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Small Format NEWSLETTER OF THE VANCOUVER CENTRE RASC VOLUME 2003 ISSUE 4 JULY/AUGUST 2003 Where Can I Begin...? 1 Where Can I Begin...? by Craig Breckenridge Coming Home 2 First and foremost, I would previous record for attendance President’s Message 3 like to thank the many was 225 delegates. We had over Observing Sites 4 volunteers who made the 2003 250, not including our Upcoming Events 6 General Assembly the huge speakers. We took the Plenary success it was. Our crew of Session to a new level and Selenography for the Lazy 8 almost 50 yellow shirts is to be made it the focal point for the Astronomy Day Gallery 12 commended for the delegates entire Assembly. We gave them Anne B. Underhill 14 could always their first 2003 GA Gallery 15 count of them Dinner Cruise to be and tours of Looking Ahead courteous, three helpful and telescopes in Remember, you are always welcome to attend meetings of responsive. one day, one of Council, held on the first Tues- On behalf of them a five day of every month at 7:30pm all the team metre liquid in the G.S.O. leaders, I mirror. I guess July 8: Dr. Ingrid Stairs, thank you. the easiest way postdoctoral student at UBC, on “Searching for Radio Pul- The weekend seems like a to capture the feeling is to go sars” blur and that might be just day by day. Aug 12: Members’ Night: because it was. We had so many On Thursday, I arrived at Michael Winther on “The Drake events that the attendees could the Walter Gage Convention Equation” not believe it. According to Centre at UBC around 12:00. Rajiv Gupta, our National The first attendees had been Next Issue Deadline President, we may have had here for several days, so I was Material for the July Nova more events at our GA than at not surprised to see them. Some should submitted by Monday, any previous one. We set of the volunteers were also on Sept. 1, 2003. Please send submissions to: several new records that future hand to start setting up our Gordon Farrell GAs are going to really have registration table and getting ([email protected]) to work at in order to beat: the continued on page 6 Coming Home by Marc Verschueren planets discovered so far around years, and will not happen again The last few months here and other stars, all seem to be of the for a few centuries. Mars will not in my reading, much attention was type of our outer planets. Could look all that different in our paid to the history of the very early we find a rocky planet? Could we telescopes from other close universe. There were several new recognize it if we saw one? It may encounters but to know that this is results published such as the first be too early at this moment to do such a special occasion makes it information collected by the MAP this. Planet formation also covers even more of a thrilling satellite, the discovery of the the presence of the Kuiper belt and experience. Let us hope that we polarization of the Cosmic the Oort cloud, the origin of the have a few nights of the good Microwave Background, and new comets. Far from being an expert weather that livened up Levy’s measurements of the density on this, I thought that this was talk. Our little part of the solar distribution of galaxies in the mainly a question of distance— system is not too reliable in that universe. All this is very interesting one was farther out than the other. respect. and essential for the understanding It is clear now that the Kuiper belt We were thinking earlier of where we come from, and tells fits well with the planetary system about the origins of the universe. us something of where we are as a kind of ring. The Oort cloud Now we have returned to our home going. But is also very abstract and is more a chaotic collection of in it, the planets and the comets technical. The interpretation of debris ejected by the big planets. and the asteroids. Our home is the these measurements requires at But both give us the comets, latest stage in this long history, least some understanding of some so dear to David Levy. We had the from the very hot big bang through of the basic theories. Fascinating privilege to listen to him this long, long cooling period, to as it is, it carries us far away from introducing us to his universe us. The long, long cooling period our observations, and observing is during the last General Assembly. that makes the complex structures the heart of our astronomical lives. He always likes to come back to possible that make up our It is observing that makes us the planets and their strange planetary system and the life in it. interested in these abstractions in relatives, the comets. We were The cooling connects us with the the first place. We must first find lucky to listen to him during the past. The cooling of the universe the universe before we can get cruise around Vancouver Harbour made life possible out of the big interested in it. so, while listening to him, we bang. You could think of us as In the last few weeks there could admire at the same time the some kind of a mould growing in was a refreshing change of course. beauty of our own planet during a dark, cold cellar. Our planetary Dr. Gladman brought us back in the majestic sunset. David H. likes world is the frost on the universe. our last meeting to the solar to return from time to time to his I like to think of it as the icing on system. One would think, with a earliest telescope and think about the cake. And this is our home. We little bit of arrogance, that we his earliest observations. He likes should never forget to come back pretty well know everything about to go home from time to time. to it. ! the solar system. Now it seems that And now there is the coming we really do not know how the show put on by Mars. That will outer planets were formed. They bring us very close again to the real must have a different origin than world of our neighbours in the the inner members of the solar universe, the planets. The coming family. I had to think that it is opposition of Mars is not unique interesting to realize that of the but it is the closest in thousands of 2 President’s 2003 Vancouver About RASC Message Centre Officers The Vancouver Centre, RASC Wow, it’s over! “GA2003 - meets at 7:30 PM in the auditorium President of the H.R. MacMillan Space Cen- 100 Years of Royal Recognition” Bill Ronald 604-733-7036 tre at 1100 Chestnut St., Vancou- suddenly arrived and after a very [email protected] ver, on the second Tuesday of every long weekend of frenzied activity, Vice-President month. Guests are always wel- it sailed into the history books of Nicole van den Elzen 604-501-2656 come. In addition, the Centre has the RASC. This General Assembly [email protected] an observing site where star par- raised the bar and it is one which Secretary ties are regularly scheduled. Ron Jerome 604-298-3292 Membership is currently $51.00 will be remembered for a long time [email protected] per year ($26.00 for persons under to come. Craig will tell you the Treasurer 21 years of age) and can be ob- details, but as the President and on Marc Verschueren 604-986-1485 tained by writing to the Treasurer behalf of the Vancouver Centre, I [email protected] at the address below. Annual membership includes the invalu- want to thank all members of the Librarian able Observer’s Handbook, six is- Organizing Committee and the William Fearon 604-939-1895 sues of the RASC Journal, and, of [email protected] many volunteers who made it such course, access to all of the club a great success. National Representatives events and projects. Pomponia Martinez 604-215-8844 For more information regarding Sailed is perhaps a good word [email protected] the Centre and its activities, please for this experience. Craig was our Bob Parry 604-215-8844 contact our P.R. Director. captain who steered us through the [email protected] NOVA, the newsletter of the sometimes rough seas of the GA, Membership Vancouver Centre, RASC, is pub- Dan Collier 604-732-6046 lished on odd numbered months. Pomponia was our navigator who Opinions expressed herein are not stood by the helm with her GA Chair, CARO Committee Bob Parry 604-215-8844 necessarily those of the Vancouver chart to keep us on course, Ron Centre. Director of Telescopes was our purser who kept track of Material on any aspect of as- Phil Morris 604-734-8708 tronomy should be e-mailed to the our passengers and cargo and Public Relations editor, mailed to the address on Norman was our liaison officer Norman Song 604-299-7924 page 5, or uploaded to who made contact with local [email protected] SpaceBase™ at 604-473-9358, 59. dignitaries and arranged for the Speakers correct protocols. The rest of the Barry Shanko 604-271-0615 Advertising [email protected] volunteers were the friendly crew Nova encourages free use of its who always tried to smile and be Merchandising classified ads for members with Doug Montgomery 604-596-7058 items for sale or swap.
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