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November 2004 San Diego Astronomy Association Celebrating Over 40 Years of Astronomical Outreach Office (619) 645-8940 December 2004 Observatory (619) 766-9118 http://www.sdaa.org A Non-Profit Educational Association Banquet News! P.O. Box 23215, San Diego, CA 92193-3215 By Scott Baker Mark your calendars, the annual SDAA Banquet and New Officer Installation is SDAA Business Meeting coming soon! The Banquet will be held at the Town and Country Resort in Mission Next meeting will be held at: Valley on the 22nd of January. That’s a near full moon weekend, so there’s no reason SKF Condition Monitoring not to attend. Our guest speaker this year will be Tim Castellano, an astronomer at 5271 Viewridge Court NASA’s Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California. This year it will be a sit- San Diego, CA 92123 down dinner (no buffet lines, yeah!) with two choices of main course, either Chicken February 10th at 7:00pm Floresco or California Tri-Tip. Of course there will be the usual raffle and live auction with an added silent auction on some special items. Invitations will be mailed the first week in December, so watch your mailbox! You’ll also have the ability to order tickets on-line using PayPal, just like last year. Ticket prices are still being negotiated but will be in the invitations and next month’s newsletter. The club has ANNUAL BOARD ELECTIONS decided to pick up the parking so that will be free to members. Mark you calendars Must be postmarked by now and I hope to see all of you there! December 31, 2004 See page 5 for details Treasurer’s Report by Michael Finch With the addition of our new members we now have a total of 590 SDAA mem- bers. We have several new members last month. Please welcome Cathryn CONTENTS Campbell, Marcee Chipman, William Hultman, Jeff Redwine, Scott Speights, and December 2004 Vol XL, Issue 12 Mark Stewart. Welcome to SDAA and may you enjoy clear dark skies! Published Monthly by the San Diego Astronomy Association Observatory Owners: It’s that time of year. By now you should have received 75¢ /$8.00 year your property tax letter in the mail. Please ensure your payment is received by Incorporated in California in 1963 January 10, 2005. Payment can be made by PayPal or by mailing to the SDAA PO box. Banquet News.......................................1 Treasurer’s Report...........................................1 Do you have questions about SDAA membership? Has your address changed? Astronomy 101......................................3 Please contact me at [email protected]. Thank you. Sky Watch..........................................................4 SDAA Director Bio’s..................................6 Second Site Fund balance: $6,705.79 Galactic Surprise..........................................7 The Back Page...........................................8 SanSan DiegoDiego AstronomyAstronomy AssociationAssociation For the double star devotees, take a Object name: Capella peek at omega Aur. It can be viewed Magnitude: 0.08 with small telescopes, consisting of a Equatorial 2000: RA: 05h 16m 41.395s 5th magnitude primary and a 8th Dec: +45°59’50.677" By Scott Baker magnituded secondary. For a little Alternate names: HIP 24608 SAO more challenge, scope of 4" or more 40186 GSC 3358:3141 Auriga - The Charioteer (with high magnification) should try Flamsteed-Bayer: 13-Alpha Aurigae This month’s constellation is Auriga, theta Auriga. Theta, with a 2.6 primary Object type: Star The Charioteer or Wagoneer. The name and a 7th magnitude secondary can be a Spectral: G0 Auriga is Latin for “charioteer.” The challenge if the conditions aren’t right. early civilizations of Greeks, Arabs, Object name: Menkalinan Chinese and Babylonians all associated For the open cluster folks, Sir Messier Magnitude: 1.90 this part of the sky with a charioteer. made a stop here, while cataloging Equatorial 2000: RA: 05h 59m 31.697s The Greeks had one myth that told that objects. Here you’ll find M36, M37 Dec: +44°56’50.754" the charioteer was Hephaestus, the son and M38. M36, a nice open cluster of Alternate names: HIP 28360 SAO of Helios and Hera. Hephaestus was about 100 stars, is rather concentrated 40750 GSC 2924:2742 born severely crippled, yet he managed for an open cluster. M37, another open Flamsteed-Bayer: 34-Beta Aurigae to learn to be a blacksmith, making cluster of about 150 stars, is very Object type: Star wonderful armor for the gods. His impressive. It is about 25 minutes of Spectral: A2V fame as the “lame smith” grew through- arc in diameter and contains a bright out the land. When King Oenopion, orange tinted star at it’s center. M38, Object name: Theta AUR blinded Orion for kidnapping his Easily spotted in binoculars, is also Magnitude: 2.6 daughter Merope, Hephaestus came to about 25' in diameter and composed of Equatorial 2000: RA: 05h 59m 43s his aide, earning his position in the about 100 stars. In the same field of Dec: +37°12’45" heavens by Zeus. Hephaestus, it was view, using a low power eyepiece, look Object type: Double Star said, became the first “charioteer”, for a companion cluster just South of Common name: Theta AUR when he invented the chariot to help M38, NGC1907. NGC1907 only Notes: 3.6" separation at PA 313(A-B); him get about. contains about 10 to 12 stars. 2.6-7.1M; blue/yellow; C = 10.6M, 50" distant at PA 297 Auriga, a winter constellation, rises in For the deep sky enthusiast, Auriga is Hour angle: -06h 58m 57s the Northeast, shortly after sunset and lacking, in a way, anything to look at offers many fine objects for the amateur that can be reached with amateur Object name: Omega AUR astronomer. One of Auriga’s most equipment. Loaded with galaxies, all Magnitude: 5.0 outstanding objects is it’s primary star, 15th magnitude or dimmer, I could only Equatorial 2000: RA: 04h 59m 15s Capella. Capella, at sixth brightest, a find two objects worthy of a hunt. The Dec: +37°53’24" winter landmark, or should I say first is PGC18078, a barred spiral Object type: Double Star skymark, is a spectroscopic double with galaxy at 13.5 magnitude. The other is Common name: Omega AUR a period of only 104 days. The a planetary nebula, IC 2149. At lower Notes: 5.4" separation at PA 000; 5- constellations second brightest star, powers, IC 2149 is stellar in appear- 8M; both blue-white; just S of AUR’s Menkalinen(beta Auriga), is also a ance, but you may notice something “Kids” spectroscopic binary. With a period of about it’s color, being “off”. As you Hour angle: -05h 53m 28s only four days, the stars complete their crank up the magnification, it starts to revolution much faster than those of show an egg shape. At very high Object name: M 36 Capella. Since they are eclipsing each magnification, you can pick up the Magnitude: 6.0 other the brightness of beta Aur seems central star and the nebula will blink in Equatorial 2000: RA: 05h 36m 18s to vary. and out as you avert your vision. Dec: +34°08’27" Size: 10.0 x 10.0 Get out an enjoy Auriga when you get a Object type: Open Cluster chance. Other ID: NGC1960 Page 2 SAN DIEGO ASTRONOMY ASSOCIATION NEWS AND NOTES, OCTOBER 2004 San Diego Astronomy Association Object name: M 37 Dec: +46°26’22" Magnitude: 5.6 Size: 2.3 x 1.8 Equatorial 2000: RA: 05h 52m 18s Alternate names: MCG8-11-11, Dec: +32°33’11" CGCG232-3, IRAS05511+4625 Address Change? Size: 15.0 x 15.0 Object type: Spiral Galaxy Submit your new information to: Object type: Open Cluster Type: SBbc Other ID: NGC2099 Bar: B [email protected] to ensure you don’t miss out on SDAA news. If Object name: M 38 Object name: IC 2149 you ordered a magazine subscrip- Magnitude: 6.4 Magnitude: 11.0 tion through the club, you will still Equatorial 2000: RA: 05h 28m 42s Equatorial 2000: RA: 05h 56m 24s need to notify the magazine as Dec: +35°51’18" Dec: +46°06’19" Size: 15.0 x 15.0 Notes: 10M; 10" diameter; very small! well Object type: Open Cluster requires high-+; diffuse at edges with (see each magazine for change of central condensation; 11.5M; central address instructions). Object name: PGC 18078 star not easily visible against interior Magnitude: 13.5 glow; NEAT! find it 40' WNW of Pi (p) Equatorial 2000: RA: 05h 54m 54s AUR, the 4.5M star 1 degs N of 2M Beta (b) AUR SAN DIEGO ASTRONOMY ASSOCIATION NEWS AND NOTES, OCTOBER 2004 Page 3 San Diego Astronomy Association SkyWatch for December, 2004 John Mood [ Times PST] [ * = 1 star = EZ ] [ ** = 2 stars = Moderate ] [ *** = 3 stars = Difficult ] Sat., 4 Dec. —— PUBLIC STAR PARTY @ Tierra del Sol. Tues., 7 Dec. —— MOON occults JUPITER before dawn for those who live well east of the Rockies; here in San Diego the Moon will be a very close 0.3 degrees from Jupiter @ 1:30 a.m. {See below.} Sat., 11 Dec. —— NEW MOON, 5:29 p.m. —— “New Moon Night” @ Tierra del Sol. Tues., 14 Dec. —— GEMINID METEOR SHOWER (the best of the year) peaks this morning. Sat., 18 Dec. —— PUBLIC STAR PARTY @ Tierra del Sol; explore the Moon’s “terminator” (where dark turns to light) for spectacular views of mountains, craters & rills. Tues., 21 Dec. —— WINTER SOLSTICE, 4:42 a.m. Brrrrrr! Sun., 26 Dec. —— FULL MOON, 7:06 p.m. Mon., 29 Dec. —— MERCURY passes just 1.2 degrees from VENUS this morning. {See below.} Sat., 1 Jan. 2005 —— 12:00 a.m.
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