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Desert Skies
Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association
Volume XLVIII, Number 10, October, 2002
Contents
Main Meeting: Friday, October 4 at the Steward Observatory Auditorium - Room N210
Beginner's Lecture: 6:30 pm
Using Setting Circles
Andrew Cooper
Here's another back to basic's lecture. Andrew will cover the use of setting circles, both the manual variety as well as DSC's (digital setting circles). So when the object is too dim to see in your finder, here is the easy way to find it!
General Meeting: 7:30 pm
Member's Night
Tonight the floor is available for you, the club membership, to give short presentations on any subject within the field of Astronomy. Time slots are provided in first-come, first-serve order. If you have a topic you'd like to share with the club, contact Andrew Cooper at taaa.seds.org to get your name on the list of presenters.
Board of Director's Meeting: Wednesday, Oct 9, 7:00 pm at Steward Observatory Conference room N305.
Star Parties and Events:
Newsletter Schedule: Mon, Oct 14. Printing: Mon, Oct 21. Folding Party: Tues, Oct 22. Mailing: Wed, Oct 23. The newsletter is mailed at least one week prior to the following month's General Meeting.
Office Name Phone Email
------ ---- ----- -----
President Andy Cooper 795-3585 acooper@pobox.com
Vice-President Thom Peck 327-7825 thomas.peck@optics.arizona.edu
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 586-2244 mrgalaxy@juno.com
Newsletter Editor George Barber 822-2392 barbergj@flash.net
Star Parties Steve Marten 906-0049 steve1636@aol.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 sun, moon, and stars. 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
Annual Dues
All membership rates given above are for 1 year. Family Membership includes two adults plus minor children. Parents/guardians of minors interested in astronomy may request Family Membership at $15/yr. Contact the Treasurer at tklappin@earthlink.net for information.
Options (add to above membership rates)
Donations are accepted for any of the TAAA funds: SA-IDA/Light Pollution, TIMPA, Education, 30" Telescope & Land, or General Fund.
Renewal Information
Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association
PO BOX 41254
Tucson, AZ 85717
Mailing Address or Email Changes
Send changes to the above address or email the treasurer.
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. The editor retains all submissions unless prior arrangements are made. Partial page submissions should be submitted in Word compatible files via e-mail or on a floppy disk. Full-page articles, artwork, and photos can be submitted camera ready. We will not publish slanderous or libelous material! Send submissions to:
c/o George Barber
15940 W. Ridgemoor Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85736
or e-mail: barbergj@flash.net
Desert Skies is published monthly by the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association, PO Box 41254, Tucson, Arizona 85717
Well, if you are like me you are suffering a little from photon deprivation. I was completely ready to go out last new moon (Sep. 7th) with a few friends to a truly dark site. I had an observing list, a scope ready to go, and I had my wife's permission (not a minor thing). But as you well know we suffered a surge of tropical moisture that weekend and several inches of rain. Now I'm not complaining, we need the rain, but did it have to be that weekend?
So for those of us restricted by employment to observing on weekends the next good chance will come on the 28th, the Kitt Peak StarBQue. The demand for this ever-popular event has again exceeded the available openings. We are restricted in the number of attendees by our agreement with KPNO, and you will find the organizers of this event will strictly hold the line on the rules (we want to be able to go back next spring).
So it comes down to the signup list. I'm afraid we will have to be a bit tougher on the rules next time around. No signing up other people will be allowed. And we are considering allowing spouses and family members only if the person signing up has a family membership. (Feel free to send comments and hate mail on that idea to me at taaa@seds.org).
This coming main meeting is a member's night, and I currently only have two people signed up! So gather your photos and drop me a line to get your spot on the schedule. As always it is first come, first up on the stage. Any astronomical subject is permissible.
So here is to a beautiful fall for observing, see you out in the dark.
Andrew
Member News
We welcome the most recent members who have joined the TAAA: Jaime Anguita, John and Nyla Hedspeth, Zena Mitchell, Scott Seidler, Allison Sharp, Darrell Stewart, Maxim Umnov, Merlin and Maureen Waits, Walter Windish. Glad to have all of 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. (Updated membership lists are available at the regular meetings, so pick one up if you need it.)
Calendars for 2003
We will be selling calendars for 2003 beginning at the September meeting. The calendar selected this year comes from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. The cost is $10 each (~$7 off the regular selling price), or $9 each for more than one. They make great gifts. This calendar, which features full-color astronomical photos taken by amateur astronomers, has daily information about astronomical events, including moonrise and moonset information, plus space for adding important events you need to remember. Calendars will be sold at our meetings this fall until supplies are exhausted. Be sure to get yours soon!
Astrophoto Special Interest Group
10 October, 7pm
China Rose, NE corner Speedway/Rosemont
With clear skies returning to Tucson, the opportunity to do some astrophotography is here! Come on out to China Rose for a delicious Chinese buffet, and a chance to learn more about photographing the night sky.
A Halloween Star Party!
By Terri Lappin
Halloween...little ghosts, goblins, and space aliens abound! What better time to treat these creatures to a peak through your telescope? This year the moon is out of the sky, so deep sky objects reign. Try showing the kids the Andromeda galaxy or M13. Viewing from within the city is a bit limiting, but these two objects should be visible even within city limits. Saturn rises about 8:30. By the time it's high enough for good views most kids will be done trick-or-treating.
The best part of this event is spending the evening out in the October night air. It's far more pleasant than being indoors with the doorbell ringing every few minutes! Several TAAA members have participated in this event and I've heard from plenty of members about how much they enjoyed themselves, not to mention the kids and the parents. Here are a few guidelines to help make your Halloween a success.
Set up your telescope near the sidewalk with a jack-o-lantern or similar attention getting, but dim, light source nearby. Spooky music gets attention too! Make sure power cords don't become trip hazards. Leave your patio lights off to draw kids away from your front door and towards you and your telescope. Be sure to have a stepladder handy for the little ones. The tendency is for people to support themselves by leaning against the telescope so politely warn them not to touch the telescope. It's best to use an eyepiece with some eye relief. These are easiest for the public to use. While most masks have large openings for eyes, kids may see better if they remove their masks. I also recommend using an eyepiece you didn't pay too much for since it will most likely be smeared with make-up by the evening's end.
If you live in a neighborhood with bad lighting, use this casual observing session to make your neighbors aware of light pollution and how it affects our ability to see the night sky. Don't make it a lecture, but just make them aware of the problem.
I am interested in hearing your Halloween observing experiences. Tell me how many kids/adults look through your telescope and what the most memorable exclamation you heard from the kids. If you enjoy doing this, you may want to consider helping out with our school star parties.
TAAA Email List-Server
The TAAA Email List-Server, located on Yahoo(r)! Groups, allows quick communication with our members. The TAAA board strongly encourages those with email to subscribe to this list-server. It is designed for one-way messaging; only board members and a selected few individuals can post messages. It is not a chat list and replies do not go to the list. It is a very low volume list with only a dozen or so messages in the first 6 months of its existence. Generally, the messages have been late breaking news, stuff that didn't make the newsletter, last minute information about star parties, and requests for telescope support at our school and convention group star parties. To join the list, email Terri Lappin (tklappin@earthlink.net) and ask to be invited. This is the only way to join. Be sure to include the email address you want to receive messages at and your first and last name so Terri can verify that you are a paid member of TAAA. When you receive your invitation to join the List-Server, follow the directions for joining (basically reply to the message). That's all there is to joining the list. If you decide you don't want to remain a member of the list-server it is easy to unsubscribe. Each message includes directions for unsubscribing. Yahoo(r)! Groups are free of charge but advertising supports it, so each message also includes an ad.
In addition to the List-Server, the TAAA has a Yahoo(r)! Groups website where members can upload photos or find useful information such as TIMPA Rules and Procedures and a FAQ page (Can guests attend star parties?). To access these features, you must register with Yahoo(r)! Groups (go to www.yahoogroups.com and click on "Register"). Registering with Yahoo(r)! Groups is voluntary and not required if you only want to receive the emailed messages. Before registering with Yahoo(r)! Groups, the TAAA Board encourages members to read the Yahoo(r)! Groups Privacy Policy. Links to this policy can be found throughout the Yahoo(r)! Groups website.
For additional information, email or call Terri (579-0185).
WEBSITES: TRIPS ON THE INTERNET SUPER-SKYWAY
Rik Hill
More and more amateur astronomers are taking a computer out to the telescope with them at night. There are many and varied reasons for doing this: on board star plotting programs like Megastar and Sky, direct download of data to a hard disk or handy references at ones finger tips if you have a web line out.
For this latter case there is a wonderful website that is chock-a-block full of great information including an interactive star chart. This is Chris Dolan's "Constellations and their Stars" page at:
http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/constellations.html.
Rarely have I ever seen more information packed into one page with 22 links on the opening page that lead to a cascade of further information.
He starts out with links to pages of the basics for the uninitiated.
Next are links that list constellations alphabetically and by
the month. When you go into these you will find a list of constellations
and by clicking on the one of interest you will be sent to a page
where you will find links that lead to pages on the brightest
stars, brightest deep sky objects, further information on the
constellation and the "Interactive star chart". This latter item
is the gem of his website. It uses a Java applet to pop up an
interactive window that displays the constellation you are reading
about but the window lets you scroll over to any part of the sky.
The star chart only goes to about 5th
mag., which works well for most the naked eye in most suburban
communities. For urban observers it is nice to see a "Fewer Stars"
button so you can try and match the light polluted skies found
in our cities.
Back on the main page, you will find other links to lists of the brighter stars and deep sky objects all of which lead to other pages of deeper explanation. There is a separate section below this that has a number of other useful links that also cover lunar and planetary positions and events.
This website is a tremendous reference and if you take your computer to the telescope, it would be wise to keep this one book marked. I also recommend a visit to Chris' page as well, at.
http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/
Here he has put together a splendid page of information, links to some observatories and other astronomical information services that are very useful. You will find yourself referring to these websites frequently.
As always, if you know of a particularly good website you would like mentioned here, drop me a line at rhill@lpl.arizona.edu
Project ASTRO Volunteers Needed
By: Connie Walker
You are among the best candidates to become astronomer partners in Project ASTRO. If you have a desire to share your enthusiasm for astronomy with the community at large, involvement in Project ASTRO is a way to give back to the community, get children curious about science and possibly develop their interest into future careers. Your contribution would also enhance the teacher's knowledge and confidence in teaching astronomy. Consider this opportunity to make an important contribution to community service without excessive commitment. You could be a part of fostering the future. Project ASTRO-Tucson is an educational outreach program hosted by NOAO, which forms partnerships between teachers (grades 3 - 9) and astronomers (professional, amateur, and students), with 6 successful years and reaching over 13,000 Arizona students. Our seventh training workshop will be held in Tucson October 11 and 12, 2002.
We need more astronomers to partner with teachers who are eager
to learn about astronomy and do hands-on activities their students.
A minimum of 4 classroom visits per year is all that is required.
(Attendance at our upcoming workshop is strongly recommended.)
For more information about Project ASTRO, visit the web page:
http://www.noao.edu/education/astrotucson.html or contact me at cwalker@noao.edu or 318-8535.
All Arizona Star Party
October 4&5
The monsoons are over... the skies are clearing again... it's getting cooler... It must be time for a star party!
East Valley Astronomy Club invites you to attend the annual All Arizona Star Party Friday, October 4th and Saturday, October 5th at the Farnsworth Ranch, south of Arizona City, for more information go to http://home.earthlink.net/~pargenz/aasp.htm
Steward Observatory Public Lecture Series
Since 1924, Steward Observatory has been hosting public evening lectures in astronomy. The lectures are usually held on Monday nights at 7:30pm in room N210 of Steward Observatory. (Steward Observatory is located at 933 N. Cherry Ave. near the NE corner of the UA campus. After each lecture, the 21-inch telescope will be open (weather permitting) to view the night sky. All of the lectures and the use of the telescope are free of charge and open to the general public.
Sep. 16 - Dr. Jeremy Mould - How Long since the Big Bang?
Sep. 30 - Dr. Peter Wehinger - The Highest Observatory on Earth
Oct. 14 - Mr. James McGaha, MS, FRAS - Astronomers and UFOs
Oct. 28 - Dr. Art Code - The Telescopes of the Southwest
Marc Aaronson Memorial Lecture (7:00pm)
Nov. 1 - Dr. Geoff Marcy - The Prospects for Planets and Life
in the Universe (This lecture will be held in the Integrated Learning
Center, Room ILC 120)
Nov. 11 - Dr. Donald McCarthy - The Last Meteor Storm of Your
Lifetime: Leonids 2002
Nov. 25 - Dr. William Boynton - Results from Mars Odyssey
Karl Jansky Lecture (7:30pm) sponsored by the National Radio Astronomy
Observatory
Dec. 9 - Dr. Shrinivas Kulkarni - The Brightest Explosions in
the Universe
Desert Sunset Star Party
Mark your calendars for the Desert Sunset Star Party, May 1-4, 2003 at the Kartchner Cavern State Park, Benson AZ. The star party is hosted by Chart Markers and More (Pat and Arleen Heimann) and the Arizona State Park Department.
We are still looking for volunteers for:
Provide a written title and brief description Email to chartmarker@cox.net as soon as you can so we can include your topic in the publicity and application materials.
Watch our website for updates: http://chartmarker.tripod.com
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, set for evening object
Mo/Tu 30/ 1 19:31 - 0:41 Fr/Sa 11/12 22:19 - 5:04 Mo/Tu 21/22 - - -
Tu/We 1/ 2 19:30 - 1:47 Sa/Su 12/13 23:17 - 5:05 Tu/We 22/23 - - -
We/Th 2/ 3 19:28 - 2:56 We/Th 23/24 19:04 - 19:19
Th/Fr 3/ 4 19:27 - 4:07 Su/Mo 13/14 0:16 - 5:05 Th/Fr 24/25 19:03 - 19:58
Fr/Sa 4/ 5 19:26 - 4:59 Mo/Tu 14/15 1:16 - 5:06 Fr/Sa 25/26 19:02 - 20:42
Sa/Su 5/ 6 19:25 - 5:00 Tu/We 15/16 2:14 - 5:07 Sa/Su 26/27 19:02 - 21:33
We/Th 16/17 3:10 - 5:07
Su/Mo 6/ 7 19:23 - 5:00 Th/Fr 17/18 4:05 - 5:08 Su/Mo 27/28 19:01 - 22:30
Mo/Tu 7/ 8 19:22 - 5:01 Fr/Sa 18/19 4:59 - 5:09 Mo/Tu 28/29 19:00 - 23:32
Tu/We 8/ 9 19:52 - 5:02 Sa/Su 19/20 - - - Tu/We 29/30 18:59 - 0:38
We/Th 9/10 20:36 - 5:03 We/Th 30/31 18:58 - 1:45
Th/Fr 10/11 21:25 - 5:03 Su/Mo 20/21 FULL MOON Th/Fr 31/ 1 18:57 - 2:54
Weekend Sun Sun Mercury Venus Mars Jupiter Saturn
Sa/Su Set Rise Rise Vi Set Vi Rise Vi Rise Vi RiseVi Vi=Visibility
5/ 6 18:02 6:19 5:11 6 19:07 0 4:51 5 1:37 -2 22:17 0 -3 brilliant
12/13 17:53 6:24 5:00 3 18:39 2 4:44 4 1:14 -2 21:49 0 0 conspicuous
19/20 17:45 6:29 5:15 4 18:07 7 4:38 4 0:51 -2 21:22 0 3 moderate
26/27 17:37 6:35 5:41 6 17:32 9 4:31 3 0:28 -2 20:54 0 6 naked eye limit
2/ 3 17:31 6:41 6:09 9 16:57 - 4:24 3 0:04 -2 20:25 0 9 binoculars limit
By Erich Karkoschka
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Public Star Party
October 5th, 2002
We again invite the public to the desert museum for an evening under the stars. As usual we set up around 6:00 in the lowest rows of the parking lot near the museum entrance, security should have them coned off for us when you arrive. This time around we will have no moon and a completely dark night. Bring a jacket, as this early fall evening is likely to be cool. The museum will be closed but the bathrooms will be open. Events will wrap-up around 11:00pm.
All of the media outlets, newspaper, TV and radio, have been contacted to invite the public, so we need every telescope and operator we can come up with. You don't have to be an expert to come out and enjoy the evening
Desert View High School Star Party South-Central
Oct 10, (Thursday) No. of Scopes: 5
Desert View is on the north side of Valencia Road between Benson Highway and Alvernon. We will set up in the east parking lot of the school. The contact person, Jim Treat, anticipates about 40 high school students to attend. Set-up will be at 6:30 pm and observing will run from 7:00 pm to about 8:30 pm. A Star Party leader is needed for this event. A sign up sheet will be available at the October meeting.
Project ASTRO Star Party at Kitt Peak
October 11 (Friday) No. of Scopes: 4-5
Project ASTRO has scheduled an outing to Kitt Peak for this year's teacher/astronomer partnerships and the TAAA has been invited to support the activity. The scopes will be set up just outside the visitor center and will be one of three "stations" between which the Project ASTRO participants will rotate every half hour or so. Set-up will be about 6:30 pm with observing from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. John Kalas is the Star Party Leader (620-6502). There will be a sign-up sheet at the October meeting.
Whipple Observatory Star Party
October 12, 2002
Observing will begin after 6:15 pm courtesy of telescopes provided by the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association and Sonora Astronomical Society.
3 pm - Visitor's center opens
5 pm - Informal lecture on astronomy by Whipple Observatory staff
6:15 pm - Observing begins (next to Visitor's Center)
Binoculars and small red flashlights are useful to bring. Please cooperate with staff directing parking when you arrive. The parking spaces nearest the building are reserved for TAAA/SAS members and their telescopes. Visitors should park along the driveway or in the parking area outside the gate or along the road as directed. (Please note: Visitors will be allowed to park cars next to the building in the space usually reserved for telescopes until 4:00 pm. At that time, visitors will have to move their cars to other parking spaces so that telescopes may be set up). For more information, call 670-5707. Call this number after 3:00 pm on the 12th in case of threatening weather. Se habla Espanol. Follow the links from the TAAA website for location and background information.
Convention Star Party at La Paloma Resort (Paid)
October 15 (Tuesday) No. of Scopes: 8
The TAAA has agreed to supply astronomy services for a convention group of about 120 people at the Westin La Paloma Resort. Set-up will be from 6:30 to 7:30 pm and will have to be coordinated due to limited vehicle access to the observing location. Observing will be from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. The resort is located on the south side of Sunrise Drive between Campbell Ave. and Swan Road. From the west, take Sunrise Drive past Campbell and Campo Abierto. Look for a curved wall gated entrance on the right with a blue tiled sign indicating "La Paloma Country Club" and turn in. From the east, take Sunrise Drive past the main entrance to the resort, Via Palomita. Look for a curved wall gated entrance on the left with a white sign indicating "Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa" and turn in. Follow the entrance drive up to the country club and under the large covered country club main entrance. Park in the five parking spaces just past the covered entrance area. From there, one vehicle at a time will be directed down a wide walkway to the observing location for unloading. Immediately after unloading, the vehicle must exit back the same route and park in a parking lot adjacent to the country club, allowing the next vehicle to enter. This procedure will have to be followed for loading and departure, as well. John Kalas is the Star Party Leader (620-6502). There will be a sign-up sheet at the October meeting.
Coyote Trail Elementary School Star Party Northwest
October, 24 (Thursday) No. of Scopes: 8
This star party is one of the several large star parties for the month of October. Contact person Judy Bartley expects approximately 150 students, teachers and parents! Coyote Trail is located at 8000 N. Silverbell Road. Take Interstate 10 west to Cortaro Road and turn left (west) on Cortaro Farms. Proceed approximately 1.5 miles to Silverbell Road and turn right (north). Proceed approximately 1/4 mile on Silverbell Road. The school will be on the right past the Fry's food store. The set up area is on the common area inside the school grounds by the courtyard. Set-up begins at 6 pm with viewing from 6:30 pm to about 8 pm. A star party leader will be needed for this event. A sign up sheet will be available at the October meeting.
Booth-Fickett Magnet School Star Party East
October, 29 (Tuesday) No. of Scopes: 6
The Science Department at Booth-Fickett is hosting a Star Party for students and parents. Between 75 and 100 are expected. Scott Seidler is the contact person for this event. Booth-Fickett is located 1 block South of Broadway and immediately East of Kolb (450 S. Montego Drive). The set up area is in the common area inside the school grounds; signs will be posted. Set-up begins at 6 pm with viewing from 6:30 pm to about 8 pm. A star party leader will be needed for this event. A sign up sheet will be available at the October meeting.
TAAA Board of Directors Meeting
TAAA Board Meeting
September 10, 2002
Board Members Present: Andrew Cooper, Thom Peck, Terri Lappin,
Jane Tongate, Steve Peterson, Bill Lofquist,
Board Members Absent: Robert Callanan
Meeting opened at 7:18 pm.
Meeting adjourned at 8:30 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Jane Tongate
Secretary
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