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Last meeting
by Terry Barker
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Share table:
- Ken Wilson brought in star charts and ISS reports for the
month, along with a handout on the Geminids Meteor Shower. This year, 75
or more meteors per hour or more, are expected.
- Chris McCann has created a handout, that he will try to have at
every meeting, of upcoming sky events. It will show what planets are
viewable, the current constellations, and the prominent galaxies, star
clusters, etc. in the sky.
- Jim Blowers had a copy of Timothy Ferris's new book, Seeing In
the Dark.
Reports:
- Malvern Hill -- cold and foggy, no attendees.
- SMV Skywatch - clouded out.
- John Barnett reported on a skywatch at James River Park, west
of town on Rt. 60. It's a very nice site, with skies slightly darker
than our Powhatan site.
Observatory:
- John Raymond has installed a new computer at the observatory,
and it is up and running.
Skywatches:
- Godwin High School scheduled a skywatch in December, but was clouded
out. They are in the process of rescheduling, but I haven't heard
anything yet.
Visitors:
- Introduced by Grace Suttle: Karen Langley--welcome!
Tom Bernhardt gave the main presentation,
showing slides of a recent trip to Mauna Kea, Hawaii, and the complex of
telescopes at the peak. The twin Keck Telescopes, the largest optical
telescopes on earth, were highlighted.
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Coming events
by Terry Barker
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We have several skywatches coming up.
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Powhatan report
by Tom Kunsitis
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I arrived on-site at about 2030 EST for what should
be my last astronomy of
2002. Conditions were fair with a limiting magnitude of just about
5.0
looking at Ursa Minor. Sporadic high-altitude clouds came in from
the
south about an hour into the session. Seeing was also not
particularly
good with the air not being very steady. The temperature was at
about 30 F
when I arrived on-site and dropped to about 25 F by session's end.
There
was a moderate frost throughout the evening. However, conditions were
adequate for some very good astronomy.
I was one among three astronomers at Powhatan last night. Besides
my 13"
Dobsonian we had a 10" Newtonian and a 3" refractor.
The 10" telescope was equipped with an image intensifier. The
image
intensifier is essentially a night scope similar to those used by the
military. Everything is shown in shades of green. When it
was turned on
the Horsehead Nebula it was possible to see it without using any averted
vision. I have caught glimpses of the Horsehead in my 13"
scope under
excellent conditions using a UHC filter. The view with the image
intensifier in the 10" under fair conditions far exceeded what I
had seen
before.
I started my own observing by finding NGC 1316 and 1317. These
galaxies
are in the same eyepiece field. They are in Fornax would be
spectacular
objects if they were further north. I spotted them when they were
at
maximum altitude which was only about 15 degrees. Even from
Powhatan they
were both bright and easily seen. NGC 1316 is 8th magnitude while
NGC 1317
is about 11th magnitude. NGC 1310 is in the same field. It
is smaller and
about a magnitude and a half fainter than NGC 1317. I did not pick
it out
before clouds moved in from the south.
I also saw NGC 1032. This is an almost edge-on galaxy in Cetus.
It is
small and took 150x to really show well. It is very near the much
brighter
galaxy M77.
With clouds moving in from the south, I moved north to Cassiopeia.
I was
able to pick up the open star clusters NGC 129 and 225. NGC 129 is
remarkable only for the bright triangle of stars in the center.
NGC 225 is
a small cluster of only a little more than 20 stars which are all of
about
the same brightness.
Much more interesting than that was NGC 457 also in Cassiopeia.
This is
the "ET" cluster. It is cross-shaped with two bright
stars on one
end. The bright stars make up the eyes and the other branches make
up the
arms and legs of ET. This cluster looked particularly good in the
3"
refractor.
With the air being unsteady, neither Jupiter nor Saturn showed much
detail. However, Saturn was close enough to M1 so that is was
possible to
see Saturn and the Crab Nebula simultaneously with a low-power eyepiece.
At about midnight, with clouds increasing and an imminent moonrise, we
packed up and headed home.
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Powhatan report #2
by Bill Dickinson
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I arrived at about 6:00pm to find Eric Shelton and
his 18" already
setup and ready for observing. Unfortunately not long after I setup
my 16" up some mid-level clouds rolled in. The next few hours
were
spent waiting for the clouds to pass by, adjusting scopes and
telling old astronomy "war stories".
We did mange to catch a few clear sections of the sky with the NLM a
solid 6.0 and the seeing a surprising 7 out of 10. Some nice views
of Saturn, M 1, and the three Messier objects in Auriga; M 36, M 37,
and M 38 - I like to call them "The Trio". These open clusters
are
easy to find and some of the most beautiful in the sky. M 37 is the
richest of the three and is a pleasing object in almost any scope.
We decided to call it a night at about 8:30pm.
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ATM group
by John Raymond
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Three attendees of the telescope parties have bought
telescopes since the last party on Dec 15, a result of being able to see and
use real scopes in an informal setting.
An astronomer from Fredericksburg is planning on bringing an antique
refractor to show Jan 18th. Here is part of the e-mail he sent:
"...built by a group including Mr. Thomas Wilbur Stone. I
recently aquired an antique 4.5" f/15 refractor that was made by
Mr.Stone-one
of the early members and Presidents of the RAS. I am trying to find out as
much
as I can about him and the telescopes he made."
I will bring some photos of this scope to the RAS meeting on the 13th.
You can contact John at 275-6008 or raymondj@prodigy.net.
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Hunt for Planets with Dr. Geoff Marcy at W.M. Keck Observatory
from Astronomical Society of the
Pacific (ASP)
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The Astronomical Society of the
Pacific (ASP) is very pleased to announce an event which will be of great
interest to your club members: a fundraising auction to be held in
mid-January on eBay for an observing night at the W.M. Keck Observatory in
Hawai'i with internationally renowned astronomer and extrasolar planet
hunter, Dr. Geoff Marcy. To sign up for auction notification and see
complete details, visit http://www.astrosociety.org.
Auction proceeds will support the ASP's nationwide education programs,
and five percent of the winning bid will be donated to the astronomy club
of the winner's choice in support of local community outreach programs.
We provide the following release in the hope that you will forward it to
your club members via your newsletter or email distribution list. Press
contact: Bob Naeye, Editor, Mercury magazine, 415-337-1100 ext. 108,
rnaeye@astrosociety.org.
HUNT FOR PLANETS WITH DR. GEOFF MARCY AT W.M. KECK OBSERVATORY
The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) announces a unique
fundraising auction - an observing night at the W.M. Keck Observatory in
Hawai'i with internationally renowned astronomer Dr. Geoff Marcy.
The highlight of the five day/four night trip for two is a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend a night in the Keck I control room
with Dr. Marcy and his team during one of his scheduled observing runs in
2003. Dr. Marcy will host dinner that evening, and the winner will be able
to sleep overnight at the VSQ (Visiting Scientists' Quarters), which is
open only to astronomers. The auction package includes round trip airfare
for two, resort accommodations, car rental, meals, and a behind-the-scenes
VIP tour of the W.M. Keck Observatory conducted by a Keck staff member.
Potential bidders can visit the ASP Web site at http://www.astrosociety.org
immediately to get full information and to be notified exactly when the
auction will begin. The auction will be held in mid-January 2003 on eBay.
The winner can schedule the trip to coincide with any of Dr. Marcy's
scheduled observing nights in 2003. During first half of 2003 the dates
are: February 15, May 17, June 12-15, July 7 and July 11-13. The observing
schedule for the second half of 2003 will be published in June 2003.
The Keck I and II twin 10-meter telescopes are the world's largest optical
telescopes, located at the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of
Hawai'i, at an altitude of 13,796 feet. The observatory headquarters,
Visiting Scientists' Quarters, and control rooms are located in Waimea, at
about 2,500 feet.
Dr. Marcy, of the University of California, Berkeley, and his research
team are the world's premier planet hunters, having uncovered more than
seventy of the approximately 100 extrasolar planets found to date. The
team monitors the spectra of over 1,200 stars and recently found a
planetary system that bears some resemblance to our own, with a planet in
an orbit similar to Jupiter's orbiting a Sun-like star.
"I'm looking forward to observing with the auction winner as we
continue our search for extra-solar planets," said Dr. Marcy.
"Every time you have the privilege to point one of the giant Keck
telescopes skyward it feels like you're embarking on an epic voyage of
discovery. You feel a kinship with Galileo, Tycho Brahe, Kepler, Newton,
Hubble and so many others driven to explore the boundaries of the
universe. And, on a practical level, the auction is a wonderful way to
contribute to the ASP's programs that build science literacy, inspire
kids, and nurture the next generation of scientists and astronomers."
The auction is a fundraising event for the ASP's nationwide education
programs. These include The Universe in the Classroom, a free, Web-based
newsletter for teachers, the Society's Web site with extensive resources
for educators, Project ASTRO astronomer/teacher partnerships in cities
around the country, and the Society's public information program, which
responds to thousands of information requests every year from students of
all ages.
"The ASP wishes to express its gratitude to Dr. Marcy and to the
staff of the W.M. Keck Observatory for making this unique fundraising
event possible. We simply can't thank them enough," said Michael
Bennett, ASP Executive Director.
"Furthermore, the ASP is pleased to donate five percent of the
winning bid to the amateur astronomy club of the winner's choice,"
added Bennett. "We want to demonstrate our support for the amateur
astronomy community and their important outreach and educational
efforts."
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