Highlights of the November Sky. . .

------1st ------Dusk: Thin crescent appears 7º or 8º to the left PPrime Focuss of . A Publication of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society ------2nd ------AM: Saturn 0.1º from 4.0 magnitude Sigma November 2008 Leonis (use telescope).

------3rd ------PM: Crescent Moon less than 3º to Jupiter’s lower ThisThis MonthsMonths KAS EventsEvents left.left.

------5th ------First Quarter Moon General Meeting: Friday, November 7 @ 7:00 pm

------13th ------Kalamazoo Math & Science Center - See Page 12 for Details Full Moon Field Trip: Saturday, November 8 @ 5:00 pm ------17th ------Dusk: Venus appears 5′′ toto Abrams Planetarium & MSU Observatory - See Page 3 for Details 8′′ belowbelow 2.82.8 magnitudemagnitude Lambda Sagittarii. Board Meeting: Sunday, November 9 @ 5:00 pm

------19th ------Sunnyside Church - 2800 Gull Road - All Members Welcome Last Quarter Moon

------21st ------AM: Crescent Moon about 5º to Saturn’s right. Inside the Newsletter. . . ------24th ------Inside the Newsletter. . . PM: Venus 1º to the upper right of 2.1 magnitude October Meeting Minutes...... p. 2 Sigma Sagittarii. Board Meeting Minutes...... p. 3 ------27th ------New Moon Field Trip Itinerary...... p. 3 Starbooks...... p. 4 ------29th ------Dusk: Thin crescent Moon Great Lakes Star Gaze Report...... p. 5 very low in southwest, about 20º lower right of The Almost Perfect Night...... p. 7 Venus and Jupiter. Sneak Peak Inside Comet Holmes...... p. 9 ------30th ------November Night Sky...... p. 10 PM: Jupiter only 2º from Venus. KAS Officers & Announcements...... p. 11

Crescent Moon about 8º to General Meeting Preview...... p. 12 the ’s lower right. www.kasonline.org OctoberOctober MeetingMeeting MinuteMinutess

The general meeting of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society Photographing the and Moon were then covered. Close- was brought to order by President Jack Price on Friday, Octo- up images of the solar and lunar disk can be obtained with ber 3, 2008 at 7:18 pm EDT. Approximately 22 members and longer focal length refracting or catadioptric (i.e. Schmidt- guests were in attendance at the Kalamazoo Area Math & Cassegrain) telescopes. However, Richard recommended Science Center (KAMSC). webcams for extreme close-ups of the Sun, Moon, or . These gadgets are very easy to use and entry level versions KAS tradition says that the October meeting be devoted to the can be purchased for about $100. art of astrophotography and this was no different. How- ever, it was decided to do away with the astrophotography For those aspiring to do prime focus deep sky imaging one contest for the time being, since the same people were enter- day, Richard recommended buying a good quality German ing and winning the contest every year. Perhaps the contest equatorial mount. Losmandy currently makes the lowest cost, will return once more members aim their cameras skyward. high-quality German mounts; the GM-8 and G-11. German mounts are easier to polar align than fork-mounted telescopes Richard Bell kicked things off with an informal presentation and different types of telescopes can be easily interchanged. called Basic Astrophotography. There are many books geared specifically toward astrophotography, but Richard said either Everyone then enjoyed donuts and apple cider, the traditional NightWatch or The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide would be October meeting snack, during the break. Jim Kurtz had a good choices for the beginner. Both books have excellent few fine astrophotos on display in the Commons Area (one of chapters on the subject. (These titles will soon be available for which is shown here). Roger Williams then shared many fine purchase on the new KAS web site.) images taken with his SBIG ST-8E CCD camera and 10-inch Newtonian reflector. Roger started with some images of Richard discussed the current lineup of Canon Digital SLR comets (including Holmes and Boattini) and then several deep cameras and then covered tripod astrophotography. Aside sky objects. These include the Wild Duck Cluster (M11), from a steady tripod, all that is needed is a 24-28mm and/or NGC 5676, the Fetus Nebula (NGC 7008), the Blue Snowball 50mm lens to capture portraits of the , northern (NGC 7662), and the “Trifid of the North” (NGC 1579). lights, conjunctions of the Moon and planets, and much more. Roger then showed some great images of Saturn, the Moon, Longer exposures can be obtained by constructing a barn- and the hydrogen-alpha Sun taken with his new Lumenera door tracker or purchasing a low-cost German equatorial planetary camera. It was mentioned that many of the images mount. Guided exposures allow you to step up to telephoto taken by KAS Members will be posted on the new web site, lenses or short focal length refractors. so you’ll be able to check out their best images year-round.

Jack Price and Richard Bell then gave a report of the sixth annual Great Lakes Star Gaze (see page 5 for a full report). Jean DeMott was vacationing on Drummond Island during the same weekend as the Great Lakes Star Gaze and reported very dark skies there.

The Chinese space program had its first ever space-walk on September 27th. Two of the three astronauts on the Shenzhou 7 mission exited the spacecraft for about 20 minutes. The final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope has been delayed again. A communication problem has shut the telescope down. However, engineers built a backup several ago, so the astronauts need extra training to properly install the device.

Bob Cox reported that Ross Township has successfully passed a dark sky ordinance. This could become a template Jim Kurtz obtained this image of the eastern portion of for other ordinances around the area. Richard asked for ideas the Veil Nebula (NGC 6992) between August 24-27, 2008. and volunteers to obtain funding for our special Astronomy A total of 5.5 hours of exposure were taken with an SBIG Day event in 2009. Volunteers are also needed at the WMU’s ST-2000XCM CCD camera and Tele Vue 85 apochromatic st refractor. The Veil Nebula is the remains of a star that Education Day at the Seelye Center on November 1 . Drop exploded as a Type II supernova approximately 15,000 the KAS President a note if you’d like to lend a hand. The years ago. It’s located in the Cygnus. meeting concluded at 9:50 pm.

Prime Focus Page 2 November 2008 Field Trip Board Meeting Minutes Field Trip ToTo East Lansing

The officers and at-large members of the KAS assembled for The KAS returns to East Lansing for the first time in 3 years a board meeting on Sunday, October 5, 2008. President Jack on NOVEMBER 8th. We’ll enjoy another show in Abrams Price brought the meeting to order at about 5:15 pm. Other Planetarium and attend the last Open House of the year at the board members present include Richard Bell, Jean DeMott, MSU Observatory. Our itinerary will include: Dick Gillespie, Rich Mather, Dan Morgan, and Mike Sinclair. 1. Meet in State Systems Radio parking lot for carpooling KAS Treasurer Rich Mather reported that little has changed between 4:45 - 4:55 pm. since last months board meeting. The Account Balances re- (State Systems Radio is located at 5090 Sprinkle Road, port showed an overall total of $14,742.82, with $689.23 in located just south of Kilgore Road on the west side of the checking account. The difference is invested in CD’s. Sprinkle.)

The November General Meeting attraction will be a program 2. Depart for East Lansing at 5:00 pm. on the Explorer 1 probe, which celebrated its 50th anniversary 3. Stop for dinner at Turkeyville at 6:00 pm. in January. Opening nominations for 2009 board members will also be held at the November meeting. Jean DeMott re- 4. Arrive at Abrams Planetarium at 7:30 pm. ported that she’ll soon begin preparations for the Holiday 5. Abrams Planetarium show at 8:00 pm. Admission paid by th Party to be held at the Annual Meeting on December 5 . The the KAS (members only). Board then voted to approve another field trip to Abrams Preview: The Cowboy Astronomer... Planetarium and MSU Observatory on November 8th. A skillfully woven tapestry of star tales and Native Ameri- General Meeting topics for 2009 were covered and Richard can legends, combined with constellation identification, reported much success in finding top notch speakers. Every star-hopping, and astronomy tidbits--all told from the month is now booked with the exception of November. Mike unique viewpoint of cowboy poet and storyteller Baxter Sinclair said he’d check if a former KAMSC student, now at Black, who has traveled the world plying his trade and Cal-Tech, might be willing to give a talk if she’s back in the learning the sky along the way. area visiting with family at the right time. 6. Attend MSU Observatory Open House from 9:00 pm –

11:00 pm (weather permitting). Viewing through the 24” Preparations for Astronomy Day 2009 were discussed. Neil Boller and Chivens Ritchey-Chrétien Telescope. deGrasse Tyson’s unwillingness to give presentations near the weekend ruled him out as the keynote speaker of the event. 7. Depart for Kalamazoo at ~11:00 pm. Timothy Ferris is available and tentatively booked to speak on th 8. Arrive in Kalamazoo at ~12:30 am. May 30 . Michael Francis, the actor who portrays Galileo and Miller Auditorium are also tentatively booked for May 30th. For last minute details please attend the General Meeting on However, we may miss out if another organization steps in th with immediate payment, so funding needs to be located November 7 (the day before the trip). If you are unable to ASAP. Possible sponsors were discussed and Richard will attend the meeting but would like to go on the field trip then work with Molly Williams and Frank Severance about grant please contact KAS President Jack Price (343-3193). If the opportunities. Less expensive venues than Miller Auditorium weather is really bad (snow, sleet, etc.) this trip is subject to were also discussed. cancellation and we’ll notify everyone that has signed up.

Richard will prepare a letter to all area schools about inviting KAS Members to give presentations, observing sessions, or other outreach activities during the 2009 (the International Year of Astronomy). Mike promised to make sure the letter gets distributed to the right people.

The new KAS web site is almost done and should be able to make its debut at the December Annual Meeting. Additional preparations were discussed. These include moving the KAS magazine collection to the storage facility, reorganizing the telescope loan program, and ordering merchandise for the new KAS Online store. The meeting concluded at 6:53 pm. The next meeting will be held on November 9th at 5:00 pm.

Prime Focus Page 3 November 2008 Consolmagno, Guy and Dan M. Davis. Turn Left at Orion: A to the terminator with sunlight skimming the Moon’s surface. hundred night sky objects to see in a small telescope – and The maps of the Moon are photo-based, labeled and more how to find them. Cambridge University Press, 1997. than adequate for beginning lunar observers. Next the au- thors devote a few pages to each of the planets. They provide A Review basic observational information: How to find them and what to look for once you have found them. Coauthors, friends and (at the time) non-professional astrono- mers developed their book as “the expert looking over your The main part of the book is shoulder and telling you where to look and what you’re see- divided into four seasonal ing (when there is no expert).” It won positive reader re- guides. Each section be- sponse and to date has gone through at least five printings! gins with an orientation guide showing the guide- The authors introduce beginners to the night sky; celestial post visible during motion, constellations, and the various objects one can expect the season. For each to see with a modest telescope (Consolmagno has a 3.5-inch). season the authors have There are no large telescope, long exposure photographs selected some of the showing objects in incredible detail and color that give begin- finest objects, both stars ners high expectations that may lead to disappointment. and extended objects, visible during that season. The Moon is certainly the easiest object to find and is a good They thoughtfully list a starting place for any neophyte astronomer. Consolmagno few objects from the previ- and Davis tell us how to look at the Moon, and organize ob- ous season that may still be serving suggestions according to lunar phases. They empha- visible too. size that landforms are at maximum contrast when at or close The objects are named and classified as to type; for example: “The Ring Nebula,” Planetary nebula, Messier M57 or “61 Cygni, a double star.” They rate the objects according to how spectacular they are, minimum sky conditions necessary for viewing, and suggest starting magnification. Next are at least three sketch maps for each object. The first is as the eye would see it within the context of the objects around it. After orienting ourselves in the constellation we know where to point our telescope. The second drawing shows the object as it appears in a finder scope at about 8× magnification. The third drawing is an eyepiece view at the suggested magnifi- cation. The eyepiece drawing is only a basic sketch of how the object looks but the observer will have no problem with identification.

After the location/identification drawings there are several useful “Comments” and “What You’re Looking At” sec- tions. Interspersed also is general information for example: “About Supernovae,” “About Globular Clusters,” “What is a Planetary Nebula,” “Double Stars” and so on. These are re- ferred to in other sections with page numbers references.

I think the format is perfect for beginners but even more ad- vanced observers may learn a thing or two. It’s like having one of the KAS’s many experts right next to you at your ‘scope! It is commonly available in bookstores and librar- ies (including the KAS Library). Two thumbs up (both of mine).

Prime Focus Page 4 November 2008 GreatGreat LakesLakes StarStar GazeGaze ReportReport

by Richard Bell

Star parties are held in several countries throughout the world. I’ve been fortunate enough to attend several across the United States and one in Canada. Amazingly enough though, I’ve never been to a star party in my home state of Michigan. That all changed when I attended the sixth annual Great Lakes Star Gaze (GLSG); held from September 25 - 28, 2008.

The GLSG is held at the River Valley RV Park; located about 10 miles west of Gladwin, Michigan on Bailey Lake Avenue (2.5 miles south of M-61). The event is hosted by the Sunset Astronomical Society; based in tri-cities area of Bay City, Midland, and Saginaw. Total drive time to River Valley should be about 3 hours for most KAS members; making the GLSG the closest event of its kind to Kalamazoo since the dissolution of NIAG Fest in 2004. Jack Price poses with the Orion ShortTube 80 refractor KAS members that attended this year’s GLSG include Scott owned by the KAS (and available for loan). Macfarlane, Jack Price, and yours truly. Several other KAS members considered attending the GLSG, but were unable to which the KAS has used for many Astronomy Day events. do so for various reasons. Jack and I drove up together in his We also used it at a couple of very rainy Starfests in Canada, big passenger van. We arrived at River Valley at almost 5 pm but we didn’t see a drop of rain at this year’s GLSG. Our 6- sharp. The GLSG flier makes it clear that no one is allowed foot full color banner worked perfectly on Jack’s canopy and onto “The Hill”, an elevated area adjacent to the main RV proudly announced our presence at the event. We received Park, before 5:00 pm. Several people were already setup, so it many compliments on the banner and it was even featured in looks like this rule is enforced only when preparations are the blog of Michael Bakich, a Senior Editor at Astronomy running a little behind. magazine and keynote speaker for this year’s GLSG.

We decided to setup camp on the east side of The Hill along The next task after setup was to register. Fortunately, the the tree line. The center of the long-and-narrow observing GLSG allows onsite registration, but at a slightly higher rate. area probably would have been better, but it was very bumpy. My decision to attend this year’s event wasn’t made until the The east side does have the advantage of providing shade in day before it was scheduled to begin. Many members regis- the early morning hours, making it easier to sleep in after a tered in advance in 2006, but stayed home because the event long night at the telescope. was a complete shut-out weather-wise. Unless the GLSG be- comes a sell-out event (like the Black Forest Star Party in Jack and I unpacked our gear and then setup his large canopy, Pennsylvania) I doubt I’ll ever register in advance again. Michigan weather is just too unreliable.

Dinner was next on our agenda, so Jack and I made the first of many visits to Lisa’s Lunch Wagon. This was Lisa’s first time at GLSG and the first time food was offered at the top of The Hill. Lisa served three delicious meals a day and all the prices were reasonable.

Skies were partly cloudy to mostly clear on Thursday night. Sky conditions were only fair due to haze and heavy dew. My Kendrick Dew Controller certainly came in handy during the three day weekend. Astrophotography was out due to the poor conditions, so I mostly focused on observing with my Meade 10-inch LX200 Schmidt-Cassegrain. The highlight of the night was a very bright fireball that crossed the northern sky in Draco at about 1:30 am. At first I saw a bright flash, heard the The KAS Banner was proudly on display at the 2008 “ohhs and ahhs”, and turned around in time to witness another Great Lakes Star Gaze.

Prime Focus Page 5 November 2008 explosion and then fragmentation of the meteor. It’s rare to actually have time to turn around and still witness the fireball, so it was a humdinger to be sure. Jack had already turned in for the night, but he did hear the crowd reaction. The expres- sion “snooze you lose” seems to apply here. Thick fog ended my night at about 2:45 am. From what I heard, visibility down hill in the RV Park was near zero.

The next morning I opened up my tent to give my telescope and accessories a chance to dry off. After breakfast, I headed down to the showers. I was told the bathroom facilities were remodeled last year and everything still looked great. River Valley has separate showering rooms, which are not coin op- erated. I don't mind roughing it, but I’ve got to have a shower in the morning to feel like a human again! Scott Macfarlane prepares his new Orion SkyQuest XT10 Many vendors were on hand at the GLSG. The first one I IntelliScope Dobsonian for a night of observing. visited was Great Red Spot, owned by Jeff Hineline. Jeff’s the fellow that gave us a bulk discount on those shaky flash- ers. I spent the night photographing targets such as the Cyg- lights a couple years ago. He sure has expanded his product nus Loop (a.k.a. the Veil Nebula) and the Andromeda Galaxy selection since then. He had several Astro-Tech, Sky- (M31) with my Tele Vue Pronto and Canon 300D. Watcher, and Vixen telescopes on display along with laser collimators and many other fine accessories. Nearby was Most events took place on Saturday, including a swap meet Wood Wonders, owned by Ron Burrows. Ron’s a master and children’s activities. Former KAS member John craftsman and he had some beautifully carved custom field Kirchhoff, representing Rider’s Hobby Shop, finally showed cases on display. Ron also had some really nice observing up on Saturday. John performed double duty and gave a talk chairs. Speaking of which, Walt’s Observing Chairs was also on his fantastic webcam images of the Moon and planets. It on the field, but I admit I never stopped by to check out what was the same presentation he gave to the KAS in March he had for sale. 2007, but John’s a good guy and we made sure to attend and show our support. Michael Foerster then gave a talk called Only one talk was scheduled for Friday and it was given by Are We Alone? The Search for Life in the Universe. The last Michael Bakich. Michael called his presentation The ABC’s talk was again given by Michael Bakich and was called How of Astronomy and it was well done (even though he couldn’t the Constellations Came to Be and was very informative. think of anything for “X”). Scott Macfarlane arrived at GLSG during the talk and already setup his tent by the time Jack and The door prize drawings were held later in the day - too late I made it back to the camp site. in fact. It was nearly pitch-black in the poorly-lighted main tent when they drew the award winning raffle ticket for a Tele Friday was by far the best night of the weekend. No bright Vue 13mm Ethos eyepiece. Maybe that was the idea! Scott fireballs, but the sky was cloud-free the whole night. The dew won a SOHO hat and Jack won a polarizing filter. I didn’t was pretty heavy again, but not as bad as the night before. win a thing. Seems like this whole summer has been a wet one for stargaz- Clear skies didn’t last long on Saturday night. We had about two hours of clear skies before clouds moved in for the night. At least Scott had time to play with his new Orion SkyQuest 10-inch Dobsonian. Jack finally setup the Orion ShortTube 80mm refractor owned by the KAS.

Overall, the Great Lakes Star Gaze is worth attending. For one it’s only a few hours away and you get to meet several other Michigan astronomers. The skies weren’t as dark as I hoped. There were significant light domes from Clare and Midland. The hazy conditions probably didn’t help their case. Even though, the Illinois Dark Skies Star Party had darker skies, but doesn’t have any food or astronomy vendors. The Black Forest Star Party has vendors and the darkest skies east of the Mississippi River, but you must register in advance and hope the weather cooperates. In short, I’ll gladly go the Richard Bell poses with his Meade 10-inch LX200 SCT Great Lakes Star Gaze any time I don’t attend to the Black inside his Kendrick Observing Tent. Forest Star Party.

Prime Focus Page 6 November 2008 TheThe AlmostAlmost PerfectPerfect NightNight by Mike Simonsen

Sometimes things just work out. All the stars align, and your I am very pleased to say, Janet was working perfectly. Accu- day, or night, turns out better than you'd ever hoped. I hope it rately slewing to objects on command, without hesitation, ena- has something to do with paying it forward, like giving the bling me to do an observation every 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Boy Scouts a few bucks without even taking the popcorn they Man, I missed her. I forgot how much fun this can be when were selling the other day. "Here, I can't eat the popcorn, but everything is working right! here's a few dollars for a good cause." Whatever the reason, when you have one of those days it feels good, and you can't I moved on to cataclysmic variables in Perseus after a short wait for tomorrow, to see if it can be as special as today. java break. The moon was still pretty high, but since I was pointing nearly straight overhead, I was still able to log faint Saturday night into Sunday morning was one of those special observations of magnitude 14.8V. On a clear, moonless night I times for me. It was the third night in a row with clear skies in can usually reach as faint as 15.5 visually, so the moon was the forecast. I'd had a couple good nights at the telescope log- definitely impacting the sky, but I was comfortable viewing ging 150 variable star observations or so, but the Moon was overhead and out of the glare of the moon, protected by the waxing towards full, and the sky was getting less and less dome. The weather was about as perfect as you can hope for. friendly in the evening. So I decided to get some sleep after No wind, no dew, no frost, no fog and mild temperatures dinner and wake up after midnight to go out and observe as around 45º F. the Moon was setting, hoping to take advantage of the last 90 minutes before morning twilight when the Moon was actually This time of year, Orion and Taurus are nearly due south at down for the night. “Dark time”, as astronomers call it, is pre- 5:30AM, and it was my intention to observe all my program cious. stars in Ori and Tau about this time until dawn. But Orion beckoned me as it rose higher in the SE, so I rushed it a little. I fell asleep hard and got some great shut-eye. I woke up It was only 3:45 so I was ahead of schedule. ORI is one of the around midnight, made a pot of coffee and headed for the few constellations I observe several variables south of the ce- dome. The sky was clear, no haze, no high clouds, and very lestial equator. I prefer to remain seated while observing, and I steady seeing. The stars barely twinkled as I looked up. The call chasing after variables or other objects down in the haze Moon was still pretty high and casting its glare across the of the horizon "dumpster diving". There are plenty of things to heavens, so I decided to start the night observing in the north observe in the clarity of the zenith, it seems a waste of time to in Cassiopeia. Turning away from the Moon, the dome pro- go looking for trouble and fields where the best I can do on a tected me from the light shining in through the dome slot, and good night is 14.0V. Cassiopeia (Cas) was riding high in the northeast at this point. I observed all the long period variables in my program in Cas, and then did all the cataclysmic variables (CVs) in Cas before taking a break.

T Cas is one of the blood red stars in the sky. It was really too bright to observe in the telescope, so I made my estimate with the 50mm finder scope. S Cas gets really faint at minimum, and I seem to always miss her. I was able to catch her rising from the depths at 14.0V.

The best part of the whole thing was the telescope was point- ing extremely accurately again after a long time being offline and under repair. I'd had to take Janet (the Classic 12" LX200) out of the dome, dis-assemble her and ship off the electronic components to be rebuilt. I've made over 50,000 variable star estimates with Janet over the years, and I missed her dearly while she was down. I have a newer 12" GPS LX200, but I really prefer observing visually with the Classic for a number of technical reasons I won't bore you with here. I was a little reluctant to take her apart and ship off her guts, and then put her back together again. But I had no other options, so I had to The author poses with Janet, his classic Meade 12-inch grow a little and trust myself with her fate. LX200 Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope used for visual variable star observations.

Prime Focus Page 7 November 2008 Nevertheless, I headed to Ori because I knew the prospects of detecting an outburst of a CV were good here. CZ Ori, CN Ori and V1159 Ori are pretty active stars. Several times, I have caught the "Orion Trifecta" all in outburst on the some night. I wasn't disappointed. CN Ori and V1159 Ori were in outburst. I swung up to Auriga to do the few CVs there, hoping maybe for SS Aur to be active, but nothing to see.

The moon was still well above the horizon, so I went back to Perseus overhead and logged observations of all my program Miras in PER. About 4:45 I moved on to Miras in TAU. The sky was noticeably darker, and the shadows outside were growing long towards the east. I only have a dozen or so vari- ables I observe in Tau, but several favorites. Mike performs visual observations in the fiberglass dome observatory and photometry in the roll-off observatory. W Tau is right in the midst of the Hyades cluster, so the field is a magical star showplace. Z Tau is an extremely interesting That is one of the coolest things about observing variable star, exhibiting a period change over the history of AAVSO stars, especially CVs. You may very well be the only person observations, and it is one of the most challenging close dou- on Earth who knows a star has gone into outburst, or reached ble stars that are variable to observe in the whole sky. I think maximum or minimum, because there just aren't that many the separation is about 1.5 arcseconds. people observing these objects. Professionals don't have time to monitor thousands of variables, so the majority of this But S Tau has been an enigma to me for a decade. Its period is work is done by devoted (read obsessed) amateurs! almost exactly 365 days, and its maximum light has coincided with the time it is in conjunction with the Sun since I can re- The second reward was GZ Cnc. This is an enigmatic CV that member. I don't think I have ever made a positive observation defies classification up to now. Its fairly active, but it resides of it in all my years as an observer! I always log <14.8 or in one of those blank patches of sky, devoid of bright stars, something, which means it is fainter than 14.8, but I can't see and finding it is almost as hard as detecting it in outburst. it. On the morning of October 12, 2008 I made my first posi- tive observation at 13.6V! I was shocked and thrilled, and The last surprise before calling it a night was to find AT Cnc double checked it, like 12 times, to be sure! in outburst. AT Cnc is a Z Cam type star. These stars are known for getting stuck in 'standstills' on the way down to Kind of like birders, who have life lists of birds they've seen minimum from outburst. AT Cnc had been known to stick in or not, I checked off S Tau this night. standstill for months at a time around 13th magnitude, defy- ing anyone to catch it at minimum or in outburst. In fact, most 5AM and the moon was essentially down. Now I was going to of the observations I have logged of this star are in standstill take advantage of the darkness to chase after possible erup- at 13th mag. I've only witnessed a couple outbursts, and I tions of CVs in Gem, CMi, and Cnc before calling it a night. don't think I've ever seen it at minimum. Tonight, it was un- Canis Minor and Gemini were quiet this night but when I got commonly bright at 12.8V. to Cancer I was rewarded with catching three outbursts before dawn ended the fun. It was still well before dawn when I parked the telescope and closed the dome, but I was spent physically. Straining against The first was AK Cnc. I have a special affinity for this star the moon and trying to see as faint as you can see with each because of my involvement with deriving the sequence of observation of a quiescent CV is surprisingly physically tax- comparison stars used to estimate it. When I started observing ing. But I was happy as hell. this star in the 1990's, the accepted sequence of comp stars used for estimating its brightness was screwed up. There were The weather, the telescope and the stars had all combined to three stars labeled 131, 132 and 134 that played havoc with give me one of the most rewarding nights at the eyepiece in a my brain the few times I ever saw it this bright. When we long time. If it had been new moon it would have ranked finally got excellent photometry for these stars and revised the among the best nights ever. charts, the reason became clear. They were all 13.2V! The new sequence is one of hundreds I am responsible for improv- I'll take a near miss of perfection. Most of life is perfection ing since 2003, when I was put in charge of the volunteer minus a couple percent. That's good enough for me. team making new sequences for the AAVSO and other inter- national variable star organizations. It’s been a while since she Mike Simonsen is a self-described variable star junky living went into outburst, and I was pretty sure I was the only one in in Imlay City, Michigan. Since 1999, he has submitted over the world to witness this event, since it is such an early morn- 50,000 observations to the AAVSO. Mike has given presenta- ing target and most of Europe was clouded out. tion to the KAS in March 2001 and September 2007.

Prime Focus Page 8 November 2008 SpitzerSpitzer GetsGets SneakSneak PeakPeak InsideInside CometComet HolmesHolmes

When Comet Holmes unexpectedly erupted in 2007, profes- produced in these violent events by the destruction of larger sional and amateur astronomers around the world turned their particles originating inside the comet nucleus." telescopes toward the spectacular event. Their quest was to find out why the comet had suddenly exploded. When Spitzer observed the same portion of the comet again in March 2008, the fine-grained silicate dust was gone and only Observations taken of the comet after the explosion by the larger particles were present. "The March observation tells us Spitzer Space Telescope deepen the mystery, showing oddly that there is a very small window for studying composition of behaving streamers in the shell of dust surrounding the nu- comet dust after a violent event like Comet Holmes' outburst," cleus of the comet. The data also offer a rare look at the mate- said Reach. rial liberated from within the nucleus, and confirm previous findings from the Stardust and Deep Impact missions. Comet Holmes not only has unusual dusty components, it also does not look like a typical comet. According to Jeremie "The data we got from Spitzer do not look like anything we Vaubaillon, a colleague of Reach's at Caltech, pictures typically see when looking at comets," said Bill Reach of the snapped from the ground shortly after the outburst revealed Spitzer Science Center at the California Institute of Technol- streamers in the shell of dust surrounding the comet. Scientists ogy in Pasadena. Reach is lead investigator of the Spitzer ob- suspect they were produced after the explosion by fragments servations. "The Comet Holmes explosion gave us a rare escaping the comet's nucleus. glimpse at the inside of a comet nu- cleus." The findings were presented In November 2007, the streamers at the 40th meeting of the Division of pointed away from the Sun, which Planetary Sciences in Ithaca, New seemed natural because scientists York. believed that radiation from the sun was pushing these fragments straight Every six years, Comet 17P/Holmes back. However, when Spitzer im- speeds away from Jupiter and heads aged the same streamers in March inward toward the Sun, traveling the 2008, they were surprised to find same route typically without inci- them still pointing in the same direc- dent. However, twice in the last 116 tion as five months before, even years, in Nov. 1892 and Oct. 2007, though the comet had moved and Comet Holmes exploded as it ap- sunlight was arriving from a differ- proached the asteroid belt, and ent location. "We have never seen brightened a millionfold overnight. anything like this in a comet before. The extended shape still needs to be In an attempt to understand these odd fully understood," said Vaubaillon. occurrences, astronomers pointed the Spitzer Space Telescope at the comet He notes that the shell surrounding in Nov. 2007 and March 2008. By the comet also acts peculiarly. The using Spitzer's infrared spectrograph shape of the shell did not change as instrument, Reach was able to gain valuable insights into the expected from November 2007 to March 2008. Vaubaillon composition of Holmes' solid interior. Like a prism spreading said this is because the dust grains seen in March 2008 are visible-light into a rainbow, the spectrograph breaks up infra- relatively large, approximately one millimeter in size, and thus red light from the comet into its component parts, revealing harder to move. the fingerprints of various chemicals. "If the shell was comprised of smaller dust grains, it would In November of 2007, Reach noticed a lot of fine silicate dust, have changed as the orientation of the sun changes with time," or crystallized grains smaller than sand, like crushed gems. He said Vaubaillon. "This Spitzer image is very unique. No other noted that this particular observation revealed materials simi- telescope has seen Comet Holmes in this much detail, five lar to those seen around other comets where grains have been months after the explosion." treated violently, including the Deep Impact mission, which smashed a projectile into Comet Tempel 1; the Stardust mis- "Like people, all comets are a little different. We've been sion, which swept particles from Comet Wild 2 into a collector studying comets for hundreds of years -- 116 years in the case at 13,000 miles per hour (21,000 kilometers per hour), and the of Comet Holmes -- but still do not really understand them," outburst of Comet Hale-Bopp in 1995. said Reach. "However, with the Spitzer observations and data from other telescopes, we are getting closer." "Comet dust is very sensitive, meaning that the grains are very easily destroyed, said Reach. "We think the fine silicates are For more details visit: www.spitzer.caltech.edu/spitzer

Prime Focus Page 9 November 2008 NovemberNovember NightNight Sky...... Sky......

This star map is property of the This map represents the sky at the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society. NORTH following local standard times: However you may make as many y Early October 11 pm copies as you wish free-of-charge, so long as it is for non-profit y Late October 10 pm educational purposes and full y Early November 8 pm credit is given to the KAS. y Late November 7 pm www.kasonline.org EAST WEST

SOUTH

he crescent Moon has some close The Evening Star, Venus, will appear to upper right of 2.1 magnitude Sigma encounters with the two brightest have a moon on the 17th. Binoculars and Sagittarii on the 22nd. TT planets in November. The Moon small telescopes will reveal 2.8 appears 7º or 8º left of Venus on the 1st. magnitude Lambda Sagittarii about 5′ to Jupiter and Venus are separated by 2º on Look low in the southwest at dusk. On 8′ above Venus. November 30th. The crescent Moon is the 3rd, the Moon moves to within 3º of nearby, located about 8º to the planets’ Jupiter’s lower left. Brilliant Venus then appears 1º to the lower right. KAS OFFICERS November 2008 Page 11 PRESIDENT Jack Price 343-3193 [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT Mike Sinclair 373-7003 Opening nominations for 2009 [email protected] KAS Officers and At-Large Board Members will take place at the TREASURER Rich Mather November General Meeting. If 629-5312 you are interested in running for [email protected] a position then please contact

SECRETARY/ALCOR Bob Havira (344-7707). Ask not Roger Williams what the KAS can do for you, but 375-4867 what you can do for the KAS! [email protected]

MEMBERS-AT-LARGE Richard S. Bell 373-8942 [email protected]

Jean DeMott 381-1406 Sky Legends of the Three Fires [email protected] Saturdays, 11:00 am; Sundays, 1:30 pm

Dick Gillespie Constellations Tonight Live! 966-9653 Wednesdays 3:00 pm; Saturdays, 2:00 pm [email protected] Galaxies Dan Morgan Saturdays & Sundays, 3:00 pm 964-3156 [email protected] Planetarium admission is $3.00 per person. The Kalamazoo Valley Museum is located at 230 North Rose Street in downtown Kalamazoo. For more information please call (269) 373-7990 or visit us on the web at www.kalamazoomuseum.org OrderOrder YourYour CopyCopy Today!Today!

he 2009 Observer’s Handbook from the T Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) will be available from Bill Nigg at a significant discount. This year’s price is $21.00 – a difference refund will be given if the quantity goes into the next bracket. Please give cash or a check (to "Bill Nigg") at the November 7th KAS meeting for delivery at or after the December KAS meeting. This famous 320+ page astronomical data book is a prime and up-to-date resource that successfully performs at the telescope and at the computer. See www.rasc.ca/handbook or contact Bill at 665-7545 or [email protected] General Meeting Preview ExplorerExplorer 11 Beginnings of the Space Age

Explorer 1 was the first satellite launched by the United States when it was sent into space on January 31, 1958. Following the launch of the Soviet Union's Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, the U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Agency was directed to launch a satellite using its Jupiter C rocket developed under the direction of Dr. Wernher von Braun (pictured on the right holding up a model of Explorer 1 with JPL’s director William Pickering and James Van Allen on the night of the successful launch of the satellite). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory received the assignment to design, build and operate the artificial satellite that would serve as the rocket's payload. JPL completed this job in less than three months. This presentation follows the historic story of how the United States responded to Sputnik’s launch and entered the Space Age.

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