index.php/activities/meetings.html.

Combined Societies Meeting

A meeting of the five society presidents was held at Renato Langersek's home on Friday night, 30th April to help organise this year's Combined Societies Meeting. At this stage, either the 16th or 23rd of June are the likely meeting dates; the venue will be Griffith University (Nathan). A further ‘virtual' president's meeting will be held on 28th May to finalise arrangements and I shall provide more details via the June President's report. If you wish to nominate a member for the Discovery or Achievement Awards, please discuss your nomination with me or Jonathan Bradshaw (who attended the meeting in my absence). The agenda will include a 10 minute talk by a member from each society and the usual raffles, door prize and supper will be featured.

Membership

Thank you to those members who have recently renewed their membership. Geoff Biggs will provide more details at the OGM, and will introduce any new members.

Another reminder to our non-financial members to renew their membership for 2010. Membership fees can be paid to the treasurer, Tim Napier-Munn, at the OGM, or online using the AAQ account details: BSB 014274, Acc 598680257. Remember to identify your payment online so Tim knows which member has paid.