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The Sidereal Times Observe—Educate—Have Fun March 2020 The Sidereal Times The Official Newsletter of The Albuquerque Astronomical Society P.O. Box 50581, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87181-0581 www.TAAS.org Si nce 1959 General Meeting News Lynne Olson TAAS ASTRONOMY 101 TAAS GENERAL MEETING Jim Fordice: “All About GNTO Dr. Diana Dragomir: “The Mysteries of Super-Earth Exo- - The TAAS Observatory” planets” SATURDAY, MARCH 7 - 6:00 P.M. SATURDAY, MARCH 7 - 7:00 P.M. Regener Hall – UNM Campus Regener Hall – UNM Campus* Free and Open to the Public FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Prior to the TAAS General Meeting on Mar. 7, our Our featured speaker for the March 7 TAAS General Meet- President, Jim Fordice, will relate the history, subse- ing will be Dr. Diana Dragomir, a Research Assistant Profes- quent expansion and latest additions to our own Dark sor in the UNM Department of Physics and Astronomy. Her Sky Site: GNTO, the General Nathan Twining Observa- Topic: “The Mysteries of Super-Earth Exoplanets.” tory. Just 25 years ago, humanity did not know whetherplanets continued on page 4 . The observatory has evolved, and is still evolving, from were common in the universe, or whether the Solar System continued on page 4 . its original building with dome and main scope (the Is- Hoover Middle School New Moon Observing, Bachechi Open Space Star Party Messier Marathon Public Star Party Tue., March 3 GNTO Fri.,Sat.,Sun. Sat., March 28 6:30–8:30 p.m. March 20–22 5:00–9:00 p.m. INSIDE 2....... President’s Message 4.......Calling All Volunteers! 8....... Astrophoto: The Jellyfish Nebula 3....... Bachechi Open Space Public Star Party 5....... Astrophoto: The Flaming Star Nebula 10........ TAAS Reports & Notices 3.......Telescope Loan Program Update 6........ Under the Dome 11..........TAAS Directors & Staff continued on page 3 . The Sidereal Times March 2020 President’s Message Jim Fordice 2020 ALCON Volunteers Still The volunteer commitment is about the observatory and the Needed to work at least 50% of the many attractions it offers. conference (12 hours). In return TAAS memberS, please consider volunteers will receive a Vol- In December, Steve Snider and volunteering your services at the unteer ALCON 2020 T-Shirt, a I met with Sherry Shaffer, the 19th ALCON Conference in Albu- Conference Attendee Bag, and Philanthropy Manager for Low- querque, July 15-19. Volunteers free conference attendance ell. She provided us information are needed for: when not working. To volunteer about the observatory and the contact Marcella Jones (Volun- Giovale Open Deck Observatory • Registration Desk, July 15- teer Coordinator) at kiwi3528@ (GODO), which has a suite of six 18 aol.com. (Also see Marcella’s telescopes we can arrange to • Speaker & Workshop Sup- separate item on this important use. The suite includes: port, July 15-18 • Tour Support, July • 5.5” TEC wide-field re- 15-19 fractor • Conference • 8” Moonraker Victorian re- breakdown on fractor July 19 • 14” PlaneWave CDK equipped with a Mallin- • Photographers* Cam CCD camera • 16” Meade ACF SCT *Photographers are • 17” PlaneWave CDK needed to document the equipped with a Shelyak proceedings of the con- spectrograph vention, including the event. -Ed.) The deadline for vol- • 32” Starstructure Dobso- Awards Banquet on Saturday. As nian much as possible the photogra- unteering is May 30. phers should attempt to identify Let’s Visit the Lowell people in individual photos for I am considering arranging a Observatory the Astronomical League’s his- multi-day trip to Flagstaff in the torical purposes. These photos Astronomy magazine’s Febru- fall to visit Lowell, the GODO, will become part of copyrighted ary issue includes an article and Meteor Crater. If you are in- material for the Astronomical about the Lowell Observatory terested, please contact me at League and the photographers in Flagstaff AZ, which is “right [email protected] may note their credits in individ- down the road” (I-40) from Albu- ual photos, clips, etc. as desired. querque. The article explains all Page 2 The Official Newsletter of The Albuquerque Astronomical Society The Sidereal Times March 2020 OPEN SPACE VISITOR CENTER PUBLIC STAR PARTY SATURDAY, FEB. 29 5:00–9:00 P.M. 6500 Coors Blvd. NW Albuquerque Free and Open to the Public This very popular star party is co- hosted by The Albuquerque Astro- nomical Society and the City’s Open Space Visitor Center at their lovely Editors’ note: Due to unforeseen delays, including health issues, this ar- facility with easy parking and excel- ticle about the Open Space Visitors Center star party is being published lent observing. after the event took place. We regret this, but are pleased to report it was a big success, and there will be a full article about it in the April issue of the The event begins with solar observ- Sidereal Times. ing near the entrance and continues with a Fabulous 50 presentation at Telescope Loan Program Update 7:00 P.M. in the Kiva Room by Phil Fleming on the heavenly objects to By Rick Vergas, Telescope Loan Program Coordinator be seen during this season; a star- wheel-making craft in the lobby; “Cosmos” DVD being shown in the media room and night observing A number of new members have been using the loan program, and en- with an array of TAAS telescopes as joying the skies, despite the often non-cooperative weather. Meanwhile, the sky darkens on the patio on the I am sorting through donated books, scopes, and other items for a silent east side. Sunset is at 5:55 P.M. auction once the weather improves. Remember, you can request any Arrive early for parking, viewing of package in the program. Loan Program Statistics the Sun, to talk with the astrono- # of % on mers setting up their telescopes Scopes # on Loan # Available Loan and to enjoy the visitor center. 35 31 4 89% Please remember that after dark, use red lights on the observing field Type: Reflectors Refractors Catadioptrics to preserve night vision. Always 23 7 12 bring a jacket for evening chill. Size: Large (>8”) Medium (5”-8”) Small (<5”) See www.TAAS.org for details and 12 17 13 map. If you are bringing a scope to contribute to the public’s view- Tracking: Manual Push-To Go-To Tracking ing, please let Jim Roucis (the event 26 5 7 11 —Lynne Olson Owner) know at [email protected]. As of: 2/25/20 Page 3 The Official Newsletter of The Albuquerque Astronomical Society The Sidereal Times March 2020 CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS! VOLUNTEERS are needed for the 19th ALCON Conference ...Astronomy 101 continued from page 1 Albuquerque, July 15-19, 2020 We need volunteers for the following: · Banquet/Dinner – July 18/19 engard) to a landscape of additional · Conference Setup – July 15 facilities, such as telescope pads, · Registration – July 15-18 an imaging dome, kitchen/warm- · Speaker & Workshop Support – July 15-18 ing room, a relaxing area with star · Tour Support – July 15 -19 charts and reading materials – and · Conference breakdown – July 19 room for those who wish to spend the whole night and depart in the The volunteer commitment is to work at least 50% of the conference morning. (12 hours). In return volunteers will receive: a Volunteer ALCON 2020 warming room, a relaxing area with T-Shirt, a Conference Attendee Bag, and free conference attendance star charts and reading materials when not working. – and room for those who wish to spend the whole night and depart To volunteer, contact Marcella Jones - Volunteer Coordinator at in the morning. [email protected]. The deadline for volunteering is May 30. Along with a description of GNTO’s ...General Meeting News continued from page 1 history, Jim will explain how to find and travel to the site, where to park and set up your equipment, what to bring with you, site courtesies and was an anomaly. Dr. Dragomir will discuss how astrono- lots more. mers use both humble and powerful In 1995, a giant planet was discov- Come and learn what association telescopes to gradually reveal the na- ered in a fast 4-day orbit around a main with TAAS can bring you in advanc- ture of this fascinating class of exoplan- sequence star. Since then, the number ing —Lynne your astronomical Olson knowledge! of exoplanets announced every year has ets. been increasing steadily, and most are Dr. Dragomir is a rising star herself at unlike any of the planets orbiting Sol, UNM; she will be elevated to Assistant our Sun. Professor in August of this year. She ob- But beginning with the Kepler Space tained her PhD in Astronomy from the Telescope (launched 2009, retired University of British Columbia in 2013, 2018) to TESS (the Transiting Exoplan- and was a postdoctoral scholar at the et Survey Satellite, launched 2018), exo- University of California Santa Barbara planet discovery has now burgeoned and at the University of Chicago. to 4,116 confirmed objects orbiting Her research focuses on the demo- distant stars. graphics and atmospheres of exoplan- ets smaller than Neptune that orbit A particularly intriguing group of exo- Observe – Educate – Have Fun planets are the “super-Earths”: planets bright, nearby stars, measuring their with sizes between those of Earth and sizes with the Hubble and TESS space telescopes and their masses with a vari- Neptune. While absent in the Solar —Lynne Olson System, they are ubiquitous elsewhere ety of ground-based observatories. in the Milky Way galaxy – and yet we know little about them or how they *Go to www.TAAS.org for directions to formed. The Official Newsletter of The Albuquerque Astronomical Society Page 4 Regener Hall. The Sidereal Times March 2020 The Flaming Star Nebula, IC 405 or ejecting Mu Columbae and possibly 53 Arietis, has been traced to the Trapezium cluster in the Orion is both an emission and reflection SH2-229 Nebula two million years ago.
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