Desert Skies

Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association

Volume XLIX, Number 7, August, 2003

Contents

Calendar of Events

Main Meeting: Friday, August 1 at the Steward Observatory Auditorium – Room N210

BEGINNERS LECTURE: 6:30 pm
Title: Project ASTRO
Speaker: Robert T. Wilson

Learn how to get involved in Project ASTRO-Tucson, an educational outreach program hosted by NOAO, which forms partnerships between teachers and astronomers.

GENERAL MEETING: 7:30 pm
Title: An Astrophotographer’s Special!
Presenters: Gil Jones and Dean Ketelsen

The August meeting will be presented by two of TAAA’s experienced astrophotographers. If astrophotography is your thing, then don’t miss this meeting. If it’s not, then plan to attend just to see the nice work these two members are doing.

Gil Jones will discuss the use of his ToUcam Webcam. He will explain how he acquires his images and will process a pre-recorded video from start to finish using the two freeware software programs K3CCDTools and Registax. The ToUcam has become the favorite Webcam among planetary imagers and this combination of camera and software comes highly recommended. Webcams such as the ToUcam, typically costing under $100, can image bright objects like planets and the moon but do not work well for low brightness deep sky objects.

Dean Ketelsen will talk about film-based astrophotography. He’ll cover everything from the basic tripod mounted camera to do star trails to autoguided images through a telescope. He’ll include some recent images taken through his newly assembled Celestron 14 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope.

Both presenters will give interesting and non-technical lectures. Much of what they will discuss is easily within the grasp of most TAAA members without laying out too much money (assuming you already have the telescope!). This promises to be an excellent meeting.


Board of Director's Meeting:Wednesday, August 6 7:00 pm at Steward Observatory Conference Room N305

Star Parties and Events:

NEWSLETTER SCHEDULE: Deadline for articles: Sat, Aug 23. Printing: Mon, Aug 25. Folding Party: Tues, Aug 26. Mailing: Wed, Aug 27. The newsletter is mailed at least one week prior to the following month’s General Meeting.

Note: The board of directors meeting is the first Wednesday after the monthly meeting. The astrophoto SIG is the first Thursday after the monthly meeting.

General Information





		
             Office               Name                Phone        Email
             ------               ----                -----        -----
             President            Thom Peck          795-3585     thomas.peck@optics.arizona.edu
             Vice-President       Steve Peterson     762-8211     swpeterson@thereiver.com
             Secretary            Ken Wheelock       579-9099     kenandclancy@yahoo.com
             Treasurer            Terri Lappin       579-0185     tklappin@earthlink.net
             Member-at-Large      Ed Finney          296-9266     cefinney@NetZero.com
             Member-at-Large      Bill Lofquist      297-6653     wlofquist@aol.com
             Member-at-Large      Ray Toscano        529-3074     ray_toscano@Earthlink.net
			 
			Other Officers for 2003

            School S. Party Schedule Coordinator    Steve Marten        906-0049   steve1636@aol.com
            School S. Party Volunteer Coordinator   Robert Wilson       744-0263   rasjwilson@aol.com
            Desert Skies Editor                     George Barber       822-2392   barbergj@flash.net
            AstroLeague Correspondent               Nick de Mesa        797-6614   demesan@onsetbeach.com
            Astrophotography SIG                    Dean Ketelsen       293-2855   ketelsen@as.arizona.edu
            Astrocomputing SIG                      Roger Tanner        574-3876   rtanner@seds.lpl.arizona.edu
            Chief Observer                          Wayne Johnson       586-2244   mrgalaxy@juno.com
            Webmaster                               Dean Salman         250-0407   E-Mail
TAAA Mission Statement

Membership in the TAAA

Desert Skies Publishing Guidelines

Desert Skies is published monthly by the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association, PO Box 41254, Tucson, Arizona 85717

President's Message

Club News

Refreshments

Refreshments will again be served after our August lecture. Refreshment Hosts bring cookies, soda and other necessary supplies to the meetings. (It’s real easy this month since we already have the soda and most of the cookies already purchased.) They also set up the refreshments and clean up after the feast is over. Costs are reimbursed up to $25/month. Arrangements can be made if you need help carrying the supplies into the meeting room. Call Terri (579-0185 or tklappin@earthlink.net) if you want to volunteer to bring them to a future meeting.

TAAA Publicity Team

The TAAA Board of Directors decided that we need to do something about our publicity. We have relied on press releases and the generosity of the media to announce our public events. This has proven very unreliable, as anyone who has attended our last two public star parties will attest. The lines at even the largest telescope have been short. Anyone with ideas and more importantly experience in publicity are encouraged to contact Terri Lappin (579-0185 or tklappin@earthlink.net). Terri will arrange a meeting (date, time to be decided) of those interested members to share ideas. Our objective is the publicizing of our upcoming October public star party at the Desert Museum.

Projct Astro

Amateur astronomers are the largest single group of astronomer partners in Project ASTRO-Tucson. Over the past 7 years, amateur astronomers have contributed so much to students and teachers across Tucson. 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 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. Testimonials supporting the Project ASTRO program can be viewed at http://www.noao.edu/education/astro_testimonials.jpg. (You may need to copy the URL out of the email message and paste it into your browser.)

Project ASTRO-Tucson is an educational outreach program hosted by NOAO, which forms partnerships between teachers (grades K - 9) and astronomers (professional, amateur, and students). We have had seven successful years of Project ASTRO. To date, Project ASTRO astronomers and teachers have reached nearly 18,000 students throughout Arizona. In addition, Project ASTRO-Tucson is one of a dozen Project ASTRO sites nationwide. Visit http://www.noao.edu/education/astro_poster.jpg for a composite of photos and key elements describing Project ASTRO-Tucson.

Our seventh training workshop will be held in Tucson October 3 and 4, 2003. During the workshop and throughout the year resources (including solar telescopes, an encyclopedia of proven hands-on activities, and supplies for the activities) are given out or lent out at no charge. A sample workshop agenda can be found at http://www.noao.edu/education/astro_agenda.pdf.

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 required for new partners.) Please consider applying as an astronomer partner to get involved in this worthwhile science education program. Join the "A" Team! A workshop brochure and application form can be found at http://www.noao.edu/education/astrogram/fall2003_workshop.pdfand http://www.noao.edu/education/astronomerapp_2003.pdf, respectively. Applications can be sent to the address below or faxed to 318-8451.

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. Applications will be accepted through September 26.


Thank-you,
Connie Walker
Site Coordinator, Project ASTRO
Senior Science Education Specialist/Astronomer, NOAO

NOAO Educational Outreach
950 N. Cherry Ave.
Tucson, AZ, 85719

LBT Observatory Tour
Saturday, 13 September 2003
Mt. Graham, AZ

This is a tour we've been trying to plan for years and it looks like it will finally take place. John Hill, LBT project scientist will be leading a tour for TAAA members only, limited to a max of 50 attendees. A lot of the details have yet to be worked out, but with the distance involved, carpooling is encouraged, and preference may well be given to those members who can offer rides to 5 or more members. Look for the final plans in the next newsletter, and signup will be at the TAAA meeting on 5 September. Note there is a home football game on 13 September, precluding UA as a potential meeting point. A tentative schedule:

8am: Meeting Point TBD for carpooling.
10:30am: Regroup at base camp @ base of mountain
12 noon: Arrive at Observatory, sack lunch (you supply).
1pm: Tour of LBT Observatory and telescope.
2:30pm: End of Tour - depart for Tucson
6pm: Arrive back in Tucson

While there is no cost involved for the tour, I would suggest a contribution of $5 per head for the driver of your vehicle for gas. Again, check back in the September newsletter for final details, you can contact me for any questions at ketelsen@as.arizona.edu.

Dean Ketelsen


GRAND CANYON STAR PARTY
Text by Brad Campbell, Las Vegas, NV (nevers99@hotmail.com)
Photographs by Dean Ketelsen

Location: Grand Canyon, Arizona (South Rim, Yavapai Point)
Weather: Temps; Upper 70's to Lower 40's. Winds; Breezy the first few nights to calm later in the week
Sky Conditions: No clouds, some night hazy due to a fire in the northwest

This event was almost everything but what I expected. When I first learned of the Grand Canyon Star Party, I thought I was going to get a week of super dark skies sharing the nights with other amateur astronomers, comparing equipment and searching for new objects. As the days approached the event, I started to realize that this is more of a public event then that of an astronomer's event. I had mixed feelings, seeing I had never done anything like this before. The first night out changed my thoughts and I realized how lucky I was to be a part of the Grand Canyon Star Party.

For me, each day started out by taking my equipment from Aspen Loop campsite located in the Mather camping area to Yavapai Point. Once there, I set up with all the others in the parking lot waiting for darkness. It was quite an impressive sight looking around at all the different astronomical equipment. There must have been at least a million dollars worth of gear, or so it appeared. Scopes ranged from apertures of 70mm to 28" and every type of mount possible from alt-az to the GoTos. There were even some impressive binoculars set up too. On any given night, approximately 50 scopes were present on Telescope Row.

The people involved were from a wide range of locations. Most people were from the various clubs throughout Arizona. Others, like myself, and made the solo journey and were from places as far away as Colorado, Illinois, Virginia and Florida. I thought I even heard mention of an observer from France!

Each evening before nightfall different participants gave a lecture about Astronomy in which the public and astronomers alike were invited. Following that, the public wandered down to the viewing field just as Jupiter was becoming visible. This is where our telescopes came into play and my previous mixed feelings vanished.

It never occurred to me that most of the general public had never seen a distant planet before. To have somebody come up to your scope and take a look at the King of Planets for the first time is beyond words. Reactions ranged from awed silence, the stunned "oh my word", the excited "holy mackerel", and the incredible "hey, you've got to look at this!" Reactions like this are what made the whole trip worthwhile. To have somebody take that first look, stare, then look at you with a huge smile, reach out to shake your hand with a sincere "thank-you" made the trip an unforgettable event.

As darkness uncovered the beauty of the night sky, scopes turned to look at different wonders. People wandered around gazing through all our scopes, listening to what we had to say about them and the objects they were aimed at. The best part was when somebody exclaimed how beautiful the chosen object was or when they would look through the eyepiece they hurriedly back off so one of their family members could look. Some went as far as running off only to bring a friend or family member back to your scope telling them "hey, you gotta see this!" Not only was I surprised at the number of questions people had but also at how well they listened to our answers. It was a learning experience for me also. I think I must have learned more in a week then I would have in a year on my own. Many of the guests stayed well into the night frequently coming back for a second look.

Between the hours of 11pm and 2am the crowds as well as the telescope owners thinned out. I chose to stay on till daylight catching my fill of the darkest skies I had ever seen to date. I looked at some of the more familiar objects I had seen previously and did manage to find some more obscure objects I had not ever seen. There was also the time to check out others equipment and to make comparisons between them and what I may want to up-grade to in the future. Secondary to the public interaction and the companionship with my fellow amateur astronomers, the highlight of the event for me was being able to take over the controls of the 2 largest scopes at the event; both scopes belonged to members of the Sirius Lookers from Sedona. The first being Ara's 24" reflector and then the next night Dennis's 28". What an honor!

As I sit in reflection of last weeks events, thinking about my fortune of being a part of this event and all the people who have made it all possible, I can only conclude; my place in our immense Universe is minuscule yet blessed.


Thank-you's for me are more than I can mention. To Dean Ketelsen for allowing me the opportunity to be a participant, to Thom and Ellen and all the Sirius Lookers for taking such good care of me, to Alan; my friendly Galaxy Guide, to Doug and Marilyn of the Prescott Club, to George of TAAA for his knowledge data-base and laughter and to Steve of whom I never really got to know which club he belongs but offered me one of the best views of M51 I've ever seen through his hand-built 18" EQ Newtonian! But mostly I think we should all thank our Ranger, Brian & the National Parks Service for allowing us to share our passion of the Night Skies with such an inquisitive public audience like the one we had.

Items of Interest

WEBSITES: TRIPS ON THE INTERNET SUPER-SKYWAY
Monsoon Maintenance
By Rik Hill

It has finally started to rain! For those of us that have telescopes, cabins, homes and observing equipment in the Catalina Mountains, we thought the rains would never get here! But now that they are, and the fires are out we have traded smoky skies (especially us on the east side of Tucson) for cloudy. So it's time to do the monsoon maintenance to our equipment.

For many of us the smoke and soot of the last month has deposited crud (technical term) on our optics. They have to be cleaned. There are a number of good methods for cleaning and many resources on the web to guide you. If your mirrors or lenses are not terribly dirty you can use a colloidal material to first coat the optics and then, as you peel it off, strip away the dirt. An article on this is posted at:
http://www.rhinodev.com/oldscope/atspages/techtips.htm

For dirtier mirrors, a good collection of methods can be found at:
http://www.astro-tom.com/tips_and_advice/cleaning_optics.htm

A similar set of instructions can be read at:
http://www.madbbs.com/~bemusabord/cleaning.html

with a more technical method at:
http://observers.org/cleaning.optics.html

You will need to spruce up the collimation too, especially if you took the mirror out for cleaning. A detailed discussion and guide can be found at:
http://zebu.uoregon.edu/~mbartels/kolli/kolli.html

The expert planetary imager Thierry Legault has a page of discussion on the effects of misalignment at:
http://perso.club-internet.fr/legault/collim.html

This is worth seeing even if you only look at the pictures!

How about an improvement to the telescope while you're at it? Many amateur telescopes I've seen suffer from tiny finder syndrome. Frequently, when I ask about it I'm told, "Have you seen the prices of finder scopes these days?" They are a bit steep at times. But fear not - there is an economical solution.
The market is literally flooded with inexpensive binoculars, which, while maybe not serving well as binoculars, will give you two finders for less than the price of one. For example, K-Mart is selling 10x50 binoculars for $20. Can you believe it?! If you don't go to:

http://www.kmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1327440&cp=945368.702345&parentPage=family

(or you can go to www.kmart.com and search on "binoculars" and then peruse the different size categories)

Sure, they may not have full sized prisms, or may be misaligned, but who cares? You're going to take them apart and use them for pointing a telescope! With 50mm finder scopes $50-75 range, getting two for $20 (correct image no less) is a pretty good deal. The only tricky part will be designing a bracket that can be adjusted. But then, you need something to keep you busy on these rainy monsoon nights!

As always, if you know of a particularly good website you would like mentioned here, drop me a line at: rhill@lpl.arizona.edu

 

Star Parties and Events

Accelerated Learning Laboratory Star Party Northwest
Friday, 8/8/03 No. of Scopes: 4

Accelerated Learning Laboratory Summer Star Party will be held at 5245 N Camino de Oeste. Go west on Camino del Cerro to Silverbell and continue west on Camino del Cerro for about a mile and a half. Make a right on Camino de Oeste, continue approximately a half-mile and make a left at the big brick mailbox, which is the driveway to the school. Set-Up Time: 7.30pm Observing will be from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Sunset: 7.15, Dark Sky: 8.46 Moon Phase: Gibbous


TAAA Star Party at Las Cienegas (Empire Ranch)
Saturday, 8/23/03

Las Cienegas (formerly Empire Ranch) has been our normal dark-sky observing site for quite a number of years. Please 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. At 4000 feet, it will be cooler than the Tucson area. Also, be prepared for a possible rain shower, as the monsoon season is underway. 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 back up and turn on your bright white backup lights. See the directions to Las Cienegas on the outside flap of this newsletter.


Flandrau Mars at Opposition
August 27-30

Here are several chances to show the general public Mars, Uranus, and the waxing crescent moon on the UofA mall with the folks at Flandrau Science Center. Mars is at opposition on August 28 as we all know, but it is closest to Earth on August 27 (UT). Also, the UA football team is playing at home on Saturday, August 30, giving TAAA and Flandrau volunteers the opportunity to have a star party for 10,000 plus. Join Flandrau Science Center each night from Wednesday, August 27 through Saturday August 30 from 7:15 p.m. (setup) to 10:30 p.m., weather permitting. Parking on the grassy portion of the mall near or at the observing area will be only allowed with permission, in advance. Because of the monsoon weather and coordination needed, Flandrau Science Center is requesting volunteers please call or e-mail Mike Terenzoni at Flandrau (miket@ns.arizona.edu, or phone 621-3646). A sign up sheet will be available at the August meeting.


TAAA Star Party at TIMPA
Saturday, 8/30/03

Come on out and enjoy the summer skies! TIMPA star parties are great for both beginners and experienced observers. Our novice members can get help with observing issues or equipment problems, as there are many experienced members there who would be happy to help. If you don’t own a telescope, come anyways, because there are lots of telescopes set up and everyone is invited to look through them. This is a great way to check out different telescope designs before you make that all-important decision to buy. There is no scheduled talk for this activity, just come out and enjoy. We’ll do our best to get you the answers you need. If you have friends or relatives who are curious about amateur astronomy, feel free to bring them along. The TIMPA site features a large parking area, and full restroom facilities. Be prepared for a possible rain shower, as the monsoon season is underway. Directions to the TIMPA site are located on the outside flap of this newsletter.


Constellation Report by Chris Lancaster

Equuleus
The little horse

This month we feature two small, rather uninteresting constellations, which don’t merit a full article on their own. Even though they present rather little to the backyard observer, it’s worth learning about these two obscure constellations.

This small, little known constellation lies between the nose of Pegasus and Delphinus and reaches its highest point in the sky at 11pm during middle to late August. Pegasus seems to be looking at his small counterpart which is just beyond his nose, and which is considered to be the invention of the Greek astronomer Hipparchus. Little mention of it is found in astronomical works since then, probably because it has only a few dim stars and virtually no interesting objects. Myth has it that Equuleus is the horse Celeris, which is the brother of Pegasus. Depending on which story you follow, Celeris was a gift to Castor (one of the twins of Gemini) from the god Hermes, or a gift to Pollux (the other twin) from Hera, the wife of Zeus. Another story contends that Celeris sprung from the earth when Poseidon’s trident struck the ground in a contest with Athena.

Equuleus is a four-sided figure made up of stars no brighter than 4th magnitude. If you look toward Gamma Equulei, you’ll see a visual binary star separated by 5.5 degrees. The brighter star shines at magnitude 4.7, while the dimmer one is magnitude 6. The two are of spectral types A (for the brighter star) and F, so you’ll see stars of white or yellowish white color.

For large telescopes, a dim galaxy, NGC7015, sits 1.7 degrees northwest of Gamma Equuleus. There are virtually no stars with which to star hop, so luckily it’s not too far away from Gamma. Its position is 21h 5m 37s Dec +11d 24’ 50”. If you have enough aperture, you’ll see a dim, 13th magnitude spiral galaxy measuring 1.8’x 1.6’ with diffuse boundaries getting gradually brighter toward the center.

Although not generally observable through an average telescope, an interesting double star is Delta Equulei, which marks the northeast corner of the box shape of Equuleus. The semi-major axis of this star is a tiny .26” with maximum separation of about .35”. What sets this star apart is that its period of rotation is a short 5.7 years.


Microscopium
The microscope

This is a more modern constellation created by Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in or about the year 1750. He named it along with Telescopium to honor two instruments that revolutionized the study of science. To the ancient observers, the area occupied by Microscopium had no named figures and was known as a vast area called “the sea” rising in the sky above the horizon.

Microscopium is made of very dim stars (4.7 and dimmer) south of Capricornus and between Sagittarius and Grus. Similar to Equuleus, it also passes through the meridian at around 11pm during the second half of August.

Making your way around Microscopium is difficult because there are no bright stars with which to navigate. One of the brighter stars of Microscopium, Alpha Microscopii, is an easy double star within the grasp of any telescope, and provides a good starting point. Individually, they shine with magnitudes 5 and 9.8, giving a naked eye integrated brightness of 4.9. Only 20 arc seconds separate the two, so low power is all that’s necessary to split them. These two stars are very similar to the sun, having a spectral type of G8, compared to G2 for the sun.

There are a number of galaxies in Microscopium, but all are faint. One of the brightest that we find here is a fine example of a spiral galaxy--NGC6925. We can star hop from Alpha by going 2 degrees west to a star of 5.5 magnitudes, and then another two degrees northwest to NGC6925 (or go to RA 20h 34m 21s Dec -31d 58’ 50”.) This magnitude 12.1 galaxy is turned very close to edge on and measures 4.4’x 1.2’, so you’ll see a dim spear of light oriented almost straight north-south. In very large instruments or CCD images, some texture can be seen along the tightly packed spiral arms.

 

 

Dark Skies for August 

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


Th/Fr 31/ 1  21:24 -  4:06         Su/Mo  10/11    -   -   -          Th/Fr  21/22  20:29 -  0:46
Fr/Sa  1/ 2  21:56 -  4:07         Mo/Tu  11/12    Full Moon          Fr/Sa  22/23  20:27 -  1:35
Sa/Su  2/ 3  22:26 -  4:08         Tu/We  12/13    -   -   -          Sa/Su  23/24  20:26 -  2:31
                                   We/Th  13/14    -   -   -                                     
Su/Mo  3/ 4  22:58 -  4:09         Th/Fr  14/15  20:38 - 21:03        Su/Mo  24/25  20:24 -  3:33
Mo/Tu  4/ 5  23:32 -  4:10         Fr/Sa  15/16  20:37 - 21:30        Mo/Tu  25/26  20:23 -  4:29
Tu/We  5/ 6   0:11 -  4:11         Sa/Su  16/17  20:35 - 21:57        Tu/We  26/27  20:21 -  4:30
We/Th  6/ 7   0:55 -  4:11                                            We/Th  27/28  20:20 -  4:31
Th/Fr  7/ 8   1:47 -  4:12         Su/Mo  17/18  20:34 - 22:24        Th/Fr  28/29  20:19 -  4:32
Fr/Sa  8/ 9   2:46 -  4:13         Mo/Tu  18/19  20:33 - 22:53        Fr/Sa  29/30  20:27 -  4:32
Sa/Su  9/10   3:51 -  4:14         Tu/We  19/20  20:31 - 23:26        Sa/Su  30/31  20:59 -  4:33
                                   We/Th  20/21  20:30 -  0:03                                   


Weekend    Sun   Sun      Mercury     Venus      Mars     Jupiter    Saturn                       
Sa/Su      Set   Rise     Set  Vi    Rise Vi   Rise  Vi   Set  Vi    Rise Vi   Vi=Visibility      
                                                                                                  
 2/ 3     19:19  5:38     20:32 4    5:18  9   21:05 -2   20:05 6    3:05 1    -3 brilliant       
 9/10     19:12  5:43     20:25 4    5:32  -   20:36 -2   19:42 9    2:42 1     0 conspicuous     
16/17     19:05  5:47     20:12 5    Set   -   20:06 -3    Rise -    2:17 1     3 moderate        
23/24     18:57  5:52     19:51 7   19:06  -   19:34 -3    5:45 -    1:53 0     6 naked eye limit 
30/31     18:49  5:56     19:22 -   19:03  -   19:02 -3    5:25 9    1:28 0     9 binoculars limit

By Erich Karkoschka
Meeting Minutes

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