alactic Observer GJohn J. McCarthy Observatory Volume 4, No. 9 September 2011 Cluster Phobia An approaching storm of stellar proportions looms as two galaxy clusters merge. For more information, see page 17. ffi The John J. McCarthy Observatory Galactic Observvvererer New Milford High School Editorial Committee 388 Danbury Road Managing Editor New Milford, CT 06776 Bill Cloutier Phone/Voice: (860) 210-4117 Production & Design Phone/Fax: (860) 354-1595 Allan Ostergren www.mccarthyobservatory.org Website Development John Gebauer JJMO Staff Josh Reynolds It is through their efforts that the McCarthy Observatory has Technical Support established itself as a significant educational and recreational Bob Lambert resource within the western Connecticut community. Dr. Parker Moreland Steve Barone Allan Ostergren Colin Campbell Cecilia Page Dennis Cartolano Bruno Ranchy Mike Chiarella Josh Reynolds Route Jeff Chodak Barbara Richards Bill Cloutier Monty Robson Charles Copple Don Ross Randy Fender Ned Sheehey John Gebauer Gene Schilling Elaine Green Diana Shervinskie Tina Hartzell Katie Shusdock Tom Heydenburg Jon Wallace Phil Imbrogno Bob Willaum Bob Lambert Paul Woodell Dr. Parker Moreland Amy Ziffer In This Issue THE YEAR OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM ................................ 4 HARVEST MOON ......................................................... 14 UTUMNAL QUINOX TELESCOPE MAKER EXTRAORDINAIRE ............................ 5 A E ................................................... 14 AURORA AND THE EQUINOXES ...................................... 14 OUT THE WINDOW ON YOUR LEFT ............................... 5 SUNRISE AND SUNSET .................................................. 14 SUMMER OF EXPLORATION ............................................ 7 STRONOMICAL AND ISTORICAL VENTS DAWN ......................................................................... 7 A H E ...................... 14 EFERENCES ON ISTANCES JUNO .......................................................................... 7 R D ........................................ 17 NTERNATIONAL PACE TATION PACE HUTTLE RIDIUM THE ENERGIZER ROVER ............................................... 8 I S S /S S /I SATELLITES ......................................................... 17 CURIOSITY .................................................................. 8 SOLAR ACTIVITY ........................................................ 17 MARS ALERT .............................................................. 9 PAST LINKS 17............................................................. THE LUNAR GRAIL ..................................................... 10 COVER PHOTO AND OTHER CREDITS ............................. 18 ANOTHER MOON FOR DWARF PLANET PLUTO ................ 10 FIRST TROJAN ASTEROID DISCOVERED IN EARTH ORBIT .11 EXTREME GOLF ......................................................... 11 NEW RUSSIAN RADIO TELESCOPE ................................ 12 LAUNCH OF GOODRICH PAYLOAD IN VIRGINIA VISIBLE IB CONNECTICUT ........................................................ 12 RETURN TO EARTH ..................................................... 13 2 • Sep 2011 http://www.mccarthyobservatory.org September Astronomy Calendar and Space Exploration Almanac http://www.mccarthyobservatory.org Sep 2011 • 3 Some of the highlights of the “Year” of exploration are: The Year of the Solar System NASA announced on Oct. 7, 2010 that the upcoming year would be “The Year of the Solar System.” The “Year,” however, is a Martian year and, as such, 23 months in length. Some of the highlights of the “Year” of exploration are: Date Mission Status Successful rendezvous, see 4 Nov Deep Impact encounters http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/ 2010 Comet Hartley 2 epoxi/index.html Launch of O/OREOS, a shoebox-sized satellite 19 Nov designed to test the durability 2010 of life in space Ground stations receiving data Launch of an experimental solar sail (NanoSail-D) aboard the Fast Affordable Scientific Delayed separation from FASTSAT 19 Nov and Technology Satellite on 17 Jan 2011, deployment 2010 (FASTSAT) confirmed, sail is operational Japan's Akatsuki (Venus Spacecraft fails to enter orbit around 7 Dec 2010 Climate Orbiter) spacecraft Venus - now in orbit around the Sun 14 Feb Stardust NExT encounters Successful rendezvous; see 2011 Comet Tempel 1 http://stardustnext.jpl.nasa.gov/ First spacecraft to achieve orbit 17 Mar MESSENGER enters orbit around Mercury; see 2011 around Mercury http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/ 18 Mar New Horizons spacecraft 4+ more years to Pluto; see 2011 crosses the orbit of Uranus http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/ 16 Jul Dawn spacecraft arrives at the Orbit achieved; see 2011 asteroid Vesta http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/ 5 Aug Launch of the Juno spacecraft Successful launch/deployment; see 2011 to Jupiter http://missionjuno.swri.edu/ Launch of twin GRAIL 8 Sept spacecraft to map Moon’s 2011 gravitational field 8 Nov Launch of the Phobos-Grunt 2011 sample-return mission 25 Nov Launch of Mars Science 2011 Laboratory (MSL) Aug 2012 MSL lands on Mars Other notable events: • August 9, 2011 Opportunity reaches the rim of Endeavour crater • October 8, 2011 2nd International Observe the Moon Night • March 3, 2012 Mars at Opposition • May 20, 2012 Annular Solar Eclipse (visible in southwest U.S.) • June 6, 2012 Venus Transit 4 • Sep 2011 http://www.mccarthyobservatory.org P Telescope Maker Extraordinaire available on the Stellafane website,* she designed and Ms. Cecilia Page, a teacher at the Hill & Plain elemen- constructed a mounting system for her mirror. Her effort tary school and a McCarthy Observatory volunteer is now was recognized when she entered her telescope in the an award-winning amateur telescope maker. Cecilia design competition at the 2011 Stellafane convention (one of the largest gatherings of amateur telescope makers in the country). Not only did Cecilia’s telescope place third in the “Mechanical Design” category, it placed first in “Optical Quality” (for mirrors <12” in diameter). Cecilia Page is just one of several amateur telescope makers that are active at the McCarthy Observatory (her daughter Katie is also working on a mirror). With several more mirrors and telescopes in the pipeline, expectations are sky high. Be sure to check out Cecilia’s telescope at Second Saturday Stars. “Out the Window on Your Left” It’s been 39 years since we left the last footprint on the dusty lunar surface. Sadly, as a nation founded on exploration and the conquest of new frontiers, we ap- pear to have lost our will to lead as a space-faring na- tion. But, what if the average citizen had the means to visit our only natural satellite; what would they see out the window of their spacecraft as they entered orbit around the Moon? This column may provide some thoughts to ponder when planning your visit (if only in your imagination). The view this month is of the crater Copernicus. It is Cecilia poses with her telescope in front of the Porter Turret Telescope and Stellafane Pink Clubhouse one of the more notable craters on the Moon with its large size (58 miles or 93 km in diameter), prominent lo- started out by taking winter classes offered by the Spring- cation and stark surroundings. field Telescope Makers in Springfield, Vermont. Over many months of grinding and polishing, her eight inch di- ameter mirror slowly took shape. Once Cecilia had shaped the glass into the desired figure, a reflective coating needed to be applied to com- plete the mirror. Mr. Greg Ruthven, Director of Opera- tion at Goodrich in Danbury, Connecticut generously agreed to have the optics tested and a reflective coating applied at their state-of-the-art optical facility. Mr. Tom Heydenburg was instrumental in making this possible, test- ing the mirror, and in overseeing the process (along with Mr. Robert Poirier, the coating engineer). This collabora- tive arrangement resulted in an exceptional reflective sur- face; however, it was the many hours of work by Cecilia that transformed a piece of raw glass into a honed collec- tor of starlight. A telescope is only as good as its mount. Cecilia chose a “Dobsonian” (altitude-azimuth) design, as shown in the photo (check out the artistic touches). Following the plans http://www.mccarthyobservatory.org Sep 2011 • 5 Copernicus Credit: NASA / GSFC / Arizona State Univ. / Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter 6 • Sep 2011 http://www.mccarthyobservatory.org Copernicus is named after the Polish mathemati- cian and astronomer, Nicolaus Copernicus. It is a clas- sic complex crater with a broad, relatively flat floor, central peaks and terraced crater walls. Where it de- viates from the “model” is in its depth. The floor of Copernicus is too shallow, and its central peaks too low, by 0.7 km. In a crater as young as Copernicus (less than 1.0 billion years old), it is unlikely that it was flooded by volcanism. As such, the process that par- tially filled the crater remains a mystery. As with most young craters, Copernicus is sur- rounded by a system of bright rays. These splashes of ejecta extend radially away from the crater up to 700 km across the adjacent maria. The rays are most no- table when the Sun is high in the lunar sky. They are comprised of bits of bright highland material (crushed rock) excavated by the original impact. Over time the brightness will fade as the lunar regolith is “gardened” by impacts of micrometeorites and “weathering” by Credit: NASA / GSFC / Arizona State Univ. / cosmic rays and the solar wind. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Copernicus is located just south of Mare Imbrium and the