[Prime Focus]
Last Updated 05.05.2008
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Prime Focus is the monthly publication of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society.  Most issues contain an event calendar, meeting minutes, sky highlights, all-sky star map, and articles by guest authors and KAS members.  The latest issue is available to current KAS members only, but past issues are made available to everyone as a courtesy.  If you would like to receive the latest issue then please consider becoming a KAS member.  All issues below are in PDF format, so you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader (version 5.0 or later is recommended).



2008
January 1.88 MB
December Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Full Moon Theater Preview, Final Observations, So, Where Did All of This Come From, 'Death Star' Galaxy, NASA Space Place, January Night Sky.
February 2.16 MB
January Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Perpetual Plant Sale Report, Price Check, WMU Seminar, Eclipse of the Snow Moon, The Harmonic Drive, Where Did All of This Come Form, NASA Space Place, MESSENGER Meets Mercury, Star Parties in 2008, February Night Sky.
March 1.56 MB
February Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Harlow Shapely Lecture, Full Moon Theater Preview, Lunar Eclipse Captured, Charles Messier, Guide to the Messier Marathon, Messier Marathon Search List, NASA Space Place, March Night Sky.
April 1.28 MB
March Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Astronomy Day 2008, KAS Online Redesign Underway, Turtles and the Speed of Light, Rhea Also May Have Rings, NASA Space Place, Membership of the KAS,April Night Sky.
May (members only) 1.37 MB
April Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Worthwhile Web Sites, Astrophotography Workshop, Astronomy Day 2008 Report, Phobos in 3D, NASA Space Place, May Night Sky.

2007
January 1.55 MB
December Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Full Moon Theater Preview, Observations, Notre Dame Field Trip Report, Water May Still Flow on Mars, Massive Mountain Range on Titan, NASA Space Place, January Night Sky.
February
1.45 MB
General Meeting Preview, January Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Twelve Commandments for Amateur Astronomers, Observations, Great Comet of 2007, The Owl Observatory Project, Spitzer Peeks at the Pillars, NASA Space Place, Star Parties of 2007, February Night Sky.
March
1.21 MB
February Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Observations, Starbooks, What's for Dinner? A Lunar Eclipse!, Observing Saturn, NASA Space Place, March Night Sky.
April  1.47 MB
March Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Observations, Astronomy Day 2007, Observing Clubs, 2007 Winter Star Party Report, New Horizons Swings by Jupiter, April Night Sky.
May
1.37 MB
April Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Observations, KAS Seeks Grant Funding, Astronomy Day 2007 Report, 2007 KAS Messier Marathon Report, First 3-D Images of the Sun, May Night Sky.
June 1.42 MB
May Meeting Minutes, Complete the KAS S&T Collection, Board Meeting Minutes, Observations, Starbooks, HST Finds Dark Matter Ring, NASA Space Place, Membership of the KAS, June Night Sky.
July
1.07 MB
June Meeting Minutes, Observations, KAS Red Ball Express, Astrophotography Workshop, NASA Space Place, Mars Rover Ready for Crater Descent, July Night Sky.
August 1.30 MB
July Meeting Minutes, Observations, Perseid Potluck Picnic, Albion College Field Trip,  2007 Astrophotography Contest Rules, Return of the Perseids, NASA Space Place, August Night Sky.
September 1.27 MB
Perseid Potluck Picnic Report, Prime Time Astronomy, Observations, An Evening in Albion, Lots of Pretty Colors, NASA Space Place, September Night Sky.
October
1.46 MB
September Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Observations, 2007 Astrophotography Contest Rules, Dark Sky Musings, Illinois Dark Skies Star Party, Cassini Visits Saturn's Yin-Yang Moon, NASA Space Place, Membership of the KAS, October Night Sky.
November 1.49 MB
October Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Nigg Notes, Observations, Field Trip to Adler Planetarium, 2007 Black Forest Star Party, NASA Space Place, Hubble Finds "Dorian Gray" Galaxy, November Night Sky.
December 1.99 MB
November Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Holiday Party, A Supernova & Christmas, Observations, A Day at Adler Planetarium, Building A Vision:  Going Big to Go Deep, The Odd Comet Holmes, NASA Space Place, The Star-Splitter, Mars Map, December Night Sky.

2006
January
982 KB
December Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Observations, Full Moon Theater Preview, Hands on the Sun Conference, Challenger Disaster: 20 Years Later, Cassini Reveals An Active Moon, January Night Sky.
February 978 KB
January Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Observations, Young Astronomer Minutes, Starbooks, The Rise and Fall of Lunar Observing, NASA Space Place, Hubble Reveals the Orion Nebula, Star Parties in 2006, February Night Sky.
March
894 KB
February Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Observations, Starbooks, KAS Radio Astronomy Project,  Unbroken Chain Reviewed, NASA Space Place, Messier Marathon Search List, The Messier Objects, March Night Sky.
April  1.22 MB
March Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Observations, February Freeze Out Report, 2006 Winter Star Party Report, Starbooks, NASA Space Place, Intro to Amateur Astronomy, April Night Sky.
May 1.62 MB
April Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Observations, Astronomy Day 2006 Report, How Stable is My Telescope?, "Pretty Good Comets of 2006, May Night Sky.
June 1.10 MB
May Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Observations, Return of the Perpetual Plant Sale, Astrophotography Workshop, Astrophotography Contest Rules, Owl Observatory Benched, NASA Space Place, Membership of the KAS, June Night Sky.
July
1.27 MB
June Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Observations, The Amateur Astronomers Introduction to the Celestial Sphere, Return of the Perpetual Plant Sale, Huge Storms Converge, New Names for Pluto's Old Moons, 2006 RTMC Report, Learn About the Astronomical League, NASA Space Place, July Night Sky.
August 985 KB
July Meeting Minutes (Gadget Night Report), Observations, Perseid Potluck Picnic, NASA Space Place, August Night Sky.
September 1.33 MB
Perseid Potluck Picnic Report, Observations, Great Lakes Star Gaze Trip, Spitzer Digs Up Troves of Solar Systems in Orion, And Then There Were Eight:  The New Solar System, James Van Allen:  U.S. Space Pioneer, NASA Space Place, September Night Sky.
October 1.27 MB
September Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Observations, Astrophotography Contest Rules, Look Ma - No Tracking!, Starfest 2006 Report, NASA Space Place, October Night Sky.
November 1.21 MB
October Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Nigg Notes, Observations, Observing the Mercury Transit, Transit of Mercury Figures, NASA Space Place, November Night Sky.
December 1.20 MB
November Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Observations, Field Trip Itinerary, Perpetual Plant Sale Surpasses Goal, Holiday Party, Carl Sagan:  The People's Astronomer, Mercury Transit Report & Images, NASA Space Place, Membership of the KAS, December Night Sky.

2005
February 1.16 MB
January Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Observations, NASA Space Place, Young Astronomer Minutes, The Book Corner, February Calendar.
March 1.15 MB
February Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Observations, NASA Space Place, Young Astronomer Minutes, March Sky Calendar.
April 1.09 MB
Board Meeting Minutes, Observations, WSP Perspectives, Young Astronomer Minutes, April Sky Calendar.
May 814 KB
April Meeting Recap, Board Meeting Minutes, Observations, NASA Space Place, Young Astronomer Minutes, May Sky Calendar.
June 628 KB
May Meeting Recap, Board Meeting Minutes, Observations, NASA Space Place, Astrophotography Contest.
July 633 KB
Board Meeting Minutes, Observations, Who Are We?, June Meeting Recap, An Organizational Proposal.
August 519 KB
Board Meeting Minutes, Observations, July Meeting Recap, Perseid Potluck Picnic, Observing Mars, A Planet By Any Other Name.
September 503 KB
Observations, NASA Space Place, What's Doing at Manitoulin?
October 741 KB
Astro Quiz, Board Meeting Minutes, Observations, NASA Space Place, Astrophotography Contest.
November 646 KB
October Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Observations, Semi-Annual Field Trip, NASA Space Place, Great Lakes Star Gaze 2005, Membership of the KAS.
December 1.17 MB
November Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Observations, Holiday Party, Young Astronomer Minutes, East Lansing Field Trip Report, Black Forest Star Party Report, December Night Sky.

2004
July 553 KB
June Meeting Minutes, NASA Space Place, Observations, Astrophotography Workshop, Astronomy Day 2004 Report, Abrams Sky Calendar, July Evening Skies.
August 839 KB
July Meeting Minutes, Board Meeting Minutes, Observations (of the Transit of Venus), Perseid Potluck Picnic, NASA Space Place, KAS Member Transit of Venus Reports, The "SOURCE" of Earth-Sun Blockers, Abrams Sky Calendar, August Evening Skies.

1976
July
2.60 MB
The Minutes of the KAS, Occultations, Club News, The Trails of a Beginner in Astronomy, What the Astronomical League Can Do for You, Lunar and Planetary Events for July.



The KAS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose purpose is to promote the exchange of information among those with a common interest in all areas of astronomy, to educate the public about astronomical discoveries and events and to cooperate with other amateur and professional astronomical organizations.