General Meetings
ASKC General Meetings are usually held at the UMKC Volker Campus in Royall Hall, Room 111, on the fourth Saturday of each month — except:
- September: Members-only picnic (no regular meeting)
- November: Saturday prior to Thanksgiving
- December: Annual holiday party (no regular meeting)
The night begins with 30-Minute Astronomy (a short program on an introductory topic), followed by a meet and greet with light refreshments. ASKC's library will be open for browsing and material checkout. The meeting format typically includes welcome and introductions, guest speaker presentation, Q&A, and then general announcements and business items.
Meetings are free and open to the public.
This Month's Program
The featured speaker this month will be Astronomical Society of Kansas City member Joseph Wright. He will tell us how to “Be an Astronomer for a Weekend Using Professional Equipment.” He will explain that there are other opportunities for youth and adults beyond the Astronomical League’s Observing Awards and will share some of these opportunities with you, principally the programs being offered at the University of Arizona’s Steward Observatory.
A little bit about Joseph: He became interested in astronomy while earning the Astronomy merit badge at the H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation near Osceola, Mo. His first telescope was a Jason 90mm refractor. In 1998, while Scoutmaster of the troop in which he had earned his Eagle Scout Award, Joseph met ASKC member Lario Yerino. He let Lario use his Celestron 8-inch SCT. Lario encouraged Joseph and his wife Rita to join ASKC. That Fall they did. In 2004, Joseph was invited to a Girl Scout astronomy program being conducted by the UofA under the educational component/grant of the Spitzer Space Telescope by the Principle Investigator, Don McCarthy, of the infrared group. The Wrights attended again in 2006 as the program was renewed under James Webb Space Telescope.
Joseph helped to organize a “reunion camp” in 2012. In 2016 McCarthy hired them to be on the staff for the teen and adult camps. These programs take place at the Mt. Lemmon Observatory complex near Summerhaven, Ariz., several times a year. He hopes other ASKC members will become interested in attending.
Wright
Schedule
Saturday, July 26, 2025
- 6:00 PM: 30-Minute Astronomy
- 6:30 PM: Refreshments and Library open
- 7:00 PM: General Meeting and Program
Location
Royall Hall, UMKC, 800 East 52nd Street, Kansas City, Missouri
Free parking is available in the garage south of 52nd Street.
Enter Royall Hall via the east doors under the pedestrian bridge.
Virtual option: ASKC members will receive an invitation to participate via Zoom.
Upcoming Meetings
The next general meeting will be held on August 23, 2025, at Royall Hall. There will be no meeting in September. Instead, members should plan to attend the annual picnic on September 27. See your Cosmic Messenger for details.
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