VBAS History
Messier Observing Program Certificates
Messier Observing Program Certificate Holders of the Von Braun Astronomical Society and Rocket City Astronomical Association.
| Name | Program | Level | Award Number | Award Date | Society Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Smythe | Messier Program | 160 | 1972-01-23 | Rocket City Astronomical Association | |
| George Smythe | Messier Program | honorary | 160 | 1973-09-01 | Rocket City Astronomical Association |
| Thomas F. Butas | Messier Program | 327 | 1977-07-11 | Von Braun Astronomical Society | |
| Wilhelm Angele | Messier Program | honorary | 564 | 1983-11-21 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| Wilhelm Angele | Messier Program | 564 | 1983-11-21 | Von Braun Astronomical Society | |
| William R. Henry | Messier Program | honorary | 565 | 1983-11-21 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| William R. Henry | Messier Program | 565 | 1983-11-21 | Von Braun Astronomical Society | |
| Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger | Messier Program | honorary | 566 | 1983-11-21 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger | Messier Program | 566 | 1983-11-21 | Von Braun Astronomical Society | |
| Rudolph Hermann | Messier Program | 818 | 1989-02-26 | Von Braun Astronomical Society | |
| Rudolph Hermann | Messier Program | honorary | 818 | 1989-02-26 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| Charles Meegan | Messier Program | 817 | 1989-02-26 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| Charles Meegan | Messier Program | honorary | 817 | 1989-02-26 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| John Edward Davis | Messier Program | 866 | 1989-10-30 | Von Braun Astronomical Society | |
| John Edward Davis | Messier Program | honorary | 866 | 1989-10-30 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| John Arrington | Messier Program | 865 | 1989-10-30 | Von Braun Astronomical Society | |
| John Arrington | Messier Program | honorary | 865 | 1989-10-30 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| Charles Boley | Messier Program | 864 | 1989-10-30 | Von Braun Astronomical Society | |
| Charles Boley | Messier Program | honorary | 864 | 1989-10-30 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| Donald Larson | Messier Program | honorary | 872 | 1989-11-30 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| Donald Larson | Messier Program | 872 | 1989-11-30 | Von Braun Astronomical Society | |
| Holger Jaenisch | Messier Program | 914 | 1990-06-28 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| Holger Jaenisch | Messier Program | honorary | 914 | 1990-06-28 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| David Nance | Messier Program | 913 | 1990-06-28 | Von Braun Astronomical Society | |
| David Nance | Messier Program | honorary | 913 | 1990-06-28 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| Crystal Kitchens | Messier Program | honorary | 942 | 1990-09-25 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| Crystal Kitchens | Messier Program | 942 | 1990-09-25 | Von Braun Astronomical Society | |
| Steven Sauerwein | Messier Program | 1030 | 1992-02-15 | Von Braun Astronomical Society | |
| Steven Sauerwein | Messier Program | honorary | 1030 | 1992-02-15 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| Dennis Culver | Messier Program | honorary | 1040 | 1992-03-14 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| Dennis Culver | Messier Program | 1040 | 1992-03-14 | Von Braun Astronomical Society | |
| Larry Tarr | Messier Program | honorary | 1113 | 1993-03-07 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| Larry Tarr | Messier Program | 1113 | 1993-03-07 | Von Braun Astronomical Society | |
| James Ballard | Messier Program | 1138 | 1993-06-09 | Von Braun Astronomical Society | |
| James Ballard | Messier Program | honorary | 1138 | 1993-06-09 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| Brian Guckenberger | Messier Program | honorary | 1197 | 1994-03-20 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| Brian Guckenberger | Messier Program | 1197 | 1994-03-20 | Von Braun Astronomical Society | |
| Robert Woolley | Messier Program | honorary | 1323 | 1995-06-30 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| Robert Woolley | Messier Program | 1323 | 1995-06-30 | Von Braun Astronomical Society | |
| Scott McCluney | Messier Program | 1382 | 1996-03-17 | Von Braun Astronomical Society | |
| Scott McCluney | Messier Program | honorary | 1382 | 1996-03-17 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| Charles Odonnell | Messier Program | 1572 | 1998-03-22 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| Charles Odonnell | Messier Program | honorary | 1572 | 1998-03-22 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| John Miele | Messier Program | 1571 | 1998-03-22 | Von Braun Astronomical Society | |
| John Miele | Messier Program | honorary | 1571 | 1998-03-22 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| Donald McCluney | Messier Program | 1570 | 1998-03-22 | Von Braun Astronomical Society | |
| Donald McCluney | Messier Program | honorary | 1570 | 1998-03-22 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| Benjamin N. Boyd | Messier Program | honorary | 2276 | 2006-04-18 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| Benjamin N. Boyd | Messier Program | 2276 | 2006-04-18 | Von Braun Astronomical Society | |
| Jeff Delmas | Messier Program | 2363 | 2007-07-18 | Von Braun Astronomical Society | |
| John Young | Messier Program | honorary | 2398 | 2008-02-28 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| Tom Burleson Sr | Messier Program | honorary | 2455 | 2009-03-30 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
| Fred Leslie | Messier Program | honorary | 2653 | 2013-12-30 | Von Braun Astronomical Society |
For information on the Astronomical League's Messier Observing Program please follow this link: http://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/messier/mess.html
Historical Audio Recording
Thanks to Michael Ferdie, son of Ronald Ferdie one of the early members of the RCAA, we have been gifted with the original audio records from the dedication of the Observatory. You can hear the voices of the founding members and Dr. Wernher von Braun in these historical records from October 1958 that Michael has restored for us from Los Angeles (CA). We thank Michael and his family for these priceless memories.
Visit the VBAS FTP server (menu on your left) and go to the Historical Records / Audio Records section to download the files in MP3 or WAV format. You can also have a glimpse at the hard work that Michael had to do in order to restore the recording. Thank you Michael!
Dr. Stuhlinger Commentary - 1979
ASTRONOMY HAS ALWAYS occupied a place of distinction among the intellectual pursuits of man. Not only is it the oldest and purest of all sciences; it is also that science which is able, more than any other science, to give its followers a realistic feeling for man’s place in the universe. Its objects, visible and present in spite of their remoteness and mystery, have fascinated mankind for thousands of years. Although professional astronomy requires highly specialized knowledge as well as very complex and costly instrumentation, the beauty and excitement of astronomical observations can be enjoyed by amateurs of very diverse backgrounds. Indeed, hardly any other science has as many dedicated active and knowledgeable amateur followers as the science of astronomy. Many of the great astronomical discoveries of the past were made by amateurs. Even today, most new comets are first found by amateurs, and those projects which require careful, patient observations over long periods of time, such as variable star studies, often receive substantial support from amateur astronomers. Even though many of the amateurs do not engage in systematic observations of specific objects, they still build or at least modify their own instruments, and they spend many enjoyable hours looking at the craters of the moon, the rings of Saturn, the pale crescent of Venus, the satellites of Jupiter, the great nebula in Orion, the Andromeda galaxy, the sparkling clusters in Perseus, the ring nebula in Lyra, or just the myriads of stars in the Milky Way.
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