Saguaro Skiesskies

SaguaroSaguaro SkiesSkies

Saguaro Astronomy Club, Phoenix, AZ

Volume 44, Issue 4 April 2020

The President’s Corner mail to:[email protected] Inside this issue: It was a dark and stormy night ..., OK, it was a telescope, but I got some good (for me) shots of * Click Links to jump dark and breezy/chilly night. That was Thursday most objects until a little before 11 p.m. when I night at the Salome Emergency Air Field. I was called it quits, needing the late night constellations Editor Notes, Events 2 anxious to get some star gazing done and had been to transit overhead, and to get in out of the now watching the Blythe, CA, weather reports for a damn chilly air. Call for Observations window of opportunity. If we couldn’t have the Once in the warmth of my SUV, I decided to (Rick Rotramel) Messier Marathon, and I apologize for calling it off, give up pursuing the remainder of the objects, at least I could socially isolate myself in a place that satisfied that I could get the others in warmer certainly would be absent of any Covid 19 virus. weather. Friday morning I packed up and headed Best of the NGC : 3-4 The weather wasn’t perfect, pretty breezy, and home, not wanting to sit in the blowing wind, and NGC , NGC 2655, without an RV, downright chilly, bordering on cold. then try to work through what was forecast to be a colder Friday night. With partly cloudy, and still Galaxy in Camelopardalis But as the night wore on, I put on sweat pants over (SAC Imagers & Observers) my big boy britches, as well as a long sleeve t-shirt chilly weather forecast for Saturday, I decided I’d over my t-shirt, a hoody over that, a jacket over all wait until April to go back out. So, canceling the that, and managed to stay warm. There were three marathon didn’t turn out all that bad, after all, of us out there at the air field, others opting for the otherwise I would have suffered through the nights. Such-A-Deal: 5 antenna site. The first people I met getting to the Next year we will have no virus, perfect warm and Four old ads. airfield were a couple visiting the area in their RV. clear weather, and no reason for me not to stay up They had been there a couple of nights and had all night and get it done! At least that’s my hunch. been enjoying the solitude. They were amateur On a closing note, if you have the means, Bits & Pisces astronomers too (ck out their web site frequent your small businesses, especially SAC General Meeting Minutes 8 GeoAstroRV.com for info on their outreach activities) local/favorite restaurants for take out, they are (Jack Jones) but had not heard of our Messier Marathon and hurting. I’ve bought way more beer from my local SAC Meeting Place 9 * April, May & June SAC Meetings Canceled were both surprised at the volume of attendees who micro brewery than normal, but, hey, who’s (The GCU Campus is closed.) would normally be disturbing their solitude had the complaining. event occurred, and of SAC’s Grand Canyon Park Stay healthy, and clear skies. summer outreach activity. It is always interesting to SAC History 10 meet new people interested in our hobby. Tom Beginnings of the Saguaro Astronomy Club ©2018, By Former SAC President Fred Tretta The other individual was parked substantially down the runway, and I allowed him/her/them their space, parking on the north side of the road, shy of the N/S runway. I’d arrived in time to set up my SAC Observing 11-12 telescope and binoculars, then settled in to wait for The Astronomical Calendar, 2020 ©2019 By Guy Ottewell the darkness to occur. The moon and Venus were first things visible and I tried some shots of the two through my Canon, then when it got really dark, SAC President, Tom Curry went to work on my first ever attempt to Photo: Susan Trask SAC Sky 13 Venus passes the Pleiades photograph the Messier list. I am still a novice with Website: saguaroastro.org Like SAC on Facebook The Morning Planets my camera, and my SCT is not the nicest tracking

SAC Officers/Chairs 14 Quick Calendar (Board Meetings, Meeting Location * Due to the corona virus pandemic and the governor's order of no gatherings over ten & Occultation Info) people, many activities are canceled. The Editor

Tuesday, April 7: SAC ATM/Imaging Meeting, 6:30 PM, Paul Lind's Shop SAC Membership Form 15 Friday, April 10: SAC General Meeting, 7:30 PM, Speaker: Will Oldroyd, NAU PhD Student, Topic: “Research on evidence for a distant giant planet (Planet X) beyond Neptune” Saturday, May 2: T-Bird Park Spring Public Star Party, 6:30pm-9:00pm; *TBD if held or not. Tuesday, May 5: SAC ATM/Imaging Meeting, 6:30 PM, Paul Lind's Shop Friday, May 8 SAC General Meeting, 7:30 PM Sat. June 13-Sat. June 20: Grand Canyon North Rim Star Party, for details, see page 2; TBD Header image © 2000-2013 Stellarium Developers if it will be possible to hold this event. The Editor Scorpius setting in the southwest.

Click here to return to page 1 Editor Notes Schedule of Events 2020

SAC General Meetings Hi Folks, Jan 10 plus April 10 Board Mtg. Feb. 7 Mar. 6 Canceled This is a trying time for all of the world and May 8 June 12 July 3 plus astronomy due to the corona virus pandemic. I Canceled Canceled Board Mtg. Aug. 7 hope that all of you are staying sane with all of this Sept. 4 Oct. 2 plus Nov. 13 Dec ? Board Mtg. Holiday Party uncertainty going on. I keep my spirits up looking Meetings held at Grand Canyon University at the night sky every night before I retire for the 3300 W. Camelback Rd, Phoenix, AZ evening, as I usually do. Engineering Building 1-202, 7:30 to 10:00 PM Best of the NGC features this month, NGC 2655, Galaxy in Camelopardalis. Such-A-Deal has four old ads. ATM/Astro Imaging Meeting Tuesday, March 3rd, 6:30 PM @ Paul Lind's Shop Bits & Pisces has the minutes of the March SAC 210 W. Tierra Buena Lane, Phoenix, AZ General meeting and some SAC history. (Cancelled this month) Due to the GCU campus being closed, the April, May and June SAC General Meetings are canceled. Star Party, Antennas The SAC Observing feature has sky info for Saturday, April 18th, Sunset * Weather permitting April, courtesy of Guy Ottewell. (Cancelled this month) SAC Sky has the planet locations this month.

Enjoy, 43rd T-Bird Spring Public Star Party Saturday, May 2, 2020, from 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm; Maybe? Rick Rotramel, Editor

Grand Canyon North Rim Star Party Sat. June 13 to Sat. June 20, Coordinato, Steve Dodder; Maybe? http://www.saguaroastro.org/grand-canyon-star-party/

2020 SAC Officers Photo by Susan Trask 2020 SAC Officers President: Tom Curry Call for Best of the NGC

images, notes and sketches. Vice President: David Dillmore For May, NGC 7209, Open Cluster, 22 05.2, +46 Treasurer: Paul Dickson 30, 6.7 mag, 25.0', 50 stars, in Lacerta. For submitting images, send your file as an Secretary: Jack Jones

attachment in an email to the editor. Please send Properties Director: Kevin Kozel caption details of the image: Optics, camera, main software used, exposure, location and date taken. Photos: Susan Trask (3) and Rick Rotramel (1, of Kevin Kozel) Observation notes are sent in the email text area or as an attached file. For scanned sketches, send a file with caption details: optics and eyepiece power used. SAC Announcement Email to: [email protected] For June, NGC 5005, Sb Galaxy, 13 11.0, +37 03, 10.6 mag, 6.3'×3.0', in Canes Venatici. Attention SAC Members: For July, NGC 3079, Sb Galaxy, 10 02.0, +55 41, 11.2 mag, 8.7'×1.6', elongated in PA 165 degrees, SAC 2020 Renewals Are Due Now. in Ursa Major. Use the form on the last page of this issue.

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BestBest ofof thethe NGC:NGC:

NGC 2655, Galaxy in Camelopardalis

By SAC Imagers, Observers & Sketchers

46 Camelopardalis Star Chart Guest Image by: Maurice Clark, Combination of 5, 3 minute © http://www.astrosurf.com/jwisn/camelopardalis.htm images unfiltered, SBIG STL-1001E CCD, 20" f/6.8 Dall-Kirkham * Map created in Guide 7.0 cassegrain telescope at prime focus, Texas Tech University..

David Douglass Continued on next page...

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Click here to return to page 1 BestBest ofof thethe NGC:NGC: NGC 2655, Galaxy in Camelopardalis

By SAC Imagers, Observers & Sketchers

SAC Observer Steve Coe, 1949-2018 SAC Observer Rick Rotramel

13” f/5.6; Bright, pretty large and little elongated 16” f/4.4 Newtonian, 90x; Bright, fairly at 135X. This galaxy is much brighter in the large, spiral, dense large core, faint ams close to middle with a bright central nucleus at 220X. core. 13" f/5.6; 8/10 Sentinel - just seen in 11X80, 150X - bright, pretty large, elongated 1.5 X 1 in PA 90, very suddenly much brighter in the middle with a stellar nucleus. Averted vision helps a lot on this nice, but not spectacular galaxy.

35' x 35' 16” f/4.4, 90x

SAC Observer Bob Buchheim 15' x 15'

Spectra by Bob Buchheim, Shelyak ALPY-600 spectrograph, (1.5 hour total exposure, 5-minute subs), Amazingly, I got a pretty good spectrum. Even more amazingly, features in the spectrum line up well with a spectrum taken by the Palomar 200-in Double Spectrograph back in the 1990’s. Image by: Robert K. Buchheim, Lost Gold 3/30/20 Observatory, www.RKBuchheim.org, Board Member, Society for Astronomical Sciences, Council Member, American Association of Variable Star Observers. (30 sec exposure, no filter, camera= SBIG ST-i). 3/30/20

The horizontal black line is the spectrograph slit, running across the core of the galaxy.

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Click here to return to page 1 Such-A-Deal

Meade ETX-90EC Telescope 16-inch Dobsonian & Observing Chair The Meade ETX-90EC portable telescope with 90mm Telescope: 16-inch f/4.5 Enterprise Optics mirror, excellent figure and Maksutov-Cassegrain optics, a built-in flip mirror me- performance. chanism, and an f/13.8 focal ratio produces celestial

● Truss-type Dobsonian, home-made of Baltic Birch structure, bearings objects with clarity and detail. Includes the following: of Ebony Star and Teflon. 1. AutoStar Suite Planetarium software allows total computer

control of the mount and telescope, and access to a data- ● Black fabric light shield (not shown in photo) base of over 30,000 celestial objects. Weight is less than ● 'Scope disassembles and nests into approximately 3-foot cube, to fit ten pounds, so telescope is lightweight & easy to transport. into your van. 2. Meade electronic controller with attached coil cord.

● Protective box for primary mirror. 3. Deluxe field tripod. 4. Hard carrying case for ETX-90EC with specific Observing chair: stand or sit comfortably, even when viewing at the compartments. zenith! 5. In addition to attached finder scope a QuickFinder device is attached too. Asking: 6. Eyepieces include: Meade 45' erecting prism, Super Plossl 26mm LP, Meade 2X Telenegative Multi-coated, LV6mm-45 $1900 degree Long Eye Relief 20mm, LV10mm-50 degree Long Eye Relief 20mm, LV15mm-50 degree Long Eye Relief Contact me to schedule a visit 20mm. Hardly used, excellent condition. in Gold Canyon. Price $350.00. If interested, please contact: Den Krasavage [email protected] or home phone# (602) 277-1193 Bob Buchheim

Email: [email protected]

480-646-1324

Ads placed here are free to SAC members and friends. SAC is not responsible for the quality of the advertised items. If you wish to place an ad here to sell your telescope or astronomy related items, contact Rick Rotramel at: [email protected] Page 6 Saguaro Skies April 2020

Click here to return to page 1 Such-A-Deal

Meade LX-200 GPS 10” f/6.3 (not f/10)

● UHTC Ultra-High Transmission Coatings

Mods: ● Peterson EZ Clutch ● Peterson EZ Focus ● Peterson Bucks Gears ● Field Tripod with ‘Springy Thingy’

Accessories: ● JMI Hardside Carrying Case for Telescope ● Scopetronix Carrying Case for Tripod ● OPT Scope Saver with extended mounting screw ● Telegizmo Dust Cover ● 115 VAC power supply ● Bob’s Knobs (Collimation Thumbscrews) ● Kendricks KwikFocus with Solar Filter ● Rigel nFocus (To operate Focuser if telescope is moved to different mount) ● Meade SuperWedge with Scopestuff Rosette Knobs and Stiffening rod ● Two Losmandy D Series Dovetail Bar (one for mounting accessories on top of scope)

Asking $1400 Bruce Barron [email protected]

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http://www.lowell.edu/visit.php www.Apache-Sitgreaves.org

The store is closing and we would like to sell the remaining inventory. The store is called Photon instruments. Open Wed. - Sat. 10:30 to 3:00

http://corvus-optics.com/ 1350 S Greenfield Rd #2105 http://www.photoninstrument.com The 1.8-m f/1.0 honeycombed The store is closing and we would like to sell the remaining inventory. construction, borosilicate Mesa, AZ 85206 The store is called Photon instruments. Open Wed. - Sat. 10:30 to 3:00 primary mirror. primaryPhone: mirror (480) 779-9262 This was manufactured at the University of Arizona Mirror Laboratory, and it pioneered both the spin-casting techniques and the stressed-lap polishing techniques of that Laboratory which are being used for Welcome to Starizona! In addition to a complete selection telescope mirrors upThe to HyperStar-equipped8.4-m in ISERV telescope is now of astronomical products, we offer free online resources diameter. The primaryinstalled mirror on is the ISS! such as our award-winning Guide to CCD Imaging and so deeply-dished thatThe the HyperStar-equipped focus Celestron 9.25" telescope (and more. We also manufacture unique products such as the of the telescope is onlyits backup) as far that is now installed on the ISS. The scope HyperStar imaging system. Our staff consists of above the mirror asalso the featuresmirror is a Starizona MicroTouch Autofocuser. With experienced observers and astrophotographers who love wide, thus allowing thea structure Starizona gang: Steve, Scott, Dean, and Donna. to share their knowledge. Please feel free to contact us (Steve has since had to move to NY because he was for advice or answers to any of your questions. that is about three timesdressing as too much like Scott.) Hours: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu 10AM-5PM Fri, Sat 10AM-10PM compact as the previous Call Us: (520) 292-5010 Closed Sun. Free Viewing Fri and Sat nights! generation of telescope designs.http://starizona.com/acb/index.aspx 5757 N. Oracle Rd., Suite 103 · Tucson, Arizona 85704 · [email protected] Page 8 Saguaro Skies April 2020

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Bits & Pisces

Minutes of the March 6, 2020 SAC General Meeting

By SAC Secretary, Jack Jones

The meeting was called to order at 7:30 pm Speaker: by Club President Tom Curry in room 202 of Engr. Bldg 1 at Grand Canyon University, Astrophysicist Dr. Nadine G. Barlow, NAU Phoenix, AZ. Professor of Physics and Astronomy - "What Announced events: Impact Craters on Mars Can Tell Us about 3/28/20 Sat: Messier Marathon Martian Climate Change" Her research 4/2/20 Thurs: Tovrea Castle Supermoon Tour centers on low-aspect-ratio layered ejecta -Outreach, bring telescopes, contact Tom (LARLE) craters and platform craters. Climate Curry change has a major Influence on both the 4/28/20 Tues: El Mirage school STEAM event formation and the modification of impact 5/2/20 Sat: Thunderbird Conservation Park craters on Mars. Public Star Party 6:30-9:00 pm. Meeting adjourned at 9:30 pm. Paul Dickson gave the Treasurer's report.

Presentations: Tom Curry - Tom talked about the STEAM night event in El Mirage, to which we are to bring telescopes. See Tom for important The March Speaker details and check the newsletter Events page. The Messier Marathon needs more raffle prizes donated. You may just bring them to the meet. Kevin Kozel - Showed some Sun images and rainbows shots. The Sun has been completely spotless for quite some time now. He also showed pics of progress made on his sturdy telescope mount project he's completing with his brother. Bob Buchheim - Announced SAS & AAVSO Symposium 2020, (Society for Astronomical

Sciences + AAVSO). It is June 11-13 in Ontario California. Justin Jurgens - New member and astrophotographer, showed the Orion nebula taken with his Williams Optics SLT-132 refractor from his backyard setup. He wants Nadine Barlow, NAU to share tips and tricks with club members Photo: Susan Trask interested in imaging. His images are posted on Reddit.

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Bits & Pisces

Special Announcement:

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic:

There will be *no* SAC General Meetings

in April, May & June

(The GCU Campus is closed.)

* * *

Meanwhile, please send me your report, "What I did during the Covid-19 pandemic" stories, especially of your star gazing attempts. I will compile them in a report in a coming

issue of Saguaro Skies, the Editor.

Send reports to the editor:

[email protected]

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Click here to return to page 1 SAC History The Beginnings of the Saguaro Astronomy Club

I won’t pretend to recall all the details of the SAC beginnings, but let me share what I DO recall.

Things started to form in 1976. The dominant astronomy club in the Phoenix area at that time was the Phoenix Astronomical Society and it centered around lectures and meetings. A number of us had a far greater interest in using our telescopes to do some observing and attempted to stir up some PAS effort in that direction, but it didn’t seem to get much traction. Interestingly, I can recall discussions amongst those of us that ended up leaving PAS about the different expectations one might have from a group that saw themselves as a society versus one that might consider itself more as a club. And I feel that difference really did have a bearing because I think deep down most people did see the title and functional difference between a society and a club as real, and tended to function accordingly.

In any case, the talk started to turn into action. I think the failed effort to try and create a section within PAS that was more associated with astronomical observing stimulated a rebellious attitude by those who wanted to go play with their scopes, that attitude pointed toward those who preferred to discuss things. The division became increasingly obvious as time went by. And because the observing ideas failed to get traction, we finally began meeting in parallel with PAS meetings, the emphasis being on getting out and using our telescopes. While others joined in shortly after we started to go out on our own, I think the earliest members were Gene Lucas, Pete Yurka, Bob Latterman, Lynn Blackburn, Kent Hepburn, Paul Maxson, Tom Muggleton, George Kohl, John Adair and myself.

Some scattered facts: ● The original membership, before there was even a membership, was seven people. ● We originally met at ASU but never really felt that was the right place for us. For a time, we met at members’ homes. ● It was my assignment to find us a new place to meet. Why I talked to Grand Canyon College is no longer clear to me, but thank goodness we did. The Club has been there ever since. ● We were very closely associated with a downtown camera shop called Wilson Camera where much of our equipment and membership came from. At that time they were located around 2nd Ave and maybe Campbell? ● The name, Saguaro Astronomy Club, came out of a group séance and was put together a word at a time, first CLUB, then ASTRONOMY and lastly, SAGUARO. ● The logo was created either by Bob Latterman or Pete Yurka. ● Because I missed some meetings I was punished by being elected the first, second and 4th president. Slim pickings, I guess.

Fessler’s Ranch George Fessler worked for me at Honeywell and had both an interest in astronomy and some acreage slightly south of what is now Anthem. He was delighted to let us “claim” an acre of that land and so we busied ourselves clearing it of brush and leveling it. George let us run some power out there and we kind of set things up into pads. One of the guys knew of an old 14’ trailer that we could have and so we moved that out to Fessler’s, wired it up, and sunk it into the ground aways. It barely made it out there, but it became the club storage facility and our warming tent. There were times when there would be 15 or more people sitting on the floor in there warming up, drinking hot chocolate and telling stories. Outside, there were discussions about how to avoid getting beamed up.

RTMC One of the very special attractions each year was RTMC, held at Big Bear Lake, CA. Back then, there were certainly as many built scopes as bought scopes. One year we teamed up with the Tucson club to go together. I called the Riverside Club that puts on RTMC and asked if they would allow us to take over one of the big second story rooms in the building over near that small lake which is now only one story. They agreed and what a ball we had that year! I still try to attend every year.

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Continued next page...

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Chart showing Venus's ascent to and passage through the Pleiades during the next several evenings. The time is set at 9:30 p.m. EDT. Stellarium

https://skyandtelescope.org/observing

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Click here to return to page 1 2020 SAC Officers and Contacts 2020 Board Mtgs: Board Members January 10, 6:30 pm President Tom Curry (mail to:[email protected]) Vice-President David Dillmore (mail to:[email protected]) April 10, 6:30 pm Treasurer Paul Dickson (mail to:[email protected]) Secretary Jack Jones (mailto:[email protected]) July 3, 6:30 pm Properties Kevin Kozel (mailto:[email protected]) Non-board Positions October 2, 6:30 pm Novice Leader Steve Dodder (mail to:[email protected]) Newsletter Rick Rotramel (mail to:[email protected]) Webmaster Robert Brewington (mail to:[email protected]) Occultation Info Public Events Jack Jones (mail to:[email protected]) ATM Group Paul Lind (mail to:[email protected]) Wayne Thomas has Imaging Al Stiewing (mail to:[email protected]) Deep Sky Kevin Kozel (mail to:[email protected]) asteroid occultation info Public Outreach Tom Curry ([email protected]) for the greater Phoenix Area: Mail Address SAC, 7720 N. 36th Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85051-6401 Mail to:[email protected]

Meeting Location: Grand Canyon University is located at 3300 W. Camelback Rd, Phoenix, AZ. We Saguaro Astronomy Club meet in Engineering Building 1-202, 7:30 to 10:00 PM. Saguaro Astronomy Club (SAC), Phoenix, Arizona, was formed in 1977 to promote fellowship and the exchange of scientific information among its members-amateur astronomers. SAC meets monthly for both general meetings and star parties, and regularly conducts and supports public programs on astronomy. Membership is open to anyone with these interests. Saguaro Skies is posted as a pdf file monthly on the SAC website, www.saguaroastro.org/content/SACNEWS/newsindex.htm for browsing or downloading for SAC members and friends of SAC. A email announcement of the monthly newsletter release is included with membership. Parking: Turn into the campus from Camelback Road at Direct all membership inquiries to the 33rd Ave. and drive straight and stop at the guard SAC Treasurer by using the membership form found in this newsletter. For editorial station. Tell the guard you are attending the astronomy and SUCH-A-DEAL advertising inquiries, club meeting. Then, drive into parking garage and park. contact the Saguaro Skies Editor.

Saguaro Skies Staff Contacting This Issue’s Authors Editor: Rick Rotramel Photographers: Tom Polakis, Michael Poppre, Rick If you wish to write to an author in this month’s issue, contact Rotramel and Susan Trask them by sending your message to the editor of Saguaro Skies, Rick 2013-2019 Contributors: Bob Christ, Mike Collins, AJ Rotramel, at: [email protected] Crayon, Paul Dickson, David Dillmore, Steve Dodder, Richard Harshaw, Dean Ketelsen, Kevin I will then forward your questions or comments to the author. Kozel, Joan McGue, Andrew Perry, Tom & Jennifer Polakis, Michael Poppre, Jimmy Ray, Rick Rotramel, SAC Imagers & Observers, Darrell Spencer & Rick Tejera. Page 15 Saguaro Skies April 2020

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SAC Treasurer Paul Dickson 7720 N. 36th Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85051-6401

http://saguaroastro.org/newsletter/