Houston Astronomical Society GuideStar February, 2008 Highlights: At the February 1 meeting... February's Total Lunar Eclipse ..................5 It's Fiorella! ..................................................6 The Hyades Star Cluster ...........................10 Recent Missions Minutes of the January Meeting ...............12 Space Place - No Mars Rock Unturned ...14 and Results in Solar Physics HAS Web Page: http://www.AstronomyHouston.org Gary Kilper See the GuideStar's Monthly Calendar Gary is a 4th year graduate student at Rice of Events to confirm dates and times University. of all events for the month, and check the Web Page for any last minute The closest star to us is the Sun. If we changes. understand how the Sun works we can understand a lot about how stars work. Not only that, our Sun is the source of heat, light, and energy for all of us on planet Earth. Schedule of meeting activities: All meetings are at the University of Houston Science and Research building. See the inside back cover for a map to the location. Novice meeting: .............................. 7:00 p.m. "Catching very thin moons" Don Pearce Site orientation meeting: ................. 7:00 p.m. Classroom 121 General meeting: ............................ 8:00 p.m. Room 117 See last page for a map and more information. GuideStar, Vol 26, #2 February, 2008 The Houston Astronomical Society Table of Contents The Houston Astronomical Society is a non-profit corporation organized under section 501 (C) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code. The Society was 3 ............February/March Calendar formed for education and scientific purposes. All contributions and gifts Web site are deductible for federal income tax purposes. General membership 4 ............Observations of the Editor meetings are open to the public and attendance is encouraged. 5 ............February's Total Lunar Eclipse Officers & Past President 6 ............Just Looking President: Bill Leach .........................................................H: 281-893-4057 It's Fiorella! Vice Pres: Ken Miller .......................................................H: 936-931-2724 10 ............Shallow Sky Object of the Month Secretary: Doug McCormick.............................................H: 281-996-0177 The Hyades Star Cluster Treasurer: Bill Flanagan ...................................................H:713-699-8819 Past President: Steve Sartor ............................................ 11 ............Astronomical League Membership Renewals 12 ............Minutes of the December Meeting Additional Board Members 13 ............Logo Sales Liaison responsibility Steve Goldberg.............................713-721-5077 Want Ads Don Pearce...................................713-432-0734 14 ............Space Place John Missavage............................ Clayton Jeter ................................ No Mars Rock Unturned Bram Weisman ............................. 15 ............Observatory Corner Committee Chairpersons Audit ................................................Tom Blocker ............................ Education...........................................Richard Nugent ....................... Field Tr./Obsg. ...................................George Stradley ......................281-376-5787 Novice................................................Justin McCollum ...................... Observatory .......................................Bob Rogers .............................281-460-1573 Special Interest Group Listing Program .............................................Brian Cudnik ............................ Publicity .............................................John Missavage ...................... Telescope ..........................................Bram Weisman ........................ Any member who wants specific information on a SIG listed below may Paul & Kay McCallum ............. call the listed individual. Also, see the "Ad Hoc Committee Chairpersons" Welcoming .........................................Open ....................................... on the inside front cover and the "Special Help Volunteers" listing (not in every issue). Ad-Hoc Committee Chairpersons Historian ............................................Leland Dolan ...........................713-688-0981 Librarian.............................................Peggy Gilchrist ........................281-443-8773 Advanced...........................Bill Leach....................281-893-4057 Logo Mds Sales .................................Judy Dye .................................281-498-1703 Long Range Plan ...............................Bill Leach .................................281-893-4057 Comets ..............................Don Pearce ................713-432-0734 Parliamentarian .................................Kirk Kendrick ...........................281-633-8819 Lunar & Planetary ..............John Blubaugh ...........713-921-4275 Publ. Star Party .................................Richard Nugent ......................713-524-1993 Rice U. Coord. ...................................Matt Delevoryas ......................713-666-9428 Schedule Obs'v't'y .............................Steve Goldberg .......................713-721-5077 Texas Star Pty ...................................Steve Goldberg .......................713-721-5077 Special Interest Groups & Help Committees Other Meetings... These are now listed on the inside of GuideStar (not every month). See the Table of Contents Fort Bend Astronomy Club meets the third Friday of the month at 8:00 p.m. at the First Colony conference Center. Novice meeting begins at Advisors 7:00, regular meeting begins at 8:00. Web site: http://www.fbac.org Dr. Reginald DuFour, Rice Univ. Dr. Lawrence Pinsky, U. of H. Johnson Space Center Astronomical Society meets in the the Lunar Dr. Lawrence Armendarez, U. of St. Thomas and Planetary Institute on the 2nd Friday of each month. Web site: http://www.ghg.net/cbr/jscas/ Dues and Membership Information Annual Dues:Regular ..............................................$36.00 North Houston Astronomy Club meets at 7:30 p.m. on the 4th Friday of Associate ..........................................................$6.00 each month in the Teaching Theatre of the Student Center at King- Sustaining ........................................................$50.00 wood College.Call 281-312-1650 or [email protected]. Student ........................................................$12.00 Honorary .....................................................None Web site: www.astronomyclub.org All members have the right to participate in Society functions and to use the Observatory Site. Regular and Student Members receive a subscription to The Reflector. Regular, Student, and Honorary Members receive The GuideStar. Associate Members, imm ediate family members of a Regular Member, have all membership rights, but do not receive publications. Sustaining members have the same rights as regular members with the additional dues treated as a dona- tion to the Society. Sky & Telescope and Astronomy magazines are available to members at a discount. Membership Application: Send funds to address shown on outside cover of Guid- eStar. Attention - Treasurer, along with the following information: Name, Address, Phone Number, Special Interests in Astronomy, Do you own a Telescope? (If so, what kind?), and where you first heard of H.A.S. GuideStar, Page February/March Check the web site: www.astronomyhouston.org Calendar: Webmaster: Kay McCallum [email protected] Date Time Event Photo by Scott Mitchell he Houston Astronomical Society Web Tpage has information on the society, its February resources, and meeting information. 1 6:00 a.m. Venus 0.59deg. North of Jupiter 7:00 p.m. HAS Novice Meeting, U of H Want your astronomy work and name on 8:00 p.m. HAS General Meeting, U of H the Internet for the whole world to see? 2 Prime Night, Columbus Observing Site Have some neat equipment? Pictures in film, 6 9:44 p.m. New Moon CCD, hand drawings or video format are all 8 Alpha Centaurid Meteors Peak 13 9:33 p.m. Moon at First Quarter welcome on the page. Do you have an idea 20 9:29 p.m. Full Moon to improve the page? I’m listening. Send me Total lunar Eclipse (evening) Email at [email protected]. 24 3:00 a.m. Saturn at Opposition 27 3:00 a.m. Mercury 1.1deg North-Northwest of Venus 28 8:19 p.m. Moon at Last Quarter March 5 2:12-3:25p.m. Moon occults Venus in daylight (times approximate) 7 11:14 a.m. New Moon 7:00 p.m. HAS Novice Meeting, U of H Publicity Suggestion Box 8:00 p.m. HAS General Meeting, U of H 8 Prime Night, Columbus Observing Site 9 2:00 a.m. Daylight Savings Time Ends (move clocks forward 1 hour) I welcome any suggestions that any 14 5:45 a.m. Moon at First Quarter member has to offer. It doesn’t matter 19 11:48 p.m. Spring or Vernal Equinox how trivial you think your idea may be. 21 1:39 p.m. Full Moon All input will be reviewed and welcomed. 27 7:30 p.m. HAS Board Meeting, Houston Chronicle Building 29 4:48 p.m. Moon at Last Quarter Star Party at Columbus Observing Site Let’s grow. Please drop me a note at the following address. Send calendar events to Doug McCormick [email protected] John Missavage- HAS Publicity Chair GuideStar deadline for the March issue is February 15 GuideStar, Page Observations... of the editor by Bill Pellerin, GuideStar Editor Almost.... skies every night. I always go to the TSP with the following in mind: n addition to this item every month, I write the 'Shallow Sky Ob- ject