The Warren Astronomical Society meets monthly on the first Monday of every month in the auditorium at Cranbrook Institute of Science. We do a bit of club business early on, then have a major presentation usually put together by one of our members.

Jon Blum follows up his acclaimed practical-yet-humorous 2008 talk with a real sequel: Astronomy Gadgets 2. Whether you're an experienced observer or a beginner, Jon will surely show you something new and helpful.

Jon loves gadgets of all sorts, and never saw an astronomy gadget that he didn’t need. In this talk, you will find out how to choose a reticle eyepiece, tables, a voice recorder, anti-fog solution, extension cables, observing chairs, bug repellants, warm clothes for cold nights, a sitcom, filters, red flashlights, laser pointers, and more. A handout paper will be provided, listing where to buy each gadget discussed, from websites to Home Depot.

Jon has been interested in astronomy since childhood and still has his first cardboard telescope. But he didn’t have time for a real telescope and all of these gadgets until he retired at the end of 2001. He has lived his whole life in the Detroit area, and spent his career as a dermatologist with an office in Farmington Hills. In addition to astronomy, his other hobbies are grandchildren, digital photography, and creating web pages. His past talks to our club have included how he shopped for and selected his current telescope, astronomy in Scandinavia, Astronomers Inn B&B in Arizona, the Texas Star Party, and astronomy on Maui. A future talk he is planning is about why he belongs to seven astronomy clubs.

Jon writes a website about Maui, including many photos, at www.mauihawaii.org. His astronomy photos (trips and events, not astrophotos) are at www.jonrosie.com/astronomy. He learned about astronomy from the many helpful members of this and other clubs, and would be glad to answer any questions about his astronomy gadgets, or about Maui, at any club meeting, or by email.