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Dimmed Lights, Big City FREE SHIPPING to Anywhere in Canada, All Products, Always KILLER VIEWS of PLANETS The Journal of The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada PROMOTING ASTRONOMY IN CANADA August/août 2011 Volume/volume 105 Le Journal de la Société royale d’astronomie du Canada Number/numéro 4 [749] Inside this issue: Innermost Regions of Active Galaxies Lemaître’s Equation No. 24 Solar Eclipse, 2011 June 1 Bucket List for Backyard Stargazers Science Fair Winner Naming of Two Rocky Mountains Dimmed lights, big city FREE SHIPPING To Anywhere in Canada, All Products, Always KILLER VIEWS OF PLANETS CT102 NEW FROM CANADIAN TELESCOPES 102mm f:11 Air Spaced Doublet Achromatic Fraunhoufer Design CanadianTelescopes.Com Largest Collection of Telescopes and Accessories from Major Brands VIXEN ANTARES MEADE EXPLORE SCIENTIFIC CELESTRON CANADIAN TELESCOPES TELEGIZMOS IOPTRON LUNT STARLIGHT INSTRUMENTS OPTEC SBIG TELRAD HOTECH FARPOINT THOUSAND OAKS BAADER PLANETRAIUM ASTRO TRAK ASTRODON RASC LOSMANDY CORONADO BORG QSI TELEVUE SKY WATCHER . and more to come August/août 2011 | Vol. 105, No. 4 | Whole Number 749 contents / table des matières Feature Articles / Articles de fond Columns / Rubriques 143 Revealing the Innermost Regions of Active Galaxies 163 Cosmic Contemplations: Supersize your PST by Luigi C. Gallo by Jim Chung 151 The Curious Case of Lemaître’s Equation No. 24 165 On Another Wavelength: The Centre of Globular by Sidney van den Bergh Cluster M15 by David Garner 152 Partial Solar Eclipse, 2011 June 1: Success in Yellowknife 166 Imager’s Corner: Background Correction by Stephen Bedingfield by Blair MacDonald 153 The Bucket List for Backyard Stargazers 167 Astronomical Art & Artifact: Gustav Hahn’s Graphic by Brian Ventrudo Record of the Great Meteor Procession of 1913 February 9 160 Science Fair Winner Puts the Spotlight on by R.A. Rosenfeld and Clark Muir Light Pollution by John Crossen 176 Second Light: How Many Planets Are There? 161 The Naming of Two Rocky Mountains after by Leslie J. Sage Canadian Astronomers 177 Through My Eyepiece: Countries to Discover by Donald C. Morton by Geoff Gaherty 179 Gizmos: Not Just For Styling Your Hair Departments / Départements by Don Van Akker 138 President’s Corner 158 Pen and Pixel: M106/M51/Solar disc/SH2-261 by Mary Lou Whitehorne by Stuart Heggie / Lynn Hilborn / Les Marczi / Serge Théberge 139 News Notes – One Mars Rover Still Chugging Along – Dead Galaxies Still Showing Signs of Life – Now That is a Telescope! – Messenger’s Messages – Older and Older (or is that Younger and Younger?) – Bad-Weather Months on Saturn 180 Astrocryptic Answers Front cover: Astronomy doesn’t always by Curt Nason have to be dead serious. Jim Chung 180 It’s not all Sirius – Cartoon braved the -15 °C temperatures of By Ted Dunphy downtown Toronto, and casual eclipse watchers, to put himself under the 180 Society News CN Tower to get this shot of the lunar by James Edgar eclipse on December 21 last year. He used an Olympus camera with a f/1.7 20-mm lens at ISO 200 to capture this 3-second image. August / août 2011 JRASC | Promoting Astronomy in Canada 137 President’s Corner Mary Lou Whitehorne The Journal is a bi-monthly publication of The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and is President, RASC devoted to the advancement of astronomy and allied sciences. It contains articles on Canadian astronomers and current activities of the RASC and its Centres, research and review papers by professional and amateur astronomers, and articles of a historical, biographical, or educational nature of general interest to the astronomical community. All Summer in Canada has arrived, and with contributions are welcome, but the editors reserve the right to edit material prior to publication. it the busy summer star-party season. Let’s Research papers are reviewed prior to publication, and professional astronomers with institutional affiliations are asked to pay publication charges of $100 per page. Such charges hope for better weather over the summer are waived for RASC members who do not have access to professional funds as well as for months than what most of Canada endured this spring. I am solicited articles. Manuscripts and other submitted material may be in English or French, and should be sent to the Editor-in-Chief. constantly amazed by the energy, enthusiasm, and dedication RASC members continue to pour into public education and Editor-in-Chief Contributing Editors outreach activities through the year, and especially during the Jay Anderson Jim Chung (Cosmic Contemplations) summer months. The warmer and kinder weather brings the 203 – 4920 Dundas St W Geoff Gaherty (Through My Eyepiece) Toronto ON M9A 1B7, Canada Dave Garner (On Another Wavelength) observers out in large numbers, even though the nights are Internet: [email protected] Blair MacDonald (Imager's Corner) short and the mosquitoes abound! Web site: www.rasc.ca Bruce McCurdy (Orbital Oddities) Telephone: (416) 924-7973 Curt Nason (Astrocryptic) Fax: (416) 924-2911 Andrew I. Oakes (News Notes) The legacy of IYA2009 lives on in the many expanded and Randall Rosenfeld (Art & Artifact) enriched programs carried out by RASC members and Centres Associate Editor, Research Leslie Sage (Second Light) Douglas Hube Gerry Smerchanski (Gerry’s Meanderings) throughout Canada. It is impressive and rewarding to see the Internet: [email protected] David Turner (Reviews) number of partnerships that have been built and that continue Don Van Akker (Gizmos) to thrive between the Society, our Centres, and non-RASC Associate Editor, General Michael Attas Proofreaders organizations. This is an astonishingly successful effort that Internet: [email protected] Ossama El Badawy provides relevant and enjoyable outreach opportunities for all Margaret Brons Assistant Editors Angelika Hackett Canadians. Michael Allen Terry Leeder Martin Beech Kim Leitch The collaborative connections between the RASC, the Dave Chapman Suzanne Moreau Ralph Chou Canadian Astronomical Society (CASCA) and the Fédération Dave Garner Design/Production des Astronomes Amateurs de Québec (FAAQ) continue to Patrick Kelly Michael Gatto, Grant Tomchuk Internet: [email protected], strengthen, especially through the Beyond IYA (BIYA) Editorial Assistant [email protected] national executive committee. The goal is to keep open lines Suzanne E. Moreau of communication between the three groups, and to share best Internet: [email protected] Advertising James Edgar practices between organizations for the benefit of all three. Production Manager Internet: [email protected] One major project of the group was to create a joint national James Edgar Internet: [email protected] Printing ducation and Public Outreach (EPO) award to be given Maritime Digital Colour annually to one member of each of the three organizations. Watch for this award to be announced later in 2011. The Journal of The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada is published at an annual subscription rate of $93.45 (including tax) by The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. Membership, which includes the publications (for personal use), is open to anyone interested in The second big project of BIYA is a new online astronomy astronomy. Applications for subscriptions to the Journal or membership in the RASC, and training program, Discover the Universe/ À la découverte de information on how to acquire back issues of the Journal can be obtained from: l’Univers. This project is developed through a joint RASC/ The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada CASCA/FAAQ PromoScience grant and is intended to help 203 – 4920 Dundas St W Toronto ON M9A 1B7, Canada outdoor interpreters (parks, camps, etc.) provide interesting Internet: [email protected] and innovative astronomy programs to their public. The pilot Web site: www.rasc.ca Telephone: (416) 924-7973 project, in French only, ran in June, and the full bilingual Fax: (416) 924-2911 program will be offered in the spring of 2012. For more Canadian Publications Mail Registration No. 09818 information visit the Web site: www.decouvertedelunivers.ca Canada Post: Send address changes to 203 - 4920 Dundas St W, Toronto ON M9A 1B7 Canada Post Publication Agreement No. 40069313 Our Society continues to move forward through the dedicated We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada efforts of many volunteers and with the able talents of our Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. National Office staff. Progress is being made on many fronts with the guidance of our new strategic plan and marketing communications plan. We are establishing new membership- retention and -growth programs and new publications- © 2011 The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. All rights reserved. ISSN 0035-872X Cert no. SW-COC-005174 138 JRASC | Promoting Astronomy in Canada August / août 2011 promotion programs. We have made a good start on a member responsible use of green-laser pointers (GLPs). I hope every and volunteer support program. For more information about RASC summer star party will distribute these to GLP users this, point your browser to www.rasc.ca/private/resources.shtml and other interested persons. The 2012 edition of the Observer’s Handbook will include a The first half of 2011 has clearly been a busy and productive special version of the Earth Centered Universe software. We time for the RASC. I expect the second half of the year to be have entered the world of social media with our new Twitter more of the same. My thanks and appreciation go to everyone account. Facebook will soon follow if all goes according to who has worked and contributed to the variety of projects plan. Thanks to a generous anonymous donor, we now have a undertaken this year. You know who you are, so please stand V large supply of excellent information brochures on the safe and up and take a bow! Figure 1 — The view out of the window of the Opportunity rover on Mars. The splash of rocks in the foreground is the ejecta from Skylab crater in the beyond. Barely visible on the distant horizon are the peaks of the rim of Opportunity’s next goal, the crater Endeavour.
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