Date: June 4th 2006

NOTE: NEW DATE FOR MID-SOUTH 2007
Several folks have pointed out that I goofed in setting the date for next year's event. Easter is a week earlier than I had figured, so the new dates are one week earlier as well. Put April 11-14,2007 down your calendar. Thanks for being flexible.

LATEST ON THE NEW SANGRE TELESCOPE FACILITY
John Martinez went by the offices and shop of the Los Cumbres Global Telescope Network in California over Memorial day. We now expect to have the newly rebuilt telescope here in September. It will have an SBIG CCD, an SBIG spectrometer, a photometer, a video port for a MallinCam that Jack HuerKamp is donating, and a port for visual. All the instruments will be mounted so that they can be interchanged automatically. The go-to system will be accurate to 2 arc seconds with sub arc second tracking. The next items for us to tackle will be to get high speed internet available so the scope can be automated and a dome automation system that will allow remote access.

If you are in the vicinity we invite you to come this coming weekend on Friday night for a picnic (5:45 pm and program (7:15 pm) by John about what's in store. We want to do some planning about the use of the scope.

We especially urge college or secondary instructors who might want to involve their students (or themselves) in the use of the new intrumentation to come for this meeting. A consortium of users is our goal. Alloted time will depend on support. As an affiliate of the Los Cumbres network we will be able to access some time on one of their five to seven 80 inch scopes situated around the world.

If time permits we'll have a short update on the STEREO mission that is scheduled to launch next month to add stereo images of the Sun's coronal mass ejections.

WHAT'S COMING
By the next time you come to Rainwater there should be a new "AstroVan" and dome on a trailer for away presentations, and a marked nature trail in the woods. In the future is a possible solar observatory with a spectrohelioscope. We've been offered the parts. If you have expertise in this area, please contact us.

PROGRAM FOR NEXT YEAR
Finally, if you have suggestions for talks, speakers, additions or deletions from the Mid-South event, please let us know your ideas. Thanks again to all who contributed with your time, help, suggestions and presence to make holding the Mid-South Star Gaze a rewarding and enjoyable time. See you soon. (You don't have to wait until next April to visit.)