The first day of the Apollo Rendezvous meeting in Dayton, Ohio, got
rolling with a celebratory lunch with the Eichers — the undersigned,
father John and sister Nancy — and members of the host Miami Valley
Astronomical Society at the upscale and interesting Amber Rose
Restaurant in Dayton. Among those present were meeting organizers Linda
and Rick Weiss, Astronomical League President Terry Mann, prime-level
astroimager John Chumack, meteorite expert Ron Whitehead, club editor
Joe Tarkany, and many others. The festivities were merry, with lots of
laughter and many unusual stories spreading across the table.
See more images from Dave's trip to the 2009 Apollo Rendezvous.
Later, the Eicher trio had the privilege of touring the Cincinnati
Observatory Center, one of the oldest facilities for astronomical study
in the United States. The institution was founded by Ormsby MacKnight
Mitchel, a distinguished astronomer and author who later became an
influential major general in the Civil War who, in 1862, contracted
yellow fever and died at age 52. Mitchel’s observatory, commenced in
1842, had its cornerstone laid by John Quincy Adams and began science
operations soon thereafter. The 12-inch refractor, a product of
Bavaria, has been in continuous use since.
We were treated to a behind-the-scenes tour by John Ventre, one of the
great forces in Cincinnati astronomy, who I have had the pleasure of
knowing since my early days around Cincinnati in the mid 1970s. John
now heads up the observatory’s restoration efforts, which aim at
returning the observatory to an operating, 19th-century state — a goal
that is mostly complete. Thus, the Cincinnati Observatory is unique
among American science institutions. We were joined on our tour,
following a superb dinner in Cincinnati, by another old friend, Mike
Flick, and his wife Jeanine. Along with John, Mike has been one of the
distinguished Cincinnati astronomy enthusiasts since the 1970s, and has
been a significant contributor in many ways to the Astronomical League.
We were also briefly joined by the observatory’s energetic activities
coordinator, Dean Regas.
The observatory staff is heavily engaged in outreach activities, and
was the recipient of Astronomy’s Out-of-this-World Award for 2008. For
more about the Cincinnati Observatory Center, I encourage you to check
out www.cincinnatiobservatory.org.
Saturday will bring the full program of talks for Apollo Rendezvous. Stay tuned for a full report.
Previous:
Apollo Rendezvous 2009, Thursday
Photos courtesy David J. Eicher