THE OBSERVER OF THE TWIN CITY AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS Volume 40, Number 1 January 2015 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Editor’s Choice: Image of the Month……..……………….1 A Note from President Weiland..…………………..……….2 2015 Annual Meeting and Banquet……….…..…….…...2 Calendar of Celestial Events – January 2015..……......3 New & Renewing Members/Dues Blues…………..…….3 Subscribing to Our E-Mail Lists………………………….……3 This Month’s Phases of the Moon……..……………...…..4 Celestial Calendar of Events (continued)………………..4 Board of Directors: Why Not You?……………….…….….4 Call for Club Award Nominations………………………….4 Astrobits…………………………………………………………………5 Sky Interpretation (Part 3)……………………………………..7 Education/Public Outreach for December 2014…..11 Astrophotography on the Cheap (Part 1)………………12 Building a Dobsonian Telescope…………………………..17 Last Minute Images………………………………………………18 How Time Flies…….……….…….........................….…....18 TCAA Treasurer’s Reports: December 2014………....19 EDITOR’S CHOICE: IMAGE OF THE MONTH ~ commentary by Craig Prost ~ Messier 45 – The Pleiades cluster is an open cluster of young, hot stars about 440 light years from Earth. This star cluster was one of the first to be written about in Chinese culture around 2400 BC and was even mentioned a few times in the Bible. The Greeks incorporated this cluster into their mythology as the seven daughters of Atlas being chased by Orion. Zeus felt bad for the girls and transformed them into doves that flew to the heavens. This cluster is a reflection nebula. The blue hue is from the reflection of light from hot blue stars off the galactic dust the stars are passing through. The cluster is only about 100 million years old and within the next 300 The TCAA is an affiliate of the Astronomical League. million years will no longer appear like it does because gravitational forces For more information about the TCAA, be certain to from the galaxy will pull the roughly 1000 stars of the cluster apart. visit our club website. I captured the data over two years, 10 total hours of exposure, and three different telescopes and cameras. Vol. 40, No. 1 The OBSERVER January 2015 The OBSERVER is the monthly A NOTE FROM PRESIDENT WEILAND electronic publication of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers, Inc., a I trust this finds you all recovered from the hectic month of December. I certainly registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit hope that you had an opportunity to enjoy time with family and friends however you educational organization of amateur chose to celebrate the holiday season. astronomers interested in studying January always brings with it a chance to look back at the past year and forward to astronomy and sharing their hobby the next year. TCAA had an exciting year with the continuing improvements to our with the public. newest observatory, the Prairie Sky Observatory. With the addition of two piers (a total TCAA OFFICERS now of four) and an upgraded telescope configuration we continue to increase our capacity for both photographic and visual astronomy as well as providing another President venue for our Public Observation Sessions (POS). I hope all TCAA members will join in as Tom Weiland 309-830-0167 we prepare for another exciting year of activities that will allow us to share our “hobby” [email protected] with others. Vice-President A great opportunity to become more active as a member is available next month at Dave Osenga 309-287-0789 the TCAA annual meeting on Saturday, February 7, 2015. More information is included [email protected] in this issue of The OBSERVER, but I want to again remind you of this date so that you can make sure it is on your calendar. This is our annual business meeting with dinner Secretary/Webmaster and an invited guest speaker. This year’s featured speaker is Bill Kemp, a regular Lee Green 309-454-7349 contributor to The Pantagraph. Please put this date on your calendar. All TCAA [email protected] members are encouraged to attend. Finally, I want to thank every member who helped to make 2014 such a memorable Treasurer/ALCor/Registered Agent year for Twin City Amateur Astronomers. Thanks to all those who participated in our Duane Yockey 309-452-3936 POS and many other outreach activities. Thanks to The OBSERVER editor and [email protected] contributors. Thanks to our donors! Thanks to our officers, minor officers, and directors 3rd Director/Property Manager for maintaining our equipment and facilities and helping to steer TCAA through 2014. Tim Stone 309-531-2401 And thanks to ALL our members for their support through membership in TCAA. [email protected] Clear Skies, 4th Director/Historian/Editor President Tom Weiland Carl Wenning 309-830-4085 [email protected] 2015 ANNUAL MEETING & BANQUET th 5 Director This year’s Annual Meeting and Banquet will take place on Saturday, February 7, at Robert Finnigan 309-846-9533 6 p.m. We will meet at the Normal Township Hall, 304 E. Mulberry Street in Normal [email protected] (just northeast of Ace Hardware). We begin gathering at 6:00 p.m. with the banquet The OBSERVER beginning at 6:15 p.m. Carl J. Wenning, Editor The banquet this year will feature Keller’s Catering, and will be available for a fee 21 Grandview Drive of $20 per adult and half that for children ages 12 and under. Our banquet will consist Normal, IL 61761-4071 of a selection of three entrees (roast beef, ham, and chicken breast), au gratin potatoes, green beans, 7-layer salad, rolls, and cake. Drinks will consist of coffee, tea, and water. Submission deadline is one day Table service will be provided. before the end of each month. Our business meeting will consist of reports, award presentations, and election of the 2015-16 Board of Directors. Nominations for board members and club awards are MEMBERSHIP DUES still being accepted so, if interested, please consider nominating yourself. Individual Adult/Family $40 Mr. Bill Kemp will be honoring us with his presence as keynote speaker. Bill has Full-time Student/Senior $25 served as librarian for the not-for-profit McLean County Museum of History for eleven- (senior status equals ages 60+) plus years. You might be familiar with him as he writes the weekly McLean County History column in the Sunday Pantagraph. His talk is titled The Night the Stars Fell and To join, send your name, contact is about the greatest meteor shower in U.S. history – with a McLean County twist. You’ll info and dues payment to Duane not want to miss it! Yockey, TCAA Treasurer, 508 Normal TCAAers must make banquet reservations by January 30th (no reservations are Avenue, Normal, IL 61761. required for the business meeting) by visiting: http://tcaa.us/AnnualMeeting2015.aspx. 2 Vol. 40, No. 1 The OBSERVER January 2015 CALENDAR OF CELESTIAL EVENTS – JANUARY 2015 NEW & RENEWING MEMBERS MORNING STARS (1/15): Jupiter & Saturn The following individuals have paid dues for new EVENING STARS (1/15): Mercury, Venus, Mars, Uranus, & Neptune or renewed memberships as of December 31st, 2014. (Others who paid after that date will appear in the 3/4 Quadrantids Meteor Shower. The Quadrantids is an above February 2015 issue of The OBSERVER.) average shower, with up to 40 meteors per hour at its peak emanating from Bootes. It is thought to be produced by dust Allan Saaf Duane Yockey grains left behind by an extinct comet known as 2003 EH1, Orlyn Edge Larry Leetzow which was discovered in 2003. The shower runs annually from Michael Wanless January 1-5. It peaks this year on the night of the 3rd and morning of the 4th. Unfortunately the nearly full moon will DUES BLUES block out all but the brightest meteors this year. If you have received a “your dues are due” 4 Earth at Perihelion – Earth makes its closest approach to statement along with the email that brought you this the sun for the year at a distance of 0.98328 AU. issue of The OBSERVER, please remit your dues to Mr. Duane Yockey, TCAA Treasurer, 508 Normal Avenue, 4 Full Moon. The Moon will be roughly opposite the Sun and Normal, IL 61761. Current dues are $25 for senior (60 will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at years of age and over) and $40 regular. 04:53 UTC. Early Native American tribes knew this full moon as the Full Wolf Moon because this was the time of year when SUBSCRIBING TO OUR E-MAIL LISTS hungry wolf packs howled outside their camps. This moon has also been known as the Old Moon and the Moon After Yule. By subscribing to a group’s mailing list you will receive email messages from the group so you won’t 8 Conjunction – Jupiter is located 5.1°north of the Moon. have access to the group’s web features (like photos, files, links, polls, calendar, etc.) unless members activate it later. The club now has two email listservs. 10 Conjunction – Mercury is located 0.6° to the lower right of The main email listserv is known as the TCAA listserv. Venus; if you have not seen Mercury before, this is the time. It will be used to share announcements and reminders about astronomical and club events. To join this main 13 Third Quarter Moon – Moon rises at midnight; sets at listserv you must do the following: midday. 1. Subscribe: Send a blank email to TCAA- 14 Mercury GEE – Mercury is at greatest elongation 18.9°east [email protected] Note: You’ll be sent a of the sun. Now is a good time to look for Mercury after sunset. confirmation email from the group. Reply to the confirmation email to activate your subscription.