DOCSLIB.ORG

The Denver Observer January 2016

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Denver Observer January 2016 The Denver JANUARY 2016 OBSERVER The Orion Nebula, M42, is a huge and well-studied region of star formation about 1,400 light-years away. Image © Jon Martin JANUARY SKIES by Zachary Singer On the hit parade to start the new year, we have a comet, a tight M101; the pair will be about 30° up in the northeast after midnight and conjunction, a favorable occultation, and some deep-sky targets (some 45° up around 2 a.m. On that night, a first-quarter Moon will set early challenging, and one “must-see” for the newbies). enough to avoid trouble, but the Moon will be increasingly vexing after the middle of the month. Our Local Sky Venus will be seen very close to Saturn in the southeastern sky th th First up, our comet—it’s C/2013, US10 (Catalina), which as men- on the mornings of the 8 and 9 . The roughly ⅔° gap between them tioned last month, is now moving northward from Boötes. It will be in on the 8th narrows to Ursa Major by mid-month, and Camelopardalis at the end, by which less than ½° the next Sky Calendar time it will have dimmed to about 6th magnitude. Along the way, though, morning; both planets 1 Last-Quarter Moon it will pass close enough to a number of deep-sky objects to share bin- appear 12° above the 9 New Moon ocular or telescopic views. horizon at 6 a.m. 16 First-Quarter Moon In the Observer After midnight on the If you’ve been read- 23 Full Moon th th night of January 13 -14 ing this column the last 31 Last-Quarter Moon President’s Message . 2 (i.e., Wednesday night/ several months, then Thursday morning), Com- you’ve heard that the Moon’s orbital plane currently aligns with Alde- Society Directory. 2 et Catalina will be only 12’ baran, setting up repeated cycles of occultations. The next one, on the Schedule of Events . 2 from the 11th-magnitude 19th, will at last be at a convenient hour! From my location just north DAS News . 3 spiral NGC 5377 (13h of the Denver Tech Center, the star is expected to wink out at 6:28 57m, +47° 10’) in Canes p.m. The exact time, though, is dependent on your location—those to About the DAS . 3 Venatici. Perhaps more the west and south will see it earlier. Littleton, for example, should Getting Your Bearings . 4 conveniently, on the night run about 15 seconds earlier, and those in Boulder will watch the star th NASA's Space Place . 5 of Friday the 15 (morn- disappear towards the end of 6:27 p.m. Along with the differing times ing of the 16th), Catalina by location, the Moon’s darkened limb may not reveal its approaching comes within about 2¼° of edge, so it’s best to start observing early, keeping a close eye on things. Continued on Page 6 THE DENVER OBSERVER JANUARY 2016 Society Directory PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE by Ron Hranac DAS Executive Board State of the Society President: Ron Hranac It seems like an old cliché, but 2015 came and went way too fast. Even so, it was a good year for [email protected] Denver Astronomical Society. Here’s a quick recap of some of the highlights… Vice President: Let’s look at membership first, which was 428 as of our December th4 E-Board meeting. We were Stuart Hutchins [email protected] just shy of 400 at the end of 2014, so it’s nice to see year-over-year membership numbers on the in- Secretary: crease. Jeff Tropeano In early December, the University of Denver’s Dr. Robert Stencel reported that paid visits to DU’s [email protected] historic Chamberlin Observatory were about 4,000, a bit ahead of the 3,773 guest total at the end of Treasurer: 2014. Those paid visits include our twice-weekly Public Nights, monthly Open Houses, and special Michael Nowak th [email protected] observing events such as September 27 ’s total lunar eclipse. Executive Board Members: The aforementioned lunar eclipse event attracted well in excess of 1,000 members of the public Johnny Barela Ed Scholes to Observatory Park to enjoy views of the Moon through ’scopes and binoculars set up on the park Jack Eastman Sorin Joe Gafford Ken Sturrock lawn by DAS members. About 400 lined up for a chance to look through the eyepiece of Chamberlin’s Chuck Habenicht Dan Wray 20-inch aperture, f/15 Alvan Clark-George Saegmuller refractor. Two local TV stations—CBS4 and Past President, Ron Pearson 7NEWS—were on site providing coverage of the event. President Emeritus, Larry Brooks We made a few behind-the-scenes changes to the Public Night reservation system, including au- Committees tomated e-mail reminders to folks who have made reservations, and set up an on-line pay-in-advance Van Nattan-Hansen Scholarship Fund: feature. The changes resulted in fewer no-shows, and DAS volunteers consistently reported average Ron Pearson (Chair) PO Box 100621 PN attendance in the 20+ range per night. Denver, CO. 80250-0621 Our external outreach has been over-the-top successful. We easily averaged two or more events per EGK Dark Site Committee: month, during which members set up ’scopes for daytime solar observing or nighttime star parties, as Darrell Dodge, Interim Chair [email protected] well as providing astronomy-themed lectures and hands-on demonstrations at schools, museums, and other venues. When combined with Open Houses and Public Nights, figure about 145 events reaching IDA Representative: Dr. Robert Stencel an estimated 6,000 or so members of the public in 2015. [email protected] Recognizing that membership in an organization such as DAS is very much a discretionary choice, Volunteers or Appointed and that a downturn in the economy could negatively impact the Society, the E-Board established a Representatives reserve fund to tide us over should things turn sour. The finances of DAS are sound, and our bank ac- ALCor: counts are in good shape. Look for a financial summary by Treasurer Mike Nowak during February’s Darrell Dodge 303 932-1309 annual membership meeting. Newsletter Editor: Zachary Singer 303 718-4188 Continued on Page 3 [email protected] Newsletter Proofreaders: DAS SCHEDULE Darrell Dodge, Ron Hranac The Observer is available in color PDF format from the DAS website. Website: Darrell Dodge JANUARY 2016 [email protected] IT Coordinator: Ken Sturrock [email protected] 8-10 Dark Sky Weekend—EGK Dark Site & Brooks Observatory External Outreach Coordinator: 16 Open House—DU’s Historic Chamberlin Observatory—Starts at 5:30 PM Lindsey Shaw 22 General Meeting at DU’s Olin Hall, Rm. 105, 7:30 PM—Featured Speaker: Carla Johns, [email protected] who will discuss past and current operations on Mt. Wilson; DAS E-Board Nominations Public Night Coordinator: 29 E-Board Meeting—At DU’s Historic Chamberlin Observatory, 7:30 p.m. Hugh Davidson 303 679-0629 Librarian: Phil Klos During Open House, volunteer members of the DAS Public Nights feature a presentation on astronomical DAS Information Line: bring their telescopes to the Chamberlin Observa- subjects and a small-group observing session on the (303) 871-5172 tory’s front (south) lawn, so the public can enjoy historic 20-inch telescope (weather permitting), at Cham- DAS Correspondence: views of the stars and planets, try out different berlin Observatory on Tuesday and Thursday evenings Denver Astronomical Society telescope designs, and get advice from DAS mem- (except holidays), beginning at the following times: bers. The Observatory is open, too (costs listed P.O. Box 102738 March 10 - September 30 at 8:30 PM Denver, Colorado 80250 below), and its historic 20-inch telescope is open [email protected] for observing with no reservations necessary. October 1 - March 9 at 7:30 PM Open House costs (non-members): If the skies are clear, Public Night costs (non-members): $4/adult, The Executive Board conducts the business of $2/person ($5/family), $1/person in inclement weather. the DAS at 7:30 p.m., at Chamberlin Obser- $3/child and students with ID. DAS mem- DU students with ID, and DAS members free. vatory. bers and DU students with ID: free. Please see the Schedule of Events for meeting Members of the public (non-DAS/DU, as above), please dates. All members are welcome. make reservations via our website http://www.denverastro.org (www.denverastro.org) or call (303) 871-5172. The Denver Astronomical Society One Mile Nearer the Stars Page 2 THE DENVER OBSERVER JANUARY 2016 DAS NEWS President’s Message Continued from Page 2 Volunteer Opportunities January 13, 6:00 PM-7:30 PM: for Temple Sinai’s Youth Group at The Van Nattan-Hansen Scholarship Committee awarded Science Night for students & their Temple Sinai in Denver. The wom- two scholarships last year. Conner Bray and Ariel Sandberg each families at Bradley International an who contacted me requested a received $1500 from VNH Committee Chair Ron Pearson at the School in Denver. Approximately presentation on rockets, planets and/ August general membership meeting. 10 parents will bring telescopes out or stars. There will be approx. 60 October 24th’s annual auction raised more than $1200 for the for evening observing for an ex- children ages Kindergarten through Van Nattan-Hansen scholarship fund, up from about $800 the pected 500 attendees. They’d like us Fifth grade in attendance. I will put year before. to supplement the event with a few whoever signs up for this event in Following the October auction, we held a well-attended fare- more telescopes and expert knowl- touch with the organizer to hash out well reception for S&S Optika’s Cathie and Tim Havens.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Astronomy 2008 Index
    Astronomy Magazine Article Title Index 10 rising stars of astronomy, 8:60–8:63 1.5 million galaxies revealed, 3:41–3:43 185 million years before the dinosaurs’ demise, did an asteroid nearly end life on Earth?, 4:34–4:39 A Aligned aurorae, 8:27 All about the Veil Nebula, 6:56–6:61 Amateur astronomy’s greatest generation, 8:68–8:71 Amateurs see fireballs from U.S. satellite kill, 7:24 Another Earth, 6:13 Another super-Earth discovered, 9:21 Antares gang, The, 7:18 Antimatter traced, 5:23 Are big-planet systems uncommon?, 10:23 Are super-sized Earths the new frontier?, 11:26–11:31 Are these space rocks from Mercury?, 11:32–11:37 Are we done yet?, 4:14 Are we looking for life in the right places?, 7:28–7:33 Ask the aliens, 3:12 Asteroid sleuths find the dino killer, 1:20 Astro-humiliation, 10:14 Astroimaging over ancient Greece, 12:64–12:69 Astronaut rescue rocket revs up, 11:22 Astronomers spy a giant particle accelerator in the sky, 5:21 Astronomers unearth a star’s death secrets, 10:18 Astronomers witness alien star flip-out, 6:27 Astronomy magazine’s first 35 years, 8:supplement Astronomy’s guide to Go-to telescopes, 10:supplement Auroral storm trigger confirmed, 11:18 B Backstage at Astronomy, 8:76–8:82 Basking in the Sun, 5:16 Biggest planet’s 5 deepest mysteries, The, 1:38–1:43 Binary pulsar test affirms relativity, 10:21 Binocular Telescope snaps first image, 6:21 Black hole sets a record, 2:20 Black holes wind up galaxy arms, 9:19 Brightest starburst galaxy discovered, 12:23 C Calling all space probes, 10:64–10:65 Calling on Cassiopeia, 11:76 Canada to launch new asteroid hunter, 11:19 Canada’s handy robot, 1:24 Cannibal next door, The, 3:38 Capture images of our local star, 4:66–4:67 Cassini confirms Titan lakes, 12:27 Cassini scopes Saturn’s two-toned moon, 1:25 Cassini “tastes” Enceladus’ plumes, 7:26 Cepheus’ fall delights, 10:85 Choose the dome that’s right for you, 5:70–5:71 Clearing the air about seeing vs.
    [Show full text]
  • MESSIER 15 RA(2000) : 21H 29M 58S DEC(2000): +12° 10'
    MESSIER 15 RA(2000) : 21h 29m 58s DEC(2000): +12° 10’ 01” BASIC INFORMATION OBJECT TYPE: Globular Cluster CONSTELLATION: Pegasus BEST VIEW: Late October DISCOVERY: Jean-Dominique Maraldi, 1746 DISTANCE: 33,600 ly DIAMETER: 175 ly APPARENT MAGNITUDE: +6.2 APPARENT DIMENSIONS: 18’ FOV:Starry 1.00Night FOV: 60.00 Vulpecula Sagitta Pegasus NGC 7009 (THE SATURN NEBULA) Delphinus NGC 7009 RA(2000) : 21h 04m 10.8s DEC(2000): -11° 21’ 48.6” Equuleus Pisces Aquila NGC 7009 FOV: 5.00 Aquarius Telrad Capricornus Sagittarius Cetus Piscis Austrinus NGC 7009 Microscopium BASIC INFORMATION OBJECT TYPE: Planetary Nebula CONSTELLATION: Aquarius Sculptor BEST VIEW: Early November DISCOVERY: William Herschel, 1782 DISTANCE: 2000 - 4000 ly DIAMETER: 0.4 - 0.8 ly Grus APPARENT MAGNITUDE: +8.0 APPARENT DIMENSIONS: 41” x 35” Telescopium Telrad Indus NGC 7662 (THE BLUE SNOWBALL) RA(2000) : 23h 25m 53.6s DEC(2000): +42° 32’ 06” BASIC INFORMATION OBJECT TYPE: Planetary Nebula CONSTELLATION: Andromeda BEST VIEW: Late November DISCOVERY: William Herschel, 1784 DISTANCE: 1800 – 6400 ly DIAMETER: 0.3 – 1.1 ly APPARENT MAGNITUDE: +8.6 APPARENT DIMENSIONS: 37” MESSIER 52 RA(2000) : 23h 24m 48s DEC(2000): +61° 35’ 36” BASIC INFORMATION OBJECT TYPE: Open Cluster CONSTELLATION: Cassiopeia BEST VIEW: December DISCOVERY: Charles Messier, 1774 DISTANCE: ~5000 ly DIAMETER: 19 ly APPARENT MAGNITUDE: +7.3 APPARENT DIMENSIONS: 13’ AGE: 50 million years FOV:Starry 1.00Night FOV: 60.00 Auriga Cepheus Andromeda MESSIER 31 (THE ANDROMEDA GALAXY) M 31 RA(2000) : 00h 42m 44.3Cassiopeias DEC(2000): +41° 16’ 07.5” Perseus Lacerta AndromedaM 31 FOV: 5.00 Telrad Triangulum Taurus Orion Aries Andromeda M 31 Pegasus Pisces BASIC INFORMATION OBJECT TYPE: Galaxy CONSTELLATION: Andromeda Telrad BEST VIEW: December DISCOVERY: Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi, 964 Eridanus CetusDISTANCE: 2.5 million ly DIAMETER: ~250,000 ly* APPARENT MAGNITUDE: +3.4 APPARENT DIMENSIONS: 178’ x 63’ (3° x 1°) *This value represents the total diameter of the disk, based on multi-wavelength measurements.
    [Show full text]
  • Patrick Moore's Practical Astronomy Series
    Patrick Moore’s Practical Astronomy Series Other Titles in this Series Navigating the Night Sky Astronomy of the Milky Way How to Identify the Stars and The Observer’s Guide to the Constellations Southern/Northern Sky Parts 1 and 2 Guilherme de Almeida hardcover set Observing and Measuring Visual Mike Inglis Double Stars Astronomy of the Milky Way Bob Argyle (Ed.) Part 1: Observer’s Guide to the Observing Meteors, Comets, Supernovae Northern Sky and other transient Phenomena Mike Inglis Neil Bone Astronomy of the Milky Way Human Vision and The Night Sky Part 2: Observer’s Guide to the How to Improve Your Observing Skills Southern Sky Michael P. Borgia Mike Inglis How to Photograph the Moon and Planets Observing Comets with Your Digital Camera Nick James and Gerald North Tony Buick Telescopes and Techniques Practical Astrophotography An Introduction to Practical Astronomy Jeffrey R. Charles Chris Kitchin Pattern Asterisms Seeing Stars A New Way to Chart the Stars The Night Sky Through Small Telescopes John Chiravalle Chris Kitchin and Robert W. Forrest Deep Sky Observing Photo-guide to the Constellations The Astronomical Tourist A Self-Teaching Guide to Finding Your Steve R. Coe Way Around the Heavens Chris Kitchin Visual Astronomy in the Suburbs A Guide to Spectacular Viewing Solar Observing Techniques Antony Cooke Chris Kitchin Visual Astronomy Under Dark Skies How to Observe the Sun Safely A New Approach to Observing Deep Space Lee Macdonald Antony Cooke The Sun in Eclipse Real Astronomy with Small Telescopes Sir Patrick Moore and Michael Maunder Step-by-Step Activities for Discovery Transit Michael K.
    [Show full text]
  • Astronomy Magazine 2011 Index Subject Index
    Astronomy Magazine 2011 Index Subject Index A AAVSO (American Association of Variable Star Observers), 6:18, 44–47, 7:58, 10:11 Abell 35 (Sharpless 2-313) (planetary nebula), 10:70 Abell 85 (supernova remnant), 8:70 Abell 1656 (Coma galaxy cluster), 11:56 Abell 1689 (galaxy cluster), 3:23 Abell 2218 (galaxy cluster), 11:68 Abell 2744 (Pandora's Cluster) (galaxy cluster), 10:20 Abell catalog planetary nebulae, 6:50–53 Acheron Fossae (feature on Mars), 11:36 Adirondack Astronomy Retreat, 5:16 Adobe Photoshop software, 6:64 AKATSUKI orbiter, 4:19 AL (Astronomical League), 7:17, 8:50–51 albedo, 8:12 Alexhelios (moon of 216 Kleopatra), 6:18 Altair (star), 9:15 amateur astronomy change in construction of portable telescopes, 1:70–73 discovery of asteroids, 12:56–60 ten tips for, 1:68–69 American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO), 6:18, 44–47, 7:58, 10:11 American Astronomical Society decadal survey recommendations, 7:16 Lancelot M. Berkeley-New York Community Trust Prize for Meritorious Work in Astronomy, 3:19 Andromeda Galaxy (M31) image of, 11:26 stellar disks, 6:19 Antarctica, astronomical research in, 10:44–48 Antennae galaxies (NGC 4038 and NGC 4039), 11:32, 56 antimatter, 8:24–29 Antu Telescope, 11:37 APM 08279+5255 (quasar), 11:18 arcminutes, 10:51 arcseconds, 10:51 Arp 147 (galaxy pair), 6:19 Arp 188 (Tadpole Galaxy), 11:30 Arp 273 (galaxy pair), 11:65 Arp 299 (NGC 3690) (galaxy pair), 10:55–57 ARTEMIS spacecraft, 11:17 asteroid belt, origin of, 8:55 asteroids See also names of specific asteroids amateur discovery of, 12:62–63
    [Show full text]
  • February 24, 2021
    Observing Special Interest Group Session 7 – February 24, 2021 NOTE: The meeting for Feb. 17th was canceled due to weather and moved to Feb. 24th at the same time. INTRODUCTION Hello everyone, I hope you all are well and have had a chance to do some observing. Does anyone have questions or observations they would like to share with us? Hello Chaz, waz up dude? Yes it’s time for our friend Chaz to tell us about his monthly article in the Spectrum. Take it away Chaz. Now for our guest speaker. Gary Carter is a former president of TAS-Dallas and has extensive background knowledge of amateur astro equipment. We have had questions lately about eyepieces so I asked Gary to gives a more in depth look at this subject. Gary, are you ready? February “deep sky objects”. I have had people ask me to give some target objects during our monthly meetings. Therefore, this list was mostly composed with beginning astronomers in mind that wanted interesting objects that are pretty easy to find with small telescopes. Except for a few of these, I think this list meets those requirements. It is especially written for the people who use star charts & star catalogues in the field. I ask that you open and print this document before the start of the meeting so you can follow along in the discussion. MEETING NOTES February ObSIG Meeting Our February Zoom meeting was held on 2/24/2021. It was postponed for a week due to the loss of power because of the cold weather.
    [Show full text]
  • Jean-Gaël Gricourt E-Mail: [email protected]
    Jean-Gaël Gricourt e-mail: [email protected] 22 septembre 2021 version 2.2 Résumé Ce glossaire est pour l’instant très orienté matériel et optique instrumentale mais il est en mesure d’évoluer vers d’autres sujets. Tout le contenu de ce glossaire est critiquable et comme il s’agit d’un “work in progress” vos commentaires positifs ou négatifs ainsi que vos suggestions et rectifications seront les bienvenus. Contact : [email protected] Table des matières 1 DicAstro 2 2 Appendices 240 2.1 Recommandations................................................... 240 2.2 Les forums....................................................... 240 2.3 Les chaînes Youtube.................................................. 241 2.4 Les magazines...................................................... 241 2.5 Bibliothèques d’astro photos.............................................. 241 2.6 Bibliothèques d’astro dessins............................................. 241 2.7 Des simulateurs de télescopes............................................. 242 2.8 Pollution lumineuse.................................................. 242 2.9 Des outils de calculs.................................................. 242 2.10 L’optique instrumentale................................................ 242 2.11 Cartes / Planétarium.................................................. 243 2.12 Catalogues....................................................... 243 2.13 Ephémérides & calculs................................................. 243 2.14 La petite histoire des télescopes amateurs.....................................
    [Show full text]
  • Astronomy Magazine 2020 Index
    Astronomy Magazine 2020 Index SUBJECT A AAVSO (American Association of Variable Star Observers), Spectroscopic Database (AVSpec), 2:15 Abell 21 (Medusa Nebula), 2:56, 59 Abell 85 (galaxy), 4:11 Abell 2384 (galaxy cluster), 9:12 Abell 3574 (galaxy cluster), 6:73 active galactic nuclei (AGNs). See black holes Aerojet Rocketdyne, 9:7 airglow, 6:73 al-Amal spaceprobe, 11:9 Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri) (star), binocular observation of, 1:62 Alnasl (Gamma Sagittarii) (optical double star), 8:68 Alpha Canum Venaticorum (Cor Caroli) (star), 4:66 Alpha Centauri A (star), 7:34–35 Alpha Centauri B (star), 7:34–35 Alpha Centauri (star system), 7:34 Alpha Orionis. See Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis) Alpha Scorpii (Antares) (star), 7:68, 10:11 Alpha Tauri (Aldebaran) (star), binocular observation of, 1:62 amateur astronomy AAVSO Spectroscopic Database (AVSpec), 2:15 beginner’s guides, 3:66, 12:58 brown dwarfs discovered by citizen scientists, 12:13 discovery and observation of exoplanets, 6:54–57 mindful observation, 11:14 Planetary Society awards, 5:13 satellite tracking, 2:62 women in astronomy clubs, 8:66, 9:64 Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston (ATMoB), 8:66 American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO), Spectroscopic Database (AVSpec), 2:15 Andromeda Galaxy (M31) binocular observations of, 12:60 consumption of dwarf galaxies, 2:11 images of, 3:72, 6:31 satellite galaxies, 11:62 Antares (Alpha Scorpii) (star), 7:68, 10:11 Antennae galaxies (NGC 4038 and NGC 4039), 3:28 Apollo missions commemorative postage stamps, 11:54–55 extravehicular activity
    [Show full text]
  • 5-6Index 6 MB
    CLEAR SKIES OBSERVING GUIDES 5-6" Carbon Stars 228 Open Clusters 751 Globular Clusters 161 Nebulae 199 Dark Nebulae 139 Planetary Nebulae 105 Supernova Remnants 10 Galaxies 693 Asterisms 65 Other 4 Clear Skies Observing Guides - ©V.A. van Wulfen - clearskies.eu - [email protected] Index ANDROMEDA - the Princess ST Andromedae And CS SU Andromedae And CS VX Andromedae And CS AQ Andromedae And CS CGCS135 And CS UY Andromedae And CS NGC7686 And OC Alessi 22 And OC NGC752 And OC NGC956 And OC NGC7662 - "Blue Snowball Nebula" And PN NGC7640 And Gx NGC404 - "Mirach's Ghost" And Gx NGC891 - "Silver Sliver Galaxy" And Gx Messier 31 (NGC224) - "Andromeda Galaxy" And Gx Messier 32 (NGC221) And Gx Messier 110 (NGC205) And Gx "Golf Putter" And Ast ANTLIA - the Air Pump AB Antliae Ant CS U Antliae Ant CS Turner 5 Ant OC ESO435-09 Ant OC NGC2997 Ant Gx NGC3001 Ant Gx NGC3038 Ant Gx NGC3175 Ant Gx NGC3223 Ant Gx NGC3250 Ant Gx NGC3258 Ant Gx NGC3268 Ant Gx NGC3271 Ant Gx NGC3275 Ant Gx NGC3281 Ant Gx Streicher 8 - "Parabola" Ant Ast APUS - the Bird of Paradise U Apodis Aps CS IC4499 Aps GC NGC6101 Aps GC Henize 2-105 Aps PN Henize 2-131 Aps PN AQUARIUS - the Water Bearer Messier 72 (NGC6981) Aqr GC Messier 2 (NGC7089) Aqr GC NGC7492 Aqr GC NGC7009 - "Saturn Nebula" Aqr PN NGC7293 - "Helix Nebula" Aqr PN NGC7184 Aqr Gx NGC7377 Aqr Gx NGC7392 Aqr Gx NGC7585 (Arp 223) Aqr Gx NGC7606 Aqr Gx NGC7721 Aqr Gx NGC7727 (Arp 222) Aqr Gx NGC7723 Aqr Gx Messier 73 (NGC6994) Aqr Ast 14 Aquarii Group Aqr Ast 5-6" V2.4 Clear Skies Observing Guides - ©V.A.
    [Show full text]
  • January 2018 BRAS Newsletter
    Novemb Monthly Meeting Monday, January 8th at 7PM at HRPO er 2017 Issue nd (Monthly meetings are on 2 Mondays, Highland Road Park Observatory) . Program: Show’N Tell. Club Members will bring and brag on astronomy items Santa brought them for Christmas, or show off their other brag worthy paraphernalia of interest to star gazers. What's In This Issue? President’s Messages (Incoming and Outgoing) Secretary's Summary Outreach Report Light Pollution Committee Report Recent Forum Entries 20/20 Vision Campaign Messages from the HRPO Friday Night Lecture Series Globe at Night Adult Astronomy Courses Observing Notes – Lepus – The Hare & Mythology Like this newsletter? See past issues back to 2009 at http://brastro.org/newsletters.html Newsletter of the Baton Rouge Astronomical Society January 2018 © 2018 Presidents’ Messages (out with the old/in with the new) NEW PRES: Steven Tilley First off, I thank you for placing your trust in me for 2018. Also, I wish to thank our outgoing officers for their service. Through the hard work of many members over the years, BRAS has grown into the society it is today. With your help, I plan to continue this trend. A little about myself: I am a research assistant for the Clerk of the Louisiana House of Representatives, with a degree in political science. Single. No kids. I am an Eagle Scout, and served on Camp Avondale's staff most of the 1990's. I pursue astronomy using online telescopes, tracking asteroids and comets. Two sites I've used are www.slooh.com and itelescope.net. I also enjoy photography.
    [Show full text]
  • Observing Stellar Evolution
    Observing Stellar Evolution Observing Program Coordinator Bill Pellerin Houston Astronomical Society Houston, TX Observing Stellar Evolution © Copyright 2012 by the Astronomical League. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the Astronomical League. Limited permission is granted for the downloading, reproducing, and/or printing of the material for personal use. Astronomical League 9201 Ward Parkway, Suite 1000 Kansas City, MO 64114 816-DEEP-SKY www.astroleague.org Observing Stellar Evolution Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 4 Rules and Regulations ................................................................................................................................... 4 Some terms you need to know ..................................................................................................................... 5 Stellar Catalogs.............................................................................................................................................. 6 The HR Diagram ............................................................................................................................................ 7 Stellar Evolution in a Nutshell ......................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • VSS Newsletter – May 2010
    Newsletter 2010/2 2010 May From the Director NACAA and the FUTURE Thomas Richards [email protected] Variable star enthusiasts were well represented amongst the hundred-plus attendees at the NACAA conference at Canberra this Easter. Well organised and with high quality pa- pers and posters, it was altogether an exhilarating few days. The theme was "Amateur Astronomy in the Online Age". David Benn started things rolling with a workshop "Variable Star Data Visualisation and Analysis with Vstar". His Vstar software is being developed under contract to AAVSO for online use in the CitizenSky programme - and is already available there. The confer- ence paper sessions kicked off on Saturday morning with the first John Perdrix Address (John founded NACAA) by myself. More of this below. Variable star papers in the con- ference were: Tom Richards: Opportunities and Plans: the Directions of Southern Hemisphere Variable Star Research Alan Plummer: Variable Stars: Observing Stellar Evolution David O'Driscoll: Robotic Research for the Amateur Astronomer Simon O'Toole: The Ubiquity of Exoplanets Tom Richards: Round-table - Variable Stars Planning Session INDEX From the Director Tom Richards 1 Editor’s Comments Stan Walker 3 Stars of the Month Stan Walker 4 Stars That Go Out Stephen Hovell/Stan Walker 5 The Dual Maxima Mira Project Stan Walker 7 The ESP Bug Phil Evans 8 Remarks on Two Possible Cataclysmic Variables Mati Morel 14 CCD Notes—What is the Time on the Sun Tom Richards 16 Here and There 18 Eclipsing Binaries for Fun and Profit—Part IV Bob Nelson 19 The Bright Cepheid Project Stan Walker 31 V1243 Aquilae—A Remarkable Alignment Tom Richards 32 Contact Information 37 It's good to report that David O'Driscoll won the Astral Award for the best presentation.
    [Show full text]
  • 111 Deep-Sky Wonders for Light-Polluted Skies
    observer’s log 111 Deep-Sky Wonders for Light-Polluted Skies Bright skies aren’t empty skies. See for yourself how many treasures lie hidden in the glow of a city sky. By James Mullaney here I live, 30 miles west Presented here is a of downtown Philadelphia sampling of 111 deep- (near historic Valley Forge, sky showpieces scattered Pennsylvania), the glow of around the heavens, Wthe nighttime sky is often bright enough most all visible from that I can read my star charts without the midnorthern latitudes aid of a red flashlight. Sadly, for much of through even the the stargazing community, this is a pretty brightest of skies. Since typical situation. Yet despite such blatant stars have the highest intrusions on the once sacred per-unit-area darkness of the night sky, Online brightness, dou- many deep-sky wonders can Want expert tips on ble and multiple still be seen and enjoyed in a observing celestial objects? stars and bright star You’ll find plenty at small telescope. In fact, some SkyandTelescope.com clusters dominate the JII keen-eyed city dwellers have /observing/objects selection. Nebulae and FU IRA even been able to glimpse the galaxies are still well repre- M31 AK brightest quasar, 13th-magnitude 3C 273 sented even though these faint fuzzies suf- in Virgo. Considering that the object is at fer the most from light pollution. You can a distance of around 2 billion light-years, readily find all of them within their re- Use direct vision where color percep- it is amazing that it can be seen at all spective constellations using a good star tion and resolution are important, and under bright conditions, let alone with atlas such as Sky Atlas 2000.0, and the vast averted vision (looking slightly to one apertures as small as 5 or 6 inches! majority are plotted in more basic atlases side of the object) for seeing faint details.
    [Show full text]