NOVANEWSLETTEROFTHEVANCOUVERCENTRERASC VOLUME2013ISSUE5SEPTEMBEROCTOBER2013 The Eagle by Bill Burnyeat He clasps the crag with crooked hands; are eyepieces inside. Leave, says the the countryside. I’m a disciple of the Close to the sun in lonely lands, Eagle, forsake landlord, city smells, Roman hero Germanicus. Seeing fear Ring’d with the azure world, he dull and ridiculous company and in the faces of his troops, he looked stands. sail to a lonely land of skies, trees, up and saw eagles flying confidently mountains ring’d with the azure towards the enemy. Drawing a The wrinkled sea sword, Germanicus beneath him crawls; shouts to his officers: He watches from his “Follow the Roman mountain walls, birds!” The day was And like a thunderbolt won. I brandish he falls. no sword but do – Tennyson the contemporary equivalent. The The Eagle is a truck goes in for an special . oil change and new Taking to the air in tires before the day’s spring, later than the departure. Once, just Harp and Swan, this once, I ignored the bird hurries to join Eagle and returned to the others after winter city habits of egotism slumbers. calls and sloth while on the Summer Stargazer, the road. The scene announcing it’s time of the backsliding was to put away mundane and hopeless world. Valemount, B.C., some few hours tasks and seek the open road; dust Each summer I obey. Only north of Clearwater and the last off the chart, open and inspect ill health, or city-engendered town before Mt. Robson Provincial the eyepiece box. Make sure there melancholy can stop the trip out into continued on page 5

SEPTEMBER 12 SFU OCTOBER 10 SFU NOVEMBER 7 BCIT Alan McConnachie from UVic: Big Vancouver Past-President Howard Speaker to be announced. Watch puzzles with small : Trottier will discuss his astropho- Meetup for details. formation and the problems with the tograhy efforts. Room TBA (see Meet- tiniest galaxies. Room B9201 up for updates) Members’ Gallery

Sun with prominence by Gordon Farrell

A bit of luck and a fair amount of processing resulted in the above image, taken in July 20, 2013. Original images acquired with a Canon 40D mounted to a Lunt 60mm solar scope, with alignment and initial image processing in Shake, stacking in RegiStax, and final processing in Photoshop.

2 rasc-vancouver.com SEPTEMBEROCTOBER2013 President’s Message by Mark Eburne The past few months for the with any major change like the one the rasc as a family is much more rasc has been a flurry of activity we have gone through, there will affordable and allows everyone to locally and nationally. be challenges to overcome but it’s enjoy the benefits. Take a moment On the national scene, with the nice to see the efforts from across and talk to Rohit, Membership new council elected and in place, the country at the national level Chair, or visit the rasc web site the focus has been to implement that will support our local vision. for more information. our new structure. Over the last As always, more information is On the local level, rasc two years, the discussion and available on the rasc web site, Vancouver Centre has hosted planning across the country has got www.rasc.ca. numerous events, both scheduled the rasc a very enviable position A new feature for membership and spur of the moment. Scott’s in the non-profit world. Of course, is the family membership. Joining continued on page 4 About RASC The RASC Vancouver Centre meets at the Treasurer at the address on page 5. herein are not necessarily those of the 7:30 PM on the second Thursday of ev- Annual membership includes the invalu- Vancouver Centre. ery month at various locations in Metro able Observer’s Handbook, six issues of Material on any aspect of astronomy Vancouver (see page 1 for meeting loca- the RASC Journal, and, of course, access should be e-mailed to the editor or tions and page 4 for maps). Guests are to all of the club events and projects. mailed to the address below. always welcome. In addition, the Centre For more information regarding the Remember, you are always welcome has an observing site where star parties Centre and its activities, please contact to attend meetings of Council, held on the are regularly scheduled. our P.R. Director. first Thursday of every month at 7:30pm Membership is currently $73.00 per , the newsletter of the Vancou- in room P8445.2 of the Physics wing of year ($41.00 for persons under 21 years ver Centre, RASC, is published on odd- the Shrum Science Centre at SFU. Please of age) and can be obtained by writing to numbered months. Opinions expressed contact a council member for directions. 2013 Vancouver Centre Officers President Mark Eburne Librarian William Fearon Webmaster Harvey Dueck [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Vice-President/Events Suzanne Nagy Past President/P. R. Howard Trottier NOVA Editor Gordon Farrell [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Secretary/Telescopes/P. R./Observing Membership Rohit Grover Speakers Barry Shanko Scott McGillivary [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] LPA Chair Jim Ronback Councillor Kenneth Lui Treasurer Ciara Morgan-Fier & Steve Coleopy [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Education Bill Burnyeat Honourary President Dr. John Macdonald National Rep. Doug Montgomery [email protected] Trustees Ron Jerome [email protected] AOMO Chair/Merchandise Leigh Cummings Pomponia Martines [email protected] J. Karl Miller Library On the Internet Mailing Address The centre has a large library of books, http://rasc-vancouver.com or RASC Vancouver Centre magazines and old for your enjoy- http://www.rasc.ca/vancouver PO Box 19115 ment. Please take advantage of this club http://astronomy.meetup.com/131/ 2302 West 4th Ave. service and visit often to check out the new http://www.facebook.com/RASC.Van Vancouver, B.C. purchases. Suggestions for future library @RASCVancouver V6K 4R8 acquisitions are appreciated.

SEPTEMBEROCTOBER2013 rasc-vancouver.com 3 Maps to Meeting Sites SFU st We ve Dri ity ers iv P P Our September meeting is in Un room B9201, in the south con- AQ  Lecture course of the 3rd (main) level of Hall Shru m Scie nce Ctr

P the Academic Quadrangle (indi- T

So o uth w Cam e cated by the arrow on the map pus r Rd R d at left).

Pay parking is available at sev- Burnaby Mtn Pkwy G a eral locations around campus g Un la iv r er d sity i Dri (indicated as “P” on the map). W ve East a y

continued from page 3 Parks, hosted 850 enthusiastic where several members of the efforts to connect on Facebook, stargazers to watch the Perseid rasc Vancouver Centre had set Twitter and Meetup to members meteor shower. Unfortunately, no up solar scopes of all sizes and let and the public is paying off. If one brought a cloud filter so seeing the public see the solar activity first you are looking to get out under any meteors and was left to hand. Judging by the WOWs and the night sky with a group of like- the imagination. However, several COOLs at the scopes, the visitors minded people, be sure to connect activities and talks did fill the to the park enjoyed their time. with Scott. Scott also handles the evening so most of the people came rasc also set up solar scopes in the popular loaner scope program away with a better understanding of downtown park in Maple Ridge which is highly active but we still local astronomy opportunities, plus where the same wow factor existed. have scopes to lend. those who stayed had an enjoyable Public outreach is what we do and Thanks to the efforts of our local night of camping in the park. it is so rewarding to be able to be rasc councillors and volunteers, Campbell Valley was the home to part of the experience. Remember, we, in conjunction with the Metro another successful event in August if you are interested in attending any of the events, be sure to check out Meetup at www.meetup.com/ astronomy-131 to see where the next event is. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Suzanna Nagy, our Events Coordinator. Your Vancouver Centre will soon be accepting nominations for the next year’s council positions. If you have an interest to be involved in council activities, please send your name forward to any current council member. Clear Skies.  cartoon by Dan Collier

4 rasc-vancouver.com SEPTEMBEROCTOBER2013 continued from page 1 telescope, I amused myself pitching it is the nearest bright star visible Park. I had decided to stop and use stones to the far shore, so I could say, at night. is sometimes said a cash machine in the local bank. As back in Richmond, that I had thrown to be the eagle that Zeus assumed I got to the spot, the whole town lost a rock across the Fraser. Overhead, when he kidnapped Ganymede. all electrical power. The machine the Eagle sat in a tree watching the The unfortunate shepherd ended world was instantly idle. Gas couldn’t flying stones. up waiting table eternally on Mount be pumped, nothing was ready for Leader of Aquila the Eagle is the Olympus. purchase in the unlit stores, clerks star Altair. Altair is the 12th brightest This constellation is ancient and couldn’t see their cash registers; they star in the heavens and an electric a reference to Aquila is made in stood around forlorn like cats facing white star, most southerly of the the Oresteia, in the first act, when empty food bowls. A couple of ladies summer triangle stars with Vega and the soldier watching for signal fires wheeled out a portable gas range Deneb. Altair can be recognized announcing the fall of Troy is also to the side of the road and started by two fainter stars that sit, one waiting for the eagle to attain its making burgers as they furiously on each side. The starry trio are greatest height, for then his watch chain smoked. I had a bad cup of sometimes called the belt of summer, ends. coffee and thought, well, the Eagle’s in imitation of Orion’s belt of winter. Each constellation has its own arranged this. He’s teaching me a Look to Gamma, the northern star of charms and evokes differing moods. lesson. I moved on to where the bird the three. It resembles a little orange Some are decked out in bright stars directed. It’s a wildflower-strewn pumpkin, even to the unaided eye. that appear when the sky is fading meadow just a few metres from the Altair is about 17 light years away blue and they stand promising the Fraser River, where that river is just and is therefore a neighbour to the dark. Other have a creek. Before setting up the big sun. When straddling the meridian, continued on page 7

For Sale Orange tube C8 in excellent condi- Keith Eisler, phone 604-539-8690 • Field Stop Diameter: 24.3mm tion. Includes drive corrector, coun- • • • ter weight set, 8x50 finderscope, Nagler Eyepiece Type 4 17mm - Williams Optics 2” Diagonal - 3 eyepieces, 1 1/4” diagonal and $350.00 $125.00 instruction manual. Also have the • Focal Length: 17mm storage trunk. Primary mirror and • # of Lens Elements: 7 Contact Ron Jerome at corrector plate are pristine. Email • Apparent Field: 82° [email protected] me for pics. Asking $495. • Eye Relief: 17mm

Membership has its Privileges! New members, did you know? The can now reserve two different telescopes tive! Take in the club meetings; engage Vancouver Centre has 8 telescopes avail- per year and use what is left at the end of other members with questions; come out able for loan free of charge! We have the meeting anytime. to observing sessions (also known as “star telescopes ranging from 60mm to 10” Your greatest opportunity as a member parties”), and, by all means, volunteer to diameter. For more information see the of the RASC is to take advantage of the take part in our many public events. Director of Telescopes after the mem- company of other enthusiasts to increase For the usual observing sites and times, bers meeting. The loaner period is for your knowledge, enjoyment and skill in visit our website at http://rasc-vancouver. one month, to be returned after the next astronomy. com/observing-sites/ or contact the Ob- meeting. Telescopes are not allowed to The best thing you can do to gain the serving Chair at observing.rascvancou- circulate outside of these meetings. You most from your membership is to get ac- [email protected].

SEPTEMBEROCTOBER2013 rasc-vancouver.com 5 Upcoming Events October tor for the Kepler Mission, will be our December 5 – Paul Sykes Lecture at 8pm at SFU. speaker. See Meetup for details. 12 – AGM William Borucki, principal investiga-

Nova Delphini 2013 by Dan Collier Arrowed is Nova Delphini 2013 uted to hydrogen-alpha emission posed to replace the Cookbook in this image acquired at 0648 UT from an expanding shell. However, unit built by Victor Amey for the Aug. 18 at Vancouver. I mounted Nova Delphini appeared white to Overton Telescope. It never worked the Centre’s Finger Lakes ccd cam- me. dependably and twice was returned era on a tripod and attached a Wet- I judged it to be as bright as Eta to fli in New York. The camera was zlar 85mm f/2.8 projection lens. Sge. By the early hours of the 21st, loaned to me since I have a reputa- The field is 6 degrees. the nova had faded to mag 6. By the tion for turning around basket cas- Exposure was 4 seconds. The time you read this, you may need es. The circuitry seemed sensitive bright Moon was as close to Del- go-to to find it. Slew to the star to twisting and probing by instru- phinus as it ever gets. Because a sao 88610 and look 10 minutes ments, and in due course I found desiccator is not installed, the ccd southeast. No star appears on Palo- the cracked diode that was making cooler was set to +16C to keep dew mar survey plates, so the nova has the cooler uncontrollable. The fab- off the silicon. Deeper cooling was erupted 12 magnitudes or more. ric desiccator was unable to keep not warranted. Delphinus has hosted a nova the ccd dry, so I built a brass one Phil Morris alerted me to the before, in 1967, and it was in this that can be oven-baked. Fresh des- nova, which was discovered 1400 field. Nothing is visible of it. The iccant material is not easy to come UT Aug. 14 while still brightening. other image, assuming Gord has by. When I explained my need to The nova is just south of the border space to print it, snagged a bright a druggist, she saved me some des- with Vulpecula, 4 degrees east of satellite during the one-second ex- iccant “pills” that had been put in Eta Sagittae. Eta is the mag-5 star posure. bottles to keep drugs fresh. The that puts a 1.5-degree extension on The prominent object at lower desiccant looks like pink clay beads the pointy end of Sagitta. I recall left is EU Delphini, a semi-regular and comes from a distributor in Be- seeing a red tint in some novae. The variable star about 360 LY distant len, New Mexico. The climate there tint is discussed in Burnham’s notes and 1 AU in diameter. It varies be- is good for both astronomy and the for Nova Cygni 1975 and is attrib- tween mag 6 and 7 over a period of desiccant business.  about two months. A class M5 red giant, EU Del puts out more infra- red than visible light. So its image has spread out and lost focus. From EU Del, scan right past the wide diagonal pair of bright stars. You will come to a triangle consisting of two faint stars and a brighter star. The latter is HD195019, one of the first stars discovered to host an exo- planet. This is the camera that was sup-

6 rasc-vancouver.com SEPTEMBEROCTOBER2013 continued from page 5 from certain. From start to finish, Eagle to offer some advice. The large wonderful forms of triangles, dippers the career of planetary nebulae is bird sat on the dead limb of a cedar or suggest the outlines of armed about 10,000 years—very brief on pondering the ocean. I sauntered to men, great whales, menacing snakes the cosmic time scale. the beach to see what the Eagle was and miscellaneous monsters. Some After learning a bit more about watching. The large, smooth ocean constellations have special traits that these exotic objects, I set as my of Howe Sound was calm and one are hidden from casual view. I place task the finding of some earthly could look across and see Anvil Aquila in the latter camp. This is the analogy, a mundane equivalent of Island, first charted by Captain place of the planetary nebulae. the strange objects above. The scene Vancouver, and the mainland of the The planetary nebulae (singular of my contemplations was Porteau opposite shore covered in trees. I ran is an “a” ending while the plural Cove Provincial Park, just south of my eyes over the waters. Something terminates in “ae”) are a class of Squamish, BC. This park, a regular was out of place. A tree was standing the general nebulae, or cloud like stop of mine with an amphitheatre alone about two kilometres out in objects, but the encompassing and large lawn in view of the sky, the middle of the inlet. The water gaseous medium is not a general is also favoured by the Eagle. The is good and deep where the tree sat, cloud but is sloughed off by one day after the night program for apparently anchored by some magical star. The name, which has nothing campers—about sixty saw Saturn agency. At Britannia Beach just north to do with planets, is another one of through my 10-inch reflector—I of the park, when the copper mine astronomy’s nomenclature puzzles was up in the morning, preparing operated, miners deep underground like “falling stars” or the “morning star.” Neither of these terms refers to a star. The planetary is sometimes, in casual reference, called an exploding star but this is not the case. It’s more precise to compare them to a tire with a slow leak. When stars grow old, they swell up and undergo selective burning and rekindling of the central fire. The conditions are often ripe for the loosely-held outer layers of the star to be ejected and a cloud is generated about the star. This cloud is extremely thin—its capture and the first cup of coffee and wondering could hear the cries of killer whales placement in a sealed container on what it is around me that is similar to above them as pods passed by. A Earth would be called a vacuum. a . My first thought claustrophobic experience if ever The nebula shines due to the fierce was a waterfall. Shannon Falls is just there was one. A couple of campers irradiation from the hot central star. up the road and the gushing water also stood perplexed, watching the Circles, rings and bipolar lobes are is a constrained form of movement tree standing right out in the middle the most common shapes seen in just as the ejection of gas from a of the deep blue grey sea. It was as telescopes. The planetary nebulae central star is like a waterfall but though this one tree had been seized are a fleeting astronomical feature with more degrees of freedom. It’s a with a show-off bent, and, perhaps since the matter in the cloud is in bit of a stretch; it didn’t seem quite on a dare, left the forest and was the state of drifting into interstellar what I was looking for. Walking out wading where none had been before. reaches and its replenishment is far of my campsite, I looked up for the continued on page 8

SEPTEMBEROCTOBER2013 rasc-vancouver.com 7 continued from page 7 turn the 10-inch homebuilt telescope The above list is kindly furnished by Among the onlookers was someone to the . Selecting a low- him and contains Aquila planetaries, who had seen this before and had power eyepiece giving about 40 with distance and radius (or semi- a bit of local knowledge. It seems, power, I see a very faint smudge, diameter). The units here are , the inlet is fed by a number of small like a water stain on the element one of which is approximately equal creeks. Trees grow right down to the of a glass. I’m trying to observe to 3.26 light years. Jim cautions edge of these streams, and, in times M57 under the most unfavourable that the distances and therefore of heavy spring runoff, the creek circumstances. It’s not yet dark, and sizes should be taken with a “grain bank can be undercut and a good too low a magnification is being of salt” and we lack good parallaxes sized tree mounted on a large tuft of used. Why? It’s because this is the soil can be sent down the creek like view of planetaries that are quite a thrill seeker going down a tube in faint, or seen in small refractors. a waterpark. The tree arrives at the NGC 6781 is a large planetary creek mouth and usually simply joins nebula in the constellation of the in the debris that pile up sticks and Eagle. Aquila is an excellent hunting logs on the shoreline. But sometimes ground for these elusive objects and the tuft of dirt and brambles is just a dozen are within the boundaries of the right size so that the tree arrives this constellation. 6781 is probably in the sea able to stand up like a cork the best of the bunch. In small supporting a pin in a glass of water. telescopes, this nebula looks like an Since the tree makes a tolerable sail, oval, fairly large, but dim. ESO Image credit: it is carried around the inlet, going In 200 mm telescopes, it is NGC 6781 on a sightseeing tour but with none suspected that nebula is dimmed near to these objects making the table except perhaps an astonished squirrel the middle and that its true shape is only correct as a ballpark measure. on board to bear witness. that of a donut like the famous Ring Some accounts claim most of these This then is what planetary Nebula in the nearby Harp. The hole nebulae are about one light year in nebulae are “like.” It’s a rare sight, in the middle is clearly seen in a 400 diameter and therefore the range the confluence of accident, a certain mm telescope. can be directly calculated. It’s not so vulnerability to time and place and A sample of the Eagle’s planetary simple, says Dr. Kaler. Sometimes, it can’t last very long. Soon the tree, nebulae: very occasionally, we get lucky and its turfy support eroded, will topple the distance to the planetary is given into the water and instantly lose Nebula Distance* Radius* away by the context it is within. A any claim to being remarkable. It’s NGC 6803 3000 0.041 planetary sits nestled within the the same with the star at the centre NGC 6804 1700 0.130 globular M15. Since the of the planetary. Once the cloud is NGC 6807 5100 0.025 distance to the globular is known dispersed, will anyone want to see NGC 6781 700 0.018 reasonably well by its variable stars the progenitor again? NGC 6772 1250 0.197 of known luminosity, the distance to The sight in the eyepiece of the NGC 6778 3100 0.120 the planetary is revealed. That’s luck. round nebula, in either its circular or IC 4846 3300 0.018 Yet we aren’t completely in the dark ring formation, always seems magical (*in parsecs) about planetary nebulae. Answers to and strange. It’s the roundness that questions about them can be found gets you. The Ring Nebulae, called Dr. James Kaler is the man to talk if we use a source of information M57, in the nearby Harp is one of to about planetary nebulae. His work that is largely independent of range. the most loved deep-sky objects. As is cited in the Webb Society Deep-Sky The spectrograph is such a tool. The it begins to get dark at Alice Lake, I Observer’s Handbook back in 1979. continued on page 9

8 rasc-vancouver.com SEPTEMBEROCTOBER2013 continued from page 8 would be to live under the sky of one stars. Most stars look colourless or lines in the spectrum will look the of these stars. Its form shrunk to a whitish-blue. That’s the power of same irrespective of our lack of a point and the dismal gloom and icy the T4 making blue stars stand out good distance. These gas envelopes prospects for inhabitants. Is this the and shining into our awareness over show emission lines at certain case? Snatching a branch from the huge distances. So, the visible star wavelengths. These wavelengths tell ground—for the Eagle’s territory retinue is strongly biased in favour us about the behaviour of the atoms tolerates no blackboards—I cleared of the hot blue stars. Yet there are within the cloud. The gas within a flat place on the dust and with the red stars. On hand is Antares in the is heated to ionization by the very stick made the following marks in the summer, Betelgeuse in winter and for hot central star that is becoming a earth: T4R2. A few people crowded us northern observers, Kochab in the white dwarf. It is the atoms giving around to get a better look. Some Small Dipper, at any season. These off specific wavelengths that give kids, sensing they weren’t going to stars have low temperatures and to the colours we see in the telescope. be entertained, started to cry. The be on display they rely more heavily Particularly visible is the doubly letters refer to the temperature and on the feeble R2 term. In order to be ionized oxygen atom, the so called radius of a body emitting light and seen, the radius must be huge and oiii. This gives a pale greenish quantify the luminosity; the matter so, any red-coloured star visible to blue colour. It’s how the dumbbell is open to calculation, rather than the unaided eye must be a hugely M27 looks on a good sized scope. guess work or rumour. Imagine a inflated gas bag or, colloquially, a red The Saturn nebula (ngc 7009) is newly minted white dwarf of an giant. The situation can be seen at a another very blue looking object. It’s initial mass of that of the sun. In its glance by comparing the list of the not the case that the cloud is largely new configuration, its radius has brightest stars and the closest stars or even significantly made of oxygen. decreased from about 700,000 km in an astronomical data book such It’s mainly composed of hydrogen to only 8000 kilometres. However, as the rasc Observer’s Handbook. since its origin is unprocessed gas the temperature at its surface has The closest and therefore most at the star’s surface. The oiii stands now climbed to about 100,000 K representative stars in the galaxy out because it is near the middle of from 6000 K. Admittedly, this is a are red dwarfs. Most fall below the the eye’s range of sensitivity. The somewhat ideal situation, the kind threshold of visibility: they have reds seen in colour pictures of these of thing I avoid in fact, since a real low Ts and tiny Rs, a recipe for objects are never seen at the eyepiece. white dwarf would quickly cool off. invisibility. Some wavelengths are known to But some are at this temperature. Suppose we could assume the job be present, but we are unable to see Next, notice again the relation. The description of the Deity and meddle them even photographically from the temperature is under sway of the with the laws of physics. What if ground since they are emitted in the fourth power, which makes a number we interchange the exponents on infra-red and the Earth’s atmosphere get big very steeply. For example, the the relation, and imagine a world in absorbs the light. So, observing these number 5 when squared is 25, but which T2R4 was the rule. There would objects is strongly dependent on the 54=625. When the math is done, it be many bizarre consequences. One eye, the night and the equipment. turns out our fictional white dwarf, thing that would instantly change Looking at the planetary nebulae in spite of its pint size, is 10 times as would be the look of the night time always puts me in mind of the luminous as the Sun. This tiny dot in sky. Now, visibility would be tied to central star that has created all the the sky would be intolerably bright the star’s size. The bright blue stars fuss. The white dwarf is a super-hot and the inhabitants would face a would be largely gone and in their star only slightly bigger than the perpetual Sahara Desert. place ruddy and orange high radius Earth but with the mass of a star. Also, this relation has a real stars would litter the celestial sphere. At the amphitheatre meeting, a observational effect on our night Poets would no longer compare few people commented on how it sky. Go outside and look at the continued on page 10

SEPTEMBEROCTOBER2013 rasc-vancouver.com 9 continued from page 9 officials. As he was seated, he saw a slot in its side. He took a good- stars with “diamonds in the sky” but with dismay that the speaker was quality thermometer and secured it would draw metaphors from embers his deadly foe. A lifelong enmity into the tin along with a cell phone glowing in the fireplace or candle incarnate, the two had been at each whose camera imaged the scale on flames flickering behind thin drapes. other’s throats from university days the thermometer. Sheets of oven With these speculations in hand, I when they competed for the same aluminum foil, to protect the phone returned from the land of the Eagle grants, positions and dates. They from overheating, and he was ready and back to town. It happened that applied for the same jobs, even voted for liftoff. The next morning, riding there was a party and I dropped for differing parties just for the sake an upside down candle flame, the tin by. I hate parties but I came to of differing. Our hero looked sullenly can went into Earth orbit. this one for no conscious reason. into his plate and tried to ignore the Here’s where T4R2 comes in again. It was on the west side of town. hated rival at the head of the table. Imagine a sphere centred on the Sun. Those attending were associated The discussion turned to spacecraft This sphere is one with space science, and, in some and what should be considered as a (AU) in radius, so Earth is located on derivative way, education. Although proper payload. Our host suggested the ball. Then, given the radius of the most of the money in the province that anyone might come up with Sun, we can write: T4R2 = T4R2. This is concentrated here, at the end of a a science experiment and add it to means that as the light of the Sun small peninsula, they are cheap with a space mission, even on one day’s spreads out into space, it is reduced in liquor. A sign at the bar said one notice. This challenge was instantly steps, always conserving the equality complimentary drink. After that, see taken up by the table and the main of the equation. As the tin went the stuffed shirt at the cash register. instigator was the smug enemy. around the Earth, the thermometer Naturally, I was put off. Also, the Our host left the dinner facing a peaked at about 300 K. This is the glasses were small, mean and cheap seemingly impossible task. The next temperature of a body at the Earth’s plastic. On the table, next to the day was the scheduled launch of a distance from the Sun. Putting the drinks, was a good-sized glass vase small rocket and the pad crew had value into the T of the term with the holding a few dusty plastic flowers. been informed that he was expected one AU radius, we can solve for the No one was looking so the pseudo- to add a science package which was other T which is the temperature of flowers went in the bin and I poured to be dreamed up in one evening. He the surface of the Sun. a good stiff drink into the vase. returned to his motel, nurturing the Our host returned in utter Everyone pretended not to notice. presage of humiliation and certain triumph, only slightly clouded by the Next to the door, with its fierce sign defeat. Entering the room, he made bed bugs in his clothes courtesy of the barring undergraduates from entry, a survey of its contents. It had a state of Florida. I joined in a round of was a large placard on which a felt wainscoting of a strip of Disney applause when this story was related. marker had inscribed: T4R2 along cartoon characters. The bed had a Not only was this a science triumph with a Greek sigma (σ) which is the funny smell like it had been regularly but the despised foe at the Cape Stefan-Boltzman constant. I stood rolled in a gigantic ash tray then was in complete defeat. He was now wondering how and why this had perfumed with sweat. The television the butt of jokes, sidelong sarcastic appeared and what it had to do with didn’t work for, judging by the scuffs glances and coffee shop slanders. As I the activities of the late afternoon. A on its side, it had been violently learned more, I wondered about the few stragglers told me the party was kicked. Someone had carved into the sudden plunge of an official whom to celebrate our host’s great victory table the word: Hate. In other words, one suspected to be armour plated over an enemy. it was a typical Florida motel room. against failure by the very vagueness Here’s what had happened. The Our hero set to work. In a cupboard and unfocused nature of government host had visited Cape Canaveral he found a large-size cylindrical work. Then came the epiphany. It and sat in on a dinner with nasa coffee tin. He took the tin and cut continued on page 11

10 rasc-vancouver.com SEPTEMBEROCTOBER2013 continued from page 10 seems the miscreant was in charge of the grounds around the launch site. Some trees lining a creek were condemned by him and cut. A few Doug Montgomery protesters came out to warn against (bottom) Rohit Grover this vandalism. The trees, said the (left), and Leigh Cum- local naturalist, were frequented by mings (right) enjoy eagles fishing. a view of clouds at The eagles must be obeyed. They the 2013 Merritt Star cannot be ignored. You will come Quest. to grief unless you drop everything, take to the road and keep the bright star before you, both in your eye and in your heart, and follow the Roman birds. This writer wishes to acknowledge the aid of Dr. James Kaler for his communication on planetary nebulae. Any errors herein are my own. 

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