Dr.
Mike Reynolds has spent 33 years in astronomy and space sciences in the
gamut of a high school and university instructor, planetarium and
museum director, researcher, writer, and lecturer. He has received
numerous recognition for his work, including the 1986 Florida State
Teacher of the Year, NASA Teacher-in-Space National Finalist,
and the G. Bruce Blair Medal. Reynolds has written a number of
astronomy books and articles, including the popular Falling Stars -- A
Guide to Meteors and Meteorites. He has led numerous astronomical
expeditions worldwide, and has also served as an invited speaker
internationally. Mike is Executive Director Emeritus of the Chabot
Space & Science Center in Oakland, California, Professor of
Astronomy at Florida Community College in Jacksonville, Florida and was
just appointed Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the College. In
addition to serving on three national non-profit boards, Mike is the
Executive Director of the Association of Lunar & Planetary
Observers and coordinates the Astronomical League's Outreach Awards.
Lectures: Meteorites,
The Total Lunar Eclipses of 2007 and 2008, &
Falling Stars -- Operation Deep Freeze
Frank J. Melillo
Frank has been
interested in astronomy since the age of 11, when Apollo 11 went to the moon
and he was attracted by the beauty of the universe. He was using a Tasco
4.5-inch reflector telescope throughout the 1970's. In 1980, he had purchased a
Celestron 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain which he still has today. He started doing
astrophotography and joined the Astronomical Socity of Long Island (ASLI) in 1982, then the AAVSO, the IAPPP and the ALPO in 1985.
In 1997, Frank entered the world of CCD imaging and got more
interested in planetary imaging. He is more active in ALPO than any other
national organizations since the beginning. In 2001, he became a Mercury
coordinator for the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO). Also,
Melillo received the '2001 Walter Hass' award for most outstanding
contribution to the planetary astronomy. In addition to his Celestron 8-inch
telescope, he now has a 10-inch MEADE LX200, a Starlight Xpress MX-5 (16-bit)
CCD camera, a Toucam Pro II, the adaptive optics (AO-2), the SSP-3 OPTEC photometer,
Rainbow Optics spectroscopy and a few types of filters including the Daystar
H-Alpha 0.6 A. All these accessories have helped Melillo to further his
planetary studies of our Solar System.
Lectures:
The Apparitions of Mercury 2006 and 2007,
Observations of 'Skinakas Basin' and Crater Ejecta Rays
Between 280 and 360
Degrees
Longitude on Mercury, &
Mercury Observations During the First Messenger Flyby
Dr. Richard Schmude, Jr.
Richard first became interested in astronomy when he
was six years old and he purchased his first telescope at age 15. He
received
his Ph D in physical chemistry in 1994 from Texas A&M University.
Since
1994, he has taught different science classes at Gordon College in
Barnesville, Georgia. He is currently the coordinator of both the
Jupiter and Remote
Planets section of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers
(ALPO). He
has published numerous papers on both Jupiter and the remote planets.
He
has corresponded with hundreds of observers on five different
continents. His
first book, Uranus, Neptune Pluto and How to
Observe them (Springer, 2008) will be available after July 31.
Lectures: Jupiter's Oval BA,
Uranus and Neptune in 2007, &
Comet Holmes
Dr. John E. Westfall
John is a professional geographer, having taught the
subject at San Francisco State University from 1968 until his retirement in
2005. His specialties are the historical geography of the classical world, as
well as remote sensing.
His astronomy interests
began at the age of seven, and he joined the A.L.P.O. as a teenager, in 1953.
His particular interests are lunar imaging and mapping, serving as a Lunar
Recorder in the 1960s and 1970s, planetary photometry, transits of Mercury and
Venus, and asteroid occultations. He was A.L.P.O. Associate Director/ Executive
Director, 1985-1995, and continues as a board member, Science Editor, Assistant
Jupiter Coordinator for Galilean satellite eclipses and Coordinator of the
Mercury/Venus Transit Section.
John is married, has two
grown sons, likes to chase eclipses and visit archaeological sites, and lives
in a relatively cloud-free suburb of San Francisco, and observes with a C14.
Lecture: DLCROSS: An Opportunity for Amateurs
Michael F. Mattei
Mike has been a member of the Association of Lunar
and Planetary Observers (ALPO) since 1963. His current observational focus
includes faint comets, the Moon, and planets from his observatory using a
14-inch Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope.
Lecture: Strange Cloud Formation on the Terminator of Venus
Dr. Julius L. Benton, Jr. A native of Albany, Georgia, Julius first
became interested in astronomy and space science when he was only seven years
old after a thoughtful Aunt gave him a homemade planisphere and a subscription
to Sky and Telescope magazine.
Julius holds B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in physics and environmental
science, as well as a number of post doctoral certifications in avionics
systems development for the aerospace industry. He served 20 years (active and
reserve) as an Air Technical Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Air Force. Julius
has a long and successful career in the aerospace industry, collegiate
teaching, and research. Throughout his college years, graduate school, and
early professional life, the zeal Julius had for observing always prevailed as
his major pastime, eventually culminating in a focus on visual studies of the
Moon and planets.
Julius joined the
Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers in 1967, submitting his observational
work to the Lunar, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and Comets Sections, and has been
heavily immersed in the work of the A.L.P.O. ever since. He was appointed
Coordinator of the Lunar Section in 1970, heading up the Selected Areas
Program, serving in that role until 2006. In 1971, he became Coordinator of the
Venus and Saturn Sections, posts that he has held now for over 35 years. In
1994 Julius joined the Board of Directors of the A.L.P.O. and has already
served two terms as Executive Director under the rotational arrangement adopted
by the Board years ago.
In addition to his
professional research that has appeared in various technical journals,
for over
35 years Julius has written extensively on the subjects of lunar and
planetary
astronomy. For many years his articles have appeared in Sky and
Telescope, Astronomy, Journal of the British Astronomical Association,
Journal of the Association of Lunar and Planetary
Observers, Star and Sky,
and elsewhere. He has also published observing manuals on Saturn,
Venus, and
the Moon so that enthusiasts all over the world could plan and execute
useful
research programs. His new book, Saturn and
How to Observer It, was published by Springer in December 2005, and
has become widely accepted as the definitive guide for observing and
imaging
the planet Saturn. Julius has frequently been a guest speaker at local
and
national astronomical gatherings and his efforts as a liaison between
amateur
and professional planetary scientists has helped improve the
significance of
A.L.P.O. observational work.
Lecture: Recent Observations of Saturn and Current Observing Programs
Donald C.
Parker
Association
of Lunar & Planetary Observers (ALPO)
Mars Section, CCD/Video Imaging
Don
is a well known figure in the amateur astronomy world. His
work
in astro- imaging has been recognized internationally, and his devotion
in encouraging others to participate in recording the wonders of our
closest neighbors is legendary. We look forward to Don's
insights.
Lectures: Astro-Imaging, &
Facilities and Equipment for Astro-Imaging
