The Observer of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers

THE OBSERVER OF THE TWIN CITY AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS

Volume 40, Number 12 December 2015

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Editor’s Choice: Image of the Month……..……………….1 A Note from President Weiland..…………………..……….2 Calendar of Celestial Events – December 2015..…....3 New & Renewing Members/Dues Blues…………..…….3 Subscribing to Our E-Mail Lists………………………….……3 This Month’s Phases of the Moon……..……………...…..4 President’s Message (continued)……………………..…….4 Holiday Gathering at Wenning Residence………….…..4 Minutes of November 24th BoD Meeting………………..5 Minutes of 11/24 NCRAL 2016 Planning Meeting……5 E/PO for November 2015…………………………………….…6 Public Observing Sessions for 2016……………….……….6 AstroBits…………………………………………………………..……7 Observations of Moon, Venus, Mars, & Jupiter………9 NCRAL 2016 Coming April 29/30………………………….…9 The Milky Way Riches of Deneb and Sadr…………….10 TCAA on Facebook and Twitter…………………………….11 Cartoon of the Month…………………………………….…...12 Becoming an Amateur Astronomer………………………12 Universe Sampler II Telescope Course Coming……..14 HowTimeFlies……………………………………………………….15

TCAA History Board Retrieved…………………………..….15 Board Seeks Award Nominations………………………….16 EDITOR’S CHOICE: IMAGE OF THE MONTH – IC 1318 TCAA Treasurer’s Report: November 2015………..….16 Editor’s note: Tim Stone produced the above Image of the Month for December. It shows the Sadr region of Cygnus known to astronomers as IC 1318, The Butterfly Nebula. It is the diffuse nebular region surrounding Sadr or Gamma Cygni. Sadr lies in the center of the Cygnus cross. IC 1318 is the first image successfully taken with the new 16” telescope in PSO. Tim writes, “On November 8, 2015, at Prairie Sky Observatory, Bob Finnigan and I acquired the “first light” image with the new 16” Harmer Wynne telescope from AG Optical Systems, IC 1318 in Cygnus. At f/3.9, this very fast large aperture system produced this result in a single night, with 7 Hα, 4 OIII, and 4 SII exposures, all 900 seconds in length. The optical system is designed to provide a sharp, flat field for the 36.8x36.8mm Kodak KAF16803 CCD 16Mp sensor. The camera on the 16” is the SBIG STX-16803 camera, which incorporates this CCD. It is The TCAA is an affiliate of the Astronomical League. paired with an SBIG FW7-STX filter wheel with Astrodon 50mm E-Series For more information about the TCAA, be certain to LRGB, and 3nm Hα, OIII, and SII filters. visit our club website.

Vol. 40, No. 12 The OBSERVER December 2015

The OBSERVER is the monthly These filters are designed to accommodate the electronic newsletter of the Twin KAF16803 sensor’s large size and are formulated to City Amateur Astronomers, Inc., a provide excellent bandpass consistency across the registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit entire filter in fast systems where the light cone angle educational organization of amateur can be several degrees. Focus is controlled with a astronomers interested in studying Finger Lakes Instrumentation Atlas focuser. astronomy and sharing their hobby Altogether, the HW16, STX16803 camera, FW7- with the public. STX filter wheel, Astrodon filters, and FLI focuser are TCAA OFFICERS an integrated system designed specifically for fast, large field imaging, giving a field of view of 1° 21' 31" President square at 1.19” per pixel. In test images, stars of at Tom Weiland 309-830-0167 least 18th magnitude were recorded in 900-second [email protected] exposures. Vice-President This new system is driven by a Paramount ME Dave Osenga 309-287-0789 robotic German Equatorial Mount, and controlled [email protected] with TheSkyX Professional, both from Software Secretary/Webmaster Bisque. We are still zeroing in the polar alignment, Lee Green 309-454-7349 with current error of less than 1 minute in azimuth, and about 6 minutes in altitude. [email protected] The HW16 joins two other astrograph systems in the Prairie Sky Observatory: the

Treasurer/ALCor/Registered Agent 10” Takahashi Corrected Cassegrain Astrograph CCA250, and the 20” PlaneWave Duane Yockey 309-452-3936 Corrected Dall Kirkham. All of these systems have cameras with the KAF16803 sensor, [email protected] with the 10” system giving about twice the image scale of the 16”, and the 20” giving about half. This makes combining data from multiple systems relatively simple, each 3rd Director/Property Manager system complimenting the others in terms of resolution or field of view. Tim Stone 309-531-2401 Initial tests, including this image of IC 1318, indicate that this platform is capable of [email protected] producing spectacular results. While we have more wrinkles to iron out of the newest th 4 Director/Historian/Editor member of the Prairie Sky Observatory complement, we hope to have it fully Carl J. Wenning 309-830-4085 operational by early next year. [email protected]

th 5 Director A NOTE FROM PRESIDENT WEILAND Robert Finnigan 309-846-9533 [email protected] There are three items I would like to draw your Lighting Education Coordinator attention to in this month’s message. The first is the call Lisa Wentzel unlisted number for nominations that you will find elsewhere in this edition [email protected] of The OBSERVER. Any TCAA member in good standing is eligible to run for the TCAA Board of Directors. Board The OBSERVER meetings are held at 6:30 on a Tuesday evening every Carl J. Wenning, Editor other month (January, March, May, July, September, and Paul Pouliot, Assistant Editor November). The date of these meetings is determined by Submission deadline is normally one members’ schedules, with some consideration for the day before the end of each month. occurrence of the full moon. These meetings are usually held at the office of member Duane Yockey in downtown MEMBERSHIP DUES Bloomington. If you are interested in working with other members to help formulate the direction of TCAA for the Individual Adult/Family $40 coming year, I encourage you to forward your name to me Full-time Student/Senior $25 for consideration by our membership at the upcoming (Senior status equals ages 60+) annual meeting. There are five Director positions. A president and vice president are To join, send your name, contact elected from among the Directors at the March Board meeting. Other TCAA positions info and dues payment to Duane are appointed, or reappointed, by the Board at this meeting as well. The election for Yockey, TCAA Treasurer, 508 Normal the five Director positions, as previously mentioned, is held at our annual meeting, Avenue, Normal, IL 61761. which brings me to the second item I would like to remind you about.

(continued on page 4)

Vol. 40, No. 12 The OBSERVER December 2015

CALENDAR OF CELESTIAL EVENTS – DECEMBER 2015 NEW & RENEWING MEMBERS

MORNING STARS (12/15): Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn The following individuals have paid dues for new EVENING STARS (12/15): Mercury, Uranus, and Neptune or renewed memberships as of November 30th, 2015. (Others who paid after that date will appear in the 3 Third Quarter Moon – Rises at midnight and sets at midday. January 2016 issue of The OBSERVER.)

7 Conjunction of the Moon and Venus – A conjunction of the New: None Moon and Venus will take place this morning. The crescent Renewing: None moon will come with 2 degrees of bright planet Venus in the early morning sky. Look to the east just before sunrise. DUES BLUES

11 New Moon – Sets at sunset and rises at sunrise. If you have received a “your dues are due” statement along with the email that brought you this 13/14 Geminid Meteor Shower – Perhaps the best shower of issue of The OBSERVER, please remit your dues to Mr. the year, the Geminids runs annually from December 7-17 but Duane Yockey, TCAA Treasurer, 508 Normal Avenue, peaks on the night of the 13th and morning of the 14th. The Normal, IL 61761. Current dues are currently $25 for crescent moon will set early in the evening leaving dark skies senior (60 years of age and over) and $40 regular. for what should be an excellent show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the SUBSCRIBING TO OUR E-MAIL LISTS constellation Gemini, but can appear anywhere in the sky. By subscribing to a group’s mailing list you will 18 First Quarter Moon – Rises at midday and sets at midnight. receive email messages from the group so you won’t have access to the group’s web features (like photos, 22 December Solstice – The December solstice occurs at files, links, polls, calendar, etc.) unless members 04:48 UTC. The South Pole of the earth will be tilted toward the activate it later. The club now has two email listservs. Sun, which will have reached its southernmost position in the The main email listserv is known as the TCAA listserv. sky and will be directly over the Tropic of Capricorn at 23.44 It will be used to share announcements and reminders degrees south latitude. This is the first day of winter (winter about astronomical and club events. To join this main solstice) in the northern hemisphere and the first day of listserv you must do the following: summer (summer solstice) in the southern hemisphere. 1. Subscribe: Send a blank email to TCAA- 25 Full Moon – Early Native American tribes knew this full [email protected] Note: You’ll be sent a moon as the Full Cold Moon because this is the time of year confirmation email from the group. Reply to the when the cold winter air settles in and the nights become long confirmation email to activate your subscription. and dark. This moon has also been known as the Full Long 2. Unsubscribe: [email protected] Nights Moon. 3. To post a message: [email protected]

29 Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation – The planet A second listserv – TCAA–imaging – is for club Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation of 19.7 degrees astronomical photographers as well as those who from the Sun. This is the best time to view Mercury because it want to view their images and follow their discussions. will be at its highest point above the horizon in the evening sky. It is an easy way to keep up with all the stuff we’re Look for the planet low in the western sky just after sunset. doing at the observatories.

1. Subscribe: [email protected] EVENING SKY MAP 2. Unsubscribe: [email protected] 3. To post a message: [email protected]

Click on either of the icons below to access the current evening sky map along with a Once members join a Yahoo! group, they can manage more detailed celestial events calendar. group and subscription settings whenever it is desired to customize the group experience.

Vol. 40, No. 12 The OBSERVER December 2015

THIS MONTH’S PHASES OF THE MOON

Third Quarter New Moon First Quarter Full Moon December 3 December 11 December 18 December 25

All moon phase dates are given for Central Standard Time. Additional moon phases can be found for the 2015 calendar year by clicking here. These four images were provided by J. K. Howell of the Champaign-Urbana Astronomical Society and are used with permission.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE (CONTINUED)

In last month’s message I asked you to watch for further information about the upcoming TCAA Annual Meeting. This is a dinner for members and guests with an invited speaker. A brief business meeting is conducted to provide an annual report on the TCAA and to address any action required by the general membership. This year a vote a vote will be taken to approve proposed Bylaw amendments. A date for that meeting has now been finalized. This year’s meeting will be held on Saturday, February 20, 2016, beginning at 6:00 p.m. Please put this date on your calendar. These proposed amendments have been presented in previous editions of The OBSERVER for your review and consideration. The Board of Directors has approved the final draft. A link to this document is provided elsewhere in this newsletter. Because the changes have been presented to the membership for review, and the Board has forwarded a recommendation to the membership, a single vote will be taken to approve the document as a whole. I encourage every TCAA member to attend this annual event; it’s a great opportunity to become more active and to get to know other members of the club. Please watch for additional information about this event and how you can register to attend. Clear Skies!! Tom Weiland

HOLIDAY GATHERING AT WENNING RESIDENCE

TCAA members and their guests are cordially invited to attend a holiday gathering at the home of Herr and Frau Wenning on Saturday, December 12th. The event will run from 7:00 PM to approximately 11:00 PM. The theme will be A German Christmas. Traditional German Christmas decorations, music, and food will play a significant role in this gathering. Dress is casual, but feel free to wear German tracht (lederhosen for the men and dirndls for the ladies) if you have it! Guests will be fêted throughout the evening with beer, wine, (and other drinks), and finger food. A German buffet will be provided at 10:00 PM. There will be plenty of opportunity for meeting new people and engaging in interesting conversations. This event will provide members – both new and old – an opportunity to get to know one another in a friendly and comfortable setting. Please do seriously consider attending. Parking is available on the street in front of the Wenning residence that is located at 21 Grandview Drive in Normal (between Sheridan Road and Jersey Avenue). Be certain to park only on the west side of the street as parking on the east side is banned. If you get lost, call Carl at (309) 830-4085.

Vol. 40, No. 12 The OBSERVER December 2015

Carl and Carolyn would appreciate the honor of your presence, so please make plans now to attend. They also would appreciate an RSVP if you intend on coming so they know for how many they need to prepare. Please email [email protected] by Wednesday, December 9th if you will be attending. There is no need to bring anything but yourself and your significant other(s)!

MINUTES OF THE NOVEMBER 24TH BOD MEETING

The meeting of the TCAA Board was held at the office of Duane Yockey in Bloomington. In attendance were Board members Tom Weiland, Dave Osenga, Robert Finnigan, Tim Stone, Carl Wenning and members Duane Yockey, Lisa Wentzel, Lee Green and Paul Pouliot. The meeting was called to order at 6:30pm. Duane reported that the club’s membership for the Sugar Grove Nature Center had been renewed. Tim reported that the 20” scope is up and running, that the computers had been upgraded to Windows 10, and that the security system was functioning normally. Carl reported that the lunar eclipse event at Tipton Trails Park was successful and that there was a ‘steady stream’ of observers. About a dozen people were present at the SGNC for the event according to Lee. Carl suggested that the Membership Coordinator office be offered to Tom Willmitch. The Board approved this appointment contingent on his acceptance. Tom reported that he had received no feedback from club members about the proposed Bylaw changes. The Board formally approved their consideration by the membership at the Annual Meeting. Several other items were discussed, but little or no progress had been made. Dave will endeavor to work with Duane to update the written procedures for the office of Treasurer, and coordinate a time to conduct an audit of the records. Duane noted that he has served in the position since Sandy McNamara had vacated it over 10 years ago. Turning to new business, the Board agreed that January 12 would be the preferred date for the next Board meeting. In preparation for the Annual Meeting, the date was selected to be February 20. Dave volunteered to reserve the Normal Town Hall for the event and would contact a caterer. The current members of the Board volunteered to serve again, and several other members were identified as good candidates to serve on the next Board. Board members will contact these individuals to assess their interest. Tom requested that those members who express interest still contact him via email to formally place their names in nomination. We discussed several possible speakers for the event, and Carl will approach one then the other to confirm their willingness and availability to speak to the club. Tom had received an invitation for the club to participate in a printed article in the publication 50 Plus News. Carl agreed to contact the group. An anonymous donor wished to make additional contributions of equipment to the club. The Board accepted the generous donations. Carl will work with Lee to ensure that the donations are acknowledged appropriately. Carl suggested that we should obtain a 500 solar-eclipse-viewing ‘glasses’ for the 2017 event. He volunteered to purchase them, and may seek reimbursement from the club at a later time. Carl announced that he and his wife Carolyn will be hosting a December 12 holiday party for club members at his home. The theme will be A German Christmas and the Board thanked Carl for his initiative and generosity. Tom reported that he was unable to get the donated SkyScout working due to an error with the GPS software, and that others had experienced a similar error. Lisa proposed that she purchase a telescope as a replacement prize; the Board gratefully accepted her kind offer. It was agreed that having such giveaway programs were a good idea and that we would like to continue the program next year. Lisa will research alternatives for a 2016 prize. Several requests from the public were considered. It was agreed that if individual members would like to assist individuals, that was admirable, but that the club could not be expected to fulfill every request. The meeting adjourned at 7:56pm. Respectfully submitted, Lee Green, Secretary

MINUTES OF THE NOVEMBER 24TH NCRAL 2016 PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETING

A brief NCRAL 2016 planning committee meeting followed the November 24th Board of Directors meeting. Meeting chairman Carl Wenning provided a short agenda. Before talking about work details, however, he asked about the advisability of including an “unconference” event on Friday evening. The idea is that registrants will be surveyed in advance of the 5

Vol. 40, No. 12 The OBSERVER December 2015

meeting to see what type of topics they would like to discuss in small and informal breakout sessions. Carl noted that this is becoming a trend at national meetings among some groups. Everyone thought that the idea was appealing and agreed to its inclusion in the schedule. Because the NCRAL 2016 event is already well planned and all major commitments have been made, there was only a brief discussion about the various tasks that need to be accomplished and the timelines upon which they must be completed. Of greatest urgency now is to get the word out so the highest priority is to develop a mailing list, develop publicity, and get the associated website up and running. Each planning team member was asked to start thinking about what is yet needed to bring the April 29/30 event to fruition, and to begin work. Duane Yockey noted the urgency of getting a complete list of anticipated expenses to him so that he can work out a budget and registration fee. Because he is working with meals as well, Duane asked Carl to send him information about HCC catering. Tom Weiland indicated that $5 should be included in the registration fee for use of SGNC facilities on the afternoon of Saturday, April 30th. Carl will work on costs for busses for the SGNC visit, as well as travel, food, honoraria, and lodging expenses for our two guest speakers. The bus trip will be an included cost, but the Saturday evening dinner will be an option in order to keep costs down. Lee will work on getting the website up and running. Lisa Wentzel and Carl will work on a promotional flyer. Carl will develop an email list for all 42 clubs in NCRAL, as well as officers. Bob Finnigan will work with Carl on gaining sponsorships in addition to the one to be provided by whiteboardsUSA.com. Carl agreed to personally purchase 500 solar eclipse viewers from the Astronomical League, one of which will be included in each registration packet. Those remaining will be sold for $1 each with any proceeds given to the TCAA after expenses have been paid. This is a no-risk opportunity for the club as Carl will absorb the cost of any unsold solar viewers. It was agreed that the club will not get involved in reserving blocks of hotel rooms due to the fact that we are meeting at HCC and there are many hotels in town and the prices are quite reasonable given the competition. The next meeting of planning committee will occur following the January Board of Directors meeting. At that time all planning team members’ work to date will be reviewed. Each “committee” will be asked to report out and provide a detailed list of expenses. Additional information and reminders will be sent to committee members prior to that meeting.

E/PO FOR NOVEMBER 2015

Brian Crawford (Vivian’s Hoette’s son) requested an event with TCAA help for some 25 Tiger scouts and their parents on Friday, November 20, 2015. Lee Green provided about half of the input for the 2-hour event at which the Tiger cubs were engaged in earning “The Sky’s the Limit” belt loop. The event was held at Northpoint Elementary School in Bloomington. Lee also hosted a public outreach event on Saturday, November 21st at the Central Illinois Regional Airport. Lee reports that he attended the Civil Air Patrol’s 2015 Illinois Wing Conference. He noted that while many people were in attendance at the conference, few were in his breakout session (5). Those who did attend the session were interested in engaging opportunities for the cadets according to Lee.

PUBLIC OBSERVING SESSIONS FOR 2016

The TCAA Board of Directors has approved the following schedule and topics for the 2016 public observing sessions at SGNC. In addition to the presentations described below, we will conduct a laser-guided sky tour and have telescopes set up for viewing if the sky is clear.

Mar 05 The Great Nebula of Orion (Tim Stone) 7:00 – 9:00 PM One of the most majestic of all objects visible from Earth’s northern hemisphere, come with us as we examine this naked-eye star birth region in the constellation of Orion the Hunter.

Apr 02 Jupiter and its Moons (Bob Hoy) 8:00 – 10:00 PM First observed by Galileo in 1609, the largest planet in the solar system has an amazing variety of moons. Learn

how to observe these moons and their motions.

May 07 Galaxies Galore (Carl Wenning) 8:30 – 10:30 PM The best time of year to view galaxies is when the Milky Way is not in view. May is the month without the Milky

Way so now is the best time to look. Learn where to find galaxies galore using a set of binoculars.

Vol. 40, No. 12 The OBSERVER December 2015

Jun 11 Moons of the Solar System (Lee Green) 9:00 – 11:00 PM The variety of the solar system’s many moons is simply astonishing. Join us on a trip around the solar system as we

examine the moons of Earth, planets, dwarf planets, and even asteroids.

Jul 02 Mars and Saturn (Lee Green) 9:00 – 11:00 PM Without a doubt, Mars and Saturn are the two planets that most capture the general public’s imagination. Mars –

a potential harbor of life – and Saturn – the ringed wonder – will astonish as you learn more.

Aug 06 Globular Clusters of the Milky Way (Carl Wenning) 8:30 – 10:30 PM Stars of our galaxy come individually, in binary systems, in small groups, in open clusters, and in titanic globular

clusters. Join us as we describe the largest star systems within the Milky Way – some containing 100,000+ stars.

Sep 03 The Heart of the Milky Way Galaxy (Dave Osenga) 8:00 – 10:00 PM Recent studies have shown that the heart of our galaxy – like most other galaxies – is a seething, writhing mass of

stars about to meet their doom as they are swallowed by a massive black hole.

Oct 01 Fading Glories of the Summer Triangle (Tim Stone) 7:00 – 9:00 PM Stars live out most of their lives as in rather stable fashion. However, near the ends of their lives they become

unstable. They swell and redden, and eventually end their lives in violent outbursts – some yet visible today.

ASTROBITS

 On a recent night flight from Atlanta, GA, to Dayton, OH, Carl Wenning noticed something very unusual between northern Kentucky and southwestern Ohio. The contrast between the way communities were once lit up at night and how they are lit up now is quite evident. Carl saw whole communities with very little “uplight” in comparison to others lit in such as way as to waste electrical energy and to produce light pollution. In some communities, the areas where traditional street lighting has been replaced with energy efficient, shielded LEDs is producing a crazy quilt patterns as seen from the air by night. This suggests that some community leaders are making rational decisions about changing street lighting based on the arguments of cost and efficiency. Might there be some hope for Bloomington-Normal that will redound to benefit the TCAA and its astronomical observatories located not so very distant? Seems like the time is ripe for making this proposal to our communities’ leaders. The Illinois Department of Transportation has “seen the light” and has already modified some of the Interstate lighting around the Twin Cities.  Might it be possible that the TCAA can contact IDOT about reducing lighting in the Sugar Grove roadside rest along I-55 and just a little more than a mile from SGNC and our observatories? If you attended the TCAA September Mini Conference at SGNC, you know that we certainly have a helpful advocate at IDOT.  It’s time to begin thinking ahead to the February Annual Meeting. We are in need of nominees for the five positions on the Board of Directors. Consider volunteering to serve and nominating those who you’d like to see serve on the Board for the next year. Contact President Tom Weiland with your nomination(s). Also, if you have not already done so, please review the proposed Bylaw amendments. Follow the link in the box below to see the Board-recommended version that will be proposed for adoption. The October issue of this newsletter contained a summary of proposed changes provided by Lisa Wentzel. If you don’t have that issue, you should be available from the online archive of The OBSERVER found here: http://www.tcaa.us/Observer.aspx

Editor’s note: The proposed Bylaws are available for review online at the following case-sensitive URL: http://goo.gl/YRKLEv Please review these changes carefully and make your comments known to President Tom Weiland. The Board will bring all recommended amendments to the membership at the February Annual Meeting for possible adoption. It has been suggested that all amendments be approved simultaneously at the Annual Meeting.

Vol. 40, No. 12 The OBSERVER December 2015

 Vivian Hoette and her husband Chuck are now living in Normal, IL. Vivian, you might recalled, works at the University of Chicago’s Yerkes Observatory and had Bob Finnigan and Carl Wenning to visit last year to make recommendations for new cameras for both the 41” Cassegrain and the 40” refractor. Vivian and Chuck moved here recently to be closer to family and are enjoying the community according to Vivian. Vivian is now working half time with Yerkes Observatory and does most of her work and observing remotely. Nonetheless, she still goes to Yerkes on a regular basis. Vivian noted recently that she is “Looking forward to being involved with TCAA.” Vivian, we look forward to you joining us!  The club’s new 16” AG Optical telescope is now operational… On the evening of November 1st, Tim Stone, working with several other members, performed the initial plate solve/sync for Paramount under the 16”, established its park position, verified that it does not contact the wall at any orientation, polar aligned it with a laser, then made a couple of align refinement iterations using Tpoint. Tim believes the telescope is aligned to within 2 arc seconds of the north celestial pole at this point. The next night they double-checked that the camera was square, and ran a full pointing model (200-300 points) for as much of the sky as that instrument can see. Shortly thereafter, Tim began working on what would become the December Image of the Month shown on the front cover of this issue of The OBSERVER.  Did you know that The OBSERVER is available in a higher resolution format? When the newsletter is created, the full resolution MS Word file is typically 10-12 Megabytes in size. This is far too large to send as an email attachment. When the PDF for distribution is created, a lower resolution version is created thereby reducing the file size to its typical 2 Megabyte size. This reduces the quality of the images included in the newsletter. TCAAers wanting a higher resolution version of the newsletter may contact the editor at [email protected]. This option is available to dues-paying TCAAers only.  In an effort to encourage people to contribute to the support of SGNC, an anonymous donor has agreed to match donations up to $1,000 if made before the end of 2015. SGNC is a 501(c)3 educational non-profit organization. It does not receive support from local, state or federal governments. It does receive a limited amount of support from the Funks Grove Cemetery Association, but most of its funding comes directly from memberships, donations, tuitions and fundraisers. SGNC is not a wealthy entity; it does not have cash reserves. While the TCAA does maintain a membership, the amount of our contribution hardly equals the worth of what we receive in return. If you are willing to contribute to the support of SGNC, please do so now so as to double the worth of your contribution. Send your tax-deductible contribution to Sugar Grove Nature Center, 4532 N 725 East Road, McLean, IL 61754.  Despite the prevalence of cool, blustery, and sometime rainy late autumn weather, observers have been working unabated at SGNC…. In addition to our regular astronomical imaging crew – that consists primarily of Tim Stone, Bob Finnigan, Tony Cellini, and Justin Meyer – Brian Barling and Carl Wenning continue with visual observing despite the conditions to which they are subjected when viewing from the parking lot of SGNC. On Saturday evening, November 15th, for instance, Brian spent an hour work diligently on his AL ‘Double Star’ observing program. That same evening Carl spent four hours working on his ‘Two in the View’ and ‘Astronomical Bucket Lists’ observing programs. Tim spent time unsuccessfully imaging the Einstein Cross due to the poor seeing conditions, but was able to image M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, as shown here. This image – taken with the new 16” AG Optical f/3.9 telescope at prime focus, and is a composite of six 600-second photographs in red, green, and blue. As Tim remarked about this image of M31, “Best one I've ever done.” Previous images were made with the club’s 17” and 10” telescopes.

Vol. 40, No. 12 The OBSERVER December 2015

 On November 19th Bob Finnigan gave a status update about the equipment at the TCAA observatories. He stated, “We had a very good night. Thanks to the help of Brad, Justin, Tony and Tim, we now have all the telescopes working with the remote VNC viewer. The 20”, 17”, 16” and 10”… The new 16” is running 100% with Window's Seven and Maxim 6.0 in narrow band; there are still some problems with LRGB. The 20” has a new SBIG Camera and Filter wheel and is also running Maxim 6.0 and Windows 10. It's working with all seven filters. All we have to do now is to change the last two numbers on the VNC viewer to the size of the ‘scope and it picks the correct scope and desktop view. This can be done on our 40-inch television in PSO or any laptop with the VNC viewer installed while one is out at SGNC.”

OBSERVATIONS OF MOON, VENUS, MARS, AND JUPITER ~ By Daniel Kates ~

On the morning of October 26th, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter were within a ⅓-degree triangle with Mars on the bottom left, Venus in the middle, and Jupiter above Venus. The 27th and 28th were cloudy. The 29th was clear and I saw that Jupiter had moved about 1 degree up from Venus. The 30th was also clear and Jupiter had moved 2 more degrees upward. October 31st and November 1st were cloudy also. The 2nd was clear. Jupiter had gone up another degree and Mars had moved another ⅓ degree closer to Venus. The next two mornings were very cloudy. The 5th was clear and Jupiter was 5 degrees up and to the right of Venus. The waxing crescent Moon was 6 degrees up and to the right of Jupiter. Mars was 1 degree up and to the left of Venus. On the 6th, I was able to see that Mars had moved over to the left about 1 degree and that Jupiter had moved another degree upward, with the Moon about 1 degree to the immediate right. On the 7th, Mars was yet again above Venus about 1 degree, with the Moon being 1 degree to the lower right from Venus. I was able to see on the 8th that the Moon, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and another object that appeared to be a star formed a straight line from the lower left to the upper right. On this day, the Moon was about 1 degree from Venus, Mars was around 2 degrees from Venus, Jupiter was 8 degrees from Venus, and the unknown object was approximately 10 degrees from Venus. All of these observations were made without the aid of a telescope or binoculars from a second story window on the eastern side of the house. All degrees are approximate.

NCRAL 2016 COMING APRIL 29/30

We are now only about five (5) months out from NCRAL 2016. If you haven’t already heard, the TCAA will be hosting this North Central Region Astronomical League (NCRAL) event at Heartland Community College (HCC) in Normal, IL, on Friday/Saturday, April 29/30, 2016. A team of TCAA leaders has been working diligently on this event for about a year now, and things have fallen into place quite nicely. There will be contributed talks, an “unconference” discussion, and both a tour and mission at HCC’s Challenger Learning Center on Friday evening. Registrants will visit the observatories of the TCAA at Sugar Grove Nature Center on Saturday, and receive solar eclipse viewers and a 2017 eclipse booklet prepared by a well-known astronomy educator and provided courtesy of www.whiteboardsUSA.com. Invited speakers on Saturday include the following:

 Dr. Michael Reynolds, author, Dean, and Adjunct Astronomy Professor at Florida State College who will speak about the many total solar eclipses that he has observed.  Mr. Michael Borman of the Evansville Astronomical Society who will speak about solar photography.  Dr. Carl J. Wenning of the TCAA who will speak about the local circumstances of the 2017 total solar eclipse.  Mr. Tom Weiland & Mr. Dave Osenga of the TCAA who will speak about making your own solar funnel for eclipse watching.  Mr. Tim Stone of the TCAA who will speak about the work of the club’s twin observatories at Sugar Grove Nature Center.

The following TCAAers have most graciously taken the leads in the areas indicated:

Vol. 40, No. 12 The OBSERVER December 2015

 Meeting Chairman (Carl)  Web page and online registration (Lee Green)  Facilities/Banquet/Accommodations/Budgeting (Duane)  CLC/SGNC Coordination (Tom and Carl)  Speaker arrangements (Carl)  Registration table (Dave, Duane, Carl, and others  Program design and production (Carl) as their schedules permit)  Astronomical imaging competition (Tim Stone)  Conference packet (Carl, Mark, and Nataya)  Develop promotional email/PPTs/videos (Carl and Lisa)  Group photograph (Bob)  Promotion (Tom and Dave)  Speaker facilitator (Mark)  Dealer displays and door prizes (Dave and Paul)  Sponsorships (Carl and Bob)

Please save these weekend dates, and feel free to share information about this meeting with those who you feel might be interested in attending. We will be getting our web site http://www.NCRAL2016.org published soon, and be sending out press releases in the near future. If you have any questions during the interim, feel free to email Carl Wenning.

THE MILKY WAY RICHES OF DENEB AND SADR ~ By Tim Stone ~

On a whim the evening of September 9, 2015, I pointed the 10” Takahashi in the Prairie Sky Observatory at M29 and took a single set of 600-second Red-Green- Blue frames. My thought was to have an image of the area to use while visually observing M29 and its surroundings. I was pleasantly surprised by the result when I combined them into a color image. The beautiful jewel box of M29 was surrounded by a myriad of stars and faintly glowing clouds of hydrogen emission nebulosity. I knew there was a lot of hydrogen emission in that vicinity, so it didn’t surprise me to see it. Its beauty in natural color unexpectedly intrigued me. This led me to photograph the surrounding area the next couple of nights. When I combined those images into a mosaic, I was even more delighted at what I could see, and I was hooked. By the time the moon erased the sky in early November, I’d photographed an area of Cygnus almost eleven degrees high and wide. The last two issues of The OBSERVER have included portions of this imagery, taken from the state of the mosaic at the time. The entire mosaic, now finished, covers 117 square degrees of Cygnus from just north of Cygnus to well south of Sadr, the center star of the Northern Cross. The Tulip Nebula is just off frame to the lower right, and the Cygnus Loop is off frame to the lower left. 10

Vol. 40, No. 12 The OBSERVER December 2015

Centered on the Northern Coal Sack, this image includes some of the most beautiful and photographed emission nebulae in the northern skies. At the top left we see the famous naked eye emission region aptly named The North America Nebula. Next to it is the Pelican nebula, glowing purple with strong oxygen emission in addition to hydrogen. An image of its active star-forming region was featured in the October issue of The OBSERVER. Proceeding westward (to the right) past brilliant first magnitude Deneb at top center, a cirrus-like cloud includes The Propeller Nebula, below the lovely blue and gold double Omicron 1 Cygni at the very top right. Below and to the left of the Propeller are the dual headlights of NGC 6914, one of the relatively rare reflection nebulae in this region. It is bounded on its right by a deep, dark lane of obscuring dust. Second magnitude Sadr is middle right, with cluster NGC 6910 just above it and IC 1318, The Butterfly Nebula, to its immediate left. I have glimpsed this nebulosity in my 80mm ED refractor at low power. Bisecting The Butterfly Nebula, the dark lane of LDN 889 leads us right to the greatly diminished Cygnus OB2, featured in last month’s issue of The OBSERVER. This dark lane seems to cross the Northern Coal Sack and join with the dark nebulosity that separates the North American Nebula from the Pelican Nebula. Drawing a line from Deneb through Sadr takes us to The Crescent Nebula, a Wolf-Rayet nebula. M29 glistens straight south of Sadr, a real treat in the eyepiece. Dusty 44 Cygni is bottom center. Lambda Cygni is the bright blue star bottom left, Nu Cygni is just below the North America Nebula, and golden Zeta Cygni just to its left. All three of these stars are visible to the naked eye at magnitude 4.5, 3.2, and 3.9 respectively. There are many cataloged dark nebulae in this image, including Barnard 350, 352, 353, 356, 343, 344, 346, 347, and 348. Interestingly, the Northern Coal Sack is not in Barnard’s catalog. It’s a six-degree-long monster, closer to us than the emission nebulae beyond which allows us to see it in silhouette. This region certainly didn’t go unnoticed by Stuart Sharpless as he compiled his well-known catalog of hydrogen-alpha emission regions. Entries 104, 106, 109, 112, and 115 are included in this mosaic. S104 is the knot at the bottom left. S115 is at the very top-center with a blue star seemingly embedded, and S112 immediately below it. S109 is the faint red glow just below and left of Cygnus Ob2. S106 is a very bright but quite small knot above and to the left of 104. It has been photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope. There are also at least eight diminutive planetary nebulae in this mosaic, all of them less than 1’ in diameter. In this image we are looking right down the barrel of the Orion Spur, the minor arm of the Milky Way to which our own system belongs, to a distance of at least 5,000 light years. As such, the crowded fields of stars to the lower right seem to be piled into drifts because of our point of view. I’ve not found an automated way to count stars in images, but it's not hard for me to estimate there are a couple of millions of them in this mosaic. While it's an enormous image, it covers only 0.2% of the sky. At the distance of IC 1318, the image spans about 900 light years. When I think about these things, I realize there's no way to really comprehend the distances and numbers involved. The full resolution version of this image is 18,850 pixels square, or 355 megapixels. The full-size low-compression JPG of this image is more than 400 megabytes, and the uncompressed TIF is just under two gigabytes. It took almost 24 hours of imaging to acquire the 45 frames that comprise the mosaic. Resizing the image to about five percent of its original size was necessary in order to publish it in The OBSERVER. Thus, about 95% of its information is not visible here. Even so, it shows the incredible splendor of this familiar region of the sky. This project organically grew from a lark to one of the most challenging and rewarding ones I’ve undertaken thus far in my quest to photograph the beauty of the sky. Imaging took place on 16 nights between September 9 and November 2, some of which were some of the best imaging conditions I’ve ever encountered. I have invested at least 30 hours in processing the data, and I don’t consider the processing to be complete at this point. I don’t know that I’ll do large scale mosaics like this very often, as the time investment is enormous. However, assembling smaller mosaics now seems like a piece of cake. With the new 16” instrument coming online, I’m sure we’ll have plenty of resources to create beautiful mosaics in the future.

TCAA ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

Did you know that the TCAA is on both Facebook and Twitter? We encourage users of both social networks to follow the TCAA to see what the club is doing and promoting. When you do visit our pages, please be certain to “share” with your friends so that you can help get the word out. If you have not yet joined us on Facebook, make certain that you do. You are missing important reminders about astronomical events posted several times weekly. You can find us on Facebook by searching either TCAA or Twin City Amateur Astronomers. We can be found on Twitter at @TC_Astro. You may access our sites without actually being a member of Facebook or Twitter. Merely use your browser to search for these terms. If you don’t want to miss out on additional reminders and other club information, be certain to subscribe to both. 11

Vol. 40, No. 12 The OBSERVER December 2015

CARTOON OF THE MOON ~ By Terry Lee Wright ~

Did you hear the news? They are calling Pluto a planet. I wonder what Mickey thinks about that.

WHAT IT TAKES TO BECOME AN AMATEUR ASTRONOMER ~ By Carl Wenning ~

Given my recent reflections on the inadequacy of the September/October Universe Sampler course for preparing the next generation of amateur astronomers (see the November issue of The OBSERVER), I have continued to think about how the course should be modified to help wannabe sky watchers become good amateur astronomers – those who observe the sky with both ability and understanding. Thinking about this topic for a while, here is what I have concluded that people need to know and be able to do in order to wear the label “amateur astronomer” proudly:

 Possess a general knowledge of basic astronomy. Consider the etymology of the word ‘amateur’. This a French word with a late 18th century origin. It is derived from the Latin words amare ‘to love’ and amator ‘lover’, as well as from the Italian word amatore. No one can be said to be a good amateur astronomer who does not ‘love’ the things of the firmament. Love is most frequently demonstrated by spending time with the object of one’s love. Therefore, to qualify as an amateur astronomer one most certainly will spend lots of time getting to know the subject matter. We must be careful to understand that “throwing money” at amateur astronomy such as buying an expensive telescope with little knowledge or understanding of how to use it is an illegitimate way to become an amateur astronomer. People often spend lots of money buying a telescope, but do not have the ‘love’ necessary to employ it properly. Having lots of fancy equipment does not guarantee that one knows how to use it, what to look for, and the meaning of what is seen when observing with it. It’s not unlike purchasing a musical instrument that one never learns to play. Owning a musical instrument does not a musician make! Reading systematically in the area of astronomy can help a person obtain a general knowledge of basic astronomy. This means picking up a recent book about astronomy and reading it from cover to cover. Library books and used college textbooks in astronomy are not hard to come by.  Know how to use a sky map to find constellations. Observers will have a hard time loving the sky if they don’t know it intimately. Each and every amateur should be familiar with the major constellations and, as time goes on, get to know the fainter constellations (e.g., Lynx, Sagitta, Camelopardalis, Leo Minor, and Delphinus) and asterisms of the sky (e.g., Summer Triangle, Keystone, Teapot, Job’s Coffin, and Northern Cross). Many people are overwhelmed with the confusing mass of stars seen in a dark clear sky on a good night. Many, too, are the people who are flummoxed

Vol. 40, No. 12 The OBSERVER December 2015

when they look at a sky map and see one pair of directions reversed, not understanding that the map is “correct” only when help up to the sky. There are numerous free applications that can be used with cell phones and tablets that not only show the constellations, but that properly associate and orient the screen images with the portion of the sky to which the observer is directing attention. These all can help the would-be amateur astronomer get to know the stars and where to find solar system and deep space objects among them.  Understand the effect of light pollution on viewing celestial observations. Light pollution – the illumination of the sky by either natural or artificial sources of light – produces a bright sky and reduces the contrast been the sky and objects located in it. With increasing light pollution most celestial objects become less visible. The limiting condition in this case is during the daytime when the sun “pollutes” the sky with light making it appear bright and blue and reducing the contrast so much that objects cannot be seen without a telescope. While light pollution is caused by artificial light sources such as street lamps, advertising displays, stadium illumination, and so forth, amateur astronomers must also realize that the moon’s presence also can have a deleterious effect upon celestial observations. Objects readily observed on a dark night often cannot be seen at all on nights when the moon is located nearby and shining brightly. The effect of light pollution on limiting magnitude should be understood as well.  Understand the need for dark adaption. People living in town stepping out for a few minutes at night hardly see any stars. This is due to the facts that they are not dark-adapted and that the city sky is light polluted. Unless the eye has a minimum of about 20 minutes to adapt to faint-light conditions, it’s hard to see well at night. Dark adaption is accomplished in two ways: (1) the pupil dilates, and (2) the retina produces rhodopsin (‘visual purple’) that sensitizes the eye’s rods and cones to light. Without these adaptions, it’s hard to see at night. Would-be amateur astronomers need to know that to get a good view of the sky one must go out to and remain for a while under dark-sky conditions. Sugar Grove Nature Center is a good location for doing so, and budding amateur astronomers should know that this can be a good place to view the night sky locally.  Understand the effects of seeing and transparency on celestial observations. Not all night skies are equal. Poor seeing – the stability of earth’s atmosphere – can make it difficult if not impossible to see fine details in objects being viewed telescopically. This shimmering of the air is responsible for the twinkling phenomenon that is so well known by amateur astronomers. On some nights, viewing celestial objects is much like watching birds from the bottom a rippling swimming pool! Low transparency – poor sky clarity – also can make it more difficult to view objects. The sky is sometimes clear, often translucent (such as when one can see the moon or planets but not the stars), and frequently opaque (as when the sky is overcast with clouds).  Know what constitutes a good telescope. This one can be tricky because there are so many telescope types and configurations, as well as other complicating factors – reflector, refractor, catadioptric, magnification, eyepieces, finders, Dobsonian, equatorial, push to, goto... Also consider the fact that many of the telescopes out there are toys (junk would be a better term). When people buy toy telescopes they are quickly disillusioned and soon drop out of amateur astronomy altogether. This is part of the problem with ‘throwing money at amateur astronomy’. In order to be a good amateur astronomer, it takes more than just a good telescope. It takes knowledge of basic astronomy, the constellations, the effects of observing conditions on viewing, what can be observed, where it is located, and so forth. Purchasing a telescope without first going through the anticipatory steps circumvents the process of becoming a legitimate amateur astronomer. It’s no wonder that that so many people fail in their aspirations to become amateur astronomers and why we find so few of them in today’s world. (This coupled with the fact that people have alternative ways of dealing with boredom, a failure to understand what a hobby entails, and a lack of ready access to a dark sky site are also complicit in this problem. These were addressed in last month’s commentary.)  Know how to use a good telescope properly. Consider the myriad of telescope-related terms in addition to the ones listed above: primary, secondary, collimation, eyepiece, finder, Telrad, laser pointer, polar alignment, slow motion control, slew, Barlow, apparent field of view, true field of view, resolving power, light-gathering power, eye relief, right ascension, declination, polar axis, polar alignment… The list goes on and on. No wonder people are confused even when they purchase a good telescope! Again, it takes time and effort – persistence – getting to know how what to look for in a good telescope and how to use the telescope well. Observer knowledge also should include how to safely observe the sun telescopically (or visually) as it is the only object in the sky that can be harmful to the human eye if viewed improperly.  Know what to observe. A telescope user, no matter how well qualified in the use of the telescope, will use it to no avail unless he or she knows what to observe. The repertory of any observer should, at the minimum, include listings of deep space and solar system bodies. These include nebulas, clusters, galaxies, binary stars, carbon stars, quasars, black hole candidates, asteroids, planets, comets, the moon, the sun, and so forth. Every visual observer should know about and participate in the Astronomical Leagues’ myriad of observing programs. By completing these, the observer 13

Vol. 40, No. 12 The OBSERVER December 2015

can avoid looking at just a few showcase objects that experienced observers have come to know all too well. Using these observing list will open up the universe to a would-be observer. It is through completion of observing programs that visually oriented amateur astronomers can really excel. Every visual observer should have as a personal goal viewing every meaningful object within the visual range of his or her telescope. Such a goal can lead to views of considerably more than 1,000 different objects even for a modest size (8” - 11”) telescope.  Know how to find faint objects in the sky. While constellations, asterisms, and the moon and planets are interesting to observe, they are not the end-all, be-all as far as celestial observations are concerned. Many people want to see the faint star clusters (globular and open), nebulas (emission, reflection, dark, and planetary), galaxies, and everything else that populate the regions between the stars of the various constellations. These are typically not visible without the use of a good telescope (though there are numerous exceptions such as the Orion Nebula, the Andromeda Galaxy, and the Pleiades star cluster for instance). Once one gets to know the star patterns, one can use a good sky map or app to find these celestial interlopers. By using a sky map with the locations of, say, the brighter Messier objects, one can use the eye or a set of binoculars to seek them out. In so doing, they learn the process of ‘star hopping’, moving from one recognizable star grouping to another in an effort to track down the desired object for viewing. This skill can then be applied to the use of a good telescope.

While this autumn’s Universe Sampler did address many of these topics, not all were included in sufficient detail to be both meaningful and useful. The greatest oversight in my mind’s eye is dealing with the use of the telescope. It is my expectation to teach a Universe Sampler II course during May when the sky begins to recover from the winter/early spring doldrums caused by almost continually overcast skies. We will then focus our attention on moderate to good quality telescopes (not toys or junk telescopes), how to buy and use them, and what to observe with them. Remember, the learning process associated with becoming an amateur astronomer can be made easier with the assistance of an experienced amateur astronomer. See the next article for details.

UNIVERSE SAMPLER II TELESCOPE COURSE COMING

Are you interested in learning how to use a good telescope? What would you like to learn about? What questions do you have? Consider joining the TCAA for a multi-part telescope course designed specifically for novice sky watchers. The course will not teach how to work with a your telescope specifically; rather, the information provided will be more general allowing you to apply what you have learned to your own situation. Keep in mind that toy telescopes (frequently acquired over Christmas or on a birthday) are generally unsuitable for observing the night sky. Despite all the sales hype, toy telescopes have too high a magnification, the quality of the optics poor, the images are dim, the field of view is too small, the eye relief of the eyepiece is too small, the mount is wobbly, and it's next to impossible to find and then track things in the night sky other than perhaps the moon or bright planets. We won't teach others how to use a toy telescope because we won't use them ourselves! Even good observing skills simply cannot overcome the deficiencies of toy telescopes. Nonetheless, we will teach participants how to use a good telescope. Attendees will learn about the different types of telescopes, eyepieces, finder scopes, mounts, finding objects in the sky, magnification, field of view, focal ratios, focal lengths, eye relief, light-gathering power, and so forth. We will use several types of telescope for viewing celestial objects as conditions permit. This is a follow-up to the Universe Sampler course taught during September/October, but you need not have attended that course in order to attend this one. A small fee will be assessed… Please email your questions and concerns about using a telescope to [email protected] and they will be used to develop this introductory telescope users' course. It will be taught during the evenings, two hours each evening, for perhaps three weeks. The course will be set for some time next May after NCRAL 2016 has come and gone, and the sky recovers from the typically cloudy winter doldrums. Stay tuned as details are being worked out…

Vol. 40, No. 12 The OBSERVER December 2015

HOWTIMEFLIES

TCAA Historian Carl Wenning provides monthly updates about the history of the club going back to intervals of 40, 25, and 10 years. Details about all mentioned events will be found in either the publication Twin City Amateur Astronomers: 1960-2010 or in the archive of The OBSERVER found on the TCAA website.

40 Years Ago: December 1975 – We are missing issues of The OBSERVER from this time. Weldon Schuette re-started publishing David William’s newsletter in March 1975 after a 10-year hiatus. Club meeting minutes from this period are missing so there is little to report between 40 and 50 years ago.

25 Years Ago: December 1990 – The TCAA held its annual “Holiday Celebration” at the home of Sharon MacDonald in rural Carlock. The event was “well attended.” The club’s newly remodeled 16” telescope could not be used due to an overcast sky. Club telescope makes Bob Ryburn and Joe DeHoff rebuilt the telescope recently so that it would work better on a more modern Dobsonian mount.

10 Years Ago: December 2005 – With a renewed emphasis on Astronomical League observing programs, observing counts are now appearing the club newsletter. It was suggested that a warming room be built into the ground level of the SGO to help members bear up under winter observing conditions. The idea of building a “bunk house” where people might also sleep while waiting might also be a possibility.

TCAA HISTORY BOARD RETRIEVED AFTER NORMAL 1-5-0 CELEBRATION

Historian Carl Wenning recently retrieved the TCAA’s history board prepared for the Town of Normal’s 150th anniversary celebration. It will be transferred soon to Property Manager Tim Stone who will put it on display in one of the club’s two observatories at Sugar Grove Nature Center. The encapsulated history reads as follows.

John and Bertha Kieviet of Normal established a group of “amateur moon watchers and star gazers” with assistance from the Normal Parks & Recreation Department on February 4, 1960. The membership adopted the name Twin City Amateur Astronomers (TCAA) on February 18. Initial club meetings where held in the Fairview Park bathhouse during the winter months and at various locations around town during the summer. The membership numbered about 30 that first year. At the outset, the TCAA membership was comprised of small telescope users and amateur telescope makers, as well as a number of armchair amateur astronomers. Commercially prepared telescopes of significant size were very expensive at that time, so members used 2.4-inch and 3-inch refractors, and 4¼ -inch reflectors – mere toys by today’s standards. Within the first year of the club’s founding, Bob Mayo – a local machinist – helped club President Kieviet construct a 6-inch reflector that served as an inspiration to other amateur telescope makers for years to come. From its earliest days the members of the TCAA have hosted public sky watching events for the citizens of Normal and the surrounding community. Today with growing light pollution they maintain two observatories at a dark-sky site just north of McLean, IL. Sugar Grove Nature Center is home to the TCAA’s Sugar Grove and Prairie Sky observatories. The community is invited to visit these facilities during public observing sessions held monthly during warmer months. Complete details about the club, including its offerings and history, can be found at www.TCAA.us.

Vol. 40, No. 12 The OBSERVER December 2015

BOARD SEEKS AWARD NOMINATIONS

Nominations are now being solicited for TCAA awards to be presented at the February TCAA Annual Meeting. The Board of Directors is seeking nominations for the three following awards:

 John and Bertha Kieviet Founders Award. This award is conferred upon a TCAA member to recognize demonstrated leadership to the club. Those so recognized need not have been a president of the club. If leadership is interpreted in terms of service to the membership, this is as close as the TCAA comes to having a distinguished service citation.  Eugene and Donna Miller Family Award. This award acknowledges the strong efforts by a family to participate in the club as a unit. One or more parents are recognized for their efforts to instill within their children interest in and dedication to amateur astronomy.  Lifelong Honorary Membership. This designation is reserved for those TCAA members show have provided exceptional meritorious services to the club in terms of contributions of time and resources. This signal honor has been conferred only five times in the 55-year history of the TCAA.

Please e-mail your nomination(s) to President Tom Weiland at [email protected] or Secretary Lee Green at [email protected]. When recommending candidates a short description explaining why you feel the nominee(s) deserve(s) the award(s) is required. The current Board of Directors and appointed officers will make decisions about the awards during the January 12th Board meeting, so be certain to get your nominations in at least a day before.

TCAA TREASURER’S REPORT – NOVEMBER 2015

OPERATING FUND BALANCE – October 31, 2015 - $ 3,453.18 Income None - $ 0.00 Expenses None - $ 0.00 OPERATING FUND BALANCE – November 30, 2015 - $ 3,453.18

OBSERVATORY FUND BALANCE – October 31, 2015 - $ 4,744.06 Income Interest - $ 0.00 Expenses Fire Extinguisher - $ 13.98 OBSERVATORY FUND BALANCE – November 30, 2015 - $ 4,730.08

INSURANCE ESCROW BALANCE – October 31, 2015 - $ 4,502.00 Income None - $ 0.00

Expenses None - $ 0.00 INSURANCE ESCROW BALANCE – November 30, 2015 - $ 4,502.00

TOTAL TCAA FUNDS – November 30, 2015 - $ 12,685.26

Respectfully submitted, L. Duane Yockey, Treasurer