Planetarium Skies Quarterly Newsletter of the Horwitz-DeRemer Planetarium Summer Solstice 2020 Messier 27 or “The Dumbbell Nebula” is one of the prominent deep sky objects visible in the summer evening sky. M-27 is located in the very dim constellation of Vulpecula and is about 1,360 light years from Earth. The Nebula is a dying star, which can be seen in the center of the nebula, has been ejecting a shell of hot gas for over 48,000 years. New Face of the Planetarium Lobby Area By. Lisa Swaney, Director I can finally start unveiling parts of the lobby design that are slated to happen over the next few months. The project will occur in phases as money is raised. Here are aspects of the lobby design for which project funding has been secured, and what you will see when you come back and celebrate with us. The new tables are being built right now by the School District of Waukesha. These new tabletops will match the custom design wallpaper. Thanks to the Waukesha County and Retzer Nature Center, new carpeting will be laid the last week of August. Areas to be covered will be the lobby area, the small room between the lobby and dome, and the team’s office or production room. These changeable panels shown on the right are being purchased using the Waukesha Education Foundation (WEF) grant money. Four of these interchangeable panels will be included in the first part of the design. These panels allow us to change information on a more regular basis. Painting is part of the plan before the new carpeting is placed. Looking forward to seeing a complete refresh on the walls. The color scheme is matched to the custom wallpaper to ensure a consistent theme throughout the area. Thanks again to the County for picking up this painting expense – this partnership is so appreciated! The entrance doors along with updated signage are other tasks that we hope to accomplish by this fall. The new design is in the works and I am looking forward to examining the new, improved plans. It will definitely freshen up the look and hopefully spark a lot of interest as to what is behind those doors and what is yet to come. Lastly, here is a sample of the extremely exciting part of the project. We hope this is one of many ceiling tiles that will be spread throughout the lobby. It is truly a reflection of the amazing community of which this planetarium is a part, and all of its stakeholders that allow us to continue to offer these educational opportunities for all. We value you and look forward to many more fabulous years. Thanks to all our continued FRIENDS and to all donors thus far! President Message Welcome to Wayne’s World: A short note of introduction to The Friends of the Horwitz-DeRemer Planetarium Wayne Vohnoutka “Curiosity is the essence of our existence.” - Astronaut Gene Cernan The first thing I want to do is send my appreciation and thanks to Manuel Oyervides for his 15+ years as president of the Friends group. Since he is still involved with the planetarium programs and operations, he can expect me to draw on his experience and expertise as I step into the role of President. He leaves some big shoes to fill. I also say “Thank you!” to Manuel and Director Lisa Swaney and the rest of the staff at the planetarium for their warm welcome when, many months ago, I approached them asking if there was anything I could do as a volunteer to help out. Little did I know at the time that they would keep me as busy and as involved as much as I wanted to be, and that it would ultimately lead me here, drafting this letter from the President. Here is a little more about me. I’ve been a Friend of the Planetarium for many years. Our family joined last century when our kids were in grade school and the planetarium was downtown near the library. We followed the planetarium to the Retzer Nature Center, and were thrilled with the upgrades to the dome and star ball, and then again a few years ago with the upgrade to and installation of the Digistar-6 system. The planetarium and the Retzer Nature Center are close to our home and are great places to escape and unwind. Like many Friends, we are regular visitors, taking in shows regularly and talking with other Friends. Until COVID-19, of course. In the past couple of years I chose to get more involved with the planetarium because I was impressed with the vision and energy of Director Swaney and her staff. It’s been a wonderful experience getting to know them better and to learn what happens behind the scenes to put on the programs for all of the school groups, weekend shows, sky-watches, Friends events, and more. And, now here I am, learning what they have in mind for me as new President and for the Friends organization in general. One role I plan to fill is to be a megaphone and bring a bigger voice to you, the present and future Friends of the Planetarium, with two goals in mind: 1. Continue to support Director Swaney and the School District of Waukesha activities because this facility is first and foremost a great educational tool and an extension of the classroom for thousands of local children and young adults who visit every year. 2. Get more people engaged with the planetarium and in activities. That means spreading the word to get more people interested in the planetarium and signed up to be Friends - AND – listen to and promote your ideas for activities, programming, and other things you, the Friends and general public, are curious about to help make what is being done here even better. Over the coming weeks and months, I am going to be reaching out to ask you, the Friends of the Planetarium, what you are curious about, what you would like to see, do, and make happen. With so many of our usual summer activities shut down or postponed, now is the best time to brainstorm and share your ideas. Together we can make it happen! Reach out to me and let’s start a conversation. Contact me at [email protected] Wayne Vohnoutka President, Friends of the Horwitz-DeRemer Planetarium Stars and lightyears By Manuel Oyervides Greeting everyone, I hope you are enjoying your summer. I know I am. Ok, I know it is not officially summer until June 20th but the weather has been so great that I have been enjoying working from home on my patio as much as I can. Here is a little fun with stars and distances. Have you ever thought about how far away stars are and how they relate to your birthday? Stars are lightyears away. What is a light year? It is the distance light travels in one year: about 6 trillion miles. For example, Capella is 42 lightyears away. So, if you were born in 1978, the light that was emitted by Capella in that year is just being seen here on earth today, 42 years later. One of the interesting things about this train of thought is that a child born today would not see the light of the closest star until he was about 4 years old. I am not including our own sun of course. The three stars of the Alpha Centauri system are the closest and they are about 4 lightyears away. Those stars’ names are Alpha (A & B) and Proxima Centauri. Other stars and their distance from earth (rounded) Barnard’s Star 6 lightyears Wise 0855 7 lightyears Wolf 359 8 lightyears UV Ceiti 9 lightyears Ross 154 10 lightyears Groombridge 1618 15 lightyears Ross 986 20 lightyears Vega 25 lightyears Gliese 30 lightyears Rho Cancri 40 lightyears Mu Arae 50 lightyears Alphecca A 75 lightyears Nu2 Draconis A 100 lightyears These are just a few. To find a star that is the same distance away as your age, check the net. There are lots of charts showing the distances. For example, I searched on: “stars 10 lightyear distance”. Just change the 10 to whatever number you want. It is kind of interesting to think, if a star is 70 lightyears away, the emitted light from that star at the time of my birth has not yet reached earth. For that matter the star could have gone nova and may not even exist anymore. Well, that is my fun thought for the day. Remember to get out and enjoy the clear night skies. Under the Beautiful Summer Skies By: Dave DeRemer The warm weather of summer often inspires me to venture out into the backyard, set up a chair, and enjoy a few moments of peace under the stars. To me, exploring the sky has two main components; the science and the beauty. Throughout this narrative, I will focus on both of these sky-watching elements, as well as describe some of my favorite steps in preparing for a summer evening under the stars. Getting outside in the first place, requires some kind of inspiration. Before looking up, enjoy the beauty of the earth all around you. Allow me to share part of a poem by Nathan Baranowski, that can set the scene nicely. In the prairies, you can hear the crickets and see the grass move like a wave There’s not a lot of human chatter You can hear animal noises from wherever you are Chirp, chirp, there are a lot of birds that take flight when the grass moves You can hear the sound of the wind It’s so peaceful My sky-watching plan usually begins by checking some of the following web-sites: Weather Underground www.wunderground.com/weather/us/wi/pewaukee This site shows weather conditions now, hourly, or ten days into the future.