Highlights of the August Sky

- - - 1st - - - DAWN: Venus and Zeta (ζ) Tauri are less than 2° apart.

DUSK: A waxing gibbous Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn form a triangle.  

- - - 3rd - - - Full Moon 11:59 am EDT KAS - - - 9th - - - AM: Mars and a waning gibbous Moon are 1° apart. Perseid Potluck Picnic: Saturday, August 8 @ 6:00 pm - - - 11th - - - Last Quarter Moon ― Canceled Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic ― 12:45 pm EDT

PM: Perseid Meteor Shower Member Observing: Saturday, August 8 @ 9:00 pm peaks. Jupiter, Saturn & The Summer Triangle • See Page 13 for Details - - - 13th - - - AM: A waning crescent Moon and Aldebaran are Training Session: August 14, 21 & 28 @ 8:00 pm less than 4° apart. Owl Observatory • See Page 14 for Details and to Register

- - - 15th - - - DAWN: A slender waning crescent Moon is 3.5° to the Member Observing: Saturday, August 22 @ 9:00 pm upper le of Venus. Jupiter, Saturn & Summer Nebulae • See Page 13 for Details

- - - 18th - - - New Moon 10:42 pm EDT

- - - 22nd - - - Inside the Newsletter. . . DUSK: A waxing crescent Moon is over 5° to Spica’s upper right. Board Meeng Minutes...... p. 2

- - - 25th - - - Observaons of NEOWISE...... p. 3 First Quarter Moon 1:58 pm EDT Member NEOWISE Images...... p. 4

DUSK: The Moon is 6° to the KAS Member Observatories...... p. 7 upper right of Antares. Stellar Walkabout...... p. 8 th - - - 27 - - - NASA Night Sky Notes...... p. 10 DUSK: The Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn form a line. Membership of the KAS...... p. 11

- - - 28th - - - August Night Sky...... p. 12 DUSK: A gibbous Moon and Jupiter are separated by 2°. KAS Board & Announcements...... p. 13

- - 28th - - - Owl Observatory Training...... p. 14 DUSK: The Moon, Saturn, and Jupiter form an arc.   Board Meeting Minutes

The Kalamazoo Astronomical Society Board held a virtual meeting from their homes using Zoom on June 28, 2020. Those present were President Richard Bell, Joe Comiskey, Scott Macfarlane, Jack Price, Aaron Roman, Don Stilwell (who acted as Zoom host), and Roger Williams.

The meeting began at 5:00 pm with the Treasurer’s Report, which had just been e-mailed by Don. It showed a balance that was adequate for anticipated expenses. Transactions included deposits from Greg Sirna (for purchase of a donated telescope) and Kalman & Becky Csia (a donation to purchase a parallelogram mount for the 25×100 binoculars that they donated last year). Don had also written a check for $705 to the Astronomical League for our membership dues, and he had reimbursed Mike Patton for the cost of a new web switch needed for powering the Remote Telescope on and off. The 25×100 binoculars on a parallelogram mount are now In consideration of July-September events, the July General available for loan to members! Meeting had already been canceled, and all agreed that the July observing sessions and the August Perseid Potluck operation, regarding this as a donation. The Board thanked Picnic should also be canceled. The August 8th observing Dave for this contribution. A procedure for operating the roll session was also canceled, and the August 22nd session was -off roof was written by Dave, modified by Richard, and left open, with a decision to be announced by e-mail later. shared with the Board by e-mail. After brief discussion, a The Kindleberger Park event had been scrubbed earlier. Don few changes were regarded as worthwhile, and Richard noted that CraneFest in October was still officially on, but agreed to implement them. Richard proposed some whether it would really happen had yet to be decided. additional work on Owl Observatory, beginning with a solar- Richard noted that the September General Meeting would powered ventilation fan for the building. After some happen, since we could always use Zoom if things have not discussion, this idea was generally approved. Other items opened up by then. He is unsure if the planned speaker for included a series of adapters and spacers needed for use with that meeting would be interested in giving a presentation by the Tele Vue refractor ($143), some red lighting for the Zoom, if not we would need a replacement. Richard had in cabinet, and two observers’ reference books. A final mind a backup who is OK with Zoom, so we can decide later proposal, namely an Optec temperature-compensating how this meeting will work. focuser ($795) gave rise to vigorous discussion concerning its cost. Jack moved and Don seconded to acquire the In the Follow-up category, Richard reported that the Remote adapters and the books, but not the focuser at this time. Telescope was working well but that the Arizona weather After discussion, the motion passed unanimously. Richard didn’t show much promise for further viewing before the then introduced a motion (seconded by Joe) to purchase the Monsoon shutdown on July 1st. For Owl Observatory, Dave Optec focuser. After further discussion, the motion failed by Garten notified Richard that he did not wish to be reimbursed a vote of 2 in favor, 3 against, and one abstention. Richard for his expenses in getting the motorized roll-off roof into said that he would introduce the motion on another occasion.

In further Follow-up business, Richard noted that he was offering member training sessions for the renovated Owl Observatory to make it as available as possible. No sessions had been scheduled so far. Delivery of the parallelogram mount for the 25×100 binoculars was expected on July 1st. Richard planned to give it a trial run and then to announce that it is ready for borrowing by the members. Efforts are still underway to convince members to submit a profile for the website, with zero response thus far. Richard reminded the members that he had made a major upgrade to the website during the shut-in time necessitated by the pandemic. Everyone was urged to check it out.

With no further business, the meeting adjourned at 6:10 pm. The next meeting was set for September 13th at 5:00 pm, with the venue depending upon pandemic developments. Dave Garten installed a 40W solar panel to power Owl Observatory’s new ventilation system on July 8th. Respectfully submitted by Roger Williams

Prime Focus Page 2 August 2020 The third time is indeed the charm. After both C/2019 Y4 depleted. The spacecraft was put into hibernation in February (ATLAS) and C/2020 F8 (SWAN) fizzled out, C/2020 F3 2011, but brought back into service in September 2013 as (NEOWISE) became the brightest comet visible from the NEOWISE. Its new mission is to help find near-Earth Northern Hemisphere in 23 years. This poor little visitor asteroids and comets. from the Oort Cloud wasn’t mentioned in recent issues of Prime Focus or during the last general meeting on June 5th. The comet reached perihelion (its closest point to the Sun) on No one was really sure this comet was going to put on such a July 3rd. At that time, it was 27 million miles (0.29 AU) from fine show until it passed through the field-of-view of our local star; that’s about 9 times closer than Mercury’s SOHO’s LASCO C3 coronagraph between June 22nd and average distance. As noted, the comet survived its sunbath. 28th. It didn’t fizzle in the slightest. In fact, during its close This was not NEOWISE’s first closeup visit to the Sun, it passage of the Sun, the comet’s brightness increased by a had an orbital period of 4,500 years. I say had because this factor of three. latest encounter increased the comet’s orbital period to 6,800 years. I’m sure the comet doesn’t mind at all. Observations C/2020 F3 was discovered on March 27th by the Near-Earth of the comet have yielded a diameter of 3 miles for its rocky Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE). and icy nucleus. Typical comet nuclei have diameters of only This space-based observatory began its mission as just a mile, so NEOWISE is a decent sized comet. WISE. It scanned the entire sky in four infrared wavelengths starting in December 2009. The mission ended in September I first laid eyes on NEOWISE during the excessively humid 2010 after the frozen hydrogen cooling its instruments was morning of July 7th from Richland Township Park. The comet was easy to spot with my 7×50 binoculars through thin clouds and the light of dawn. The comet was damned impressive with the 25×100 binoculars we now have available for loan. Once it got high enough, I spotted it with my unaided eyes (eyeglasses don’t count). This was the fourth comet I’ve seen with no optical aide and the first that didn’t start with the letter H! (The others being Hyakutake, Hale-Bopp, and Holmes.) I ventured out to Richland Township Park on two other mornings for some comet gazing. On the last occasion, I was joined by KAS members John Miller and Don Stilwell.

The comet transitioned to the evening sky around July 11th. I decided to head to South Haven on July 13th to photograph the comet over Lake Michigan. There are times I wish we had more photogenic foregrounds, like some mountains, instead of a bunch of trees and this was one of them. The photos I took that evening are my favorite of this comet’s apparition. That ion tail was very difficult to get. I was never able to capture it as convincingly as I wanted to thanks to the light of dusk or dawn, light pollution, and humid conditions. It also didn’t help that NEOWISE was a “horizon hugger.” At least clear skies were plentiful during the comet’s prime and I was able to observe and image it on several more occasions. I look forward to hearing more reports from members. Several of the images submitted appear on pages 4 through 6. Perhaps we’ll see more member comet shots during Astrophotography Night in October.

My biggest regret is that we were never able to enjoy the comet together or share it with the general public. We did receive a little bit of publicity. In addition to sharing member images on social media, I was interviewed by WMUK director (and KAS member) Andy Robins and with Ken Lanphear at WKZO. The comet may have been responsible for a nice boost in membership as well. We gained 5 new members and 2 renewals of members past in July alone. NEOWISE soars over Lake Michigan as seen from South th Pretty amazing considering that all of our activities for July Haven on July 13 . This is a 10-second exposure at ISO were canceled. Let’s just hope we don’t have to wait another 1600 with a Canon 6D and 100mm lens. 23 years for the next naked eye comet. Prime Focus Page 3 August 2020 KAS Members Capture Comet NEOWISE

Lloyd Simons  July 13 ∙ Mattawan ∙ Canon T3i ∙ 50mm f/2.8 ∙ 2 seconds ∙ ISO 800

 Mike Cook July 11 ∙ Richland Township Park ∙ Canon T5i ∙ 85mm f/4 ∙ 20 seconds ∙ ISO 1600

Arya Jayatilaka  July 11 ∙ Asylum Lake Preserve ∙ Canon 60D ∙ 57mm f/5 ∙ 3 seconds ∙ ISO 2000

 Dave Garten July 10 ∙ Manistee National Forest ∙ Canon 60D ∙ 92mm f/4 ∙ 10 seconds ∙ ISO 800

Pete Mumbower  July 13 ∙ Vicksburg ∙ Nikon D5100 ∙ 70mm f/3.2 ∙ 2.5 seconds ∙ ISO 800 KAS Members Capture Comet NEOWISE

Dave Woolf July 13 ∙ Kalamazoo Twp. ∙ Canon 5D Mk III ∙ 400mm f/11 ∙ 5 seconds ∙ ISO 25,600

Charles Bibart July 14 ∙ Schoolcraft ∙ Nikon D5000 ∙ 55mm f/7.1 ∙ 7.6 seconds ∙ ISO 3200

Mike Melwiki July 19 ∙ Plainwell ∙ ZWO ASI294MC Pro ∙ 430mm f/5.9 ∙ 3 × 20 seconds

Fred Espenak July 7 ∙ Portal, AZ ∙ Nikon D7200 ∙ 120mm f/5.6 ∙ 10 × 2 seconds ∙ ISO 6400 KAS Members Capture Comet NEOWISE

Eric Schreur July 27 ∙ West Side County Park ∙ Nikon D5500 ∙ 70mm f/4 ∙ 32 × 30 seconds ∙ ISO 3200

Kevin Jung  July 16 ∙ Plainfield Twp. ∙ Canon 7D ∙ 50mm f/2 ∙ 15 × 8 seconds ∙ ISO 800

Richard Bell July 13 ∙ South Haven South Pier ∙ Canon 6D ∙ 70mm f/4 ∙ 4 Image Panorama ∙ 6 seconds (each) ∙ ISO 1600 Owning a private observatory is the dream of many The observatory is called Piishii Observatory after a White amateur astronomers. Your equipment can be ready at a Mountains Apache word for nighthawk. This bird is native to moments notice to take images, gather spectra, measure the area and can see incredibly well at night. variable stars, or just observe the cosmos. This multi-part series will explore KAS members fortunate enough to live The observatory has a 20ʹ × 20ʹ roll-off roof observing area this dream in their own words... with an attached 10ʹ × 10ʹ warm room attached. They are also called “cool rooms” in Arizona. I began my observatory project about 15 years ago when I started to think about retirement. There were certain criteria and considerations for the project that would make it a usable and enjoyable project while providing me with all the features I thought I required.

The criteria were that it first be a permanent installation. I knew I didn’t want to be hauling equipment in and out of the house every time I wanted to use it — not at that age anyway. Second, it had to be in a warm location. After spending 50+ winters in Michigan I knew that the cold of night can be a real negative when considering the evening’s activities. Third it had to have multiple piers to accommodate different telescope set ups and guests.

With these specifications in mind, my wife and I began the The observing area has four independent piers for different search. telescope configurations. Right now they are all occupied and in full use. They include a SolarMax 90 hydrogen-alpha telescope for daytime viewing of the Sun, a 14-inch Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain with a Hyperstar attachment and a single shot ZWO color camera on a PlaneWave L-350 Direct Drive Mount, a 176-mm Meade refractor on a Celestron mount using a modified Canon 6D DSLR camera, and a 20- inch PlaneWave CDK with too many attachments to describe here. The 20-inch is owned and operated remotely by the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society.

We decided on a development in southeastern Arizona Piishii Observatory has been well documented in various known as Arizona Sky Village (ASV). We built a home and photos, videos, and presentations. These have been primarily decided on an observatory design before the house was for use by the KAS, but they have at times been used in completed. The location offered some of the darkest and different publications, television broadcasts, and special clearest skies in the continental U.S. and had plenty of other interest documentaries. outside activities associated with the area to keep us entertained. It was also 1,800 miles from Kalamazoo I am particularly proud of what this observatory has become meaning that we would have to spend our winters there. and how it will be enhanced in the future. The efforts of the KAS has made this possible for me and I am excited to think of the results that are now starting to come out of its use.

The Remote Telescope Project is one that I could have never accomplished by myself. When I think back to all the different aspects of getting the ‘scope operating, I am in awe. Considering the time pulling together the usage agreement, grant writing and fund raising, equipment specifications, installation, programming, and troubleshooting, I know that it would never have happened without the efforts of a lot of people in the KAS. To that I say thank you!

Prime Focus Page 7 August 2020 Though there have been many clear nights in the last month, (See chart on page 9. Each circle approximates the field-of- my telescopes have rarely made it out under the skies. My view of 10×50 binoculars) instrument of choice for several weeks has been a pair of 10×50 binoculars. With these, don’t expect to see details in A) Start at the red supergiant Antares and σ Scorpii. While the Moon, planets or deep sky objects. However, binoculars there check out the faint globular cluster M4 which makes a allow for vast areas of space to be seen. The extra-wide shallow triangle underneath these two stars. fields offer an intermediate perspective missed by naked eye or telescopic viewing. One can visually “walk about” a large B) Journey NW to the region of Graffias and note the section of the sky and stop to behold eye-catching star binocular double ω1 and ω2 Scorpii. patterns (mini-asterisms), clusters, and nebulae. Along with the enjoyment, you’ll become more adept at navigating the C) Head NE to ξ Ophiuchi. night sky. D) Head NW to Yed Posterior and Yed Prior. Notice the Along with a clear night sky, only a few things are needed. interesting triangle of stars just south of Prior and the two Of vital importance is a mount for the binoculars so that you close stars between Posterior and Prior. can stop from point to point and take in the view, in comfort, for as long as you like. Along with the mounted binoculars, E) Use the line between Prior and Posterior to make a right- bring a red light and a star atlas (I use Roger Sinnott’s Pocket angle going NNE about 4 times that distance to get to Sky Atlas). A small makeshift table and chair complete the Marfik. Some interesting binocular doubles can be seen in setup. the vicinity of this star.

The idea is to start at one point of interest in the sky and, F & G) Make another approximately right angle from the while looking through the binoculars, move to another Yed Prior — Marfik line going SW roughly the same nearby destination. The journey from one area to the next is distance to find the globular cluster M12. Follow that line part of the adventure, so remember to continue viewing as farther to get to M10, another globular. This globular has a you’re moving. I’ve illustrated one such walkabout below, prominent star (in binoculars) to the east — 30 Ophiuchi. though I did not plan most of this out ahead of time. Rather, These globular clusters look more like faint unfocused stars I started out at the red supergiant star Antares (the heart of than the wonders they are in a telescope, but this walkabout the Scorpion) and kept “walking” with the binoculars amid helps note where they are in the night sky. the stars, with the sky atlas as my guide. H) Follow the line between M10 and 30 a short distance to Scorpius/Ophiuchus Walkabout: arrive at the star next to NGC 6366. Head NE from this star to link up with an interesting nearly linear asterism-oriented NE. Drop a perpendicular SE from the brightest star on the end of this to arrive at M14. This globular cluster is even fainter than M12 or M10.

We’ll end the mapped journey there for the sake of brevity. Actually though, I took this walkabout several steps further. I actually continued northeast from M14 to the stars β and γ Ophiuchi (this is on page 65, a different page of the Pocket Sky Atlas). While there, the most interesting feature was the open cluster IC 4665 NW of β Ophiuchi. This cluster is a site to behold and is a good reason to have mounted binoculars and a comfortable viewing position, so that you can take your time marveling at this. Other cool open clusters such as NGC 6633 and IC 4756 are located to the east of this. These are also sites to behold.

I’ve done several of these walkabouts in different parts of the sky and encourage you to try this as well. Don’t be surprised to see several satellites of various magnitudes sailing by (many times I follow them with the binoculars). The nights The author is ready for a walkabout from his driveway; complete with downward looking binocular mount, sky are warm and there are lots of clear skies ahead, so why not atlas, and red flashlight. take a stellar walkabout?

Prime Focus Page 8 August 2020

NASA Night Sky Notes... Summer Triangle Corner Deneb

by David Prosper

The Summer Triangle is high in the sky after sunset this month for observers in the Northern Hemisphere, its component stars seemingly brighter than before, as they have risen out of the thick, murky air low on the horizon and into the crisper skies overhead. Deneb, while still bright when lower in the sky, now positively sparkles overhead as night begins. What makes Deneb special, in addition to being one of the three points of the Summer Triangle? Its brilliance has stirred the imaginations of people for thousands of years!

Deneb is the brightest star in Cygnus the Swan and is positioned next to a striking region of the Milky Way, almost as a guidepost. The ancient Chinese tale of the Cowherd (Niulang) and the Weaver Girl (Zhinü) - represented by the stars Altair and Vega - also features Deneb. In this tale the two lovers are cast apart to either side of the Milky Way, but once a year a magical bridge made of helpful magpies – marked by Deneb – allows the lovers to meet. Deneb has inspired many tales since and is a staple setting of many science fiction stories, including several notable episodes of Star Trek. Spot Vega and the other stars of the Summer Triangle by Astronomers have learned quite a bit about this star in recent looking straight up after sunset in August! years, though much is still not fully understood – in part because of its intense brightness. The distance to Deneb from brilliant stars, is too bright to be accurately measured by the our Sun was measured by the ESA’s Hipparcos mission and satellite’s ultra-sensitive instruments. estimated to be about 2,600 light-years. Later analysis of the same data suggested Deneb may be much closer: about 1,500 Deneb is unusually vivid, especially given its distance. light-years away. However, the follow-up mission to Generally, most of the brightest stars seen from Earth are Hipparcos, Gaia, is unable to make distance measurements to within a few dozen to a few hundred light years away, but this star! Deneb, along with a handful of other especially Deneb stands out by being thousands of light years distant! In fact, Deneb ranks among the top twenty brightest night time stars (at #19) and is easily the most distant star in that list. Its luminosity is fantastic but uncertain, since its exact distance is also unclear. What is known about Deneb is that it’s a blue-white supergiant star that is furiously fusing its massive stocks of thermonuclear fuel and producing enough energy to make this star somewhere between 50,000 and 190,000 times brighter than our Sun if they were viewed at the same distance! The party won’t last much longer; in a few million years, Deneb will exhaust its fuel and end its stellar life in a massive supernova, but the exact details of how this will occur, as with other vital details about this star, remain unclear.

Discover more about brilliant stars and their mysteries at nasa.gov.

This article is distributed by NASA Night Sky Network. The Long exposure shot of Deneb (brightest star, near Night Sky Network program supports astronomy clubs center) in its richly populated Milky Way neighborhood. across the USA dedicated to astronomy outreach. Visit Photo credit: J.P. Stanley. nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov to find local clubs, events, and more!

Prime Focus Page 10 August 2020 Membership of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society. . .

1. Thomas Abraham Senior 2020 75. John Lee Family 2020 2. Jan Andersen Senior 2020 76. Nancy Wood & Dale Lighthizer Senior Family 2020 3. Paul Asmus Senior 2021 77. Keith Longjohn Senior 2021 4. Harold Ballen Senior Family 2021 78. Andrew Loveless Family 2020 5. Soumendra Nath Bandyopadhyay Regular 2020 79. Gary & Phyllis Lubbert Family 2021 6. Richard Bell Lifeme n/a 80. Chuck Lund Senior 2020 7. Karen & Peter Berzins Senior Family 2020 81. Sco Macfarlane Family 2021 8. Luke Bessler Student 2020 82. Dale E. Mais Senior 2020 9. Charles Bibart Senior Family 2020 83. Phillip & Linda Marshall Senior Family 2020 10. Bey Bledsoe Senior 2021 84. Jon Towne & Bobbi Marndale Family 2021 11. Jack & Lorrie Bley Family 2021 85. Richard Mather Regular 2022 12. Hunter Boone Regular 2020 86. Randy & Michelle Matson Family 2020 13. Mahew Borton Regular 2021 87. Sandi McGuire Senior Family 2021 14. Tommy Brown Regular 2020 88. Joe McJilton Regular 2021 15. Phyllis Buskirk Lifeme n/a 89. Paul McKinley Senior 2021 16. Michael Bussey Senior 2020 90. Cathy McMinn Family 2020 17. Beverly Byle Senior 2020 91. Michael J. Melwiki Regular 2020 18. Dale A. Campbell Family 2020 92. Chris Miller Regular 2020 19. David Carpenter Family 2020 93. John Miller Regular 2021 20. Craig Carrel Regular 2020 94. Mark & Ninah Miller Family 2020 21. Adam Castle Regular 2020 95. Dave & Carol Mitchell Senior Family 2021 22. Bonnie Covert & Mike Chaffee Family 2020 96. Pete Mumbower Regular 2022 23. Barry Collins Family 2021 97. David & Michelle Murphy Family 2020 24. Joe & Ellen Comiskey Family 2021 98. Bill Nigg Lifeme n/a 25. Roark Consola Senior Family 2021 99. Mark Ohrstrom Regular 2021 26. Michael Cook Family 2020 100. Jim & Christene Oorbeck Family 2020 27. Harry Coerill Senior Family 2020 101. Charles Overberger Regular 2020 28. Steve Crawford Regular 2021 102. Mike Paon Senior 2020 29. John Dillworth & Dorilee Crown Family 2020 103. Jack & Ruth Price Family 2020 30. Kalman & Becky Csia Senior Family 2020 104. Alison Prui Family 2020 31. Jean DeMo Senior 2020 105. Sam & Tina Qualls Family 2020 32. Sue DeNise Regular 2021 106. Michael Quinn Senior Family 2020 33. Mahew DePriest Family 2020 107. Jay Raycra Regular 2021 34. Richard Dirrenberger Senior 2020 108. Jonathan Reck Regular 2020 35. Dave Doan Senior 2021 109. Andrew C. Robins Regular 2021 36. Kris & Steve Durbin Family 2021 110. Florence Roe Senior 2021 37. Fred E. Duon Senior 2021 111. Bernard Roehr Student 2020 38. James Dyer Senior Family 2020 112. Aaron & McKenzie Roman Family 2020 39. Janet Dykens Regular 2020 113. Brent Sanford Regular 2020 40. Clion E. Ealy Jr. Regular 2020 114. Jason Schener Student 2021 41. Richard Emmons Senior Family 2020 115. Eric Schreur Senior 2020 42. Fred Espenak Honorary n/a 116. Robert Secor Regular 2020 43. William Fowler Family 2021 117. Frank & Susan Severance Senior Family 2020 44. Richard Frantz Senior 2020 118. Diane Schear Regular 2021 45. Dave Garten Family 2020 119. Rick Shields Senior 2020 46. Ma Garten Regular 2020 120. Lloyd Simons Family 2021 47. Brendan & Dee Gauthier Senior Family 2021 121. Michael & Karen Sinclair Family 2020 48. Kalina Angell & Rob Gauthier Family 2020 122. Greg Sirna Regular 2021 49. Tom George Regular 2021 123. Don Slwell Senior Family 2021 50. Jaimy Gordon Senior 2020 124. Brian & Terri Swisher Family 2020 51. Tony Gurczynski Senior 2021 125. Jon Szczepanski Family 2020 52. Alexander Hanchar Senior 2021 126. Renée Szostek Regular 2020 53. Robert & Barbara Havira Senior Family 2020 127. David Taylor Regular 2021 54. Geoffrey Hickok Senior Family 2020 128. Josh Taylor-Lehman Regular 2021 55. Christopher & Lydia Hodshire Family 2020 129. Gary & Karen Theisen Family 2020 56. Lydia Hoff Regular 2020 130. Eric Therkildsen Family 2021 57. Nicholas & Nancy Hotra Senior Family 2020 131. Terry Tomlinson Senior Family 2021 58. Arya Jayalaka Family 2021 132. Henry & Martha Upjohn Family 2020 59. Dean Johnson Senior 2020 133. Michael & Debbie Vandeveer Senior Family 2021 60. Phillip Johnson Family 2023 134. Jim Vukelich Senior 2020 61. Dorothy Jones Family 2021 135. Robert Wade Supporng 2021 62. Kevin Jung Regular 2020 136. Brian Walesh Family 2021 63. Ahsanuddin & Maliha Ali Khan Senior Family 2021 137. Sharyl Weber Family 2021 64. Rodney Kinne Senior 2021 138. Kae & Duane Weller Family 2021 65. Mark Kinsey Family 2020 139. Danielle & James Whitaker Family 2020 66. Kellie Kloosterman Regular 2020 140. Bob White Senior 2021 67. Tanner Klute Student 2021 141. Roger & Molly Williams Family 2020 68. Kirk & Angela Korista Family 2020 142. Vera Paz-Moreno & Mahew Wimsa Family 2020 69. Srinivasa Kota Family 2020 143. John Wing Family 2024 70. Tyler Krasavage Student 2021 144. Klay & Karen Woodworth Family 2020 71. Zosha Kuiper Student 2020 145. David Woolf Family 2020 72. Jim Kurtz Regular 2020 146. Jonathan Young Family 2022 73. Tim Kurtz Regular 2020 147. Mohammed Zafar Regular 2020 74. Cal Lamoreaux Senior Family 2020

Prime Focus Page 11 August 2020 — August Night Sky —

This star map is property of the This map represents the sky at the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society. NORTH following local mes: However, you may make as many • Late July 11 pm copies as you wish free-of- • Early August 10 pm charge, so long as it is for non- profit educaonal purposes and • L a t e A u g u s t D u s k full credit is given to the KAS. www.kasonline.org EAST WEST

SOUTH

ugust is besieged with close Another style of planetary encounter dawn on August 15th. Only 3° separate A encounters of the Moon and takes place on August 11th/12th. It’s the the two worlds, so they’ll be a sight to planets in the morning and annual Perseid meteor shower! The glow behold in binoculars. evening sky. It begins at dusk on August of a last quarter Moon will cause some 1st when a waxing gibbous Moon forms a interference, but brighter meteors will cut The Moon returns to Jupiter and Saturn triangle with Jupiter and Saturn. Only 1° through the obnoxious glare. on August 27th - this time forming a line. will separate the now waning gibbous The Moon’s final encounter of the month Moon and Mars during the early morning A slender waning crescent Moon has a is with Jupiter on August 28th. Only 2° of hours of August 9th. dazzling appearance next to Venus before sky will be between the two. August 2020 Page 13 PRESIDENT Richard S. Bell

VICE PRESIDENT Jack Price Our Celestron 8˝ Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope is TREASURER quick and easy to setup. A dew cap, 3 eyepieces, Tel-Rad finder, and more are included. Don Slwell This is a serious amateur telescope that will SECRETARY/ALCOR provide dazzling views of the Moon and planets, and is capable of showing you thousands of deep Roger Williams sky objects. PUBLICITY MANAGER Visit the Telescopes for Loan webpage for more information and contact KAS Equipment Manager Joe Comiskey Arya Jayatilaka today if you’d like borrow it.

MEMBERS-AT-LARGE Dave Garten Sco Macfarlane STOP BY & SUPPORT

Aaron Roman

E-MAIL a BOARD MEMBER

KAS Lapel Pin Miller Planisphere KAS Embroidered Caps $5.00 $13.00 $20.00 each ORDER ONLINE AT: skyshop.kasonline.org

Join your fellow KAS members for a pleasant evening under the stars. To ensure the safety of all that aend, we ask everyone to adhere to the following guidelines: • All aendees are required to wear a mask or other form of facial covering whenever in close proximity to others. • Maintain at least 6 feet of physical distancing between other aendees whenever possible. • Eyepieces and high-touch surfaces (such as focusers) will be sanized aer each use. Members bringing their own equipment are required to provide sanizing wipes. • If you have a cough or are feeling ill, please stay at home.

August 8th & 22nd @ 9:00 pm Kalamazoo Nature Center • 7000 N. Westnedge Ave. WL BSERVATORY RAINING Learn to use the new Leonard James Ashby Telescope housed within Owl Observatory at the Kalamazoo Nature Center! Due to the ongoing pandemic, we’re liming each training session to 4 parcipants. Masks are absolutely required to aend. The sessions will be focused on using the observatory for visual use, which is prey straight forward, and not astrophotography. If you’ve trained before, you’ll have to take the session again. It’s a whole new observatory!

Please use our contact form to register. th st th August 14 , 21 & 28 @ 8:00 pm

Kalamazoo Astronomical Society c/o KAMSC STAMP 600 West Vine, Suite 400 Kalamazoo, MI 49008

© August 2020, Stargazer Productions