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Desert Skies
Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association
Volume XLVII, Number 4, April, 2001
Contents
BEGINNERS LECTURE: Apr 6, 6:30 pm at the Steward Observatory Auditorium - Room N210. This month's topic is "More on Fermilab" presented by Terri Gilmarten
GENERAL MEETING: Apr 6, 7:30 pm at the Steward Observatory Auditorium - Room N210. Topic is "Near Earth Resources" presented by John S. Lewis
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING: Monday, Apr 9, 7:00 pm at Steward Observatory Conference room N305.
STAR PARTIES AND EVENTS:
Newsletter Schedule: Deadline for articles: Monday, Apr 16. Printing: Monday, Apr 23. Folding Party: Tuesday, Apr 24. Mailing: Wednesday, Apr 25. The newsletter is scheduled to be in the mail at least one week prior to the following month's General Meeting.
Office Name Phone Email
------ ---- ----- -----
President John Kalas 620-6502 jckalas@aol.com
Vice-President Andy Cooper 795-3585 acooper@pobox.com
Secretary Jane Tongate 623-4056 triton@dakotacom.net
Treasurer Terri Lappin 579-0185 tklappin@earthlink.net
Member-at-Large Robert Callanan 818-1315 tucsonbac@aol.com
Member-at-Large Bill Lofquist 297-6653 wlofquist@aol.com
Member-at-Large Steve Peterson 326-5303 swpeterson@theriver.com
Chief Observer Wayne Johnson
Newsletter Editor George Barber 822-2392 barbergj@flash.net
Star Parties Maggie & Jeff Buzek 760-4578 jeffbuzek@aol.com
AL Correspondent Doug Smith 797-0663 Dsmith71@ix.netcom.com
Astrophoto SIG Dean Ketelsen 293-2855 ketelsen@as.arizona.edu
Computers SIG Rodger Tanner 574-3876 rtanner@seds.lpl.arizona.edu
TAAA Mission Statement
We are a resource for anyone interested in astronomy. It is our mission to nurture a person's natural curiosity about the night sky. By giving people a knowledge and understanding of astronomy, we enhance their enjoyment of the solar system and beyond. Through our public activities and school evening observing sessions, we bring astronomy to persons of all ages. Our regular meetings and observing sessions offer members a forum to meet others with similar interests and experiences and to learn from one another.
Membership in the TAAA
Regular membership $ 23
Senior (over 60) membership $ 21
Student membership $ 15
Add for Family membership $ 5
Add for Astronomical League (optional) $ 3
Add for contribution to Southern Arizona
Section of I.D.A. (optional) $ 3 (recommended minimum)
Add for Sky & Telescope Magazine $ 29.95
Add for Astronomy Magazine $ 29
Rates for membership are given above. Family Membership includes two adults plus minor children. Members may subscribe to Sky & Telescope or Astronomy magazine (or both) at the time of membership renewal, saving substantially over the regular subscription rates. To assure we understand what you are paying for, please identify which class of membership and what options you want. Send one check made payable to TAAA to cover membership dues, magazine subscription(s) and any contributions to:
4 Easy Steps to Membership Renewal
Call the Treasurer if you have any problems. Send address changes to the above address.
Desert Skies Publishing Guidelines
All articles, announcements, news, etc. must be submitted by the newsletter deadline noted above. Materials received after that date will appear in the next issue. All submissions are retained by the editor unless prior arrangements are made. Partial page article submissions should be submitted in Word compatible files via e-mail or on a floppy disk. Full page articles, artwork, and photos should be camera ready. We will not publish slanderous or libelous material! Send articles, announcements, etc. to:
or e-mail: barbergj@flash.net
Desert Skies is published monthly by the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association, PO Box 41254, Tucson, Arizona 85717
April will be a fun month for the TAAA. There are lots of options for club star parties. On Saturday, 4/14, a group of 60 members and families will have the opportunity to enjoy a Star-b-cue at Kitt Peak or, for those who do not go to Kitt Peak, the TIMPA Site will be open for use. For Saturday, 4/21, the TAAA will hold its Annual Picnic at the Vega-Bray Observatory in Benson. Those members who do not attend the picnic are welcome to use the Empire Ranch. See the announcements for these events in the Club News and the Star Parties & Events sections.
The TIMPA Project is going great guns! As you have already seen on the front cover of this newsletter, the long-awaited bathrooms are fully operational. Thanks to a fantastic construction job by the TIMPA Organization and a lot of sweat by a group of cement block hauling TAAA Members, both groups will benefit from this terrific facility. Also, TAAA Member, John Polacheck, is forging ahead with plans to install a nifty, new telescope in the recently donated Home Dome observatory. For the third straight month, the Kitt Peak work party planned for Saturday, 3/10, had to be canceled due to hazardous road conditions up on Kitt Peak. But unlike the previous two months, the volunteers were redirected to the TIMPA Site to dig the footer trench for the big observatory. Within two hours, eight intrepid members carved the prettiest two-foot wide by two-foot deep circular trench in the county. This effort saved the club between $300 - $500. Again in March, both TIMPA Site sub-committees made good progress toward planning for the installation of the main observatory and planning for future development at the site. See the photos and articles in the TIMPA Site News section.
Although some of the details are still being worked out, we have had some luck in finding members to volunteer to help out with the tasks that were publicized in the last two newsletters. We are working with members for the following responsibilities; Publicity Chairperson, Webmaster, Club Apparel Coordinator, TIMPA Site Prep and Long Range Planning Sub-committee Coordinators, Insurance Researcher, Lecture Hall Prep Assistant and Club Sales Coordinator. There are still three very important tasks needing volunteers. Please consider helping the club. It is important to fill these three remaining positions before the elections in May, so we may have reasonable workloads for our new officers. See the article in the Club News section.
We are extremely pleased to have TAAA Member Alfredo Garcia, Jr. contribute the Object of the Month article in our monthly newsletter. His new article will compliment very nicely the Constellation Report contributed monthly by TAAA Member, Chris Lancaster. The club greatly appreciates these excellent columns as they enhance our newsletter and help to make it one of the finest amateur astronomy publications in the country.
John Kalas
Beginners Lecture
Title: More on Fermilab
Speaker: Terry Gilmartin
A couple of months ago Terry Gilmartin showed a video about Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) and there were a lot of unanswered questions. So this is your chance to get more information. Terry will not be getting into the particle physics as much as why we should continue to spend the money on such a laboratory. Is there more than one ring or accelerator? How is a mine in Minnesota involved? Are the Buffalo on the property like canaries in the mines? There will be a slide show and a chance to answer any questions you may have.
Main Lecture
Title: Near Earth Resources
Speaker: John S Lewis
Future large-scale activities in space become vastly more affordable if the native material and energy resources of nearby space are used to minimize reliance on supplies from Earth. John S Lewis of the UA Lunar and Planetary Lab will describe several examples, including manufacture of rocket propellants on the Moon and Mars, life-support materials such as air and water on Mars, and metals and propellants on near-Earth asteroids. For logistical reasons, the preferred source of materials for Solar Power Satellites is asteroids, not Earth or the Moon. The talk will conclude with some remarks on space-based sources of energy for the next century of power consumption on Earth.
Professor John S Lewis has been at the UA Lunar and Planetary Lab since 1981. His research interests include space development and the characterization and economic development of the material and energy resources of near-Earth space. He has written three popular science books ("Rain of Iron and Ice", "Mining the Sky", and "Worlds Without End"). His work includes modeling the chemical processes in the early Solar System, and the chemical evolution of planetary atmospheres and surfaces.
Member News
We welcome the most recent members who have joined the TAAA: William B Ignatoff, MD, and Brad and Arlene TePaske. Glad to have you join! If you haven't already, be sure to pick up a new members pack at a meeting. Hope you'll make it to our star parties or meetings so we can all get to know you.
Upcoming Elections
By Sheila Conrad
It's almost election time. As required by the club's constitution, a nominating committee, consisting of Steve Peterson, Mike Turner, and Sheila Conrad, was elected by a unanimous show of hands at the February meeting. The goal is to present a slate of candidates to the TAAA membership at the April general meeting in preparation for the officer elections at the May general meeting.
John Kalas, TAAA's current president, will not be running for re-election. Andrew Cooper has consented to run for president. We are lacking a candidate for vice-president. Also, note that the offices of member-at-large will comprise three elected persons.
As of this writing, the slate of candidates is as follows:
President Andrew Cooper
Vice president open
Secretary Jane Tonegate
Treasurer Terri Lappin
Member-at-large Robert Callanan
Steve Peterson
Bill Lofquist
John Sosville
If you are interested in running for ANY of the TAAA board of directors offices, please contact any of the nominating committee members: Sheila Conrad, 529-1750; Steve Peterson, 326-5303; or Mike Turner, 743-3437. We encourage your involvement. This is your chance to have your voice heard, and to become an active leader in TAAA's forward direction
Steward Observatory Lecture Hall
Steward Observatory and UA Room Scheduling have been very kind in allowing us to use their facility for our monthly meetings. We've become spoiled by the high-tech equipment and have surely taken full advantage of it. During the last week of May the equipment will be upgraded. This will hopefully be an improvement as the equipment has become less reliable. As a result of this upgrade, we've been asked to relocate our June 1st meeting as there is a chance that the upgrade will not be finished in time (and we really don't want to be the guinea pigs with the new equipment). We are making arrangements to use the Lunar and Planetary Lab lecture hall. (There is also a chance that the May meeting will also have to be moved because the lecture hall is slated for finals that night.) Please watch the newsletters for future announcements.
We would also like to remind members of the rules regarding food and drink in the lecture hall - none is permitted. If you insist on bringing a drink into the lecture hall, please make it only water. We do not want to lose our privileges.
Support Your Club
The following responsibilities are still in need of volunteers. Please consider helping the club out by offering to support the tasks. Descriptions of the tasks are as follows:
1. Holiday Party Coordinator - The responsibilities are as follows: locate restaurant for party which includes checking out new facilities in person, act as contact person between restaurant and TAAA, choose menu/decorations/etc, set ticket price (with board approval), print tickets, sell tickets, arrange for door prizes, coordinate the evening presentations, arrange for AV equipment, make name tags for attendees, give final count to restaurant. Many of these jobs are usually delegated to others.
2. Beginners Lecture Coordinator - Solicit presentations of basic astronomy topics from members or outside resources, schedule presentations, ensure that presenters submit titles and brief explanation of the talk to newsletter editor.
3. Newsletter Folding/Mailing Coordinator - Secure newsletter copy from the editor, paste up the copy, deliver copy to copy person, schedule folding parties, secure mailing labels from treasurer, attend folding parties, coordinate folding and labeling of newsletters, and take newsletters to post office.
Astrophoto SIG Dinner
5 April 2001
China Rose (Speedway/Rosemont) 7pm
Time again to talk astrophotography over Chinese food. Bring any photos you want to share, new or old, good or poor for others to "ooh" over or to learn from your mistakes. Prints always welcome, a slide projector is available, for electronic images, please bring your own laptop or other way to display them. Questions, contact Dean Ketelsen 293-2855.
TAAA Star-b-cue at Kitt Peak
The TAAA will again be permitted to hold a star party and barbecue at the picnic grounds up on Kitt Peak on Saturday, 4/14. For this event, Kitt Peak is allowing an increased maximum of 60 TAAA Members and families to participate. The ramada barbecue pit will be fired up starting at 4:00 pm and members are invited to cook their dinners between 4:30 and 6:30 pm. Bring a dish to share with other members. The charcoals will be extinguished at 6:30 pm. Telescope observing will commence after sundown and will be concluded by 11:00 pm. All members must be heading down the mountain by 11:30 pm. Be prepared for cold temperatures.
There will be a sign-up sheet at the April meeting. Because of the popularity of this event, attendance will be initially limited to TAAA Members and their immediate family members only. If, after all TAAA Members have had an opportunity to sign up, there are any openings or cancellations, the attendance of guests will be considered. If you are unable to attend the April meeting, phone and e-mail reservation requests will be taken on a first come, first serve basis after 9:00 am Saturday, 4/7. Contact John Kalas at 620-6502 or via e-mail at jckalas@aol.com.
It is very important for all attendees to abide by the rules established by Kitt Peak and respect the facility. Adherence to the rules will help to continue activities on Kitt Peak in the future. Another event in October is being proposed.
TAAA Annual Picnic
On Saturday, 4/21, the TAAA will hold its annual picnic at the Skywatcher's Inn and Vega-Bray Observatory in Benson, AZ. The club is very grateful to Ed and Pat Vega who so graciously open their beautiful facilities to the TAAA for the hosting of our annual family potluck picnic. Barbecue grills and soft drinks will be provided. Bring your own food, plates, utensils and a dish to share. A card table and chairs or a camping table could be handy. Just in case, bring some insect repellent.
Don't forget to bring your telescope! If you don't bring one, don't worry. There are many telescopes to look through at the observatory. Ed and Pat have turned the inn into a veritable museum of interesting scientific items. There are lots of things for the kids. If you have never visited Vega-Bray Observatory before, here's your chance. It's unbelievable!! Arrive as early as 4:00 pm and take advantage of the surroundings; a fish pond and hiking trails.
To get to the Vega-Bray Observatory, take Interstate 10 East from Tucson. Turn off at Exit 306 (Pomerene Rd.). Head east on the frontage road to Benson Airport Road. Turn right (south) on Benson Airport Road and go 1.9 miles to the Observatory and Inn entry gate. Follow the dirt drive to the base of the observatory/inn hill. Park your vehicle in the parking area at the base of the hill. If necessary, you may drive your car up the hill to unload telescope equipment or heavy coolers and then return to the parking area.
Grand Canyon Star Party
16-23 June
By now, most of those I know are coming have made plans. Rooms are likely getting in short supply and I've given away 18 camping spots (last year we got 16 and some are willing to share). John Dobson's people have confirmed he will be there for most of the event, he is leaving on the 22nd, missing the last 2 nights. He will be giving at least one twilight talk, so if you come for the first part of the star party you will likely catch him at his most entertaining. As I am fond of quoting him "In my good talks we don't have time to get to the slides!" For those of you who still need arm twisting, check out the TAAA website at tucsonastronomy.com, clicking on the Grand Canyon link and read the enclosed info or read reviews of past events. Hope to see you there!
Dean Ketelsen
293-2855
DONATIONS REQUESTED
By: John Polacheck
Plans are moving forward to purchase a new Celestron NexStar 11 GPS telescope to be placed in the small dome at TIMPA. This is a new generation of automated telescopes, which can locate its position and automatically polar align itself! It is very user friendly, easy to use, and fully computerized with over 40,000 objects in its database. It has "go-to" capabilities when it is mounted on a pier or on a tripod.
This telescope will be available to club members for visual viewing, and hopefully, in the near future, for astro-photography. Also, it will be a most welcome addition for the club's popular "beginners" star parties at TIMPA.
We expect that no TAAA funds will be used for the purchase of this truly modern telescope. It will be paid for entirely by private donations. Because we hope to be able to buy the very first NexStar 11 GPS telescope in Tucson, WE NEED PLEDGES OF DONATIONS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!!!! Note that no pledges will be collected until the dome and the pier are ready. To date, we already have pledges for between half and two-thirds of the cost of this wonderful telescope. Also, several club members have offered to help with the necessary site preparation for the dome and construction of the pier. PLEASE SUPPORT TAAA AT THE NEW TIMPA SITE WITH YOUR PLEDGE.
Telephone John Polacheck at 743-1362 (leave a message if he is not available) or send him an E-mail message at jpolacheck@attglobal.net
What a Donation!
by John Kalas
I announced at the March meeting that a woman by the name of Roberta Crawford contacted the TAAA and offered to donate astronomy equipment and books that belonged to her late husband, John W. Crawford. Mr. Crawford was a refractor enthusiast who made refractors by hand. Included in the donation are nearly 500 astronomy-related books and comprehensive collections of Astronomy and Sky & Telescope magazines. The telescope equipment and accessories have been taken by the club and inventoried by John Kalas. They will be stored in the TAAA storage cage in the TIMPA barn.
The club has a more immediate problem of where to store the extensive library. Mrs. Crawford has been understanding of the club's dilemma and has agreed to hold the books for a period of time until we can find a place to store them. If anyone has any dry storage capacity and would be willing to hold all or part of the library until permanent storage or disposition can be arranged, please call John Kalas at 620-6502.
An abbreviated listing of the telescope equipment follows:
Websites: Trips on the Internet Super-Skyway: Life on the Edge
By Rik Hill
Personally, I have never been an avid deep-sky observer. As a kid, in the early 1960s in suburban Detroit, Michigan, with my smaller telescopes, galaxies were particularly disappointing. But I still tried to find these faint smears. In my mind's eye I would see the indistinct blobs as swirling masses of gas, dust and stars, all as significant as the our own Sun just as they appeared in my books. This was and is undoubtedly experienced by many other amateur astronomers. However edge-on galaxies were somewhat more rewarding. At least these looked somewhat like the photographs. They had shape, form and were often bright enough to show up in the telescope through the light pollution.
Spring is a good time for these edge-on galaxies and a good place to plan your observing project is on the web starting with the website of Tom Polakis, of Tempe, AZ. He has constructed a spectacular web page entitled: EDGE-ON GALAXIES OF THE SPRING SKY at:
http://www.psiaz.com/polakis/edgeons/edgeon.html
Here he has a table of the best ones for amateur telescopes, images from the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS) and a list of his own excellent drawings of many of these done with his 13" telescope. These are far better than what I was able to eek out with a dew covered 6" f/8 (RV-6) reflector on the squishy, pungent front yard lawn in a Michigan spring!
Don't stop with this one web page though. Be sure while you are there to browse his whole, excellent website by starting at: http://www.psiaz.com/polakis/. It's sure to be inspirational.
If this piques your interest, then there are several other web trips you should take. There is a very interesting site that allows you to make observing list by type of object. Again it is an Arizona site at: http://www.virtualcolony.com/sac/. As the URL suggests it's put together by the Saguaro Astronomy Club (undoubtedly with a lot of Steve Coe's input). You go to the link for the objects you want where you will find a search engine. Enter some basic parameters about the objects you want to observe and it will then produce the list sorted by a number of different parameters of the object. You can take this list to the telescope to guide you through a night's observing.
Should you want more there are always the galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, and you can find a lot of information about them on the web. Students for the Exploration and development of Space have a very informative and comprehensive site at: http://seds.org/messier/more/virgo.html.
Armed with this you could spend a number of our warming nights prowling through the arms of Virgo. A number have done so with cameras and their results are on the web too. One fine example is by Naoyuki Kurita in Japan. These pages are divided up by season as well as subject. It's a well done website at: http://www.ne.jp/asahi/stellar/scenes/english/deepsky1.htm. He has superb images of a large number of the galaxies of spring including many of the edge-ons.
So, as the Milky Way of winter disappears in the twilight, look out past our galaxy and enjoy the edge-ons!
As always, if you know of a particularly good website you would like mentioned here, drop me a line at rhill@lpl.arizona.edu, or visit my website at: http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~rhill and email from there.
ALPO WEBSITE NEWS
By: Richard E. Hill
In an effort to bring more ready resources to the attention of amateur planetary astronomers we have added a new link to the main ALPO web page. This is the JPL Solar System Simulator. With this you can see any major body in the solar system as it looks at any time from any other major body! This should be especially helpful to those trying to understand what the various dark markings on Mars are at any given time.
But for the serious Mars observer there is an even better Mars image generator on the Mars page at:
http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~rhill/alpo/mars.html
Under Mars Artificial Image Generator. This one will generate pretty good images for any date/time with or without an Areocentric coordinate grid. It is run off the Cornell website that provides the amateur community (and professional community for that matter) with Mars Watch.
The Mars Section has been very busy with publishing the Martian Chronicle which, unlike its namesake, is dedicated to serious articles on Mars' features and observable weather phenomena. You can see these free at:
http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~rhill/alpo/marstuff/marschron.html
Numbers 13, 14 and 15 were all issued just this week.
The Solar Section has just posted some of the latest information on not only current activity on the Sun (which we do daily) but a recent submission by Patrick McIntosh of HelioSynoptics and McIntosh Squared Graphics, that summarizes the H-alpha activity for Carrington Rotation 1973 (2001-02-14 to 2001-03-13) and gives an analysis of coronal activity and changes in Solar cycle 23.
Both the Venus & Saturn Section pages have now been expanded with useful and informative links pages that will give the browser a pretty good education on the latest and historical activities in planetary science on those bodies.
We have weekly updates on meteor activity on the Meteor Section's - Meteor Activity Outlook at:
http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~rhill/alpo/meteorstuff/outlook.html
The Computing Section is now providing ephemerides for the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter & Saturn. This is in addition to ephemerides listed on many of those object's individual pages.
Please also notice our Youth Programs page. This Section serves to educate and inform younger amateur solar system astronomers so they may competent life-long observers and, hopefully, participating members in one or more of the programs offered by the A.L.P.O.
Project ASTRO Site Coordinator
By: Suzanne Jacoby
Please join me in welcoming Connie Walker as Site Coordinator for Project ASTRO-Tucson! As an astronomer at the University of Arizona, and a Project ASTRO astronomer partner since 1996, Connie has considerable experience in both astronomy education and research. I am thrilled she has joined our group, and am looking forward to having everyone meet her at the March 24 Follow-up Workshop.
Connie is splitting her time between NOAO and the UA for a few months, but is up to speed on her ASTRO duties and eager to hear from all of you. Please contact her with questions, concerns, and words of welcome!
Property For Sale
TAAA Member and former Project ASTRO Coordinator, Ginny Beal, has some property she would like to sell. Description as follows:
A super property for stargazing! 39.2 acre building site, ten miles east of Tubac, beneath Mt. Hopkins. Located in Tubac Foothills Ranch, property is fenced, has a well and utilities. $120,000. Call Ginny at 323-7591 in Tucson.
ASP Annual Meeting
"Universe 2001 Expo," a part of the 113th Annual Meeting of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP), takes place Saturday and Sunday, July 14-15, 9:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m., at the Radisson Riverfront Hotel, 11 E. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55101, 651-292-1900. Among activities already planned are a star party hosted by the Minnesota Astronomical Society on Friday, July 13, a weekend expo for the general public featuring talks by leading professional and amateur astronomers, and an exhibit hall filled with astronomy-related merchandise and displays. For complete details, including fees, visit our website regularly for updates.
TIMPA Long-Range Planning Meeting
The next meeting of the TIMPA Long Range Planning Sub-committee will be held on Wednesday, April 11th at 7:00pm in the Steward Observatory 3rd floor conference room (N305). We will be considering the feasibility of building roll-off buildings to house additional telescopes. All TAAA members are encouraged to attend, especially those who use the TIMPA site. This is YOUR chance to give input into what happens at TIMPA. (If you wish to be included in TIMPA Long-Range Planning Committee email announcements and reminders, send a request to Terri Lappin via email tklappin@earthlink.net.
DARK SKIES (no twilight, no moonlight) for Tucson in 24-hour MST: 18=6pm,20=8pm, 22=10pm, 0=12am
RISE, SET, VISIBILITY for sun and bright planets: rise for morning object, s=et for evening object
Sa/Su 31/ 1 1:32 - 4:49 Tu/We 10/11 20:15 - 21:48 Sa/Su 21/22 20:25 - 4:20
We/Th 11/12 20:16 - 22:48
Su/Mo 1/ 2 2:29 - 4:48 Th/Fr 12/13 20:17 - 23:46 Su/Mo 22/23 20:26 - 4:18
Mo/Tu 2/ 3 3:21 - 4:46 Fr/Sa 13/14 20:18 - 0:39 Mo/Tu 23/24 20:27 - 4:17
Tu/We 3/ 4 4:08 - 4:45 Sa/Su 14/15 20:19 - 1:28 Tu/We 24/25 20:28 - 4:16
We/Th 4/ 5 - - - We/Th 25/26 21:21 - 4:14
Th/Fr 5/ 6 - - - Su/Mo 15/16 20:20 - 2:12 Th/Fr 26/27 22:25 - 4:13
Fr/Sa 6/ 7 - - - Mo/Tu 16/17 20:21 - 2:52 Fr/Sa 27/28 23:27 - 4:12
Sa/Su 7/ 8 FULL MOON Tu/We 17/18 20:21 - 3:27 Sa/Su 28/29 0:26 - 4:11
We/Th 18/19 20:22 - 4:00
Su/Mo 8/ 9 - - - Th/Fr 19/20 20:23 - 4:22 Su/Mo 29/30 1:19 - 4:09
Mo/Tu 9/10 20:14 - 20:45 Fr/Sa 20/21 20:24 - 4:21 Mo/Tu 30/ 1 2:07 - 4:08
Weekend Sun Sun Mercury Venus Mars Jupiter Saturn
Sa/Su Set Rise Rise Vi Rise Vi Rise Vi Set Vi Set Vi Vi=Visibility
31/ 1 18:41 6:10 5:28 7 5:30 5 0:02 0 23:06 -2 22:17 1 -3 brilliant
7/ 8 18:46 6:01 5:31 9 4:57 1 23:45 0 22:45 -2 21:53 1 0 conspicuous
14/15 18:51 5:53 5:37 - 4:30 -1 23:28 0 22:24 -2 21:29 1 3 moderate
21/22 18:56 5:45 Set - 4:08 -2 23:08 -1 22:03 -1 21:06 2 6 naked eye limit
28/29 19:01 5:38 19:32 9 3:50 -2 22:47 -1 21:42 -1 20:42 3 9 binoculars limit
What makes this event special is that our novice members can get help with observing issues or equipment problems. There will be experienced members present who would be more than happy to help. If you don't own a telescope, don't worry. There will be lots of scopes set up and everyone is invited to look through them. This is a great way to check out the different telescope designs before you make that all-important decision to buy. There is no scheduled talk for this activity. Just come out with lots of questions and we'll do our best to get you the answers you need. Arrive at about 6:00 pm for a group question and answer session. It should be dark enough to observe by 7:00 pm. If you have friends who might be interested in amateur astronomy, bring them along. Be prepared for cold weather and dress warmly. Directions to the TIMPA site are located on the outside flap of this newsletter.
TAAA Star-b-cue at Kitt Peak
April 14 (Saturday)
See article in the Club News section.
Vision High School Star Party Southwest
April 18, (Wednesday) No. of Scopes 5
Vision High School is a Charter School located in the Pima Community College Campus at 5901 South Calle Santa Cruz. This road is parallel to I-19 and the campus is between Valencia and Irvington. The Santa Cruz River is on the right as you go south from Valencia, and the PCC building is on the left. On the south side of the building there is a large parking area, and we will be viewing in the field south of the building. If there is too much light there, we can move to the west side of the road, between the road and the river. There are a number of amber lights in the parking lot, but we can probably find a dark enough site to view from. Setup time is 6:45, and viewing will begin at 7:15. The star party should last for two hours or less. Bill Lofquist will be leader for this one. A sign up sheet will be available at the April meeting.
Bill Lofquist
Amphi Middle School Star Party [North-Central]
April 19 (Thursday) No. of Scopes: 4-5
The school is located at 315 E. Prince Rd. (between Stone Ave. and 1st Ave.) Take Stone Ave. north from Prince Rd. to Pastime St. and turn right. Turn right into a parking lot at the rear of the school and park near the gate to the track. The set-up area will be behind the school on a running track. Set-up begins at 7:00 pm. Observing starts at 7:30 pm. and ends at 9:00 pm. A Star Party leader is needed for this event. A sign up sheet will be available at the April meeting.
TAAA Annual Picnic at Vega-Bray Observatory
April 21 (Saturday)
See article in the Club News section.
TAAA Star Party at Empire Ranch
April 21 (Saturday)
The Empire Ranch has been our normal dark-sky observing site for quite a number of years. Empire Ranch is about 4000 feet in elevation, so be prepared for cold temperatures and try to arrive before sunset. Stay as long as you like, but let everyone know when you are ready to leave; someone may be taking astrophotos. Bring a telescope if you have one, but you don't need one to attend. Any member would be glad to let you look through their telescope. There are no restroom facilities at the site, so be prepared. Attendees should park their vehicles either perpendicular to the airstrip facing toward the center of the strip or parallel to the airstrip along either side facing west. That way, when you are ready to leave, you will not have to backup and turn on your bright white backup lights. One nice advantage of belonging to the TAAA is the opportunity to observe among friends. Help in finding an object or the sharing of equipment always goes on at our star parties. If you haven't attended a star party yet, you're missing the best part of belonging to the TAAA. See the directions to Empire Ranch on the outside flap of this newsletter.
Trail Dust Jeep Tours Star Party (Paid)
April 24 (Tuesday)
Our friends John and Zelda at Trail Dust Jeep Tours has invited the TAAA to support another of their corporate outings. Three telescopes are required. TDJT will transport our equipment to the mountain sight at 6:00 pm. Set-up will be at 6:30 pm and observing will go until 9:30 pm. Volunteers will be treated to a super barbecue dinner. John Kalas is the Star Party Leader for this event. There will be a sign-up sheet at the April meeting.
Agua Caliente Elementary School Star Party [Northeast]
April 26 (Thursday) No. of Scopes: 7-10
Join the approximately 200 expected students and parents of the school for PIZZA and stargazing. Pizza will be served to all telescope volunteers starting at 6:00 pm. Take Tanque Verde Rd. east to Catalina Hwy. Turn left on Catalina Hwy and proceed approx 1.5 miles and turn right on Prince Rd. Pass Houghton Rd, Wendell Rd and Melpomene Rd. Prince Rd. will end and take a left on Homestead Rd. The school's athletic field will be on the left. Enter the gate on Homestead and drive to the north side of the field. Set-up begins at 7:00 pm. Observing starts at 7:30 pm, and ends approximately at 9:00 pm. Jeff Buzek will be the star party leader for this event. A sign up sheet will be available at the April meeting.
Tanque Verde Elementary School Star Party [Northeast]
April 27 (Friday) No. of Scopes: 5-6
The school is located at 2600 N. Fenimore Avenue. From the Catalina Highway and Tanque Verde Road, go east on Tanque Verde past Houghton, Soldiers Trail and the 49er's Country Club to Fenimore Avenue. Turn left (north) and go 1/4 mile. The school is on the right. Turn into the school parking lot area and proceed east to the far east section of the parking lot. The set up area is in the east section courtyard that faces the Santa Catalina Mountains and there is an access road that goes around the last building. Set up is at 7:00pm with observing from 7:30pm to 9:30pm. A star party leader is needed for this event. A sign up sheet will be available at the April meeting.
Arivaca Library Star Party [Far South]
April 28 (Saturday) No. of Scopes: 2
The library is located at 17050 W. Arivaca Road in Arivaca. Go south on I-19 past Green Valley to Arivaca Exit 48. Go west on Arivaca Road (takes off between the Mini Market and Cow Palace restaurant) for 23 miles. The library is on the right (north) side of the road just before you enter Arivaca, just past the Buenos Aires Refuge parking lot. There is a road sign that indicates the Arivaca Library. The trip takes approximately 11/2 hours from Tucson. Set up is in the library parking lot at 7:00pm with observing from 7:30pm to 9:30pm or so. A star party leader is needed for this event. A sign up sheet will be available at the April meeting.
Sunrise Drive Elementary School Star Party [North]
April 30 (Monday) No. of Scopes: 5
The school is located at 5301 E. Sunrise Drive. Go north on Swan Road and turn right (east) on Sunrise Drive. Proceed to the next traffic light and turn left (north) onto Suncrest. This street accesses the school. The set up area is located on a concrete patio north of the parking lot but just south of the school building. Set up is at 7:00pm with observing from 7:30pm to 8:45pm. Debbie Brooks, the school contact person, has indicated that a donation will be provided to the TAAA for supporting this event. A star party leader is needed for this event. A sign up sheet will be available at the April meeting.
Sub-Committee Meetings
TIMPA Update
by John Kalas
For those of you who attended the 3/24 TIMPA Star Party, you have already seen the fantastic new bathrooms at the TIMPA Site. The TIMPA Organization is to be complimented on their aggressive and thorough construction project to build the bathrooms. They are great! In particular, a fellow by the name of Gary Ellingson of TIMPA did a terrific job in coordinating the purchase of materials, in supervising the skilled trades that were involved in some of the construction, and in performing much of the construction himself. The TAAA supported the project with a long day of hauling cement blocks for the bathrooms and, of course, we paid for half of the $8,000. cost.
The other major accomplishment this past month was the digging of the footer trench for the main observatory on Saturday, 3/10. Eight dedicated TAAA Members dug for two hours and produced a lovely circular hole in the ground. Many thanks go to; Claude and Teresa Plymate, Steve Furlong, Bill Lofquist, George Barber, Ed Finney, Robert Crawford and John Kalas.
TIMPA Site Prep Sub-Committee Meeting
by John Kalas
The TIMPA Site Prep Sub-committee met on 3/13 and spent the evening laying out the remaining tasks required to complete the installation of the main 16' diameter observatory. With the completion of the footer trench, careful coordination of subsequent activities is crucial to the project. The project breakdown is as follows:
Claude Plymate brought nifty photos that he took of the TIMPA Site while flying over it. These photos will be on display at the April 6th meeting.
TAAA Board of Directors Meeting - Feb 8, 2001
Location: Steward Observatory Conference Room N305 University
of Arizona
Board Members Present: John Kalas, Andrew Cooper, Terri Lappin,
Jane Tongate, Robert Callanan
Board Members Absent: Steve Peterson, Bill Lofquist
Member Present: Rich Watson
Call to Order: 7:07 pm
The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Jane Tongate
Secretary, TAAA
TAAA Board of Directors Meeting - March 12, 2001
Location: Steward Observatory Conference Room N305 University
of Arizona
Board Members Present: John Kalas, Andrew Cooper, Terri Lappin,
Jane Tongate, Bill Lofquist, Robert Callanan, Steve Peterson
Call to Order: 7:07 pm
Meeting adjourned at 10:19 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Jane Tongate,
Secretary, TAAA
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