NOVA NEWSLETTEROFTHEVANCOUVERCENTRERASC VOLUME2012ISSUE1JANUARYFEBRUARY2012 The Cabin in the Sky Observatory: How changed everything for one lucky family by Howard Trottier (Part two of three) kids in the camp. I became with “serious gear,” and located On May 12/13 of 2010, I was obsessed with observing, especially infinitely far from city lights; a fortunate to realize a dream shared deep-sky objects. I endlessly place to which I would escape to by many amateur . I poured over reference books and plumb the deepest of skies. took first light from an observatory star charts to prepare target lists, After high school, “recreational” that I had built at a remote get-away, and to come up with strategies for astronomy all but disappeared and which by certain providences how I might find those celestial from my life. When I would I was able to equip with first-rate treasurers from the sidewalk in occasionally think back to the time gear. I could when I had been now capture the consumed by deepest of deep- the pursuit of sky treasures. the next deep- As I recounted sky wonder, I in the first part was puzzled at of this story how that dream, (which appeared once so present, in the March/ now seemed so First light images with a CCD camera April 2011 removed. But edition of nova), the dream had front of my parents’ home, under it must have been there all along, its first stirrings in my case at the heavily light-polluted skies just under the surface, waiting for summer camp, when I was about of urban Montreal. I learned by the right time and trigger to return 12 years old. I owe so much to doing, saving money from paper to the fore. And when it did, I had a camp counsellor, whose name routes to buy two telescopes (with a family, and that dream would I can no longer remember, who help from my parents). And all change everything for all of us. introduced the glory of the night the while I dreamt about building The trigger came in the spring sky to a group of us, the nerdiest my own observatory, equipped continued on page 2

JANUARY 12 UBC FEBRUARY 9 HRMSC MARCH 8 UBC Prof. Ray Jayawardhana of the Uni- Dr. Ed Krupp, Director of the Griffith Dr. Catherine Johnson of UBC Earth versity of : Rocks, Ice and Observatory: Time’s Up: 2012 and the and Ocean Sciences: The First Results Penguins: Finding Meteorites in Maya Calendar from MESSENGER at Mercury Antarctica continued from page 1 portraits. colour images of deep-sky objects of 2007. I had been teaching The depth and scope of that had transfixed me as a kid, Introduction to Astronomy at the astrophotography would be the including the Whirlpool Galaxy Simon Fraser University trigger. Soon, I would be caught and the Ring Nebula (notice department for several years, and up in a revolution being driven by the out-of-focus stars in that it seemed like a good idea to give new and relatively affordable large- one!). I was stunned at what was aperture telescopes, with optical possible with relatively modest systems designed for razor-sharp equipment, even for a newbie, imaging over huge fields, carried and in the heavily light-polluted by mounts of stunning mechanical skies of urban Vancouver no less. precision, and ccd cameras Imagine, capturing the spiral arms specially designed for astronomy, in the Whirlpool, and the 15th along with powerful software magnitude white dwarf at the for running the control systems centre of the Ring Nebula, from the The second night: Saturn and processing the results. But in city, in just minutes of exposure! the students the chance to do a bit March 2007, when the sfu gear The passion had returned, full of observing. I was not intending arrived, I had no inkling of what I bore. to do any serious astronomy was getting into. By the fall, I was routinely for myself. My goal was to give Within days, after trying out imaging at sfu, first for students my students the opportunity the new gear on downtown in my Astronomy course, and then to directly experience some of buildings in the daytime from more broadly for members of the the celestial wonders that they my living room, I had my first public, who would attend star were only hearing about in the evening of astronomical imaging. parties under the banner of “Starry classroom. I was pretty ambitious, going for Nights @ sfu” (but that’s another I persuaded my Chair that we the Orion Nebula and Saturn, story). One of the first images that needed a new telescope. So, on with disappointing results, before I shot at sfu was that October, behalf of the department, I ordered settling that night on an easier of Comet Holmes, looking like a a Meade LX-200 8” telescope, target, the . But now I cosmic bowling ball, with some through Vancouver Telescope. was hooked. By early April, my students from my class watching On a last-minute whim, I decided technique improving, I got a the frames downloading “live.” to add a small ccd imager to reasonable image of Saturn. Meanwhile, I had been thinking the order, the Meade dsi (about Within a month, I was getting continued on page 6 0.5 megapixel, colour one-shot version). I had a vague idea that ccd cameras were a leap forward over the earlier era of film emulsions, but was completely unaware of the renaissance that was taking place in amateur astrophotography. When I would occasionally look at the stunning images that appeared on Astronomy Picture of the Day, I had no idea that “amateurs,” using their own equipment, produced many of the most beautiful M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy (left) and M57, the Ring Nebula (right) 2 rasc-vancouver.com JANUARYFEBRUARY2012 President’s Message by Howard Trottier On behalf of the rasc Vancouver likely picked it up at our first public edition of nova for a backgrounder Centre Council, and on the occasion lecture of the year, which is being on our speaker, who has been hailed of the publication of this, our first held at the ubc Hennings Physics by Wired Magazine as “a rock star” of edition of nova for 2012, I would Building. We will be hosting Prof. Ray astronomy! like to extend best wishes to our Jayawardhana, Professor and Canada This lecture promises to be just the members and public for a happy and Research Chair of the University of start of another year of presentations fulfilling New Year, one that includes Toronto, for our January 12 lecture. by A-list speakers on a diverse range an abundance of astronomy in all of Prof. Jayawardhana’s presentation of topics! Our top-flight speaker its forms, especially clear skies! is entitled Rocks, Ice and Penguins: program is one of the great strengths If you are reading a hardcopy of Searching for Meteorites in Antarctica. of rasc Vancouver’s programming, this edition of nova, then you quite Be sure to look elsewhere in this continued on page 4 About RASC The RASC Vancouver Centre meets at the Treasurer at the address on page 5. herein are not necessarily those of the 7:30 PM on the second Thursday of ev- Annual membership includes the invalu- Vancouver Centre. ery month at various locations in Metro able Observer’s Handbook, six issues of Material on any aspect of astronomy Vancouver (see page 1 for meeting loca- the RASC Journal, and, of course, access should be e-mailed to the editor or tions and page 4 for maps). Guests are to all of the club events and projects. mailed to the address below. always welcome. In addition, the Centre For more information regarding the Remember, you are always welcome has an observing site where star parties Centre and its activities, please contact to attend meetings of Council, held on the are regularly scheduled. our P.R. Director. first Thursday of every month at 7:30pm Membership is currently $73.00 per NOVA, the newsletter of the Vancou- in room P8445.2 of the Physics wing of year ($41.00 for persons under 21 years ver Centre, RASC, is published on odd- the Shrum Science Centre at SFU. Please of age) and can be obtained by writing to numbered months. Opinions expressed contact a council member for directions. 2012 Vancouver Centre Officers President Howard Trottier Membership Ciara Morgan-Feir & Rohit Grover Observing Oleg Mazurenko [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Vice-President/Secretary Alan Jones Events Suzanna Nagy Speakers Barry Shanko [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Treasurer/Telescopes Steve Coleopy Education Bill Burnyeat Merchandise Diedre Sportack [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] National Rep./LPA Mark Eburne AOMO Chair Leigh Cummings Deputy IT Steve Meighan & Jonathan Neufeld [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Librarian William Fearon Webmaster Harvey Dueck Councillor Jim Ronback [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Public Relations Scott McGillivary NOVA Editor Gordon Farrell Honourary President Dr. John Macdonald [email protected] [email protected] Trustees Sally Baker & Ron Jerome Library On the Internet Mailing Address The centre has a large library of books, http://rasc-vancouver.com or RASC Vancouver Centre magazines and old NOVAs for your enjoy- http://www.rasc.ca/vancouver 1100 Chestnut Street ment at the GMSO. Please take advantage Vancouver, B.C. of this club service and visit often to check Details of upcoming meetings and V6J 3J9 out the new purchases. Suggestions for events can be found on Meetup: future library acquisitions are appreciated. http://astronomy.meetup.com/131/ 604-738-2855

JANUARYFEBRUARY2012 rasc-vancouver.com 3 Maps to Meeting Sites UBC anse Ch llor Blvd. (to West 4th Ave.) Our UBC meeting site is in room Museum of 201 of the Hennings Building.

Anthopology . W Rd ge e Ga s The main entrance is off Agricul- er b lt r n Wa o ha o tural Rd. (indicated by the arrow P C tre k n Ce P M We a l on the map at left). Room 201 is l st Mall

up the stairs and on the left. e t v n . i e g r d . tu Bld D d S n R io sity Blvd. (to e l n er W ra U Univ es n u s t i ult g 10 r ric nin th a P Ag n Av Pay parking is available at sev- He ing e M L ld (t .) o ui o B W W w e eral parkades located around N r e st 16th M East Mal a ll campus (indicated as “P” on the Main Mal ital Av l sp e P Ho . map). d. ) y R l om P ron Ag continued from page 3 program was established last year as a large public audience, allowing but is just one of our many services an “add-on” to our monthly lecture us to highlight the expertise of our that benefit our members, and which series, but will instead be offered membership with appearances on contribute to the community at large. this year a series of special events, local TV and radio broadcasts, If you are a member of rasc independent of our speaker program, and in interviews by print media, Vancouver, then you probably already so as to better serve a young audience. and accentuating our capacity for know the broad outlines of the other To reinvigorate our observing community engagement by a massive priorities that council has set for our program, we will establish a regular show of force on event day! We are 2012 programming, which we have series of observing nights, using already gearing up for this fabulous carefully chosen in order to effectively Twitter to link participants to these occasion! If you are a member of concentrate our efforts in four key events in real time (more on Twitter Vancouver Centre and are interested types of activity: Public outreach; below), along with a series of clinics in becoming involved in our public Observing Programs; Membership on telescope use, astrophotography, presence, there is no better way to do Building; and Web Presence. Council and other areas of interest (looking to so than by contributing to our Venus has set specific goals within each of our members for direction here). We transit effort, and no better time to these four areas, whilst we keep on the will also continue to improve access to step forward than now! I heartily lookout for other opportunities that our valuable observatory, the aomo encourage you to contact Vancouver may arise during the course of the year. in Maple Ridge. Centre’s Event Coordinator, Suzanna For outreach, we intend to invest To build our membership, we will Nagy, at events.rascvancouver@ in our partnerships with the sfu survey members and our many non- gmail.com. Observatory (coming soon to a member guests to establish what Turning to our fourth and final Burnaby campus near you!) and the we need to do to bring more value priority for 2102, which is to bcit Planetarium, including using to our existing membership, and to improve our electronic presence, these venues to reintroduce our very entice newcomers to our society. we will establish Facebook and successful “What’s Up?” program for The June 5 transit of Venus promises Twitter as prime social networking newcomers to astronomy (especially to be a extraordinary opportunity tools (in addition to our successful young ones!). The “What’s Up?” to showcase Vancouver Centre to continued on page 6

4 rasc-vancouver.com JANUARYFEBRUARY2012 Gemini by Bill Burnyeat The richest, neatest and—in In early thinking about the sky, we first nations groups believed the many ways—the best of the winter sometimes meet with the notion of souls of the dead journeyed on the constellation is the twins. Why am the as the original path Milky Way, just as the Moon rides I so hot on Gemini since I was born of the ecliptic but then there was a the ecliptic. A soul got into the under the sign of the bull? It’s simply calamity, battle of the gods, cosmic galactic assemblage at Gemini, sort this. Gemini is one of the special anger at human misbehaviours and of like a bus stop in the sky. Souls 12 constellations of the zodiac and whoops the whole thing fell out sailed down the pale band of light to one of a circle of starry assemblages of order and assumed its current emerge at the bottom, in Sagittarius. that defines the roundish ring of imperfect way. It’s the logic of There were no stops on the way, so the Milky Way. This band of light simplicity and harmony applied perhaps the bus had a “sorry” sign intersects the zodiac in two places. to the visible aspect of the skies. on its front. The entrance and exit, Once in Sagittarius and Scorpio in The only unknown was which god of course, are the intersections of the the southern summer sky, and at a had engineered the current mess galactic and ecliptic paths. Although second place within Gemini in the upstairs. the idea doesn’t get much credence north; the stream is more narrow Beliefs all over the cultural map today, it’s interesting to note that here and only wide enough for one back up this idea of the Milky Way. this must have been worked out by constellation. Early Greeks, Romans and some continued on page 10 Loaner Telescope Program by Steve Coleopy, Director of Telescopes As many of you have read in other locations for the foreseeable monthly meetings are being held. previous editions of nova, you will future, borrowing and returning We are making progress with the know that we have a loaner telescope telescopes is going to be a little more new reservation system, but it isn’t program. There are a number of difficult. ready yet. Until then, either see me telescopes that we have ready for As mentioned in our last edition at one of the monthly meetings, any member to borrow for a month of nova, we are trying to not or email me with your request at at a time, at no charge. Normally, inconvenience our members by telescopes.rascvancouver@gmail. these telescopes are signed out preparing a reservation system com. Keep checking back to our web after our monthly meeting at the where members can reserve one of site at www.rasc-vancouver.com. We Space Centre. However, because our loaner telescopes, then pick it up should be up and running very soon. our meetings will be held mostly at from and return it to wherever the  Membership has its Privileges! New members, did you know? The not allowed to circulate outside of these tive! Take in the club meetings; engage Vancouver Centre has 8 telescopes avail- meetings. You can now reserve two dif- other members with questions; come able for loan free of charge! We have ferent telescopes per year and use what out to observing sessions (also known telescopes ranging from 60mm to 10” is left at the end of the meeting anytime. as “star parties”), and, by all means, diameter. For more information see the Your greatest opportunity as a mem- volunteer to take part in our many public Director of Telescopes in the meeting ber of the RASC is to take advantage of events. room of the GMSO after the members the company of other enthusiasts to in- For the usual observing sites and meeting. All telescopes are to be picked crease your knowledge, enjoyment and times, visit our website at http://rasc- up and returned at the GMSO. The loaner skill in astronomy. vancouver.com/observing-sites/ or con- period is for one month, to be returned The best thing you can do to gain the tact the Observing Chair at observing. after the next meeting. Telescopes are most from your membership is to get ac- [email protected].

JANUARYFEBRUARY2012 rasc-vancouver.com 5 Upcoming Events February March August 11 – Dr. John Grunsfeld, Deputy Direc- TBD – Night Quest at Pacific Spirit Park Aug. 11 - 19 – Mt. Kobau Star Party tor, Space Telescope Science Institute and Former NASA Astronaut: A Hubble April September Adventure: Repairing the Telescope and 28 – International Astronomy Day Sept. 8 - 15 – Merritt Star Quest Its Exciting New Discoveries. June December http://vaninst.ca/VbGrunsfeld.html 5 – Transit of Venus 8 – AGM continued from page 2 more sophisticated camera. deeply about getting my own It was the fall of 2007. Within a Comet equipment for “serious” imaging; year, everything would change for Holmes something portable, with a mount my family and me.  that could properly carry its (to be continued) payload with good tracking, and a continued from page 4 ongoing arrangements with sfu Ocean Sciences, and a member of Meetup site), especially for linking and ubc, which will provide us with the messenger spacecraft science our members in real time, and we meeting space at minimal or zero cost, team. For April and beyond, locations will increase content on our much and with bcit, which has economical will be announced as soon as we have improved web site, http://rasc- rates, and which suits our priorities determined the venues. Notifications vancouver.com. for this year. The Space Centre will will be sent to membership by email, rasc Vancouver Centre also has continue to offer us free use of the and will be posted on Meetup. an important new challenge in 2012. auditorium for speakers that they In general, please consult our This concerns a central part of our think will appeal to a broad enough Meetup site on a regular basis for efforts, which, as I described at the segment of their audience. The Space more information as it becomes top of this column, is to provide a Centre has also pledged to revisit our available: http://www.meetup.com/ monthly speaker to our membership relationship once they return to fiscal astronomy-131. and the general public. Over the past health. Finally, all of us council would 40 years, our venue for these meetings At this point, we have established like membership and our public to has been the HR MacMillan Space the venues for the first three lectures know that we are actively working Centre, where we were not charged for of 2012, which all promise to be of on an opportunity to establish a new meeting space. Owning to a difficult outstanding quality, and on exciting permanent base of operations, one financial situation, the Space Centre and timely topics. Following our that may turn out to be remarkably will now charge its standard rate for January 12 lecture at ubc by Prof. close at hand. nonprofit organizations, of $640 per Ray Jayawardhana, our Thursday There is much to look forward to in meeting. Council has unanimously February 9 presentation will be at 2012 at rasc Vancouver! All of us on agreed we cannot afford this fee the Space Centre, where we will council look forward to you at more without serious compromise to the host Dr. Ed Krupp, Director of the of our monthly lectures, and our many rest of Vancouver Centre’s efforts. in , other events.  Fortunately, we have much less and our Thursday March 8 lecture expensive alternatives that we can will return to ubc, where will we Howard Trottier use while we look for a longer-term host Dr. Catherine Johnson of the President, rasc-Van solution. We have already made ubc Department of Earth and Professor of Physics, sfu

6 rasc-vancouver.com JANUARYFEBRUARY2012 Go to — go to! by David A. Rodger “Aye, fashion you may call it. present observing site in North the telescope’s motors and gears Go to, go to!” (Polonius, Hamlet, Vancouver, I see only fragments telling them just how much to Act I, Scene iii) of constellations and, more often move up or down, left or right, I still remember my shock than not, the target is obscured to compensate for the earth’s some 10 years ago when I learned by some obstacle. I’m sure you rotation and its effect on the sky. that a friend, who had shown no recognize the experience. My TeleVue NP-127 and previous interest in astronomy, There’s another factor that Orion eon 120mm refractors had purchased a small Maksutov attracted me to a go-to system. also rest on go-to equipped alt- telescope with a “go-to” system. Our backs and necks can take azimuth mounts. But there the She didn’t know her way around only so much twisting and similarity with the cpc system the sky; I doubt if she could have lifting. Astronomy seems to ends. With TeleVue’s “Skytour” distinguished Orion from the require quite a bit of both, system, you do the work; there . Yet, by pressing a few particularly in the case of large are no motors or gears involved. buttons on the instrument’s hand Dobsonian reflectors. Young Once you’ve selected the object control, she could be looking at, necks and backs can tolerate a you want to look at, the readout and tracking, the Andromeda certain amount of this, but as on the control box displays galaxy, Perseus’ double star we get older, bones and muscles red-illuminated azimuth and cluster or Saturn. tighten. When we force them altitude numbers it obtains from Notwithstanding my disdain, into odd positions (such as encoders placed on the mount’s two years later I, too, had a peering through an optical finder two axes. As you move the telescope with a “go-to” system. attached to a long Newtonian telescope, those numbers change. What was it that changed my reflector aimed near the zenith) If you are pushing or pulling the perspective? we are asking for trouble. Go- telescope in the proper direction I learned my way around the to systems solve these issues the numbers diminish until they sky on the Saskatchewan prairie. magnificently. And, unless “the reach “zero.” At zero your target There, under ideal conditions, hunt” is part of the observing should now be visible. The I could see the constellations experience you feel you must system is quick and easy to set up with their galactic and nebulous have, a go-to system means you’ll and use. treasures in their entirety from spend a lot more time looking A decade ago I’d all but given horizon to horizon. Most of at stars, planets, nebulae and up observational astronomy, at us today can’t do that. For one galaxies than looking for them. least in the city. So, I give full thing, light pollution in Metro There are two distinct families credit to my go-to telescopes, Vancouver, Abbotsford and of go-to systems. My Celestron especially the refractors. Not Chilliwack is a huge and growing cpc-1100 Schmidt-Cassegrain only did they revive my interest problem. Add tall buildings, employs the most sophisticated in astronomy, but they’ve enabled mountains and trees to the go-to system because it is me to see countless deep-sky mix and our view of the sky is on an alt-azimuth mount, objects that I would never have severely restricted. Urban-based functionally comparable to the found using traditional search “star-hopping “ (the method by Dobsonian mounts familiar to methods. My neck and back are which we move from star to star many of us. Once an object is grateful, too. in search of deep sky objects, found, the computer contained “To go-to or not to go-to; that double stars and faint galaxies) is within the hand control sends is the question.” (Apologies to a frustrating challenge. From my a constant stream of signals to William Shakespeare) 

JANUARYFEBRUARY2012 rasc-vancouver.com 7 Star Odyssey: Joseph Pearce and the Milky Way by Bill Burnyeat The Vancouver centre of the rasc, Observatory in California and earned maintained. This picture, the result of your centre, has received a sizeable his Doctorate from the University of crude naked eye star counts, showed endowment from the Pearce family California in 1930. It was shortly after the galaxy to be in the shape of the letter estate. It seems timely to supply answers this that Pearce came to the Dominion “y” with the sun and earth situated at to members who probably know little Astrophysical Observatory here in the middle where the fork in the “y” about our benefactor and may wish to British Columbia. diverges. The whole galaxy might be know more. At this point it may be wise to break three or four thousand light years across Joseph Algernon Pearce was born in off a chronological narrative and review and could contain 50 million stars. Brantford, Ontario on Oct. 7, 1893. the state of knowledge of the Milky The reality of external galaxies was When the Great War came, Pearce Way galaxy when Pearce was a young placed in doubt. Many saw the spiral enlisted in the Armed forces (1915) and man. It’s only by appreciating what nebula as the place where a single new served in France where he attained the the galaxy seemed to be like in Pearce’s star was forming and the spiral arms rank of Major. He was injured, returned youth can we understand the thrust might be newly emerging planets. The to Canada, and finished the war years and motives for his choice of topics and Andromeda galaxy was thought to as a training officer. He attended the objects for inquiry. In Astronomy books be certainly not more than 100 light University of Toronto where he earned from the late 1800s, volumes Pearce years away, although, frustratingly, its both a Bachelor and Master’s degree. probably read as a boy, the old Herschel parallax, which should be apparent at After this, he studied at the Lick “stratum theory” of the Milky Way was continued on page 9 Speaker Bios: Ray Jayawardhana and Ed Krupp by Ciara Morgan-Feir Since his arrival on the astronomy including articles that have appeared in years. Dr. Krupp is an internationally- scene, Ray Jayawardhana has been a The Economist, Scientific American, New acclaimed professional . prominent figure. He received his B.Sc. Scientist, Astronomy, and Sky & Telescope. Krupp is recognized as an authority from Yale in 1994 and his Ph.D. from He is also the author of two popular on ancient and prehistoric astronomy. Harvard soon after. science books: Strange New Worlds: He has published several books in the As a graduate student, Dr. The Search for Alien Planets and Life field of , including Jayawardhana led one of the two beyond Our Solar System and Star titles such as Beyond the Blue Horizon research groups that made a discovery Factories: The Birth of Stars and Planets. and In Search of Ancient , around the young star HR 4796A: In 2003, he was awarded the Science and four internationally-acclaimed a dusty disk surrounding it with a Writing Award from the American illustrated books for children. large inner hole, which was suggested Institute of Physics. He was also the Often focusing on the cultural to have been carved out during the recipient of the Vainu Bappu Gold aspects of astronomy, Dr. Krupp has formation of planets. Since this Medal of the Astronomical Society of written hundreds of articles for the discovery, Dr. Jayawardhana’s research India in 2004, and the Early Researcher general public and was a contributing group has conducted significant Award from the Government of editor for Sky & Telescope magazine for research into brown dwarfs. The group Ontario in 2006. He has also recently many years. The telecourse “Project: established that young brown dwarfs been named to the Canadian top 40 Universe,” which Dr. Krupp hosted, has undergo a T Tauri phase. Recently, under 40. been televised all over the world. Ray and his collaborators imaged and Well known for his promotion of Dr. Krupp has been the recipient of spectrographed a likely extra-solar astronomy to the public, Ed Krupp several notable awards from institutions planet orbiting a normal star. has been the director of Griffith such as the American Institute of Dr. Jayawardhana is the co-author of Observatory at the University of Physics and the Astronomical Society of over 80 publications in science journals, California Los Angeles for thirty the Pacific. 

8 rasc-vancouver.com JANUARYFEBRUARY2012 continued from page 8 encounter radial velocities of O and B The astronomical spectrograph at that close range, was for some reason type stars. Hmmm. This isn’t something the focus of the dao’s 72 inch telescope not attained. There were a few sceptics. that’s a topic on Oprah. was put to work measuring the motions In 1885, a nova was seen in the middle To press ahead, let’s indulge in a of stars. The star’s light spread out in a of the Andromeda nebula. Some mind experiment. Imagine an observer rainbow contains features from which pointed out that if the star was within equipped with an angle-measuring the star’s velocity in one direction can be the cloud this undercut the status of device like a nautical sextant or a ruler obtained. If a tangential motion is also M31 as a mere nursery for one star. held to the eye at a precise distance. available, then the true motion of the Others wished to hold on to the old Next, suppose our observer gets a long star can be calculated. Pearce published theory and claimed the nova was a piece of rope and cuts out many lengths, the first detailed spectroscopic analysis background star sitting in the nebula by all one metre long. The rope lengths are of the structure of our Milky Way an unhappy coincidence. Fundamental then laid out all around the observer and galaxy in 1935. Using radial velocities to all these ideas was that they emerged perpendicular to his location. Using the of the very luminous hot stars, the in an environment which lacked good angle measuring device our investigator dao team showed that the sun is two- empirical data on anything except a observes a rope that appears one degree thirds out from the centre of our galaxy handful of obvious stars. in length. Instantly, we can locate the and revolves in 220 million years. In order to make headway on these distance to this string. The rope is about Pearce studied the velocities of O- and problems a new type of observatory was 57 metres away. This insight comes not B-type stars—stars which are bright, needed. The old and small refractors, from anything to do with the string inhabit the spiral arms, and therefore suitable for double star measurements but is derived from the mathematical are better seen over great distances. and planetary work, were not up to the definition of a degree. Turning the He also catalogued the observable B task of sustaining a program of modern device to another string we see its half stars and found that 40% are double astrophysics. What was needed were a degree in length. Conclusion? It’s stars, and estimated the temperatures very large light-gathering elements twice as far as the first one, or, about and dimensions of these giant stars and the retirement of the observer 114 metres away. Far off, is another rope when they appear in combinations as at the eyepiece in favour of cameras, which is 1/10th of a degree by measure. giant eclipsing double stars. Slowly, the spectrographs and other electronic data It must be about 570 metres away. nature of our spiral galaxy home began recorders. This is why the Dominion Now while all these strings have been to emerge. And it happened, largely, Astrophysical Observatory was measured, by some bad luck, a bunch right here in British Columbia. Next built. Pearce was one of the young of these metre ropes have fallen on a time you are under the night sky, look astronomers attracted here. He was little island surrounded by a moat of up into the Perseus, Cassiopeia and appointed assistant director of the dao water inhabited by ferocious alligators. Cepheus areas of the Milky Way. This in 1935 and served as director from It’s not a problem. To measure the ropes is our stellar neighbourhood and the 1940 to 1951. It was the description we don’t need to risk being gobbled largest cognitive feature that has Earth and nature of the Milky Way galaxy, in up. Given enough measurements, we within its realm. Take a moment to a form recognizable today, that was the can piece together a little map of the think about Pearce and the dao. principle achievement of these years. island, without ever setting foot there, Pearce was active in the International The story of the discovery of the and deduce its shape and orientation to Astronomical Union, the Royal nature of the galaxy is not often told. ourselves. This system, with its ability Astronomical Society of Canada It involves the appreciation of a small to find information about alligator- (president, 1940) and the American amount of complexity, which the protected or inaccessible places is Astronomical Society (vice-president, contemporary mind seems to fly from just what is needed for the study of 1944-46). Elected a fellow of the as though from a contagious disease. stellar motions and distances, which Royal Society of Canada in 1931, he Everyone knows that Galileo built and must be calculated to learn about the was president in 1949. Pearce died in used a telescope. But with Pearce we unreachable stars. Victoria in 1988. 

JANUARYFEBRUARY2012 rasc-vancouver.com 9 continued from page 5 to claim that Pollux was fainter in telescopes it appears that a bag observations, and is therefore not some hundreds of years ago, and of diamonds has been spilled out completely a baseless fairy-tale, but has brightened up to surpass Castor onto an endless carpet of black. is suggested by analogy with the true in our own time. It’s a tempting M35 can be appreciated in a very ecliptic and the wanderers within it. idea, yet, if correct, it would mean small telescope and some even claim The Milky Way in Gemini is most all our modern insights into stellar to have seen it with the unaided dense at the feet on the opposite side evolution are radically wrong, and eye. The cluster is about one degree of the constellation from its two the contemporary Astronomer, across and contains 30 to 40 stars in most prominent features—the pair while acknowledging many loose a rectangular pattern. On one edge of stars called Castor and Pollux. ends exist, can’t be persuaded is an easy double star with yellow These stars give the twins its duel that we are so far off the mark. and blue contrasting colours. Just off aspect. Castor is a true astronomer’s Some other explanation must be the field is a tiny patch of light that star, a gleaming white dot that has examined. There is one that explains is ngc 2158. This little cluster is like revealed some of its secrets to the the so-called “secular variation” of an M35 copy but about 15 times telescope. High up in Gemini and Pollux. From early times Castor and smaller. It looks like a small nebula only 4.5 degrees from its partner Pollux have been called so, in this in an 80 mm telescope. The whole Pollux, the other twin in the sky, order. In other words, they are never area is alive with interesting objects. Castor is a pleasing double star with named as Pollux and Castor. The Further east in the twins is the two colourless or slightly blue-green twins form a pair like Laurel and star delta (δ). This naked-eye star stars visible in a small telescope. The Hardy, Batman and Robin, Salt and is very near the place the planet fainter of the two orbits the primary, Pepper. It’s likely this simple reason Pluto was discovered in 1930. Pluto and its elliptical path was the first is why fainter Castor is the recipient was demobilized from Planet duty proof that the laws of physics of the alpha tag. In other words, its in 2006. Continuing east from operated outside of our own solar semantics and not star dust that is at delta, about two degrees, the bright system. Also, each one of the pair issue here. planetary nebula ngc 2392 is found. is itself made of two stars that no Gemini has nine open clusters The books say it’s just seen in a 60 telescope can separate. Castor is the visible in backyard telescopes. mm refractor, but, to be perfectly mortal twin whose brother Pollux The best is M35. This is one of honest, I can’t see it in mine. It needs sought to find after Castor’s death. the loveliest open star clusters in about a six-inch scope, or I need Pollux, an immortal, was told he the sky. It is one of those objects better eyes. Still with the theme of could only visit his departed brother that seem overflowing with riches. following the ecliptic in Gemini, by giving up his eternal life. He Wonderfully located, it is next to now go backwards—retrograde, if agreed. For this act of bravery both the marvellous orange stars Eta you will—and west on the ecliptic brothers were joined permanently (η) and Mu (μ) Geminorum. M35 about four degrees from delta. Using up in the sky as the Gemini twins. also hosts a spectacular, coloured a low power, look around. A very red The second of the twins is Pollux. double star; also, a second small star called R Geminorum might be This star is yellowish orange, or cluster sits just outside M35. This visible. This star is a Long Period some variation on that theme. It cluster has historical associations, Variable (lpv). Its spectrum has makes a pleasant pair in binoculars, too. It was near here that William emission features of interest to the and shows the colour contrast of the Herschel discovered Uranus in spectroscope user. In older books, two stars well. Pollux is the brighter 1781. M35 is astride the ecliptic, it is classified as an “S” type, which of the two stars, yet has retained so it entertains planets from time means, visually, it appears very red. the beta (β) or second brightest to time as they wander by. Finally, The star changes in about 370 days designation as opposed to Castor’s it’s one of the easiest objects to from magnitude 6 to fainter than  alpha (α). This formerly led many find. A very bright cluster of stars, magnitude 13. 10 rasc-vancouver.com JANUARYFEBRUARY2012 Gemini Sights

M35 (left) and the fainter NGC 2158 (lower right)

Image credit: N. A. Sharp/NOAO/AURA/NSF

VANCOUVER TELESCOPE CENTRE Serving the Astronomers of Vancouver and British Columbia since 2004

Nickolas Seiflow and Keith MacNutt 2580 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6J 3J7 Tel: 604-737-4303 email: [email protected]

JANUARYFEBRUARY2012 rasc-vancouver.com 11 THIS ISSUE IS PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

CANADIANTELESCOPES.COM More Than 30 Major Brands - 3000 Items - SHIPPED FREE

Facebook.com/CanadianTelescopes TOLL FREE 1-888-527-7207