NOVANEWSLETTEROFTHEVANCOUVERCENTRERASC VOLUME2020ISSUE4JULYAUGUST2020 Barry Shanko 1960-2020 by Chris Gainor Barry Shanko, who served for in 1986 and served in that position fore his birthday on May 2, the cause more than three decades as Vancou- until 2016, when he was obliged to was deemed to be renal failure. ver Centre’s Speaker Coordinator, step down due to his need for kidney Barry graduated from John Oli- passed away unexpectedly at the end dialysis. In February last year, Barry ver Secondary School in Vancouver of April, just days before what would received a kidney transplant, and his in 1978, and studied electronics at have been his 60th birthday. Vancouver Community Col- The news of Barry’s passing lege and later writing at Lan- saddened many people at the gara College and Simon Fraser Vancouver Centre and else- University. where. “Barry had an amaz- Starting in 1994, his sci- ing talent for reaching up and ence writing appeared in catching the stars,” said Scott publications including Air McGillivray, who followed and Space Smithsonian, Barry as Speaker Coordina- Spaceflight, Quest: The His- tor. “He’d call up Nobel Prize tory of Spaceflight Quarterly, winners and the most senior Astronomy Now, and space. researchers at nasa, somehow com. As a technical writer, he convince them to visit our lit- produced online help guides, tle club in Vancouver.” user guides, training materi- Barry received the Van- als, iso/Work instructions couver Centre Appreciation and marketing materials. His Award in 1991 and 2008, and training manual won an award he was to receive the rasc at the 2009 competition of the President’s Award at the time of the improving health allowed him to re- Society for Technical Communica- 2020 Virtual General Assembly in turn to Vancouver Centre activities. tion, Canada West Chapter. June. After he died in his Marpole apart- Over the years, Barry lived with the He became Speaker Coordinator ment at the end of April, shortly be- continued on page 6 JULY 9 SFU SEPTEMBER 10 SFU A selection of short talks on astropho- Speaker TBA. See Meetup for up- tography followed by a Trivia Night. NO MEETING IN AUGUST dates. Details and Zoom link on Meetup. Is the Sun Getting More Active? by J. Karl Miller Recently (June 28), I set up June 28. if the force of the ejections are my Lunt solar-observations-on- The diameter of the Sun is 104 strong enough, this material will ly telescope (below—it contains times that of Earth. If you men- disperse into space. The Earth is the proper Hydrogen-alpha tally string 104 Earths across the often in the path of such materi- light filters to cut the sunlight Sun and compare the size of the al; northern and southern lights to the correct, safe level). I was prominences in the picture, it are one effect. There are also hoping to see some activity. In becomes obvious that the prom- interferences with wireless com- the last couple of years there has inences easily exceed the size of munications and power grids. been very little of that. We may the Earth. The hydrogen gas and Astronauts in space have to be just have gone through protected as much as a minimum of the elev- possible from this pow- en-year Sun cycle. The erful radiation. state of the solar cycle is I think that we are fi- determined by solar ob- nally entering the next servatories world-wide, solar cycle. The cycle counting the number of should actually have a sunspots over the years. 22 year length. When Looking through my sunspots appear as a solar telescope, the Sun pair, for instance, the did show a number of leading spot (in the prominences which had direction of the Sun’s also been absent for a rotation) could be mag- lengthy period. I did netic north polarity. not see any sunspots, The following spot in though. There were a the pair then has the few dark streaks; these south polarity. After are prominences which the next minimum oc- we see “from above.” curs, sunspots in the They are just like the next eleven year period ones we see at the Sun’s reverse their paired edge, but they originate relationship polarity on the surface away (south leading, north from the edge. They following). Nobody look darker because, as Lunt H-alpha telescope has a good explana- they move away from tion for the cause this the surface, they cool down and plasma of which the prominenc- characteristic. The next eleven- therefore emit a little less light. es are composed follow magnet- year period after the preceding This is obvious when looking at ic lines of force. Magnetism and two then exhibits sunspot pairs prominences at the edge of the its constant changes are a major with leading north and follow- Sun, which are also fainter than part of the Sun’s activity. I think ing south polarities again. Many the Sun’s surface. Here is a pic- of the Sun as a magnetized caul- other solar phenomena, such as ture I took of the Sun some years dron. Solar material is constant- solar flares, coronal loops, solar ago; it is similar to what I saw on ly being stirred and ejected and, continued on page 9 2 rasc-vancouver.com JULYAUGUST2020 President’s Message by Gordon Farrell When Vancouver Centre agreed business of the agm. And so it was with the featured speakers—Sara (back in late 2019) to host the that Hayley Miller and the rest of Seager, Bob McDonald, and astro- 2020 rasc GA, we couldn’t have the GA Committee began plan- naut Joshua Kutryk—but instead known what we were getting our- ning the event until it became clear of ballrooms and meeting halls, it selves into. The assumption was this would not be a typical GA was living rooms and webinars. We that this would be like other Gen- after all. But to their credit, the couldn’t all get together and remi- eral Assemblies, with fellow rasc entire team pivoted towards orga- nisce with our fellow astronomy members coming from across the nizing the first-ever Virtual GA. enthusiasts but it was still a success- country to attend lectures, see the The official business still happened ful event in these difficult times. sights, and go about the formal on the weekend of June 6th, along continued on page 4 About RASC The RASC Vancouver Centre meets at 7:30 to the Treasurer at the address below. Annual essarily those of the Vancouver Centre. PM on the second Thursday of every month at membership includes the invaluable Observer’s Material on any aspect of astronomy should SFU’s Burnaby campus (see map on page 4). Handbook, six issues of the RASC Journal, and, be e-mailed to the editor or mailed to the ad- Guests are always welcome. In addition, the of course, access to all of the club events and dress below. Centre has an observing site where star parties projects. Remember, you are always welcome to are regularly scheduled. For more information regarding the Centre attend meetings of Council, held on the first Membership is currently $89.00 per year and its activities, please contact our P.R. Director. Thursday of every month at 7:30pm in the Trot- ($52.00 for persons under 21 years of age; NOVA, the newsletter of the Vancouver tier Studio in the Chemistry wing of the Shrum family memberships also available) and can Centre, RASC, is published on odd-numbered Science Centre at SFU. Please contact a council be obtained online, at a meeting, or by writing months. Opinions expressed herein are not nec- member for directions. 2020 Vancouver Centre Officers President Gordon Farrell LPA Leigh Cummings Merchandise Kyle Dally [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Vice-President Alan Jones Dir. of Telescopes Ken Arthurs Webmaster Ken Jackson [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Secretary Suzanna Nagy Observing Robert Conrad, Ken Arthurs NOVA Editor Gordon Farrell [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Treasurer Phil Lobo Membership Suzanna Nagy, Francesca Crema Speakers Scott McGilllivray [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] National Rep. Vacant Events Coord. Hayley Miller [email protected] [email protected] Past President Leigh Cummings Librarian William Fearon Education Robert Conrad, Andrew Krysa At Large Howard Trottier, Bill Burnyeat [email protected] [email protected] Public Relations Scott McGilllivray AOMO Alan Jones Honourary President J. Karl Miller [email protected] [email protected] Library On the Internet Mailing Address The centre has a large library of books, rasc-vancouver.com RASC Vancouver Centre magazines and old NOVAs for your enjoy- astronomy.meetup.com/131/ PO Box 89608 ment. Please take advantage of this club www.facebook.com/RASC.Van 9000 University High Street service and visit often to check out the new www.instagram.com/rascvancouver/ Burnaby, B.C. purchases. Suggestions for future library @RASCVancouver V5A 4Y0 acquisitions are appreciated. JULYAUGUST2020 rasc-vancouver.com 3 Map to Meeting Site st IMPORTANT NOTICE: We ve Dri ity ers iv P P Un Our lectures have moved on- AQ line until further notice due to COVID-19 and SFU having shut Shru Lecture Hall m Scie nce Ctr P down most on-campus activities. T So o uth w Cam e pus r Rd R d We will resume our physical lec- tures at SFU once is it deemed safe to do so.