The Skyscraper Vol. 34 no. 1 The monthly publication of The Skyscraper January 2007 January Meeting with Noah Petro FRIDAY, JANUARY 5TH AT NORTH SCITUATE COMMUNITY CENTER LUNAR GEOLOGY AND UPCOMING LUNAR MISSIONS Noah Petro, doctoral candidate at Brown university will present “Lunar Geology and Upcoming Lunar Missions.” Noah is broadly interested Amateur Astronomical Society of Rhode Island in the remote sensing of planetary surfaces and processes that modify these airless bodies. His graduate research has focused on lunar surface 47 Peeptoad Road North Scituate, RI 02857 characterization with an emphasis on quantifying regolith modifications. As part of his research he has developed a model of regolith processing www.theskyscrapers.org that has led to a unique method of determining the abundance of various President components of lunar regolith. Dave Huestis 1st Vice President DIRECTIONS TO THE COMMUNITY CENTER: From Seagrave Observatory: North Glenn Jackson Scituate Community Center is the first building on the right side going 2nd Vide President south on Rt. 116, after the intersection of Rt. 6 Bypass (also Rt. 101) and Ted Ferneza Rt. 116, in N. Scituate. Famous Pizza is on the corner of that intersection. Secretary Parking is across the street from the Community Center. Mercedes Rivero-Hudec Treasurer Allen Schenck Members at Large Jerry Jeffrey Jim Brenek IN THIS ISSUE Trustees JANUARY 2007 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 2 Richard Arnold 7:30PM January Meeting Dave Huestis Tracey Haley North Scituate Community F5RIDAY Center METEOR SHOWER 3 Librarian PROSPECTS FOR 2007 Dave Huestis Tracey Haley 7:00PM Public Observing Night Editor Seagrave Observatory, GALLERY 4 SATURDAY6 John Kocur Jim Hendrickson weather permitting SPACE WEATHER FOR AIR 5 7:00PM Public Observing Night See back page for directions to TRAVELERS Seagrave Observatory, Seagrave Observatory. Dr. Tony Phillips S13ATURDAY weather permitting Submissions TREASURER’S REPORT 6 Please submit items for the newsletter 7:00PM Public Observing Night Al Schenck by January 15 to Jim Hendrickson, 1 Seagrave Observatory, DECEMBER MEETING 7 S20ATURDAY Sunflower Circle, North Providence, RI weather permitting NOTES 02911 or email to [email protected] Mercedes Rivero-Hudec Email subscriptions: 7:00PM Public Observing Night To receive The Skyscraper by email, send Seagrave Observatory, email with your name and address to S27ATURDAY weather permitting [email protected]. Note that you will no longer receive the newsletter by postal mail. © 2007 Skyscrapers, Inc. THE SKYSCRAPER • JANUARY 2007 President’s Message Dave Huestis, President Happy New Year! During the last several months it has come to my attention that a few of our members cannot attend RHODE ISLAND our monthly meetings because they find it difficult or BROADCASTERS ASSOCIATION impossible to drive at night. To assist those members, I have already instituted a INCLEMENT WEATHER program to provide transportation to these individuals CANCELLATION PROGRAM if they so desire. This program is being dedicated to Skyscrapers 2006-7 PARTICIPATING MEMBERS member Kay Peterson, who drove our late dear friend Vivian Hartnett to our monthly meetings. We were TELEVISION indeed fortunate Viv could share her remaining years with us at Seagrave. WLNE ABC6 CW28 Two of our members from South County have www.abc6.com www.cw28tv.com already agreed to help a fellow Skyscrapers member attend our meetings. WJAR NBC10 RI PBS / Channel 36 www.turnto10.com www.ripbs.org Currently we have another member from the Cranston area (in the vicinity of the intersection of Park WPRI CBS12 WNAC FOX64 Ave. and Reservoir Ave.) who would appreciate the www.wpri.com www.fox64.com opportunity to attend our monthly meetings. If you feel you could accommodate this individual, please contact RADIO me by email and I will provide the person’s name, FM AM address and phone number. 92.3 WPRO 1590 WARV Thank you all for your consideration. www.92profm.com www.warv.net Weather/Snow Cancellation Update 93.3 WSNE 630 WPRO Rhode Island broadcasters have teamed up to www.wsne.com www.630wpro.com provide more comprehensive notification of weather/ snow cancellations or delays. 94.1 WHJY 790 WSKO www.whjy.com www.scoreamfm.com Once I provide the cancellation notice to a central system, participating broadcasters will provide the 95.5 WBRU 920 WHJJ notice. www.wbru.com www.whjjam.com Generally, the television stations will only provide cancellations for a group like Skyscrapers on their web 98.1 WCTK 1110 WPMZ sites. The radio stations will broadcast the cancellation www.wctk.com www.poder1110.com notice over the air. Here is the list of participating broadcasters. 99.7 WSKO 1180 WCNX (Jim, see attachment.) I have not verified where the www.scoreamfm.com www.wcnx1180.com cancellation notice will appear on any of the television 100.3 WKKB 1240 WOON web sites. They obviously all have different formats. www.latina1003.com www.onworldwide.com Check out your favorite station in advance to see where the closings, etc are posted. 101.5 WWBB 1290 WRNI In addition, for those of you who have email, should www.b101.com www.wrni.org I have to cancel a meeting, I will send an email as soon as I make the go/no go decision. 102.7 WAKX 1450 WLKW Don’t forget that our January, February and March www.festivaljazz1027.com www.wnbh.com meetings will be held at the North Scituate Community 105.1 WWLI 1540 WADK Center. www.litrock105fm.com www.wadk.com Our January 5 meeting will feature Noah Petro from Brown University who will talk about Lunar Geology. 106.3 WWKX 1590 WARV See you in the new year! www.hot1063.com www.warv.net 2 Meteor Shower Prospects for 2007 Dave Huestis How many meteors did you observe during to be favorable for a specific shower, by all means 2006? How many times did you actually go outside take advantage of clear skies to catch a glimpse of to look during a specific meteor shower? How many a meteor or two. And when you do see one, make a of those times was it clear? I’m not sure I can even wish for clear skies! answer all those questions. I always try to make some Let’s hope the skies are also clear for a couple of time for the major showers I report in my columns. lunar eclipses during 2007. Though two total lunar However, so far this year (I’m writing this eclipses occur, here in southern New England we column just after the Leonids were clouded out will not be fortunate to see them in their entirety. on the night of November 18-19) the clouds have The March 3rd event will be well underway spoiled many of the meteor viewing opportunities when the Moon rises above the eastern horizon. when bright moonlight didn’t. I do recall a few bright Totality begins within 15 minutes of Moon rise. A Orionids around 2:00 am on a cold October morning. second total lunar eclipse will occur on the morning Other observers who stayed out longer did catch a of August 28 in a bright pre-dawn sky, low in the few more before dawn. But 2006 is not going to be west-southwest sky. Totality will begin just before remembered for great sky watching. the Moon dips below the horizon. Location. Location. We even missed the transit of Mercury on Location! I’ll write about these two lunar eclipses in November 8. Watching it on the web is not the same a future column. as using your own telescope to view such a remarkable astronomical event. So I can DATE SHOWER MOON PHASE only hope that we will finally get some good January 3-4 Quadrantids Full Moon weather when 2007 begins. Unfortunately the Moon will pose a problem with quite a April 22-23 Lyrids Waxing Crescent few of the 2007 meteor showers. Though I usually look forward to May 5-6 Eta Aquarids Waning Gibbous starting out a new year with the fast and June 14-16 Lyrids New Moon often blue Quadrantids on January 3-4, the Full Moon will most certainly drown out all July 27-28 Delta Aquarids Almost Full but the brightest members of this display. We’ll have to wait until the April Lyrids for a July 29-30 Capricornids Full Moon chance to see more than a few shooting stars August 12-13 Perseids New Moon above the normal random pieces of debris that often plow through our atmosphere. October 20-21 Orionids Waxing Gibbous Clip and save the 2007 meteor shower prospects chart below and use it to plan your November 17-18 Leonids First Quarter observing schedule for the coming year. Even December 13-14 Geminids Waxing Crescent despite the interfering moonlight for many of these displays, if the weather promises 3 WWW.THESKYSCRAPERS.ORG Continued on page 4 THE SKYSCRAPER • JANUARY 2007 Gallery 2007 John Kocur AstroPhoto Contest MEETING WITH JIM BELL Jim Bell of Cornell University presented “Postcards From Mars” at this special meeting. Jim is the lead scientist on the Pancams that are currently operating on the rovers Spirit and Opportunity. Jim was born and raised in Warwick RI, and attended several meetings at Seagrave Observatory in his early teens. Several copies of Bell’s new book, “Postcards from Mars,” were sold and signed by Jim. HOLIDAY PARTY MEETING Running throughout 2007 will be Skyscrapers annual astrophotography content. Entries may be submitted at any time to Jim Hendrickson ([email protected]) and will appear in The Skyscraper and on the web. Prizes include eternal fame and glory in the annals of Skyscrapers history. Above: Gerry Dyck recites “A Child’s Christmas in Wales”, by Dylan Thomas.