THE OBSERVER OF THE TWIN CITY AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS

Volume 40, Number 9 September 2015

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Editor’s Choice: Image of the Month……..……………….1 A Note from President Weiland..…………………..……….2 Calendar of Celestial Events – August 2015..…...…....3 New & Renewing Members/Dues Blues…………..…….3 Subscribing to Our E-Mail Lists………………………….……3 This Month’s Phases of the Moon……..……………...…..4 Total Lunar Eclipse Observing Session 9/27……………4 TCAA Mini-Conference & Star Party……………………….5 Last Chance to Register for 9/12 Mini Conference….6 Last Chance to Register for Universe Sampler.………..6 Special Board of Directors Meeting 8/24………………..8 E/PO for August 2015…………………………………………....8 Remaining 2015 Public Observing Sessions…………....9 Space Camp……………………………………………………………9 AstroBits…………………………………………………………………9 Summer’s Messier Marathon……………………………….13 Two Autumn Offerings at ISU Planetarium……….….15 Picnic a Pleasure……………………………………………..……15 Thoughts About Observing…………………………………..16 TCAA on Facebook and Twitter…………………………....17 HowTimeFlies……………………………………………………...17 TCAA Treasurer’s Report: August 2015………...... ….18

EDITOR’S CHOICE: IMAGE OF THE MONTH – MESSIER 27

Editor’s note: Justin Meyer produced this month’s image. Justin recently joined the TCAA and, within only a couple of months was able – with training provide by Tim Stone – to take command of the club’s 17” SGO telescope to prepare this image. It shows what is possible with just a bit of time and dedication; other members new and old should take note. Justin writes, “M27 (AKA Dumbbell or Apple Core nebula) was the first planetary nebula found by Charles Messier. Not surprising, it has a magnitude of 7.5 being at a distance of 1360 light years. That, coupled with a diameter of 8 arc minutes, makes it one of the easier planetary nebulas to see in the summer sky. Located in Vulpecula, M27 is oval in The TCAA is an affiliate of the Astronomical League. shape and with imagination one can see a dumbbell in the fairly For more information about the TCAA, be certain to symmetrical turbulent knots. The central star is the largest known white visit our club website. dwarf in existence, but unfortunately Messier was never able to see it. The photo consists of several 20-minute narrowband exposures. M27 has a hefty amount of Hα and OIII in the center but there was a lot of nice nebulosity in the oxygen channel. There is not a lot of SII, but it does exist, especially in the ends of the ‘dumbbell’.”

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Vol. 40, No. 9 The OBSERVER September 2015

The OBSERVER is the monthly A NOTE FROM PRESIDENT WEILAND electronic publication of the Twin

City Amateur Astronomers, Inc., a As I sit typing this message it’s early in the morning and registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational organization of amateur there is a nip in the air despite the fact that it’s only late astronomers interested in studying August. This means that our public viewing season is rapidly astronomy and sharing their hobby coming to a close with only a couple more public events with the public. scheduled at SGNC. By the time you read this, the TCAA annual picnic will have come and gone. What I’m getting at is that the TCAA OFFICERS opportunities for involvement may appear to be waning, but President we’re looking ahead to make sure that isn’t the case. Tom Weiland 309-830-0167 If you’ve read my messages over time, you’ve undoubtedly [email protected] noticed a theme – involvement in TCAA. As a club we try to

Vice-President provide opportunities for involvement such as interactions with Dave Osenga 309-287-0789 the public, social gatherings, and the chance for members to [email protected] learn more about astronomy. Several of these types of opportunities are coming up. Secretary/Webmaster We have the special lunar eclipse event scheduled at Tipton Park North on Lee Green 309-454-7349 September 27th. You can find more information about this event in a separate article in [email protected] this newsletter. This is an opportunity to help with a club event and interact with the Treasurer/ALCor/Registered Agent public. Even if you are unable to attend, please help spread the word. Duane Yockey 309-452-3936 Although the TCAA annual picnic attendance was a little low this year, we continue [email protected] to explore other avenues for social gatherings. We do have an individual who has is 3rd Director/Property Manager interested in assuming the role of the TCAA social coordinator….others interested in Tim Stone 309-531-2401 helping out with this endeavor can contact me. One activity that has been suggested is [email protected] breakfast out at a local eatery. This would be a social event with the opportunity to talk

4th Director/Historian/Editor about astronomy and get to know one another a little better. Other gatherings such as Carl J. Wenning 309-830-4085 this will be explored addressing the results of the recent member survey conducted by [email protected] TCAA and other local astronomy clubs. Thanks to Carl Wenning for coordinating the dissemination of the survey and collecting and reporting on the results. th 5 Director A couple of educational/social opportunities are coming up as well. TCAA will again Robert Finnigan 309-846-9533 be hosting an informal mini-conference on September 12 and inviting members of [email protected] other local astronomy clubs. Registration for this event closes soon (Sept. 10) but you Lighting Education Coordinator can still use the following case-sensitive URL: https://goo.gl/dDMVMI to assure a spot Lisa Wentzel unlisted number at the conference which will feature a number of afternoon speakers and an evening [email protected] potluck picnic with entrees and drinks provided by members of the TCAA. Member Carl Wenning will be offering a short course for the general public The OBSERVER (including new and less experienced TCAA members) titled Universe Sampler. This Carl J. Wenning, Editor course will be a family-friendly introduction to observational astronomy, and is open to Paul Pouliot, Assistant Editor individuals as well as groups. There will be a small fee to cover the cost of materials. If Submission deadline is normally one this course is well received, additional such courses may be offered. Registration for day before the end of each month. this class has been extended to Sept. 5. Again, more information about this offering is available elsewhere in this newsletter. MEMBERSHIP DUES Although colder weather may be approaching, there are a several hearty souls in the club who will continue to pursue their interests in astronomy at SGNC in spite of Individual Adult/Family $40 the lower temperatures. As a member of the club, you have access to some of the best Full-time Student/Senior $25 equipment available to amateur astronomers. With the proper training, the equipment (Senior status equals ages 60+) in both the PSO and SGO could be at your disposal. There are several members who To join, send your name, contact would willingly help you learn how to use the equipment. info and dues payment to Duane As you can see, there are still many opportunities for our members to get involved Yockey, TCAA Treasurer, 508 Normal and stay involved in TCAA throughout the year. Take advantage of those opportunities, Avenue, Normal, IL 61761. meet other members, and expand your horizons….the sky’s the limit. Clear Skies!!

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CALENDAR OF CELESTIAL EVENTS – SEPTEMBER 2015 NEW & RENEWING MEMBERS

MORNING STARS (9/15): Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus The following individuals have paid dues for new EVENING STARS (9/15): Mercury, Saturn, and Neptune or renewed memberships as of August 31st, 2015. (Others who paid after that date will appear in the Question: Since the middle of last month, Neptune has shifted from October 2015 issue of The OBSERVER.) being a morning star to an evening star. When did this event happen and why? New: Darren Erickson Renewing: Paul Pouliot 4 Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation – Mercury is now 27 degrees from the sun and is visible after sunset low in the DUES BLUES western sky. Look for it a mid twilight. Binoculars will help. If you have received a “your dues are due”

5 Third Quarter Moon – Rises at midnight and sets at statement along with the email that brought you this midday. issue of The OBSERVER, please remit your dues to Mr.

13 New Moon – Sets at sunset and rises at sunrise. Duane Yockey, TCAA Treasurer, 508 Normal Avenue, Normal, IL 61761. Current dues are currently $25 for 21 First Quarter Moon – Rises at midday and sets at midnight. senior (60 years of age and over) and $40 regular.

19 September Equinox – Autumn begins at 3:21 a.m. in the SUBSCRIBING TO OUR E-MAIL LISTS northern hemisphere and spring begins at the same time in the southern hemisphere. By subscribing to a group’s mailing list you will receive email messages from the group so you won’t 27 Full Moon – Early Native American tribes knew this event as the have access to the group’s web features (like photos, Full Corn Moon because the corn is harvested around this time files, links, polls, calendar, etc.) unless members of year. This moon is also known as the Harvest Moon. The activate it later. The club now has two email listservs. Harvest Moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the The main email listserv is known as the TCAA listserv. September equinox each year. This is also the second of three It will be used to share announcements and reminders supermoons for 2015. The Moon will be at its closest approach about astronomical and club events. To join this main to the Earth and may look slightly larger and brighter than listserv you must do the following: usual. This will be the closest full moon of the year. Total Lunar Eclipse: A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes 1. Subscribe: Send a blank email to TCAA- completely through the Earth's dark shadow, or umbra. During [email protected] Note: You’ll be sent a this type of eclipse, the Moon will gradually get darker and then confirmation email from the group. Reply to the take on a rusty or blood red color. The eclipse will be visible confirmation email to activate your subscription. throughout most of North America. See the accompanying 2. Unsubscribe: [email protected] article for details. 3. To post a message: [email protected]

Answer: Whenever a superior planet passes through opposition A second listserv – TCAA–imaging – is for club with the Sun, it shifts from being a morning star into an evening astronomical photographers as well as those who star. Neptune’s 2015 opposition occurred on August 31st. want to view their images and follow their discussions. It is an easy way to keep up with all the stuff we’re EVENING SKY MAP doing at the observatories.

Click on either of these icons to 1. Subscribe: [email protected] access the current evening sky map 2. Unsubscribe: [email protected] along with a more detailed celestial 3. To post a message: [email protected] events calendar from Skymaps.com. Once members join a Yahoo! group, they can manage group and subscription settings whenever it is desired to customize the group experience.

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THIS MONTH’S PHASES OF THE MOON

Third Quarter New Moon First Quarter Full Moon September 5 September 13 September 21 September 27

All moon phase dates are given for Central Standard Time. Additional moon phases can be found for the 2015 calendar year by clicking here. These four images were provided by J. K. Howell of the Champaign-Urbana Astronomical Society and are used with permission.

TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE OBSERVING SESSION SEPTEMBER 27TH

On Sunday, September 27th, a total lunar eclipse will be visible in its entirety from Central Illinois should the sky be clear. Moonrise occurs at 6:38 PM and sunset occurs at 6:45 PM. First look for the moon low in the east just after sunset. As the sky darkens, the moon will rise higher and move to the right. As evening twilight ends, the first contact of the moon with Earth’s umbral shadow will occur at 8:07 PM. At this time the moon will be about 17 degrees above the eastern horizon. At 9:11 PM totality begins with moon 27.5 degrees up in the ESE. At 9:47 PM central eclipse occurs. The moon will be at its darkest at this time, but the lower left will still be fairly well illuminated due to the fact that this is not a central eclipse. That is, the moon will not pass directly through the center of Earth’s dark umbral shadow but through its lower portion as seen from our perspective. At 10:23 PM totality ends with the moon 38 degrees up in the SE. At 11:27 PM last umbral contact with moon occurs with the moon located 46 degrees up in the SSE. Because this event is the first evening total lunar eclipse in many years, the TCAA will host a special public observing session. The event will take place at Tipton Park in Bloomington. We will be gathering at the NORTH unit at the intersection of College Avenue and Airport Road (the south unit is located off G.E. Road – don’t confuse the two). Bloomington Parks & Recreation Director Bob Mayes has approved our viewing session, and he will inform various security details of our presence. Current plans call for telescopes to be set up at 8:00 PM. Observing will begin in earnest with the start of the eclipse at 8:07 PM. Members with telescopes should plan on remaining until at least the end of totality at 10:23 PM. Prior experience shows that interest and attendance drops rapidly after the end of totality. NOTE: As of this writing, only a handful of past and present TCAA observers will have telescopes present: Mark and Nataya Boulware, Justin Meyer, Sharon MacDonald, and Carl Wenning. Additional volunteers are needed, but especially in the event of a large turn out. If the sky is overcast, the event will be cancelled.

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LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER FOR SEPTEMBER 12TH MINI CONFERENCE

Central Illinois astronomy clubs whose members are readers of this newsletter (TCAA, CUAS, PAS, SAS, DAAC), in addition to a few others who share in our newsletter exchange (RAA and FVAS) are encouraged to attend the TCAA’s 2nd Central Illinois Mini Conference. The event this year will be held on Saturday, September 12th and will be followed by an all-night observing session, weather permitting. The event will be held at Sugar Grove Nature Center 4 miles north of McLean, IL. The event will begin at approximately 3:30 – 4:00 PM. (Registrants will receive the program through email in advance.) This very informal Mini Conference will feature a number of afternoon speakers and an evening potluck picnic with entrees and drinks provided by members of the TCAA. The TCAA also will provide table settings (plates, cups, utensils) and condiments. Every household that attends is asked to bring a side dish to share. Participation in this event is free of charge, but attendees must register in advance so that we can be certain to have enough food, drink, and supplies on hand. Kicking off activities will be invited speaker Mr. Mark Seppelt who is Electrical Unit Chief for the Illinois Department of Transportation. Mark will speak to us about the new Illinois state roadway lighting standards and the considerations the state takes to prevent light pollution such as backlight, up-light, and glare. His talk and Q&A period will last about 45 minutes, and is followed by a 15-minute refreshment break during which attendees will have an opportunity to speak with Mark further. Our after dinner keynote speaker will be NASA Solar System Ambassador Lee Green who will provide us mission updates. Lee has tentatively titled and described his talk as follows: NASA is in its golden years. There are a number of missions currently returning information across the spectrum in a detail that is unprecedented. We will review several of NASA’s programs, consider the different type of instruments used on spacecraft, and highlight a variety of the ongoing missions. In addition to Lee’s post meal talk, we hope to have several speakers provide contributed 13-minute talks (10 minute talk and 3 minutes for Q&A; 2 minutes will be set aside for set up of the next talk). You may apply to give a contributed talk by going to the following case-sensitive URL: https://goo.gl/dDMVMI. The application deadline for contributed talks is September 5th. This event will include open houses at Sugar Grove Observatory and Prairie Sky Observatory that sit adjacent to one another at Sugar Grove Nature Center. Attendees will have the opportunity to see the club’s new 16” f/3.9 AG Optical telescope whose main mirror was produced by local telescope maker Michael Lockwood (CUAS), and receive an overview of the NCRAL 2016 meeting that the TCAA will host on April 29/30 next year. The main theme of that event will be “Getting Ready for 2017 – The Total Solar Eclipse of August 21st”. Plan now on attending both these meetings; you’ll not want to miss either, and you certainly won’t want to miss out on the Total Solar Eclipse of 2017. Prepare now before it is too late! How to register: Attendance at the Central Illinois Mini Conference is by prior registration only. In order to attend, you need to complete registration online by September 10th by going to the following case-sensitive URL: https://goo.gl/KAmcm0. No on-site registration will be permitted due to the need to have adequate supplies on hand for the meal. Road Closed! It will not be possible to travel to Funks Grove from McLean (I-55 Exit #145) as that portion of the road will be blocked due to a bridge replacement just south of Funks Grove. Those coming from the south on I-55 to attend the Mini Conference should take note. You will need to access Old Route 66 from Shirley exit #154 and then travel south to Funks Grove. See the map above for details.

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER FOR UNIVERSE SAMPLER

Former ISU Planetarium educator Carl Wenning (director 1978-2000) has decided to offer a short course for the general public (including new and less experienced TCAA members) titled Universe Sampler. This experimental course will be a family- friendly introduction to observational astronomy, and is open to individuals as well as groups. There will be a fee to cover the cost of materials and facility usage. If this course is well received, additional such courses will be offered.

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The Universe Sampler is a unique Astronomical League-based observing program designed specifically for the beginning observer. It is designed to expose the beginner to a sample of the many different types of objects that the universe has to offer for our viewing pleasure. It is designed to help new observers learn their way around the sky and to teach some of the basics of astronomy. It offers an alternate naked-eye list of deep sky objects for those who are interested in astronomy but shy away because they do not have a telescope or binoculars. Universe Sampler will take you on an exciting journey through the heavens. You will meet many of the brightest stars, and learn their names and the constellations in which they are found. You will visit our moon and some of the planets that share our solar system. You will greet at least one of the comets that leave the outer reaches of the solar system to visit the neighborhood of the sun. You will become acquainted with double stars, variable stars, star clusters, nebulae and galaxies. Once you have completed the Universe Sampler observing program, you should be well acquainted with the night sky and be able to find your way among the stars with no problem. You should be in a position to know what type of objects interest you most and be ready to continue your observing with one or more of the Astronomical League's other observing programs, e.g., the Messier List, the Double Star Program, the Lunar Programs, etc. The titles of the lessons (taught in small groups each evening) are as follows:

 Basic Sky Movement  Stating Locations of Objects in the Sky  The Art of Seeing  How to Find North in the Sky  Star Hopping  The Moon  Star Charts and Constellation Patterns  Eyepiece Field Orientation  Variable Stars  Angular Measures and Distance  Recording Your Observations  The Sun

The Astronomical League offers special recognition to qualified members in the form of a Universe Sampler program certificate for those who have completed either the "naked eye" or the "telescope" path. You may complete both programs and get two certificates. To obtain an award, you must observe the following rules:

 You must be a member of the Astronomical League either through an affiliated club or as Member at Large. You are a member of the AL by virtue of your membership in the TCAA.  Use of setting circles, computer driven telescopes (except for tracking purposes only) or any electronic device used to locate objects is NOT allowed. The purpose of the Universe Sampler program is to help the beginner learn his or her way around the sky. Use of the devices mentioned above would defeat the purpose of the program. Instead, use the star-hopping method to locate objects. Refer to the lesson on star hopping.  You must complete Object List I as naked-eye observations. You must complete either Object List II as telescopic/binocular observations or Object List III as naked-eye observations.  You must keep a log of your observations stating the object number or name, date/time and location, seeing conditions, size of instrument and magnification (or naked-eye observation) and your description of the object.  You may copy the log sheets in the back of the manual to be provided for your use.  Upon completion of the program, you will submit your log sheets to our ALCor for verification. A letter from Duane Yockey will be sent to the program coordinator requesting your certificate and award pin.

If you are not a member of the TCAA or the Astronomical League, you may still participate in this course. The only difference will be is that you will not qualify for the Astronomical League’s program certificate. A separate certificate will be provided by the TCAA in these cases. Universe Sampler is designed specifically as a teaching aid for the beginning observer. Classes will be conducted from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. at Sugar Grove Nature Center on Saturdays. The schedule is September 26th, October 3rd, and October 10th. Classes will be held, cloudy or clear. A non-refundable fee of $15 will be collected prior to the first night of class to cover the cost of the official observing manual (one per household registration) and use of facilities. (Additional observing manuals are available for $10 each.) In order to participate in this course, registration must be completed online using this case-sensitive URL: https://goo.gl/1TmZFF. The registration deadline has been extended to September 5th. As of this writing, six households and twelve individuals have registered for this course.

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SPECIAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING AUGUST 24TH

A special meeting of the TCAA Board was held at the office of Duane Yockey in Bloomington. In attendance were Board members Tom Weiland, Dave Osenga, Robert Finnigan, Tim Stone, Carl Wenning as well as Duane Yockey, Lisa Wentzel, Paul Pouliot and Lee Green. The meeting was called to order at 6:30pm. The first order of business was dealing with a question about reimbursing Bob Finnigan for purchases made on behalf of the club during June. Bob spent $818.53 for items to be used with the new 16” telescope, and to fix in place a wiring panel on the 10” telescope. The Board agreed to reimburse Bob for his expenses in the said amount. The Board then considered the proposals for updating the club’s by-laws. Each proposed change was considered in detail, and a consensus was reached. Lisa will consolidate the changes into a final draft document for further consideration by the Board and membership. The Board then turned to the use of a credit card that has been obtained to simplify routine purchases. The following motion was considered:

The TCAA Property Manager shall be the holder and exclusive user of the club’s credit card. This credit card will be used for two purposes only:

1. for preventative maintenance and repair of TCAA equipment and facilities with a cumulative limit of $250. As this limit is approached, the property manager will apply to the Board of Directors for a renewed allocation. 2. for purchase of any new equipment or materials up to $250 without prior authorization of the Board of Directors or up to $1,000 with explicit prior authorization of the TCAA Board of Directors. (N. B. The credit limit of the credit card is $1000)

Any charge(s) made to the credit card without appropriate prior authorization(s) become the responsibility of the card holder/user. The holder/user of the credit card shall keep records of all use and report purchases to the treasurer for inclusion in the monthly Treasurer’s Report as well as reconciliation of the monthly credit card bill.

The Motion was approved, and Duane provided the credit card to Tim. The date of the next meeting will be September 1. The Board adjourned at 8:10 PM.

Respectfully submitted, Lee Green, Secretary

E/PO FOR AUGUST 2015

Carl Wenning hosted a public Perseid meteor shower viewing session at Weldon Springs State Park near Clinton on the evening of August 11th. The event featured a meteor talk, constellation study, and telescopic views of showcase objects in addition to naked-eye observations of meteors. Being a day away from the peak of the meteor shower (which occurred on the next night), not as many meteors were observed as had been hoped. Despite this fact, the group of about 30 individuals – many of them members of the Weldon Springs Foundation – had a great time reminiscing about park naturalist Carol Thompson, who recently passed away, and enjoying s’mores and refreshments. The sky was incredibly transparent and many celestial objects were viewed through Carl’s telescope up to midnight. The August POS was held on the 15th. About 50 members and guests (and a bazillion winged insects – midges) were present despite the overcast sky and muggy conditions. Fortunately, as the evening progressed the sky cleared. The evening’s events began with Lisa Wentzel’s light pollution infomercial. Dave Osenga – serving as master of ceremonies in President Tom Weiland’s absence – collected registrations for the October drawing, pointed out Lisa’s July and August Astronomy@Home handouts and club brochures, and then introduced speaker Carl Wenning. Carl gave a 50-minute presentation (including several telescope demonstrations) dealing with buying telescopes and binoculars. Earlier in the day Dave Peters pointed out to Carl that the International Space Station would be passing over that evening and Carl included this information is his talk and subsequent 20-minute sky lecture during which the passage of the space station was observed much to the delight of all who saw it. In attendance from the TCAA were members Mark Cabaj, Allan Saaf, Bob Finnigan, Tony Cellini, Darren Erickson, 8

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Tom Willmitch, Terry Lee & Travis Wright, Tim Stone, Carl Wenning, Paul & Amber Pouliot, Dave Osenga, Jim Gibbs, Dave Peters, Brian Barling, and Peter & Daniel Kates. Duane Yockey made a brief appearance at the beginning but had to leave due to a prior commitment. Jim, having driven down from the Chicago metro area, remained to observe until about 5:00 AM the next morning.

REMAINING 2015 PUBLIC OBSERVING SESSIONS

The TCAA Board of Directors has approved the following schedule and topics for the 2015 public observing sessions at SGNC. All 2015 dates will be the 3rd Saturday of each month; times change monthly. In addition to the presentations described below, we will conduct a laser-guided sky tour and have telescopes set up for viewing if the sky is clear.

Date Featured Topic (Coordinator) Time

Sep 19 Shine on Harvest Moon (Carl Wenning) 7:30 - 9:30 PM Farmers harvest their crops by the light of the silvery moon. Learn how the moon’s motions change from month to month, and why the time between successive moonrises changes daily.

Oct 17 The Big Bang (Eve Pouliot) 7:00 - 9:00 PM What evidence do astronomers have to substantiate the belief that the universe began with a titanic explosion

18.6 billion years ago? Hear the story from a young amateur astronomer’s perspective.

SPACE CAMP ~ By Nataya Boulware ~

I was part of the 9 to 11 year old group in July 2015. The camp was one week long and held at NASA Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, home of the rocket park. Once you are older than 11, you go to space academy, and once you graduate, you get to go to advanced space academy. There is also space camp robotics and aviation challenge. First our group practiced for a mission, and then our team, Team Honeywell, did the actual Orion mission. Since the mission was only 2 hours long, we did the mission twice, first we practiced, then the actual mission and did it over again. But for the second time we did the mission, you got a different job. My jobs were flight engineer 2 and mission specialist 1. The fun part about the mission specialist was that we got to do an EVA (extra vehicular activity), which means we did a space walk. At the end of the camp, all of the teams competed in the Space Bowl, which is just like jeopardy. After space camp we took a tour of the NASA Marshall Flight Center where we saw the control center for the ISS cargo and we saw a life size version of the ISS.

ASTROBITS

 Did you know that a higher resolution version of The OBSERVER is available by special request to the editor? Each month when the newsletter is assembled, it is done so using a fairly high screen resolution. When the MS Word file is exported in its PDF version, resolution is set low to reduce the size of the file transmitted to our membership. If you are a TCAA dues paying club member and would like to receive a higher resolution version of the newsletter (pictures will look much 9

Vol. 40, No. 9 The OBSERVER September 2015

better), send your request to [email protected] on a monthly basis. Be prepared to receive a file often in the 6-10 megabyte range.  Thanks to efforts by President Tom Weiland, the TCAA’s August public observing session was advertised on the local McDonald’s restaurants tray liner for August. The post for August 15th is shown to the right. Thanks, Tom, for getting the word out there!  Parts for the new 16-inch telescope camera system continued to come in for the past several months with the final parts rolling in during July and August. On the night of August 7th, Tim Stone and Bob Finnigan were able to install an adapter, filter wheel, and camera on the telescope. The telescope’s SBIG filter wheel contains 7 filters (LRGB, Hα, OIII, and SII). The camera now is place is an SBIG 16803. The only thing remaining before this telescope becomes functional is software updates and achieving focus. These updates will allow for camera control and management of the Paramount mount. First light is expected soon.  Despite a hazy and partly cloudy sky, Tim Stone, Bob Finnigan, Tony Cellini, Brian Barling, and Carl Wenning were present at SGNC for observing on the night of August 8th. Brian continued his observations for the AL double star program, Carl observed additional objects on his “Two in the View” AL observing program (giving him a total of 73 views), and Tim busied himself with piggy back images of the Milky Way in the region of Scutum using a modified Canon Mark II camera (recently returned from repair following a CCD failure). Tim shared his image the next morning and remarked, “A whole bunch of Messier objects are clearly visible, but alas, Pluto is not. Just didn't go deep enough for that. It is a 4-minute unguided exposure. The stars are very nicely round. For a very portable mount, that iOptron is impressive.” The image is only a single 4-minute exposure. Only the original full-sized, high-resolution photograph shows all the detail as the Clouds rolled in shortly after 11:00 PM.  Both Tony and Tim did a bit of wide field astrophotography in relation to the recent Perseid meteor shower. Tim’s image is to the left; Tony’s image is to the right. Both images show meteors streaking along the dark rift of the Milky Way. The streak across the top of Tony’s image is due to a passing man-made object. Cameras and photographic techniques differed accounting for the differences in the images.  An informal Perseid meteor watch at SGNC on the evening of August 12th resulted in the observation of dozens of shower meteors plus a few sporadic meteors. Around 9:55PM a brilliant meteor shot across the Big Dipper and left a bright, glowing train that persisted to the naked eye for about 5 seconds. The oohs and ahhs were palpable. This phenomenon then occurred again just a few minutes later though the next meteor was dimmer. During the session a casual observer from Chicago with a long-standing interest in astronomy introduced himself. Jim Harmon works for State Farm and was in town on assignment. He spent more than an hour with Carl Wenning looking at objects though his CPC 11” telescope. Jim was quite impressed. Also in attendance that evening was Neil Lehmkuhl, a former member of the TCAA. Now that he has retired, he hopes to return to the world of amateur astronomy. We hope to see more of both of these guys in the future. Also watching and/or photographing meteors that evening were Tony Cellini, Tim Stone, Bob Finnigan, and Carolyn Wenning. Perhaps a dozen other non-club viewers were present during the evening, including a pair of ladies who remained quite late and who described themselves as “friends of the TCAA”. Both regularly attend our public observing sessions.  Sunday evening, August 16th, was a busy night for observers at SGNC. Tim Stone, Tony Cellini, Bob Finnigan, Justin Meyer, Dave Meyer, and Carl Wenning were present. Dave, Carl, and Justin observed until just after midnight. Tony, Tim, and Justin spent their time imaging, and Dave and Carl spent their time making visual observations. Bob was there to work with the 16” telescope. Carl, developing a new Astronomical League observing program called “Astronomical Bucket List”, examined 68 objects for possible inclusion in his list that ultimately will include hundreds of not-to-be-missed objects. He also added to his other active AL observing programs. 10

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  Recently returned club member Terry Lee Wright has provided several new astronomical cartoons to the editor of this publication for reader edification. (You might recall Professor Wenning’s caricature in the Universe Sampler course description above – that too was produced by Terry several years ago.) We all should say “Welcome back!” to Terry as we look forward to seeing more of his artistry in future issues of The OBSERVER.  If you haven’t already noticed, warning signs have recently been installed at the Funks Grove railroad track crossing. The signs read, “TRAINS MAY EXCEED 80 Dear, you really need to MPH”. You might want to keep this in mind as you cross the tracks. Who knows stop using that telescope when the signal system might fail? A train moving at 80 mph is covering a all night. distance of 117+ feet per second. At this speed, a train can move the distance of a football field in just over 2.5 seconds. Caution is advised when crossing the tracks. “Stop, look, and listen” should be kept in mind before crossing this busy Amtrak and freight train corridor.  Despite nomination for the Astronomical League’s Mabel Sterns Newsletter Editor’s Award, The OBSERVER did not win recognition this year. Neither have we been apprised of the actual newsletter editor who won the award that was conferred at ALCon 2015 in New Mexico during July.  There is little to cheer about with the announced closing of Mitsubishi Motors in Normal. Some 1,200 employees will directly lose their jobs. Hundreds more might similar lose their jobs locally as they supported manufacturing by providing supplies for car construction. If there is a silver lining to this cloud, it is that the outdoor nighttime lighting around the plant will likely be turned off. This will help to alleviate the Twin City’s light pollution situation a small amount. It should be noted, however, that when Diamond Star Motors (the original owner of the plant) installed outdoor lighting, they very graciously agreed to use low- pressure sodium vapor lamps and light shields to keep the light directed to the ground where it was needed and not up into the sky. They reformulated their storage and parking lot lighting plans at the behest of then planetarium director Carl Wenning.  The new power supply for the recently acquired IR illuminator has now arrived. It will soon be wired into the IR camera that we have and will be a useful tool in improving security for our observatories.  Thursday, August 20th, was another very good night for observing at SGNC. The cool dry evening air and thin crescent moon made for excellent observing conditions. Present for viewing were Justin Meyer, Tim Stone, Bob Finnigan, Tony Cellini, and Carl Wenning. While the others busied themselves with astrophotography, Carl viewed objects on the astronomical bucket list he is developing for the Astronomical League. He viewed another 36 objects. Justin continues to make excellent progress as an astrophotographer; he is now using the 17” PlaneWave in SGO on his own.  Carl Wenning has been invited by the Fox Valley Astronomical Society to give a talk at their September meeting. Carl (who has crossed Earth’s equator 18 times) will speak about the effects of changing latitude on celestial observations on Monday, September 14th. Jim Gibbs, a member of both the TCAA and FVAS arranged the visit.  Darren Erickson has been doing some astrophotographic work recently. Above is an image of the Sun from the afternoon of August 7th. The massive sunspot group AR2396 is visible. Over 120,000 km wide, it was also a test of naked-eye sunspot viewing (with proper filtering, of course!) The original image was taken with a Canon Rebel camera at prime focus on his Orion 90mm Mak-Cass with a Levenhuk mylar filter (colored via GIMP.) The image shown here is a magnification of the prior photo, and shows another sunspot to the upper right. On August 22nd Darren remarked, “We have had surprisingly few large flares considering 11

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the larger sunspot groups that have been cropping up lately. Currently there is another large flare group, AR2403 traveling across the sun.”  Following the August POS, Darren continued his astrophotographic work. At the bottom of the last page we see an image of Comet Lovejoy (C/2014 Q2) taken with a Canon Rebel and 300mm lens piggybacked on the Mak-Cass on an Advanced VX mount. (Note the faint fuzzy blob at center.) Darren mentioned, “The comet is currently traveling in Boötes between Draco and Corona Borealis. It was magnitude 3.7 back in January. Sources have now disagreed as to current magnitude, some reporting it as magnitude 10.5 and others magnitude 15. I'm inclined to believe the mag 15 reports even though my stacking couldn't isolate the comet individually – not enough data to tease it out specifically. But it did reveal itself exactly in the location the finder charts predicted.” The image shown here was derived from “a desaturated combination of three stacks of twenty-two [images] at 25 seconds and one at 35 seconds…. The image shown here came from cleaning up the noise while preserving something of the comet, sacrificing grey shades in the process... The comet is just barely visible as a smudge while other sub-magnitude 12 stars are visible. The star just to the left of the comet smudge is FK Boötis – HIP 75641, magnitude 7.85. The brightest star in the frame, over to the right, is HIP 75043, magnitude 5.65.  On the evening of August 23rd, Carl tried his hand at astrophotography for the first time since college using his CPC 11” f/10 and a Canon Rebel XSi camera at prime focus. Given that he has no recent experience in this area, he was able to photograph in color the first quarter moon, Mizar and Alcor, M11, M22, M27, and M57 – all from in town and between passing clouds. The colors were surprisingly vivid, but star trailing due to field rotation (cause by using an altazimuth mount rather than an equatorial mount) was significant. Carl was happy with his initial results and intends to continue improving his technique. Shown here is M57 – the Ring Nebula – in vivid color. Not too bad for a 30-second shot taken from in town under the light of the first quarter moon.  On the evening of August 26th, while viewing from a dark sky location several miles east of Lexington, William Carney observed and was able to photograph the Aurora Borealis despite the presence of a waxing gibbous moon. Both curtain and ray aurorae were observed low in the northern sky. The image here was taken with an 18-55mm lens at 18mm, f/5.6, 10-sec exposure and 1000 ISO. William recommends that observers might want to keep an eye on www.spaceweather.com for aurora forecasts. Well done, William!  Mark your calendar now for NCRAL 2016 so you don’t forget. The annual conference of the North Central Region Astronomical League will be hosted by the TCAA and held at Heartland Community College in Normal on Friday/Saturday, April 29/30, 2016. The event’s theme will be “Getting Ready for 2017” – in reference to the total solar eclipse visible from southern Illinois (and other parts of the USA) on August 21st. The TCAA last hosted the NCRAL annual meeting in 2010 when over 100 amateur astronomers attended. Plan on being part of the event next year!  Carl Wenning has decided to sell his Obsession 18” f/4.5 telescope acquired in 2010 but rarely used since. The axes are encoded and work with an Argo Navis control system (push to). He is willing to part with it for a reduced price so long as it is sold to a Federally-registered 501(c)3 astronomical organization. A collection of 2” eyepieces is included. Carl also has available for sale a 2010 Look trailer with coil springs and a ramp build specifically for use with this telescope. If you are interested in this instrument and/or trailer, please contact Carl via email at [email protected] (preferred) or via phone at (309) 830-4085.

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SUMMER’S MESSIER MARATHON ~ by Tim Stone ~

The summer sky is in its full glory during September. Sagittarius and Scorpius are squarely in the south at the end of twilight, with the core of our galaxy shining brilliantly between them. The Milky Way curves upward from there, through Scutum, Aquila, and Cygnus, giving us the grandest of views of the one galaxy in the universe we can see from the inside. The clouds of stars in this direction are so thick their billions of stars coalesce in our vision as a luminous band the Romans called Via Lactea, The Road of Milk. When Charles Messier began his famous catalog of non-cometary objects, he found a treasure trove in the summer Milky Way. This part of the sky contains over 40 of the 110 objects in his list of celestial annoyances. In contrast to Messier’s instruments, today’s fine telescopes can easily reveal these objects in beautiful detail. Let’s take a walk through those situated in our sky at this time of year. Beginning with a couple of the southernmost objects in the list, the beautiful naked-eye open clusters M6 and M7 lie just below the brilliant Great Sagittarius Star Cloud. To their west, in Scorpius, globular clusters M62 and M19 peek through the thick dust of the central Milky Way. Globular clusters M70, M69, and M54 are situated to the east of the star cloud. M54 bears further mention as a component of the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy, the closest galaxy to the Milky Way. It is apparently in the final stages of assimilation into our galaxy, and at visual wavelengths is indiscernible amongst the masses of our own stars except for its core, M54. Situated north of the Great Sagittarius Star Cloud, a tight group of five objects completes the framing of that mass of stars. The famous emission nebulae M8 (the Lagoon Nebula) and M20 (the Trifid Nebula) adorn the spine of the thick dust band that bisects the Milky Way all the way northward through Cygnus. M8 is easily seen with the naked eye. To their east are open cluster M21 and globular clusters M22 and M28. M22 is a magnificent globular cluster with an obviously elliptical shape, a rarity with this class of object. At apparent magnitude 5.5, it can be seen with the naked eye in a dark sky just east of the top of the “lid of the teapot” of Sagittarius. Proceeding northward along the Milky Way, we encounter a M20, The Trifid Nebula gigantic cloud of obscuring dust, one of the most obvious features of M8, The Lagoon Nebula

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this area. Five Messier objects are situated in front of this cloud. The well-known emission nebulae of M17 (the Swan or Omega Nebula) and M16 (the Eagle Nebula) are easily visible in small telescopes, and are spectacular in astrophotos. Open clusters M18, M23, and M25 stand out sharply against the relatively star-free background. M24 is a unique object in the Messier catalog. Listed as an open cluster, it is actually the view of the mass of stars through an opening in the great dust cloud. Chance has made it such that we have a relatively clear line of sight through the enormous obscuring cloud of dust in this region, and through that hole we can study the stars and galactic structure beyond. Higher in the sky we encounter the easily visible Scutum Star Cloud, framed by clouds of obscuring dust and bookended by open clusters M11 and M26. The constellation Ophiuchus boasts five fine globular clusters: M16, The Eagle Nebula M9, M10, M12, M14, and M107. Like M22, M14 is clearly M17, The Swan Nebula elliptical. M10 and M12 are stunning globulars, far enough away from the plane of the Milky Way to be seen against an uncluttered background. To their south, in Scorpius, M80 and M4 add their glory to the parade of globulars west of the plane of the Milky Way. Further west, dipping close to the horizon by the end of twilight, globular cluster M5 shines unabated well away from our galactic plane, and to the north Hercules’ famous globular cluster M13 rides along with the lesser-known globular M92. Moving back east into the galactic plane around Cygnus, we encounter two of the four planetary nebulae in Messier’s catalog: M27 (The Dumbbell Nebula) and M57 (The Ring Nebula). They are perennial favorites for public star parties, as their unique shapes and relative brightness give people a view of something more than a faint smudge in the eyepiece. M57 is accompanied by globular cluster M56, and M27 shares the sky with another globular cluster, M71. M27 is our featured Image of the Month, created by the newest member of our astrophotography community, Justin Meyer. (Editor’s note: See the cover page.) M11 and Scutum Star M13 Cloud Three open clusters grace the northern reaches of the summer Milky Way. M29 is very close to Sadr, the center star of the Northern Cross. M39 trails behind Cygnus the Swan as it flies southward, and M52 is a beautiful open cluster in Cepheus, very close to the famous Bubble Nebula. Another parade of globular clusters comes into view as the evening progresses. Beginning with M15 in Pegasus, we can work our way southward through M2, M72, M30, M75, and M55. Less than a degree and a half away from M72, open cluster M73 makes a beautiful juxtaposition of the two types of stellar clusters. Of the 110 objects in Messier’s catalog, we can romp through over forty of them in a single summer night. If you have thought about getting your Astronomical League Messier Club certification, but you’ve been discouraged by thought of spending a year to find them all, this is a great opportunity to start. In one more night in M57, The Ring Nebula M10 the spring you can add almost forty more. In two nights you’ll have around 80 of the 110! Even if you’re an old Messier pro, these objects are amongst the finest visual objects in the sky. They make a great showcase for public viewing or just for the personal pleasure of looking at the best the heavens have to offer. There’s a great star chart of the entire Messier Catalog in the Wikipedia image collection. All of these images were acquired with the equipment at the TCAA Sugar Grove Observatory and Prairie Sky Observatory, with the exception of the wide field Milky Way image, which is from the author’s personal archive.

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TWO AUTUMN OFFERINGS AT ISU PLANETARIUM

Aurora

The Illinois State University Planetarium will present Aurora, running weekends August 28 through November 14. Show times are Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 2 p.m. There will be no shows October 2, 3, 23, and 24. The aurora borealis–or northern lights–is one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring sights to grace the night sky. Aurora takes viewers to Earth’s frigid north to explore the myths and science surrounding this spectacular marvel. Admission to Planetarium shows is $4 for adults, $3 for children ages 5 to12 and seniors, and $2 for children ages 3 to 4. The Planetarium is located under the white- domed roof at the eastern end of Felmley Hall of Science at the intersection of College Avenue and School Street in Normal. The ISU Planetarium is administered by the Department of Physics. For more information, please call the Planetarium’s Skyline at (309) 438-5007 or visit www.phy.ilstu.edu/~trw/planet.html.

Music for the Harvest Moon Eclipse

September’s Harvest Moon will pass directly through the Earth shadow and experience a total lunar eclipse on the evening of September 27. In celebration, the Illinois State University Planetarium is hosting a unique musical event – an Irish harp concert performed by harpist Ann McLaughlin. Ms. McLaughlin will play a combination of Celtic and contemporary music under the Planetarium dome from 7 PM until 8 PM on September 27 (regardless of weather). Next we will view the eclipse from a nearby campus location with the naked eye, binoculars, and telescopes. Then at 8:45 PM (weather permitting), Ms. McLaughlin will perform outdoors, playing her harp under the stars as the Moon passes into the Earth’s deep shadow. Admission for this unique event is $5. Tickets may be purchased in the Planetarium Gift Shop, located next to the Planetarium, beginning 20 minutes before the performance. Seating is limited. The ISU Planetarium is located under the white domed roof at the eastern end of Felmley Hall of Science. Felmley Hall is located on the northeast corner of the ISU campus at the intersection of School Street and College Avenue. Parking for the Planetarium is available in ISU’s visitor lot, located behind the Bone Student Union on Locus Street. For more information, please call the Planetarium’s Skyline at (309) 438-5007 or visit our web site at www2.phy.ilstu.edu/~trw/planet.html.

PICNIC A PLEASURE

The TCAA’s traditional summer picnic was held on August 29th at the beautiful home of Tom and Carolyn Weiland in rural Heyworth. The event began at 5:30 PM with a bit of socialization over refreshments. With the grill ready around 6 PM, entrees were prepared and dining began in earnest as shown in the above image. A threat of rain kept the event confined to the garage but, fortunately, no rain occurred during the event. In attendance were Bob and Cheryl Finnigan, Dave Meyer, Brad Welch, Carl & Carolyn Wenning, Lisa & Dick Wentzel, Geoff Hughes, Tim Stone, and Paul, Eve, and Amber Pouliot. Everyone had a good time thanks to our most generous and gracious hosts.

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THOUGHTS ABOUT OBSERVING ~ By Carl J. Wenning ~

It’s rare these days that I can turn my CPC 11” telescope to the heavens and see something new that really impresses me. This is perhaps understandable due to the fact that I’ve observed the sky for more than 50 years, completed more than a dozen Astronomical League observing programs, and viewed the sky with binoculars and telescopes from both the northern and southern hemispheres. These past few years my goal has been to view every significant astronomical object within the range of my telescope. Surprises still await me though as I’ve not completed this search. On August 7th I was out at SGNC observing with Brian, Tony, Bob, and Tim, and came across a star cluster that is part of the AL’s “Two in the View” observing program. This star cluster, NGC 457, is adjacent to star cluster NGC 436 and double star Phi Cassiopeiae. These appear among the stars of the Milky Way in the constellation of Cassiopeia. I was quite taken aback by what I saw when I first turned my telescope the NGC 457. This cluster is known as the “Owl Cluster” and the associated photograph clearly demonstrates why it carries this moniker. When I first glimpsed it, the eyes of the owl really stood out. Then I noticed the wings and then the rest of the body. Even when seen among the background stars in the field of view, the owl shape is quite prominent. The reason the owl is prominent is because of the density of stars that make up the body. The rich colors present among the stars also make this star cluster stand out. My first reaction was astonishment. I thought to myself, “Here we have another example of the Southern Pleiades.” This is significant as the Southern Pleiades is a well-known and similar-appearing star cluster with lots of star colors visible in the same field in the skies over South American, Africa, and Australia. Careful inspection of the star colors in the Owl Cluster – something that will be missed by the casual observer – become apparent when one pauses long enough to look for them. Here we find a bright pair of contrasting blue and white (the eyes) and a fainter body made up of relatively bright blue stars. Among the stars of the body are an orange and a red star. The wings are made up of fainter but uniformly white stars. Another cluster I saw for the very first time working on my proposal for an AL “Astronomical Bucket List” on August 17th was Caroline’s Rose, NGC 7789. This object was discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1783 and was so named by her brother, William Herschel, because when seen visually, the loops of stars and dark lanes look like the swirling pattern of rose petals as seen from above. The accompanying image hardly does justice to this cluster. Only a wide-field telescopic view reveals this beautiful rose. The subtle dark paths meandering trough the cluster give it a definite appearance of a rose in the eyepiece that is just not readily discernible in the accompanying image. This will henceforth be one of my favorite open star clusters so magnificent is it! So, what’s the point of this little ditty? It’s this – that I’m somewhat bemused and saddened that the general public (including some members of the TCAA) fail to take the time necessary to really get to know the sky. Wonders await those who really have not taken the time out to observe the heavens – that the 25 or so members of this club who don’t come out to view with the active observers when public observing sessions or when otherwise invited are really missing out. Most people are at least inchoately aware of the hunger of the soul for beauty. I was pretty much unaware of this hunger in my own soul until I started to take time out to really observe and appreciate the beauty around me. Others are often

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surprised how I find beauty in a spider, how I express a sense of wonder when I see an airplane flying overhead, and how I spend so much time looking at things in the sky that seem to appear repetitiously in my eyepiece be they star clusters, nebulae, or galaxies. As one person told me long ago when viewing moon rocks at a TCAA Astronomy Day display at the mall, “They look like rocks in my driveway.” If that’s all one sees when looking at moon rocks, I feel sorry for that person. We often confuse “seeing” with “observing.” There really are different you know. Some people fail to appreciate what they see as they have lost a sense of wonder in their lives. There is no lack of wondrous things in this world, just the lack of a sense of wonder. This lack occurs because what was once truly considered to be a “wonder” has now become prosaic and mundane as a result of modern media and technology.

TCAA ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

Did you know that the TCAA is on both Facebook and Twitter? While we have had such online presences for a couple of years now, only recently did two members take responsibility for managing these social media networks. Carl Wenning is now “running” Facebook and Tim Stone is “running” Twitter. We encourage users of both social networks to follow the TCAA to see what the club is doing and promoting. (For instance, there is an offer now on Facebook for free personalized training sessions using digital SLR cameras to photograph the night sky.) When you do visit our pages, please be certain to “share” with your friends so that we can get the word out. Recent Facebook posts have been reaching more than 300 followers. You can find us on Facebook by searching either TCAA or Twin City Amateur Astronomers. We can be found on Twitter at @TC_Astro. You may access our sites without actually being a member of Facebook or Twitter. Merely use your browser to search for these terms. If you don’t want to miss out on additional reminders and other club information, be certain to subscribe to both.

HOWTIMEFLIES

TCAA Historian Carl Wenning provides monthly updates about the history of the club going back to intervals of 40, 25, and 10 years. Details about all mentioned events will be found in either the Twin City Amateur Astronomers: 1960-2010 or in The OBSERVER archive found on the TCAA website.

40 Years Ago: September 1975 – Bob Finnigan is the first member of the TCAA to receive his provisional Messier certificate for having observed 70+ Messier objects. Roland P. Van Zandt – Peoria Astronomical Society president (and the Astronomical League’s president elect) presented Bob’s provisional certificate during the club’s September 26th dinner meeting in Peoria. Bob completed all his observations in Peoria and Art Grebner confirmed each one of them. Bob subsequently brought the Messier observing program to the TCAA where he confirmed observations of others for many years.

25 Years Ago: September 1990 – Club meetings are becoming less regularly attended. Summer meetings of the club were not held during the past three months. Autumn meetings are now being held at ISU and set to coincide with planetarium programs in a hope to garner greater attendance. It was reported at the club meeting that the recent Astronomy Rendezvous and Conference (A.R.C. 1990) was successful and generated about $200 for the TCAA.

10 Years Ago: September 2005 – Neil Lehmkuhl won the TCAA raffle held on behalf of the ISU Planetarium. This raffle netted some of the $2,935 generated on behalf of the Planetarium. The OBSERVER reported, “Fifteen Planetarium Friends and TCAA members contributed an average of $130 per household to the initial letter campaign conducted during the spring. Nineteen TCAA members and a few interested others contributed an average of $45.50 per person through the purchase of raffle tickets. All tolled, just some 30 different individuals and households stepped forward to support the ISU Planetarium during its time of need.” 17

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TCAA TREASURER’S REPORT – AUGUST 2015

OPERATING FUND BALANCE – July 31, 2015 - $ 3,251.79

Income Paul Pouliot (Dues) - $ 82.00 Darren Erickson (Dues) - $ 41.00

Expenses PayPal (Darren Erickson - $ 1.20

OPERATING FUND BALANCE – August 31, 2015 - $ 3,373.59

OBSERVATORY FUND BALANCE – July 31, 2015 - $ 4,741.99

Income Donation (anonymous) - $ 228.00 Donation (anonymous) - $ 820.00

Expenses Carl Wenning (LED Illuminator) - $ 177.75 Carl Wenning (Power Supply) - $ 50.10 Bob Finnigan (Observatory Expenses) - $ 818.53

OBSERVATORY FUND BALANCE – August 31, 2015 - $ 4,743.61

INSURANCE ESCROW BALANCE – July 31, 2015 - $ 4,888.00

Income None - $ 0.00

Expenses None - $ 0.00

INSURANCE ESCROW BALANCE – August 31, 2015 - $ 4,888.00

TOTAL TCAA FUNDS – August 31, 2015 - $ 13,005.20

Respectfully submitted, L. Duane Yockey, Treasurer

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