NEWSTAR is the Astronomy Club serving Northeast Wisconsin.

In 2006, NEWSTAR and the North Central Region of the Astronomical League will be holding a very special event. NEWSTAR will be celebrating its 20th anniversary and the NCRAL will convene its 60th convention. So we've decided to throw a real party. That is why this regional convention will be like no other.

What will make this convention so special?

A Convention For The Whole Family

For those attending the convention, we have chosen a group of speakers with broad appeal sure to please. From authors to astronauts, our speakers will be of interest to the astronomer and non-astronomer alike.

The location of the convention will afford those family members not attending, plenty to do and enjoy.

Located in the heart of beautiful downtown Appleton, the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel is within easy walking distance of museums, restaurants, one of a kind shopping and the brand new "Big Picture" large format theater where convention attendees will get a private screening of the film "Solar Max" on Friday Evening. The convention is working with the Fox Cities Children's Museum to provide a "Family Fun Night" early Friday evening and activities on Saturday for those attending the convention with young children, a place to explore astronomy together. The Radisson Paper Valley Hotel indoor recreation area is open 24 hours a day and features a swimming pool, whirlpool, sauna, mini-golf, and a complete Fitness Center. Plan to get to Appleton by Friday afternoon for "Family Fun Night" at the museum.

The Speakers

"Exploring Astronomy: The Solar System" is the convention theme and each of our speakers have contributed to that enterprise. While it is possible this list of speakers could change at any time without notice, the tentative schedule of speakers for 2006 includes:

Guy Consolmagno and Dan Davis are familiar to many as the authors of Turn Left At Orion . Guy Consolmagno is also a Vatican astronomer and head curator of the Vatican's meteorite collection. His most recent book Brother Astronomer chronicles his experiences as a Jesuit priest and professional astronomer. Dan Davis received his Ph.D. from M.I.T. in 1983 and is now a professor of geophysics at SUNY Stoney Brook. His research concerns the formation of mountain belts on Earth.

Ron Dantowitz - Director of the Clay Center Observatory at Dexter and Southfield Schools in Brookline, Massachusetts. He is best known to amateur astronomers for developing techniques for ultra-high resolution telescopic imaging. Ron's efforts have produced some of the sharpest ground-based optical images of the moon and planets to date, with resolutions approaching 0.1 second of arc. His amateur photos of the Mir Space station, space shuttle Atlantis and the X prize winner using high resolution video, have amazed astro-imagers the world over.

Dr. Andrew P. Ingersoll the Earle C. Anthony Professor of Planetary Science at the California Institute of Technology, is an expert on the weather and climate of Earth and the other planets. He has been a science team member and/or interdisciplinary scientist for deep space missions including Pioneer Jupiter/Saturn, Pioneer Venus, Voyager, VEGA Venus Balloons, Mars Global Surveyor, Galileo, and Cassini.

Dr. Ingersoll served on the Space Science Board and the Space Science and Applications Advisory Committee, and was Chairman of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society. He served on the Solar System Exploration Decadal Survey Committee, and is currently the atmospheric sciences editor of Icarus, the International Journal of Solar System Studies. He received NASA's Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal, and was elected Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Ingersoll received his Ph.D. in atmospheric physics from Harvard University in 1966.

Dr. Harrison "Jack" Schmitt - Apollo Astronaut. Dr. Schmitt explored the lunar surface as part of Apollo 17, the last manned mission to the moon. Selected as a scientist-astronaut by NASA, he was instrumental in providing the Apollo flight crews with detailed instruction in lunar navigation, geology, and feature recognition. Dr. Schmitt also assisted in the integration of scientific activities into the Apollo lunar missions and participated in research activities requiring geologic, petrographic, and stratigraphic analyses of samples returned from the moon by the Apollo missions. In addition, Dr. Schmitt served from 1977 to 1982 as a U.S. Senator for his home state of New Mexico.

Extra Available Activities

In addition to the regular convention activities, attendees have the opportunity to extend their convention experience with special events and side trips.

On Friday April 21st join NEWSTAR on a field trip to the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture Museum. In addition to the museum you will get a special behind the scenes tour of the incredible EAA complex and facilities not available to the general public. See the EAA Field Trip Information.

Or enjoy an afternoon under the stars at the Barlow Planetarium and Weiss Earth Science Museum.

You can even share the excitement of science and astronomy with your kids at the Fox Cities Children's Museum.

Region Wide Participation and Support

Since this convention will be such a special event, we will be working very hard to see that all NCRAL societies are represented. This will provide a rare opportunity for region-wide networking of members and societies. To make this dream a reality, we are urging all NCRAL member societies to insure at least one representative attend this convention. Societies may even want to consider underwriting the registration of this individual so as to make the NCRAL's representation at the convention complete.

As you can see, the 2006 Convention in Appleton is going to be something truly special and not to be missed. You can help make the NCRAL 60th Convention a success by registering today.