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J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 107, 5, 1997, pp. 294
(Note: The Association is not responsible for individual opinions expressed in articles, reviews, letters or reports of any kind.)
From Dr Jacqueline Mitton
Whatever the outcome of the elections to the BAA Council this year, one thing is a foregone conclusion: none of the 'ordinary' members of Council (i.e. not the officers) will be female. Only when the list of nominations was read out after the closing date did I realise that not a single woman featured among them. (Under the BAA rules, I myself am obliged to stand down after three years' service.) Had I realised this dire state of affairs before it was too late I could perhaps have taken action, so I accept my share of the blame.
But ladies of the BAA: don't let this happen again! I would like to urge more of you to come forward as potential Council members. I know females still form a minority of the membership, but what kind of a message does an all-male Council give about the nature of our Association, especially to women who are considering whether to join? It may be interesting to note that on the current Council of the Royal Astronomical Society, four of the 12 Councillors, and two of the three Secretaries are women.
I, and I am sure any of the BAA officers, Council members and Section Directors, will be pleased to hear from anyone (male or female) with an interest in standing for election to the Council in 1998. It is not too soon to get in touch.
Jacqueline Mitton
8A Canterbury Close, Cambridge CB4 3QQ. [jmitton@ast.cam.ac.uk]
From Mr Philip Bagnall
(Note: £= pounds sterling; $= US Dollars)
BAA members may be interested in a database I have recently compiled. Called StarFall, it contains details of over 3,600 non-Antarctic meteorites such as the meteorite's name, location (country, latitude and longitude), type, mass, whether it was a fall or find, how many meteorites were found, and information on where to get further details.
Originally intended for my own personal use, I have been persuaded to release StarFall commercially at a reasonable cost, as most other databases fall into the £100–£500 price range. I am therefore issuing copies of StarFall for £20, but BAA members may claim a discount of £5. The availability is as follows:
Philip Bagnall
9 Airedale, Hadrian Lodge West, Wallsend NE28 8TL. [phil@ticetboo.demon.co.uk] .
From Mr H. J. P. Arnold
The September issue of Spaceflight magazine carried an article on the proposed National Space Science Centre at Leicester, which sounds a fascinating concept. But I trust that the artist's impression accompanying the article will never be translated into reality: a centre devoted to space science should not contribute to the degradation of the night sky by a laser display - nor by the installation of globe lights which put as much light up as down. No wonder we need a BAA Campaign for Dark Skies!
H. J. P. Arnold
Space Frontiers Ltd., 30 Fifth Avenue, Havant, Hants. PO9 2PL. [100411.1740@compuserve.com]
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