SJAA EPHEMERIS

The Discovery of Comet Machholz (Comet 2004 Q2) Don Machholz When I awoke at 3:20 on the morning deck. This is rare, as I have a homemade hunting. In it are my 10-inch reflector, of Friday, August 27, 2004, I knew what observatory 100 feet from my house, with which I have found 4 comets, 5" I wanted to do and why I was getting and I use it for most of my comet homemade binoculars (four comets) out of bed three and an hours before At the August General Meeting of the SJAA, Dave North announced unmounted normal. This was 5" a morning for that Don Machholz had discovered a new comet. This was met with homemade comet hunting a great cheer as Don is a former SJAA member and still a good refractor, from, of all friend of the club. Here is the story of his latest discovery. sitting in places, my back the corner(one SJAA Activities Calendar comet). I had used the 10" reflector and Jim Van Nuland 5" binoculars for searching earlier in the month to cover much of the morning October sky, now I would use a different 2 ATM class at Houge Park. 7:30 p.m. 30 ATM Class at Houge Park. 7:30 p.m. instrument on my back deck to cover 8 31 3 a.m. DST Ends. Set your clock back 8 Astronomy class at Houge Park. 31 the southern sky. 7:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. 8 Houge Park star party. Sunset 6:40 The telescope for this morning's session p.m., 23% rise 2:25 a.m. Star November is a 6-inch, f/8 reflector Criterion party hours: 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 5 Houge Park star party. Sunset 5:05 Dynascope, one that I bought in 1968 p.m. p.m., 39% moon rise 0:12 a.m. Star for Christmas. It cost $200 and I paid all 9 Deep sky weekend. Sunset 6:38 party hours: 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. but $50 for it (my folks paid that). This p.m., 15% moon rise 3:28 a.m. 5 Astronomy class at Houge Park. 7:30 telescope has very good optics and the 14-17 Cal-Star Star Party. Lake San p.m. main mirror still has its original coating. Antonio Regional Park. 6 Deep sky weekend. Sunset 5:04 p.m., It has a clock drive, (my only telescope 16 Deep sky weekend. Sunset 6:29 30% moon rise 1:14 a.m. to have one) and I use this telescope for p.m., 7% moon sets 8:10 p.m. 11 ATM class at Houge Park. 7:30 p.m all the public and private star parties I do each year. The eyepiece I was using 21 ATM Class at Houge Park. 7:30 13 Deep sky weekend. Sunset 4:59 p.m., this morning has a 2-inch outside p.m. 1% moon sets 5:48 p.m. diameter which I have adapted to fit 22 Houge Park star party. Sunset 6:21 19 Houge Park star party. Sunset 4:55 22 over the eyepiece holder to provide a p.m., 76% moon sets 2:37 a.m. Star p.m., 62% moon sets 0:37 a.m. Star field of view of about 1.8 degrees. The party hours: 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 party hours: 7:00 to 10:00 p.m magnification is about 35. I often use p.m. 20 General meeting 8 p.m. this combination to show M24 at dark 23 General meeting. Denni Medlock, 21 Fall swap at Houge Park. From Noon site star parties. Sometimes our guests Chabot Space and Science Center, onward. say that this was the best thing they saw “Dragon Skies, Astronomy of 27 ATM Class at Houge Park. 7:30 p.m. that night. I also use this setup for Imperial China”. 8 p.m. conducting the Messier Marathon, 27 Total Lunar Eclipse Party at The Board of Directors meets at 6:30 finding all 110 Objects from memory Houge Park. 6-11 p.m. Details at p.m. preceding each general meeting. All last spring from the desert in Southern www.sjaa.net. are welcome. . This telescope/eyepiece combination is very comfortable to me. 24 hour news and information hotline: (408) 559-1221 I had been out two mornings before,

http://www.sjaa.net Continued on page 1

Copyright © 2004 San Jose Astronomical Association, Inc. Volume 15 Number 10 Official publication of the San Jose Astronomical Association, October 2004 Continued from page 1 the southern sky. I look through the and a planetary nebula, NGC 1360 covering the first half of the area. Now eyepiece with my right eye, with an eye (which I had once accidentally reported I'm back for more. patch on my left, and slowly sweep as a possible comet in 1977). With each southward to the horizon. At the end of these objects, all looking like faint After moving the American Flag out of of each sweep I raise the telescope to comets, I confirmed that they were not its mount on the corner of the deck the beginning position, move it slightly comets by checking them against my and leaning against the railing in order east, and sweep again. There are a lot of Atlas of the Heavens charts that I had to get it out of my view, I began at 3:35 galaxies in this area, and I picked up a with me at the telescope. This chart AM, picking up where I had left off, in few: NGC 1316, 1398, 1395, 1399, 1404 Continued on page 3

The Uranometria didn’t show that something was expected at this location. He makes a notation of the time and place. He also makes a small drawing of the comet and the surrounding stars. All pictures in this article are courtesy of Don Machholz.

SJAA EPHEMERIS Page 2 October 2004 Continued from page 2 I then went out to the observatory and back out onto the deck my wife came shows most of the galaxies and nebulae uncovered the 10-inch reflector. I out and tried to see it, but could not that I would normally pick up while quickly found the location and put in make it out very well due to its comet hunting. an eyepiece giving 64x. I could see that faintness. the object was fuzzy, round and made a At 4:12 I picked up a faint fuzzy object, mental note of where it was in relation I came back into the house and began rather small. I looked closely to see if it writing up was a double star or a small grouping of the report stars that simply appeared fuzzy. It was that I would not. I then grabbed my star map to see need to send if there were any known galaxies or to the nebulae in the area. It took me a couple Smithsonian of minutes to determine exactly where I Astrophysical was on the star map. There was Observatory's nothing shown on the map. Central Bureau for A more detailed star atlas sat in my Astronomical observatory. Our dog Shadow and I Telegrams went out to the observatory to bring (CBAT) in back the "Uranometria 2000" atlas. It order to get showed nothing. I marked the location the comet on the map with the date and time. At confirmed this point I made a drawing of the area, and showing the location of the comet in recognized. relation to the surrounding stars. If it is They are the a comet it should show motion in an clearinghouse hour's time. This detailed drawing for new would help determine both the rate of comet travel and the direction of travel. This discoveries. drawing was made to show the view I had in the telescope, with south to the Also during top. this time I went to a An even more detailed star atlas is on Web site to the computer in my house. We (the see if this part dog follows me everywhere) went inside of the sky had and turned on the computer, bringing been covered up a program called "The Sky". It by the showed a couple of very faint automated (magnitude 15) stars in the area, too search faint for me to see. programs. It The comet’s official portrait. wasn't. There is a chance that this could be a During the known comet. At any time there are a past few years there have been an few previously discovered comets visible to the nearby stars. It seemed to me like increasing number of large government in the sky, perhaps this was one of it had moved a bit. I also uncovered the sponsored telescopes patrolling the sky them. I went to the Internet to a site 5" homemade binoculars and examined for asteroids and comets that may one which lists such comets (http:// the comet. In this instrument it was day pose a threat to the earth. In the www.aerith.net/). It showed no comets difficult to see, but it was visible. course of these nightly, automated in the area. I then went back into the house and searches, these instruments pick up By now it was 4:37 AM. I had first seen tried to wake up the family. My wife at many of the comets that amateurs the object 25 minutes ago, and had 40 first did not want to get out of bed to would normally find. The comets are more minutes until morning twilight look at it. I tried waking my two sons named after the programs that find would interfere with my view of it. but neither wanted to get up to see them: LINEAR, NEAT, LONEOS, it...they were too sleepy. When I went Continued on page 4

SJAA EPHEMERIS Page 3 October 2004 Continued from page 3 SOHO spacecraft also has a camera 1975. In the past I have done up to 553 Spacewatch, Catalina. They search areas system (named SWAN) covering the hours of searching per year, presently away from the sun, and the locations remainder of the sky, it too has I'm doing about 100 hours of searching they have searched are plotted on the discovered comets. per year, tailoring my searches to parts Internet. As if this isn't enough, a of the sky most likely to yield comets. This is based on a lot of factors, including knowing where the automated searches have been.

Shortly after 5AM I was out at the 10" telescope, making an estimate of the comet's brightness, size and shape. It had no tail. It was also showing some movement toward the east, and perhaps, it appeared to me, slightly to the north. I later learned that it's actual motion was 20 arcminutes (one third of a degree) per day to the east and slightly south. So in one hour's time it had moved less than an arcminute, a very small amount. Finally, the twilight was so strong I could no longer see the comet, so I came in to report it.

I searched for 1458.25 hours since my previous find (of my ninth comet) The author demonstrating his eye patch technique. nearly ten years ago. (One does not include my independent discovery of spacecraft named SOHO covers the area With the advent of such searches, many Periodic Comet de Vico on September near the sun, its images are posted on amateurs have ceased visual comet 18, 1995, which does not carry my the Internet and anyone viewing them hunting. Some have turned to using name). I have searched for 7047.25 can find (usually) tiny comets that CCDs attached to their telescopes, hours since I began comet seeking on evaporate as the approach the sun. which cover a small area of the sky with January 1, 1975, nearly thirty years ago. These comets are named SOHO. The each image and can see very faint objects. I assembled the e-mail and sent it to the These Central Bureau for Astronomical amateurs are Telegrams (CBAT). I then faxed the trying to same message to them. A follow-up beat the phone call confirmed that the message automated had been received. I got ready to go to searches at work; I work as a research and their own development technician at Coherent, a game. I have laser and optics company. I also work as continued a real estate appraiser. my visual It was six hours before I heard the news comet from Dan Green of the CBAT. The hunting, comet was confirmed, imaged by nonstop, Robert McNaught and G. Garradd. It searching was named Comet C/2004 Q2, the next for at least day (Machholz) was added to it. an hour per month each month since Ed. note: Some web URLs were removed for formatting I began on reasons. All URLs will be in the HTML version of this article. Don’s back deck has beautiful daytime views as well. He lives in Colfax, CA. January 1,

SJAA EPHEMERIS Page 4 October 2004 James Lick managed to escape. This led to the 36 inch refractor on Mt. Hamilton with the reinterred remains of Everyone reading this newsletter is With his new fortune he went back to James Lick buried at the telescope’s pier. aware that the observatory on Mt. to once again try to marry Hamilton is named after James Lick. But his girlfriend. Apparently, Lick’s family Fast Facts About James Lick you may not be aware of the unusual did not want to burden him with the life he lead and how he came to be news that his beloved had married. On James Lick is reported to have been an associated with astronomy. the other hand, she did learn of his atheist. Mt. Hamilton is named for a return and she took their son and left Methodist minister. He was born in 1796. George the city. Washington is still the president. He The 36 inch refractor is still in use today. trained to be a carpenter and from James Lick returned to Only the Xerxes 40 inch refractor is there he went into building organs and again, evading capture this time. He larger and it is located near Chicago. later pianos. The piano making business later moved to and then . wasn’t going very well and he found Each move was motivated by an At the time, the location of Lick himself in a predicament. His girlfriend attempt to find a more stable political Observatory was considered remote was pregnant and he wanted to marry climate. At the age of 50 he decided to and mountainous – the first of it’s kind. her. Her father refused. The one thing go to California. He left his piano- When his son was 37 years old, James that he had going for him was a chance making business behind but took the Lick finally met him. They lived together to move far away. Specifically, he made a proceeds from the sale of the business for 8 years before John went back to deal with a ship’s captain wherein he to the area and started Pennsylvania – only returning when his would build a piano for the ship if he buying land. It was January of 1848 and father was on his deathbed. could go to onboard. his luck had only started to turn for the He set up a piano making business in better. The rush came the James Lick built a great hotel in San Buenos Aires which turned out to be following year and Lick actually thought Francisco which included magnificent quite successful; often selling pianos he might be a gold miner but he later woodwork, some of it done by Lick back to the . decided that land ownership would himself. The hotel, which was on work out better. Montgomery Street, was destroyed in At one point Lick, who found life in the ’06 earthquake. to be difficult for a non- Nor was he the only one to make a Spanish speaker, went to for strong move by going to San Francisco. Lick purchased an iron and glass about a year. Presumably he returned to He asked his friend, a chocolate maker, conservatory for the city of San Jose. Buenos Aires reinvigorated but a to join him. If you know about However, before the crates arrived, he Portuguese ship captured Lick and the Ghirardelli chocolate then you know read a local newspaper article criticizing vessel he was on. He was held as a how that turned out. his shabby dress. This angered him and prisoner of war but somehow he he left the crates unopened until after When James Lick was 77, he had a his death. A group of San Franciscans Directions to Houge Park stroke. At that point he started to give purchased the crates and you now serious consideration to his legacy. He know this as the Conservatory in decided that he wanted to be buried . Houge (rhymes with “Yogi”) Park is inside a giant pyramid in San Francisco. in San Jose, near Campbell and Los Fortunately he was surrounded by Gatos. From Hwy. 17, take the Camden At one point, James Lick owned friends who could dissuade him. The Catalina Island – all of it. Avenue exit. Go east 0.4 miles, and turn most influential of these friends may right at the light, onto Bascom Avenue. have been George Davidson who was an The father who turned down Lick’s At the next light, turn left onto Woodard request for his daughter’s hand in Road. At the first stop sign, turn right astronomer and President of the onto Twilight Drive. Go three blocks, California Academy of Sciences. marriage, did so because Lick had no cross Sunrise Drive, then turn left into the Davidson slowly turned James Lick money. The father, a mill owner, said he park. toward the idea of building a great would not relent until Lick had a mill From Hwy. 85, take the Bascom astronomical observatory. the equal of his own. In 1855, Lick Avenue exit. Go north, and turn right at completed a far greater mill. He had it the first traffic light, onto White Oaks And that’s how the photographed and had copies sent Road. At the first stop sign, turn left onto was started. James Lick died about 3 back to Pennsylvania. By then, not only Twilight Drive. You will now be passing years after his stroke. He participated in had the father died but so had his the park. Turn right at the first driveway, the site location and he wanted the girlfriend, the mother of John. into the parking lot. telescope to be the largest in the world. This article was drafted from various web sources which are noted in the HTML version of this article.

SJAA EPHEMERIS Page 5 October 2004 Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series of astronauts and cosmonauts. Schweickart is currently Chairman of Russell Schweikart on October 6, 2004 at 7 p.m. the Board of the B612 Foundation, Andrew Fraknoi dedicated to protecting the future of humanity by developing and Apollo 9 Astronaut Russell Schweickart * The Foothill College Astronomy demonstrating ways to deflect asteroids will give a non-technical, illustrated talk Program that are heading our way. on: "Asteroid Deflection: Hopes and * The SETI Institute Fears" in the Smithwick Theater, Foothill * The Astronomical Society of the Pacific He will discuss what we know about the College, El Monte Road and Freeway threat of cosmic rocks and the various 280, in Los Altos Hills, California Russell Schweickart, Lunar Module Pilot ways that have been suggested for on Apollo 9 and the first person to step saving the Earth from large asteroid Free and open to the public. Parking on outside a spacecraft without an impacts, including both nuclear and campus costs $2. Call the series hot-line umbilical cord, also served as non-nuclear alternatives. at 650-949-7888 for more information. Commissioner of Energy for the state of California. He was the founder and Please come early as we expect a full Co-sponsored by: president of the Association of Space house for this very special program. * NASA Ames Research Center Explorers, the professional organization

Solar System Stats for October 2004 Adapted from the Observer’s Handbook published by The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada which in turns gets this data from the U.S. Naval Observatory’s Nautical Almanac Office and Her Majesty’s Nautical Almanac Office and contributions by David Lane, St. Mary’s University, Halifax NS.

Mercury Venus Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Sun

RA 1 12h18m 9h56m 12h12m 12h06m 7h52m 22h23m 21h01m 12h30m

11 13h21m 10h41m 12h36m 12h14m 7h54m 22h22m 21h00m 13h06m

21 14h22m 11h26m 13h00m 12h22m 7h56m 22h21m 21h00m 13h44m

Dec. 10- o126' +1 o403' - o201' + o301' +2 o408' -1 o578' -1 o035' - o13'

171 - o593' + o026' - o508' - o200' +2 o412' -1 o074' -1 o076' - o03'

241 -1 o347' + o558' - o314' - o009' +2 o318' -1 o078' -1 o007' -1 o43'

Dist (AU) 1 1.37 1.04 2.65 6.44 9.31 19.22 29.49 1.001

11 1.42 1.11 2.63 6.41 9.15 19.33 29.64 0.998

21 1.41 1.17 2.60 6.36 8.98 19.47 29.80 0.995

Mag 15-11. -74. 17. -21. 07. 59. 7.

121 -11. -74. 17. -21. 08. 59. 7.

261 -00. -74. 17. -21. 08. 59. 7.

Size 1 4.9" 16.1" 3.5" 30.6" 17.8" 3.6" 2.3" 31'57"

11 4.7" 15.1" 3.6" 30.7" 18.1" 3.6" 2.3" 32'03"

21 4.8" 14.2" 3.6" 31.0" 18.4" 3.6" 2.2" 32'08"

SJAA EPHEMERIS Page 6 October 2004 Officers and Board of Directors SJAA loaner scope status All scopes are available to any SJAA member; contact Mike Koop by email Pres Mike Koop (408) 446-0310 ([email protected]) or by phone at work (408) 473-6315 or home (408) 446-0310 VP Bob Havner (408) 920-0995 (Please leave message, phone screened). Sec Jim Van Nuland (408) 371-1307 Tres Gary Mitchell (408) 265-2336 Available scopes These are scopes that are available for immediate loan, stored at other SJAA members Dir Bill O’Shaughnessy homes. If you are interested in borrowing one of these scopes, please contact Mike Koop for a (408) 984-3985 scope pick up at any of the listed SJAA events. Dir David Smith (408) 978-5503 # Scope Description Stored by Dir Dana Crom 1 4.5" Newt/ P Mount Annette Reyes Dir Craig & Elena Scull 3 4" Quantum S/C Hsin I. Huang Dir Rob Hawley 6 8" Celestron S/C Richard Savage 7 12.5" Dobson Tom Fredrickson 12 Orion XT8 Dob Christopher Salander 14 8” f/8.5 Dob Colm McGinley Ephemeris Staff 16 Solar Scope Bob Havner 19 6" Newt/P Mount Daryn Baker Editors Paul & Mary Kohlmiller 23 6" Newt/P Mount Wei Cheng (408) 848-9701 24 60mm Refractor Al Kestler Circulation 27 13" Dobson Steve Houlihan Bob Brauer (408) 292-7695 32 6” f/7 Dobson Sandy Mohan Lew Kurtz (408) 739-7106 34 Dynamax 8” S/C Yuan-Tung Chin Dave North [email protected] 37 4” Fluorite Refractor Gary Hansen 38 Meade 4.5” Digital Newt Tej Kohli Printing Accuprint (408) 287-7200 Scope loans School Star Party Chairman These are scopes that have been recently loaned out. If you are interested in borrowing Jim Van Nuland (408) 371-1307 one of these scopes, you will be placed on the waiting list until the scope becomes available after the due date. Telescope Loaner Program # Scope Description Borrower Due Date Mike Koop (408) 446-0310 8 14" Dobson Jan Lynch 10/9/04 10 Star Spectroscope Bill O’Shaughnessy 10/11/04 Web Page 13 Orion XT6 Dob Eric Anderson 10/7/04 Paul Kohlmiller [email protected] 15 8” Dobson Scott Pelger 10/5/04 26 11" Dobson Vivek Kumar 10/10/04 SJAA Email Addresses 29 C8, Astrophotography Mark Ziebarth 12/10/04 Board of Directors [email protected] 33 10” Deep Space Explorer Jason Yoon 10/15/04 36 Celestron 8” f/6 Skyhopper Dennis Hong 10/8/04 Announcements [email protected] 39 17” Dobson Rob Hawley 11/28/04 Chat List [email protected] 41 18” Sky Designs Dob Len Bradley 10/12/04 Ephemeris [email protected] 42 11x80 Binoculars Ritesh Vishwakarma 10/10/04 Circulation [email protected] Extended scope loans Telescope Loaners [email protected] These are scopes that have had their loan period extended. If you are interested in Members Email Lists: borrowing one of these scopes, we will contact the current borrower and try to work out a http://www.sjaa.net/mailman/listinfo reasonable transfer time for both parties. Publication Statement # Scope Description Borrower Due Date SJAA Ephemeris, newsletter of the San Jose 2 6" f/9 Dob John Paul De Silva ? Astronomical Association, is published monthly. 9 C-11 Compustar Bill Maney Indefinite 11 Orion XT6 Dob Lia Klofas 10/6/04 San Jose Astronomical Association, P.O. Box 28243 21 10" Dobson Michael Dajewski Repair San Jose, CA 95159-8243 28 13” Dobson Anupam Dalal 11/1/04 35 Meade 8” Equatorial Peter Young 11/28/04 40 Super C8+ Mike Macedo 12/11/04 Submit Waiting list: Submit articles for publication in the 8 14" Dobson Jim Song SJAA Ephemeris. Send articles to 10 Star Spectroscope Jim Albers the editors via e-mail to 33 10” Deep Space Explorer Ion Coman [email protected]. Deadline, 10th of previous month.

SJAA EPHEMERIS Page 7 October 2004 San Jose Astronomical Association Membership Form

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SJAA EPHEMERIS Page 8 October 2004