April 2019 OBSERVER

Home , 37 Tauri, 51 Ophiuchi, Delta Cancri, Iota Tauri, Tau Tauri, Upsilon Tauri

THE OBSERVER OF THE TWIN CITY AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS

Volume 44, Number 4 April 2019

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: A WORD FROM NCRAL CHAIR CARL WENNING

« 1 A Word from NCRAL Chair Carl Wenning For the first time since I have served as editor of this newsletter « 2 President’s Note (beginning in 2013), I do not have an Image of the Month to share. « 3 Calendar of Celestial Events – April 2019 This is not for a want of trying by our astrophotographers. The sky « 3 New & Renewing Members/Dues Blues/E-Mail List this winter and spring has been almost entirely overcast. Yes, there « 4 This Month’s Phases of the Moon have been a few pictures, but not of the sort we have become « 4 This Month’s Solar Phenomena accustomed to seeing on the cover of this publication. So, I’m « 5 AstroBits – News from Around the TCAA taking this opportunity as Chair of the North Central Region of the « 7 TCAA Image Gallery Astronomical League (NCRAL) to say a few words about this « 8 April 2019 with Jeffrey L. Hunt organization with which the TCAA is affiliated. « 13 Public Viewing Sessions Schedule for 2019 First and foremost, I want to point out the NCRAL annual « 13 TCAA Active on Facebook convention will soon be hosted by our friends in Moline, IL – the « 14 TCAA Calendar of Events for 2019 Popular Astronomy Club. This group has done a fantastic job « 14 TCAA Treasurer’s Report as of March 29, 2019 preparing NCRAL 2019 and I hope you will attend. The theme this « th 15 TCAA Social, Saturday, April 27 , 3:30 PM year is Astronomical Voyages of Discovery: Past, Present & Future. 15«Renewing Your TCAA Membership At this point in time, Sharon MacDonald and Mark Boulware will be joining me in attending this event May 3-5. I hope that you will consider doing so as well. Check out convention information and registration at http://ncral2019.org. Second, I hope that you are keeping up with events that are occurring within our Region. This information is made available through the Region’s Northern Lights newsletter. As you might know, TCAA member Jim Gibbs serves as editor-in-chief of this publication and I provide much of the content from a perspective external to our club. If you haven’t read it recently, you have missed out on many fine articles (especially by Jeff Hunt who spoke with us at last year’s Annual Meeting) as well as the many events taking place in the region. You have also missed learning about new and existing awards. For instance, did you know that NCRAL has a Regional Award, a Newsletter Editor Award, and two types of mini grants? If not, you need to check out back issues of Northern Lights by accessing copies through http://ncral.wordpress.com. Be certain to subscribe to the NCRAL email list as well. In closing, I firmly hope that the TCAA membership will become

more active than ever during the upcoming observing season. We The TCAA is an affiliate of the Astronomical League. For have exceptional facilities in WO, PSO, and SGO, and Tim Stone, more information about the TCAA, be certain to visit the Bob Finnigan, and I (respectively) are looking forward to working TCAA website. Visit Astroleague.org for additional with our membership to assist in the effort. information about the League and its membership Keep looking up! benefits. Carl J. Wenning

Vol. 44, No. 4 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers April 2019

PRESIDENT’S NOTE The OBSERVER As Spring is dawning on our is the monthly electronic newsletter of Twin cloudy and cold-weary land, it’s City Amateur Astronomers, Inc., a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit educational time to look forward to TCAA organization of amateur astronomers inter- activities as they swing into high ested in studying astronomy and sharing gear. Of course, our Public their hobby with the public. Viewing Session season is upon

us with the first coming in just a TCAA OFFICERS & CHAIRPERSONS couple of weeks. I’m personally

President, Director, & Property Manager hoping for most, if not all, of Tim Stone 309-531-2401 these evenings to be clear and [email protected] crowded with wonder-filled

Vice President & Director/Membership Coord. public. Let’s hope for a very Tom Willmitch 309-846-2423 successful season! [email protected] In addition to our PVS

Treasurer & Director/Registered Agent schedule, though, I’d like to Dave Osenga 309-287-0789 take this space to personally TCAA President Tim Stone [email protected] invite you to get involved with Secretary & Director/Historian/Editor our newly renovated Prairie Sky Observatory. Bob Finnigan and Scott Wade have Carl J. Wenning 309-830-4085 worked very hard over the winter months to install new equipment there, designed [email protected] to open up astrophotography to those who would like to try it out and find out 5th Director/Assistant Property Manager what it’s all about, without spending endless all-nighters capturing images with our Scott Wade 309-310-2464 high-end equipment at Waynesville Observatory. [email protected] Using both personal and material resources, you can spend an evening at PSO Astronomical League Correspondent and go home with a satisfying image of a nebula, star cluster, or galaxy, and still get Robert Finnigan 309-846-9533 a good night’s sleep for the following day. Our original 17” and a new 14” scopes [email protected] are operational there, and they are capable of making excellent images! Won’t you Technology Coordinator give it a try? It won’t cost you but some time, and who knows… the Justin Meyer 630-649-0611 [email protected] astrophotography bug just might get ahold of you! You can stay tuned for other summertime activities as well. We’ll have social Webmaster nights, conferences, at least one picnic, and our own late summer conference for Lee Green 309-454-7349 [email protected] area clubs. While you’re at it, pick an Astronomical League observing program and work on completing it by our next annual meeting. We’ll be so happy to award you Lighting Educ. & AL Observing Club Coordinator Lisa Wentzel unlisted number your own pin and certificate at our banquet. If you’ve never done all the Messier [email protected] objects, just know that these are easy to find and can be completed in a handful of nights during the warmer months. I’d love to award some of these pins next

The OBSERVER February. Let’s go! Carl J. Wenning, Editor in Chief Tim Stone TCAA President Submission deadline two days before the end of each month.

MEMBERSHIP DUES

Individual Adult/Family $40 Full-time Student/Senior $25 (Senior status equals ages 60+)

To join, send your name, contact info and dues payment to Dave Osenga, TCAA Treasurer, 1109 N. Linden St., Normal, IL 61761-1471.

Vol. 44, No. 4 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers April 2019

CALENDAR OF CELESTIAL EVENTS – APRIL 2019 NEW & RENEWING MEMBERS

MORNING PLANETS (4/15): Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, The following individuals have paid dues for new or Uranus, and Neptune renewed memberships as of March 28, 2019. (Others who paid after that date will appear in the May 2019 EVENING PLANETS (4/15): Mars issue of The OBSERVER.) The following table gives the date and time (24-hour clock) of important astronomical events for this month. All times are Central Daylight Saving Time. William Carney, John Werner, Duane Yockey

Day Time Event DUES BLUES

01 23:18 Venus 2.7°N of Moon If you have received a “your dues are due” 02 18:01 Mercury 3.6°N of Moon statement along with the email that brought you this 05 03:50 NEW MOON issue of The OBSERVER, please remit your dues to Mr. 09 01:40 Mars 4.7°N of Moon Dave Osenga, TCAA Treasurer, 1109 N. Linden St., Normal, IL 61761-1471. Dues are currently $25 for 09 10:43 Aldebaran 2.1°S of Moon seniors (60 years of age and over) and $40 regular. 11 14 Mercury Greatest Elong: 27.7°W 12 13:08 Moon at Ascending Node SUBSCRIBING TO THE TCAA EMAIL LIST 12 14:06 FIRST QUARTER MOON By subscribing to a group’s mailing list, you will 13 15:12 Beehive 0.2°N of Moon receive email messages from the group though you 14 19:24 Mars 6.4°N of Aldebaran won’t have access to the group’s web features (like 15 03:22 Regulus 2.7°S of Moon photos, files, links, polls, calendar, etc.) unless members activate it later. The club has an open email listserv. It is 16 15 Mercury 4.3° of Venus known as the TCAA YahooGroups listserv. It will be used 16 17:02 Moon at Perigee: 364209 km to share announcements and reminders about 17 22 Venus at Aphelion astronomical and club events. To join this main listserv, 19 06:12 FULL MOON you must do the following:

22 19 Lyrid Meteor Shower 1. To subscribe: Send a blank email to TCAA- 22 19 Uranus in Conjunction with Sun [email protected] Note: You’ll be sent a 23 06:36 Jupiter 1.6°S of Moon confirmation email from the group. Reply to the 25 09:38 Saturn 0.4°N of Moon: Occn. confirmation email to activate your subscription. 2. To post a message: [email protected] 25 10:02 Moon at Descending Node 3. To unsubscribe: [email protected] 26 17:18 LAST QUARTER MOON 28 13:20 Moon at Apogee: 404577 km

http://www.astropixels.com/ephemeris/astrocal/astrocal2019cst.html

EVENING SKY MAP Click on the icon found here to access a current evening sky map along with a more detailed celestial events calendar.

Vol. 44, No. 4 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers April 2019

THIS MONTH’S PHASES OF THE MOON

New Moon First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter Friday, April 5 Friday, April 12 Friday, April 19 Friday, April 26

All moon phase dates are Central Time. Additional moon phases for the 2019 calendar year can be found by clicking here. Images provided by J. K. Howell of the Champaign-Urbana Astronomical Society & used with permission.

THIS MONTH’S SOLAR PHENOMENA

In the table below, you will find times of sunrise and sunset along with rising and setting azimuths (Az), length of day including change from previous day, start and end times of astronomical twilight, and the time of solar noon along with the elevation (El) of the midday sun. These data come from https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/bloomington

2019 Sunrise/Sunset Day Length Astronomical Twilight Solar Noon Apr Sunrise (Az) Sunset (Az) Length Difference Start End Time (El)

1 6:40 AM (83°) 7:20 PM (277°) 12:40:21 +2:40 5:06 AM 8:54 PM 12:59 PM (54.2°) 11 6:24 AM (78°) 7:30 PM (282°) 13:06:42 +2:36 4:47 AM 9:07 PM 12:57 PM (57.9°) 21 6:08 AM (74°) 7:41 PM (287°) 13:32:08 +2:29 4:29 AM 9:21 PM 12:54 PM (61.5°)

MINUTES OF THE MARCH 12TH BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

President Tim Stone called the meeting to order at 6:39 Secretary/Editor/Historian Carl Wenning noted that all PM. In attendance at the Wenning residence were Bob & goes well with the newsletter but that he will not be writing Cheryl Finnigan, Carl Wenning, Dave Osenga, and Scott his HowTimeFlies column this year as he prepares a 60th Wade. Board member Tom Willmitch was under the weather anniversary history of the TCAA. The publication will be at home and so was unable to attend. The meeting began available in time for the next annual meeting and banquet. with reports from existing officers and chairs. Treasurer/Registered Agent Dave Osenga reported the President and Chief Property Manager Tim Stone noted balances of the club: $964.28 in checking and $2,517.62 in that we had had an “excellent” annual meeting and that savings for a total of $3,481.90. progress is being made in both hardware and software at There was nothing to report from the Chairs other than PSO and WO to bring everything up to order for the start of the fact that Tim stated on behalf of Technology Coordinator another observing season. Bob reported in detail on the Justin Meyer that we now have an archive server for WO work at PSO, including the installation of Eagle computers on that includes 4 terabytes of storage with a 32-gigabyte the 14” and 17” telescopes. processor. Vice President and Membership Coordinator Tom The following points and decisions were made under the Willmitch sent in a written report that Carl read. Tom heading of Old Business: expressed a desire to host an April social for the TCAA at the • Carl offered Public Observing Session brochures for planetarium and is looking forward to starting a planetarium distribution, and asked Scott to return the TCAA’s video talk series much as is done at the Staerkel Planetarium in projector to SGO. Champaign.

Vol. 44, No. 4 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers April 2019

• Bob indicated that he knows how to lubricate the SGO o Justin Meyer – Technology Coordinator dome and that he will work with others to accomplish o Lee Green – Webmaster this task once the weather warms. • Bob reported that, following an appeal to the tax • Carl indicated that he would reprint in The OBSERVER a authorities of DeWitt County, our real estate tax bill for link to the duties of the Board members, officers, and WO has dropped from over $3,200 to around $900. The chairs so that everyone knows what is expected of them. decision was finalized by action of the DeWitt County • An effort will be made to generate a new inventory, Board. The Board congratulated Bob on his efforts. including an inventory system that uses tags and readers • Following a brief discussion, it was agreed that the TCAA to be set up by Dave. This list needs to be formalized in would again host the Central Illinois “astronomy time for the filing of our Federal 990 report in May. jamboree” this year. The date was tentatively set as • We will hold the next TCAA social at the ISU Planetarium Saturday, September 21st, so that it will not conflict with on Saturday, April 6 (or April 27) with the support of the SAS Illinois Dark Sky Star Party which will occur a Tom Willmitch. week later. Carl was put in charge of arrangements. • Carl pointed out that NCRAL has two mini grants for • Another discussion ensued about adding a 4-foot $250 each that the TCAA might apply for by the March extension to SGO to increase space in the computer 31st deadline. It was agreed that we would apply for the room. The Board agreed with the measure, including the membership recruitment mini grant, using the money to installation of a heating/cooling unit such as the one we pay for printed materials associated with our have at WO. Carl was asked to prepare a proposal for Introduction to Amateur Astronomy course Carl started the SGNC Cemetery Board about these additions along a couple of years ago. Tim will file the application on with suggestions about how to deal with electricity costs. behalf of the TCAA as Carl is Chair of NCRAL and must The funding of the expansion was not addressed. recuse himself from the work as well as the selection process. The following topics were addressed, and decisions • It was agreed to allocate up to $300 for professional made under the heading of New Business: accounting services arranged by Treasurer Dave Osenga to help the TCAA file the Federal 990 paperwork. With • The Board appointed the following officers and chairs ongoing donations on the order of $50,000 annually, our with the other Chair positions being left temporarily annual accounting is no longer as simple as it once was. unfilled until we can speak with them: • The date of the next TCAA Board of Directors meeting o Tim Stone – President/Property Manager was set for Tuesday, May 14th, at 6:30 PM. o Tom Willmitch – Vice President/Membership Coord. o Carl Wenning – Secretary/Editor/Historian The meeting was adjourned at 7:29 PM. o Dave Osenga – Treasurer/Registered Agent o Scott Wade – Fifth Director Respectfully submitted, o Bob Finnigan – ALCor Carl J. Wenning, Secretary

ASTROBITS – NEWS FROM AROUND THE TCAA

ó Bob Finnigan reported on March 2nd that he was able to solve what appeared to be an intractable problem with the QSY 168-C color camera. Observers had hitherto been unable to conduct a “plate solve” using The Sky software using color images; there was no problem with B&W images. Bob discovered that when plate scale is properly set, that The Sky can indeed do plate solves. This will make aiming of any photographic telescope in PSO all the more accurate. Thanks, Bob, for pursuing the solution to this problem to the very end. ó Once again, TCAAers graced the pages of the Astronomical League’s Reflector magazine. The March 2019 issue featured an article by Jamey Jenkins. Jamey wrote about Basic Small-Scope Lunar Imaging. The 4-page article can be found starting on page 14. Lisa Wentzel was recognized on page 13 for having completed her Globular Cluster Observing Program, the pin and certificate for which she received at the TCAA annual meeting this past February. TCAA members continue to do the club proud! Congratulations to Jamey and Lisa.

Vol. 44, No. 4 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers April 2019

ó There has been a bit of a problem with the Eagle computer mounted on the 17” at PSO. Evidently it is a position problem. Bob Finnigan, with the assistance of Robin, repositioned the computer and tested it on Tuesday, March 12th. It will now no longer be able to strike the pier or mount. ó Bob Finnigan, Scott Wade, and Carl Wenning took advantage of the clear sky on St. Patrick’s Day to do some imaging of M42 in Orion despite the presence of the waxing gibbous moon. Bob continues to train Scott in the use of the imaging equipment while Carl was present to watch. ó As was noted in the first post annual business meeting of the Board of Directors on March 12th, the editor is hereby providing information about the job duties associated with the positions of the Board, officer, and chair positions within the TCAA. The 2017 document may be found online at http://tcaa.us/Download/Documents/TCAA_job_descriptions.pdf ó On March 19th, Tim Stone clean the Takahashi 10” mirror with the guidance of Carl Wenning who has been cleaning mirrors at PSO in the past. Tim had disassembled to telescope earlier and taken it to Carl’s house for assistance with cleaning. The mirror’s surface is as good as new now thanks to Tim’s careful work. ó For the first time since receiving his new CPC 8” telescope in early December, Carl Wenning was able to get “first light” on the evening of March 22nd. He first sighted on Sirius the Dog Star then on Messier 42, the Great Nebula of Orion. The operation of the telescope and images it provided did not disappoint. He later turned his telescope on M35 in Gemini, and M1 and M45 in Taurus. With the aid and company of Daniel and Peter Kates, he was able to view R Leporis (the red carbon star) and M76. Daniel then used the telescope to show a variety of objects to passersby from Bloomington and Atlanta, GA. ó Daniel Kates is making good progress on viewing all 110 Messier objects in an effort to earn his Messier Award certificate and pin. He now has about 80 observations complete and qualifies for the provisional certificate. He is using a 10” Dobsonian telescope and an iPad given him to make his observations. ó Two of our TCAA members recently had automobile accidents. Dick Wentzel recently spun out on black ice and Bob Finnigan hit a wild turkey. In both cases the cars were totaled! Fortunately, Dick and Bob are okay; the same cannot be said for the turkey! ó On March 25th Bryce Heiniger received his long-awaited Messer certificate and pin from the Astronomical League. As you will recall, Bryce was honored at the February Annual Business Meeting for having completed all 110 Messier observations, but his awards had not yet arrived. Congratulations to Bryce for being the first TCAA member in years to earn this prestigious award that is an essential credential to proving one’s competence as an amateur astronomer. The picture to the right shows Bryce and his proud father Mark with Carl Wenning.

ó Speaking of Bryce, Bob Finnigan spent time with Bryce and his dad at SGO on the evening of March 25th to capture the first of six required astronomical images for Bryce’s school project. That image is shown to the left. Bryce and Mark plan to work with Bob over the summer to come “up to speed” using the new training resources of PSO. This dynamic duo will then join Emily and Scott Wade in becoming the second pair of TCAA members to get to know how to use the club’s observing equipment at SGO this year.

Vol. 44, No. 4 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers April 2019

ó The TCAA has filed for a $250 mini grant from NCRAL for the purpose of providing material support for this autumn’s proposed Introduction to Amateur Astronomy course. The application reads in part, “In 2016 TCAA member (and now NCRAL Chair) Carl Wenning wrote a 56-page guide titled "Introduction to Amateur Astronomy" (TCAA Guide #1). This guide explains what one needs to know to become a practicing amateur astronomer. The TCAA has used this Guide four times as the basis of a course introducing members of the general public to the hobby of amateur astronomy. The course and its resources (we train everyone using a CPC 11" GOTO telescope under a motorized 10' dome; those who become club members receive an observatory key) are valuable adjuncts to gaining and keeping new members. We would like to use this mini-grant to print as many copies of TCAA Guide #1 as possible thereby decreasing the cost of enrolling in the course and increasing the likelihood that more non-members will take the course and become active members of the TCAA. We will use a series of 8 public observing sessions this summer (typically attended by 50 to 100 enthusiasts) to recruit participants in an autumn course. The course will be taught at Sugar Grove Nature Center, a dark-sky location where we maintain two observatories.” If the grant is awarded at NCRAL 2019, we will formalize our plans for the 4-class course at that time. At this point we are anticipating a very low fee for TCAA members, and a somewhat higher fee for non-members. A one-year introductory membership will be included for non-members. ó And speaking of NCRAL, don’t forget at NCRAL 2019 (Astronomical Voyages of Discovery: Past, Present & Future) is coming May 3-5. It will be hosted by Popular Astronomy Club in Moline, IL. This will be the first time an NCRAL annual convention will be held following an extensive survey of the membership. It promises to be an exciting and informative program. At this point the editor understands that three of our members will be attending: Sharon MacDonald, Mark Boulware, and Carl Wenning. Please consider joining us as we have room for one more in the vehicle heading up there. To learn more about the convention and to register, go to http://ncral2019.org. To contact Carl about a possible ride, email him at [email protected]. The TCAA is scheduled to host the NCRAL convention for the third time in 2023 (having done so already in 2010 and 2016).

TCAA IMAGE GALLERY

Waxing Crescent Moon of March 11th by Tim Stone. Tim Waxing Gibbous Moon of March 14th by Bob Finnigan. Bob remarked, “Here’s the ‘first light’ image from the 6” ED APO noted, “This [image] was [taken] with the QHY 168 [mono at Waynesville. Taken with the SBIG STT8300M, stack of 52 camera] using an Hα filter. This is a 2-second exposure with full frame exposures registered and median combined with the 17-inch PlaneWave telescope at PSO. Used 150mm Maxim, sharpened with Registax and Photoshop, and guider scope and Ultra Star guide camera.” The moon was cropped to square format. Not bad if I do say so myself.” 8.1 days old at the time of the exposure.

Vol. 44, No. 4 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers April 2019

M42/M43 – Great Nebula of Orion, March 17th by Scott M42 – Great Nebula of Orion, October 4, 2010 by Bob Wade. Scott produced this B&W image with the assistance of Finnigan. Bob took this 5-second exposure at 5:30 AM using Bob Finnigan. It consists of five 300-second Hα images and an 11” Celestron HD telescope along with a Canon digital two 300-second luminance exposures using a QSY 168 mono camera. The Canon’s chip is very noisy compared to the new camera on the 17” telescope at PSO. This image does not QSY camera which essentially yields a completely “noiseless” include any “dark” images to remove a noisy background. background requiring less post-image processing.

APRIL 2019: MARS MARCHES IN TAURUS AND A VENUS-MERCURY QUASI-CONJUNCTION ~ by Jeffrey L. Hunt ~

At the beginning of the month, two bright planets – Jupiter and Saturn – appear in the southern sky at the beginning of morning twilight. Jupiter, in southern Ophiuchus, approaches the meridian, while Saturn, farther east in eastern Sagittarius, is over 25° from Jupiter. Both planets begin to retrograde this month. At this time, the starry background, resembles that of an early summer’s evening sky. Antares is nearly 5° west of the meridian. The Summer Triangle, with its bright stars – Vega, Deneb, and Altair – are high in the eastern sky. Spica is low in the southwest with Arcturus higher in the sky. The Big Dipper is high in the north-northwest. Brilliant Venus rises at about Nautical Twilight – about 75 minutes before sunrise; it appears in the southeast as the sky brightens. Mercury is starting a difficult-to-observe apparition. It appears very low in the east at Civil Twilight, about 30 minutes before sunrise, when the sun is 6° below the horizon. During this appearance this speedy planet does not rise before Nautical Twilight; so, it’s visible in a very bright sky, near the horizon. Mars Marches in Taurus during April. Watch the planet At its greatest elongation, it is only 4° in altitude. Find a move eastward between the Hyades and Pleiades, and clear horizon and use a binocular. toward the horns of the Bull. Mars’ position is noted in each In the evening sky, Mars is moving through Taurus’ in the daily notes. brighter starfield. Follow the planet through a binocular as it passes between the Pleaides star cluster and the Hyades star Pollux, Castor and Capella. The Gemini Twins stand high in cluster. The “V” of Taurus is nearly vertical this time of year. the western sky with their arms around the other twin’s The stars of winter are making their final stand in the shoulders. Sirius is about 25° up in the southwest. Watch it evening sky for the year, capped by an arc of stars – Procyon, slowly begin to disappear into bright twilight. Its last

Vol. 44, No. 4 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers April 2019

appearance in the evening sky occurs in mid-May. The sun is background appears lower in the sky each night at the in the sky for nearly 12.75 hours and the sky is dark, from same time. the end of evening twilight to the beginning of morning • April 2: The observing challenge this morning occurs about twilight, for slightly over 8 hours. 30 minutes before sunrise. Find a clear horizon and take your binocular. Brilliant Venus is 8° up in the east- southeast. The very thin crescent moon (26.9d, 8%) is 7° below Venus. Mercury, 4° up and farther north along the horizon toward the east cardinal point, is 7.8° to the left of the moon. At the end of evening twilight, Mars is over 27° up in the west. It is 3.5° to the upper left of Alcyone and 1.9° to the lower right of 37 Tauri. As the moon approaches its new phase, let’s look at two deep sky objects in the evening sky, M44 (NGC 2632) and M67 (NGC 2682); both are open clusters in Cancer. The easier one to locate is M44, the Beehive cluster, is nearly midway between Pollux and Regulus. Its brightness is about 5th magnitude, so it’s visible to the unaided eye in a darker sky as a fuzzy cloud about 1° across. Even without a finder, I can locate the cluster by aiming the telescope midway between Pollux and Regulus. The cluster is slightly west of the meridian, nearly 70° up at the end of evening twilight. On April 1, find a clear eastern horizon to view Venus and It is over 500 light years away and nearly 15 light years waxing crescent moon during late twilight. across, over 100 light years farther away than the Pleiades. This is part of the reason of the dimmer appearance of the • April 1: Jupiter (m = −2.2) rises at about 1 a.m. CDT. At Beehive. Further, its stars are not as intrinsically as bright the beginning of morning twilight, the Giant Planet is 25° as those in the Pleiades. The individual stars in the up in the south-southeast in southern Ophiuchus. Saturn Pleiades are 10 – 50 times brighter than those in the (m = 0.6), 16° up in the southeast in eastern Sagittarius, is Beehive. The stellar brightness and distance difference of over 25° east of Jupiter. Antares (α Sco, m = 1.0) is just the two clusters result in an easily-viewed naked eye past the meridian, 21° up. It is 15° to the lower right of cluster of blue stars (Pleiades) and an almost-easy-to-see Jupiter. During mid-twilight (45 minutes before sunrise), naked eye cluster of mostly dimmer blue-white stars Venus (m = −3.9), 47° to the lower left of Saturn and only (Beehive). Through an eyepiece, I see multiple equilateral 4° up in the east-southeast, is 8.7° to the left of the waning triangles of stars within the Beehive cluster, although crescent moon (26.0 days old, 14% illuminated). This is better views of the entire cluster are through a binocular. another nice pairing of Venus with a lunar crescent. The cluster is also known as the Praesepe (manger). Two Through a telescope, Venus is a morning gibbous phase stars to the east of the cluster, Gamma Cancri (γ Cnc, m = (81%) that is 13” across. Venus moves rapidly northward 4.6) and Delta Cancri (δ Cnc, m = 3.9) add to the during the month, rising 18° farther north at month’s end agricultural theme. They are named Asellus Borealis than this morning. Thirty minutes before sunrise, Mercury (Northern Donkey) and Asellus Australis (Southern (m = 0.8), 4° up, appears 9.7° to the lower left of Venus. Donkey), respectively. The second cluster to view, M67, is Use a binocular to locate Mercury in the glow of bright about 9° south of M44 and about 1° west of Alpha Cancri twilight. This morning Mercury rises 53 minutes before (α Cnc, m = 4.2). This cluster is somewhat unusual sunrise. At the end of evening twilight, Mars, about 28° up because its stars appear to be older than most open star in the west, is 3.3° to the left of the Alcyone (η Tau, m = clusters, perhaps 10 billion years old. The stellar 2.8), the brightest of the Pleiades, and 2.6° below 37 Tauri distribution of temperature and luminosity resembles that (37 Tau, m = 4.4). For the next several evenings we have of a globular cluster, but the stellar spectra indicate that chosen stars in Taurus to reference with Mars. Open your the stars have more metals than those in globular clusters star charts and track Mars’ motion against the positions of and M67’s stars are less luminous. Additionally, the cluster your favorite stars. From your observing location, what is is found far from the plane of the galaxy, about 1,500 light the best night of viewing Mars in this starfield for you? years. Visually, John Mallas, in The Messier Album, While Mars moves eastward among the stars, this stellar describes the stars in M67 as “rust, orange, gold, and yellow” (p. 138). For those with larger aperture scopes,

Vol. 44, No. 4 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers April 2019

Walter Scott Houston, in his book Deep Sky Wonders, calls virtual line that extends from Aldebaran to Epsilon and to our attention to NGC 2672 and NGC 2673, two elliptical the right. The moon (4.7d, 22%) is not far away, 5.3° above galaxies that are 2° east-southeast of M44. They are at Aldebaran. magnitudes 11.2 and 12.6, respectively. Other dimmer • April 10: Jupiter (m = −2.3), rises in the southeast at 12:35 galaxies are in the region that require larger apertures to a.m. CDT. At the beginning of morning twilight, it is 25° up see them. Consult your favorite star atlas for their in the south, about 7° to the upper right of the Lagoon locations. Nebula (M8, NGC 6523). Jupiter stops its apparent • April 3: About 30 minutes before sunrise, the Venus – eastward movement and begins to retrograde. Thirty Mercury (m = 0.6) gap is 8.4° with Mercury to the lower minutes before sunrise, Mercury is 5.1° to the lower left of left of Venus. At the end of evening twilight, Mars is 1.2° Venus. During the next week or so are the best times to below 37 Tauri. see four planets in the morning simultaneously. You’ll • April 4: This morning Venus – Mercury gap is 7.6°. At the need a clear eastern horizon and a binocular to locate end of evening twilight, Mars is just below a virtual line Mercury and perhaps Saturn in a brighter sky. Through a that extends from Alcyone to Aldebaran (α Tau, m = 0.8). telescope, Venus is a morning gibbous, 83% illuminated The planet is 3.5° to the lower right of Omega Tauri (ω Tau, and nearly 13” across. At the end of evening twilight, the m = 4.9) and 0.6° below 37 Tauri. moon (5.7d, 31%), 41° up in the west, is 3.5° to the upper • April 5: The moon reaches its New phase at 3:50 a.m. CDT. left of Zeta Tauri (ζ Tau, m = 3.0), the southern horn of To avoid the bugs of summer’s evenings, the hours before Taurus. Mars, 24° up in the west, is 3.8° to the upper right the beginning of morning twilight in early April are good of Epsilon Tauri, just above the imaginary line at that times to observe the deep sky objects in Scorpius and extends from Aldebaran through Epsilon. Sagittarius. At the beginning of twilight, Saturn, Jupiter, • April 11: Thirty minutes before sunrise, Mercury is 4.8° to and Antares span over 40° in the southern sky. As the sky the lower left of Venus, but Mercury is only 4° up. brightens, the Venus – Mercury (m = 0.5) gap is 7.1°. At 30 Mercury is at its greatest elongation, 27.7°, at 2:42 p.m. minutes before sunrise, Venus is about 6° up in the east- CDT. At the end of evening twilight, the moon (6.7d, 42%), southeast with Mercury to its lower left. Through a over 50° up in the south-southwest, is nearly in the middle telescope, Venus is a morning gibbous, 82% illuminated of Gemini, about 6° to the upper right of Gamma and nearly 13” across. At the end of evening twilight, Mars Geminorum (γ Gem, m = 1.9). Mars is 0.9° to the lower is 0.3° to the left of 37 Tauri, above a virtual line from right of Upsilon Tauri (υ Tau, m = 4.2). Alcyone to Aldebaran. • April 12: Thirty minutes before sunrise, the Venus – • April 6: Venus rises at azimuth 100° this morning, 71 Mercury (m = 0.2) gap is 4.6°. The moon displays its First minutes before sunrise. The Venus – Mercury gap is 6.6°. Quarter phase at 2:06 p.m. CDT. At the end of evening Thirty minutes after sunset, the thin waxing crescent twilight, the moon (7.7d, 53%), nearly 60° up in the moon (1.7d, 3%) is about 10° up in the west. After the end southwest, is over 7° to the lower left of Pollux (β Gem, m of evening twilight, Mars is 0.8° to the upper left of 37 = 1.2). Mars is 0.3° to the upper right of Kappa1 Tauri (κ1 Tauri and 2.5° to the lower right of Omega Tauri. Tau, m=4.2) and 0.3° below Upsilon Tauri. It also passes • April 7: Thirty minutes before sunrise, Venus and Mercury 3.5° to the upper right of Epsilon Tauri. (m = 0.4) are 6.1° apart. An hour after sunset, the crescent • April 13: At 30 minutes before sunrise, the Venus – moon (2.7d, 7%), nearly 14° up in the west, is nearly 15° to Mercury gap is 4.6°, but Mercury is only 3° up. In the the lower left of the Pleiades. After the end of twilight, evening sky, Mars is 45° east of the sun, setting 235 find Mars, 2.1° to the right of Omega Tauri. minutes after sunset. At the end of evening twilight Mars • April 8: During late morning twilight, Mercury is 5.6° to the is 0.4° to the upper left of Upsilon Tauri. The waxing lower left of Venus. At the end of evening twilight, the gibbous moon (8.7d, 65%), nearly 65° up in the south- moon (3.7d, 14%) is about 6° to the lower left of Mars. The southwest, is 3.3° to the upper left of the Beehive star Red Planet is 4.5° to the lower right of Epsilon Tauri (ε Tau, cluster. See the description of the cluster in the April 2 m = 3.5), which compliments Aldebaran’s position in the note. head of Taurus at the top right point of the “V.” • April 14: Venus rises at azimuth 95° this morning, 64 • April 9: Saturn is 90° west of the sun. The planet rises at minutes before sunrise. In bright morning twilight, the about 2:30 a.m. CDT. It is about 26° up in the south- Venus – Mercury gap is 4.4°. Venus is only 5° up. At the southeast as sunrise approaches. At Civil Twilight, the end of evening twilight, the moon (19.7d, 75%), 65° up in Venus – Mercury (m = 0.3) gap is 5.4°. After the end of the south, is 5.1° to the upper right of Regulus (α Leo, m = evening twilight, Mars is 1.7° to the upper right of Omega 1.3). Mars passes 6.5° to the upper right of Aldebaran. Tauri and 4.2° to the right of Epsilon Tauri, just beneath a

Vol. 44, No. 4 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers April 2019

• April 16: At the beginning of morning twilight, the moon (11.0d, 87%), 4° up in the west, is nearly 9° to the lower right of Denebola. Thirty minutes before sunrise, Venus is 5° up in the east, with Mercury 4.3° to its lower left, 3 ° up. Venus and Mercury have a quasi-conjunction (4.3°). This occurs when a planet approaches within 5° of another celestial object, but there is no conjunction. The moon is at perigee at 5:05 p.m. CDT. At the end of evening twilight, the moon (11.7d, 92%), nearly 50° up in the southeast, is over 12° to the lower right of Denebola. Mars (m = 1.6) is 1.3° to the right of Tau Tauri. • April 17: At the beginning of morning twilight, the moon (12.0d, 94%), 12° up in the west, is 3.2° to the upper right of Beta Virginis (β Vir, m =3.6). In bright morning twilight, the Venus – Mercury gap is only slightly larger than yesterday, but you’ll need a clear horizon to see Mercury. At the end of evening twilight, Mars continues its traverse At mid-month, Venus and Mercury appear less than 5° of Taurus. This evening it is 0.7° to the lower right of Tau apart, a quasi-conjunction. This occurs during bright morning twilight. Find a clear horizon and use a binocular. Tauri. Farther east, the moon (12.7d, 97%) is over 35° up in the southeast, 1.7° to the upper left of Gamma Virginis • April 15: At the beginning of morning twilight, Jupiter (m = (γ Vir, m = 3.4). −2.4) is 25° up in the south. Saturn, 26° east of Jupiter, is • April 18: At the beginning of morning twilight, the moon 19° up in the south-southeast. Venus rises at Nautical (13.0d, 98%) is 3° to the upper left of Gamma Virginis. At Twilight, nearly 65 minutes before sunrise. Through a the end of twilight, Mars is 0.3° to the upper right of Tau telescope, the planet is 12” across and 85% illuminated, a Tauri. The moon (13.7d, 99%), 24° up in the southeast, is morning gibbous. At 30 minutes before sunrise Venus is 6.6° to the upper left of Spica (α Vir, m = 1.0). 5.5° up in the east with Mercury 4.4° to the lower left of • April 19: At the beginning of morning twilight, the moon Venus. Mercury is only 3° in altitude. At the end of (14.0d, 100%) is 7.1° to the upper left of Spica. Thirty evening twilight, the waxing gibbous moon (10.7d, 85%) is minutes before sunrise, Mercury (m = 0.0) is 4.4° to the nearly midway between Regulus and Denebola (β Leo, m = lower left of Venus. If you are still tracking Mercury, here 2.1), over 10° to the lower left of Regulus. Mars is nearly are gaps for a few more mornings: Apr 20, 4.5°; Apr 21, midway between Upsilon Tauri and Tau Tauri (τ Tau, m = 4.6°; Apr 22, 4.8°. The moon reaches its full phase at 6:12 4.3). Through a telescope, Mars is only 4” across, much a.m. CDT. At the end of evening twilight Mars, marching smaller in apparent size than when it appeared at through Taurus, is 0.6° above Tau Tauri. Farther east, the opposition last summer. moon (14.7d, 99%), 12° up in the east-southeast, is 16° to the lower left of Spica. Jupiter now rises before midnight. At mid-month, Jupiter and Saturn, continue to appear in the • April 20: At the beginning of morning twilight, the moon southern sky, at the beginning of morning twilight, with (15.0d, 99%) is 25° up in the southwest. It is 4.8° to the Jupiter about 5° east of the meridian. Venus continues its upper right of Zubenelgenubi (α Lib, m = 2.8). At the end slow glide back into twilight. It is rising farther north each of evening twilight, Mars is 1.3° above Tau Tauri and 4° to morning. Its rising azimuth moves northward along the the lower right of Iota Tauri (m=4.6), next star to mark horizon about 1° each morning. If you’ve been watching Mars’ course through the starry background. Two hours Mercury, this is a difficult apparition to see the planet. after sunset, the moon 15.7d, 96%), 3° up in the southeast, Venus, though, is the guide to see it. The two planets seem is nearly 6° to the lower right of Zubeneschamali (β Lib, m to be converging for a conjunction, but they reach their = 2.6). closest point (4.3°) here at mid-month and then they • April 21: At the beginning of morning twilight, the moon separate. In the evening sky, the moon is approaching its full (16.0d, 95%) is nearly 30° up in the south-southwest. The phase. Mars continues its march through Taurus. Daylight moon is nearly midway between Zubeneschamali and has increased 40 minutes during the first half of April, but Graffias (β Sco, m = 2.5), but slightly below a virtual line darkness increased only about 15 minutes. Twilight is slowly that connects the two stars. At the end of evening twilight, lengthening, as the sun moves farther north. The sun’s rising Mars is 2° to the upper left of Tau Tauri and 3.5° to the and setting azimuths change 16° during the month. lower right of Iota Tau. At 11:30 p.m. CDT, the moon

Vol. 44, No. 4 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers April 2019

(16.8d, 91%), over 10° up in the southeast, is nearly 8° to that Mars is above it for the next few evenings. This the upper left of Antares. evening Mars is over 9° to the upper right of Aldebaran. • April 25: At the beginning of morning twilight, now 105 minutes before sunrise, the moon (20.0d, 65%) is 2.7° to the lower right of Saturn. At the end of evening twilight, Mars, nearly 24° up in the west-northwest, is 2.2° to the upper right of Iota Tauri and over 8° to the lower right of Zeta Tauri. • April 26: At the beginning of morning twilight, the moon (21.0d, 55%) is 9.8° to the lower left of Saturn. This morning Venus moves into Cetus and is within its boundaries for three more mornings. While we cannot see the stars, in previous months we have noted that the moon sometimes appears in Cetus. Venus can also move through that region. The moon reaches its Last Quarter phase at 5:18 p.m. CDT. At the end of evening twilight, Mars is 2.3° to the upper right of Iota Tauri and 8° to the lower right of Zeta Tauri. The moon glides past the morning planets late in the month. • April 27: At the beginning of morning twilight, the • April 22: At the beginning of morning twilight, the moon crescent moon (22.0d, 46%), nearly 13° up in the (17.0d. 90%), nearly 28° up in the south-southwest, is over southeast, is almost in the middle of Capricornus, 2.9° to 7° to the upper right of Antares. Venus rises directly east the lower right of Theta Capricorni (θ Cap, m = 4.1). At the this morning (azimuth 90°), about an hour before sunrise. end of evening twilight, Mars is 2.6° to the upper right of At the end of evening twilight, Mars is 3° to the lower right Iota Tauri and over 7° to the lower right of Zeta Tauri. of Iota Tauri. • April 28: At the beginning of morning twilight, the • April 23: At 12:30 a.m. CDT, the moon (17.9d, 90%), about crescent moon (23.0d, 36%) is about 8° up in the east- 10° up in the southeast, is 2.8° to the upper right of Jupiter. southeast. Venus (m = −3.8) is 4.5° up in the east, 30 At the beginning of morning twilight, the moon (18.0d, minutes before sunrise. At the end of evening twilight, 82%) is 1.5° to the upper right of Jupiter, 25° up in the Mars is 2.7° to the upper right of Iota Tauri and about 7° to south. Saturn is 20° up in the south-southeast, about 26° the lower right of Zeta Tauri. east of Jupiter. Thirty minutes before sunrise, Venus is 5° • April 29: In the pre-sunrise sky, Saturn ends its apparent up in the east. Each morning at this same time interval, it eastward motion and begins to retrograde, nearly 27° east drops slightly in altitude, but it is farther north. Find a of Jupiter. The crescent moon (24.0d, 28%) is about 4° up clear horizon and notice its rapidly changing position in the southeast. By 30 minutes before sunrise, when against the terrestrial features at your observing location. Venus rises in the east, a line that connects the moon’s At the end of evening twilight, Mars is 2.7° to the right of horns is nearly vertical. The moon-Venus gap is 34°. At Iota Tauri and nearly 10° from Zeta Tauri, the southern the end of evening twilight, Mars is 3.4° above Iota Tauri horn of Taurus. and over 6° to the lower right of Zeta Tauri. • April 24: At the beginning of morning twilight, the moon • April 30: At the beginning of morning twilight look for (19.0d, 74%) is nearly between Jupiter and Saturn. The Jupiter, retrograding in Ophiuchus. This morning it passes moon is at the top of the lid of the Teapot of Sagittarius. 1.3° north of 51 Ophiuchi (51 Oph, m = 4.8). Venus moves While the moon is bright, many of the deep sky objects in back into Pisces. Venus rises at azimuth 85°, 59 minutes the region are lost in the moon’s glare, M22 (NGC 6656), a before sunrise. To preview the first days of next month, is globular cluster in Sagittarius, is 3.2° to the lower left of there a close conjunction of Venus and the crescent the gibbous moon. If you’ve never observed the cluster, moon? You’ll need a good horizon to see them. Plan this morning’s moon gives you a guide to going back to it ahead now for the morning of May 2. We’ll describe this at a time without the moon’s presence. At the end of in more detail next month. At the end of evening twilight, evening twilight, Mars is 2.3° to the upper right of Iota Mars, nearly 16° up in the west-northwest, is 3.9° above Tauri and over 9° to the lower right of Zeta Tauri. If you Iota Tauri and about 6° to the lower right of Zeta Tauri. have a good western horizon and you can still view the “V” Next month Mars continues its march through Taurus as it of Taurus, although it is low in the west-northwest, notice is north of the ecliptic, heading toward Gemini, the Twins.

Vol. 44, No. 4 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers April 2019

At the end of the month, Jupiter and Saturn are in the Venus rises about one hour before sunrise. It maintains this southern sky, at the beginning of morning twilight. Both time gap until early July, but evening twilight lengthens planets are retrograding, Jupiter in Ophiuchus and Saturn in nearly 25 minutes through the solstice and pulls back. Venus Sagittarius. Jupiter retrograded about 0.6° along the ecliptic appears in brighter twilight but rises at the same time after it began, just before mid-month. Jupiter is just past the interval before the sun. At 30 minutes before sunrise, Venus meridian, about 15° above the scorpion’s stinger. Saturn, is nearly 5° up in the east. In the evening sky, Mars is 20° up in the south-southeast, is over 26° east of Jupiter. moving toward the horns of Taurus.

PUBLIC VIEWING SESSION SCHEDULE FOR 2019

Coordinators: See TCAA Guide #5 for reminders about hosting observing sessions:

http://tcaa.us/Download/Coordinating_Observing_Sessions.pdf

April 13: Distance – How do we know how far? (Sunil Chebolu) 8:00-10:00 PM There is a long history of science behind distance measurement in the universe. We will explore how we so confidently answer the common question: “How far away is that?”

May 11: Spectra – Stories the Stars Tell (Tim Stone) 8:30-10:30 PM The light from stars illuminates everything in the universe. How do we know what those stars are made of? We will look at the spectra of stars, to learn how we understand stellar composition, and how spectra have enabled us to discover hundreds of exoplanets.

June 8: Telescopes – Why do Astronomers Need Them? (Carl Wenning) 8:45-10:45 PM It seems like astronomers are forever building bigger and bigger telescopes. Even amateur astronomers like us want ever bigger telescopes. We will answer the questions of what telescopes do for astronomers, and how do they work.

July 13: A History of Women in Astronomy (Lisa Wentzel) 9:00-11:00 PM Women have a centuries-long history of direct involvement in astronomy. For much of that, they were given little, if any, credit for their marvelous discoveries. We will explore some of important women in the history of astronomy and learn how historical attitudes are changing in the current world.

August 10: Meteor Showers – There’s More Than One (Mark Cabaj) 8:30-10:30 PM The famous Perseid Meteor Shower peaks in a few days, but the moon will be nearly full. Will you have to wait until next August to see a meteor shower? Learn about other great meteor showers, when they are visible, and what you can expect to see.

September 07: Your First Telescope – Binoculars? (Mark Cabaj) 8:00-10:00 PM Virtually every serious amateur astronomer owns a pair of binoculars. If you’re thinking about getting a telescope for yourself, or for a Christmas gift, we will tell you what to look for, how to use them for rewarding astronomy, and why you’ll use them longer than any other telescope you’ll ever own.

October 05: Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto – Two Planets, or Three? (Mark & Nataya Boulware) 7:00-9:00 PM We spend a lot of time looking at the inner planets, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Few have ever seen Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. October presents a great opportunity to see all three in one night. We will learn about them, and hopefully have a look at them!

TCAA ACTIVE ON FACEBOOK

Did you know that the TCAA is on Facebook? We encourage users of social media to follow the TCAA to see what the club is doing and to learn about nightly events that only require the observer to step outdoors and view with the unaided eye. You can find us on Facebook by searching either TCAA or Twin City Amateur Astronomers. If you haven’t followed TCAA’s Face-book page, you have missed out on a lot during the past couple of months.

Vol. 44, No. 4 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers April 2019

TCAA CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR 2019

Date Event Coordinator(s) Location Times

April 13 Public Viewing Session Sunil Chebolu SGNC 8:00 – 10:00 PM Apr 27 TCAA Membership Social Tom Willmitch ISU Planetarium 3:30 – 4:30 PM May 3-5 NCRAL 2019 Popular Astronomy Club Moline, IL Fri. PM – Sun. AM May 11 Public Viewing Session Tim Stone SGNC 8:45 – 10:45PM June 8 Public Viewing Session Carl Wenning SGNC 9:00 – 11:00 PM July 9 Public Viewing Session Lisa Wentzel SGNC 9:00 – 11:00 PM July 13 TCAA Membership Social Carl Wenning TBD TBD Jul 25-29 ALCon 2019 (tour & cruise) Astronomical League Kennedy Space Ctr/Cruise All day August 10 Public Viewing Session Mark Cabaj SGNC 8:30 – 10:30 PM Sept 21??? Cen IL Astronomy Jamboree Carl Wenning SGNC/Waynesville Obsv Afternoon/evening Sept 26-28 Illinois Dark Sky Star Party Sangamon Astro Society Jim Edgar/Panther Creek All day September 7 Public Viewing Session Mark Cabaj SGNC 8:00 – 10:00 PM October 5 Public Viewing Session Mark & Nataya Boulware SGNC 7:00 – 9:00 PM

TCAA TREASURER’S REPORT AS OF MARCH 29, 2019

Checking Account Information

Memo Category Amount Balance as of 2/28/2019 838.28 Plaque Engraving Reimbursement (16.31) William Carney Dues Received 61.00 John Werner Dues Received 40.00 Duane Yockey Dues Received 25.00 Filing Fee Annual Report (10.00) Electrical Service Waynesville Observatory (102.64) Balance as of 3/29/2019 835.33

Checking Account Balance – March 29, 2019 $835.33 Savings Account Balance – March 29, 2019 $2,517.65 - Includes $0.03 cents interest as of this date

Total TCAA Funds – March 29, 2019 $3,352.98

All transactions are reconciled with the bank statements as of this date.

Respectfully submitted,

Dave Osenga

Vol. 44, No. 4 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers April 2019

TCAA SOCIAL SATURDAY, APRIL 27TH

As this issue of The OBSERVER goes to press, we have a late-breaking announcement! TCAA Vice President, Membership Coordinator, and ISU Planetarium Director Tom Willmitch has set the date and time for the next TCAA social. The club is invited to come to the planetarium for a free 3:30 PM showing of Incoming! on Saturday, April 27th. This will then be the current weekend show. Because not many TCAAers visit the ISU Planetarium on their own, this will be a great opportunity for the membership to gather and socialize. Members of other area astronomy clubs are welcome to join us! According to Tom, “This is an extremely high-quality show, narrated by Star Trek's George Takei.” This planetarium presentation invites you to discover how asteroids and comets have shaped our cosmic origins. It will consist of an all-sky presentation and should impress members just as well as it did during the club’s last social at the ISU Planetarium back in January. If you’d like to learn more about the program, here is a link to the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rra- MyhlTY Be certain to join us. After the planetarium presentation, those who would like to do so should remain behind for a few minutes to decide on a location for an informal evening meal. This social also will provide a wonderful opportunity for observing at SGNC if the night sky is clear. Sunset is at 7:44 PM, with the sky dark enough for observing by about 8:50 PM. You might want to make an afternoon and evening of this event.

RENEWING YOUR TCAA MEMBERSHIP

The TCAA works to promote in every way among its members and the public an interest in and knowledge of astronomy and its allied sciences, to advance amateur astronomy and observational techniques, to render assistance to other individuals or organizations working in the same or related fields, and to do everything necessary and proper to further such on a formal or informal basis. The TCAA is a Federally recognized non-profit entity organized exclusively for education and scientific purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service code. The TCAA currently supports family friendly public observing sessions at SGNC, public outreach events such as the recent May 9, 2016 transit of Mercury and the August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse field trip, hosting of NCRAL meetings (2010 and 2016), September mini conferences, and education courses for our membership and the public. The TCAA maintains three observatories including payment of insurance and publishes an award-winning club newsletter. We support Sugar Grove Nature Center through their membership program, maintain a loaner telescope program, and provide many other benefits as outlined in TCAA Guide #2 – Membership and Benefits. Your TCAA membership supports education and public outreach in Central Illinois and regions beyond. Membership dues and the generosity of its members are the club’s primary means of financial support. We receive no grants or public funds. We have unmet needs. By renewing your membership when it comes due, you can help to ensure our continuing efforts.