Wouldn’t it be great to be young again and to be entering amateur astronomy! Now is 
the time to start considering the Astronomical League’s Horkheimer Youth awards for 
2016: the two Jack Horkheimer Youth Service Awards, the Horkheimer/Parker Youth 
Imaging Award, and the Horkheimer/O’Meara Journalism Award.
• If you know a League member, 18 years or younger, who has brought amateur 
astronomy to your club or to the public through outreach, presentations, writing, or 
observing, please consider nominating that person for one of the two Horkheimer 
Service Awards. (Horkheimer/Smith Award – $1750 plus an expense paid trip to ALCon 
2016, Horkheimer/D’Auria Award – $1000.)  
• If you know a League member, 18 years or younger, who has captured a great 
celestial image since last April, please consider nominating that person for the 
Horkheimer/Parker Youth Imaging Award. (1st place – $1000, 2nd place – $500, and 3rd 
place – $250)
• One of these awards is more specialized than the others — the Horheimer/O’Meara 
Journalism Award. It requires a person who is 8 to 14 years of age to compose a 300 to 
500 word essay on any science related topic. (1st place – $1000, 2nd place – $500, 3rd 
place – $250.)
Since the deadline for the Horkheimer Awards is March 31, 2016, now is the time for 
potential candidates to work on their projects and to participate in various astronomy 
activities.
If you are a club officer, nominate them. If you don’t, no one else will! Complete 
information about each award can be found at www.astroleague.org/al/awards/awards.html

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Do you know of qualified candidates? Please step forward, as they 
cannot nominate themselves!

1. Astronomical Society of the Pacific Amateur Achievement Award
Purpose
The Amateur Achievement Award of the ASP, given yearly since 1979, is designed to 
recognize significant contributions to astronomy or amateur astronomy by those not 
employed in the field of astronomy in a professional capacity.
 

Eligibility
Nominees must have made significant contributions to astronomy, but are not employed 
as professional astronomers. Letters of nomination should highlight how the nominee or 
nominees have distinguished themselves in this endeavor or cite exceptional 
achievement or both.
 

Nominations
Nominations are welcome from members of the astronomical community. Self 
nominations or nomination by a family member will not be accepted. All nominations will 
remain active for three years of competition; additional support letters or nomination 
updates will be accepted at any time.
For all the pertinent details, please log on to: http://www.astrosociety.org/membership/
awards/amateur.html

2. Astronomical Society of the Pacific Las Cumbres Award for Outreach
Purpose
The Las Cumbres Amateur Outreach Award, established by Wayne Rosing and Dorothy 
Largay, seeks to honor outstanding educational outreach by an amateur astronomer to 
K-12 children and the interested lay public.

Eligibility
“Amateur” is understood to mean someone who does not receive compensation (other 
than expenses) for their activity and does not receive the majority of their income from a 
profession in astronomy.
Nominations
Nominations are made by members of the astronomical community. Self nominations or 
nomination by a family member will not be accepted.
For all the pertinent details, please log on to: http://www.astrosociety.org/membership/
awards/cumbres.html

Please join me in welcoming our newest Observing Program Coordinators.  These four are among the many members who stepped up and volunteered to help coordinate the programs:

Analemma – Douglas Smith

Double Star – Steve Bell

Galileo – Mark Croom

Sky Puppies – Maynard Pittendreigh

We owe much gratitude to those who have come before us in their laying the foundation upon which we build.  ​To misuse a quote by Sir Isaac Newton: “We are standing on the shoulders of giants.”  Thank you all.

Our on-line database of Observing Program awardees is missing 13 entries for the Sky Puppy Observing Program.  We would like to get this fixed.  If you, your children, your grandchildren, or a member of your club has earned this certificate and they are not in the on-line database, please send an email to aaron@clevenson.org with the information so that we can add them in and give them the recognition that they deserve.  Thanks.  Aaron

Long time Longmont Astronomical Society (CO) member, Tim Brown, is to receive an award, the “James Craig Watson Medal for Astronomy, from the National Academy of Sciences on May 1st in Washington DC. The award recognizes Tim for “his visionary scientific and technical advancements that have been critical to the fields of helioseismology, asteroseismology, and the emerging field of spectroscopy of transiting exoplanets, and for his critical role in helping a new generation of scientists and facilities to succeed”.  For more info see the press release at the Las Cumbres Observatory website, http://lcogt.net/blog/dr-tim-brown-to-receive-distinguished-watson-medal/

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You may now register for the Astrocon 2017 conference in Casper, Wyoming onAugust 16 through August 19, 2017. Visit the Astrocon 2017 webpage at https://astrocon2017.astroleague.org and click on the “Registration” tab at the top right of the page.

If you are interested in helping the AL as an Observing Program Coordinator, we need to hear from you by Friday 1/15/2016.  We are beginning to contact those we have already heard from.  These programs are in need of a leader:  Analemma, Double Star, Galileo, and Sky Puppy Observing Programs.  Please send an email to Aaron Clevenson, Observing Program Director, at aaron@clevenson.org