THE MILKY WAY Kai‘aleleiaka � Issue 7 � 11 August 2015 Wally Pacholka / AstroPics.com TABLE OF CONTENTS World’s First International Dark Sky Sanctuary in Chile ........................................ 2 Highlights in the Exploration of Small Worlds .........................................................16 Honolulu Almanac ........................................................................................................... 3 Building an International Database of Astronomy Education Research ..........17 Max Star Count & the Slow Death of Everything .................................................... 4 Astronomy and Something More ...............................................................................19 Formation, Evolution, and Survival of Massive Star Clusters ............................... 5 Special Guests in the Exhibit Hall .............................................................................20 Pluto System Names: The New Horizons Team’s Perspective ........................... 6 Galaxies at High Redshift and Their Evolution Over Cosmic Time ..................20 Binary and Multiple Stars .............................................................................................. 8 The First and Last Face You See ................................................................................21 Short-Period Eclipsing Binaries: Ideal Targets for Undergraduates .................. 9 Saving Our Window on the Universe .......................................................................23 Meet the Mentors ............................................................................................................ 9 Honolulu Weather Forecast ........................................................................................24 Good-bye Commission 4, Hello Commission X2...................................................10 Science from Here to the Cosmic Microwave Background .................................11 Modern History of Astronomy in Hawai‘i .................................................................13 NameExoWorlds Ceremony ........................................................................................14 Story Time for Schools from Space ...........................................................................15 IAU XXIX General Assembly � DAY 7 • TUESDAY, 11 AUGUST 2015 1 World’s First International Dark Sky Sanctuary in Chile By INGE HEYER, Kai‘aleleiaka During a public event at the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum Barentine said, “Dark-sky sanctuaries are the rarest and most in Honolulu on Sunday, 9 August, the International Dark-Sky fragile dark places left on the planet. The Sanctuaries designation Association (IDA) announced that the site of the Associated fills a need for the recognition and protection of examples of how Universities for Research in Astronomy Observatory (AURA-O), the world appeared before the introduction of electric lighting.” in the Elqui Valley of Northern Chile, will be designated as the The new IDA designation reflects the need for special protec- world’s first International Dark Sky Sanctuary. The site will be tion for the world’s darkest places that are threatened. In certain known as the Gabriela Mistral Dark Sky Sanctuary, named after cases, the public may be excluded from these sites in order to the famed Chilean poet and Nobel laureate, who grew up in the prioritize dark-sky conservation. Elqui Valley and whose poetry reflects a love and tenderness This new sanctuary site contains more than 90,000 acres towards these wonderful skies. (360 square kilometers) of mountainous terrain and hosts four About 200 people attended the Open House at the museum, major research facilities: the organized as part of the public program of the IAU General Cerro Tololo Inter-American Assembly — a mix of both local people and conference delegates. Observatory (CTIO), the Kai‘aleleiaka � THE MILKY WAY International Dark Sky Places Program Manager John southern branch of the EDITORIAL Editor in Chief Rick Fienberg National Optical Astronomy Managing Editor Sarah Reed Observatory; the Gemini Writers/Editors Gina Brissenden, Pamela Gay, Inge Heyer, Susanna Kohler, Larry Marschall, South Telescope; the Southern Iris Nijman Astrophysical Research (SOAR) DESIGN & PRODUCTION telescope; and the Large Design Director Leslie Proudfit Synoptic Survey Telescope Designer Crystal Tinch (LSST), which is currently NEWSPAPER OFFICE Hawaii Convention Center, Room 302; under construction. open Monday to Friday, 8 am to 6 pm (closing at 2 pm on Friday, 14 August). This is the first instance in Email: [email protected] which a professional obser- Phone: +1 (808) 792-6638. Download PDFs at vatory has received IDA http://astronomy2015.org/newspaper. recognition for its dark-skies � Kai‘aleleiaka (The Milky Way) is the official newspaper of stewardship and provides the XXIX General Assembly of the International Astronomical a model for many other Union, 3-14 August 2015, Honolulu, Hawai‘i. It is published for the IAU by the American Astronomical Society, which thanks ground-based astronomical the following organizations for providing staff to work on the newspaper: Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Stratospheric research facilities. Associated Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, and Universe Awareness Moonrise over the telescope domes on Cerro Tololo, with the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds vis- Universities for Research in at Leiden University. © 2015 AAS, all rights reserved. ible and the galactic center rising. [AURA] Astronomy (AURA) has worked Kai‘aleleiaka � DAY 7 • TUESDAY, 11 AUGUST 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 closely with the Chilean government, which has passed a num- decades. Securing the integrity of natural night at one of the ber of outdoor lighting regulations designed to save energy and most famous astronomical research sites in the world requires preserve the night skies in Northern Chile. educating nearby communities and adopting good outdoor- The IDA’s Executive Director, J. Scott lighting practices. AURA-O has committed to a Feierabend, said: “The Gabriela Mistral Dark Sky long-term program preserving these dark skies Sanctuary will serve as an example of how collabo- through a lighting-management plan coupled with Lift up your face, child, ration among governmental and non-governmental extensive education and public outreach efforts. stakeholders can preserve one of the most special and receive the stars. The Chilean institution responsible for the protec- places on the planet.” — Gabriela Mistral, tion of the quality of the night skies, the Oficina de Ambassador Gabriel Rodriguez, of the Chilean Carro Del Cielo Protección de Calidad de los Cielos (OPCC), is also Ministry of Foreign Affairs, added, “The Chilean involved. government has prioritized the protection of the The Dark Sky Sanctuary designation is only the dark skies of Northern Chile through both regula- beginning for the region. “If our collective efforts tion and education, but more importantly through its recognition around the Elqui Valley are successful, we will have further pro- that Chile’s night skies are a natural resource to be preserved tections for the incredible resource of Chile’s dark skies,” said and passed on from generation to generation.” R. Chris Smith, Director of the AURA observatories in Chile. “Not Over the past 50 years, U.S. and international partners have only will this area attract further world-class professional obser- invested more than a billion U.S. dollars in astronomical tele- vatories — it is becoming a world destination for eco-tourism with scopes and advanced instruments on the AURA-O site — facili- its incredible array of tourist-oriented observatories and night-sky ties that are planned to be operational for at least another five viewing sites.” Honolulu Almanac � 11 August 2015 Congratulations Sunrise / set 6:09 am / 7:04 pm Twilight1 start / end 4:50 am / 8:23 pm Lucia Kleint! Moonrise / set 3:42 am / 5:04 pm You have won a Moon phase2 Y Waning crescent (8% illum.) $50 gift card to Down to Earth Organic & Natural Evening planet3 Saturn (SSW) at 2525 S. King St. 3 Prizes can be redeemed, and raffles can Morning planet Mars (E) be entered, at Exhibit Hall Booth 336 1Astronomical twilight (Sun 18° below horizon). 2At meridian crossing 3Naked-eye planets. Source: timeanddate.com Kai‘aleleiaka � DAY 7 • TUESDAY, 11 AUGUST 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 PRESS CONFERENCE Max Star Count & the Slow Death of Everything By PAMELA L. GAY, Kai’aleleiaka Our universe has seen a lot of ups and downs during its 13.8-bil- lion-year history. From inflation to recombination, and from reion- ization to today, the rate of energy production has varied while energy densities have steadily declined. While many details of this story are still only vaguely known, the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) Survey has made great strides in elucidat- ing the changes of the past two billion years. GAMA has studied more than 200,000 galaxies in five regions of the sky using 10 telescopes spanning 21 bandpasses from the ultraviolet to the far infrared. As a Monday-morning press conference at the IAU General Assembly, members of the GAMA team reported that we live in a universe in decline. The GAMA Survey’s five regions drill through space and time, taking “core samples” of our universe that allow us to trace cosmic evolution with new levels of detail. The 10-terabyte Panchromatic Data Release of 10 August probes to look-back times greater than 5 billion years, giving GAMA one of greatest