DOCSLIB.ORG

The Spectrum the Spectrum

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

The Spectrum The News Letter of the Buffalo Astronomical Association VVoolluummee 1x2x Issue 1x JanMuoanryth//FMebornutahryYe2a0r10 Presidents Corner Happy Happy… I hope the holidays were peaceful and joy filled and your stockings filled with all sorts of cool astronomy stuff to play with in the new year. I’m writing this in the closing days of the International Year of Astronomy, reflecting back on a very busy year of programs. I missed In this Issue... Mike’s year in review summary at this year’s Holiday Party… I In this Issue... hope he’ll find time to make it for a future meeting. One day I Page 1: Presidents Corner am going to sit down and watch the hour long video my Page 2: brother­in­law captured of Cliff Stoll bounding up and down NASA News Hamlin Hall at our dinner banquet… will be sure to take some Page 4: soothing medication first. New Book Ken Kimble Up and coming… Page 5: BAA Dinner Our January meeting (January 8th) will follow recent tradition Page 6: as we gather at Williamsville North Planetarium. BAA member SIGs and Planetarium Director Mark Percy will present two new Page 7: programs for the us: Bad Astronomy will debunk common January Meeting misconceptions about the Universe and help make "good" Holiday Nebula Filter astronomers of us all. IBEX: Search for the Edge of the Solar Demo System details the IBEX spacecraft's mission to explore the Page 8: outer realm of the solar system using energetic neutral atom What's up (ENA) imaging to create the first global mapping of the region Page 11: where solar wind ends and interstellar space begins. Arrive at BAA Annals 7:00pm for hot cider and a good seat – the shows begin Page 12: promptly at 7:30. Universal Thanks Evening Star On February 12th we return to our new meeting room at Buffalo State (Classroom building C122). Our speaker will be Peggy Slonicki rare book librarian at the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library who will present Milestones of Astronomy, a talk Continued on page 3 NASA News clouds and the time of day. A nightime Bob Hughes launch can probably be seen longer than a daytime launch. I was able to observe the I have accepted the invitation made by nightime launch of STS­126 into clear skies our Spectrum editor Mike Benz at the for almost 7 minutes from a vantage point November BAA meeting to write an in Titusville which is 12 miles west of pad article about space exploration. I hope 39A. I saw the shuttle light up nightime sky to make this a regular series of articles like a rapid sunrise. about manned and unmanned space missions with an emphasis on After 1 minute I could hear the loud rumble astronomical space missions. of the shuttle rocket engines. The solid rocket booster separation could easily be The year 2010 will mark the end of the observed at the 2 minute mark after which space shuttle era with a series of 5 shuttle the shuttle, like a moving Venus, moving launches to the International Space Station Northward and upward for the next 5 (ISS). The 2010 NASA launch schedule, minutes till it finally disappeared out of which can be accessed at sight. http://www.nasa.gov/missions/highlights/sc hedule.html, lists the 5 Space shuttle After the STS­126 launch there were heavy launches, STS­130, STS­131, STS­132, traffic jams in the Titusville area especially STS­134 and the final Space Shuttle on the routes back to Orlando so be mission STS­133. prepared for this. Be aware all remaining shuttle launches are missions to the The best areas see a shuttle launch from International Space Station (ISS). For each the ground, up into space are along the Shuttle ISS rendezvous mission there is Indian River at Titusville or the Route only a 10 minute launch "window" with the 508/A1A Causeway to Port Canaveral south exact time of the shuttle launch at the of the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Please midpoint of that window on the scheduled note that tickets to view the shuttle launch day. launches from the NASA Visitors Complex or from the NASA Causeway are currently not If there is technical problem or a bad available. weather at the time of the window the launch will be scrubbed till the next To determine if the Shuttle launchpad available launch window which usually (Complex 39A) can be seen from your occurs 24 hours plus 20 minutes later the vantage point look for the Vehicle Assembly next day. There is no point waiting around if Building (VAB). If you can see this large the scheduled launch time has passed. white cube looking building you should be able to see the shuttle Complex 39A which I highly recommend you bring along a is 2 miles North of the VAB. A shuttle launch police scanner and program the frequency unfolds very quickly like a total solar 146.94 mhz which can be heard in the Cape eclipse. You will only be able to see the Canaveral/ Titusville area. Shuttle to shuttle for only a couple of minutes. Capcom communications and NASA public announcements on the shuttle launch The amount of time the shuttle is visible status can be heard on this frequency so depends on whether there are intervening Continued on page 3 Page 2 Prez Corner continued... Nasa continued... you can be informed if the shuttle launch is centered on the incredible collection of rare scrubbed. There is a lot more I could talk books and historic writing that can be found about in relation to the space shuttle in the collection of our own downtown launches but I would like to move on to library. Starting with a work by Aristarchus write about 2 upcoming astronomical space of Samos republished in 1572, the missions which will be put into orbit soon. presentation will touch on major discoveries in astronomy through the 19th and early The first of these missions is the Wide­field 20th century as described in first edition Infrared Survey Explorer(WISE) mission publications by Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, which should already be launched 12/14/09 William Herschel and LaPlace. by the time you read this article. The WISE And while your 2010 calendar is out, be mission will have a sensitive infrared sure to reserve Saturday evening, March telescope cooled to 30 degrees Kelvin 13th for our annual dinner banquet. WIVB which will launched into a polar orbit. This weatherman Don Paul will be our special telescope will be 500,000 times more guest speaker… the details on reservations sensitive than the Cosmic Background will follow soon. Explorer (COBE) and 1000 time more sensitive than IRAS. What’s New… This mission will last 7 months and will generate 1.5 million infrared images over Why… members and more members! Thirty­ that time period. The other astronomical five have joined the BAA during the mission I will discuss is The Solar Dynamics International Year of Astronomy and though Observatory (SDO). This mission is a high I’ve welcomed a few in an earlier column, I resolution solar observing satellite that is am way remiss for many others… hence, scheduled to be launched 2/3/2010 from apologies and a hearty ahoy to: Cape Canaveral into a geosynchronous orbit. It will relay what is being described Matt & Phyllis Andrews, Dave & Melissa as an avalanche of data to an antenna Bogert, Randy Boswell, Carl Byers, located in Los Crucis New Mexico. This Stephanie Carmichael, Robert Cox, Bryan satellite has state of the art Czerwinski, Katherine Daly, Ron & Delphine instrumentation and computer power and Dekanski, Kevin Duggan, Jack Ewing, will be able to study new found solar Steven Hapeman, Patricia Harris, Luai & phenomenon like subsurface solar jet Daser Ibrahim, Brendan Kilcoyne, Jonathan streams. Kranock, Darand Land, John Marino I covered a lot of space in this article so I (welcome back, John), Jerad Marx, James will wrap it up. In upcoming articles I will Minter, Malcolm & Renee Oubre, Zachery discuss the improvements to the Hubble Pace, Paul Robinson, Douglas Rollain, Space Telescope (HST) and other space Christopher Smith, Hugo Tavarez, Robert missions such as the Spirit and Opportunity Wengewicz, James Wilson and Irene Mars Rovers. Ziarnowski… we are happy you are here. See you in the To all my BAA friends, good health, clear next Spectrum. skies and very best wishes! Alan Page 3 New Book Publication By BAA impacts a main sequence star its kinetic Member energy is transferred to the star, because a low pressure wake is formed on the Hubble Space Telescope Identifies downstream side of the star. Dark Energy Using Hubble, and other observatory Cenkner, August A. Jr., B.A., B.S., M.S., images, it is shown that the three Ph.D., dimensional pushing behavior of this ISBN: 978­1­4490­1134­5 (sc) spherical shock wave results in the LOC Control Number: 2009907731 acceleration of galaxies (i.e. dark energy) B&W and much more – for example the eventual 90 pgs evolution of: revolving astronomical bodies, 8.5x11 galaxies, Galaxy Streams, Voids, Walls, 8/3/2009 Clusters, colliding galaxies, and galaxies www.authorhouse.com with relative motions away from and $10.70 toward earth. INTRODUCTION Ken Kimble Rowland A. Rupp Astronomical data that was obtained by the Former BAA member Ken Kimble was very Hubble space telescope, and other active in club affairs in the late 1970s observatories, were reviewed for any though the 1980s. He served as Secretary information that would shed light on the from 1980 to 1986, was elected to the identification of dark energy – the BAA's college of Fellows in 1985, wrote the mysterious repulsive force that accelerated BAA Annals in the early 1980s and at the far away galaxies.
Recommended publications
  • BAV Rundbrief Nr. 3 (2014)

    BAV Rundbrief Nr. 3 (2014)

    BAV Rundbrief 2014 | Nr. 3 | 63. Jahrgang | ISSN 0405-5497 Bundesdeutsche Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Veränderliche Sterne e.V. (BAV) BAV Rundbrief 2014 | Nr. 3 | 63. Jahrgang | ISSN 0405-5497 Table of Contents G. Maintz Revised elements of AP CVn and BH Ser 137 R. Gröbel Lightcurve and period of four RR Lyrae stars in Ursa Major: AG UMa, AV UMa, BK UMa and CK UMa 139 Inhaltsverzeichnis G. Maintz Verbesserte Elemente von AP CVn und BH Ser 137 R. Gröbel Lichtkurve und Periode von vier RR-Lyrae-Sternen in Ursa Major: AG UMa, AV UMa, BK UMa und CK UMa 139 Beobachtungsberichte D. Böhme Ist MP Gem ein Bedeckungsveränderlicher? 146 E. Pollmann / Zwischenergebnisse der 28-Tau-Kampagne 149 W. Vollmann F. Vohla U Orionis - ein (B-R)-Schelm 152 K. Wenzel Visuelle Lichtkurve von S5 0716+71 für den Beobachtungszeit- raum von August 2013 bis April 2014 154 K. Bernhard / Datamining leicht gemacht: Onlinekataloge für Einsteiger 155 S. Hümmerich Aus der Literatur Uni Bonn Spektakuläre Doppelexplosion am Sternenhimmel 161 E. Wischnewski Beobachtungsaufruf für Eta Orionis 163 Aus der BAV D. Bannuscher Neuigkeiten aus dem BAV-Vereinsleben 164 BAV-Vorstand BAV-Tagung Programmpunkte 165 D. Bannuscher Veränderlichenbeobachter-Treffen 2014 in Hartha 167 J. Hübscher Die systematische Überwachung veränderlicher Sterne durch BAV-Beobachter 170 W. Braune Veränderliche Sterne in „Sterne und Weltraum“ 174 T. Lange Rudolf Obertrifter ist verstorben 175 P. Reinhard Erlebnisbericht Namibia 2014 176 Aus den Sektionen F. Walter Bericht der Sektion „Bedeckungsveränderliche“ 2012 - 2014 178 G. Maintz Bericht der Sektion RR-Lyrae-Sterne 2012 - 2014 179 G. Monninger Bericht der Sektion Delta-Scuti-Sterne 2012 - 2014 180 R.
  • Thanet Astronomy Group Astronomy for Everyone in Plain English

    Thanet Astronomy Group Astronomy for Everyone in Plain English

    Thanet Astronomy Group Astronomy for Everyone in Plain English What to see December 29th Constellation (Orion) Stars (Betelguese, Bellatrix, Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka, Rigel, Saiph,) Asterism (The Winter Triangle) Stars (Betelguese, Sirius, Procyon) November to March the constellation Orion the Hunter is at its best. There are some 20 prominent stars in this constellation. The brightest and more easily observed stars are the 8 in the main body. The other stars form Orion's right arm with club, and a slain animal in his left hand. These stars are dimmer and difficult to see due to light pollution. At 8:00pm Looking South East at 119° up to 30° you see the star Betelguese, the top left corner of Orion, a red super giant, more than 1½ billion kms in diameter. Look at 127° up to 33° you see the star Bellatrix, the top right corner of Orion, at 8½ million kms in diameter. Look at 128° down to 24° you see Alnitak, the first of three stars side by side, forming Orion's belt. Alnitak, Alnilam (at 128° 25°) and Mintaka (at 129° 26°). Probably one of the more easily recognised groups of stars in this area of sky. Look at 137° down to 21° you see the star Rigel, the bottom right corner of Orion. A blue/white super giant, 108 million kms in diameter. Look at 130° down to 16° you see the star Saiph the bottom left corner of Orion, nearly 31 million kms in diameter. Orion Stars Orion the Hunter In August I wrote about The Summer Triangle.
  • C. Mintaka, Alnitak, Alnilam

    C. Mintaka, Alnitak, Alnilam

    Post-18.1: This graph shows the functional form of the dependence of the parallax angle on the distance an object is from Earth. If the minimum parallax angle we could measure were 0.5 arcsec, what is the maximum distance of a star that we could measure? a. ~ 1.00 arcsec b. ~ 2.2 pc c. ~ 10 pc ©2014 W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. 8 Post-18.1: This graph shows the functional form of the dependence of the parallax angle on the distance an object is from Earth. If the minimum parallax angle we could measure were 0.5 arcsec, what is the maximum distance of a star that we could measure? a. ~ 1.00 arcsec b. ~ 2.2 pc c. ~ 10 pc ©2014 W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. 9 Post-18.2: The Moon never stops in its orbit; however, it is possible to get an exact measurement of its parallax and thus its distance at any given moment. How would we get the parallax shift of the Moon? a. Take simultaneous measurements from two locations. b. Take two measurements at different times from one location. c. Take two measurements from the same location at the same phase of the Moon. ©2014 W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. 10 Post-18.2: The Moon never stops in its orbit; however, it is possible to get an exact measurement of its parallax and thus its distance at any given moment. How would we get the parallax shift of the Moon? a. Take simultaneous measurements from two locations. b. Take two measurements at different times from one location.
  • Winter Constellations

    Winter Constellations

    Winter Constellations *Orion *Canis Major *Monoceros *Canis Minor *Gemini *Auriga *Taurus *Eradinus *Lepus *Monoceros *Cancer *Lynx *Ursa Major *Ursa Minor *Draco *Camelopardalis *Cassiopeia *Cepheus *Andromeda *Perseus *Lacerta *Pegasus *Triangulum *Aries *Pisces *Cetus *Leo (rising) *Hydra (rising) *Canes Venatici (rising) Orion--Myth: Orion, the great ​ ​ hunter. In one myth, Orion boasted he would kill all the wild animals on the earth. But, the earth goddess Gaia, who was the protector of all animals, produced a gigantic scorpion, whose body was so heavily encased that Orion was unable to pierce through the armour, and was himself stung to death. His companion Artemis was greatly saddened and arranged for Orion to be immortalised among the stars. Scorpius, the scorpion, was placed on the opposite side of the sky so that Orion would never be hurt by it again. To this day, Orion is never seen in the sky at the same time as Scorpius. DSO’s ● ***M42 “Orion Nebula” (Neb) with Trapezium A stellar ​ ​ ​ nursery where new stars are being born, perhaps a thousand stars. These are immense clouds of interstellar gas and dust collapse inward to form stars, mainly of ionized hydrogen which gives off the red glow so dominant, and also ionized greenish oxygen gas. The youngest stars may be less than 300,000 years old, even as young as 10,000 years old (compared to the Sun, 4.6 billion years old). 1300 ly. ​ ​ 1 ● *M43--(Neb) “De Marin’s Nebula” The star-forming ​ “comma-shaped” region connected to the Orion Nebula. ● *M78--(Neb) Hard to see. A star-forming region connected to the ​ Orion Nebula.
  • Winter Observing Notes

    Winter Observing Notes

    Wynyard Planetarium & Observatory Winter Observing Notes Wynyard Planetarium & Observatory PUBLIC OBSERVING – Winter Tour of the Sky with the Naked Eye NGC 457 CASSIOPEIA eta Cas Look for Notice how the constellations 5 the ‘W’ swing around Polaris during shape the night Is Dubhe yellowish compared 2 Polaris to Merak? Dubhe 3 Merak URSA MINOR Kochab 1 Is Kochab orange Pherkad compared to Polaris? THE PLOUGH 4 Mizar Alcor Figure 1: Sketch of the northern sky in winter. North 1. On leaving the planetarium, turn around and look northwards over the roof of the building. To your right is a group of stars like the outline of a saucepan standing up on it’s handle. This is the Plough (also called the Big Dipper) and is part of the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear. The top two stars are called the Pointers. Check with binoculars. Not all stars are white. The colour shows that Dubhe is cooler than Merak in the same way that red-hot is cooler than white-hot. 2. Use the Pointers to guide you to the left, to the next bright star. This is Polaris, the Pole (or North) Star. Note that it is not the brightest star in the sky, a common misconception. Below and to the right are two prominent but fainter stars. These are Kochab and Pherkad, the Guardians of the Pole. Look carefully and you will notice that Kochab is slightly orange when compared to Polaris. Check with binoculars. © Rob Peeling, CaDAS, 2007 version 2.0 Wynyard Planetarium & Observatory PUBLIC OBSERVING – Winter Polaris, Kochab and Pherkad mark the constellation Ursa Minor, the Little Bear.
  • Rochester Skies

    Rochester Skies

    A S T R O N O M Y Rochester Skies First Newsletter ¨ Freezing Star-Party ¨ March Over Rochester ¨ Constellation Prize Rochester Astronomy Club Newsletter Issue #1 Winter ‘06 RAC Grows Up Constellation Prize Star Party The Rochester Astron- From our favorite Our coldest month omy Club has been meeting segment, turns out one of growing. As the size Randy Hemann will our best attended increases, so do the lead us by the optics Star Parties. Dean possibilities. If you are through the constel- Johnson fills us in on curious what RAC is lation Hydra, point- Eagle Bluff January. all about, take a look at ing out deep sky gems “Who We Are...” along the way. Page 1 Page 3 Page 4 ing to feel some growing pains. First Newsletter We appreciate feedback and Rochester Skies Welcome to the first newsletter of the encourage participation. If you Contents Rochester Astronomy Club. We hope have ideas, articles or images, March Over Rochester Pg 2 you find it fun and informative. You please submit them. Hunting the Hunter Pg 8 might even want to keep it around— It’s a Little Known Fact Pg 11 could be worth something someday! “Rochester Skies In the Beginning is a newsletter by the Pg 11 We hope this newsletter will be- club, for the club.” Satellite Satellbright Pg 10 come a source of anticipation for Up-Coming Events Pg 12 our members. As we ramp up If you have questions, comments or material for the Rochester Skies newsletter, our editorial process, we are go- please contact our lead editor Duane Deal at [email protected] A.
  • Educator's Guide: Orion

    Educator's Guide: Orion

    Legends of the Night Sky Orion Educator’s Guide Grades K - 8 Written By: Dr. Phil Wymer, Ph.D. & Art Klinger Legends of the Night Sky: Orion Educator’s Guide Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………....3 Constellations; General Overview……………………………………..4 Orion…………………………………………………………………………..22 Scorpius……………………………………………………………………….36 Canis Major…………………………………………………………………..45 Canis Minor…………………………………………………………………..52 Lesson Plans………………………………………………………………….56 Coloring Book…………………………………………………………………….….57 Hand Angles……………………………………………………………………….…64 Constellation Research..…………………………………………………….……71 When and Where to View Orion…………………………………….……..…77 Angles For Locating Orion..…………………………………………...……….78 Overhead Projector Punch Out of Orion……………………………………82 Where on Earth is: Thrace, Lemnos, and Crete?.............................83 Appendix………………………………………………………………………86 Copyright©2003, Audio Visual Imagineering, Inc. 2 Legends of the Night Sky: Orion Educator’s Guide Introduction It is our belief that “Legends of the Night sky: Orion” is the best multi-grade (K – 8), multi-disciplinary education package on the market today. It consists of a humorous 24-minute show and educator’s package. The Orion Educator’s Guide is designed for Planetarians, Teachers, and parents. The information is researched, organized, and laid out so that the educator need not spend hours coming up with lesson plans or labs. This has already been accomplished by certified educators. The guide is written to alleviate the fear of space and the night sky (that many elementary and middle school teachers have) when it comes to that section of the science lesson plan. It is an excellent tool that allows the parents to be a part of the learning experience. The guide is devised in such a way that there are plenty of visuals to assist the educator and student in finding the Winter constellations.
  • GTO Keypad Manual, V5.001

    GTO Keypad Manual, V5.001

    ASTRO-PHYSICS GTO KEYPAD Version v5.xxx Please read the manual even if you are familiar with previous keypad versions Flash RAM Updates Keypad Java updates can be accomplished through the Internet. Check our web site www.astro-physics.com/software-updates/ November 11, 2020 ASTRO-PHYSICS KEYPAD MANUAL FOR MACH2GTO Version 5.xxx November 11, 2020 ABOUT THIS MANUAL 4 REQUIREMENTS 5 What Mount Control Box Do I Need? 5 Can I Upgrade My Present Keypad? 5 GTO KEYPAD 6 Layout and Buttons of the Keypad 6 Vacuum Fluorescent Display 6 N-S-E-W Directional Buttons 6 STOP Button 6 <PREV and NEXT> Buttons 7 Number Buttons 7 GOTO Button 7 ± Button 7 MENU / ESC Button 7 RECAL and NEXT> Buttons Pressed Simultaneously 7 ENT Button 7 Retractable Hanger 7 Keypad Protector 8 Keypad Care and Warranty 8 Warranty 8 Keypad Battery for 512K Memory Boards 8 Cleaning Red Keypad Display 8 Temperature Ratings 8 Environmental Recommendation 8 GETTING STARTED – DO THIS AT HOME, IF POSSIBLE 9 Set Up your Mount and Cable Connections 9 Gather Basic Information 9 Enter Your Location, Time and Date 9 Set Up Your Mount in the Field 10 Polar Alignment 10 Mach2GTO Daytime Alignment Routine 10 KEYPAD START UP SEQUENCE FOR NEW SETUPS OR SETUP IN NEW LOCATION 11 Assemble Your Mount 11 Startup Sequence 11 Location 11 Select Existing Location 11 Set Up New Location 11 Date and Time 12 Additional Information 12 KEYPAD START UP SEQUENCE FOR MOUNTS USED AT THE SAME LOCATION WITHOUT A COMPUTER 13 KEYPAD START UP SEQUENCE FOR COMPUTER CONTROLLED MOUNTS 14 1 OBJECTS MENU – HAVE SOME FUN!
  • Atlas Menor Was Objects to Slowly Change Over Time

    Atlas Menor Was Objects to Slowly Change Over Time

    C h a r t Atlas Charts s O b by j Objects e c t Constellation s Objects by Number 64 Objects by Type 71 Objects by Name 76 Messier Objects 78 Caldwell Objects 81 Orion & Stars by Name 84 Lepus, circa , Brightest Stars 86 1720 , Closest Stars 87 Mythology 88 Bimonthly Sky Charts 92 Meteor Showers 105 Sun, Moon and Planets 106 Observing Considerations 113 Expanded Glossary 115 Th e 88 Constellations, plus 126 Chart Reference BACK PAGE Introduction he night sky was charted by western civilization a few thou - N 1,370 deep sky objects and 360 double stars (two stars—one sands years ago to bring order to the random splatter of stars, often orbits the other) plotted with observing information for T and in the hopes, as a piece of the puzzle, to help “understand” every object. the forces of nature. The stars and their constellations were imbued with N Inclusion of many “famous” celestial objects, even though the beliefs of those times, which have become mythology. they are beyond the reach of a 6 to 8-inch diameter telescope. The oldest known celestial atlas is in the book, Almagest , by N Expanded glossary to define and/or explain terms and Claudius Ptolemy, a Greco-Egyptian with Roman citizenship who lived concepts. in Alexandria from 90 to 160 AD. The Almagest is the earliest surviving astronomical treatise—a 600-page tome. The star charts are in tabular N Black stars on a white background, a preferred format for star form, by constellation, and the locations of the stars are described by charts.
  • January 2015 BRAS Newsletter

    January 2015 BRAS Newsletter

    January, 2015 Next Meeting: January 12th at 7PM at HRPO Artist concept of New Horizons. For more info on it and its mission to Pluto, click on the image. What's In This Issue? President's Message Astro Short: Wild Weather on WASP -43b Secretary's Summary Message From HRPO IYL and 20/20 Vision Campaign Recent BRAS Forum Entries Observing Notes by John Nagle President's Message Welcome to a new year. I can see lots to be excited about this year. First up are the Rockafeller retreat and Hodges Gardens Star Party. Go to our website for details: www.brastro.org Almost like a Christmas present from heaven, Comet Lovejoy C/2014 Q2 underwent a sudden brightening right before Christmas. Initially it was expected to be about magnitude 8 at its brightest but right after Christmas it became visible to the naked eye. At the time of this writing, it may become as bright as magnitude 4.5 or 4. As January progresses, the comet will move farther north, and higher in the sky for us. Now all we need is for these clouds to move out…. If any of you received (or bought yourself) any astronomical related goodies for Christmas and would like to show them off, bring them to the next meeting. Interesting geeky goodies qualify also, like that new drone or 3D printer. BRAS members are invited to a star party hosted by a group called the Lake Charles Free Thinkers. It will be January 24, 2015 from 3:00 PM on, at 5335 Hwy.
  • Supernova Star Maps

    Supernova Star Maps

    Supernova Star Maps Which Stars in the Night Sky Will Go Su pernova? About the Activity Allow visitors to experience finding stars in the night sky that will eventually go supernova. Topics Covered Observation of stars that will one day go supernova Materials Needed • Copies of this month's Star Map for your visitors- print the Supernova Information Sheet on the back. • (Optional) Telescopes A S A Participants N t i d Activities are appropriate for families Cre with children over the age of 9, the general public, and school groups ages 9 and up. Any number of visitors may participate. Location and Timing This activity is perfect for a star party outdoors and can take a few minutes, up to 20 minutes, depending on the Included in This Packet Page length of the discussion about the Detailed Activity Description 2 questions on the Supernova Helpful Hints 5 Information Sheet. Discussion can start Supernova Information Sheet 6 while it is still light. Star Maps handouts 7 Background Information There is an Excel spreadsheet on the Supernova Star Maps Resource Page that lists all these stars with all their particulars. Search for Supernova Star Maps here: http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/download-search.cfm © 2008 Astronomical Society of the Pacific www.astrosociety.org Copies for educational purposes are permitted. Additional astronomy activities can be found here: http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov Star Maps: Stars likely to go Supernova! Leader’s Role Participants’ Role (Anticipated) Materials: Star Map with Supernova Information sheet on back Objective: Allow visitors to experience finding stars in the night sky that will eventually go supernova.
  • December 2013

    December 2013

    Contact information: Inside this issue: InfoInfo OfficerOfficer (General(General Info)Info) – [email protected]@fortworthastro.com Website Administrator – [email protected] Postal Address: Page Fort Worth Astronomical Society Club Event Calendar 3 3812 Fenton Avenue Fort Worth, TX 76133 This Month’s Celestial Events 4 Web Site: http://www.fortworthastro.org Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/3eutb22 Lunar Ephemeris 4 Twitter:http://twitter.com/ftwastro Yahoo! eGroup (members only):: http://tinyurl.com/7qu5vkn New Members/AL Awards 5 Officers (2013-2014): Young Astronomers 5 President – Jim Murray, [email protected] Vice President – Matt Reed,[email protected] – Cloudy Night Library 6 Sec/Tres – Lewis Westerfield, [email protected] Board Members: “The Once and Future FWAS” 7 2012-2014 Phil Stage AL Observing Club Highlight of 8 Bruce Cowles the Month 2013-2015 - Constellation of the Month 9 Bill Nichols Jim Craft Mythology of... 10 Cover Photo: Comet ISON comes in from the bottom right and November’s Full Moon Name 11 moves out toward the upper right, getting fainter and fainter, in this time-lapse image from the General Club Information 12 ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. The image of the sun at the center is from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. Prior Club Meeting Minutes 13 ESA/NASA/SOHO/SDO/GSFC Observing Site Reminders: FWAS Foto Files 14 Be careful with fire, mind all local burn bans! Dark Site Usage Requirements (ALL MEMBERS): Maintain Dark-Sky Etiquette (http://tinyurl.com/75hjajy) Turn out your headlights at the gate! Cred it s Sign the logbook (in camo-painted storage shed.