Delaware Astronomical Society Website

Delaware Astronomical Society Book Club

The Delaware Astronomical Society Book Club meets monthly on the last Thursday of the Month via ZOOM. Guests are welcome. ZOOM Links are emailed in advance of the meeting. To join the club or attend a meeting, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Next Up

Thursday, December 19, 2024

What an Owl Knows:
The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds
by Jennifer Ackerman

Meeting details below:


Ian Stewart Karla Bloehm	Thursday, December 19, 2024 7 PM ET Via ZOOM We are celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Delaware Nature Society. *What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds* by Jennifer Ackerman Ian Stewart PhD, ornithologist with the Delaware Nature Society (DNS), will join us to discuss the Ackerman book and Owls in Delaware. Dr Stewart received his PhD in ornithology from the University of Leicester Karla Bloehm, the Executive Director of the International Owl Center (IOC), will also join us to discuss the Ackerman book and her work at the IOC. DAS member, Diana Metzger, will discuss her trips to the International Owl Center. Astrophotographs of Messier 97, the Owl Nebula, by DAS members Rob Lancaster and Shiela Vincent. Members of the DNS and IOC and their guests are invited to join us for our discussion. DAS member and DNS Educator, Sheila Vincent, will lead the meeting. *Hedwig's Theme* by John Williams

	2025

Ashley J. Yeager Ardis Herrold	Thursday, January 30, 2025 7 PM Eastern Time Via Zoom *Bright Galaxies, Dark Matter, and Beyond: The Life of Astronomer Vera Rubin* by Ashley J. Yeager Ashley Yeager will join us for our discussion about Vera Rubin and help us celebrate the long awaited first light at the Vera Rubin Observatory expected in 2025. Ardis Herrold, Education Specialist for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), will join us for our discussion. The meeting will be led by DAS Members, Beatrice Schwarz and Andy Finkel.

David Ives Brown	Thursday, February 27, 2025 7 PM ET Via ZOOM Keep Watching the Skies! The Story of Operation Moonwatch & The Dawn Of The Space Age by W. Patrick McCray PhD UCSB History of Technology and Science Professor W. Patrick McCray will join us for our discussion. David Ives Brown, DAS Book Club and Rittenhouse Society member, will discuss his Moonwatch telescope-made by the US Navy for the Smithsonian's program. The Moonwatch Program was the catalyst for the founding of the Delaware Astronomical Society. Operation Moonwatch: Citizen Science at the Dawn of the Space Age-a presentation delivered by Richard Sanderson at Stellafane in 2022 The meeting will be led by Dave Groski, DAS At Large Board Member and Chairman of the Board of the MT Cuba Observatory.

Dr. Robert Trotta	Sunday, March 30, 2025 3 PM ET Via ZOOM Starborn How the Stars Made Us (and Who We Would Be Without Them) by Roberto Trotta Dr. Robert Trotta will join us from Italy for our meeting. Greg McNiff, DAS and AAS member, will lead our discussion. Members of the Amateur Astronomers of New York will join us for our discussion.

Seb Falk	Thursday, April 24, 2025 5 PM ET Via ZOOM The Light Ages: The Surprising Story of Medieval Science by Seb Falk Winner of the American Astronomical Society's Donald E. Osterbrock Book Award for 2025 Seb Falk will join us via Zoom from England for the meeting. Greg McNiff, DAS and AAS-NY board member, will lead the meeting.

Paul Bogard	Thursday, May 29, 2025 The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light by Paul Bogard Paul Bogard will join us for our meeting. Professor Diane Turnshek, Special Lecturer from Carnegie Mellon University, will lead our discussion.

	Thursday, June 26, 2025 The Royal Observatory, Greenwich A Glance At Its History And Work by E. Walter Maunder Celebration of the 350th anniversary of the founding of Greenwich Observatory with the members of the Flamsteed Astronomy Society in Greenwich is being planned.

Anna Von Mertens	Thursday, July 31, 2025 7 PM ET Via ZOOM Attention Is Discovery The Life and Legacy of Astronomer Henrietta Leavitt by Anna Von Mertens A portrait of trailblazing astronomer Henrietta Leavitt and an illustrated exploration of the power of attention in scientific observation, artistic creation, and the making of meaning. Anna Van Mertens will be joining us for our discussion.

Jim Bell PhD	Thursday, August 28, 2025 7 PM ET Via ZOOM The Interstellar Age: Inside the Forty-Year Voyager Mission by Jim Bell Jim Bell will join us for our meeting. DAS Member, Dave Hunter, will lead the discussion.

Karen Masters PhD Sarah Horowitz, Curator	Thursday, September 25, 2025 The Astronomers' Library by Karen Masters PhD of Haverford College 7 PM ET Via ZOOM Professor Masters will join us for our meeting. Sarah Horowitz, Curator of Rare Books & Manuscripts at Haverford College Libraries, will also join us to discuss copies of astronomy texts in the college's collection. Haverford, Swarthmore, and Bryn Mar College students are invited to attend the meeting. DAS Book Club Member, Brad Wolvin, will lead our meeing.

Marcia Bartusiak	Thursday, October 30, 2025 7 PM ET Via ZOOM *Black Hole: How an Idea Abandoned by Newtonians, Hated by Einstein, and Gambled On by Hawking Became Loved* By Marcia Bartusiak Marcia Bartusiak will join us for our meeting. David Ives Brown, Rittenhouse Astronomical Society member, will lead our meeting.

James Lattis	Thursday, November 20, 2025 7 PM ET Via ZOOM Chasing the Stars: How the Astronomers of Observatory Hill Transformed Our Understanding of the Universe by James Lattis and Kelly Tyrrell James Lattis and Kelly Tyrrell will be joining us for our meeting.

Kristine Larsen	Thursday, December 18, 2025 7 PM ET Via ZOOM Rayed Arcs and the ‘Rory Bory Aylis’: Primary World Aurorae by Kristine Larsen and *Tolkien’s 'Father Christmas Letters* Professor Kristine Larsen will join us for our meeting. Dr. Larsen is an astronomer who teaches at Central Connecticut State University and serves as the editor of the Astronomical League’s Reflector. She regularly presents and writes about the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. DAS, CCAS, and MERAL President, Don Knab will lead our meeting.

Steve Ruskin	Thursday, January 30, 2026 7 PM Eastern Time Via Zoom The Newton Cipher by Steve Ruskin Steve Ruskin will join us for our discussion.



	2024
Trudy E Bell	Thursday, January 25, 2024 7 PM ET Via ZOOM Ormsby Macknight Mitchel, Astronomer and General: A Biographical Narrative (1887) By Frederick Augustus Mitchel Referred to as Old Stars, Ormsby Macknight Mitchel (1809-1862) was a Civil War General, Surveyor, and Astronomer who published the Sidereal Messenger, first astronomy magazine in the United States. Philip S. Shoemaker PhD, author of the thesis, Ormsby Macknight Mitchel and Astronomy in Antebellum America, will be joining us. Trudy E. Bell, contributing editor for Sky & Telescope and a member of the editorial advisory board for Springer’s Historical & Cultural Astronomy book series, will also be joining us. Available in free PDF format DAS Member, Brad Wolvin, will lead the meeting

Barbara J. Becker	Thursday, February 29, 2024 7 PM ET Via ZOOM How William Huggins Shaped Astrophysics by Barbara J. Becker Celebrating the bicentenary of the birth of English astronomer William Huggins (1824–1910), best known for his pioneering work in astronomical spectroscopy together with his wife, Margaret 50 Monuments in 50 Voices: Monument to William and Margaret Huggins by Barbara Becker PhD Jim Barkley will lead the meeting. Dr Barbara J. Becker will join us	How William Huggins Shaped Astrophysics (pdf copy)

Diane McDevitt, the granddaughter of Philip Frances Nowlan	Thursday, March 28, 2024 7 PM ET Via ZOOM Amazing Stories - ARMAGEDDON -2419 A.D. by Philip Francis Nowlan We will be discussing Armageddon - 2419 A.D, the novella, which introduces the character, Buck Rogers, in the August 1928 issue of Amazing Stories. Nowlan's granddaughter, Diane McDevitt, will be joining us to discuss her grandfather's life, work, and his iconic character. Matt Bobrowsky and Marie Breton Bobrowsky, DAS Members, will lead the discussion. Local artist, Matthew Borgen, hopes to attend the meeting. The novella is available to borrow at archive.org

Peter Bellerby	Thursday, April 25, 2024 7 PM ET Via ZOOM The Globemakers: The Curious Story of an Ancient Craft by Peter Bellerby The author, Peter Bellerby, will be joining us for our discussion. DAS Member, Gregory McNiff, will lead the meeting

Stefan Hughes Nico Carver	Thursday, May 30, 2024 7 PM ET Via ZOOM Catchers of the Light by Stefan Hughes The ‘Catchers of the Light’ tells the true stories of the men and women who first photographed the heavens. Their lives are ones full of adventure, adversity and triumph - which would test the abilities of even the best author or screenwriter to recreate as a work of fiction. Sadly their names are largely unknown and all but forgotten - confined now to the closed pages of history. Through the book you are about to read, they come alive once again. Stefan Hughes will join us for our discussion Nico Carver, DAS member and dedicated deep-sky astrophotographer (see his popular YouTube channel) will lead our discussion. Members of the Delaware Photographic Society will join us for our discussion. The Book is available at the author's web site.

Marcia Bartusiak	Thursday, June 27, 2024 7 PM ET Via ZOOM The Day We Found the Universe by Marcia Bartusiak Professor Marcia Bartusiak will join us as we mark the 100th anniversary of Hubble's discovery of the Andromeda Galaxy. David Ives Brown, DAS Book Club member and Rittenhouse Astronomical Society Board Member, will lead our discussion. Available via the Delaware Libraries in book and e-audiobook formats.

Tamara Plakins Thornton	Thursday, July 25, 2024 7 PM Via ZOOM Nathaniel Bowditch and the Power of Numbers: How a Nineteenth-Century Man of Business, Science, and the Sea Changed American Life by Tamara Plakins Thornton Professor Tamara Plakins Thornton will join us Professor Stefan Hughes will lead the discussion The ebook is available via the Delaware Libraries.

Chris Lintott	Thursday, August 29, 2024 7 PM Via ZOOM Accidental Astronomy: How Random Discoveries Shape the Science of Space by Chris Lintott Professor Lintott, Gresham College's 39th Professor of Astronomy and Professor of Astrophysics in Oxford University, will join us for our discussion.

Sarah Stewart Johnson	Thursday, October 3, 2024 Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Big Listen--the Opposition of Mars in 1924 and the efforts made by Todd and Jenkins to communicate with Mars. The Sirens of Mars: Searching for Life on Another World by Sarah Stewart Johnson Professor Johnson will join us for our discussion. Jim Kerschen PhD, DAS Board Member and Education and Outreach Chair, will lead the meeting.

Rosyln Frank Chief Dennis J. Coker	Thursday, October 24, 2024 7 PM ET Via ZOOM The Skylore of An Indigenous People: The Case of the Performance Art and Traditional Beliefs of the Lenape Delaware (Algonquian) of the Northeastern Woodlands by Professor Emeritus Roslyn Frank Professor Roslyn Frank will join our discussion. Chief Dennis J. Coker and Citizens of the Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware will join us for our discussion. DAS Member, Sheila Vincent, will lead the meeting.

David Devorkin PhD Kevin B. Marvel PhD	Thursday, November 21, 2024 7 PM ET Via ZOOM The American Astronomical Society (AAS) is celebrating its 125th anniversary. To honor the occasion, we will discuss the history of the AAS. We will discuss the AAS history posted on its web site in a series of 8 articles and essays. https://had.aas.org/resources/aashistory David Devorkin PhD, Emeritus Senior Curator, History of Astronomy and Space Sciences, at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, will join us to discuss the early history of the AAS, Kevin. B. Marvel PhD, Executive Officer for the American Astronomical Society, will join us to discuss the recent history of the AAS. DAS and AAA-NY member, Greg McNiff, will lead our meeting. Members of the AAS and AAA-NY are invited to attend.

Ian Stewart Karla Bloehm	Thursday, December 19, 2024 7 PM ET Via ZOOM *What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds* by Jennifer Ackerman Ian Stewart, ornithologist with the Delaware Nature Society (DNS), will join us to discuss the Ackerman book and Owls in Delaware. Karla Bloehm, the Executive Director of the International Owl Center (IOC), will also join us to discuss the Ackerman book and her work at the IOC. DAS member, Diana Metzger, will discuss her trips to the International Owl Center. Members of the DNS and IOC and their guests are invited to join us for our discussion. DAS member and DNS Educator, Sheila Vincent, will lead the meeting. *Hedwig's Theme* by John Williams

	2023
Sir Christoher Wren Valerie Shrimplin	Thursday, January 26, 2023 2PM (ET) Via ZOOM Celebrate Wren \| 300 Sir Christopher Wren: Architect-Astronomer by Valerie Shrimplin An essay from the book Imagining Other Worlds: Explorations in Astronomy and Culture Edited by Nicholas Campion & Chris Impey Essays were originally gathered at the conference on the Inspiration of Astronomical Phenomena at London’s Gresham College in 2015 Professor Shrimplin shall be joining our discussion from London. Dr Valerie Shrimplin is an Art Historian, Researcher and Author, who was awarded her PhD for her research entitled 'Sun Symbolism and Cosmology in Michelangelo's 'Last Judgment'.' She has subsequently produced a number of academic publications focusing on the influence of astronomy and cosmology on art and architecture, particularly of the Byzantine, medieval and Renaissance periods.

Professor Sarah Hall Lukas Boser David Aragai Jean Bowe Strickland Dr. Bethany Cobb Kung	Thursday, February 23, 2023 7 PM (ET) Via ZOOM What is a Philom? A Philom is the compiler of astronomical data Almanacs and Philoms in 18th century Wilmington Discussion of the first Delaware almanac, The Wilmington Almanack for 1762 by Thomas Fox, which was printed by Delaware's first printer and publisher, James Adams. Thomas Fox is the pseudonym of John Tobler, a Swiss emigre to the Carolinas who founded and served as the Astronomer Philomath of the Appenzeller Kalender, an almanac which is in its 302nd year of publication. The 1762 almanac is a historic document of interest to Delawareans and to the DAS and will continue to be an ongoing focus for the DAS Library in its mission to advance scientific knowledge. We are rich in a panel of guests and hope that DAS Members will join our discussion about Tobler or submit questions to the DAS Librarian in advance of the meeting. David Aragai MA, archivist and historian, Switzerland Professor Lukas Boser PhD, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland Professor Sarah Hall PhD, Berea College Amanda Zimmerman, Rare Book Librarian from the Library of Congress Jean Bowe Strickland, Tobler descendant and author of Five Fortune Tellers of New Windsor. Tobler, Zubly, Meyer, Sturzenegger, and Nail, Swiss Pioneer Families of South Carolina. Dr. Bethany Cobb Kung, Associate Professor in Honors and Physics at the George Washington University and current Philom of the Old Farmer's Almanac founded in 1792. The Library of Congress owns one of the few copies of the 1762 Wilmington Almanack and, Amanda Zimmerman, Rare Book librarian at the Library of Congress, has made the attached PDF copy available to members of the Delaware Astronomical Society to facilitate our meeting and promote Tobler scholarship. Because the 18th century text can be challenging, the DAS Librarian has created a transcription of the text. A transcription, in spreadsheet format, of the February almanac table has also been transcribed; Robert Stack is modelling the data using Stellarium software to check accuracy. We will discuss the Pennsylvania and Columbia Almanacs, if time permits.	The Wilmington Almanack 1762 Pennsylvania Town and Country-Man's Almanack 1762 The Columbian Almanac 1793

Stephen Kurczy	Thursday, March 30, 2023 7 PM (ET) Via ZOOM The Quiet Zone: Unraveling the Mystery of a Town Suspended in Silence by Stephen Kurczy The author, Stephen Kurczy, will be joining us for our discussion. DAS Member, Jim Barkley, will lead the meeting

Professor Hal Poe Professor John Jebb Glen Moyer	Thursday, April 27, 2023 7 PM (ET) Via ZOOM Mellonta Tauta by Edgar Allan Poe Professor Hal Poe will be joining our discussion. Dr. Poe has written extensively about Poe and the universe, served on the Edgar Allan Poe Foundation and Museum of Richmond, and yes, is a relative of the legendary Edgar Allan Poe. University of Delaware Professor John Jebb will also be joining our discussion. Glen Moyer, Aviator and Editor of Ballooning Magazine, will be joining us to provide his technical perspective on Poe's Pundit and balloons in the year 2848. Story recommended by DAS Member, James Kauer, who hopes to join our discussion.	read it in Tales of Edgar Allan Poe (page 303) available at the Internet Archive you will need a (free) account

Donald E. Osborn	Thursday, May 25, 2023 7 PM (ET) Via ZOOM With Stars in Their Eyes: The Extraordinary Lives and Enduring Genius of Aden and Marjorie Meinel by Alec M. Pridgeon and James B. Breckinridge The authors, Alec M. Pridgeon and Donald E. Osborn, will be joining us for our discussion. Cynthia Osborn will also join us and share her experience working with the Meinels. DAS Member, Robert Stack, will lead the meeting. This book is available in EBook Format to members of the Delaware Libraries

Donald Goldsmith	Thursday, June 29, 2023 7 PM (ET) Via ZOOM The End of Astronauts Why Robots Are the Future of Exploration by Donald Goldsmith and Martin Rees Donald Goldsmith will be joining us for our discussion. DAS and CCAS member, Chris Trunk, will lead the meeting Listen to Donald Goldsmith and Martin Rees discuss their book on The Planetary Society's Planetary Radio.

	Thursday, July 27, 2023 (note date change) 7 PM (ET) Via ZOOM July is for Sci Fi ! *Dragon's Egg* by Robert L. Forward DAS Member, Marie Breton, will lead the meeting This book is available in eAudiobook Format to members of the Delaware Libraries and available online at archive.org

Dave Groski	Thursday, August 31, 2023 7 PM (ET) Via ZOOM We will discuss a landmark article, the first of a series of articles about the Springfield Telescope Makers, which appeared in the November, 1925 issue of Scientific American: The Heavens Declare the Glory of God - How a Group of Enthusiasts Learned to Make Telescopes and Became Amateur Astronomers (1925) by Albert C. Ingalls (link to article) The Springfield Telescope Makers (STM) are an amateur astronomer and telescope maker's group headquartered at their Stellafane Clubhouse and observatory on Breezy Hill in Springfield, Vermont; they were founded by Russell W. Porter in 1923 and, so, are celebrating their centenary from August 17-20, 2023. The DAS salutes the Springfield Telescope Makers and their mission to stimulate interest in astronomy and allied sciences by preserving and fostering the skill of amateur telescope making. Dave Groski, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Mount Cuba Astronomical Observatory, will lead the meeting. Members of the STM are invited to join the DAS Book Club for our August Book Club meeting.	Stellafane Clubhouse and Porter Turret Telescope

Roderick J. Hill	Thursday, September 28, 2023 7 PM (ET) Via ZOOM Adventures of an Eclipse Chaser by Roderick J Hill For 20 years Rod and Monica Hill have been chasing eclipses all around the world. They will be joining us for our discussion. DAS Board Member, Jim Kerschen, will lead the meeting Available in Ebook Kindle format via Amazon.com

The Astronomer by Jan Vermeer	Thursday, November 2, 2023 7 PM (ET) Via ZOOM Eye of the Beholder: Johannes Vermeer, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, and the Reinvention of Seeing by Laura J. Snyder Commemorate the tercentenary of the death of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) and the landmark 2023 exhibition of Jan Vermeer's work at the Rijksmuseum Vermeer painted the legendary, The Astronomer. "Portrayals of scientists were a favourite topic in 17th-century Dutch painting and Vermeer's oeuvre includes both this astronomer and the slightly later The Geographer. Both are believed to portray the same man, possibly Antoni van Leeuwenhoek. A 2017 study indicated that the canvas for the two works came from the same bolt of material, confirming their close relationship." DAS Member, Robert Stack, will lead the meeting Available to members of the Delaware Libraries in eBook and eAudiobook format.

Robert Westman Sarah Horowitz	November 30, 2023 7 PM (ET) Via ZOOM The esteemed Harvard professor and historian of astronomy, Professor Owen Gingerich died on May 28th. To honor his life and work, the Delaware Astronomical Society Book Club's November read is The Book Nobody Read: Chasing the Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus by Owen Gingerich UC San Diego Emeritus Professor, Historian of Science, Robert Westman, a renowned Copernicus scholar who collaborated with Professor Gingerich, will join us. Sarah Horowitz, Curator of Rare Books & Manuscripts at Haverford College Libraries, will also join us to discuss the Haverford College copy of De revolutionibus. DAS member, Deepak Bhimalli, will lead the meeting. The book is available to borrow via the Delaware Libraries and the Chester County Library System. The book may be available at archive.org

Alison Klesman	Thursday, December 14, 2023 7 PM (ET) Via ZOOM December Issue Astronomy Magazine Alison Klesman, Senior Editor of Astronomy Magazine, will be joining us for our discussion. This is the 50th year of the magazine, founded in 1973 by the astronomy and journalism student, Stephen A. Walther. 50th anniversary: The origins of Astronomy magazine DAS Board member, Bob Trebilcock, will lead the meeting The magazine is available at the Mt Cuba Observatory Library.	first issue Aug 1973 50th anniversary Aug 2023

Meeting Archive

	2022
Jo Marchant	Thursday, January 27, 2022 5PM EST and 7PM EST ZOOM *The Human Cosmos: Civilization and the Stars* by Jo Marchant Kathy Koons will lead the meeting Jo Marchant will be joining us from the United Kingdom Please note: To accommodate both Jo Marchant (GMT time zone) and book club members schedules there are two meetings: a 5PM discussion with the author, and a 7PM regular book discussion (sorry, Jo Marchant cannot attend the 7PM meeting).

David Kaiser	Thursday, February 24, 2022 7PM EST Via ZOOM How The Hippies Saved Physics: Science, Counterculture, and the Quantum Revival by David Kaiser Beth Trebilcock will lead the meeting Dave Kaiser will be joining us

Donovan Moore Dr Cecilia Gaposchkin	Thursday, March 31, 2022 7PM EST Via ZOOM What Stars Are Made Of: The Life of Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin by Donovan Moore Jim Kerschen will lead the meeting Donovan Moore will join us and we will also be joined by Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin’s granddaughter, Dr Cecilia Gaposchkin

	Thursday, April 28, 2022 7PM EST Via ZOOM The Apollo Murders By Chris Hadfield, NASA astronaut To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Apollo Missions 16 and 17 Matt Bobrowsky will lead the meeting

Timothy Ferris	Thursday, May 26, 2022 7PM EST Via ZOOM Seeing in the Dark: How Amateur Astronomers Are Discovering the Wonder by Timothy Ferris Professor Ferris will be joining us Robert Stack will lead the meeting

John Brashear Bart Fried	Thursday, June 30, 2022 7PM EST Via ZOOM *Autobiography of John Brashear* by John Brashear Bart Fried of the Antique Telescope Society will lead the meeting. He is writing a biography of John Brashear and is the leading expert in Brashear’s life and work.


	Thursday, July 28 2022 7PM EST Via ZOOM A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine A 2020 winner of the sci-fi Hugo award (read a review of the book) (Arkady Martine Interview - YouTube) Marie Breton will lead the meeting

Lynn King as Caroline Steve Ruskin Titus Grenyer	Thursday, August 25, 2022 7PM EST Via ZOOM Discoverers of the Universe, William and Caroline Herschel by Michael Hoskin William Herschel biography to commemorate the 200th anniversary of his death Lynn King, Caroline Herschel reenactor and DAS and Rittenhouse Astronomical Society member, will lead the meeting. Steve Ruskin (who joined us last year when we discussed his book America's First Great Eclipse) will also be joining us. Titus Grenyer, a young Australian organist and conductor, has also agreed to join us to discuss Herschel as a musician and play a bit of Herschel's music.

David Rooney	Thursday, September 29, 2022 2PM EST via ZOOM About Time: A History of Civilization in Twelve Clocks by David Rooney David Rooney will be joining us via ZOOM from Greenwich, England Jim Barkley will lead the meeting

	Saturday, October 1, 2022 7PM Via ZOOM *Moon! Earth's Best Friend* by Stacy MacAnulty DAS, Children's Librarian, Amy Hornberger, will read the book aloud. Children will be invited to submit paintings and drawings of the Moon to the DAS for posting to an online gallery. Email Miss Amy at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to receive the ZOOM link.

Nicholas de Monchaux	Thursday, October 27, 2022 7PM Via ZOOM Spacesuit: Fashioning Apollo by Nicholas de Monchaux Nicholas de Monchaux is from MIT, where he serves as the head of the Architecture Department. Chris Trunk of the Chester County Astronomical Society will lead the meeting. Chris writes--- The book was published in 2011 and is an excellent read. The book covers a wide range of topics that influenced the creation of the Spacesuit. The included photos are very helpful and really bring the story to life. The book's author did an excellent job researching the subject, and he includes links to all the sources used. The spacesuits that were manufactured (and are still being manufactured) are made by a Delaware corporation; ILC Dover. The seamstresses that made the Apollo moon spacesuits came from our region, SE PA and Delaware and worked for Playtex prior to being chosen to join the team that made the spacesuits.

	Wednesday, November 2, 2022 7:15 PM Via ZOOM A conversation with Nicholas de Monchaux author of Spacesuit: Fashioning Apollo Nicholas could not make our regular meeting so he will be joining us via ZOOM from MIT in Cambridge where he serves as the head of the Architecture Department.

	Friday, November 11, 2022 7 PM - 7:30 PM Via ZOOM Margaret and the Moon: How Margaret Hamilton Saved the First Lunar Landing by Dean Robbins The Delaware Astronomical Society Library cordially invites Delaware Children and their families to attend a Free ZOOM reading event to celebrate the upcoming NASA Artemis Mission to the Moon With Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. We will collaborate with commercial and international partners and establish the first long-term presence on the Moon. Then, we will use what we learn on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap: sending the first astronauts to Mars. A DAS Children's Librarian will read the book aloud. Children will be invited to submit paintings and drawings of the Moon to the DAS for posting to an online gallery. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to register and receive the ZOOM link

Professor Mark Walker PhD Margrethe Bohr and Niels Bohr	Thursday, November 17, 2022 7PM EST Via ZOOM Copenhagen a play by Michael Frayn To mark the 100th anniversary of Niels Bohr's Nobel Prize Award. Professor Mark Walker PhD, Chair of the History Department at Union College, will join our discussion. Professor Walker, "researches and publishes on twentieth-century science, including in particular science and technology under National Socialism, and comparisons of science and technology in different political, cultural, and ideological contexts. He teaches modern European history, with special emphasis on modern German history and the history of ideas, the history of science and technology, with special emphasis on nuclear history, human evolution, and the interaction of science and technology with politics and ideology, and “Big History,” from the origin of the Universe to the present."

	Thursday, December 15, 2022 7PM EST via ZOOM *Public Astronomy Los Angeles Style* by David DeVorkin and E.C. Krupp

	2021
January Beyond Weird: Why Everything You Thought You Knew about Quantum Physics Is Different by Philip Ball	February Thomas Harriot: A Life in Science by Robyn Arianrhod (Robyn Arianrhod joined the meeting via Zoom to discuss her book)	March America's First Great Eclipse: How Scientists, Tourists, and the Rocky Mountain Eclipse of 1878 Changed Astronomy by Steve Ruskin (Steve Ruskin joined the meeting via Zoom to discuss his book)	April Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth by Avi Loeb (Avi Loeb joined the meeting via Zoom to discuss his book)
May E=mc2: A Biography of the World’s Most Famous Equation by David Bodanis	June The Sun's Heartbeat By Bob Berman	July The Wright Brothers by David McCullough (Nick Engler, Director of the Wright Brothers Aeroplane Co., joined us to discuss everything Wright Brothers including building and flying replicas of Wright Flyer airplanes)	August The Hunt for Vulcan: . . . And How Albert Einstein Destroyed a Planet, Discovered Relativity, and Deciphered the Universe by Thomas Levenson (Thomas Levenson joined the meeting via Zoom to discuss his book)
September The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu	October Miss Leavitt's Stars: The Untold Story of the Woman Who Discovered How to Measure the Universe by George Johnson (George Johnson joined the meeting via Zoom to discuss his book)	December The Science of Shakespeare by Brian Falk (Brian Falk joined the meeting via Zoom to discuss his book)

2020

January
Brother Astronomer
by Br. Guy Cosmolagno

(Br. Guy Cosmolagno joined the meeting over Skype to discuss his book)

March
Alvan Clark & Sons: Artists in Optics
by D.J. Warner

July
The Astronaut Wives Club
by Lily Koppel

September
The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos
by Christian Davenport

October
Catching Stardust: Comets, Asteroids and the Birth of the Solar System
by Natalie Starkey

(Natalie Starkey answered questions about her book over YouTube)

December
Handprints on Hubble: An Astronaut's Story of Invention
by Kathryn D. Sullivan

	2019
January Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking	February Isaac Newton by James Gleick	March Science and the Founding Fathers: Science in the Political Thought of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and James Madison by I. Bernard Cohen	April Sally Ride: America’s First Woman in Space by Lynn Sherr
May Safely to Earth: The Men and Women Who Brought the Astronauts Home by Jack Clemons	June The Stargazer’s Sister, a novel (about Caroline Herschel) by Carrie Brown (Carrie Brown joined by Skype) (Caroline Herschel, aka historian/reenactor Lynn King, was at the meeting)	July Moon Rush: The New Space Race by Leonard David (Leonard David joined the meeting over Skype to discuss his book)	August Halley’s Quest by Julie Wakefield
October The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal	November The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan

	2018
January Brilliant Blunders: From Darwin to Einstein - Colossal Mistakes by Great Scientists That Changed Our Understanding of Life and the Universe by Mario Livio	February Kepler's Witch by James A. Connor	March How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming by Mike Brown	April A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
May The Quantum Labyrinth by Paul Halpern.	July The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe	August Maria Mitchell: Life, Letters, and Journals	September / October First Man by James R. Hansen
November The Martian by Andy Weir

	2017
March Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly	April The Glass Universe by Dava Sobel	May Beyond UFOs: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Its Astonishing Implications for Our Future by Jeffrey Bennett	July Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel
August Chasing Space by Leland Melvin	September The Universe in the Rearview Mirror by Dave Goldberg	October Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel	November Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson
Sat, Jan 28, 2017 Hello, everyone! Diana Metzger and I have been discussing starting a book club. I would like to invite any of you who are interested to join us. I suggested that we read a mix of non-fiction and (astronomy-related) fiction. We agreed on "Hidden Figures" as our first book. Amy Hornberger

	Future Reads

	John Carter of Mars Barsoom Series: A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
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	An Astronomer in Love by Antoine Laurain
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	David Rittenhouse: Philosopher-Mechanick of Colonial Philadelphia and His Famous Clocks by Donald L. Fennimore and Frank L. Hohmann Planned read for 2026 to mark *United States 250*
	*____________________*
	Lonely Hearts of the Cosmos: The Story of the Scientific Quest for the Secret of the Universe by Dennis Overbye
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	2025 Baer's Almanac and Gardener's Guide
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	A Scheme of Heaven The History of Astrology and the Search for our Destiny in Data by Alexander Boxer

Guests are welcome to all meetings!

If you have questions, want to join the book club,
or want a guest ZOOM pass to any of the meetings,
please email Mary Webb at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Hubble, DAS Book Club Mascot

Delaware Astronomical Society Book Club

Delaware Astronomical Society Book Club

2025

2024

Professor Stefan Hughes will lead the discussion

2023

Meeting Archive

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

Guests are welcome to all meetings!