Contact information: Inside this issue: Info Officer (General Info) – [email protected] Website Administrator – [email protected] Page December Club Calendar 3 Postal Address: Fort Worth Astronomical Society Celestial Events 4 c/o Matt McCullar Interesting Objects 4 5801 Trail Lake Drive Young Astronomer News 5 Fort Worth, TX 76133 Good To Know 5 Web Site: http://www.fortworthastro.org (or .com) 6 Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/3eutb22 Cloudy Night Library Twitter: http://twitter.com/ftwastro Monthly AL Observing Club 8 Yahoo! eGroup (members only): http://tinyurl.com/7qu5vkn Buzz Aldrin & FWAS Mbr Photos 9 Officers (2015-2016): TSNF Photography Contest 10 President – Bruce Cowles, [email protected] 2016 TSP Registration Notice 11 Vice President – Si Simonson, [email protected] Constellation of the Month 12 Sec/Tres – Michelle Theisen, [email protected] Constellation Mythology 13 Board Members: Monthly Sky Chart 14 2014-2016 15 Mike Langohr Monthly Planet Visibility Tree Oppermann ISS Visible Passes for DFW 15 2015-2017 Moon Phase Calendar 16 Matt Reed 1st/Last Crescent/Ephem 17 Phil Stage Conjunctions:Lunar/Planet 18 Minor Planets/Comets 19-21 Cover Photo: Mercury/Venus Data 22 The Flaming Star was captured and pro- cessed as one shot color from 3RF. It Jupiter Data 23 was taken with an Esprit 150, Canon 6D Fundraising/Donation Info 24 and an EQ8 mount. Photo by FWAS member, Jerry Gardner. General Meeting Minutes 25 That’s A Fact 26 Observing Site Reminders: Full Moon Name 26 Be careful with fire, mind all local burn bans! FWAS Fotos 27 Dark Site Usage Requirements (ALL MEMBERS): Maintain Dark-Sky Etiquette (http://tinyurl.com/75hjajy) Turn out your headlights at the gate! Edito r: Sign the logbook (in camo-painted storage shed. Inside the door on the left- Shawn Kirchdorfer hand side) Log club equipment problems (please contact a FWAS board member to Issue Contributors: inform them of any problems) Matt McCullar Put equipment back neatly when finished Michelle Theisen Last person out: Jerry Gardner Check all doors – secured, but NOT locked Ma nny Lois Make sure nothing is left out Ben Hudgens Si Simonson The Fort Worth Astronomical Society (FWAS) was founded in 1949 and is a non-profit scientific educational organization incorporated in the state of Texas. This publication may be copied Harry Bearman and distributed for free only. This publication cannot be uploaded or distributed into any me- dia unless it is in its original, full, unaltered, published form. All rights reserved by FWAS. Tree Opperman PAGE 2 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY DECEMBER 2015 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 LQ 4 5 FWAS 50th Anniversary APSIG 20th Anniver- (1965), Gemini Meeting 7 Launch (Frank FWAS Contact Jerry sary Borman & Jim Annual Gardner for times (1995), SOHO Banquet Lovell) Dinner Launch Roger Cayrel's 90th Birthday (1925) Moon Apogee: 404762.4 km 6 7 8 9 10 11 NM 12 1830th Anniver- 170th Anniversary 65th Anniversary sary (185 AD), (1845), Karl (1950), St. Lou- Chinese Emperor Hencke's Discov- is Meteorite Lo-Yang Observes ery of Asteroid 5 Fall (Hit Car in Supernova Astraea Geminids Meteor Gerard Kuiper's Missouri) Henry Giclas' 105th Shower Peaks After 110th Birthday Birthday (1910) (1905) Midnight 13 14 15 No FWAS 16 17 18 FQ 19 No YA! 115th Anniver- Meeting Tonight Meeting Tonight 50th Anniversary 225th Anniver- sary (1900), Max 45th Anniversary (1965), Pioneer sary (1790), Planck Formulat (1970), Venera 7, 6 Launch (Sun Discovery of 24- es Quantum Phys- Venus Landing Geminids Meteor Orbiter) Ton Aztec Sun ics Hypothesis (USSR) Shower Peaks Stone Calendar Kin Endate's 55th Before Sunrise Birthday (1960) 20 21 22 23 24 25 FM 26 145th Anniversary 115th Anniversary (1870), 1st Observa- (1900), Michel Giac- tion of the Sun obini's Discovery Flash Spec- of Comet 21P/ trum by Charles Giacobini-Zinner Augustus Young Full Cold Moon Mary Somerville's 235th Birthday Moon Perigee: 368446.8 km Christmas Eve Christmas Day (1780) 27 28 29 30 31 30th Anniversary (1985), Stephen Synnott's Dis- covery of Uranus Moon Puck New Year’s Eve Click calendar icons above to see details of bright ISS passes this month. See our full FWAS Event Calendar at: http://www.fortworthastro.com/meetings.html for the latest updates on what our club has scheduled DECEMBER 2015 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY PAGE 3 CELESTIAL EVENTS THIS MONTH Dec 01 Tu --:-- Venus: 43.3° W Dec 21 Mo 22:48 Winter Solstice Dec 03 Th 01:41 Last Quarter Dec 22 Tu 20:00 Ursid Shower: ZHR = 10 Dec 04 Fr 00:21 Moon/Jupiter: 2° N Dec 23 We 08:16 Mars/Spica: 3.5° N Dec 04 Fr 12:33 Moon Ascending Node Dec 23 We 13:09 Moon/Aldebaran: 0.7° S Dec 05 Sa 08:56 Moon Apogee: 404800 km Dec 25 Fr 01:30 Moon North Dec.: 18.4° N Dec 05 Sa 20:40 Moon/Mars: 0.1° N Dec 25 Fr 05:11 Full Moon Dec 07 Mo 10:55 Moon/Venus: 0.7° S Dec 28 Mo 20:59 Mercury Elongation: 19.7° E Dec 11 Fr 04:29 New Moon Dec 29 Tu 14:30 Moon/Regulus: 2.9° N Dec 12 Sa 02:15 Moon South Dec.: 18.4° S Dec 31 Th 11:55 Moon/Jupiter: 1.6° N Dec 14 Mo 11:48 Geminid Shower: ZHR = 120 Dec 31 Th 14:19 Moon Ascending Node Dec 17 Th 20:32 Saturn/Antares: 6.2° N Dec 18 Fr 09:13 Moon Descending Node Dec 18 Fr 09:14 First Quarter Dec 21 Mo 02:53 Moon Perigee: 368400 km Data Source: NASA SKYCAL - SKY EVENTS CALENDAR (* Times are Local) INTERESTING OBJECTS Deep Sky* - (C4) Iris Nebula-RN, (C41) Hyadies-OC, M1 Crab Nebula-SNR, (M31) Andromeda Galaxy-Sb, (M42) Orion Nebula, (M44) Beehive Cluster-OC, (M45) The Pleiades-OC Double/Multiple Stars** - Gamma Andromedae, Struve 394 (Ari), Psi 5 Aur, Sigma Cassiopeiae, Otto Struve 134 (Gem), Lamda Orionis, Struve 2841 (Peg) Constellations* - Andromeda, Aries, Auriga, Cassiopeia, Gemini, Orion, Pegasus Asterisms*** - Great Square of Pegasus (Peg), Winter Triangle (Ori, CMa, CMi) Lunar Features**** - Proclus (R26), Gassendi (R52), Sinus Iridum (R10) *Distant Suns—C = Caldwell Catalog / M=Messier Catalog **Double Stars ***Asterisms ****R = Rükl Index Moon Map PAGE 4 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY DECEMBER 2015 Young Astronomers Our October and November meetings were fun and we had lots of new and regular kids show up. Due to the holidays and all the family travelling and events that members are usually involved in this month, we aren’t holding a meeting in Decem- ber to give everyone a chance to spend time with family. We will return to the regular 3rd Saturday e in January 2016, at 6 pm. The topic for January is yet to be determined. Check out the Young Astronomers Web Page at: http:// www.fortworthastro.com/young_astronomers.html Good to Know! Cold Weather Astronomy a. For the January/February issues, we want to hear your cold weather ob- serving stories—funny or not! :D b. We want to hear your tips and tricks to staying warm while observing during the winter months. Looking for good information for our mem- bers to use over the next few months. c. Email your tips , photos and anec- dotes directly to me, the Prime Fo- cus editor Shawn Kirchdorfer, at : [email protected] DECEMBER 2015 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY PAGE 5 Media Reviews that an air raid was more than likely. Many Lon- By: Matt McCullar, FWAS doners remember seeing the Milky Way for the first time during the blackout, and quite a few be- came interested in astronomy as a result.” City Astronomy Streetlights get practically an entire chapter. We by Robin Scagell learn about different kinds and their strengths and weaknesses. What is “light spill” and “color tem- et's face it: most of us in the Fort Worth As- perature”? Scagell explains: “Out of the 9,000 or tronomical Society live within the city, or not so stars that are visible to the naked eye in the en- far from it. And most of us are therefore tire sky under ideal conditions, you can probably L see only about 200 at any affected by light pollution. “Just as a contaminant may one time from your home... pollute a river, so nighttime I would estimate that for lighting is polluting our most purposes you need to skies. It has increased dra- be about 50 miles away matically in recent years, to from a major city for the the extent that even non- effect of its lights to be neg- astronomers comment on ligible for observational pur- it,” writes author Robin poses.” Scagell explains Scagell. “City Astronomy” exactly what “night vision” brings hope for urban dwell- is and how it works. “It is ers in their quest for things best to avoid fluorescent to see in the nighttime sky. lights, televisions and com- There's an awful lot of great puter monitors immediately information here, and it before going outside for as- may take longer to read it tronomical viewing.” all than you might think. But make the time and sa- We can take comfort from vor it all; I found something “City Astronomy” in know- useful on just about every ing that there is still a great page. deal to enjoy about our hob- by within the confines of the City Astronomy bright lights of Fort Worth. The book was written by a by Robin Scagell British amateur astronomer, Published by Sky Publishing Corporation – 1994 The author explains how and it does have a British ISBN 0-933346-75-1 eyepiece filters can help, in flavour.