SEP 2 4 1994 National Capital Astronomers, Inc. (703) 841-4765 Washington, DC (301) 320-3621 Volume LIII, Number 2 October, 1994 ISSN 0898-7548 George Wetherill to Speak on "The Peekskill Meteorite, October 9, 1992, Video Observations: An Orbit Determination" by Harold Williams The next meeting of the National find one, keep it and dispose of it as contains more than 165 entries. He is Capital Astronomers will be held on you wish; they are worth real money. a member of the National Academy Saturday October 1 at 7:30 P.M., in of Sciences and has won numerous the Lippsett Amphitheater, Room George heard of the video tapes. honors from many learned societies. lC114, of the Clinical Center CCN had one from Raleigh, North He is a member, and in fact a fellow, (Building 10) at the National Insti- Carolina. Washington Metro News in many societies including the tutes of Health (NIH). George 4 WRC had one from someone in American Geophysical Union, Me- Wetherill of the Department of Ter- Virginia near the Potomac who was teoritical Society, Geochemical So- restrial Magnetism (DTM) of the out partying with friends (one of the ciety, International Astronomical Carnegie Institution of Washington few nonfootball videos). The long- Union, American Astronomical So- (CIW) the oldest nonprofit research est duration track, around 30 sec- ciety. He has also been an officer in foundation in America, will speak onds, was from Johnstown Pennsyl- most of these societies at some time. on "The Peakskill Meteorite, Octo- vania. George said that he started to He has been associate editor or edi- ber9, 1992, Video Observations: An collect videos to compute the orbit tor of the Journal of Geophysical Orbit Determination." On October because he came to the conclusion Research, Annual Review of Earth 9, 1992 at 7:50 P.M., on a Friday that, ifhe didn't do it, perhaps no one and Planetary Science, Meteoritics, night when high school football else would. He collected fifteen vid- and Icarus. He has been an advisor to games were being video taped by eos with some of the fireballs of NASA, NSF, NAS, NRC, and other parents, coaching staffs, and local which seven videos proved to be numerous organizations on commit- television stations, a fireball ap- good for astrometric orbit determi- tees and panels. His employment peared over the United States visible nation. This is one of the few mete- and professional experience stretch from perhaps Texas to New Jersey orites that has struck the earth that from Radar Technician in the U.S. where it was cloudy. It struck a we now actually have an orbit back Navy during the Second World War women's carin Peekskill, New York out into space. It became visible at an to staff member at DTM several and the meteorite was recovered - altitude of 80 kilometers above the times and director ofDTM. He was 12.6 kilograms. Rumor has it that the earth. a faculty member and chairman of women sold the car to a museum for departments at UCLA. He was a around $7,000 dollars and the mete- George Wetherill is a geophysicist visiting professor at Cal Tech. All of orite for around $50,000. In America and planetary scientist whose publi- his higher education degrees are (home of the brave and chaotic), cation list, excluding abstracts, book from the University of Chicago in meteorites belong to the finder or reviews, and other minor publica- perhaps landowner or renter. If you tions, is itself 15 pages long and See WETHERILL, Page 6 October Calendar The Public is Welcome! Saturday, October 1, 1994, 5:30 PM - Dinner with McKinley Hall Basement. Information: Jerry Schnall, the speaker at the Athenian Plaka Restaraunt (7833 202/362-8872. Woodmont, Bethesda) before the monthly meeting. Friday, October 7, 1994, 11:30 PM - Earth Night Reservations are for 5:30PM sharp. 1994: "The Autumn Sky, Nocturnal Nature, and Fall Saturday, October 1,Night - October's best night for Foliage." Smithsonian Resident Associate Program for dark-sky observing and "absorbing" ("Moon- (SRAP), Overnight Studay Tour (SRAP Code: 525- dark" paractically all night long). So my firends, crawl 723), at Shennandoah National Park's Big Meadows out of thine cocooning hovels, flee the glowing fun- on Virginia's Skyline Drive. If postponed due to bad goid mass of urbania, and get thee to the night country, weather, alternative date is following Friday, October where thou can personally experience planet Earth for 14, same time. Information and cost: 202/357-3030. what she truly is: a precious ark of life, plying the (See article in Star Dust, 1993, September, p. 4.) wine-dark sea ofSpace. To encouraging you, several relatively light-pollution-free sities are available for Friday, October 7, 1994 - Open House at Hopewell NCA members's use. Information: Daniel Costanzo, Observatory. See the boxed item on page six for more details and directions. 703/841-4765. Saturday, October 8,19949:00 PM - "Exploring the Mondasys, October 3,10,17,24, and 31, at 7:30 PM Sky" telescope viewing at the open field in Rock Creek - Public nights at U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO), in Park nearest to the Nature Center. NCA members Northwest Washington, D.C. (off Massachusetts Av- please bring telescopes. For more information, call enue). Includes orientation program on USNO's mis- John Lohman, 703/820-4194 sion, viewing of operating atomic clocks, and glimpse through the finest optical telescopes in the Washing- Thursdays, October 13,20,27 and Nomber 3,1994, ton-Baltimore region. Information: USNO Public 7:00 PM - Daniel Costanzo (NCA), "Astronomy Affairs Office, 202/653-1541. O!O!O!: Life, The Universe & Everything (In Be- tween)." A four week adult education course at Ar- Tuesdays, October 4,11,18, and 25, at 7:30 PM- lington Planetarium. Information and cost: 703/358- Telescope making classes at Chevy Chase Commu- 7200. nity Center, Connecticut Avenue and McKinley Street, NW. Information: Jerry Schnall, 202/362- Saturday, October 14, 19949:00 PM - Open nights 8872. with NCA's Celestron 14-inch (0.36 meter) telescope at Ridgeview Observatory, south of Alexandria at Wedenesday, October 5 - "Sky Watch" column by 6007 Ridgeview Drive (off Franconia Road between Blaine P. Friedlander, Jr. appears in The Washington Telegraph Road and Rose Hill Drive). Information: Post "Style" section. It lists many other events for the Bob Bolster at 703/960-9126. month. Thursday, October 15, 1994 - Next deadline for all Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, October 6, 7, and submissions to November Star Dust. Send to Gary & 8, Early Evening Twighlight - Moon at her conve- Alisa Joaquin, Editors at 7821 Winona Ct., niently beautiful best asa thin waxing crescent, bathed Annandale, VA, 22003, or send an ASCII file via E- in Earthshine, gracing the early evening twighlight Mail at 71561.1747 @compuserve.comorfax to 703/ sky: "the old Moon in the young Moon's arms." You 658-2233. can enjoy this spectacle even from the light-polluted heart of urbania. So, go outside, take a look, and Saturday, October 29,1994, Night - October's sec- celebrate the beginning of a new "moonth" (a new ond best night for dark-sky observing and "absorbing" lunation). ("Moon-dark" until around Midnight). See October 1 listing. Fridays, October 6, 13,20, and 27, at 7:30 PM - Telescope making classes at American University, CALENDAR, continues on Page 3 Page 2 CALENDAR, from Page 2 Wednesday, November 2,1994 - "Sky Watch" col- Saturday, November 5, 1994 - November's best umn by Blaine P. Friedlander, Jr. appears in The night for dark-sky observing and "absorbing" Washington Post "Style" section. It lists many other ("Moon-dark" practically all night long). See October events for the month. 1 listing. Saturday, November 5, 1994, 11 :00 AM to 4:00 PM Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, November 5, 6, - The NCA and the Smithsonian Institution's National and 7,1994, Early Evening Twighlight - Moon at her Air and Space Museum (NASM) present "Binoculars! conveniently beautiful best. See October 6, 7, and 8 Telescopes! Astronomy!: A Free Consumer Presenta- listing. tion." NASM, Briefing Room (see accompanying article). Other events, objects, and phenomena too numerous to mention here are listed in the publications Sky & Saturday, November 5,1994- The November NCA Telescope, the Astronomical Calendar 1994, and the meeting will feature Carol Ann Grady speaking about Observer's Handbook 1994, plus numerous software "The Beta Pictoris Phenomenon in Herbig Ae/Be and packages. NCA members can purchase all these at a A-shell Stars." discount. To join NCA, use membership application on page seven: The Comet, Shoemaker-Levy 9, Strikes Jupiter Reviewed by Harold Alden Williams On Saturday September 10, 1994 at the view about half of the time. The of the entire campaign as well as the National Institutes of Health situation is further complicated by being one of the six principal inves- (NIH), Rob Landis of the Space the telescopes' not being able to look tigators, whom all also had many co- Telescope Science Institute (STScI) too near the Sun, Moon.aad Earth. investigators. Hal Weaver was also spoke on the Comet Shoemaker- The telescope is orbiting Earth every Rob's branch chief when he was Levy 9' s Striking Jupiter. Rob first 90 minutes, so not only is pointing with moving targets. With Hubble's told us a little about his Hubble complicated but so is the data path spherical aberration problem before Space Telescope (HST) work expe- that takes the information from the repair, bright moving targetlike rience. When hefirstarrived in 1992 telescope to STScI in Baltimore. planets needed fewer extensive at the STScI his primary responsi- Landis was recently transferred into spherical aberration deconvolutions bilities were in the Science Planning the newly created special projects of because of their high signal-to-noise Branch in the near-term planning the Public Outreach Office at STScI.