Annual Holiday Party to Again Feature a GIANT Swap Meet... Vol. 58, No. 10, DECEMBER, 2013 Next Meeting – December 17th, 2013 at 8:00 PM ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARTY & Swap Meet! at the Mt. Cuba Astronomical Observatory ~ Please Join Us for Fellowship and Fun!! ~ With Mini-Talks: “What’s Up in the Sky” by Greg Lee “Best Swap Meet Items” by Interested Sellers (limit 5 min. each) “Videos” by Rob Lancaster, and “Slideshow of Longwood Christmas Lights” by Bill Hanagan FROM THE PRESIDENT Bill Hanagan IN THIS ISSUE: First, I’d like to thank Fred DeLucia for his Novem- ber presentation of “What’s Not Quite up Yet” along with his 2013 Star Party Wrap-up Page 2 second installment of “Astro-Quiz”. Thanks also go out to Mt. Cuba Public Nights Schedule Page 2 Laura Cimorosi for making the wonderful pumpkin roll that Special Interest Groups of the DAS Page 3 we enjoyed after the November meeting. I’d especially like President’s Board Meeting Agenda for December Page 3 to thank all of the DAS members other than myself who 2014 Potential Star Party Dates Page 4 have contributed to the refiguring of the club’s 17.5” Notes on Member Star Parties Page 4 Newtonian primary mirror, which I spoke about in November. Dec 17 DAS Swap Meet Details Page 5 They are: Rob Lancaster, Greg Lee, Jeff Lawrence, Terry Telescopes for Sale by DAS Page 5 Lisansky, Diana Metzger, and my wife Mary Ann. Special Thanks Go Out to Gus Swartout Page 6 Coming up at our December 17 meeting we have MSP’s for December Page 6 our annual Swap Meet and Holiday Party. If you have a AstroPhoto of the Month and Website of the Month Page 7 special treat that you would like to share with other DAS Staying up to Watch the Geminids Page 8 members, please consider whipping up a batch for our 15 Years Ago ISS Assembly Begins Page 8 Holiday Party! NASA Science News: We’ll be setting up for the Swap Meet as well as the 2 Comets Fly-By Mercury Page 9 Holiday Party starting at 7:00 PM, so there will be no Comet ISON: What’s Next? Page 10 Board meeting in December. The swap meet starts as Comet ISON vs. the Solar Storm Page 11 soon as the sellers put their items on display, so come What Happened to Comet ISON? Page 12 early! We will have 3 large tables and several smaller ones NASA Lauches Student Built Satellites Page 13 set up in the lobby at Mount Cuba where you can display What Happened to Mars? A Planetary Mystery Page 14 your swap meet items. What we need most to make the ISS Firestation to Explore Tops of Storms Page 15 swap meet a success is for YOU to bring in your surplus “Genius Materials” on the ISS Page 16 astronomy gear for sale! And, be sure to bring a vehicle Rocket Comet Sprouts a Tail Page 17 large enough to take home a telescope and other astronomy Spectacular New View of Saturn & Earth Page 18 related gear! PERTINENT INFORMATION FOR ALL DAS MEMBERS: At 8:00 PM, we’ll suspend the swap meet and move Main Meeting Topics & Speakers for 2014 Page 19 into the lecture room for the presentations. We have several Seeking Venue for May Dinner Meeting Page 19 mini-presentations planned for the December 17 meeting: 1) Nominations for Luther Porter Award Page 19 Greg Lee will tell us about “What’s Up in the Sky;” 2) we’ll Call for AP SIG “On Site” Meeting Locations Page 19 hear about the “Best Astro Swap Meet (continued on page 2) Request for AstroPhotos by MCAO & FOCUS Page 19 This and That Page 20 Each issue of FOCUS is full of useful hyperlinks. Just click on Renewing Annual Memberships or to Join DAS Page 21 any graphic or telltale blue web address and your browser should take you to additional linked web resources. Contact Information for DAS Officers & Board Page 22 “The Last Word” - FOCUS Editor Joe Neuberger Page 22 The Dumbbell Nebula was taken in Rob’s backyard. He was really pleased by the fact that this photo was taken in an extremely light polluted area with the target low and deep in the light pollution. It was a test for the UHC/Light pollution filter. Photo captured using a 10" Newtonian telescope with a mirror Rob made at the Delmarva Stargazers Seminar mounted on a Losmandy G-11 Telescope Mount with a Canon XSi DSLR that was modified by removing the IR filter and replacing it with one more sensitive to H-Alpha Light. An Astronomik 2" UHC Nebula Filter was attached and a Macbook Pro Computer was used for Data Collection and Analysis. Photo taken by DAS member Rob Lancaster. Observing with the Delaware Astronomical Society... get in this regard would be most welcome. FROM THE PRESIDENT (continiued from page 1) Our talk schedule is still blank for both April and Items” from any interested sellers (5 minutes per person); 3) June. Please consider giving a talk on some aspect of Rob Lancaster will present one or two short videos for our astronomy that interests you. You might even consider entertainment, and 4) I’ll present a slideshow of Longwood recruiting someone from outside the DAS who you think could Christmas Lights set to music to help everyone get into the give an interesting talk on astronomy. You’re also welcome to Holiday spirit. give a talk on any astronomy based topic of your own choos- After the presentations, we’ll return to the swap ing. The September issue of the FOCUS has a list of ideas meet and enjoy the treats brought in by our members. for talks in case you have any difficulty coming up with I realize that for various reasons some of you can’t a topic. make it out to our December celebration, so let me extend We also need someone to take over as the Chairper- to all of you, now, the warmest of Holiday Greetings and my son of the Awards Committee, since the position is currently heartiest wishes for a Happy New Year! open. Gus Swartout, the previous Awards Chair, will provide As always, I’d like to remind you to keep thinking all of the instruction and assistance you need to get started. about how YOU can contribute to the DAS and how you can If you’re interested, please let me know. make the DAS a better astronomy club. We’ve had some A club works best when all of its able-bodied mem- volunteers step forward, and we’ve received donations of bers pitch-in and help out at club functions in whatever way both equipment and funds, but more volunteers and dona- they can. If you want to make the DAS a better astronomy tions are needed. In particular, we really could use some club, give me a call at 302-239-0949. I’m sure we can come donations to allow us to buy a high quality, observatory up with something that you can do to help the DAS that also class mount for the Sawin Observatory. Any help we can suits your particular interests. 2013 DAS Member Star Party Wrap-Up Bill Hanagan As we conclude the fourth year of the Member Star building. The two MSPs held at Tuckahoe were both multi- Party Program, it’s worth reflecting on how well the program night events. has worked. In all, we held one more star party for our members During 2013, the DAS held 12 star parties specifi- this year than we did during our record 2012 year, so it has cally for its members and their guests. Four of these were been a very good year indeed for our Member Star Parties. held at the ChesLen Preserve and four at the Sawin Obser- With respect to outreach events, we held 6 outreach vatory, two were held at Tuckahoe State Park, one was held star parties at the Woodside Farm Creamery, and supported at Gus Swartout’s Elk River site, and one, the special two special outreach events at the ChesLen Preserve: “Friday PANSTARRS MSP, was held at the New Garden Township Night Lights” and the “International (continued on page 5) “PUBLIC NIGHTS” at the Mt. CUBA OBSERVATORY... MCAO PUBLIC NIGHTS Greg Weaver nights at 8pm. Please check the website for full details and updates on programs planned. Interested individuals or groups The Mt. Cuba can apply by letter or call 654-6407 (preferably between the Observatory Public hours of 9 and 11 am, Monday through Friday) to the Observa- Nights continue year tory to obtain reservations for these “Public Nights”. round! In addition to The Public Nights schedule for 2013 follows: learning about many aspects of the heavens, Date Speaker Topic you’ll have a chance to 16 Dec. Stan Owocki When Giant Stars Collide. visit and view our all-digital full-dome planetarium. You can Other dates for which topics and speakers have yet to be chosen: pick up a schedule when you next come to a meeting or get 13 Jan. 7 April 9 June the latest updated version off the website at: http:// 27 Jan. 21 April 23 June MountCuba.org. Programs are presented on Monday 10 Feb 5 May. 24 Feb. 19 May -2- DAS ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP Bill Hanagan The DAS astrophotography special interest group (DAS NEW Due to the weather, we got a very late start with the first AP SIG) meets on Friday nights at 7:30pm every other month at Mt.