Volume 26, Number 9 NHagerstown, MD NSept. 2010 What’s Inside this issue! Editor’s Notes - Jim Stanicek ummer is almost gone, and pretty soon, we for our continued outreach events. In order to Editor’s Notes ................... Swill be seeing the colors of Autumn. One of support that, dues are going to be raised during the last weekends of the month brought some this meeting year. If you are enrolled in the Grillin’ & Gazin’............... marvelously clear skies at Ostertag , and a Google Groups, you should have received notice taste of what the next few months will bring to about this already, but there is a short article Dues Change...................... the area as we approach Fall. outlining the need for this increase, and the benefits that will result because of it, included in We have had a wonderful “Grillin & Gazin’ this newsletter. Our Friendly Skies............. season, and there will be plenty of photos and descriptions of the great time we had at Rod’s Of course, there are always other items of The Q&A Page................... house just a few short weeks ago. interest in “The Observer” including Rod Martin and Andy Smetzer’s “Our Friendly Skies” Afocal Astrophotography... One of the good things that happens as the school season gets underway, is the return of Our newest feature “Q&A” will attempt to meetings to the Brish Planetarium in the BOE answer the question, “Why are nebula so much building just off Commonwealth Ave. here in dimmer than a star of the same magnitude?”. The photos below show the Arecibo dish as Hagerstown. If you are a brand-new member, it really appears. ( I didn’t think that last or one who has just never attended one of our And don’t miss Steve’s article on afocal astro- month’s “Froot Loops” picture would fool you for one minute! ) TSA member Randy meetings, please make an effort to do so this photography on page 6. O'Connell, photographed it from the very year. rim, and then turned his camera upward to Clear Skies ! Jim S. capture the feedhorns for the sensitive Regarding this, the officers of our Club have receivers that pick up faint signals from the universe. decided that we really must purchase insurance www.TriStateAstronomers.org Grillin’ & Gazin’ - An Extremely Popular Summertime Activity for the TSA ! The final Grillin’ & Gazin’ event for the season was held at Rod Martin’s house just north of Chambersburg, PA. Even though skies were cloudy ( as they have been pretty much for the whole Summer season ) great food was available in copious quantities, and a session was held to show how to polar align a German Equatorially mounted telescope. That scope was also fin- THE OBSERVER tuned for collimation, using some neighbor’s electric candles as our artificial “star”. is the monthly newsletter of the TriState Astronomers. As an extra treat, TSA Member Jack Roddick showed us the versatility of his big-wheeled TSA is a nonprofit group that was established in 1985 to promote Segway while Marsh Fuller looks on! In other pictures, Jim Stanicek wolfs down a burger for astronomy and encourage related the camera while wife, Margaret gets a laugh, host Rod Martin puts more meat on the grill activities to interested persons in while President Steve and other members patiently wait, and “Deep Sky Dan” Kaminsky wields the Maryland, Pennsylvania and his trusty camera to capture all the fun. West Virginia Area. Membership in the TSA costs $15.00 annually. An un-official count of 29 guests was made, and everyone enjoyed the cool, if overcast The group meets on the third weather! Wednesday of the month in the planetarium of the Washington County Board of Education in Hagerstown, Maryland. Outdoor observing sessions are usually scheduled each month during the weekend of the new moon, weather permitting. TSA OFFICERS Steve Berte’ . Chairman Donn Williams . Secretary Steve Ott . Treasurer and Membership Chairman Andy Smetzer . Publicity Dir. Dan Kaminsky .Program Coord. Jim Stanicek .Newsletter Editor Andy Smetzer . Webmaster Mailing Address: TriState Astronomers Washington Co. Planetarium 820 Commonwealth Ave. Hagerstown, MD 21740 What is it ? ? ? Web Site: Can you figure out www.tristateastronomers.org what this object might be ? Yes, it is related to astro- nomy, and yes, it is a very important tool NEW MEMBERS ARE for those who use it. ALWAYS WELCOME! The answer will be found on P. 3, but don’t look before Contents © Copyright 2010 TriState Astronomers you have made a unless otherwise noted pretty good guess ! p.s. the object on the right is Dan K ! CHANGE IN MEMBERSHIP DUES ANNOUNCED ! Change in Membership Dues Club Officers recently took action to ensure the TSA and all its members are protected from lawsuits by purchasing liability insurance for the TSA. The best policy available, and at the best rate, was one offered by the Astronomical League (http://www.astroleague.org/) which resulted in a decision by club officers to join the AL. Membership in the AL brings additional benefits to TSA members like the quarterly AL journal, "The Reflector", and ability to participate in a variety of observing clubs with achieving certificates and awards associated with those clubs. These changes required the membership dues be raised from $15/year to $25/year to cover club recurring costs." Steve Berte Chairman, TriState Astronomers Below are samples of Steve Berte’s moon pictures, as taken by his afocal camera setup on his 11 inch Schmidt-Cass telescope. Top-left: Clavius region Bottom-left: Mare Imbrium region Right: Copernicus-Bullialdus region More information will be found on page 6 Our Friendly Skies - September 2010 - Rod Martin - Art by Andy Smetzer VISIBLE EVENING PLANETS VENUS is bright low in the west after sunset. MARS is low in the west. JUPITER is visible all night, in the east after sunset. VISIBLE MORNING PLANETS JUPITER is visible all night, in the west before sunrise. MERCURY is in the east in late September. For more information about the visible evening planets and nighttime sky, download the planetarium's podcast "Skylights" from antpod.com. SOLAR SYSTEM The bright grouping of planets that we enjoyed all summer is starting to leave our sky over the next couple of months. However, there are still two very bright planetsfor us to enjoy. in fact, they are brighter than anything at night except the Moon The brightest planet in the west is Venus. It is -4.7 magnitude, which is almost 10 times brighter than the next brightest planet. Take time to look at Venus through a small telescope or binoculars. You will notice that it is actually a thin crescent shape. The phases of Venus helped prove that it revolved around the Sun, not the Earth. Late in the month Venus will set less than an hour after the Sun. In the opposite direction is the -2.9 magnitude Jupiter. It reaches opposition on September 21. That is the time that it is directly opposite the Sun in the sky and is closest to the Earth. It is visible all night and will dominate the sky when Venus leaves. Look for it below the square pattern of stars called Pegasus. Actually you can find the square after you see Jupiter. Your binoculars may show up to four of Jupiter's large satellites. Even though Uranus is normally very difficult to find, this is the month to search! All month it is less than one degree north of Jupiter. That is about the width of two full moons. At +5.7 magnitude, you will definitely need a telescope or good binoculars. It is visible all night too. Mars has been hanging around the sky but becoming fainter and fainter as the Earth speeds away in its faster orbit. It is +1.5 magnitude and just resembles a dim red star near Venus. It is low in Virgo and will pass into Libra later this month. Public planetarium programs will resume in October with the "Universe of Dr. Einstein." learn about the events that shaped the life of one of Saturn was part of the trio of planets, along with Venus and Mars. the greatest scientists ever. the program describes many of his Since their orbits are faster, Saturn has been left behind and enters theories and their impact on us. the muck of the twilight this month. When it reappears in a month or so, it will be a morning planet. The programs will begin the first Tuesday of October at 7 pm. Admission fees are $3 for adults, $2 for students, and senior citizens Mercury will have its best morning appearance of the year during late with a WCPS Gold Card are free! September. Mercury passes between the Earth and Sun on September 3 then rapidly moves away. The geometry is perfect to give Mercury the steep The planetarium is located at the Central Offices of the Washington angle to the horizon to be easy to spot during the last half of the County Public Schools on Commonwealth Avenue off Frederick Street in month. Look at the spot the Sun rises about a half hour before sunrise. Hagerstown. The planetarium's The "star" is Mercury. website is SUN AND MOON http://www.wcps.k12.md.us/depts_ programs/planetarium/index.html Since the end of March we have enjoyed more daytime than nighttime. Unfortunately that is about to change. As the Earth revolves around the http://www.wcboe.k12.md.us/conte Sun, sometimes we are leaning toward the Sun to give us summer and part nt/d_i_planet.cfm of the time we are leaning away from the Sun to give us winter.