THE OBSERVER The Astronomy Club of Tulsa’s Newsleer Published Since 1937 RON WOOD NETA APPLE JOHN LAND JACK EASTMAN BRAD YOUNG ANN BRUNN FIND AThe BIT Astronomy OF HEAVEN Club IN ofOKLAHOMA Tulsa Prepares to Mark its 75th Year in a few Months! www.astrotulsa.com All Rights Reserved Copyright 2011 Astronomy Club of Tulsa. NOVEMBER 2011 EDITORS NOTES THE COVER About This Issue: Few things will no longer appear every month. One will be Actomart as this is a great secon we just are not selling enough to keep it up every month. It will show back up as we have items our members would like to sell. The other will be The Toy Box and this does not appear every month because a cern degree of research goes into this so we don’t just list items because they are new. Speaking of new we have added one new secon this month , Beginners Challenge and we just have wait and see what response it has. I will con‐ nue to try new things and always welcome and credit suggesons. Starng next month we will be adding NASA’s Spaceplace as a feature, but more about that next month. ASTRONOMER OF THE MONTH To Submit to the Observer: This month we go about 2,700 years forward and honor Carl Sagan. This should have been a easy Email your arcle or content with pictures to jer‐ one for many of you who have read his books and [email protected] please put newsleer in seen the acclaimed Cosmos TV Mini‐Series. Carl is the subject or it might not show up. arguably one of the top 5 most famous. I am sure he has been seen by billions and billions. Ok, that was bad. NEW MEMBER CORNER Carl Sagan (1934‐1996, American) could be called 'the astronomer of the people'. He popularized the Here we go, September and October. Welcome science of astronomy with the general public, and All! revoluonized science ficon by believing that we Lee Bickle, Darrell Henk, Mandy Nothnagel, are not alone in the universe. He championed the Robbin Jones, Jon Ruyle, Andrew Foreman, search for extraterrestrial intelligence, which con‐ Mark Foreman, Ed Hinckley, Pay Jeter and nues today with a number of missions to Mars to Jody Ray search for signs of life on that planet. 1 1 THE OBSERVER THE OBSERVER IS EDITED & PUBLISHED BY: JERRY MULLENNIX CONTENTS 3 Guest Speaker and Elecons 4 Astro Prez (Message From the Ann Brunn President) 5 As The Dome Turns Jerry Mullennix 6 Find A Bit of Heaven in Oklaho‐ Ron Wood ma 8 Measuring the Distance to the Neta Apple Center of the Milky Way Gal‐ axy 12 How Dark is Your Site? Brad Young 16 Beginners Challenge Jerry Mullennix 17 NASA News NASA 21 Part II of Jack Eastman Speaks Jack Eastman on his Telescopes 26 November Board Meeng Tamara Green Minutes THE OBSERVER 2 Note: All build‐ ing locaons in Due to our club dinner we will not have a guest speaker this month but mark map below are your calendars for December 9th when Meteorologist George Flickeinger will prior to earth‐ be our next scheduled guest speaker. quakes and Friday December 9, 2011 at 7:00 PM subject to change. 3727 East Apache, Tulsa, OK 74115 Room 1603 Building #2 Student Union 1 3 THE OBSERVER MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT ANN BRUUN Greengs fellow A.C.T. mem‐ club. Let the officers/board asked to explore how other bers! I would first like to intro‐ know what you are interested clubs that have procured an duce the volunteers who have in or any ideas you have. I will addional site manage. Any agreed to serve on the board also do my best to get the me member would be welcome to and other appointed posions and locaon of future board help in the assessment of po‐ this year. Vice President – Tony meengs published so that any tenal sites. If you are inter‐ White, Secretary – Tamara members who are interested ested in serving on the com‐ Green, Treasurer – John Land, can aend. Remember, the miee let Brad know. Also if Board – Tim Davis, Teresa Da‐ officers and board are your you have any suggesons for vis, Stan Davis, Bill Goswick, representaves. sites to be assessed let the Catherine Kahbi, Tom Many of you have heard and commiee know. Right now I McDonough, Newsleer Editor may have parcipated in the would like you to be thinking Day – Jerry Mullennix, Facilies discussion about an alternate about the distance you would Manager – Chris Proctor, Side‐ be willing to go to visit such a The dark site for the club. It is true walk Astronomy – Owen site. In other words how longof the sky at Mounds is not as Green. At our first Board good as it was a few years ago. would you be willing to drive to meeng I gave an informal de‐ A commiee is being formed get to get there, one and a half Picture scripon of what I would like to to explore potenal alternate hours, two hours? This is a key see the club accomplish this dark sky sites. This is in the factor that will be used to iden‐ year. I don’t know if we will be very early stage and is by no fy locaons. As I said this is able to do everything but we very preliminary. We have an means being considered a po‐ Astronomy can definitely accomplish what‐ tenal replacement for the observatory that needs to be ever the membership is willing Mounds Observatory. The Ob‐ supported by the club. The ac‐ to support. First, I would like servatory site we have is sll quision of an addional site to see us have a big public viable for exploring many deep will have to be carefully and event similar to the Mars sky objects and a perfect loca‐ thoroughly examined. Watch at Mohawk Park. Also, I on for public outreach since it I look forward to serving as the think a members dark sky is not too far from Tulsa. The A.C.T. President and hope we weekend would be fantasc, alternate site would be more can accomplish our goals and and a fundraiser such as a gar‐ for member events focused on have fun at the same me. age sale will definitely help deep sky observing. Brad with club expenses. Finally I Young has agreed to head the would love to have another commiee that will be tasked Ann Bruun cookout/potluck for the mem‐ with coming up with three po‐ ACT President bership. It is really up to you to tenal sites. They will also be decide the priories for the THE OBSERVER 4 WHAT AM I GOING TO OBSERVE TONIGHT? By: Jerry Mullennix Some of you may have noced the what is now known in astronomy as beginning of Space/Time approx. 14 new logo on the front cover marking a Standard Candle (used for meas‐ billion light years and we now sus‐ our clubs 75th year in existence. It is urements). He presented his find‐ pect this may be one of countless a lot to think about and though I am ings in 1925 to the American Astro‐ universe's, some of which the phys‐ not posive but I believe we are the nomical Society where he was ics we understand here will not ap‐ oldest club in the State of Oklahoma. quickly rebuked. ply there. Our sister club over in OKC is proudly Our club would exist before anyone Now, all of the informaon I have celebrang their 50th and we con‐ believed there could actually be provided about the way we per‐ gratulate them. However, we were something 2 million light years from ceived space was from a treasured drinking age when they got started. the Earth. book I have tled Wonder Book, it I guess you could say “we were as‐ was published in 1935 by Funk & tronomy before astronomy was The Milky Way and stellar universe Wagnalls Company. cool.” was believed to be roughly lens‐ shaped and about 3,000 to 30,000 Our club has a lot to be proud of Here are some facts when we start‐ or more light years in extent. and all of us are fortunate to share ed: Sky and Telescope was two (Current wisdom shows about in the history of this club. Lets different magazines, Sky being one 100,000 though x‐ray scopes are make this a great year in astronomy and Telescope the other. They would finding it may be much bigger, may‐ and discovery . Happy Birthday! not be Sky and Tel for 5 more years. be X2.) In this space occur nearly all the stars, nearly all the diffuse neb‐ All of the lile smudges you know as ulosity's, nearly all the planetary galaxy’s including Andromeda were nebulae, nearly all new stars, nearly known as nebula because nothing all clusters, nearly all the variable existed beyond the Milky Way. stars, etc., but not spiral nebulae. That’s right, almost everyone There were approx. 100,000 spiral thought the Milky Way was the en‐ nebulae who’s distance could not re Universe. known. This is because they did not believe the measurements they cal‐ Why I say almost, there was one culated for theses and assumed the young man, Edwin Hubble who standard candle was only accurate made observaons with the Hooker to a fixed distance from Earth. Telescope in 1923 where he iden‐ fied Cepheid Variables in several of We now know them as galaxy’s and these nebulae, including Androme‐ 100,000 doesn’t begin to count 1 da and Triangulum.