The Santa Fe Stargazers met – at the usual meeting day and time – for our first on-line (or virtual, if you prefer) meeting. The agenda included a presentation, by club member Jim Eagle, on the March Sky, and an abbreviated business meeting.
The great novelty, and uncertainty, of this meeting was its use of the Zoom meeting software, which was recommended to us by Jim Eagle. Ten members joined us for this meeting, which by all accounts was a great success. Having established the viability of Zoom-based on-line meetings we will continue to host our meetings, following our regular meeting schedule, on-line until health authorities advise us that in person meetings are safe again. We realize this may be some time.
For reference, or for members unable to make the meeting, Jim’s presentation is available in pdf and keynote forms.
The abbreviated business meeting included a brief summary of our cancellation of all outreach and group observing activities through mid-May. Activities “on the books” for later than mid-May will be re-evaluated after mid-May based on the recommendations of county, state, and federal public health officials. The outreach planning group will continue to keep activity plans up-to-date so that we may be in a position to resume outreach and group observing activities when these become safe again. We realize that this may not be until next year, or later.
Also in the business meeting we discussed SFS involvement in efforts to support the formation of an International Dark Sky Association chapter in New Mexico. More information on this effort, and the role that the SFS may play in supporting it, will be available at our next meeting.