The W.A.S.P. TheVol. 52, no.Warren 9 Astronomical Society SeptemberPaper 2020 Astronomy at the Beach 2020 ONLINE EVENT THIS YEAR Friday, September 25, & Saturday, September 26, 2020, 6PM-1AM We will have a selection of recorded presentations about astronomy and space science, as well as live presentations by local astronomers and our special guests: Brother Guy Consolmagno SJ David H. Levy is one of the Dolores Hill, a former resi- Dan Davis is a professor of is Director of the Vatican Ob- most successful comet discov- dent of Michigan, is a meteor- geophysics at Stony Brook servatory and President of the erers in history. He has discov- ite specialist at the University University. His primary area of Vatican Observatory Founda- ered 22 comets, nine of them of Arizona Lunar and Planetary research specialization is the tion. A native of Detroit, Michi- using his own backyard tele- Lab, is now also a public out- tectonics of regions where gan, he earned undergraduate scopes. With Eugene and Car- reach specialist with NASA’s plates converge, causing great and masters’ degrees from olyn Shoemaker at the Palomar OSIRIS Rex mission to asteroid earthquakes and the construc- MIT, and a Ph. D. in Planetary Observatory in California he Bennu operated by LPL. The tion of mountain belts. Other Science from the University of discovered Shoemaker-Levy 9, goal of OSIRIS-REx is to collect areas of research include the Arizona; he was a postdoctoral the comet that collided with a sample of Bennu in mid- application of geophysics to research fellow at Harvard and Jupiter in 1994. That episode 2020, and return it to Earth in nuclear arms control and to MIT, served in the US Peace produced the most spectacular late 2023. Dolores will fill us the study of glacial and post- Corps (Kenya), and taught explosions ever witnessed in in on the latest news about the glacial geology. university physics at Lafayette the solar system. Levy is cur- sites chosen to be sampled, College before entering the rently involved with the Jarnac and what we’ve learned so far Dan is a lifelong stargazer, Jesuits in 1989. Comet Survey, which is based about this fascinating little and although during the day- at the Jarnac Observatory in neighbor of ours in space. time his attention is focused Vail, Arizona but which has downward towards the Earth, telescopes planned for loca- that changes after dark. tions around the world. https://www.glaac.org/astronomy-at-the-beach-2020/ The WASP Snack Volunteer Schedule Published by The Snack Volunteer program is suspend- Warren Astronomical Society, Inc. ed for the duration. When it resumes, vol- P.O. Box 1505 Warren, Michigan 48090-1505 unteers already on the list will be notified by email. Dale Thieme, Editor 2020 Officers President Diane Hall [email protected] 1st VP Dale Partin [email protected] 2ndVP Riyad Matti [email protected] Secretary Glenn Wilkins [email protected] Treasurer Mark Jakubisin [email protected] Outreach Bob Trembley [email protected] Publications Jonathan Kade [email protected] Entire Board [email protected] Discussion Group Meeting The Warren Astronomical Society, Inc., is a local, non-profit organization of Come on over, and talk astronomy, space amateur astronomers. The Society holds meetings on the first Monday news, and whatnot! and third Thursday of each month, starting at 7:30 p.m. First Monday meeting: Third Thursday meeting: Cranbrook: Institute of Science Macomb Community College 1221 North Woodward Ave South campus, Bldg. J, Room J221 Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 14600 Twelve Mile Rd. Warren, Michigan Membership and Annual Dues Student Individual Senior Citizen for families $17.00 $30.00 $22.00 add $7.00 Astronomical League (optional) $7.50 Send membership applications and dues to the treasurer: In This Issue: c/o Warren Astronomical Society, Inc. President’s Field of View .............................. 3 P.O. Box 1505 McMath-Hulbert News ................................... 4 Warren, Michigan 48090-1505 Pay at the meetings A new A.L. Observation Program .................. 5 Also via PayPal (send funds to [email protected] Astro Images ............................................... 6 Tip-Toeing Through Telescopes Past ............. 7 Among the many benefits of membership are C.W. Observatory .......................................... 9 Loaner telescopes (with deposit). See 2nd VP. Northern Cross Observatory ........................ 10 Free copy of each WASP newsletter. Free use of Stargate Observatory. Presentations ............................................. 11 Special interest subgroups. See chairpersons. Skyward ...................................................... 12 Movie Review .............................................. 13 The Warren Astronomical Society Paper (WASP) is the official monthly Over the Moon ........................................... 14 publication of the Society. Articles for inclusion in the WASP are strongly encouraged and should History S.I.G. .............................................. 15 be submitted to the editor on or before the end of each month. Any Armchair Astronomy ................................... 16 format of submission is accepted. Materials can either be transmitted in Cranbrook Monthly Sky Chart .................... 18 person, via US Mail, or by email ([email protected]) Stargate ..................................................... 19 Disclaimer: The articles presented herein represent the opinion of their au- Stargate Officer’s Report ............................ 20 thors and are not necessarily the opinion of the Warren Astronomical Treasurer’s Report ..................................... 20 Society or this editor. The WASP reserves the right to edit or deny publi- Astronomical events .................................. 20 cation of any submission. Outreach Report ........................................ 21 Stargate Observatory is owned and operated by the Society. Located on the Meeting Minutes ........................................ 25 grounds of Camp Rotary on 29 Mile Road, 1.8 miles east of Romeo GLAAC ....................................................... 28 Plank Road, Stargate features an 8-inch refractor telescope under a steel dome. The observatory is open according to the open house NASA Night Sky Notes ................................. 29 schedule published by the 2nd VP. Last Word ................................................... 30 Page 2 The Warren Astronomical Society Paper September 2020 President’s Field of View And here we are in September. Society connections, streamed directly into every- one’s home. And, of course, the programming in- September, of course, means several promising cludes contributions from the clubs large and small things to Michigan astronomers, like the return of that form GLAAC, giving a distinct Southeastern astronomical darkness at a reasonable hour. Over Michigan flavor to the proceedings. the last two decades it’s also meant the annual re- turn of Astronomy at the Beach, the premiere out- So, while we aren’t passing around the familiar clip- reach event for astronomers in Southeastern Michi- board this year to sign all of you up for shifts at gan. AatB, as we call it in this house, is special in its the club table, please don’t sit this one out, even if scope and its spectacle— seven to ten clubs per you’ve enjoyed a glut of remote viewing and remote year banding together for a common cause is no lectures from astronomical luminaries over this mean feat— but also because its mission is unique pandemic summer. Bob, Adrian, and the rest of the among big astronomy jamborees. Amateur astrono- planning committee are bringing you something mers converge often enough to commune with one unique and special… and we won’t have to drive another, what with the FAAC Swap Meet and Great two-and-a-half hours on a Friday night to get there Lakes Star Gaze close to home, and events like on time. NEAF and Stellafane out east, but for AatB, we do it (Even if driving home from Brighton at one AM with for the general public. The beach packed with tele- a carload of astronomy gear and an inflatable alien scopes, the dry ice and fire tornadoes, the keynote in the passenger seat is its own kind of special.) speaker… it’s all for the benefit of a child from De- troit or Brighton or Farmington who’s putting an Turn on, tune in, celebrate Astronomy at the Beach eye to the telescope for the very first time. Or, of- with us, Friday 9/25 and Saturday 9/26. There’s ten enough, for an adult from any of these places nothing else quite like it. who’s never seen the Man on the Moon resolve into highlands and maria before, but who heard -Diane Hall through the grapevine that we had cool stuff going on that weekend. President AatB is a beautiful thing. So I’m happy to say that in this year of plague and distancing, our Outreach Director/GLAAC delegate Bob Trembley, new GLAAC President Adrian Brad- ley, and the rest of the Great Lakes Association of Astronomy Clubs has been able to reimagine As- Club Member tronomy at the Beach to fit the times while keeping to the core GLAAC mission of “Bringing Astronomy Name Tags to the Public.” Instead of the beach strewn with ‘scopes, there will be remote viewing; instead of a presentation tent, there’ll be a trio of truly special Email [email protected] for astronomers, all of them with Warren Astronomical your personalized name tag W.A.S.P. Photo and Article Submissions We’d like to see your photos and