March 2009 Upcoming Meetings Thursday, March 5, 2008 RRegulusegulus Concert at Grant Hall (info below left). RASC Kingston Centre Friday, March 13, 2008 7:30-9:30 p.m. The One Metre Initiative: A New Major Observatory in Canada Speaker: Frank Roy, Elektra Observatories.

Friday, April 10, 2009 7:30-9:30 p.m. The Search for Dark Matter: A New Role for Sudbury Neutrino Observatory Speaker: Dr. Wolfgang Rau, Queen’s University

Meetings are held at Stirling Hall Theatre “A” on Bader Lane at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. Our meetings are co- sponsored by the Queen’s Physics Department and include astronomy lectures open to the public.« The SLOOH Mission Interface SLOOH.com offers great opportunities for virtual observing—from both hemispheres. Read all about it starting on page 8.

The Galileo Project: Music of the Spheres KAON Public Observing Special Concert, 8p.m. on Thursday, March 5th at Grant Hall, Queen’s University Saturday, March 14 7:30-9:30 p.m. From the Tafelmusik website: artistic, cultural and scientific world “The Galileo Project: Music of the in which 17th- and 18th-century }IYA 100 Hours of Astronomy Spheres is Tafelmusik’s contribution astronomers lived and did their work. }Saturn to the International of We have chosen these [pieces of Speaker: Terry Bridges Astronomy, marking 2009 as the music] because they speak 400th anniversary of Galileo’s profoundly and eloquently of what Saturday, April 11 7:30-9:30 p.m. development and use of the lies at the heart of the International Observing the astronomical telescope. We have Year of Astronomy—a celebration Speaker: Fred Barrett created an event which uses music, of the wonders of the cosmos and the words and images to explore the achievements of the human spirit.”«KAON (Kingston Astronomy Outreach Network) sessions are held at Queen’s Web Link: http://www.tafelmusik.org/concerts/galileo.htm Observatory on the 4th floor of Ellis Hall.« In this issue: }Meeting & KAON Reports . . . . 5 Other Events }More Observing Reports from Globe at Night }A Daily Podcast for ’09...... 2 Latitude 26 Degrees ...... 6 March 16-28 }Directors & Coordinators . . . . . 2 }New Home for RASC HQ. . . . . 7 March 28 Earth Hour } Needs You! ...... 2 }Upcoming IYA Events...... 7 April 4 or 5 Solar Observing }Some Wisdom from Lamp- }IYA T-Shirts Available...... 7 April 4 Public Observing lighter ...... 3 }Virtual Observing: Then and }Blast from the Past: A Visit to Now ...... 8 See kingston.rasc.ca for more Chamberlin Observatory ...... 4 }Newt ...... 10 information on these events. A Daily Podcast for ‘09! Regulus Needs You! What is the 365 Days of Items of interest from members— Astronomy podcast? full articles, or even just a couple of paragraphs are always welcome. The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast Deadlines for each issue are the last is a project that will publish one day of the month. Send items to: podcast per day, 5 to 10 minutes in walter2 (at) starlightccd (dot) com duration, for all 365 days of 2009. or: The podcast will be made available Walter MacDonald through an RSS feed. The podcast PO Box 142 episodes will be written, recorded the overall theme, each episode will Winchester ON K0C 2K0 and produced by people around the be completely different. world. Each day will have a specific The Fine Print: topic or theme based on a daily [Remember that you do not need an Members of the Kingston Centre calendar of astronomical events, iPod to listen to a podcast! All you receive Regulus as a benefit of themes and ideas created by the IYA. need is your computer and an membership. Non-commercial internet connection. advertisements are free to members Although all the episodes will have a The AAVSO will be producing one of of the Centre. Paid commercial common intro and outtro that ties into the podcasts each month.—Ed.] advertising is also welcome and should be in electronic format.

Submitted material may be edited for RASC-KC Board of Directors brevity or clarity. © 2008, all rights reserved. Permission is granted to President: Kevin Kell other publications of a similar nature Vice President: Susan Gagnon to print material from Regulus Secretary: Steve Hart provided that credit is given to the Treasurer: Kim Hay author and to Regulus. We would Librarian: David Maguire appreciate you letting us know if you do use material published in Walter MacDonald Editor: Regulus.« National Council Rep: vacant 2008-09 Committee Chairs/Coordinators

Astronomy Day: Kim Hay Amateur Telescope Makers: vacant Awards: Kevin Kell RASC Kingston Centre Banquet: vacant PO Box 1793 Education: vacant Kingston ON K7L 5J6 Equipment Loan: Kevin Kell Fall ’N’ : vacant E-mail: KAON: Susan Gagnon [email protected] OAFTN Instructors: vacant Observing: vacant Infoline: Publicity: vacant 613-377-6029 Relay for Life: vacant Responsible Lighting: Kim Hay Website: Webmaster: Walter MacDonald kingston.rasc.ca

Page 2 Regulus, newsletter of the RASC Kingston Centre March 2009 Some Wisdom from Lamplighter Father Lucien Kemble This is an e-mail posting made by suffuse, mirror image of the tapering bored with the real sky, whose Father Lucien Kemble in the 1990s road. Pondering on this ago I objects are, effectively only in black on the RASCals e-mail list. Just this came to realize that the ditch and and white? I’ll tell you one thing— year some members were remin- fields were reflecting their snow- I'm beginning to find the SPLASH iscing about him (now 10 years after covered whiteness up into the fog. stuff a crashing bore. his death) and about this post in The highway, free of snow and quite particular, so by popular demand, black, was not reflecting and so made I make a plug for the subtle, the here it is in print for all to enjoy. the fog dark. A very nice effect. wonder in little things: the almost imperceptible glow of a small 14th Hi, all you good people: Now what has this got to do with mag ; the tendrils and clouds amateur astronomy observing? A lot. of dark and light in so many of the hope at least some of you are For one thing my experiences with Messiers: the shades of gray in fog; getting in some good observing the phenomenon have made me the ‘non-reflectivity’ of highway fog; I sessions. In Flatland it is quite appreciate, especially yesterday, the shades of gray on the lunar surface; mild, hovering slightly below zero, subtle, the beautiful, the unexpected. bands on Jupiter, etc.; the subtleties with no snow for some time. But lots [The experience will remain long of a Bach fugue; and on and on. of fog and, rather unusual for here, a after I will have forgotten the Granted, computer-enhanced, false- lot of freezing mist and hoar frost congregation, the good singing, my color pictures of astronomical from the dampness. No ice storm, sermon, etc.] And this has found objects are necessary, and more thank God. marvelous application at the power and encouragement to their telescope in helping detect faint practitioners. But are we beginning But some unusual, very subtle effects to lose the small, the unobtrusive, the that I haven't noticed in years. “...are we beginning to lose the simple things? A kid at my telescope Yesterday evening I had to drive to small, the unobtrusive, the [one of the TV bored generation] say Mass at a small town, Southy, NE once remarked on seeing the tiny of here [ironically north of simple things?” image of Saturn, “Is that all?” Regina]—about 45 minutes’ drive. The was not visible, the sky a wisps and clouds, and nebulosity, e.g. I am reminded here of the Old milky white-out, with visibility in the that surrounding the difficult Testament prophet who sought God damp fog about 1 km or less. Now Horsehead, etc. in the huge, the majestic, the mighty those of you who have never driven —of storm and wind and fire and prairie roads and highways may not I wonder at this point just how much tempest [in other words, the spec- know that one can go sometimes for our magazines and their wham-bang tacular]. And you know where he dozens of kilometres in a straight line presentation in startling color finally felt the presence of God? In with only the black pavement ahead contrasts are responsible for us losing the wafting across his cheek of a in a sea of ditch and field of pure sight of the common, often unnoticed gentle breeze as he stepped out of his white, with the occasional farm and things. If one is totally captivated by cave. Or something to that effect—I clumps of bushes. the WOW, explosions, blasts, etc., as never was good at remembering depicted on the covers and pages of book, chapter, and verse. In such a situation, as last evening, by S&T, Astronomy, Discover and careful observation I was able to see others, and the constant assault to the Me? Well I grew up a simple, curious at the end of the tapering, vanishing senses on TV, one will find the rest kid on a simple farm with simple point road ahead a very subtle rather banal and boring. It would delights and have never lost the darkening of the foggy sky just above seem that the big sin today is in being capacity to SEE along the whole the road. This darkening was, like “BORED.” I once read a review of a gamut [or spectrum] of beauty. the strip of road, a very diffuse fan of new book on astronomy in which the only slightly darker fog. Yesterday it reviewer remarked that the Clear skies, y’all, or even foggy, was readily visible on direct vision. illustrations were black and white boring ones as long as they are new Most of the time it takes a lot of photographs of the same “old, tired, experiences in the wonderful.« indirect vision, moving the eye, etc. boring” . Indeed! I pity the It was a kind of inverted, very reviewer. Have any of you been —Lamplighter

March 2009 Regulus, newsletter of the RASC Kingston Centre Page 3 Blast from the Past: A Visit to Chamberlin Observatory Katharine E. Vale From the Transactions of the Astronomical and Physical Society of Toronto for 1894:

Miss Katharine E. Vale, an associate member, who had recently removed to Davenport, Iowa, had been requested to favour the Society with any items of interest pertaining to the advancement of science in her locality. Miss Vale had forwarded the following account of a visit to

THE CHAMBERLIN OBSERVATORY, which was received and read :—

he Chamberlin Observatory has just been erected, by the T munificence of one of the citizens of Denver, the Hon. H. B. Chamberlin, and has cost, Picture courtesy Darrell Dodge, Denver Astronomical Society, http://www.denverastrosociety.org altogether, nearly $60,000. It is a beautiful building, replete with all the Chamberlin Observatory, part of the University of Denver, as it appears in recent years. This dome houses a 20-inch refractor. Note the transit room at right. wonderful and delicate mechanism that modern science requires, or can lighted throughout by electricity and telescope, with all its array of shining suggest, situated in the University heated with steam, built of red wheels and circles, is chaste and Park, on a piece of ground fourteen sandstone from the Archalow beautiful; the large steel tube, over acres in extent, on which no trees are quarries, and very ornate in twenty-five feet long, is painted or to be planted that might obstruct the appearance; it is crowned by an iron enameled pure white, while the view. Four blocks away is the dome, the apex of which is more than fittings shine like burnished gold; the University College Campus, and Iliff fifty feet from the ground. The twenty-inch object glass, finished by School of Theology. Although principal room is, of course, the Alvan Clark, is a very fine lens, and Denver is built in the midst of a plain, spacious Dome room; the wiligs most accurate in its work. We looked formerly a vast prairie, seventeen contain the Transit room, Library, at object after object, each one more miles from the foot-hills of the Rocky Computing room, Director’s office, beautiful than the last,—e Lyrae was Mountains, still it is 5,196 feet above Clock room, etc.; in addition are the perfectly separated, and the Ring sea level (the altitude of many of the Janitor’s quarters, Photographic Nebula beautifully defined. The Alps in Switzerland); consequently room, Store room, etc. Besides the great cluster in Hercules was so the air is exceedingly pure and clear, large Observatory, close by is a distinct, it seemed as if I could count and observation remarkably good. smaller building, called the the stars, and so plainly defined, University Park is on a higher level “Students’ Observatory,” in which is shewing beautifully the -fish than Denver; the ground rises gently a very good six-inch equatorial arrangement of the principal stars. into a rounded hill, upon the highest refractor, made in Dublin, and a two- The object glass is arranged for point of which the Observatory is inch transit instrument; these are celestial photography by reversing built; it is more than four miles from wholly for the use of the University the outside lens. Mr. Saegmuller, of town, and a longer distance from the students in mathematical astronomy, Washington, D.C., is the maker of the large smelting works, so that the who will be allowed to use the large mounting, which is of the highest smoke of the city interferes very little telescope when they have fully learnt order of mechanical excellence. It is with observation. The main building the use of the smaller one. The astonishing how easily the great is sixty-five feet long, fifty feet deep, outside appearance of the great bulky thing is moved about, Continues on page 5...

Page 4 Regulus, newsletter of the RASC Kingston Centre March 2009 Blast from the Past Meeting Report: 2009 February 13 Kevin Kell ...continued from page 4. n February’s Friday the play was up “How Light Affects the —rapidly, noiselessly,—and objects 13th, the Kingston Centre Night” along with three new IDA so quickly and easily found. All this O met in Stirling Hall Theatre brochures. Additional handouts on heavy machinery is poised most A at Queen’s University. Twenty were available. accurately and solidly upon a 320-ton people turned out to hear Dr. Gregg pedestal of the toughest Colorado Wade from the Royal Military Upcoming events were announced, sandstone, and anchored to it by steel College speak on “Large Programs at including: KAON (Saturday, Feb- bolts nine feet long, three inches in the Canada-France-Hawaii Tele- ruary 14th), Astronomy Day (Satur- diameter, while the pedestal itself scope.” There are four of these long- day, May 2), and the Globe at Night rests upon the bed rock. term, multi-hour projects, including project (2009 March 16-28). There one of his own. were a few observing reports on I cannot speak too highly of the Comet Lulin and solar events. One « kindness and courtesy of the A new International Dark Skies dis- new youth member signed up. Director, Dr. Howe, and his assistants, in showing me everything KAON Report: 2009 February 14 Kevin Kell that laid within their power the t was a happy Valentine’s Day Queen’s Questar evening I went there. It is by far the KAON public observing session scope. The QUOD finest telescope in the West, on Saturday, February 14th with (observing deck) excepting, of course, the great Lick I our own Susan Gagnon as the guest was clear of snow telescope, and I shall always look speaker with a 20 minute talk on and ice and it was back with delight at the exquisite “How Has Galileo’s Scope Evol- not too cold— pleasure I felt on observing the ved?” We had 65 guests attending maybe -5C or so. beauty of the Heavens in one of the and all got a piece of Galileo’s 445th The 40cm McGirr most beautiful of modern telescopes. birthday cake. Steve Hart, Susan scope was also Gagnon, Kim Hay and myself were looking at The Observatory is easily reached by there along with a couple of Centre and something in Orion. electric car from Denver, and Dr. Members who dropped in. James Howe kindly gives up two evenings a and Carla were there too. As part of IYA we handed out: week to visitors, for he desires to Astrocards (Nebula), Star Finders, make the telescope a factor in the Bernie’s new cable routing helped Comet Lulin Handouts, What’s Up educational life of the people of keep the data projector cables out of and Starchart handouts, and more! Denver, not only by original research the way and out of trouble. The west done with it, but also by the direct facing room arrangement does seem A new International Dark Skies instruction, and astronomical to be working better as well. display was set up, with three new enlightenment, which will come to brochures from IDA along with the those who choose to avail themselves Sky conditions were mostly overcast, new Centre Display from last month. of the opportunity of using the permitting only a few looks at Venus instrument. Dr. Howe is most and The Great Nebula in Orion The Light Pollution study poster accurate in his methods, and patiently (M42) through the centre’s 20cm from 2005 was removed from display describes everything to the smallest Fitzgerald dobsonian (now with new in the 4th floor hallway outside the detail, so that “he who runs may labels on the scope that are NOT warm room and will be stored until read,” and the most ignorant cannot printed in Black and Red!) and the needed next.« fail to learn much of that most beautiful and noble of sciences, Modern Astronomy.« Wikipedia provides a nice overview of this observatory’s history: Web Links http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamberlin_Observatory Chamberlin Observatory’s Big ’Scope Wikimapia provides an aerial view of the observatory using Google Earth imagery in your browser: http://wikimapia.org/2858718/Chamberlin-Observatory, or The 20-inch f/15 Alvan Clark-George http://wikimapia.org/#lat=39.676042&lon=-104.952945&z=17&v=2 (full screen view) Saegmuller refractor’s optical tube is 28 feet long and its eyepiece end can be over 12 feet The Denver Astronomical Society has a page on the observatory with informative links: above the floor!« http://www.denverastrosociety.org/chamberlin.html

March 2009 Regulus, newsletter of the RASC Kingston Centre Page 5 More Observing Reports from Latitude 26 Degrees Leo Enright Following Comet Lulin And 50 and it appeared “round and fuzzy” at indeed! Of all the comets I have ‘Galileo Moments’ magnitude 7.0, with almost no seen, its path is one of the elongation or hint of a tail in the bi- strangest—with an almost ince my report in the last issue noculars. Over the next 5 consecu- exactly parallel to, and extremely of Regulus regarding my tive mornings, I continued to observe close to, the , yet moving in S winter observing program at it as it marched westward. On Feb- the opposite direction to all the latitude 26°, I have continued to have ruary 6th, it was only ¼ degree from . Like many others, I await generally very good weather for Zubenelgenubi, and by February the spectacle of its passage by the numerous observations, both in the 8th, it was 2° northwest of the star 5 Saturn and the star Regulus, evening and in the early morning. Librae. On February 9th, which was the lucida of the My observing log shows 16½ pages my 6th consecutive morning obser- Leo—two events that will likely have completed since January 12th, the vation, I estimated it at magnitude already occurred by the time you read date at the end of my last reported 6.8, a modest, but definite increase in these words. The Moon-Pleiades observing period. From then until brightness. My 7th observation was conjunction on February 3rd–4th the conclusion of my observing on the morning of February 11th was of special interest, since it session early this morning, February when it appeared only ¼ degree from reminded me that I should have 17th, there have been 36 days over the star Lambda Virginis. arranged with fellow observers from which I have had the following Advancing moonlight from a fullish Ontario for simultaneous “lunar numbers of observing sessions: Moon and several mornings with parallax drawings.” If only those unusual weather in the form of dense Ontarians had had as good weather as Evening/Night: 30, I had, we might have ‘pulled it off in Early Morning: 24, style.’ My weather was fabulous and Solar Observing Sessions: 1 the binocular view was surreal. For me in Florida, the stars Celaeno and Being able to have Florida weather Maia were a “miss” by about ¸ to Ó good enough for 30 observing degree, whereas the SkyNews dia- sessions out of 36 available dates gram (see the Jan/Feb issue, page (83%) is certainly far beyond what I 25.) clearly shows observers in was traditionally able to count on in Toronto would have observed these Ontario in late January and early stars being occulted. However, that February. evening between 3:00 and 3:30 UT, I Comet Lulin on 2009 Feb 23 at 00:19:51 UT. This SLOOH.com image was taken with the enjoyed a beautiful view of the 8-day I wish to review a few of the high- Teide2 Wide Field system (90mm f/5.6 apo old Moon flirting with the Seven lights of the past 36 days. First would refractor). Sky rating was 4.0/5. Sisters. have to be my eight morning observa- tions of Comet Lulin (C/2007 N3) fog intervened, and as a result, my 8th My next highlight was an obser- high in the eastern sky in the hour observation of Lulin did not occur vation made this morning over an before the beginning of morning until this morning when it was about hour after my observation of Comet astronomical twilight. Right from 2º southeast of the star Theta Lulin. Sunrise here was to be at 7:01 the beginning it was very easy to find Virginis, and my estimate of its a.m. EST, and by beginning to with the superb optics of the Canon brightness was at magnitude 6.2. It is observe just above the eastern 18x50 IS binoculars (as mentioned in approaching, if not at, the point when horizon at 6:30 a.m., I hoped to be my previous article), and it has been it becomes visible to the unaided eye able to see the very close conjunction easy to follow as it has brightened under a dark and moonless sky. [I of Jupiter and Mars. I observed somewhat and marched through the miss the challenge of seeing it naked- from then until 6:40 a.m. in the and Virgo. On eye from a rural Ontario observing growing twilight, and again, thanks the morning of February 4th, the first site; even with a bit of further to the superb optics of the binoculars, of my eight observations, was when brightening, such may not be I saw it easily. Jupiter was seen as a the comet was about half-way possible from here—with the amount disk and about 6½ degrees above the between the star Nu Librae and the of ambient light in the area.] This has horizon, with Mars just to its right star Zubenelgenubi (), proven to be a very unusual comet and down slightly. (The Astronom- Continues on page 10...

Page 6 Regulus, newsletter of the RASC Kingston Centre March 2009 New Home Found for RASC HQ Based on notes from Dave Lane & Craig Levine he Executive and Property Toronto was not an Image: Jo Taylor Committees have found a option at the present T new location for the national time. office of the RASC. On Friday, February 13, a three-year lease was The new office is in signed and sealed by both parties. “Islington Village,” a Possession is March 1. The new small, modern 3-floor office space is 703 square feet, and office building (with the rent of $1300/month includes elevators). This utilities. building is mainly ground-level retail, The search strategy was to look in with offices on the The new home for RASC HQ is unit 203 in this areas to the west of the current HQ other floors. It is close building at 4920 Dundas Street West, Etobicoke. location since rents are generally to the subway, to bus lower yet with good public transit routes, and to Pearson connections. Federal law requires a Airport. There is also ample parking. At the current time, it appears that bylaw change to move a cor- The landlord will be doing some interest income on the proceeds from poration's head office to a different minor alterations before we move in, the sale of the Dupont Street property city, so moving HQ out of the City of as well as new carpet and paint. will be sufficient to cover the rent.«

Upcoming Events for IYA 2009 Kim Hay pcoming IYA events for the Kingston area, which U include a partnership with the Queen’s University Physics Department and the Royal Military College, will be the March KAON session, featuring Terry Bridges who will be speaking on the 100 Hours of Astronomy. IYA T-Shirt: front (above) & back (right). Kingston has signed on board with events lined up over the April 2-5 We will also be holding our KAON For info on local events, visit: 2009 time frame with daytime solar session the next weekend Saturday www.kingstoniya.ca« observing at Confederation Park April 9th at the Queen’s Observatory, and Flora MacDonald Basin summer times 9:00-10:30 pm. IYA T-Shirts Available! (www.cityofkingston.ca), across Susan Gagnon from the City Hall on Saturday, April If you wish to come out and help at 4, 2009 from 1:00-4:00 pm. Later one of the events, please contact us Did you order a fabulously attractive that night we will be at the by e-mail: Kingston (at) rasc (dot) ca IYA T-shirt from Stephan Courteau at observatory, Ellis Hall, Queen’s Volunteers now can wear a volunteer the January meeting? I have 4 shirts University from 9:00-10:30 pm (new IYA T-shirt purchased by the centre that were not picked up at the summer hours) doing observing on for helping out at events. These are a February meeting. I will bring them the deck, tours of the McGirr bright yellow, so we are noticed. to the March meeting. The price is telescope and answering astronomy They are also available for purchase $20 and if you need to contact me to questions. by special order from Stephane pick them up at some other time, e- Courteau at a cost of $20.00 each. mail me on the regular Kingston chat For more information about the 100 Send your order request into the list or at sdgagnon (at) kos (dot) net. I Hours of Astronomy Project, visit address above, preferred colour and can relay your payment to Stephan as www.100hoursofastronomy.org. size. well.«

March 2009 Regulus, newsletter of the RASC Kingston Centre Page 7 Virtual Observing: Then and Now Walter MacDonald

Part 1: 1994 we pop up a virtual hand paddle on M101 How the Pioneers Did It... the screen. Pushing the “West” and “North” buttons a couple of times and t approximately midnight on taking a couple more pictures, we get Tues/Wed March 8/9, 1994, Arcturus centered. Pressing a button, A I embarked on an absolutely the ’scope is now perfectly electrifying 5-hour observing synchronized with the sky. Objects session. Location: inside Doug we dial in subsequently will be Clapp’s kitchen at his house in almost dead center. Of course, what Scarborough. Your confusion at this we had at this point was a centered point is understandable. Let me doughnut. So, popping up the focus explain... control window, we quickly achieve pinpoint focus—by the numbers. No On Doug’s kitchen table sat his 486 guesswork here! Next we visit nearby NGC 5053, the computer. Stretching across the large, faint “companion” to M53. Its kitchen floor were two 150' Are we having fun yet? You bet! faintness causes us to flip over to the telephone cables. These continued And now the really mind-blowing ST6 program for a Track and through the back door and out into his fun begins! But wait—the kettle is Accumulate (or “Track & Acc” for back yard to their adjacent termini: boiling, so Doug has to fix a cup of short). The camera sends us an one at an SBIG ST6 CCD camera, tea. OK, now we’re set... We point at image. We pick a guide star. Then, one at a 10" f/6.3 LX200 telescope. M53 on the star map and slew the following our instructions, it takes With the ’scope polar aligned and ’scope to it. Of course, all we see is eight 15-second exposures and adds CCD camera just mounted, we the circular yellow marker moving them together, perfectly aligned. headed inside to warmer climes. on the screen; all we hear is the hum Very nice! Now on to the Black Eye of the hard drives. But somewhere Galaxy, M64. We easily image its Now oblivious of even the existence outside, immersed in a cold winter’s famous obscuring feature. Then of the ’scope and camera, we seated night, an LX200 was spinning NGC 4725, a 10th magnitude galaxy ourselves in front of the computer. A ’round, its noisy motors wailing in Coma, shows off its nice structure pair of programs from Software away. We take a 20-second image. for our camera. Bisque for controlling the ’scope and The software automatically takes camera were running under both a dark and a light frame and adds It’s hard to believe only a couple of Windows. An ST6 program from them together for us before showing hours has passed. Already, we have SBIG was running in a DOS session the final result in phosphorescent many images stored away on disk! under Windows. This program is glory. Wow! A beautiful globular But Doug will have to get up early used first, as we set the ST6 cooler to cluster sits before us—but perhaps a later this morning, so he lies down on keep the CCD at -50C. We flip to the shorter exposure would be better! the living room couch nearby to get SkyPro planetarium program. It We take a variety of exposures before some sleep, and leaves me alone with shows a 100° area around Leo. A moving on. the computer. I have to get up early circular yellow marker surrounds later too, but this was much too Denebola—this is where the ’scope is NGC 5053 exciting an experience to possibly get pointing. Using the mouse, we click any sleep tonight! on Arcturus. A box pops up and we click on the button labelled “Slew I happily image away for the next 2½ to.” The yellow marker moves hours: NGC4565 (with dust lane, of rapidly to the new location. We flip course); a concentrated group of to SkyPro CCD and take a picture. galaxies in Coma (easily a dozen Moments later, our 57k baud show up thanks to a 5-minute Track connection with the CCD starts & Acc); M13, M92, and NGC 6229 pouring data onto the screen: a (the globulars of Hercules); a couple picture of Arcturus appears. Our of fields near the variable W stellar quarry is not quite centered, so Images, this page: Doug Clapp and Walter MacDonald Herculis; M56 (the globular in Lyra);

Page 8 Regulus, newsletter of the RASC Kingston Centre March 2009 Walter MacDonald Virtual Observing: Then and Now M57 (the central star was obvious in It is incredibly fun, and there is 20 seconds!). something to be said for being inside—away from the numbing cold Finally, Doug got up to see what I was of winter or the mosquito swarms of doing. I showed him an image of summer. Perhaps “real” observing is M27 I had just taken. It was barely best reserved for those 2 or 3 nights a visible on the image due to a bright year when the outdoor nighttime background. Doug looked out the conditions here in southern Ontario back door and called me over. allow for comfortable observing. NGC 3372 Outside, only two stars were visible Hmmmmm... A stack of 7 images under skies of 2 to 4/5. in a sky covered entirely by cloud! The things you miss with indoor Part 2: 2009 of the way around the world, observing! Oh well. Putting the “ooh” in Slooh! immersed in a cold winter’s night, a telescope was spinning ’round, its We wrapped up the session at 5 a.m. t approximately 5 p.m., in motors wailing away—with a click with an image of the Double Double the midst of the cloudy of the mouse I can even hear this on in Lyra (through cloud) and perused A gloom of a late afternoon in the audio feed from inside the our collection of images from the past February 2009, I embarked on an observatory! few hours. We did a little image absolutely electrifying 8-hour processing on a couple of them, observing session. Location: the With no equipment or software of my including the application of some living room of my house in own (save my laptop and web “maximum entropy” using the Winchester. Your confusion at this browser) I start snapping pictures of Hidden Image program [a forerunner point is understandable. Let me celestial objects. I can take pictures of the current-day MaxIm DL explain... (using the “Mission Interface” shown software—Ed.]. Finally, I went on the front cover) with the all-sky home to catch a couple hours sleep. On my lap sat my dual-core laptop. camera, wide-field scope, or high- Stretching across the house was a mag scope. These pictures show up Is this real observing? Staying stream of radio waves. After reaching in my own personal storage space on indoors (in this case, with literally all the wireless router, these signals the SLOOH server, and I can the comforts of home) and observing continued on through the telephone download and play with them on my in this way is a very different wires, exiting the house and heading own computer any time I want. experience. You are completely cut out onto the Internet to their (You’ll be seeing some of these in off from the sky. Direct observation terminus: the SLOOH.com server. Regulus, of course!) is replaced by sensor, encoder, and Without even leaving my chair, I log CCD outputs. Would virtual in to the SLOOH website and check Every five minutes the scope slews observing be an appropriate term? the weather conditions at the SLOOH (or should that be sloohs?) to a new Whatever it’s called, this type of observatory at Mount Teide in the object. For each object, the pictures observing is here now in a big way, Canary Islands: the sky is clear! are initially monochrome, but colour and will only grow in popularity as soon follows. On the website I can the cost of doing it continues to drop. Are we having fun yet? You bet! see the full schedule of objects the And now the really mind-blowing telescope will be visiting tonight. I fun begins! But wait—my cup of can make as many as six reservations water in the microwave is boiling, so up to a week in advance if I have I have to fix a cup of hot chocolate. specific targets that I would like to OK, now I’m set... The website see imaged. Visits to Comet Lulin announces that NGC 2244 (the seem to be scheduled every Rosette Nebula!) is the next object to hour—very nice! All the pointing be imaged. Of course, all I see is the and focusing are taken care of The SLOOH website provides this handy information about the object on my automatically. realtime day/night view of the Earth with markers showing the location of the screen; all I hear is the hum of the observatories. hard drive. But somewhere a quarter Occasionally there may be an Continues on page 10...

March 2009 Regulus, newsletter of the RASC Kingston Centre Page 9 Virtual Observing: Then and Now More Observing...... continued from page 9. SLOOH.com ...continued from page 6. equipment problem, but the system observatories: ical Companion states that the closest operators soon fix these—how great Top: dual approach was just a short while is that? (During a session, pop-up domes at Mt. before and the two were only 0.56° Teide, Tenerife, messages keep me in the loop about in the Canary apart!). In the mornings to come, I any hardware, software, or weather Islands. hope to continue to watch them and to problems, or any interesting Bottom: solo be able to see join them for SLOOH-related news.) My dome at La an interesting trio. collection of pictures continues to Dehesa, Chile. grow! I'll have great fun stacking My solar observing session was at a them later. For now, acquisition is All images: SLOOH.com special event on Saturday February the name of the game. NGC 5139 14th—Art In The Park, an event at which arts and crafts organizations It’s hard to believe only a few hours display their wares in a city park in have passed. Already, I have many the city of Naples. Over the past 4 images stored away on disk! Around months the local astronomy club has 7 p.m., I check the earth day/night been part of the event, using it as an map and see that it is finally getting outreach to the public and a chance dark in Chile. The SLOOH website for public solar observing. As I had shows it is clear there. Now the done for the past two months, I action heats up! I spend my evening “manned a PST,” a hydrogen-alpha hours alternating between the Teide solar telescope very similar to the one and Chile telescopes, madly snap more images. Finally, at 1 a.m., I own. Many members of the public snapping pictures of objects in both I am exhausted. But I want to stay up were appreciative of the chance to see the northern and southern hemi- all night with SLOOH! Oh well. the Sun, and some of them may even spheres. Wow, this is great! There will be other nights and, have seen one or two of the two barring some galactic or universal prominences that were visible, Suddenly, there is music playing on catastrophe, all these deep sky though they were, indeed, a bit my computer. Where is that coming objects will still be there, I tell myself challenging for those who had never from? Of course: it is the 9 p.m. as I head upstairs. As I fall asleep, I before observed the sun in this way. I SLOOHRadio webcast! Soon, a dream of the upcoming debut of had “50 Galileo Moments” with couple of commentators start talking SLOOH’s Australian telescope and members of the public having a about all things astronomical. I log in the possibilities of 24/7 imaging! chance to see the sun much more to the chat room and find a couple of safely and much more clearly than dozen people already logged in. The At US $50 for one year of unlimited Galileo saw it 400 years ago. commentators watch the chat room use, SLOOH is unbelievably great as they do their thing, and even value. Truly, imaging for the masses Observing from Latitude 26 Degrees answer questions posed by the people has arrived—and it has never been continues to be enjoyable and logged in there. People here seem to more fun!« productive and something that offers be very courteous. Questions a busy timetable.« are asked and answered. It is a good and welcoming environ- ment. What a neat system! And all the while, we keep visiting more objects...

Soon the SLOOHRadio webcast ends and I leave the chat room. I fire up my TV set and continue do other (non-SLOOH) stuff on the computer while I continue to

Page 10 Regulus, newsletter of the RASC Kingston Centre March 2009