The stunning Orion Nebula - The Royal Astronomical Society of ...

3. The definitions and descriptions of member rights and
privileges, currently found in our By-Laws, must be
written into the new Articles of Incorporation.
As you can see, for the RASC, these three items are currently
contained in our two governance documents: the Letters
Patent and By-Law Number One. Certain sections of both of
these governing documents will have to be restructured into
the new Articles of Incorporation. This then will become our
new overarching governance document. The existing By-Laws
will necessarily be extensively revised, or even completely
replaced. The new By-Laws will further describe and explain
the material in the new Articles of Incorporation. Other
material will be included in a policy or operational manual.
Such changes are time consuming and detail oriented. The
newly constituted Constitution Committee will be working
closely with the Executive Committee and our staff to draft
new documents for approval by the membership and submission
to government well before the deadline. With external
legal assistance, we plan to develop and provide template
documents to assist RASC Centres with the required changes
News Notes / En Manchettes
Compiled by Andrew I. Oakes
(copernicus1543@gmail.com)
Orbiter captures possible salt-water flows on Mars
After repeated observations, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s
High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE)
suggests the possibility of flowing water on Mars during that
planet’s warmest months. The NASA Orbiter has tracked
seasonal changes on several steep Martian slopes in the middle
latitudes of Mars’ southern hemisphere. Scientists describe
the recurring features as being dark and finger-like, forming
and extending down some Martian slopes during late spring
through the Martian summer. The features fade in winter and
return during the following spring season.
Only some 0.5 to 5 metres wide, the distinct features appear
on warmer, equator-facing slopes and show lengths of up
to hundreds of metres. Researchers assess the best explanation
for this phenomenon to date is “the flow of briny water.”
According to the scientists, the locations of the flows are too
warm for carbon-dioxide frost, while at some of the sites it
is too cold for pure water, making salt-laden water a viable
alternative explanation. It is known that salt deposits exist on
Mars, which indicate to scientists that brines were abundant
in Mars’ distant past, and that these still form near the surface
today in select locations and periods.
when the time comes. We will focus on making the process as
smooth and painless as possible for everyone.
For anyone who wants more information, please see these
reports to National Council on the Members’ Only section of
the RASC Web site:
Executive Committee
www.rasc.ca/private/reports/ExecComm_Report_NC112.pdf
www.rasc.ca/private/reports/ExecComm_NC111_Report.pdf
Executive Director
www.rasc.ca/private/reports/ED_Report_NC112.pdf
Constitution Committee
www.rasc.ca/private/reports/ConstitutionReport-NC112.pdf
While some of us are stuck dealing with the necessary evils of
administration, I encourage everyone else to get out there and
enjoy your astronomical activities, be they solitary moments
under the stars or shared events with your fellow RASCals.
Clear skies and great observing! V
Figure 1 — This image is an oblique view of warm-season flows in Mars’
Newton Crater made on 2011 May 30 by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
The image has been superimposed on a 3-D model of the Martian surface
and reprojected to give a “helicopter view” of the site. The flow features are
the dark linear features on the slope surface. Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/KSC.
October / octobre 2011 JRASC | Promoting Astronomy in Canada
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