“If you don’t risk anything, you risk even more.” – Erica Jong – Novelist-Satirist-Poet

 

“You can’t knock on opportunity’s door and not be ready.” – Bruno Mars – Singer-Songwriter-Record Producer-Musician-Dancer

 

“Be your own artist, and always be confident in what you’re doing. If you’re not going to be confident, you might as well not be doing it.” – Aretha Franklin – 1942-2018 – Singer-Songwriter-Pianist

 

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

(notes provided by the erudite Mary Hodson)

 

November 4 – We will plant a tree in Neil Chamberlain’s memory following our regular meeting.

 

November 11 – No morning meeting.   Instead, we will have a dinner at LODGIC that evening.  Invite your friends and family.

 

December 23 – No meeting.

 

December 30 – No morning meeting.  Instead, we will have a Zoom evening social.

 

 

PROGRAM

 

Tom introduced Charles Forbes Gammie, Professor of Astrophysics, the University of Illinois.   Professor Gammie received his undergraduate degree in Math from Yale and his PhD in Astrophysics from Princeton.   His research involves black holes and planet formation.

 

Gammie said that scientists can precisely date the age of the sun, planets and moon.   The Big Bang occurred 13.7 billion years ago.  Our solar system formed 4,576 billion years ago.   

 

The Apollo Moon missions changed scientists thinking about how the earth’s moon was formed.   Geologist and former US Senator Harrison Schmidt went to the moon and collected moon rocks.    Geologists found that the rocks from the moon have a similar isotopic fingerprint as those on the earth, but the moon doesn’t have the iron found on earth.

 

The current leading theory about the formation of the moon is that 4.5 billion years ago, the earth was struck by another planet.   Professor Gammie showed a computer simulation of this event.  Within a few hours, the other planet would have been destroyed, leaving a ring of vaporized rock around ours.   Eventually, the ring would have cooled, condensed and solidified into our moon.  The moon would have been about 3 earth radii from the earth.  The earth’s tides have pushed it further out by 3.8 centimeters per year.  It is now 60 earth radii from our planet.

 

Professor Gammie also talked about mile long lava tubes found on the moon.  The moon has no atmosphere but the lave tubes might one day provide a habitable shelter for humans

 

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  Oct 21st Oct 28th Nov 4th Nov 11th
Introductions Tod Satterthwaite Jarrod Scheunemann Jen Shelby Lou Simpson
Reflection Cary Woolard Michelle Barbey Eddie Bridges Paul Conforti
Greeters Tod Satterthwaite Jarrod Scheunemann Jen Shelby Lou Simpson
       
Notetaker Conforti Perry Hodson Conforti

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UPCOMING SCHEDULE (with program committee member responsible listed in parentheses)

 

October 21st – Normal Rotarian Drake Zimmerman, co-founder and chair of the Rotary Action Group Against Malaria, will speak about Global Grants of Scale (Mary)

October 28th – Tom Hodson will give an update on Shelter Box and Haiti

November 4th – Club Assembly.  Tree planting in honor of Neil Chamberlain.

November 11th – No morning meeting.  Dinner social instead.

November 18th – Derek Peterson, Director, Allerton Park & Retreat Center (Joe)

November 25th – No meeting – Thanksgiving

December 2nd – Club Assembly

December 9th – TBD (Ondine)

December 16th – TBD

December 23rd – No morning meeting

December 30th – No morning meeting.  Evening Zoom social instead.

January 6th – TBD