Highlights of the December Sky
- - - 1st - - - DAWN: Mercury and Mars are 11° apart in the southeastern sky before sunrise.
DUSK: Saturn, Venus, and Jupiter form a line 18° long with the waxing crescent Moon to their upper le .
- - - 4th - - - KAS First Quarter Moon 1:58 am EST
- - - 10th - - - Annual Meeting: Friday, December 6 @ 6:30 pm DUSK: Venus and Saturn are Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center less than 2° apart above the southwestern horizon. Holiday Party & BINGO! - See Page 5 for Details
PM: A waxing gibbous Nomination & Election for 2020 KAS Board Members Moon moves within 5° of Aldebaran in Taurus the Bull. Board Meeting: Sunday, December 8 @ 5:00 pm Sunnyside Church - 2800 Gull Road - All Members Welcome - - - 12th - - - Full Moon 12:12 am EST Remote Session: Saturday, December 14 @ 8:00 pm
DAWN: Mars is less than ¼° WMU Rood Hall (Room 1110) - See Page 12 for Details to the upper le of the double star Alpha Librae (Zubenelgenubi).
- - - 13th - - - PM: The Geminid meteor shower peaks, but is washed Inside the Newsletter. . . out by a waning gibbous Moon. November Mee ng Minutes...... p. 2
- - - 17th - - - Board Mee ng Minutes...... p. 3 AM: The nearly last quarter Moon is about 4° to the Observa ons...... p. 4 upper le of Regulus in Leo the Lion. KAS Holiday Party...... p. 5 Choosing a Telescope...... p. 6 - - - 18th - - - Last Quarter Moon NASA Night Sky Notes...... p. 9 11:57 pm EST December Night Sky...... p. 10 - - - 20th - - - AM: The Moon is about 5° KAS Board & Announcements...... p. 11 from Porrima in Virgo. Remote Viewing Session...... p. 12 - - - 26th - - - New Moon 12:13 am EST November Meeting Minutes
The general meeting of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society coincidence that most of these elements are the foundation was brought to order by President Richard Bell on Friday, for life. Scientists have made great headways in the past November 1, 2019 at 7:06 pm EDT. Approximately 46 century discovering where these elements originated from. members and guests were in attendance at the Kalamazoo A table showing the chemical elements shortly after the Big Area Math & Science Center (KAMSC). Bang would have only shown three elements: hydrogen, helium, and lithium (Li). The remaining elements found in Richard had the privilege of presenting Aaron Roman with a Nature were produced in stars. certificate and pin for completing the Astronomical League’s Honorary Messier Program. This was Aaron’s first observing One of the elements that help prove this is technetium (Tc, award and we hope it’s not his last. In his President’s Report, #43 on the periodic table). Technetium is considered a Richard asked for KAS and astronomically-themed clothing synthetic element as very little of it is found in Nature. All designs. We plan to offer a new line of clothing on a custom isotopes of technetium are radioactive, none have a half-life design website. This way members can order any size in any longer than ~4 million years. Paul Merrill, while at Mount color without anyone having to bring items to sell at Wilson Observatory in 1952, was the first to detect the KAMSC. Richard also encouraged all KAS members to spectral signature of technetium in red giant stars. These old, attend the first-ever Remote Viewing Session and celebration dying stars contained abundant amounts of this relatively on November 16th. A Remote Telescope Training Session short-lived element. This supported the hypothesis that heavy has been scheduled for November 22nd (Note: This has been elements are produced by nucleosynthesis in stars. postponed to December 7th due to issues with Piishii Observatory’s roof). Finally, all members were asked to Dr. Spyrou then transitioned into a discussion of the different renew their membership (if needed) and to contribute to the forms of elements, referred to as isotopes (containing the Owl Observatory Upgrade Project. same number of protons, but different numbers of neutrons). One element highlighted was #42, molybdenum (Mo), which Our special guest speaker for the evening was Dr. Artemis has an unknown number of isotopes. Isotopes of Spyrou, an associate professor in the Department of Physics molybdenum can be made in a variety of processes. Some & Astronomy at Michigan State University and an Associate isotopes are made in Type II or Type Ia supernovae by Director for Education and Outreach for the Facility for Rare proton capture reaction or p-process. Other forms of Isotope Beams (FRIB). The title of Dr. Spyrou’s talk was molybdenum are made in the atmospheres of giant stars by Year of the Periodic Table: The Synthesis of the Elements in the slow neutron capture or s-process. Isotopes can even be the Stars and in the Lab. created by the rapid neutron capture or r-process in Type II supernovae and possibly even neutron star mergers. Dr. Spyrou began by showing a Periodic Table of the Chemical Elements. Currently, 118 chemical elements have The next topic covered in detail by Dr. Spyrou was the been identified. Of those, the first 94 are found in Nature, proton-proton chain, the series of three nuclear reactions that The remaining 24 are synthetically produced in nuclear build a helium nucleus by adding protons one at a time. It is reactors or particle accelerators. As even most amateur by this process stars the mass of the Sun and lower generate astronomers know, hydrogen (H) and helium (He) are by far energy in their cores. Elements beyond helium are produced the most abundant elements in Nature. Other common by different fusion reactions, but it ends at iron. Iron fusion, elements highlighted included carbon (C), oxygen (O), occurring in only the most massive stars, absorbs energy phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), and iron (Fe). It is no (rather than releasing it) which causes the star to go supernova. Elements beyond iron can be produced in stars (or supernovae) by the s- and r-processes mentioned earlier. The p-process breaks elements down to simpler forms.
A simulation of the r-process was then shown. Dr. Spyrou later passed along a link to a site where interested members can view this simulation (and many more).
Dr. Spyrou then discussed MSU’s National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory and the new Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) that is still under construction. She shared a video about FRIB that can be viewed online. Dr. Spyrou concluded by inviting KAS members to take a private group tour of FRIB at some point in the near future.
Opening nominations for 2020 KAS Officers and At-Large Board Members were held after the snack break. Notable Professor Artemis Spyrou, from MSU, was the guest nominations include Don Stilwell for Treasurer and Dave speaker at the general meeting on November 1st. Garten, Rich Mather, and Aaron Roman for Member-At- Large. All remaining nominations were for current serving
Prime Focus Page 2 December 2019 picture of the activities of Mr. Ashby is emerging. Cathy and Mike said they would keep us informed when new material of interest is found. They departed, and the regular board meeting was convened by Richard at 5:12 pm.
Don presented the Treasurer’s Report, covering current account balances and cash flow since January 1, 2019. Richard noted that PayPal funds were not shown in the account balances and should be included. He also suggested that training fees for the Remote Telescope should be displayed in the maintenance account.
Richard then summarized November/December events. The outlook for the Mercury transit event on November 11th was dismal. [Note added in proof: The weather on the actual date didn’t even rise to dismal.] Things looked much more promising for the first Remote Viewing Session and Congratulations to Aaron Roman for completing the th Astronomical League’s Honorary Messier Program. Ceremony on November 16 at Rood Hall, beginning at 7pm. A Remote Telescope Training Session was set for November 22nd at KAMSC, and another Remote Viewing board members. Final nominations and elections will be held th at the annual meeting on December 6th. Session was planned for 8pm on December 14 (with a cloud date of Dec. 21st) at Rood Hall. The KAS Annual Meeting & th Richard shared an e-mail he received from Oceanside Photo Holiday Party was set for December 6 at KAMSC with a & Telescope (OPT) just before the meeting. It was for the special start time of 6:30 pm. new STELLINA Smart Telescope from Vaonis. It features a built-in digital camera that is controlled through a In a discussion of follow-up items, Richard reported that he smartphone app. The price is $4,000! (Note: there is a had received a return authorization number for the gearboxes review online.) After 6-months of trying, Aaron Roman of the Astro-Physics 1600GTO mount on the new Owl reported that he finally caught Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Observatory telescope. Astro-Physics has said that a simple transiting the meridian in October. Mike Sinclair mentioned (but unspecified) fix will stop the ominous noises sometimes the possible discovery of a mini black in a binary star heard when the mount is slewed. A second fundraising letter system. Duane Weller mentioned the discovery of a new was sent out with membership renewal notices, in the hope millisecond pulsar. In bad news, SpaceX is about to launch that we will soon have enough to finish the Owl upgrades. A another 60 Starlink satellites. After discussing upcoming numerical lock box for the KNC front gate has been chosen, events, the meeting concluded at 9:11 pm. but an opinion from KNC is awaited. Finally, Richard suggested we purchase a power adapter to test the Meade 10- inch f/6.3 Classic LX200 telescope that was donated late last year. Both Scott Macfarlane and Jack Price said they may have a compatible adapter for testing. If operational, this rare telescope will be put up for sale.
The schedule for year 2020 general meetings was reported to be coming together well. For the January 10th meeting, the topic has been given as Astronomy Open House, with short talks from Dale Mais, Jack Price, and Eric Schreur. Six more programs were proposed at least tentatively. The 2020 The KAS Board met on Nov. 10th at Sunnyside Church. Public Observing Schedule has been approved by the Nature Those present were board members Richard Bell, Joe Center. Concerning additional year 2020 events, Richard Comiskey, Jean DeMott, Scott Macfarlane, Rich Mather, had spent some effort in finding a different venue for his Jack Price, Don Stilwell, and Roger Williams, along with Introduction to Amateur Astronomy lecture series, but he was KAS member Aaron Roman. Donna Mather was briefly not successful. By this time, the Portage Library facility present with a cake for a birthday celebration (more later). used previously was booked up, so Richard dropped this plan for another year. The Halloween Full Moon Party was still The gathering took place at 4pm to accommodate special planned for October 31st. Nothing further had yet been heard guests (and KAS members) Cathy & Mike McMinn. Cathy from Gustavo Silva, the Bloomingdale High School student is the granddaughter of Leonard James Ashby, who founded looking for guidance on a senior project. the Kalamazoo Amateur Astronomical Association (the precursor to KAS). Cathy and Mike have been searching The business meeting was adjourned at 6pm, with the next through old records and photographs to fill in the gaps about meeting set for 5pm on December 8th at Sunnyside. Attention the history of Mr. Ashby. They generously offered access to was then turned to the delicious cake provided by Donna the KAS to copy any of this material. Since they are looking Mather in celebration of Rich’s 76th birthday. Everyone through material that has not been seen for years, there may enjoyed the cake and gave best wishes to Rich. be more information yet to come. The board members examined the records and asked questions, and a coherent Respectfully submitted by Roger Williams
Prime Focus Page 3 December 2019 Plans for the KAS Remote Telescope were first laid out exactly 10 years ago in this newsletter. One of the goals stated in that article only receives a single line: “The facility would allow the KAS to add on winter Public Observing Sessions.” This seemed to be a logical way to share the telescope with members and the public, not to mention encouraging use of our premiere facility. It would also help us fill in that all too long gap between November and March when observing opportunities in Michigan are infrequent. Indeed, the way we typically share our love of astronomy during this time period is at our monthly meetings.
Therefore, much of the planning and fund-raising these past 10 years have been working toward the “Remote Viewing Sessions.” I knew this was going to be a challenge from the start, and it has been. Not just not from a technological stand point, but from an awareness one (for lack of a better term). Jean DeMott cuts the celebratory cake, while Don Stilwell, I mean, the remote sessions are pretty different and, to our Rich Mather, and Mike Cook look on. knowledge, no other astronomy club or educational institution has tried something like this before. There are other online telescopes that do webcasts, but we wanted to tour of Piishii Observatory with his ASV neighbor, Rick do something that would bring people together. As I often Beno, behind the camera. Special thanks to noted amateur say, it’s called the Kalamazoo Astronomical SOCIETY! astronomer, author, and PBS documentary maker Timothy Ferris for taking the time to record some brief remarks. I knew we might be in trouble even before our debut session on November 16th. We distributed nearly 1,000 flyers Unfortunately, the first session didn’t quite go as planned. throughout the community, sent out press releases, and did We were unable to show the telescope on the big screen TV follow-ups through e-mail and social media. I did hear one because Tim Kurtz got locked out of TeamViewer (both Jim promotion through Michigan Public Radio, but local news Kurtz and Mike Patton have reported similar issues). outlets like WWMT and the Kalamazoo Gazette completely TheSkyX (the software used to control the Paramount ME II) ignored us. It’s clear we’re going to have to get more wouldn’t let me point the telescope exactly where I wanted, aggressive with follow-ups by phone. so this made the constellation tour difficult to do. And then, for reasons I still don’t understand, the script to start-up the Preparation for the November 16th celebration and session Takahashi got overwritten, so I could only image with the was extensive. Naturally, I must first thank Jean De Mott for PlaneWave CDK20. This interfered with my plans more than her handling the celebration portion of the evening. Fred anything. I was able to find quick solutions to all these Espenak, Mr. Eclipse himself, shot the drone video of problems once I got home and had a moment to think. All in Arizona Sky Village and Piishii Observatory that we shared all though, our first effort was a failure. at the top of the evening. This was skillfully edited by new KAS member Steve Crawford. Mike Patton made sure our A handful of members told me they enjoyed the session, all-sky camera was crystal clear, and recorded a 5-minute which I appreciated. Of the 55 people in attendance though, more than half walked out before the session ended at 10pm. That told me everything I need to know about our success or lack thereof. Another member, who is often honest to a fault, told me that our first effort was an “embarrassment for the club.” Since I spearheaded the effort to start the remote sessions this year, I took that to mean I embarrassed the KAS. If so, I’ll accept full responsibility.
All I can say is that I did my best to make our first Remote Viewing Session a success. The problems that popped up have never occurred before or seem to happen at random (the Takahashi script issue). I’ve spent many hours with the Remote Telescope and felt very comfortable going ahead with the first session. This seems to be a recurring theme with this project, we take one step forward and two back. Needless to say, I’ve been feeling pretty down ever since Nov. 16th. I’m not ready to give up yet and I hope you’re not Attendees enjoy a tour of Piishii Observatory by Mike either. We’ll try again on December 14th (or 21st). Please Patton before the first-ever Remote Viewing Session. mark your calendar, join us, and show your support.
Prime Focus Page 4 December 2019 You are cordially invited to the KAS
ell, all to quickly Earth has made that lap around the Sun and it is time for the annual KAS Holiday Party. W It’s time to pull out the best family heirloom recipes for appetizers and desserts and bring your submissions to this ever popular get together of the KAS family. The KAS will be providing beverages and
Jean De Mott will once again be making a bowl of steaming wassail. All you will need to bring is either an appetizer or dessert to share.
For those of you new to this annual tradition, we will be celebrating another successful year of club activities and also holding our annual meeting on December 6th. This is an evening open to members and their guests and it is always well attended, affording an excellent opportunity to spend an enjoyable evening with fellow Society members and their families.
We will start out at 6:30 pm (rather than the usual 7:00 pm) with food and socializing and then conclude that portion of the evening’s activities with a round of our always highly competitive BINGO game run by President Richard Bell. We are asking all members to contribute BINGO and door prizes again this year.
The annual meeting, after the BINGO games, will feature images from the past year. We’ll conclude with final nominations and election of officers and at-large board members for 2020. We will be awarding door prizes at the conclusion of the annual meeting. So, mark you calendar and we will see you at the Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center (KAMSC) for an astronomically good time! December 6th @ 6:30 pm Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center • 600 West Vine, Suite 400 NIGHT or DAY orange halos around bright objects like the Moon, planets, There are two basic kinds of uses for telescopes: daytime and stars. These halos are referred to as a secondary terrestrial (bird watching, scenery, sports) and astronomical spectrum, with the overall effect known as chromatic (planets, galaxies, stars, the Moon) viewing. All telescopes aberration. It plagued the first refractors. One early solution can be used in some capacity for both purposes, but some was to make refractors with tremendously long focal lengths, telescopes are best suited for only one use. which helped mask this effect.
Astronomical telescopes, for example, should be as large in Achromatic refractors use two lens elements to help reduce aperture (diameter) as possible, to gather more of the faint chromatic aberration. One element is a concave lens light which travels such a long distance from its source. composed of Flint glass, with the other being a convex lens Terrestrial telescopes can be built much smaller, for made from crown glass. Newer apochromatic refractors use portability and convenience, since they have lots of light to more exotic lenses like extra-low-dispersion (ED) glass or work with and don't need so much magnification. fluorite to completely eliminate chromatic aberration. This comes at a high price, literally! Apochromats (apos) are the Most people settle on a compromise between these extremes, highest cost per inch of aperture out of all telescope designs. depending on just what they want from a telescope. The good news is that, thanks to competition, costs have come down in recent years. TELESCOPES The astronomical refractor is the same basic type commonly Telescopes have progressed through many changes over the seen in department stores, so many beginners may give them years. Many modern designs look quite unlike the traditional a bad rap. This is undeserved as even the lower cost image of a telescope. We recommend choosing telescopes achromats from reputable makers will perform quite well. not just by technical design, but by suitability for particular uses. If equipped with a sturdy mount, a small refractor is very nice for observing the Moon, planets, many of the larger star Telescope optical designs are many and varied; some clusters, nebulae, and so forth. With an 45° diagonal, a small commercial designs are hybrids of several basic types, but astronomical refractor can make a very nice terrestrial most telescopes on the market today fit into one of the telescope. When used with a standard 90° star diagonal, following groups: refractors show a left-to-right reversed image.
The Refractor ‒ The familiar long tube, with the lens in The Newtonian Reflector ‒ A very popular and economical front and the eyepiece in back, has in modern times evolved telescope, the Newtonian reflector (invented by Sir Isaac into two distinctly different kinds of telescopes, achromatic Newton in 1688) is primarily an astronomical instrument. It and apochromatic. is quite simple in design, resulting in the lowest cost per inch of aperture of any type of telescope. Thus, Newtonians are When white light passes through a lens, its constituent colors available in the widest range of apertures. are refracted at different angles. This results in blue or Although heavier and somewhat more difficult to transport than similar sized compound telescopes, the Newtonian is preferred by many astronomers who want large aperture at moderate cost. Six- and eight-inch Newtonians are easily carried in an automobile, and the tube detaches from the mounting in seconds. Newtonians are generally not suited to earthly observing, as the image is upside-down.
Newtonians need occasional cleaning and collimation (optical alignment of the primary and secondary mirrors), but you can easily do this yourself. Optical performance is excellent. The large aperture makes them ideal for deep- space views of galaxies, star clusters, and nebulae. The simple optical design results in sharp, high-contrast planetary The three basic type of amateur telescopes. Each have and lunar views for longer focal lengths, too. their advantages and disadvantages.
Prime Focus Page 6 December 2019 TELESCOPE MOUNTS The telescope mount can account for at least half the cost of a telescope system. The best optics in the world are useless without a good, sturdy mount (especially when used for astrophotography). An astronomical telescope requires a much different mount than a small terrestrial scope. The two basic types of mounts are the altazimuth and equatorial.
The altazimuth mount has two motions, altitude (up and down) and azimuth (left and right). What makes Dobsonian telescopes so popular are their rocker-box-style altazimuth mounts. Many astronomical refracting telescopes are used with altazimuth mounts today. The "alt-az" is the simplest type of mount to use, requires no set-up alignment, and is low in cost. It is ideal for terrestrial use, although a good altazimuth mount with slow motion controls will work very well for astronomy. Many are now even motorized! Refractors (left) are well suited for use with solar system objects and double stars, while Schmidt-Cassegrains (the most popular style of a Compound telescope) are The equatorial mount is designed specifically for considered all-purpose designs while being compact and astronomical use. As Earth rotates once each day, the stars highly portable. Both are on German equatorial mounts. and planets appear to move across the sky. To follow a celestial object, the telescope must track a curved path at exactly the correct rate. An equatorial mount has one axis Compound Telescopes ‒ Compound (or Catadioptric) tilted so that it is parallel to Earth's axis of rotation. By then telescopes have combined the best features of other types simply rotating the telescope in one axis only, objects will into very compact, lightweight instruments. They use both appear to sit still when viewed through the scope. mirrors and lenses, resulting in telescopes only about twice as long as they are wide. Unlike the basic refractor and Fork Mounts are a very popular equatorial mount design, reflector, these telescopes are distinctly modern 20th Century being well suited to the short tubes found on compound designs. telescopes. The companion equatorial wedge tilts the 'polar axis' of the telescope to line up with the celestial sphere for The features are many - the closed tube, lightweight, rugged astronomical use. Usually the base of the fork mount can be designs are easily portable, and their optical performance is attached to the tripod without the wedge for terrestrial nearly equal to other telescope types. Little if any altazimuth operation or general viewing at night. maintenance or alignment is required. Like refractors, compound telescopes can be used either astronomically or German Equatorial Mounts are easily recognized by their terrestrially. The lightweight optical assembly for apertures counterweights extending opposite the optical tube. under 10-inches allows very strong mounts to be made very Refractors and Newtonian reflectors are often found on this light in weight. Camera adapters and many varied kind of mount, and recently some Schmidt-Cassegrain accessories are widely available. designs have become popular. These mounts function very well, with the inconvenient and sometimes awkward The only significant disadvantage is just what might be counterweight being the major drawback to this design. expected - with the exception of apochromatic refractors, compound telescopes cost more than other telescopes of equal aperture.
The Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope is perhaps best known due to the introduction of the Questar telescope in the 1950's. The “Mak,” introduced by Dmitry Dmitrievich Maksutov in 1944, uses a deeply-curved, thick front corrector lens, with a reflective spot on the corrector acting as the secondary mirror. The most popular Maksutov telescopes today are 90mm in diameter. “Spotting Scope” models are used for both astronomical and terrestrial observing. Large diameter models are very difficult to manufacture and take a long time to reach thermal stability at night, but can rival apochromatic refractors with high-contrast views of the planets.
The Schmidt-Cassegrain design was made commercially economical due to the optical production innovations of Tom Johnson at Celestron International in the late 1960's. His Newtonian reflectors have the lowest cost per inch of techniques for producing the complex-curved Schmidt aperture. This makes them the most widely used design corrector plate were the foundation for every major for amateur astronomers. The one pictured above is on manufacturer in the business today. the popular Dobsonian mount.
Prime Focus Page 7 December 2019 Slow motion controls are a real convenience on any non- computerized telescope. You'll be adjusting the aiming of your telescope quite often, to follow objects and to find new ones. On a simple telescope, you just push the tube to adjust the aim. Slow motion controls let you simply turn a knob to make precise adjustments, greatly smoothing the movement.
Electric motor drives (clock drives) work along with an equatorial mount to drive the telescope across the sky at just the right speed to cancel the apparent motion of the heavens. It's a real surprise to most people to see how quickly even a large object like the Moon will drift right out of view, unless a motor drive is in use.
MAGNIFICATION No other characteristic of telescopes is so widely known and yet so misunderstood by most people. When beginners ask, "What's the power of this telescope?" we explain that the Astrophotography can be as simple or complicated as question is like asking a car salesman, "What's the speed of you like. Demands on optical and mount performance this automobile?". The car might, if pushed, do 90 or 120 increase dramatically as the technique advances. mph, but does this really matter?
The magnification of most telescopes is variable, depending APERTURE on the focal length of the eyepiece being used. The eyepiece If any one thing affects the overall performance of a used is the “gas pedal,” and if you want to see any of the telescope the most, it is aperture: the diameter of the primary scenery, you won't often “floor it.” As power increases, mirror or objective lens of the telescope. You know how image brightness and sharpness decrease rapidly. Half the professional observatories are always after bigger power, four times the brightness. Twice the power, one- telescopes? That's because a telescope with a larger diameter fourth the brightness. This is a basic law of optics. can gather much more light, give a brighter image, and resolve finer detail. In general, you should buy the largest With lower powers, you see brighter, sharper images and aperture telescope which fits your portability and budget cover a larger area. It's easier to find your target, vibration is requirements. less troublesome, and things usually look more detailed. Experienced telescope users know this, and usually use the PORTABILITY lowest power available most of the time. Higher powers are Ordinary amateur telescopes range in weight from only a few quite useful for viewing small and distant objects like planets pounds to over one hundred pounds, and overall bulk varies and double stars. Most observers have a selection of tremendously. Some types are quite rugged, while others can eyepieces to match the objects they are viewing. require re-alignment after a little rough handling.
The absolute magnification limit for any telescope under It's very important for you to consider portability carefully; ideal conditions is 50 to 60 power per inch of aperture (about your telescope is no good unless you use it, and you may not 2 power per mm). want to hassle with a bulky, awkward telescope. On the other hand, there is no reason to pay for portability if you don't need it (i.e. you’re lucky enough to have an observatory). Compare carefully, considering your individual needs.
PHOTOGRAPHY Most telescopes can be used for high-powered terrestrial or astronomical photography, as long as you have a removable lens type DSLR camera. Refractors and compound telescopes are the most useful for general use, as they’re ideal as a telephoto lens. Camera adapters are also available for any telescope with standard 1.25" diameter eyepieces.
Astrophotography is an interesting and rewarding hobby. It can be either quite simple (photographing the Moon, for example) or very complex (long exposure shots of nebulae, galaxies, etc.).
Like telescopes, eyepieces come in a variety of sizes and FOCAL RATIO styles. A barrel diameter of 1.25" is standard, but many prefer the wider-field of 2" eyepieces. Thankfully, 0.965" The mysterious “f” number (such as f/6, f/11, etc.) is really sizes have largely been discontinued. quite simple. It's the same number used by photographers, and refers simply to the focal length divided by the aperture
Prime Focus Page 8 December 2019 NASA Night Sky Notes... The Orion Nebula: Window Into a Stellar Nursery by David Prosper
Winter begins in December for observers in the Northern Hemisphere, bringing cold nights and the return of one of the most famous constellations to our early evening skies: Orion the Hunter!
Orion is a striking pattern of stars and is one of the few constellations whose pattern is repeated almost unchanged in the star stories of cultures around the world. Below the three bright stars of Orion’s Belt lies his sword, where you can find the famous Orion Nebula, also known as M42. The Finderscopes are a necessity for all telescopes - even the nebula is visible to our unaided eyes in even moderately light computerize variety. They make it considerably easier to locate stars and deep sky objects. -polluted skies as a fuzzy “star” in the middle of Orion’s Sword. M42 is about 20 light-years across, which helps with its visibility since it’s roughly 1,344 light-years away! Baby of the telescope. For example, a telescope with a focal length stars, including the famous “Trapezium” cluster, are found of 600mm and a 60mm aperture is f/10. inside the nebula’s whirling gas clouds. These gas clouds also hide “protostars” from view: objects in the process of Smaller f/numbers result in wider fields of view and lower becoming stars, but that have not yet achieved fusion at their magnification, best suited for nebulae, galaxies, and many core. other deep sky objects. Medium focal ratios (f/8 to f/11) can be used for low or high-power applications by switching The Orion Nebula is a small window into a vastly larger area eyepieces. of star formation centered around the constellation of Orion itself. NASA’s Great Observatories, space telescopes like FINDERSCOPES Hubble, Spitzer, Compton, and Chandra, studied this area in Many telescopes have a miniature refracting telescope wavelengths we can’t see with our earthbound eyes, attached to the side. A finderscope is aligned perfectly with revealing the entire constellation alight with star birth, not the main instrument, and has a very low power and wide just the comparatively tiny area of the nebula. Why then can field of view, so you can easily find an object and center it we only see the nebula? M42 contains hot young stars whose where it can be seen in the main eyepiece. stellar winds blew away their cocoons of gas after their “birth,” the moment when they begin to fuse hydrogen into EYEPIECES & BARLOWS helium. Those gas clouds, which block visible light, were Standard eyepieces have a barrel diameter of 1.25" and are cleared away just enough to give us a peek inside at these interchangeable with all telescope models. Eyepieces with young stars. The rest of the complex remains hidden to 0.965" barrel diameters are often of lower quality and have human eyes, but not to advanced space-based telescopes. been historically included with cheap department store telescopes. They should be avoided. We put telescopes in orbit to get above the interference of our atmosphere, which absorbs many wavelengths of light. Some very low power, wide-field eyepieces are supplied in Infrared space telescopes, such as Spitzer and the upcoming extra-large 2" barrels, which have breathtaking “porthole in James Webb Space Telescope, detect longer wavelengths of space” performance - if your telescope has a suitably-sized light that allow them to see through the dust clouds in Orion, diagonal or eyepiece holder which fits them. Some cost revealing hidden stars and cloud structures. It’s similar to the more than quality telescopes and can be quite heavy, making infrared goggles firefighters wear to see through smoke from balance an issue with some telescopes. burning buildings and wildfires.
An extremely useful tool every amateur astronomer should have is a Barlow lens, invented by Peter Barlow in the 19th century. The 2× Barlow is the most common and will double the magnification of the eyepiece it is attached to. They are typically lower cost than eyepieces, so its an economical way to extend your range of magnifications.
CONCLUSION Above all, choose a telescope that seems to fit your lifestyle and personality. Do not worry too much about specifications and other technical details. If you choose a reputable brand, and use common sense in picking a telescope that appeals to you, you won't go wrong.
Prime Focus Page 9 December 2019 — December Night Sky —
This star map is property of the This map represents the sky at the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society. NORTH following local standard mes: However, you may make as many • Early November 11 pm copies as you wish free-of- • Late November 10 pm charge, so long as it is for non- profit educa onal purposes and • Early December 9 pm full credit is given to the KAS. • Late December 8 pm www.kasonline.org EAST WEST
SOUTH
ecember begins with a gathering of Saturn will be less than 2° apart at dusk shortly before dawn on December 12th. D planets in the evening sky. Saturn, on December 10th. Look low above the The Red Planet will be less than ¼° from Venus, and Jupiter form an 18° long line southwestern horizon and be sure to view the double star. above the southwestern horizon after them with binoculars. Later on that same sunset on December 1st. Following the evening, the Moon will be near the bright The peak of the Geminid meteor shower line quickly leads you to a waxing star Aldebaran in Taurus. will be severely hampered by a waning crescent Moon in Capricornus. gibbous Moon on the night of December Early risers can catch Mars very close to 13th/14th. Only the brightest of meteors Venus, shining at magnitude -4, and the star Zubenelgenubi (Alpha Librae) will break through the Moonlight. December 2019 Page 11 PRESIDENT Richard S. Bell and VICE PRESIDENT help the Jack Price
TREASURER Did you know that you could purchase Rich Mather telescopes, binoculars, eyepieces, and much more from Orion Telescopes & Binoculars SECRETARY/ALCOR and help the KAS in the process? Roger Williams Simply click on the link provided above and begin shopping on Orion’s website. PUBLICITY MANAGER Purchasing their products through the link Joe Comiskey gives the KAS a commission.
MEMBERS-AT-LARGE
Jean De Mo Sco Macfarlane NEW ITEMS IN Don S lwell
E-MAIL a BOARD MEMBER
KAS Lapel Pin Miller Planisphere KAS Embroidered Caps $5.00 $13.00 $20.00 each ORDER ONLINE AT: skyshop.kasonline.org
Final nominations and elections for 2020 KAS Officers and At-Large Board Members will take place at the Annual Meeting on December 6th. If you are interested in running for a position but cannot attend the meeting then please contact us by December 5th. Ask not what the KAS can do for you, but what you can do for the KAS! njoy the wonders of the universe as seen E through the “eyes” of the KAS Remote Telescope, located under the dark skies of southeastern Arizona. Par cipants will enjoy views of constella ons and deep-sky objects captured with the system’s CCD cameras in Arizona, transmi ed to Kalamazoo via the internet and projected on the lecture hall screen. Live streaming video will also show the telescope in opera on. If weather condi ons necessitate a postponement, a second “cloud date” has been scheduled for the following Saturday (noted below in parenthesis). Postponement or cancella on informa on will be posted on kasonline.org
Saturday, December 14th (21st), 8 - 10 pm
WMU Rood Hall • 2101 Wilbur Ave. • Free Parking in Lot 61
Kalamazoo Astronomical Society c/o KAMSC STAMP 600 West Vine, Suite 400 Kalamazoo, MI 49008
© December 2019, Stargazer Productions