Message from AAA’s President – September 2021

Hello Fellow Amateur Astronomers!

Summer is almost at an end and soon the crisp air and changing leaves of fall will envelop us.  Along with a change of season comes significant changes to AAA.

All of us on the Executive Committee, Board, and the membership at large, have been working diligently to bring so many offerings that they are almost difficult to keep track of.

To start with, you will be reading this message in Eyepiece on our new website. Many people have had a hand in bringing this to creation ever since I put the ball in motion soon after being elected president, but Parker Bossier has brought it to completion. Anyone who would like to drop him a line of congratulations for his vast and valiant efforts, please feel free to do so.

We also will be starting our telescope loaner program this month through the NY Public Library, thanks to Yui Hasegawa, Harris Schaer, and Candice Julien, and many others.

AAA itself also will be loaning out telescopes, thanks to Faissal Halim, Bart Fried, and others.

Our finances are in great shape, thanks to Amy Wagner and Michael Towers.

A domed telescope is not too far on the horizon, thanks primarily to Bart.

Our observing schedule is getting back into the swing of things while still dealing with the significant hiccup of Covid, thanks to Katherine Troche, Rori Baldari, and many others on the observing committee.

I also hope that everyone registers and shows up for our Autumn Starfest on the 17th, which, thanks to Kelly Elivow, we are for the first time using a digital billboard at a local subway station to advertise the event.

The new season of our podcast will launch within the next month, thanks to Stan Fertig, Kat, Parker, Kelly and Preston Stahly, and the rest of the podcast team.

Also within the next month, our lecture series will launch, thanks to the effort of David Kraft.

Astrophotography meetups continue on an almost weekly basis thanks to Stan Honda.

Classes continue to be robust, exciting, and incredibly affordable, thanks to the efforts of Dave Kiefer, Perry, Matthias Schmitt and others who teach and coordinate.

Bart is making significant headway in making sure our members understand the value they receive with membership. Stay tuned for updates on this front.

The Board does a great job of overseeing the direction of the association, led by John Bills, and including Lorraine Limpahan, Faissal, Naomi Cosman, Alfredo Viegas, Bhaswan Kurra, and Perry Rotella.

Giselle Pemberton and Rich Morey, as the newest members of the Executive Committee, are already making a positive impact by ensuring that all questions, inquiries, and association requirements are robustly answered and decided.

And so many other folks are making an impact, that there is not enough space to list them all. But as you can see, AAA is only getting stronger and better.

When I first joined the Board of AAA, I was not sure exactly what to expect. But as the years have gone by, and I eventually was elected president, the impact of volunteering for a non-profit organization became clear to me – there is hardly as good of a feeling as giving back to a community.

I sincerely hope that for those who have not yet joined AAA, you consider doing so. And for those who are members, thank you, and please do not hesitate to raise your hand to become more involved. As you can see, we are offering so much, that new ideas, thoughts, and effort, are certainly appreciated.

Stay safe and see you in the stars.

Brian Berg, AAA President