{"id":1019,"date":"2016-04-23T06:38:03","date_gmt":"2016-04-23T10:38:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/?p=1019"},"modified":"2019-01-17T08:03:43","modified_gmt":"2019-01-17T13:03:43","slug":"aprmayjun2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/2016\/04\/23\/aprmayjun2016\/","title":{"rendered":"AprMayJun2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

January Monthly Meeting<\/strong><\/h1>\n

At the monthly ASNH meeting at Leitner Observatory, Al Washburn presented another batch of constellation posters made in years past by students in his astronomy classes. This month’s constellation was Draco, and there were some very artistic portrayals of the dragon.<\/p>\n

The main speaker for the evening was Michael Miller, who presented a wealth of information about the history of the visual observation of Mars and observers’ attempts to draw what they saw. Mike began his account in the 1600s, when some of the first drawings of Mars were made by different observers, including Cassini, whose drawings included some rough surface markings. Later, in the 1870s, Giovanni Schiaparelli announced that he had observed “canali” on Mars, which is the Italian word for “channels.” But the American press translated the word as “canals”, which suggested structures made by intelligent beings.<\/p>\n

Percival Lowell was very excited about this report, and he established Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, where he and his staff used a 24-inch Clark refractor to observe Mars.  They claimed to see a complex network of canals across much of the surface of the planet.<\/p>\n

In 1902, Walter Munder conducted an experiment called the “small boy experiment”, in which 12-14 year old boys were shown a drawing of a circle with sporadic marks and dots inside it. They viewed this drawing from a distance, and were told simply to “draw what you see.” Many of them drew pictures in which the the dots and marks were converted into lines. Munder’s point was that the canals on Mars were not real but rather due to a tendency of the human visual system to connect points into lines. However, this finding did not discourage Lowell or the others at Lowell Observatory, who continued to draw pictures of their canals, convinced that they were really there. Lowell wrote several popular books speculating about an advanced civilization on Mars, desperately using the canals to try to stay alive on a dry planet.<\/p>\n

Miller also showed some curious drawings made by other observers that seemed to show networks of lines on other planets, including Venus and Jupiter!<\/p>\n

It was not until the Mariner 9 spacecraft took close-up images of Mars in the 1970s that the theory of Martian canals was finally put to rest.<\/p>\n

\"Al

Al Washburn<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Michael

Michael Miller<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Recent Outreach Activities<\/strong><\/h1>\n

by Donna Pursley<\/h3>\n

North Branford Girl Scouts Outreach Event, March 5<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Our first public outreach for the year was on Saturday March 5th<\/sup> at the Smith Library in Northford for the North Branford Girl Scouts. It was another one of those nights where it starts off all cloudy, so we think that there will be no viewing, and then magically, it is perfectly clear!<\/p>\n

Al Washburn started with a presentation and showing the girls the meteorites. Then the 50 or so girls and parents came outside to look through our 7 scopes and binos. They were very interested and asked a lot of questions. The main attraction was Jupiter and its moons.<\/p>\n

Our first event of 2016 turned out to be a success. Let\u2019s hope it stays this way.<\/p>\n

\"Greg

Greg Barker shows the Orion Nebula to girl scouts at the Smith Library in North Branford.<\/p><\/div>\n

John B. Sliney Elementary School Science Fair, March 23
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n

We were invited to bring our scopes to the John B. Sliney School in Branford for their science fair.<\/p>\n

The event was early, starting at 6pm and only running till 8pm. Jim and Laurie were smart to bring a solar scope. Those that were outside were able to see features on the Sun until it set over a nearby building. Inside, Al Washburn presented our meteorite collection.<\/p>\n

Then Jim brought out his scope and I had my scope. Jim was the first to find Jupiter rising.We focused on Jupiter until other stars started to pop out. I focused on Sirius and then later, the Orion Nebula.<\/p>\n

There must have been at least 100 children and their adults. They all were very interested and glad that we were there. It turned out to be a good event even though it wasn\u2019t that dark and a little cloudy.<\/p>\n

Just after everyone left and we were getting ready to pack up, the sky around Jupiter became very clear, and several of us were able to see the shadows of THREE of Jupiter’s moons on its surface at once! That was an extra treat for the evening.<\/p>\n

Public Viewing at Young\u2019s Pond Park in Branford, March 26<\/strong><\/h2>\n

We had our second event in Branford on Saturday, March 26th<\/sup>. We had lots of members with all kinds of scopes and binoculars. It was amazing! Thanks to all.<\/p>\n

We had a small crowd, but they were very interested in everything that we were able to show them.<\/p>\n

It was a mostly cloudy night with a few good holes through the clouds. We were able to show Jupiter and its moons, Sirius, a few nice doubles and, for a short time when there was a break in the clouds, the Orion Nebula. It sounded like everyone who came out had a good time and would be back at Young\u2019s Park later in the year.<\/p>\n

March Monthly Meeting<\/strong><\/h1>\n

At the March meeting, Al Washburn presented posters of Ursa Major made by his high school students.  Then, in our first segment of Astronomy 101, Bob Carruthers gave an informative presentation on “How the Sky Moves.”  Bob’s presentation covered such topics as how much the Moon moves against the background stars in an hour and in a day; how much the constellations move in a week or in a month at the same time of night, and how the inner and outer planets trace their curving paths in the sky.<\/p>\n

\"Al

Al Washburn<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Bob

Bob Carruthers<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Upcoming Public Events<\/strong><\/h1>\n

All of these events are free and open to the public. If the weather looks questionable for an observing event, check the ASNH website<\/a> before you leave home. There will be a scrolling message on the home page if an event has been cancelled.<\/p>\n

April 2016<\/h2>\n

Saturday, April 2, 10:00am to 5:00pm
\n<\/strong>Discovery Museum, Bridgeport, CT
\nThe ASNH meteorite collection will be on display<\/p>\n

Friday, April 8, 8:00pm<\/strong>
\nSilver Sands State Park, Milford, CT
\nPublic observing session<\/p>\n

Saturday, April 9, 8:00pm<\/strong>
\nYoung\u2019s Pond Park, Branford, CT
\nPublic observing session<\/p>\n

Tuesday, April 26, 7:00 pm<\/strong>
\nYale Leitner Student Observatory
\nGeneral monthly meeting<\/p>\n

May 2016<\/h2>\n

Friday, May 6, 8:00pm
\n<\/strong>Silver Sands State Park, Milford, CT
\nPublic observing session<\/p>\n

Saturday, May 7, 8:00pm<\/strong>
\nYoung\u2019s Pond Park, Branford, CT
\nPublic observing session<\/p>\n

Friday, May 13, 7:00pm<\/strong>
\nAnsonia Nature Center, Ansonia, CT
\nPublic outreach program:Ansonia Nature Center The Metonic calendar by Gaianne Jenkins.
\nObserving after talks, weather permitting.  Scopes are needed for this event.<\/p>\n

Tuesday, May 31, 7:00 pm<\/strong>
\nYale Leitner Student Observatory
\nGeneral monthly meeting<\/p>\n

June 2016<\/h2>\n

Friday, June 10, 8:00pm<\/strong>
\nSilver Sands State Park, Milford, CT
\nPublic observing session<\/p>\n

Saturday, June 11, 8:00pm<\/strong>
\nYoung\u2019s Pond Park, Branford, CT
\nPublic observing session<\/p>\n

Upcoming Events for ASNH Members<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Saturday, April 30, 7:00pm<\/strong>
\nTrumbull Nature & Arts Center, Trumbull CT
\nOutreach program: Members and telescopes are needed to help make this event a success.<\/p>\n

Friday, May 27, starting at 5:00pm<\/strong>
\nEdmond Strang Scout Reservation, Goshen CT
\nMessier Marathon<\/p>\n

Saturday, June 25, 12:00-6:00pm
\nSummer Solstice Picnic:  Save the date!
\n<\/strong>The annual Summer Solstice Picnic for ASNH members and their families will be held at the Pavilion at Sleeping Giant State Park, Hamden CT, rain or shine.  More details will be forthcoming.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Some Interesting Links<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Ray Kaville has sent some links he\u2019s come across when searching the Internet that might be of interest to our members. First, there is this very long duration image of Orion, which shows the constellation as you have never seen it before:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/apod.nasa.gov\/apod\/ap151123.html<\/a><\/p>\n

He also recommends the Sea and Sky website as one that has a lot of things to explore:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.seasky.org<\/a><\/p>\n

In particular, he recommends the calendar of astronomical events for 2016:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.seasky.org\/astronomy\/astronomy-calendar-2016.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Finally, if you are looking to improve your observing skills and in sketching astronomical objects, the website of the Las Vegas Astronomical Society has a monthly observers\u2019 challenge. The society invites everyone to make careful observations of the monthly target and send in your observations and drawings:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.lvastronomy.com\/index.php\/observer-s-challenge<\/a><\/p>\n

Backyard Viewing, Sunday March 6<\/strong><\/h1>\n

By Donna Pursley<\/p>\n

I always say that I will observe out my back yard during the prime viewing time of the winter. But I never do. I can easily set up my 6\u201d scope in under 5 minutes on the picnic table, but it is cold outside. But, I decided to bring out the scope on Sunday, March 6th<\/sup> because it was really clear, all the neighbors had their lights off and the time was going to change next week.<\/p>\n

I chose to look around Orion since it was in a good Southern location for my backyard. Everything was very clear and crisp. I was looking for a few Messier objects that I have not been able to find before. I didn\u2019t really think that there was much of a chance in my backyard. But, I found M79 which was unexpected. So I went for M1. I had to move the scope to verify that it wasn\u2019t just my imagination, but it was M1. Now I can cross 2 more Messiers off my list. I hope I can do this again when Virgo gets in a better location for my yard.<\/p>\n

Features<\/strong><\/h1>\n

If you have not looked at the newsletter before, check out some of the regular features. There are four useful links in the menu at the top of this page:<\/p>\n

Calendar <\/b> This is a monthly calendar that includes all the scheduled events of ASNH, other regional events of interest, plus the dates and times of noteworthy events in the night sky.<\/p>\n

SkyMap <\/b> This page has a chart of the sky as it appears over the New Haven area at the present date and time. It is constantly updated, so you can go to this page on any clear night to see what is overhead.<\/p>\n

Space Place<\/strong> Read the monthly article from Space Place.<\/p>\n

Directions <\/b>This page gives directions to all the locations where regular activities of ASNH take place, including the monthly meeting, public observing sessions, and the annual Connecticut Star Party.<\/p>\n

Other regular features can be found within these pages:<\/p>\n

Upcoming Public Events <\/strong>Many ASNH events are free and open to the public. These include the monthly meetings, open houses at Bethany Observatory and public observing sessions at Young’s Pond Park in Branford. This section gives the dates, times, and descriptions of these events.<\/p>\n

Upcoming Events for ASNH Members <\/strong>These events are for ASNH members only. Some are private observing nights, and others are outreach events where volunteers are needed with the telescopes and equipment.<\/p>\n

Night Sky Highlights <\/strong> For those who are new to astronomy, this section lists some objects to observe in the sky during the next few months, whether you are using just your eyes, a pair of binoculars, or a telescope.<\/p>\n

Gallery <\/strong> This section will feature recent photographs of celestial targets taken by ASNH members and others. If you have a picture you want to share with us, please submit it to newsletter@asnh.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

New Horizons’s New View of Pluto <\/strong><\/h1>\n

summary by Laurie Averill<\/h3>\n

\"Pluto1\"<\/p>\n

As observations of Pluto made during New Horizons’s July 2015 flyby trickle back to Earth at a rate of 3 kilobytes per second, theories about Pluto’s geology, surface composition, atmosphere, and interaction with the solar wind are being upended. Instead of consisting of half rock and half ice, New Horizons’s density observations of 1.86 grahams per cubic centimeter indicate the Pluto is made up of a third ice and two-thirds rock. Around a rocky core, the outer ice layer is about 180 miles thick and is made up of water, nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and methane.<\/p>\n

\"Pluto2-3\"<\/p>\n

Water ice acts like rock being solid, rigid, and forms mountains the size of the Rockies on the surface on the older more crater-marked surface of the planet. Methane snow covers high altitude areas like crater rim and mountains, but also the plains. Nitrogen ice forms polygonal features that flow glacially and subvectively possibly completely turning over in about half a million years exposing newer surfaces.<\/p>\n

\"Pluto4-5-6\"<\/p>\n

\"Pluto7\"<\/p>\n

Other usual surface features include ice volcanoes, scaly areas, and pits the size of small towns and big buildings.<\/p>\n

\"Pluto8-9-10\"<\/p>\n

Observed during occultation with the Sun, the atmosphere contains hazes that the Sun turns blue. The hazes are made up of complex hydrocarbons that Sagan named tholins that are large carbon-rich molecules formed by the interaction of the Sun’s ultraviolet rays with methane, ethylene, and acetylene. The tholins form layers of haze in the atmosphere as they settle out. Hydrogen cyanide radiates out to the high atmosphere, cools, and shrinks the atmosphere. There seems to be little interaction between the atmosphere and the solar wind.<\/p>\n

\"Pluto11\"<\/p>\n

To keep up to date with new observations, visit New Horizons: NASA’s Mission to Pluto <\/em>at http:\/\/pluto.jhuapl.edu\/index.php<\/a> . New articles about analyses of the New Horizons observations are forthcoming in Science<\/em>. All images are courtesy of NASA and the information was drawn from Fran Bragenal’s presentation to Solar System Ambassdors “New Horizon’s Mission to Pluto,” February 26, 2016.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Night Sky Highlights for April-June 2016<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Solar System<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Mercury after Sunset<\/strong>
\nIf you have a good view to the west, you should be able to see Mercury shortly after sunset in mid-April.  It is at its greatest eastern elongation (farthest from the Sun as we see it) on April 18, so the week around this date is the best time to look for it.<\/p>\n

Transit of Mercury
\nMay 9, early morning through mid-afternoon
\n<\/strong>One of the most interesting sky events this spring will be the transit of Mercury, and in the eastern US we are in a very good position to observe it, weather permitting. As always, it is essential to use proper precautions when observing the Sun!<\/strong>  Mercury will be seen as a tiny black dot crossing the solar disk. It will enter the Sun’s disk on the east edge and cross the surface of the Sun over a period of about 7 hours. Here is the schedule (in Eastern Daylight Time):<\/p>\n

7:12 am:    First contact on the Sun’s eastern limb
\n10:57 am: Closest to the center of the Sun
\n2:42 pm:   Last contact on the Sun’s southwestern limb<\/p>\n

The next transit of Mercury will be in November 2019.<\/p>\n

Venus<\/strong>
\nIt will be difficult or impossible to view Venus this spring. It might be just possible to see it low in the east just before sunrise during early April. After that it gets closer and closer to the Sun (though it is actually passing behind it from our viewpoint), so it will not be visible in May or June.<\/p>\n

Mars<\/strong>
\nMars is in the vicinity of Scorpius, and it will be getting closer to the Earth and therefore larger and more impressive in views through a telescope.  It reaches opposition (opposite the Sun, so it rises as the Sun sets) on May 11, and it is closest to Earth on May 21, when it will be 18.6 arcseconds in diameter.  It will be nearly as large for many weeks before and after, so this is a good time to use high power and look for surface details.<\/p>\n

Jupiter
\n<\/strong>The giant planet is in Leo, and throughout the spring it will be the brightest object in the evening sky other than the Moon. This is an ideal time to observe Jupiter and its four Galilean moons.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Saturn
\n<\/strong>Saturn will rise late in the evening during April, and then steadily earlier until it reaches opposition on June 3. Besides observing its beautiful rings, it is always interesting to search for as many of its brighter moons as you can see with your telescope.<\/p>\n

Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower<\/strong>
\nMay 5, before dawn<\/strong>
\nThe meteors from this shower are debris from Comet Halley.  Because the radiant is in Aquarius, the shower favors the southern hemisphere, but those of us in the north should still be able to see some meteors beginning about 2 am when the radiant rises, and getting better until the light of dawn interferes. The Moon is new so it will not be a problem.<\/p>\n

Deep Sky Objects<\/b><\/h2>\n

Many fascinating deep sky objects are visible during the spring. This list includes a few prominent star clusters, but this is the ideal time of year to look for galaxies in Leo, Virgo, Coma Berenices, Ursa Major, and the surrounding areas. The galaxies mentioned here are found it groups of two or more, making it even more worthwhile to make the effort to track them down.<\/p>\n

Messier 41<\/strong>
\nOpen cluster in Canis Major
\nJust about 3 degrees down from Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, this large open cluster is easy to see in binoculars, and it is an impressive sight through a telescope with a low-power eyepiece.<\/p>\n

Messier 44, the Beehive Cluster
\n<\/b>Open cluster in Cancer
\nDimly visible to the naked eye from a dark site, this is good binocular target.<\/p>\n

Messier 3
\n<\/b>Globular cluster in Canes Venatici
\nThis is one of the brightest globular clusters in the sky. It can be seen any telescope, but the bigger the scope, the more impressive the view.<\/p>\n

Messier 65 and 66, and NGC 3628
\n<\/strong>The Leo Trio
\nThese three bright spiral galaxies in Leo form a triangle about 1\/2 degree wide, so they can easily fit in the same field of view with a low-power eyepiece.<\/p>\n

Messier 95, 96, and 105<\/strong>
\nGalaxies in Leo
\nThis is another group of galaxies that can be seen together in a low-power eyepiece. M95 and M96 are oblong spiral galaxies, and M105 is an elliptical galaxy. Other fairly bright galaxies can be seen in the vicinity as well.<\/p>\n

Messier 59 and 60, and NGC 4647<\/strong>
\nGalaxies in Virgo
\nM59 and M60 are two elliptical galaxies about \u00bd degree apart, appearing diffuse and fuzzy with brighter centers. Just to the northwest of M60, seeming to almost touch it, is the dimmer spiral galaxy NGC 4647.<\/p>\n

Messier 88 and 91<\/strong>
\nGalaxies in Coma Berenices
\nThese two galaxies are part of the Virgo galaxy cluster, just north of the constellation boundary between Virgo and Coma Berenices. They are about 1 degree apart, with oblong M88 to the west, and the face-on spiral M91 to its east.<\/p>\n

<\/b>Messier 81 and 82
\n<\/b>Galaxies in Ursa Major
\nThis is one of the nicest pairs of galaxies visible through amateur telescopes. M81 appears egg-shaped, and M82, the Cigar Galaxy, is long and narrow, but irregular in its appearance.
\n<\/p>\n

Gallery, page 1<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Night sky at the Connecticut Star Party 2015<\/strong>
\nAt the new CSP location in Goshen CT last October, the dark skies were enjoyed by both visual observers and astrophotographers. These two photos were taken by Elliot Severn:
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"CSPElliot416\"
\n\"CSPElliot430\"<\/p>\n

The two photos below were taken by Ruben Kier:<\/p>\n

\"RubenKier\"<\/p>\n

\"RubenKier3\"<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Gallery, page 2<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Open clusters of the winter skies
\n<\/strong>Jim Mazur captured these two open clusters with a Meade 14-inch LX850 telescope and an SBIG imager.<\/p>\n

NGC 2169, the “37” Cluster<\/strong>
\nThis cluster’s nickname obviously comes from its resemblance to the digits. It can be found in northern Orion. Based on the way Orion is usually visualized, the 37 Cluster is roughly where Orion’s hand stretches over his head, holding a club or weapon of some sort.<\/p>\n

\"NGC2169\"
\nNGC 1245<\/strong>
\nThis is a rich open cluster of more than 100 stars in Perseus, about 9000 light years away. To find it, center your telescope on Mirfak, (alpha Persei, the brightest star in the constellation) and then pan 3 degrees to the south-southwest.
\n\"NGC1245\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

January Monthly Meeting At the monthly ASNH meeting at Leitner Observatory, Al Washburn presented another batch of constellation posters made in years past by students in his astronomy classes. This month’s constellation was Draco, and there were some very artistic … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-14"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1019","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1019"}],"version-history":[{"count":47,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1019\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1889,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1019\/revisions\/1889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}