Highlights of the March Sky

- - - 1st - - - DAWN: A waning crescent is 3° right of .

- - - 2nd - - - DAWN: The crescent Moon   is 4½° right of .

- - - 6th - - - New Moon 11:04 am EST KAS - - - 11th - - - PM: A waxing crescent Moon is 7° le of . General Meeting: Friday, March 1 @ 7:00 pm th - - - 12 - - - Kalamazoo Area Math & Center - See Page 12 for Details PM: The crescent Moon is near the Hyades cluster in Taurus. Observing Session: Saturday, March 9 @ 7:00 pm th - - - 13 - - - Messier Marathon - Richland Township Park - See Page 11 for Details PM: The Moon is between Aldebaran and Zeta Tauri.

- - - 14th - - - Board Meeting: Sunday, March 10 @ 5:00 pm First Quarter Moon Sunnyside Church - 2800 Gull Road - All Members Welcome 6:27 am EDT

- - - 18th → 19th - - - PM: A waxing gibbous Moon and Regulus start the night 2° apart and widen to 5½° by dawn. Inside the Newsletter. . . - - - 20th - - - Full Moon 9:43 pm EDT February Meeng Minutes...... p. 2

- - - 24th - - - Board Meeng Minutes...... p. 4 DAWN: The Moon is between Zubeneschamali Observaons...... p. 5 (le) and Zubenelgenubi in NASA Night Sky Notes...... p. 6 Libra.

th From the KAS Library...... p. 6 - - - 27 - - - DAWN: A waning gibbous ’s Mission Ends...... p. 7 Moon is 4½° le of . March Night Sky...... p. 10 - - - 28th - - - Last Quarter Moon KAS Board & Announcements...... p. 11 12:10 am EDT General Meeng Preview...... p. 12 - - - 29th - - - DAWN: A waning crescent Moon is 3½° le of Saturn.   February Meeting Minutes

The general meeting of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society emission . radiation from hot , a was brought to order by President Richard Bell on Friday, shockwave from a supernova, or colliding gas clouds February 8, 2019 at 7:15 pm EST. Approximately 31 triggered that dense concentration of material into motion. It members and guests were in attendance at the Kalamazoo began to rotate and flatten out. Most of the matter fell Area Math & Science Center (KAMSC). The meeting was toward the center, forming our Sun, while some of the postponed one week due to Kalamazoo Public Schools remaining material coalesced to form the . closing all their facilities because of the Polar Vortex bringing double digit sub zero temperatures across the Evidence for this hypothesis first came in 1983 with the region. They even vowed to terminate any staff or faculty launch of the Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), which member (i.e. Mike Sinclair) that accessed a KPS building gave us our first infrared view of the entire sky. It discovered during the closing! Snow and still rather frigid temps also no dusty disks around stars like Beta Pictoris. In 2008, doubt affected attendance for the postponed meeting. astronomers using the Large Telescope (VLT) discovered a orbiting Beta Pictoris. The Hubble Space Richard gave the feature presentation of the evening, which Telescope revealed protoplanetary disks (known as Proplyds) was entitled Infinite Worlds: Searching for Extrasolar in the Nebula in 1995. In more recent times, the Planets. Overall, this was Richard’s fourteenth solo Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) presentation for the KAS. He explained that he originally had has revealed numerous disks around young stars and in 2015 no plan to give another solo talk so soon, but he failed to find the VLT has even captured a planet in the process of forming a member of the team to give a Skype around the protostar PDS 70. presentation on the Ultima Thule encounter and thought a video presentation wouldn’t attract many members to the The first may have been discovered in 1989 by a meeting. Richard gave the first version of this talk in March team led by David Latham. It orbits HD 114762, a type F9V 2002! He said it was the last talk he ever gave using slides located 126 light- away in the Coma and overheads. Berenices. However, the possible planet, known at HD 114762 b, has a minimum of 11.069 times that of According to Richard, the discovery of planets around other Jupiter and may be as massive as 63.2 . This puts it in stars is the “biggest foregone conclusion in the history of the realm of brown dwarfs, substellar objects ranging in mass science.” Philosophers like Lucretius of Rome and Giordano from 13 to 75 or 80 Jupiters. These are “failed stars” that Bruno speculated about planets orbiting distant suns. In more lacked sufficient mass to undergo hydrogen fusion in their recent times, we’ve been “exploring strange new worlds” in cores. Two planets were discovered around the pulsar PSR science fiction literature and television shows like Star Trek B1257+12 in 1992, with a third added in 1994. for decades. We currently have confirmed the discovery of nearly 4,000 To understand the first observational evidence for extrasolar in almost 3,000 planetary systems. This confirms planets (or exoplanets for short), we have to review the that planet formation is a very common byproduct of of the . Known as the Solar Nebula formation. With 200 to 400 billion stars in the Theory (or the ), it says that our solar and at least 200 billion in the observable system began as a dense collection of gas and dust in a larger universe there are approximately 25,000 billion billion star systems in the universe! Richard then went into the five detection methods that made these discoveries possible.

The Astrometric Method takes advantage of , precise measurements of a star’s position. A star’s position will slightly change due to a planet’s minute gravitational tug on its parent star (like a small dog tugging on its owner’s leash). This method is very difficult to use from ’s surface due to the effects of the atmosphere. However, approximately 3,000 planets may await discovery in data from the European Space Agency’s (ESA) probe. Gaia has measured the precise position of 1.7 billion stars since being launched in 2013.

One of the more successful methods is the Method (a.k.a. ). As with astrometry, radial velocity measures slight changes in a star’s position as Richard used a hula hoop to demonstrate that an the star and planet move about their common center of mass. extrasolar planet’s precise mass can only be known if we In this case, however, the motion detected is toward and can view the inclination of the system as viewed from away from observer and measured via Doppler shifts in the Earth. Typically not possible, since we never actually see star’s spectrum. This method led to the discovery of the the planet. Photo courtesy of Arya Jayatilaka. planet orbiting the star 51 Pegasi in 1995. This discovery is

Prime Focus Page 2 March 2019 widely considered the first exoplanet found around a solar type star. The planet, , recently given the official name of Dimidium (Latin for half), has a of 0.472 Jupiters. However, its average distance from 51 Pegasi is only 0.0527 (AU) and completes one orbit every 4.23 days. Planets like this, now referred to as “Hot Jupiters” must migrate closer to their parent star as they pull in material during their formation.

The most successful method to date is the Transit Method. If a planet passes directly between a star and an observer’s line of sight, it blocks out a tiny portion of the star’s light, thus reducing its apparent brightness. The first exoplanet found to transit its star is HD 209458 b (Osiris). This is another that orbits its star every 3.52 days at a distance of 0.045 AU. Since its orbit is nearly edge-on (86.1°), we know its mass is precisely 0.71 Jupiters.

The Gravitational Lens Method is derived from one of the insights of Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity; gravity bends space. We normally think of light as traveling in a straight line, but light rays become bent when passing through space that is warped by the presence of a massive object such as a star. This method has only led to a handful of discoveries.

Lastly, is Direct Detection. This method is very difficult in visible light due to the star’s overwhelming glare. Several observations have been made in the infrared in young systems still warm from their formation. The VLT captured an image of a 4 Jupiter mass planet around the The Gemini Planet Imager on the Gemini in 2004. It is the first direct image of a planetary telescope. In the photo, GPI comprises the three box-like companion, and the first discovered to be orbiting a brown components attached to the telescope and hanging dwarf. Should we call it a planet since it orbits a brown closest to the observatory floor. Other box-like dwarf and not a full fledged star? The VLT also imaged a components on the telescope are other instruments. planet around the GQ Lupi in 2004. The Hubble discovered a distant planet around mission ended on November 15, 2018 after exhausting its in 2008. The planet takes about 1,700 years to maneuvering fuel. orbit the A-type star. The Gemini Planet Imager (a special camera with a coronagraph attached to the 8-meter Gemini The data determined that the most common type of South telescope in Chile) has imaged planets planet has a mass between that of Earth and Neptune. This around many neighboring stars. makes our solar system seem odd, since it lacks a planet in this mass range. Astronomers Konstantin Batygin and The first spacecraft dedicated to detecting transiting Michael Brown proposed the existence of “Planet Nine” in exoplanets was CoRoT (Convection, Rotation and planetary 2016 to explain the unlikely clustering of orbits for a group Transits), launched by ESA on December 27, 2006. It only of extreme trans-Neptunian objects. This planet would have discovered 32 planets during its nearly 8- mission. Much to be approximately 10 times Earth’s mass, which falls in the more successful was NASA’s , mass gap between Earth and Neptune. launched on March 7, 2009. For over four years, Kepler constantly observed the brightness of approximately 150,000 About 360 of the planets discovered by Kepler lie in their stars in an area of the sky between the star’s habitable zone, the region around a star where a planet and Lyra. Kepler’s current with sufficient atmospheric pressure can maintain liquid total of confirmed discoveries water on its surface. A fraction of these planets have during this phase of the similar to Earth. mission stands at 2,335 with 2,424 awaiting confirmation. NASA launched its latest exoplanet mission, the Transiting Kepler’s original mission Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), on April 18, 2018. TESS ended with the failure of most uses an array of wide-field cameras to survey 85% of the of its gyroscopes in 2013. sky, an area 400 times larger than Kepler covered! During its The “K2” mission began later 2-year primary mission it is expected to find more than that year and observed 20,000 exoplanets! Both future missions are from ESA. The multiple locations across the CHaracterising ExOPlanets Satellite (CHEOPS) will sky. The K2 mission currently has 359 confirmed examine known transiting exoplanets orbiting bright and discoveries, with 473 awaiting confirmation. Kepler’s nearby stars and measure radii of exoplanets for which we

Prime Focus Page 3 March 2019 already have mass estimates. It is due to launch this October public event. Moving on to March events, Richard or November and its primary mission is expected to last 3.5 mentioned the general meeting on March 1st and the Messier years. The PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars Marathon on March 9th. (PLATO) satellite is planned for launch in 2026. It will use a set of 24 cameras, plus 2 fast cameras. Mission goals include In the Follow-Up category, Richard updated progress in the searching for planetary transits for up to one million stars Remote Telescope Project. Except for one unexplained and discovering and characterizing rocky extrasolar planets failure to guide, the system was now operating well under around yellow dwarf stars, stars, and internet control. The previous guiding problem turned out to stars. PLATO will have an emphasis on Earth-like planets in be caused by failure to instruct the program to save a the habitable zone around sun-like stars. calibration file. The work group can now turn to procedures for training users. Richard gave his President’s Report after the snack break. Jean DeMott and Don Stilwell plan to volunteer at Family Richard also showed a schedule for 2019 general meetings, Science Night at Hastings Public Library on February 20th. which happily showed great progress since our last meeting. Several volunteers will be needed for Science Night at After a frustrating period of failure to get any kind of Vicksburg Middle School on March 13th. Since last month, response from potential speakers, Richard had now filled out great progress has been made in finding general meeting the schedule. Some of the speakers had been suggested by guest speakers. A listing can be viewed on the general members, for which thanks are due. meeting web page, with more details on the schedule page. Richard said he plans to attend the Northeast Astronomy The question of brochures for our public viewing sessions Forum (NEAF) in Rockland County, New York on April 6th was considered . Don had obtained a sample brochure and 7th. Plans to attend the Texas Star Party fell through, so from the Kellogg Community College Print Shop for he now hopes to go to the Rocky Mountain Star Stare in comparison with those from our current supplier (Allegra). Colorado from June 26th - 30th. He hopes several members Both looked acceptable, and an order can be made following will join him. The KAS Remote Telescope is ready for use. a price clarification, verification of a schedule to complete We only need to finish the User’s Manual and schedule the the job, and provision of a final draft of the printer file. first training session. The new telescope we plan to get for Owl Observatory, a Meade 16-inch SCT, is currently $1,000 In an update of outreach events, Jean and Don were off until the end of February. scheduled for Science Night at Hastings Public Library (February 20th, 6 - 8 pm), while a number of members were After observing reports from members, discussing current expected to attend the usual Vicksburg Middle School astronomical events, and reviewing upcoming events the Science Night on March 13th, 6 - 8 pm. A request from the meeting concluded at 9:27 pm. (Sorry for the lack of details, Watervliet District Library Summer Program (July 24th, but Richard’s digital recorder is apparently broken and failed 11am - 12pm) still requires workers. to record the business portion of the meeting. He could really use a volunteer to take notes during this part of the meeting In New Business, possible 2019 star parties were discussed. for later use in writing the meeting minutes.) At least 4 members were planning to attend the Northeast Astronomy Forum and Telescope Show (NEAF) on April 6- 7, and others were encouraged. The Rocky Mountain Star Stare near Gardner, CO (June 26th - 30th) is also under consideration.

On another topic, Richard reported that the Meade 16” optical tube assembly which we need for the Owl Observatory upgrade is on sale at $1,000 savings, and we have sufficient money designated to buy it now. After a motion by Richard and second by Jack, the Board voted to make the purchase before the end of February. Don brought The KAS Board met on February 10, 2019 at Sunnyside up the subject of what to do with the 12” telescope from Owl Church. President Richard Bell called the meeting to order Observatory, and he moved to list it for sale immediately. at 5:10 pm. Board members present were Scott Macfarlane, After a second by Jack, the motion passed unanimously. Jack Price, Don Stilwell, and Roger Williams, with Rich Mather connected by cell phone. In the Other category, there was a brief discussion of methods to contact the membership for an urgent message, as The Treasurer’s Report had been e-mailed from Rich to Don, for example a last-minute weather cancellation. Richard’s but it arrived only as Don was en route to the meeting. The job does not allow this kind of activity during working hours. Sunnyside facility did not offer a way to print the file, so No action was taken at this time. Rich read out the highlights. Since this didn’t allow a thorough examination of the report, Richard agreed to e-mail With the conclusion of business, the next meeting was set for it to board members after the meeting. He also requested that Sunnyside on March 10, 2019, at 5pm. The meeting was the reports be sent out earlier in the future, to allow ample adjourned at 6:15 pm, and it was followed by a period of time for examination. One specific item mentioned by Don envelope stuffing for the Owl Observatory fundraising effort. was $120 to be deposited for payment for a KAS cap and for return of cash that had been withdrawn to make change at a Respectfully submitted by Roger Williams

Prime Focus Page 4 March 2019 The equinox occurs at precisely 5:58 pm EDT on hands-on, and freebie tables along with displays and March 20th, bringing an end to another seemingly endless demonstrations. We’ll be seeking volunteers at the March 1st winter. KAS activities will gradually increase as we meeting and by e-mail, so please step forward! Remember, transition from cold and gray skies to more moderate you don’t need any special training our knowledge to temperatures and clearer skies. However, we do have a few volunteer. Next up is the Barry County Science Festival at more events that occur before the official start of spring. Pierce Cedar Creek Institute on March 23rd from 10am - 3pm. Like last year, we’ll do a single hands-on activity and The first Friday of the month occurs on March 1st and I hope solar observing if clear. a large contingent of KAS members gather at the Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center for our general meeting. Mike Now that spring is approaching, I’m ready to take a road trip! Sinclair will give his fourteenth solo presentation and it How about you? Five KAS members are currently planning sounds like a good one. The lengthy title, The Great Debate: to attend the 2019 Northeast Astronomy Forum and Harlow Shapley, Heber Curtis, and the Size of the Universe, Telescope Show (NEAF) from April 6th - 7th at Rockland sums up the talks fairly well! Mike will outline the “state of Community College in Suffern, New York. These five the known” universe prior to the famous Shapley-Curtis members include Jean DeMott, Scott Macfarlane, Rich debate in 1920, present evidence cited by both astronomers, Mather, Don Stilwell, and myself. I last attended NEAF in and discuss the dramatic change in understanding of the 2012, which is where I took the panorama used as the header of our universe after this intellectual battle between image above. I affectionately refer to NEAF as “Candyland.” two giants. Over the past two decades, it has become a mecca for amateur astronomers. It features booths from over 120 Our annual Messier Marathon falls on March 9th this year. vendors and organizations. If you’re thinking about buying a We enjoyed clear skies last year, but it was mighty frigid. It pricey piece of astronomical equipment or just like to look at would be unprecedented to have clear skies two years-in-a- thousands of neat gadgets, then NEAF is THE place to go row, but we can always hope! If it is clear, I just hope it’s a and see it and maybe even purchase it for a nice discount. tad warmer than it was in 2018. Most people that attend don’t attempt to observe all 110 Messier objects in a single NEAF also features a top array of keynote speakers. This night, but we’ll give you some space if that is your plan. year’s list includes Jim (NASA Chief Scientist), Richland Township Park is a great spot to pull off a James Hansen (author of First Man: The Life of Neil A. Marathon, so feel free to give it a try. Armstrong), Don (NASA ), Alan Stern (Principal Investigator on the New Horizons mission), and Al Two community outreach events are scheduled for March. Worden (Apollo 15 Command Module Pilot). As you can The first, Vicksburg Middle School’s 15th annual Science see, this year’s theme is in honor of the 50th anniversary of Night, is on March 13th from 6 - 8pm (with setup beginning the Apollo 11 Moon landing. There’s much more, so check at 5pm). Several volunteers are needed to staff greeting, out the NEAF website and join us! Those of us currently attending NEAF will be staying at the Courtyard Montvale (100 Chestnut Ridge Road) in Montvale, New Jersey.

One of my goals at NEAF is to gather information for the Owl Observatory Upgrade Project. Every current member should have received a letter in the mail about our overdue plan to upgrade Owl Observatory. I won’t rehash what I wrote in the letter, but there is one thing I wanted to add. Unlike the Remote Telescope Project, the goal is to install the new telescope and mount very quickly. Ideally, I’d like to have the First Light ceremony at the Perseid Potluck Picnic on August 10th. This will be a challenge since we need to upgrade the pier to accommodate a larger telescope and mount, plus motorize the roll-off roof. We shouldn’t have any problem getting the desired telescope in time, but the mount may be on backorder depending on when we can place our order. So, the sooner we can raise the necessary Richard took this image of an Astro-Physics 1600GTO funds the better. Donations received by check, money order German Equatorial Mount on display at the 2012 or even cash are preferred so the full amount can go toward Northeast Astronomy Forum and Telescope Show our goal. However, you can also make your donation via (NEAF). It is the mount we plan to get for the much- PayPal. Use the form on the Owl Project web page. Please needed upgrade of Owl Observatory. contribute to the Owl Observatory Upgrade Project today!

Prime Focus Page 5 March 2019 March opens with the morning planets of Jupiter, Saturn, and NASA Night Sky Notes... Venus spread out over the southeastern horizon before sunrise. A crescent Moon comes very close to Saturn on the Springtime Planet Party 1st and occults the ringed planet during the daytime. Lucky observers may be able to spot by the end of the st by David Prosper month. March 31 opens with a beautiful set of planets and a crescent Moon strung diagonally across the early morning sky. Start with bright Jupiter, almost due south shortly before March brings longer days for Northern Hemisphere dawn. Then slide down and east towards Saturn, prominent observers, especially by the time of the equinox. Early risers but not nearly as bright as Jupiter. Continue east to the are treated to the majority of the bright planets dancing in the Moon, and then towards the beacon that is Venus, its gleam morning skies, with the Moon passing between them at the piercing through the early morning light. End with a beginning and end of the month. challenge: can you find elusive Mercury above the eastern horizon? Binoculars may be needed to spot the closest The vernal equinox occurs on March 20th, marking the planet to the Sun as it will be low and obscured by dawn’s official beginning of spring for the Northern Hemisphere. encroaching glow. What a way to close out March! Our Sun shines equally on the Northern and Southern Hemispheres during the moment of equinox, which is why the March and September equinoxes are the only times of the year when Earth’s north and south poles are simultaneously lit by sunlight. Exacting astronomers will note that the length of and night on the equinox are not precisely equal; the date when they are closest to equal depends on your latitude, and may occur a few days earlier or later than the equinox itself. One complicating factor is that the Sun isn’t a point light source, but a disc. Its edge is refracted by our atmosphere as it rises and sets, which adds several minutes of light to every day. The Sun doesn’t neatly wink on and off at sunrise and sunset like a light bulb, and so there isn’t a perfect split of day and night on the equinox - but it is very close! This article is distributed by NASA Night Sky Network. The Ruddy Mars still shines in the west after sunset. Mars scoots Night Sky Network program supports astronomy clubs across the early evening skies from Aries towards Taurus across the USA dedicated to astronomy outreach. Visit and meets the sparkling Pleiades by month’s end. nightsky.jpl..org to find local clubs, events, and more!

From the KAS Library: Novice Stargazers Get an Introduction to the Night Sky

Attention, beginning astronomers! The KAS library has many resources that will help you. One of our helpful observing guides is The Beginner's Observing Guide: An Introduction to the Night Sky for the Novice Stargazer by Leo Enright, published by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in 1993. This smallish spiral-bound book has a wealth of information geared toward people with no previous background in astronomy. You can find it filed under "E" in our library, since the books are filed alphabetically by the primary author's last name. Look inside the book for the checkout card. Write your name and date on the back of the card and place it in the card box. The book will be due at the next meeting. You must be a member of Earth from orbit on the March equinox, as viewed by KAS to check materials out of the KAS library. EUMETSAT. Notice how the terminator – the line between day and night - touches both the north and south poles. Submitted by Karen M. Woodworth, Ph.D. Learn more on NASA’s Visible Earth website. KAS Librarian

Prime Focus Page 6 March 2019 One of the most successful and enduring feats of interplanetary exploration, NASA's Opportunity rover mission is at an end after almost 15 years exploring the surface of Mars and helping lay the groundwork for NASA's return to the Red Planet.

The Opportunity rover stopped communicating with Earth when a severe Mars-wide dust storm blanketed its location in June 2018. After more than a thousand commands to restore contact, engineers in the Space Flight Operations Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) made their last attempt to revive Opportunity on February 12th, to no avail. The solar-powered rover's final communication was received June 10, 2018.

"It is because of trailblazing missions such as Opportunity that there will come a day when our brave walk on the surface of Mars," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine." And when that day arrives, some portion of that first footprint will be owned by the men and women of Opportunity, and a little rover that defied the odds and did so much in the name of exploration."

Designed to last just 90 Martian days and travel 1,100 yards (1,000 meters), Opportunity vastly surpassed all expectations The small spherules on the in this close- in its , scientific value and longevity. In addition to up image are near Fram Crater, visited by Opportunity in exceeding its life expectancy by 60 times, the rover traveled April 2004. The area shown is 1.2 inches across. more than 28 miles (45 kilometers) by the time it reached its These are examples of the mineral concretions nicknamed "blueberries." Opportunity's investigation of the hematite-rich concretions during the rover's three- month prime mission in early 2004 provided evidence of a watery ancient environment.

most appropriate final resting spot on Mars — Valley.

"For more than a decade, Opportunity has been an icon in the field of planetary exploration, teaching us about Mars' ancient past as a wet, potentially habitable planet, and revealing uncharted Martian landscapes," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. "Whatever loss we feel now must be tempered with the knowledge that the legacy of Opportunity continues — both on the surface of Mars with the rover and InSight lander — and in the clean rooms of JPL, where the upcoming rover is taking shape." This infographic highlights NASA’s twin robot geologists, the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) and The final transmission, sent via the 70-meter Mars Station Opportunity. The rovers landed on the Red Planet in antenna at NASA's Goldstone Deep Space Complex in 2004, in search of answers about the history of water on California, ended a multifaceted, eight-month recovery Mars. Spirit concluded its mission in 2010. Opportunity strategy in an attempt to compel the rover to communicate. last communicated with Earth on June 10, 2018, as a planet-wide dust storm blanketed the solar-powered rover's location on Mars. “We have made every reasonable engineering effort to try to recover Opportunity and have determined that the likelihood

Prime Focus Page 7 March 2019 of receiving a signal is far too low to continue recovery 360-degree color panoramas. efforts," said John Callas, manager of the Mars Exploration • Rover (MER) project at JPL. Exposed the surfaces of 52 rocks to reveal fresh mineral surfaces for analysis and cleared 72 Opportunity landed in the region of Mars additional targets with a brush to prepare them for on January 24, 2004, seven months after its launch from inspection with spectrometers and a microscopic Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Its twin rover, imager. Spirit, landed 20 days earlier in the 103-mile-wide (166- • Found hematite, a mineral that forms in water, at its kilometer-wide) Crater on the other side of Mars. landing site. Spirit logged almost 5 miles (8 kilometers) before its mission wrapped up in May 2011. • Discovered strong indications at Crater of the action of ancient water similar to the From the day Opportunity landed, a team of mission drinkable water of a pond or lake on Earth. engineers, rover drivers and scientists on Earth collaborated to overcome challenges and get the rover from one geologic All of the off-roading and on-location scientific analyses site on Mars to the next. They plotted workable avenues over were in service of the Mars Exploration Rovers' primary rugged terrain so that the 384-pound (174-kilogram) Martian objective: To seek out historical evidence of the Red Planet's explorer could maneuver around and, at times, over rocks climate and water at sites where conditions may once have and boulders, climb gravel-strewn slopes as steep as 32- been favorable for life. Because liquid water is required for degrees (an off-Earth record), probe crater floors, summit life, as we know it, Opportunity's discoveries implied that hills and traverse possible dry riverbeds. Its final venture conditions at Meridiani Planum may have been habitable for brought it to the western limb of Perseverance Valley. some period of time in Martian history.

"I cannot think of a more appropriate place for Opportunity "From the get-go, Opportunity delivered on our search for to endure on the surface of Mars than one called evidence regarding water," said Steve Squyres, principal Perseverance Valley," said Michael Watkins, director of JPL. investigator of the rovers' science payload at Cornell "The records, discoveries and sheer tenacity of this intrepid University. "And when you little rover is testament to the , dedication, and combine the discoveries of perseverance of the people who built and guided her." Opportunity and Spirit, they showed us that ancient Mars More Opportunity Achievements: was a very different place from

• Mars today, which is a cold, Set a one-day Mars driving record March 20, 2005, dry, desolate world. But if you when it traveled 721 feet (220 meters). look to its ancient past, you • Returned more than 217,000 images, including 15 find compelling evidence for

Prime Focus Page 8 March 2019 Opportunity's panoramic camera (Pancam) took the aboard Curiosity and the upcoming Mars 2020 mission. component images for this view from a position outside Farewell, Opportunity, and well done." Endeavor Crater during the span of June 7 to June 19, 2017. Toward the right side of this scene is a broad notch Mars exploration continues unabated. NASA's InSight in the crest of the western rim of crater. lander, which touched down on November 26th, is just beginning its scientific investigations. The Curiosity rover liquid water below the surface and liquid water at the has been exploring Crater for more than six years. And, surface." NASA's Mars 2020 rover and the European Space Agency's ExoMars rover both will launch in July 2020, becoming the All those accomplishments were not without the occasional first rover missions designed to seek signs of past microbial extraterrestrial impediment. In 2005 alone, Opportunity lost life on the Red Planet. steering to one of its front wheels, a stuck heater threatened to severely limit the rover's available power, and a Martian JPL managed the Mars Exploration Rovers for NASA's sand ripple almost trapped it for good. Two years later, a two Science Mission Directorate in Washington. For more -month dust storm imperiled the rover before relenting. In information about the agency's , 2015, Opportunity lost use of its 256-megabyte flash visit: https://www.nasa.gov/mars memory and, in 2017, it lost steering to its other front wheel.

Each time the rover faced an obstacle, Opportunity's team on Earth found and implemented a solution that enabled the rover to bounce back. However, the massive dust storm that took shape in the summer of 2018 proved too much for history's most senior Mars explorer.

"When I think of Opportunity, I will recall that place on Mars where our intrepid rover far exceeded everyone's expectations," Callas said. "But what I suppose I'll cherish most is the impact Opportunity had on us here on Earth. It's the accomplished exploration and phenomenal discoveries. It's the generation of young scientists and engineers who became space explorers with this mission. It's the public that followed along with our every step. And it's the technical legacy of the Mars Exploration Rovers, which is carried

This self-portrait of Opportunity at right comes courtesy of the Sun and the rover's front hazard-avoidance camera. The dramatic snapshot of Opportunity's shadow was taken as the rover continues to move farther into "Endurance Crater." The image was taken on sol 180 (July 26, 2004), a date that marks achievement of fully double the rover's primary 90-sol mission.

Prime Focus Page 9 March 2019 — March Night Sky —

This star map is property of the This map represents the sky at the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society. NORTH following local standard mes: However, you may make as many • Late February 10 pm copies as you wish free-of- • Early March 9 pm charge, so long as it is for non- profit educaonal purposes and • Late March 8 pm full credit is given to the KAS. • Early April 7 pm www.kasonline.org EAST WEST

SOUTH

enus, Saturn, and Jupiter arc of the brilliant morning star on March 3rd. between the stars Zubeneschamali (on the across the southeastern sky left) and Zubenelgenubi in Libra, the V with a waning crescent Moon A waxing crescent Moon lies on the Scales, on the evening of March 24th. 3° right of Saturn shortly before dawn on outskirts of the Hyades star cluster in March 1st. Follow the thinning Moon over Taurus on the evening of March 12th. A waning gibbous Moon will be 4½° to the next two mornings as it first moves to Both Moon and cluster will also fit within the left of Jupiter before dawn on March 4½° to Venus’ right on March 2nd (fitting the field of 7×50 binoculars. 27th. It will then move within 3½° of within the field-of-view of a pair of 7×50 Saturn, now as a wide waning crescent, binoculars) and then 7° to the lower left The Moon will be perfectly balanced on March 29th. March 2019 Page 11 PRESIDENT Richard S. Bell Volunteers Needed @ VICE PRESIDENT Jack Price The KAS has been asked to parcipate in the fieenth annual Science Night at Vicksburg TREASURER Middle School (located at 348 East Prairie St.). Rich Mather Members are needed to help setup and take down classroom displays, hand out KAS SECRETARY/ALCOR literature, and answer quesons from students and parents. Members are also needed to setup Roger Williams telescopes outside if skies are clear. Please contact us if you’d like to lend a helping hand. PUBLICITY MANAGER Joe Comiskey | MEMBERS-AT-LARGE

Jean De Mo

Sco Macfarlane

Don Slwell Our Celestron 8˝ -Cassegrain telescope is mounted on a very stable Super Polaris Equatorial E-MAIL a BOARD MEMBER mount. It’s quick and easy to setup. A dew cap, 4 eyepieces, and a Tel-Rad finder are included. This is a serious amateur telescope that will provide dazzling views of the Moon and planets, and is capable of showing you thousands of deep sky objects. Visit the Telescopes for Loan webpage for more information and contact KAS Equipment Manager Arya Jayatilaka today if you’d like borrow it. Messier Marathon The work of -hunter and nebulae cataloger Charles Messier comes alive in March of each year as amateur astronomers participate in a one night search for all of the objects in his catalog of nebulae, star clusters and galaxies. By a quirk of fate, we are fortunate that most of the objects Messier and Méchain took 24 years to discover can be observed in one night around the time of the vernal equinox. Members are encouraged to bring a good pair of binoculars or a telescope and participate in this one night race across the sky.

Saturday, March 9th @ 7:00 pm | Richland Township Park - 6996 N. 32nd St. General Meeting Preview

Kalamazoo Astronomical Society c/o KAMSC STAMP 600 West Vine, Suite 400 Kalamazoo, MI 49008

© March 2019, Stargazer Productions