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The April 2017 The Volume 126 No. 4 April 2017 Bullen Monthly newsleer of the Astronomical Society of South Australia Inc In this issue: ♦ Vera Rubin - the “mother” of dark maer dies ♦ Astronomical discoveries during ASSA’s second decade ♦ Trappist-1 - 7 Earth-sized planets orbit this dim star ♦ Observing Copeland’s Septet in Leo ♦ Registered by Australia Post Visit us on the web: Bullen of the ASSA Inc 1 April 2017 Print Post Approved PP 100000605 www.assa.org.au In this issue: ASSA Acvies 3-4 Details of general meengs, viewing nights etc History of Astronomy 5-6 ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY of Astronomical discoveries in ASSA’s second decade SOUTH AUSTRALIA Inc Saying Goodbye 7-8 GPO Box 199, Adelaide SA 5001 Vera Rubin, mother of dark maer dies The Society (ASSA) can be contacted by post to the Astro News 9-10 address above, or by e-mail to [email protected]. Latest astronomical discoveries and reports Membership of the Society is open to all, with the only prerequisite being an interest in Astronomy. The Sky this month 11-14 Solar System, Comets, Variable Stars, Deep Sky Membership fees are: Full Member $75 ASSA Contact Informaon 15 Concessional Member $60 Subscribe e-Bullen only; discount $20 Members’ Image Gallery 16 Concession informaon and membership brochures can A gallery of members’ astrophotos be obtained from the ASSA web site at: hp://www.assa.org.au or by contacng The Secretary (see contacts page). Member Submissions Sister Society relaonships with: Submissions for inclusion in The Bullen are welcome Orange County Astronomers from all members; submissions may be held over for later edions. www.ocastronomers.org Colorado Springs Astronomical Society Wherever possible, text submissions should be sent via e- www.csastro.org mail or posted on CD-ROM in almost any word processing Central Arkansas Astronomical Society format and may sll be submied handwrien or typed. www.caasastro.org Your name may be withheld only if requested at the me Arkansas-Oklohoma Astronomical Society of subming. Images should be high resoluon and www.aoas.org uncompressed, e.g. TIFF file formats, although high Gruppo Astrofili di Piacenza (Italy) resoluon JPEGs are acceptable. Your full name and www.astrofilipc.it object designaon must be provided with each image and will be published. Equipment/exposure etc details are welcome but oponal. HAVE YOU GOT YOUR COPY YET? Adversing & Classifieds Available at the Small adverts and classifieds are free for members (space General Meengs, or by perming). Commercial adversing is available at a cost mail order of $50.00 per quarter page per issue. All enquiries and submissions should be addressed to The $25 + $4 p&h Editor and preferably sent by e-mail to: [email protected] Email: [email protected] For large files (e.g. on CD) or hardcopy items, post to: Joe Grida Editor, The Bullen PO Box 682, Cover photo: Mylor SA 5153 The Large Magellanic Cloud imaged by David Jenke from Eudunda SA. Taken with QHY8 CCD Camera and Canon 70- Contribuons should reach the Editor no later than 200mm f4 lens set to 200mm. Total exposure of 2hrs exp the 7th of each month, for publicaon in the following comprising of 12 x 10min subs month’s issue of The Bullen Bullen of the ASSA Inc 2 April 2017 Acvies April 2017 - the month at a glance Happy Birthday, ASSA Celebrang 125 years in 2017! General Meeng Wednesday, 5 April 2017 @ 8:00pm Kerr Grant Lecture Theatre Cloud Free Night (Cloud Forecasts for Australian Astronomers) is a non- 2nd Floor, Physics Blg profit online weather forecast informaon service, for the benefit of the University of Adelaide Australian amateur and professional research astronomy community. North Terrace, Adelaide It is unique in offering a comparison of the widely available forecasts from the United States GFS global model with higher resoluon Guest Speaker: forecasts from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology ACCESS model. Dr Robert Dahni Let me take you on a journey into the past, present and future of the Author of Cloud Free Night Cloud Free Night service, highlighng not only the meteorological, astronomical and technical aspects, but the personal contribuons in the development of this extraordinary service. Planning on going April 2017 Calendar observing? Day Time Acvity Wed 5 7:00pm Beginners’ Meeng, Adelaide Save yourself unnecessary travel and me. If Wed 5 8:00pm General Meeng, Adelaide the weather looks doubul where you are, Thu 6 7:30pm Whyalla Members’ Meeng check with the following people to see if the Fri 7 8:00pm Public Viewing Night, The Heights event is sll on (or see www.assa.org.au aer Tue 18 7:30pm ASSA Council Meeng 5pm). Sat 22 8:00pm Members’ Viewing Night, Stockport Stockport Observatory (DO 3-13) Fri 28 7:30pm Astro-imaging Group, Modbury Fri 28 8:00pm Public & Members’ Viewing, NYP Observatory 8528 2284 Sat 29 8:00pm Members’ Viewing Night, Tooperang Sat 29 4:00pm New Members’ Night, Stockport Lyn Grida 8391 5377 Sat 29 8:00pm Members’ Viewing Night, Stockport Tony Beresford 8338 1231 Note: Times shown above and throughout this document are: Heights Observatory (DO 3-34) 2 Oct 2016 to 1 Apr 2017 : South Australia Summer Time (UTC+10:30) Robert Bronca 8266 7504 2 Apr 2017 to 1 Oct 2017 : South Australia Standard Time (UTC+ 9:30) Whyalla Astronomy Educaon Peter Mayfield 0405 410 895 Wednesday, 5 April 2017 @ 7:00pm Tooperang Kerr Grant Lecture Theatre Jeff Lowrey 0429 690 610 Planetary Moons & Asteroids Northern Yorke Peninsula The Solar System is home to over 100 moons and Tony “Hendy” Henderson 0429 352 382 thousands of asteroids. Riverland We will explore some of the major satellites and Tim Vivian 0407 800 225 minor planets and look at the various asteroid belts and populaons. Bullen of the ASSA Inc 3 April 2017 Reports and Noces Reports on recent ASSA acvies, and noces of upcoming events Guest Speaker Biography Astro-Imaging Group Meeng Dr Robert Dahni Friday 28 April @ 7:30PM University Of The Third Age, Dr Robert Dahni is a rered 22 Golden Grove Rd, Modbury North meteorologist who worked in Enter via Gold Court to access Car Park 1 the Australian Bureau of Meteorology for over 30 There seems to be an endless list of new Astro-Imaging years. equipment these days, with DIY/Modding gear His roles included weather more acve than ever. forecasng, IT support in research and operaons, data This month's Astro- management and soware Imaging Group meeng development for domesc and will be a Show & Tell - internaonal projects. Buy & Sell session, so bring along any imaging He is skilled in the analysis and visualisaon of gear, or soware, that meteorological data, including the mapping of weather you have recently acquired to informaon and development of decision support systems. present to the group. If you have any old gear that you would like to sell, bring that along too. In his rerement, he has combined his passion for weather with a re-ignion of his interest in astronomy (now Please bring any images that you would like to share with astrophotography) from his youth. the group on a USB memory sck. Any quesons, contact the Group Coordinator, Jeff Lusher: [email protected] the Society’s telescopes or any of the other scopes that will New Members’ Night @ be available on the night. Stockport Observatory So if you are new to ASSA and want to experience Stockport April 29, 2017 for the first me, then come along to a night dedicated to you and get to know your society and the people who make If you have joined ASSA for the first me or perhaps you it what it is. have been a member for a while and have never been to Stockport, then here is your chance. It is important to let me know if you intend to come to this event, so we can cater for the BBQ. Send an email to A night for new members is to be held at Stockport [email protected] or ring (08) 8523 0211 a/h. Observatory on the 2nd of April, which is a regular members’ night, so that you can meet the more experienced Colin Hill observers as well as other new members. The night will commence at 4:00pm with a tour of the facility followed by a mini telescope clinic, so bring along your scopes and we will help with quesons you may have regarding seng up and using them. At the BBQ that follows, you will have the opportunity to mingle with your fellow members and get the chance to see some of the equipment others have brought along before it gets too dark. Later, you will get the chance to view the heavens through Bullen of the ASSA Inc 4 April 2017 History of Astronomy Andrew Collings reviews some of the astronomical discoveries since ASSA was formed. This instalment covers the ASSA’s second decade - 1902-1911: With new and improving techniques and instruments there had been an explosion in the amount of data collected. But with these advances astronomy was starng to move from as- trometry to astrophysics and into the realms of “How?”, “Why?” and even, “What the Heck!?” “Nature and Nature's laws lay hid in night: God said, Let Newton be! — and all was light.” – Alexander Pope, ‘Epitaph on Sir Isaac Newton’ “It did not last: the devil, shoung "Ho. Let Einstein be," restored the status quo.” – J C Squire, ‘In Connuaon of Pope on Newton’ 1903: Konstann Tsiolkovsky publishes ‘Exploraon of the 1905: Forest Ray Moulton and Thomas Chrowder Universe with Reacon Machines’.
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