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Newsletter of The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Edmonton Centre November 1999 In This Issue: - Memories of the Toronto G.A. - - Book Review- November 1999 Editor - Sherry MacLeod Distribution - Forest Littke CONTENTS President's Message - by Paul Campbell ..................................................................................... 3 Sampling the 1999 Toronto General Assembly - by Keith Janke .................................... 4-6, 11 Observers Group Coordinator Report - by Denis Boucher ...................................................... 7 Full Moon - a book review by Bruce McCurdy ... ................................... ................................ 8-10 Join the RASC Webring - by Mark Grice (Ottawa Centre) ............................ .............. .......... 11 A New Variable Star Discovery - by Rick Huziak (Saskatoon Centre) ................................... 12 Some Thoughts on Critical Thinking - by Roger Fell ..................................................... .... .... 13 Planet Report - by Murray Paulson ................ ...................................................................... 14-15 }Address for Stardust: . ,~ - Al'ticJes may be submitted prior to the deadline byE-mail to:[email protected] submit your Or by mall to: 333 Southridge NW, December issue of Stardust by the Edmonto~ Alberta, T6H 4M9. due date of November 26, 1999. The phone number is (780) 433 - 1516. Thank you very much. A fabulous photo taken by Dave Roles of the Solar Corona in 1979, Aarborg, Manitoba. This picture can also be seen on display on the RASe Website. I thought to include this photo in honour of our distinguished guest tonight, Mr. Alan Whitman who will be ••• speaking on Solar Eclipses . -ed Isotherms and isobars are even more important than their names sound. Stardust Page 2 By Paul Campbell nly a week after the meeting and Sherry's deadline that is a tentative, maybe, I'll get back to you sort of thing. is due, so not a lot has happened with respect to Those of you who remember the workshop held at Blue Othe R.A.S.C. Therefore this month's president's Lake could attest to what a good speaker Ken is. Every message will be short (What else is new). First and workshop that I've attended, and I've attended them all , foremost, we need volunteers for the Casino. Please was just a great time and I heartily recommend you attend remember that Franklin Loehde has threatened us with a this one. 3-hour talk should no one volunteer. Let's avoid that. Seriously though, working the Casino is not a hard job, Also, don't forget the observers meetings that Denis and in fact is a lot of fun. There is lots of lime to spend Boucher and Larry Wood put on. This is an opportunity enjoying ones' friends or making new ones and you also for the observers to get together and di cuss various get the benefit of knowing you've helped out a worthwhile aspects of observing. For the new members that want to cause, namely US!!! learn more about how to find things and how to observe things I recommend that you attend. It's free, and it a Sharon Tansey has continued to put a lot of hard work great way to ask the experts, namely the previously into the Astronomy Workshop. At present she is working mentioned Deni s and Larry. This is an informal gatheri ng, on getting Ken Hewitt-White as our guest speaker, but so have fun. BAse Meeting Dates for 1999 Address Changes Any changes to your addres or pertinent informaion December 13 regarding your membership ... Observing Weekends for 1999 ... please direct these changes to Terry Nonay December 3-4 Membership Secretary at 456-6957 Stardust Page 3 S~linfr ~ ror on;(-o­ CiA 1999~- By Keith Janke he annual General Assembly (the GA) of the Royal and a symposium on amateur-professional partnerships Astronomical Society of Canada provides a in astronomy research and education - also with its own T wonderful opportunity for enthusiasts from across poster session! This was one very large astronomical the country to share their passion for astronomy and gathering - no individual delegate could attend everythjng related sciences, and to absorb some of the local culture - and the remainder of this report will highlight but a few and hi story of the city hosting the event. of the many interesting events that occurred. Every G.A. is unique, and the one held on the sprawling University of Toronto campus during the first seven days of July, thj s past summer, was dj stinguished both by its size and its scope. While most General Assemblies typically consist of less than alSO RASC members meeting on their own, the Toronto G.A. was part of an international conference of over 700 attendees from three unique astronomical organizations: the RASC, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP), and the American Association of Variable Star· Observers (AAVSO). Thus, apart from attending the annual meetings of their own organizations, delegates were able to pick and choose from a plethora of additional activitjes. These included: a U of T Campus Observatory open house and reception, the annual RASC Murphy Slide Show, RASC and AAVSO papers sessions, RASC and ASP di splays Of the three science faci lity tours, the visit to the sessions, a trip to the Ontario Science Centre complete University of Toronto's David Dunlap Observatory (DDO) with reception, a guided tour of the David Dunlap was particularly enjoyable. There, surrounded by the Observatory, a teachers' workshop, an exhibition of green lawns and lovely trees of Richmond Hill, stood the astronomical products and services, an AAVSO elegant two-story sandstone administration building, astrophysics software workshop, the biannual Ruth topped with three small observatory domes symmetrically Northcote Lecture, an 18-part general lecture series, a arranged on its roof and, 50 metres away, sat the gleaming family science fair, book-sjgning sessions for five different white dome of the largest optical telescope on Canadian astronomy authors, a "gala" awards banquet, an soil. RASC First Vice-President (and U ofT astronomer), "Astronomers in the Schools" workshop, a history of Bob Garrison, gave an informative talk on the astronomy lecture series complete with poster session, circumstances leading to the construction of the DDO Stardust Page 4 and the essential role that the legendary Clarence Chant Chou, associate professor of optometry at the University played in this process. When the Observatory's 74 inch of Waterloo (and enthusiastic solar eclipse chaser). Dr. reflector saw first light in 1935, it was the second largest Chou described his laboratory tests of Mylar-type solar telescope in the world! This was an astonishing filters, demonstrating that the manufacturing flaws accomplishment for a Canadian university at the time ... frequently present in such products posed no significant perhaps analogous to the University of Alberta owning health hazard to users. Given the increasing use of Mylar and operating the 8.3 metre Subaru Telescope today! (An filters for casual solar viewing - particularly among the account of this remarkable achievement - and of the general public - this was a finding of some importance. amazing man behind it - is given in the feature article, Another GA lecturer describing hi own work was "c. H. Chant and the David Dunlap Observatory" by C. Canadian astronomer Martin Duncan from Queen's H. Russell, in the February, '99 issue of the RASC University, whose world-class computer modelling of Journal). gravitational systems has over-turned the long-held belief that short-period comet are captured Oort Cloud objects. Central to the enjoyment of any General Assembly is the At this summer's GA, Professor Duncan startled hi s calibre and diversity of its speakers. With over sixty audience with preliminary evidence that all four of the individuals giving paper presentations, holding solar system's gas giant planets may have originated near workshops, and participating in lecture series, the the present orbit of Jupiter! potential for enjoyment at this summer's GA was large indeedl But perhaps the most stimulating talk of all was delivered by theoretical astrophysicist, Fred Adams from the One of the more entertaining speakers was Andrew University of Michigan, who gave a fascinating Fraknoi from Foothill College in California. In addition description of the physical processes that must continue to his workshop participation, Professor Fraknoi gave a in an eternally expanding highly humorous lecture debunking the belief system of universe (i.e. in a universe astrology. He also provided a handy six-page reading list that will never die). While as an aid to challenging other astronomy-related pseudo­ most discussions on scientific beliefs, including: creationism, UFOlogy, the cosmology stay within a "full moon-lunacy relation", the "face on Mars structure", hundred billion years or so as well as the fallacious teachings of Immanuel of the Big Bang (usually for Velikovsky and Erich Von Daniken. Fraknoi has a history anthropocentric reasons). of bringing humour to public science presentations. Some Professor Adams twenty years ago, as part of a lecture series on astronomy demonstrated that. even held in the Provincial Museum auditorium in Edmonton, after a tri II ion years. th e he provided an absolutely hilarious rendition of the classic evolution ofthe Universe would just be getting underway. Feynman Lecture on space-time curvature (from Richard Details of this almost unthinkably long evolutionary tract Feynman's brilliant "Lectures on Physics" series), which are presented in his book: "The Fi ve Ages of The has to rate among the funniest public talks on physics Universe" and readers may be interested to learn that. ever given. Apart from his teaching, administrative, and after twelve billion years. the universe is but one ten educational workshop duties, Fraknoi has written or edited thousandth of the way through its first age of development. 13 books on astronomy, including "Voyages Through the Universe", billed as the first college astronomy text with Other noteworthy speakers at the Toronto "mega-GA" jokes I For sheer entertainment value, he is hard to surpass.

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