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at’s Up for March

The Local Group - Astronomy Club of the Santa Clarita Valley – March 2020

Visit our Web Site at www.lgscv.org Volume 37 Issue 9

At our Local Group Astronomy Club monthly club meetings, members and guests have an excellent opportunity to hear interesting, educational presentations about all aspects of astronomy. Furthermore, it’s an ideal venue to meet others who share an interest in the enjoyment of learning and exploring this rewarding field. Whether you’re just getting started in exploring the night skies, or you’re a seasoned amateur astronomer, our Local Group meetings are great learning, sharing and socializing events. Our March monthly meeting will be held in a different location than usual because of the voting activity at the Valencia Library. It will take place at the University Center Building at the College of the Canyons, Valencia Campus. The meeting will be held from 7 pm to 9 pm in Room 107, located on the first floor of the University Center. To get to the University Center Building, take Rockwell Canyon Road from Valencia Blvd, turn right on University Drive. We will enjoy two presentations at our March meeting. Dave Flynn will address the mystery question: “What is Going On with Betelgeuse?” We’ll then enjoy a presentation by a guest lecturer, Tim Robertson, on “The Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO)- Past Present and Future.” Please plan to arrive a bit earlier so you can meet members and fellow guests before the start of the meeting

We look forward to seeing you at the meeting! Meanwhile, clear skies!

Monthly Club Meeting Thursday, March 13, 2020

Our February monthly club meeting highlight was a very informative presentation by Van Webster on and eyepiece optics. Van explained, with various examples, how an understanding of the type, quality, and variation in parameters of telescope and eyepiece optics can make a substantial difference between an exceptional viewing experience and a mediocre one. We not only learned about the fundamental differences among the various types of telescope designs e.g. refracting, reflecting, Schmidt Cassegrain; we also learned about the significance and relationship amongst parameters such as the type of construction, aperture, focal length and f ratio. Van also explained the types of optical eyepieces, their various benefits and limitations, and what to consider when selecting an eyepiece to use with for various types of sky observing. A big takeaway that I gleaned from the presentation: while cost certainly plays a role in the purchasing of a telescope and its accessories, understanding what their designs each provide, both strengths and drawbacks, is equally as important, if not more important than the amount of dollars spent. That’s why it’s important to do some research, check out different types of at our party events and ask questions. In short, it pays to do your homework!

Astronomy Quiz Time!

I'm the goddess of agriculture and fertility, but the loss of my daughter for six months of the sends the world into winter. So how did I, as a dwarf planet, end up as the largest object in the asteroid belt separating the terrestrial planets from the gas giants?

Answer on Last Page.

Image Scale in CCD Astrophotography

By Vahid Talaie

Background

Image scale is a parameter that is very important in astrophotography. This parameter is defined as the amount of the sky that is covered by one pixel of the imaging chip that is being used on a telescope to take an image of an object. This parameter is normally specified in arc seconds.

Calculation Formula: The formula that is used to calculate the image scale is:

Image Scale = (205 x pixel_size_in_microns) / telescope_focal_length_in_millimeters

For example, an imaging chip that has a 20 microns pixel size and is being used on a telescope with the focal length of 2500 millimeters, has an Image Scale of 1.64 arc seconds. This means each pixel of the imaging chip covers 1.64 arc seconds of the sky. Considering there are 1,296,000 arc seconds in a circle, the image scale value is very tiny. Most CCD cameras offer a so-called binning feature, which essentially means that multiple pixels are combined to form a larger pixel. For example, a 2x2 binning capability will combine four pixels to form a larger pixel. In a case that a high resolution imaging chip is used resulting in a small image scale, one can use a 2x2 or a 3x3 binning to increase the image scale. Matching a CCD Camera to a Telescope Most nights allow approximately 2 to 3.5 arc seconds of detail depending on the viewing condition. Therefore, one can use this criterion to pick a telescope and a CCD camera to give the optimal performance. Credits Most of the material in this writing is extracted from the book titled “The New CCD Astronomy” by Ron Wodaski, ISBN 0-9711237-0-5.

This article is distributed by NASA Night Sky Network The Night Sky Network program supports astronomy clubs across the USA dedicated to astronomy outreach. Visit nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov to find local clubs, events, and more!

Dim Delights in David Prosper

Cancer the Crab is a dim , yet it contains one of the most beautiful and easy-to-spot star clusters in our sky: the . Cancer also possesses one of the most studied : the superhot super-Earth, 55 Cancrie.

Find Cancer’s dim by looking in between the brighter neighboring of Gemini and Leo. Don’t get frustrated if you can’t find it at first, since Cancer isn’t easily visible from moderately light polluted areas. Once you find Cancer, look for its most famous deep-sky object: the Beehive Cluster! It’s a large open cluster of young stars, three times larger than our Moon in the sky. The Beehive is visible to unaided eyes under good sky conditions as a faint cloudy patch, but is stunning when viewed through binoculars or a wide-field telescope. It was one of the earliest deep-sky objects noticed by ancient astronomers, and so the Beehive has many other names, including Praesepe, Nubilum, M44, the Ghost, and Jishi qi. Take a look at it on a clear night through binoculars. Do these stars look like a hive of buzzing bees? Or do you see something else? There’s no wrong answer, since this large has intrigued imaginative observers for thousands of .

55 Cancri is a nearby system, about 41 light years from us and faintly visible under excellent dark sky conditions. The larger star is orbited by at least five planets including , (a.k.a. Janssen, named after one of the first telescope makers). Janssen is a “super-earth,” a large rocky world 8 times the of our Earth, and its star every 18 hours, giving it one of the shortest years of all known planets! Janssen was the first to have its atmosphere successfully analyzed. Both the Hubble and recently-retired Spitzer space telescopes confirmed that the hot world is enveloped by an atmosphere of and hydrogen with traces of hydrogen cyanide: not a likely place to find life, especially since the surface is probably scorching hot rock. The NASA Exoplanet Catalog has more details about this and many other exoplanets at bit.ly/nasa55cancrie.

How do astronomers find planets around other star systems? The Night Sky Network’s “How We Find Planets” activity helps demonstrate both the and wobble methods of exoplanet detection: bit.ly/findplanets. Notably, 55 Cancri e was discovered via the wobble method in 2004, and then the transit method confirmed the planet’s in 2011!

Want to learn more about exoplanets? Get the latest NASA news about worlds beyond our at nasa.gov.

Artist concept of 55 Cancri e orbiting its nearby host star. Find details from the Spitzer Space Telescope’s close study of its atmosphere at: bit.ly/spitzer55cancrie and the ’s observations at bit.ly/hubble55cancrie Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Look for Cancer in between the “Sickle” or “Question Mark” of Leo and the bright twin stars of Gemini. You can’t see the planets around 55 Cancri, but if skies are dark enough you can see the star itself. Can you see the Beehive Cluster?

Astrophoto Gems! Contributed by John Favalessa I’m new to the club (sponsored by Johan), but I did attend one event last summer. Seems like since I’ve joined, the stargazing events either are cloudy or I’m not available! I’m also new to astrophotography, but truly a great hobby as I love the night skies. I’ve attached a picture of the Orion Nebula and the Pleiades which I took from my light polluted Stevenson Ranch backyard and then a photo of the Heart Nebula (with the writeup below). My DSLR is 13 years old and I’m really pushing the limits of it. I’ve ordered a real astro camera, ZWO ASI2600, but delayed as its manufactured in China and the factory is closed…covid19. I’m looking forward to April’s outing!

Clear skies Feb 25th at Chuchupate. In the picture I captured the open cluster, Melotte 15, in the heart of the Heart Nebula...nice. My old camera's sensor is too small to capture all of the Heart Nebula, but you can see some of it framing Melotte 15. 7500 light years away! The stars in the center are 50 times the mass of our . I wish you could see this picture on a big screen in full resolution. Spectacular night, no moon, Milky Way was out in full glory. Technicals: 1.5 hours of exposure at ISO 800 Canon 1000D, 700mm focal length William Optics 102GT. Stacked with Deep Sky Stacker and processed with Pixinsight.

February Staff Meeting

March 30, 2020

The meeting started at 7 pm

Attendees:

Dave Flynn Don Cogan Van Webster Glenn Basore Vahid Talaie Kathryn Kasmer Bruce Lathrop

Membership Report - 59 Members in good standing

Treasurer Report

Checking $2,335.80 Saving $ 2,000.00 Total $ 5025.66

Discussion

All Local Group jackets have been received by Kathryn Kazmer Most have been distributed the members who ordered them, though several still need to be picked up by members who ordered them and payments made to the club. There are some jackets that the vendor inadvertently provided in black, rather than the blue color requested. Bruce Lathrop has agreed to store these for future distribution to members.

We are exploring a Local Group exhibit and night sky viewing in celebration of Astronomy on May 2. Don Cogan is checking with Patrick Fowler with the City of Santa Clarita, to pursue arrangements.

Upcoming Activities April 1, 2 Private Events April 9 Club Meeting April 16-21 White Mountains Campout April 24 Spring Star Party at COC April 25 Day and the Rocks/Vasquez Rocks Star Party April 27 Staff Meeting April 30 Private Event Meeting adjourned at 8:45 p

SPACE NEWS

Boom! Scientists spot the biggest known explosion in the universe

By Mike Wall 9 days ago, Space.com

Summarized by Don Cogan

The largest explosion ever observed, with about 5 times more energy than any before recorded, has been detected by astronomers in the heart of the Ophiuchus cluster. The cluster lies about 390 million light-years from Earth. According to Simona Giacintucci at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., the probable source was a supermassive black hole in one of the cluster’s .

Clues of the explosion were initially detected by a team lead by Norman Werner in 2016, in which they analyzed images from the NASA Chandra X-Ray Observatory. Their observations noted an unusual curved edge in the Ophiuchus cluster, which they suspected could be part of the blast. The scientists calculated that it would take about 5 times 10^54 joules of energy to create such a cavity. (For perspective, humanity's total global energy consumption each year is about 6 times 10^20 joules.)

In order to verify that an explosion did fact cause the curved edge. Giacintucci and her colleagues analyzed additional X-ray data from Chandra and Europe's XMM-Newton space telescope, as well as radio information gathered by the Murchison Widefield Array in Australia and the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope in India. Their data showed that the curved edge is part of a cavity wall next to a region with extensive radio emission. The emission, they believe, was the result of the explosion causing electrons to accelerate to nearly the speed of light.

The combined data show that the curved edge is indeed part of a cavity wall, because it borders an area rich in radio emission. That emission likely resulted when the black hole's outburst accelerated electrons to nearly the speed of light, the researchers said.

To read the entire Space.com article, use this link below: https://www.space.com/biggest-cosmic-explosion-universe-discovery.html

Evidence for the biggest explosion seen in the universe comes from a combination of X-ray data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and Europe’s XMM-Newton space telescope, and the Murchison Widefield Array and Giant Metrewave Telescope, as shown here. The eruption is generated by a black hole located in the cluster's central , which has blasted out jets and carved a large cavity in the surrounding hot gas. Researchers estimate this explosion released five times more energy than the previous record holder and hundreds of thousands of times more than a typical . (Image: © X-ray: Chandra: NASA/CXC/NRL/S. Giacintucci, et al., XMM-Newton: ESA/XMM-Newton; Radio: NCRA/TIFR /GMRT; Infrared: 2MASS/UMass/IPAC-Caltech/NASA/NSF)

Directions to Observing Sites

Chuchupate: Take Interstate-5 North beyond Castaic about 35 miles to Frazier Mountain Road exit. Go west, passing Frazier Park, until you come to a 4 way stop with a flashing red light. Continue straight ahead for several more miles until you come to an intersection with a Market/Liquor store on the corner of Lockwood Valley Road, turn left. Continue for about 3 miles until you see a small sign "Chuchupate Ranger Station", turn left. The speed limit on this road is 20 mph. Drive through the Ranger Camp, for about 1/8 mile until you see a sign "Trail Head" and make a right turn into the parking lot. Bring your own food and water. Dress for the weather — it can get cold even in the summer months. Cell phones do not work here, some are able to send and receive text messages and sometimes, you can connect to the Wi-Fi connection, which bleeds over from the ranger station. There are restrooms but no running water.

Vasquez Rocks Natural Area: From the I-5 Freeway, take the 14 Freeway east about 16 miles and exit at the Agua Dulce Canyon Road off ramp. Turn left and go about 2 miles, following the signs to the park. (If you arrive after dark, the park entrance sign on your right is hard to see.) Enter, drive slowly, and follow the dirt road to the left for about 1/2 mile, over the little hill to the large open parking area. No alcoholic beverages. There are portable restrooms. if more info is needed, contact the park ranger at 661-268-0840.

Mt. Pinos Site: Take Interstate 5 North beyond Castaic about 35 miles to the Frazier Mountain Road off Ramp. Go west 21 miles on the good paved mountain road, passing Frazier Park, and follow the signs to Mt. Pinos Recreation Area. The observing site is a large paved parking area at the very end of the paved road. Bring your own food and water. Dress for the weather — it can get cold! Chains may be required during winter months. The elevation is 8300 ft. There are portable restrooms. No camping in the parking lot, but you can sleep in your vehicle. Walk ¼ mile to tent camping. For road and weather information call the Forest Service at Frazier Park, 805-245-3731 or on the Internet, you can go to www.frazmtn.com/pmcwebcam.

The Local Group Astronomy Club: Officers/Committee Chairs/Board Members

Officers:

President - Don Cogan

Vice President - Van Webster

Treasurer – Johan Vandersande

Secretary - Dave Flynn

Committee Chairpersons:

Membership - Will Wira

Newsletter – Don Cogan, Glenn Basore

Public Relations - Van Webster, Bruce

Event Coordinators – Don Cogan, Danny Freibrun

Outreach Events – Van Webster

Historian – Laverne Booth

Quartermaster – Robi Muskerjee

Webmaster – Dave Flynn

Programming Committee – Don Cogan, Dave Flynn

Board of Directors

Glenn Basore LaVere Schmidt Danny Freibrun

Don Cogan Johan Vandersande Robi Mukherjee

Van Webster Bruce Lathrop

Laverne Booth - Board Member Emeritus Christine Schmidt – Board Member Emeritus

Calendar of Events – March 2020

Monday, March 2 First Quarter Moon

Thursday, March 10 Monthly Club Meeting College of the Canyons Valencia Campus University Center Building, Room 107 7 P to 9 P

Monday, March 9 Full Moon

Monday, March 16 Third Quarter Moon

Saturday, March 21 Club Observing Chuchupate Ranger Station (See Directions to Observing Sites)

Monday, March 30 Staff Meeting (Please RSVP to Dave Flynn)

What’s Up!

The Local Group - Astronomy Club of the Santa Clarita Valley

P.O. Box 221296

Santa Clarita, CA 91322

Answer to Astronomy Quiz Question – Ceres