May 2019 OBSERVER

THE OBSERVER OF THE TWIN CITY AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS

Volume 44, Number 5 May 2019

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

1«Editor’s Choice: Image of the Month – Leo Triplet 2«President’s Note 3«Calendar of Celestial Events – May 2019 3«New & Renewing Members/Dues Blues/E-Mail List 4«This Month’s Phases of the Moon 4«This Month’s Solar Phenomena 4«AstroBits – News from Around the TCAA 5«E/PO for April 2019 5«TCAA Image Gallery 9«Wentzel and Wenning at NEAF 11«May 2019 with Jeffrey L. Hunt 12«Throwback Thursday 16«Public Viewing Sessions Schedule for 2019 17«TCAA Calendar of Events for 2019 18«TCAA Treasurer’s Report as of April 29, 2019 19«Renewing Your TCAA Membership 19«TCAA Active on Facebook

IMAGE OF THE MONTH: EDITOR’S CHOICE – LEO TRIPLET

This month’s image was produced by Tim Stone. Tim writes: This famous triplet of galaxies is known as ‘The Leo Trio,’ a catchy name for a wildly unlikely group of three large galaxies: M65, M66, and NGC 3628. All three are interacting with each other, and are quite close to each other, at least as far as large galaxies go. M65 and 66 are about 160,000 light years apart, about the same as the distance between us and the Magellanic Clouds. Imagine the view of each other these two galaxies enjoy! NGC 3628 is a bit farther from the two, about 300,000 years. If we think our view of M31 is unbelievable, suitably positioned astronomers in these galaxies enjoy a vastly superior view of their neighbors! M66 has been deeply disrupted by the interactions with its two

neighbors. It has huge HII regions, glowing red with excitation from The TCAA is an affiliate of the Astronomical League. For what are undoubtedly huge clusters of bright blue giant stars being more information about the TCAA, be certain to visit the formed there. M66 is less disturbed, but still sports bright knots of TCAA website. Visit Astroleague.org for additional stars and a vaguely barred-spiral appearance. information about the League and its membership (continued next page) benefits.

Vol. 44, No. 5 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers May 2019

NGC 3628 is seen edge-on, with a crazily distorted dust lane splitting the galaxy The OBSERVER in two. This dust lane gives the galaxy its colloquial name, “The Hamburger Galaxy.” It is by far the largest of the three and has clearly been impacted by the three-way is the monthly electronic newsletter of Twin City Amateur Astronomers, Inc., a dance in which it participates. There is a faint tidal tail extending upward and to the registered 501(c)(3) non-profit educational right in this image, though it’s probably not visible in this rendition. organization of amateur astronomers inter- This is the result of two nights of imaging, for a total of eight hours, in early ested in studying astronomy and sharing April. That’s about the extent of the imaging nights we’ve had for the last two their hobby with the public. months. If we get clear skies before these galaxies slip into the western twilight, I’ll

try to get a few more hours on this lovely trio. TCAA OFFICERS & CHAIRPERSONS

President, Director, & Property Manager PRESIDENT’S NOTE Tim Stone 309-531-2401 [email protected] As many of you know, we have

Vice President & Director/Membership Coord. been watching the proceedings of the Tom Willmitch 309-846-2423 DeWitt County government [email protected] pertaining to the development of a

Treasurer & Director/Registered Agent wind farm in the northwest corner of Dave Osenga 309-287-0789 the county. Tradewind Energy’s [email protected] project would have installed towers Secretary & Director/Historian/Editor that could have potentially interfered Carl J. Wenning 309-830-4085 with operations at the Waynesville [email protected] Observatory. 5th Director/Assistant Property Manager We worked with our partners on Scott Wade 309-310-2464 the Board of the Village of [email protected] Waynesville to ensure our voice was Astronomical League Correspondent heard as we opposed the placement TCAA President Tim Stone Robert Finnigan 309-846-9533 of wind generators near our property. The village rejected the placement of any [email protected] towers within a mile and a half of their village boundary, which alleviated a good Technology Coordinator deal of our concern. Even so, towers would have been visible from our property, Justin Meyer 630-649-0611 [email protected] and this continued to concern us. We voiced our concerns on multiple occasions to Waynesville, who continued to work with the County Board on multiple issues. Webmaster We were delighted with both the Regional Planning Commission and the Lee Green 309-454-7349 [email protected] Zoning Board of Appeals forwarded the application for a special use permit by Tradewind to the County Board with a negative recommendation. We are now Lighting Educ. & AL Observing Club Coordinator Lisa Wentzel unlisted number happy to report that the County Board has also rejected the application, putting at [email protected] least a temporary end to a process that could have degraded our site permanently, and would have certainly degraded its skies during the construction phase of the

The OBSERVER project. Carl J. Wenning, Editor in Chief It is possible that Tradewind will reassess, modify its application, and reapply. We hope that the message given by the County Board and the citizens of DeWitt Submission deadline two days before County is strong and clear enough that Tradewind will abandon their plans and look the end of each month. elsewhere for their project. We will continue to monitor this project, and should it MEMBERSHIP DUES re-emerge, we will work with the Village of Waynesville to ensure as best we can the usefulness of our observatory site for the foreseeable future. Individual Adult/Family $40 Full-time Student/Senior $25 I want to personally thank our Waynesville partners for their efforts on our (Senior status equals ages 60+) behalf. They have kept us informed all along the way and have actively sought out our opinion on various issues related to the wind farm. We couldn’t be happier to To join, send your name, contact info and be considered part of the Waynesville family! dues payment to Dave Osenga, TCAA Treasurer, 1109 N. Linden St., Normal, IL Tim Stone 61761-1471. TCAA President

Vol. 44, No. 5 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers May 2019

CALENDAR OF CELESTIAL EVENTS – MAY 2019 NEW & RENEWING MEMBERS

MORNING PLANETS (5/15): Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, The following individuals have paid dues for new or Uranus, and Neptune renewed memberships as of April 29, 2019. (Others who paid after that date will appear in the June 2019 issue of EVENING PLANETS (5/15): Mars The OBSERVER.) The following table gives the date and time (24-hour clock) of important astronomical events for this month. All events are given in Central Daylight Time. Kristy Curry, Scott and Emily Wade, Troy Berg,

Sunil Chebolu, and Lloyd Mason

Day Time Event

02 06:39 Venus 3.6°N of Moon DUES BLUES

03 01:26 Mercury 2.9°N of Moon If you have received a “your dues are due” 04 17:45 NEW MOON statement along with the email that brought you this issue of The OBSERVER, please remit your dues to Mr. 05 08 Eta-Aquarid Meteor Shower Dave Osenga, TCAA Treasurer, 1109 N. Linden St., 06 16:52 Aldebaran 2.3°S of Moon Normal, IL 61761-1471. Dues are currently $25 for seniors (60 years of age and over) and $40 regular. 07 18:36 Mars 3.2°N of Moon

09 13:50 Moon at Ascending Node SUBSCRIBING TO THE TCAA EMAIL LIST 09 22:30 Pollux 6.3°N of Moon By subscribing to a group’s mailing list, you will 10 20:35 Beehive 0.0°S of Moon receive email messages from the group though you 11 20:12 FIRST QUARTER MOON won’t have access to the group’s web features (like photos, files, links, polls, calendar, etc.) unless members 12 09:19 Regulus 3.0°S of Moon activate it later. The club has an open email listserv. It is 13 16:53 Moon at Perigee: 369017 km known as the TCAA YahooGroups listserv. It will be used 18 16:11 FULL MOON to share announcements and reminders about astronomical and club events. To join this main listserv, 20 11:54 Jupiter 1.7°S of Moon you must do the following: 21 08 Mercury at Superior Conjunction 1. To subscribe: Send a blank email to TCAA- 22 14:12 Moon at Descending Node [email protected] Note: You’ll be sent a 22 17:25 Saturn 0.5°N of Moon: Occn. confirmation email from the group. Reply to the 24 02 Mercury at Perihelion confirmation email to activate your subscription. 2. To post a message: [email protected] 26 08:27 Moon at Apogee: 404134 km 3. To unsubscribe: [email protected] 26 11:33 LAST QUARTER MOON

http://www.astropixels.com/ephemeris/astrocal/astrocal2019cst.html

EVENING SKY MAP Click on the icon found here to access a current evening sky map along with a more detailed celestial events calendar.

Vol. 44, No. 5 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers May 2019

THIS MONTH’S PHASES OF THE MOON

New Moon First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter Saturday, May 4 Saturday, May 11 Saturday, May 18 Sunday, May 26

All moon phase dates are Central Time. Additional moon phases for the 2019 calendar year can be found by clicking here. Images provided by J. K. Howell of the Champaign-Urbana Astronomical Society & used with permission.

THIS MONTH’S SOLAR PHENOMENA

In the table below, you will find times of sunrise and sunset along with rising and setting azimuths (Az), length of day including change from previous day, start and end times of astronomical twilight, and the time of solar noon along with the elevation (El) of the midday sun. These data come from https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/bloomington

2019 Sunrise/Sunset Day Length Astronomical Twilight Solar Noon May Sunrise (Az) Sunset (Az) Length Difference Start End Time (El)

1 5:55 AM (69°) 7:51 PM (291°) 13:56:06 +2:18 4:10 AM 9:36 PM 12:53 PM (64.7°) 11 5:43 AM (65°) 8:01 PM (295°) 14:17:52 +2:03 3:54 AM 9:51 PM 12:52 PM (67.5°) 21 5:34 AM (62°) 8:11 PM (298°) 14:36:30 +1:41 3:39 AM 10:06 PM 12:52 PM (69.8°)

ASTROBITS – NEWS FROM AROUND THE TCAA

ó Bob Finnigan reported that Tim Stone working with Scott and Emily Wade managed a 77+ star align with the 17” telescope on the night of March 31st. They subsequently did a bit of astrophotography which included M66 in Leo shown in the TCAA Image Gallery. ó On April 8th Bob Finnigan got the 17” working using the “closed loop slew.” He was able to image the Great Orion Nebula and then move over to M66 in Leo locating the object without having to correct for telescope misalignment. The realignment accomplished on the night of March 31st has done its job. ó Angela Funk informed the TCAA leadership on April 11th that we have clearance to install a small window-sized air conditioner on the north wall of SGNC’s Prairie Sky Observatory. Bob Finnigan will take charge of seeing to the installation of the unit. In exchange for this consideration, the TCAA has agreed to increase its annual contribution to SGNC by $50 per annum, more than enough to cover the cost of electricity. ó Tim Stone was keynote speaker at the Illinois meeting of the Great Lakes Planetarium Association (IL-GLPA) meeting on Saturday, April 13th. Tim talked about the prospects of planetariums working with astronomy groups. The event was hosted at the ISU Planetarium by Tom Willmitch. ó Tim Stone and Carl Wenning spoke with Sheldon Shafer (former Peoria Planetarium Director) at the IL-GLPA meeting about a Wednesday, December 4th talk for the Peoria Astronomical Society in the planetarium of Riverfront Museum. We will give a talk about the TCAA’s observatories. This will be followed by a trip to Northmoor Observatory to see the PAS 9” refractor at Donavan Park. Mark your calendar now. Details will follow. ó Sharon MacDonald, Mark Boulware, and Carl Wenning will represent the TCAA at NCRAL 2019 hosted by Popular Astronomy Club in Moline, IL, May 3-5.

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ó Those who have ever spent the night at PSO doing imaging know the bother of cold, heat, humidity, and mosquitos. Thanks to a donation by Anonymous and approval by both the TCAA Board and SGNC, the TCAA leadership installed a small portable air conditioner and heater in PSO’s observing room. The unit shown to the right was installed on April 17th. Our imagers will greatly appreciate this minor but important addition. Excess heat trapped while the air conditioner is running will be ported through the north wall of the observatory via the hose shown in the image. Thanks for Anonymous for this comforting addition to PSO. (AstroBits continues on page 16.)

E/PO FOR APRIL 2019

The TCAA’s first public viewing session of 2019 was held on Saturday, April 13th. While the day started out bright and sunny, the sky had turned overcast by show time. Starting at 8:00 PM, Sunil Chebolu gave a talk titled, Distance – How do we know how far? In this 40-minute presentation he described the long history of science behind distance measurement in the universe. He received praise from the audience for the quality and simplicity of his 7-step ladder explaining the topic. Forty- five were present for the presentation. Following his talk, open houses were held at both SGO and PSO. Attending from the TCAA were Sunil, Carl Wenning, Mark & Nataya Boulware, Tim Stone, Lisa Wentzel, Lee Green, Vivian Hoette, Dave Peters, Peter and Daniel Kates, Bryce and Mark Heiniger, Brian Barling, Scott and Emily Wade, Paul Pouliot, and Sandullah Epsicokhan. Former member Dr. Alan Griffith also was present at the talk and indicated to Carl that he hopes to return to observing now that he has moved on to slower paced environment where he now works part time as an Emergency Room doctor. Bob Finnigan was present after an afternoon of trying to get the filter wheel on the Celestron 11” HD telescope working but left early due to being quite tired. Carl Wenning was featured speaker at the Lincoln Orbit Earth Science Society (LOESS) meeting in Springfield on Monday, April 15th. He spoke about the approaching flip of earth’s magnetic poles and its consequences to an audience of about 50. The 45-minute talk was followed by many good questions. The audience included four members of the Sangamon Astronomical Society, including past officers Ray Watt and Matthew Will (who is also a TCAA member). Lee Green presented at the 9th annual Prairieland Sciencepalooza at Prairieland Elementary School on the evening of April 16th. 35 members of the general public were in attendance. Lee and Carl were prepared to give a presentation to two groups of Scouts on a campout at SGNC on April 27th, but the event was canceled due to inclement weather.

TCAA IMAGE GALLERY

Messier 66 on March 31st by Tim Stone and Scott and Emily Messier 58 on April 26th by Scott Wade. Scott, with the Wade. Bob Finnigan reported on April 1st, “Last night Tim, oversight of Bob Finnigan, took multiple images of the Scott and Emily got a 77-star point done and then did a closed- galaxy with the 17” telescope and its QHY 168 B&W camera loop plate solve for a dead center on M66. After that, we did to produce this composite. This shows that Scott is now an 18-sub of it in black and white. pretty much up to speed with the use of PSO equipment.

Vol. 44, No. 5 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers May 2019

SPECTRUM OF BETELGEUSE ON APRIL 8 BY TIM STONE. Tim noted, “Just finished a nice spectrum of Betelgeuse, M2 red supergiant. Its atmosphere is cool enough for compounds to form, particularly Titanium Oxide, the stuff we use to make white paint. Lots of metal lines in this spectrum.”

STELLAR SPECTRA BY TIM STONE. Tim writes about the above image, “This is a compilation of all the reasonable quality star spectra I've acquired since autumn of last year. The quality of the spectra varies for a number of reasons, not the least of which is my own trying to figure out how to do this stuff... but we can easily see major differences between the spectral type of the stars. I'm missing a type O star, which would be the top line if I had one. O and B stars are very hot, with spectral lines extending well into the ultraviolet, which is not well imaged with my equipment. A stars show all the Hydrogen Balmer lines very strongly. In F stars, the Hydrogen lines begin to grow weaker, and continue to weaken through G (stars like our sun). By the time we get to K and M stars, the Hydrogen lines are all but missing. M stars temperatures are much lower, with most of their radiation in infrared, and visible light spectral features dominated by molecules such as Titanium Oxide and Carbon compounds. M stars have almost no radiation in ultraviolet. I'm just a newbie in stellar classification, and in fact, any star I could possibly image has already been classified. It's fun to acquire these spectra, though, and learn about how stars work. Someday I'll take a random spectrum and be able to classify the star myself. Then we'll see if I agree with the experts.”

Vol. 44, No. 5 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers May 2019

Sunspot, Solar Surface, and Chromosphere April 8/9 by Jamey Jenkins. Jamey noted, “Here are the images of the active region 2738 that appeared on Facebook recently. The blue one (previous page) is a continuum (white light) shot in the G- band @ 430nm. The others are all on band Hα pics. I used my 102mm William Optics ED refractor and a DMK41 camera for all pics. Note that the picture to the left is a reversal – light for dark and dark for light.”

Vol. 44, No. 5 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers May 2019

Dates and times of the four solar images shown on the last page and the one here are as follows:

Last page, first row, first column: April 8, 1748UT, 430nm Last, page, first row, second column: April 9, 1757UT, Hα Last page, second row, first column: April 9, 1806UT, Hα Last page, second row, second column: April 9, 1808UT, Hα This page, third row, first column: April 9, 1812UT, Hα

Two image of the sun in Calcium-K shot on April 15th by Jamey Jenkins. Jamey noted about the blue image, “Ca-K image of AR2738 with 125mm f/18 refractor + Lunt Module. 2019 April 15.” The other image is “an inverted image from 2019 April 15 illustrating inner and outer bright rings of AR2738. 125mm f/18 refractor + Lunt Ca-K module.

Vol. 44, No. 5 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers May 2019

WENTZEL AND WENNING AT NEAF ~ by Carl Wenning ~

A long-held event, North East Astronomy Forum (NEAF) Rockland Star Party in Massachusetts for several summers finally attracted two TCAAers. Held for more than 40 years, now, she knows many of the “principals” who orchestrated Lisa Wentzel and Carl Wenning attended NEAF the event. She and I had dinner on Friday evening with RAS Saturday/Sunday, April 6/7, at Rockland Community College Board member Frank Bifulco and a cadre of RAS members at in Suffern, NY. This is the world’s largest rendezvous of a Chinese restaurant in nearby Mahwah, New Jersey. With amateur astronomers and features many talks on parallel an operating budget in the tens of thousands, this group can tracks with as many as 180 suppliers, manufacturers, and pull off on annual basis the world’s largest (and I dare so exhibitors of products for amateur astronomers. most impressive) gathering of amateur astronomers. The This year’s program celebrated the 50th anniversary of two-day registration fee was only $49 per person – a the Apollo moon landing. Keynotes were given by Walter spectacular value! Cunningham, Apollo 7 astronaut; Don Pettit, NASA veteran In addition to listening to the many talks and seeing the astronaut; Jim Green, NASA Chief Scientist; and Alan Stern, many displays, Lisa and Carl had the opportunity to do a bit NASA Principal Investigator for the New Horizons mission of solar observing on both days using a variety of Hα that visited Pluto and Ultima Thule. James Hansen, Neil telescopes. The best images were obtained through 80mm Armstrong biographer and author of First Man, was unable and 100mm Lunt pressure-tuned, dual-etalon refractors. to attend due to an emergency health problem involving his (The TCAA is owner of two such devices, both provided by wife but was present in spirit in the form of a terrific talk Bill Mammon a couple of years ago.) Carl asked questions presented and recorded at Google headquarters a short time about how to tune the air compression filters. He now has a earlier. All talks were completely captivating. grasp on how to obtain the best views of Hα features and There were numerous other talks given in locations looks forward to making use of one of these instruments. other than Celestron Theater where audiences numbering While observing the sun, our dynamic duo noted a large about one thousand were able to see keynote addresses. sunspot coming around the sun’s limb during the second day Over the course of two days, perhaps as many as 5,000 of NEAF. Jamey Jenkins was subsequently able to amateur astronomers attended the event. photograph this spot from his home in Homer, IL. (See the The event was created and sponsored by the Rockland TCAA Image Gallery on page 8 of this issue of The OBSERVER Astronomical Society (RAS). Because Lisa has attended the for details.)

Vol. 44, No. 5 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers May 2019

In addition, Lisa and Carl were able to meet a good nice Irish pub in Mahwah, NJ, on Sunday evening, and drove number of dignitaries. One such person was Farrah Payon of north of NYC on Sunday morning to visit the boyhood home Woodland Hills who has supplied our club with many and presidential library of Franklin Delano Roosevelt at Hyde telescopes over the years. She mentioned Bob Finnigan, Tim Park, NY. Flying back via Atlanta, GA, they arrived home Stone, and me as though we were old friends. It’s clear that before midnight on Monday evening. she really appreciates the business that the TCAA has given Already at least two TCAAers are looking forward to her beginning around 2011. attending NEAF next year based upon Facebook reports of After two long days of convention going, Lisa and Carl Carl. took a bit of time off for rest and relaxation. They visited a

Time for dinner after a long, hard day. Woodland Hill’s Farrah Payon with Carl. She knew about Carl and Tim Stone through regular contact with Bob Finnigan.

Vol. 44, No. 5 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers May 2019

MAY 2019: THE MOON IN THE BEEHIVE, JUPITER AND SATURN ENTER EVENING SKY ~ by Jeffrey L. Hunt ~

At the beginning of the month at the start of morning twilight, Jupiter and Saturn appear in the southern sky. Bright Jupiter is just past the meridian and Saturn is in the south-southeast. Antares is farther west and lower in the sky than Jupiter. Spica is low in the west-southwest while Arcturus stands over 40° up in the west. The Teapot of Sagittarius is just east of the meridian, with the Milky Way arching northward. The region’s deep sky objects are well- placed for observing in the pre-twilight sky. This month we still experience cool winds from the northwest that bring clear skies, making May one of the best months for observing, although the nights are growing shorter with only about 6.5 hours of darkness, from the end of evening twilight to the beginning of morning twilight. Brilliant Venus is now low in the eastern sky during bright morning twilight. It tends to hang about 5° above the horizon at about the May 2, 30 minutes before sunrise. The waning crescent time of Civil Twilight, when the sun is 6° below the horizon. moon appears 4.3° to the lower right of brilliant Venus. The pair is low in the east. If you’re still chasing Mercury, it is 20° west of the sun and has a magnitude of −0.4, but the ecliptic has a very low • May 2: About 30 minutes before sunrise, the moon inclination, making it very difficult to view. Mars is the lone (27.1d, 7%) is 4.3° to the lower right of Venus. Look for bright planet in the early evening sky, continuing its march them low in the east. The time interval between through Taurus, near the horns of the Bull in the western Astronomical Twilight and sunrise grows 24 minutes sky. The stars of winter are sinking into the western twilight. from this morning through mid-June. While Venus is Sirius disappears this month. What is the last date that you rising at the same time interval before sunrise for the see it? Farther east at the end of evening twilight, Regulus is next month, it appears in a brighter sky. About an hour well-past the meridian. The Big Dipper is high in the north, after sunset, look for Mars 4.5° to the lower left of with the arc of its handle pointing toward Arcturus which is Elnath. As the New Moon approaches, consider looking over half-way up in the east-southeast. Spica is lower in the for the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51, NGC 5194) and its east-southeast. Vega, a harbinger of the summer season, is companion NGC 5195. The galaxy is 3.5° southwest of low in the northeast. Eta Ursae Majoris (η UMa, m = 1.8) in Canes Venatici. After the end of evening twilight early in the month, the • May 1: At the beginning of morning twilight (about 4 a.m. galaxy is about 10° from the zenith, east of the meridian. CDT), bright Jupiter (m = −2.5), retrograding in southern It transits around midnight. The galaxy is a fine example Ophiuchus, is 25° up in the south, a few degrees west of of a spiral galaxy seen face on, showing its spiral features. the meridian. Antares (α Sco, m = 1.0) is over 14° to The galaxy, at magnitude 8, is visible through a binocular Jupiter’s lower right. Saturn, 22° up in the south- as a small, hazy cloud. In his book Deep Sky Wonders, southeast, is nearly 27° to the east of Jupiter. It is Walter Scott Houston asks, “What is the smallest retrograding in eastern Sagittarius. The Ringed Wonder aperture needed to see the galaxy’s spiral shape?” In rises at about 1 a.m. CDT. Forty-five minutes before the book, a compilation of magazine articles, his sunrise, the waning crescent moon (26.2 days old, 12% observers report a variety of apertures, and observing illuminated) is 3° up in the east, 13° to the right of Venus locations and conditions. From your observing site, what is the smallest aperture needed to see the spiral nature (m = −3.8). At local noon the sun crosses the meridian of the galaxy? The globular cluster M3 (NGC 5272) is nearly 65° up. In the evening sky, Mars is 26° up in the farther south in the constellation. The cluster is about west, 45 minutes after sunset. It is 4.7° to the lower left the same angular diameter as M51, but is 2 magnitudes of Elnath (β Tau, m = 1.6), the northern horn of Taurus. brighter. Clearly visible through a binocular, the cluster is By the time that Mars sets, a few minutes after 11 p.m., 3.3° northwest of 9 Bootis (9 Boo, m = 5.0) – although Jupiter is just above the southeastern horizon. only one magnitude brighter than the cluster – and 12°

Vol. 44, No. 5 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers May 2019

northwest of Arcturus (α Boo, m = −0.1). The cluster • May 4: The moon reaches its New phase at 5:45 p.m. may have over 45,000 stars. Mapping globular clusters, CDT. About an hour after sunset, Mars (m = 1.7) is 4.3° nearly a century ago, helped determine the direction of to the lower left of Elnath. The separation is about the the center of the Milky Way and help determine the age same as last night, but Mars is slightly higher in the sky of the globular cluster family. In his Celestial Handbook, compared to the star. Robert Burnham describes M3, “Large telescopes show • May 5: If you’re awake in the middle of the night, an incredible swarm of countless star images, massing to Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is predicted to transit the a wonderful central blaze, with glittering streams of stars planet’s disk at 12:50 a.m. CDT. Use at least 100x to see running out all sides” (p. 363). He compares the it. At the beginning of morning twilight, Jupiter, now characteristics of M3 to those of M13 (NGC 6205) in rising before 11 p.m. CDT, is 25° up, about 5° west of the Hercules. Further the variable stars in M3 were used to meridian. Saturn is about 17° up in the south-southeast, determine the distance to the cluster, indicating the nearly 27° east of Jupiter. Thirty minutes before sunrise, cluster’s distance is about 35,000 light years. The Venus is 5° up in the east. While low in the sky, Venus apparent size and the distance combine to indicate that displays a morning gibbous phase that is 11” across. This the diameter of the cluster is over 100 light years across evening’s observing challenge is viewing a very young with a total luminosity of over 160,000 suns. M3, M13, crescent moon (1.1d, 1%). Thirty minutes after sunset, and M5 (NGC 5904), 23° southeast of Arcturus with a look with a binocular about 3.5° above the west- declination of +2.0, are bright clusters north of the northwest horizon. About an hour after sunset, Mars is celestial equator. For those with a large aperture less than 25° up in the west-northwest, 4.3° to the lower telescope, investigate the “Realm of the Galaxies,” a left of Elnath. It is below a line that connects Elnath with region of the sky, not blocked by the traffic jam of the Zeta Tauri (ζ Tau, m = 3.0), Taurus’ southern horn. stars, dust clouds, and nebulae of the Milky Way from • May 6: Forty-five minutes after sunset, the crescent Virgo to Coma Berenices. Houston describes part of the moon (2.1d, 5%), 11° up in the west-northwest, is 2.2° to region, “In the western part of Virgo, galaxies are the upper right of Aldebaran (α Tau, m = 0.8). The moon crowded like a confusion of silver sands” (p. 137). The is nearly 14° below Mars. An hour after sunset, locate region has 3C 273, the first quasar observed. To place it Mars between Elnath and Zeta Tauri, 4.5° to the lower in the sky, 3C 273 is about 4.7° to the upper right of left of Elnath and 3.4° to the upper right of the southern Gamma Virginis (γ Vir, m = 3.4) and 3° to the lower left horn. The planet is 2.3° to the upper right of the Crab of M61 (NGC 4303, m = 10, angular size 6.5’). While the Nebula (M1, NGC 1952). While not well placed for galaxy (M61) is dim, it is face on. The quasar is 13th viewing, Mars passes this historical supernova remnant magnitude. Remember it has no extended features; it this evening. (Continued next page.) looks like a star. If 3C 273 were about 30 light years away,

the reference distance used to compare the luminosity of hot celestial objects, it would appear brighter than the THROWBACK THURSDAY sun appears in our daytime sky. We cannot leave the ~ provided by Bob Finnigan ~ region without noting M87 (NGC, 4486), the galaxy with the black hole that was recently described in the popular The OBSERVER, October 1975 press with the release of a colorized radio map of the galaxy’s dense, central core. The galaxy is about 10° east of Denebola (β Leo, m = 2.1) , with nearby galactic neighbors, M84 (NGC 4374), M86 (NGC 4406), and M89 (NGC 4559). The quartet is composed of elliptical galaxies, all about 2’ in diameter and about 9th magnitude. M87 itself resembles a very dense globular cluster that is surrounded by dozens of globular clusters that are tiny in apparent size compared to the galaxy. The galaxy is very luminous, a source of radio energy and other wavelengths, and known to have an optical jet, visible in large scopes. • May 3: At morning Civil Twilight, Venus is 5° up in the east. An hour after sunset, Mars is 4.3° to the lower left of Elnath.

Vol. 44, No. 5 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers May 2019

watch it cover and uncover 7th magnitude stars on the southern part of the cluster until about midnight. Mars is over 20° up in the west-northwest, 3.7° to the upper right of Zeta Tauri. • May 11: The moon reaches its First Quarter phase at 8:12 p.m. CDT. One hour after sunset, the moon (7.1d, 50%) is high in the southwest, 8.9° to the lower right of Regulus (α Leo, m = 1.3). Mars is 4.0° to the upper right of Zeta Tauri. It is approaching 5th magnitude 132 Tauri. Tonight, it is 0.4° to the lower right of the star. Tomorrow evening, it is 0.3° to the upper left of the star. Mars sets 3 hours after sunset and Jupiter rises before 10:30 p.m. CDT. • May 12: Shortly after midnight the moon (7.3d, 52%), over 20° up in the west, is 7.3° to the lower right of Regulus. Jupiter, 14° up in the southeast, is nearly 14° to the lower left of Antares. One hour after sunset, the moon (8.1d, 62%) is 6.2° to the upper right of Regulus. At the same time, Mars is 4.5° to the upper right of Zeta Tauri. May 6, 1 hour after sunset. The waxing crescent moon is 2.2° • May 13: The moon is closest to Earth at 4:53 p.m. CDT. to the upper right of Aldebaran about an hour after sunset. An hour after sunset, the moon (9.1d, 73%), nearly 60° Mars is between the horns of Taurus, above the moon. up in the south, is 8.5° to the lower right of Denebola– the tail of Leo. Mars is 4.9° to the upper right of Zeta • May 7: An hour after sunset, the moon (3.1d, 11%) is Tauri. 0.3° to the lower left of Zeta Tauri. Mars is 3.3° to the • May 14: One hour after sunset, the moon (10.1d, 83%) is upper right of the star. nearly 6° to the upper right of Gamma Virginis. At the • May 8: At the beginning of morning twilight, morning same time, Mars is over 5° to the upper right of Zeta planets Jupiter and Saturn are about 27° apart. In bright Tauri. The planet sets before 11 p.m. CDT. twilight this morning, Venus rises at azimuth 80°. About • May 15: At the beginning of morning twilight (about an hour after sunset, the waxing crescent moon (4.1d, 3:35 a.m. CDT), the moon (10.4d, 84%), 5° up in the west, 18%), 34° up in the west, is 3.3° to the upper left of Mu is 2.8° to the right of Gamma Virginis. Jupiter is about Geminorum (μ Gem, m = 2.8). Tonight, the moon sets 25° up in the south, noticeably past the meridian. The before midnight. Mars is 3.3° to the upper right of Zeta planet passes 1.6° above 44 Ophiuchi (44 Oph, m = 4.2). Tauri. Saturn, about 24° up in the south-southeast, is nearly • May 9: About an hour after sunset, the crescent moon 28° east of Jupiter. Thirty minutes before sunrise, Venus (5.1d, 28%) is 6.9° to the lower left of Pollux (β Gem, m = is 4° up, nearly 10° north of east. When the sun crosses 1.2). Mars is lower in the western sky, 3.4° to the upper the meridian (local noon, at nearly 1 p.m. CDT, because right of Zeta Tauri. of Daylight Saving Time), it is over 67° up in the sky. One • May 10: At the beginning of morning twilight, Jupiter, hour after sunset, the moon (11.1d, 90%) is over 8° retrograding in southern Ophiuchus, is 25° up in the above Spica (α Vir, m = 1.0). At the same time, Mars, 18° south, over 5° west of the meridian. Saturn, up in the west-northwest, is about 6° above Zeta Tauri. retrograding in eastern Sagittarius, is over 27° east of Jupiter rises in the southeast a few minutes after 10 p.m. Jupiter. Saturn is 23° up in the south-southeast. Thirty CDT, just clearing the horizon before Mars sets in the minutes before sunrise, brilliant Venus, immersed in west. Can you find them simultaneously? As usual with bright twilight, is about 5° up in the eastern sky. Venus’ these visual challenges, you’ll need a clear horizon and a azimuth each morning is moving northward (decreasing) binocular. about 2° every three days. Through a telescope it is 90% illuminated and 11” across. An hour after sunset, the At mid-month, bright Jupiter and Saturn gleam from moon (6.1d, 39%) is nearly 50° up in the south- the southern sky as morning twilight begins. Golden-orange southwest. It is immersed in the southern Beehive Antares adds to the view from the south-southwest, with a cluster (M44, NGC 2632). As the sky darkens further nearly full moon hanging low in the west. Bright Arcturus

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shines from nearly half-way up in the west. The Big Dipper sunset, the moon (14.1d, 100%), 9° up in the southeast, seems to be sweeping down from the northwestern sky. Its is 3.2° above Graffias (β Sco, m = 2.5). Mars is in the circumpolar companion Cassiopeia is in the northeast. The western sky, 2.6° to the right of Eta Geminorum. Look at Summer Triangle – Vega, Deneb, and Altair – are high in the Mars with a binocular, it is 0.5° to the lower right of the eastern sky. Venus is making its final showing as a morning closely packed open cluster NGC 2158 that is in close planet as it seems to dance northward along the eastern proximity to M35 (NGC 2168), one of those pesky open horizon during bright morning twilight. Mercury, near its clusters in Gemini that is sometimes difficult to identify superior conjunction, is only 7° west of the sun, hiding in in the busy Milky Way star field. Astronomy Picture of the sun’s brilliant glare. In the evening sky at the end of the Day featured the pair of clusters in 2013. (See twilight, Spica appears east of the meridian. Farther west http://bit.ly/m35stars) Leo is about halfway up in the southwest. The Winter Arc – Procyon, Pollux, Castor, and Capella – is making its final showing of the season low in the western sky. Scorpius appears to be climbing into the southeastern sky. Its claws, now the two brightest stars of Libra (Zubenelgenubi and Zubeneschamali) and head, are just above the horizon. Antares opposition date is in early June. Vega sparkles in the northeast sky and Deneb is now clear of the northeast horizon. Mars has been the lone evening planet for several months, and it is now slowly giving way to Jupiter and Saturn. Natural darkness, the time from the end of evening twilight to the beginning of morning twilight, lasts only 5 hours, 35 minutes, less than half of December’s length.

May 19-23, 1 hour before sunrise. The moon moves through • May 16: At the beginning of morning twilight, the moon the morning planets in the southern sky. (11.4d, 92%), 10° up in the west, is nearly 7° to the upper right of Spica. Arcturus is nearly 35° up in the west, • May 19: At the beginning of morning twilight, the moon above the moon and Spica. At one hour after sunset, the (14.4d, 100%) is 1.7° above Graffias and over 18° to the moon (12.1d, 96%) is over 11° to the left of Spica. At the right of Jupiter. During bright twilight, 30 minutes before same time, Mars, 18° up in the west, appears in Gemini, sunrise, Venus continues its northward trek, 4° up in the 3.6° to the lower right of Eta Geminorum (η Gem, m = east-northeast. One hour after sunset, Mars is 2.3° 3.3). Saturn is now rising before midnight, making three above Eta Geminorum and 0.4° to the lower right of M35. bright planets visible after sunset, but not At 11 p.m. CDT, the moon (15.2d, 98%) is nearly 7° to the simultaneously. upper right of Jupiter and almost 9° to the left of Antares • May 17: If you’re awake in the middle of the night, in the southeastern sky. Just before midnight, Saturn (m Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is predicted to transit at 12:42 = 0.3) is about 6° up in the southeast. a.m. CDT. At the beginning of morning twilight, the moon (12.4d, 97%), 15° up in the west-southwest, is nearly 14° to the upper left of Spica. Venus rises at azimuth 75°, still appearing farther north each morning during bright morning twilight. One hour after sunset, the moon (13.1d, 99%), nearly 20° up in the southeast, is between Zubenelgenubi (α Lib, m = 2.8) and Zubeneschamali (β Lib, m = 2.6). At the same time, Mars is 3.2° to the lower right of Eta Geminorum. Mars reaches its maximum northerly declination for this apparition. • May 18: At the beginning of morning twilight, the moon May 20, 1 hour after sunset. Procyon, Pollux, Castor, and (13.4d, 100%), 19° up in the southwest, is 5.2° to the Capella – the Winter Arc – seemingly make their last stand upper left of Zebenelgenubi. Thirty minutes before in the western sky before they disappear into the sun’s sunrise, Venus is 4° up in the east-northeast. The moon glare. Mars appears at the feet of Gemini. reaches its Full phase at 4:11 p.m. CDT. One hour after

Vol. 44, No. 5 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers May 2019

• May 20: At the beginning of morning twilight, the moon 2.1° to the upper right of Mu Geminorum. It sets at (15.4d, 98%) is 4.6° to the right of Jupiter. The Giant about 10:45 p.m. CDT. Jupiter rises in the southeast planet is 24° up in the south-southwest. Saturn is before 9:30 p.m. CDT, and Saturn follows nearly 2 hours farther east, nearly at the same altitude, 28° from Jupiter. later. Both planets continue to retrograde, Jupiter in • May 26: At the beginning of morning twilight, the nearly Ophiuchus and Saturn in Sagittarius. One hour after half-full moon (21.4d, 53%) is nearly 15° up in the sunset, Mars, nearly 17° up in the west-northwest, is 3° southeast among the dim stars of Aquarius. The moon to the lower right of Mu Geminorum and 0.3° above reaches apogee at 8:27 a.m. CDT and displays its Last M35. The arc of bright Winter stars, Procyon, Pollux, Quarter phase at 11:34 a.m. CDT. One hour after sunset, Castor, and Capella seem to be making their last stand Mars is 2.4° to the upper right of Mu Geminorum. from the approaching summer season. As I visualize • May 27: At the beginning of twilight, the thick waning them, the stick figures of Gemini stand vertically in the crescent moon (22.4d, 44%) is 10° up in the east- western sky with Mars near their feet. At 11 p.m. CDT, southeast in the center of Aquarius. One hour after the moon (16.2d, 94%), nearly 7° up in the southeast, is sunset, Mars is 2.6° to the lower right of Epsilon 6.5° to the lower left of Jupiter. Geminorum (ε Gem, m = 3.0). • May 21: At the beginning of morning twilight, the moon • May 28: At the beginning of morning twilight, locate (16.4d, 93%), 25° up in the south, is 8.2° to the left of Jupiter in the south-southwest. It is 1.4° south of Xi Jupiter. If you haven’t seen Venus, it’s about 4° up in the Ophiuchi (ξ Oph, m = 4.4). About 45 minutes before east-northeast about 30 minutes before sunrise. sunrise, the moon (23.4d, 34%) is 19° up in the east- Mercury is at its superior conjunction at 8:07 a.m. CDT. southeast near the Aquarius-Pisces border. The moon is One hour after sunset, Mars is 2.6° to the above Mu in Aquarius for the third morning. An hour after sunset, Geminorum. Mars, 14° up in the west-northwest, is 2° below Epsilon • May 22: At the beginning of morning twilight, the Geminorum. Mercury is beginning an apparition that has waning gibbous moon (17.4d, 87%), 25° up in the south, an elongation of over 25° in late June. Begin looking for is over 7° to the lower right of Saturn and 3.1° above it very low in the west-northwest about 30 minutes after Nunki (σ Sgr, m = 2.0), the star at top of the handle in sunset. the Teapot of Sagittarius. One hour after sunset, Mars • May 29: Forty-five minutes before sunrise, the waning nearly makes an equilateral triangle with Eta crescent moon (24.4d, 25%) is 15° up in the east- Geminorum and Mu Geminorum with sides that are southeast, among the twilight-washed stars of Cetus. nearly 2° long. About 30 minutes after sunset, Mercury (m = −1.3) is • May 23: At the beginning of morning twilight, the about 4° up in the west-northwest. One hour after waning gibbous moon (18.4d, 80%), 23° up in the south- sunset, Mars (m = 1.8) is 1.5° below Epsilon Geminorum. southeast, is 5.5° to the lower left of Saturn. One hour • May 30: Forty-five minutes before sunrise, the waning after sunset, Mars, nearly 16° up in the west-northwest, crescent moon (25.4d, 17%) is nearly 11° up in the east. is 2° to the upper right of Mu Geminorum. About 30 minutes after sunset, Mercury (m = −1.2) is • May 24: At the beginning of morning twilight, the moon about 4.5° up in the west-northwest. One hour after (19.4d, 72%), 21° up in the southeast, is nearly 8° to the sunset, Mars, 13° up in the west-northwest, is 1° to the lower left of Beta Capricorni (β Cap, m = 3.0). Farther lower left of Epsilon Geminorum. west, Jupiter, 2° north of Theta Ophiuchi (θ Oph, m = • May 31: At the beginning of morning twilight, Jupiter is 3.2), continues to retrograde in southern Ophiuchus. 22° up in the south-southwest, retrograding in southern One hour after sunset, Mars, 15° up in the west- Ophiuchus. Saturn is farther east, about 10° east of the northwest, is 1.9° to the upper right of Mu Geminorum. meridian. It is retrograding in eastern Sagittarius. Thirty • May 25: At the beginning of morning twilight, the minutes before sunrise, the waning crescent moon waning gibbous moon (20.4d, 63%), 18° up in the (25.5d, 17%) is about 13° up in the east, nearly 28° to the southeast, is 4.6° to the right of Delta Capricorni (δ Cap, upper right of Venus, 4° up in the east-northeast. The m = 2.8). Farther west, Jupiter and Saturn’s position are sun crosses the meridian at local noon, over 70° up in nearly equally spaced from the meridian, Jupiter to the the south, only 2° shy of its summer solstice altitude. west and Saturn, east. Both planets continue to About 30 minutes after sunset, Mercury (m = −1.1) is retrograde. Venus rises at azimuth 70°. Through a about 5° up in the west-northwest. One hour after telescope it is 93% illuminated and 10.7” across. Look sunset, Mars, about 13° up in the west-northwest, is 1.1° for it in the east-northeast during bright twilight. One to the lower left of Epsilon Geminorum. At the same hour after sunset, Mars, 15° up in the west-northwest, is time, Jupiter is only about 2° up in the southeast. Mars

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sets about 10:30 p.m. CDT, at about the end of evening darkens, Mercury is headed toward its largest greatest twilight, when Jupiter is about 12° up in the southeast. evening elongation of the year, but because of lingering Saturn follows Jupiter across the southeast horizon twilight, it sets nearly 30 minutes before the end of evening about 30 minutes after Mars sets. twilight. Now it is low in the west-northwest. At the end of evening twilight, about 10:30 p.m. CDT, golden Arcturus and At month’s end at the beginning of morning twilight, bluish Spica are now past the meridian. Leo, with Regulus, about 3:15 a.m. CDT, the sky matches the early evening in is pointed downward toward the western horizon mirrored mid-August. The Milky Way, arches from the southern by the Big Dipper high above the celestial lion. In the east, horizon, then high in the east through the Summer Triangle, the Summer Triangle is low in the sky, with Altair now above and into the north-northeast horizon. Vega is approaching the eastern horizon, a celestial beacon that summer is near. the zenith. Sagittarius and Scorpius stand on opposite sides Farther south along the horizon, Jupiter is low in the of the meridian, with Jupiter and Saturn nearby. Both southeast to the lower left of Antares. Saturn is not yet planets continue to retrograde. Jupiter is only 10 days away above the horizon, rising at about 11:15 p.m. By the end of from its opposition and Saturn follows a month later. twilight Mars is out of the sky, setting about 2.3 hours after Jupiter retrograded along the ecliptic nearly 3° during the the sun. month, while Saturn moved westward over 2°. As the sky

PUBLIC VIEWING SESSION SCHEDULE FOR 2019

May 11: Spectra – Stories the Stars Tell (Tim Stone) 8:30-10:30 PM The light from stars illuminates everything in the universe. How do we know what those stars are made of? We will look at the spectra of stars, to learn how we understand stellar composition, and how spectra have enabled us to discover hundreds of exoplanets.

June 8: Telescopes – Why do Astronomers Need Them? (Carl Wenning) 8:45-10:45 PM It seems like astronomers are forever building bigger and bigger telescopes. Even amateur astronomers like us want ever bigger telescopes. We will answer the questions of what telescopes do for astronomers, and how they work.

July 13: A History of Women in Astronomy (Lisa Wentzel) 9:00-11:00 PM Women have a centuries-long history of direct involvement in astronomy. For much of that, they were given little, if any, credit for their marvelous discoveries. We will explore some of important women in the history of astronomy and learn how historical attitudes are changing in the current world.

August 10: Meteor Showers – There’s More Than One (Mark Cabaj) 8:30-10:30 PM The famous Perseid Meteor Shower peaks in a few days, but the moon will be nearly full. Will you have to wait until next August to see a meteor shower? Learn about other great meteor showers, when they are visible, and what you can expect to see.

September 07: Your First Telescope – Binoculars? (Mark Cabaj) 8:00-10:00 PM Virtually every serious amateur astronomer owns a pair of binoculars. If you’re thinking about getting a telescope for yourself, or for a Christmas gift, we will tell you what to look for, how to use them for rewarding astronomy, and why you’ll use them longer than any other telescope you’ll ever own.

October 05: Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto – Two Planets, or Three? (Mark & Nataya Boulware) 7:00-9:00 PM We spend a lot of time looking at the inner planets, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Few have ever seen Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. October presents a great opportunity to see all three in one night. We will learn about them, and hopefully have a look at them!

Vol. 44, No. 5 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers May 2019

TCAA CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR 2019

Date Event Coordinator(s) Location Times

May 3-5 NCRAL 2019 Popular Astronomy Club Moline, IL Fri. PM – Sun. AM May 11 Public Viewing Session Tim Stone SGNC 8:45 – 10:45PM June 8 Public Viewing Session Carl Wenning SGNC 9:00 – 11:00 PM July 9 Public Viewing Session Lisa Wentzel SGNC 9:00 – 11:00 PM July 13 TCAA Membership Social Carl Wenning TBD TBD July 25-29 ALCon 2019 (tour & cruise) Astronomical League Kennedy Space Ctr/Cruise All day August 10 Public Viewing Session Mark Cabaj SGNC 8:30 – 10:30 PM Sept 7 Public Viewing Session Mark Cabaj SGNC 8:00 – 10:00 PM Sept 21 Cen IL Astronomy Jamboree Carl Wenning SGNC/Waynesville Obsv Afternoon/evening Sept 26-28 Illinois Dark Sky Star Party Sangamon Astro Society Jim Edgar/Panther Creek All day October 5 Public Viewing Session Mark & Nataya Boulware SGNC 7:00 – 9:00 PM Oct-Nov ? Intro to Amateur Astronomy Carl Wenning SGNC TBD Dec 4 TCAA Presents to PAS Carl Wenning/Tim Stone Riverfront Museum 7:30 PM

ASTROBITS (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5)

ó While at NEAF in early April, Carl Wenning talked with Astronomical League President Ron Kramer. Last summer, Carl turned over a crate of back issues of Reflector magazine donated the Sharon MacDonald. Carl asked Ron if last year’s donation had any impact on resolving the problem of finding five missing issues. Ron noted most thankfully that Sharon’s contribution provided 3 of the 5 lost issues. Well done Sharon! ó On April 20th Bob Finnigan reported, “At 7 last night I returned [to PSO] and started the focus of the 14-inch [telescope]. I used Sirius to get a guider focus then centered Sirius and did a sync. I then focused with main QHY 168 CAMERA using the 11-inch Bahtinov screen. I went to an area [in Leo] close to the meridian and took several pictures. The picture verified that we now have main camera focus, guider focus, and calibration. The mount is working well.” ó Carl Wenning has been informed that the TCAA has received $250 in funding from a source (to be announced later) that will assist with the presentation of a September and/or October Introduction to Amateur Astronomy course. The three- evening event has proven quite popular in the past and has also been a significant source of new members for the club. This time around the cost of the printed materials will be paid for by the $250 allocation allowing for a significant reduction in the course fee. The course will include a printed book (TCAA Guide #1), classes, optional observing sessions, a one-year membership in the TCAA, and follow-up training in the use of the Sugar Grove Observatory and its 11” CPC “goto” telescope. Stay tuned for details. ó Bob Finnigan recently shared this July 27, 1978 photograph. It shows a youthful Tim Stone (left) assisting Peoria Astronomical Society’s Art Grebner who stands astride his home-built 20” telescope. The image was taken during a TCAA gathering at the home of Nancy Schultz between Downs and Heyworth. A clipping from the August 1978 issue of The OBSERVER noted that 11 days before, “[on] July 16, Robert Finnigan, Gary Rosenbaum, Tim Stone, Eugene Sutton, and Weldon Schuette attended an observing party at Art Grebner’s home near Metamora. Several members of the Peoria club were also there. Viewing was very good through Mr. Grebner’s masterpiece – his 20” reflecting telescope. The M-51 galaxy as well as others showed beautifully.”

Vol. 44, No. 5 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers May 2019

ó Ernest Finnigan (Bob’s brother) reported on April 25th that the DeWitt County Board had just voted down for a request to install a wind farm south of where Waynesville Observatory is located. That’s good news for the TCAA because the presence of dozens of flashing red lights at night immediately south of Waynesville Observatory represented an existential threat! It appears now that the wind farm proposal is now all but dead. ó The quarterly TCAA Social was held at the ISU Planetarium on Saturday, April 27th. Lee Green wrote by way of summary that, “Tom [Willmitch] opened the ISU Planetarium for the club’s Spring social gathering. He showed the excellent Incoming! presentation. Tom’s under-the-dome sky tour was a fun way to learn about the planetarium projector and the many improvements made to its capabilities in recent years. 11 members attended and several went to Tobin’s afterwards.” In addition to Lee and Tom, the following club members and guests were in attendance: Sunil and daughter Shloka Chebolu and their friends Devanand Chatrathi and his 7-year-old son Vikhyath Chatrathi (about both of whom Sunil remarked, “It was their first time at the planetarium and they loved it), Paul Pouliot, Justin Meyer, Brian Barling, Tony Cellini, Dave Osenga, and Allan Griffith. Paul, Brian, and Dave went to Tobin’s for dinner. ó So that everyone knows what future events we might be involved with at SGNC, be certain to review the latest issue of SGNC’s Nature of the Grove newsletter at http://www.sugargrovenaturecenter.org/nl/SGNC%20AprMayJun%202019.pdf ó Former TCAA member Allan Griffith and Carl Wenning examined Allan’s 17.5” Coulter Odyssey telescope on April 29th in an effort to revive it. It has been stored in a barn near Lake Bloomington for the past several years. Carl and Allan worked together to clean the primary and secondary mirrors and roughly collimate the instrument awaiting the use of a laser collimator.

TCAA TREASURER’S REPORT AS OF APRIL 29, 2019

Checking Account Information

Memo Category Amount Balance as of 3/29/2019 835.33 Insurance Insurance, Bus (154.00) Kristi Curry Dues Received 25.13 Electrical Service Waynesville Observatory (57.36) Troy Berg Dues Received 39.80 Scott Wade Dues Received 40.00 Scott Wade Donation 100.00 Sunil Chebolu Dues Received 39.80 Lloyd Mason Dues Received 25.13 Balance as of 4/29/2019 893.83

Checking Account Balance – April 29, 2019 $893.83 Savings Account Balance – April 29, 2019 $2,517.68 - Includes $0.03 cents interest as of this date

Total TCAA Funds – April 29, 2019 $3,411.51

All transactions are reconciled with the bank statements as of this date.

Respectfully submitted, Dave Osenga, Treasurer

Vol. 44, No. 5 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers May 2019

RENEWING YOUR TCAA MEMBERSHIP

The TCAA works to promote in every way among its members and the public an interest in and knowledge of astronomy and its allied sciences, to advance amateur astronomy and observational techniques, to render assistance to other individuals or organizations working in the same or related fields, and to do everything necessary and proper to further such on a formal or informal basis. The TCAA is a Federally recognized non-profit entity organized exclusively for education and scientific purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service code. The TCAA currently supports family friendly public observing sessions at SGNC, public outreach events such as the recent May 9, 2016 transit of Mercury and the August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse field trip, hosting of NCRAL meetings (2010 and 2016), September mini conferences, and education courses for our membership and the public. The TCAA maintains three observatories including payment of insurance and publishes an award-winning club newsletter. We support Sugar Grove Nature Center through their membership program, maintain a loaner telescope program, and provide many other benefits as outlined in TCAA Guide #2 – Membership and Benefits. Your TCAA membership supports education and public outreach in Central Illinois and regions beyond. Membership dues and the generosity of its members are the club’s primary means of financial support. We receive no grants or public funds. We have unmet needs. By renewing your membership when it comes due, you can help to ensure our continuing efforts.

TCAA ACTIVE ON FACEBOOK

Did you know that the TCAA is on Facebook? We encourage users of social media to follow the TCAA to see what the club is doing and to learn about nightly events that only require the observer to step outdoors and view with the unaided eye. You can find us on Facebook by searching either TCAA or Twin City Amateur Astronomers. If you haven’t followed TCAA’s Face-book page, you have missed out on a lot during the past couple of months.