May, 2015 First Light Newsletter

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May, 2015 (Issue No. 130)

AlachuaAstronomyClub.org North Central Florida's Amateur Astronomy Club

Serving Alachua County since 1987

Member Member Astronomical League Astronomical League's pin for Hunter Program for Northern Skies.

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Astronomical League's pin for the Double Program.

Is the Most Massive Star Still Alive? by Ethan Siegel Space Place Feature article The brilliant specks of light twinkling in the night sky, with more and more visible under darker skies and with larger telescope apertures, each have their own story to tell. In general, a star's color correlates very well with its mass and its total lifetime, with the bluest representing the hottest, most massive and shortest-lived stars in the universe. Even though they contain the most fuel overall, their cores achieve incredibly high temperatures, meaning they burn through their fuel the fastest, in only a few million years instead of roughly ten billion like our sun.

Because of this, it's only the youngest of all star clusters that contain the hottest, bluest stars, and so if we want to find the most massive stars in the universe, we have to look to the largest regions of space that are actively forming them right now. In our local group of , that region doesn't belong to the giants, the Milky Way or Andromeda, but to the (LMC), a small, satellite (and fourth-largest in the local group) located 170,000 light years distant.

Despite containing only one percent of the mass of our galaxy, the LMC contains the Tarantula (30 Doradus), a star-forming nebula approximately 1,000 light years in size, or roughly seven percent of the galaxy itself. You'll have to be south of the Tropic of Cancer to observe it, but if you can locate it, its center contains the NGC 2070, holding more than 500,000 unique stars, including many hundreds of spectacular, bright blue ones. With a maximum age of two million years, the stars in this cluster are some of the youngest and most massive ever found.

At the center of NGC 2070 is a very compact concentration of stars known as , which is responsible for most of the light illuminating the entire . Consisting of no less than 72 O-class and Wolf-Rayet stars within just 20 arc seconds of one another, the most massive is , with 260 times the sun's mass and a luminosity that outshines us by a factor of seven million. Since the light has to travel 170,000 light years to reach us, it's quite possible that this star has already died in a spectacular supernova, and might not even exist any longer! The next time you get a good glimpse of the southern skies, look for the most massive star in the universe, and ponder that it might not even still be alive.

Images credit: ESO/IDA/Danish 1.5 m/R. Gendler, C. C. Thöne, C. Féron, and J.-E. Ovaldsen (L), of the giant star-forming Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud; NASA, ESA, and E. Sabbi (ESA/STScI), with acknowledgment to R. O'Connell (University of Virginia) and the Wide Field Camera 3 Science Oversight Committee (R), of the central merging star cluster NGC 2070, containing the enormous R136a1 at the center.

Newberry Star Park by Andy Howell

Unfortunately, weather did not cooperate and the April star party and outreach at Newberry Star Park had to be canceled.

The next Newberry Star Park star party and outreach is scheduled for May 16. Objects that will be visible include Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn. Mercury has its best apparition of the year between May 1 and 21. If you haven't glimpsed Mercury before, this month's NSP star party and outreach is your chance!

Newberry Star Park is a short drive outside Gainesville, and we'd love to see you there. In addition, the all-sky meteor camera is expected to be in operation.

Register HERE for the May 16 Star Party / Public Outreach at the Star Park! P.S. Good News! Alachua Astronomy Club has received the go-ahead from Mike Spina, owner/operator of Pro Elite Ball Academy, to meet with a licensed electrician for installation of key lockout switches on the facility's sodium lights. This goes a long way towards making Newberry Star Park a "dark sky friendly" observing site. Alachua Astronomy Club appreciates Mike Spina and Pro Elite Ball Academy for their support of amateur astronomy!

Star Parties by Lisa Egar and Ivo Rabell

The April 25 outreach at St. Madeleine Catholic Church was a tough call due to weather but Kristina from St Madeleine was expecting over 100 parishioners and guest for Church's Chili cook off and Star Party. Kristina begged me not to cancel the event.

I asked Kristina to have the priest load up a water cannon with holy water and fire it straight up in order to move the clouds. Didn't see the water cannon but priest did show up.

I spent most of Saturday morning going to many weather sites in area. When to my amazement, I found under Clear Sky Chart at High Springs observatory site. Site showed clear skies from 8:00 pm till 9:00 pm thus the "GO" was giving. For the second straight night we were able to show the First Quarter Moon (7 days and 46%) with its terminator, Jupiter with its Galilean Moon's and dreary Venus. We had over 100 parishioners, guest and children, who some stayed until 10:00 pm. I've always been impress with St Madeleine very knowledgeable parishioners. I want to personally thank each one of the AAC members who volunteered. They all did a splendid job. Ivo Rabell Andy Howell Greg Beckner Lisa Eager Chuck Broward (not pictured) Schools and Outreach by Mike Toomey

The April 24 event at O2B Kids was a delight. Even though we had clouds most of the night we had over 150 very enthusiastic kids. We started outreach event around 7:30 pm and crowds didn't thin out until 9:00 pm.

We were able to show a first quarter moon whose three (call them the 3 hugging craters-kids got a kick out it) craters, Theophilus, Cyrillus and Catharina really stood out, right next to the terminator.

Jupiter's storm belts looked very good with its Galilean moons of Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

Due to the wispy clouds, Venus looked very hazy.

I really appreciate and want to thank AAC members below for a job well done.

Back row, left to right Crill Hintermister Lisa Eager Andy Howell Ivo Rabell Richard Hennig Frances Seiler Chuck Broward (sitting)

Meetings

AAC Public Meeting Tuesday, May 12, 2015 from 7-9 p.m. Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida Cultural Plaza, 3215 Hull Road, Gainesville, FL 32611-2710

Speaker Dr. Ata Sarajedini Professor of Astronomy and Associate Dean for Natural Sciences and Mathematics University of Florida

Topic "Globular Clusters: A New Twist on Old Populations"

New Members since March 1!

Michael Angelo Gagliardi Benjamin Hayes Alejandro Henao Alex Kulbitskas Monica Oliveira Joseph Uong

President First Light Newsletter Editor Andy Howell Laura Wright

Report a fireball! Our very own AAC web site You saw something is a resource for both bright and fast? Like a beginner and advanced huge shooting star? astronomers alike. During a Report it: it may be a tour of the website I found fireball! the Beginner's Page and sub titles [From IAU Astronomy Outreach were worth exploring. Newsletter 2015 #4] Would you like to know more about For professional researchers, purchasing a telescope? Bill Helms' information from amateurs and the public is vital in both modeling the (AAC Sky Mentor) article titled "Before streams of debris which give us you buy your first telescope" was regular meteor showers, and finding informative and could save you money. physical debris from larger events. Also, take him up on his generous offer This is one area of astronomical of assistance with questions about research where an active telescopes. Take special note of the 37 professional - amateur community frame slide show and view the thrives. The American Meteor Society YouTube video regarding types of has developed an online, multilingual telescopes. form for reporting significant fireball events. Aimed at the general public, "How to Find Stars 101" by Paula the form guides the user through a McLain explores the "basics you need series of questions. to not feel overwhelmed by Learn more at Report a Fireball! astronomical information." The Astronomical Garage Sale! enjoyment o astronomy is enhanced through increased knowledge of the There will be a "members only" garage sale May 23, 10am - noon, at subject matter. Newberry Star Park. Available are amateur telescope making supplies, "Observing Etiquette" is an article optics, and other items. Items are worth reading and re-reading and sold on a "first come, first served" points out some tips to make your next basis. observing event more enjoyable. Haldeman book may appear on the Check out the AAC web page at silver screen! www.alachuaastronomyclub.org and enjoy. AAC member Joe Haldeman is rightly a celebrated science-fiction author. Now, Warner Brothers has acquired Note: The two AAC members who rights to produce a movie of his purchased the Sky Puppies books a pivotal book, The Forever War. Read few months ago, please contact me at more HERE. [email protected]. The Congratulations, Joe and Gay! We Astronomical League sent the audio are extremely proud of you. CD's that were missing from the books.

Best regards, Laura

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Contact email: [email protected] Alachua Astronomy Club, Inc. 2603 NW 13th St., #161 Gainesville, FL 32609-2835