The NOVEMBER SiderealSidereal TimesTimes 1996 THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE ALBUQUERQUE ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY P.O. BOX 54072, ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO 87153-4072 OCTOBER 26TH MEETING TO BE HELD AT THE SANTA FE COMMUNITY COLLEGE PLANETARIUM The Santa Fe Community Col- lege. Thus, leave Albuquerque quickly make the first right lege Planetarium will be the by 6 P.M.! To get to SFCC, take turn onto Rodeo Rd. Travel venue for the October 26 TAAS I-25 north, exit onto one mile east on Rodeo to the Regular Meeting. Go Go Directly to the Planetarium directly to SFCC, not Regener Hall! We will Cerrillos Rd. and head north- third stop light and turn south meet at 7 P.M.- as usual- at the east. Go past three stoplights, onto Richards Ave. Take west end, upper level of the col- past Villa Linda Mall, and Richards 2.6 miles south to the College. You will cross under I-25 on Richards south. This is a bit different from September Meeting Makes our usual Regener Hall lec- tures, but it’ll be worth the Contact with Hollywood drive. Lisa Wood will give the presentation. She will either The September 28th Regular into Jupiter’s atmosphere, VLA present one of her commercial Meeting was called to order by scientists were able to obtain shows, or her own night sky Mike Pendley at 7 P.M.. about eight minutes of wind presentation, or a little of both. Tonight’s meeting featured our speed data! The probe entered In any case, you will very Socorro TAAS members, Dave transversely to the VLA line of much enjoy a relaxing evening Finley and Jon Spargo. Dave sight, so it gave “back and under the stars indoors. Finley spoke first, and began forth” wind velocities. This was with a VLA update. First, he re- a real coup. There will be classrooms ported a negative observation open, and if possible, I will of a Gamma Ray Burster using Next Dave briefed us on up- show my photos of the recent the VLA. Dave next spoke coming missions for the VLA. lunar eclipse. I’ll have my about the VLA Sky Survey- a The Very Long Baseline Inter- scope with me for show and high resolution radio map of ferometer Astrometry research tell or observing. Everyone is the sky. This will be available should yield positional data on welcome! You’ll find this a over the Internet. Next, Dave stars of such accuracy so as to very enjoyable evening. Con- nutshelled the VLA contribu- find more planets. Recall that tact Kevin McKeown at 254- tion to the Galileo Mission. Di- Dale Frail found the first extra- 9117 or Mike Pendley at 296- rectly using the weak seven solar planet using radiometric 0549 if you have questions. watt (!) signal the atmospheric techniques! Next, Dave told us probe emitted as it parachuted Continued on Page 3 —Kevin McKeown The Sidereal Times November Issue 1996 PRESIDENT’S UPDATE Triple Trip Accomplished! New Faces and Opportunities On September 21, 1996, TAAS You may notice the Sidereal committees this month. The Nomi- members Linda Hixon, the Times looks a little different this nating Committee has the assign- Pendleys, Kevin McKeown, the month. Wade Douglas, our editor ment of selecting a slate of candi- Galthers, plus several others jour- since May, had to resign from his dates for the 1997 Board of Direc- neyed to the Alamogordo area for position so I volunteered to get the tors (see story on page 9) and the the Triple Trip. There was plenty Times out until a permanent editor Awards Committee is evaluating to do and see, and I believe only can be found. I can perform the nominations for the 1997 John Dob- the Pendleys achieved nirvana, mechanical steps necessary to put son and Lieutenant Colonel William because they toured Sunspot, Apache Point, and IMAX at the the newsletter together but I just S. Isengard awards (see story on Space Museum. don’t have the same artistic eye. page 3). Both of these committees Wade’s term as editor was short but are actively seeking member input. The Sunspot tour was kindly re- he made a big impact on the look ported to me by Linda Hixon. She and feel of the newsletter. Wade, on Gordon Pegue, who has served first saw a very good slide show, behalf of the board and the Society, as our Observatory Director for and then a tour of the vacuum so- thank you very much. quite some time, needs to resign lar telescope. The slides included from this position. Those of you a discussion of solar physics and I can continue to get the news- that know Gordon know this was a structure, and views that included letter out for a short while but we hard decision for him to make. He the solar surface in various wave- need a real editor. If you think you (and all the members of the Obser- lengths, granulation, flares, sun- spots, magnetic fields, and loops. might like this position please con- vatory Committee) have strong Linda pointed out that the highway tact me and let’s talk about it. The emotional ties to GNTO. Gordon to Sunspot is the only four digit Sidereal Times is an important part has used this position to really make numbered road in America: this is of the Society. We can’t let it go a difference in the society and he highway 6563. If you know the sig- unmanaged. will be missed. Members interested nificance, you win... nothing. Ac- in taking on the responsibility for tually, the wavelength of hydrogen The Board made two job reas- GNTO should contact me or Gor- alpha light is 6563 angstroms. By signments this month. Carl Frisch don directly. the way, the big solar telescope turned over the Telescope Curator showed no sunspots what-so-ever assignment to Robbin Pimbley and Finally, I had wanted to follow that Saturday. Bill Tondreau transferred responsi- up on last month’s ATM Corner Because Linda took the two bility of database management to with a piece on focal length and f/ hour “all you can eat” Sunspot tour, Elinor Gates. All requests to check number selection. The good sup- she missed the Apache Point tour out Society telescopes should now ply of material this month and the kindly given by astronomer Bruce be directed to Robbin and requests lack of time on my part do to put- Gillespie, and reported to me by to update membership information ting out the newsletter and prepar- Mike Pendley. I showed up a bit should be directed to Ellie. Phone ing for the Fall ATM class made this late. We first toured the 2.5 meter numbers are listed on page 10. impossible. I will make every ef- reflector that will be part of the Many thanks to Carl and Bill for fort to include it in next month’s Sloan Digital Sky Survey, which their past and future contributions edition. will start later this year. Using CCD to the Society. devices, this survey will vastly up- —Mike Pendley date the famous Palomar Sky Sur- The Board also formed two Continued on Page 6 Page 2 —The Official Newsletter of The Albuquerque Astronomical Society— November Issue 1996 The Sidereal Times who has demonstrated a clear and Contact tograph, only to learn they had asked the double! Dave admired outstanding record of sustained ac- Continued from front page Jodi Foster’s professionalism, as tivity in public education through she did her “homework” on VLA astronomy. Past recipients of this about the discovery of microwave and SETI research. Many thanks award are John Dobson (1994), Dr. lasers, or “masers” in the disk of to Dave and Jon for visiting! John McGraw (1995), and Roger galaxy NGC-4258 (M-109). A 36 Flegel (1996). million solar mass black hole may Announcements next followed. lurk in the center! Work with gravi- Robbin is the new telescope cura- The Lieutenant Colonel William tational lenses for cosmological tor, Ruth Pendley will head the purposes was next covered, and by Dobson and Isengard Award com- S. Isengard Award is presented each examining the two lensed images, mittees, and Bruce Levin the Of- year to recognize an individual’s the distance to the lensed galaxy ficer Committee. The usual social exceptional generosity to the Soci- can be determined- independent of hour wrapped up a great meeting. ety. Past recipients of this award Doppler methods! The Hubble —Kevin McKeown are Bill Tondreau (1995) and John constant, age and size of the uni- Hockemeier (1996) verse can then be determined. Work with the Hubble Deep Field using the VLA, and some notes Nominations The selection committee is ac- about determining continental drift Sought for Dobson tively soliciting nominations for using VLA radio methods was cov- these awards. Please contact any ered. Dave next gave us an enthu- and Isengard of the committee members if you siastic report of his experiences would like to nominate an indi- with the filming of “Contact” Awards vidual for either award. Phone num- (Warner Bros.), based on the Carl Each October the TAAS Board bers are listed on page 10 of the Sagan novel. Contact is about a of Directors selects a committee to newsletter. brilliant female radio astronomer- - Ruth Pendley played by Jodi Foster- who finds consider nominations for the John the first unequivocal evidence of Dobson and the Lieutenant Colo- extra-terrestrial life using the VLA. nel William S. Isengard awards. Dave reported that Hollywood is This year’s committee members are very businesslike- no glamour.