25 March 2007 The university community is invited to join the Ryerson Astronomical Society for our annual trip to the U of C's Yerkes Observatory in Wisconsin. The observatory was built shortly before 1900 to be the University's main astronomical observatory, and was the site of much important work in astronomy and astrophysics over the last century. In fact, it houses what is still the largest refracting (lens-type) telescope in the world! The observatory building was architected by Henry Ives Cobb, who also did most of the original buildings on the main quads. We will travel to Yerkes by schoolbus. We will leave at 5:30pm on Saturday, April 21st from in front of the Regenstein library, and the bus will return around 1:00am. The trip will include a tour (probably by the director of the observatory, if he is available) and two hours of observing with the observatory's telescopes if the sky is clear. If it is not clear, we will extend the tour slightly and return to campus earlier than planned. The cost to you is $5 to help cover the cost of the bus (also subsidised by SGFC). This trip is open to the entire University Community. If you are interested in going on this trip, I will need to know and also get $5 from you before Sunday, April 15th. Future emails with more information will be sent out only to those who have RSVPed, so you should do so (via email, to me: morangm@uchicago.edu) as soon as you know that you can make the trip. When you RSVP, I will let you know a number of ways to get the money to me. Space on this trip is limited to 44 people (with the possibility of adding a few more if we find some cars to go with the bus), and you will not have a guaranteed spot on the trip until I have received your money. So RSVP soon and pay soon if you want to go. Additionally, if you want to go and have a car that you would be willing to drive to the observatory, please let me know. There will also be a smaller group of us (limited to only 12 people or so) that will stay overnight at the observatory for more extended observing, if we can find enough cars. Priority will go to members of the RAS, members of other science RSOs, and people with cars. Contact me if you are interested, and I will tell you more about it. http://astro.uchicago.edu/yerkes/ and more info on the RAS can be found here: http://astro.uchicago.edu/RAS/ A copy of this message can be found at: http://astro.uchicago.edu/RAS/yerkes_announce.html Let me know if you have any questions, and don't forget to RSVP by April 15th. Melinda Morang President, Ryerson Astronomical Society morangm@uchicago.edu