OBSERVATORY NEWS April 2014 Published by the Friends of the Observatory (FOTO) Volume 25 No. 4 513-321-5186 www.cincinnatiobservatory.org Bill Cartwright, editor Spring (or any time of year!) is to COMING UP AT look for Messier objects in the night sky. The Messier catalogue THE OBSERVATORY.... is named after Charles Messier (1730 – 1817), a French astronomer who compiled a list of Astronomy Thursday Apr 3 8p 103 relatively bright deep sky Astronomy Friday Apr 4 8p objects (galaxies, star clusters and FOTOKids Apr 4 8p nebulae) that are visible from the Stonelick Stargaze Apr 5 dusk Northern Hemisphere. Messier’s Marsapalooza Apr 10 9p chief interest was hunting comets, Marsapalooza Apr 11 9p and many of the objects had the Marsapalooza Apr 12 9p same fuzzy appearance as a distant History Tours Apr 13 1-4p comet in his small telescope, but 1st Night Light Apr 13 8-10p did not move like a comet. He *FOTO Member’s Meeting Apr 14 7:30p THE WORD made a list of them so he would Lunar Eclipse Apr 15 2-5a remember these “not-comets” and Intro to Astronomy Apr 16, 23, 30 By Michelle Lierl Gainey not waste time tracking them Astrophoto Workshop Apr 17 7p again. Astronomy Thursday Apr 17 8p Hello friends! Finally, after a long winter it seems that spring has Since Messier was able to see Astronomy Friday Apr 18 8p these objects with his small Late Night @ the COC Apr 18 10:30p arrived! Spring is a great time to dust off your telescope or telescopes, we can also find all of Behind the Scenes Apr 21 7p them with our amateur telescopes; Astronomy Thursday Apr 24 8p binoculars, get out your star charts, and enjoy the beautiful night sky many of them are even visible in Astronomy Friday Apr 25 8p small binoculars. Many of these Stonelick Stargaze Apr 26 dusk without freezing. At this time of objects are very beautiful, History Tours Apr 27 1-4p year, the spectacular winter especially if you can do your constellations and deep sky objects observing in a dark sky location. *Note the monthly FOTO Members are still in the evening sky: the nd Thus, Messier objects are among Meeting has moved to 2 Mondays - Orion nebula, the Pleiades and 7:30pm at the Observatory Hyades star clusters, and many the most popular targets for amateur astronomers to observe. others; but the spring constellations Save-The-Dates! are making their appearance also, During April and May, all 103 Messier objects can be observed in Saturn Saturday May 10 with their accompanying galaxies a single night, if you are crazy Late Night @ the COC May 16 and star clusters. Jupiter and Mars enough to want to stay up Saturn Saturday II June 7 are in excellent positions for observing from dusk to dawn. Late Night @ the COC June 21 viewing and if you stay up late People actually do this; it is called Sun Sunday Sundae June 22 enough, Saturn will also make an Sun Sunday Sundae July 13 appearance! a “Messier Marathon” and there ScopeOut 2014 Sept 13 are awards for completing it. You can also earn bragging rights by 1 finding all of the Messier objects over any period of time (even Marsapalooza – The Return Amazon “Smiles” on the years), if you keep records. Just start a Messier notebook; for each of the Red Planet Observatory object you can record the date and 9 pm at the Observatory time you saw it, what kind of April 10, 11, and 12 instrument you used (i.e., type and aperture of telescope or By Dean Regas binoculars), and a brief description By Craig Niemi The Red Planet is back. Mars, of it. Many people find it fun and always a crowd favorite, will be Amazon will donate 0.5% of the useful to sketch each object, as this the featured planet for a three- price of your eligible purchases to forces you to observe it more night viewing extravaganza called Cincinnati Observatory Center carefully. Marsapalooza. whenever you shop on Amazon Here is a website with pictures Smile. and information about each object Amazon Smile is the same in the Messier catalogue: Amazon you know. Same http://messier.seds.org/?civicrm_in products, same prices, same stall_type=wordpress service. Next time you shop at The Astronomical League has a Amazon simply start at http://smile.amazon.com/ch/31- Messier observing program: you 1665954 can win a Messier Program Certificate if you observe most or all of the Messier objects. Here is FOTO Kids and the Astronomical League website: The Observatory will open its FOTO Teens http://www.astroleague.org/al/obsc doors and telescopes to the public lubs/messier/mess.html. while Mars is at its closest for the By Aashi Mital I hope you all have a chance to year. There will be classes about get out and enjoy the night sky. Mars, tours of the buildings, and We had a brilliant time in March See you at our next FOTO viewing through the historic 1845 doing our very own Messier meeting, on Monday April 14! and 1904 telescopes (weather Marathon! Between the clear skies permitting). The Moon and and all of your energy, we were Jupiter will also be observed. Cost: thinking about carrying on until Museums and Historic Sites $7 per person. Reservations are the early hours of the morning, required for April 10 and 11 by regardless of the chilly air. It of Greater Cincinnati calling 513-321-5186. No seems like most of us are ready for a spring full of fresh air, plenty of reservations are needed for sunshine and Mars! The Red Saturday, April 12. Planet reaches opposition in April and will be dominating the night Planning Meeting skies in no time. Gear up FOTO Kids because By Michelle Gainey we’re bringing “Mars Night” to MHS of Greater Cincinnati is The next FOTO Planning Meeting you at the Observatory for our currently comprised of over 30 is scheduled for Thursday, April next meeting! We’ll be learning all participating sites across Greater 24, 6 pm at the Observatory. The about the fourth planet and you’ll Cincinnati. Each site offers a planning meetings are open to all get a chance to see it with your unique perspective on local history FOTO members. We encourage very own eyes through a telescope and culture through public your participation in the (if the weather works with us). See you at the “O” in the Herget programs, exhibits, lectures, and discussion of future FOTO Building on Friday, April 4th at 8 activities. tours. pm. 2 or when I share that view with one 50 For 50! UC Communiversity of our visitors. By Aashi Mital That personal “first light”, the Enrich Your Life with term given to the first time you The Cincinnati Preservation Quality Courses view through a telescope, is Association’s contest is heating up. especially powerful now that April is here and we’re about to celebrate the Observatory’s First Light Night. On April 14, 1845, in the gray of a lingering twilight, Mitchel took his In fact, things have gotten so hot first look through the great Cincinnati that they’ve extended the contest Equatorial Refracting Telescope. He th until April 30 ! The competition is saw the Moon, "her mountain heights, getting tight and we need to keep her rocky precipices and her dells", making headway, as other sites are th Jupiter, "globe of surpassing quickly closing the gap. The higher April 21 7-9p Behind the Scenes splendor", the Saturnian system, "the up on the list we are, the greater th mind over whelmed in wonder and the presence of the Observatory in May 12 8-10p Stargazing 101 astonishment." the regional area. If we are high th enough on the list, we will be part May 14 7-9p Mysteries of the Universe We hope you can come out on of an upcoming exhibit on Sunday, April 13th between 8 and historical preservation the CPA is All classes $22 per person (+ any 10 pm for the Observatory’s first opening this coming fall. So light celebration. materials fees.) To register contact remember to tell your family, Enjoy the fascinating story of UC Communiversity at 513-556- friends and co-workers to cast the unique cast of characters who their votes! 6932, www.uc.edu/ce/commu.html put Cincinnati first on the For those of you haven’t heard, astronomical map. We’ll have the Cincinnati Observatory has Craig’s Corner tours, telescope viewing (if clear) been submitted as an entry for the and astronomical Q&A. Cincinnati Preservation By Craig Niemi I hope your every visit to the Association’s “50 FOR 50!” Observatory is memorable! Contest. They are celebrating their Imagine my surprise when I 50th Anniversary by selecting the stepped out the other night, and top 50 buildings and historical high overhead was the brilliant New Star Gazers Report sites that make Cincinnati unique. planet Jupiter. Not that it was a How do you vote? The contest newcomer to the night sky; it had is through Facebook, but you just spent most of the past 2 couple don’t need to have Facebook to of months hidden behind clouds. vote. All you have to do is go to: After such a long and cloudy (https://www.facebook.com/pag winter is was nice to see the king es/Cincinnati-Preservation- of the planets again. It always Association/185964090342?v=app takes me back to my start in _448952861833126&rest=1).