ISSN-0039-2502 Journal of the Association of Lunar & Planetary Observers The Strolling Astronomer Volume 60, Number 1, Winter 2018 Now in Portable Document Format (PDF) for Macintosh and PC-compatible computers Online and in COLOR at http://www.alpo-astronomy.org Fireball Over Italy!! (see page 2 for details) The Strolling Astronomer Journal of the Inside the ALPO Association of Lunar & Point of View - My Vision for the ALPO ...................2 News of General Interest ..........................................3 Planetary Observers Our Cover: Fireball Over Italy ...............................3 Call for JALPO Papers ..........................................3 The Strolling Astronomer ALPO Interest Section Reports .................................3 ALPO Observing Section Reports ............................4 Volume 60, No.1, Winter 2018 Obituary: Richard Baum (1930 - 2017) ...................17 This issue published in December 2017 for distribution in both Membership Report ................................................20 portable document format (pdf) and hardcopy format. Papers & Presentations This publication is the official journal of the Association of Lunar & Planetary Observers (ALPO). ALPO Board Meeting Minutes, August 27, 2017, Athens, Georgia ...................................................25 The purpose of this journal is to share observation reports, opinions, A Report on Carrington Rotations 2191 through and other news from ALPO members with other members and the 2194 (2017 05 26.8542 to 2017 09 12.7285) ......34 professional astronomical community. Report on the Mars Apparition of 2007-2008 ..........48 © 2017, Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO). The ALPO Resources ALPO hereby grants permission to educators, academic libraries and Board of Directors .................................................101 the professional astronomical community to photocopy material for Publications Staff ..................................................101 educational or research purposes as required. There is no charge for Interest Sections ...................................................101 these uses provided that credit is given to The Strolling Astronomer, Observing Sections ...............................................101 the “JALPO” or the ALPO itself. All others must request permission ALPO Publications ................................................102 from the ALPO. The Monograph Series .........................................102 ALPO Observing Section Publications .................103 For membership or general information about the ALPO, contact: Back Issues of The Strolling Astronomer ..............104 Matthew Will ALPO Membership Secretary/Treasurer P.O. Box 13456 Springfield, Illinois 62791-3456 E-mail to: [email protected] Visit the ALPO online at: http://www.alpo-astronomy.org Volume 60, No. 1, Winter 2018 Page 1 The Strolling Astronomer Inside the ALPO Member, section and activity news Association of Lunar & Planetary Observers (ALPO) Point of View My Vision for the ALPO Board of Directors Executive Director (Chair); Richard W. Schmude, Jr. By Richard Schmude, ALPO Executive Director Associate Director; Julius L. Benton, Jr. Member of the Board; Sanjay Limaye As the new executive director of our organization, the Association of Lunar & Planetary Observers, my vision consists Member of the Board; Michael D. Reynolds of three goals which I would like to see accomplished during my Member of the Board; Ken Poshedly two-year term. These goals are designed for both our seasoned Member of the Board; John E. Westfall observers and young people. These three are: 1) Create an Member of the Board & Secretary/Treasurer; archive where observers may upload their own images, 2) Matthew Will Encourage observers to extract more scientific data from their Founder/Director Emeritus; the late Walter H. Haas images and 3) Create a link on our website titled “Science Fair Project Hints” or something like this. Publications The “ALPO Japan Latest” website has been very successful. Editor & Publisher: Ken Poshedly (Editor’s Note: “ALPO Japan” was founded in about 1960 independently of our own ALPO. Look for an article about it in Primary Observing Section & Interest Section Staff the spring 2018 issue of this Journal, JALPO60-2, due for release in March.) I believe that the “ALPO Japan Latest” (See full listing in ALPO Resources) website now has about 250,000 images of solar system bodies Lunar& Planetary Training Section: going back at least 20 years. I believe that this website is so Timothy J. Robertson successful because observers are able upload their own images Solar Section: Rik Hill by date. These images contain a wealth of information. In addition to this, sample images from past apparitions can be Mercury Section: Frank Melillo added to this new site. I believe that our ALPO can work with our Venus Section: Julius L. Benton, Jr. existing website to achieve either the same thing or similar Mercury/Venus Transit Section: John E. Westfall results. Lunar Section: Lunar Topographical Studies & My second goal is to encourage observers to take the next step Selected Areas Program; Wayne Bailey and extract more data from their images. For instance, Lunar Meteoritic Impact Search; Brian Cudnik polarization measurements could be made with little effort. One Lunar Transient Phenomena; Anthony Cook simply uses a polarizer in addition to the filter of his/her choice to Mars Section: Roger Venable record images. The relative brightness of a feature of interest Minor Planets Section: Frederick Pilcher could then be measured with the polarizer oriented in the plane Jupiter Section: Ed Grafton of polarization and 90 degrees from this plane. One benefit is that polarization measurements may give us more information Saturn Section: Julius L. Benton, Jr. on the nature of the clouds on Jupiter and Saturn. Remote Planets Section: Richard W. Schmude, Jr. Eclipse Section: Michael D. Reynolds My third goal is for a link to be added to our existing website Comets Section: Carl Hergenrother which will enable students in grades 6 through 12 to utilize Meteors Section: Robert D. Lunsford ALPO resources to assist with science fair projects. I envision Meteorites Section: Dolores Hill this link giving students ideas for future science fair projects ALPO Online Section: Larry Owens related to solar system objects. For example, a student may be Computing Section: Larry Owens able to do a study on sunspots and how they change from one Youth Section: Timothy J. Robertson solar rotation to the next. I believe that these three goals will help the ALPO move forward, boost our membership and make us even more relevant. I wish you clear skies and keep looking up. Page 2 Volume 60, No. 1, Winter 2018 The Strolling Astronomer Inside the ALPO Member, section and activity news News of General Interest The report by ALPO Eclipse Section Coordinator Mike Reynolds about the August 21, 2017 “Great American Total Solar Eclipse” Our Cover: Fireball Over Italy has been postponed until JALPO60-2 for release in March 2018. This issue's cover features a striking contact Larry Owens at image taken by Ollie Taylor on [email protected] November 14, 2017 from his vantage point in northern Italy. For details on all of the above, visit the ALPO home page online at Says his write-up on Facebook: “This German fireball has become the #1 www.alpo-astronomy.org most reported fireball event in the AMS/IMO history, with more than Computing Section 1,750 reports in less than 24 hours. Larry Owens, section coordinator The previous record of 1,513 reports [email protected] was for a Minnesota fireball in December 2013.” Important links: For more info, go to https:// • To subscribe to the ALPOCS www.facebook.com/ observing section or interest section yahoo e-mail list, http:// OllieTaylorPhotography/photos/ coordinator. groups.yahoo.com/group/alpocs/ a.493230114109835.1073741884.3360 Thus, the best method is to send 57696493745/1205875666178606/ • To post messages (either on the ?type=3&theater them directly to the coordinator of the ALPO section which handles site or via your e-mail program), Many thanks to ALPO Meteors your topic. [email protected] Section Coordinator Robert Lunsford • To unsubscribe to the ALPOCS for bringing this to our attention! Bob A complete list of ALPO section is also the Fireball Reports coordinators and their contact yahoo e-mail list, alpocs- Coordinator for the American Meteor information can be found in the [email protected] ALPO Resources section of this Society and the Secretary-General of • Visit the ALPO Computing Journal. the International Meteor Section online at www.alpo- Organization. astronomy.org/ Wow! ALPO Interest Section computing Reports Call for JALPO Papers Lunar & Planetary The ALPO appreciates articles for ALPO Online Section Training Program publication and encourages its Larry Owens, section coordinator Tim Robertson, membership to submit written works [email protected] program coordinator (with images, if possible). [email protected] Follow us on Twitter, “friend” us on As with other peer-reviewed FaceBook or join us on MySpace. The entire online library of publications, all papers will be “Observers Notebook” podcasts with forwarded to the appropriate To all section coordinators: If you interviews by various ALPO staff need an ID for your section's blog, members is available at iTunes, Volume 60, No. 1, Winter 2018 Page 3 The Strolling Astronomer