RAS News

Newsletter of RAS (Richmond Astronomical Society)
December, 2001

Visit our web site at www.richastro.org

Next meeting--Monday, Dec. 10

Last meeting
by Terry Barker

Eric Shelton brought in his copy of the new edition of Uranometra (a star catalog).

Gary Cowardin showed us a rifle spotting scope. It’s a Tasco product, and it is useful for projecting a red dot onto the sky for aiming a telescope. It’s about $30.

Ken Wilson handed out monthly star maps, ISS timings, and Iridium satellite timings. He will be giving his next How to Use a Telescope class on Jan. 5.

Sam Bruce and about a dozen members saw the aurora on Nov. 5. Jim Petty and Randy Tatum saw the flare on the sun that caused the aurora, as it occurred, two days earlier on the 3^rd. Randy caught it on video and will bring it in for us all to take a look at.

Norm Guenther invited members to join the AL’s Messier Club by finding the 110 Messier objects and recording each find on handy log sheets that he furnished.

Joe Hetmanski reported 100 people at the last SMV skywatch. No one showed at Malvern Hill.

Jim Petty discovered the remains of a small fire someone had set at the observatory. No damage was done, however.

Terry Barker had successful sywatches at Beaverdam Elementary (65 students and parents), and at Liberty Middle (about 12). Jim Petty, Gene Dick, and Mark Licata assisted—thanks, guys!

Grace Suttle greeted our visitors—Jim Langley (his first visit), Tom Kunisitis, Jerry Wyatt (second visit), Bill Beck (third), and Bill Schoeb (first). Welcome, and we hope you’ll become permanent visitors by signing up as members!

Keith Johnson invited us all to the Sayler’s Creek skywatch this Fri. night (11/16). It’s right next to the Hillman House, about 2 miles into the park.

Roger Rigby gave the short talk of the evening, showing off his Meade 8 inch LX 90.

Sam Bruce gave the main presentation, showing a video called Stargaze. It featured the best pictures taken yet by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Election results

The board elected the following officers for 2002:

Christmas party at next meeting

We'll be having our annual Christmas party during the December meeting. As most of you know, this is a pot luck affair, so please bring your favorite dish or dessert to share. Coordinate with Sue Brubaker at aviatrix@pipeline.com, 932-9347.

Sayler's Creek viewing
by Keith Johnson

We had our largest gathering of public support at the Sayler's Creek Battlefield this past Nov. 16th. The Friday night skywatch is becoming the most popular night for this local area. We will be moving the dates around so they don't always conflict with the third Friday of the month (SMV night); however, we must balance the park's schedule and ours. The park does slow its outdoor activities during the winter months. Public support was around 85 people with a a boy scout troop coming by and a party from Amelia High School, Kenston Forest School students, and two young couples from Longwood College. I had my Orion wide field 8 inch scope out as well as Kim Kenny's C-8 out. For the kids, his wife Margaret was operating the 4.5 inch Dobsonian we have modified for the kids (or shorter folks). Sites covered were the Pleiades, Aldeberan, Tepel's Nebula (Merope), the Hyades, M1, Capella, M37, M34, M38, M42, and NGC 1981, etc.

Clarity was excellent at the site for a change, as we have been rained out several times in past attempts. The milky way band and Saturn were the two sights that seemed to put several in awe when viewed through the 8 inch scopes. The dry weather was to our distinct advantage this time. The next scheduled sywatch is Dec. 14th, and will start around 6:30 till 10:00. Several newspapers are now advertising the skywatch and park officials want to set up a monthly skywatch year round. Radio stations now carry the skywatch as public service announcements.

In addition, I am talking with Appomattox Federal Park officials on creating a skywatch at the park in Appomattox for twice a year. I will let you know through future newsletters of my success. Until next time, best of skies...

Return to top

Moon-Saturn occultation
by Tom Kunsitis

I missed the beginning of the occultation expecting it to be cloudy.  At
about 2000 I took another look outside and was surprised to seem some
decent breaks in the clouds.  Using my Guide 6 star mapping program I
realized I had about a half hour to get set up to see the end of the
occultation.

I set up my 13" scope in the back yard.  I used Guide to pinpoint where
Saturn would reappear on the moon's limb.  I set my telescope at that point
at 250x.  Luckily there was a break in the clouds at the right moment.  At
2035 EST I saw the leading edge of the rings appear between the Mare
Crisium and the Mare Fecunditatis right at about the Mare Undarum.  The
planet itself and the trailing edge of the rings cleared the moon in about
90 seconds.

Saturn appears surprisingly pale when the full moon is next to it.  I was
able to see Casini's division as the rings cleared the moon.  The moon and
Saturn had to get a good distance apart before I could see Saturn naked eye.

Leonids meteors testimonials
by various

John Barnett...

Many folks came with families and scopes, and we had a fine viewing of the sky's offerings until it fogged up totally around 4:00 AM. Most of us packed out quickly, but some folks apparently hung on, hoping for a clearing. It was with much disapointment that I drove off, hoping for a clearing somewhere. Ultimately, at 5:00am, I drove out of the fog on Rt.522, about 2 miles south of Rt.250. It was totally clear to the horizon there and I pulled into a dark driveway for a view. Thus it was very gratifiying to observe the display at last, and the fog held off until 6:00 AM. I made a measured 1 minute count of 21 meteors, which gives my estimate of 1260 meteors per hour at 5:20 AM. Saw no bonafide "Fireballs" and certainly no "bolides" as I had 35 years ago in the '66 storm, but these were elegant silver - white streaks, many with sparkly passages and white trails that lingered as much as a second. Many came in groups of two, three. Some were as bright as Jupiter. There was no time to set up my scope, drive and so forth, so I laid my camera on top the car and did some random 3 to 5 minute exposures with 400 ASA film. I have loaded one of the photos on our Yahoo (Richastro) website for everyone to see.

       This was, in my opinion, the second best meteor display I've ever seen, and well worth all the hassle involved. Would that all meteor showers were as delightful!! That being said, it was a distant second to the fury of the '66 event.

Sam Whitby...

This morning I saw about thirty meteors in twenty minutes, observing from 4:10 until 4:30.  Some were brighter than first magnitude. That they radiated from Leo was easily apparent. During the forty minute drive from Hopewell to Bon Air, I saw seven more, all the time driving carefully and keeping my eyes on the road.  After I clocked in at RDC, I stepped back outside and saw four more meteors. Although I did not see a storm, I saw a very fine shower. 

Dave Thomas..

About 10 friends of mine and my family went to Luray this weekend for the Leonids. Wow! nice show. It was very clear with a limiting magnitude of 6.4 at 3:am. The numbers of meteors was at a respectable rate as early as midnight. Many very bright with lasting trains. The numbers steadily increased from 4 till 6 with, I would say, peaks at 4:45 and 5:15. I counted 681 meteors from 4:30 till 6. They came in clumps where there were easily 1 a second often 2,3 and even 5 at a time. One remember group was a matched pair that fell perfectly parallel and only about 1/4 degree apart. In all the meteors seemed on average brighter then most showers I've seen. The brightest one I saw wasn't a Leonid  It passed through the little dipper from south west to the north east. It was slow and very green, easily +8 mag. At 6:30 with bright twilight I was standing on the back porch, everyone else having gone to bed, still seeing meteors at a nice rate only the brightest stars still visible. I wished it could have gone on a little longer.

Return to top

Powhatan observing report
by Tom Kunsitis

I waited out the early evening clouds and arrived on-site at about
2040. The transparency was fair with the limiting magnitude being 5.0
based on the stars of the Little Dipper. The Milky Way was visible
overhead. However, the air was surprisingly steady for Powhatan.  It was
also dry with no dew or frost whatsoever the entire evening.

The biggest surprise of the evening was running into a group from the Stony
Point Reformed Presbyterian Church! About 13 adults and children had
gathered there to do some astronomy. They brought a 10 inch Orion
Dobsonian with them. I joined them with my 13 inch Dobsonian in an
impromptu public night.

We looked at Comet Linear 2000 WM1. This comet is still in Perseus and was
easily visible in my 8 x 50 finder.  The comet shows a head with a short
wide tail fanning out to the south.

We did the usual tour of showpiece objects. These included the Crab
Nebula, the Orion Nebula, the Andromeda galaxies, and M33 in
Triangulum. Conditions were not quite good enough to see the spiral arms
of M33 but NGC 604, which is an emission nebula similar to M42 within M33,
was plainly visible. We looked at the Veil Nebula in Cygnus. It well seen
in my telescope using a borrowed O III filter. We also looked over some
star clusters including M36 and M38 in Auriga and the Perseus double cluster.

Jupiter and Saturn were also included in the tour. Jupiter was a bit too
close to the horizon to see the cloud bands well. All four Galilean moons
were on the following side of the planet.  Saturn, as always, did not fail
to impress the crowd. The air was steady enough to show Cassini's division
completely around the rings.  Also the crepe ring was visible.

I did manage to find one new faint fuzzy last night. I was able to pick up
the 13th magnitude galaxy NGC 309 in Cetus. This galaxy is well placed for
star-hopping but has very low surface brightness. I could only see it with
averted vision. Under better conditions it would have been much easier to
see. However, at least three or four of the Stony Point group were also
able to see it last night.

We packed up and left at about 2330 as clouds were rolling in from the
northwest.

Return to top

Powhatan observing report #2
by Bill Beck

I am filing this report to encourage some of the less advanced observers
to record and report their activities.  When I read Tom's and Eric's
posts about their continuing quest for yet fainter fuzzies, it occurs to
me that its awfully easy for a novice, like myself, to become
overwhelmed by the virtuosity of our more experienced associates.  (Or
maybe it's just aperture envy.)  So here are the notes of a less
accomplished observer.

Powhatan, 11-nov-2001.  Arrived approx 19:30 - left approx 22:00.  No
other observers.  Equipment: 8" SCT.  Weather excellent.  Not a hint of
dew, temperature mid-40s and dropping.  Could see all of the little
dipper without help (and my eyes are not very good).

Still trying to track down all of Mr. Messier's objects.

M74 - I was sure I was in the right spot, but expected something a lot
easier.  A dim galaxy, no obvious structure.  Slightly brighter in the
middle than the edges.  I had to look this up when I got home to make
sure I had really found it.

Comet Linear (C/2000 WM1) in Perseus - (Thanks for the chart Tom.)  I
found this between nu and delta.  At mag 8.2, it was easier than M74,
maybe my expectations were just closer to reality.  Hint of a broad tail
pointing roughly South.

M34 - Nice open cluster in Perseus.  Much denser and brighter than
background, unlike some.  Barely fits in field of my widest, lowest
power eyepiece

M29 - Open cluster in Cygnus.  One of those opens which isn't a lot
different than background - in a very busy patch of sky.

M39 - Another open cluster in Cygnus.  Easy binocular or finder object.
Readily distinguished from background.

Return to top

Calendar

Calendar created by ImpactSoft

Return to top

Dues Renewal Form

Your RAS 2002 membership subscription is now due, if you haven't paid yours.

Please furnish the following information to the treasurer:

Name: ________________________________________________

Address: ______________________________________________

________________________________________________

Phone: _______________ (h) _________________ (w)

Email: _____________________________________________

Amount:

Return to top

Contact information

All meetings are the second Monday of the month, at the Science Museum of Virginia, 2500 W. Broad St. For more information, contact Terry Barker, 379-8175, or tbarker@i2020.net.

Board presentation months

The months that have been assigned for presentations by the board for 2001 are:

Return to top