he DAS credo is to provide members a forum for increasing and sharing their knowledge of astronomy, to promote astronomical education to the public, and to preserve Historic Chamberlin Observatory and its telescope in cooperation with the University of Denver.

If you are really interested in the sciences of astronomy and call yourself an amateur or hobbyist, this is your time! Over the next few weeks we have two special and rare astronomical events that will attract the attention of the news media. These events may even cause "John Q. Public" to look up, briefly, from their texting and interrupt their daily routines for something going on in the sky. Since you may have a telescope and probably know more about what's going on you have a great opportunity to become an ambassador of science, answer their questions as best you can and give them a look through your telescope.

We will be setting up our solar filtered scopes at both Chamberlin and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science during both events. I hope you'll join us. Despite the fact that science and particularly the discoveries of astronomy, have built the foundation of our 21st century society, few truly realize that our Sun is a common star or that our moon can be seen in the
daytime; because it orbit the Earth 24 hrs. a day, not just at night. And, very occasionally, its path in the sky intersects the Sun in daytime. It is still "common sense knowledge", expressed in our language, that the Sun rises and sets every day, as if it orbited the Earth!

While professional astronomers have long since stopped measuring or even watching our moon pass in front of the Sun and governments of empires no longer set expeditions sailing around the globe to take measurements of a Transit of Venus, we amateurs are still fascinated to watch such events. That makes us ambassadors. We can take our less knowledgeable friends out into our solar system to witness the moon, and a planet as big as our earth, pass between Earth and the Sun! Just by watching an explaining what an Annular Eclipse is and why it happens, there is the possibility to demonstrate that orbits of bodies in the solar system are not perfect circles as "common sense" might suggest, but weird ellipses! And there is just looking at the Sun itself. With proper filters on a telescope we can
demonstrate strange spots, prominences and all sort of details that up until Galileo pointed his first telescope at the heavens, few suspected, but assumed the Sun must be an object of perfection. Today, you don't have to worry about being put under house arrest or your observatory defunded and you exiled for viewing and talking about these things. You do stand on the shoulders of giants like Tycho, Galileo, Kepler, Halley and many others. Enjoy the events and I hope you enjoy sharing these moments in the Sun as a member of DAS!

Clear skies and "Keep Looking Up!"

Ron Pearson, DAS President