MAY 2010 OBSERVER a Bird’S-Eye View Inside the Observer
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THE DENVER OBSERVER MAY 2010 OBSERVER A Bird’s-Eye View Inside the Observer President’s Corner.............................. 2 Society Directory............................... 2 RA lock repair................................... 4 Anecdotes #om the Chief Observer....... 6 Schedule of Events................. back page HOT HYDROGEN CLOUDS -- A SWAN'S TAIL Calendar Strewn along the the summer Milky Way's disk are a myriad of beautiful nebulae, none 5...................................... Last quarter moon more so than the hydrogen-rich North America and Pelican nebulae, NGC 7000 and IC 9.............................................. Mother’s Day 5067/70, in Cygnus the Swan. Combined, these two HII regions cover an area six times larger than the full moon, yet low surface brightness makes specialty filters a must for 13.................................................. New moon visual work. Ionization from each's respective embedded star clusters will change their 20.................................... First quarter moon shapes millions of years from now. 27................................................... Full moon Image copyright 2010 Alan Erickson MAY SKIES by Dennis Cochran lateau Vol. 50 No. 3, published by the Museum of Northern Ari- weight on the dec. axis. This is the type of scope that appears in the P zona in Flagstaff in 1978, was about astronomy in Northern Ari- Hugo Balin mural at Griffith Planetarium. Funky! The following page zona. In their article about Lowell Observatory they had a great has a color photo of the 24-inch Lowell refractor. I’ll bring this maga- photo of the 72-inch Perkins instrument located at the Anderson zine to the next Show and Tell. Mesa site. This scope, owned by Ohio State and Ohio Wesleyan Uni- On to the planets. Mars, the Red Planet is only 7 arc-seconds wide versities, is an older design similar to the 74-inch scopes built these days on the ecliptic, far to the west of brighter Saturn. Saturn in by Grubb-Parsons—including the Australian instrument that per- cruising through the western end of Virgo, below the tail-end of Leo ished in the wildfire—with a two-pier, cross-axis mount and an open, and above the 4-sided “sail” pattern of Corvus the Crow. The Ringed straight-trussed tube. The Perkins scope has a shorter focal ratio than Planet is highest in the south about 10 P.M. on May 1, but this high- the usual f/5 of these types, more like f/4, which gives it more pleasing point occurs earlier as the month moves on. Brighter Venus is that proportions than the geeky f/5s. It has huge setting circles down at the thrust bearing for right ascension and below the large counter- Continued on Page 3 The Denver Astronomical Society One Mile Nearer the Stars Page 1 THE DENVER OBSERVER MAY 2010 Society Directory PRESIDENT’S CORNER President: Ron Pearson (303) 670-1299 [email protected] ay brings us one of the sweet times of the 8th. If you’re not Vice President: M year for observing. The galaxy clusters in already participating Norm Rosling (303) 718-7273 Leo and Virgo are in full bloom high up with us, come down [email protected] in the sky after evening dusk, the temps are to DMNS and enjoy Secretary: Bonnie Kais warming up so we don’t have to freeze fingers to Space Day and view telescope tubes or wear tons of winter clothes to the sun anyway. On Treasurer: stay warm and we don’t have to wait until 10 May 15th we’ll Brad Gilman (720) 488-1028 P.M. or so for it to get dark like we do in have telescopes summer. This year we have several planets to up near Pine, CO. observe, too. Especially unique is Saturn, with at Pine Valley Open Space Park Behr Executive Board Members Jack Eastman Tim Pimentel its rings turned nearly edge-on to us down here Observatory, sharing the skies with Jeffco Joe Gafford David Shouldice on Earth. This happens only every 14 years or so Open Space and folks from Pine, Bailey Frank Mancini Steve Solon as Saturn orbits the Sun. If you pull an all- and the foothills area. Volunteers are Keith Pool Dan Wray nighter you can begin to catch the summer requested! I’d like to thank Keith Pool and Ron Mickle, Past President President Emeritus, Larry Brooks Milky Way and all it has to offer. Aaron Reid for recently stepping up and taking The DAS is not only about individual on the external outreach program. Keith will be Committees observing but also about members sharing the taking the lead, so if you get requests for or hear Van Nattan-Hansen Scholarship Fund: sky with others. May is bringing alot of DAS of a need for a school star-party or program, Ron Pearson (Chair) activities that I hope you all can partake in. please contact Keith or Aaron. Your P.O. Box 150743 We’ll have a day of solar observing at the participation is also needed, as they will Lakewood, Colorado 80215-0743 “Space Day” activities of the Denver coordinate with those that can bring their EGK Dark Site Committee: Darrell Dodge, Interim Chair Museum of Nature & Science on May telescopes to these events. And of course we Email: [email protected] have our monthly Open House IDA Representative: star party at Chamberlin Dr. Robert Stencel Observatory on May 22nd; all of Email: [email protected] Public Outreach Committee: the E-Board want to thank the many Ron Mickle (Chair) of you who participate regularly. Student Astronomy Chair: You can be a member of DAS and Naomi Pequette (Chair) just download information about Finance Committee astronomy and observing all the time. Frank Mancini (303) 663-5263 But there is always a need for participation in the DAS Volunteers or Appointed organization, too, because having Representatives more participate means more people ALCor: can learn and enjoy the night sky, Darrell Dodge (303) 932-1309 Newsletter: which means fewer people will just Editor: Patti Kurtz (720) 217-5707 think you’re in a weird hobby of guys Email: [email protected] playing with telescopes or expensive Proofreader: Steve Solon e-toys. Also, our treasurer, Brad The Observer is available in color PDF format from the DAS website. Gilman, could use help and assistance Website: in the form of someone to take on Darrell Dodge some treasurer duties. The Email: [email protected] responsibilities of treasurer have Chad Warwick, IT Specialist grown as the DAS has grown and IRS Librarian: Phil Klos and other non-profit requirements DAS Information Line:(303) 871-5172 have multiplied beyond what can be DAS Correspondence: expected of one part-time volunteer. Denver Astronomical Society Chamberlin Observatory c/o Ron Pearson The Van Nattan-Hansen Scholarship 2930 East Warren Avenue Committee has an opening for Denver, Colorado 80210 someone interested in promoting the The Executive Board conducts the business of college education of future the DAS at 7:30 p.m. at Chamberlin astronomers and scientists. Observatory. Please see the Schedule of Events Something to keep in mind is that for meeting dates. A' members are welcome. DAS PRESIDENT, professionally related volunteer RON PEARSON www.denverastro.org Photo courtesy Jack Eastman Continued on Page 4 The Denver Astronomical Society One Mile Nearer the Stars Page 2 THE DENVER OBSERVER MAY 2010 MAY SKIES (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1) huge thing hanging in the western sky at to find Sue French’s favorite (p. 67 of S&T), raccoon family, rather like small coatimundis. sunset. On the 21st, look just south of her the grouping of four galaxies called Hick- They may not live in Colorado at all, in to find star cluster M35. son 61. which case you’d have to go to the Grand East of Saturn and a bit north of the Remember those things that can happen Canyon Star Party June 5-12 to see one. Al- ecliptic you’ll notice Arcturus, the alpha to you whilst observing out in the hot stink- though this star party is centered on the star of Boötes the Herdsman. At magnitude ing desert/cold blowing prairie? Here’s Num- South Rim, there may be some astro-activity 0.0 it is the third brightest star in the sky. ber 5, called “More about Cacomistles.” Not on the more beautiful North Rim Ken Hewitt-White tells us in May S&T, p. dangerous to humans, ‘cacs’ are gregarious. www.tucsonastronomy.org), one of the subli- 68 that there are galaxies to be had in the We saw one at the edge of the circle of light me locations on this continent, with a big guy’s region, specifically southwest of from our campfire deep in the Grand Can- campground, store and lodge. This is a the gamma star, the one on the western side yon. They also live in the roof of the cook- “show-the-public” star party. After observing, of the wide end of the kite. Particularly house at Phantom Ranch, and one was spot- leave the scope’s tube horizontal and see if a notable are the elliptical NGC 5557, and ted on a beam of the dining room at the El cacomistle turns up inside next morning. southwest of that, the edge-on spiral NGC Tovar Hotel on the South Rim, staring down May’s meetings: Texas Star Party, the 9th 5529. at the food. So why mention them? A preg- through the 16th, Open House at Chamber- Back at Saturn, the Virgo Galaxy Cluster nant cacomistle with big soulful eyes could lin, Saturday the 22nd, and the General is to his northeast. In the cluster there are take up residence in your Newtonian tube Meeting at Olin Hall, Friday the 28th.