FirstLight Newsletter of the Alachua Astronomy Club

29° 39'N, 82° 21'W June 1995

Upcoming Monthly Events

Next Meeting — Tuesday, June 13 University of Florida will introduce a video narrated by Patrick Stewart on • 7:00 p.m. Executive Council Meets. "One Hundred Years of Seeing at the • 7:30 p.m. Business Meeting. Lowell Observatory." The Discovery • 8:00 p.m. Event: Professor Howard L. Channel originally telecast this program Cohen, Department of Astronomy, last year in honor of Percival Lowell and the founding of his private, Arizona observatory one hundred years ago. North Central Florida's Amateur Astronomy Club. Meets second Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m., Doyle Conner This production presents both new Building, S.W. 34th Street at S.W. 20th research programs using upcoming tech- Avenue, Gainesville, Alachua County, nologies, and reviews historical events at Florida. General public and beginning - Lowell including the discovery of the gazers invited to all meetings, star parties planet Pluto, the discovery of the red shift and club events. No equipment needed. of galaxies, and the Martian canal contro- Call a club officer for more information. versy. Lowell changed the way we view President Robert Jacobs our universe. Don't miss this program. Alachua (462-4558) Vice-President Mark Cowan July Meeting — Tuesday, July 11 Gainesville (375-2564) Treasurer Doug Richards • 7:00 p.m. Executive Council Meets. Gainesville (332-4317) • 7:30 p.m. Business Meeting. Publicity Pamela Mydock • 8:00 p.m. Speaker: Mr. Seppo J. Laine. Lochloosa (481-5238) Title: "Bars in Galaxies." Synopsis: Star Parties Bruno Pancorbo Gainesville (373-0279) Mr. Laine is finishing his Ph.D. at the FirstLight Chuck Broward University of Florida. Lie will discuss Editors Melrose (475-1014) his research on bars in spiral galaxies Howard Cohen and the importance of optical Gainesville (376-5833) observations including his own obser- vational work, especially his obser- World Wide Web Home Page at URL vations of the gaseous components. http://nervm. nerdc. ufl.edu/~cohenba FirstLight: Newsletter of the Alachua Astronomy Club Page 2

Upcoming Star Parties • June 24 (Saturday night). Meet at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens sunset, (8:33 p.m. EDT; sunrise 6:30 Moonlight Walk (7:00-11:00 p.m.). a.m.). Observing location Bob Jacobs' Meeeting tunes tentative. (Sunset is at house (see map inside). No moonlight 5:31 p.m. EST.) Waxing Gibbous (four days before new moon). Moon (three days before full) rises at 4:10 p.m. EST. Saturn will also be The AAC's Events Web page contains well placed for observation. Bring solar system phenomena for this night telescopes for public. Free admission (rise and/or setting times, , for AAC members. In view of last disk size, and phase). month's very successful moonlight • July 1 (Saturday night). Rain date if walk (see related story inside by Bruno weather poor on June 24. No Pancorbo), we will do it again next moonlight (three day old waxing fall! So mark your calendars now! crescent). (Note: Homecoming at the University • November 4 (Saturday night). of Florida is this same weekend.) $ Arrive before 7:00 pm EDT.

Minutes: May Meeting — Mark Cowan

e tentatively agreed to change Museum of Natural History. Dave Wthe August meeting to August Godman and Don Loftus held a sidewalk 15th (one week late), if Dan Durda is star party for a troop of Brownies, their available to speak on that date. families, and neighbors. Robert Jacobs read Robert Burnham's editorial for this Our May star party was confirmed for month's Astronomy Magazine urging Kanapaha's Moonlight Walk. June amateurs to share the excitement of the star party date set: Saturday, June 24, at skies with children in local schools. Robert Jacob' home. Rain date: July 1. Dr. Robert E. Wilson was our featured Suggested changes for our by-laws speaker. He intrigued us with his were given to board members. The research into the periodicity of Beta board was asked to consider the changes, Lyrae, eclipsing binary. He emphasized and make notes. We will go over the the contributions of amateurs, and the by-laws at the June 13 meeting at 7:00 remarkable value of obseivations more p.m. Please be prompt. than a century old. I Ie would not reveal Howard Cohen noted that a star the central theory of his current work, by the 74 pending publication. We may invite Dr. happens Thursday (May 11/12) He Wilson for a return engagement, to tell us also told about showing the sky to more about the causes of the small amateur fossil hunters near Ichetuknee variations. <> Springs State Park for the Florida FirstLight: Newsletter of the Alachua Astronomy Club Page 3

Observer's Column: Watermelon Pond — David Godman

hat a lucky day we had Way that was shinning overhead. 1 looked WSaturday, April 28. The skies at the Dumbbell Nebula; it looked better cleared up for only two days in that week. than any picture I have seen. It was so As usual Joe and 1 went to Watermelon bright everywhere that it w as hard to see Pond to check out the skies. When we got the dumbbell shape. It looked like a circle there, a policeman was talking to some instead. Then I moved to the Ring men. Later we found out they were Nebula. It was equally impressive, but I looking for frogs in the pond. They tried could not see the central star. I read that to look through the scopes, but they were many people have seen the center star so drunk I wondered what they saw! with telescopes like mine, so I never waste the opportunity to check it out. As the night progressed, we observed many objects in Ursa Major. I started At the same time Joe was checking out with the Whirlpool Galaxy. Its arms were some objects in the South. He found the easily detected in my 12.5 inch Dob. Omega Centauri Globular Cluster; an Later I went hunting for an NGC object impressive object even at low altitude. By that I usually sec from my backyard, now it was about 5:00 a.m. and the skies NGC 3079, a bright edge on galaxy again were clearing up. We went back to in Ursa Major. I made some drawings Jupiter, but the contrast was not as good and then looked for NGC 3072, a galaxy- as earlier. located about 30 arc minutes from NGC Before we packed the instruments back 3079. This was very faint; in fact Joe into the car, we saw Venus looking red didn't detect it. I think I saw it but only low in the sky. We left around 6:30 a.m., for instants at a time. very tired and sleepy but happy, never- Around 2:00 a.m., a police car came theless, for the great view we had earlier. over. As usual, he was flashing its lights Star party in Watermelon Pond May in our eyes ruining our night vision. He 22. For some reason we have been very stopped besides us and asked some lucky every time we go to "The Pond." questions. When he saw the telescopes, The sky was clear and the mosquitoes he came out of the ear. I showed him probably stayed in Gainesville. As Jupiter that was rising in the East. usually, we concentrated on galaxies, but Because 1 didn't want to ruin my night this time we cheeked some nebulas with vision, I only found the planet in the eye- Joe's new nebula filter and his 22mm piece, but when the policeman started Panaoptic. Those filters really work screaming with excitement, we couldn't dimming the surrounding , but they resist the temptation. This was the best excel when looking at faint nebulas. view of Jupiter I ever had. The atmos- phere was very steady giving us sharp The highlights were a transit of one of and colorful views of the planet. Jupiter's moons and a rocket launch — we think — at 2:00 a.m. I first saw a Alter some time we left the planet just for bright red light (magnitude 5'.') about 20 the moment to concentrate on the Milky degrees ESE for about 30 seconds. Then FirstLight: Newsletter of the Alachua Astronomy Club Page 4

it became dimmer and it moved up. At morning, May 23, 1995 at 1:54 a.m. EDT this point, we look through the tele- using an Atlas 1 rocket Designated scopes. I saw a rocket separating from the AC-77/GOES-.I, this is the second space- main rocket. The rocket continued its tra- craft launched in a new advanced scries jectory for about 20 seconds, forming in of geostationary weather satellites for the front a white cloud that expanded out- NOAA. Learn more about this satellite by ward from the rocket. Suddenly the cloud pointing an Internet Web browser to URL disappeared from the inside out and, after http://www.lerc. nasa.gov/Other_Groups a bright spark, the rocket was gone. /PAO/html/goes.htm. Ed.) Does anybody know about any launch schedule that day? Any way I had to work the next day so I (NASA launched a GOES weather sate- stayed only till 2:30 a.m. Joe stayed at the llite from Cape Kennedy early Tuesday pond. I hope he is still alive! 0-

Book Review — Don Loftus

Will Black Holes Devour the details if necessary. It is a good format; Universe? & 100 Other Questions straight forward and to the point. & Answers About Astronomy For example, question 16: Does every Mclanie Melton (Kalmbach Publishing planet have a moon? The answer: No. Company).7!/4x9%; 104 pages; 6+ illus.; Simple Explanation: In our solar system softbound $14.95 plus shipping. the two most inner planets. Mercury and Venus have no moons. Some more always thought it would be a great details: In this answer she lists the idea to write a book that would I number of moons for each planet as of answer most of the basic questions 1994 and mentions some of the confusion people ask at star parties. That way we about the number of moons around could all read it and be ready to answer Saturn and how spacecraft have affected questions with intelligence and authority. the moon count. Well, someone beat me to it! As the name suggests, there are 101 The book, Will Black Holes Devour the questions and answers. These are split up . Universe? cv 100 Other Questions & into eight headings: Questions about the Answers About Astronomy, by Melanie Sun, Planets, Earth. Moon. Spacecraft Melton is written with non-astronomers and Space Travel, Stars. Black Holes, in mind. Melanie Melton is the Education and Galaxies. Program Director at Mount Wilson Observatory in Los Angeles, California I have found the book to be a good basic Her book deals with the type of questions review of astronomical principles and the public seems to ask all the time. Her facts. 1 think it will help prepare anybody format is to list the question, the answer, for answering questions from the public. a simple explanation and then more O FirstLight: Newsletter of the Alachua Astronomy Club Page 5

June Skies: Short Nights, Much to See — Howard Cohen ummer "officially" arrives for the Albireo (Beta C\gm) in the head of SEarth's Northern Hemisphere on Cygnus (the Swan). A small telescope June 21 at 4:34 p.m. EDT. During reveals thai this golden yellow star (mag. summer, Floridians have more hours of +3.1) has a fainter, bluish companion sunshine but less star light. In Gaines- (mag. +5.1) only 35 arc seconds away ville, old Sol hides for only 9h56m on The color contrast is dramatic! Solstice Day. EJiminatc twilight and dark Also try finding the 'Great Globular sky time is brief during summer months. Cluster" in Hercules (M13), located one- Summer thunderstorms can also dampen third of the way from Eta I lerculis to /.cla observing time, humidity is typically 1 lerculis, two stars that form the west side high, and mosquitoes go on a feeding of the "Keystone". Ml 3 is a naked eye binge. Armchair astronomy is a solution object if skies are dark and you have good but June skies should tempt you outside. eyesight. (It looks like a small, fuzzy I lere is a summary of a Tew sky events — patch in binoculars.) Moderate size tele- see your favorite astronomy magazine for scopes resolve thousands of stars in this more info. Begin by looking for dazzling huge cluster 21,000 light years away! golden Arcturus (mag. -0.04) high over This June is an excellent lime to watch the southern horizon. (Follow the the wandering motion of planets. First, Dipper's handle to Arcturus.) Did you Mars and Regulus in Leo make a striking know that only Sirius shines brighter for pair. On June 1, Mars, redder and slightly most of the USA? The Big Dipper, itself, brighter (mag. +0.9), is 4 degrees is an easy object in June because it "rides northeast of w h i t i s h Regulus (mag. +1.4). high" over the northern horizon during By month's end. Mats will drill 15 evening hours. Observers with telescopes degrees farther east and have become should search Ursa Major and nearby nearly identical in magnitude to Regulus! regions for fine collections of galaxies Examples: M51 ("Whirlpool"), M94 Second, Jupiter and orange tinged ("Multi-arm"), M81/82 ("Exploding"), Antares in Scorpius also make an inter- M101 ("Pinwheel"). And don't forget esting combo. At the beginning of June, Ml04 ("Sombrero") in Virgo. both objects rise simultaneously at sunset in the southeast and are well placed Tor Low in the northeast, watch the "Summer observation by 10:00 p.m. EDT. Jupiter, Triangle" rise ( t h r e e first magnitude stars, dazzling summer skies at magnitude -2.6, Vega, Deneb and Altair, in the will spin westward from 5 degrees north- constellations of Lyra, Cygnus and east to nearly 6 degrees north of Antares Aquila respectively). Lyra is famous for by month's end. Jupiter's motion a planetary nebula, the "Ring" (M57) — westward relative to Antares, is a it k»ks like a "smoke ring" in a telescope celestial movement called retrograde — and a double, double star (Epsilon Lyrae), a fourth magnitude, naked eye motion. (Note: Mars moves eastward pair, each double with companions only relative to the stars during June, a motion 2-3 arc seconds away. And don't miss called direct or prograde.) FirstLight: Newsletter of the Alachua Astronomy Club Page 6

Early morning observers should hunt for Before hunting for Mercury, look for Mercury, which reaches greatest west- Saturn (mag. +1.3), now well above the ern elongation from the Sun (22°) June southeast horizon at 5:30 a.m. Since the 22. Meicun' is dillicult to find because it Earth recently passed thiough Saturn's always appears near the Sun. Greatest ring plane (May 21), seeing rings is elongations often provide good oppor- difficult (ring lilt 0.6°). However, use a tunities to see this elusive planet. Unfor- telescope to look for the ring shadow, a tunately Mercury will lie south of the black line across Saturn's equator! ecliptic, reducing its altitude above the horizon. However, the ecliptic's steep Finally, advanced sky watchers with large angle to the horizon in June helps, telescopes should search for Pluto (mag. especially Tor the southern USA. Look for +13.7), well placed for observation in Mercury (mag. +0.5) ten degrees above late evening. You will need very dark, the east northeast horizon one-half hour clear skies to find dim Pluto. Easier are before sunrise (6:32 a.m. EDT). Do not Uranus and (see finding charts confuse Mercury with bright Venus in Sky and Telescope, April, pp. 70- 71). (mag -3.9), several degrees to the east Note that star gazers can now see all nine (lell) only live degrees above the horizon. planets during a single, June night! -0-

Kanapaha's Moon Walk — Bruno Pancorbo

hat a craw! 1 can't believe there want to touch the telescope because they Wwere that many people. Before I were afraid of breaking it, so I had to tell finished uncovering my telescope, a line them to relocus every time I centered formed with about 20 people waiting for Mars in the field of view. Many wanted to me to show them something. To tell you know how much was the telescope worth. the truth, I was nervous at the beginning Others wanted to know how I knew that with all those people waiting. I looked up they were looking at Mars, and others to sec a possible target, but couldn't think asked me why we couldn't see Saturn. of anything Pressure, pressure! 1 finally decided Tor Mars — bright and high in I had a really good time answering all the sky I found out later that Mars wasn't their questions and except for some a good choice because I had to bump my minor problems — beer spills on the side Dob every 40 seconds Tor the rest of the of the telescope and fingerprints in my nighl. I was so busy all night, 1 didn't eye pieces — everything went line. 1 even have tune to talk to the other think it would be a good idea to members of the group, even less to look coordinate between members with tele- at then telescopes. scopes which object each is going to show to avoid problems with crowding if Lesson - don I show a planet if you we have another star party in Kanapaha. don't have a drive! Great Idea Dave! <> The people were really nice. Most didn't FirstLight: Newsletter of the Alachua Astronomy Club Page 7

Directions to Bob Jacobs — Howard L. Cohen

ddress is 9617 N.W. 143rd Street Note: Bob's diivewav is paved and L(IIWY 241). Sec map below. marked by a live Tool high, brick mail- box. (A sign past Ihe mailbox reads From 175, go 2.9 miles west on 39th Hurricane Harbor.) It is a Tew hundred Avenue (HWY 222) to N.W. 14.3rd feet up the diivewav to I Job's house. (Do Street (IIWY 241). Note: N.W. 39th not continue up Ihe paved driveway onto Street ends at N.W. 143rd Street. Turn a dirt road — you will pass his house ) north (right) on 143rd Sheet. If you come from Alachua, go south on Go 3.5 miles north on N.W. 14.3rd Street IIWY 241 (14.3 Slreel) Bob's driveway to N.W. 94 Avenue. Curves precede the is 0.7 miles past Ihe 175 overpass on the approach to N.W. 94th Avenue. An left-hand (east) side of 143rd Street. intersection sign marks the approach to the junction of N.W. 94th Street and Note: Driving time from Santa I'e N.W. 143 Street. Community College Campus (on N.W. 83rd Street) to Bob's place is about ten Note: N.W. 94th Street is also 1.6 miles minutes. If you arrive nfler dark, please north of Millhopper Road (I IWY 232). use only parking lights as you come up Go 0.1 miles past 94th Avenue. Bob's Bob's driveway. There arc restroom driveway is on right-hand (east) side of facilities but bnng lawn chairs and snacks 143rd Street. (and some to share). O

175 Overpass

BOB JACOBS Brick Mailbox 0 1 mi norfri 9617 NW 143 ST NW 94 Ave 1462-4558)

If About 3 5 ml 1 MILLHOPPER RD rrom NW 39 Ave 10 NW 94 Ave NW 39 AVE HEEDl 1235) D C IBS' \ innMFHr^ssH^ nrni—I NEWBI ^^-JLr-a,r"-GA.INKSVU.l.K L r

North k. t Apptox. 3 Mllni I PflF CW99^J>eLong iu June Astro Calendar (Times EDT) d h m Thu 1 07 Jupiter at Opposition Mon 5 02 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction , Tue 6 06:26 First Quarter Moon ^ o£« Fri 9 02 Spica 1° South of Moon Mon 12 04 Jupiter 2° South of Moon I TO f° 3- ~* Tue 13 00:03 Full Moon S s, 3 > w Wed 14 10 Jupiter 5° North of Antares S» DO < « «•* Thu 15 17 Mercury 1° North of Aldebaran -n ° S ? —• Sat 17 02 Mercury Stationary f r. 3. 3 Sun 18 10 Mercury 1° North of Aldebaran Mon 19 18:01 Last Quarter Moon o> o — a Wed 21 16:34 Summer Solstice -1 & - Sun 25 22 Mercury 0.6° South of Moon Mon 26 11 Venus 3° North of Moon Tue 27 20:50 New Moon Thu 29 12 Mercury Greatest Elongation W (22°)