San Diego Astronomy Association Celebrating Over 40 Years of Astronomical Outreach

Office (619) 645-8940 January 2008 Observatory (619) 766-9118 http://www.sdaa.org SDAA’S ANNUAL MEETING AND BANQUET A Non-Profit Educational Association January 19, 2008 – 6:30 p.m. P.O. Box 23215, San Diego, CA 92193-3215 Crowne Plaza San Diego, 2270 Hotel Circle North Mark your calendar and send your reply card is RIGHT AWAY! The club’s Annual SDAA Business Meeting Banquet, which is also the corporation’s Annual Meeting, will be held on Saturday, Next meeting will be held at: January 19, 2008, at the Crowne Plaza San Diego (formerly the Red Lion Hanalei) in 3838 Camino del Rio North Mission Valley, starting at 6:30 p.m. We have a wonderful evening planned, including Suite 300 a fabulous speaker, Dr. Alex Filippenko! This is one you will not want to miss, we San Diego, CA 92108 promise. January 8th at 7:00 pm You should have all received your invitations by now. IF YOU DIDN’T, please Next Program Meeting contact Alice Harvey immediately at [email protected] or 858-622-1481. Annual Banquet Replies must be received no later than January 14th. January 19, 2008 As many may remember, we had some true logistical problems – OK, a fiasco! Hanalei Hotel – Last year, when the room we were to have had was still in the midst of construc- Guest Speaker: tion, and we were put in a tent without adequate heating. It was a disaster. The Alex Filippenko hotel gave us a serious price cut to encourage us to come back this year, and we have been able to pass that on to the membership in the form of a reduced dinner price of $28.00 per head. We hope you will take advantage of this and join us for a Night Among the Stars. CONTENTS This is our Annual Meeting, when the incoming Board of Directors will be in- January 2008, Vol XLVI, Issue 1 stalled. It is also our main fundraising event of the year, and we have a full load of Published Monthly by the wonderful raffle and auction items for you. If that weren’t enough, our speaker, Dr. San Diego Astronomy Association Alex Filippenko, is one of the most sought-after speakers in astronomy circles. Dr. 75¢ /$8.00 year Filippenko teaches at UC Berkeley, but is also seen regularly on the Discovery Chan- Incorporated in California in 1963 nel and The Learning Channel, has put out a large DVD collection of lectures, won SDAA’s Annual Banquet...... 1 more awards that can be believed, and is simply a delight to hear. If you were lucky Introducing Alexei Filippenko...... 1 enough to be able to squeeze into the dining hall at RTMC this past year, you know. Did you Know?...... 2 (When some of us walked down about 12:30 a.m. for a last cup of hot chocolate, Dr. Lock it Up!...... 3 Filippenko was still in the dining hall talking with people, some two hours after his Ultraviolet Surprise...... 3 lecture had ended!). November Minutes...... 5 Please do your best to join your club members for this yearly event. It’s a won- Sky Watch...... 6 derful chance to relax, chat, make new friends and renew old friendships. We look December Minutes...... 7 forward to seeing you there. January Calendar...... 8 February Calendar ...... 9 SDAA Contacts...... 10 Introducing our Guest Speaker: Alexei V. Filippenko 2008 TDS Schedule...... 11 Alexei V. Filippenko, born July 25, 1958, received his bachelor’s degree in Physics Almanac...... 11 (1979) from UC Santa Barbara, his doctorate in Astronomy (1984) from the Califor- Still the Best Astronomy Book Ever...13 nia Institute of Technology, and subsequently became a Miller Postdoctoral Fellow A New Look for February?...... 14 at UC Berkeley. In 1986 he joined the faculty at UC Berkeley, where he has remained Last Month at TDS...... 14 through the present time. A member of the International Astronomical Union, he A Close Encounter with Mars...... 14 has served as President of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific and as Councilor Jeff Lunglhofer Makes APOD...... 15 of the American Astronomical Society. AISIG Gallery...... 18 An observational astronomer who makes frequent use of the Hubble Space The Back Page...... 20 Telescope and the Keck 10-meter telescopes, Filippenko’s primary areas of research Continued on Page  San Diego Astronomy Association

of public lectures on astronomy, and he has played a prominent role in science newscasts and television documentaries such as “Mysteries of Deep Space,” “Stephen Hawking’s Universe,” and Nova’s “Runaway Universe.” With Jay M. Pasachoff, he co- authored an award-winning introductory astronomy textbook, “The Cosmos: Astronomy in the New Millennium” (2001; 2004, second edition). In 1998 he produced a 40-lecture intro- ductory astronomy video course with The Teaching Company, and in 2003 he taped a 16-lecture update on recent astronomi- cal discoveries. Filippenko has twice wowed audiences as a speaker at Wonderfest, the Bay Area Festival of Science. He was selected to be the 2004 recipient of the Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization. Besides being an avid tennis player and hiker, he enjoys world travel and is addicted to total solar eclipses, having seen 7 of them. A science enthusiast for as long as he can remember, Alexei V. Filippenko Filippenko’s passion for astronomy began at age 14, when he Continued from Page  accidentally “discovered” Saturn while viewing stars through a are exploding stars (supernovas), active galaxies, black holes, small telescope he received from his parents. gamma-ray bursts, and the expansion of the Universe. He and his collaborators recognized a new class of exploding star, obtained some of the best evidence for the existence of small Did You Know…. ? black holes in our Milky Way Galaxy, and found that other By Mark Lane galaxies commonly show vigorous activity in their centers that Did you know that the label on your monthly newsletter suggests the presence of supermassive black holes. His robotic contains important information about access to SDAA’s obser- telescope at Lick Observatory is the world’s most successful vatory site at Tierra Del Sol? search engine for nearby exploding stars, having discovered Although we offer several nights each month for all mem- nearly 400 of them in the past few years. He also made major bers and non-members to enjoy the observatory site at Tierra contributions to the discovery that the expansion rate of the Del Sol (TDS), contributing members enjoy the privilege of Universe is speeding up with time (“the accelerating Uni- using TDS any day or night. Access and usage of the facili- verse”), driven by a mysterious form of dark energy -- the top ties at TDS require the use of several combinations. The label “Science Breakthrough of 1998,” according to the editors of that is used to mail your monthly newsletter is encoded with all Science magazine. necessary combinations. The diagram on the next page shows Filippenko’s research accomplishments, documented in what each number represents. The following is a brief descrip- over 430 published papers, have been recognized with several tion of how to use each one. (Consult your “New Member major awards, including the Newton Lacy Pierce Prize of the Handbook” for details on each procedure.) American Astronomical Society (1992) and the Robert M. Pet- The first letter in the top string indicates whether or not you rie Prize of the Canadian Astronomical Society (1997). He is are a paid “Contributing Member” of the club. Other pos- one of the world’s most highly cited astronomers. A Fellow of sibilities are “A” (Associate), “B” (Basic/Senior), “E” (Clubs/ the California Academy of Sciences, he has also been a Gug- Schools), “L” (Lifetime) and “V” (Vendor). The next set of genheim Foundation Fellow (2001), a Phi Beta Kappa Visiting numbers gives you information about when your membership Scholar (2002), and a distinguished visiting lecturer at numer- renewal occurs each year. When your renewal date is approach- ous colleges and universities, including the Spitzer Lecturer at ing, your expiration date on the label will be highlighted in yel- Princeton University. low. Only “C” (Contributing Members) will have the combina- A dedicated and enthusiastic instructor, Filippenko has won tions included on the label. the two most coveted teaching awards at UC Berkeley, each of The “Front Gate Combination” is the set of numbers that which is generally given at most once per career. Also, in 1995, must be dialed into the combination lock on the main outer 2001, 2003, and 2004 he was voted the “Best Professor” on gates at TDS. These numbers usually change each year, so keep campus in informal student polls. He has delivered hundreds

Page  SAN DIEGO ASTRONOMY ASSOCIATION NEWS AND NOTES, JANUARY 2008 San Diego Astronomy Association

Lock it Up! by Mark Smith As everybody should know by now, the combination to TDS will be changing on January 27th. For those Contributing Members who are e-members, the new combination should have been e-mailed to you along with the monthly newsletter notification. For those Contributing Members who still get this newsletter on paper, see Mark Lane’s article “Did you Know?” If you are one of the members with access to TDS, it is important to remember that we need to allow SDG&E access to the property. The chain at the main gate has two locks on it. One is ours. The other belongs to SDG&E. When you leave and lock up the property, it is very important that our lock be locked to the SDG&E lock on one side. In other words, one end of the chain connects to our lock which connects to the SDG&E lock. The SDG&E lock connects to our lock and the end of the chain that is not connected to our lock. This way, A Diagram of the SDAA Mailing Label. both SDAA and SDG&E have access to the property. I will take a picture of the correct configuration the next time I am out at TDS and will run it in a future newsletter. a copy of them with you when you head out to the site each time. The “Power Box Access” combination is the same as the gate combination. If you are the first to arrive or the last to Ultraviolet Surprise leave the site, you must gain access to the electrical power by Patrick L. Barry and Tony Phillips on/off switch so that the power to the site can be turned on or How would you like to visit a universe full of exotic stars off. Consult your “New Member Packet” for details on what and weird galaxies the likes of which astronomers on Earth the powering procedure is. have never seen before? The “Bathroom Combination” is the sequence of numbers Now you can. Just point your web browser to galex.stsci. you must use to unlock the bathroom doors. Press the series edu and start exploring. of numbers in the order that they appear and then turn the That’s the address of the Galaxy Evolution Explorer image lock-knob and the door will open. Both the ladies’ and men’s archive, a survey of the whole sky at ultraviolet wavelengths bathrooms use the same combination. that can’t be seen from the ground. Earth’s atmosphere blocks The “Warming Room” combination must be dialed in by far-ultraviolet light, so the only way to see the ultraviolet sky is pressing the first two numbers simultaneously, then pressing by using a space telescope such as NASA’s Galaxy Evolution the third number. Turn the door handle and the door should Explorer. open. About 65% of the images from the all-sky survey haven’t Exclusive access and usage of TDS is a privilege that each been closely examined by astronomers yet, so there are plenty Contributing Member enjoys. We are fortunate to have such of surprises waiting to be uncovered. an expansive and well-equipped location to enjoy astronomy “The Galaxy Evolution Explorer produces so much data and explore our hobby. Gaining access to the various ameni- that, beyond basic quality control, we just don’t have time to ties at the site takes a bit of practice so it might be helpful to look at it all,” says Mark Seibert, an astronomy postdoc at the try each one when you are at the site (even if someone else has Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington in already opened each one). I find it helpful to clip out the latest Pasadena, California. newsletter label and keep it in my wallet so that I don’t have to This fresh view of the sky has already revealed striking and worry about forgetting the codes whenever I head out to TDS. unexpected features of familiar celestial objects. Mira is a good You might also find this helpful. example. Occasionally visible to the naked eye, Mira is a pulsat- Enjoy your visits to TDS, and perhaps now you will know ing star monitored carefully by astronomers for more than 400 just what those weird numbers are on our club newsletter label! years. Yet until Galaxy Evolution Explorer recently examined Continued on Page  SAN DIEGO ASTRONOMY ASSOCIATION NEWS AND NOTES, JANUARY 2008 Page  San Diego Astronomy Association

Astronomers looking at new ultraviolet images from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer spacecraft were surprised to discover a 13-light-year long tail on Mira, a star that has been extensively studied for 400 years. Continued from Page  Mira, no one would have guessed its secret: Mira possesses a ears are really three times longer than you thought! comet-like tail 13 light-years long. The images from the ultraviolet space telescope are ideal “Mira shows us that even well-observed stars can surprise us for hunting new phenomena. The telescope’s small, 20-inch if we look at them in a different way and at different frequen- primary mirror (not much bigger than a typical backyard cies,” Seibert says. telescope) offers a wide field of view. Each image covers 1.2 Another example: In April, scientists announced that galax- degrees of sky—lots of territory for the unexpected. ies such as NGC 1512 have giant ultraviolet spiral arms extend- If someone combing the archives does find something ing three times farther out into space than the arms that can be of interest, Seibert advises that she or he should first search seen by visible-light telescopes. It would be like looking at your astronomy journals to see whether the phenomenon has been pet dog through an ultraviolet telescope and discovering his observed before. If it hasn’t, email a member of the Galaxy Evolution Explorer science team and let them know, Seibert says. Newsletter Deadline So what are you waiting for? Fire up your web browser and The deadline to submit articles let the discoveries begin! for publication is the This article was provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 15th of each month. California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Page  SAN DIEGO ASTRONOMY ASSOCIATION NEWS AND NOTES, JANUARY 2008 San Diego Astronomy Association

San Diego Astronomy Association Board of Directors Meeting 13 November 2007 Minutes Unapproved and Subject to Revision

1. Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 7:02 P.M. with the following board members in attendance: Bob Austin, President; Mark Lane, Vice President; Frank Widmann, Recording Secretary; Lou Jackson, Treasurer; Alice Harvey, Corresponding Secretary; Ed Rumsey, Director; Kin Searcy, Director.

2. Approval of Last Meeting Minutes. The minutes of the October 9, 2007 Board meeting were reviewed and approved as presented.

3. Priority / Member Business. The Board agreed that the cost of a phone call made by Bill Griffith was part of the test of the phone installation and would be covered by SDAA.

4. Treasurer’s Report. The Treasurer’s Report was approved as presented. Seven new members joined the club. The turn- around time on sending out membership packages was one day.

5. Site Maintenance Report. The Pad 52 Pro Dome installation is in progress with roughly 2/3 of the pier poured. Special thanks for the efforts of Bob Austin, Alice Harvey, Mark Lane, Jim Traweek and Brian McFarland.

6. Observatory Report. Although TDS was not threatened by the wildfires, the high winds that occurred at the time of the fires raised a lot of dust. The dust was cleaned out of the observatory, and the scope’s primary and secondary mirrors were cleaned.

7. Private Pad Report. There are currently 5 pads available and 10 members on the waiting list.

8. Star Party/Outreach Report. The club was unable to contact the ranger and the star party at Agua Caliente was cancelled.

9. Library Report. Nothing to report.

10. Education Report. Mark Lane will be speaking at The Friends of Lake Murray on Thursday November 15.

11. Program Report. The membership meeting was moved to the fourth Wednesday in November because of Thanksgiving. It will be held in the classroom where AISIG normally meets. The theme of the meeting is Gadget Night.

12. NASA Robotic Observatory. The observatory is down awaiting repairs.

13. AISIG Report. No meetings will be held until January.

14. RASIG Report. The pier adapter is still in work.

15. Site Acquisition Committee Report. Brian Staples resigned as committee chair and Jerry Hilburn was appointed to replace him.

16. Governing Documents Committee Report. Nothing to report.

Continued on Page 

SAN DIEGO ASTRONOMY ASSOCIATION NEWS AND NOTES, JANUARY 2008 Page  San Diego Astronomy Association

SkyWatch for January, 2008 by John Mood

[ Times PST ] [ * = 1 star = EZ ] [ ** = 2 stars = Moderate ] [ *** = 3 stars = Difficult ] 2 degrees = Index finger held at arm’s length.

Tues., 1 Jan. ----Happy NEW YEAR! 12:00:01 a.m. Thurs., 3 Jan. ---- QUANDRATID METEOR SHOWER peaks tonight; one of year’s best; actually better after midnight, tech- nically the 4th of January. Sat., 5 Jan. ---- MEMBERS STAR PARTY @ Tierra del Sol. Tues., 8 Jan. ---- NEW MOON, 3:37 a.m. Fri., 25 Jan. ---- FULL MOON, 5:35 a.m. Sat., 26 Jan. ---- PUBLIC STAR PARTY @ Tierra del Sol; view the waning Moon & its craters, mountains & rills at the termi- nator (where dark turns to light). Fri., 1 Feb. ---- VENUS & JUPITER a half degree apart {see below}; N.B., this is just before dawn. Sat., 2 Feb. ---- MEMBERS STAR PARTY @ Tierra del Sol.

EVENING PLANETS: MERCURY [ * 1/2 ] good in Capricorn the Goat the 3rd week of the month. URANUS [ * 1/2 ] at mag 5.89 (& hence naked eye for you sharp-eyed younger folk) is at the eastern edge of Aquarius the Water Carrier; a star map is a necessity. MARS [ * ] is between the horns of Taurus the Bull & at its best right now, & until 2016 for us in the Northern Hemisphere.

MORNING PLANETS: SATURN [ * ] is spectacular in Leo the Lion as its rings get thinner & thinner. VENUS [ * ] races across Scorpius the Scorpion & Sagittarius the Archer. JUPITER [ * ] peeks over the horizon in Sagittarius as the month goes on, & has a VERY close conjunction with Venus, less than half a degree away {see above}.

{You heard it here first: Pluto is now (officially) not a planet, as I’ve been indicating for better than 5 years now, & see my “SkyWatch for September, 2005” for my explanation.}

OBSERVING HIGHLIGHTS: Rising in the east these nights is what many call the “Winter Circle” of bright stars – Capella (in Auriga the Charioteer), Aldebaran (in the Hyades in Taurus the Bull), Rigel (in Orion the Hunter), Sirius (in Canis Major the Greater Dog), Procyon (in Canis Minor the Lesser Dog) & Pollux (in Gemini the Twins). However, in the September, 1991, issue of Astronomy magazine, my wife & I proposed calling it the “Fall Football,” with Capella and Sirius as the two ends of the football & Orion’s belt as the lacing. (You can go to astronomy.com, and read our entire article.) OK, OK, so it’s a rather fat football, like they used from the ‘20s into the ‘50s, before the passing game slimmed the football down. And this time around, the asterism is somewhat shattered by bright Mars being right in the middle of the football. But still, it makes a convenient way of becoming familiar with the winter constellations. Go for it!

TIERRA DEL SOL LAT = 32º 36’ 48” N ( ± 0.l” ), LONG = 116º 19’ 55” W ( ± 0.1” ), ELEV = 3710’ ( ± 5’ ), at the bathroom, as deter- mined from USGS 7.5 min 1/24000 map. (See my essay on GPS at www.sdaa.org.)

Send comments & questions to me by phone (619/225-9639), USPS (4538 Long Branch Av., San Diego, CA 92107) or my e-mail address ([email protected]). Page  SAN DIEGO ASTRONOMY ASSOCIATION NEWS AND NOTES, JANUARY 2008 ¡HAPPY VIEWING! San Diego Astronomy Association

Continued from Page  17. Newsletter Report. A combined newsletter will be published for November and December.

18. Website/Forums Report. Nothing to report.

19. Nominating Committee Report. The committee is waiting for nominations from the membership meeting to finalize the slate of candidates.

20. Banquet Committee Report. Invitation letters to vendors will be mailed out on Monday November 19. The Board authorized 12 complimentary tickets for selected friends of SDAA.

21. Old Business. A program to train Girls Scout leaders to operate their 14” Celestron telescope and to conduct an as- tronomy program is being coordinated.

22. New Business. a. Jackhammer Purchase. Table until next month so that more data can be collected on pricing and options. b. Graveling the Public Pad Area. An input was received via the suggestion box to consider gravelling the public pad area. The Board decided that this would be too costly. c. Committee Assignments. Brian Staples resigned as committee chair of the Fund Raising and Publicity Committee and Jerry Hilburn was appointed to replace him.

23. Adjournment. There was no further business, and the meeting was adjourned at 8:57 PM.

San Diego Astronomy Association Board of Directors Meeting 11 December 2007 Minutes Unapproved and Subject to Revision

1. Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 P.M. with the following board members in attendance: Bob Austin, President; Mark Lane, Vice President; Frank Widmann, Recording Secretary; Lou Jackson, Treasurer; Ed Rumsey, Director; Kin Searcy, Director. Dave Goodin, Director; and Brian Staples, club member.

2. Approval of Last Meeting Minutes. The minutes of the November 13, 2007 Board meeting were reviewed and approved as presented.

3. Priority / Member Business. Alice Harvey resigned from her position as Corresponding Secretary effective December 10, 2007. The Board expressed its appreciation for Alice’s long and distinguished service. Alice will continue her work in support of the banquet and plans to continue to be an active participant in the Club and its outreach programs.

4. Treasurer’s Report. The Treasurer’s Report was approved as presented. a. Renewal Issues. It was noted that the Newsletter was no longer flagging the membership expiration date. This prob- lem has been fixed and in the future, the Newsletter will include a notification at 2 months, 1 month and expiration. Notices Continued on Page 12 Important Notice! The lock combinations at TDS will be changing on January 27, 2008.

SAN DIEGO ASTRONOMY ASSOCIATION NEWS AND NOTES, JANUARY 2008 Page  San Diego Astronomy Association

Page  SAN DIEGO ASTRONOMY ASSOCIATION NEWS AND NOTES, JANUARY 2008 San Diego Astronomy Association

SAN DIEGO ASTRONOMY ASSOCIATION NEWS AND NOTES, JANUARY 2008 Page  San Diego Astronomy Association

SDAA Contacts Club Officers and Directors President Bob Austin [email protected] (760) 787-1174 Vice-President Mark Lane [email protected] (951) 506-1429 Recording Secretary Frank Widmann [email protected] Treasurer Lou Jackson [email protected] (619) 337-9128 Corresponding Secretary Vacant [email protected] Director Alpha Dave Goodin [email protected] (619) 548-2129 Director Beta Ed Rumsey [email protected] (858) 780-0337 Director Gamma Kin Searcy [email protected] (858) 586-0974 Director Delta Jim Traweek [email protected] (619) 477-7279 Committees Site Maintenance Bill Quackenbush [email protected] (858) 395-1007 Observatory Director Jim Traweek [email protected] (619) 477-7279 Private Pads Ed Rumsey [email protected] (858) 780-0337 Library Julie Phillips [email protected] (858) 674-1406 Education Mark Lane [email protected] (951) 506-1429 N. County Star Parties Bob Nanz [email protected] (760) 751-3992 S. County Star Parties Joshua Johnson [email protected] (619) 741-1058 E. County Star Parties Rich Strobel [email protected] (619) 479-3937 Central Area Star Parties Jerry Hilburn [email protected] (858) 565-4059 Newsletter Bob Austin [email protected] (760) 787-1174 Membership/New Member Mentor Ed Rumsey [email protected] (858) 780-0337 Webmaster Bret Akers [email protected] (858-655-3592 AISIG Kin Searcy [email protected] (858) 586-0974 Site Acquisition Jerry Hilburn [email protected] (858) 565-4059 Field Trips Mark Lane [email protected] (951) 506-1429 Grants/Fund Raising Jerry Hilburn [email protected] (858) 565-4059 Merchandising Bill Neis [email protected] (858) 277-9127 Publicity Brian Staples [email protected] (858) 560-9064 RoboScope Director Kent Richardson [email protected] (858) 268-9943 Governing Documents Mark Smith [email protected] (858) 484-0540

SDAA Editorial Staff Editor - Mark Smith Have a great new piece of gear? Read an astronomy-related book that you think [email protected] others should know about? How about a photograph of an SDAA Member in Assistant Editor: Craig Ewing action? Or are you simply tired of seeing these Boxes in the Newsletter rather Contributing Writers than something, well, interesting? Tony Phillips Patrick L. Barry Join the campaign to rid the Newsletter of little boxes by sharing them with the Alice Harvey membership. In return for your efforts, you will get your very own by line or pho- John Mood tograph credit in addition to the undying gratitude of the Newsletter Editor. Just Kin Searcy send your article or picture to [email protected] or [email protected]. Mark Smith Mark Lane

Page 10 SAN DIEGO ASTRONOMY ASSOCIATION NEWS AND NOTES, JANUARY 2008 San Diego Astronomy Association

2008 TDS SCHEDULE (R=rise S=set) DATE MOON DATA SUNSET DATE MOON DATA SUNSET JAN. 5 R- 5:35A 4:53P JUL. 5 S-10:12P 7:57P PUBLIC 26 R- 9:42P 5:12P PUBLIC 26 R-12:43A 7:48P FEB. 2 R- 4:19A 5:19P AUG. 2 S- 8:40P 7:42P 23 R- 8:25P 5:37P PUBLIC 23 R-11:29P 7:20P PUBLIC MAR. 1 R- 2:57A 5:43P 30 S- 7:08P 7:12P 8 S- 7:14P 5:49P MM SEP. 20 R-10:22P 6:44P PUBLIC 9 DST Begins 27 S-5:37P 6:35P 29 R- 2:35A 7:04P PUBLIC OCT.18 R- 9:16P 6:08P PUBLIC APR. 5 S- 7:02P 7:09P 25 R- 4:50A 6:01P 26 R- 1:11A 7:24P PUBLIC NOV. 2 DST Ends MAY. 3 R- 4:58A 7:29P 22 R- 2:43A 4:41P 24 R-11:48P 7:44P PUBLIC 29 S- 6:12P 4:39P PUBLIC 31 R- 3:29A 7:48P DEC.20 R- 1:36A 4:43P JUN. 21 R-10:23P 7:56P PUBLIC 27 S- 5:02P 4:47P PUBLIC 28 R- 2:03A 7:57P

SUNRISE/SUNSET AND MOONRISE/MOONSET TIMES FOR DECEMBER AND JANUARY Date Sun Rise Sun Set Moon Rise Moon Set Date Sun Rise Sun Set Moon Rise Moon Set Jan 1, 2008 6:47 16:50 0:50 11:58 Feb 1, 2008 – Fri 6:40 17:17 2:29 12:17 Jan 2, 2008 6:47 16:51 1:47 12:28 Feb 2, 2008 – Sat 6:39 17:18 3:25 13:06 Jan 3, 2008 6:47 16:51 2:44 13:01 Feb 3, 2008 6:38 17:19 4:18 14:02 Jan 4, 2008 – Fri 6:47 16:52 3:42 13:40 Feb 4, 2008 6:38 17:20 5:06 15:02 Jan 5, 2008 – Sat 6:47 16:53 4:40 14:25 Feb 5, 2008 6:37 17:21 5:49 16:06 Jan 6, 2008 6:47 16:54 5:35 15:17 Feb 6, 2008 (New) 6:36 17:22 6:26 17:10 Jan 7, 2008 6:48 16:55 6:26 16:14 Feb 7, 2008 6:35 17:23 7:00 18:15 Jan 8, 2008 (New) 6:48 16:55 7:12 17:15 Feb 8, 2008 – Fri 6:34 17:24 7:30 19:19 Jan 9, 2008 6:48 16:56 7:52 18:19 Feb 9, 2008 – Sat 6:34 17:25 7:59 20:23 Jan 10, 2008 6:48 16:57 8:27 19:22 Feb 10, 2008 6:33 17:26 8:28 21:28 Jan 11, 2008 – Fri 6:48 16:58 8:59 20:25 Feb 11, 2008 6:32 17:27 8:59 22:36 Jan 12, 2008 – Sat 6:47 16:59 9:28 21:27 Feb 12, 2008 6:31 17:27 9:33 23:45 Jan 13, 2008 6:47 17:00 9:56 22:31 Feb 13, 2008 (1st) 6:30 17:28 10:13 Jan 14, 2008 6:47 17:01 10:25 23:36 Feb 14, 2008 – Jan 15, 2008 (1st) 6:47 17:01 10:57 St. Valentine’s Day 6:29 17:29 11:00 0:56 Jan 16, 2008 6:47 17:02 11:32 0:43 Feb 15, 2008 – Fri 6:28 17:30 11:55 2:05 Jan 17, 2008 6:47 17:03 12:14 1:54 Feb 16, 2008 – Sat 6:27 17:31 12:58 3:10 Jan 18, 2008 – Fri 6:46 17:04 13:05 3:06 Feb 17, 2008 6:26 17:32 14:06 4:06 Jan 19, 2008 – Sat Feb 18, 2008 6:25 17:33 15:15 4:54 SDAA Banquet 6:46 17:05 14:05 4:16 Feb 19, 2008 6:24 17:34 16:22 5:34 Jan 20, 2008 6:46 17:06 15:12 5:20 Feb 20, 2008 (Full) 6:23 17:34 17:27 6:08 Jan 21, 2008 Feb 21, 2008 6:22 17:35 18:28 6:38 President’s Day 6:45 17:07 16:23 6:15 Feb 22, 2008 – Fri 6:21 17:36 19:27 7:05 Jan 22, 2008 (Full) 6:45 17:08 17:33 7:00 Feb 23, 2008 – Sat 6:20 17:37 20:25 7:31 Jan 23, 2008 6:45 17:09 18:40 7:38 Feb 24, 2008 6:19 17:38 21:23 7:58 Jan 24, 2008 6:44 17:10 19:43 8:10 Feb 25, 2008 6:18 17:39 22:20 8:26 Jan 25, 2008 – Fri 6:44 17:11 20:44 8:39 Feb 26, 2008 6:16 17:39 23:19 8:56 Jan 26, 2008 – Sat 6:43 17:12 21:42 9:05 Feb 27, 2008 6:15 17:40 9:31 Jan 27, 2008 6:43 17:13 22:39 9:31 Feb 28, 2008 (3rd) 6:14 17:41 0:17 10:10 Jan 28, 2008 6:42 17:14 23:36 9:58 Feb 29, 2008 - Fri 6:13 17:42 1:14 10:56 Jan 29, 2008 (3rd) 6:41 17:15 10:26 Jan 30, 2008 6:41 17:16 0:33 10:58 Jan 31, 2008 6:40 17:16 1:31 11:35

SAN DIEGO ASTRONOMY ASSOCIATION NEWS AND NOTES, JANUARY 2008 Page 11 San Diego Astronomy Association

Continued from Page  will be mailed out to members that were not properly notified and have not yet renewed.

5. Site Maintenance Report. A thermal switch is needed to turn on a light when the temperature drops in the pump house. A cold weather thermostat was subsequently identified by the Board.

6. Observatory Report. Nothing to report.

7. Private Pad Report. There are currently five pads available and eight members on the waiting list. Two members have accepted pad offers.

8. Star Party/Outreach Report. The club is looking for a new Central Area star party coordinator.

9. Library Report. The loan of the three telescoping making books has been renewed. A plastic sleeve is available to protect library CDs so that they can now be loaned out.

10. Education Report. Mark Lane’s presentation at The Friends of Lake Murray was well received and they would like to make it a yearly event.

11. Program Report. There is no program for December. The November Meeting was well attended and the raffle was very successful. The Program Meeting room for 2008 has been reserved through the Park Ranger at Mission Trails Re- gional Park.

12. NASA Robotic Observatory. Nothing to report.

13. AISIG Report. A meeting is scheduled for the January 23, the fourth Wednesday of the month at Roy Ang’s house.

14. RASIG Report. The pier adapter is still in work.

15. Site Acquisition Committee Report. Nothing to report.

16. Governing Documents Committee Report. Activity tabled until further notice.

17. Newsletter Report. Nothing to report.

18. Website/Forums Report. A goal has been set to port the site over to the new server by the time the Board convenes in January. The FTP software is currently not working.

19. Nominating Committee Report. No nominations were received from the floor. In accordance with the Club rules, the following nominations were presented to the Recording Secretary for confirmation. Treasurer - Jose Magsaysay Recording Secretary - Ed Rumsey Director - Kin Searcy Director - Jim Traweek Director - Lou Jackson Director - Jean Naugle a. Recording Secretary’s Vote. The Secretary confirmed the nominations as presented.

20. Banquet Committee Report. The banquet is scheduled for January 19, and invitations have been sent out.

Page 12 SAN DIEGO ASTRONOMY ASSOCIATION NEWS AND NOTES, JANUARY 2008 San Diego Astronomy Association

a. Ticket Price. The Board elected to reduce the ticket price from $40 to $28. Post cards will be sent to all members informing them of the reduction. E-mails will also be sent to those members who have an E-mail address. b. Complimentary Tickets. The Board authorized 16 complimentary tickets for selected friends of SDAA. c. Guest Speaker. Alexi Filippenko will pay his expenses and will then be reimbursed by the Club. d. Roles and Responsibilities. Brian Staples has agreed to run the auction. Bob Austin will do the introductions. e. Door Prizes and Auction Items. The Board authorized up to $400 for door prizes and raffle items, including meteors from Quartzite, if quality specimens are available. Vendors will be solicited for auction items. f. Twenty-five Year Members. The Board authorized awards for members who have reached the 25-year mark.

21. Old Business. a. Jackhammer Purchase. The Board asked Brian Staples to look for a used model for up to $400. A search will be made on Craig’s List.

22. New Business. a. TDS Combination Change. The combinations will change at TDS effective January 27, 2008. b. Internet Access at TDS. A proposal is under consideration to install antennas and routers on two eight-foot poles to be located strategically to provide site coverage without creating obstructions to viewing. Access will piggyback on the Robo- scope connection. $350 has been donated by members to support this effort. Board members will review the installation plan at TDS prior to approval. c. Committee Charters. In February 2008, a process will be implemented to develop charters for Club committees.

23. Adjournment. There was no further business, and the meeting was adjourned at 9:20 PM.

Still the Best Astronomy Book Ever east so one can sit at one’s Goto telescope and punch in each by John Mood item in order as the earth turns. The fact that the RA and Dec I thoroughly enjoyed the essay in the Nov.-Dec. 2007 news- coordinates are from 1950 makes no difference if one has a letter about the fascinating and finally tragic story of astrono- telescope with Goto capabilities. Burnham’s book is indispens- mer, Robert Burnham, Jr., who died unnoticed in San Diego able for such contemporary instruments. There is nothing in in 1993. And I am even more pleased that a group has begun print or online which comes even close to matching Burnham the effort to erect a memorial to him at Lowell Observatory in in this. Flagstaff (http://www.rbjm.org). The astronomy community, I spelled out some of the other reasons I think every both amateur and professional, has been appallingly indifferent astronomer (pros included) should have a copy of the book to this amazing astronomer and it is time to correct that indif- in a quasi-essay I included in five of my “SkyWatch” columns ference. – Jan., Feb., March, April, and May, 2004. Due to SDAA’s stel- But the article did not, in my view, speak sufficiently about lar Website, those back issues are still available online. I urge Burnham’s supreme achievement, the 3-volume, 2138-page you to go read my words there. Burnham’s Celestial Handbook: An Observer’s Guide to the I also strongly urge you to go online and read Tony Ortega’s Universe Beyond the Solar System, originally self-published in original article breaking Burnham’s story to the world in 1997 part in 1966 but finally presented in its entirety by Dover Pub- (http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1997-09-25/news/sky- lications in 1978. It was then, and in my judgment is still now writer/), a carefully detailed account of the entire history and will always be, the best book on astronomy ever written in (although the 14 photographs in the printed version are unfor- any language, whether for clear or for cloudy nights. tunately not included online). Let me give just one example of why I think so highly of There are two other important sources as well. Astronomy Burnham’s book. It is arranged alphabetically by constellation, printed a spectacular self-interview by Burnham in March, and before the always delightful text are lists of the double and 1982. Copies are still available for sale at their Website. The multiple stars in the constellation, then of the variable stars, and same magazine printed an updated though much briefer sum- finally of the deep sky objects. Each list is arranged west to mary of Ortega’s original article (with nine photographs, four Continued on Page 14

SAN DIEGO ASTRONOMY ASSOCIATION NEWS AND NOTES, JANUARY 2008 Page 13 San Diego Astronomy Association

Continued from Page 13 not in the Phoenix article, three in color). Unfortunately, there Dec 1-2: are no more copies available for sale. Club Scope: Not open. Go to your local library (or to Phoenix!) for these items, Weather: RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY !!! Although it wasn’t necessary to filling in the details of this revealing story. And I really raining much by Saturday night, the humidity was still urge the SDAA Board to donate at least $100.00 to rbjm.org. holding at about 80% with wind gusts close to 30 mph. Yuck! It is the least we here in San Diego can do. (And, NO, I wasn’t out there – even I’m not that crazy.)

Dec 8-9: (New Moon 12/9) A New Look for February? Club Scope: Not open. Weather: More rain, more wind, more time to clean out the by Mark Smith garage. Will the newsletter have a new look for the February Issue? I’m hoping that it will not, but my current computer is on its Dec 15-16 (Geminids peaked 12/14): last legs. Oh, it will be resurrected with most of the same Club Scope: Not “officially” open, but Bill Carlson slid back hardware and a fresh Windows install, but it will not be the the roof and gave the Lipp a try for imaging. He had an inter- computer that the newsletter will be published off of. esting evening, and at least was out of the breeze. I’m migrating my main working computer to a brand new Weather: Clear, chilly but mercifully dry. There was some box that will be running Vista. I think I’ve foreseen most of intermittent breeze throughout the evening. Some high, thin the transition problems, but… clouds started moving through from the west about 1:00 am. The areas that I’m most likely to have issues with are the Noteworthy: Although cold, it was a beautiful evening. The Calendar and AISIG portions of the newsletter. Everything imagers ran the place this time! Only two or three cars on the should be back to normal by March. public pads – most everyone was on a private pad or in an ob- While we are discussing the newsletter, I think that the servatory, trying to stay out of the breeze. It was clear, though newsletter is lacking in three areas. I would like to see some a little twinkly. reviews of new equipment in the newsletter. I am sure that The annual Geminid meteor shower peaked on the morn- the membership would be interested in a review of the new ing of Friday, 12/14. That night was also clear and cold, but Teleview Ethos eyepiece, the Meade mySky, or any other piece unfortunately a little damp. It got down to 26 about 5 am, and of hardware or software that you have. We are also lacking in the ground was crunchy. Those crazy enough to stay the night “How To” type articles as well as articles that highlight areas had the pleasure of scraping thick frost off the windshield of the sky or observing projects. I have been the recipient of in the morning, but it was so worth it. A wonderful show of some outstanding training by a number of our members. It meteors throughout the entire evening. would be fantastic if some of this knowledge could be put into articles and published for the rest of the club.

Last Month at TDS – What You May Have Missed A Close Encounter with Mars by Alice Harvey by Mark Smith Nov 17-18: (Leonids peaked 11/18) A scant 13.5 years after Comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided Club Scope: Not open with Jupiter, the solar system may be headed towards a collision Weather: Fairly clear, though a little breezy and cool. There between a planet and an asteroid. The object in question is a were a few hearty souls out for the Leonids, which were sparse recently discovered asteroid named 2007 WD5. From a NASA but quite nice – a couple of real good ones, but few and far Press Release: between. Nonetheless, a very nice night for observing. ‘WASHINGTON - Astronomers funded by NASA are monitoring the trajectory of an asteroid estimated to be 164- Nov 24-25: (Full Moon 11/24) feet wide that is expected to cross Mars’ orbital path early next Club Scope: Not open -- Thanksgiving Weekend. year. Observations provided by the astronomers and analyzed by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Office at the Jet Propulsion Lab- Continued on Page 16 Page 14 SAN DIEGO ASTRONOMY ASSOCIATION NEWS AND NOTES, JANUARY 2008 San Diego Astronomy Association

This image by Jeff Lunglhofer was featured on NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day on November 29th.

Jeff Lungelhofer Makes APOD the field of view is nearly 70 light-years across. Other reflec- by Mark Smith tion nebulae are scattered around, along with remarkable dark For those of you who have not visited NASA’s Astronomy dust nebulae and the faint reddish glow of hydrogen gas. These Picture of the Day (APOD) site, you are missing a treat. Every dust and gas clouds lie near the edge of a large molecular day the site features an outstanding astroimage along with a cloud. Themselves telltale signs of star-forming regions, they brief explanation of what you are seeing. tend to hide the newly formed stars and young stellar objects On November 29th, SDAA’s own Jeff Lunglhofer was fea- or protostars from prying optical telescopes. Collapsing due to tured on APOD. NASA’s caption of his picture (shown above) self-gravity, the protostars form around dense cores embedded was: in the molecular cloud.

This cosmic expanse of dust, gas, and stars covers some 4 de- To see Jeff ’s picture in all of its internet glory, visit http:// grees on the sky in the heroic constellation Perseus. Centered in antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap071129.html. For the current the gorgeous skyscape is the dusty blue reflection nebula NGC APOD image, visit http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/as- 1333, about 1,000 light-years away. At that estimated distance, tropix.html. Note that this image is also posted on SDAA’s very own AISIG site (http://aisig.sdaa.org/). SAN DIEGO ASTRONOMY ASSOCIATION NEWS AND NOTES, JANUARY 2008 Page 15 San Diego Astronomy Association

Continued from Page 14 oratory in Pasadena, Calif., indicate the object may pass within Because of current uncertainties about the asteroid’s exact 30,000 miles of Mars at about 6 a.m. EST on Jan. 30, 2008. orbit, there is a 1-in-75 chance of 2007 WD5 impacting Mars. “Right now asteroid 2007 WD5 is about half-way between If this unlikely event were to occur, it would be somewhere the Earth and Mars and closing the distance at a speed of within a broad swath across the planet north of where the Op- about 27,900 miles per hour,” said Don Yeomans, manager portunity rover is. of the Near Earth Object Office at JPL. “Over the next five “We estimate such impacts occur on Mars every thousand weeks, we hope to gather more information from observato- years or so,” said Steve Chesley, a scientist at JPL. “If 2007 ries so we can further refine the asteroid’s trajectory.” WD5 were to thump Mars on Jan. 30, we calculate it would hit NASA detects and tracks asteroids and comets passing close at about 30,000 miles per hour and might create a crater more to Earth. The Near Earth Object Observation Program, com- than half-a-mile wide.” The Mars Rover Opportunity is cur- monly called “Spaceguard,” plots the orbits of these objects to rently exploring a crater approximately this size. determine if any could be potentially hazardous to our planet. Such a collision could release about three megatons of Asteroid 2007 WD5 was first discovered on Nov. 20, 2007, energy. Scientists believe an event of comparable magnitude by the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey and put on a “watch occurred here on Earth in 1908 in Tunguska, Siberia, but no list” because its orbit passes near the Earth. Further observa- crater was created. The object was disintegrated by Earth’s tions from both the NASA-funded Spacewatch at Kitt Peak, thicker atmosphere before it hit the ground, although the air Ariz., and the Magdalena Ridge Observatory in New Mexico blast devastated a large area of unpopulated forest. gave scientists enough data to determine that the asteroid was NASA and its partners will continue to track asteroid 2007 not a danger to Earth, but could potentially impact Mars. This WD5.’ makes it a member of an interesting class of small objects that This is exciting. The opportunity to observe a second colli- are both Near Earth Objects and “Mars crossers.” sion of this kind in a little over a decade is a scientific bonanza. The interesting intersection with the orbits of both the Earth and Mars, however, has some people scratching their heads. A quick look at the orbit of asteroid 2007 WD5 shows that it is nearly tangent to the Earth’s orbit when the asteroid is at peri- helion. The shape of the orbit and the timing have lead some people to speculate that the mystery asteroid may actually be the lost Mars Observer spacecraft. For those of you who don’t remember this mission, it was launched on September 25, 1992 and contact was lost on August 22, 1993 very shortly before the planned orbital insertion maneuver at Mars. This would not be the first time a spacecraft was misidenti- fied as an asteroid. 2007 VN84 was also discovered in Novem- ber of this year, identified as a 20-meter diameter asteroid, and was expected to pass very close to the Earth. After some initial excitement, a Russian astronomer realized that the dangerous asteroid was, in fact, the Rosetta Spacecraft making its planned gravity assist flyby of the Earth. So, if it happened once, could it happen again? Calculations of the orbit of 2007 WD5 and the Mars Observer spacecraft show them to be remarkably similar. Earth is in the correct position tangent to the orbit of the asteroid on September 25, 1992 and orbital calculations show that there should have been at least one previous close encounter where the asteroid passed near Earth and then encountered Mars shortly thereaf- ter. However, these calculations also show that 2007 WD5 was A diagram of the orbits of Mars, Earth, and 2007 WD5 showing the current nowhere near Earth on the proposed launch date. That would positions of all three bodies as of December 21, 2007. Image courtesy of NASA.

Page 16 SAN DIEGO ASTRONOMY ASSOCIATION NEWS AND NOTES, JANUARY 2008 San Diego Astronomy Association drive a nail in the coffin of the “this is really a spacecraft” the- amount of light, but only if it was spinning in one of a very ory if it weren’t for the fact that when the orbits of the planets few specific, stable ways and if it were pointing in the correct and 2007 WD5 are extrapolated backwards, we find 2 previous direction. The Mars Observer spacecraft was 3-axis stabilized, close encounters with the Earth, one very close, one previous not spin stabilized, so our presumed failure not only would very close encounter with Mars, and 2 passes within 0.8 au of need to put the spacecraft into the correct orbit, but would Jupiter. Combine this with the uncertainty as to what caused need to spin it in the correct way. the loss of the spacecraft and the orbital mechanics work out to Where does this leave us? We are left with the kind of thing within a reasonable error. that astronomers like best -- a mystery to be solved. After But how can a small spacecraft be mistaken for a 164-foot reading all of the discussion and examining the simulations, I diameter asteroid? The answer is albedo. When astronomers find that I can be convinced either way. Regardless of what discover an new asteroid, they do not know what it is made of 2007 WD5 turns out to be, I find myself hoping that it does so they assume an index of reflectivity (albedo). Based on this hit Mars. Comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 was a wake-up call as albedo, the brightness of the object, and the calculated distance, to the importance of astronomy as not only a science, but also astronomers can estimate the size of the object. This is subject as an early warning system for our planet. What better way to to some error. If the object turns out to be much more reflec- ensure more support for astronomy than the alarm clock going tive than expected, then the size will be much smaller. It turns off again? out that the Mars Observer spacecraft could reflect the required

The possible impact zone of 2007 WD5. Image courtesy of NASA.

SAN DIEGO ASTRONOMY ASSOCIATION NEWS AND NOTES, JANUARY 2008 Page 17 San Diego Astronomy Association

Page 18 SAN DIEGO ASTRONOMY ASSOCIATION NEWS AND NOTES, JANUARY 2008 San Diego Astronomy Association

AISIG Gallery In this month’s AISIG gallery, we had to publish another image of Comet Holmes. Below is an excellent wide-field shot by Bob Nanz from his driveway in Escondido that consists of stacked RGB and H-alpha images. As of this writing (mid-De- cember) Holmes is still visible to the unaided eye in Gemini. Terry Arnold reprocessed his pervious colorful view of the Heart of Mellotte 15 with beautiful results. This image, shown on the opposite page, was taken with his ST-2000 CCD imager through an ED-80 scope. The SDAA AISIG is very proud that Jeff Lunglhofer’s image of NGC 1333 - Stardust In Perseus - was the Astronomy Picture of the Day for 29 November 2007. Congratulations, Jeff. Finally, because I hate to have white space that can be filled with great images, we have a trio of moons by (from left to right), Michael VanderVorst, John Laborde, and Bill Carlson.

SAN DIEGO ASTRONOMY ASSOCIATION NEWS AND NOTES, JANUARY 2008 Page 19 THE BACK PAGE

For Sale To: Whom may be interested. My name is Robert A. Johnson, age 83 years, I have been an Amateur Astronomer for over 50 years. Background: I have designed and built several very large Telescopes over the years. After dropping out of Astronomy for several years, I decided to purchase a Meade 12” LX 200 GPS-SMT Schmidt-Cassegrain UHTC, so that I could show some of my many great grand kids some of the wonderful things that I have been able to see. This Telescope has only been used 1 time for about 1 hour; I was unaware that my eyesight had deteriorated so much. Eye exams indicated that I now had developed Macular Degeneration. This of course ends my ability to use this great instrument. I am pretty much devastated. **************************** Large Deluxe Tripod. It of course had AutoStar II Hand Control. Many Eye Pieces, some costing several hundred dollars each. Many Filters some costing hun- dreds of dollars. Micro Focuser. Many Barlow lenses, some top of the line. Has the 115 volt- 12 volt power supply also has deluxe Nickel Cadmium-rechargeable Battery that can supply power all night long. Has Extension tube, adjustable counter weights. It is mounted on the Scope Buggy with inflatable tires. Diagonal Prisms: 1.25 and 2”. Several deluxe carrying cases. My total investment is, about $7,312.00. I am willing to sell ALL for $$3900.00 If there is anyone that may be interested, they may call me at (619)-462-5809 Sincerely: R.A. Johnson

Editor’s Note: Normally I wouldn’t post an entire letter like this for a simple sale, but in this case, I think it is appropriate. This scope was bought for the best of purposes and it would be great if we had a member in search of a new scope to provide it with a good home.

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