Volume 58, No 3, 2019 September the JOURNAL of the ROYAL
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Southern Stars THE JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF NEW ZEALAND Volume 58, No 3, 2019 September ISSN Page0049-1640 1 Southern Stars Journal of the RASNZ Royal Astronomical Society Volume 58, Number 3 of New Zealand (Inc.) 2019 September Founded in 1920 as the New Zealand Astronomical Society and assumed its present title on receiving the Royal Charter in 1946. In 1967 it became a member body of the R oyal Society of New Zealand. CONTENTS P O Box 3181, Wellington 6140, New Zealand Rakiura International Dark Sky Sanctuary [email protected] http://www.rasnz.org.nz R W Evans .............................................................. 3 Subscriptions (NZ$) for 2019: Ordinary member: $40.00 Fornax Galaxy Cluster Andrew Robertson .................................................. 5 Student member: $20.00 Affiliated society: $3.75 per member. th Minimum $75.00, Maximum $375.00 E.E. Barnard A Legendary 18-19 Century Corporate member: $200.00 Astrophotographer Whose Images Still ‘Wow’ Us.. John Drummond ..................................................... 8 Printed copies of Southern Stars (NZ$): $35.00 (NZ) A New Hope R W Evans ............................................................. 23 $45.00 (Australia & South Pacific) $50.00 (Rest of World) Book Review Grahame Fraser ................................................... 25 Council & Officers 2018 to 2020 FRONT COVER President: The barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365 in the Fornax Galaxy Nicholas Rattenbury Auckland. [email protected] Cluster Image: Steve Chadwick Immediate Past President: John Drummond Patutahi. [email protected] BACK COVER The galaxies NGC 1317 (the smaller one) and the Vice President: brightest member NGC 1316 also known as Fornax A, Steve Butler Invercargill. [email protected] on the edge of the Fornax Galaxy Cluster. Image: Steve Chadwick Secretary: Appointment pending. [email protected] Treasurer: Susan Shoebridge Auckland. [email protected] Members’ Councillors: Hinerangi Curtis Christchurch. [email protected] Bob Evans Invercargill. [email protected] John Hearnshaw Christchurch. [email protected] [email protected] Glen Rowe Lower Hutt. [email protected] Affiliated Societies’ Councillors: Nalayini Davies Auckland . [email protected] Peter Jaquiery Dunedin. [email protected] Fellows’ Councillor: Karen Pollard Christchurch. [email protected] Page 2 Southern Stars Rakiura International Dark Sky Sanctuary:- R W Evans Rakiura International Dark Sky Sanctuary R W Evans Dark Sky The International Dark Sky Association (IDA) confirmed on January th4 this year that Stewart Island (Rakiura) had been successful in its application for the establishment of an International Dark Sky Sanctuary. This made it the fifth Dark Sky Sanctuary, and only the second island sanctuary, in the world. The first island sanctuary is New Zealand’s Great Barrier Island International Dark Sky Sanctuary. The Southland Astronomical Society was recently asked to provide a speaker to describe the night sky for the benefit of Stewart Islanders that might conduct visitors on Dark Sky excursions. The writer volunteered to do this and in August spoke to 40 islanders in a well appointed upstairs conference room on the wharf overlooking Halfmoon Bay. Late-comers had to stand! There are number of viewing platforms around the island and earlier in the day I was taken on a tour of some of them. Observation Rock: This viewing platform is the closest to the town centre of Oban. The walk is relatively steep although only 30 minutes return from the town centre but there are cars available on the island. It is a great place to view the night sky as well as the island’s majestic sunrises and sunsets. The view is 270° wide and the main view is to the south. A favourite for observing the aurora australis. Hopefully in October or soon after, work will begin on a platform at this site. It is to be a two tier platform with a glass balustrade. This will cater for more visitors than can at present be accommodated and protect them from a precipitous drop over the edge. Moturau Moana Gardens: These gardens are a one hour return walk from Oban. ‘Moturau Moana’ Gardens translates to ‘islands of bush above the sea’ and they are a native garden gifted to the people of New Zealand. The garden offers 180° views south over Halfmoon Bay. Ackers Point: This lookout is the site of an historic lighthouse and is a 2 to 3 hour return walk from Oban. The platform at the end offers excellent 270° views to the east and back towards Four of the observation points around the town of Oban on Halfmoon Bay and the surrounding area. Stewart Island. View looking south across Paterson Inlet, from Observation Rock. Iona Island is in the foreground. Ulva Island beyond that, to the left. Behind the distant hills is Big Glory Bay. All photos by the author. 58, 3, 2019 September Page 3 Rakiura International Dark Sky Sanctuary:- R W Evans Lee Bay looking north across Fouveaux Strait. The southern coast of the South Island is often visible on the horizon by the promontory on the right of the photograph. Lee Bay: Approximately an hour walk from Oban, Lee Bay At present, Stewart Island receives 45 000 visitors a year. Once is the official entrance to Rakiura National Park. The views the infrastructure for night tours is in place and more publicity here are to the north, offering a panorama of the island’s generated, this number is expected to grow; filling the winter coastline. It has a chain sculpture that matches another found doldrums. There are many motels on the island and a recently at Bluff, symbolising Maori the legend in which Maui fishes renovated Backpackers that can sleep up to 76 people. up the North Island from the South Island (his waka (canoe)) and drops his anchor – Stewart Island. The sculptures were In August, the new direct Invercagill to Auckland two hour Air designed by the late Russel Beck. He featured in my article in NZ flight began and there is already interest in Great Barrier the 2017 September Southern Stars. Island - Stewart Island Dark Sky excursions. Ringaringa Beach: This is another excellent viewing spot although because of coastal erosion a new road is being [email protected] planned. Ringaringa Beach looking east. The eastern horizon is also visible from the Oban town front. Page 4 Southern Stars Fornax Galaxy Cluster:- Andrew Robertson Fornax Galaxy Cluster Andrew Robertson Observation This article follows on from Grus and the Grus Galaxy chain in Southern Stars June 2019. The Fornax Galaxy cluster lies mainly within the constellation of Fornax at a distance of about 60 million light years. NGC 1399 (mag 8.8) is at its centre and its brightest member is NGC 1316 at mag 8.2. The Fornax Galaxy cluster, commonly known as ACO S373, New Zealand also has excellent dark and transparent skies but is part of the Fornax-Eridanus super cluster of galaxies. It is being an island like the UK does experience higher humidity the second richest cluster of galaxies within 100 million light at lower elevations (this was certainly my experience during years of us, only beaten by the far richer Virgo cluster. There my visit earlier this year.) My observations in La Palma were are 54 main galaxies in the cluster and perhaps 378 other made at an altitude above 1,000 metres where the air is much galaxies associated with it spread across 4 degrees of sky. The drier. Ditto I experienced better skies in the vicinity of Lake cluster is dominated by the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365 Tekapo at 700 metres albeit not in the town itself which has and the elliptical/lenticulars NGC 1399 and 1316. Unusually too many lights for my taste. I have included in this article a for a galaxy cluster the massive galaxy NGC 1316 lies on list of all the Fornax galaxy cluster members with NGC or IC the edge of the cluster rather than the centre. The distances designations - see Table 1. I’ve also included a description to galaxies in the cluster range from about 56 million light where made, of the ones I did observe. I’ve also included a list years for NGC 1365 to perhaps 65 million light years for NGC (Table 2) and description of other non-cluster objects observed 1399. NGC 1365 would therefore be on the near side of the in this area as there are some superb ones and you can’t really cluster and if the distance is correct it is about 200 000 light miss them out. years across, making it a very large galaxy. The cluster has its own catalogue called the Ferguson Fornax Cluster Catalogue, I observed this area over several nights. Initially I just picked or FCC. This contains perhaps 378 clusters members within out more prominent objects individually. Then I made a 3.5 degrees of the core. The cluster appears to be widely spread systematic attempt to move through and identify the whole both across the sky and in distance. The Fornax group consists cluster. I soon found myself getting lost, partly because of the of two sub-clusters. The main group around NGC 1399 and distribution and partly because they’re split into two groups a subgroup around NGC 1316 which is in the process of with ‘stragglers’ in-between! So similar to my observation of falling into the main cluster. As part of the confusion around the Grus galaxy chain I made a rough (very rough) schematic galaxy cluster cataloguing the group is also known as LGG 96 of the ‘two’ groups and had another go. I made descriptions which is centred around NGC 1399 and contains 36 galaxies of some but not all, there are quite a few elliptical or bland not including NGC 1365.