Summer Solstice 1988 No

Summer Solstice 1988 No. 59 ISSN 0715-4747 • ... ...\., ......... ..... ~ .., ~ Lu 41 Q. o (/) (/) II( U • • .' ' . .. 'I ". ,,- vex ..I C.A.S . Board of Directors President G. Michaud, U. de Montreal First Vice-President S. van den Bergh, D.A.O. Second Vice-President L. Higgs, D. R.A.O . Secretary C. Aikman, D.A.O. Treasurer J. Climenhaga, U. of Victoria Directors P. Martin, C.I . T.A. S. Pineault, U. Laval R. Roger, D.R.A.O. C.A.S. Committee Chairmen Awards P. Martin, C.I.T.A. Computing Facilities C. Pritchet, U. of Victoria Education R. Bochonko, U. of Manitoba Heritage P. Millman, H. I . A. Optical and Infrared Astronomy G. Harris, U. of Waterloo Radio Astronomy P. Dewdney, D.R .A.O. (acting) Small Grants C. Purton, D.R .A. O. Space Astronomy J. Hesser, D.A.O. Editor: Colin Scarfe Address: Department of Physics and Astronomy University of Victoria Victoria, B.C. V8W2Y2 Telephone: (604)721-7740 FAX: (604)721-7715 BITNET: SCARFE@UVPHYS 2 Cassiopeia EDITORIAL Since the last issue of Cassiopeia, there has been much di s~ ussion and act.ivity on initiatives toward possible new Canadian optical telescopes, and indeed several pages of this issue are concerned wholly or partly with that topic. We have debated the sc. ientific merits of a moderately large high-resolution telescope, already discussed in earlier issues by No. 59 Summer Solstice 1988 Rene Racine, and of obtaining a share of one (or more) of the several very large tcleswpcs now being proposed, designed or constructed. We have learned a little nbout radical new designs involving liquids, either as optical elements or as support mechanisms, which may perhaps lead to much reduced costs, but whose usefulness and versatility is so far unknown. We have also heard arguments for and against buying into existing major observatories, which would give us access to many instruments large and small, but at remote sites and CANADIAN ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY at a high price. In all this discussion, which is still going on, it is important not to lose si ght of several SOCIETE CANADIENNE D'ASTRONOMIE related matters. These include, but are not limited to, the following. 1. Owing to the failure of CLBA and the closure of ARO, Canadian radio astronomers are even more handicarped by lack of instruments than are optical astronomers, and clearly Editor : Colin Scarfe, University of Victoria from the discussions 0 ACA, they need more time to adapt to the opportunities presented by our share of JCMT. Although they are fewer in number, their needs seem to be at least as urgent 88 those of optical astronomers. At a minimum, current developments at DRAO should be completed and consideration given to reopening ARO, if only 88 a ground station for any space-based radio project in which Canada becomes a partner. CONTENTS 2. Bigger isn't necessarily better, 88 the experiences, described in this issue, of Bill Wehlau and Jaymie Matthews at the Soviet Special Observatory suggest. Indeed it is clear Editorial 2 that good detectors and good seeing are at least as important as light- gathering power. A. G.M. Minutes C. Aikman 3 3. Optical astronomers need telescopes of all sizes, as Alan Batten points out, again in Format of Cassiopeia C. Scarfe 10 this issue. And the CFHT is not the only Canadian telescope whose time is oversubscribed Financial Statement J. Climenhaga 11 - both the medium-sized telescopes of the DAO are 88 well. Indeed this is probably true Auditor's Report J. Tatum 12 for any Canadian telescope over one metre in aperture, and perhaps also for several even Facilities Forum - 1. Radio, Space, D.A . O., C. F. H. T. C. Aikman 12 smaller ones. Obviously money spent on instrumenting these fully-subscribed telescopes Facilities Forum - 2. Optical Telescope Project S. Pineault 14 well, to make observing with them as efficient and productive 88 possible, would be money Positions Available - 1. Postdoc. at McMaster 15 A.C . A. Highlights K. Tapping 16 well spent. Kona Conference Funds D. Morton 17 4. Compared with most of the newly proposed telescopes, mediulll-sized telescopes are J.S.S. A. Report J . Hesser 18 cheap to run and maintain. And, 88 Alan Batten also observes, ours are accessible and D. R.A.O . Users' Committee S. Pineault 20 enable some of us to pursue those long-term projects that are of necessity neglected if one High Resolution Telescope R. Racine 21 is forced to travel great distances for a few nights a year. Many more of us observe with E.S.O. Update . H. Richardson 22 them than can hope to get much time on a giant telescope in which Canada has even as Floating Telescope Update H. Richardson 24 much as a half share. These instruments nre not merely complementary to large ones like Space Environment Meeting S . van den Bergh 26 the CFHT and those newly proposed - they an, our hrend·",,,I·llIItter, II", I,ackl,o"c' of our Conference for Scientists and Journalists 29 subject, and the ones we can least do without. Canadian Astronomy in the TWenty-First Century A. Batten 30 Positions Available - 2. Research Associate at York 31 The bottom line is this: either (or both) the high·resolution telescope nncl t l ... very C.A.D.C . Newsletter 32 large telescope would be marvellous new tools for Canadian astronomers, and ll", dC'signs C.I .T. A. Annual Report 35 involving liquids show promise and are worth pursuing. But any new optical project cannot Positions Available - 3 . C.I . T.A . National Fellows 51 be bought at the cost of losing our existing medium-sized telescopes. None of those 50 far Positions Available - 4. C.I.T.A. Research Fellows 52 proposed, exciting though they may be, comes close to being worth such a sacrifice. Microdensitometer for Rent 52 The U. S.S.R. Special Observatory Revisited J . Matthews, W. Wehlau 53 Colin Scarfe Joint Meeting on Infrared, Baltimore E. Milone 54 Can~dian Astronomy Publications 55 Positions Available - 5. Programmer at N. R.A . O. 60 Positions Available - 6. A. I.P. S. Manager at N. R. A.O. 60 DEADLINE for the Autumnal Equinox Issue will be MONDAY SEPTEMBER 19 3 4 Canadian A3tronomical Societll/Sociite Canadienne d'A3tronomie * AGM * June 1, 1988. Canadian A3tronomical Society/Societe Canadienne d'A3tronomie * AGM * June 1, 1988. NEW MEMBERS ADMITTED NOVEMBER 27, 1987 Ordinary Membership Terrance Gaetz University of Western Ontario ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING - 1988 Hugo Martel Cornell University held during the Chl\lldrnsekharall Vanajakshi NASA-Ames Nineteenth Meeting of the Canadian Astronomical Society Transferring from student to ordinary membership Champlain College Lecture Hall Jean-Pierre Arcoragi Max-Planck-Institut, Garching Trent University Geoff Edwards Universite Laval Kevin Volk NASA-Ames Wednesday, June I, 1988 Student Membership Doris Daou Universite de Montreal 1. ELECTION & ADOPTION OF MINUTES: Michael Fieldus University of Toronto Emest Seaquist, President of the Society, called the meeting to order, with about 70 Leopoldo Infante University of Victoria members present. The secretary gave 165 returned ballots to scrutineers Amelia Wehlau Laura Markle University of Victoria Thomas Nagel University of Western Ontario and Chris Pritchet, who retired to count the ballots. Jean-Rene Roy moved and Tom Corporate Membership Lalldecker seconded that: Springer-Verlag New York Inc. 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010 MOTION 1 NEW MEMBERS ADMITTED MAY 29,1988 The minute3 0/ the 1987 Annual General Meeting be adopted 113 publi3hed in the 1987 Ordinary Membership Summer Sol3tice i33ue 0/ Ca33iopeia, page3 4-36. David Anthony York University The motion carried. Cindy Cunningham York University Clifford Cunningham Kitchener, ON There was no business arising from these minutes. Terence Dickinson Yarker, ON David Green Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory 2. PRESIDENT'S REPORT: Tatsuhiko Hasegawa Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics Ernest Seaquist reviewed the comments received from members of the Society con Nicholas Kaiser Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics cerning the proposal for the creation of a National Facilities Board. This matter has been Richard Murowinski Dominion Astrophysical Observatory summarized in recent issues of CI133iopeia (#57, p.3, #58, p.8), and the proposal appears Kenneth Tapping Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, Ottawa Frederik Vaneldik University of Alberta to be dormant for the present time. Douglas Wade Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, Ottawa Seaquist noted that the Society has been resilient and imaginative in innovating new Anthony Willis Athabaska University . proposals, particularly in optical astronomy. The recent Vancouver workshop on Optical Transferring from Student to Ordinary Membership Astronomy has set a precedent for establishing priorities within a Bub-discipline of astron Tim Davidge Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope omy. The more general question of settling priorities for all branches of astronomy has Student Membership yet to be addressed explicitly. He noted that there are also exciting new proposals in Michel Beland Universite Laval Julien Belley Universite Laval radioastronomy, such as the DRAO proposal, Radioastron, Quasat, and the possibility of Peter Bergbusch University of Victoria sub-millimeter interferometry using the Mauna Kea dishes. Edouard Boily Universite Laval A suggestion has been received from Rod Davies, president of the Royal Astronomical Siu-Kuen Josephine Chan University of Calgary Society, to hold a joint RAS-CASCA meeting in Canada at some future date. Finally, Sean Dougherty University of Calgary Seaquist noted that the Society has benefitted from a donation of '500 from a member Christopher Goldsmith York University Gaston Groisman University of Calgary who wishes to remain anonymous. Grant Gussie University of Calgary Marc Jobin Universite de Montreal 3. SECRETARY'S REPORT: Harold Kenny University of Calgary Chris Aikman noted that the Society should qualify as a registered charity for income Sylvie Landry Universite Laval tax purposes, and that an application for such status was submitted on May 31 , 1988.

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