OBSERVATORY NEWS July 2015 Published by the Friends of the Observatory (FOTO) Volume 26 No. 7 513-321-5186 www.cincinnatiobservatory.org Bill Cartwright, editor views of Saturn. Members are invited to bring portable COMING UP AT telescopes to share for the star gaze, and also if you are having THE OBSERVATORY.... any technical difficulties with your portable telescope, this is a good opportunity to get some John Ruthven signing June 28 1-4p expert help with collimating the *Black Holes July 1 7p optics, making minor repairs, Astronomy Thursday July 2 8:30p etc.! We will have the picnic FOTOKids Youth Program July 3 7p indoors if it is rainy, so I hope to Astronomy Friday July 3 8:30p see you all there on July 13 at 7 *Tides July 6 7p Planet Hunting July 7 8p PM, rain or shine. Astronomy Thursday July 9 8:30p The FOTO mentoring Astronomy Friday July 10 8:30p program is off to a good start! Stonelick Stargaze July 11 THE WORD We are putting people who need Sunday Sun-Day Sundae July 12 1-4p some help getting started with FOTO Member’s Picnic July 13 7p By Michelle Lierl Gainey observing or learning to use their New Horizons @ Pluto July 14 8p telescope in touch with more Astronomy Thursday July 16 8:30p Hello Friends, experienced astronomers who Astronomy Friday July 17 8:30p can mentor them. This is a Stonelick Stargaze July 18 The July FOTO meeting will be rewarding experience for both A2Z Astro Class July 19 7p the annual picnic, on the grounds FOTO Planning Meeting July 23 7p parties. If you are willing to be a of the Observatory starting at 7 mentor, or are in need of a Wurst Night July 23 8p PM on Monday, July 13. This is Astronomy Friday July 24 8:30p mentor, please e-mail me at a potluck picnic, so please bring [email protected]. FOTO @ NMUSAF July 25 10:15a your favorite side dish, salad or Lincoln Ridge Star Gaze July 25 8:30p FOTO is in need of a dessert to share. Each person History of the Observatory July 26 1-4p secretary. Duties of the secretary should bring their own burger or *Behind the Scenes July 27 7p include documenting the minutes hot dogs, etc; we will have the *Summer Skies July 28 8p of the monthly FOTO meetings, Astronomy Thursday July 30 8:30p grill going. Drinks, ice, plates reading said minutes for approval etc will be provided. by the membership, keeping Save-The-Dates! This is a great chance to records of the minutes from the Sunday Sun-Day Sundae Aug 9 1-4p socialize with fellow FOTO Eclipses Aug 11 8p members and get to know some Board meetings, and writing any Movie Night Aug 22 7p new people! If the sky permits, correspondence needed (which Lincoln Ridge Stargaze Aug 22 8:30p we will have a star gaze after the does not come up very often). If CMC Heritage Tour Aug 26 7p picnic. As the sun sets, Venus you would like to try out this Starlit Picnic Aug 29 7p and Jupiter will be side by side in role, you can volunteer to serve ScopeOut Sep 12 All Day the western sky, and by 9:30 or as Secretary until the October * UC Communiversity Class so we should be seeing nice elections. Thanks to Al Scheide, FOTO Treasurer, for filling in as Monte and Dan Schellenberger interim secretary. Welcome Elizabeth Stone ScopeOut 2015 will be held Michael & Ann Troyer on September 12, noon to 5 PM New & Renewing Jessica Va with dinner and speaker to Members! Patricia and Dean Waddell follow. Dale Zoller and the Elizabeth Wolf ScopeOut Committee are John and Lu Ann Zeszut working hard to make this the Zoe Zeszut best ScopeOut ever! See Dale’s article later in this newsletter for Stargazing at Stonelick more information. Many volunteers are needed to make State Park this event a success. You can volunteer to help with ScopeOut Saturdays – July 11 & 18 by e-mailing me at [email protected]. Volunteers get free admission to ScopeOut (although not to the dinner) and the chance to interact with the Martha Bailey public to promote enthusiasm for Vedanarayanan Jyotheeswaran astronomy. and Hema Balachandran THANK YOU for all you do Robert & Wanda Barger to keep the Cincinnati Gordon Barnes Observatory Center thriving and Jennifer and Conrad Barnes serving our community. Jennifer Beach The Summer Skies Hal and Karen Bernstein Gene and Karen Bertke Need help with your telescope? FOTO Planning Meeting Elizabeth Brown Bring it for expert tips on setting Alexander Bungabong it up and exploring the night sky. Stargazing begins at dusk. Open By Michelle Lierl Gainey William and Lesley Bunn to all ages. Paul Busker Stargazes are weather The next FOTO Planning George and Linda Callard Kristin Conlin permitting. “Friend” the Meeting is scheduled for Stonelick Lake Stargazers Thursday, July 23 at 7 pm at the Bala Corattiyil Valeria J Freysinger Facebook page for weather and Bangkok Bistro restaurant, 3506 Brian and Jenny Gardner schedule updates. Erie Avenue. Note the change in James Garvey location! The Observatory will Rusty and Jeannie Harp be busy with the Wurst Date Meet Me Outdoors Erin Hedrick Night Ever event that night, so Robert and Sally Johnson we thought this would be a nice Nicholas and Jacqueline Kelly chance to have a good Thai Pat & Sherry Kiernan dinner in conjunction with the David Lynch Board meeting. The planning Michael Malec Looking for one site to find this meetings are open to all FOTO Sophia McAllister spring’s best outdoor recreation members. We encourage your Sarah McDaniel events? Stargazing, hikes, biking, participation in the discussion of Janet Ross everything outdoors. future FOTO activities. Michael and Susan Saracina http://meetmeoutdoors.com 2 John Ruthven Print Signing June FOTO Meeting 5142 is the Kroger Sunday, June 28th 1 pm Highlights Community Rewards By Michelle Lierl Gainey Number for the The highlight of the June Observatory meeting was the excellent presentation by Dr. Terra Clarke, “Global Climate Change over the Past Quarter Millennium”. Dr. Clarke gave an overview of the factors contributing to oscillations in climate over the Mr. John Ruthven will be at history of Earth, and showed the Observatory Sunday, June how the production of th 29 offering signed, limited greenhouse gases is causing a edition giclee' prints of his much more rapid change in "Eyes of the Night" which temperature since the Industrial features the Observatory! Revolution. Each signed 14"x 20" print The FOTO Forum is still in the is on sale for $150. The total planning stages. We have After a quick and easy sign up run will be limited to 250 decided to use vBulletin for our online, every time you swipe your Kroger Plus Card a prints. forum site. The purpose of the donation goes to support the Proceeds support the Forum is to make it easier for FOTO members to share Observatory’s mission. No cost Observatory’s programs. to you; no loss of fuel points. information and ideas, interact on projects, post announce- https://www.kroger.com/accou FOTO's July Meeting nt/create ments, and whatever else the members like. By Michelle Lierl Gainey Dave Bosse requested New Star Gazers funding for 2 more telescopes for Once again our July FOTO the loaner program. The meeting will be the annual membership approved funding picnic, at the Observatory for two 8” Dobsonian telescopes, starting at 7 pm on Monday, July which will be purchased through the gift shop. 13. This is a potluck picnic, so please bring your favorite side dish, salad or dessert to share. Each person should bring their own burger or hot dogs, etc; we will have the grill going. Drinks, ice, plates etc will be provided. This is a great chance to socialize Star Gazers airs locally on with fellow FOTO members and channels 14 and 48 and you can get to know some new people! watch each month’s episodes on http://www.cincinnatiobservato If the sky permits, we will have a The Observatory is a proud ry.org/stargazer.html star gaze after the picnic member of GCEE! 3 novel, "From the Earth to the exhibits and over 360 aerospace ScopeOut 2015 Update Moon." Also, the spacecraft vehicles and missiles as we walk Dawn has arrived at Ceres and around the world’s largest and By Dale Zoller the New Horizons will fly by oldest military aviation museum. Pluto in July. Please let us know See current aircraft, such as the ScopeOut 2015 will be held if you would like to do an exhibit B-2, F22A and the world’s only Saturday, September 12, 2015. or talk on one of these topics. XB-70 Valkyrie bomber. Sit in a As in the past, the main event ScopeOut requires a large jet cockpit or check out hands-on will run from 12-5 pm. We will number of dedicated volunteers educational programs. hold the raffle drawing from 5-6 to make it run smoothly. Please pm and then the dinner and consider volunteering for one of keynote presentation from 6-8:30 the many different areas (set up, pm. registration, gift shop, dinner We are pleased to announce helpers, etc.). We will have that this year's keynote speaker signup sheets available at the will be Dr. Bob O'Dell, former July FOTO meeting. If you Project Scientist for the Hubble would like to volunteer and Space Telescope and current cannot attend the July FOTO collaborator with the Hubble meeting, please email Michelle Heritage Project.