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A S T R O N O M Y Rochester Skies First Newsletter ¨ Freezing Star-Party ¨ March Over Rochester ¨ Constellation Prize Rochester Astronomy Club Newsletter Issue #1 Winter ‘06 RAC Grows Up Constellation Prize Star Party The Rochester Astron- From our favorite Our coldest month omy Club has been meeting segment, turns out one of growing. As the size Randy Hemann will our best attended increases, so do the lead us by the optics Star Parties. Dean possibilities. If you are through the constel- Johnson fills us in on curious what RAC is lation Hydra, point- Eagle Bluff January. all about, take a look at ing out deep sky gems “Who We Are...” along the way. Page 1 Page 3 Page 4 ing to feel some growing pains. First Newsletter We appreciate feedback and Rochester Skies Welcome to the first newsletter of the encourage participation. If you Contents Rochester Astronomy Club. We hope have ideas, articles or images, March Over Rochester Pg 2 you find it fun and informative. You please submit them. Hunting the Hunter Pg 8 might even want to keep it around— It’s a Little Known Fact Pg 11 could be worth something someday! “Rochester Skies In the Beginning is a newsletter by the Pg 11 We hope this newsletter will be- club, for the club.” Satellite Satellbright Pg 10 come a source of anticipation for Up-Coming Events Pg 12 our members. As we ramp up If you have questions, comments or material for the Rochester Skies newsletter, our editorial process, we are go- please contact our lead editor Duane Deal at [email protected] A. Providing opportunities for Who We Are... the local community to learn The Rochester Astronomy Club about and become interested in (RAC) is an unincorporated astronomy, such as, astronomy lectures, demonstrations, and sky group promoting astronomy observing events. and science as a hobby for in- dividuals of all ages. The club B. Making astronomy accessible actively seeks new members and visible to the general public If you’d like to know more about through public outreach and me- the Rochester Astronomy Club, with all levels of experience dia. from beginners to profession- please visit us online at : als. Our primary goals are to C. Providing opportunities for its http://www.rochesterskies.org bring together people that have members to learn and improve a common interest in astrono- skills related to amateur astron- Interested in becoming a mem- omy, such as, sky observing, ama- my, promote education in this teur astrophotography, and the ber? Send in the form included field, observe the night sky, and selection, construction, and use with the newsletter. share this knowledge by: of astronomical equipment. Rochester Skies Who We Are, Cont... a planet using the Moon, but a March Over planet near the Moon is a beau- Anyone with an interest in Rochester tiful sight. So when does this learning, promoting, observ- happen? On the 6th Mars will ing or sharing the science of as- Cabin fever is bad enough for be just 3° south of the Moon and tronomy may become a mem- most people. Throw an astrono- almost right between the Moon ber. Individual memberships mer indoors for too long and and the Pleiades. The Pleiades, cost only $10/year and Family you’re bound to end up with also known as the seven sisters, memberships (includes any- a lunatic on your hands. Well, represent the stars in this open one in the household) are $15/ March is here so lets march out- cluster. If you’ve never spotted year. Members can vote on side and see what’s up. the Pleiades before, use this op- club activities and hold office. portunity to find them. On the Additionally, our members re- Let’s start “Along the Ecliptic”. 6th just after dark, half of the ceive discounts on Astronomy If you are new to astronomy, Moon’s face will show. The side and Sky & Telescope magazine the Ecliptic is the imaginary that is lit is the direction you’ll subscriptions and on a variety line which represents our solar look for a reddish star-like ob- of astronomy related merchan- system’s disk. The planets all ject. That’s Mars! If you look dise and events. orbit the Sun in the same direc- farther in that direction, there’s So come join us! We meet at tion on or very near this ecliptic the Pleiades. If the Moon’s light 7pm every second Tuesday of plane. As the Moon orbits near washes them out, you’ll have to the month at RCTC. We dis- this plane, it soars by the planets use a telescope or binoculars. cuss subjects of interest to the every month. If spotting plan- What else will the Moon help novice and experienced alike ets is new to you, the Moon will us spot? Try Saturn on the 10th and at every meeting we fea- help. Not only is it easy to spot when it will be just east of the ture a wonderful astronomi- Ecliptic Plane cal presentation. Throughout the year during weekends of the new moon we hold out- door star parties. There we bring out our telescopes and equipment to share the beauti- ful wonders of the night skies. You do not have to be a mem- ber to attend any of our meet- ings or star parties! For more information, talk to any of our members or contact one of our club officers listed below. We hope to see you soon! RAC Officers Randy Hemann 288-7763 President [email protected] Mark Callahan 288-5660 Secretary [email protected] Rebecca Bomgaars 288-4981 Treasurer [email protected] Page 2 Winter ‘05-’06 Moon. On the morning of the just 2° below Venus, although ing to see Uranus in these condi- 20th, the Moon will chase Jupi- it is a tough find for beginners. tions, as it will be too light out, ter from the eastern horizon at On the 26th Neptune slips even but if you want to mentally pic- 1:30am. If you don’t have a low closer! ture where it is, it’s about a third horizon, it may be later before the distance from Mercury to the you can see them climb. Do you want to spot a planet Moon. that evaded Galileo? Look low Are you a morning viewer? Go on the horizon just before dawn, On the 29th is the new Moon, out on the 25th to see Venus rise a little before 7:00am on the 27th. that’s when it’s tired of point- just east of a slim crescent Moon Look for a very thin crescent ing out planets and it hides from just before 6:00AM. Venus is Moon, then look a little higher to view. This is a good time to go bright, allowing you to see it as the East to see Mercury, shining out and spot the planets without the sky gives in to dawn. Before at magnitude 1.06. You’ll also the Moon’s help. Give it a try that happens, you might be able still see Venus higher and to the and let us know how it goes. to spot Neptune with a telescope, South. I don’t recommend try- —DDeal Hydra By Randy Hemann “Do you know where you’re go- miles per hour, or about 4.5 times punctuate the beginning and the ing to?” asked Diana Ross in her the distance that Pluto lies from the end of this long serpiginous con- 1975 hit single “Theme from Ma- earth (at its closest) every year. stellation. Just before dawn at this hogany”. Some of us, sadly, may time of year, Hydra slithers low in not have an answer to this ques- In Greek mythology Hydra was the the southwest skies stretching it- tion. So let me help. In this is- many headed monster that ultimate- self out over nearly two thirds of sue we are going to talk about the ly succumbed to Hercules. The length of the horizon. The “head” largest constellation of the sky, constellation contains 3 Messier of the snake consists of a tight cir- Hydra, the water snake. All of objects: star clusters M48 and M68, cular asterism of 5 stars and lies us, including our planet, our solar and a bright galaxy M83 near its tail. 15 degrees below Saturn. (Stretch system, and our Milky Way gal- A deep sky gem in Hydra is NGC out your index and pinky fingers axy, are traveling through space in 3242, the “Ghost of Jupiter”, an at arm’s length, and that’s 15 de- the direction of Hydra. It is esti- unmistakable blue-green planetary grees). The faint “tail” star lies 15 mated that relative to the observed nebula deriving its name from the degrees below the even brighter locations of our current neighbor- gas giant it emulates. And speaking planet Jupiter. Check it out, and hood galaxies, we are racing in of our solar system’s largest planets, put some direction back in your that direction at about 1.3 million both Saturn and Jupiter currently life! Page 3 Rochester Skies Lanesboro January 27th, ‘06 Rochester Astronomy Club, host to an outstanding Star Party at Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center. By Dean Johnson Nine members attended, 7:30, but needing to keep them with shouts of delight from the with seven telescopes, one on as a group was finishing off parking lot astronomy fans. pair of binoculars and a inside and wanted to see as they The star party was on! wealth of other high tech went to their cars.