Published by the Astronomical League Vol. 72, No. 2 March 2020

REMOTE OBSERVING IN PRACTICE THE BOSS GREAT WALL THE TRANSIT OF MERCURY AND THE ASTRONOMICAL UNIT If you could have just one eld Contents resource, which should it be? “ Best ‘at the scope’ guide in existence. Made all the better with the addition of the great Moon section.” ...... Take a Dream Trip 4 Letters to the Editor Peter Kurtz, Cape Cod Astronomical Society 4 ...... Call for Nominations “ More useful to more people than the RASC Handbook ” Mark Kipperman, Naperville Astronomical Association Join a Astronomy Tour 5 ...... Sky Puppies “ Great eld manual! THE best book 5 ...... International Dark-Sky Association to use with a GOTO scope!” Joe Lalumia

Join astronomer Stephen James 6 ...... Full STEAM Ahead “ Four-for-four, Birren's work bats 1000.” African Stargazing Safari Jim Barnett, review on CloudyNights O’Meara in wildlife-rich Botswana July 17–23, 2020 PAGE 16 7 ...... Night Sky Network for evening stargazing and daytime safari drives at three luxury field 8 ...... Wanderers in the Neighborhood camps. Only 16 spaces available! Optional extension to Victoria Falls. 10 ...... Deep-Sky Objects

...... skyandtelescope.com/botswana2020 10 All Things Astronomical

...... 12 From Around the League Newly updated to OITHv6.1. Available only from www.BirrenDesign.com/astro.html 16 ...... Gallery 630-336-5321 S&T’s 2020 solar eclipse cruise offers 2 2020 Eclipse Cruise: Chile, Argentina, PAGE 18 minutes, 7 seconds of totality off the and Antarctica 18 ...... Going Remote coast of Argentina and much more: Nov. 27–Dec. 19, 2020 21 ...... Citizen ToM and the Astronomical Unit Chilean fjords and glaciers, the legendary Drake Passage, and four days 24 ...... Meet the New BOSS amid Antarctica’s waters and icebergs. 29 ...... Peltier Award Winner skyandtelescope.com/chile2020 29 ...... Observing Awards PAGE 24 NOTE: Due to time and space constraints, we are

Published by the Astronomical League unable to publish a Coming Events column in this issue. Total Solar Eclipse in Patagonia Vol. 72, No. 2 March 2020 Please see astroleague.org for updates. December 9–18, 2020 Smart Planning for Imaging Come along with Sky & Telescope to view this celestial Cover image: Matt Harbison (Barnard Astronomical Society People don't usually plan their imaging beyond spectacle in the lakes region of southern Argentina. finding objects that pass high in the sky. This is Experience breathtaking vistas of the lush landscape of Chattanooga) captured this mosaic image of the Veil because they don't have enough information. Every camera and telescope combination is by day — and the southern sky’s incomparable stars by Nebula complex over four months (and with 120 hours of different. Every object in the sky is different. night. Start and finish in cosmopolitan Buenos Aires. exposure) using a pair of William Optics FLT 132 APOs with Basic questions arise that have no clear answers.

How long to expose to get a nice image? What REMOTE QHY 16200A cameras. skyandtelescope.com/argentina2020 OBSERVING IN PRACTICE sub exposure time to use? What order to

THE BOSS GREAT WALL THE TRANSIT OF MERCURY observe the filters in? How much moonlight is AND THE ASTRONOMICAL UNIT allowed for a narrow band filter to still get a good result? Astronomy Across Italy The Astronomical League Magazine Large professional observatories have special May 1–10, 2021 Vol. 72, No. 2 • ISSN: 0034-2963 • March 2020 purpose software that can answer these As you travel in comfort from Rome to Florence, Pisa, and Pad- questions. Now, you too can have the answers A FEDERATION OF ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETIES using SkyTools 4 Imaging. Now there is a tool ua, visit some of the country’s great astronomical sites: the Vat- that can search every known object for the ones ican Observatory, the Galileo Museum, Arcetri Observatory, A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION that are suitable for your imaging system, and lots more. Enjoy fine food, hotels, and other classic Italian To promote the science of astronomy calculate the optimum filter order, and tell you the right sub exposure times to use. Not only treats. Extensions in Rome and Venice available. • by fostering astronomical education, that, but it can create mosaics graphically, skyandtelescope.com/italy2021 • by providing incentives for astronomical organize your projects, track your progress, and observation and research, and create a searchable archive of your images. What would you do with a tool like that? • by assisting communication among amateur See all tours at skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-travel S&T astronomical societies. SkyTools 4 Imaging Astronomical League National Office: Skyhound.com 9201 Ward Parkway, Suite 100, Kansas City, MO 64114

THE ASTRONOMICAL L EAGUE 3 because I knew they would be too excited to focus times, and did a great job. One nine-year-old did on getting any work done. I wanted it to be fun for a fantastic presentation on the LCROSS mission; To the Editor Erratum them. he did this all from memory without note cards. He We used my dry-erase board to draw their pointed out some great details about the mission, QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF THE ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE his past September, my family and I visited n image accompanying James Dire’s article constellations using an assortment of colored and he was amazing. This particular student is Issued by the Astronomical League in March, June, September, and France, primarily to go with my parents, as ̨̨in the December 2019 issue was inadver- markers. I tried other ideas, but the dry erase home-schooled and his mother works at the December, Reflector (ISSN: 0034-2963) is sent directly, either by T A postal mail or via a digital link, to each individual member of its my dad, who is a World War II veteran, celebrated tently cropped in a way that omitted a double star board was the kids’ favorite. We learned how to library. I was blown away by all these kids. I can’t affiliate societies and to members-at-large as a benefit of League membership. Individual copies of Reflector are available at the the 75th anniversary of the liberation of France, from the lower right-hand corner that had been use a planisphere and I helped them understand believe how much fun this was. following subscription rates, payable to the League’s national office. the Cathedral in Chartres, and the town of Lèves. mentioned in the article. We apologize for any how the stars cross the sky from east to west. I I added other activities not on their required PAPER SUBSCRIPTIONS: Knowing ahead of time that we would have time confusion this error caused. USA & possessions: $3.00 each or $10.00 per year (4 issues) pointed out that constellations near the western project list to help them understand how the stars Canada: $5.00 each or $16.00 per year after the anniversary in Paris to enjoy the usual horizon they would soon set, not to be seen in the rotate around above our heads. I showed them Mexico: $6.00 each or $22.00 per year Other countries: $7.00 each or $25.00 per year sights, such as the Louvre Museum, the Eiffel early evening for another six months or so. They how to tell time using the Little Dipper using the DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS: Tower, and Arc de Triomphe, I also wanted to learned about the six major circumpolar constella- star clock plans available at skyandtelescope. All countries, possessions, and territories: $10.00 per year Sky Puppies visit the popular and well-known Père Lachaise tions and what that meant. We learned about some com/astronomy-resources/make-a-star-clock. I REFLECTOR AND CLUB ROSTER DEADLINES Cemetery. mythical stories from two books, The Mythology made them a small dial showing the Little Dipper March issue January 1 June issue April 1 Program of the Night Sky by David E. Falkner and Night Sky with Polaris as the central point. The outer circle September issue July 1 Why that cemetery? Well, as long as I have December issue October 1 been interested in astronomy, I have also been by Jonathan Poppele. We also used my astronomy had the months of the year; you hold the current Written and graphic material from this publication may be reprinted only constellation flash cards. This was a fun activity. I month at the top then rotate the inner dial to show for non-profit benefit of interested parties, provided specific credit is given interested in the French astronomer from the 18th to the writer(s), Reflector, and the Astronomical League. Any other use of would show them each card and whoever correctly the Little Dipper in the same position in the sky as material, including graphics and photographs, is subject to express century, Charles Messier. As every astronomer permission from the Editor and the Astronomical League. knows, we have the Messier Catalog, a list of 110 named that constellation got the card; the person you see it. A cutout window shows you the time. deep-sky objects that he initially put together. with the most cards at the end got a small prize. You add an hour if it is during daylight saving NATIONAL OFFICERS Addendum: While were in Chartres, my father Later I would draw the star pattern of a few con- time; I also explained why that was important. President What may not be known to some observers, Ron Kramer was awarded the Legion of Honor medal, estab- however, is that Charles Messier was a comet stellations on the dry-erase board to see if they This Sky Puppies Program was as much a 9520 Dragonfly Avenue • Las Cruces, NM 88012 lished by Napoléon Bonaparte, for meritorious 520-500-7295 • [email protected] hunter; there are at least 12 comet discoveries could name them. I would highlight the alpha star, wonderful experience for me as it was for the kids. Vice President service during World War II. I say this because or some object in that constellation, and we would Carroll Iorg attributed to him. At the same time, he also saw I can’t get over how much I took away from this, 9201 Ward Parkway, Suite 100 • Kansas City, MO 64114; Charles Messier was also awarded this same med- talk about those. We even discussed the life cycle 816-444-4878 • [email protected] many things that were not comets, such as open just like the kids in my class did. Five kids com- al, the Legion of Honor, by Bonaparte himself. of stars. I used PowerPoint presentations several Secretary and globular star clusters, galaxies, and nebulae. pleted this program and I look forward to another Chuck Allen While reading an astronomy magazine a few years —Paul W. Schulz found mentoring some children through the Sky times, and showed them a short video, “Cosmic classroom of Sky Puppies. 4005 St. Germaine Court., Louisville, KY 40207 President, Desert Skygazers Astronomy Club 502-693-5504 [email protected] ago, I saw that Messier was buried in the Père I Puppies Program quite rewarding for me, to say Collisions,” narrated by Robert Redford. —Jerelyn Ramirez Safford, Arizona Treasurer Lachaise Cemetery. When I learned we were going the least. I went to the local library and proposed Bill Dillon he parents were very supportive during the 190 Settlers Road • Fincastle, VA 24090 to spend a few days in Paris, visiting Messier’s the program, asking if I could use their classroom 703-674-8484 • [email protected] stargazing outings in my backyard. When the grave became one of the things on my bucket list to teach kids about astronomy. They were all for T Executive Secretary weather was going to bless us with a clear night, Maynard Pittendreigh it. I came up with a signup sheet to allow up to International Dark- of things to do. Call for 3208 Little Oak Way • Orlando, FL 32812 they would bring the kids over for some observ- 770-237-2071 • [email protected] six kids to participate, and on the signup sheet I If you do a search on this cemetery you will ing. I did learn it is much easier if you work with National Office included all the expected requirements. I asked Sky Association Mike Stoakes, Office Coordinator be directed to a list of who’s buried there: famous Nominations one or two of the kids instead of all five at the Astronomical League National Headquarters for each student’s name, age, and a signature 9201 Ward Parkway, Suite 100 • Kansas City, MO 64114 people like Oscar Wilde, Marcel Marceau, Jim from their parent. This way the parent would also same time when observing and pointing out con- 816-DEEP-SKY Morrison of the Doors, and many other artists, stellations. They were more productive and didn’t THE SATELLITE MENACE National office: [email protected] he two-year terms of the offices of president understand what was required, and they could Society rosters: [email protected] politicians, actors, and the like. Even though and vice president end on August 31, 2020. have to wait their turn to point out constellations, League sales: [email protected] T participate if they wished. I set it up as an after- have been around a long time and can remember Charles Messier is not listed among the famous especially important when it was cold outside. The National Observing Program Directors If you are interested in using your talents to serve school activity for one hour on one day per week I the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957. The first satel- Cliff Mygatt Aaron B. Clevenson people buried there, there are ways to find the in either one of these two important positions, parents enjoyed observing with us. [email protected] [email protected] in the library classroom. I made name badges for lite I observed was the rocket body for Sputnik 3 grave. My wife, brother, and two of my chil- Al Lamperti Maynard Pittendreigh we would like to hear from you. Please volunteer! all of us so we could remember everyone’s names, I used spreadsheets to track each child’s in 1958. My first satellite image was of Echo 1 in [email protected] [email protected] dren went on a quest to find his grave site. His For specific information regarding the duties plus this made the kids feel important. I had a progress; each of the kids had times when they 1962 (figure 1). I used to enjoy observing satel- Astronomical League Historian remains are in section 11, but the exact spot is not Mike Stewart 913-240-1238 • [email protected] and responsibilities of the president and vice notebook prepared for them with some informa- were unable to attend because of other activi- lites in the pre-dawn sky while walking during my specified on any map. However, we did know that president, please refer to the League’s bylaws, tion, and this also gave them a place to store their ties or personal choice. This way I could use this working days. Now, because I am retired, I enjoy LETTERS TO THE EDITOR the grave was close to that of composer Frédéric Send to [email protected] with subject line “letter to editor” which can be accessed on the League website work as the class progressed. information to show them where they were in the them more when observing in the evening. I es- Chopin. at astroleague.org. program and what they needed to do to complete pecially like the bright passes of the International REFLECTOR STAFF After two weeks of classroom time I invited each project. Space Station. Managing Editor Design/Production y brother finally found Charles Messier’s Candidates should send to Nominating them over to my house for some observing for Ron Kramer Michael Patterson gravesite. Compared to others, such as Jim Committee co-chair John Goss, goss.john@gmail. the first time. I had several telescopes set up and When it came time for the kids to present their Since I retired five years ago, I have really Mobile: 520-500-7295 [email protected] M [email protected] Advertising Representative Morrison’s, the Messier gravesite is rather unim- com, a background statement explaining why they told them they could invite their parents and all robotic mission project, I was surprised how eager stepped up visual observing and astrophotogra- Editor Carla Johns phy at my remote Grasslands Observatory Kristine Larsen 970-567-8878 pressive. The name is inscribed in the headstone, are interested along with a photo of themselves their siblings if they wanted to. I wasn’t expecting they were to present their topic. They all did such [email protected] [email protected] but it is slightly obscured and weatherworn; the for publication in the Reflector. Please limit them to do much work–I just wanted them to a wonderful job of it. A pair of sisters worked to- southeast of Tucson near the small community of Assistant Editor Coming Events Editor monument is tucked behind other graves. Still, all statements to approximately 250 words. All experience being out under some stars, looking gether on a project about the OSIRIS-Rex asteroid Sonoita, Arizona. Fort Huachuca, a major Army Kevin Jones John Wagoner [email protected] [email protected] we found it and paid our respects to the French nomination materials must be submitted by March up. They invited all their family members who sample return mission, and I was really impressed base, is situated on the edge of Sierra Vista, Photo Editor astronomer and comet-hunter. It was an honor to 15, 2020, so they can be announced in cared to come out, and it was a great experience. with their presentation. They took turns explain- Arizona, about 20 miles from the observatory. For Dan Crowson [email protected] be there and visit his resting place. the June Reflector. This was just an observing outreach party for them ing the mission, going back and forth four or five many years, an RQ-7 Shadow drone has flown out

4 REFLECTOR ✶ MARCH 2020 THE ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE 5 of the base, usually in the early evening. I don’t U.S. Federal Communications Commission has include minimizing space debris and minimizing making a telescope at this event. Another key those who needed financial assistance, since the On Saturday, we will have a great time know if it is for training or is looking for bad already approved the operation of more than the ill effects of thousands of satellites passing person in this whole project is Jim Greenhouse and goal is to make a scope, not to make a profit. As of with sessions run by Dave Prosper and Vivian actors. It often flies over the observatory and has 7,000 SpaceX satellites in low Earth orbit. Many overhead on the night sky. his staff from the New Mexico Museum of Natural the writing of this article, finances and donations White from the Night Sky Network and 2018 a distinctive pattern of strobe lights on its wings other companies and nations will certainly follow The United States has to work with the History and Science, which is where all the STEAM are still being assembled and an update will be Horkheimer/Smith Award winner Abby Bollen- (figure 2). Previously it wasn’t much of a bother, the SpaceX example, which I believe may be the international community to get the spacefaring activities will be happening. Two other major sup- forthcoming on the final plan. bach. Volunteers – outreach astronomers and worst threat ever to dark skies, exceeding that of nations to adhere to most stringent rules in porters are Jody Vanesky from the Albuquerque hile the older students are making a teachers – are all welcome to join us as we con- traditional light pollution. these regards as a matter of international law. Museum and Edwina Andrade from the Explora W telescope, the elementary students will duct activities on planets, constellations, lunar If we are not vigilant, soon there may be no Otherwise, amateur and professional astronomy Science Center and Children’s Museum. be enjoying special rates at neighboring museums and solar observing, and black holes. Some tactile place on Earth with a truly dark sky, as hundreds as we know it may be forever altered beyond easy LCon Jr. has two aspects: an amateur in the same complex. On Thursday, July 16, from 1 resources will be in tow in case we get to welcome of satellites visibly pass overhead in the early repair. Ordinary light pollution is a vast problem, Ątelescope making Workshop for 6th-grad- to 2:30 p.m., families will enjoy the Albuquerque other-abled students. Also included is the night evening and predawn hours. If the satellites are but at least the solutions, in theory, are simple – ers through adults, and Saturday STEAM activities, Museum with a tour and family art activity, and segment starting at 6:30 for those parents low (500 km or lower), even if they are quite turn off unneeded lights, don’t put in lights where for elementary school students. For details, then from 3 to 5 p.m. a hands-on experience at desiring to attend the ALCon 2020 banquet. The small (several cubic feet), they can be bright they are not needed, use the proper amount of please refer to the schedule on the astroleague the Explora Science Center and Children’s Muse- ALCon Jr. attendees will be all together for their enough to be seen and will show up on astropho- lighting, and direct the light down to the ground, .org website. Activities are handicap accessible. um. As the telescopes are being finished, family nighttime festivities. Figure 1: Echo I Satellite July 21, 1962 11:50 pm EST. tos. At least they will have a limited, few-year not up into the sky. What do we do with thousands The telescopes will be constructed in the members will be treated to a special tour from Check out the schedule and registration Kodak Tri-X film 5-minute exposure with a Brownie Hawkeye Camera (45 mm f/2.8 lens). Echo I was a lifespan before burning up in the atmosphere. of visible satellites in orbits that last for years? multi-purpose room, which can hold about 30 the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and information, and if you have any questions 100-foot diameter reflective Mylar balloon in an Low Earth orbit objects should not be visible all —Tim Hunter tables of telescopes on a first-come, first-served Science on Friday, July 17, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or want to volunteer, please contact me at approximate 1500 km high orbit. night long, being in the Earth’s shadow a good Co-founder, IDA basis. Volunteers would be welcome here, espe- Thanks to Jim Greenhouse, this museum tour is [email protected]. but now it seems to show up on many of my part of the night. If these satellites are at higher cially if you have a battery-operated hand drill! waiving admission fees to ALCon Jr. registrants. —Peggy Walker astrophotographs every night and is often Editor’s note: SpaceX is reportedly responding altitudes, then they will be somewhat fainter but No telescope making experience is required. The second part of this event is the Satur- accompanied by trails from planes or satellites to astronomers’ complaints about the Starlink visible later in the evening and will stay in orbit Thursday, July 16, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. is day astronomy STEAM activities for elementary (figure 3). This has become bothersome, and satellite network and is testing lower-reflective possibly for decades. part one of the ATM workshop, with the finishing school students grades K–5. The classrooms are Night Sky Network causes me to discard many otherwise-useful coatings. Keep track of the American Astronomi- and collimating of scopes on Friday, July 17, from located at the New Mexico Museum of Natural images. cal Society’s efforts to mitigate the impact to 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. First light will occur on Friday History and Science where the lower and upper ground-based astronomy at aas.org/posts/ FORGING OUTREACH PARTNERSHIPS ecause of my recent experience with drones, night with the trip to a star party (listed on the elementary students will each have their own stronomy is for everyone! Your club’s B ̨satellites, and planes showing up on my advocacy/2019/12/aas-works-mitigate- main adult schedule found on the website). Those room with activities appropriate for their grade ̨̨astronomy events may already reach a astrophotos, I became sensitized to the issue of impact-satellite-constellations-ground- planning on making a telescope, please note the band. Other-abled family members and students A lot of folks, but you may be able to find different satellites and associated space debris. Modern based-observing. following finished dimensions: base – 19 inches are welcome to join in the fun. We are currently audiences – and possibly in greater numbers – by technology has made it possible to “inexpensive- high and 12-inch squared bottom; tube – 8 inches looking at a registration limit of 40 lower- and 40 creating partnerships with other organizations in ly” launch dozens, even hundreds, and possibly in diameter and 48 inches long. Please make upper-elementary students. Julie Yuan from the your community. They may even be looking for thousands, of tiny satellites at one time. Full STEAM Ahead proper travel arrangements and room for your new museum café has offered to make lunches avail- astronomers themselves! On May 23, 2019, SpaceX launched a group telescope! The original vision was to help sub- able for purchase on site, but you are welcome to of sixty satellites into low Earth orbit. They will sidize the telescopes through calendar sales for bring a lunch and snacks for your student instead. Libraries, parks, and museums often host CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! certainly contribute to space debris, and they events themed around space and astronomy. can be bright enough to be visible to the naked t’s been two years in the making, and now, it’s You may have already worked out a relationship eye and leave innumerable trails on astronomical I finally here – the first ALCon Jr. Family STEAM with one of these establishments, often called images. They are truly endangering the operation Conference! Of course, it would never have come an informal learning center (versus the formal of professional observatories and becoming a Figure 3: NGC 3628 (top), M66 (left), and M65 (right), to fruition if it wasn’t for the support of the learning centers found at schools or colleges). 450-second exposure with Takahashi Epsilon 180 f/2.8 leadership of the Astronomical League starting As the name implies, informal learning centers threat to dark skies worldwide. Moreover, the telescope, Canon 60Da camera, ISO 1600. Note the diagonal pass of the RQ-7 Shadow drone with its strobe lights. with the late Bill Bogardus. The rest of the AL crew are places where people gather without any set There are at least two other trails from satellites or – including president Ron Kramer, vice president objectives or requirements. People might go to airplanes in this picture. Carroll Iorg, and executive secretary Maynard the library to find a book, use the internet, or his satellite menace has caught the attention Pittendreigh – have provided great guidance participate in an afternoon program, or maybe T of IDA and other protectors of the night sky. through this whole process. In addition, several even just to see what’s new. The same for a local You can see IDA’s initial press release concerning partnerships have been forged with organizations museum; you may take a guided tour, but there’s this problem at darksky.org/starlink-response. and companies who share the vision for this no test afterwards, and you can also just check out These SpaceX satellites will spread out and get conference and the lasting impact on the families the exhibits on your own. Astronomy outreach fainter as they go to their final orbits. What involved. is usually rather informal as well, as you may concerns me the most is the example this sets. A First, a man for whom I am truly grateful and already know from many random discussions at supposedly “green” company had little fore- who shares my outreach goals is Rob Teeter from the eyepiece! thought or concern about the night sky. I think Teeter’s Telescopes. As the amateur telescope Support Your Local Library IDA and other environmental organizations, as making workshop developed, Pat Murnaghan of Libraries aren’t just quiet places for checking well as those concerned with space debris, should e-Scopes (Coulter Optics) has come on board, out books. You probably already know this, but Figure 2: RQ-7 Shadow drone making two passes during collect their thoughts and get organized. The embracing the vision for this conference, and in case you haven’t been to your local library 300-second exposure of NGC 2359, Takahashi Epsilon 180 f/2.8 telescope, Canon 20Da camera, ISO 800. Note the dots proper United States authorities need to develop as of the writing of this article, Greg Bragg from in a while, definitely make a point to stop in showing the blinking of the drone’s strobe lights. stringent guidelines for satellite deployment that Celestron is planning a special offer for those New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science and get that library card renewed! Libraries are

6 REFLECTOR ✶ MARCH 2020 THE ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE 7 community hubs, with regular activities and whelmed trying to keep up with requests; or, they ammonia that acts like antifreeze, keeping the atmosphere during the descent. It also imaged System besides our own. Methane makes up most group meetings. Librarians are always looking may be underwhelmed with a lack of requests water liquid even at below-freezing temperatures. the surface during the descent, showing a large of the rest of the atmosphere with a little hydro- for potential new activities for their patrons and for events. Your club may not have a regular spot plateau with a familiarly Earth-like drainage gen and small amounts of other gases. he liquid ocean isolates the surface from to attract community attention and support, and for monthly stargazing or business meetings. system of small channels merging into larger ̨the interior, allowing surface features to Titan’s orbit around Saturn is tilted about astronomy is often the perfect activity to do out- Partners can help at events, as their folks can help T rivers. The rivers, most likely of liquid ethane and move relative to the core. The Cassini spacecraft twenty-seven degrees to the ecliptic, similar to side their doors, day or night. If your club is also with location, organization, publicity, and other methane, flowed into a broad, dark, lowland area. observed features moving nineteen miles in a that of Saturn itself. This gives each hemisphere needed inside to do a talk about some fascinating logistical items. Libraries and museums may be The Huygens landing site may have been a dry two-year period from 2005 to 2007. The surface is more sunlight than the other for about fifteen space topic, the Night Sky Network has materials able to offer spaces for regular meetings and pre- riverbed, with rounded cobbles four to six inches supported by a layer of normal ice floating on the years before Titan passes through the equinox and to help with that; some of the most popular can be sentations; parks may have great spots for regular in diameter, probably composed of hydrocar- subsurface ocean. The surface itself is geologi- the other hemisphere then gets more sunlight. downloaded at bit.ly/nsnpresentations. There is stargazing events. If you find your relationships bons and water ice, resting on a darker granular cally young, showing few craters, with those that When a hemisphere receives more sunlight, its even the NASA@MyLibrary program, which helps growing closer with these partners, you may find surface. remain filled in by hydrocarbon rain. The surface surface heats, causing the warm air to rise in that local libraries connect their patrons with STEM that your club may need a designated liaison is mainly water ice mixed with hydrocarbons. hemisphere and flow toward the other hemisphere learning and NASA science. Find out more about for those organizations – and they may send itan’s atmosphere is twice as thick as Earth’s, There may also be methane and ammonia ice at high altitude. When it reaches the cooler hemi- NASA@MyLibrary at bit.ly/nasalibrary. their own representatives to your meetings as Tmaking it hard to see the surface in visible patches on the surface. sphere, the air chills and then sinks back toward well, which will help tremendously your groups’ light from space. Infrared light can penetrate the Half the Park Is After Dark the ground. At the next equinox, the winds slow relationship and future event planning. Cassini’s radar data showed scattered lakes atmosphere, and Cassini acquired many infrared Many parks of all sizes and levels of organiza- images of the surface. The surface it saw is be- and reverse direction. These are just several examples of potential on Titan’s surface, making it the only other body tion have nighttime activities. For national parks, tween one hundred million and one billion years Computer simulations of Titan’s atmosphere partners for your club and some of the benefits in the Solar System other than the Earth with their often-pristine locations make them ideal old, marked with light and dark features. One of predict that around the equinox, methane storms of partnering up. Keep your search open to other stable liquid on its surface. The lakes are filled for meteor shower watches, or star parties where the largest of these is Xanadu, a large, reflective form with downdrafts that flatten out into hori- groups and organizations that may wish to join with liquid methane and ethane. One model has visitors get to view the splendor of the Milky Way. zontal winds around twenty-five miles per hour, up with your club, like local schools, churches, or Even light-polluted urban parks are great places which can shape Titan’s dunes. The simulation scouts. Great partners could be anywhere! to host solar observing, eclipse viewing, and reg- was confirmed when a series of methane storms ular planet and stargazing events. Parks are often —David Prosper appeared in Titan’s equatorial desert regions in little darker-sky holdouts surrounded by light The ESA’s Huygens probe piggybacked on the Cassini space- craft until it was released to land on Titan. After landing, 2010, early spring in Titan’s northern hemisphere. pollution. Even if you can’t see the Milky Way it took these images of the surface of Titan near Texel Facula from your local park you may still be impressed in the Shangri-La region just south of Titan’s equator. he most distinctive feature of Titan from Wanderers in the The smallest rounded rocks visible are about tenth of an with the amount of stars you can see versus the inch, while the largest are almost eight inches across. T̨space is the orange color spread uniformly viewing quality in the rest of town. Parks are Neighborhood Credit: ESA / NASA / JPL / University of Arizona over its disk. While nitrogen is clear at visible natural centers for people to congregate, either to the sixth planet in our Solar System. The moons wavelengths, this haze is likely the result of casually or as a destination, and are great places of this planet were named based on a suggestion complex hydrocarbons in the atmosphere. to perform outreach. If you partner with larger TITAN in 1847 by English astronomer John Herschel. He Carbon dioxide, methane, and ethane combined parks, you may even befriend a park ranger that efore the Olympian Greek gods could rule the named the brightest moon after the pre-Olym- with water and nitrogen are exposed to solar knows the sky better than you! B̨universe (or at least the Earth), they had to pian gods as a whole, Titan. The other six moons ultraviolet radiation and cosmic rays to form tholins, disordered polymer-like materials that Museums Attract the Curious defeat a pantheon of gods called the Titans. Just known at that time were named after individual comprise multiple layers in the atmosphere. Volunteers at science museums get a lot of the as the Titans had overthrown their parents, their Titans: Enceladus, Mimas, Tethys, Dione, Rhea, offspring – the Olympians – overthrew them. The and Iapetus. Tholins have an orange hue and the large same questions you get at the telescope, which molecular chains block visible light, hiding t defeated Titans were sent to rule in the under- Besides being the largest moon in the Satur- makes them a natural fit for astronomy clubs! he surface of the planet from space. STEM days are perfect chances to bring in your world. The leader of these older gods was Cronus, nian system, Titan is the second-largest moon in During the Huygens spacecraft’s two-and-a-half-hour drop to Titan’s surface, it captured many images. This mosaic from whose Roman name was Saturn, the name given those images depicts the drainage system near the landing site. The rivers on Titan transport liquid hydrocarbons rather than club’s Night Sky Network toolkits for fun demos the Solar System after Jupiter’s moon Ganymede. water. The riverbeds are dry most of the time, but become active when methane storms drop large amounts of liquid onto the The methane on Titan should have been bro- (find out more about NSN toolkits at Larger than the planet Mercury, Titan is unique in surface, just like thunderstorms on Earth. Courtesy ESA / NASA / JPL / University of Arizona ken down by solar ultraviolet radiation a billion bit.ly/nsntoolkits). If the museum doesn’t that it is the only known moon to have a dense, years ago. The continued existence of methane celebrate Astronomy Day with any special although cold, atmosphere. At almost ten times the lakes forming when liquid methane dissolves equatorial area about the size of Australia, indicates that there must be a source on Titan events, your club could help them start, too. The the Earth’s distance from the Sun, this moon gets the bedrock ice that is mixed with solid organic hosting rough terrain that is better at reflecting renewing the methane in the atmosphere. While NISE Network (short for National Informal STEM only one percent of the solar energy that Earth compounds, leaving a depression that fills with light in all directions than a smooth surface. impacts by comets could bring methane to the liquid. Another model has pockets of liquid Education) is dedicated to helping museums with receives. The bright area named Xanadu not only moon, they would also bring carbon monoxide, nitrogen trapped under Titan’s surface warming their science education efforts, and also offers itan’s density is similar to that of the Jovian reflects light better, but radar signals as well. but there is a thousand times more methane than to form gas that explosively decompresses, again museums toolkits filled with fun activities and moons Ganymede and Callisto, suggesting Cassini’s radar confirmed that Xanadu’s surface carbon monoxide, so comets are not the source. It T leaving depressions that fill in. It is possible that resources, similar to Night Sky Network toolkits. that Titan is composed of about half water and was rough, reflecting the radar signals better than is likely that Titan itself is refreshing the methane some lakes formed by dissolution and others by You can find out more about NISE and check out half rock. A substantial fraction of the rock mate- the smooth darker regions. There are two types by cryovolcanic eruptions releasing material from the explosive process. some of their resources at nisenet.org. rial has settled to the center of the moon, forming of dark regions, ones composed mostly of water the interior. artnering with other groups brings addition- The bright spot at the top of this image is sunlight a rocky core that is mixed with water. Above the Much of what we know about the surface is ice, like Shangri-La, and ones covered with dunes, With the existence of hydrocarbons on Titan, al benefits, aside from increased visibility reflecting off the mirror-flat surface of a lake on Titan. core is a layer of solid “ice VI,” a water ice that thanks to the Huygens probe that landed on the like Notus Undae. Dunes are generated by wind, there is the possibility of life existing there, most P This infrared image has been colorized to match the visi- for your club; there are practical concerns that ble-light orange color of this moon. This glint was captured forms tetragonal crystals of solid ice below the surface of Titan on January 14, 2005. Huygens and wind requires an atmosphere. Titan’s dense likely microscopic, in the lakes scattered across partner organizations may be able to help with. by the Cassini spacecraft’s VIMS instrument at a wavelength freezing point but at very high pressure. Above rode to Saturn on the Cassini probe and para- atmosphere is ninety-seven percent nitrogen. It the surface. In 2019, NASA approved Dragonfly, of 5 microns on July 8, 2009. Credit: NASA / For example, outreach volunteers may feel over- JPL-Caltech / University of Arizona / DLR the ice VI is an ocean of liquid water, mixed with chuted to the surface, collecting data on the is the only nitrogen-rich atmosphere in the Solar a rotocraft-lander that will survey locations on

8 REFLECTOR ✶ MARCH 2020 THE ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE 9 Titan for prebiotic chemical processes. NASA is find as it does not lie near any bright stars. The telescopes should be able to see a fifth galaxy in object, explains the Hubble image, and provides content/goddard/hubble-s-caldwell-catalog. also proposing an autonomous submarine to sail group resides near the central-east edge of Canes the eyepiece, the magnitude 14.6 edge-on spiral basic information about when and where to look Hubble’s images of the Caldwell objects are also under the Great Lakes–sized lake Kraken Mare. Venatici, approximately nine degrees south of the galaxy NGC 5258. It is a tiny 1.1 by 0.4 arcminutes for that object in the night sky. The catalog is found in a Flickr album at flickr.com/photos/ What we will find in this lake will open a new vista star Alkaid (the end star of the Big Dipper’s han- and is 6 arcminutes east of NGC 5353. All five of available on the NASA website at nasa.gov/ nasahubble/albums/72157711794133741. in our understanding of this amazing moon. dle). The group also lies 13 degrees west of the these galaxies are 100 million light-years away. bright star Nekkar in Boötes. With a polar-aligned —Berton Stevens The accompanying image of Hickson 68 equatorial mount, Hickson 68 can be found by was taken with a 102 mm f/7.9 refractor with a centering Nekkar and slewing one hour and six ST-2000XCM CCD camera. The exposure was 90 minutes of right ascension to the west. On the minutes. The bright star near the center of the Deep-Sky Objects west side of the galaxy group is a magnitude 6.5 image is HD121197. The five galaxies are to its orange star, HD121197, easily visible in a finder left. On the very left edge of the image is NGC HICKSON 68 scope. 5371, a face-on barred spiral galaxy shining at igh overhead during spring evenings lies the hree of the galaxies in Hickson 68 are bright magnitude 10.6. NGC 5371 is at the same distance H̨modest and indistinct constellation Canes T enough to spy in 6- to 8-inch telescopes. as Hickson 68 and may be a distant member of Venatici. Devoid of bright stars, star clusters, and The brightest is NGC 5353 shining at magnitude the group. The group may contain more than 20 nebulae, the constellation more than makes up for 11.0. NGC 5353 is a lenticular galaxy measuring galaxies, several of which appear as faint this by being home to hundreds of galaxies, some 2.4 by 1.2 arcminutes. The galaxy’s major axis smudges on this image. bright and some not so bright. Several of Canes runs northwest to southeast. Just north of it is NGC Spring is the best time of year to hunt distant Venatici’s galaxies are quite spectacular show- 5354, also a lenticular galaxy, shining at mag- galaxies at the eyepiece. Capturing multiple pieces. These include M51, M63, and M106. But nitude 11.4. It measures 3.0 by 1.1 arcminutes, galaxies, like Hickson 68, in the same field of view in this article, I want to highlight a group of five with the major axis running north–south. Finally, is always exciting. galaxies, collectively called Hickson 68, that can four arcminutes north of NGC 5354 is the face-on — Dr. James R. Dire all be captured in the same eyepiece field. barred spiral galaxy NGC 5350. It shines at mag- Kauai Educational Association for Hickson 68 is the 68th entry in Paul Hickson’s nitude 11.5 and is approximately the same size as Science and Astronomy catalogue of a hundred small compact galaxy NGC 5353. The spiral arms may be difficult to see groups. The five main galaxies comprising Hickson with an 8-inch telescope, but bigger light buckets This Hubble image shows two galaxies locked in a fateful embrace. Caldwell 60 and Caldwell 61 are known as the Ringtail 68 are NGC 5350, 5353, 5354, 5355, and 5358. All should reveal the spiral nature of this galaxy. or Antennae galaxies. This violent clash has ripped stars from their host galaxies to form a streaming arc between the two but NGC 5358 were discovered in 1788 by William All Things combatants. Credit ESO/Hubble and NASA A 12-inch telescope should reveal the fourth Herschel using his 18.7-inch reflector. Édouard member of Hickson 68, NGC 5355, four arcmin- Stephan (for whom Stephan’s Quintet in Pegasus utes northeast of NGC 5354. NGC 5355 is the Astronomical is named) discovered the faintest member, NGC third lenticular galaxy in the group. It shines The Nebraska Star Party 5358, in 1880. at magnitude 13.2 and spans a mere 1.1 by 0.7 HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE Hickson 68 is not the easiest galaxy group to arcminutes. Finally, those with 14-inch and larger HIGHLIGHTS THE Sunday, July 19 through CALDWELL CATALOG n December 2019, NASA published the Hubble Friday, July 24, 2020 ĨSpace Telescope’s version of the Caldwell cata- May 2 & log. The online gallery features Hubble images of 56 of the 109 deep-sky objects identified by Brit- A family and newcomer friendly vacation! September 26, ish amateur astronomer and astronomy commu- You can still see the night sky as early nicator Sir Patrick (Caldwell) Moore as interesting 2020 targets for amateur astronomers that were not Americans saw it hundreds of years ago. DEADLINE to enter included in the more famous Messier catalog. The Caldwell catalog was published by Sky & Telescope Come join us beneath the dark skies of the Astronomy Day Award in December 1995. While many of the Hubble Nebraska Sand Hills at Merritt Reservoir. June 13, 2020 pictures will already be familiar to astronomy enthusiasts (including popular images of the Cat’s For entry forms: Eye Nebula, Antennae Galaxies, Carina Nebula, www.astroleague.org and Centaurus A), the catalog also includes 12 click on “Astronomy Day” images not previously released by NASA that were For Best Pricing – scroll down to “Astronomy newly processed for this project. Register Online at Day Award Application” his new Hubble Caldwell collection includes For additional information, an introduction providing background NebraskaStarParty.org T by July 1, 2020 for this contact Gary Tomlinson information about Sir Patrick Moore, his catalog, Astronomy Day Coordinator and Hubble’s observations. Each Hubble image week-long event. [email protected] is accompanied by a caption that describes the

10 REFLECTOR ✶ MARCH 2020 THE ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE 11 of senior STM member Bert Buchheim (Society for Astro- highest award for achievement Willard. The subject of the nomical Science), Dennis Conti in astronomy and public educa- workshop varies from year to (AAVSO), David Latham (CfA/Har- tion. He received the award to FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE year and has included the history vard), Emily Mailhot (Large Bin- a standing ovation at the EAS’s of astronomy, antique telescopes ocular Telescope), Caroline Odden Wahnsiedler Observatory on HOW TO ATTRACT book, a planisphere, or some ing, but does a club really need ing and other youth programs. and related instruments and their (Phillips Academy, Andover), Joey October 18. conservation, planetary astrono- Rodriguez (CfA/Harvard), and NEW MEMBERS other prize. Have a drawing where to hear a 15-minute treasurer’s While adults are the supervising Scott served as president of it is not necessary to be present report every month? That can be leaders, many segments of these my, meteoritics, multiple-star Chris Houghton and Paul Fucile the EAS for 17 years, from 1999 s a 65-year-old astronomer, to win – that way people will done among only the officers or meetings are led by scouts. This astronomy, sub-arcsecond-resolu- (STM). to 2016, is currently club vice as I reflect on my experienc- A provide their mailing addresses. in an email to the members. Keep gives young people leadership ex- tion imaging, the search for The success of the workshop president, and has served as a es, one of the biggest changes I’ve You can use that information to your meetings focused on the perience and helps them to learn exoplanets, and advanced since 2009 has depended entirely club officer for 30 consecutive seen is the tremendous growth in invite people to club meetings and skies! together, in their own language telescope making. on the generosity of the distin- years. One of the most likeable the public’s interest in astronomy. special events. 5. HAVE ONE OR TWO and on their own terms. Youth he Hartness House Workshop guished speakers, the vast people you will find in a nation of As a child and as a teenager, I 2. INVITE YOUR OUTREACH SPECIAL EVENTS ANNUALLY leadership builds an ownership of T features a series of relatively majority of whom participated amateur astronomers, Scott holds was the lone astronomer in my ATTENDEES TO BE GUESTS AT AND INVITE ALL OF THE PAST the youth element of your club. the League’s Master Outreach schools. This was not unique to THE NEXT CLUB MEETING. YEAR’S GUESTS TO COME. Years ago, the president of Award with over 760 hours of one community, as we moved Even without the raffle, every- Some clubs organize one a civic organization told those Photo credit: Steve Goldberg (FBAC) public education efforts over his frequently due to my dad’s work or two big meetings that are one can go home with flyers re- of us who were members that ney since FBAC member and past lifetime, nearly five times the requirements. Wherever I found minding them of your club’s next designed to bring in prospective securing new members required president, Leonard Ferguson, re- hours required for the award. A myself, I was the only astronomer meeting. Make sure you include members. You can invite all of a figurative shotgun and rifle. ceived AL Outreach Award no. 10 multiple national and regional around. the date, time, and place! those who attended the past For astronomy clubs, the shotgun in 2006. The March 2018 “Ripples award-winning astrophotographer, Today there is an enormous year’s outreach events to attend. approach is the public outreach 3. TRAIN SOME GREETERS. Through Space and Time” Reflec- he is also a co-founder of the now interest in astronomy, thanks to Have a dynamic speaker with program, while the rifle approach Have you ever been the new tor article says it best: “Outreach 27-year-old Stars-at-the-Beach space exploration, the Hubble some appeal to the public. You is targeted to specific people. I person at a meeting and felt is in our DNA. ... [It] is incredibly public observation at New- Space Telescope, and the Internet might be able to secure an astro- can see by the submissions for the totally out of place with no one to satisfying, often beyond measure. ton-Stewart State Recreation Area keeping stellar wonders before naut or a professional astronomer, Outreach Award that our clubs talk with? Don’t let your guests The camaraderie, the friendship, Part of the crowd at last year’s Hartness House Workshop, on advanced telescope on Patoka Lake in southern us. As the national coordinator or you might find that the skies and individuals are doing a great making techniques. Photo: Tom Spirock be that person! Train and prepare the vitality, the thanks, the faces Indiana, an event that draws for the Astronomical League’s themselves provide a special job at public outreach events. a few folks to be greeters who of full wonder – these are why advanced talks related to the without compensation or even hundreds of people annually. He Outreach Award, I can attest event in the form of an eclipse or Many of our clubs need to step can introduce themselves to new outreach continues to grow within theme of the workshop, an open travel support. The speakers have does extensive observing with an that local outreach events are transit. it up with an intentional, well- visitors. One might not want to our club.” house at the Hartness–Porter appreciated that all proceeds from 18-inch Obsession and photogra- attracting more people who want approach a stranger by asking, 6. HAVE A HEART planned program for securing new Museum of Amateur Telescope the Hartness House Workshop, phy using his 10-inch Schmidt– to look through our telescopes. “Is this your first meeting,” as the FOR THE YOUTH. members in our clubs. THE STELLAFANE Making, and observing with the modest as they are, are dedicated Cassegrain and the observatory’s For the first 100 submissions for answer might be, “I am here every Many of the people who —Dr. W. Maynard Pittendreigh CONVENTION’S Hartness turret telescope obser- to maintaining the Hartness–Por- 14-inch Schmidt–Cassegrain. the Outreach Award, the average other month.” Instead, have your attend public outreach events are vatory, weather permitting. The ter Museum of Amateur Telescope attendance for a public viewing greeters approach people with children and youth. Most of my FORT BEND HARTNESS HOUSE 10-inch Hartness refractor, with Making in the underground rooms event was 89. Fifteen years later, an honest and accurate, “I don’t outreach has been with young- ASTRONOMY CLUB WORKSHOP optics by John A. Brashear, dates contiguous with the Hartness the most recent 100 submissions believe we’ve met. My name is er people because I work with from 1910 and was mounted in Observatory. The museum is open have an average attendance for RAKES IN THE AWARDS Jane or Joe.” Follow that up with schools and scouting organiza- he Stellafane Convention, one of the most innovative obser- for tours during the workshop and a public event of 169. If you put simple conversation. Asking what tions. We turn off many young ne of our clubs is break- T a weekend gathering of vatory designs in the world, which the Stellafane Convention. together all of the 27,358 out- sort of telescope they have and amateur telescope makers and people with our adult-focused O ing records by earning inspired the later Porter turret More information will be reach events during the life of the about their interests in astronomy astronomy enthusiasts sponsored astronomy meetings. Some of our its 200th Outreach Award. The telescope observatory at Stella- available soon at stellafane.org. Outreach Award Program, we’ve are good ways to continue the clubs have already addressed this by the Springfield Telescope award, given at Basic, Stellar, fane. The workshop’s well-packed —Thomas Spirock, Daniel reached over 3.9 million people! conversation. and are doing rather well. Some Makers (STM), has been held at and Master levels, is one of the schedule makes for a full and Lorraine, and John W. Briggs This is great, but there is the summit of Breezy Hill, near 4. HAVE AN clubs offer a separate meeting just Astronomical League’s most very interesting day. Attendees Springfield Telescope Makers something missing in our out- for the young. Others dedicate a Springfield, Vermont, almost every Scott Conner receiving the Hans Baldauf Award from INTERESTING PROGRAM. popular observing awards, and overwhelmingly appreciate the Springfield, Vermont Astronomical League secretary and past president reach. Many of our clubs are not No one intentionally invites segment of the meeting to youth. while many clubs are very active, year since 1926. The event’s basic intimate nature of the event, Chuck Allen, left, and EAS president Anthony Bryan. turning our visitors and guests someone to a dull party or event. Either way, let me offer two things the Fort Bend Astronomy Club goal has remained the same since especially the scheduled breaks SCOTT CONNER The award is named after into members. It is time to move Don’t invite someone to a dull to keep in mind. First, we have an in Texas has outpaced all other the 1920s: teaching people about that allow everyone to talk shop. RECEIVES Hans Baldauf (1892–1965), a to this next step. Let me offer a club meeting. Be sure that every Observing Program specifically clubs. FBAC’s president, Tony telescope making and astronomy. benefactor and past president few suggestions for your club. meeting offers a good program designed for children through age Wiese, is seen here presenting To facilitate this mission, a he subject for the 2020 BALDAUF AWARD of the (now) Kalamazoo Astro- 1. GET THE NAMES AND CON- that is engaging for all levels of ten called “Sky Puppies.” club member Abhi Gudipati with new sister event, the “Hartness T ̨Hartness House Workshop is t Hidden Hollow Star Party nomical Society, a prolific public TACT INFORMATION OF YOUR astronomers. One way to do this Each meeting might take one the club’s 200th award. This House Workshop” held at the “Professional–Amateur Collab- Ą̨̨on September 28, 2019, educator in astronomy, and a GUESTS. is to have all of the business con- or two of the activities from this club’s 95 outreach volunteers historic Hartness House Inn in oration and Small Observatory Steven Scott Conner of the Evans- leader in the development of Offer a raffle, a free sub- ducted at the end of the meeting, program and focus on how to (who have each achieved one or Springfield on the Thursday of Science.” ville Astronomical Society (EAS) Kalamazoo’s planetarium. scription to Sky & Telescope or and only if necessary. Elections complete that part of the program. more of the 200 awards) have the Stellafane Convention, was The slate of speakers includes was awarded the Hans Baldauf Astronomy magazines, a free may need to be handled at a meet- Second, take a lesson from scout- experienced such a fulfilling jour- created in 2009 at the suggestion Timothy Brothers (MIT), Robert Award, the Great Lakes Region’s More From Around the League "

12 REFLECTOR ✶ MARCH 2020 THE ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE 13 FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE

KANSAS CLUB Shazo, the youth services librari- an, and gave her an orientation to DONATES LIBRARY the telescope. I showed her how TELESCOPE to read the star maps and other he Kansas Astronomical information to help the patrons T ̨Observers donated their star hop and locate objects, and Horkheimer-funded telescope to how to distinguish a planet from the Silver Lake Public Library a star. I plan to help the patrons in Silver Lake, Kansas – a small if they have questions about the rural town about 15 minutes telescope, and give a training northwest of Topeka – on De- session to the first few patrons cember 10, 2019. The library is once the library is ready for them excited about this program, and to check the telescope out. I also already has several patrons ready donated some laminated star to check out the telescope once maps and fundamental infor- it’s available in their system. Our mation sheets in a spiral-bound club has done a few educational booklet for the patrons to use astronomy events with this library with the telescope, material that with much response. I chose this I downloaded from the Astronom- library because of the rural com- ical League’s website. I hope to munity, and it is near where I live soon donate another telescope to in Saint Marys, Kansas, about 15 a rural library. minutes west of Silver Lake. —Jerelyn Ramirez President, Kansas I sat down with Tracey De- Tracey DeShazo (left) and Jerelyn Ramirez. Photo credit: Paul Ramirez Astronomical Observers

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14 REFLECTOR ✶ MARCH 2020 THE ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE 15

GALLERY MEMBER ASTROPHOTOGRAPHS All photos © 2020 by their respective creators.

ABOVE: Val Ricks (Houston Astronomical Society) captured this close-up view of Sharpless BELOW: Frank Colosimo (Delaware Valley Amateur Astronomers) captured this image of ABOVE: Andrew Klinger (North Texas Astronomical Society) captured this wide-field image BELOW: Steven Bellavia (Amateur Observers’ Society of New York) took this image of M31 132 from The Woodlands, Texas, using a TS ONTC 8-inch Newtonian (f/5) with a Starlight IC 5146 from his Blue Mountain Vista Observatory using a Hyperion 12.5-inch (f/9, of NGC 6888 from a dark site in Texas using a William Optics GT81 (reduced to f/4.7, using a 51 mm William Optics RedCat (f/4.9) Petzval refractor with a ZWO ASI183MM Pro Xpress SXVF-H9 camera riding on top of a Takahashi NJP Temma 2 mount. 2532 mm) and a Celestron EdgeHD-11 (2760 mm) with a SBIG STL-11000 camera. 382 mm) with a ZWO ASI1600MM-Cool CMOS camera. CMOS camera on a SkyWatcher EQ6-R Pro mount. equipment, plug in five power cords and four USB cables, boot up the computer, and it runs almost all the time. The key phrase here is “almost all the time.” Strange things occur with seemingly random vindictiveness, and I respond with religious zeal. Soon I have a Going Remote rich doctrine of what needs to be plugged in first, which cables go in which ports, and still it never reaches the perfection of my dreams. BY ROBERT KIMBALL Before going remote there is much more to be done. I can’t drive two hundred miles round I climbed up into Bill Stein’s black trip just to restart my computer or plug in a Suburban and seconds later we were An Astrophotographer’s cable! speeding east through the San Augus- Experience in the tin Pass. We passed White Sands National Monument and Alamogordo and drove up Sacramento Mountains the narrow mountain canyon to Cloudcroft. Fifteen minutes later we were at the gate there’s not a soul in sight. Lynn Rice, to Bill’s astronomy community, a total the proprietor, greets us warmly and gives trip of exactly 100 miles. Bill engaged the us a deluxe tour of every building. She thanks us profusely for calling before we arrived Bill Stein’s Observatory in Star’s End Estates astronomy community, Mayhill, New Mexico four-wheel drive, pressed the gate opener, (clearly this is very important to her). and we climbed steeply onto a rough dirt The whole afternoon I’ve heard nothing major. Fast-forward to 2011, my wife and I are In one of the domes is a huge mount but our voices, but now that the sun is setting, in Las Cruces, and after an astronomy hiatus road to a small yellow cabin, the street sign Dr. Bill Stein (AAVSO’s first vice president) indicating we are on Galaxy Way. Perched carrying perhaps 12 Takahashi FSQ 106 getting ready to open the roof new sounds whisper in the distance. I hear of 30 years, I’m looking up again! vents opening and then the soft whir of fans twenty feet below the cabin is a gigantic refractors each with its shiny new SBIG nity exists only in the virtual world of the f course, everything has changed. ̨No as the observatories push out the heat of the shed. It is here that my telescope will camera. This, I’m told, is the Qatar National Internet. Ǫmore film processing, no more sighting Observatory. The large sheds are packed day. Finally, the creaks of domes turning, along the tube, no more star hopping to Mess- huddle through the winter under cold, n the north side of the Mayhill valley with setups, all absolutely unique, awaiting shutters opening, and the unique sound of ier objects. Now Astromart is my best friend. dark, clear skies. ̨are a series of astronomy communities silent commands to come alive as the O I buy a nice Losmandy G11 equatorial mount e are in Mayhill, New Mexico, and with homeowners’ associations and strict Two large domes perched directly behind Bill’s sun sets. once owned by Astronomical Society of Las observatory at Star’s End Estates ̨there is astronomy going on every- covenants such as no white lights after W Cruces (ALSC) member Kirby Benson, then where. On the south side of the valley is New In the adjoining house we find a commu- sunset, and shades down after sunset! Bill’s irst, I decide to tackle the hardware a decent William Optics FLT 110 refractor. I Mexico Skies, a large enclave with a long nal area that is both a library and a small property is in Star’s End Estates, a dark problems. To focus, I can’t stumble around attach my Sony DSLR and I am ready for seri- F white row of domes and several large sheds dining area. This cozy lair once hummed refuge consisting of roughly twenty irregular to the front of the scope to put on a Bahtinov ous astrophotography. Wrong! I learned quick- filled to the brim with gleaming telescopes. lots. I am sure my William Optics 110 refrac- mask when I’m “remote,” so I buy a precision with astrophotographers. Now it languishes ly that getting exceptional astrophotographs is These are outrageously expensive setups, but tor is the smallest telescope to be found here. Finger Lakes Instrumentation PDF auto focus- in disrepair. Sadly, this astronomy commu- an iterative process – iterative intellectually Directly behind Bill’s cabin a huge new dome er. What a joy it is to watch it systematically New Mexico Skies, Mayhill, New Mexico – telescope hosting and iterative financially. is springing up. Its 30-inch aperture telescope hone in on perfect focus. I learn for the first Looking northward into the observatory, my little William Four years and perhaps $10,000 will undoubtably be the largest on the block. Optics 110 is nestled into the corner. time how dramatically the focal point changes later (my wife questions this figure), most During the day I race up and down a mounts slewing call out in the twilight. Some- as temperatures rise and fall. Now my stars of the hurdles have fallen away. I set up my are sharp, but always slightly elongated. After path to the observatory carrying parts of where, distant fingers tap at keyboards and many email exchanges with El Paso astropho- my setup through knee-deep weeds. Bill our community comes alive. tographer Erik Chesak, I finally accept what sits at his computer opening and closing he told me in his first email – I’ve got flexure the roof, which is groaning and grinding I digress for just a paragraph. Walking between my guide scope and my imaging along its track. We adjust the limit switch down Ipperwash Beach when I was about eleven years old, I saw a group of people gath- scope. and discuss how we might shim the track ered around a modest Newtonian telescope. I buy an Astrodon Monster MOAG off-axis to make the roof’s journey smoother. I managed to get my first glance at the Moon guider and Erik mills a special holder for Down the center of the observatory, after a little pushing and shoving. The hook my guide camera. Finally, round stars! north to south, are three evenly spaced was set deep. A year later, I was looking at ASLC member John Kutney suggests I buy a piers. These are all occupied. I carefully Saturn through my own home-built three-inch powered USB hub to address my persistent select a small open space just east of the telescope with a mirror purchased from my USB problems. I follow his advice and add other scopes. I try to visualize all these tattered Edmund Scientific catalog. I ground new high-grade USB cables and even little telescopes moving and eventually become several mirrors, trekked to Shawinigan Falls, magnetic “chokes.” Now things are talking to convinced that mine will never collide with Quebec, for my first solar eclipse, and entered each other politely. As a finishing touch, I buy the others. the University of Michigan as an astronomy The author grinding a 10-inch primary mirror 60 years ago a compact Intel NUC (Next Unit of Comput- 18 REFLECTOR ✶ MARCH 2020 THE ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE 19 one and my DC power supply into plug two to calibrate his data. Consequently, he opens targets on the same night. I start with a target and I’m ready to rock and roll. and closes the observatory most of the time in the east and follow it across the meridian and I just shoot anytime I want. Tonight, Bill to the west; then I head east again to pick up “To open or not to open, that is the is in Costa Rica so I use TeamViewer to access a new target and repeat the process. On a question.” I’ve been set up at Bill’s obser- his computer and click the “open” button. On clear night, I can image for around ten hours. vatory for two moon cycles and the weather my Foscam, I watch the roof slowly open, I ini- I’ve had to spend a lot more time picking has not cooperated. Gone are the days when tiate my imaging sequence, and then head to targets than I expected. Besides my selected I could look up to check the weather. The bed. At 4 a.m. my phone vibrates. I wake up, targets, I’ve been imaging Comet 46D/Wir- astrophotographer directly behind Bill has a stagger dull-eyed to my computer, and click tanen as it approaches perihelion. Seeing it great website with sky monitoring equipment. the “close” button. When I take responsibility brighten night after night is thrilling.Going I consult the Clear Sky Chart for Mayhill, then for opening and closing the observatory, I toss remote has been challenging. Getting my access our neighbor’s all-sky camera and the and turn most of the night. Waking up and equipment to perform reliably entailed buying seeing monitor. When these all look good, I finding three inches of snow on our equipment just the right gear. Getting everything to hang shoot a text to Bill to see if we’re opening. Bill is a recurring nightmare. on the Internet was more challenging, but it is collecting variable star data and seems less has all worked flawlessly and the images are concerned about the seeing than I am. I want he nights are lengthening now as we the best I’ve ever taken. It’s not for everyone, the seeing and transparency to be perfect. T̨approach the winter solstice. I discover but I consider “going remote” a stunning Bill often takes sky flats at dusk or dawn that unlike my backyard, I can image several experience. ê Citizen ToM and the Astronomical Unit

BY ZACK STOCKBRIDGE ers participating in the Citizen ToM (Transit zen ToM (Transit of Mercury) project involved

The Vulture Head Nebula in Taurus (LBN 777). This is the integration of forty 900-second subs taken with an Atik 383L OSC camera. of Mercury) Project occupied a few of them. almost 20 of those same sites. The goal of the Mercury cast its shadow on the Earth Citizen ToM Project was to use the transit to er) computer. No monitor, no keyboard, no mount to make the necessary adjustments. to turn mine off and on. I’m also afraid that several months ago. The small, dark ack in 2017, the Citizen CATE Project reenact the technique, developed by Sir Ed- mouse, and most importantly, no battery. Now I select Sequence Generator Pro for my cap- somehow my telescope will lose its spatial silhouette of the planet snuck between us and B̨had over 60 observing sites collecting mund Halley, for measuring the distance from I have the telescope hardware to go remote. ture program because plate solving is built orientation, so I buy a Foscam to monitor the Sun for a few hours, blocking such a small image data with identical equipment (Daystar the Earth to the Sun. In astronomy circles, we in. For guiding I use the tried and true PHD2, the “parked” position. I fire up YouTube for piece of the solar disk that it was impossible telescopes and Point Grey cameras) spread refer to the average distance between these ext, I clean up the software side of although for a while I used ASLC member instruction and watch the “AwkwardHamster” to see the small planet without magnification throughout the path of totality during the two bodies as the Astronomical Unit (AU). ̨things. Initially, if I wanted to image N Steve Barkes’s “GuideDog” guiding software. carefully explain how to log in to my modem, (and, of course, a proper solar filter). Great American Total Solar Eclipse. The Citi- Without knowing how long an AU is, astron- M57, the Ring Nebula, I’d arrow up and down I have PEMPro for recording and correcting set up port forwarding, and purchase a DDNS omers would only know the relative sizes on my hand controller until I’d found M57 The Moon did the same thing back in July, my periodic worm errors and Astro-Physics (Dynamic Domain Name System) address. I and distances between objects. Even during and then stand back as the mount made some but unlike solar eclipses, a planet transiting Command Center (APCC) to replace my hand make it work on my home router, but I am Halley’s time, the actual length of the AU awkward motions and headed towards Lyra. the Sun is visible to everyone on the daytime paddle. Next, Bill Stein introduces me to a not confident enough to breach the firewall remained unknown despite its importance in If I did my polar alignment carefully, the Ring side of the Earth. Mercury’s transit was also real game changer, TeamViewer. on Bill’s router. helping us understand the true size and scale would be in the camera’s field of view, not far less dramatic than a solar eclipse. As a of our Solar System. centered, but at least I’d be close. Unfortu- TeamViewer allows me to access Windows connect the Foscam to Bill’s LAN (local matter of fact, sunspots commonly appear nately, that’s not good enough – I need to be 10 on my NUC from Las Cruces using my Ap- I ̨area network) and view it with TeamView- larger than Mercury’s disk. The principles behind Halley’s technique spot-on. That’s where “plate solving” comes ple MacBook Pro. It is a miracle! Two or three er. To turn everything on and off, I buy an IP Much of America missed the transit entire- are simple. When either Mercury or Venus to the rescue. If I had been told thirty years clicks and I’m sitting in Mayhill. TeamViewer switch. Again, I confront new complications ly due to a large weather system that swept passes in front of the Sun, observers in dif- ago that ultimately my telescope would “read” is free software for non-commercial users. and router settings. Then on a dropdown across the country, clouds obscuring the last ferent locations on Earth will see the planet’s the stars and position itself, I would have said I’ve written computer software menu, I see something about Google Hang- planetary transit to be seen on U.S. soil for silhouette in slightly different positions due to you were crazy. But that’s the miracle of plate programs over the years, but I never outs. I learn that I can assign a Gmail address another 30 years. For perspective, there will parallax. Measure how much the planet’s ap- solving. My camera takes a picture of the really needed to learn about the technical to my IP switch and then I can send it text be four total solar eclipses on visible from the Aligning images and then subtracting one from the other parent position shifts, and then we can do the stars, and the plate solving software searches workings of the Internet. This is a new commands. “Set on 1” turns plug one of my IP United States in that same time. Thankfully, highlights how much Mercury’s position shifted due to par- math to calculate the distance from Earth to through a catalog of stars, makes some elab- power switch on, and “Set off 1” turns it back there were still a number of places where the allax, as seen in this zoomed-in comparison of images taken challenge. Bill has his computers, mounts, by Peter Nguyen (Hartsville, South Carolina – a Lunt solar Mercury or Venus. One more step of algebra orate calculations, and then commands the and cameras running 24/7. I’d like to be able off. It’s so simple! I plug my NUC into plug Sun was shining on November 11 and observ- wedge site) and Matt Penn (Tucson, Arizona). will lead you to the Earth–Sun distance. The

20 REFLECTOR ✶ MARCH 2020 THE ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE 21 miles east of me were not only largely clouded incoming energy is directed towards a ceramic out but some reported some rain during the heat sink. The small amount of light not sent transit! I was very lucky indeed.” to the heat sink passes through a neutral Conley and Lighthill both proved to be key density filter to bring the image down to safe observers. Not only were they the western- viewing levels. The result is the best, most most ToM members, they were also using detailed white light view of the Sun possible. Herschel solar wedges. One of the biggest Two of the Lunt wedges went west and two challenges for Citizen ToM was the ability went east to the Carolinas. to accurately align images from multiple Capturing the data was fairly straightfor- locations. The Sun does not have fixed surface ward. At predetermined times, each observer features to serve as alignment points, but it would take a 10-second video of the Sun’s full has sunspots – sometimes. The timing of the disk. They would then stack the video into a 2019 transit of Mercury was rather unfortu- single image for future processing. At the end nate. The planet was near perihelion and so of the day, everyone uploaded their image its position would shift less due to parallax files. The transit started before sunrise for A composite shows Mercury passing across the face of the Sun throughout the morning of November 11, 2019. than if Mercury were in a different part of most of the United States, and so the most Images by Julia Kamenetzky and students Students and the public gather around a small fleet of telescopes at Los Alamos High School (New Mexico). its orbit around the Sun. It also turned out important observing times took place near the Photo by Galen Gisler technique works best when the two observing of the transit in progress and told stories that the transit would be only days away from end of the transit – when the Sun was as high how to use the equipment and explain the involves using precise timings of third contact sites are far apart. about past transits and eclipses.” solar minimum – the bottom of the sunspot as possible for the western sites. experiment to others. I think many of them did (the moment when Mercury’s disk touches the n many places, the skies teased observers cycle. During the 100 days leading up to the In 1716, Halley published the details lthough half of the ToM sites were clouded not previously realize how difficult it can be to edge of the Sun and begins moving off of it). ̨with maybe-I’ll-be-cloudy-and-maybe-I-won’t. day of the transit, official data showed that 90 of his method based on the idea of I ̨̨out, ten sites were able to acquire imag- condense and simplify a scientific experiment The most intriguing possibility uses compos- Some members of the Citizen ToM Project hit were spot-free and most of the sunspots that A using a transit of Venus. He died before es at the last scheduled time and the data is to explain to the public, but I know they will the road. Richard Lighthill (La Pine, Oregon) were seen were very small. ite images. Many people make composites the next transit of Venus in 1761. Several promising. There were no sunspots on the day take this new skill with them into their future that show Mercury’s position throughout the European nations sent expeditions around the drove 45 miles at the last minute to escape of the transit, as expected. However, several Knowing that there would probably research work.” transit. Every location on Earth saw Mercury globe to observe the 1761 transit of Venus and the fog. He was able to find a spot, take a small faculae were consistent in many of the not be sunspots visible on the day in a slightly different position due to parallax, measure the AU, in what has been called pos- guess at a polar alignment, and wait for a images and could be used for image align- any ToM observing sites hosted public of the transit, we would have to rely but all of the paths will be parallel to each sibly the first international scientific project clearing. “The Sun would only peek out very ment. Blinking back and forth between images M̨̨viewing events in addition to collect- on patterns in the granulation and other. Doing a line-of-best-fit through all of the in human history. Weather and wars hindered occasionally and even then it was through clearly showed Mercury’s apparent position ing data. At Los Alamos High School (New surface texture of the Sun for align- Mercurys from an observing site, shifting the many of the expeditions for both the 1761 and thinner fog… I missed most of the early changing even at locations that were relatively Mexico), Galen Gisler stated that “for the ments. The ideal solution is to image in image and then rotating it so that the line is 1769 transits of Venus. timings but was able to catch the egress of close together. As expected, the shift was high school astronomy club, the event was a Mercury! Then… nothing but thick clouds over either H-alpha or even Calcium-K wavelengths, huge success in terms of outreach. Some of parallel to that of a different observing site Astronomers soon moved on to other tech- greater the more widely spaced the observing the Sun!” Lighthill said. but that was too pricey. Enter the solar the students took charge of a 4-inch Meade should serve as something of an impromptu niques and have known the length of the AU sites were. wedge. [Schmidt–Cassegrain] that belongs to the Los alignment. Calculating the rate at which for well over a century now. However, Halley’s Mike Conley (Salem, Oregon) chose to stay The students who were involved in Citizen Lunt Solar Systems generously donated Alamos Nature Center, and were using it to Mercury moves across the image allows you technique is still valid and there are not many put and take other action. He did “some tree ToM knew this was coming but still learned four white light solar wedges to the Citizen help educate the public.” The story was the to extrapolate the silhouette’s location at any opportunities to reenact historic measure- trimming to ensure an unobstructed view for far more than they bargained for. All were ToM Project so that we could capture as same for Matt Cass and me at Southwestern given second. The end result is that any com- ments in astronomy – especially for students. the entire event.” Thankfully, the skies stayed excited about using the Daystar telescopes much surface detail as possible. Solar wedges Community College in Sylva, North Carolina, posite image could be used to measure the AU mostly clear for much of the event and im- and taking astronomical images – usually for And so it was that on November 11, 2019, are essentially highly specialized diagonals where we oversaw a small fleet of telescopes – even if the original observations were not proved throughout the morning. Not all were the first time. All experienced a thrill at seeing approximately 20 observing sites across the that can be used with refracting telescopes and had close to 200 visitors throughout the simultaneous. so fortunate. Conley related that “People [in Mercury in front of the Sun because they country, many of which were schools, pre- without a traditional solar filter. Most of the morning. The Citizen ToM Project used identical the Salem astronomy club] more than a few understood what was happening right in front pared to take simultaneous images of Mercury equipment and this made the analysis easier. of them and what their data would be used So aside from positive experiences, as it passed in front of the Sun. About half However, careful resizing of the images and for. That’s where their learning began, but not what are the results? A comparison of of those sites were clouded out. Lynn Powers the procedure described above would allow where it ended. images taken by Conley (Salem, Oregon) and (Montana) and Maryanne Angliongto (Mis- images taken at any time with any equipment me (Sylva, North Carolina – one of the east- souri) reported nothing but snow-filled skies. Julia Kamenetzky (Salt Lake City, Utah) to become useful and yield accurate results. ern solar wedge sites) shows a slight shift in Several international observers heard about was the only ToM site able to collect data in Fully developing and implementing these tech- Mercury’s position. How slight? The cameras the project and volunteered to participate the Rocky Mountains, but she revealed that niques will take some time. For now, we are produced images 1538 pixels by 1538 pixels. (with different equipment) and share their students’ eyes were opened to the importance quite happy with the early results and the Each pixel is 3.45 microns on a side. Mer- data. Alas, clouds also struck in Switzerland of communication in science. Her team con- experience that students across the country cury shifted by a mere five pixels. Jumping and southern Argentina. sisted of “a group of seven physics students, had in collecting astronomical data for them- with no previous astronomy or telescope expe- through the math yields a value of the AU of Bob Bear (Southern Illinois University) selves and following in Halley’s footsteps. ê and his students simply made the best of it: rience. They helped nearly sixty people from 149,200,000 km. This is a mere 0.28% from “We were clouded out completely here… but the Westminster College community safely the accepted value! we still made a nice morning out of the ToM observe the transit and explained our exper- In addition to using Halley’s technique, Zack Stockbridge was the Citizen ToM project observations. We kept the scope tracking and iment to scientists and non-scientists alike…. we are working on additional ways to analyze lead and is very much looking forward to more activity in the new sunspot cycle. ready to image while we watched online pics Screenshot of the results of the calculations for measuring the AU based on images by Conley and Stockbridge I am very proud of our students for learning the data and measure the AU. One method

22 REFLECTOR ✶ MARCH 2020 THE ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE 23 Coma Supercluster containing two major gal- first: supermassive black holes (SMBHs) with the projected sizes of the two structures on axy clusters, Abell 1367 in Leo and Abell 1656 their attendant quasars, or growing galaxies the sky are coincidentally close, despite the in Coma Berenices. The latter is the central that would later produce them? The findings supercluster system being 100 million times member and densest portion of the CfA Great of SMBHs in small dwarf galaxies such as more distant. No one could resist the tempta- Meet the New BOSS Wall. I have an ongoing observing project over Henize 2-10 and the twelve billion solar-mass tion to name it after the source of the data, the last few years to view galaxies within the behemoth at the center of a high-redshift the Baryonic Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey, This graphic represents a large supercluster system, like the BOSS Great Wall, with its clusters, voids, and galaxy filaments. (Cropped from illustration by Volker Springel, Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics) central square degree of Abell 1656. During (6.30) quasar suggest the former may be true. dubbing it the BOSS Great Wall (BGW). BY DAVE TOSTESEN seventy hours of observing I have seen 700 Were it so, it would support the recent direct By 2016 there was only one paper on the galaxies to nearly 20th magnitude, covering collapse formation theory of black holes with subject, and its list of galaxy coordinates had I went ahead without the facts, knowing a window of opportunity was closing… two-thirds of the field. over a million solar masses. not yet been made available to me when I One challenge is to identify membership In February 2016, Heidi Lietzen (Institu- observed the area. Close inspection of figure …I wanted to observe a discovery, but had look outward from our home galaxy, we see Over two decades I have observed several for individual galaxies, as published catalogs to de Astrofísica de Canarias, Tenerife, 3 in the paper suggested the area centered on not received details about its members. how some of this structure is arranged. thousand galaxies in this supercluster. This was the largest and most massive go no fainter than 18th magnitude. Some of Spain) and her team announced discovery 10h 52.8m, +48d 40m within the B core was collection of galaxy clusters ever found, We are part of a relatively sparse collection n 2014 the Virgo Supercluster was deter- these galaxies may be background objects, but of a massive supercluster system. Located one of its densest collections of galaxies. and its light had been traveling toward us of sixty to eighty galaxies called the Local Įmined by Brent Tully and his colleagues I think many could be dwarfs within the clus- between the legs of the Great Bear in Ursa A POSS 2 red plate image 15 arcminutes since before the Solar System formed, so I Group (LG). In the first decade of imaging, to be part of a larger supercluster named ter, especially in light of the recent deep im- Major, it carried a redshift of 0.47, with a light square centered there showed dozens of couldn’t wait. With winter approaching and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) added Laniakea, Hawaiian for “immeasurable aging showing a likely continuum of size and travel time of 4.9 billion years. Searching the small, faint galaxies I assumed were members the Moon making an entrance, I decided to many Ultrafaint Dwarf Galaxies (UDGs) such Heaven.” This immense structure spanning brightness within this class. The whole of AGC SDSS database, they studied this complex of of the wall. I was partially right. Of the forty observe first and sort it out later. as Segue 1 to our local census. These are the half a billion light-years was defined by 1656 encompasses 25 square degrees, and galaxies stretching over a billion light-years in to fifty faint galaxies in the field, it would turn likely contains over five thousand galaxies. diameter and holding 2 × 1017 solar masses. out that only a handful were designated BGW hilip and Phylis Morrison’s book Powers of smallest and faintest galaxies known, often its gravitational domain and is just one of consisting of only hundreds to a few thousand millions of superclusters in our Cosmos. Early This would make it the most massive system members on the list provided by the author Ten displays an elegant step-like hierar- A decade and a half after Geller and Huchra, P stars, and containing mostly dark matter. researchers such as George Abell documented of superclusters known in the Universe. a few days after my observations. But there chy of size in the natural world. Some of its a Sloan Digital Sky Survey team headed by Before their discovery I had observed all but thousands of galaxy clusters, and recognized Split into four “cores” in their arXiv paper was more to the tale. divisions are readily understandable given our Princeton’s J. Richard Gott III announced an seven of the known fifty-four Local Group gal- that connections and associations existed (1602.08498v1, 26 February 2016), the B core present knowledge, such as how electrons or- even larger structure of a similar nature. The morning of November 11, 2016, present- axies. A planned trip to the Atacama Desert between them. His two-dimensional sky was had the highest maximum density and held bit the nuclei of atoms, or planets their stars. His group termed it the “Sloan Great Wall.” ed excellent conditions at my home in Min- of Chile may help complete my observed list teasing us. We needed a third dimension to over a third of the system’s 830 identified Others are less clear and open to interpre- It was 1.4 billion light-years in length and lo- nesota for observing the BOSS Great Wall. of these “classic” LG members. For the newly reveal the poriferal pattern. galaxies. tation. At the largest scales are superclusters cated a billion light-years from us. Numerous The waxing gibbous Moon had set at three found, faintest UDGs, only individual stars of galaxies that span tens of millions to over In the 1980s, Margaret Geller and the late studies deciphered details which I used to lo- hey estimated there were thousands more o’clock but would soon be an end-whistle min- between 18th and 20th magnitude have been a billion light-years in diameter. Dedicated John Huchra of the Harvard Center for Astro- cate and view some of its galaxies. It held the ̨galaxies present in the structure that imizing dark-sky study until the next lunation. detectable in the eyepiece, as outlines of the T astronomers are piecing together their dis- physics (CfA) headed a team that performed a title of largest galaxy wall for a decade until either did not fit their criteria for study or From my home in central Minnesota, weather whole galaxies are not visible. tribution, architecture, and history. Over the deep-redshift galaxy survey in hope of adding the somewhat controversial “Hercules-Corona could not be identified at the nearly five often precludes observing from December last several decades, a sponge-like system of Our Local Group is gravitationally ̨dominated depth to the sky. Great Wall” was until March, a by the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy, voids has been discovered, whose hypodense In 1989 Geller and Huchra announced the announced in 2013. Luminosity density (avg dens) strong factor in located 2.5 million light-years away. There 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 regions of space also range to a billion light- discovery of the largest structure known at n the intervening the decision to have been uncounted myriad interactions years across. They are surrounded by strings the time: a filament of apparently connect- Įyears astronomers observe without between galaxies within the Local Group over 550 A all the data. The and clusters of galaxies collected and con- ed clusters and superclusters of galaxies found ̨collections of 56 A billions of years, and these two have grown region was 70 nected on their periphery where gravity, dark along a 500 by 200 million light-year-long area high-redshift qua- C C largest by cannibalizing many dwarf galaxies, 500 matter, and the expansion of the Universe just 15 million light-years thick. It was dubbed sars and gamma-ray degrees up, with manifested in the stellar streams seen in work to form what is called the cosmic web. 52 450 no humidity and

the “Great Wall,” with the prefix “CfA” soon bursts from the ear- Mpc) 1

long-exposure images, and star counts such as - D excellent seeing added. In the early 1990s my friend Dennis ly Universe thought Dec (°) D 400 Superclusters of galaxies are the largest co- z (h those found by GAIA. Most galaxies in the Uni- and transparency. herent single structures we define, and they Webb researched this wall and inspired me to to outline cohesive B B verse are part of modest collections similar to 48 350 form at the intersections of voids. Richard observe a number of its galaxy clusters and structures interpret- The temperature our Local Group. 150 Powell’s evocative website Atlas of the Uni- superclusters. Two decades later he and Jeff ed as forerunners 300 200 hovering below 40 1050 250 verse mirrors the Morrisons’ format, and his Toward the constellation Virgo lies a much Kanipe have been producing Annals of the of galaxy superclu- 44 1100 300 degrees at 4 a.m. 350 x (h-1 Mpc) 168 164 160 156 -1 1150 two diagrams of “Nearest” and “Neighboring” larger cluster of galaxies containing over Deep Sky, a constellation-based series of refer- sters. If confirmed, R.A. (°) y (h Mpc) 400 spurred on the ob- 1200 superclusters give succinct visual represen- two thousand members. This Virgo Cluster ence books that will be an amateur standard these “large quasar 450 servations but did tation to these diametric densities. Astron- is the heart of the Virgo Supercluster, which for decades. At the end of each chapter they groups” would wrest Galaxies in the BOSS Great Wall (BGW) in sky coordinates. Galaxies in theBGW superclusters in Cartesian coordinates. Different not interfere. This The color scale shows the local environmental density in terms colors show the individual superclusters in the BGW system. omers seeking ways to fit these collections comprises over a million billion solar masses provide diagrams extending our view outward the title of largest of mean densities for each galaxy. The different symbols refer to fifteen-arcmin- of galaxies into presently understood cosmic in at least one hundred groups stretched over to groups of galaxies from sources such as structure. Since galaxies in the four largest superclusters in the system Diagrams courtesy of Heidi Lietzen, from the paper ute square area determined with the density threshold D > 6. referred to in the text above. structure may find the Universe dealing its a diameter of 110 million light-years. Our Brent Tully’s Nearby Galaxies Atlas, and to- everything is like- around the above usual response to categorizers: unexpected, Local Group is at one edge and the three giant ward local superclusters from Maret Einasto’s ly connected, as are highways or vessels billion light-year distance of the system. The coordinates, with its extremely faint galaxies, confounding, and delightful discrepancies. ellipticals Messiers 87, 86, and 84 are at its work at Estonia’s Tartu Observatory. in our body, the issue of what is largest may shape of this system diagrammed in their pa- was challenging to observe in my 32-inch f/4 It seems the Cosmos savors beguiling us by center. Other well-known collections within it bell 2151 is a rich galaxy cluster in be ultimately moot, similar to which black line per resembled the outline of the Herdsman’s reflector. The targets had no known magni- revealing only slivers of its complexity, as we include the M81 group, the Ursa Major I and Ą̨Hercules half a billion light-years away. on the basketball is longest. Discussions in the body in the adjacent constellation Boötes. If tudes, but I estimated they were 18.0 to 19.5 strive to make tapestry from threads. If we II groups, and those of M66, M101, and M51. It is part of a structure that connects to the literature reference the debate which came one ignores the Herdsman’s outstretched arm, based on nearby comparison stars. Twenty

24 REFLECTOR ✶ MARCH 2020 THE ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE 25 galaxies in the field were viewed over eighty be to each other. With their equipment it was hold several tens of thousands of galaxies. minutes, using mostly 650x. The following one arcminute. There was an SDSS spectrum This does not seem overgenerous given the morning produced a sky less conducive with for the object I termed “B489” in my number- census of structures such as Abell 1656. If colder temps, so only eight more were added, ing system of the 830 galaxies in the file Dr. we step back to look at the larger structure of for a total of twenty-eight galaxies seen over Lietzen sent. Its coordinates are 163.200272 interconnecting elements in the cosmic web, two and a half hours of viewing. The SDSS im- (RA), +48.7024612 (Dec). Many proximate then even the BOSS Great Wall could be a age has enhanced resolution over the POSS, objects, including an apparent cluster of ten paltry ten-lane stretch of freeway, town-sent and designates which objects have spectra. galaxies 20 to 30 arcseconds to its southwest, and contiguous with the system of roads that Areas on both these images show strings and did not have spectra because of the fiber optic bind the whole. clusters of apparent galaxies and I wondered cable spacing requirements. This explanation s I did with visual observing projects for why, with so many present in a small portion about why such tightly packed regions were Ą̨̨the Coma Cluster, AGC 426 in Perseus, of the wall, less than a thousand were pro- not included on the spectroscopic study and the Sloan Great Wall, I carved off a cured in the full study. The head of the project offered me encouragement about the effort to piece of the BGW to observe. Extrapolating would offer the explanation. observe them, understanding their status as to a larger dataset to estimate what part of Lead author Heidi Lietzen graciously yet to be determined. the whole is potentially visible appears a responded to my request for BGW galaxy Because of these limitations she stated, reasonable compromise between effort, time coordinates, sending all 830. I compared “they are certain there are (many) more gal- and completeness. Perhaps an ambitious them to my observations and was disap- axies in the walls than these 830.” I was able future amateur will choose to hike such a pointed when only a few of my twenty-eight to see five or six times more galaxies in the large project as the full BOSS Great Wall. As galaxies correlated. She provided the reason above field than what were attributed to the big as it is, there are likely greater walls to for this variance in private communication, BGW, and that image contained three or four scale. Lietzen and other astronomers have explaining there were three criteria for times the number of faint galaxies I could see cautioned we’ve seen only a quarter of the inclusion in the spectroscopic study: colors in the eyepiece. Taking into consideration the sky with the SDSS, and future projects will that maximized redshift accuracy, brightness, area examined was one of the wall’s densest dwarf its database. Planned observatories in and spacing between galaxies. The last was a portions, and that some of its objects are like- the next decade such as the Large Synoptic physical limitation of how close the fiber optic ly unassociated “field” galaxies, my very rough Survey Telescope will greatly add to infor- cables that produce the spectroscopy could estimate is the “true” BOSS Great Wall may mation about large-scale structure in the Universe. This 8.4-meter, extremely wide-field instrument currently under construction in Chile will survey its available sky every few nights to 23rd magnitude. It and others will revolutionize knowledge while further preclud- ing visual mastery in the sense of being able to see all the individual members. Amateur MSRAL 2020 observers will need to choose from a wealth ADULT CONFERENCE of objects to study in an exponentially growing database. I might compare it to the difference YOUTH CONFERENCE (ACCESSIBLE) I experienced between snorkeling within the July 16 – 18 Great Barrier Reef and its incomparable view from my window on the flight from Brisbane to Cairns. Opinions change with perspective, 1000 Woodward Pl. NE Keynote Speaker Dr. Kat Gardner-Vandy PhD and we learn from choices. Amateurs and Assistant Professor of Aviation and Space professionals who creatively explore and Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102 define our Universe ardently wish for a Oklahoma State University deeper understanding of both our journey https://alcon2020.astroleague.org/ “The View of Space Sciences from Oklahoma” and our address. Curiosity can take us into dark alleys and dead ends, and learning from them enlightens us so we Plated banquet at the Crowne Plaza Hotel won’t get fooled again. Hosted by: with special awards and recognition We have awakened The Albuquerque Astronomical Society And our dream is real www.TAAS.org th th ê Friday June 12 to Sunday June 14 at Jenks, Oklahoma Reference: Lietzen et al. (2016) Discovery of a massive supercluster system at z~0.47. A & A 588: L4. Preprint details and registration at: msral2020.wixsite.com/register4msral2020 available at arxiv.org/abs/1602.08498.

26 REFLECTOR ✶ MARCH 2020 THE ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE 27 He has logged more than Astronomy Club; No. 56, Richard Loslo, Astronomy Association; No. 1, Russell 153,000 observations in more than Regular, Member-at-Large; No. 64, Paul F. Pinizzotto, Active Bronze, Galaxy Zoo, Harrington, Gold, Member-at-Large; No. 65, Southern Maine Astronomers; No. 1, Russell 2019 Peltier 5,700 hours over more than 45 years, ONE-STOP ASTRONOMY SHOPPING Al Lamperti, Gold, Delaware Valley Amateur F. Pinizzotto, Active Bronze, Galaxy Zoo Clump storeastroleagueorg totaling more than 7,500 objects. Astronomers Scout, Southern Maine Astronomers Award: Tom He observed the Herschel Cata- Beyond Polaris Comet Observing Program he Astronomical League online store utilies secure shoing cart technology and accets credit cards hiing handling logue from 1974 through April 2017 No. 35, Anastasia Vail, Raleigh Astronomy Club No. 46, Keith Davidson, Gold, Member-at- and wrote an article about his experi- Large is calculated at checout erchandise is also aailable by mail order choose your items add the alicable ee and Reiland Binocular Double Star Program mail your order ith chec to stroomial League ales 9201 ar ara uite 100 asas Cit O 64114 ence that was published in the March No. 150, Robert J. Olsen, Member-at-Large; Constellation Hunter Observing 2019 issue of Sky & Telescope. No. 151, Carl Stanley, Member-at-Large; Program (Northern Skies) you hae uestions about the merchandise or discounts on bul orders lease call the League oice 816-DEEP-SKY he Astronomical League’s 2019 He worked at the Allegheny No. 152, Jeff Willson, Rose City Astronomers; No. 233, Russell F. Pinizzotto, Southern or email [email protected]. recipient of the Leslie C. Peltier No. 153, Brad Payne, Northern Virginia Maine Astronomers; No. 234, Carl Stanley, T Observatory from 1978 through Award, Tom Reiland, certainly has Astronomy Club Member-at-Large; No. 235, Jeff Willson, Rose A PATHWAY TO ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE OBSERVING UPITER 2000 as an observer, tour guide, City Astronomers; No. 236, Linda Hoffmeister, many credits to his name. Binocular Messier Observing THE STARS BASEBALL HAT IN THE 2ST CENTURY assistant astronomer, lecturer, and Olympic Astronomical Society; No. 237, Program Daniel Beggs, Member-at-Large; No. 238, THIS MANUAL IS A EMBROIDERED LOGO, $12 PLUS $4 S&H He has been a member of the assistant senior observer, and from GREAT INTRODUCTION ADJUSTABLE; ROYAL BLUE, Amateur Astronomers Association of No. 1179, Scott Lee, Boise Astronomical Rick Eberhart, Rose City Astronomers; No. TO ASTRONOMY FOR MAROON, KHAKI, NAVY; 1991 to 2000 he served as the senior Society; No. 1180, Scott Cadwallader, Baton 239, Antone Gregory, Minnesota Astronomical Pittsburgh for 45 years. During that THE NEW ASTRONOMER. $16 PLUS $5 S&H observer. Rouge Astronomical Society; No. 1181, Society $10 PLUS $4 S&H time has served as president of the Brad Walter, Central Texas Astronomical He has received four awards from AAAP for 15 years and vice president Society; No. 1182, Anastasia Vail, Raleigh Dark Nebulae Observing Program ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE the AAAP: the George G. Lindbloom Astronomy Club; No. 1183, Krista Reed, Baton No. 29, David M. Douglass, East Valley CARBON STARS for 3 years. He founded and has SPORTSMANS BUCET HAT Rouge Astronomical Society Astronomy Club EMBROIDERED LOGO, ONE A GUIDE TO THE Award in 1991 for the most contri- MARS AN SIZE; KHAKI ONLY CARBON STAR butions during the previous year, the Binocular Variable Star Dark Sky Advocate OBSERVING GUIDE $22 PLUS $5 S&H OBSERVING CLUB No. 16, Rodney R. Rynearson, St. Louis $12 PLUS John Brashear Award for 25 years of Observing Program A SYSTEMATIC Astronomical Society $4 S&H constant volunteer work for the AAAP, No. 36, Charles E. Allen, Evansville PROGRAM STUDY Astronomical Society; No. 37, W. Maynard OF THE RED PLANET. UNIVERSE SAMPLER an Honorary Membership for lifetime Deep Sky Binocular Observing Pittendreigh, Brevard Astronomical Society; $18 PLUS $6 S&H A JOURNEY THROUGH Program THE UNIVERSE FOR achievement, and a Special Award No. 38, Rob Ratkowski, Haleakala Amateur THE BEGINNER for his discovery of the supernova in Astronomers No. 410, Gus Gomez, Tucson Amateur $13 PLUS M51 in 2011. Astronomy Association; No. 411, Rene THE HERSCHEL II Bright Nebula Observing Program Scandone Gedaly, Houston Astronomical $5 S&H OBSERVING PROGRAM PLANETARY NEBULAE His motto is “I live to observe No. 14, Roy Troxel, Member-at-Large Society $17 PLUS $6 S&H $18, PLUS $7 S&H and observe to live.” Caldwell Observing Program Double Star Observing Program It was a pleasure to present SILVER AWARDS No. 638, Scott Lee, Boise Astronomical MESSIER OBECTS Society; No. 639, Wayne E. Frey, Imperial Polk A BEGINNER’S GUIDE Tom Reiland with the 2019 Leslie C. No. 263, Kristopher Setnes, Minnesota Astronomical Society; No. 640, Carl Stanley, $8 PLUS Peltier award! Astronomical Society; No. 264, Jeff Willson, $3 S&H GALAY GROUPS Rose City Astronomers; No. 265, Antone Member-at-Large; No. 641, Jeff Willson, Rose ASTRONOMICAL AND CLUSTERS —Roger Kolman Gregory, Minnesota Astronomical Society City Astronomers; No. 642, Albert E. Smith, LEAGUE VISUAL $20 PLUS $7 S&H Member-at-Large ASTRONOMICAL Carbon Star Observing Program OBSERVING OURNAL Galaxy Groups and Clusters Observ- MATH FOR served as director of the Nicholas E. No. 105, Jeffrey S. Moorhouse, La Crosse Area $12 PLUS $6 S&H ing Program AMATEUR Wagman Observatory since 1975. Observing Astronomical Society No. 41-DA, Peter K. Detterline, Member-at- ASTRONOMERS Large; No. 42-DA, John Sikora, Member-at- $14 PLUS He was co-originator of the Citizen Science ASTRONOMICAL Large; No. 43-DA, Rodney Rynearson, St. $5 S&H METEORS Messier Marathon in 1975 and com- Awards No. 1, Michael A. Hotka, Observational LEAGUE TRAVEL MUG Louis Astronomical Society; No. 44-M, Peter $10 PLUS $4.50 S&H A GUIDE TO pleted the marathon three times. Bronze, NEO, Longmont Astronomical Society; THE METEORS Natscher, The Astronomy Connection Advanced Binocular Double Star No. 1, Michael A. Hotka, Observational Silver, OBSERVING He served as vice chairman of NEO, Longmont Astronomical Society; No. 1, Galileo Observing Program PROGRAM Observing Program ASTRONOMICAL MERAL for one year, and editor of Michael A. Hotka, Observational Gold Class No. 54, Peter Detterline, Binocular, Member- LEAGUE LAPEL PIN GUIDE TO THE STARS $11 PLUS No. 34, Robert Togni, Central Arkansas the MERAL Meteor for one year. He 1, Variable Stars, Longmont Astronomical at-Large; No. 55, Jonathan Poppele, Binocular, (ONE-INCH DIAMETER) INCH PLANISPHERE $4 S&H Astronomical Society Society; No. 1, Al Lamperti, Active Gold Class $8 PLUS $2 S&H $21 PLUS $8 S&H has taught observing and Astronomy Minnesota Astronomical Society; No. 56, Arp Peculiar Galaxies Northern 3, Galaxy Zoo Clump Scout, Delaware Valley Mark Bailey, Binocular, Member-at-Large; classes since 1976. Observing Program Amateur Astronomers; No. 1, Al Lamperti, RASC EPLORE THE No. 57, Scott D. Cadwallader, Binocular, ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE e discovered “Reiland’s No. 95-C, John Skillicorn, Tucson Amateur Active Gold Class 11, Planet Four Terrains, Baton Rouge Astronomical Society; No. 58 CLOTH PATCH UNIVERSE GUIDE $20 PLUS Cluster” (Reiland 1) in 1985 Astronomy Association Delaware Valley Amateur Astronomers; Aaron Clevenson, Binocular, North Houston (3” DIAMETER) H No. 1, Brad Young, Active Bronze, Galaxy $4.50 S&H Astronomy Club FULL COLOR $7 PLUS $1.50 S&H from his backyard using a homemade Asterism Observing Program Zoo, Astronomy Club of Tulsa; No. 1, Brad BLUE & WHITE $6 PLUS $1.50 S&H 8-inch f/5 Newtonian reflector. In No. 51, Russell F. Pinizzotto, Southern Maine Young, Observational Silver, Variable Globular Cluster Observing Program addition, he discovered (as sole Astronomers Club; No. 52, Paul Byrne, Star, Astronomy Club of Tulsa; No. 1, Brad No. 331-V, Joe Timmerman, Minnesota Member-at-Large; No. 53, Ken Boquist, visual discoverer) and was the first to Young, Observational Gold Class 1, Nova, Astronomical Society; No. 332-V, Doug ASTR0NOMICAL GLOBULAR Popular Astronomy Club; No. 54, Peter K. Astronomy Club of Tulsa; No. 1, Brad Young, McCormick, Houston Astronomical Society; LEAGUE CLUSTERS report the supernova in M51 on June Detterline, Member-at-Large; No. 55, Albert Observational Gold Class 2, NEO, Astronomy No. 333-V, Sam Finn, Central Pennsylvania BANDANA $14 PLUS $5 S&H 1–2, 2011, SN 2011dh. E. Smith, Member-at-Large; Club of Tulsa; No. 1, William Clarke, Observers; No. 334-V, Lauren Rogers, NATURAL Observational Gold, Class 3, Variable Star, Escambia Amateur Astronomers Association; OR WHITE ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE TOTE BAGS He received Herschel Certificate Asteroid Observing Program $12 PLUS $2 S&H NYLON (LEFT) OR CANVAS Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association; No. No. 335-V, Daniel Carey, Seattle Astronomical $12 PLUS $6 S&H No. 1 in 1981 and Messier Certificate No. 54, Paul Harrington, Regular, Member-at- 1, William Clarke, Observational Gold, Class Society; No. 336-V, Peter Natscher, The No. 235 in 1976. Large; No. 55, David Whalen, Regular, Atlanta 6, Binocular Variable Star, Tucson Amateur Astronomy Connection; No. 337-I, Mark L.

THETHE ASTRONOMICAL ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE LEAGUE 2929 Mitchell, Delaware Astronomical Society; James F. Petruzzi, Haleakala Amateur NASA Observing Challenge – Brad Young, Astronomy Club of Tulsa; James Williams, Temecula Valley Astronomers; Sketching Observing Award MASTER OBSERVER PROGRESSION No. 232, Linda Hoffmeister, Olympic No. 338-V, Brad Payne, Northern Virginia Astronomers; No. 1085, Anastasia Vail, Mercury Transit Zappa, Member-at-Large; John Zimitsch, No. 1172-O, Russell F. Pinizzotto, Southern No. 38, Rob Ratkowski, Haleakala Amateur Astronomical Society; No. 236, Carl Stanley, Astronomy Club; No. 339-V, Jarret Lingle, Raleigh Astronomy Club; No. 1086, Krista Aaron Clevenson, North Houston Astronomy Minnesota Astronomical Society Maine Astronomers; No. 1173-O, Keith Astronomers; No. 39, David Whatley, Observer Award Member-at-Large; No. 230, Joe Timmerman, Mason Star Gazers Reed, Baton Rouge Astronomical Society; Club; Rick Eberhart, Rose City Astronomers; Wimmer, Roanoke Valley Astronomical Northeast Florida Astronomical Society Charles E. Allen, Evansville Astronomical Minnesota Astronomical Society; No. 235, No. 1087, Laurie Ansorage, Member-at- Jim Kaminski, Member-at-Large; Jim Nova Observing Program Society; No. 1174-M, Robert Brayton, Society; Mark G. Bailey, Member-at-Large; Bernard Venasse, Member-at-Large; No. 234, Herschel 400 Observing Program Large; No. 1088, Glynn Germany, Rio Rancho Michnowicz, Raleigh Astronomy Club; Adrian No. 7, Dan Crowson, Gold, Astronomical North Houston Astronomy Club; No. 1175-O, Solar System Observing Program Vincent M. Giovannone, Member-at-Large; Jeff Willson, Rose City Astronomers No. 614, Brad Payne, Northern Virginia Astronomical Society; No. 1089, Ray Kiddy, Stewart Newland, High Desert Astronomical Society of Eastern Missouri Michael Comeaux, North Houston Astronomy No. 152-B, Charles E. Allen, Evansville Jeffrey S. Moorhouse, La Crosse Area Advanced Observer Award Astronomy Club; No. 615, Kim Balliett, Cumberland Astronomy Club Society; W. Maynard Pittendreigh, Member- Club; No. 1176-O, Jesse Roberts, North Astronomical Society Astronomical Society; Brad Payne, Northern Richland Astronomical Society; No. 616, Charles E. Allen, Evansville Astronomical Lunar II Observing Program at-Large; Nicole Sharp, Cumberland Open Clusters Observing Program Houston Astronomy Club; No. 1177-O, Virginia Astronomy Club; Robert Harrison, Member-at-Large; No. 617, Stellar Evolution Observing Program Society; Peter K. Detterline, Member-at- No. 102, Edgar G. Fischer, Albuquerque Astronomy Club; John Zimitsch, Minnesota No. 102, Peter Detterline, Advanced Imaging, Ed Fraini, North Houston Astronomy Club; Glen Winn, Texas Astronomical Society; No. No. 73, Jeff Hoffmeister, Olympic Master Observer Award Large; Astronomical Society Astronomical Society Member-at-Large No. 1178-S, Joana Tan, North Houston 618, Antone Gregory, Minnesota Astronomical Astronomical Society; No. 74, Kathy Machin, Astronomy Club; No. 1179-S, David No. 227, Larry Farrington, Mt. Shasta Star Master Observer - Silver Award Society Lunar Binocular Observing Program Transit of Mercury Special Outreach Observing Program Dutschmann, North Houston Astronomy Astronomical Society of Kansas City; No. 75, Gazers; No. 228, Edgar J. Fischer, Albuquerque Charles E. Allen, Evansville Astronomical No. 864-B, Glenn Wolford, Member-at-Large Observing Award No. 612-S, James Zappa, Member-at-Large; Club; No. 1180-O, Cliff Hersein, North Jeff Willson, Rose City Astronomers Astronomical Society; No. 231, Edgar J. Herschel Society Society; Rob Ratkowski, Haleakala Amateur Daniel Beggs, Member-at-Large; Robert No. 741-S, Bridget Langdale, Hill Country Houston Astronomy Club; No. 1181-S, Fischer, Albuquerque Astronomical Society; No. 9, Bruce Scodova, Silver, Richland Messier Observing Program Two in the View Observing Program Astronomers; Beuerlein, Back Bay Amateur Astronomers; Astronomers and Mason Star Gazers; No. Benjamin Dutschmann, North Houston No. 233, Antone G. Gregory, Minnesota Astronomical Society; No. 10, John Neuman, No. 2822, Donald R. Bates, Honorary, Texas No. 37, Charles E. Allen III, Evansville Steve Boerner, Member-at-Large; John 827-M, Keith Montz, Fort Bend Astronomy Astronomy Club; No. 1182-S, Carlos Astronomical Society; No. 229, Bill Hennessy, Silver, Richland Astronomical Society Astronomical Society of Dallas; No. 2823, Astronomical Society; No. 38, W. Maynard Binocular Master Observer Award Brueggemann, Northeast Florida Astronomical Club; No. 933-S, Jon Thomas, Indiana Gramajo, North Houston Astronomy Club; No. Neville Public Museum Astronomical Society; Benjamin Burnett, Honorary, Albuquerque Pittendreigh, Brevard Astronomical Society Brad Young, Astronomy Club of Tulsa Society; Aaron Clevenson, North Houston Astronomical Society; No. 1042-M, Johnny 1183-O, Tom Palmer, Stockton Astronomical Local Galaxy Groups and Galactic Astronomical Society; No. 2824, Michael Astronomy Club; Peter Detterline, Member- Scarborough, Central Texas Astronomical Society; No. 1184-O, Robert Rubendunst, Universe Sampler Neighborhood Observing Program R. Martin, Honorary, Roanoke Valley at-Large; North Houston Astronomy Club; Society; No. 1046-S, Steve Johnson, Big Bear Champaign-Urbana Astronomical Society; Observing Program No. 43-DA, Jack Fitzmier, Member-at- Astronomical Society; No. 2825, Don For news of William T. Geertsen, Southwest Florida Valley Astronomical Society; No. 1116-S, No. 1185-O, Charles Fry, Astronomy No. 139, Kevin McKeown, Telescope, Large; No. 44-DA, Chuck Allen, Louisville Bradford, Honorary, Astronomy Club of Tulsa; Astronomical Society; Vincent Giovannone, Raymond Whatley, Northeast Florida Enthusiasts of Lancaster County; No. 1186-O, Member-at-Large; No. 140, Jeff Willson, COMING Astronomical Society No. 2826, Johnney Ehrlich, Regular, Mason Member-at-Large; Jeff Goldstein, Member- Astronomical Society; No. 1130-S, Sam Finn, Marco Ortega, Stockton Astronomical Society; Telescope, Rose City Astronomers; No. 141, Star Gazers LEAGUE EVENTS Lunar Observing Program at-Large; David T. Jarkins, Springfield Central Pennsylvania Observers; No. 1164-O, No. 1187-O, Richard Wheeler, Northeast Carl Stanley, Telescope, Member-at-Large No. 1077, Dave Eberle, Spokane Astronomical Meteor Observing Program Astronomical Society; István Mátis, Member- Brad Payne, Northern Virginia Astronomy Florida Astronomical Society; No. 1188-O, please Society; No. 1078, Mike Grabner, Rose City No. 189, David Whalen, 24 hours, Atlanta at-Large; Jim Michnowicz, Raleigh Astronomy Club; No. 1165-O, John Hodgson, Fort Bend Adrian Newland, High Desert Astronomical Urban Observing Program see the Astronomers; No. 1079, Brad Payne, Northern Astronomy Club; No. 197, Brad Payne, 6 Club; Brad Nasset, Minnesota Astronomical Astronomy Club; No. 1166-O, Gary Dietz, Society No. 199, Yu-Hang Kuo, Seattle Astronomical Virginia Astronomy Club; No. 1080, Steven Society; W. Maynard Pittendreigh, Member- Astronomy Enthusiasts of Lancaster County; Society; No. 200, Dale Eason, Minnesota Astronomical hours, Northern Virginia Astronomy Club; No. Planetary Nebula Goldberg, Houston Astronomical Society; at-Large; Alan Sheidler, Popular Astronomy No. 1167-O, Laurie V. Ansorge, Member-at- Astronomical Society; No. 201, Gus Gomez, League 198, Jesse Roberts, 6 hours, North Houston Observing Program No. 1081, James Paciello, Smoky Mountain Astronomy Club Club; Bird Taylor, Back Bay Amateur Large; No. 1168-O, Jeff Baldwin, Stockton Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association; No. website, Astronomical Society; No. 1082 and No. Astronomers; Robert Trebilcock, Delaware Astronomical Society; No. 1169-O, No. 80, Ken Boquist, Advanced, Popular 202, David P. Rudeen, Etna Astros; No. 203, 1082-B, Ron Ziss, Naperville Astronomical Multiple Star Observing Program Valley Amateur Astronomers; David Wood, Michael Grabner, Rose City Astronomers; Astronomy Club Charles E. Allen, Evansville Astronomical astroleague Association; No. 1083, Bill Young, Big Bear No. 1, Terry Trees, Amateur Astronomers Astronomical Society of Eastern Missouri; No. 1170-O, Johnny Barton, Central Texas Society; No. 204, Lisa Wentzel, Twin City .org Valley Astronomical Society; No. 1084, Association of Pittsburgh James E. Wood, Kern Astronomical Society; Astronomical Society; No. 1171-S, Clark Amateur Astronomers

THE ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE 31 Membership Secretary NON-PROFIT Astronomical League ORGANIZATION National Office U .S . POSTAGE 9201 Ward Parkway, Suite 100 PAID Kansas City, MO 64114 TUCSON, AZ #271

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