THE OBSERVER OF THE TWIN CITY AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS Volume 46, Number 3 March 2021 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: LAST WORDS AS EDITOR – CARL J. WENNING 1 Last Words as Editor – Carl J. Wenning It has been a pleasure to have 2 President’s Note served as your editor beginning 3 Calendar of Astronomical Events – March 2021 with the January 2014 edition of 3 New & Renewing Members/Dues Blues/E-Mail List The OBSERVER. Since that time, I 4 This Month’s Phases of the Moon have worked to produce 87 issues 4 This Month’s Solar Phenomena that included some 2,100 pages, 4 TCAA Celebrates 61 Years with Annual Meeting about 1,200,000 words, and a myriad of images. Not all the 5 NCRAL 2021 Cancelled words and few of the images were 6 AstroBits – News from Around the TCAA mine; there have been many other 8 TCAA Monthly Online Meeting for March contributors over the years. I 8 History of the TCAA (2010-2019): Part 1 hesitate to mention any names for 9 Spring Mood fear of missing someone. You know their names and have seen the 10 March 2021 with Jeffrey L. Hunt results of their efforts. I thank every one of you who has taken the 20 Public Viewing Sessions for 2021 time and energy necessary to write an article, submit an AstroBit, 21 TCAA Image Gallery or share an image for the benefit of the membership. 21 Did You Know? It is often said that editorship is a thankless task. In the main, 21 TCAA Treasurer’s Report as of February 26, 2021 that’s true – but not always. It was very nice to receive accolades from President Tim Stone in last month’s President’s Message and at the 61st Annual Meeting. It also was quite rewarding being The TCAA is an affiliate of the recognized with the Astronomical League’s 2017 Mabel Sterns Astronomical League as well as its Newsletter Editor Award – this newsletter’s second such accolade North Central Region. For more (the first being bestowed upon co-editors Mike Rogers & Jean information about the TCAA, be Memken with the inaugural 1998 award). certain to visit the TCAA website at Recognition is nice, but it really doesn’t matter all that much to http://www.tcaa.us/ me. What really does matter is that I have enjoyed writing and documenting the history of the club over the past seven years. It Visit http://www.astroleague.org for always makes me feel good knowing that others read what I have additional information about the written, and benefit from it if even in a small way. Though I will no Astronomical League and its longer serve as editor of this publication, I expect to continue numerous membership benefits, writing for it as time and energy permit. I also will continue to write including observing programs. and edit the NCRAL Northern Lights newsletter. I hope you will continue to follow me there. Also, visit the NCRAL website at I look forward to seeing what our new editor, Sandullah http://ncral.wordpress.com for in- Epsicokhan, will share with us. He will bring a new style to this formation about our North Central newsletter and that is as it should be. Each newsletter needs to Region. Find out about the many reflect the interests and talents of its editor. I encourage you to benefits of your membership from assist him as you have assisted me. Thanks for the opportunity to this site. serve. Carl J. Wenning, Editor of The OBSERVER (2014-2021) Copyright © 2021 TCAA 1 All rights reserved. Vol. 46, No. 3 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers March 2021 PRESIDENT’S NOTE The OBSERVER I’m still basking in the glow of our is the monthly electronic newsletter of Twin exceedingly successful annual City Amateur Astronomers, Inc., a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organiz- meeting. The speakers were ation of amateur astronomers interested in outstanding, and we had plenty of time studying astronomy and sharing their hobby on our zoom meeting just to catch up with the public. with each other. We received several comments afterward that it was one of TCAA OFFICERS & CHAIRPERSONS the best annual meetings ever. We had President, Director, & Property Manager over 50 people in attendance and most Tim Stone 309-531-2401 of them stayed to the very end. The [email protected] level of engagement was high; it was Vice President & Director/Membership Coord. awesome. That’s the only word I can Tom Willmitch 309-846-2423 use to describe it! TCAA President Tim Stone [email protected] Treasurer & Director/Registered Agent We have finished distributing the unwanted equipment that has been noted Dave Osenga 309-287-0789 in the last few Observers. All the equipment went to good homes, but there’s one [email protected] in particular that illustrates the impact we can have as a club. A couple were told Assistant Property Manager/ALCor about the 6” Celestron Newtonian and they contacted us to see if it would be Scott Wade 309-310-2464 possible to have it. They had wanted a telescope for years, but due to [email protected] circumstances in their life, it just wasn’t happening for them. This opportunity 5th Director seemed like it was something they could be benefited by, and the board agreed. Sunil Chebolu 678-896-5967 Today, just before I sat down to write this note, I finished helping them [email protected] understand how to use the telescope and watched them load it into their car. The Secretary/Historian/Editor gratitude on their faces was plain to see. Carl J. Wenning 309-830-4085 [email protected] The telescope was donated to the club by a woman who had lost her husband Technology Coordinator/Assistant Editor in death some time ago. He was an avid amateur astronomer and she wanted to Sandullah Epsicokhan 309-828-0227 [email protected] know if the club would help distribute his equipment to people who would enjoy using it. She wanted him to “live on” through the telescopes he so loved. She Webmaster couldn’t bear the thought of his beloved telescopes ending up in the trash. I gladly Lee Green 309-454-7349 [email protected] accepted them from her on behalf of the club. AL Observing Club Coordinator Lisa Wentzel unlisted number It is a privilege to help people like this. Our hobby is one where we can [email protected] explore the beauty and elegance of the universe in ways most people cannot. It can be an expensive hobby. Sometimes the expense can be a barrier to people The OBSERVER who would love to engage. In this instance, the love of astronomy by one person Carl J. Wenning, Editor over many years has given the gift of astronomy to another couple for many years Submission deadline two days before to come. Yes, the annual meeting was awesome, but this is truly AWESOME! the end of each month. Tim Stone MEMBERSHIP DUES TCAA President Individual Adult/Family $40 Full-time Student/Senior $25 (Senior status equals ages 60+) To join, send your name, contact info, and dues payment to Dave Osenga, TCAA Treasurer, 1109 N. Linden St., Normal, IL 61761-1471. Copyright © 2021 TCAA 2 All rights reserved. Vol. 46, No. 3 The OBSERVER of the Twin City Amateur Astronomers March 2021 CALENDAR OF ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS – MAR 2021 NEW & RENEWING MEMBERS MORNING PLANETS (3/15): Mercury (☿), Venus (♀), Jupiter (♃), The following individuals have paid dues for new or Saturn (♄), and Neptune (♆) renewed memberships as of February 26, 2021. (Others who paid after that date will appear in the April 2021 issue EVENING PLANETS (3/15): Mars (♂) and Uranus (⛢) of The OBSERVER.) The following table gives the date and time (24-hour clock) of Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! important astronomical events for this month. All events are given in Central Standard Time before DST and CDT afterwards. New: David Arteman Renewing: Brian Barling, Sharon MacDonald, Day Time Event and Mark and Bryce Heiniger 01 23:19 Moon at Perigee: 365422 km Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! 03 17:36 Mars 2.6°S of Pleiades 04 23 Mercury 0.3°N of Jupiter DUES BLUES 05 18:56 Moon at Descending Node 05 19:30 LAST QUARTER MOON If you have received a dues statement email along 06 05 Mercury at Grt. Elong: 27.3°W with this issue of The OBSERVER, please send your dues to Mr. Dave Osenga, TCAA Treasurer, 1109 N. Linden St., 09 17:02 Saturn 3.7°N of Moon Normal, IL 61761-1471. Dues are currently $25 for seniors 10 09:35 Jupiter 4.0°N of Moon (60 years of age and over) and $40 regular. 10 18 Neptune in Conjunction with Sun 10 19:02 Mercury 3.7°N of Moon SUBSCRIBING TO THE TCAA EMAIL LISTSERV 13 04:21 NEW MOON Welcome to the [email protected] group at Groups.io. 13 20 Mercury at Aphelion This is a free, easy-to-use group email service set up for 14 02:00 Daylight Saving Time Begins the TCAA’s communication purposes. You can subscribe, 18 00:04 Moon at Apogee: 405253 km visit your group, read and post messages here: 19 12:48 Mars 1.9°N of Moon https://groups.io/g/tcaa The email address for this group is [email protected]. 19 22:31 Moon at Ascending Node After you successfully subscribe, please add this email 20 04:37 Vernal Equinox address to your safe sender list in your email client’s 21 09:40 FIRST QUARTER MOON contacts, so emails from this list are not classified as junk 23 05:26 Pollux 3.5°N of Moon mail.