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September 2011 the vol. 38 no. 9 September Skyscraper 2011 Amateur Astronomical Society of Rhode Island 47 Peeptoad Road North Scituate, Rhode Island 02857 www.theSkyscrapers.org of the Antique Telescope Society and also and the early history of their company. He September Meeting with hosts informal meetings of local antique will show some of their astronomy related telescope collectors. He has several classic works, then get into the history of the telescopes, in whole or in parts. The most telescope he’s presently restoring. Alan will Alan Sliski recent project involves the restoration of a also explain their revolutionary design of Friday, September 9, 7:30pm 9.5 inch Warner and Swasey mount built the controls for the equatorial mount. Alan’s Seagrave Memorial Observatory in 1916. He maintains a complete machine talk will include pictures of the restoration shop and lab at his home for projects such in various stages of progress, and finally the Alan Sliski has been interested in me- as this. design of a new lens and cell for the tele- chanics and electronics from a young age. Alan will talk about the men, Worcester scope. He built his first tube amplifier in 6th grade. Warner and Ambrose Swasey, their training Astronomy has always been a passion as well, traveling to Prince Edward Island in 1972 and Kenya in 1973 to photograph solar eclipses. Alan received a BS in Physics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1978. He has 28 patents issued, and for the last 20 years has designed medical equip- ment for treating cancer with radiation. More recently, he has been getting more involved with astronomy at home, with 2 sons interested in astronomy. He has a reasonable collection of modern telescopes from 80mm to a C14. He is also a member In this issue… 2 President’s Message 3 The Constellations in September Phases 3 Reason for the Season: The Autumnal Equinox of the Moon 4 Finding Uranus 4 12 20 27 5 M56: Globular Cluster in Lyra Other notable events: Mercury is at greatest western elongation (18°) on the 2nd. Ceres is at opposition on the 16th. Autumnal equinox is on the 23rd. Uranus is at opposition on the 5 The Ships of Sheliak 25th. 6 Finding Neptune 7 Solar System Size Surprise Seagrave Memorial Observatory 7 August Reports is open to the public weather permitting Saturdays: 8:00-10:00 pm 2 The Skyscraper September 2011 Our business meeting followed and I President’s was able to announce on behalf of 1st VP. John Briggs, that our September speaker will be Alan Sliski. Our 2nd VP Kathy Siok Message updated the group on our fast approaching Tom Thibault AstroAssembly. I would urge all members to attend, registration forms are on our The Skyscraper is published monthly by Skyscrapers, Inc. Meetings are usually held Dear Skyscrapers Members, web site at the following link, http://www. on the first Friday of the month. Public September is upon us and hopefully all theskyscrapers.org/astroassembly/ and observing is usually held every Saturday have been enjoying the warm summer. Well will be available at our meetings. Kathy is night at Seagrave Memorial Observatory, I’m sure everyone was pleased to see our putting the final touches on the event and weather permitting. weather this summer had improved from is searching for volunteers to assist with a President the constant snow, rain, and cloud cover we number of items. A sign-up sheet will be Tom Thibault [email protected] had to endure this past winter and spring. available at our September Meeting, but feel Our summer turned out pretty well with a free to contact Kathy if you would like to 1st Vice President good number of hot days and clear skies. help out this year. She has also received a John Briggs [email protected] Skyscrapers have had busy summer as number of donation items for the raffle, if 2nd Vice President well. Our July Cookout was a great success anyone would like to donate an item for the Kathy Siok [email protected] and we couldn’t have had a finer day. On raffle, let Kathy know, it would be greatly July 30th, we joined Professor Donald appreciated. Secretary Lubowich of Hofstra University in sharing Steve Siok, on behalf of our Trustees, Ed Haskel [email protected] the wonders of the universe with hundreds proposed a program, or let’s say a challenge, Treasurer of people at the Newport Folk Festival. Prof. to our entire membership. It would be the Jim Crawford [email protected] Lubowich has been displaying his Music Uranus-Neptune Challenge, Steve would and Astronomy Program music festivals for like for all our members to visit Seagrave on Members at Large a number of years throughout the country. a Public Night over the next few months and Gene Kusmierz [email protected] Prof. Lubowich contacted Skyscrapers view these planets though one of our scopes. Jim Hendrickson [email protected] earlier this year requesting our assistance. We will have a log available and challenge Trustees Skyscrapers members Bob Forgiel, Bob the entire membership to come up and add John Leonelli [email protected] Horton and wife Betty, Dave Huestis, Jim their names and comments to the log. Pat Landers [email protected] Crawford, Gerry Dyck, and our youngest Linda Bergemann announced the results Steve Siok [email protected] member Alex Bergmann answered the call. of our Special Election for Trustee with John Star Party Coordinator What a fantastic day we had, we had a Leonelli being elected to the open position. Bob Forgiel [email protected] number of scopes set up for solar viewing. First let me thank Tom Barbish for his years The cloud free skies and the abundance of of service as a Skyscrapers Trustee from the Librarian solar activity provided hundreds of people entire membership. Secondly, let me con- Amber Lesperance [email protected] with magnificent views of sunspots and gratulate John Leonelli and welcome him Historian solar prominences. I’m sure the number of to his position as Trustee. We ended the Dave Huestis [email protected] members participating would have been evening with Dave Huestis our historian greater if not for the fact Stellafane was also sharing some newly discovered photo’s of Editor occurring that weekend. Frank E. Seagrave, as well as some of Frank’s Jim Hendrickson [email protected] As has been the tradition for many years, original observation logs. Great stuff Dave. Directions Skyscrapers had a contingent of members My final note is a reminder to all: Directions to Seagrave Memorial attending Stellafane this year. In fact, the 2011/2012 membership dues were payable Observatory are located on the back page Hartness House workshop was organized by beginning in April. If you haven’t remitted of this newsletter. our very own John Briggs and Dan Lorraine. your dues please do so at your earliest Submissions My hope is that our Newsletter will include convenience to continue your support Submissions to The Skyscraper are always an article of both events in the very near of Skyscrapers. Dues can be mailed to welcome. Please submit items for the newsletter no later than September 23 to future. Skyscrapers Inc., 47 Peeptoad Road, North Jim Hendrickson, 1 Sunflower Circle, North Our August meeting featured a pre- Scituate, RI. 02857, Attn: Jim Crawford, or Providence, RI 02911 or e-mail to jim@ sentation by yours truly on the “Merits of feel free to see Jim personally during any of distantgalaxy.com. Maintaining an Observing Log” followed, our functions he is in attendance. E-mail subscriptions by Craig Cortis with an example of his log of Clear Skies To receive The Skyscraper by e-mail, send objects viewed during his last trip to Florida. Tom Thibault, President e-mail with your name and address to jim@ distantgalaxy.com. Note that you will no Gerry Dyck also shared with us a number of longer receive the newsletter by postal volumes of his personal log books. I would mail. urge all to consider maintaining their own logs. What a wonderful way to record your experiences and look back on them in the twitter.com/SkyscrapersInc future. www.theSkyscrapers.org The Skyscraper September 2011 3 mortally; however, he lost a lot of blood, downward in humility. If you now look at which, because of where he is, could only her top two stars, draw a line through them The flow downward onto the Earth, coating the and follow that line to the left, or west, leaves on the trees. A perfect answer to why you’ll find yourself in the middle of a very Constellations the leaves change color at this time of year. dim square. Below the square is another Just above the Big Dipper lies the tail of dim star that, when you connect them all one of the easier constellations to picture: together, will look a lot like a clown hat in September Draco, the Dragon. Often thought to be or a house. That’s Cassiopeia’s husband, Francine Jackson one of Hercules’s labors, wherein he had to Cepheus, placed there to keep her company slay the dragon to retrieve golden apples of as she moves around the north pole in the At this time of year, even though the Hesperides which it was guarding, Draco sky. season of summer ends this month and fall also is the guardian of the golden fleece, The last of our traditional northern con- begins, the sky takes a little longer to shift which Jason must kill in order to procure stellations, in the group deemed circumpolar to its next season.
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