Vol. 55, No. 5 – May 2007 May 16, 2007 – General Meeting 7:00 pm Doors Open . 7:30 pm Announcements . 8:00 pm Speaker DR. AZRIEL GOLDSCHMIDT LAWRENCE BERKELEY LAB LOOKING AT THE UNIVERSE WITH DIFFERENT EYES: THE ICE CUBE HIGH-ENERGY NEUTRINO TELESCOPE Why make dozens of mile and a half deep holes in the Antarctic ice at the South Pole? Why bury in them thousands of glass spheres with light sensors? What do we hope to learn by looking for neutrinos coming from the cosmos? How can we learn about the inner workings of gamma ray bursters, supernovae or active galactic nuclei by looking for neutrinos coming from them? In this talk I will offer answers to these questions and describe how the IceCube telescope detects high‐ energy neutrinos, measures their energy and determines from where they came, thus opening a new window through which to look at our universe. Dr. Azriel Goldschmidt is a staff physicist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratoryʹs Nuclear Science division. Since 1996 he has been doing research in neutrino astrophysics, currently with the IceCube neutrino telescope at the South Pole. Originally from Argentina, Dr. Goldschmidt received his B.Sc. in physics from the Technion Israel Institute of Technology and his Ph.D. in particle physics from the University of California at Berkeley. In recent years his work has focused on the development, implementation and operation of a data acquisition system for the IceCube high energy neutrino telescope. 2007 Club Officers & Contacts Club Telescopes The SFAA owns eight very fine, easy to use, President Kenneth Frank [email protected] loaner telescopes well-suited for deep sky, Vice President Jorge Morales vicepresident@sfaa- planets, and star parties. All scopes are astronomy.org available to any SFAA member. The loaner Secretary Stefanie Ulrey [email protected] custodians for the majority of our fleet are Pete & Sarah Goldie. Please contact them at Treasurer Vivian White Treasurer1@sfaa- [email protected] for details if you are interested in astronomy.org borrowing a scope or if you have items you Speaker Chair Linda Mahan Speakerchair@sfaa- can donate for the loaner program (eyepieces, star maps/books, astronomy.org red flashlights, collimator, etc.). Please contact the appropriate member indicated below if you are interested in borrowing one of City Star Party Robert English [email protected] the telescopes. Bulletin Phil Estrin [email protected] Editor-in-Chief 1) 6" f/10.3 Dobsonian/Ken Frank [email protected] Associate Editor Annette [email protected] 2) 8" f/7 Dobsonian/Pete Goldie Gabrielli 3) 8.5" f/6 Dobsonian/Pete Goldie Telescope Loans (415) 206-9867 Pete Goldie 4) 10" f/8 Dobsonian/Pete Goldie 5) 114mm f/4 Newtonian StarBlast/Pete Goldie Honorary Director John Dobson (415) 665-4054 6) 8" f/10 Celestron SCT/Annette Gabrielli/ and Board Member [email protected] Emeritus 7) 8" f/10 Meade SCT/Stefanie Ulrey/[email protected] Board John Dillon (415) 332-8096 8) 9.5" f/5.6 Celestron Newtonian/Ken Frank/[email protected] Members Robert English (415) 383-6475 Club Astronomy Videos Citystarparty1@sfaa- astronomy.org The SFAA owns a series of astronomy Annette Gabrielli [email protected] videotapes featuring Alex Filippenko, a Dirk Lammerts (415) 242-1464 world-renowned professor of astronomy Elan Morpurgo (415) 242-1464 at UC Berkeley. The videotapes provide Michael Portuesi (415) 550-9366 an introduction to astronomy and cover topics such as the Solar System, the Peter (415) 566-6864 lifecycles of stars, the nature of galaxies, and the birth of Schumacher the Universe. The SFAA loans the tapes free to all Alternate Board Joe Amato Web-master@sfaa- members. If you are interested in viewing these tapes, you Members astronomy.net may check them out at any of the SFAA General Meetings. These tapes were kindly donated to the SFAA Lon Carter [email protected] by Bert Katzung. For information on the course tapes Webmaster Joe Amato Web-master@sfaa- themselves: astronomy.net http://www.teach12.com/ttc/assets/coursedescriptions/180.asp Membership Dues Membership is billed for each upcoming year on June 30. Members may receive no more than one bulletin after the expiration of membership. SFAA Website and Online Services The SFAA web site at sfaa-astronomy.org is provided to our members and the general public for the sharing of club information and services. The web site contains links for club star parties, events, newsletters, lectures and meetings. If you wish to interact with other people who are interested in astronomy, the SFAA web site offers public and members only bulletin board forums. If you wish to remain up-to-date on club activities, then we encourage you to subscribe to one or both of our public mailing lists, which will allow you to receive our newsletter and/or club announcements via email. Other useful and interesting information and services are available on the site such as observing location reviews, member astronomy photos, and members only telescope loans. Information about SFAA’s membership, organization and by-laws are available at the club’s online public document archive. If you need to contact a representative of the SFAA, then please visit our contacts page to help in finding the right person to answer your questions. Above the Fog is the official bulletin of the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers. It is the forum in which club members may share their experiences, ideas, and observations. We encourage you to participate by submitting your articles, announcements, letters, photos and drawings. We would also like to hear from our new members. Tell us about yourself – what you have done in the past and what other clubs you have joined. The deadline for the next issue is the 20th day of the month. Send your articles to [email protected]. FOCAL POINT As I write this column, it is almost May. I don’t what it is. Why not submit an article to Above the know about you, but for me, this year is flying by. Fog? or provide the snacks for our General We have a lot in store for the warmer, clearer, membership meeting for which you will be calmer days and nights ahead, starting with our reimbursed. Speaking of money, I’d like to point SUP Saturday on May 12 followed by the General out the hard work Stephanie Ulrey has done with Membership Meeting on May 16 with Dr. Azriel wearing the two hats of both Treasurer and Goldschmidt "Ice Cube" observatory, then Secretary. Now that Vivian White has graciously International Sidewalk Astronomy Day with legions stepped forward as Treasurer, Club business will be of Dobs and assorted telescopes set up at less burdensome for us all. Ghirardelli Square, Mt. Tam, or the sidewalk you desire on the evening of Saturday, May 19, the SLAC wasn’t slacker astronomy, but it was fun. Our John Dobson Speaker Series at the Randall on May tour leader, whose father co-discovered a 24 (telescopes requested), and the City Star Party subatomic particle, is currently doing his graduate at Lands End on Saturday, May 26, with our very studies there. Pictures are on our website. own Carter talking about “Black Holes and P- http://www.sfaa- Traps.” astronomy.org/events/annual_slactourphotos.php For June, make sure you sign up for the ever- At our meeting on April 18th, a new member, David favorite SFAA Night at Fremont Peak on June 15- Goggin, mentioned City community feedback 16th SFAA Night-Fremont Peak Last year we were meetings regarding light pollution. Fortuitously, a blessed with dark skies, low humidity and still air in few days ago I met briefly with Supervisor Aaron the high 60’s. It’s your telescope for the night, so Peskin and Mayor Gavin Newsom to express the let me know what you’d like to see. Only one SFAA’s interest in preserving the night sky. Both the caveat: the 30 inch … also your telescope Mayor and Supervisor Peskin look forward to operator … don’t like near northerly skies in the hearing from us and coming up with solutions. vicinity of Polaris; all else is fair game. Saturday is One possible way we could get the City of San public day and night. The FPOA has two club solar Francisco on the IDA bandwagon scopes for great sun viewing. I will bring the Club’s http://www.darksky.org might be to tag into PST to compare with Cheryl’s for fun. Even though http://www.sfgov.org/site/uploadedfiles/planning/ Fremont Peak is a solid two hour drive, it’s well Citywide/Better_Streets/index.htm This needs worth the experience. If you haven’t looked thru some thoughtful consideration and planning to the eyepiece of the Challenger, you’re truly submit to the Board of Supervisors in what will missing out on one of the Bay Area’s finest public eventually become, I hope, the General Plan. So telescopes. You won’t be disappointed. who would like to head up this committee??? I’ve always got to put my plug in for volunteerism. See you on the sidewalk. You the membership are the Club and make it KEN FRANK, President NEW SFAA MEMBERS Scope City is offering to new members a $25 credit toward the purchase of telescopes and binoculars. Obtain a receipt for dues payment from Vivian White, Treasurer, treasurer@sfaa‐astronomy.org. Contact Sam Sweiss at Scope City to arrange for your discount. IMPORTANT DATES SFAA GENERAL MEETINGS & LECTURES BOARD MEETINGS Wednesdays - May 16, June 20, July 18 Tuesdays - May 8, June 12, July 10 7:00 p.m.