National Capital Astronomers, Inc. Phone: 301/565-3709 Volume 56, Number I September, 1997 ISSN 0898-7548 A biography Alan P. Boss is a staff member at the Carnegie Institution of Washington's Department of Terrestrial Magnetism Abstract highly eccentric orbits are a clue to their (DTM) in northwest Washington, D.C. Searches for extrasolar planets and origin as stars rather than as planets. Boss received his Ph.D. in physics from brown dwarfs have a long and dismal Giant planets must form in the relatively the University of California, Santa Bar- history. HowevAr r"-of discoveries cool, outer regions of protoplanetary bara, in 1979. He spent two years as a have . the advent of an era of disks, which is why the discovery of postdoctoral fellow at NASA's Ames ~ ..----tfi'SCovery of extrasolar planetary sys- several giant planets with circular orbits Reseach Center in California before tems. The newly discovered objects ap- very close to their central stars was a joining the staff ofDTM in 1981. Boss's pear to be a mixture of gas giant planets, shock to theorists. These discoveries research focuses on using three dimen- similar to Jupiter, and brown dwarf have forced theorists to accept the fact sional hydrodynamics codes to model stars, elusive objects that have long been that some planets must migrate inwards the formation of stars and planetary sys- hypothesized to exist but never seen from their place of birth toward their tems. He has been helping NASA plan before. Brown dwarf stars are interme- central star. This inward migration ap- its search for extrasolar planets ever diate in mass between giant planets and pears to have been negligible for our since 1988, and continues to be acti ve in the lowest mass stars that can burn hy- solar system, however. Undoubtedly helping to guide NASA's efforts. Boss drogen like the Sun; the atmospheres of other theoretical adjustments lie ahead, last spoke to the National Capital As- cool brown dwarfs may very well re- as we begin to learn at last what other tronomers in 1991 about the origin of the semble those of giant planets, but their planetary systems are like. moon. 0 400 Years of Women in Science Review by Andrew W. Seacord, II For the 1997 June NCA meeing, Dr. discovered by Maria Gaetana. The puter programmer when she wrote the Sethanne Howard presented a fascinat- theory of stress and strain, a subject of first subroutine. ing talk entitled "4000 Years of Women mechanics, was developed by Sophia In the realm of astronomy, the pre- in Science." Dr. Howard is a visitng Germain. In the realm of domestic me- dicted position of Neptune, derived senior scientist at NASA Headquarters chanics, a black women, Ellen Eglui, from the perturbations on Uranus that Office of Space Science. In her presen- was granted a patent for her invention of John Couch Adams published prior to tation, Dr. Howard cited examples the washing machine ringer. Being the actual discovery of Neptune were, where accomplishments of women sci- black, however, she sold the patent. apparently, calculated by Marie entists have been omitted from history Florence Nightingale is well Lavoisier. The contributions of Maria books. One example is Patrick Moore's known for her work as a nurse. How- Mitchell and Annie Jump Cannon, to book "Men of the Stars" which does not ever, how many of us are aware of the name two of many women astronomers, discuss any women astronomers. fact that she invented the pie chart and are well known. In ending her talk, Dr. Most of the talk, however, dealt developed the basis of modern hospital Howard told of how Vera Rubin (an with the accomplishments of women management? And Lady Lovelace, aka NCA member), the first woman to use scientists. In mathematics, the algebraic Agusta Ada Byron, the daughter of Lord the Mt. Palomar 5-meter telescope, curve known as the Witch of Agnesi was Byron, was Charles Babbage's com- broke the toilet barrier. 0 ~ The Public is Welcome! Mondays, Sept 1,8,15,22, and 29, 7:30 PM-Public Saturday, September 6,7:30 PM-NCA meeting, will nights at U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO), in North- feature Alan Boss speaking on "Extrasolar Planets." west Washington, D.C. (off Massachusetts Avenue). Science Fair winners may also be featured. The Science Includes orientation on USNO's mission, viewing of Fair Winners are also featured. For directions, see map operating atomic clocks, and glimpses through the and description on back page. finest optical telescopes in the Washington-Baltimore region. Held regardless of cloud cover. Information: Saturday, September 20, begining 6:00 PM-Open House at Hopewell Observatory. NCA members, fami- USNO Public Affairs Office, 202/762-1438. Home lies, and guests are invited to view the autum sky. (See page: http://www.usno.navy.mil. the article on page 3 for details and directions.) Tuesdays, September 2, 9.16, 23, and 30, 7:30 PM- Saturday, September 27,9:00 PM-Exploring the Sky, Telescope making classes at Chevy Chase Commu- Rock Creek Park, near the Nature Center. Information: nity Center, Connecticut Avenue and McKinley 202/426-6829 Street, NW. Information: Jerry Schnall, 202/362- 8872. During questionable weather, call the IOTA Hotline (Phone: 3011474-4945) for NCA meeting status. The Fridays, September 5, 12, 19, and 26, 7:30 PM- absence of a cancellation notice on the Hotline means the Telescope making classes at American University, meeting will take place. McKinley Hall Basement. Information: Jerry SchIlall, 202/362-8872. See page 6 for more Washington area astronomical events. Other events too numerous to list in Star Dust are Fridays, September 5, 12, 19, and 26, 8:30 PM- listed in the publications Sky & Telescope, the Astro- Open nights with NCA' s Celestron-14 telescope at nomical Calendar 1997, the Observer's Handbook Ridgeview Observatory; near Alexandria, Virginia; 1997, in numerous software packages, and other links 6007 Ridgeview Drive (off Franconia Road between available on the NCA Home Page (see above for ad- Telegraph Road and Rose Hill Drive). Information: dress). NCA members can purchase all these (and much Bob Bolster, 703/960-9126. more) at a discount. To join NCA, use membership Saturday, September 6, 5:30 PM-Dinner with the application on page 7. speaker and other NCA members at North China Restaurant, 7814 Old Georgetown Road. Bethesda, MD. See map and description on back page. The Science Fair Winners Due to rising costs, the Regular basic We need a volunteer who would be NCA membership dues will rise from willing to sell copies of the Observer's Two of NCA's science fair winners of $24 to $27 effective on October 1, 1997 Handbook at a discount to the members the past Spring were unable to attend our for new members or current members during the December, 1997 and Janu- June meeting; however, we hope to have renewing after that date. This is the first ary, 1998 NCA meetings. The current them at our September meeting. They increase in NCA basic dues in several volunteer is no longer available to do are Anne Gaumond of Oxen Hill whose years during which time Sky & Tele- this. If you are interested, please call project was "Chaos in the Astroid Belt" scope has raised subscription rates (over Jeff Norman at 202/966-0739. 0 and Court Zabel of Washington D. C. which we have no control) at leasttwice. whose project was "The Tenuous Hold The new rate for those who wish to of 16 Cygni Bl n. 0 subscribe to Sky & Telescope through NCA will be $54. 0 (1996». The planets were discovered Encyclopedia Extrasolar via the pulsar-timing method, and pose a mystery for astrophysicists. How can courtesy 0/ Eric Mamajek planets form in such an environment? (Downloaded/rom the web by Alisa Joaquin, ed.) Did they accrete and form after the su- pernova? The below extrasolar sys- tems are listed in order of 51 Pegasi discovery. The first of the confirmed jovian plan- 1bt Gnat Squn ets discovered orbiting a nearby, solar- .•.~ Note: type star. 51 Peg b is also the first con- Currently there is no clear firmed exoplanet found via doppler definition of a planet. The spectroscopy. This discovery broke as- systems listed below are of tronomers' expectations of where objects that have been con- jovians can exist. Some quick calcula- firmed by several sources tions show that the object should be able and/or techniques and are to retain an atmosphere, despite its sub- believed to be planets be- solar temperature of roughly 1200K. cause their mass is less than Encyclopedia, Continued on page 4 that necessary to ignite ~~~"~-"~- - ~.u.. deuterium burning. Gene Shoemaker ""'- P1257+12 (1928-1997) "-, Wolszczan and Frail's dis- He will be missed by all. covery of the first planetary system outside of our own. The world has lost one of its most Two terrestrial-mass plan- renowned scientist with the death of ets were initially discov- Eugene Shoemaker at age 69. On July ered in 1991 (A,B), a third 18th, Gene and his wife, Carolyn, were moon-sized body (C) was involved in a car accident in central Estrasolar Planets: The Discovery of later found (1994), and yet a possible 4th Australia. He was fatally injured; a Planetary Orbit Around the Nearby Saturn-mass planet (D) has been in- Carolyn suffered broken ribs and is re- Star 51 Pegasi. Initial discovery by ferred in the data up until 1996 covering. What I will remember most is Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz (Wolszczan (1996) & Joshi & Rasio when Gary Joaquin (NCA) called the Carnegie Institute to ask if he could record the lecture that Gene would be giving.