Tag: meeting

A Conversation on the Docks

Leaving Deb to take a nap in the hotel room I grabbed a camera. The shopping was done, nothing to do until we loaded up baggage and groceries for a quick flight to Craig the next morning. I wondered if the Ketchikan waterfront would offer a few photos, so I grabbed the 6D with the 70-200mm f/2.8, a rain jacket, and not much else for an evening walk.

A Conversation on the Docks
A conversation with Jack, a longtime Ketchikan resident
“You know you are trespassing.”

The comment caught me by surprise. I was threading my way along an apparently abandoned section of docks noting a possible photo opportunity involving some harbor seals.

Turning, I was met by a fellow stepping out of an old white van that looked to have been parked in place for the entire summer.

Continue reading “A Conversation on the Docks”

The December WHAC Meeting

The West Hawai’i Astronomy Club will hold its December Meeting as usual on the second Tuesday of the month, December 11th at 7pm. We will be unable to have the meeting at CFHT due to conflict with another event, thus we will be meeting at Keck Observatory HQ in Waimea.

As many of our members traveled to observe the recent total solar eclipse in Australia we expect to be treated to photos and travelogues of their expedition. Join us for eclipse photos and more.

WHAC Monthly Meeting

The West Hawai’i Astronomy Club Meeting is nearly upon us. As a reminder we will be at CFHT Headquarters this month. We have a guest speaker this month, so it should be a good evening…

Decoding starlight with infrared spectroscopy: Finding water in places where planets might form around new stars
Greg Doppmann, Keck Observatory
7:00pm, Feb 14th

Greg Doppmann is recent transplant to the Big Island, now working at the Keck Observatory as a Support Astronomer. He received his professional training in astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin. In addition to research, Greg was also active in infrared instrumentation for the McDonald Observatory while at Texas. After graduating in 2002, he took a postdoc position at NASA’s Ames Research Center.

In 2004, Greg moved down to La Serena Chile and became an instrument scientist at the Gemini Observatory. More recently, he was a member of the scientific staff at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory in Tucson for 5 years before moving to Hawaii.

His current research interests are focused on star formation, where he uses large telescopes with infrared spectrometers to measure physical properties of young stars that are embedded within nearby star forming clouds. In his spare time he enjoys hiking, cycling, gardening, and flying.