Observers Notebook

Episode 217

In this episode of the Observers Notebook podcast, host Tim Robertson talks to the ALPO Lunar Section Coordinator and Editor of the Lunar Observer newsletter.

You can contact David at:

For more information you can visit the ALPO web site at:

www.alpo-astronomy.org/

You can also support this podcast at Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/ObserversNotebook

Listen to the podcast on Soundcloud:

https://soundcloud.com/observersnotebook

Subscribe on our YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/c/AssociationofLunarandPlanetaryObservers

Subscribe on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/observers-notebook-the-alpo-podcast/id1199301885?mt=2

I want to thank the Producers of this podcast, Steve Siedentop and Michael Moyer for their generous support of the Observers Notebook.

Our Patreons:

Jerry White

Jason Inman

Bob Lunsford

Steve Seidentop

Stephen Bennett

Michael Moyer

Shawn Dilles

Damian Allis

Carl Hergenrother

Michael McShan

Michael Blake

Nick Evetts

Stan Sienkiewicz

Carl Hergenrother

Stan Sienkiewicz

John Rogers

Jim McCarthy

Stanley McMahan

Episode 216

In this episode of the Observers Notebook podcast, host Tim Robertson talks to the Editor in Chief of Sky& Telescope magazine, Diana Hannikainen.

You can contact Diana at:

For more information you can visit the ALPO web site at:

www.alpo-astronomy.org/

You can also support this podcast at Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/ObserversNotebook

Listen to the podcast on Soundcloud:

https://soundcloud.com/observersnotebook

Subscribe on our YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/c/AssociationofLunarandPlanetaryObservers

Subscribe on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/observers-notebook-the-alpo-podcast/id1199301885?mt=2

I want to thank the Producers of this podcast, Steve Siedentop and Michael Moyer for their generous support of the Observers Notebook.

Our Patreons:

Jerry White

Jason Inman

Bob Lunsford

Steve Seidentop

Stephen Bennett

Michael Moyer

Shawn Dilles

Damian Allis

Carl Hergenrother

Michael McShan

Michael Blake

Nick Evetts

Stan Sienkiewicz

Carl Hergenrother

Stan Sienkiewicz

John Rogers

Jim McCarthy

Stanley McMahan

Episode 215

In this episode of the Observers Notebook podcast, host Tim Robertson talks to the Meteor Section Coordinator, Bob Lunsford about the upcoming Delta Aquariids meteor showers peaking the evening of July 29/20 2025.

Bob gives us a brief history of the Meteor Showers, how and where to observe and details on reporting your observations, and contact information.

You can contact Bob at:

The link for the details on the Lyrids meteor shower:

https://www.amsmeteors.org/meteor-showers/meteor-shower-calendar/

International Meteor Organization

https://www.imo.net/

ALPO Meteor Section Blog

https://www.alpo-astronomy.org/Meteor

For the latest information from the ALPO Meteor Section you can visit:

http://www.amsmeteors.org/

For more information you can visit the ALPO web site at:

www.alpo-astronomy.org/

You can also support this podcast at Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/ObserversNotebook

Listen to the podcast on Soundcloud:

https://soundcloud.com/observersnotebook

Subscribe on our YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/c/AssociationofLunarandPlanetaryObservers

Subscribe on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/observers-notebook-the-alpo-podcast/id1199301885?mt=2

I want to thank the Producers of this podcast, Steve Siedentop and Michael Moyer for their generous support of the Observers Notebook.

Our Patreons:

Jerry White

Jason Inman

Bob Lunsford

Steve Seidentop

Stephen Bennett

Michael Moyer

Shawn Dilles

Damian Allis

Carl Hergenrother

Michael McShan

Michael Blake

Nick Evetts

Stan Sienkiewicz

Carl Hergenrother

Stan Sienkiewicz

John Rogers

Jim McCarthy

Stanley McMahan

Episode 213

In this episode of the Observers Notebook podcast, host Tim Robertson talks to the Mercury Section Coordinator, Frank Melillo.

Frank gives us a brief history of the Mercury Section and discusses what type of equipment is needed to contribute to the section, and also the various observing programs available, and contact information.

You can contact Frank at:

ALPO Mercury Section

http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/mercuryblog/

For more information you can visit the ALPO web site at:

www.alpo-astronomy.org/

You can also support this podcast at Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/ObserversNotebook

Listen to the podcast on Soundcloud:

https://soundcloud.com/observersnotebook

Subscribe on our YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/c/AssociationofLunarandPlanetaryObservers

Subscribe on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/observers-notebook-the-alpo-podcast/id1199301885?mt=2

I want to thank the Producer of this podcast, Steve Siedentop and Michael Moyer for their generous support of the Observers Notebook.

Our Patreons:

Jerry White

Jason Inman

Bob Lunsford

Steve Seidentop

Stephen Bennett

Michael Moyer

Shawn Dilles

Damian Allis

Carl Hergenrother

Michael McShan

Michael Blake

Nick Evetts

Stan Sienkiewicz

Carl Hergenrother

Stan Sienkiewicz

John Rogers

Jim McCarthy

Stanley McMahan

Episode 212

In this episode of the Observers Notebook podcast, host Tim Robertson talks to the Solar Section Coordinator, Rik Hill about what is a Solar Cycle and what we need to know about this event.

You can contact Rik at:

You can visit Rik’s website here.

https://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~rhill/jlobs.html

Space Weather

https://spaceweather.com/

For more information you can visit the ALPO web site at:

www.alpo-astronomy.org/

You can also support this podcast at Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/ObserversNotebook

Listen to the podcast on Soundcloud:

https://soundcloud.com/observersnotebook

Subscribe on our YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/c/AssociationofLunarandPlanetaryObservers

Subscribe on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/observers-notebook-the-alpo-podcast/id1199301885?mt=2

I want to thank the Producers of this podcast, Steve Siedentop and Michael Moyer for their generous support of the Observers Notebook.

Our Patreons:

Jerry White

Jason Inman

Bob Lunsford

Steve Seidentop

Stephen Bennett

Michael Moyer

Shawn Dilles

Damian Allis

Carl Hergenrother

Michael McShan

Michael Blake

Nick Evetts

Stan Sienkiewicz

Carl Hergenrother

Stan Sienkiewicz

John Rogers

Jim McCarthy

Stanley McMahan

Episode 214

In this episode of the Observers Notebook podcast, host Tim Robertson talks to the Minor Planets Coordinator, Fred Pilcher about the ALPO Minor Planets Section.

You can contact Fred at:

Minor Planet Bulletin

https://mpbulletin.org/

For more information you can visit the ALPO web site at:

www.alpo-astronomy.org/

You can also support this podcast at Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/ObserversNotebook

Listen to the podcast on Soundcloud:

https://soundcloud.com/observersnotebook

Subscribe on our YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/c/AssociationofLunarandPlanetaryObservers

Subscribe on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/observers-notebook-the-alpo-podcast/id1199301885?mt=2

I want to thank the Producers of this podcast, Steve Siedentop and Michael Moyer for their generous support of the Observers Notebook.

Our Patreons:

Jerry White

Jason Inman

Bob Lunsford

Steve Seidentop

Stephen Bennett

Michael Moyer

Shawn Dilles

Damian Allis

Carl Hergenrother

Michael McShan

Michael Blake

Nick Evetts

Stan Sienkiewicz

Carl Hergenrother

Stan Sienkiewicz

John Rogers

Jim McCarthy

Stanley McMahan

Episode 211

In this episode of the Observers Notebook podcast, host Tim Robertson talks to the ALPO member Jim Tomney on the upcoming Virtual ALPO Conference.

The dates will be Friday and Saturday, July 25/26, 2025. The conference will also be Live Streamed on the ALPO YouTube channel.

As a "virtual" event, this year's ALPO conference will NOT be an in-person event.

This way, you can participate from the comfort of your own home or office.

The conference times for both days will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pacific Time (1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time) and allow for seven paper presentation sessions each day with short breaks on both days. All presentations be limited to approximately 25 minutes each with a few minutes left for audience questions.

The schedule of presentations will be posted about one week prior to the event.

The ALPO board of directors meeting will be held on Friday, July 25 at 4 p.m. PT (7 p.m. ET).

The ALPO Conference is free and open to anyone to attend; however, all presenters must be current members of the ALPO. Digital memberships start at only $22 a year. To join online, go to https://www.alpo-astronomy.org/ALPO/Home/Join.

Following a break after the last paper presentation on Saturday afternoon, July 26, will be presentation of the annual Walter Haas Observer Award.

This will be followed by our keynote speaker at 4 pm. PT (7 p.m. ET). With the award presentation and keynote speech usually occurring at the traditional Saturday evening

dinner, we suggest that you enjoy your own meal during these last two conference events.

Door prizes will be awarded following the Keynote address. No purchase necessary.

The only hardware required along with your computer are a webcam and microphone. If you will be using a laptop computer, both are already built into your system.

An online chat feature will allow type-in text comments for questions once the conference gets underway.

All presenters must already have ZOOM installed on their computer prior to the conference dates.

ZOOM is free and available at https://zoom.us/

The ZOOM links will be e-mailed out on Thursday, July 24. Send a request to [email protected]

There will be a separate ZOOM meeting set up for each day.

The ZOOM virtual (online) meeting room will open 15 minutes prior to the beginning of each day’s activities.

Upon logging into ZOOM you will be placed into a ‘waiting room’ until the meeting begins, and your microphone will be muted automatically.

Those individuals wishing to present a paper should submit their request to Tim Robertson at [email protected] no later than July 1st, along with a brief bio about themselves and a summary of their presentation. Microsoft PowerPoint is the preferred method of visual presentation along with an audio explanation.

Contact Information:

ALPO Website: http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/

Tim Robertson: [email protected]

ZOOM: https://zoom.us/

ALPO YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AssociationofLunarandPlanetaryObservers

ALPO Podcast- The Observers Notebook: https://soundcloud.com/observersnotebook

For more information you can visit the ALPO web site at:

www.alpo-astronomy.org/

You can also support this podcast at Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/ObserversNotebook

Listen to the podcast on Soundcloud:

https://soundcloud.com/observersnotebook

Subscribe on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/observers-notebook-the-alpo-podcast/id1199301885?mt=2

I want to thank the Producer of this podcast, Steve Siedentop and Michael Moyer for their generous support of the Observers Notebook.

Our Patreons:

Jerry White

Jason Inman

Bob Lunsford

Steve Seidentop

Stephen Bennett

Michael Moyer

Shawn Dilles

Damian Allis

Carl Hergenrother

Michael McShan

Michael Blake

Nick Evetts

Stan Sienkiewicz

Carl Hergenrother

Stan Sienkiewicz

John Rogers

Jim McCarthy

Stanley McMahan

Episode 209

In this episode of the Observers Notebook podcast, host Tim Robertson talks to Jack Daleo, Reporter covering the modern flying beat for FLYING Magazine, writing about topics like drones, unmanned aircraft systems, advanced air mobility and space travel.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and FAA oversee investigations of aircraft accidents in U.S. airspace. But what happens when a crash occurs hundreds of millions of miles away in outer space?

Engineers with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California and uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) manufacturer Aerovironment, a prominent aerospace and defense contractor, are conducting what the space agency on Wednesday said is the first aircraft accident investigation on another world. Personnel are examining the final flight of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter, which hurtled into the Red Planet’s surface and was retired in January.

We discuss Jack’s life and contact information.

You can contact Jack at:

NASA Conducts First Otherworldly Aircraft Accident Investigation

https://www.flyingmag.com/news/nasa-conducts-first-otherworldly-aircraft-accident-investigation/

For more information you can visit the ALPO web site at:

www.alpo-astronomy.org/

You can also support this podcast at Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/ObserversNotebook

Listen to the podcast on Soundcloud:

https://soundcloud.com/observersnotebook

Subscribe on our YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/c/AssociationofLunarandPlanetaryObservers

Subscribe on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/observers-notebook-the-alpo-podcast/id1199301885?mt=2

I want to thank the Producers of this podcast, Steve Siedentop and Michael Moyer for their generous support of the Observers Notebook.

Our Patreons:

Jerry White

Jason Inman

Bob Lunsford

Steve Seidentop

Stephen Bennett

Michael Moyer

Shawn Dilles

Damian Allis

Carl Hergenrother

Michael McShan

Michael Blake

Nick Evetts

Stan Sienkiewicz

Carl Hergenrother

Stan Sienkiewicz

John Rogers

Jim McCarthy

Stanley McMahan

Episode 209

In this episode of the Observers Notebook podcast, host Tim Robertson talks to the Comet Section Coordinator, Carl Hergenrother about the newly discovered Comet Swan, 2025F2.

You can contact Carl at:

ALPO Comets Section blog:

http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/cometblog/

For more information you can visit the ALPO web site at:

www.alpo-astronomy.org/

You can also support this podcast at Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/ObserversNotebook

Listen to the podcast on Soundcloud:

https://soundcloud.com/observersnotebook

Subscribe on our YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/c/AssociationofLunarandPlanetaryObservers

Subscribe on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/observers-notebook-the-alpo-podcast/id1199301885?mt=2

I want to thank the Producers of this podcast, Steve Siedentop and Michael Moyer for their generous support of the Observers Notebook.

Our Patreons:

Jerry White

Jason Inman

Bob Lunsford

Steve Seidentop

Stephen Bennett

Michael Moyer

Shawn Dilles

Damian Allis

Carl Hergenrother

Julian Parks

Michael McShan

Michael Blake

Nick Evetts

Stan Sienkiewicz

Carl Hergenrother

Julian Parks

Michael McShan

Michael Blake

Nick Evetts

Rik Hill

Stan Sienkiewicz

John Rogers

Jim McCarthy

Stanley McMahan

Episode 207

In this episode of the Observers Notebook podcast, host Tim Robertson talks to Sam Deen, as a child, he began searching for exoplanets, but soon he was not satisfied with simply clicking on the offered images. He wanted more, to use the available data for his own scientific research. After a year, he left university studies to devote all his time to astronomy. He finds lost asteroids, comets or identifies small bodies of the Solar System overlooked by scientists, starting from new near-Earth asteroids, unknown moons of Jupiter, and ending with extremely distant trans-Neptunian objects. Self-taught, who has developed into a unique expert, the detective of the astronomical archives.

We discuss Sam’s life and experiences in Discovery of objects and contact information.

You can contact Sam at:

Deep Random Survey

https://deeprandomsurvey.org/

For more information you can visit the ALPO web site at:

www.alpo-astronomy.org/

You can also support this podcast at Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/ObserversNotebook

Listen to the podcast on Soundcloud:

https://soundcloud.com/observersnotebook

Subscribe on our YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/c/AssociationofLunarandPlanetaryObservers

Subscribe on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/observers-notebook-the-alpo-podcast/id1199301885?mt=2

I want to thank the Producers of this podcast, Steve Siedentop and Michael Moyer for their generous support of the Observers Notebook.

Our Patreons:

Jerry White

Jason Inman

Bob Lunsford

Steve Seidentop

Stephen Bennett

Michael Moyer

Shawn Dilles

Frank Schenck

Damian Allis

Carl Hergenrother

Julian Parks

Michael McShan

Michael Blake

Nick Evetts

Rik Hill

Stan Sienkiewicz

John Rogers