San Diego Astronomy Association Celebrating Over 50 Years of Astronomical Outreach

September 2018 http://www.sdaa.org A Non-Profit Educational Association P.O. Box 23215, San Diego, CA 92193-3215 September Program Meeting

Date: September 19, 2018 Next SDAA Business Meeting Speaker: Curt Kinghorn September 11th at 7:00pm Topic: Radio Astronomy 7270 Trade Street San Diego, CA 92121

Curt Kinghorn is the Chief Executive Officer and President Next Program Meeting at Kinder Scientific. He is an September 19th at 7:00pm avid amateur radio astronomer Mission Trails Regional Park and frustrated mad scientist. Visitor and Interpretive Center 1 Father Junipero Serra Trail

CONTENTS September 2018, Vol LVI, Issue 9 San Diego Astronomy Association (SDAA) sponsors speakers on a wide range of Published Monthly by the astronomy topics on the third Wednesday of every month at the Mission Trails Regional San Diego Astronomy Association Park Visitors Center. The program meeting begins at 7:00pm. Each attendee receives Incorporated in California in 1963 one free door prize ticket. After announcements and a small amount of business, the Program Meeting...... 1 audience is treated to the featured presentation. At the close of the meeting the door 2018 TDS Schedule...... 1 prizes are presented. The event is open to the public. The Mission Trails Regional Park August Minutes...... 2 Visitors Center is at One Fr. Junipero Serra Trail, San Diego CA 92119. Call the park at Astronomical League Conference.5 619-668-3281 for more information or visit http://www.mtrp.org For Sale...... 9 Julian Natural WonderFest..10 COSPAR Symposium..17 September Calendar...... 18 SDAA Contacts...... 19 Meet the Members...... 20 NASA Space Place Partner Article .21 2018 TDS Star Party Schedule Astronomy Cartoon...... 23 Date Type Sunset Twilight Moon Rise/Set Illumination 9/1/2018 Public 7:13 PM 8:38 PM 11:14 PM 67.20% 9/8/2018 Private 7:03 PM 8:27 PM 6:44 PM 1.40% 10/6/2018 Private 6:26 PM 7:48 PM 5:19 PM 7.80% Newsletter Deadline 10/13/2018 Public 6:17 PM 7:39 PM 9:51 PM 24.70% The deadline to submit articles 11/3/2018 Public 5:55 PM 7:19 PM 2:56 AM 18.60% for publication is the 11/10/2018 Private 4:50 PM 6:15 PM 7:29 PM 11.00% 15th of each month. 12/1/2018 Public 4:42 PM 6:09 PM 1:51 AM 32.30% 12/8/2018 Private 4:42 PM 6:10 PM 6:09 PM 2.50% San Diego Astronomy Association

San Diego Astronomy Association Board of Directors Meeting August 14, 2018- Unapproved and subject to revision

1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:00pm with the following board members in attendance: Dave Wood, President; Kin Searcy, Vice President; Gene Burch, Treasurer; Scott Dixon, Corresponding Secretary; Brian McFarland, Recording Secretary; Jeff Herman, Director; Pat Boyce, Director; Dave Decker, Director. Members in attendance: Gracie Schutze.

2. Approval of Last Meeting Minutes – June meeting minutes approved (July meeting was cancelled due to lack of quorum).

3. Priority / Member Business – An incident at TDS was reported to the Board. Around 2am Monday August 13th, one of our members was in the process of Imaging when a young man went by with a 'white light.' (He was part of a group that drove in with white lights). The member kindly reminded the young man about only using red lights while out, etc. The young man walked past and did not acknowledge the member. The young man walked back and the member again commented about not having a red light. The group the young man was with promptly started cursing at and threatening the member. The member identified himself to the group amid the yelling. Their conversation continued for another 10 minutes or so. The Board is seeking further information about this incident and who these people were.

4. Treasurer’s & Membership Report – Approved. • The audit went well. • Haven’t heard back from the accountant as to our being in compliance. • The accountant finished our taxes. • Insurance came in and was paid. • Need to send our raffle paperwork in September. • Membership remains steady. • Received about $70 from Amazon Smile program. We receive approximately that amount every quarter. • We need to change the check writing and credit authorizations soon.

5. Standard Reports a. Site Maintenance – Site appears to be in great shape. b. Observatory/Loaner Scope Report – The requirements for hosting and using the Lipp telescope isn’t clear. If it isn’t documented anywhere, it needs to be. Recollections by some of the geezers on the Board are as follows: • For hosting, it’s one year of contributing membership plus successfully passing the training class, demonstrating proficiency, and co-hosting. • For private use, host qualifications plus having hosted TBD number of times on TDS Member or Public nights. • The Board is looking for documentation and clarification of these requirements. c. Private Pad Report – . We currently have 4 un-leased pads and 4 people looking to lease pads. Of the 4 pads available, one is pad 36, which really looks like it was added to the pad list as an afterthought. It has never been developed and will be very hard to lease. Of the 4 people looking for pads, one is the current lessee of Pad 1 who is looking to move away from the light trespass from the west. One of the others is looking to set up a remote observatory (like Mike and John). I'm not sure that any of the currently available pads really fit his needs, but I'm working with him to find a suitable location and plan on putting him in touch with Mike and John when we get closer to picking suitable locations so he can develop plans.

San Diego Astronomy Association d. Program Report • Dennis Mammana has confirmed for the program meeting this week and has advertised it on Facebook. September meeting will be on radio astronomy with Curt Kinghorn. October TBD and Kin will ask SDSU. e. September program meeting speaker will be Curt Kinghorn on amateur radio astronomy. f. AISIG Report – Kin presented at the last meeting. Tonight is a combination PixInsight and AISIG meeting at AC Wood’s house. g. Newsletter Report – Andrea continues to do stellar work. h. Website Report – No report. i. Social Media Report – There is nothing new to report for Social Media. Public engagement is steady on Facebook! j. Outreach Report – The latest on our monthly public venue schedules (Thanks Kin Searcy!): Mission Trails Regional Park • No change for meeting schedules. • MTRP - Kumeyaay Lake CG, beginning in September on the FIRST Friday. • MTRP – West Sycamore, beginning in September on the THIRD Friday. SD County Parks • Oakoasis – Remains on the SECOND Saturday. • Sycamore Canyon - Hwy 67, beginning September alternate FOURTH Friday Balboa Park • Stars in the Park, on the Prado, FIRST Wednesday, no change. TDS Public • The TDS schedule for 2019 has been posted on the Outreach and Public calendars. We still have KQ Ranch and Cuyamaca State Park events on August 18, and September 8, and KQ Ranch again on October 27. We also have a few single public events coming up: - September 1: Imperial Beach Library - September 15: Mt. Helix Park - October 13: Astronomy Day, Balboa Park Solar – Permit Request Submitted

For July, here are the numbers:

Totals for Month: Events Completed 8.0 Events Cancelled 1.0 Public Attendance 765.0 Private Attendance 100.0 Total Attendance 865.0 Mem Support: 52.0 Average: Mem/Event: 6.5

Year to Date since January 1 Completed Events since January 1: 53 Public Attendees since Jan 1: 2164 Private Attendees since Jan 1: 2350 Total Attendees since Jan 1: 4514

San Diego Astronomy Association

k. TARO Report • Wires somehow got wrapped around the focuser and filter wheel; Dave W handled it. • TESS is starting to take real data – it arrives about every two weeks. We’ll be generating data in a month or two. • Students in Pat’s program are starting to train up. Looking at as many as 25 to 30 students.

l. Merchandise Report – m. Cruzen Report – Brian is waiting to hear back from the electrician who will do the work. n. Astronomical League Report (Mary Todd) – We attended the Annual Conference (ALCon) of the Astronomical League. John and I really enjoyed the conference. We thought they did an amazing job. There were more than 350 attendees. The basic theme was outreach, but there were workshops on other topics including imaging. There were presentations from some nationally known speakers as well as local experts from the University of Minnesota.

Thank you for the T shirts and business cards. Both were helpful for making contacts. Vivek Vijayakumar and his family approached me in the conference area when they saw the T shirt. Vivek received the first place National Young Astronomer award. They were very pleased that there was a representative present from SDAA. They told me about the youth presentations which were Saturday morning and separate from the awards ceremony at the banquet. His presentation was excellent.

I am working on an article for the newsletter which will provide more detail along with links readers may find interesting.

John Goss, Astronomical League president, suggested that SDAA add a link from our website to the Astronomical League website.

The 2019 ALCon will begin at the Kennedy Space Center to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing. The attendees will then board a boat for a three-day southern skies cruise to the Bahamas for the remainder of the conference.

The 2020 ALCon will be in Albuquerque which will make it within easy reach for SDAA members.

6. Old Business – Audit Committee Report (Attached).

7. New Business • Mike Chasin has had to step down as SDAA president for the time being; he is serving as interim Chief of Heartland Fire and Rescue. Kin Searcy made a motion to conform the email board vote appointing David Wood as president in accordance with the SDAA by-laws. The motion passed unanimously. The board thanks Mike Chasin for his outstanding service as president. • BBQ – will be on October 6th.

8. Adjournment Adjourned at 8:30 pm.

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ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE CONFERENCE 2018 By Mary Todd, SDAA ALCor

My husband and I attended the Astronomical League Convention 2018 in Minneapolis where I had the pleasure of applauding the First Place Winner of the Astronomical League National Young Astronomer Award for Outstanding Achievement in Astronomy, Vivek Vijayakumar. Vivek, one of the newest members of SDAA, is from San Diego and was recently presented an award from SDAA for the San Diego Science and Engineering Fair.

The theme of Astronomical League Convention 2018 (ALCON 2018) was Outreach and readers are referred to the ACON website (alcon2018.astroleague.org/) for these details and others.

San Diego Astronomy Association

Bob Berman columnist for Astronomy Magazine whose column is entitled "Strange Universe" gave tips on star parties that not only engage people but also keep them returning for more in Lessons from Hollywood: How to Create a Great Backyard Sky- Show. Dennis Ammann reports that he finds Berman's column helpful so many ideas are used by our excellent outreach team so these examples might serve as introduction for some and refresh for others. Berman discussed how many new observers may be disappointed in the telescope views as compared with astrophotography images they have viewed. He has found using pictures of objects (as they appear in the telescope) results in more realistic expectations. Use of these pictures also assists in actual observation of objects such as open clusters and/or nebulae to result in feeling of success on the part of the new observer. Then the person is not as likely to be wondering if they really are looking at the object in question. Berman referred to his article entitled Going for the Gold in Astronomy Magazine (1-30-2017) as having additional strategies as well as his book Secrets of the Night Sky (available in the San Diego City library).

Bob King writer of astronomy blog "Astro Bob" encouraged use of the news and/or movies in outreach in Summer Celestial Showstoppers: Getting Excited about the Night Sky. One of his examples included discussion of the current dust storm on Mars which is obscuring the usual details of the image so he would refer to the dust storm that Mat Damon experienced in The Martian. I have started to read his activity-based book Night Sky for the Naked Eye (available at the San Diego County library as well as the RH Fleet shop).

Jay McLaren, Ph.D. Professor of Ophthalmology at the Mayo Clinic gave a detailed presentation on the Eye as an Astronomical Instrument ending with his comments on a list of observing suggestions/reminders for star parties (An example of a comment was for dim objects, he suggested tapping on the eyepiece or tube to create small movement of the image when looking for a faint, indistinct object as the retina is particularly sensitive to objects that move.): Using Our Eyes to be Better Observers- Preserve night vision by using red light. View dim objects with averted vision. Objects with distinct edges are easier to see. Dim targets that move are more visible than stationary ones. The color is out there!

Phil Plait AKA the Bad Astronomer with a doctorate in astronomy presented Science Communication in the Age of Snapchat. He spoke about science and the social milieu and ways that misinformation and false facts are communicated and how amateur astronomers need to be able to communicate effectively. He uses humor and social media presence on his Bad Astronomy website and blog which are devoted to debunking bad science and popular misconceptions. His book Bad Astronomy is also available at the San Diego library.

Pamela Gay, Ph.D. is astronomer and Director of Technology and Citizen Science for Astronomical Society of the Pacific and has a weekly podcast "Astronomy Cast". She presented ways "everyday people" have become involved in citizen science in A Brief History of Amateur Achievements in Science. In Little Things Make a Big Difference, Pranvera Hyseni described the remarkable story of her mission to educate and inspire others in order to change the world or at least Kosovo as she is Founder and Director of Astronomy Outreach of Kosovo. She is definitely an inspiration to anyone who has been discouraged about outreach efforts and has been selected as one of the world-wide Mars Generation's "24 Under 24 Leaders and Innovators in STEAM and Space".

NASA Night Sky Network workshop was presented by David Prosper of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. This involved all the online and physical resources for astronomical information for adults and children alike. (nightskynetwork.org.)

Bob Morrow of "Bob's Knobs" gave a presentation on Telescope Collimation. Unfortunately a rainstorm prevented many people (including my husband and me) from attending what sounded like an excellent and interesting talk.

The Minnesota Astronomy Society Observatory was creative in obtaining use of land for their dark sky sites. 6 San Diego Astronomy Association

Eagle Lake Observatory consists of a class/warming room which hosts presentations and serves as warming house with live video feeds from the observatory telescopes. There is a domed observatory featuring an 8″ TMB design refractor, a Takahashi Mewlon 300 Dall-Kirkham and a SV102 refractor. A roll off observatory contains a dozen telescopes on four observing platforms. The property is leased at $1 per year from a county park. The club provides star parties for park visitors. The buildings were built by the club.

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The JJ Casby observatory features a 10″ TMB f9 refractor driven by an Astro-Physics 3600GTO “El Capitan” mount. This professional quality telescope and mount are accompanied by a TMB 130 f7 scope and a ST 120 guide scope. It is located on a preserve through a partnership arrangement. It is used by club members and by the Saint Paul school district for education. Again, the club built the observatory but does not own the land.

Telescopes available at Cherry grove include 12” and 16″ Meade Schmidt Cassegrain telescopes and a 24″ B.A.D. Starmaster Dobsonian. New in 2018 will be the CGO imaging platform, consisting of a Takahashi FSQ-130 ED refractor, Planewave 12.5″ CDK, plus accessories, all riding on the Mathis Instruments MI-500 German Equatorial Mount. This observatory is on land that is owned by the club.

The members of the Minnesota Astronomical Society worked very hard to produce an excellent conference. We enjoyed all the presentations which we attended and there were even more than mentioned in this article.

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For Sale:

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Julian Natural WonderFest – Something for Everyone By Dennis Ammann, SDAA Center City Outreach Coordinator

As you know, everyone always looks forward to viewing the Perseus Meteor Shower each August and what better way than to make the trek up the mountain to Julian in order to take advantage of the thin air and altitude plus evade the dreaded marine layer of the coastal cities. This year was no exception, with the peak of the meteor shower occurring on Saturday, August 11, 2018 during the first annual Julian Natural WonderFest (JNWF) sponsored by the Julian Chamber of Commerce, at Jess Martin County Park.

Our own SDAA Julian StarFest held each year at the Menghini Winery faded away like a white dwarf back in 2016 after many successful years. This stellar event was run by Bill and Hillary Griffith, who just might have organized the largest four day star party west of the Colorado River those many years… even providing Saturday night free for the general public.

This year the JNWF exploded like a supernova, with over 1,000 people attending from 3:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. and 40 plus amateur astronomers from all over the Southern California present. SDAA members I noticed at JNWF were: Jerry Hilburn, Annette Brown, Vivek Vijayakumar, Jim Bruton, the Jacob, Kathleen, and Katlin Santos family and myself.

JNWF was laid out along the perimeter park road that skirted the baseball field. There were about 20 pop-up tents with various organizations represented, Project Wildlife, Julian Dark Sky Network, Mountain Lion Foundation, just to name a few spread along the perimeter road/outfield. I believe the reptile tent and raptor tent were the most popular. There were non-poisonous snakes of all kinds at the reptile booth to see and hold. At the raptor booth there was a beautiful white barn owl, Harris Hawk, and a falcon to see. They even had a child’s astronomy learning tent where the children could look through books and assemble a little cardboard box, punch holes where the stars were, and insert a tiny led light that they could take home and place in their room at night. The light would shine through five of the sides to outline five constellations. All of these exhibits were available for all to see in the daytime!

Located in right field of this baseball diamond were a stage, microphone stand, and chairs to listen to the speakers from the various groups. There were also two bands that played live music. At dusk, our own, Jerry Hilburn took the mic and informed the spectators about what and where they might look to see the meteor shower. He also pointed out the parade of planets along the ecliptic. This is Jerry’s forte and natural environment… public speaking about all things above us.

As for SDAA telescopes, we were located in center field, inside a corral that JNWF set up for us. We only had two that I’m aware of, they were:

Vivek brought a 10” reflector that he used for his solar project, that won him a 1st Place Award at the 2018 Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair (see the SDAA April 2018 Newsletter).

Jim Bruton set up his 8” reflector.

I brought my 10” Dobsonian telescope which my new assistant Katlin Santos (age 9) operated while my sister and I worked line behind it. Katlin is now an up and coming astronomer who knows where all the planets are, some of the constellations, and can aim a large 70 pound telescope better than many of us seasoned astronomers. She has a major advantage… young eagle eyes. They can spot M31 like it was a full moon! We kept her busy shifting targets all night, with so many to choose from; our observers loved her!

We couldn’t ask for a better night sky with the summer Milky Way stretching high above us from horizon to horizon, the planets lining up along the arc of the ecliptic with Venus shinning like a diamond, brilliant Jupiter, Saturn holding its own, and blazing Mars, so close to us at 4 light minutes, one could reach out and touch it! The only drawback was Mr. Humidity moved in about 11:00 p.m., so we kept our equipment covered and didn’t point straight up. Another disappointment was the meteor shower, on the average most of the crowd saw 5-6 meteors the entire night. The local TV ‘weather guessers’ were predicting 50-100 per hour! Oh well, there’s always next year. My sister, Annette Brown and I called it quits at 1:30 a.m. Sunday, giving up waiting for the meteors to steak by. We loaded up the car and headed back down to the flat lands of San Diego.

The JNWF star party was such a huge success, that the Julian Chamber of Commerce, and Todd Rogelstad and Doug Sollosy from Julian Dark Sky Network will be spearheading their efforts again to make this an even better star party than this first year’s event. Keep your eyes peeled and calendars free for next year’s JNWF!

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A rep from the reptile booth spoke about snakes.

Dennis Ammann holding Mr. Skunk

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Dennis Ammann teaching SDAA member Katlin Santos how to collimate a reflector

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Doug Sollosy’s 17” Dob

Former SDAA member George Vargas & SD Natural History Mu- seum volunteer Bob Gordon holding a Har- ris Hawk

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Mike with Project Wildlife holding a Barn Owl

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SDAA member Annette Brown in her natural environment

3 amigos Dennis Ammann, Annette Brown, & Jerry Hilburn

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SDAA member Vivek Vijayakumar with his 10” reflector

SDAA member Vivek Vijayakumar & his family

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Committee on Space Research Symposium

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September 2018

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 Imperial Beach Library

Public Star Party TDS

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Cuyamaca-Paso Stars in the Park Stars at Mission Picacho Trails Oak Oasis

TDS Member Night

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 New Moon SDAA Business Meeting Girl Scout KQ Ranch Fundraiser Mount Helix Park

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Pixinsight Group

SDAA Program Meeting

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

Full Moon Stars at AISIG Meeting Sycamore Canyon

San Diego Astronomy Association

SDAA Contacts Club Officers and Directors President Dave Wood [email protected] (858) 735-8808 Vice President Kin Searcy [email protected] (858) 586-0974 Recording Secretary Brian McFarland [email protected] (619) 462-4483 Treasurer Gene Burch [email protected] (858) 926-9610 Corresponding Secretary Scott Dixon [email protected] Director Alpha Dave Decker [email protected] (619) 972-1003 Director Beta Jeff Herman [email protected] Director Gamma Pat Boyce [email protected] (619) 227-9614 Director Delta -Vacant- [email protected]

Committees Site Maintenance Bill Quackenbush [email protected] (858) 395-1007 Observatory Director Ed Rumsey [email protected] (858) 722-3846 Private Pads Mark Smith [email protected] (858) 484-0540 Outreach Dave Decker [email protected] (619) 972-1003 N. County Star Parties -Vacant- [email protected] S. County Star Parties -Vacant- [email protected] E. County Star Parties Dave Decker [email protected] (619) 972-1003 Central County Star Parties Dennis Ammann [email protected] (619) 247-2457 Camp with the Stars -Vacant- [email protected] K.Q. Ranch Coordinator Dennis Ammann [email protected] (619) 247-2457 Newsletter Andrea Kuhl [email protected] (858) 547-9887 New Member Mentor Dan Kiser [email protected] (858) 922-0592 Webmaster Jeff Stevens [email protected] (858) 566-2261 AISIG Dave Wood [email protected] (858) 735-8808 Site Acquisition -Vacant- [email protected] Field Trips -Vacant- [email protected] Grants/Fund Raising -Vacant- [email protected] Julian StarFest -Vacant- [email protected] Merchandising -Vacant- [email protected] Publicity Jeff Flynn [email protected] Loaner Scopes Ed Rumsey [email protected] (858) 722-3846 Governing Documents TBD TDS Network Dave Wood [email protected] (858) 735-8808 Amateur Telescope Making -Vacant- ALCOR (Astronomical League Correspondent) Mary Todd [email protected] (858) 560-2052

Have a great new piece of gear? Read an astronomy-related book that you think others should know about? How about a photograph of an SDAA Member in action? Or are you simply tired of seeing these Boxes in the Newsletter rather SDAA Editorial Staff than something, well, interesting? Editor - Andrea Kuhl [email protected] Join the campaign to rid the Newsletter of little boxes by sharing them with the Assistant Editor: Craig Ewing membership. In return for your efforts, you will get your very own byline or photograph credit in addition to the undying gratitude of the Newsletter Editor. Just send your article or picture to [email protected]. 19 San Diego Astronomy Association

Meet the Members

Our new President, Dave Wood, with the TARO scope that he works on tirelessly. Dave also is the Master Chef that does all the cooking at the annual BBQs and work parties at TDS.

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NASA Space Place Partner Article September 2018

This article is distributed by NASA Space Place. With articles, activities and games NASA Space Place encourages everyone to get excited about science and technology. Visit spaceplace.nasa.gov to explore space and Earth science!

A Trip Through the Milky Way By Jane Houston Jones and Jessica Stoller-Conrad

Feeling like you missed out on planning a last vacation of summer? Don’t worry—you can still take a late summertime road trip along the Milky Way!

The waning days of summer are upon us, and that means the Sun is setting earlier now. These earlier sunsets reveal a starry sky bisected by the Milky Way. Want to see this view of our home galaxy? Head out to your favorite dark sky getaway or to the darkest city park or urban open space you can find.

While you’re out there waiting for a peek at the Milky Way, you’ll also have a great view of the planets in our solar system. Keep an eye out right after sunset and you can catch a look at Venus. If you have binoculars or a telescope, you’ll see Venus’s phase change dramatically during September—from nearly half phase to a larger, thinner crescent.

Jupiter, Saturn and reddish Mars are next in the sky, as they continue their brilliant appearances this month. To see them, look southwest after sunset. If you’re in a dark sky and you look above and below Saturn, you can’t miss the summer Milky Way spanning the sky from southwest to northeast.

You can also use the summer constellations to help you trace a path across the Milky Way. For example, there’s Sagittarius, where stars and some brighter clumps appear as steam from a teapot. Then there is Aquila, where the Eagle’s bright Star Altair combined with Cygnus’s Deneb and Lyra’s Vega mark what’s called the “summer triangle.” The familiar W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia completes the constellation trail through the summer Milky Way. Binoculars will reveal double stars, clusters and nebulae all along the Milky Way.

Between Sept. 12 and 20, watch the Moon pass from near Venus, above Jupiter, to the 21 left of Saturn and finally above Mars! San Diego Astronomy Association

NASA Space Place Partner Article September 2018 This month, both Neptune and brighter Uranus can also be spotted with some help from a telescope. To see them, look in the southeastern sky at 1 a.m. or later. If you stay awake, you can also find Mercury just above Earth’s eastern horizon shortly before sunrise. Use the Moon as a guide on Sept. 7 and 8.

Although there are no major meteor showers in August, cometary dust appears in another late summer sight, the morning zodiacal light. Zodiacal light looks like a cone of soft light in the night sky. It is produced when sunlight is scattered by dust in our solar system. Try looking for it in the east right before sunrise on the moonless mornings of Sept. 8 through Sept 23.

You can catch up on all of NASA’s current—and future—missions at www.nasa.gov

Caption: This illustration shows how the summer constellations trace a path across the Milky Way. To get the best views, head out to the darkest sky you can find. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION Send dues and renewals to P.O. Box 23215, San Diego, CA 92193-3215. Include any renewal cards from Sky & Telescope or Astronomy magazine in which you wish to continue your subscription. The expiration date shown on your newsletter’s mailing label is the only notice that your membership in SDAA will expire. Dues are $60 for Contributing Memberships; $35 for Basic Membership; $60.00 for Private Pads; $5 for each Family membership. In addition to the club dues the annual rates for magazines available at the club discount are: Sky & Telescope $32.95 and Astronomy $34. Make checks payable to S.D. Astronomy Assn. PLEASE DO 23 NOT send renewals directly to Sky Publishing. They return them to us for processing.