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Newsletter Archive the Skyscraper August 2017 the vol. 44 no. 08 Skyscraper August 2017 AMATEUR ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF RHODE ISLAND 47 PEEPTOAD ROAD NORTH SCITUATE, RHODE ISLAND 02857 WWW.THESKYSCRAPERS.ORG In This Issue: 2 Astronomy Nights at Friday, August 4 at Seagrave Observatory River Bend Farm Gravitational Waves Found! 2 Let’s Go “Back to the Moon for A billion years ago, two black holes col- talk is given by Dr. Rainer Weiss, one of the Good” at the URI Planetarium lided and merged, sending powerful ripples co-founders of LIGO. He will speak about 3 Library Telescope Program across the fabric of space-time. In 2015 those the challenges of LIGO and of the implica- is “Off the Ground” gravitational waves reached Earth and tick- tions of this momentous discovery. 4 Perseid Meteor Shower: led the detectors of the Laser Interferometer Dr. Rainer Weiss is Professor of Physics, “Meteor-ocre” Display for 2017 Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). emeritus at MIT and co-founder of the La- This first-ever detection of gravitational ser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Ob- 4 Voyages to the Stars waves confirmed a long-standing prediction servatory. 5 M24 & NGC 6603 : Star Cloud of Einstein's general relativity. It also was the in Sagittarius & Open Cluster culmination of a decades-long effort." This 6 July Reports 7 Twenty Years Ago on Mars… 8 The Sun, Moon & Planets in August 9 Star Party Update & Recent Happenings at Seagrve Observatory Partial Solar Eclipse at Seagrave Observatory Monday, August 21, 2017 1-4pm Skyscrapers (rain date, April 8, 2024) Board Meetings Jeff Padell will be leading our local solar eclipse star party at Third Monday of the Month All Members Welcome Seagrave Observatory on Monday afternoon 1-4pm with white light and hydrogen-alpha-filtered solar telescopes. For more information, contact Jeff at [email protected]. Phases of the Moon Full Sturgeon Moon August 7 18:11 Seagrave Memorial Last Quarter Moon August 15 01:15 Observatory New Moon Open Nights August 21 18:30 First Quarter Moon August 5 & 12 at 9:00 pm August 29 08:13 August 19 & 26 at 8:00 pm weather permitting Astronomy Nights at River Bend Farm Joshua Bell is one of the rangers at Black- If we have poor weather an email will be weather, we'll just have to wait until the fol- stone River Valley National Historical Park sent out that day to let you know that the lowing month. and contacted us suggesting that Skyscrap- program has been postponed until the next Please don't hesitate to contact Josh with ers might be interested in attending the up- evening (Saturday). If both days give us bad any questions at [email protected] coming Night Sky Programs to be held at River Bend Farm. The park has partnered with local Civil Air Patrol Squadrons to run the program. They'll be explaining basic stuff to visitors like how telescopes work and what it is that they'll be looking at. They'll have some be- ginner telescopes, but folks should feel free to bring their own. The following dates are scheduled: June 16 - 9:00-10:00pm • July 14 - 9:00-10:00pm • August 11 - 8:30- 9:30pm • September 15 - 7:30-8:30pm • October 20 - 6:30-7:30pm Let’s Go “Back to the Moon for Good” at the URI Planetarium University of Rhode Island Planetarium on Light Pollution will be shown, then The Upper College Road Skies of the URI campus, a live introduc- Kingston, RI tion to the night sky. Saturday, August 12th, 2017 Admission is only $5.00, to benefit the 6:00 P.M. University of Rhode Island Planetarium Contact: Francine Jackson: 401-527-5558 Fund. The University of Rhode Island Plane- It’s been over 48 years since humans have tarium is located on Upper College Road, walked on the Moon. But, are there plans to on the Kingston campus, across from the go back? Should we? Could we? How could Art Center. this happen? Please join the URI Planetari- The University of Rhode Island Plan- um as plays this award-winning show about etarium is available for programming for the possibility of returning to our one and schools and other organizations. For more only natural satellite. “Back to the Moon for information, please contact Francine Jack- Good” will be shown Saturday, August 12th, son at 401-527-5558. at 6:00 P.M. In addition, a short program The Skyscraper is published President Public Outreach Coordinator monthly by Skyscrapers, Inc. Steve Siok [email protected] Francine Jackson [email protected] Meetings are held monthly, usually on the first or second 1st Vice President Public Relations Spokesperson Friday or Saturday of the month. Ian Dell’Antonio [email protected] Francine Jackson [email protected] Seagrave Memorial Observatory is open every Saturday night, 2nd Vice President Observatory Committee Chairperson weather permitting. Kathy Siok [email protected] Jim Crawford [email protected] Directions Secretary Membership Activities Coordinator Directions to Seagrave Memorial Observatory are Steve Hubbard [email protected] Pat Landers [email protected] located on the back page of this newsletter. Treasurer Librarian Submissions Submissions to The Skyscraper are always welcome. Lloyd Merrill [email protected] Alex Bergemann [email protected] Please submit items for the newsletter no later than August 15 to Jim Hendrickson, 1 Sunflower Circle, Members at Large Historian North Providence, RI 02911 or e-mail to jim@ Linda Bergemann [email protected] Dave Huestis [email protected] distantgalaxy.com. Tracy Prell [email protected] Archivist E-mail subscriptions Trustees Jim Crawford [email protected] To receive The Skyscraper by e-mail, send e-mail Matt Ouellette [email protected] with your name and address to jim@distantgalaxy. Editor com. Note that you will no longer receive the news- Kent Cameron [email protected] Jim Hendrickson [email protected] letter by postal mail. Tom Thibault [email protected] 2 The Skyscraper August 2017 Library Telescope Program is “Off the Ground” by Linda Bergemann Back in January, Skyscrapers' President will do likewise for Cross' Mills. So, I think their telescopes. We agreed that the library Steve Siok challenged us to get a Library it's safe to say that we are “off the ground.” would purchase the materials needed to Telescope Program “off the ground in But, there is more to do; we now have to “fly modify and outfit the telescopes (at a cost of Rhode Island.” At a weak moment during the plane.” about $150 per scope), and Skyscrapers will the February Board of Directors meeting, I Update: Just as we were preparing for provide the necessary consumable materi- accepted his challenge and embarked on an delivery of the second telescope, I was con- als and modify the telescopes as a donation exciting adventure. tacted by Coventry Public Library about to the library. One telescope will reside at I proposed a pilot program working two telescopes they had just purchased. Coventry Public Library on Flat River Road with three libraries within Rhode Island. Having heard Francine Jackson speak and the other at Greene Public Library on Steve and Kathy Siok donated the funds to about the Library Telescope Program at a Hopkins Hollow Road. If you would like to purchase and modify telescopes for North RI Library Association conference, they be the mentor for one or both of these tele- Kingstown Free Library and East Green- were aware of modifications being made to scopes, please contact me. wich Free Library. I donated funds for a the telescopes. Immediately following our telescope for Cross' Mills Public Library in meeting with East Greenwich, I met with Charlestown. the librarian in Coventry about modifying With funding in hand, I got started. I spoke with John Root, of the Aldrich As- tronomical Society about their program. I corresponded with Pete Smith, of the New Hampshire Astronomical Society, about the origins of the Library Telescope Pro- gram, and the details of the modifications made to the telescope to make it more du- rable and user-friendly. I ended up working closely with Ron Thompson of Southern Maine Astronomers and purchased three Orion StarBlast 4.5” telescopes from Cor- nerstones of Science of Brunswick, ME. Then, I proceeded to modify the tele- scopes. Each telescope got a zoom eye- piece, and the thumbscrews holding it in the focuser were replaced by socket head screws to make tampering more difficult. Steve Siok with staff of North Thumbscrews for collimating the primary Kingstown Free Library mirror were removed and replaced. The button-battery for the finder scope was re- placed with a AA battery pack. Lanyards were added to the dust covers. Safety and informational decals were applied. And, a bag was attached to each scope to stow the instruction manual, a constellation guide and a red light headlamp. The total cost of each modified telescope package came to around $350. I am happy to report that Steve Siok and I delivered the first telescope to North Kings- town Free Library in early July. The second telescope was delivered to East Greenwich Free Library a week later. The enthusiasm by the staff of both libraries was exhilarat- ing. The third telescope is ready and will go to Cross' Mills Public Library in early Au- gust. Steve will work with the library staff at North Kingstown and East Greenwich to Three modified telescopes ready to go care for and promote the library telescope. I The Skyscraper August 2017 3 Perseid Meteor Shower: “Meteor-ocre” Display for 2017 by Dave Huestis While the premiere event during August Normally 60+ Perseids can be observed a sideways “M” or “W” (that’s Cassiopeia), is the Great American Total Solar Eclipse per hour, but with bright interference from Perseus is below it so you’re looking in the on August 21, we shouldn’t neglect the most the Moon I suspect perhaps half that num- correct direction.
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