SSouthernouthern SStarstars TTHEHE JJOURNALOURNAL OOFF TTHEHE RROYALOYAL AASTRONOMICALSTRONOMICAL SSOCIETYOCIETY OOFF NNEWEW ZZEALANDEALAND Volume 56, No 4 2017 December ISSN Page0049-1640 1 Royal Astronomical Society Southern Stars of New Zealand (Inc.) Journal of the RASNZ Founded in 1920 as the New Zealand Astronomical Volume 56, Number 4 Society and assumed its present title on receiving the 2017 December Royal Charter in 1946. In 1967 it became a member body of the R oyal Society of New Zealand. P O Box 3181, Wellington 6140, New Zealand [email protected] http://www.rasnz.org.nz CONTENTS Subscriptions (NZ$) for 2016: The Great USA 2017 Eclipse near Murray, Kentucky Ordinary member: $40.00 Ron Paine ............................................................... 3 Student member: $20.00 Affi liated society: $3.75 per member. The 2017 Eclipse near Prineville, Oregon Minimum $75.00, Maximum $375.00 Ross Dickie ............................................................. 6 Corporate member: $200.00 Printed copies of Southern Stars (NZ$): AR 12673: A Synoptic View $35.00 (NZ) Harry Roberts .......................................................... 8 $45.00 (Australia & South Pacifi c) $50.00 (Rest of World) Dedication of the CAS’s 5 metre Dome as the Clive Rowe Memorial Dome Council & Offi cers 2016 to 2018 Carol McAlavey ..................................................... 10 President: John Drummond P O Box 113, Patutahi 4045. A Look at the 10-day Old Moon [email protected] Maurice Collins ....................................................... 11 Immediate Past President: John Hearnshaw Dep’t Physics & Astronomy, Adventures in Radio Astronomy University of Canterbury, Allen Wallace ......................................................... 14 Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140. [email protected] Vice President: Nicholas Rattenbury The Department of Physics, The University of Auckland, 38 Princes St, Auckland. [email protected] Secretary: Nichola Van der Aa 32A Louvain St, Whakatane 3120. [email protected] Treasurer: FRONT COVER Simon Lowther 19 Cape Vista Crescent, Pukekohe 2120. Diamond Ring effect at the end of the 2017 Total Solar [email protected] Eclipse as seen from Kentucky. Members’ Councillors: Image: Ron Paine Steve Butler 30 Hoffman Court, Invercargill 9810. [email protected] BACK COVER Bob Evans 15 Taiepa Rd, Otatara RD9, Invercargill 9879. [email protected] Top Sergei Gulyaev 120 Mayoral Drive, Auckland, 1010. Waiting for the eclipse in Kentucky, USA.. Land between [email protected] the Lakes at Kentucky Village. Orlon Petterson Dep’t Physics & Astronomy, Photo: Ron Paine University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140. Bottom [email protected] Observing the eclipse in Oregon, USA. On farm land Glen Rowe 23 Stanhope Grove, Korokoro, near Primeville. Lower Hutt 5012. Photo: Robert McBride [email protected] Affi liated Societies’ Councillors: Peter Jaquiery 31 Wright St, Dunedin 9010 [email protected] Gary Sparks 67 Meeanee Road, Taradale, Napier 4112. [email protected] Fellows’ Councillor: Karen Pollard Dep’t Physics & Astronomy, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140. [email protected] Page 2 Southern Stars The Great USA 2017 Eclipse near Murray, Kentucky:- Ron Paine The Great USA 2017 Eclipse near Murray, Kentucky Ron Paine Travelogue A description of a trip to observe the Total Eclipse of the Sun So why Kentucky you may ask? Maybe it was a lot of research on cloud cover, eclipse duration, accessibility, view ability and a whole lot of other reasons but it came down to a free bed and to be able to see my grandchildren. These days Kentucky is easy to get to. Direct fl ight to Houston from Auckland on Air New Zealand, quick fl ight to Nashville (Home of YeHa music) and a 2.5 hour car trip to Murray. I went a few days before the eclipse as Murray is a few km (or should I say miles!) below the southern path limit. Greatest eclipse of 2 minutes 40 seconds was near Hopkinsville which is only one hours drive from Murray. Before I went, a learned colleague advised me that for my fi rst full eclipse I should not worry about photography but enjoy the totality as it is an awe inspiring period of time. I took most of Ash’s advice but decided to try to set up a pretty much automatic system that could look after itself. I had a Canon 1000D camera with a 300mm zoom lens and a wireless timer remote controller for my camera. A tripod would be required. Couldn’t get mine into the suitcase so purchased a lightweight collapsible one that did. To deal with the unattended option I used a iOptron SkyTracker mount. Set up of Canon Camera for the Eclipse Manufactured a solar fi lter from some Astrofi lm I had and a vegemite jar lid which clipped onto my lens. Preparation involved researching how to photograph eclipses, and getting my system set up. Luckily I live in Cromwell so getting sunny days was no problem. The total time my system needed to run was 2 hours 55 minutes. Devised a way to get reasonable polar alignment during the day as long as the Sun was out. If it wasn’t out it wouldn’t matter. Practice, practice practice was the order of the day before I left. Found that the mount would run for about an hour with no adjustment and then only a little tweak to correct it. Took photos of the Sun at 2 minute intervals to check battery life etc and we were good to go. Land Between the Lakes - Kentucky Village 56, 4, 2017 December Page 3 The Great USA 2017 Eclipse near Murray, Kentucky:- Ron Paine Waiting for the eclipse. Land between the Lakes at Kentucky Village. Sunspots displayed during partial phase of eclipse. Total Eclipse with Corona and Prominences. When I got to Murray the amount of hype and hoopla from Shouts from locals as fi rst contact started. Americans are very the local media was incredible. Lots of entertainment was vocal. Solar glasses were plentiful. Some of the setups had being organized in stadiums and other areas but I didn’t want three or four telescopes. Slowly the moon moved across the that. There were warnings that the traffi c could be very heavy Sun. There were a couple of sunspot groups which helped so it would be nice to try and avoid that. Scouting around improve the interest. Slowly it got cooler and became darker. for the days before the eclipse I found a nice spot near the Very pleasant considering the hot day Kentucky Lakes Village. It was only a 30 minute drive and the advantages were: didn’t have to change highways (minor Finally totality arrived. I whipped the solar fi lter off my Canon highway 641 all the way). The car parking was a right turn off and just started clicking the remote while watching. the road so no need to cross road and it with nice green area with good views south and trees to shelter under from the sun. I now understand why total eclipses draw people to them time after time. It was now surprisingly dark and rather cool which On the morning of eclipse I set out early. Eclipse start was was a relief from the intense Sun earlier in the day. The corona 11:55 so left at 8:30am. Absolutely no traffi c so was there was about three time greater than the diameter of the Sun setting up by 9:15. Only another couple of cars in the carpark. showing some prominances and stars and planets could easily Got my position under the trees facing south so was all happy. be seen in the twilight. Jupiter and Regulus to the east while Mars, Venus and Sirius to the west. The effect was surreal, Leveled the tripod and used the Sun shadow to polar align. some shouted, some became rather quiet. Far too quickly it By 10am I was ready to go. Camera settings were: Exposure was all over. Got the Solar fi lter back on the camera, eclipse 1/500sec, F16, ASA 400. glasses on and watched as the Sun slowly appeared from behind the Moon. It was all over by 3pm so packed up and More people started fi lling up around the edge in the shade of went back to Murray with very little traffi c. the trees. My family arrived just before 12:00 and set up under the trees with me. Looking at my photos I was really pleased with the results considering I had ignored the camera most of the time with Got the remote clicking away just before the eclipse started. only three or four mount adjustments one of which needed when I put the fi lter back on. Totality was under exposed but Page 4 Southern Stars The Great USA 2017 Eclipse near Murray, Kentucky:- Ron Paine Hobby Airport Fire Truck in Surface Water Outside our Motel. considering I changed nothing when removing the fi lter they for 5 days, all the airports were closed and only emergency were great shots. Did a little tweaking and enlarging on the transport was allowed on the roads. Extensive fl ooding in parts tablet and voila! of Houston and many people being evacuated. I was getting sick of garage food by then but couldn’t change to a hotel with All the excitement was now over. More time with my family, a restaurant as the was no way of getting there. Rain fi nally Go back to Houston, couple of days at the Space Centre then stopped on Tuesday the 29th. Airport was still closed with little home by Monday 28th August. indication when it would re-open. Arranged a bus to Dallas and AirNZ booked me back via San Francisco.