who have earned pins and certificates galore. Nothing seems INSIDE THIS ISSUE OF Northern Lights to keep these intrepid observers down. Would that all other astronomy clubs had such active members when it comes to NCRAL Chair’s Message…..............................……………………1 observing! (Perhaps there are, but they aren’t telling!) NCRAL Financial Statement Autumn 2020………………….……2 Looking Ahead to 2021 NCRAL 2021 May 7-8……………………..………………………..………2 Call for 2021 NCRAL Nominations & Applications……….......3 NCRAL 2021 is scheduled for Friday/Saturday, May 7-8, NCRAL Seasonal Messier Marathon Awards…………….………5 and I’m looking forward to it. I hope you are too. The Noteworthy!……………………………………………………………………6 convention will be hosted by the Neville Public Museum Profiles in Amateur Astronomy: Alan Sheidler (PAC)…..……7 Astronomical Society in De Pere, Wisconsin, just south of Club Leadership for Our Time by Carl J. Wenning………...……8 Green Bay assuming the pandemic doesn’t interfere as it did Radio Astronomy by Tim Stone…………………………….……..…10 last spring. I’m already making plans to attend NCRAL 2021 2021 Rising and Setting Charts by Jeffrey L. Hunt……….….14 and hope you are doing the same. Later in this newsletter Astronomical League 75th Anniversary Coming……..…….…17 you’ll find information about speakers, activities, and Mars 2021: Until Conjunction by Jeffrey L. Hunt.………..….18 facilities. Get this event into your calendar now so you can Future NCRAL Conventions…………………………………..……….22 avoid a schedule conflict. Seasonal Messier Mini Marathon Observing Program……22 Don’t forget to think about nominations for Regional Add Your Email Address to NCRAL Member Database…...23 officers. This year we need to elect Chair and Vice Chair to NCRAL Website………………………………………………………….….23 two-year terms and vote for a Secretary-Treasurer to Regional Officer & Leader Contact Information………..……24 complete the second year of a two-year term that began in May 2020. You will recall that due to the rescheduling of NCRAL 2020 to NCRAL 2022, we did not have an election for NCRAL CHAIR’S MESSAGE Secretary-Treasurer in 2020. So, I re-appointed Roy Gustafson to continue in office until such time as either he or his In many ways, 2020 has been a year to remember. Comet replacement can be elected. NEOWISE graced both morning and evening skies of late I’m willing to run for a third and final term as Chair if summer and was quite a sight to behold. Mars put on quite a need be (limited to three terms under the NCRAL Bylaws, show with its opposition on October 13th. Another bright spot Article II, Section 3), but I am desirous of stepping down. I will was the beautiful December 21st conjunction of Jupiter and gladly relinquish my position if someone else is willing to Saturn that also garnered a huge amount of public interest. serve. My growing health and mobility problems make it While the COVID-19 pandemic continued to worsen over increasingly difficult for me to continue in office. I will gladly the autumn months, there is a silver lining to this dark cloud. continue serving as newsletter editor if asked. Please don’t Amateur astronomy is about to experience a renaissance. hesitate to nominate others and even yourself should you be After communicating with several national astronomical willing to run for office or serve as newsletter editor. suppliers recently, I found that they were being swamped Don’t forget that it is also time to start thinking about with orders. There appeared to be a large pent-up demand nominations for the NCRAL Region Award and the NCRAL for astronomy-related materials, and this is good news. Newsletter Editor Award. Let’s not forget about Mini Grants Later in this issue, I’ve included an article about this too. There are two types of grants – membership recruitment growing demand and pent-up interest that bode well for the and affiliate recruitment. Read about these grants later in this revival of amateur astronomy as the COVIC-19 pandemic issue. If you’d like to see what can be accomplished with even subsides. I want to alert everyone – but especially our leaders a $250 grant, look back to the late 2019 and early 2020 issues – to be vigilant for opportunities to grow our hobby. of Northern Lights. All nominations and applications must be I’m pleased how during 2020 many of our astronomy submitted by the March 31st deadline. clubs’ members completed NCRAL’s Mini Messier Marathons. The Region is seeking hosts for the NCRAL 2024 Of note are the intrepid observers of Popular Astronomy Club convention and beyond, so please consider making an offer to do so. Details about the process of hosting an NCRAL telescope user. It employs Galileo as a personal guide to convention – from initial offer to completion of a post- observe the heavens. The book was written with the small convention survey – can be found in the NCRAL Convention and even “toy” telescope owner in mind. It shows that with Planning Guidelines. telescopes no more able than those used by Galileo can be During mid-November, Astronomical League past used to make meaningful discoveries. president Terry Mann (2006-2010) asked me to give a 10- I hope that you enjoy this issue of Northern Lights. There minute update about NCRAL during a December 5th online are many contributors who have worked long and hard to national event. It was a pleasure to be involved with this bring this information to you. I thank them for their efforts online “live star party.” If you weren’t aware of this event, be and encourage you to do the same as well as share this certain to like and follow the Astronomical League Facebook release with your affiliate’s members. Only about 450 of some page as well as the NCRAL Facebook page. 1,900 NCRAL members have subscribed to receive this On a personal note, I’m happy to say that I have finally newsletter and important announcements via email. completed an on-again, off-again 31-year effort writing The I’m looking forward to seeing each of you at NCRAL 2021. Galileo Observer’s Guide to the Heavens. I started this work May you have clear skies and a safe and healthy winter! in 1989 when my infant daughter Sara was hospitalized. I took 4½ months to write the first draft. I resumed the work after Carl J. Wenning finding new inspiration last summer and completed revisions NCRAL Chair (2017-2021) during the 2020 pandemic. I’m now working with a graphic [email protected] artist and seeking a publisher. I hope to see the book available late in 2021. It’s a much-needed guide for the novice NCRAL FINANCIAL STATEMENT AUTUMN 2020 ~ Reported by Treasurer Roy Gustafson ~ Check Check Daily Monthly # Date Description Amount Deposit Balance Balance 31-Aug-2020 $8,747.93 Aug 30-Sep-2020 $8,747.93 Sep Carl Wenning (reimbursement for pins, 1015 12-Oct-2020 $79.12 $8,668.81 mailers, and postage for Mini Marathon) 31-Oct-2020 $8,668.81 Oct 30-Nov-2020 $8,668.81 Nov NCRAL 2021 MAY 7-8 ~ by Gerry Kocken, Convention Chair ~ NCRAL 2021 is slated for Friday/Saturday, May 7/8. The convention will be hosted by the Neville Public Museum Astronomical Society of Green Bay Wisconsin. The event will be held on the St. Norbert’s College Campus in De Pere, Wisconsin. The College’s Bemis Center will serve as venue. We have booked the Kress Inn as the hotel of choice. The two buildings are located across Third Street from one another, and both are world-class facilities. We are still entertaining ideas for possible speakers for the convention. If anyone is interested in making a presentation, please contact me at either (920) 676-6363 or [email protected] and present a short description of your talk. Individuals or clubs will be able display any equipment or artifacts that they bring. Our plan is to post event details and registration by early January. Stay tune for further details. For now, here is the tentative program. Northern Lights, Winter 2021, Vol. 5, No. 3 2 © 2021 NCRAL All Right Reserved FRIDAY, MAY 7th 11:30 AM – Door Prizes, Announcements 11:45 AM – Lunch 2:00 – 10:00 PM – Registration Opens 1:00 PM – Brian Chopp (Solar System Model) 3:00 – 7:00 PM – Parmentier Observatory Tour 1:20 PM – Dick Francini (Astronomical Sketching) 4:00 – 10:00 PM – Display Area Open 1:40 PM – Break 5:00 – 8:00 PM – Swap Meet 2:00 PM – Rodrigo Roesch (Astrophotography) 8:00 – 9:00 PM – Speaker Jerry Schaefer (It Came from 3:00 PM – Deadline: Trivia/Astrophotography Contests Outer Space) 3:00 PM – Registration Closes 3:00 PM - NCRAL Council/Business Meetings IF THE SKY IS CLEAR, VIEWING CAN BE 4:00 PM – Door Prizes/Announcements DONE AT PARMENTIER OBSERVATORY 4:15 PM – Afternoon Session Ends SATURDAY, MAY 8th 6:00 PM – Social Hour 7:00 PM – Banquet Dinner 8:00 AM – Registration Opens/Display Area Opens 7:45 PM – Alison Kelsman (ASTRONOMY Magazine – 9:00 – 9:15 AM – Opening Remarks Comets or Asteroids? How Color Reveals 9:15 AM – William Dirienzo (Radio Astronomy) Solar System History) 10:15 AM – Group Photo 8:30 PM – Awards and Door Prizes 10:30 AM – Break 9:00 PM – Convention Closing 10:45 AM – Richard Jacobsen (30 Inches, No Ladder, No Trailer) CALL FOR 2021 NCRAL NOMINATIONS & APPLICATIONS CHAIR/VICE CHAIR/SECRETARY-TREASURER/REGION AWARD/NEWSLETTER EDITOR AWARD/MINI-GRANTS The terms of Regional Chair and Vice Chair end with the next Regional Business Meeting when we elect officers for two- year terms.