March 2020 OBSERVER

Home , 56 Sagittarii, 6 Sagittarii, Omicron Sagittarii, Pi Sagittarii

THE OBSERVER OF THE TWIN CITY AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS

Volume 45, Number 3 March 2020

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

1«Editor’s Choice: Image of the Month – NGC 7120 2«President’s Note 3«Calendar of Celestial Events – March 2020 3«New & Renewing Members/Dues Blues/E-Mail List 4«TCAA Calendar of Events for 2020 4«Report on the Annual Banquet & Business Meeting 5«Images of the 60th Anniversary Banquet 7«Message from NCRAL Chair Carl Wenning 7«AstroBits – News from Around the TCAA 8«March 2020 with Jeffrey L. Hunt 16«TCAA Image Gallery 17«Renewing Your TCAA Membership 18«Public Viewing Sessions for 2020 18«TCAA Active on Facebook 18«Did You Know? 19«TCAA Treasurer’s Report as of February 27, 2020

The TCAA is an affiliate of the Astronomical League as well as its EDITOR’S CHOICE: IMAGE OF THE MONTH – NGC 7120 North Central Region. For more information about the TCAA, be This image was taken by Tim Stone. Tim comments, “Here is a certain to visit the TCAA website at necklace (NGC 2185, 2183, and 2182) of beautiful star-forming regions tcaa.us/ with an incredible brooch (NGC 2170) hanging at the end. These objects, NGC 2170 in particular, show a later stage of star formation. Here enough

powerful stars have formed and have driven off much of the hydrogen Visit Astroleague.org for additional nursery in which they formed. There is just a hint of the original hydrogen information about the League and its reservoir, to the left of 2170. We can already see what this new cluster numerous membership benefits, will look like in a few hundred thousand years. Its primary constituents including observing programs. shine brilliantly, some of them illuminating the remaining dust. This dust is being blasted away as well; it is just a lot heavier than hydrogen atoms, and thus more resistant to the radiation pressure from these massive Also, visit the NCRAL website at stars. We can clearly see the streams of dust, all seeming to emanate from ncral.wordpress.com for information the still obscured center of the cluster. “This patch of nebulosity is often overlooked in favor of its nearby about our North Central Region. Find neighbors: The Rosette, Cone, Horsehead, and Orion nebulae. While it out about our next Regional isn’t as pompous as those in its neighborhood, it is very reminiscent of convention during May 2020. another nearby nebula, M78. The larger nebulae nearby are earlier in the process of stellar formation, so while we can see fantastic hydrogen emission, we can’t yet see deeply into the heart of these nebulae. Fortunately for us, we have these examples of what those younger nebulae will look like down the road.”

Vol. 45, No. 3 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers March 2020

PRESIDENT’S NOTE The OBSERVER If you were there, you know we had is the monthly electronic newsletter of Twin a wonderful 60th anniversary banquet City Amateur Astronomers, Inc., a th registered 501(c)(3) non-profit educational on February 8 . The food was excellent, organization of amateur astronomers inter- the company was great, and the ested in studying astronomy and sharing presentation was awesome. I learned their hobby with the public. more about neutron stars in that

presentation than I’ve learned in my life TCAA OFFICERS & CHAIRPERSONS to date! All-in-all, the night was one

President, Director, & Property Manager well spent, and if you couldn’t make it, I Tim Stone 309-531-2401 hope you can make it next year. We aim [email protected] to make each annual meeting better

Vice President & Director/Membership Coord. than the last in at least one way. If you Tom Willmitch 309-846-2423 have suggestions for improvement, President Tim Stone [email protected] please do forward them to one of our

Treasurer & Director/Registered Agent Board of Directors. Dave Osenga 309-287-0789 [email protected] Speaking of Board members, we elected the new board at the meeting. Tom 4th Director/Assistant Property Manager Willmitch, Dave Osenga, Scott Wade, Sunil Chebolu, and I were elected by Scott Wade 309-310-2464 acclimation because there are five positions and only five nominations. I’d like to [email protected] personally welcome Sunil to the Board as this is his first time on the Board. This is 5th Director Scott’s second year, and the rest of us… Well, we’ve been on the Board a little Sunil Chebolu 678-896-5967 longer. [email protected]

Secretary/Historian/Editor You’ll notice, for the first time in many years, that Carl Wenning is no longer on Carl J. Wenning 309-830-4085 the Board. It was his desire to step down and make room on the Board for some [email protected] newer members, and that goal was met! Carl will still be involved in the club, and Astronomical League Correspondent for that I’m glad. Robert Finnigan 309-846-9533 [email protected] I don’t know about you, but I’m itching to do some astronomy. I did get some Technology Coordinator imaging time at Waynesville the week of February 17th. December 21st was the last Justin Meyer 630-649-0611 [email protected] night I’d been out there before that. Two months! Let’s hope the spring is more kind to us astronomers than the winter has been. Webmaster Lee Green 309-454-7349 [email protected] Yearning for clear skies,

Lighting Educ. & AL Observing Club Coordinator Lisa Wentzel unlisted number Tim Stone, President [email protected]

The OBSERVER EDITOR’S NOTE: AT THE NEXT BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING ON TUESDAY, Carl J. Wenning, Editor TH MARCH 10 THE BOARD WILL APPOINT OFFICERS AND CHAIRS. THE MEETING WILL Submission deadline two days before BE HELD AT THE WENNING RESIDENCE BEGINNING AT 7:00 PM. the end of each month.

MEMBERSHIP DUES

Individual Adult/Family $40 Full-time Student/Senior $25 (Senior status equals ages 60+)

To join, send your name, contact info, and dues payment to Dave Osenga, TCAA Treasurer, 1109 N. Linden St., Normal, IL 61761-1471.

Vol. 45, No. 3 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers March 2020

CALENDAR OF CELESTIAL EVENTS – MARCH 2020 NEW & RENEWING MEMBERS

MORNING PLANETS (3/15): Mercury (☿), Mars (♂), Jupiter (♃), The following individuals have paid dues for new or Saturn (♄), and Neptune (♆) renewed memberships as of February 27, 2020. (Others who paid after that date will appear in the February 2020 EVENING PLANETS (3/15): Venus (♀) and Uranus (⛢) issue of The OBSERVER.)

The following table gives the date and time (24-hour clock) of Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! important astronomical events for this month. All events are given in Central Standard Time. New: None

Renewing: Anthony Harris, Lee Green, Mark and Bryce Day Time Event Heiniger, Sharon MacDonald, Dave Osenga, Brian Barling

Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! 02 09:16 Aldebaran 3.3°S of Moon

02 13:57 FIRST QUARTER MOON 04 08:58 Moon at Ascending Node DUES BLUES

05 17:26 Pollux 5.2°N of Moon If you have received a “your dues are due” 06 15:08 Beehive 1.1°S of Moon statement along with the email that brought you this 08 02:00 Daylight Saving Time Begins issue of The OBSERVER, please remit your dues to Mr. Dave Osenga, TCAA Treasurer, 1109 N. Linden St., 08 02:23 Regulus 3.8°S of Moon Normal, IL 61761-1471. Dues are currently $25 for 08 06 Neptune in Conjunction with Sun seniors (60 years of age and over) and $40 regular. 09 11:48 FULL MOON 10 00:33 Moon at Perigee: 357123 km SUBSCRIBING TO THE NEW TCAA EMAIL LIST 16 03:34 LAST QUARTER MOON Welcome to the [email protected] group at Groups.io. 16 19:00 Moon at Descending Node This is a free, easy-to-use group email service set up for 18 02:19 Mars 0.7°N of Moon: Occn. the TCAA’s communication purposes. You can subscribe, 18 04:18 Jupiter 1.5°N of Moon visit your group, start reading and posting messages 18 18:04 Saturn 2.1°N of Moon here: https://groups.io/g/tcaa The email address for this group is [email protected]. 19 21:50 Vernal Equinox After you successfully subscribe, please add this email 19 22 Venus at Perihelion address to your safe sender list in your email client's 21 11:48 Mercury 3.6°N of Moon contacts, so emails from this list do not end up getting 23 20 Mercury Greatest Elong: 27.8°W classified as junk mail. 24 03:28 NEW MOON Once subscribed, you can set your subscription settings here: https://groups.io/g/tcaa/editsub. You can 24 09:23 Moon at Apogee: 406690 km opt to receive all messages in individual emails, 24 16 Venus at Greatest Elong: 46.1°E collections of messages in a digest, a daily summary, or 26 23 Mercury at Aphelion only special notices. If you do not wish to belong to this 29 15:52 Aldebaran 3.6°S of Moon group, you may unsubscribe by sending an email 31 10:51 Moon at Ascending Node to [email protected] If you have general questions about the group, check http://www.astropixels.com/ephemeris/astrocal/astrocal2020cst.html email [email protected]. For questions not answered there, contact the moderators of this group (Deva C., Tim EVENING SKY MAP S., and Carl W.) by emailing [email protected].

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

Vol. 45, No. 3 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers March 2020

TCAA CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR 2020

Date Event Speaker/Coordinator(s) Location Times April ??? TCAA Social Tom Willmitch? ISU Planetarium? TBD April 25 Public Viewing Session Carl Wenning SGNC 8:15-10:15 PM May 1-2 NCRAL 2020* Northern Cross Science Fdn. Port Washington, WI All Day May 2 Astronomy Day (Spring) Tom Willmitch TBD TBD May 23 Public Viewing Session Tim Stone SGNC 8:45-10:45 PM June 20 Public Viewing Session Sunil Chebolu SGNC 9:00-11:00 PM July ?? TCAA Summer Picnic TBD In-town Park? TBD July 18 Public Viewing Session Mark Boulware SGNC 9:00-11:00 PM August 22 Public Viewing Session Mark Cabaj SGNC 8:15-10:15PM September 19 Public Viewing Session Sandullah Epsicokhan SGNC 7:30-9:30 PM September 26 Astronomy Day (Autumn) Tom Willmitch TBD TBD October ?? TCAA Social Tom Willmitch? ISU Planetarium? TBD October 17 Public Viewing Session Lee Green SGNC 7:00-9:00 PM

* Register now for NCRAL 2020. Convention registration is open. You’ll find everything you’ll need to know about this event at https://ncsf.info/ncral-vision-2020/. Thus far Sharon MacDonald, Scott Wade, and Carl Wenning are planning to attend this event. Please contact either if you would like to join them. They have room for one additional passenger in the vehicle. There is a possibility of shared accommodations which could also help keep costs down.

REPORT ON THE ANNUAL BANQUET AND BUSINESS MEETING

Twenty-three members and guests attended the TCAA’s ó Tim Stone 60th Anniversary Banquet and Annual Business meeting on ó Tom Willmitch the evening of Saturday, February 8th. We congregated from ó Dave Osenga 6:30 – 9:00 PM at the Normal Township Hall. President Tim ó Scott Wade Stone opened the meeting at 6:37 PM after which we ó Sunil Chebolu enjoyed a catered dinner from Nelson’s in Springfield. A number of other entrees, sides, and refreshments were There being no new nominations, the nominations provided by members. Carl & Carolyn Wenning provided a process was closed, and the new Board elected by beautiful 60th Anniversary sheet cake featuring the TCAA unanimous acclamation. Following this, Dave gave the logo. mandated declaration of the official Registered Agent of the The Annual Business meeting commenced at 7:15 PM Club. Awards were then presented by President Stone to Lisa with a moment of silence in memory of passed members, Wentzel (Astronomical League Urban Award) and Carl but especially recent benefactors Ernie Finnigan (Bob’s Wenning (NCRAL Seasonal Messier Marathon Award for brother) and Dick Wentzel (Lisa’s father). Tim then gave a autumn). Lee Green, our lead NASA Night Sky Network brief accounting of the year gone by, drawing attention to Coordinator, then summarized the TCAA’s public outreach the “dismal” sky of the past year, TCAA socials, and the for the past year – that being 35 events, 160 telescope refurbished PSO. He drew attention to the work of Bob appearances, and over 1,100 guests. He then presented Finnigan and Scott Wade at PSO, and Scott spoke about the Outreach Awards to Dave Osenga, Carl Wenning, and Paul future use of TeamViewer to get more members engaged in Pouliot (absent). Carl noted and Tim chimed in that Lee – astronomical imaging beginning at home. Dave Osenga gave more so than anyone else – has carried the main load of a brief Treasurers report, including balances, noting that we hosting private events and that he more than anyone are in good shape financially and that he will soon file our deserved to be recognized. The group gave Lee a well- annual tax report using the postcard method. Our current deserved round of applause. The business meeting drew to combined balances of checking and savings is $2,841.99. close with door prizes consisting of books provided by Tim then made a call for nominations for the 2020-2021 several members and a 30mm, 96°-field-of-view eyepiece Board of Directors. He had current nominees stand. They provided by Lisa Wentzel. Vivian Hoette won the eyepiece were: and immediately donated it to Bryce Heiniger much to the delight of all – but especially Bryce!

Vol. 45, No. 3 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers March 2020

After the tables were cleared and removed, Tom Secretary Carl & Carolyn Wenning, Treasurer Dave Osenga, Willmitch introduced our guest speaker for the evening, Dr. Fifth Director Scott Wade, Sunil Chebolu, Devanand Matt Caplan from Illinois State University who spoke about Chatrathi, Dave Peters, Matt Will (Springfield), Tony Harris “The Inner Lives of Dead Stars.” He gave a captivating 35- (Chicago), Brian Barling, Bryce and Mark Heiniger, Vivian & minute talk about the interiors of neutron stars and Chuck Hoette, Sharon MacDonald, Bob Finnigan, Lee Green, explained a variety of observations. This was followed by a Lisa Wentzel, and Matt Caplan and friend. lively round of questions for the next 15 minutes. The meeting was adjourned at 8:51 PM. Respectfully submitted, In attendance were the following members and guests: Carl J. Wenning, Secretary President Tim Stone, Vice President Tom & Pam Willmitch,

IMAGES OF 60TH ANNIVERSARY BANQUET BY DAVE OSENGA AND CAROLYN WENNING

TCAA President Tim Stone and 60th Anniversary Sheet Cake Provided by Keynote Speaker ISU Astronomer NCRAL Chair Carl Wenning Carolyn and Carl Wenning Dr. Matt Caplan

Banquet 1: Brian Barling, Lee Green, Pam Wall, Scott Wade, Banquet 2: Pam Wall, Scott Wade, Chuck Hoette, Dave Chuck Hoette, Sharon MacDonald, Dave Peters, Bryce Peters, Mark Heiniger, Bryce Heiniger, Sharon MacDonald, Heiniger, Mark Heiniger, and Bob Finnigan and Brian Barling.

Vol. 45, No. 3 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers March 2020

Lisa Wentzel receives AL Urban Observing Award Carl Wenning receives NCRAL Seasonal Messier Award for from President Tim Stone Winter from President Tim Stone

NASA Night Sky Network Outreach Award Winners for 2019 NASA Night Sky Network Coordinator Lee Green Talking Dave Osenga and Carl Wenning about TCAA Outreach During 2019 and Presenting Awards

President Tim Stone Distributing Door Prizes Including an Scott Wade Talking about Recent Advancements and New Ultra Widefield Eyepiece Donated by Lisa Wentzel. Possibilities for TCAA Members at PSO.

Vol. 45, No. 3 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers March 2020

MESSAGE FROM NCRAL CHAIR CARL WENNING

TCAA members,

Here are four important updates for you in relation to NCRAL with which the TCAA is affiliated:

1. NCRAL 2020 convention registration is now open. You’ll find everything you’ll need to know about this Saturday-Sunday, May 1-2 event at https://ncsf.info/ncral-vision-2020/. 2. Please nominate your club’s most outstanding member for the 2020 NCRAL Region Award so he or she might be duly recognized at NCRAL 2020. Only one TCAA member has ever been so recognized. Check out the award’s requirements printed in the last issue of Northern Lights at https://ncral.wordpress.com/newsletter-archive/. Deadline: March 31st. 3. Please consider applying for the NCRAL’s Affiliate Recruitment mini grant. The TCAA received the $250 Membership Recruitment & Retention mini grant last year from which came the Introduction to Amateur Astronomy course taught this past autumn at the ISU Planetarium. No affiliate applied for the $250 Affiliate Recruitment mini grant last year and we would possibly use it for fun-filled event with another Illinois club that is not NCRAL affiliated. Check out the application at https://ncral.wordpress.com/awards/. Deadline: March 31st. 4. NCRAL’s Seasonal Messier Marathon guidelines have been updated and new resources provided. Check it out at https://ncral.wordpress.com/awards/ The last date for completing the Winter Messier group is March 21st.

Carl -- Carl J. Wenning, Regional Chair (2017-2021) North Central Region Astronomical League

ASTROBITS – NEWS FROM AROUND THE TCAA

ó On February 21st, President Tim Stone spoke before the DeWitt County Zoning Board of Appeals about the TCAA’s concerns in relation to a newly proposed Tradewinds wind farm in northern DeWitt County. The potential of the windfarm’s lights affecting Waynesville Observatory is real. Tim did not state opposition to the wind farm, only concerns about how the wind farm could affect a premiere observatory, something unique to DeWitt County. On February 6th Tim reported, “I received word this evening that the DeWitt Co. Zoning Board of Appeals has sent the Tradewinds application for special use permit to the County Board with a recommendation to not approve.” Tim, Bob Finnigan, and Scott Wade have been on the forefront of protecting the site. Scott recently attended several Board of Appeals meetings to see how the process operates. Thanks to all for their unwavering vigilance. ó During the first clear (and not too cold) night recently, several TCAAers got out to observe despite the presence of the post first quarter moon. It was Sunday evening, February 2nd. Following a notice by Marc Tiritilli with a follow-up by Carl Wenning, several TCAAers were able to view several Starlink satellites from the third such launch. Here were their reports: o Jamey Jenkins noted, “Yes...I caught the string of satellites. [I] was out imaging the moon through my little 6" f/8 Newt before the sunset and immediately after sunset. Put the equipment away, went in and started supper on the stove then went out and put up a lawn chair in the backyard here in Homer. This was now about 5:45pm. Using Carl's guidelines, I studied the sky from NW to SE. At about 5:59 I spotted the first satellite. It briefly flared to between 1st and 2nd magnitude then settled back to about 3rd as it passed almost overhead, remember I live closer to the Indiana state line. Third magnitude satellites followed like a train until about 6:05 until I couldn't spot anymore. Distance between them, maybe a bit more than the height of Orion. Interesting observation...Thanks for the heads up Carl!!”

Vol. 45, No. 3 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers March 2020

o Troy Berg noted, “I saw them as well out west of McLean IL. 3rd magnitude was spot on. There was still a lot of sky glow from the setting sun, but me, my brother and his kids up by Morton and my sister and her kids in Mackinaw all saw them. Spaced about a fist apart at arm’s length, so 10 degree spacing. I imagine they would really mess up a long exposure astrophotography if they passed through the field of view. Thanks again Carl.” o Carolyn & Carl Wenning viewed near Old Peoria road just west of town. They saw several of the dim satellites, with several flaring to about first magnitude in the area between Aries and the Moon. Despite the presence of the moon and bright twilight, they saw perhaps an additional 5 non-Skylink satellites, all from about 6:00-6:20 PM. ó On the same evening as above, Scott Wade & Bob Finnigan took their first image with the new QHY600 camera on the 17" at PSO. As Scott noted, here is their “quick and dirty” image of the Great Orion nebula. The image shown right consists of a stack of single R, G, and B images, each @ 10 seconds. ó Marc Tiritilli has a friend who has a Celestron 4se optical tube assembly (OTA) for sale. A word to the wise, OTA means no mount. If interested, contact [email protected] and he will put you in contact with Marc. ó Mark Boulware has had to bow out from presenting the July 18th Public Viewing Session talk due to a change in the schedule of Nataya’s national diving competition. An opportunity exists for another TCAAer to volunteer. If you are interested in filling this position, please contact Carl ASAP at [email protected]. The topic is “Jupiter and Saturn.” See page 18 of this newsletter for details.

MARCH 2020: BRILLIANT EVENING STAR AND MORNING CONJUNCTIONS ~ by Jeffrey L. Hunt ~

When the month begins at the start of morning twilight are well-up in the eastern sky. Vega is nearly two-thirds of (about 4:50 a.m. CST), the three Bright Outer Planets (BOP)s the way up above the eastern horizon. At the end of evening – Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars – are in the southeast. Mars twilight (about 7:15 p.m. CST), the bright Winter closes in and passes the other two planets during the month. Congregation dominates the southern sky. Betelgeuse is now Red-orange Antares is low in the south, about 10° east of the past the meridian along with Rigel, Aldebaran, and Capella. meridian. Blue Spica is about one-third of the way up in the At the start of the month, the moon is near Aldebaran. sky above the southwest horizon. Arcturus is above Spica, Sirius, Procyon, Castor and Pollux are east of the meridian. nearly two-thirds of the way up in the sky. These stars’ Brilliant Venus is nearly one-third of the way up in the west. positions indicate that the Big Dipper is in the northwest With the Big Dipper tipped on its handle in the northeast, with its Pointers reliably aiming northward toward Polaris. Leo is clear of the eastern horizon, with Regulus about one- Leo with Regulus is heading toward the western horizon. third of the way up in the sky. This view resembles the configuration of a mid-July evening For the planets during the month, brilliant Venus scene. Trace the plane of the solar system from the BOPs approaches its evening greatest elongation and moves into above Antares, to Spica, and past Regulus to the western Aries, as it approaches its conjunction with the Pleiades next horizon. The Summer Triangle – Vega, Deneb, and Altair – month. Before mid-month, Venus passes Uranus. Use a

Vol. 45, No. 3 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers March 2020

binocular to spot Uranus. In the morning the planet parade lower right of Uranus (m = 5.8). Through a telescope, with the BOPs continues. Mars, moving eastward faster than Venus is 62% illuminated and 19” across. The thick the other two planets, passes Jupiter and Saturn during the crescent moon (7.4 days past the New phase, 42% month. Mercury puts on a poor morning display later in the illuminated) is nearly two-thirds of the way up in the month. While Mercury’s elongation is nearly 28°, the southwest. It is in Taurus, nearly 8° to the lower right of inclination of the morning ecliptic is poor, and the planet is Aldebaran (α Tau, m = 0.8) and nearly the same distance moving south of the ecliptic as it approaches its morning to the left of the Pleiades (M 45). greatest elongation. This results in poor observing prospects • to find this speedy planet. If you can locate Mercury, five March 2: One hour before sunrise, Jupiter is over 12° in naked eye planets are in the sky this month, but not altitude in the southeast. The BOPs gaps: S – M, 17.9°; J – simultaneously. M, 9.4°; J – S, 8.5°. Jupiter is 3.7° to the lower left of Phi Daylight increases 85 minutes during the month, as the Sagittarii. Mars is 3.8° to the upper right of Nunki and 4.1° sun’s rising and setting azimuths move northward rapidly, to the left of Kaus Borealis. The moon is at its First Quarter changing about 0.5° each day. phase at 1:57 p.m. CST. One hour after sunset, brilliant Venus is over one-third of the way up in the sky above the west-southwest horizon. It is 6.3° to the lower right of Uranus. The moon (8.4d, 52%) is nearly 70° up in the south-southwest, 6.0° to the upper left of Aldebaran.

March 1: One hour before sunrise, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars gleam in the morning sky. They span 18.5°.

• March 1: One hour before sunrise, Jupiter (m = −2.0) is over 12° up in the southeast. It is 8.5° to the upper right of Saturn (m = 0.7). In the starfield, Jupiter is 3.4° to the March 3-11: Venus passes M74 (March 3) and Uranus lower left of Pi Sagittarii (π Sgr, m = 2.9). Mars (m = 1.1) is (March 7). Use low powers to see Venus with the galaxy and the dimmer planet. 10° to the upper right of Jupiter. The three Bright Outer Planets (BOP)s – Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars – span 18.5°. • March 3: One hour before sunrise, Jupiter is nearly 13° up Mars is 4.2° to the upper right of Nunki (σ Sgr, m = 2.0) – in the southeast. The gaps of the morning planets: S – M, the star at the top of the handle of the Teapot of 17.3°; J – M, 8.9°; J – S, 8.4°. Jupiter is 3.7° to the lower left Sagittarius – and 3.5° to the upper left of Kaus Borealis (λ of Pi Sagittarii. Mars is 3.4° above Nunki and 4.7° to the Sgr, m = 2.8) – the star at the top of the lid of the Teapot. left of Kaus Borealis. One hour after sunset brilliant Venus Through a small telescope, Mars is unimpressive. It is only is over 30° in altitude in the west-southwest. It passes 4° 5.5” across. In the evening, one hour after sunset, Venus to the lower left of M74 (NGC 628, m = 8.8, 8’ apparent (m = −4.3), in eastern Pisces, is over 10° to the lower left of size). Mallas in The Messier Album, describes the view, the three bright stars of Aries. The planet is over 7° to the “This is a difficult galaxy for a 4” refractor, but it is easily

Vol. 45, No. 3 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers March 2020

seen in the 10 x 40 finder. A casual observer might miss Sagittarii and 4.7° to the right of 56 Sagittarii. The morning this object completely, for the central condensation is star planets – Saturn to Mars (m = 1.0) - span 15.0°. The other like and the outer parts have very low surface brightness” gaps: J – M, 6.9°; J – S, 8.0°. Mars is 3.1° to the upper left (p. 146). Also look for Uranus, 5.3° to the upper left of of Nunki and 2.0° to the lower right of Omicron Sagittarii Venus. At the same time, the moon (9.4d, 62%), 70° up in (ο Sgr, m = 3.8). One hour after sunset, brilliant Venus is the south, is 3.2° to the upper left of Zeta Tauri (ζ Tau, m = over one-third of the way up in the west. It is 2.3° to the 3.0), the Southern Horn of Taurus. right of Uranus. The moon (13.4d, 96%), nearly 35° up in • March 4: One hour before sunrise, Jupiter is nearly 13° in the east, is 6.3° to the upper right of Regulus. altitude above the southeast horizon. Jupiter is nearly • March 8: Daylight Saving Time begins today. Officially, midway from Mars to Saturn. The BOPs gaps: S – M, 16.7°; advance your clock one hour at 2 a.m. CST to 3 a.m. CDT. J – M, 8.4°; J – S, 8.3°. Jupiter is 3.9° to the lower left of Pi The time intervals for the observations remain the same in Sagittarii. Higher in the sky, Mars is 3.1° above Nunki and these summaries. One hour before sunrise, the moon 1.1° to the right of Nu1 Sagittarii (ν1 Sgr, m = 4.8). Use a (13.8d, 97%), over 7° up in the west-northwest, is 2.7° to binocular to view Mars and the dimmer stars. One hour the upper right of Regulus. In the southeast, Jupiter is after sunset, Venus is over 30° up in the west-southwest. It nearly 14° up. The planet is 4.5° to the upper right of 56 moves into Aries, 4.3° to the lower right of Uranus. The Sagittarii and 4.6° to the lower left of Pi Sagittarii. The moon (10.4d, 72%) is nearly in central Gemini, about 70° Saturn – Mars span is 14.3°. Mars is 6.4° to the upper right up in the southeast. The gibbous moon is 2.2° below of Jupiter, 3.4° to the upper left of Nunki, and 1.6° to the Epsilon Geminorum (ε Gem, m = 3.0). lower right of Omicron Sagittarii. Notice that Mars, Nunki, • March 5: This morning the planetary trio spans 16.1°. One and Omicron Sagittarii are in a line. Saturn is 8.0° to the hour before sunrise, Jupiter is over 13° up in the southeast. lower left of Jupiter. One hour after sunset, Venus (m = It is 4.1° to the lower left of Pi Sagittarii. Dimmer Mars is −4.4) over 30° up in the west, is 2.2° to the upper right of 2.9° to the upper left of Nunki and 0.6° to the lower right Uranus and 5.4° to the lower left of Gamma Arietis (γ Ari, of Nu1 Sagittarii. Saturn is lower in the sky, 8.2° to the m = 3.9). The moon (14.4d, 99%), over 20° up in the east, lower left of Jupiter. One hour after sunset, brilliant Venus is midway from Regulus and Denebola (β Leo, m = 2.1), is over 30° up in the west-southwest, 3.5° to the lower over 10° to the lower left of Regulus. right of Uranus. Through a telescope, Venus is 61% • March 9: One hour before sunrise, the moon (14.8d, illuminated – an evening gibbous – and 20” across. At the 100%) is nearly 14° up in the west. It is nearly 11° to the same time, the bright gibbous moon (11.4d, 82%) is less lower right of Denebola. In the southeast, the three BOPs than 60° up in the east-southeast, 5.6° to the lower right line up from Saturn nearest the horizon, Jupiter in the of Pollux (β Gem, m = 1.2). middle (nearly 14° in altitude), and Mars to the upper right. • March 6: One hour before sunrise, Jupiter is over 13° up in The planets span 13.7°. The other gaps: J – M, 5.9°; J – S, the southeast and 4.2° to the lower left of Pi Sagittarii. The 7.9°. Jupiter is 4.7° to the lower left of Pi Sagittarii and 4.3° Giant Plant is beginning its approach to the next brighter to the right of 56 Sagittarii. Mars is 3.8° to the upper left of star along the ecliptic, 56 Sagittarii (m = 4.8). Watch the Nunki and 1.4° to the lower right of Omicron Sagittarii. The planet amble eastward with a binocular. It reaches the star moon is Full at 12:48 p.m. CDT. This is the second perigee on April 7. The BOPs span 15.7°. Mars is 7.4° to the upper Full moon this season. One hour after sunset, the moon right of Jupiter. The Red Planet is 2.9° to the upper left of (15.4d, 100%) is over 8° in altitude in the east, over 8° to Nunki and 0.6° to the lower right of Nu2 Sagittarii (ν2 Sgr, the lower right of Denebola. In the west, Venus is 32° in m = 5.0). Use a binocular to see Mars among the dimmer altitude, 2.6° to the upper right of Uranus. Brilliant Venus stars. Saturn, nearly 10° in altitude, is 8.1° to the lower left passes 6.7° to the lower left of Beta Arietis (β Ari, m = 2.6). of Jupiter. One hour after sunset, the bright moon (12.4d, • March 10: The moon is at perigee at 1:30 a.m. CDT, when 90%), nearly 50° up in the east-southeast is in the middle it is at 221,905 miles away. One hour before sunrise, the of Cancer’s dim stars nearly midway from Pollux and moon (15.8d, 99%), 20° up in the west-southwest, is Regulus (α Leo, m =1.3). At the same time, Venus is over nearly 12° to the lower left of Denebola. On the other side 30° up in the west, 2.7° to the lower right of Uranus. of the sky, the planet parade steps forward. Bright Jupiter • March 7: One hour before sunrise, Jupiter is nearly 14° in is over 14° up in the southeast. This morning’s gaps: S – M, altitude in the southeast. It is 4.4° to the lower left of Pi 13.1°; J – S, 7.8°; J – M, 5.3°. Jupiter ambles eastward

Vol. 45, No. 3 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers March 2020

slowly among the stars. This morning it is 4.9° to the lower after sunset, brilliant Venus, over 32° in altitude above the left of Pi Sagittarii and 4.2° to the right of 56 Sagittarii. western horizon, is to the left of the three bright stars of Mars marches eastward on its sidereal track. It is 4.3° to Aries, nearly 8° to the left of Hamal. the upper left of Nunki and 1.5° to the lower left of • March 14: One hour before sunrise, the moon (19.8d, Omicron Sagittarii. In the evening, one hour after sunset, 71%), over 29° up in the south-southwest, is 3.6° to the brilliant Venus is over 32° up in the west and 3.3° to the upper right of Graffias (β Sco, m = 2.5). Farther eastward, upper right of Uranus. Through a telescope, Venus is 58% the three BOPs gleam in the southeast. Bright Jupiter is illuminated and 20” across. Three hours after sunset nearly 15° in altitude. Mars continues to close in on Jupiter. (about 10 p.m. CDT), the moon (16.5d, 97%) is nearly 16° This morning’s gap is 3.3°. The planetary trio spans 10.7°, up in the east-southeast. It is 2.2° to the lower left of with Saturn 7.5° to Jupiter’s lower left. In the starfield, Gamma Virginis (γ Vir, m = 3.4). Jupiter is 3.6° to the right of 56 Sagittarii, while Mars is • March 11: One hour before sunrise, the moon (16.8d, 2.9° to the lower left of Pi Sagittarii. One hour after sunset, 95%), over 25° up in the west-southwest, is over 10° to the Venus is over 32° up in the west. It is over 8° to the left of upper right of Spica (α Vir, m = 1.0). Farther east, bright Hamal. Jupiter is over 14° up in the southeast, 4.8° to the lower left of Mars, and 7.7° to the upper right of Saturn. The Saturn – Mars span is 12.5°. In the starfield, Jupiter is 4.0° to the right of 56 Sagittarii. Mars is 4.8° to the upper left of Nunki and 2.0° to the lower right of Pi Sagittarii. Mars is rapidly overtaking Jupiter. In the evening – one hour after sunset – brilliant Venus is over 32° up in the west, 4.1° to the upper right of Uranus and near the three bright stars of Aries. Four hours after sunset (about 11 p.m. CDT), the moon 17.5d, 91%) is nearly 13° up in the east-southeast, about 7° to the left of Spica. • March 12: One hour before sunrise, the moon (17.8d, 89%), over 28° up in the southwest, is nearly 9° to the upper right of Spica. The three BOPs span 11.9° in the southeast. The brightest is Jupiter. It is nearly 15° up in the southeast. Saturn is next brightest, 7.6° to the lower left of Jupiter. Dimmer Mars is 4.3° to the upper right of Jupiter. In the starfield, Jupiter is 3.9° to the right of dim 56 Sagittarii. Mars is 2.1° below Pi Sagittarii. One hour after sunset, Venus is over 32° in altitude above the western March 15: One hour before sunrise, Mars closes in on horizon, 5.0° above Uranus. The brilliant planet passes 7.8° Jupiter. This morning, Mars is 2.7°to the upper right of to the lower left of Hamal (α Ari, m = 2.0). As midnight bright Jupiter. approaches, about 5 hours after sunset, the moon (18.6d, • March 15: One hour before sunrise, the moon (20.8d, 82%), nearly 10° up in the east-southeast, is 4.1° to the 60%) is nearly 27° up in the south, nearly 7° to the upper upper left of Zubenelgenubi (β Lib, m = 2.8). left of Antares (α Sco, m = 1.0). Farther eastward along the • March 13: One hour before sunrise, the moon (18.8d, ecliptic, Jupiter is over 15° up in the southeast. Mars, only 81%), nearly 30° up in the south-southwest, is 2.6° above 2.7° to Jupiter’s upper right, continues to close the gap on Zubenelgenubi. Farther eastward, Jupiter is nearly 15° up the Giant Planet. Saturn is 7.4° to Jupiter’s lower left. The in the southeast. It is flanked by Saturn and Mars. Saturn is BOPs span 10.1° this morning. In the starfield, Jupiter is 7.5° to the lower left of Jupiter while Mars is 3.7° to the 3.4° to the right of dim 56 Sagittarii, while Mars is 3.5° to upper right of the Giant Planet. The three planets the lower left of Pi Sagittarii. Mercury (m = 0.4) is span11.3°. In the starfield, Jupiter is 3.7° to the right of beginning a difficult-to-observe apparition, its poorest dim 56 Sagittarii. Use a binocular to see the planet and the visibility of the year. Thirty minutes before sunrise, it is star. Mars is 2.5° to the lower left of Pi Sagittarii. One hour 4.1° in altitude in the east-southeast. In the evening sky,

Vol. 45, No. 3 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers March 2020

brilliant Venus is over 32° up in the west, over 8° to the right of 56 Sagittarii. Mars is 4.0° to the lower left of Pi upper left of Hamal. The Pleiades cluster is higher in the Sagittarii. Meanwhile, the moon (21.8d, 49%) is nearly 25° sky. This evening, Venus is nearly 20° below Alcyone (η to Jupiter’s upper right and about 18° to the left of Tau, m = 2.8), the brightest star in the cluster. Through a Antares. Mercury is 4.6° up in the southeast, thirty telescope, Venus is 56% illuminated and 21” across. Look minutes before sunrise, a challenging view. In the evening farther east for Sirius (α CMa, m = −1.5). It has about the sky, one hour after sunset, brilliant Venus is over 30° up in same altitude as Venus. The brightest star and the the west. It is 8.9° to the upper left of Hamal and nearly brightest planet are over 70° apart. During the next few 18° to the lower right of Alcyone. Venus and Mars are weeks they have about the same altitude in the evenings. moving rapidly. It’s easy to observe their motion from night-to-night. At mid-month, as morning twilight begins, the BOPs are • March 17: One hour before sunrise, Jupiter is nearly 16° in in the southeast as Mars approaches Jupiter. Their altitude in the southeast. It is over 12° to the lower left of conjunction is in five days. Mars catches Saturn at month’s end. Jupiter and Saturn are nearly on the ecliptic, but Mars is the moon (22.8d, 39%). On closer inspection, notice that south of the solar system’s plane. As Mars approaches the the moon is 3.2° to the upper right of Nunki. In the planet giant planets, the line of approach is below them. In about a parade, fast moving Mars (m = 0.9) is 1.7° to the right of week, Mars approaches and passes Pluto. The conjunction Jupiter. The other planet gaps: S – M, 8.9°; J – S, 7.2°. With occurs low in the sky as the morning twilight brightens. a binocular, observe that Jupiter is 3.1° to the right of 56 Mercury approaches its morning greatest elongation, but its Sagittarii. Mars is 4.7° to the lower left of Pi Sagittarii. visibility suffers from its southern position and a poorly Thirty minutes before sunrise, the Mercury challenge inclined ecliptic. The bright gibbous moon is nearby, not far continues; look with a binocular for it 4.6° up in the east- from Antares. The star is a few degrees east of the meridian. southeast. One hour after sunset, Venus – over 32° up in Blue Spica is low in the southwest with Arcturus to Spica’s the west – is 9.4° to the upper left of Hamal and 16.5° to upper right, higher in the west-southwest. Leo is the lower right of Alcyone. approaching the western horizon. Regulus might be blocked by terrestrial obstructions. Back in the eastern sky, the stars of the Summer Triangle are easily seen. Vega is over two- thirds of the way up in the sky above the eastern horizon. In the daytime, daylight increased nearly 40 minutes during the past two weeks as the sun’s noon altitude gained 5°. The Vernal Equinox occurs in a few days. In the evening as twilight ends, brilliant Venus dominates the sky, even with the bright Winter Congregation nearby. Watch Venus approach the Pleiades. As the winter stars shift farther west with the season, only Pollux, Castor and Procyon are east of the meridian. Farther eastward, the sky seems void of exciting views. Leo, though, is well-placed in the east with the Big Dipper, standing on its handle in the northeast, is above the Great Sickle of Leo. Near month’s end, after the moon returns to the evening sky, the crescent moon partly covers the Crab Nebula. If you’ve not observed the nebula, the moon guides you to its location.

• March 16: The moon reaches its Last Quarter phase at 4:34 a.m. CDT. One hour before sunrise, Jupiter is over 15° in altitude in the southeast. The planets span 9.4° from March 18: One hour before sunrise, Jupiter makes a pretty Saturn to Mars. The Ringed Wonder is 7.2° to the lower triangle with Jupiter and Mars. left of Jupiter while the Red Planet is 2.2° to the Giant • March 18: One hour before sunrise, Jupiter is nearly 16° Planet’s upper right. The first conjunction of the BOPs is in up in the southeast. The crescent moon (23.8d, 29%) joins a few days. Watch Mars continue to close the gap with the scene with Jupiter and Mars. The trio makes a small Jupiter. With a binocular observe that Jupiter is 3.3° to the triangle, the moon is 2.4° to the lower right of Jupiter and

Vol. 45, No. 3 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers March 2020

2.2° to the lower left of Mars. The planets’ gaps this 2022 in the morning sky. At that conjunction the sky has 4 morning: J – M, 1.2°; S – M, 8.3°; and J – S, 7.2°. With a bright planets – Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn – in the binocular observe that Jupiter is 3.0° to the right of 56 southeastern sky. The moon is nearby, a few days before Sagittarii. Mars is 5.0° to the lower left of Pi Sagittarii. A the closest Jupiter – Mars passage. This morning the half hour later – with a binocular – look for Mercury (m = Saturn – Mars gap is 7.1°; the Jupiter – Saturn gap, 7.0°. 0.3) 4.6° in altitude in the east-southeast. One hour after With a binocular notice that Jupiter is 2.7° to the lower sunset, sparkling Venus, nearly 33° up in the west, is 10.0° right of 56 Sagittarii. Thirty minutes before sunrise, the to the upper left of Hamal and nearly 16° to the lower moon (25.8d, 14%) joins the Mercury challenge. The moon right of Alcyone. is about 7° up in the southeast, nearly 16° to the right of • March 19: The Jupiter – Mars conjunction occurs Mercury (m = 0.2). Use a binocular to see them. In the tomorrow. One hour before sunrise, Jupiter is 16.0° up in evening – one hour after sunset – Venus, nearly 33° up in the southeast. Mars is 0.9° to the lower right of the Giant the west, is over 13° to the lower right of Alcyone. Planet. The other planets’ gaps: J – S, 7.1°; S – M, 7.6°. In Through a telescope, Venus is 54% illuminated and 22” the starfield, Jupiter is 2.9° to the right of 56 Sagittarii. The across. moon (24.8d, 21%) is over 6° to the lower left of Saturn. • March 21: One hour before sunrise, Jupiter (m = −2.1) is Thirty minutes before sunrise, difficult-to-see Mercury is over 16° up in the southeast. Mars is 0.9° to the lower left 4.5° up in the east-southeast. Use a binocular to see it. In of Jupiter. The other planets’ gaps: J – S, 6.9°; S – M, 6.5°. the evening – one hour after sunset – brilliant Venus is Watch Mars close the gap on Saturn through month’s end. nearly 33° up in the west. It is nearly 11° to the upper left In the starfield, use a binocular to observe that Jupiter is of Hamal and over 14° to the lower right of the Pleiades. 2.6° to the lower right of 56 Sagittarii. Thirty minutes The Vernal Equinox occurs at 10:50 p.m. CDT. The sun’s before sunrise, there is a Moon – Mercury super observing rays are most direct at the equator. challenge. Mercury is over 4° up in the east-southeast, 5.6° to the upper left of the moon (26.8d, 8%). Use a binocular to see them. In the evening sky, brilliant Venus (m = −4.5) is nearly 33° in altitude in the west. It is over 12° to the lower right of Alcyone. • March 22: One hour before sunrise, Jupiter, nearly 17° up in the southeast, is 1.3° to the upper right of Mars. The other gaps: J – S, 6.7°; S – M, 5.8°. With a binocular, observe that Jupiter is 2.5° to the lower right of dim 56 Sagittarii. Half an hour later, with a binocular locate Mercury, over 4° up in the east-southeast. One hour after sunset, Venus is nearly 33° up in the west, over 11° to the lower right of Alcyone and the Pleiades. • March 23: Mars passes 0.1° to the lower left of Pluto (m = 14.3). At the beginning of morning twilight, Mars is about 12° up in the southeast. This is clearly a stretch to see this conjunction. A big scope and ideal sky conditions are needed to locate the distant world near Mars. One hour before sunrise, Jupiter is nearly 17° up in the southeast. The planets’ gaps: J – M, 1.7°; J – S, 6.8°; S – M, 5.2°. In the March 20: This morning, Mars passes Jupiter. Mars is 0.6° to starfield, Jupiter is 2.4° to the lower right of 56 Sagittarii. A the lower right of the Giant Planet. half an hour later, Mercury is 4.0° up in the east-southeast. In the evening, brilliant Venus continues its approach to • March 20: One hour before sunrise, Jupiter is over 16° in the Pleiades. One hour after sunset, Venus, nearly 33° up altitude above the southeast horizon. This morning is the in the west, is 10.4° to the lower right of Alcyone. Mercury Jupiter – Mars conjunction! Mars is 0.6° to the lower right reaches its greatest elongation (27.8°) at 9:06 p.m. CDT. of Jupiter. The next Jupiter – Mars conjunction is May 29,

Vol. 45, No. 3 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers March 2020

• March 24: The moon is at its New phase at 4:28 a.m. CDT. southeast, is 3.4° to the lower left of Jupiter and 3.2° to One hour before sunrise, Jupiter is over 17° in altitude in the upper right of Saturn. The Jupiter – Saturn gap is 6.6°. the southeast. Mars is 2.3° to the lower left of Jupiter and One hour after sunset, brilliant Venus is nearly 33° up in 4.6° to the upper right of Saturn. The Jupiter – Saturn gap the west and 7.5° to the lower right of Alcyone. Through a is 6.7°. Use a binocular to see Jupiter in the starfield, 2.3° telescope, Venus is 50% illuminated, an evening half phase, to the lower right of 56 Sagittarii. Thirty minutes before and 24” across. The moon (2.6d, 6%), in the constellation sunrise, Mercury (m = 0.1) is nearly 4° up in the east- Cetus, is nearly 20° below Venus. southeast. The moon is at apogee – 221,944 miles – at • March 27: One hour before sunrise, bright Jupiter is nearly 9:23 a.m. CDT. Venus is at its evening greatest elongation 18° in altitude above the southeast horizon. The planets’ (46.1°) at 5:13 p.m. CDT. At the end of evening twilight, gaps: J – M, 3.9°; J – S, 6.5°; and S – M, 2.8°, Mars to the Venus is over 25° up in the west. The brilliant evening right of Saturn. One hour after sunset, Venus – nearly 33° planet is 9.4° to the lower right of Alcyone. up in the west – is about 10° to the upper right of the • March 25: One hour before sunrise, Jupiter is over 17° in waxing crescent moon (3.7d, 12%) and 6.5° to the lower altitude in the southeast. This morning’s planet gaps: J – M, right of Alcyone. Here are the gaps as Venus closes in on 2.7°; J – S, 6.7°; S – M, 4.0°. Mars continues to close the the Pleiades: March 30, 3.6°; March 31, 2.7°; April 1, 1.8°; gap to Saturn. Their conjunction occurs in six days. In the April 2, 0.9°, Venus is below Alcyone. starfield, Jupiter is 2.2° to the lower right of 56 Sagittarii. In the evening – 30 minutes after sunset – the thin crescent moon (1.6d, 2%) is 8.0° up in the west and 30° below Venus. As the sky darkens further, look for Alcyone, 8.4° to the upper left of Venus.

March 28: Venus, the crescent moon, and the Pleiades make a pretty triangle in the west after sunset.

• March 28: One hour before sunrise, bright Jupiter, nearly 18° up in the southeast, is 4.5° to the upper right of Mars and 6.5° to the upper right of Saturn. The Saturn – Mars March 26: One hour before sunrise, Mars is midway from gap is 2.2°. In the starfield, Jupiter is 1.9° to the lower right Jupiter to Saturn. of 56 Sagittarii. At the end of evening twilight, Venus, 26° • March 26: Mars (m = 0.8) is nearly equidistant from the up in the west, is 8.6° to the lower right of the moon (4.7d, two bright giant planets, although Mars is below a line 18%) and 5.5° to the lower right of Alcyone. The trio – that connects Jupiter and Saturn. The giant planets are Venus, Moon, and Pleiades – makes nearly a pretty nearly on the ecliptic and Mars is below the plane of our triangle. Venus sets at its maximum interval after sunset – solar system. One hour before sunrise, Mars, 15° up in the 4 hours, 7 minutes, through April 7.

Vol. 45, No. 3 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers March 2020

• March 29: One hour before sunrise, bright Jupiter is over • March 31: Mars – Saturn conjunction! One hour before 18° in altitude in the southeast. Mars and Saturn are to sunrise, Mars, 16° up in the southeast is 0.9° to the lower the Giant Planet’s lower left. Mars is 5.0° away and Saturn, right of Saturn. The Mars – Saturn gap grows after the 6.4°. The Saturn – Mars gap is 1.7°. Their conjunction is conjunction: Apr 1, 1°; Apr 2, 1.4°; Apr 3, 1.9°; Apr 4, 2.5°; two days away. In the starfield, Jupiter is 1.8° to the lower Apr 5, 3.1°; Apr 6, 3.7°; Apr 7, 4.3°; Apr 8, 5.0°. This right of 56 Sagittarii. In the evening sky – one hour after morning the Red Planet’s gap to Jupiter is 6.1°. Mars sunset – Venus is nearly 33° in altitude above the western Mars’ moves into Capricornus. Through a tele- horizon. It is 4.6° to the lower right of Alcyone. The waxing crescent moon (5.7d, 26%), over 44° up in the west, is 3.6° to the upper right of Aldebaran and nearly 17° to the upper left of Venus.

March 30-April 7: Venus approaches and passes the March 31: One hour before sunrise, Mars passes 0.9° to the Pleiades. lower right of Saturn.

• March 30: One hour before sunrise, Jupiter, over 18° up in scope, apparent diameter has grown 30% during the month, the southeast, is to the upper right of Saturn and Mars but it is still unimpressive in a small telescope. In the with the Red Planet 1.2° to the lower right of the Ringed starfield, Jupiter is 1.7° to the lower right of 56 Sagittarii. Wonder. Jupiter is 6.4° to the upper right of Saturn. In the One hour after sunset, brilliant Venus, 33° up in the west, is starfield, Jupiter is 1.7° to the lower right of 56 Sagittarii. 2.7° to the lower right of Alcyone. Through a telescope, One hour after sunset, brilliant Venus is over 32° up in the Venus is 47% illuminated and 26” across, a thick evening west, 3.6° to the lower right of Alcyone and the Pleiades. crescent. Higher in the southwest, the moon (7.7d, 46%) is The thick crescent moon (6.7d, 36%), nearly 55° up in the 1.6° above Mu Geminorum (m = 2.8). west-southwest is 1.5° to the lower right of Zeta Tauri (m = As the month ends at the start of morning twilight 3.0), the Southern Horn of Taurus. If you’ve not seen the (about 5 a.m. CDT), the BOPs are in the southeast. The Crab Nebula (M1, NGC 1952), tonight is the evening to try. Saturn – Mars conjunction is occurring. The planet trio spans While the moon is brightening, the nebula is 0.4° to the over 6°. Antares, now past the meridian at this hour, is less upper left of the moon at this time. As the sky darkens, the than one-third of the way up in the south. Spica, the next moon approaches and begins to cover the exploded star. bright ecliptic road sign, is in the southwest with Arcturus Beginning at about 8:30 p.m. CDT and running for about high above it. The Sickle of Leo has departed the sky in the an hour, the moon’s lower limb partly covers M1. If the west. The haunches of the Lion with the star Denebola nebula is not visible tonight, note the moon’s position remains in the western sky. The Big Dipper is now tilting relative to Zeta Tauri and return when the moon is toward the northwest horizon, as it does during late summer dimmer and out of the area. evenings. The Summer Triangle seems to pull the Milky Way skyward, from Cassiopeia in the northeast to Sagittarius in

Vol. 45, No. 3 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers March 2020

the southern sky. Now past the equinox, the sun arcs across sparsely populated. Leo regally rises toward the meridian, the sky in a duration now approaching 13 hours. Darkness – followed by Arcturus. Spica is very low in the southeast with from the end of evening twilight to the beginning of morning dimmer Corvus to its upper right. Outside city lights look for twilight – is now reduced to about 8 hours. At the end of Hydra, that starts below Corvus, as its body zig zags up to evening twilight (about 9 p.m. CDT), brilliant Venus is near second magnitude Alphard that is to the lower right if the Pleiades. The bright Winter Congregation – Sirius, Regulus. The snake’s body joins the head at a smattering of Betelgeuse, Procyon, Pollux, Castor, Rigel, Aldebaran, and six, 3rd and 4th magnitude stars that are nearly between Capella – is shifted westward. The stellar throng is now past Regulus and Procyon. The snake’s tail, though, does not the meridian, seemingly making a last stand against the appear for another three hours as it extends below Virgo to approaching changing season. Note that Sirius and Venus Libra. have nearly the same altitude. In the east, the sky seems

TCAA IMAGE GALLERY

LUNAR PICS – Jamey Jenkins noted on February 5th, “Here's a couple lunar pics for The OBSERVER I acquired recently with the 6-inch, f/8 Bresser Newtonian + 2x TeleVue Powermate + Wratten 25A filter + DMK41 video camera. Stacks of 500 frames out of 1000 in AutoStakker2 and final editing in Photoshop. The pics are of course, the straight wall (left) and Clavius-Tycho region (right).” Thanks Jamey for reminding us all that the moon, while often a nuisance to amateur astronomy, is still something worth viewing.

M42 AUTOSAVED-STACKED M42 STACKED AND OFFSET

Vol. 45, No. 3 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers March 2020

M42 STACKED-OFFSET-GAMA M42 STACKED-OFFSET-GAMMA-ROTATED-CROPPED

M42: STEPS ALONG THE WAY – Mark Tiritilli writes, “Here are some of the steps along the way. This was my first attempt at stacking pictures. My technique was not ideal. I shot in jpeg instead of raw, had to convert everything to .tif for the stacker software, and then back to jpeg for these final copies. I shot 10 of those 30-second exposures along with corresponding sets of dark, flat, and bias frames. Took about 30 minutes to get all those frames. The stacking software used 5 sets and created the ‘Autosave’ file in about 15 minutes. I threw that into a really old version of photoshop and did some very quick, ‘Hmm, Yeah, OK’-type adjustments to the offset and then the gamma. From there, I rotated and cropped. It was a fun little journey, happy to share the results.” Marc is imaging with the Celestron 11” at IWU’s Mark Evan’s Observatory.

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 educational 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 its 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.

Vol. 45, No. 3 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers March 2020

PUBLIC VIEWING SESSIONS FOR 2020

April 25: Mars and the Events of 2020 (Carl Wenning) 8:15-10:15 PM

Mars makes its closest approach to Earth every 780 days (1.9 years). The next closest approach will occur on October 13th, 2020, when it appears opposite the sun in the sky. Prepare now to observe Mars as it moves rapidly eastward among the stars of the zodiac, brightening all the while, and then suddenly executing an impressive 13-degree-long retrograde zigzag!

May 23: Galaxies of the Spring Sky (Tim Stone) 8:45-10:45 PM

In the spring, our line of sight on the sky looks straight out of our galaxy into the vast space beyond, showcasing thousands of bright galaxies and millions of dim ones. We will tour this neighborhood of the universe, highlighting some of the most beautiful galaxies in the heavens.

June 20: Navigating with Stars (Sunil Chebolu) 9:00-11:00 PM

For centuries, navigators have relied on stars to identify directions, compute latitude, and even read local time. We will explore these ideas and also examine the problem of measuring one’s longitude at sea – a fascinating problem that defeated some of the best minds in the world for many years.

July 18: Jupiter & Saturn (SPEAKER NEEDED) 9:00-11:00 PM

Jupiter and Saturn offer stark contrasts when compared to the inner planets. We will review how and why they formed in their current locations and their impact on the formation of the rest of the solar system. We will learn how the two greatest planets are similar yet different.

August 22: Touring the Milky Way (Mark Cabaj) 8:15-10:15 PM

The Milky Way is one of the countless stellar islands floating in a cosmic foam of dark matter, dark energy, and matter. Humanity is trying to find out what our galaxy looks like inside and out using ingenious observing methods and increasingly more sensitive equipment. Take a tour of our “cosmic home” to see what we know so far.

September 19: The ISS: Past, Present, and Future (Sandullah Epsicokhan) 7:30-9:30 PM

The International Space Station (ISS) is humankind’s largest artificial satellite. Given the right time and conditions, it can be easily seen orbiting overhead. We will look at how it was constructed, how it is used, what it is like living in space, and where it is headed in the future.

October 17: Missions to Mars (Lee Green) 7:00-9:00 PM

As we reach our closest approach to Mars for the year, the Red Planet shines brightly throughout the evening. Let’s review the many spacecraft missions we’ve sent there, what they are revealing, and how they are paving the way for a future manned mission to Mars.

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.

DID YOU KNOW?

Are you looking for back issues of The Are you looking for information about Are you looking for the TCAA Guides to OBSERVER? Look no further than here: the history of the TCAA? Find out more amateur astronomy? Visit this page: http://tcaa.us/Observer.aspx here: http://tcaa.us/History.aspx http://tcaa.us/TCAAGuides.aspx

Vol. 45, No. 3 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers March 2020

TCAA TREASURER’S REPORT AS OF FEBRUARY 27, 2020

Checking Account Information

Memo Category Amount BALANCE 01/28/2020 1,074.06 Room Deposit - VOID Check Annual Meeting 0.00 Room Rental Annual Meeting (50.00) Anthony Harris Dues Received 39.80 Honorarium Annual Meeting (100.00) Nelson's Catering Annual Meeting (438.52) Deposit From Meeting Incl Banquet & Dues Annual Meeting 535.00 Lee Green Dues Received 40.00 Mark & Bryce Heiniger Dues Received 40.00 Sharon MacDonald Dues Received 40.00 Dave Osenga Dues Received 40.00 Brian Barling Dues Received 40.00 Electrical Service Waynesville Observatory (58.33) BALANCE 02/27/2020 1,202.01

Checking Account Balance – February 27, 2020 $1,202.21 Savings Account Balance – February 27, 2020 $2,017.96 - Includes $0.03 cents interest as of this date

Total TCAA Funds – February 27, 2020 $3,219.97

Respectfully submitted, Dave Osenga, Treasurer