Prime Focus (07-08)PPrime Focurime Focurime Focuss A Publication of the Kalamazoo Astronomical SocietyA Publication of the Kalamazoo Astronomical SocietyA Publication of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society
General Meeting: Friday, July 11 @ 7:00 pm
Kalamazoo Math & Science Center - See Page 10 for Details
Observing Session: Saturday, July 12 @ 9:00 pm
Delightful Double Stars - Kalamazoo Nature Center
Observing Session: Saturday, July 26 @ 9:00 pm
Super Summer Nebulae - Kalamazoo Nature Center
This Months This Months KAS EventsEvents
July 2008
Highlights of theHighlights of the July SkyJuly Sky. . .. . .
-- -- -- 11stst -- -- -- PM: Mars is PM: Mars is ¾¾º above º above Regulus, with Saturn 5º to Regulus, with Saturn 5º to the pairs upper left.the pairs upper left. Mercury reaches greatest Mercury reaches greatest western elongation (22º).western elongation (22º).
-- -- -- 22ndnd -- -- -- New MoonNew Moon 10:19 pm EDT10:19 pm EDT
-- -- -- 55thth -- -- -- PM: Waxing Crescent PM: Waxing Crescent Moon lower right of Mars, Moon lower right of Mars, Saturn, and Regulus.Saturn, and Regulus.
-- -- -- 66th th -- -- -- PM: Waxing Crescent PM: Waxing Crescent Moon left of Mars, Saturn, Moon left of Mars, Saturn, and Regulus.and Regulus.
-- -- -- 99thth -- -- -- Jupiter at opposition.Jupiter at opposition.
-- -- -- 1010thth -- -- -- PM: Mars and Saturn are PM: Mars and Saturn are within within ¾¾º of each other.º of each other. First Quarter MoonFirst Quarter Moon 12:35 am EDT12:35 am EDT
-- -- -- 1414thth -- -- -- AM: Moon within 3º AM: Moon within 3º —— 4º 4º of Antares.of Antares.
-- -- -- 1717thth -- -- -- PM: Moon rises 7º to right PM: Moon rises 7º to right of Jupiter.of Jupiter.
-- -- -- 1818thth -- -- -- AM: Moon sets 4º below AM: Moon sets 4º below Jupiter.Jupiter. Full MoonFull Moon 3:59 am EDT3:59 am EDT
-- -- -- 1818thth -- -- -- Last Quarter MoonLast Quarter Moon 2:42 pm EDT2:42 pm EDT
-- -- -- 2929thth -- -- -- AM: Delta Aquarid Meteor AM: Delta Aquarid Meteor Shower (20 per hour).Shower (20 per hour).
www.kasonline.org
NYAA Honorable Mention.................. p. 2
June Meeting Note................................. p. 2
High-Tech Telescopes........................... p. 3
The Night Sky Observer’s Guide....... p. 5
NASA Space Place.................................. p. 7
July Night Sky.......................................... p. 8
KAS Officers & Announcements........ p. 9
General Meeting Preview..................... p. 10
July 2008 Prime Focus Page 2
Board Meeting MinuteBoard Meeting MinuteBoard Meeting Minutesss
Lara Knorek, a graduate of the Kalamazoo Area Mathematics & Science Center and Portage Northern High School is a 2008 National Young Astronomer Award Honorable Mention. Lara’s research project this past year at the Center was on “A New Model for Supernova Light Curves”. She received the U.S. Air Force Award and the KAMSC Parent Award at the Regional Intel Science and Engineering Fair held at Western Michigan Univer- sity in March. Lara worked under the guidance of Mike Sinclair, Vice President of the KAS, examining a variety of supernova events over the past thirty years. She will be attending Brown University this fall and majoring in astronomy.
The KAS Board met on June 8th at Sunnyside Church, in the wake of yet another of the thundershowers that have popped up of late. President Jack Price brought the meeting to order at 5:15 pm. Also present were Richard Bell, Jean DeMott, Dick Gillespie, and Roger Williams. In the absence of the treasurer, there was no treasurer’s report. Richard summarized the events of the previous week, notably cancellation of the June 6th general meeting because of tor- nado warnings added to one of the aforementioned storms. The June 7th observing session was also scrubbed due to weather, albeit of a less violent variety. After some discussion about whether to drop the June meeting or to reschedule it for later in the month, there was consensus that it was more practical to drop it. The speaker will be re- scheduled for a later date. Hope continues for better weather for the June 28th observing session, and the general meeting on July 11th features Gadget Night. The meeting will be at KAMSC, which we are assured will be available. In the category of old business, Richard still had plans to go to Camp Friedenswald on Friday, June 27th, and he would like to have a couple more people with different types of telescopes to accompany him. A possible problem is that it seems the campers go to bed at 10:30 pm, which leaves a maximum of 30 minutes observing time. Assuming that this can be stretched to an hour, the deal could still be done. [Editor’s Note: The Camp Friedenswald observing session was moved to Monday, June 23rd.] In new business, Jack announced a date of Saturday, July 12th for the Kindleberger Park Summer Festival in Parchment. The organization will provide a canopy, tables, and chairs, so we need only display items and solar scopes. Jack also men- tioned that a group of Scouts will be at the Air Zoo on August 1st & 2nd. He plans to be there for some observing and could use another participant. Richard suggested some ideas for Astronomy Day 2009. One is actor Michael Francis, who does an in-costume portrayal of Galileo. The other is Neil deGrasse Tyson, who would be a major attraction but whose fee would require our sharing sponsorship with someone else (WMU?) and probably obtain- ing a grant. There being no other business of significance, the Board en- gaged in a brief bull session and adjourned at 6:10 pm. It was decided that any business needing attention in July could be handled at a short board meeting following the Friday, July 11th General Meeting (weather permitting). Respectfully submitted by Roger Williams
June Meeting NoteJune Meeting NoteJune Meeting Note by Richard Bell
KAMSC Student ReceivesKAMSC Student Receives NYAA Honorable MentionNYAA Honorable Mention
I’ve been attending KAS General Meetings for nearly 16 years and we’ve never had to call a meeting off in all that time. There have been close calls — usually during the win- ter months — but never a cancellation. That all changed on June 6, 2008. The entire West Michigan region was under a severe thunder- storm and tornado warning until approximately 5:00 pm. I figured everything would blow over in time for the general meeting at 7:00 pm, but I thought I’d give Mike Sinclair (the man with the keys to KAMSC) a call. We both were on the fence and decided I should check in with our guest speaker. Fortunately, I was able to reach Dr. Arunav Kundu in his of- fice at Michigan State University. Skies were sunny for him at the moment and he saw no reason why he shouldn’t make the trip. My power then briefly went out and I had to call Dr. Kundu back. He again wasn’t worried until a second tornado warning came on my T.V. screen. “That’s it!”, I said, and called off the meeting. According to news reports, 8 people died in Michigan as a result of the storms day, so we made the right call for sure. Dr. Kundu has tentatively agreed to speak at the September meeting. Let’s hope the weather cooperates next time.
July 2008
With the advent of CCDs and computer-controlled telescope drives, this may be your first brush with the arcane world of really high-tech. For anyone who may be considering some of the advanced products now on the market, this page will pro- vide an interpretation of a few terms that you've no doubt seen widely used in advertisements. ALL NEW...
The power supply, connectors, and software are not com- patible with previous versions. Even the screw threads are different.
ADVANCED DESIGN...
It nearly worked on the first try. DESIGN SIMPLICITY...
It was developed on a shoestring budget. EXCLUSIVE...
We're the only ones who have the directions telling how to use it.
FIELD TESTED...
The manufacturer has no way to test it. FOOLPROOF OPERATION...
It's unrepairable, short of sending it back to the factory (which can't fix it either).
FUTURISTIC...
It only runs with the help of a next-generation computer, which isn't available yet.
HIGH ACCURACY...
The screw threads match the threads of the holes they're supposed to mate with.
IT'S HERE AT LAST...
We've released a 26-week project in 48 weeks. MAINTENANCE FREE (see Foolproof Operation) MEETS OR EXCEEDS OPTICAL STANDARDS...
We haven't the foggiest idea about the wavefront accuracy. NEW...
It comes in a different color than the first version.
PERFORMANCE PROVEN... It worked through beta testing.
QUALITY STANDARDS...
It works most of the time. REVOLUTIONARY...
Everything that's supposed to go round and round actually goes round and round.
SATISFACTION GUARANTEED...
We'll send you another manual if this one fails to work. STOCK ITEM...
We shipped it once before and we can do it again, probably. UNMATCHED...
No one else wants to copy our design. UNPRECEDENTED PERFORMANCE...
May mean two different things:
1. Actually worked the first time right out of the box. 2. Nothing before ever ran so erratically.
YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT...
Prime Focus Page 3
HighHigh--Tech TelescopesTech Telescopes Defining Terms Used in MarketingDefining Terms Used in Marketing
Delighted at finding a Tasco 60mm refractor Professor McGuffy got a little carried away building the mount.
July 2008
Recently, I was looking through several back issues of Sky & Telescope that were donated to the KAS. Many of the histori- cal articles were interesting, but I particularly enjoyed the old advertisements. The one I found the most amusing was from Celestron in the early 1980’s. They showed Leonard Nimoy (of Star Trek fame) posing next to an 8-inch Schmidt- Cassegrain. May your scope live long and prosper! I also noticed that all the beginner scopes of the time came with wooden tripods. This stood out for me, because for years I’ve struggled with the aluminum legs that came with an Orion SkyView Deluxe German equatorial mount I purchased in 1999. I’ve seen a lot of aluminum tripods in my day — both as an amateur astrono- mer and former telescope dealer — and these were BY FAR the worst set I’ve ever used. The legs were difficult to extend and periodically became jammed shut. I hated them...deeply. Besides, wooden legs are better. They’re more rigid and dampen vibrations quicker than hollow aluminum legs. My search for a set of replacement legs lasted for years. Most
of the choices available are at least $200 or more. This was way more than I wanted to pay, since I only use the mount for solar observing or short observing sessions in my backyard. I also considered making a set of wooden legs myself, but I didn’t have the desire or necessary tools. Finally, I came across the GTO Mount from Hands On Optics; a telescope shop based out of Damascus, Maryland. The General/Good Telescope Optics (GTO) Mount is actually built by the Canadian manufacturer and reseller Antares. Hands On Optics also sells GTO eyepieces and Barlow lenses, so the mount is just another item in the series. As far as I can tell, Hands On Optics is the only dealer to carry this tripod set. It’s not even listed on the Antares web site. The tripod comes with a plastic spreader, which increases the rigidity of the mount. An aluminum tray is also included, but I already own two others. The central hub, which attaches your equatorial mount to the tripod, is not included. The GTO Mount is meant as a replacement for your existing alu- minum tripod legs, so most users would already own one. The legs retail for only $79.00 plus shipping and handling (which was $12.00 for me). The legs will work with nearly any style mount. These in- clude the Meade LXD55, LX300, and LX500 as well as Vixen Polaris or Super Polaris mounts. They’ll also work with all the Chinese Synta mounts (which includes the ver- sions sold by Celestron and Orion). My order arrived from Hands On Optics three business days after it was placed. The tripod came in one box and the tray arrived in another (later in the day actually — guess the FedEx guy forgot to give it to me). The craftsmanship is overall good, but I didn’t like the paint job. I’d much prefer a natural wood look, so I’ll probably sand the legs and varnish them sometime down the road. One item that needs to be replaced is the hardware. The first thing I did was to switch the top wing nuts with the plastic knobs that came with my old legs. These are more finger friendly. I’d also like to replace the bolts with something that can be tightened with fingers alone. It’s difficult to tighten the legs properly without a tool. The legs would often slip during setup and in use. This should only mean a quick trip to the hardware store, so it’s no big deal. I’d also like to find a sturdy bag to carry the legs in. Stability is noticeably better, but my Tele Vue Pronto (seen to your left) isn’t the greatest test subject. Dampening time is easily under two seconds. I’d highly recommend this set of affordable legs to anyone. The price is great and they’re far better than any set of cheesy aluminum legs.
Prime Focus Page 4
Hands On Optics GTO MountHands On Optics GTO Mount by Richard BellRichard Bell
July 2008 Prime Focus Page 5
Having owned and used my three volume copy of Burnham’s Celestial Handbook until the binding started to fail, I was usu- ally quick to recommend this set of books as my first choice for observers. I gave my set to a beginning observer that was returning to Italy after finishing a business assignment in the states; however I knew that I still needed a good reference book for researching potential observing targets and as a field aid to the maps and charts that I usually bring out for a ses- sion. I saw the two volume set of The Night Sky Observer’s Guide at my local telescope store, and a studied perusal suggested that these books would be a good choice as replacement for the Burnham’s set. First, let me contrast the differences. The Burnham’s books are indeed a superb work. They are really much more of a reference work, including lore, the root of names, astronomy history, and several chapters on the nature of various stellar and non-stellar objects. The Guide also contains good tables with a very cryptic set of keys and icons to help you determine what an object should appear like in the eyepiece. The Night Sky Observer’s Guide is far more focused on OB- SERVING. Volume 1 starts with a description of the books goals, and the information you will need to understand how to fully exploit the material it contains. The rest of Volume 1 is devoted to the constellations of the Winter and Spring skies. Volume 2 contains the Summer and Autumn constellations, and concludes by providing pictures of some of the people that
contributed the enormous amount of ACTUAL OBSERVA- TIONS THROUGH VARIOUS SIZE TELESCOPES! And THIS, my friends, is what makes these volumes really interest- ing. The very heart of the value proposition of these books is that it contains descriptions of thousands of objects, and for most of these it gives a nice description of how the object might appear in a small refractor, a medium size reflector, and a large Dobsonian. Now not every object has a description for every size telescope, but most include descriptions for at least mid and large size telescopes. Almost all of the more interesting objects also include at least an eyepiece drawing, which is always accompanied by a note that credits the observer and gives the size of telescope that was used, or a photograph with similar information and expo- sure. Now I have often been asked by someone what they might be able to expect to see with a telescope of so many inches of aperture, and of course this is a VERY difficult question to answer. There are just too many variables. But this body of work does a VERY good job of describing what other observ- ers HAVE seen, and what you might expect to see. Each constellation chapter begins with about a ¾ page chart of the constellation. It includes constellation boundaries for that constellation, RA and DEC lines, the constellation connector lines, bright stars down to around magnitude 6 or so (I don’t remember exactly), and DSOs. Brighter stars often include common names, and usually include things like Greek alpha- bet designations. The charts are not really comprehensive and can’t totally replace a regular observing chart, but at the same time, they are useful enough to perform basic star-hopping. I have often located objects using nothing but these charts and a Telrad finder. Throughout each constellation chapter, there are also “Mini-Charts” that explore specific regions of each constellation. Again, this is useful for star-hopping or just to get a quick read about where the object is located. Next, there is a less than one page constellation description. It includes basic info on the constellation such as size and infor- mation like pronunciation for the names, and sometimes a bit of history on the name. The description will also often include a mention of some of the showcase objects contained in the boundaries. Following the description, each chapter next includes two ta- bles. The first is a variable star table, and the second is a dou- ble-star table. Now I am not into variables at all, so I can’t comment on their utility, but I use the double-star tables all the time. Now oddly, (or not, because while I like double-star observing, I am not really a double-star observer!) the most
The Night Sky Observer’s GuideThe Night Sky Observer’s Guide by  by  Ed MorenoEd Moreno  
Both volumes of The Night Sky Observer’s Guide have become an essential resource for amateur astronomers since they were first released in 1998.
July 2008 Prime Focus Page 6
The 4 and 5 Star objects are visible in just about any telescope even under magnitude 4 skies. Now when I was younger, I would never have considered writing in a “Reference” book, but in the last couple of years of having owned these books, I do find myself jotting very terse notes in them. Often these notes are not much more than a date, the aperture and magnification use, and maybe a single word (Beautiful!)… These books are becoming increasingly populated with these little notes, which to me indicate that the books ARE being used, and they ARE helping me locate many new targets for viewing. I own plenty of books on astronomy. These include several small atlases and observing guides. I also own several chart- ing programs and sky charts. Of all these materials, The Deep Sky Observer’s Guide is my favorite and most used observing aid. For some, I would even recommend them OVER some of the more popular deep sky charts, because the books contain ample charts suitable for star-hopping with, and they contain thousands of actual observer comments that by themselves are worth the price of the set. In the end, I give this 2 volume set my highest recommenda- tion. These books are worth the price, and my bet is that they will be used more than a lot of other things you could spend the money on. Ed Moreno is a veteran amateur astronomer living in Austin, Texas and works in the IT industry. Editor’s Note: Volume 3 of The Night Sky Observer’s Guide will be released by Willmann-Bell in mid-July. It features information on deep sky objects visible from southern skies. For more information on the entire series, including a sample chapter, visit the Willmann-Bell web site:
http://www.willbell.com/
common reference is the Struve catalog number. Well, for me, the only problem with this is that NONE of my Go-To telescopes include Struve catalogs, so I am forced to rely on manually inputting the coordinates, and the tables do indeed supply the RA and DEC coordinates. In addition, they pro- vide the magnitude of the components, separation, position angle, and in many cases, if the double is a color contrast dou- ble, the table includes the most reported colors for the compo- nents. Now as I said, I don’t actually consider myself to be a die-hard double star observer, but on many summer nights when there is a slight haze and my normal DSO targets are obscured, I will usually take advantage of the stable seeing that often accompanies the haze to dabble in doubles. These lists have made it easy because they allow me to work an en- tire constellation and have the important info right at my fin- gertips. I have found and split some really rewarding doubles, and the tables in these books were my guide. After the tables, the observer reports begin. They also start with variables and doubles. For each entry, there is a heading which includes basic info like brightness, separation of the primary/secondary, and position angle. In many cases, there is a reference to the mini-chart mentioned earlier to aid in locat- ing the object (handy for Dobsonian users), and in many cases, it will contain a reference to a figure, which could be a picture or an eyepiece perspective drawing. There are hundreds upon hundreds of eyepiece drawings, and I find them to be some of the most valuable parts of this book. I use these drawings to both set an expectation of what I will see, and often, when trying to locate really challenging objects, I can use them to accurately position the eyepiece to center the object or deter- mine its extent. Following the heading, there will be entries of reports on how the object will appear in various size scopes. For example, there might be an entry for 4” to 6” refractors, 8” to 10” re- flector, and 14” to 18” reflector. The scope sizes vary some- times, but this is due to the fact that the descriptions are based on ACTUAL reported descriptions by real observers. The deep sky descriptions follow much the same format, with a heading that includes similar info such as size, brightness, number of stars for clusters, and a 5 star rating that indicates how satisfying this object is to view. DSOs are usually identi- fied by NGC number, but other listings such as Abel clusters and such do appear. In addition, if the object has an alternate catalog listing such as Messier number, this is also usually noted (always true with M numbers, but not always with some of the more obscure designations). Regarding the 5 star rating, I have come to use this as one of the most important filters to select viewing targets. If an ob- ject has two stars or less, under my magnitude 3 and 4 sky conditions, that object will not be satisfactory for my 11” SCT. It will be too dim or invisible. Now remember, this is me. Your actual results may vary, but chances are you would still be able to use this 5 star rating in much the same manner. The 3 Star objects are usually viewable in my 11”, but often are just at the lower edge of suitability for my 6” refractor.
July 2008
Congratulations! You’re an oceanographer and you’ve just received a big grant to investigate the Pacific Ocean. Your task: Map the mighty Pacific’s wind and waves, monitor its deep currents, and keep track of continent-sized temperature oscillations that shape weather around the world. Funds are available and you may start immediately. Oh, there’s just one problem: You’ve got to do this work us- ing no more than one ocean buoy. “That would be impossible,” says Dr. Guan Le of the Goddard Space Flight Center. “The Pacific’s too big to understand by studying just one location.” Yet, for Le and her space scientist colleagues, this was exactly what they have been expected to accomplish in their own stud- i e s o f E a r t h ’ s m a g n e t o s p h e r e . T h e magnetosphere is an “ocean” of magnetism and plasma sur- rounding our planet. Its shores are defined by the outer bounds of Earth’s magnetic field and it contains a bewildering mix of matter-energy waves, electrical currents and plasma oscillations spread across a volume billions of times greater than the Pacific Ocean itself. “For many years we’ve struggled to understand the magneto- sphere using mostly single spacecraft,” says Le. “To really make progress, we need many spacecraft spread through the magnetosphere, working together to understand the whole.” Enter Space Technology 5. In March 2006 NASA launched a trio of experimental satel- lites to see what three “buoys” could accomplish. Because they weighed only 55 lbs. apiece and measured not much lar-
ger than a birthday cake, the three ST5 “micro-satellites” fit onboard a single Pegasus rocket. Above Earth’s atmosphere, the three were flung like Frisbees from the rocket’s body into the magnetosphere by a revolutionary micro-satellite launcher. Space Technology 5 is a mission of NASA’s New Millennium Program, which tests innovative technologies for use on future space missions. The 90-day flight of ST5 validated several devices crucial to space buoys: miniature magnetometers, high-efficiency solar arrays, and some strange-looking but effective micro-antennas designed from principles of Darwin- ian evolution. Also, ST5 showed that three satellites could maneuver together as a “constellation,” spreading out to meas- ure complex fields and currents. “ST5 was able to measure the motion and thickness of current sheets in the magnetosphere,” says Le, the mission’s project scientist at Goddard. “This could not have been done with a single spacecraft, no matter how capable.” The ST5 mission is finished but the technology it tested will key future studies of the magnetosphere. Thanks to ST5, hopes Le, lonely buoys will soon be a thing of the past. Learn more about ST5’s miniaturized technologies at:
http://nmp.nasa.gov/st5/ Kids (and grownups) can get a better understanding of the artificial evolutionary process used to design ST5’s antennas at: http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/st5/emoticon/ This article was provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Prime Focus Page 7
Space BuoysSpace BuoysSpace Buoys by Dr. Tony Phillips Dr. Tony Phillips
Earth’s magnetic field, or magnetosphere, protects us from most effects of solar storms and the solar wind. Credit: SOHO image composite by Steele Hill (NASA).
Space Technology 5 micro-satellites proved the feasibil- ity of using a constellation of small spacecraft with minia- ture magnetometers to study Earth’s magnetosphere.
July Night Sky..............................July Night Sky..............................
ES T
eep an eye on Leo after sunset in early July. Right at the 1st of the month, Mars will be located
a mere ¾º above Regulus. Saturn can be found 5º to the pairs upper left. The Moon joins the scene on the 5th, with its thin crescent to the left of Mars, Saturn,
and Regulus. The Moon switches places on the 6th. Mars and Saturn will then be within ¾º of each other on the evenings of the 9th and 10th. Jupiter reaches oppostion on the 9th. It’ll rise around sunset and set around
sunrise. The giant planet will be a hard- to-miss -2.7 magnitude beacon in Sagittarius. The Delta Aquarid meteor shower peaks on the morning of the 29th. Expect 20 meteors per hour.
SOUTH
This star map is property of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society. However you may make as many copies as you wish free-of-charge, so long as it is for non-profit educational purposes and full credit is given to the KAS.
www.kasonline.org
Late July Dusk
This map represents the sky at the following local standard times:
PRESIDENT Jack Price 343-3193 ka8aob@hotmail.com VICE PRESIDENT Mike Sinclair 373-7003 msinclair@kamsc.k12.mi.us TREASURER Rich Mather 629-5312 rlm512@yahoo.com SECRETARY/ALCOR Roger Williams 375-4867 ngcphile@sbcglobal.net MEMBERS-AT-LARGE Richard S. Bell 373-8942 richard.s.bell@gmail.com Jean DeMott 381-1406 jeamott@hotmail.com Dick Gillespie 966-9653 rwgillespie@comcast.net Dan Morgan 964-3156 speedster2333@comcast.net
KAS OFFICERSKAS OFFICERS July 2008 Page 9
Planetarium admission is $3.00 per person. The Kalamazoo Valley Museum is located at 230 North Rose Street in downtown Kalamazoo. For more information please call (269) 373-7990 or visit us on the web at www.kalamazoomuseum.org
Night of the Falling StarsNight of the Falling Stars Saturdays, 11:00 am; Sundays, 1:30 pm
Treasures of the Milky WayTreasures of the Milky Way Wednesdays 3:00 pm; Sundays, 2:00 pm
Ring WorldRing World Saturdays & Sundays, 3:00 pm
GET OUT GET OUT & OBSERVE!OBSERVE!
with the Kalamazoo Astronomical SocietyKalamazoo Astronomical Society
JULY STARGAZING DATES Kalamazoo Nature Center 7000 N. Westnedge Ave.
Saturday, July 12 @ 9:00 pm Delightful Double Stars
Saturday, July 26 @ 9:00 pm
Super Summer Nebulae
Moving?Moving? If you have a change of home and/or e-mail address please contact one of the following KAS Board Members by phone or e-mail:
Richard Bell 373-8942
Roger Williams 375-4867
If you are moving out of town before your membership expires please contact us anyway. You paid for a years worth of newsletters and that’s what you’ll get!
© July 2008, Stargazer Productions
Kalamazoo Astronomical Society c/o KAMSC 600 West Vine, Suite 400 Kalamazoo, MI 49008
STAMP
General Meeting Preview
Today the astronomical marketplace is flooded with telescopes and accessories of all shapes, sizes, and price ranges. However, even with the wealth of goods now available, there are some gadgets that can only be hand crafted. Roger Williams’ equatorial platform stand (seen at your left) is an excellent example. It just goes to show that necessity really is the mother of invention and thankfully amateur astronomers are an ingenious lot.
For our next meeting we invite KAS members to trot out the results of their latest brainstorming. Please feel free to bring any previously seen doodads, doohickeys, and devices from past Gadget Nights as well - odds are they’ll be all-new to someone in attendance. You won't want to miss this fun and entertaining evening.
Friday, July 11 @ 7:00 pm Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center
600 West Vine, Suite 400 • Use Dutton St. Entrance
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