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The Journal of The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada PROMOTING ASTRONOMY IN CANADA August/août 2016 Volume/volume 110 Le Journal de la Société royale d’astronomie du Canada Number/numéro 4 [779] Inside this issue: Sudbury’s “Vatican mirror” When did Modern Astronomy Begin? The 2016 GA Pictures Mercury’s Transit The Best of Monochrome. Drawings, images in black and white, or narrow-band photography. Joel Parkes imaged the Rosette Nebula in Hα for a total of two hours using a Takahashi 130-mm refractor ƒ/6.2, and an SBIG STL 11000M CCD with an Astrodon Gen I Hα 5-nm filter. August/août 2016 | Vol. 110, No. 4 | Whole Number 779 contents / table des matières Feature Articles / Articles de fond 174 Imager’s Corner: Rules of Thumb by Blair MacDonald 145 Two Telescope Mysteries in One: Sudbury’s “Vatican mirror” 175 Second Light: Gravitational Waves from Merging by Clark Muir Binary Black Holes by Leslie J. Sage 158 When did Modern Astronomy Begin? by Alan H. Batten, FRASC 162 General Assembly 2016 Pictures Departments / Départements 138 President’s Corner by James Edgar Columns / Rubriques 140 News Notes / En manchettes 148 CFHT Chronicles: Nice Work, CFHT Compiled by Jay Anderson, FRASC by Mary Beth Laychak 144 Editor’s Note 152 Astronomical Art & Artifact: Obstacles to Hearing by Nicole Mortillaro Herschel by R.A. Rosenfeld 155 Letter to the President by Katherine J. Jones, Ph.D. 156 Pen and Pixel: Milky Way Rising / NGC 5033 / M13 / NGC 7380 176 Astrocryptic and June Answers by Klaus Brasch / Ron Brecher / Howard Trottier / Dan Meek by Curt Nason 163 John Percy’s Universe: In Praise of Librarians 176 It’s Not All Sirius by John R. Percy, FRASC by Ted Dunphy 166 Dish on the Cosmos: Radio Telescopes iii Great Images by Erik Rosolowsky by Michael Watson 168 Binary Universe: In the Magic Garden by Blake Nancarrow 172 Skyward: When Skywatchers Meet by David Levy Ian Wheelband shot this image of the Mercury transit on 2016 May 9 from the RASC’s Carr Astronomical Observatory in Thornbury, Ontario. He used a Stellarvue SV80 ED F7, with HoTech field flattener and a Kendrick visual solar filter on a SkyWatcher Star Adventurer along with a Nikon D7100, 1/250th sec at ISO 100. August / août 2016 JRASC | Promoting Astronomy in Canada 137 The Journal is a bi-monthly publication of The Royal President’s Corner Astronomical Society of Canada and is devoted to the advancement of astronomy and allied sciences. by James Edgar, Regina Centre It contains articles on Canadian astronomers and current activities of the RASC and its ([email protected]) Centres, research and review papers by professional and amateur astronomers, and articles of a historical, biographical, or educational nature of general interest to the astronomical community. All contributions are welcome, but the editors reserve the right to edit material prior to publication. Research papers are reviewed prior to publication, and professional Th e Yukon Astronomical Society offi cially astronomers with institutional affi liations are asked to pay publication charges of $100 per became the RASC Yukon Centre on page. Such charges are waived for RASC members who do not have access to professional funds as well as for solicited articles. Manuscripts and other submitted material may be Monday evening, June 6, in Whitehorse. I in English or French, and should be sent to the Editor-in-Chief. was there representing the Society, having made the arrange- ments while I was still President. Th e Executive of the new Editor-in-Chief Contributing Editors Nicole Mortillaro Jay Anderson (News Notes) Centre are President Anthony Gucciardo, his wife, Catheryne Email: [email protected] Ted Dunphy (It’s Not All Sirius) Web site: www.rasc.ca Mary Beth Laychak (CFHT Chronicles) Lord, as Secretary, and Treasurer Viktor Zsohar. Telephone: (416) 924-7973 David Levy (Skyward) Fax: (416) 924-2911 Blair MacDonald (Imager’s Corner) I was royally treated on arrival by air on Sunday, getting the Blake Nancarrow (Binary Universe) Associate Editor, Research Curt Nason (Astrocryptic) grand tour of Whitehorse, seeing some of the locations being Douglas Hube John R. Percy (John Percy’s Universe) Email: [email protected] scouted for an observatory, Bar-B-Qued burgers and pasta Randall Rosenfeld (Art & Artifact) Associate Editor, General Eric Rosolowsky (Dish on the Cosmos) at the Gucciardo residence, with homemade pasta sauce Michael Attas Leslie J. Sage (Second Light) (yummy!), a tour and tasting session at Yukon Brewing. And, Email: [email protected] Rick Saunders (Maker’s Minute) Assistant Editors David Turner (Reviews) that was just the fi rst afternoon! Michael Allen Proofreaders Martin Beech Michele Arenburg Tuesday was more of the same, beginning with coff ee at a local Dave Chapman Ossama El Badawy Ralph Chou Margaret Brons outlet where we met Scott Acton and Elizabeth Carlisle of Ralph Croning Angelika Hackett the James Webb Space Telescope World Bicycle Tour, then Dave Garner Kim Leitch Patrick Kelly off to CBC North for a radio interview on Leonard Linklat- Design/Production Editorial Assistant Michael Gatto, Grant Tomchuk er’s Midday Café, where we spoke about the importance for Michele Arenburg Email: [email protected], Whitehorse to have an RASC Centre and all that it entails. Email: [email protected] [email protected] Th en, it was lunchtime at the Klondike Rib & Salmon, where Production Manager Advertising James Edgar Julia Neeser I was told by a friend here in Melville that I MUST eat there. Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Jeniff er worked there a few years ago, and I was sure given a Printing Cansel warm welcome by the restaurant owner! Th en it was time to www.cansel.ca round up the telescopes used for the opening ceremony at Yukon College and get set up. Th e Centre had a couple of solar His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D., Governor General of Canada, is the Viceregal Patron of the RASC. scopes on hand, just in case the clouds parted enough to see The Journal of The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada is published at an annual the Sun. And, they did. Interestingly, there wasn’t a blemish on subscription rate of $93.45 (including tax) by The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. the Sun’s surface—not one sunspot! Membership, which includes the publications (for personal use), is open to anyone interested in astronomy. Applications for subscriptions to the Journal or membership in the RASC and Th e inauguration of the Yukon Centre went off without a information on how to acquire back issues of the Journal can be obtained from: hitch. Opening remarks by Anthony Gucciardo were given in The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada 203 – 4920 Dundas St W French by Catheryne Lord, and I followed with a few words Toronto ON M9A 1B7, Canada welcoming the new Centre into the fold of the RASC. A Email: nationaloffi [email protected] local sponsor, Garry Umbrich, who donated a rotating dome Web site: www.rasc.ca Telephone: (416) 924-7973 structure and some land at Takhini Hot Pools for the Centre’s Fax: (416) 924-2911 observatory, spoke of the importance for Whitehorse tourism Canadian Publications Mail Registration No. 09818 to have such a vibrant team willing to impart their science Canada Post: Send address changes to 203 – 4920 Dundas St W, Toronto ON M9A 1B7 knowledge to all. Canada Post Publication Agreement No. 40069313 We acknowledge the fi nancial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. © 2016 The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. All rights reserved. ISSN 0035-872X Cert no. SW-COC-005174 138 JRASC | Promoting Astronomy in Canada August / août 2016 Figure 1 — L–R: James Edgar, Anthony Gucciardo, Viktor Zsohar, Scott Acton I then spoke in the college meeting room presenting Synthesis then fly by helicopter to Meade Glacier, spend some time on of Elements in Stars, my favourite talk. The assembled guests, the glacier surface, and learn about the science of glaciology members, and public were an attentive audience. Then from local guides. What a memorable experience—one I won’t we realized suppertime had breezed right by and we were soon forget! famished. Whitehorse has a cure for hunger, and we willingly underwent immediate treatment! Then, it was back to reality, flying to Saskatchewan on The next day, Tuesday, was a true adventure, where Viktor, Wednesday. It’s always nice to be home, but my mind is still V Anthony, and I drove to Skagway, about two hours away, to reeling from my amazing Yukon adventure! August / août 2016 JRASC | Promoting Astronomy in Canada 139 News Notes / En Manchettes Wong, a member of the research team. “Those [features] trace really complex upwelling and downwelling motions there.” Compiled by Jay Anderson, FRASC The radio map shows ammonia-rich gases rising into and forming the upper cloud layers: an ammonium hydrosulfide Getting under Jupiter’s skin cloud at a temperature near 200 Kelvin (–73 degrees Celsius) and an ammonia-ice cloud in the approximately 160 Kelvin cold air (–113 degrees Celsius). These clouds are easily seen from Earth by optical telescopes. Conversely, the radio maps also show ammonia-poor air sinking down into the planet, opening holes in the cloud-cover similar to how descending air from upper layers dissipates clouds on Earth. The analysis revealed an active weather system in Jupiter’s upper atmosphere in which plumes of ammonia swell up in wave patterns to form bands tens of thousands of kilometres across. These bands are interspersed with vast cloudless regions, where dry air descends.