The University Lowbrow Astronomers
Who Are We?
We are a diverse group of around 90 amateur astronomers, ranging from amateur telescope makers to professional
rocket scientists (really!). Some of us just like to read, while others like to get out and observe or photograph
the heavens. The bottom line is that we all have a more than casual interest in astronomy, and you do not
have to be a student or alumnus of the University of Michigan to join! Whether you are a novice or a seasoned
veteran, we hope that you will find us to be friendly, knowledgeable, and fun to be with.
Benefits
Your dues (see below) entitles you and your
immediate family (spouse and children) to the following benefits:
- Monthly newsletter. Eight pages full of late breaking astronomical
news, information, reports, and club business, delivered right to your door
(or at least your mailbox). Many articles are written by our own members
and some are available on this web site.
- Magazine subscription discounts. As a Lowbrow, you can receive Sky
& Telescope Magazine for only $32.95 per year (normally $42.95 US),
and Astronomy Magazine
for only $34.00 per year or $60.00 for two years (normally $42.95 a year US). Subscribe to them both
and you’ve saved more than enough to pay your dues!
- Access to a 24 inch(!) telescope. The Lowbrows have access to the
University’s 24 inch McMath Cassegrain telescope on
Peach Mountain near Pinckney. See for yourself what REAL light
gathering power is! Also, if you own your own telescope, there is
room at the observatory site to set it up at one of the darkest sites in
the Ann Arbor area. The observatory is on North
Territorial Road, 1.1 miles west of the Dexter-Pinckney Road intersection.
- Private hotline. We have a private telephone hotline, for Lowbrows
only, by which you can obtain late breaking news, or to find out if anyone
is going out to the observatory on a given night.
- E-Mail list. All members have the option of being included in our
e-mail list. A variety of information is distributed in this way.
- The University Lowbrow Astronomers are a member of NASA’s Night Sky Network. More information is available here.
- Monthly meetings are held on the third Friday of every month, at 7:30 pm.
Besides club business, meetings always
feature a speaker and/or some kind of presentation. Unless otherwise
indicated, meetings are held in the Dennison Building on the campus of the
University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, in room 130 [go here for a map].
Per tradition, after each meeting we adjourn to the nearby Brown Jug for
food and camaraderie. Topics for Upcoming
Meetings.
- Public Open Houses at Peach Mountain are scheduled on a regular basis.
When it is clear, these are well attended by visitors, so you are encouraged
to help with these events, whether directing parking or foot traffic, or
providing a telescope for viewing. The Lowbrows are also involved
with a variety of other astronomy related events over the course of the
year. See the calendar of astronomy events.
- On any clear night (even when it is not an open house), there is likely
to be at least a couple of members observing at Peach Mountain. You
can observe or do photography with the 24 inch, or bring your own scope.
- There also is a telescope making subgroup within the club, which meets
each month on the Sunday that follows the regular Friday meeting, at club
members’ homes. It is open to any member interested in telescope
making. Announcements for subgroup meetings are posted in the monthly
newsletter.
- In addition, there is a computer subgroup.
This subgroup discusses the varied applications of computers within astronomy.
Meeting times for the computer subgroup vary.
See the club photo album for a sample
of some Lowbrow activities.
Officers
| President |
Charles Nielsen |
(734) 747-6585 |
|
| President Emeritus |
Dr. Mark Vincent |
|
|
| Vice Presidents |
Ken Cook |
|
|
| |
Jim Forrester |
(734) 663-1638 |
|
| |
Bobby Gruszczynski |
|
|
| |
Belinda Lee |
|
|
Treasurer |
Elizabeth Calhoun |
|
|
Newsletter Editor |
Mark Deprest |
|
|
| Observatory Director |
Mike Radwick |
|
|
| Observatory Director Emeritus
|
Percival Lowell (deceased) |
|
| Webmaster |
Dave Snyder |
(734) 747-6537 |
 |
The Observatory Committee
| Ken Cook |
Jim Forrester |
Bernard Friberg |
| Kurt Hillig |
Yasuharu Inugi |
Mike Kurylo |
| D C Moons |
Nathan Murphy |
Charlie Nielsen |
| Mike Radwick |
Tom Ryan |
Dave Snyder |
To join the Lowbrows, send your address, phone number(s), e-mail address, and dues to
Liz Calhoun
PO Box 4465
Ann Arbor, MI 48106-4465
Make your check payable to the University Lowbrow Astronomers.
- If you are a student or you are 55 years of age or older you can join for $12.00.
- If you live outside of Michigan, or you live in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, you can join for $5.00.
- If you live in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, you are not a student and not 55 years or older, you can join for $20.00.
If you wish to get a printed copy of the newsletter mailed to you, you need to pay an additional $12.00 per year.
Dues need to be paid once per year.
Web Site
The University Lowbrow Astronomers maintain the web site you are now viewing which contains a variety of information.
Club members have contributed most of the material on this web site. The web server is provided by the University
of Michigan.
This site is regularly updated
(look at the calendar for recent
changes) and consists of several different sections:
- Open Houses - Information about open houses (where the public can look
through telescopes) and other astronomy events in Southeast Michigan.
- Links - Links to other astronomy web sites.
- Peach Mountain - Information about the facilities used by the lowbrow astronomers
(including a history of the various observatories operated by the University of Michigan from 1854 to the present).
- Pictures - Photographs and sketches made by Lowbrow Astronomers (many taken at Peach
Mountain).
- The Club (which includes this file) - Information about the club, its members and activities (this
includes a list of topics of past and upcoming club meetings).
- The Club Photo Album - Photographs of Lowbrows at various club activities.
- Club Newsletter - A collection of articles from our newsletter. These articles
are all written by club members and cover a variety of topics (including astronomy equipment, history and other
information).
- Book List - A list of astronomy books (from astronomy books for children to more advanced
books).
- Observer’s Guide - Information on
astronomy observing (includes an overview of what a beginner can
expect to see in the night sky and more advanced topics).
This and other information may be found on our home page or through the club
search engine.
For comments about this web site or to obtain more information about the
club, contact us.
The club operates under a set of by-laws. The current version of the
by-laws was approved at the April 2003 meeting. View
the by-laws (you will need Adobe Acrobat).
Links
Copyright Info
Copyright © 2009, the University Lowbrow Astronomers. (The University Lowbrow Astronomers are an amateur astronomy club based in Ann Arbor, Michigan).
This page revised Tuesday, April 21, 2009 11:02 PM.
This web server is provided by the University of Michigan;
the University of Michigan does not permit profit making activity
on this web server.
Do you have comments about this page or want more information about the club? Contact Us.
