the vol. 48 no. 01 Skyscraper January 2021 AMATEUR ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF RHODE ISLAND 47 PEEPTOAD ROAD NORTH SCITUATE, RHODE ISLAND 02857 WWW.THESKYSCRAPERS.ORG In This Issue: A Behind the Scenes Look at 2 President’s Message Hubble Space Telescope Operations 3 Astronomical Highlights for 2021 4 Geminids report for 12/13/2020 An Online Presentation by Mike Wenz 6 Clock Face Curiosity: Saturday, January 2, 7:00pm EST via Zoom The Numeral IIII 7 Check Your Sky’s Contact Steve Hubbard ([email protected]) for Quality with Orion! Zoom Meeting link and information. 8 Cluster and Reflection Many people have seen the wonderful performed by the Space Shuttle. Mike is Nebula in Perseus: IC 348 pictures that the Hubble Space Telescope intimately involved with the day to day op- 10 Star Party Update & has produced over the 29 years of it's oper- erations of the telescope and is the one re- Observing Reports ation so far. However, few people have seen sponsible to investigate any pointing prob- what is truly involved in the day to day op- lems or issues that come up on a daily basis. 11 From the Archives eration of a telescope that has been called a Mike has used the information provided 12 The Sun, Moon & National Treasure. This talk will take a look by the Fine Guidance Sensors to serendip- Planets in January behind the scenes and explain how the tele- itously discover hundreds of new double scope is operated and what it takes to make stars and was involved in a study using the 13 Astrophoto Gallery the science observations that lead to all of Fine Guidance Sensors that led to the dis- 16 Starry Scoop the discoveries Hubble has been involved covery of the smallest Kuiper Belt object in. It will show what is involved in keeping ever seen. Mike has been an amateur as- 18 Quest for the Northern Lights the telescope functioning as it continues tronomer for over 44 years and is currently to age and the hardware and instruments very involved in doing high resolution so- Seagrave Observatory is on board gets older and older. If you have lar and lunar imaging (with the occasional ever wondered how Hubble can point at planetary imaging session thrown in here closed until further notice. and track objects with milliarcsecond ac- and there). Back when he was first getting Due to the outbreak of curacy or what Hubble does during meteor started in amateur astronomy 44 years ago coronavirus, Seagrave Memo- showers or when space "junk" is on a col- he would attend some of the Sky Scraper lision course with the telescope then this meetings and events. rial Observatory will remain talk will provide you with those answers. closed to the public until The discoveries that the Hubble Space Tele- further notice. scope has made over the years have revolu- tionized how we view and understand the universe that we live in. The stories of how Upcoming Phases of the Moon those discoveries are made day after day is one few people get to hear. Presentations Last Quarter Moon Mike Wenz is the Lead System Engineer Saturday, February 6 January 6 09:37 of the Optical Telescope Assembly on the Hubble Space Telescope. He is responsible John Briggs: A Walking Tour New Moon for the three Fine Guidance Sensor instru- of Optical History - Artifacts January 13 05:00 ments on Hubble which allow the telescope and Anecdotes from the First Quarter Moon to point and guide with the extreme accu- Astronomical Lyceum January 20 21:02 racy that is needed to perform the science observations that the telescope has become Saturday, March 6 Full Wolf Moon famous for. He has worked on the Hubble Camille M. Carlisle: A Behind the January 28 19:16 Space Telescope for 27 years and was in- Scenes Look at Sky & Telescope volved in all 5 of the Servicing Missions President’s Message by Steve Siok New Members Welcome to Skyscrapers Happy New Year to all! I hope everyone this year and it is evident from our new had a merry and healthy Christmas, a jolly members joining us. We have over 130 JR & Catherine Festivus, and got to see the Great Conjunc- members at last count. Many are joining tion on the solstice. because of the Facebook page managed by Johnson-Roehr With the new year upon us we need to Jimmy’s efforts and the Night Sky Network look forward and plan for our renewed news and calendar being managed by Lin- addition Sue Hubbard has renegotiated our future “live” at Seagrave. I want us to have da. Thank you both! We also are getting in- insurance. It will reduce that expense sig- monthly meetings in the meeting hall terest from school kids. Dave Huestis held a nificantly. Thank you, Sue. again, but perhaps with the Zoom com- session with a boy from Rocky Hill School So for the time being please continue to ponent still in place. We have found lots of at Seagrave. He gave him a tour and talked join us for our Zoom meetings. Steve Hub- participation from members of other so- about our history. This student is very in- bard has found great speakers and people cieties throughout southern New England terested in the Hubble Space Telescope and are coming out of the woodwork asking if and I want them to continue to join us. The will attend our January meeting. In addition they can give a talk! Please join in. I hope other thing we need is in person observ- Steve Siok is mentoring two high school you are not afraid of Zoom. We have had ing, especially for our members who have juniors who are interested in astrophysics no issues with its use. If you need some help suffered long from a lack of eyepiece time. and engineering. Both are proud owners of joining a meeting, please contact Kathy or The trustees have been very busy repair- new 8” Dobsonians and we are discussing Linda. You do not need to have a Zoom ac- ing the dome and roll-offs so everything is how they can build Poncet mounts for their count. ready to go! At the first in-person meeting scopes as a senior high school project. That’s all for now and let’s all look for- Jim Crawford has promised a photographic Our financial situation is very stable. ward to the coming year. It promises to tour of the grounds and a description of all Because of the pandemic we have been make up for last year. he and Bob have accomplished. without internet at Seagrave and we did not Clear skies. Our outreach has definitely increased need the port-a-john this last summer. In Monthly Presentation Videos on YouTube With our monthly meetings going virtual this year, we have begun to record and publish, with permission, our monthly Zoom presentations on the Skyscrapers YouTube channel. Go to the URL below to view recent presentations. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEZ5UnO-Sly0DXsSrUAxONg The Skyscraper is published President Outreach Chairperson monthly by Skyscrapers, Inc. Steve Siok Linda Bergemann Meetings are held monthly, usually on the first or second 1st Vice President Observatory Committee Chairperson Friday or Saturday of the month. Steve Hubbard Jim Crawford Seagrave Memorial Observatory is open every Saturday night, 2nd Vice President New Member Steward weather permitting. Ian Dell'Antonio Tracy Prell Directions Secretary Librarian Directions to Seagrave Memorial Observatory are Sue Hubbard Dave Huestis located on the back page of this newsletter. Treasurer Assistant Librarian Submissions Submissions to The Skyscraper are always welcome. Kathy Siok Weston Ambrose Please submit items for the newsletter no later than January 15 to Jim Hendrickson, 1 Sunflower Circle, Members at Large Historian North Providence, RI 02911 or e-mail to jim@ Francine Jackson Dave Huestis distantgalaxy.com. Laura Landen Editor Matt Ouellette E-mail subscriptions Jim Hendrickson To receive The Skyscraper by e-mail, send e-mail Trustees with your name and address to jim@distantgalaxy. Astronomical League Correspondent (ALCor) com. Note that you will no longer receive the news- Jim Crawford Jeff Padell letter by postal mail. Bob Janus 2 The Skyscraper January 2021 Astronomical Highlights for 2021 by Dave Huestis Happy New Year everyone. I can’t be- For you early risers during the fi rst week lieve it is 2021! Happy 50th Anniversary to of January you can still spot brilliant Venus my fellow 1971 graduates of North Smith- low in the southeast sky before sunrise. Ve- fi eld High School. Perhaps later this year nus will soon be unobservable as it moves we will be able to celebrate this milestone closer to the Sun from our vantage point in in our lives. For now, I will focus on some space. Venus will return to the evening sky of the astronomical highlights for 2021. We very low aft er sunset in the west-northwest are always at the mercy of the local South- during early June. ern New England weather, but I hope when Th e solar system’s innermost planet, the skies are clear you will venture outdoors Mercury, can be seen only when it moves to experience a few of Mother Nature’s away from the Sun as seen from the Earth. beautiful stargazing events. We can observe Mercury in the eastern sky We are fortunate the sky gods provide before sunrise, or in the western sky aft er us northern hemisphere sky observers with sunset. Th ese events are called elongations. a decent meteor shower to begin the new Some elongations are better than others.