LVAAS General Meeting
Sunday June 8, 7 p.m. at LVAAS South Mountain Headquarters, Allentown PA
Speakers are in person
"Heart of the Aurora"
Featuring Gary Becker and Peter Detterline
Experience the ethereal beauty of the aurora borealis in Iceland, where science meets spectacle. This program delves into the natural phenomenon of the northern lights, exploring their formation, scientific significance, and cultural importance. From Iceland's pristine landscapes to the vivid dances of light in the Arctic sky, uncover the mysteries of one of Earth's most mesmerizing displays. Join Gary Becker and Peter Detterline for an illuminating journey into the heart of the aurora.
Gary A. Becker has had a lifelong passion for astronomy, photography, and sky watching. As director for 38 years of the award-winning Allentown (PA) School District Planetarium, and currently, Adjunct Professor of Astronomy at Moravian University in Bethlehem, PA, Gary has taught astronomy from the preschool to the graduate level under the electronic as well as the natural sky.
An ardent traveler, Gary has hosted tours to observe and photograph comets and eclipses and has taken urban students to the Southwest to view the heavens from some of the darkest locales in the United States. He and his pupils volunteered as Night Sky Interpreters at Chaco Culture National Historical Park, NM and Bryce Canyon National Park, UT between 1999 and 2006. In 2012, he joined the Astronomy Team of the Mars Society where he helps to maintain and enhance the Elon Musk (Solar) Observatory and the MDRS Robotic Observatory at the Mars Desert Research Station near Hanksville, Utah, the latter which supports the astronomy program at Moravian University.
Gary A. Becker’s half-century of amateur and professional interests in astronomy have provided him with a unique perspective for writing and teaching. He has authored the book that his Moravian astronomy students use, edited the national newsletter of the Astronomical League, The Reflector, founded (1996) and continues to maintain as an educational outreach the very visual website astronomy.org, and has for over a quarter century written a homespun, informative weekly column called StarWatch which is distributed to the Moravian community and appears in 25 newspapers nationwide.
Gary resides in Pennsylvania’s beautiful Lehigh Valley with his wife, Susan, a retired English teacher who also enjoys writing, and their three spunky Dutch rabbits, “cerebral” Sagan, “T-Rex” Stella, and "princely little" Fynn.
Peter Detterline is an avid astronomer whose interests cover a wide range of the astronomical spectrum. For thirty-five years he was the Director of the Boyertown Planetarium, where he gave programs to over half a million people. He is a recipient of the Thomas Brennan award from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific for exceptional achievement related to teaching high school astronomy. He teaches an astronomy course at Montgomery County Community College, and for teachers through the Montana Learning Center. In research he has coauthored numerous papers on eclipsing binaries and contributes data to the AAVSO, ALPO, IMO, and IOTA. He is the Observatory Director for the Mars Society where he heads up an Astronomy Team providing a solar and a robotic telescope for their members at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah. He also provides training for a robotic telescope in New Mexico as the Lead Astronomer for the Montana Learning Center. Both robotic telescopes are used remotely by students around the world.
Peter was selected to be part of the “Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassador Program”, where he visited the largest American observatories in that country. As an amateur astronomer he has traveled the globe to view solar eclipses, built his own observatory, and has completed over 45 observing programs including the Astronomical League’s “Master Observer”. He is an honorary life member of the Lehigh Valley Amateur Astronomical Society (LVAAS).
When he’s not staring at the heavens, Peter is preaching about them as a Lay Minister for the United Church of Christ. Astronomy for him is a deeply enriching experience that connects the heavens to the Earth.
Prospective new members who wish to attend the meeting should email membership@lvaas.org.
