FirstLight Newsletter of the Alachua Astronomy Club
29° 39' N,82°21'W May 1995
Upcoming Monthly Events
Next Meeting — Tuesday, May 9 University of Florida. Topic: "Can Observations Live Forever? — The • 7:00 p.m. Executive Council Meets. Astonishing Case of Beta Lyrae." • 7:30 p.m. Business Meeting. Synopsis: Dr. Wilson's talk will discuss • 8:00 p.m. Speaker: ProTessor Robert E. one of the best known eclipsing binaries, Wilson, Department oT Astronomy, Beta Lyrae, and the role amateurs have played observing this star.
North Central Florida's Amateur Astronomy Club. Meets second Tuesday June Meeting — Tuesday, June 13 of each month, 7:30 p.m., Doyle Conner • 7:00 p.m. Executive Council Meets. Building, S.W. 34th Street at S.W. 20th • 7:30 p.m. Business Meeting. Avenue, Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida. General public and beginning star- • 8:00 p.m. Speaker: TBA gazers invited to all meetings, star parties and club events. No equipment needed. Upcoming Star Parties Call a club officer for more information. • May 13 (Saturday night). Arrive President Robert Jacobs Alachua (462-4558) before 7:00 pm EDT. Kanapah Vice-President Mark Cowan Botanical Gardens Moonlight Walk Gainesville (375-2564) (7:00-11:00 p.m.). Full Moon. Bring Treasurer Doug Richards telescopes for public. Free admission Gainesville (332-4317) for AAC members. See related story Publicity Pamela Mydock inside by Dave Godman. Lochloosa (481-5238) Star Parties Bruno Pancorbo • May 27 (Saturday night) Meet at Gainesville (373-0279) sunset, (8:22 p.m. EDT; sunrise 6:31 FirstlJght Chuck Broward a.m.). Observing location Bob Jacobs' Editors Melrose (475-1014) house (see map inside). No moonlight Howard Cohen Gainesville (376-5833) (two days before new moon). • June 3 (Saturday night). Rain date if World Wide Web Home Page at URL weather poor on May 27. Five day old http;//nervm.nerdc,ufl.edu/~cohenba waxing crescent sets near midnight. -P> FirstLight: Newsletter of the Alachua Astronomy Club Page 2
Minutes: April 11 Meeting — Mark Cowan
We set the next star party date: novice astronomers, to increase club Saturday May 27. Rain date: Saturday participation and membership. A lesson June 3. Location: Bob Jacobs' house. period before star parties was discussed. Time: sundown. Bruno Pancorbo passed a sign-up Howard Cohen has scheduled sheet for those interested in observing speakers from t h e astronomy department at Watermelon Pond (usually late, on at UF tonight, for July, September, and new-moon weekends.) Call Bruno to get probably October. Tor August Pam directions at 373-0279. Mydoc will speak on the Perseids. We need a program for June. Videos of "The Dave Godman will be hosting a Astronomers," by PBS are available. program for a Brownie troop, May 5 or Also a video from the Discovery channel May 12. Call him at 377-9631, if you can about Dwell observatory's one hundredth give some time on this Friday evening anniversary is available. program. We have a standing invitation to the Saturday, May 6th is Astronomy Day. Moonlight Walk at Kanapaha Howard needs articles for the Botanical Gardens. We will be calling newsletter. E-Mail is the most club members with the date. convenient way to send them. Ryan Loftus won honors in the state Bob Jacobs spoke of his concern that science fair at Bradenton, winning fifth a planned cement plant near Newberry in the state, junior division, Earth will pollute his sky with light (at least). sciences category. Lie brought his project I Ie urged members to sign a petition, and on the measuring the diameter of the Sun voice our concerns as an astronomy club. using simple observing tools. $ Bob Jacobs talked about how to reach
Get Published! Howard Cohen
FirstLight needs writers, liver want to 1501 N.W. 28 St., Gainesville, FL publish an international best seller? Write 32605-5037. Use at least 12 point type; an article Tor FirstLight and we will also print dark. Better, e-mail material to him put it on the AAC's Web site Tor all the [email protected]. world to read! (Go to AAC's home page Other recommendations. Do not split at hltp.7/nervm.nerdc.uH.edu/~cohenba: words between lines (i.e., no hyphen- then jump to FirstLight. You will see ation) or indent new paragraphs (use a articles already published in past issues.) single blank line between paragraphs). Deadline Tor submission is two weeks Use a single space between sentences. after each monthly meeting. Send all 'Thanks to those who submitted material material to Howard I.. Cohen, Editor, Tor this issue. Q FirstLight: Newsletter of the Alachua Astronomy Club Page 5
Light Speed — Howard Cohen Elsewhere in this newsletter, George won't see the Sun go out for eight Russell, reflects on the "vastness of minutes! This latter number is the space." George notes that the light year is approximate light travel time for one AU. useful for simplifying measurements of Remember it and you can quickly figure long distances. He adds that he is also travel times to the planets at light speed. "quite comfortable with the light year." For example, when Voyager 2 passed While I agree that a light year is a simple through Saturn's ring system, this giant unit to use when giving large astro- planet was about 10 AU from the Earth. nomical distances, I'm not sure I can Earth-bound humans waited about 80 easily comprehend vast stellar distances. minutes before the radio signal arrived to Indeed, sci-fi episodes on TV or in the say, "Hey, I'm OK." movies almost seem to shrink astro- nomical distances down to a short hop. Now mind-boggle yourself and realize that Pluto, usually the outermost planet, Not withstanding warp drives (whatever creeps around the edge of the solar they are), consider light speed for a system 40 AU from the Sun. Therefore, if moment. During each second, radiation you leave the Earth on a spaceship (e.g., light or radio) travels about traveling at the speed of light, you will 186,000 miles. That's a bit fast for most still need over five hours to reach the earthlings to comprehend. Yet, this outer limits of our planetary system! incredible speed shrinks in comparison to Fortunately, as many FirstLight readers astronomical distances. The Moon is know (see the April issue), Pluto is 240,000 miles from Earth (more or less). presently near its closest point to the Sun, Simple division shows that radiation only 30 AU away! So, now is the time to requires about 1.3 seconds to travel an get out your old light-speed space buggy Earth-Moon distance. Make a call your for a journey to this small, cold world. Go moon buddies. Note that it takes nearly now and you will shorten your trip by three seconds to answer your hello even nearly 90 minutes! if they respond immediately! Back home, have you talked to anyone overseas For stay-at-home folks who have no lately? Today, long distance telephone speedy space buggies, remember this is often goes by communication satellites the season to see Pluto, our outermost about 22,000 miles up. Round trip time is planet. Pluto reaches opposition on May about one second, long enough to confuse 20. Shinning at magnitude +13.7, Pluto is long distance conversations when both bright enough to see in moderate size parties try to talk at nearly the same time! telescopes (8-in.?). Yes, dark, clear skies and some patience required. But give it Now consider old Sol 93 million miles the astronomer's try in the next several away, a distance called an astronomical weeks. Remember, we are the first unit (AU). Divide the Earth—Sun distance humans in history to witness Pluto near by light speed and discover sunlight its perihelion to the Sun. And don't needs over eight minutes to reach the forget, Pluto won't be this close or bright Earth. Pull the Sun's "plug" and you Tor nearly 250 years! <> FirstLight: Newsletter of the Alachua Astronomy Club Page 6
Star Party at Robert Jacobs — Bruno Pancorbo
Seems like the Florida weather did it 11:00 p.m. we had to pack after some again. Even tough the clouds went away dew started to form in the instruments. about 9:00 p.m., there was some haze For me this was a special star party that stayed all night with us that because I was trying out my new eye decreased the transparency and increased pieces — a 8.8 mm UWA Meade and a the light pollution problem. 24.5 mm SWA Meade — but as I said We did not have many people this time. earlier the sky was not very good, so I Only five members of the club were have to wait Tor the next star party to test present (Dale, Dave, Robert, Michael, them. By the way if anybody is selling a and myself), but we had some visitors Telrad, please give me a call. (Robert Jacob's friends). T h e y all seemed As I mentioned before, only live very interested because they were asking members (counting Robert) of the club many questions to Dave who had the 6- showed up. I hope it was because the inch club's telescope. He showed them skies were not that great and not because how to use star charts and later some star there is lack of interest. I know that some clusters and the Orion Nebula that was of you live not very close from our setting in the West. Later I showed them observing site, but remember that we do some galaxies with my 12.5-inch Dob. I not have that many star parties, so I will think they enjoyed more the open clusters appreciate if the attendance increases a than the galaxies. Later with Dale we little. looked at the Whirlpool Galaxy and the Pinwheel Galaxy. This object was partic- I hope the weather cooperates next time. ularly difficult to find that night. About o
The Sky in May — Howard Cohen Although May's astro calendar shows Not much to see but at least you will have no super spectacular sky events, there bragging rights that you've seen our are several items worth noting (and outermost known planet. Also, notice that observing). The Eta Aquarid Meteor several celestial objects have close Shower peaks on May 4/5. This is one of appulses. (Anyone know what appulse the better yearly showers and often brings means!) Mercury fans note that this bright meteors with long paths. Jupiter month's greatest elongation is probably rises shortly after sunset and is always a the most favorable evening apparition of grand sight. And don't miss Saturn un- this elusive planet for the USA in 1995. dressed without rings for the first time in Finally, want to see a star go out? fifteen years! If you ever wanted to see a Observe the 113 km wide asteroid 74 "naked planet," this is it! Now, anyone Galatea occult a 9.8 magnitude star near can see a bright planet. But Pluto? Spica. See page 74 in the May issue of Challenge yourself with this faint planet. Sky & Telescope Tor more details. O FirstLight: Newsletter of the Alachua Astronomy Club Page 3
Last Month's Talk: A Review Pam Mydock
Dr. John P. Oliver, UF Astronomy professor, showed club members some astronomical "Neat Stuff" available on the Information Superhighway on April 11. For the World Wide Web demonstration, he used a portable laptop computer with a mouse, a somewhat llaky telephone connection through a modem, and a borrowed overhead projector. Starting at his own electronic home page, he showed how he "surfs the Internet" to collect a wide variety of information for use in his teaching and research. Dr. Oliver teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in astronomy and observational techniques; no doubt he also teaches his students how to figuratively "hang ten", using his Professor Oliver discusses surfing the electronic mouse surf board. stars. Photo by P. Mydoc & D. Sandene. The "Internet surfing safari" with Dr. world-wide weather information, Oliver took his wide-eyed audience to the observatories, astronomical societies, and far reaches of the solar system, with university astronomy departments. pictorial visits to the planets and images from the Hubble Space telescope. He A good place to start your journey is the showed us "electronic ho-daddies and electronic Wolrd Wide Web home page surfer girls" just how easy it is to catch a of the Alachua Astronomy Club at URL wave of data and pictures, all in full color http://nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu/~-eohenba/ and real-time. Raw data and graphics (A World Wide Web Internet address is from real astronomical observations is known as its "URL") Dr. Oliver's World available almost instantly. Wide Web home page is at URL For future surfing adventures, he http://w~»vw.astro.ufl.edu:80/--t)liver/ provided a print-out of some neat places Gotta run now, dudes and dudettcs. Surfs to visit on the Internet. The addresses up on the web. o included comets, deep-space objects,
Moonlight Walk — Dave Godman
As I mentioned at the last meeting, we sky with those attending the Kanapaha have been invited to share the evening Botanical Gardens Moonlight Walk on FirstLight: Newsletter of the Alachua Astronomy Club Page 4
Saturday, May 13th (7:00-11 :()0 p.m., Since these walks are planned to be at the 4625 SW 63rd Blvd.). In light of the time oTthe Full Moon, we will not have museum not sponsoring Astronomy Day dark skies we'd like to have for our own this year and the mall canceling our parties, but we'll want to keep to the display due to ongoing construction, it basics, e.g. The Orion Nebula early on, will be an excellent opportunity for Beehive cluster, and of course Mars public viewing with little additional effort overhead. Besides, the Moon at one day on our part. This semi-annual event before full will be rising later in the draws 700-1,000 participants with the southeast. Chuck said we did this several advertising, parking etc. already taken years ago and everyone had a good time. care of Plan to arrive before 7:00 p.m. to Bariing total overcast/rain I'll be there be directed to the open field Tor unloading with the club's 6-inch Newtonian. Lets and setting up equipment. After that it have at least 5 to 6 telescopes and show may be hard to get close to the area due others what varieties there are from home to the large crowds expected. The made up to the latest high tech admission Tec will be waived for us. instruments. We may even pick up a few Electrical power will be available — new members. bring an extension cord.
Viewpoint: The Vastness of Space — George Russell As the techniques to develop the a simple way to express these very large detection of distant galaxies and the distances. A stepping stone, so to speak, like progress, it appeals to me that the to help persons like myself to realization and the appreciation of just comprehend the vastness of space. Does how Tar away these most distant objects, space go on forever? whatever they might be, is just a bit tot) Advanced communication techniques much Tor me to comprehend comfortably. have always been a particular interesting The concept of the light year, Tor aspect of my professional and now instance, as a means to help simplify retirement life. As we learn more about measurements of long distances helps how we can use some of the newer ideas very much. In fact, I am quite on how to manipulate the new elecUonics comfortable with the light year. I lave you along with the advanced computer noticed recently the steady increase in the technology that is developing so quickly number of light years that astronomers these days, I'm sure that astronomers will indicate to us on newly discovered be providing us with many new surprises, celestial objects as they try to tell us how that is, "new finds," that perhaps have Tar these objects might be? never been heard or thought of before! I suppose someone will indeed consider o FirstLight: Newsletter of the Alachua Astronomy Club Page 7
Directions to Bob Jacobs — Howard L. Cohen
Address is 9617 N.W. 143rd Street Note: Bob's driveway is paved and (HWY 241). See map below. marked by a five fool high, brick mail- box. (A sign past the mailbox reads From 175, go 2.9 miles west on 39th Hurricane Harbor.) It is a few hundred Avenue (HWY 222) to N.W. 143rd feet up the driveway to Bob's house. (Do Street (FIWY 241). Note: N.W. 39th not continue up the paved driveway onto Street ends at N.W. 143rd Street. Turn a dirt road — you will pass his house.) north (right) on 143rd Street. If you come from Alachua, go south on Go 3.5 miles north on N.W. 143rd Street HWY 241 (143 Street). Bob's driveway to N.W. 94 Avenue. Curves precede the is 0.7 miles past the 175 overpass on the approach to N.W. 94th Avenue. An left-hand (east) side of 143rd Street. intersection sign marks the approach to the junction of N.W. 94th Street and Note: Driving time from Santa Fe N.W. 143 Street. Community College Campus (on N.W. 83rd Street) to Bob's place is about ten Note: N.W. 94th Street is also 1.6 miles minutes. If you arrive after dark, please north of Millhopper Road (HWY 232). use only parking lights as you come up Go 0.1 miles past 94th Avenue. Bob's Bob's driveway. There are restroom driveway is on right-hand (east) side of facilities but bring lawn chairs and snacks 143rd Street. (and some to share). 175 Overpass BOB JACOBS Brick Mailbox 0.1 mi north of L, 9617 NW 143 ST NW 94 Ave (482-4598) About 3 5 mi MILLHOPPER from NW 39 Ave PI to NW 94 Ave NW 39 AVE SEED Jl GAINESVILLE North Appro* 3 Mlloi May Astro Calendar (Times EDT) d n m Fri 5 5 Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower (ZHR=30) ir .S n mchu Sun 7 17:44 First Quarter Moon Rt. . rt> Br s Thu 11 10 Mercury at Greatest Elongation E (22°) a A 2 Fri 12 1:23 Asteroid 74 Galatea Occultation 5 o 21 Spica 3° NW of Waxing Gibbous Moon (D DO g ". *• Sun 14 16:48 Full Moon -n r™ 8 1 2i- Mon 15 23 Jupiter 2° West of Nearly Full Moon ZP-2 Sat 20 13 Pluto at Opposition — Sun 21 7:36 Last Quarter Moon 2 m 3 to Or> Mon 22 4 Saturn's Rings Edge On *5 = — Wed 24 21 Mars1° N of Regulus D- •• Sat 27 6 Venus 2° NW of Old Crescent Moon Mon 29 5:27 New Moon