BULLETIN Du Canada Supplement to the Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada

February février 1995

Volume 5 Number 1

The Royal La Société Astronomical Society Royale d'Astronomie of Canada BULLETIN du Canada Supplement to the Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada

I automatically just head out to the dark site him that I would have been there just as fast had Reflections: rather than settling for lazy backyard observing. it been him calling for help. A couple of hours So getting back to January 22nd. We had a passed and the officers convinced the girls to The Other Side of the short but extremely transparent evening. My apologize to the cabby and pay him his fare. favourite Sharpless nebulae were easier to see Being a practical and forgiving man he accepted Night than usual and for the first time several of us the cash and dropped the charges. The officers Randy Pakan were able to see the Horsehead Nebula without were officially required to tell me what I did was Edmonton Centre a filter! Alas, the clouds rolled in and we left very stupid, but off the record admitted they around midnight. would have done exactly the same thing. I am Our observing session on January 22nd is I took my time driving home and eventually sure that the fact that I have a teenage daughter one that I will remember for a long time. Not so went to bed around three. However, just as I laid had a lot to do with the way I reacted. much because of the observing but because of back I heard a blood curdling “Help rape... The next day the manager of the complex the chain of events that happened that night. rape... help... please help us!”. The two girls’ (who just happens to be the floodlight lady) Some background first, though. screams shot through me like a jolt of electricity. introduced herself and thanked me a half dozen My house is on the southern outskirts of I told my wife to call 911 and I pulled on my pants times for reacting the way I did. She was thor- Edmonton and one of the reasons I bought it is and bolted out the door. On my way out I oughly disgusted that out of the 200+ people because of its backyard southern exposure—it grabbed a large walking stick that I carved last that live in the complex, help had to come from is a pretty good observing site for being in the year at Cub Camp—never did I imagine that I someone that lives one street over. (You can city. For example, one night when searching for would ever pick it up as a weapon! now see where this story is going.) I seized the a comet near M81/82 I found a likely suspect. The screams were coming from the complex opportunity to tell her how her “security light” Upon checking Uranometria, to my surprise, it parking lot. As I rounded the corner, wired on was doing nothing but destroying my backyard was UGC 5028, a magnitude 13.8 galaxy! adrenaline, I confronted a man whom, I as- observing. I told her that if we could put a switch At the back of my property is a six-foot fence, sumed, was a rapist. His face was bleeding and on the light then I could resume my observing behind that is a greenbelt, then a walkway, and he was obviously very shaken. We were having and that I would be more than happy to keep an behind that, a complex of townhouses. About a a harsh stand-off just as two police cruisers eye out for trouble. She was thrilled at the idea year ago, an elderly lady bought the end unit of screamed into the lot. The cops yelled at me to of having a “nightwatchman” nearby. the complex and decided that she needed an “drop my weapon” as they blasted me with a She is going to have a switch installed and I automatic 500 watt halogen “security light”. The searchlight (and I thought the old lady’s light am to let her know the nights when I would like light lights up the walkway, the greenbelt, my ruined my night vision!). it turned off. I told her to pass the word that if backyard, and I can now do shadow puppets on To make a long story somewhat shorter, they anyone is interested in looking through my tel- the inside wall of our bedroom. ended up arresting two drunk teenage girls who escope that they are welcome to come over and On the first night when the light went on I did not even live in the area. They had tried to explore “the other side of the night”. µ totally freaked (just picture Macauley Caulkin in stiff this poor taxi driver for a $30 fare. When the the Home Alone ad). However, I thought I had cabby grabbed one by the arm and demanded The observer listens to nature; the experi- better wait awhile before I confronted her be- his money the girls started yelling rape and menter questions and forces her to reveal her- cause I am sure she had to pay the electrician a commenced beating on his face with their purses. self. couple of hundred bucks for the wiring he did. In After I found out what really happened I Georges Cuvier some ways she did me a favour, because now sincerely apologized to the cabby and assured French zoologist/anatomist (1769-1832) R.A.S.C. BULLETIN S.R.A.C. - February/février 1994 - Page 1 Editor: Patrick M. Kelly, RR#2 Falmouth, A LA BULLETIN Nova Scotia, Canada B0P 1L0 AD S N OC A IÉ is a publication of the Royal Astronomical Society of E-mail Address: [email protected] C C I T T F D V V R É O A R Canada and is distributed together with the society’s FAX: (902) 423-6672 Y O N O T I V A Y Journal. It contains articles on current activities of the Phone: (902) 420-7604(w), (902) 798-3329(h) E A I Q C L R.A.S.C. and its centres across Canada, as well as E O Editorial Staff: Diane Brooks

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much needed encouragement for women to to learn that Dr. Gupta is willing to let his name Letters to the Editor enter the scientific field. stand for election in 1995. As for the “dead language” to be found on the Any member of the society may be nominated Looking for Phenomena logo, I believe that it also brings an air of distinc- for the office of treasurer. Such nomination (in tion and of learning to the society’s name. It is writing, signed by at least five voting members of I am presently working on a project which also beautiful and perhaps Mr. Kelly might be the society, and confirmed by a written state- started in January 1994. One important area of interested in its meaning: where Urania leads. It ment of acceptance from the candidate) must be the research is astronomy. I require literature elegantly outlines the purpose of the society. delivered to the secretary of the society, Dr. and observed examples of unusual meteors, Mr. Kelly also suggests that the logo, when Randall Brooks, by May 1st, i.e. at least sixty bolides and transient lunar phenomena. small, is impossible to discern. This may be true, days before the annual meeting. David J. Robinson but I would be interested in knowing how often The formal duties of the treasurer are outlined 115 Berkeley Grange, Carlisle, Cumbria, the symbol is used in such a context. When Great Britain CA2 7PN in the society’s by-laws, but it should be pointed depicted at appropriate sizes, the elegance and out that the routine book-keeping is handled by Let’s Keep Urania visual appeal of the logo greatly outweighs the the executive secretary, Ms. Rosemary Free- I am writing in response to Patrick Kelly’s A problems encountered at reduced sizes. man, and regular financial statements are pre- New Society Logo which appeared in the Au- In short, I feel it utterly unnecessary to change pared by the society’s auditors. µ gust issue. Along with many other members of our society’s logo. If it has served us well for so the Calgary Centre I was shocked that Mr. Kelly long already, I fail to see why it must suddenly be Items of Interest suggested changing the society’s logo. A youth abandoned in such haste. I encourage Mr. Kelly to consider that “as we head into the third member myself, I like the logo and have found Halifax Members Make History that all the other youth members that I have millennium” our history must not be forgotten in talked to feel the same way. I therefore object to the process. Urania, along with her Latin apho- David Lane and Paul Gray, using a CCD the fact that Mr. Kelly so assuredly stated that it rism, beautifully summarizes the endeavours of camera at Saint Mary’s University’s Burke-Gaff- discourages youth members. I do not know the members of our society to lean more about ney Observatory, discovered Supernova 1995F. about those in Halifax, but the feelings of the astronomy. Mr. Kelly does not do our logo jus- This is the first supernova to be discovered from youths here are not in compliance! tice. It is an attractive symbol to represent our Canada by either an amateur or professional In my opinion the logo brings an air of distinc- society, of which we should all be proud. astronomer. It was discovered on an image Camilla Robinson tion and dignity to the society. Urania, to me, is taken on the night of February 10th and is 40 Sunmount Crescent S.E., Calgary, located about 2" east and 1" south of the centre indicative of the desire to learn and gather Alberta T2X 1W1 µ knowledge that so encompasses the society. of NGC 2726 (RA = 9h 05 min, Dec. = +60°). Rather than discouraging me, I found that it Nominations for Treasurer When discovered, the supernova was at magni- almost encouraged me to join. “The woman tude 14.7 and was two to three weeks past its maximum. The discovery was announced in sitting in the middle” reminds us all of the begin- Peter Broughton IAU circular number 6138. nings of our science and should not be so swiftly Nominating Committee Chairman While the discovery was made on the 10th, brushed aside. In today’s society it seems to me At the annual meeting of 1995, the term of the supernova was not officially confirmed until that we are often too hasty in wanting to throw treasurer expires and the membership will have almost two weeks later. By then the supernova out or change our symbolic links with the past. the opportunity to elect someone to this office for had already faded and Roy Bishop was unable These links can provide continuity and remind- a three-year term. Terry Hicks was elected to locate it with his 17-inch telescope. The media ers of our past and are the foundation for our treasurer in 1992, but had to resign because of have shown a lot of interest in this story. Paul present and future. health problems in 1994. In accordance with Gray has been interviewed for CBC national The work of the Greek civilization has laid the RASC by-laws, the national council made an radio, CTV’s Canada A.M., and CBC’s Midday foundation for our study of the heavens and well appointment to complete Mr. Hicks’s term. The to name a few. Reliable sources confirm that a deserves the recognition. I might also add that a person appointed was Dr. Rajiv Gupta of Van- more detailed article describing their project will woman is depicted in the logo and provides a couver and the nominating committee is pleased be in a future issue... µ R.A.S.C. BULLETIN S.R.A.C. - February/février 1995 - Page 2 team which was charged with finding the most For an information package to assist your An Invitation to advantageous eclipse observing site in the sur- centre in organizing Astronomy Day events in rounding countryside. Much to everyone’s de- your community, including how your centre can Everyone! light the eclipse was successfully viewed under apply for the Astronomy Day Award sponsored clear skies from a soccer field fifteen kilometres by Sky and Telescope magazine, contact: The Windsor centre thinks it is time for you to from the falls. To quote Ralph: “Venus, Jupiter, SANDY FERGUSON start thinking about those vacations plans and Mercury and Spica appeared like brilliant dia- 238 MAIN STREET APARTMENT 11 with the GA just around the corner, Windsor will monds on a deep navy velvet, flanking a spec- SASKATOON SK S7N 0B5 be the place to be. This GA will be a special one, tacular coronal display extending five solar di- (306) 931-3184 as it is also the Windsor Centre’s 50th anniver- ameters to the east and west. Fine coronal (306) 244-4423 (FAX) sary. Starting as a small group, the centre has filaments could be seen. It became so dark that E-Mail: [email protected] µ steadily grown, both in size and reputation. I could not see the shutter speed settings on the This year’s GA will be held at the University of camera body... A hedgerow prominence ap- Windsor, commencing on June 29th and run- peared over 90° along the lunar limb, heralding Nova East Date Change! ning until July 2nd. Things will start off with a the return of the chromosphere. Five brilliant bang at the International Freedom Festival Fire- Baily’s beads appeared and three minutes and An invitation is extended to all astronomy works on the Detroit River. Tours are scheduled thirty-eight seconds of totality ended without a enthusiasts to attend Nova East ’95 if you hap- for the Fort Maiden National Historical Museum, cloud in the sky. As the cheers began, we could pen to be “down east”. This year, Nova East will The Pelee Island Winery (where the wine that hear shotgun blasts from the surrounding farm- be held on the weekend of July 28th to 30th. will be served at the GA will be made) and Point ers as the locals chased off eclipse demons.” (NOTE: This date has changed from the one Pelee National Park, the most southerly part of One of the experiments Ralph conducted indicated in the RASC calendar, so that many of mainland Canada. A lot of free time has been during the eclipse was to record contact times the organizers could attend this year’s Starfest, allotted for you to visit the Freedom Festival, using his watch, which had been set to UT. His which will be held on the weekend that Nova downtown Windsor’s carnival for the Canada recorded times are as follows: East was originally scheduled for.) Day holidays and Windsor’s newest attraction, First contact 11:00:36 The site, Fundy National Park in New Bruns- the Windsor Casino. Second contact 12:45:20 wick, is a well established park, with many The Ruth Northcott Lecture will be delivered Third contact 12:48:58 conveniences and facilities which make a beau- by Mrs. Carolyn Shoemaker, who has thirty- Fourth contact 14:08:28 tiful compliment to the excellent dark skies. three comet discoveries to her credit, including Talks are held both for the public, and for the Some of the sightseeing taken during our ten astronomers, and we welcome any who would Shoemaker-Levy 9 which crashed into Jupiter day trek included tours of the various attractions like to present a talk. last summer. in the Rio de Janeiro area. In addition, visits For the first time this year, registration is The organizing committee has worked hard were made to the National Museum, the Na- mandatory. Advance registration is $10 per per- to ensure that you enjoy yourself, so plan to tional Observatory, the Astronomical Museum, son, $15 per family, on-site registration is an come and join the party! as well as many places of interest in lguaçu Falls additional $5. Registration fees are waived for For registration information contact your cen- and Buenos Aires. Needless to say, considera- speakers, camping is always free. T-shirts, which tre secretary or the Windsor Centre directly. The tions are already being made towards witness- are always a hot item, should be pre-ordered to centre can be reached by electronic mail at ing the upcoming solar eclipses in South America guarantee that you will actually get one. [email protected], telephone at and in Southeast Asia. µ Further registration information can be ob- (519) 723-2389 or by mail at: tained by contacting Doug Pitcairn at: FRANK J SHEPLEY Astronomy Week 1995 13 FERGUSON ROAD GA ’95 CHAIRMAN Sandra Ferguson DARTMOUTH NS B3A 4J8 RR#2 344 SOUTH MIDDLE ROAD CANADA MAIDSTONE ON N0R 1K0 µ This year International Astronomy Week is (902) 463-7196 (home) May 1st-7th, with International Astronomy Day Internet: [email protected] µ Across the RASC being celebrated on Saturday, May 6th. This is the nineteenth year in which Astronomy Day will At Lammas [August 1st] of this year, King be held in Canada. It provides an opportunity for Henry went oversea; and on the following day Toronto all centres of the RASC to promote both as- while he lay asleep on board, the light of day Centre members Fred Giles, Vera Jelinek tronomy and our society, as well as to educate was eclipsed over all lands, and the sun looked and Ralph Chou joined up with a group of 200 and inform the public. This year centres are like a moon three nights old, and there were eclipse chasers to view the total solar eclipse of encouraged to organize public events and ac- stars around it at midday. November 3rd, 1994 from lguaçu Falls, Brazil. tivities with the theme “Light Pollution—A Very Then men were greatly astonished and terri- The group included expeditions from Chicago’s Serious Problem”, emphasizing the importance fied, and said that some important event should Adler Planetarium and the Los Angeles Mu- of informing the public about how light pollution follow upon this; and so it did, for in that very seum of Natural History. affects our night sky and suggesting alterna- year the king died in Normandy the day after St. At lguaçu Falls, Edmonton Centre member tives on how to control the amount of artificial Andrew’s Day [November 30th]. Anonymous Alister Ling and Toronto Centre member Ralph lighting in our urban areas that will result in safe The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (1135) Chou were part of a six person site selection streets as well as successful observing. R.A.S.C. BULLETIN S.R.A.C. - February/février 1995 - Page 3 astronomy but also for social studies, math, Spaced Out in physics and science in general. Belittling Keck TASSF has already secured partial funding Germain Dionne Nova Scotia! for the first Starlab, and is actively seeking the Ottawa Centre Mary Lou Whitehorne balance of the $17,000 required to obtain the reprinted from AstroNotes President unit. We are confident that within a year we will The Atlantic Space Sciences Foundation, Inc. have a shiny new planetarium that will be avail- Open any introductory astronomy textbook able to the schools for the benefit of all Nova and look up what the author has to say about The Atlantic Space Sciences Foundation, Scotia students. light-gathering power. You will probably reach Inc. (formerly NSPAC—the Nova Scotia Plan- Starlab is to be available, through advance the end of the paragraph, feeling sorry for that etarium Advisory Committee) continues to work bookings to any school in the province that has clearly inferior instrument, the human eye. Per- on the Nova Scotia planetarium project. This a qualified teacher. How do teachers qualify? haps a different perspective will make you feel a past autumn we sponsored a Challenger Learn- That is easy! TASSF will be offering a number of little bit better about it. ing Centre teacher workshop, “Touching the one day training sessions to interested teachers First, let us look at that giant marvel of obser- Future: Linking the Classroom with Space,” as as soon as we have accepted delivery of the vational technology, the Keck Telescope in part of a province-wide science teachers’ con- Starlab. These units come complete with oper- Hawaii. It has thirty-six hexagonal mirrors whose ference. This workshop gave the twenty-four ating instructions and curriculum materials ready total reflective area equals one ten-metre mir- participating teachers the training and materials to go. Quality curriculum materials are essential ror. Its light gathering power is directly related to to bring hands-on space science into their class- 2 to the effective implementation of any educa- the total area of its mirrors, 78.5 m . Impressive rooms. “Touching the Future” was very enthusi- tional program. Starlab’s curriculum manual is a indeed, but you have not seen anything yet! astically received by those teachers; they en- 350 page compendium of the very best pro- Now, let us look at that humble instrument, joyed the training session very much and rated grams and activities. This curriculum has been the human eye. Using the same line of reason- it as the best workshop they had ever attended. designed and classroom tested by K-12 Starlab ing as above, let us do a little bit of math (nothing As a result, there should be a lot of students users world-wide. painful though!). A few assumptions to start: getting enthused about space science, and sci- TASSF is assuming responsibility for the ini- • The current world population is ap- ence in general, in our schools this year! tial cost of the unit and half of the operating costs proximately six billion inhabitants. Although the workshop was presented at no of the program; which include phone, fax, print- • Half of the people on Earth are on the charge, it certainly did not come for free. The ing, postage, shipping, routine maintenance and night side of the planet at any one time. Atlantic Space Sciences Foundation (TASSF) small parts replacement, teacher training ses- • Half of these people have clear skies sponsored the event and had to find funding to sions, and a salary for a part-time Starlab pro- at night. the tune of $5,000 in order that teachers and gram coordinator. The other 50% will have to be • The percentage of visually-impaired their students could benefit from the workshop. recovered from the user schools. Present budget inhabitants is negligible. This means that the actual cost of the workshop estimates indicate that the Starlab can be in a • The pupil area of the fully dark-adapted was just over $200 per teacher for the one day 2 school for a one week period at a cost of no more human eye is about 20 mm . training session. This first Challenger workshop than $200 per week. If that sounds like a lot, was funded by the Canadian Space Agency as Now comes the number crunching. The total think of it this way: it is a lot less expensive than a pilot project, with the understanding that future human optical array consists of three billion two bus trips to the local museum for four school Challenger workshops would pay their own way. lenses which can be used in stereoscopic pairs classes and the Starlab can be in the school for This means that next time we will not be able to so that they can be pointed towards separate an entire week, allowing all classes access to it. give it away; TASSF will have to charge teach- targets, or to observe the same object simulta- Now, it looks like the bargain that it really is! ers the actual cost of the workshop. neously. Used together, the combined light- In addition to these activities, TASSF and It is also appropriate to note that in addition to gathering power equals that of a single 276 RASC members continue to offer regular public the workshop TASSF gave away about another metre telescope, whose total area is a stagger- programs in the existing small Halifax plan- 2 $5,000 worth of slide sets, booklets, videos and ing 60 000 m ! Now if that does not shift the etarium. In this way we are building a successful other handouts of a space science and/or as- balance of light gathering power, what could? In track record that cannot be overlooked when we tronomy related theme to some two hundred fact, if we could get everyone on Earth under a eventually finish the final two phases of our twenty-five teachers who attended the confer- clear night sky, the numbers are even more feasibility study for the new planetarium. It has ence. This was our first major province-wide impressive as the total light gathering area would been a very slow process, but we have found 2 outreach program and should stand as solid then be 240 000 m —equivalent to a single mir- two private sponsors who have agreed to fi- evidence of our commitment to the improve- ror with an approximate diameter of 550 metres! nance the final phases of the study. In the end ment of science education here in Nova Scotia. To conclude, the next time you feel tempted we should have a document, which, along with TASSF is also working on another project for to be awed by optical behemoths of the ten- our positive track record, will show that our Nova Scotia schools called Starlab. These amaz- metre variety, just stop and think about this: we dream of a new planetarium is a project worthy ing silver igloos are portable, inflatable plan- need the equivalent of 3 000 Keck telescopes to of support. µ µ etariums that faithfully reproduce the night sky. match human light-gathering power! Starlab is fun, exciting, easy to use, appropriate Knowledge is a matter of science, and no I grow daily to honor facts more and more, for all grade levels and is a dynamic and power- dishonesty or conceit whatsoever is permissible. theory less and less. ful teaching tool, providing a unique and totally Mao Tse Tung Thomas Carlyle immersive learning environment, not just for Chinese political leader (1893-1976) Scottish historian/philosopher (1795-1881) R.A.S.C. BULLETIN S.R.A.C. - February/février 1995 - Page 4 accommodation reimbursement for elected, in the case of members joining part of the way National Council appointed, and other voting members of the through their very first year. national council. This is to encourage wider The historical committee has been having Update participation and attendance at council meet- discussions with some of the professional as- Cathy Hall ings. A budget for 1995 was approved. tronomers in Canada, and will be making some Kingston Centre Items in the financial notes included an in- motions at the GA with regard to a joint RASC/ crease in the executive secretary’s salary and CASCA committee for historical work. The February national council meeting was RRSP contribution, and funds approved for the Ruth Lewis (Calgary) has resigned as chair of held in Toronto at the Royal Ontario Museum. production of new RASC pins. There was a the light pollution committee, due to time con- There were observers at the meeting from a transfer of $7,000 from the general account to straints. A replacement will be forthcoming. Her number of centres. Observers are always wel- the Centennial Fund. At the end of 1995, the work has been much appreciated. come at these meetings, and encouraged to Centennial Fund will be closed out, with any The long range planning committee presented participate. Observers do not have a vote, but balance transferred to the Endowment Fund. a rather dynamic report written by Peter Ceravolo. they can speak up on any issues they are This fund has, in the past, been used for such It commented on the nature of the society, its concerned with! items as special centre projects. These projects evolution, and the important role of a unifying Dr. Doug Hube, National President, men- will now be accommodated by other funds. The publication in the society’s long term goals. tioned various news items. He congratulated long range planning committee was asked to Although somewhat controversial, it is hoped Terence Dickinson on being awarded the Order review the historical use of our various funds. that the report will serve as a useful means of of Canada for his contributions to astronomy The librarian, Walter MacDonald, mentioned encouraging discussion. and education in Canada. Dr. Alan Batten’s that the computerized inventory of the national The publication revitalization committee pre- request for a telescope to send to Vietnam has library is being updated to include periodicals sented a detailed report on the society’s pro- come to fruition, and the equipment is on its way. and should be available in time for the GA. posed new publication, Astronomy Canada. This The secretary’s report, by Randall Brooks, The Journal editor, David Turner, sent a re- publication would replace both the BULLE— was extensive. The Ontario Science Centre has port in his absence. He feels that greater flexibil- TIN and the Journal, and better serve the announced a special educational program for ity is needed in the society, and encourages needs of our membership. A budget of $7,000, grades six to eight centred around studies of greater involvement by the members in the for the production and distribution of the proto- Mars. The Royal Society of Canada has adver- society’s publications. type issue, was approved. The prototype issue tised for nominations for the MacNeil Medal, The BULLETIN editor, Pat Kelly, asked, in will be distributed to the membership as a regular mailing, in lieu of a future issue of the BUL- awarded for contributions to science. The his absence, for reports from centres which had Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics is planning to not already sent in material for the society’s LETIN. Approval was given to the committee publish the results of a radio astronomy work- annual report. Pat also appreciates photographs! to negotiate a contract with a publications pro- shop. The University of Maryland will be holding The handbook editor, Roy Bishop, sent a fessional to act as the first editor of Astronomy a conference on astronomy education, and in- report detailing estimated costs and press run Canada, not to exceed $20,000 per year, with vites participants. Amateur astronomers in Al- figures for the coming year, compared to previ- commencement of the contract subject to ap- geria have requested a handbook and newslet- ous years. The 1995 press run has been de- proval to proceed with the new publication. The Windsor Centre, represented by John ter exchange with the RASC. Approval was creased in order to avoid as many surplus Hurley, handed out registration packages for given to exchange publications for one year. copies as last year. It is estimated that paper the coming General Assembly. Closer to home, the Quebec Centre has re- costs will be going up in 1996. The Kingston Centre, via spokesman Leo quested an examination of its by-laws by the Leo Enright, the Beginners Observing Guide Enright, distributed information packages for constitution committee. For those wishing our editor, reported that sales of the guide were the 1997 General Assembly bid. Enclosed were by-laws in French, a translation has been done going well. Flyers are being done up for plan- invitational letters from the premier of Ontario by Raymond Auclair. Revised pages for the etariums, and a bulk order is being arranged and the mayor of Kingston, and information on RASC manual are now available. with Scouts Canada. Centres are encouraged the tentative schedule of events. On an observational note, Finest NGC Certifi- to have the books available for sale at their The 1996 RASC Observing Calendar was cates were awarded to Randy Pakan (Edmon- Astronomy Day exhibits. discussed, and funds of $9,000 approved for ton), and Walter MacDonald (Kingston) and a A pamphlet to promote the society’s various production and distribution. The Vancouver Messier Certificate was awarded to Cathy Hall publications has been prepared by the publica- Centre continues to produce an excellent prod- (Kingston). tions committee, and will be distributed with the uct, with the 1996 version to be produced par- Peter Broughton, talked about an article by Observer’s Handbook. tially in colour. Peter Jedicke in the London Free Press. He The awards committee were pleased to an- See you at the next national council meet- encouraged all members to continue to submit nounce the following awards: Chant Medal: ing—at the General Assembly in Windsor! µ clippings, photographs, and memorabilia to the Paul Boltwood (Ottawa); Simon Newcomb RASC archives. Award: Michael Watson (unattached) Service You give a little push and bound through the Rajiv Gupta, presented the finance commit- Award Medal: Ron Gasbarini (Niagara) and air and come down and push off again. It’s a tee report. A motion was passed to invest the Patrick Kelly (Halifax). very pleasant feeling to go loping across the society’s funds in fixed income term deposits A number of motions were presented by the surface. [Describing weightlessness during a and GIG’s with a maximum fixed term of three constitution committee. Among those passed moon walk.] years. A revised travel policy was passed, which was the creation of a temporary membership Commander Wagar G. Mitchell, Jr. allows for various percentages of travel and category, which allows centres greater flexibility American astronaut (1971) R.A.S.C. BULLETIN S.R.A.C. - February/février 1995 - Page 5 Table 1 Commentary on Table 1 A Planetary Periodic The Three Forms of the Bode Titius Law The upper limit of n=5 for BTL III is gained

Table BTL I: 3n + 4 -1 £ n £ 2 through the closed series of the zeros for J0 and n J , the zeroth and first order Bessel functions as Dr. C. Musès BTL II: 3(2 ) + 4 0 £ n £ 4 1 shown in Table 3. We first have three zeros each 5 ££ The Bode-Titius Law, so remarkably accu- BTL III: 3n(2 ) + 4K 0 n 4 forJ0and J1 (i.e. solutions of J0(x) = 0 and J1(x)=0 rate through Jupiter, and then increasingly wide K = m(1 + cos pm)-s2 where x is the mean distance from the Sun, of the mark, was shown by the author to consist m=2s; s = 0.5(n-1) or 0.5(n-2) given in units of 0.1 AU; then two zeros each, of three separate but related paradigms, with as n is odd or even then one zero each. That is, the number of Earth and Saturn at the overlap points. These values is (3+3)+(2+2)+(1+1), whereupon the facts were published in English, under the aus- n s m K series closes since 0+0 adds no more terms, pices of the National Research Council of Italy, 1 0 1 0 thus resulting in twelve values in all for the stable in 1965 in La Ricerca Scientifica, Vol. 5, Se- 2 0 1 0 planetary orbits of our solar system. It is these ries 2, Part 1, pp 193-204. On pages 200-201, 3 1 2 3 same Bessel functions that play the primary role the three Bode Law constituents were given and 4 1 2 3 in determining the pattern of bright and dark the deeper relation of the planetary distances 5 2 4 4 bands in the diffraction of light. with the zeros of the zeroth and first order Bessel Table 2 functions explained. What follows is an update of that material. The Updated Form of the Bode-Titius Law of The Bode-Titius Law is usually stated as Mean Planetary Distance (a) from the Sun n 4+3x2 , but even if we allow n=0, yielding BTL I BTL II BTL III 4+3x1=7 we arrive at the distance for Venus, Planets n a n a n a and not at Mercury. The distance to Mercury is t t t usually stated to be 4+3x0 without realizing that 1. Vulcan -1 1 - - - - zero is no longer any finite power of two. Hence, 2. Mercury 0 4 - - - - already the ordinary Bode’s Law (BL) does not 3. Venus 1 7 0 7 - - apply to Mercury. 4. Earth 2 10 1 10 - - Actually, to include Mercury we need the law 5. Mars - - 2 16 - - a » 4 + 3n where n=0,1 ,2,... However, since the 6. Ceres - - 3 28 - - only requirement is that 4 + 3n remain a positive 7. Jupiter - - 4 52 - - distance from the Sun, we see that there is room 8. Saturn - - - - 1 96 for just one lesser and viable value, namely n =- 9. Uranus - - - - 2 192 1, giving a = 4+ 3´(-1) = 1. So, there is room for 10. Neptune - - - - 3 300 just one infra-Mercurial planet, which we will call 11. Pluto - - - - 4 396 Vulcan, because Leverrier was sure he had 12. Pan* - - - - 5 496 observed it and so named it. We now have BL I: a » 3n + 4; -1 £ n £ 2 for Table 3 the planets Mercury, through Earth, predicting The Planetary Periodic Table one infra-Mercurial body. Then BL II is Planet k r in J a a a a = 3(2)n+ 4 ; 0 £ n £ 4 for the planets Earth k,r r p t through Jupiter, also including the orbit of Ceres 1. Vulcan 0 1 2.40483 - 1 as the major body between Mars and Jupiter. 2. Mercury 1 1 3.83171 3.87099 4 5 Similarly, BL III is a = 3n(2) + 4K ; 3. Venus 1 2 7.01559 7.23332 7 2 s K = m (1+ cos pm)-s ; m=2 ; s = 0.5(n-1) or 4. Earth 1 3 10.17347 10.00000 10 0.5(n-2) as n is odd or even, with 1 £ n £ 5 from 5. Mars 0 5 14.93092 15.23688 16 Saturn on, showing one transplutonian body. 6. Ceres 0 9 27.49348 27.68 28 Though there is an intrinsic lower limit for n in 7. Jupiter 0 17 52.62405 52.02833 52 BL I, there is no such upper limit in BL III, so we 8. Saturn 1 30 95.02923 95.38762 96 must look beyond the Bode-Titius Law. The 9. Uranus 1 61 192.42060 191.91391 192 answer lies in the pair of often physically appli- 10. Neptune 0 96 300.80791 300.61069 300 cable orthogonal functions which can, like co- 11. Pluto 0 126 395.05559 395.29402 396 sine and sine, be used for Fourier-like represen- 12. Pan* 1 157 494.01469 - 496 tations, namely the Bessel functions of zeroth and first order, usually designated J0 and J1. ar= value of r th zero

Here we shall be concerned with zeros of each ap = observationally derived value of average distance from Sun of these, the n th zeros being respectively J0,n at= value from improved Bode-Titius Law and J1,n The results are most easily exhibited in the following tables, the unit being 0.1 AU. Brief commentaries follow each table. *tentatively named because its orbit would encompass all the others

R.A.S.C. BULLETIN S.R.A.C. - February/février 1995 - Page 6 Commentary on Table 2 Astronomical analogies carried over to Pink Musical Stars Floyd’s next album, Wish You Were Here (1975). For BTL III, the range is 1 £n£5, there being The centrepiece, nine-part Shine On, You Crazy a cutoff after n=5 because our sun’s gravita- Bruce McCurdy Diamond, was dedicated to Barrett (who had tional field cannot support a stable orbit for a Edmonton Centre Stardust visited the recording studio on a day pass from body whose aphelion distance exceeds about reprinted from the asylum!): 58 AU. As mentioned before and shown in the Astronomers have a natural appreciation of Remember when you were young, table, the mathematical basis of all three forms beauty, and it follows that many of us are also you shone like the sun of the Bode-Titius Law is to be found in the zeros music lovers. My personal tastes tend towards of the first and zeroth order Bessel function, also Shine on, you crazy diamond some contemporary popular music. Through Now there’s a look in your eyes known as the cylindrical wave functions. That this medium many modern poets interpret life, means physically that stable orbits or “gravita- like black holes in the skies the universe and everything else (as Douglas Shine on, you crazy diamond. tional grooves” are like wave interference rings, Adams would say). Having paid increasing at- the waves in question being standing gravita- tention to the lyrics in recent years, my ear has You reached for the secret too soon, tional waves. Travelling gravitational waves were caught numerous astronomical references. you tried for the moon first postulated by Paul Gerber, who in 1898 Of course, myriad songs bear at least one Shine on, you crazy diamond proved that gravitational waves travel at the allusion to the Sun, Moon or stars. A few tunes Threatened by shadows at night, speed of light. He also deduced the equation for carry a space motif, such as David Bowie’s and exposed in the light Shine on, you crazy diamond. Mercury’s perihelion shift seventeen years be- Space Oddity and the Rolling Stones’ 2000 fore Einstein announced the same equation. Light-Years From Home or The Police’s Walk- The Moon has long been at one focus of Gerber’s work appeared in the Zeitschrift für ing on the Moon. An occasional song bears a artists both visual and aural. Irish “new age” Physik in 1898, with an amplified version in 1902. central astronomical theme. luminary Enya was obviously doing some lunar Commentary on Table 3 The Moody Blues, English pioneers of the observing while researching 1991’s Shepherd Moons, proving in the process that Latin is alive The k, r, and ar values are determined by the classic rock movement, opened their seminal 1967 LP Days of Future Passed with this and well and living on the Moon. In Afer Ventus, fact that for them |ap-ar| is a minimum for the spoken verse by songwriter Justin Hayward in she sings: given ap values. In the case of Vulcan, the k, r, and hence a values stem from the fact that only The Day Begins: Mare Nubium. Umbriel. r Mare Imbrium. Ariel. a single zero for J exists which is less than J ; Cold hearted orb that rules the night k 1,1 Et itur ad astra. namely J =2.40483. We now have a self- removes the colours from our sight 0,1 Mare Undarum. lo. Vela. closing ring of k-values from Mercury to Pan and Red is grey and yellow white around to Vulcan: (1,1,1), (0,0,0), (1,1), (0,0), But we decide which is right Canada’s Cowboy Junkies opened their 1993 (1), (0), together with the related and substanti- and which is an illusion? blues album, Pale Sun, Crescent Moon, with ating fact that the sum of all the rvalues for k=0 Pinprick holes in a colourless sky Michael Timmin’s mournful Crescent Moon: let inspired figures of light pass by equal the sum of all the r values for k=1 ,the total, Reach a hand to the crescent moon The mighty light of ten thousand suns in each case, being 254, grab hold of the hollow. challenges infinity and is soon gone i.e. 1+5+9+17+96+126 = 1+2+3+30+61+157 = 254. If she sits in the palm of the left Nighttime, to some a brief interlude Now all the r values for k=0 are fixed by the that moon will be fuller tomorrow. to others the fear of solitude nature of the Bessel function and by observa- If she sits in the palm of the right tion. Also, all of the r values for k=1 except the Brave Helios, wake up your steeds that moon is on the wane last are likewise fixed. Hence, the summation bring the warmth the countryside needs. and the love of the one who shares your bed condition determines that r = 157 for the stable Any discussion of musical astronomy must will be doing just the same. transplutonian orbit. give a nod to the graybeards of acoustic Raise your eyes to a moonless sky Table 3 shows twelve major stable orbits in psychedelia, England’s Pink Floyd. Floyd’s in- and try to wish upon a rising star. our solar system. It is interesting that successive terest in things astronomical was evident in the Search all you want for her blessing r-differences for all orbits from Saturn outward first track of their first album, The Piper at the but you won’t find her sparkling there. are almost equal: 31, 30 and 31 respectively. Gates of Dawn (1967). Astronomy Dominé (As- Now cast your eyes to a part of the sky This is a consequence of BTL III, and all forms tronomy Rules!), with which they still open every where nothing but darkness unfolds of the Bode-Titius Law predict the r-values for concert, includes the following lines written by and watch as all around you the governing cylindrical wave functions of sta- original group leader Syd Barrett: she reveals the brilliance of secrets untold. ble planetary orbits. Jupiter and Saturn, Oberon, Miranda, and Titania In conclusion, from the “planetary periodic Do I reach for you when I know you’re on the wane? Neptune, Titan, stars all brighten Do I sense you when I know you’re not around? table” two major predictions are forthcoming: In 1973, a maturing Floyd went supernova Do I search for you when! know you can’t be found? 1) an infra-Mercurial body at a mean distance Do I dare speak your name? of about 0.24 AU from the Sun, with a with Dark Side of the Moon. Roger Waters period of about 43 days; closed the final song, Eclipse, with this indelible When composing Moon Cradle for her 1989 2) a transplutonian body at a mean distance image that neatly sums up modern chaos theory: album Parallel Dreams, Canadian singer, song- of about 49.5 AU with a period of about 348 Everything under the Sun is in tune writer and Celtic harpist Loreena McKennitt was years. µ but the Sun is eclipsed by the Moon clearly contemplating lunar libration! R.A.S.C. BULLETIN S.R.A.C. - February/février 1995 - Page 7 The moon-cradle’s rocking and rolling And on a very distant star. The last word has to go to Pink Floyd, whose where a cloud and a cloud go by slimy creatures scan the stars third leader, David Gilmour, may also have been The moon-cradle’s rocking and rolling They’ve got plates for hands describing an unforgettable observing session the moon-cradle out in the sky. and telescopes for eyes when penning Learning to Fly from 1987’s A and they say: “Look Down there! The night sky has long been used as a meta- Momentary Lapse of Reason: A haunted planet spinning ’round”. phor by the romantically inclined. In her 1993 They say: “Watch it move. Watch it shake. There’s no sensation to compare to this album, The Red Shoes, England’s inventive, Watch it turn. And shake.’ Suspended animation, state of bliss theatrical Kate Bush performed the song Can’t keep my eyes from the circling skies Constellation of the Heart And we say: “Watch us move. Watch us shake. Tongue-tied and twisted, We’re so pretty.” just an earthbound misfit, I. We take all the telescopes and we turn them inside out Looking out from the inside, rising American I am sure some of you readers who hung in and we point them away from the big sky. star Paula Cole would rather be anywhere but to the bitter end have your own favourites which Put your eye right up to the glass, now Earth as the disaffected Saturn Girl on Harbin- were not cited here. Let us talk—on the under- and here we’ll find the constellation of the heart ger (1994): standing that I retain distribution rights to the cassette! µ Enya, the ethereal empress of elevator mu- Far away to an infinite world I escape sic, sings from Exile in 1988’s Watermark: I’m clear and calm, I’m unafraid Sunless days, in my sheltered Milky Way Eclipse Damage: My light shall be the moon and my path, the ocean In Saturn’s rings I feel no pain. my guide, the morning star as l sail home to you. A Burning Issue The Indigo Girls, paid homage to Galileo in I can’t explain why I don’t belong to the same world Alister Ling their 1992 recording Rites of Passage: I don’t fit in, and I will not stay Edmonton Centre reprinted from Stardust Galileo’s head was on the block I want to fly, oh I long for my violet skies the crime was looking up the truth. my astral nights, my piece of mind. Like a bad dream, the question always re- As the bombshells of my daily fears explode Lost in another world, oh Saturn, Saturn girl turns: Why is it dangerous to look at an eclipse I try to trace them to my youth. I’d rather be lost in my empyrean world when the Sun is 98% covered? After all, it is How long till my soul gets it right? than be down on earth. hardly bright outside. Can any human being ever reach that kind of light? Most of you reading this already know the In my heart, in my head, I call on the resting soul of Galileo answer; it is the difference between intensity the Saturn girl has always bled king of night vision, king of insight. and illumination. Until recently I have always oh you’re not from this world, Saturn girl. had a hard time explaining this in simple terms, On the darker side, the progressive English Sounds like she would rather be observing. I even to adults. Then, one day, I was faced with group Genesis opened their landmark 1972 know exactly how she feels. Oh and as a service conveying the concept on a children’s science album Foxtrot with Watcher of the Skies. Lyrist/ to my fellow astro-linguists who may be as TV show, in less than two minutes of show singer Peter Gabriel cast a despairing look at a perplexed as I was: time.. in French! Think. Think. Think. withering planet: Empyrean - 1. The highest heaven; in ancient Imagine a stove element on high. You can Watcher of the skies, watcher of all cosmology, the first sphere of the pure element of feel the heat on your face at a distance and you His is a world alone, no world is his own fire [root word pyre?]; 2. a. The visible heavens or know it is too dangerous to touch. Covering half He whom life can no longer surprise firmament; b. The whole extent of cosmic space. of it does not change the situation. However, raises his eyes, beholds a planet unknown. Who says music is not educational? cover most of it and what happens? You cannot Creatures shaped this planet’s soil There are many songs which seem to hold feel the heat any more, yet there is a crescent- Now their reign has come to end references to observing. Canada’s “Queen of shaped sliver of red showing. How odd, the mind Has life again destroyed life? Quirk”, Jane Siberry, perhaps unintentionally thinks. I have got to look at this more closely. Do they play elsewhere? captured the essence of astrophotography in Why can I not feel the heat? Let me touch it and Do they know more than their childhood games? The Beginning of Time from her 1993 album see. BURN! With eclipses, however, there is no Maybe now the lizard’s shedded his tail When I Was a Boy: pain, just permanently damaged eyesight. This is the end of man’s long union with earth. We were waiting waiting waiting The advantage of the stove-top analogy is waiting in the darkness. manyfold. Not only does it demonstrate to a five Sadly now your thoughts turn to the stars year old, it contains the real impact of burning. Where we have gone you know you can never go Laurie Anderson described a superb observ- One can, and should, emphasize that while Watcher of the skies, watcher of all ing session in My Eyes from Strange Angles normal burns heal, eclipse burns cannot be This is your fate alone, this fate is your own. (1989): repaired. Furthermore, the analogy aptly ex- Laurie Anderson, the avant-garde multime- And then kerjillions of stars start to shine plains how the danger (and damage) of looking dia performer from New York City, has numer- and icy comets go whizzing by at the Sun on a normal day is greater—there are ous astronomical references in her music. In and everything’s shaking with a strange delight no magical ray-beams that come from eclipses. Kokoku, from her 1984 album Mister Heart- and this is it: the enormous night The difference is that normally you cannot look break, Anderson surveyed Earth from an even And ooo my eyes, they’re looking all around at the Sun, but an eclipse tricks you into lowering greater distance: and ooo, my feet, they’ve left the ground. your defences. Curiosity kills the cat. µ R.A.S.C. BULLETIN S.R.A.C. - February/février 1995 - Page 8