OBSERVATORY NEWS February 2015 Published by the Friends of the Observatory (FOTO) Volume 26 No. 2 513-321-5186 www.cincinnatiobservatory.org Bill Cartwright, editor take advantage of the offer from COMING UP AT some of our experienced astronomers to coach you on how to use and care for the THE OBSERVATORY.... telescope, and how to use a star chart to find interesting objects in the night sky. Dave Bosse, COC Quarterly Meeting Feb 4 12p Scott Gainey and Chuck Astronomy Thursday Feb 5 7p Strubbe have offered to meet FOTOKids Feb 6 7p Astronomy Friday Feb 6 7p with members one-on-one for Scout Astro Pin Night Feb 7 6-8p this training. You can get their History Tours Feb 8 1-4p contact information from the March Movie Night Feb 8 7p Observatory office. FOTO Member’s Meeting Feb 9 7:30p Also, remember that FOTO Understanding Tides* Feb 10 7p members can attend the Astro Astronomy Thursday Feb 12 7p Astronomy Friday Feb 13 7p THE WORD Thursday and Friday programs Dance of the Gods* Feb 13 7p (held almost every week) free of Stonelick Stargaze Feb 14 dusk charge. You should call the By Michelle Lierl Gainey Late Night Date Night Feb 14 10:30p office to register, though, as FOTO Field Trip Feb 15 2p there is an attendance limit for A2Z Astro Class Feb 15 7p Hello Friends! Winter is upon these programs. Library Comm. Meeting Feb 16 7p us, but don’t let the cold weather We will have a table at the Dean’s Intro Class (& 3/3) Feb 17 7p keep you too cooped up inside. Astronomy Thursday Feb 19 7p February 9 FOTO meeting, The winter night sky has so FOTO planning meeting Feb 19 7p selling donated telescope many beautiful stars and deep Astronomy Friday Feb 20 7p accessories at a discounted price FOTO Field Trip Feb 21 10a sky objects to enjoy. A short compared with the going price Stonelick Stargaze Feb 21 Dusk visit with the night sky, even just for the same used items on line. History Tours Feb 22 1-4p using your eyes or binoculars, Behind the Scenes* Feb 24 7p We look forward to seeing will liven up your evening. Jupiter & Venus Feb 24 7-9p you at our monthly meetings, Remember that Dave Bosse’s Astronomy Thursday Feb 26 7p the second Monday of each Astrophoto Workshop Feb 26 7p fun and informative A2Z month at 7:30 PM. And thank Astronomy Friday Feb 27 7p Astronomy Classes have started you for all you do to keep the Not a UFO Feb 28 7p again, on the 3rd Sunday of every Cincinnati Observatory Center month at 7 PM (this month, it is Save-The-Dates! thriving and serving our on February 15th). These classes *Constellations of Season Mar 4 7p community. FOTOKids Mar 6 7p are free for members. Mark your FOTO Member’s Meeting Mar 9 7:30p calendar! Pi Day with Pies Mar 14 8p Another benefit of FOTO Did You Know…. Spring Constellations Mar 17 8p membership is the option to Astro 2.0 Class (2 night) Mar 18 & 25 Light Light Night Apr 14 borrow a COC telescope for a The largest star ever discovered month. If you are just learning is a billion times larger than our * UC Communiversity Class how to use a telescope, please Sun. 1 theories of how molecules and A2Z+ Astronomy FOTO's February Meeting stars form. At the March 9th meeting we will February: Telescope Optics By Dave McBride hear Dr. Mark Plano Clark present “The Great Debate” – an Sunday, February 15, February brings with it a important milestone in the 7-8 pm conjunction of Venus and Mars history of astronomy. In the which will be visible on words of poet Henry David By Dave Bosse February 22. The two bright Thoreau, "The universe is wider planets will be visible within than our views of it." Extending on January’s topic only half a degree of each other (human eye optics and usage) in the evening sky. Look for this further downstream, so to speak, impressive sight in the west just History of the Observatory February’s session will navigate after sunset. the issue of telescope optics. The On February 9th at 7:30pm our February 8 & 22 thing your eye looks into; the presenter will be Dr. Nick Abel Drop in anytime between 1-4 pm magic tube. bringing us his program called Why would I need five “The Veil of Orion.” When we telescopes? A perfectly good go looking for newly formed question, says my wife, Peggy. stars, time after time we find Well, there are several very good them in regions of the cosmos reasons (at least for having more where almost all atoms have than one scope,… or two,…). combined to form molecules. Why are refractors better than These regions are known as reflectors; no, they’re not; yes, molecular clouds. they are… it depends. Depends If we ask the question "Which molecules are most common?” on what? What about a Schmidt-Cassegrain (sounds like The answer is H2, or two Who is this distinguished hydrogen atoms hooked a beer)? They are all telescopes, gentleman? And what very notable together by a bond. This aren’t they? What makes all of buildings did he design? correlation between the location the varied designs different? where stars form and molecules $5 per person suggested Performance? Price? There are makes the understanding of how donation. Free for members. so many types. molecules form in space Group tours by appointment. The A2Z+ class on February fundamentally important. Just 15th, 7:00 P.M. will supply some like DNA is the building block of of the answers. Come along and Monthly FOTO life, so too are molecules the share your experiences with building blocks of stars, galaxies, telescopes you have known. Planning Meeting and planets. The A2Z+ Astronomy classes In this presentation, Nick will are held the third Sunday of each By Michelle Gainey discuss one of the closest regions month at 7:00 pm in the West of star-formation, the Orion The next FOTO Planning Wing of the Herget Building. Nebula, and the cloud of gas and Meeting is scheduled for The discussion group will meet dust in front of the nebula February 19, 7 pm at the for about an hour or so and the known as Orion's Veil. The Observatory. The planning best part is that attendance is peculiar properties of the Veil, meetings are open to all FOTO free to any COC member. The and its proximity to arguably the members. We encourage your only pre-requisite is the desire to best studied nebula, make it an participation in the discussion of learn. idea region to test scientific future FOTO activities. 2 Andy and Debbie Luers Welcome John Mangan FOTO Kids and Teens Lyn Marsteller and John Pinney New & Renewing John McHugh By Aashi Mital Randy and Mary McKnight Members! Minnie Mehuron What has 67 moons, 4 rings and Cindy Mincks a great red spot? Jupiter! The gas LeAnne Montgomery giant shines brilliantly Rino Munda throughout these long February Mike Nelson nights, so why not welcome Frank and Nancy Palmisano “Jupiter Season” with open Christopher Parrett and Mary arms? Fitzpatrick JoAnne and Poul Pedersen Michele and Marty Phelps Valydon Philip Poonoosamy Julia Rutherford Dr. Wes Ryle Bill Schoff Kirk Schrotel Linda Bailey Scott and Jessi Schwarz Fred and Judy Bay Donald Seltz Mathew and Lynnae Beatty Randy Gudvangen & Brett John and Tricia Bevan Siereveld Join in on all the fun as we learn Marian and Richard Billings Rob Skully all about the King of the Planets Threasa Wesley and Geoffrey Henry and Jodi Stacey and do some viewing (weather Bowling Gary and Nancy Strassel permitting) at our next FOTO th Gordon Brown Richard Swaim Kids meeting on February 6 at Olivia and Richard Canada Suzanne and Tom Terwilliger 7 pm in the Herget Building. Janet Canter Joe and Darlene Verkamp Dress for the weather!. If you Tiffany and Jeff Clayton Chris & Nancy Virgulak have any questions, please don’t Lesta Cooper-Freytag Marc & Nadine Whitsett hesitate to email Aashi Mital at Stacy and Scott Crawford Sally Williams [email protected] or Aaron Jean Davison Eiben at Catherine and Bob DeFoor [email protected] Jennifer Delaney FOTO Board Members Until then, keep looking up! Doug and Shannon Disbennett (Terms expire Oct. 2015, Carl and Joanne Eastwood except as noted.) Anoah Eberhardt William Foster President: Michelle Gainey Noel and Amanda Gauthier VP: Aashi Mital Mel and Connie Gertz Secretary: George Ostrum Donna Wirth and Bob Groszer Treasurer: Al Scheide Denis Hartman FOTO Rep: Frank Huss (exp, Frank W. Huss III Oct 2016) Frank B. Knapke, Jr Michael Kreate Trustees John Blasing Tyler and Lori Lang Liz and Mike Lemon Aaron Eiben The Observatory is a proud Paul Franz and Shari Loo Dave Bosse (exp. Oct 2016) Chris Kean (exp. Oct 2016) member of GCEE! 3 understand their buy-in and Meet Our New passion for the Observatory. Intro to Astronomy Develop list of foundations Development Director whose focus matches the work of A Short-Course at the the Observatory and begin Observatory funding discussions. Create a list of businesses whose Tuesdays, February 17 and philanthropic reach is within the March 3, both from 7-9 pm work of the Observatory to underwrite programs and Resolve to learn more astronomy events. in 2015. This introductory Work on both quantitative and astronomy course is perfect for qualitative evaluation pieces for beginners who want to know our programs to report to more about observing the night funders as well as capture new sky.