November First Light Newsletter1 message

November, 2014 Issue 124

AlachuaAstronomyClub.org

Astronomical League's pin for Binocular Double StarProgram.

Astronomical League's pin for the Bright Nebula

North Central Florida's

Amateur Astronomy Club

Serving Alachua County since 1987

Member Member

Astronomical League

MemberNASA Night Sky Network

Observing Program

Inventing Astrophotography:

Capturing Light Over TimeBy Dr. Ethan SiegelNASA Space Place

We know that it’s a vast Universe out there, with our Milky Way representing just one drop in a cosmicocean filled with hundreds of billions of galaxies. Yet if you’ve ever looked through a telescope with yourown eyes, unless that telescope was many feet in diameter, you’ve probably never seen a galaxy’s spiralstructure for yourself. In fact, the very closest large galaxy to us, the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), wasn’tdiscovered to be a spiral until 1888, despite being clearly visible to the naked eye! This crucial discoverywasn’t made at one of the world’s great observatories, with a world-class telescope, or even by aprofessional astronomer; it was made by a humble amateur to whom we all owe a great scientific debt.

Beginning in 1845, with the unveiling of Lord Rosse’s 6-foot (1.8 m) aperture telescope, several of thenebulae catalogued by Messier, Herschel and others were discovered to contain an internal spiralstructure. The extreme light-gathering power afforded by this new telescope allowed us, for the first time, tosee these hitherto undiscovered cosmic constructions. But there was another possible path to such adiscovery: rather than collecting vast amounts of light through a giant aperture, you could collect it overtime, through the newly developed technology of photography. During the latter half of the 19th Century,the application of photography to astronomy allowed us to better understand the Sun’s corona, the spectraof stars, and to discover stellar and nebulous features too faint to be seen with the human eye.Working initially with a 7-inch refractor that was later upgraded to a 20-inch reflector, amateur astronomerIsaac Roberts pioneered a number of astrophotography techniques in the early 1880s, including“piggybacking,” where his camera/lens system was attached to a larger, equatorially-mounted guide scope,allowing for longer exposure times than ever before. By mounting photographic plates directly at thereflector’s prime focus, he was able to completely avoid the light-loss inherent with secondary mirrors. Hisfirst photographs were displayed in 1886, showing vast extensions to the known reaches of nebulosity inthe Pleiades star cluster and the Orion Nebula.

But his greatest achievement was this 1888 photograph of the Great Nebula in Andromeda, which we nowknow to be the first-ever photograph of another galaxy, and the first spiral ever discovered that wasoriented closer to edge-on (as opposed to face-on) with respect to us. Over a century later, Andromedalooks practically identical, a testament to the tremendous scales involved when considering galaxies. If youcan photograph it, you’ll see for yourself!

Astrophotography has come a long way, as apparent in the Space Place collection of NASA stars andgalaxies posters at http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/posters/#stars.

Great Nebula in Andromeda, the first-ever photograph of another galaxy. Image credit: Isaac Roberts,taken December 29, 1888, published in A Selection of Photographs of Stars, Star-clusters and Nebulae,Volume II, The Universal Press, London, 1899.

Star Parties, Schools, Public Outreach & Goings-Onby Contributing Editors of First Light

Rosemary Hill Star Partyby Ivo Rabell

The Star Party October 25th at Rosemary Hill Observatory was A SPECTACULARNIGHT !!! We had great skies and a great site for observing.

We had quite the turn out. Cohen's arrived first, with gate key (thank you Howard!) Theyset up a 127 mm Televue and were there till the end, even though Marian was a bittired. I'm SURE Howard appreciates her sacrifice. Howard was doing some photography

and admiring the nebulosity around the Pleiades and will hopefully, as he always does, share his imageswith us.

Terry Smiljanich set up his 4 1/2 " (not 4") refractor, which requires a bit of muscle. He spent a good bit ofthe evening searching for, and finding Uranus. Then was unimpressed with his find. The fun was in thesearching and we were impressed that he found it!

Then we had galaxy crazy Tass Karahalios with his Celstron C-6 finding so much "stuff" that my head wasliterally spinning to half way keep up.

Laura Wright and Paul Coia brought their Vixen 102 mm on a Celestron VX mount, and they had left thecounter weight at home!! I think most of us have left an important something or other at home andmentally castigated ourselves for an entire viewing night. As Mike Toomey (who was not in attendancelast night) has told me on occasion, make a LIST!!! Yes, Mike, we all need to make a list.

So, Laura drowned her sorrows in cookies, and Paul got to enjoy viewing through other scopes. Hey,Paul, maybe you should check out my DOB, no weights needed (just kidding, but I do like my dob!).

Joe and Gay Haldeman showed up with Chuck and Judy Broward, along with a 90 mm Questar F7refractor. That little group had some wine refreshments going on. I think Chuck had a head start with thewine, because I caught him trying to tie up a set of binoculars with rope. He claims he was tying them to aviewing stand.... I’ve got pictures, you be the judge.

We had many come with just an anticipation of a great sky, some with cameras and some with binoculars(none of them were using rope!). John & Cheryl Troupe, Ed Honkus, James Quinlan, Robert Jacobs, DonRosen, Charlie Jarman, ML and others.

Long lost HA & Marlene Grabbe showed up with their 8" DOB. We all thought that they moved out of thecountry, but no, they've just been busy people. HA won't set up next to me anymore. I think because lasttime we were at Rosemary I had a lot of fun showing him where things were in the sky, him telling me Iwas wrong, then telling me I was right...Fun times...I'll just let them set up first next time and park myselfnext to them.

Then Larry Friedberg showed up with his smooth talking, ladies man of an Uncle. I showed him the moon(in the sky, Larry!) with earthshine through my DOB, he was impressed. Larry also brought some greatsandwiches that I guilted him into sharing with me (thanks Larry!). He also brought his GPS enabled I padwith Puniverse and it seemed to work well.

Speaking of food, JoAnn Stevener, after much pleading and begging, provided her club renowned deviledeggs. And if your night vision or nose was good enough there was a table stacked up with goodiesbrought by all.

Late in the evening, Ruby Montoya-Ospina, husband, and enthused kids stopped by after an all dayer ofsoccer games in Jacksonville. The boys insisted that they stop by on the way home, because the last starparty was cancelled due to weather, and somehow mom was responsible for that, so she needed to makeup for it by coming to Rosemary last night. Why is everything mom's fault? I think that the short time thatthey were there was really enjoyed and I'm sure the kids thanked their parents for coming by (?).

Even later in the evening, Patrick Norby ended his Saturday evening date at Rosemary Hill under thestars. How's that for romantic.

Last, but definitely not least was Richard Hennig with his 12" Orion DOB. WOW.... just one word.... WOW!My vote for the best view of the night was the Veil Nebula through his scope with filter...WOW!!! Thankyou Richard for letting us view through your scope last night. Makes me almost, not quite, almostashamed of the plan Tass and I had that involved disabling Richard with a blow to the knees, grabbing hisscope, and running down the hill with it. Richard didn't seem too concerned and was rather hoping we'd tryit for the comic relief it would provide the group.

We had seen a few meteors streak by throughout the evening, and as the party broke up between 11 pmand midnight, the few that were left saw a spectacular fireball fly by. Tempted a few of us to hang aroundawhile, but the temperature were dropping and we were getting dewed up, or Marian was using her spraymister on everyone to get Howard to pack up.

In closing, thank you again Dr. Franciso Reyes for the wonderful viewing opportunity!

Halloween Goings-On

Former AAC president Bob Lightner reports a unique way to celebrate Halloween:

Every year I set up my telescope in the front yard and sit with a bowl of candy (and our kittycat), waiting for trick or treaters. Here's a rather poor "selfie" taken last night from my frontyard . . . the kids get to look through the scope, I use my green laser pointer to show themconstellations and other items of interest. Lastly, I let them hold a meteorite . . . before givingthem candy.

November Public Meeting

November 11, 7pmFlorida Museum of Natural History

"Resurrecting the Planet that Never Was"

Join us for an exciting and interesting evening with AAC member andour speaker for the evening Howard L. Cohen, Associate ProfessorEmeritus, Department of Astronomy, University of Florida.

Synopsis: The discovery of Planet X was controversial, its properties apuzzle, its place among the planets debated and its status demoted.Yet this remote object has now become the focus of an historicmission to explore a new class of objects in a far zone of the solar

system. The New Horizons mission to "Planet X" (a.k.a. Pluto) and the Kuiper Belt is the first to visit a newplanet in more than 30 years, making Pluto the last "planet" in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft.Now after a long eight-year cruise since its launch in January 2006, the New Horizons Spacecraft is deepin interplanetary space expecting to encounter Pluto and its satellites on its expected flyby in July of nextyear. Therefore, this is the time to recap what is known about this so-called "dwarf planet" before NewHorizons provides the first detailed glimpse of the "planet that never was."

This presentation will review the controversial discovery of "Planet X" including a rare glimpse of Pluto'sdiscovery plate and its protective envelope with the handwritten words of its discover, Clyde Tombaugh.Learn what role a clever 11-year-old girl played in the discovery. Not versed in celestial mechanics? Noproblem. Simple diagrams will help everyone understand its remarkable orbit. Then find out why earlyperceptions of this new world placed it among the major planets. Finally, discover how new observationsand ideas eventually showed this perplexing object is not only a seemingly small rock-ice world but also a"double planet" attended by a surprising retinue of satellites. What will New Horizons reveal when itreaches Planet X before heading into even deeper space? Next July will tell.

For a full schedule of upcoming events, please visit the Club's Event Calendar.

October Eclipses Astonish Alachua Astronomy Club

Two eclipse occurred this past month! The first, a total eclipse of the moon, happened early on themorning of October 8th. The second, a partial eclipse of the sun, was visible late in the afternoon onOctober 23rd. Dr. Howard Cohen obtained photos of both celestial events!

October 8 Lunar Eclipse October 23 Solar Eclipse

NEVERLOOK AT

THE SUN UNLESS YOU ARE USINGAN APPROPRIATE, SAFE VIEWING METHOD

(Visit Sky & Telescope web page for more information)

Andy, Cathy, and Jessica Howell watch the solar eclipse from Paynes Prairie(Photo by Gainesville Sun)

Tim & Joanne Malles and Chuck & Judy Broward observe the solar eclipse at Paynes Prairie (Photo by Andy Howell)

New members since September 1!

Robin CastellanosMichael KouskoutisGregory MullaleyHoang NguyenN. William RitzSusan SorrellCheryl TroupeJohn Troupe

President First Light Newsletter Editor

Andy Howell

Laura Wright

Get out and vote! No, I don't meanthe congressional elections onNovember 4th; I mean the AlachuaAstronomy Club elections onNovember 11th. When we meet7pm that evening at the FloridaMuseum of Natural History, we'll beelecting a new slate of officers for

Alachua Astronomy Club. The list of candidatescurrently reads:

President Andy Howell Vice President Ivo Rabell Secretary Frances Seiler Treasurer Paul Coia Board Member Pam Mydock Board Member Chuck Broward Board Member Lisa Eager

Additional nominations from the floor may be madeat the November meeting. You must be a memberto serve as an officer or vote at the meeting.

Coordinator positions still open include PublicPrograms, Club Equipment, and Webmaster. If youhave an interest in any of these positions, pleaselet us know at volunteer@alachuaastronomyclub.org.

There is no public meeting in December. Instead,we'll have our annual Holiday Party, the 27th inthe history of Alachua Astronomy Club! Mark andCindy Barnett have graciously agreed to host theparty again this year. We're hoping to see a greatturnout from old and new members, especiallythose who joined this year. The Holiday Party willbe December 6th, 6-10pm at the Barnett residencein NW Gainesville. Please RSVP whether you planto attend the party at the AAC web page. Please letus know what food dish you will bring, and howmany guests are coming. There will be great food,games, our traditional astro slide quiz, and fun!

RSVP for Holiday Party HERE

The annual Starry Night is November 14th at theFlorida Museum of Natural History. This is one of

As I research additional observingprograms through the AstronomicalLeague, it is clear that their websiteassists new and seasonedastronomers with professionalresources and vast information aboutthe night sky and beyond.

The two programs that caught my eye this monthwere the Binocular Double Star and the BrightNebula Observing Programs.

The Binocular Double Star Program requires theuse of binoculars so this program is for observerswho are rewarded with a simplistic approach."Other observers ready to set aside their bulkytelescopes for the freedom of viewing the heavenswith binoculars will rediscover the wide field gloryof the night sky". This program is different from theDouble Star Program which uses a telescope forobservation.

A list of 120 of the finest binocular double andmultiple stars and star pairs is in Appendix A onthe program web page and any 50 may be chosento qualify for the certificate. Appendix B spells outadditional information about the use of binocularsto observe double stars.

The Bright Nebulae Observing Programcoordinator Vincent S. Foster's introductionwelcomes observers. "Bright nebulae areinterstellar clouds of gas and dust where stars areborn and have died. Their complex shapes andrich colors make them objects of great interest andbeauty to amateur astronomers. If you do notalready have an appreciation of these magnificentobjects, it is hoped that this program will inspireyou to study them and gain an understanding ofstellar evolution."

Foster goes on to say that "bright nebulae, alsocalled diffuse or Galactic nebulae, occur in twomain classes depending on their source ofillumination: emission and reflection, although theyoccasionally are a combination of the two. Muchless common is a third type of bright nebula, thesupernova remnant." (The reference to any quotedmaterials in the first part of this article is from theAL’s website. www.astroleague.org)

In Ted Forte's article Are Observing Programs forYou, in the July 2014 Sky and Telescope he saysthat "the most popular observing program, by far,is the Messier Program. In fact it has becomealmost a rite of passage in some astronomy clubsand is, more often than not the first programattempted." Check out the rest of the article for lotsof information about observing programs.

Visit the Astronomical League’s website for all of

the largest outreach events of the year for AlachuaAstronomy Club. Over 1,000 visitors are expected.Heck, if weather is clear, half of Gainesville will bethere, elbowing to the front of lines to look throughAAC telescopes! NEED VOLUNTEERS to bringand operate telescopes!

Register for Starry Night HERE

their observing programs and challenge yourself tolearn more about your hobby and have fun doingit. Any questions please contact me and as thenew ALCOR and I will do my best to assist.

Best regards,Laura

The Night Sky During November

From the One-Minute AstronomerUsed with permission.

Mercury

The perpetual Newtonian dance of the solar systemcarries Saturn and Mars out of view this month asthey set in the western sky not long after the Sun.They are replaced by Jupiter, which reaches highoverhead in the early-morning sky, and by Mercurybright and low in the east before sunrise during thefirst week of the month. For observers lucky enoughto enjoy very dark sky, the zodiacal light thrustsstraight above the eastern horizon in the earlymorning (for northern observers) and early evening(for southern observers). And the famous Leonidmeteor shower peaks in the early-morning hours ofNovember 17. Here’s what to see in the night skythis month . . .

1-7 November. Mercury reaches greatestelongation from the Sun on November 1 and

remains well-positioned for viewing in the eastern sky before dawn until November 7. The planet reachesmagnitude -0.6 and appears half-lit in a small telescope. The planet plays cat and mouse with the slightlyfainter white star Spica in the constellation Virgo.

Mercury near Spica in the pre-dawn sky on November 4, 2014.

6 Nov. Full Moon, 22:23 UT. (“Beaver Moon” or “Frosty Moon”)

14 Nov. Last Quarter Moon, 15:16 UT.

14 Nov. Jupiter reaches greatest western quadrature, the point at which it lies 90º west of the Sun as seenfrom Earth. The planet rises near midnight by mid month and lies well overhead in the “Sickle of Leo” in theearly morning hours. The planet reaches a brilliant magnitude -2.2 by month’s end.

Jupiter and the Moon near the "Sickle of Leo" on November 15, 2014.

17 Nov. Look for the Leonid meteor shower early this morning. The Moon is not around to obscure faintmeteors, so this is a good year to see the Leonids. Look for 15-20 meteors per hour. They can appearanywhere in the sky, but they trace their path back to a point in the constellation Leo. The Leonids areusually modest in number. But they have been known to surprise to the upside.

18 Nov. Saturn disappears from the evening sky as it reaches conjunction with the Sun. The planet movesslowly into the morning sky over the rest of November.

22 Nov. New Moon, 12:32 UT.

23 Nov. Algol at minimum, 03:24 UT. Normally, this famous eclipsing binary star shines at magnitude 2.1,but every 2.867 days, it dips to magnitude 3.3. It takes just 3-4 hours for it to fade, which the eye can easilyfollow by watching every 20 or 30 minutes. Then watch Algol rise back to maximum brightness! In the chartbelow, Algol is left of center. Comparison star magnitudes (with decimal points omitted) are also indicated.

Finding Chart for Algol (Beta Persei)click to enlarge

25 Nov. Look for Mars near the waxing crescent Moon after sunset in the southwest. The planet shines at1st magnitude and spends most of the month in Sagittarius. It’s too far to give up much detail in atelescope.

29 Nov. First Quarter Moon, 10:06 UT.

30 Nov. Venus slowly makes an appearance in the western sky, setting not long after the Sun all month.Though it shines at magnitude -3.6, the planet is hard to see in the twilight sky without a pair of binoculars.

Copyright © 2014 Alachua Astronomy Club, Inc. All rights reserved. Contact email: FirstLight@alachuaastronomyclub.org

Alachua Astronomy Club, Inc.P.O. Box 141591Gainesville, FL 32614-1591

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