San Diego Astronomy Association Celebrating Over 40 Years of Astronomical Outreach Office (619) 645-8940 News and Notes July/August 2004 Observatory (619) 766-9118 http://www.sdaa.org A Non-Profit Educational Association P.O. Box 23215, San Diego, CA 92193-3215 Gala Double Issue! You hold in your hands the gear. Chriss works at OPT, and if SDAA Business Meeting SDAA's first ever Gala Double you’ve ever been in there, you Next Meeting will be held at: Issue! This issue covers both July know it’s non-stop chaotically busy SKF Condition Monitoring and August 2004. all the time. On top of that, he has 5271 Viewridge Court San Diego, CA 92123 In reality, the reason for this a very aggressive photography life, August 10th at 7:00pm double issue is to be sure we cover and of course a family who wants all the happenings in the SDAA to see him once in a blue moon. Work Parties Forming while we in transition between So for the first time in many years, The SDAA has grand plans for cleaning and editors/publishers. Julie Quinn, the SDAA was left with no solid maintenace at Tierra del Sol. We have rented a 40-foot debris dumpster and will be having our last regular editor, has moved publishing group. several large work/cleaning parties in the to Michigan with her family to In steps Doug Searles, who has coming months. Watch the newsletter for seek more mosquito-ridden skies – graciously volunteered to take over further details — and volunteer! actually, Julie, Mike and the kids editor duties for the SDAA. But Program Meetings sought a simpler life after Mike's rather than thrust an emergency August 18 retirement. While she has offered publication on him, I opted to do Ken VanLew to step in and help, and while we this Gala Double Issue (having Julie and Jake Ruckner–Science Fair Winners truly appreciate her commitment, done the newsletter for seven years September 15 Universe–The Cosmology Quest, Part II it’s better for us to find a more myself), and let Doug ease on into permanent solution now and for the job. October 20 Rich Strobel, SDAA Star Party Chair the future. Chriss Hoffmann, who So there you have it, the rhyme offered to take over, did so just and reason for this issue. Enjoy CONTENTS before his life kicked into high and clear skies! July/August 2004 Vol. XL Issue 7/8 Published Monthly by the AGreat Year for the Perseids San Diego Astronomy Association 75¢/$8.00 year Incorporated in California in 1963 Summer is a great time for than the usual number of “shooting meteor watching, in part because stars” at the site, but on the nights Presidential Notes . .1 of August 12-13 (or 11-12, depend- Perseids . .1 of the warm weather and in part Astronomy 101 . .2 because of some great clouds of ing on your source), the Perseids Treasurer’s Report . .3 dust the Earth passes through this can produce fifty, seventy-five or Skywatch . .5 Private Pad Reminder . .6 time of year. This year could be a even one hundred or more fast Program Meetings . .6 great year for the Perseids. bright meteors per hour. The Bilingual Astronomer . .6 The Back Page . .8 During this time of year, we What will make it an especially always seem to see a few more excellent year to watch the Perseids continued on page 4 San Diego Astronomy Association could do was OK. Robbery, difficult to separate from its clos- debauchery, murder, all crimes est neighbor Centaurus. Lupus is were allowed. The good people packed tightly between Centaurus by Scott Baker of Arcadia feared their king and and Hydra to the west, Scorpius prayed to the gods to deliver and Norma to the east. Although Macabre, to say the least! them from this barbarian. Zeus, small, and since it lays in the This month’s constellation is hearing the prayers from Earth, Milky Way, it contains many Lupus the Wolf. The origins of decided to see for himself, this interesting items, especially dou- this constellation are a little barbaric king of Arcadia. ble stars. Lupus is low in the fuzzy, with many civilizations Disguising himself as a human, South, just after dark in the sky, seeing an animal of sacrifice in he walked to the castle of King in July, so make it one of your the stars here. The Greeks Lycaon and asked for a meal. first stops. called this constellation The custom of the gods was that “Therion,” that is “wild ani- any visiting stranger would be For the double star observer, mal,” while the Romans gave it granted a meal and be welcomed Gamma Lupi is a very close the name of “Bestia.” Most felt into any household. King binary with a nearly edge-on Lycaon’s servants, fol- orbit whose period is 147 years. lowing this same cus- Currently the companion is at tom, allowed the dis- the greatest distance with a sep- guised Zeus in and aration of 0.68". Eta Lupi, presented him to the another binary with a separa- king. The king sum- tion of 15", can be a challenge, moned one of his ser- despites it's wide separation, vants and ordered him due to the brightness contrast to bring a hot meal to between the pair. The primary the stranger. The is bright blue 3rd magnitude star meal was prepared and and the secondary a yellowish served to Zeus. Zeus 8th magnitude. It should be looking at the platter resolvable with large binoculars before him immediate- and small scopes with steady ly recognized human skies. Another challenge is body parts, those of Epsilon Lupi, a close binary: Nyctimus, a son of Lycaon. At 3.4, 5.5; with a separation of that it was a wolf, speared by seeing this, Zeus flew into a 0.6". Other doubles to check Centaurus as an offering to the rage, and with lightning bolts out are Kappa1 and kappa2, Gods to be presented at an from his eyes, killed all in the Mu Lupi and Xi1 and xi2 Lupi, altar, the constellation Ara, castle. All except King Lycaon, this double is the most attrac- close by. But another Greek who he turned into a wolf, his tive binary in Lupus. story is macabre, a story about teeth dripping blood, his clothes a King with fifty sons, who becoming bristly fur, and threw For the deepsky enthusiast, believed in human sacrifices. up into the heavens, as a warn- Lupus has little to offer, unless ing to others. you have a light bucket. King Lycaon ruled the land of Although the summer Milky Arcadia. He had fifty sons and The constellation Lupus is not Way dips down into Lupus, believed that anything a human very obvious, and in fact is fairly making it a nice constellation PAGE 2SAN DIEGO ASTRONOMY ASSOCIATION NEWS AND NOTES, JULY/AUGUST 2004 San Diego Astronomy Association Treasurer’s Report by Michael Finch With the addition of our new members we now have a total of 621 SDAA members. We have several new members last month. Please welcome John Aydelotte, Michael Breaux, Mike Davis, Edward Hayes, Alan Jenkins, Jashua A. Johnson, Robert and Rebecca Larys, Barbara Lounsbury, Leo Montoya, Kevin Robinson, Daniel Robrecht, Purushothama Sarva, Derek Szymanski, Christine and Gordon Van Such, and Marc Weyl. Welcome to SDAA and may you enjoy clear dark skies! Effective May 1, 2004 member- ship dues have changed. The new rates are as follows: to scan with binoculars, it lacks 319+15.1 are two other plane- Contributing Member the wealth of bright deepsky taries of 10.5 and 10.6 magni- $50.00 objects the other Summer tudes. For the faint fuzzy Basic/Senior Member Milky Way constellations con- galaxy lover, check out the $30.00 tain. Of note is NGC 5822, a western quadrant of Lupus, Family Member very large open cluster of about you’ll find many 12th magni- $ 5.00 a hundred stars. The cluster is tude, and fainter, galaxies to about 6000 light years away, test that large, shiny, piece of Reminder to our private pad and is located 3º SW of zeta glass. owners: the renewal date for your Lupi. Also, NGC 5986 is a pad lease coincides with your mem- globular cluster about 45,000 Clear Skies! bership renewal. Please ensure you light years distant, with a visual pad fee is paid when paying your magnitude of 7.5. It is 2.5º membership renewal. WNW of Eta Lupi. If you own Do we have your correct address? a light bucket, and are up to If you note an error on your newslet- the challenge, then give some of ter address label, please let me know these a shot. NGC5873 is a so I can update our records. 13th magnitude planetary nebu- continued on page 4 la. PLN 327+10.1 and PLN SAN DIEGO ASTRONOMY ASSOCIATION NEWS AND NOTES, JULY/AUGUST 2004 PAGE 3 San Diego Astronomy Association continued from page 1 Tr y watching for them after the planet’s path is scooped up in is that we will be close to New Moon has left the sky, leaving the the atmosphere, slamming into Moon during peak times, something predawn hours dark. You may only the air at speeds of 7 to 45 we haven’t enjoyed over the last sev- see only a few per hour, but num- miles per second (11-72 kps). eral years. Without moonlight to bers and duration will increase dur- Their energy of motion rapidly wash out the sky, and predictions of ing the second week of August.