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Affiliated with ReflectionsReflections The Newsletter of the Popular Astronomy Club ESTABLISHED 1936 November 2020 President’s Corner November 2020 previous year. These club sessions Welcome to anoth- have been perhaps a bit more focused er edition of the and have allowed some of us to play Popular Astronomy with new cameras and imaging equip- Page Topic Club’s monthly ment. We also developed video as- 1-2 Presidents newsletter. Novem- tronomy capability which (I hope) we Corner ber marks the start will eventually be able to use for public 2-3 Announcements 4 Passing Alan Sheidler of a new fiscal year observing sessions once the pandemic 5 Thank you Note for PAC. I’m sure subsides. 6-8 Contributions 9-10 Astronomy in Print you will agree 2020 has been quite a The other big thing we did together as 11 Skyward w/ David year. The Covid-19 pandemic has Levy a club this year was to totally refurbish 12 Upcoming Events been and continues to be one of the 13 Sign up Report the Paul Castle Observatory. I’m still biggest news items. With the virus 14 Astronomical calen- amazed we started disassembly in May dar of Events/ The forcing closures and lock downs all Planets and by August had completely rebuilt over the world, everyone has had to 15 Sky Views the observatory and installed a new 16 Planetary Align- adjust. Schools and restaurants have ments/ Double Stars telescope. This project has been an 17 Deep Sky Wonders been closed and many of us have unqualified success. We probably (Nov) been working remotely from 18-19 Navigating the Nov- would not have been able to complete ember Night Sky (AL) home. PAC has had to cancel public 20 Spotlight NGC 7027: this as quickly as we did were it not for outreach and monthly in-person club Pink Pillow Nebula the virus. But virus or not, this con- 21-22 NASA Space Place meetings. This has been a huge dis- Partner Article firms the enthusiasm of club members appointment to many of us who en- 23-27 News Links and the indomitable nature of amateur 28-33 Member joy conducting public observing ses- Observations astronomers! 34-38 Paul Castle Observing sions and doing presentations about Sessions the science of astronomy. The pan- The additional free time also allowed 39-42 84th Annual PAC (virtual) Banquet demic has forced all of us to adjust many of us to redouble our observing 43 Member Years of Service how we conduct business, go to programs and successfully earn awards 44 2020 Awards school, teach, work, play and indulge for doing NCRAL Messier Seasonal Mar- 45 Paul Castle rebuild participants Thank our hobbies. For PAC, the cancella- athons. I am also amazed that PAC did You! tion of public outreach, though disap- not miss any regular club 46 Constellation report / presentation report pointing, has meant that many of us meetings. The last in-person meeting Thank You! had more time on our hands to do at the Butterworth Center was in 47-48 Contributions to Newsletter thank you! astronomy related activities. I may March. It seems like a long time ago 48 Newspaper Article Thank You! be wrong (usually am), but I think now, but remember the April 49 Paul Castle usage this last year has had more club meeting? Rather than cancelling the Thank You! 50 Membership (private) observing sessions than any April meeting (as many other organiza- Application form (Continued in next column) (Continued on next page) 1 (Continued from previous page) ANNOUNCEMENTS / INFO Popular tions did as the virus threatened), Astronomy we decided to try using Zoom vide- NCRAL Club Officers oconferencing to have a joint Seasonal meeting with the Firebaugh Obser- Messier PRESIDENT - Alan Sheidler vatory—and it worked! With that Marathon 3528 56th Street Court, Moline, early success behind us, we have Program IL, 61265 continued using Zoom to conduct Phone: (309) 797-3120 club meetings, and have not missed NCRAL’s Seasonal Messier Marathon VICE PRESIDENT – Dino Milani any of our regular club observing program is NOT designed 2317 29 1/2 Street, Rock Island, to qualify observers for the Astro- meetings. Last month’s October PAC nomical League’s Messier Observing IL, 61201 Banquet was no exception. Can you program; the two programs are unre- Phone: (309) 269-4735 lated and observing requirements are believe it? We had a “virtual” ban- quite different. In the NCRAL pro- SECRETARY - Terry Dufek quet! This 84th annual PAC banquet gram, the main requirement is to 2812 W. 65th Street, Davenport, quickly observe and essentially check featured “food for thought rather IA, 52806 Phone: (563) 386-3509 off items from one of four seasonal than for the stomach”. You can read lists of Messier objects as noted in the section to follow. TREASURER – Dale Hachtel about the banquet here in this news- 1617 Elm Shore Drive, Port Byron letter, but it was a great one. Our NCRAL recognition will consist a suit- IL, 61275 featured speaker was Lisa Wells, re- able printed certificate and a 3⁄4-inch Phone: (614) 935-5748 enameled star pin (a different color mote observer for the Canada- for each season). There will be no ALCOR – Roy E. Gustafson direct cost to the membership for France-Hawaii Telescope on Mauna participating in the award program; 11 Deer Run Road, Orion, IL, Kea. She spoke for over an hour the cost of the program (pins, certifi- 61273 from her office on the Big Island of cates, mailers, postage) will be borne Phone: (309)526-3592 by the Region as a benefit of affilia- Hawaii and even took us on a virtual tion. Relevant program documents DIRECTOR OF OBSERVATORIES - tour of observatory. Mahalo Lisa are linked below Rusty Case 2123 W. 16th Street, Davenport, Wells for a great talk. November NCRAL Seasonal Messier Marathon Pro- th IA, 52804 9 ’s PAC meeting will feature a gram Rules Phone: (563) 349-2444 presentation about Pluto’s geology and internal structure by Adeene NCRAL WINTER Seasonal Messier List PAST PRESIDENT - Denton, PhD student from Purdue Wayland Bauer NCRAL SPRING Seasonal Messier List 3256 Pleasant Drive, Bettendorf, University. You won’t want to miss IA., 52722 this one. Because videoconferencing NCRAL SUMMER Seasonal Messier List Phone: (563) 332-4032 is enabling us to reach well beyond the local community for exciting NCRAL AUTUMN Seasonal Messier List NEWSLETTER EDITOR - Terry Dufek speakers and interesting talks, I think 2812 W. 65th Street, Davenport, it likely videoconferencing will be a IA, 52806 component of all future meetings, in Phone: (563) 386-3509 person or not. Keep looking up! Contact for Information or questions here: Al Sheidler popularastronomy- [email protected] 2 ANNOUNCEMENTS / INFO READY FOR MEMBERSHIP Longtime PAC member Roberta Wright and ThankOR TO RENEW?you for LOOKING FOR her husbandLOOKING Lanny were FOR involved OLDER in a seri- OLDERous car wreck ISSUES on October OF 8 in Moline. Lanny RenewingFor PAC Documents Your Use REFLECTIONSis homeISSUES recuperating OF REFLECTIONS and Roberta remains in “Enrollment Form” NEWSLETTER?the hospitalNEWSLETTER? due to her injuries. She is re- Membership! Click HERE ceiving Occupational, Physical, and Speech Therapy and anticipates being hospitalized Wayland and Anne HISTORY OF PAC? for at least another week. Roberta would Bauer HISTORY OFClick PAC? HERE enjoy receiving cards as she continues the SUBMISSIONS If you haveNancy an article Boelens or photos to submit or road to recovery. Popular Astronomy Club items of interest,Rusty we encourage Case you to send Thanks, Al Popular(Editors Note: Astronomyon If youFacebook? need Roberta's Club address, them in byByron the 25th ofDavies the month. Links to Click HERE onplease Facebook? check membership list or email me storiesTerry are welcome Dufek also. Thank you! ([email protected]) Dale and Joanne Hachtel Paul Levesque Astronomical League Gerald Pearson Observing Programs John Schaub The Astronomical League provides many different Observing Programs. These Observing Programs Alan, Sara, and Eric are designed to provide a direction for your obser- Sheidler vations and to provide a goal. The Observing Pro- Mark Schroeder grams have certificates and pins to recognize the observers’ accomplishments and for demon- Stephen Sinksen stratingstrating their their observingobserving skills skills withwith a avarie- variety of in- Roberta and Lanny Wright ty of instrumentsstruments and and objects objects Check out the Astronomical Click Here League ONLINE ! Check out the North Central Region of the Astronomical League (NCRAL) online 3 University in 1956 and a year later received his Master of Science PASSING Degree from Western Illinois University. He furthered his education with courses at Knox College and Southern Illinois University, to name a few. He married Norma Rae Longlett on June 27, 1959, in Liberty, Illinois. Don began his career in education teaching science and mathematics at ROWVA High School. He later became Professor of Physics and Engineering at Black Hawk College, where he served as Department Chairman, Division Chairman, and Academic Advisor. He was a laboratory and teaching assistant at Western Illinois University. Don was an active member of Doric Lodge No. 319 and Scottish Rite and coordinate bodies. He was a member of Riverside United Methodist Church in Moline, where he was a teacher, part We are saddened to announce the of the Church Council, as well as a passing of Popular Astronomy Club Property Chairman. He enjoyed member Don Anderson on July 23, tending to his garden and 2020. He had 30 years with the club. reading. He also had a keen interest He was 86 years old and living in in astronomy, taking astronomy Bettendorf at the time. courses at the University of Don was born on April 20, 1934, in Tennessee.
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