Spring 2013 Events Calendar Issue 101 (unless otherwise noted, all events are at the Edwin Ritchie Observatory, Battle Point Park) MARCH March 10 Daylight “Saving” Time Quarterlywww.bpastro.org Bainbridge Island, WA begins. Comet C/2011 L4 Pan- STARRS at perihelion March 11 D Hope for March 20 Vernal Equinox (4:02 a.m. PDT) March 24 Comet C/2012 F6 at Stormy perihelion March 27 A (2:27 a.m. PDT) Weather APRIL CALENDAR NOTES: Subtle April 10 D astronomical events grace 2013’s springtime skies. We’ve an invisible April 13 7:30 p.m. Planetarium Show Solar flare. Image credit: NASA Lunar Eclipse, a pair of dimming and Stargazing (open to the public) comets, a triple planetary conjunction obscured by twilight, the often-missed April 22 Lyrid meteors peak Zodiacal Light, weakening chances for Aurora Borealis, and, as happens April 25 A (11:57 a.m. PDT) every spring, the ascendancy of the Coma-Virgo cluster of galaxies, a glorious Partial Lunar Eclipse (Eastern concentration of “bright” extragalactic lights, that hopefully won’t leave too many Hemisphere) of its telescopic observers lost in disappointed aperture lust. With determination, imagination, and cooperating weather you can enjoy these events. But note that April 28 Saturn at opposition cooperating weather doesn’t simply mean calm. MAY There is the oft-observed consolation prize that stunning skies frequently emerge after a seemingly interminable storm finally sweeps the air clean. But let’s think May 9 D Annular Solar Eclipse larger. Weather is not simply an Earth phenomenon. The Sun storms too. Although (Solomon Islands) debate continues, and no one will know for certain until after it has come and gone, May 11 8:00 p.m. Planetarium Show it seems likely that we are now at the absolute peak of Solar Cycle 24. If so, and if and Stargazing (open to the public) the observed trends continue, this spring’s Solar Maximum may be the best chance May 24 A (8:25 p.m. PDT) any of us will have for catching naked-eye sun spots and the Aurora Borealis for Penumbral Lunar Eclipse (barely) a great many years. Yes, Solar Cycles wind down gradually. Next year may still be relatively strong. But, as it appears we are at the height of the weakest Solar Cycle May 25-27 Conjunction of Venus, of the past one hundred years, and several forecasts suggest the next eleven year Jupiter, and Mercury cycle may be even weaker, prudence suggests maximizing every opportunity now. The telescope pads on the berm outside our Ritchie Observatory offer a surprisingly JUNE good vantage, due to their long northern horizon. I saw one faint, but exhilarating, June 8 D 8:30 p.m. Planetarium Show midnight display from there last summer. To gauge when you should look, try and Stargazing (open to the public) SpaceWeather.com for the latest “information about the Sun-Earth environment.” June 16 50th anniversary, first woman In addition to clear Earth skies and stormy Sun, a far-reaching interpretation in space (Valentina Tereshkova) of “cooperating weather” might also encompass turbulent outer space events, such as cometary flybys and meteoric rains-from-the-sky. Two naked-eye comets are June 18 30th anniversary first US currently wowing Southern Hemisphere viewers and about to reach perihelion and woman in space (Sally Ride) cross into our northern skies, Comet C/2011 L4 Pan-STARRS, and Comet C/2012 June 20 Summer Solstice F6 Lemmon. Just after perihelion, a word which literally means “near Sun,” comets (10:04 p.m. PDT) are often at their brightest, but are also uncomfortably close to the horizon and June 23 A (3:32 a.m. PDT) too frequently drowned in twilight and atmospheric haze. Lemmon will arrive in Largest tidal swing of the year morning twilight, arguably the less desirable choice for Bainbridge Island observers. Although our island has easily reachable eastern shores with long unobstructed June 30 105th anniversary Tunguska horizons, morning apparitions face two serious strikes. The first, getting up long (meteor) explosion Calendar Notes con’t on page 2 Quarterly 2–Spring 2013 before dawn, is not generally considered moon will interfere until just before difficulties, unpredictabilities, and a legitimate complaint for an amateur dawn; but considering that in 1803 sometimes downright impossibilities astronomer (although I’ve certainly observers reported seeing 700 meteors of observing this spring’s celestial complained, and, occasionally, gone per hour, and the amazingly long highlights, the unquestioned telescopic back to sleep). The second, and more history the Lyrids possess, this is always showpiece of the night sky finally serious drawback, is that directly east, a shower to watch. achieves opposition. Saturn never where Lemmon will rise, lies Seattle—a Watching won’t enable viewing of disappoints. A telescopic view of the damnable source of comet-killing light May 24th’s Penumbral Lunar Eclipse; faint galactic nits adorning Berenice’s pollution. Earth’s shadow will be too far off-center Hair can certainly inspire great awe Fortunately Pan-STARRS will to be visually seen on the moon. Yet, and wonderment. But one must bring emerge west, in the evening. Although looking at its full moon, one may a great deal of fore-knowledge to the initial expectations for a magnitude zero ponder the geeky significance that this observation to appreciate that those comet have recently been downgraded invisible eclipse marks the beginning of murky smudges each teem with billions to magnitude 3, it should still be a fine a sesquicent moment, the first eclipse of (potentially) life-giving Suns; without binocular sight. The trick is finding of saros cycle 150. A saros is a period that knowledge the objects themselves the right vantage. Much of our island’s of just over 18 years when the eclipse- can be rather unimpressive. Not so with long western shore is too near the producing alignment of Earth, Sun, and Saturn. I’m not entirely sure why. NASA Kitsap Peninsula to give an acceptably Moon (nearly) repeats. This repetition photos are always more impressive than low horizon. A good metric is whether makes saros cycles the primary tool of what one sees visually. Yet Saturn is the or not the Olympic Mountains are eclipse prediction. Since each saros cycle one object that always causes the, “Oh viewable. By this measure Crystal lasts for over 1000 years as it crosses my God, I can see the rings!” reaction, Springs, and pretty much the from one end of the Earth to the other, regardless the telescope. I shall never forget entire south half of the island, fails. and since saros cycle 1 was arbitrarily my first 60mm sight of those amazing Fortunately, north of Fletcher Bay the assigned to the long-ago year 2000 rings. Nor shall I ever tire of them. channel widens. Another local difficulty BCE, this is a rather momentous, if To see Saturn for yourself, and learn is trees, most easily avoidable by taking wonky, event. (For those who just ran more about our amazing universe, join to the beach. Two reasonably good the division and wonder why this isn’t us at any of our always open-to-the- observation beaches are at the Skinner a much smaller number, perhaps saros public Planetarium Show and Stargazing Street and Beach Street road ends. cycle 5, note that there are always many events. They’re every second Saturday Conveniently, both are within walking saros cycles running simultaneously.) (but check the calendar for times), distance of the Observatory—especially Fortunately, in spite of the many regardless the weather.—Cheth Rowe helpful since neither allows parking. Whether or not you snag Pan- Walking Directions to Skinner and Beach St. Road Ends STARRS, any effort toward finding The Skinner St. Road End is a short, level, one-tenth mile walk ✫ a suitable western horizon will be from the foot of Skinner St. to its magnificent Olympic view good preparation for late May’s triple- beach. As at Beach St., the trail is announced by both a "Parking triple conjunctions of Venus, Jupiter, Prohibited" sign and the more welcoming "Shore Access." Park and Mercury. No, triple-triple is not Skinner St. itself is conveniently located directly across Battle an official term; but these three will Point Dr. from the turn-off to the Ritchie Observatory. The Skinner Street Road End be especially close for three days in turn-off is a five-way intersection; Skinner St. is the one that slants down toward succession. They will be stunning. the Sound. Figure a five minute walk (maybe slightly longer on the way back up). As Chelyabinsk reminds us, meteoric To reach the Beach St. Road End, travel 0.3 miles beyond weather is less predictable. While ✫ Frey, the north end of the park, along Arrow Point Drive. On lunar illumination interference can be your right you may notice a low, moss covered, carved sign precisely quantified, and the moment Park proclaiming "Arrow Point." Beach St. is about 100 feet further, of most shower’s peaks is well predicted, on your left. Beach St. is short, a scant 200 feet long. Its Road Beach Street Road End individual meteors appear according End trail is even shorter—a nine-rung stairs. The beach itself is to their own schedule. All one can do easy to denigrate. There's a washed up tire, a decaying green-plastic rowboat, is watch (or, for those with suitable a scrub alder that always seems to be in the way, all in a rather uncomfortably equipment, listen) and wait. Humans narrow space squashed between neighboring beachfront estates. There are have recorded this spring’s first major annoying motion sensor lights on the property to the north. Yet this beach has shower, the Lyrids, longer than any actual sand, unlike its rock walled neighbors. And it has views. other, for over 2600 years. Lyrid rates Road End aficionados will note that between these two lies a third Road End, are generally low, and this year the harder to reach at nighttime, but deserving of its name, "Fairy Dell." Quarterly 3–Spring 2013 The New York Hall of Science, and More Fixes for the the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry are all building them. 16" Telescope

Noisebridge Ideally, maker spaces provide tools, mentors, and community. It’s easier to New discoveries happen all the make things than ever before—amazing time! We discovered that the new things, things only you can imagine—if secondary cage + new finder scope + you have the right tools, and can learn to new secondary mirror holder + heavier use them. Computer-controlled devices, oculars make the existing altitude such as CNC routers and 3-D printers, friction bearings fail at lower elevations. can manufacture objects directly from In order for the telescope to balance design software. Cheap micro-controllers at all elevations it looked as if it would and single-board computers like be necessary to rebuild the entire Arduinos and Raspberry Pis require only bottom half (mirror box and rocker rudimentary programming skills, allowing box), thus enabling the raising of the clever makers to computerize almost telescope bearing on the mirror box— anything, creating light-up clothes, but the mirror box is not tall enough http://www.lizbaumann.com/tag/arduino/, to allow that, and if we made it taller, it would also require a taller rocker box to

Arduinos for Total Newbies class, San Francisco Maker Space Space Maker Francisco class, San Newbies Total for Arduinos clockwork sundials http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=WXNLULFqoTM, and accommodate it. even automated panhandlers, A lot of work to do that, so we Making It on http://www.chriseckert.com/ thought we'd try something else, such as Sculpture/037_gimme/gallery.shtml, springs, lines and weights, or using felt Bainbridge Island for those essential pads for the bearing surface (tried the pads, didn’t work), brake shoes, clamps, MARCH 2013: It’s spring, and maker donations. what else can we think of? spaces are in the air, or at least, under These tools f(x)= 7.25sin x+15. What? The what development on Bainbridge Island. are constantly else is a new curve Maker spaces, sometimes called hacker improving and for a bearing. spaces, are workshops where makers becoming cheaper. gather to build, invent, or take things But the best Dave Janich apart. There are about 200 in the United thing about and I found the States: Seattle spaces include Metrix maker spaces is new balance point Create: Space http://metrixcreatespace. serendipitous was 7.25 inches com/, Jigsaw Renaissance, http://www. learning from above the top of other makers, the same the mirror box. We jigsawrenaissance.org/, and Hackerbot The altitude kind of learning that inspires Google took into account Labs, http://www.hackerbotlabs. bearing's old curve. com. (Comprehensive list at http:// and inspired Bell Labs. the placement hackerspaces.org/wiki/Seattle) Here on Bainbridge, the school of the existing bearing and where The essence of maker spaces is creative district has agreed to rent four Commo- the balancing play with technology, collaboration, and dore classrooms to BARN (Bainbridge point was for self-directed, hands-on learning. They Artisan Resource Network). The group the vertical and attract budding technologists and teach is reserving one room for an electrical/ where it needed crucial STEM (science, technology, technical maker space. BARN is also to be for the engineering, mathematics) concepts. working on fundraising, designing, The new curve. horizontal. With DARPA, the President, educators, and building a much larger, permanent that information we used the formula libraries, and museums have taken center on New Brooklyn Road. They are 7.25(sin x) + 15 to arrive at our net notice of this grass-roots movement. The still refining their ideas on the maker curve. (x from 90 to 0 degrees, 15 the American Library Association devoted space; if you are interested, email An- radius of the old circle bearing, and a convention day to maker spaces gela Williams at BARNMakerSpace@ 7.25 being the new balance point. http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/ gmail.com or contact BARN at info@ Toward the bottom of the bearing when inside-scoop/midwinter-s-maker-monday- bainbridgebarn.org.—Vicki Saunders the telescope is toward the horizontal builds-new-bridges-between-libraries- positions, the new curve crashes into the and-communities. The Exploratorium, Quarterly 4–Spring 2013 old curve. In order to prevent this we Steve Ruhl much more precise science. elongated the sine curve, joining it to President’s I loved the course. The biggest the old circle at the 45 degree mark with disappointment was that the professor a tangent line. The new curve looks like Message: got the flu in the middle and was unable a Pac Man, what can I say? We made a to do lectures for about ten days. (He mockup and attached it to the telescope Coursera looked really pale the first lecture after and it works great! Coursera allows universities to offer he came back.) The course covered But alas, another problem developed. courses online to anyone who wishes to the basics of relativistic cosmology, The increased movement of the rocker take them for FREE. The universities distance, age of universe, early universe, box ( it actually moves horizontally 7.25 are top line schools such as Stanford, large scale structure, and the nature inches) requires roller bearings to move Duke, Brown, and the University of galaxies. The course claimed to the telescope. Skate board bearings of Washington. The courses offered require two or so years of calculus, are the answer. The telescope balances include a multitude of disciplines: but the deepest it went was a little fantastically throughout its range and Physical and Biological Sciences, Fourier analysis and the resulting power without friction. But the wind will Math, Computer Science, Finance, functions. It did not require you to do blow it around and changing eyepieces Economics, Physiology, Engineering, the math and the professor did a good will unbalance the scope, so we will Social Science, Music, Agriculture, job of explaining what the math meant. come up with some friction pads and a Ecology, English, etc. Currently they Not knowing all the math would have sliding weight system to allow for those list 325 courses. Some are equivalent had little impact on a student’s general conditions. We'll cover the wearing edge to University courses, and coordinate understanding. of the plywood bearings with a 1/16 with school calendars, some are shorter The study of Cosmology does look inch thick aluminum bar. and more informational. For the most at general relativity, which sounds part, courses consist of lectures with terrifying to many, what with all of its Powerpoint presentations. Depending tensor fields. But the first thing you do on the course, they may include is assume the Cosmological Principle; readings, quizzes, homework, tests and at a given time, the universe is the same finals. You are taking a college course everywhere and in all directions. That and doing the work. You are just not assumption greatly simplifies general getting the college credits. I signed up relativity. for Galaxies and Cosmology (G&C), If you are interested in something Skateboard bearing offered by the California Institute of that Coursera offers, I would Technology, and taught by S. George recommend signing up for it. There This curve solves our problem of Djorgovski, http://tinyurl.com/G-Ccaltech is great upside potential and virtually balancing the 16 inch and I’d like to say I took G&C as an undergraduate no down side. One of the great things it was my idea, but I saw this curve on and felt ripped off. The professor, about Coursera is that if you get in over a scope at the Oregon Star Party about Greg Benford, was trained as a Plasma your head, you can always un-enroll. 10 years ago. This curve is not needed in Physicist but his great passion is writing Coursera, https://www.coursera.org/, is a new telescope that is designed with a science fiction. I believe he finagled now one of my favorite sites. You can taller rocker and mirror box. his way into teaching G&C as a way be sure that I will be taking a variety of So keep looking up!—Nels Johansen of teaching himself something about courses in the future. cosmology to improve his science fiction. Anyway, the class was an easy A, but a huge disappointment on content. The Coursera class is the class I would have wished for at that time. Of Any member who is planning to observe can invite others to join in by sending an email course, Cosmology has progressed. In to [email protected]. To join our email 1977, Cosmology was a pseudo-science group, send an email with your name to bpaa- where getting an answer within an order [email protected] and we can enroll you. If you want to have web access to the mes- or two of magnitude was considered sages and files, you can join the Yahoogroups a success. With the precision of the by clicking the register link for new users on Cosmic Microwave Background, the http://groups.yahoo.com/. Request to join at digital sky surveys, and a multitude of http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bpaa/. The system will send us a message, and we’ll approve your other sources, Cosmology has become a request after we verify your membership. Quarterly 5–Spring 2013 Seeing Stars Hubble’s Photos Astronomy .001

They’re not pictures of our families; they’re not pictures of strangers in dramatic situations. In fact, they’re totally impersonal. So why are Hubble Space Telescope photographs so compelling? Hubble weighs two tons and circles above the Earth about 350 miles up, going 17,500 miles an hour while the Earth itself is traveling 67,000 miles an hour around the Sun. The data arrive at the speed of ten billion bytes a day. The telescope is held steady to seven bring out details in the variations of Stellar breeding ground in 30 Doradus, located thousandths of an arcsecond by six brightness. Only then is color added. in the heart of the Tarantula Nebula. Early astronomers nicknamed the nebula because its gyroscopes. (Two arcseconds would be Three separate filters, red, green, glowing filaments resemble spider legs. about the angle created by a dime seen and blue, are superimposed. The 30 Doradus is the brightest star-forming region from the distance of a mile. ) information may show evidence of visible in a neighboring galaxy and home to the Hubble’s equipment includes a particular element—hydrogen, for most massive stars ever seen. The nebula resides specialized cameras, spectrographs, a instance—so the specialists may use 170,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic the color red in that part of the field. Cloud, a small, satellite galaxy of our Milky Way. photometer, and guidance sensors. Its No known star-forming region in our galaxy is as major camera, the Wide Field Camera If there are two elements present that large or as prolific as 30 Doradus. 3, is fitted with multiple CCDs, two give off a similar color, they use their The composite image comprises one of the for covering wave lengths from 200 nm discretion in choosing the colors to largest mosaics ever assembled from Hubble to 1,000 nm; two for infrared, along keep them distinct, and they are not photos and includes observations taken by with broad and narrow band filters, always the same. Sometimes the picture Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 and Advanced Camera for Surveys. The Hubble image is and prisms and grisms (a prism with a is turned upside down (that is, north is combined with ground-based data of the grating) which produce wide field and not always at the top) to give the best Tarantula Nebula, taken with the European low resolution and spectrographs; and view or balance. Because the pictures are Southern Observatory's 2.2-meter telescope in two for visible light, plus a separate enlarged and can show light that would La Silla, Chile. NASA and the Space Telescope detector for the ultraviolet spectrum. be outside our visual range, they go way Science Institute released the image to celebrate Hubble's 22nd anniversary. The data all carry a time signal. The beyond what we would see if we were The colors represent the hot gas that dominates information goes first to the ground sitting in the Hubble looking through regions of the image. Red signifies hydrogen station in White Sands, NM, then to the telescope. gas and blue, oxygen. the Goddard Space Flight Center in A committee reviews the 2,000 Hubble imaged 30 separate fields, 15 with Greenbelt, MD where controllers check projects submitted each year, chooses each camera. Both cameras were making Hubble’s health and its operations. From 200 of them, and schedules the time observations at the same time. Hubble made the observations in October 2011. there it goes to the Space Telescope allowed, down to the second. Some of Science Institute in Baltimore, MD Hubble’s pictures have been of objects Credit: NASA, ESA, D. Lennon and E. Sabbi (ESA/STScI), J. Anderson, S. E. de Mink, R. van where the raw data is translated into in our Solar System, but many are of der Marel, T. Sohn, and N. Walborn (STScI), N. wavelengths and brightness. (For a more distant objects many light years away. Bastian (Excellence Cluster, Munich), L. Bedin detailed description of the raw data see The Hubble Space Telescope is the (INAF, Padua), E. Bressert (ESO), P. Crowther http://tinyurl.com/nasasatdata) longest operating observatory in space: (University of Sheffield), A. de Koter (University of Amsterdam), C. Evans (UKATC/STFC, The information is cleaned of its Launched on April 25, 1990 from Edinburgh), A. Herrero (IAC, Tenerife), N. random dust—cosmic rays, background NASA’s space shuttle Discovery, it has Langer (AifA, Bonn), I. Platais (JHU), and H. noise, etc. Specialists manipulate it to been rescued several times just when it Sana (University of Amsterdam) Quarterly 6–Spring 2013

"The Mice" (NGC 4676): Colliding Galaxies Stream Stars and Gas Credit: NASA, H. Ford (JHU), G. Illingworth (UCSC/LO), M.Clampin (STScI), G. Hartig (STScI), the ACS Science Team, and ESA

• has examined the chemical composition of the atmosphere of planets outside our Solar System and determined whether seemed about to be terminated. Only information on Mars landing sites for they have had the elements weeks after it began sending pictures the Pathfinder robot to, more recently, necessary for life. back to Earth scientists knew its large finding evidence of dark energy, critical Starting out as an Ugly Duckling primary mirror was flawed. Thanks to information for understanding the with its telescope’s primary mirror the fact that Hubble had been built evolution of the universe. suffering from spherical aberration, to be repaired, NASA could create the To list only a few of its major Hubble has become a Magic Swan replacements to correct and upgrade contributions, the Hubble Space gliding around the Earth every 97 the machine. With its continuing Telescope minutes. It has charmed the public maintenance, Hubble is a hundred • has challenged astronomers and with its visions of cosmic wonders and times more powerful today than it was Congress to think creatively surprised the astronomers with public in 1990. beyond our conventional world; appreciation. Hubble has found more than was • has taken pictures of stars being Why do we find the Hubble even expected of it. Perhaps its most formed, helping us realize that discoveries and the photographs so lasting gift—and most unexpected—has even the stars billions of light years compelling? Is it the creative turbulence been the public’s growing appreciation away are similar to local stars; in the Eagle Nebula? The violence in of the beauty found in outer space. • has identified black holes and the supernova explosions? The graceful The first pictures were black and showed gas and stars whirling ballet in the arms of the Whirling white; it took several years for the around to be engulfed in them at Galaxy? The mind-boggling distances? scientific community to realize the almost the speed of light; The magnificence of the billions and impact they could make by adding • has photographed a supernova, billions of celestial objects? Hubble’s colors. In 1994, less than a year after it 1997ff, that exploded 10 million continuing ability to reveal something was performing correctly, it showed us years ago, and revealed that the new? Or the terrifying possibility that the impacts of Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet universe slowed down after the the next space object may not be as fragments on Jupiter. Those splatters initial explosion; relatively kind to us as the one that blew raised the troubling question of “What • has shown the evolution of up near Chelyabinsk on February 15? if?” Hubble now sends pictures of the galaxies; Or is our compulsion to look because lasting scars. • by focusing on a point for ten we see ourselves mirrored in each of The first full color pictures came in days, has created a “Deep Field” these events? —Anna G. Edmonds 2002; they were of the Mice Nebula picture of stars more than 12 in Coma Berenices, the Cone Nebula billion years away, revealing in Monocerous, the Tadpole Galaxy irregularly shaped galaxies, unlike References: in Draco and the Swan Nebula in Devorkin, David and Robert W. Smith, more recent structures; Hubble: Imaging Space and Time, National Sagittarius. They and the later pictures • with both its Deep Field pictures Geographic, 2008 of the Eagle Nebula in Serpens gave and those of white dwarfs http://tinyurl.com/adass-org the public a vision of cosmic wonders in the Milky Way, has given http://tinyurl.com/hubble-greatest-discoveries http://tinyurl.com/nasasatdata and sparked greater appreciation of astronomers the information astronomy. http://tinyurl.com/nasafiftieth both to estimate the age of the Kaufmann III, William J. and Neil F. Comins, For all the importance of that, universe at 13.75 billon years Discovering the Universe, W. H. Freeman and Hubble’s images have been far, far and to judge that recently the Company, New York, 1996 more than mere publicity for a universe has been expanding scientific discipline. Its contributions more rapidly; have ranged from providing detailed Quarterly 7–Spring 2013

NGC 7023 the Iris Nebula, is a IC 1848 (or Sharpless2 -199) is the The Long reflection nebula, a different beast. The Soul Nebula in Cassiopeia. It is a star radiation emitted by the central young forming emission nebula that is about Grey Gap hot star is scattered by the surrounding 7,500 light years distant and lies just to gas, in the same way our atmosphere the east of the Heart Nebula (i.e., the The end of last year saw a lapse in my scatters sunlight and turns the sky Heart and Soul Nebula) astrophotographic efforts. The hiatus blue. The shorter wave length of blue was one of those hazards of living in the light scatters more easily than longer Pacific Northwest. The clouds rolled in in wavelengths, so this nebula glows more October and I was unable to get another predominately in blue. As a result, a piece of clear sky for three months. Ha filter would not be of value. This I have been experimenting with photo is constructed with the more various combinations of filters to obtain conventional LRGB filters. NGC 7023 colors. When I am photographing an is in Cepheus and is about 1,300 light emission nebula, the Hydrogen Alpha years distant. (Ha) emission can capture a lot of detail and structure. Ha is red so I have been IC 1848, the Soul Nebula 1/16/2013 using it to represent the red portion of 5 300s exposures in Red, Green & Blue the spectrum. This is the case with the binned 1x1 and 8 600s exposures in Ha picture of IC5146, the Cocoon Nebula. binned 1x1 (Total exposure time: 155 IC 5146 is in Cygnus and spans about minutes) 15 light years across. The dark molecular cloud nebula B168 trails behind it. Different areas of NGC 2264 are known by different names. Near the bottom is a structure known as the Cone Nebula for obvious reasons. The area near the mixed reflection NGC 7023, the Iris Nebula 10/7/2012 and emission nebula (the white area) Luminosity 10 300s exposures, Red, Green is known as the Fox Fur Nebula for & Blue 14 300s exposures, all binned 1x1 its striations. NGC 2264 is in the (Total exposure time: 260 minutes) constellation of Monoceros and is about Fast forward to January and the Long 2,600 light years distant. IC 5146, the Cocoon Nebula 8/5/2012 Grey Gap has a brief respite. NGC Ha(as Red) 10 300s exposures, Green & Blue 8 7822 (also known as Sharpless 171) is 300s exposures (Total exposure time: 90 minutes) a star forming region in Cepheus with NGC 281, the Pacman Nebula, is also significant Ha emission. The whole an emission nebula and shot in a similar complex is only a few million years old. manner. It is located in Cassiopeia and is about 9500 light years distant.

NGC 2264, Cone and Fox Fur Nebula 1/16/2013 5 300s exposures in Red, Green & Blue binned 2x2 and 5 600s exposures in Ha binned 1x1 (Total NGC 7822 1/15/2013 exposure time: 125 minutes) 5 300s exposures in Red, Green & Blue All pictures were taken on Bainbridge NGC 281, the Pacman Nebula 9/11/2012 binned 2x2 & 5 600s exposures in Ha Island with an AT 106 LE with an Ha(as Red) 8 600s exposures binned 1x1, (Total exposure time : 135 minutes) SBIG ST 8300 with Filter wheel. Green & Blue 9 300s exposures binned 2x2 —Steve Ruhl (Total exposure time: 170 minutes) Quarterly 8–Spring 2013 BATTLE POINT ASTRONOMICAL In this Issue ASSOCIATION 206.842.9152 http://www.bpastro.org Ritchie Observatory, Battle Point Park P.O. Box 10914, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 1 Calendar: March–June Officers 1 Calendar Notes: Hope for Stormy Weather Stephen Ruhl, President 206.855.7883, [email protected] 5 Seeing Stars: Hubble's Photos Malcolm Saunders, Vice President 206.780.1905, [email protected] 4 President’s Message: Coursera Russell M. Heglund, Secretary 206.842.8758, [email protected] Frank Schroer, Treasurer Articles 206.842.1974, [email protected] Nels Johansen, Facilities 3 Making It on Bainbridge Island 206.842.7968 3 More Fixes for the 16" Telescope David Fong, Education [email protected] 7 The Long Grey Gap Vicki Saunders, Communications 206.780.1905, [email protected]

Founders Edward M. (Mac) Gardiner BPAA Quarterly is a publication of the Battle Point Astronomical Association. President 1993–2002 Vicki Saunders, Editor-in-Chief/Art Director [email protected] Ed Ritchie Cheth Rowe, Calendar/Editor/Proofreader Chief Astronomer 1993–1997 John H. Rudolph Facility Director 1993–2003

Battle Point Astronomical Association P. O. Box 10914 Bainbridge Island, WA 98110

BPAA would like to thank for their generous support