LAS Newsletter January 2021
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LONGMONT ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY FEBRURARY 2021 PACMAN BY TALLY O’DONNELL ?? VOLUME 36, NO 2, FEB. 2021 ISSN 2641-8886 (WEB) ISSN 2641-8908 (PRINT) LAS Meeting February 18 from 7 to 9 pm “A Walking Tour of Optical History - Artifacts and Anecdotes from the Astronomical Lyceum” by John W. Briggs Abstract: Pioneering telescope makers allowed a revolutionary ascendancy of American astronomy in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Astronomical Lyceum in New Mexico, originally built in 1936 as a theater and gymnasium, now houses a collection of telescopes, optics, archives, and literature from this ascendancy. Its volunteer staff find the artifacts and associated history surpris- ingly engaging for visitors of all interest levels. The presentation will include unusual items, large and small, created by some of the America’s greatest early optical artists, including Henry and Harry Fitz, Alvan Clark and Sons, Carl and Robert Lundin, John A. Brashear, George Willis Ritchey, and the pioneer of astronomical spectroscopy and photography, Lewis Morris Rutherfurd. The collection includes artifacts originating right up through the Space Age, including from the amateur telescope making movement and its surprising influence. While time allows only an overview, the presentation hopes to remind participants how history of science and technology can be powerfully engaging and interesting for essentially anyone when offered in the right spirit. John W. Briggs has lived and worked at far-ranging observatories in various technical capacities, including Mount Wilson, Yerkes, National Solar, Maria Mitchell, Venezuelan National, Chamberlin, and South Pole Station. He came to New Mexico with his family in 1997 to assist in the final commission- ing of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. In the 1980s he was an assistant editor at Sky & Telescope magazine and built Bogsucker Observatory in Massachusetts. Photo of JWB at Chamberlin Ob- He is a member of many astronomical organizations including the Springfield servatory by Roger W. Sinnott circa Telescope Makers responsible for the annual Stellafane Convention in Ver- 1986. mont, and he has recently been elected to the board of the century-old Ameri- can Association of Variable Star Observers. About LAS The Longmont Astronomical Society Newsletter ISSN 2641-8886 (web) and ISSN 2641-8908 (print) is published monthly by the Longmont Astronomical Society, P. O. Box 806, Longmont, Colorado. Newsletter Editor is Vern Raben. Our website URL is https://www.longmontastro.org The Longmont Astronomical Society is a 501 c(3), non-profit corporation which was established in 1987. Our main goal is to promote local amateur astronomy. This is accomplished through regular month- ly meetings, star parties and public observing sessions. Regular meetings are held every month (except December) on the third Thursday. A broad spectrum of topics are covered at the meetings and include such things as deep sky observing, planetary imaging, narrow band imaging, equipment discussions and demonstrations just to name a few. These subjects are presented by both club members as well as special guests who are professional astronomers or experts in a particular field. The Longmont Astronomical Society is affiliated with the Astronomical League (https://www.astroleague.org). The Astronomical League is an umbrella organization of amateur astronomy societies in the United States. Page 2 Copyright (c) Longmont Astronomical Society, February 2021. Website: www.longmontastro.org Contents Front Cover “Pacman” by Tally O’Donnell 2 LAS Virtual Meeting Februrary 18 from 7 to 9 pm “A Walking Tour of Optical History - Artifacts and Anecdotes from the Astronomical Lyceum” by John W Briggs 3 Contents 2021 LAS Officers and Board Members 4 Solar System Highlights for February by Vern Raben 5 “Have you ever seen or even heard of the largest open cluster Collinder 70?” by John Goss Newsletter Archives from February 1991, 2001, and 2011 6 “Navigating the February Night Sky” by John Goss 7 - 8 Comets for February - 156P (Russell/LINEAR) and C/2021 A2 (NEOWISE) 8 - 22 LAS Member Images from January 2020: 9 “NGC 2024 Flame Nebula” by Gary Garzone “M65” by Gary Garzone 10 “M66” by Gary Garzone “NGC 253” by Gary Garzone 11 “Flame and Alnitak” by Gary Garzone “Horsehead” by Gary Garzone 12 “M42” by Jim Pollock 13 “Jim Pollock’s Rig” 14 “Orion Nebula and Running Man” by Jim Pollock 15 “Rosette” by Jim Pollock 16 “Sombrero Galaxy” by Martin Butley “California Nebula without Stars” by Martin Butley 17 “NGC 246” by M. J. Post 18 “Running Man” by M. J. Post 19 “Sharpless 2-264” by Stephen Garretson 20 “Rosette to Cone in HO” by Stephen Garretson 21 “IC405” by Stephen Garretson 22 - 23 Summary of the January 21 Meeting by Vern Raben Back Cover “M45 Pleiades” by Rolando Garcia 2021 LAS Officers and Board Members • Stephen Garretson, President Board Members: • M. J. Post, Vice President Mike Hotka, Gary Garzone, • Sven Schmidt, Secretary Brian Kimball, David Elmore, • Bruce Lamoreaux, Treasurer Vern Raben Appointed Positions 2021 Paul Kammermeier, Webmaster Vern Raben, Newsletter Editor Copyright (c) Longmont Astronomical Society, February 2021. Website: www.longmontastro.org Page 3 Solar System Highlights for January 2021 F Third Quarter: Feb. 4 at 10:38 am New Moon: Feb. 11 at 12:07 am First Quarter: Feb. 19 at 11:48 am Full Moon: Feb. 27 at 1:18 am Image Credit: Brian Kimball Mercury Meteor Showers Mercury is not visible with naked eye this month. The delta Leonids peaks on Feb. 23rd but only a couple Venus meteors per hour are expected so it is probably not worth Venus is not visible with naked eye this month. Venus the effort -- and its only a few days from full moon. and Jupiter are 1 degree 8 minutes apart on Feb. 10th just 24 minutes before sunrise. Jupiter rises at 6:34 am; Venus rises at 6:35 am; Sunrise is 6:58 am. For an 11 inch scope Venus should be detectable but Jupiter proba- bly is not visible in the bright twilight. Mars Mars is visible high in the southwestern evening sky in constellationAries; it moves to Taurus on the 23rd. On the 1st it is magnitude +0.5 in brightness and 7.8 arc sec across. On the 29th it is +0.9 in brightness and 6.4 arc sec across. Jupiter Jupiter is not visible with naked eye this month. It ap- pears low in the southeast before dawn after March 4. Saturn Saturn becomes visible in the southeastern morning sky on Feb. 26 in constellation Capricornus; it will be magnitude +0.5 in brightness and the disk will be 15 arc sec across. Uranus Uranus may be seen just below mars in the evening sky in constellation Aries. It is magnitude +5.8 in brightness and its disk is 3.5 arc sec across. Neptune Neptune is visiblen low in the southwest in the evening sky in constellation Aquarius. It is magnitude 8.0 in Comet C/2020 M3 (ATLAS) on Jan 9 by Gary Garzone brightness and the disk is 2.2 arc sec across. It disappears into evening twilight after the 19th. Page 4 Copyright (c) Longmont Astronomical Society, February 2021. Website: www.longmontastro.org Newsletter Archives 10 Years Ago - Feb. 2011 20 Years Ago - Feb. 2001 30 Years Ago - Feb. 1991 The February Vice President Dr. Bob meeting this Gary Garzone Stencel talk- month will be gave a short ed about his at the IHop. report about the research plans Our speaker 3rd annual star involving the is Luke Dones party at Sterling Hubble Space from SWRI. State Park which Telescope. He He will talk will be the first discussed why about discovers week of April. the Hubble was necessary, how it by the Cassini spacecraft which is Don Bunker gave a very interesting launched and what instruments it orbitting around Saturn. slide show regarding the construction contains. Dr. Bob showed slides of his cabin on an island at a remote about the success that Hubble has We will have a discussion of the lake in northern Canada. He showed already had. He also talied about MRS Observatory site and the us very nice photographs of the aurora his research around a star identified upcoming Astronomical League borealis. His talk included any inter- as R-Aquarii. It exhibits nova like conferece in Bryce Canyon this esting anecdotes about various sita- outbursts and odd charactreristics. summer. tions unique to the remote location. He will use the Faint Object Caera on Hubble to study it for 3 hrs. Copyright (c) Longmont Astronomical Society, February 2021. Website: www.longmontastro.org Page 5 Navigating the mid February Night Sky by John Goss Page 6 Copyright (c) Longmont Astronomical Society, February 2021. Website: www.longmontastro.org Comets in February 156P (Russell/LINEAR) Created with SkyTools 4 Date Optimal time RA Dec Brightness Size (arc min) Constellation Feb. 1 6:57 pm 02h45m26.9s +36°50’24” 11.4 2.6 Perseus Feb. 8 7:04 pm 03h07m18.5s +38°09’34” 11.7 2.4 Perseus Feb. 15 7:11 pm 03h29m22.2s +39°11’45” 12.0 2.2 Perseus Feb. 21 7:17 pm 03h48m19.1s +39°52’34” 12.2 2.1 Perseus Feb. 28 7:24 pm 04h10m19.1s +40°26’40” 12.5 1.9 Perseus Copyright (c) Longmont Astronomical Society, February 2021. Website: www.longmontastro.org Page 7 C/2021 A2 (NEOWISE) Created with SkyTools 4 Date Optimal time RA Dec Brightness Size (arc min) Constellation Feb. 1 10:08 pm 07h35m49.3s -14°04’56” 10.9 5.2 Puppis Feb. 8 9:18 pm 06h45m13.9s +05°36’45” 11.1 4.9 Monoceres Feb. 15 8:22 pm 06h07m03.4s +20°45’41” 11.6 4.1 Orion Feb.