Volume 76————————————-Issue 1——–\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014 2012<\/h3>\n
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Dear ASNH Club Members:<\/strong><\/h2>\nWelcome to the latest version of the Shooting Star<\/em>. We’ve had a little intermission in publishing our newsletter, but are back and ready to keep our members informed once again. The Shooting Star<\/em>\u00a0will be a quarterly publication, with issues published on-line and in print April 1, July 1, October 1 and December 15 each year.<\/p>\nI also want to thank Bill Chellis for his hard work as the newsletter editor for the last few years. Unfortunately, due to his work schedule, he’s had to step down. Bill took the initiative to bring us into the 21st century, by creating ASNH Twitter and Facebook accounts. Bill made the newsletter look easy. We are definitely missing him already.<\/p>\n
A lot has happened during the year since the last newsletter. Last year’s rain had us canceling many public events. The ones we did have were well attended by both the public and club member volunteers.<\/p>\n
Speaking of volunteers…. Our calendar is already full of public and private events. All members are encouraged to attend. You do not need to own a telescope or be an expert in Astronomy to be helpful at these events. The more events you attend the more fun you’ll have and the more you will learn. We are going to have some events this year with lots of attendees and will need as many hands on deck as we can get. The more scopes and the more help we have managing the crowds the better. \u00a0I look forward to seeing you there.<\/p>\n
Best regards and clear skies<\/address>\nGreg Barker<\/address>\nPrez@asnh.org<\/a><\/address>\n\u00a0<\/address>\n75th Anniversary<\/strong><\/h2>\n2012 marks the 75th anniversary for ASNH and we’re planning a bash later this year announcements will be sent out when we have everything finalized.<\/p>\n
New Officers Elected at the Novermber General Meeting<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/strong><\/strong>These are the results from the November 29th, 2011 General Meeting election. All ran unopposed and were voted unanimously. Officers serve for a two year term. Members-at-large serve for one year. All terms began January 1, 2012, and were sworn in at the December 10th Solstice Dinner.<\/p>\n\nOfficers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n- Bob Carruthers, elected Secretary<\/li>\n
- Matthew Baker, elected Treasurer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Members at Large<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n- Donna Pursley<\/li>\n
- Alan Sacharow<\/li>\n
- Al Washburn<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Outgoing Officers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n- Bill Chellis – Secretary \u00a0 Please thank Bill for his work for the last two years. \u00a0Bill was very conscientious of cost and made sure that the equipment used for newsletters and mailings was efficient and cost effective. Bill’s work during special events like CSP was key to getting the word out in a timely and effective manner.<\/li>\n
- Rich Gresham – Treasurer \u00a0Please thank Rich for his work for the last two years. Rich kept our money safe and was a thrifty spender. \u00a0Rich’s diligence handling the registration during CSP was key to our being able to run a successful event. \u00a0Rich has also helped our club in starting the Car Donation program that has brought in almost $900 in its first year! Please go to\u00a0ASNH Donations<\/a>\u00a0to see how you can donate your junker to raise money for ASNH.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
New Lifetime Member<\/strong><\/h2>\nHarriet Katz has been a constant supporter of ASNH for over 30 years and was honored this year with a Lifetime Membership. \u00a0Harriet was inducted at the November general meeting. Congratulations Harriet!!<\/p>\n
Behind the scenes at ASNH!\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\nBelow is a letter from Orion Telescope Al Washburn received recently thanking ASNH for thanking them for donating items for this past CSP door prize event.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nDear Astronomical Society,<\/div>\nYour kind words are sincerely appreciated. We are so happy to share our products with you! Thank ou for your kind support and amazing compliments. We love getting feedback from our fellow astronomers.Also thank you for the picture! It is always great to see a beaming astronomer with a new scope! We love to be able to share the wonders of the night sky. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance and once again thank you!<\/div>\n<\/div>\nSincerely,<\/div>\nHilary F.<\/address>\nOrion Telescope & Binoculars<\/address>\n89 Hangar Way<\/address>\nWatsonville, Ca. 95076<\/address>\n<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n2012 Messier Marathon \u00a0by Cheryl Barker<\/strong><\/h2>\nWe scheduled our Messier Marathon for four (4) days this March hoping for at least one good (clear sky) night. We reserved March 16, 17, 23 and 24 at The Edmund D. Strang Scout Camp in Goshen, CT. Fortunately for us, everything worked as planned and we were able to view exactly one night out of the four. We should all get extra points for being astronomers dealing with our fantastic New England weather.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMarch 16, 23 and 24 were all cancelled due to clouds\/rain. March 17th was the one good night we had. Temperatures were mild (no gloves were needed), and the magnitude 6 sky was a little hazy with some high clouds coming in around midnight. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAttending were Greg Barker, Ray Kaville, Walt Kupson, Donna Pursley Al Washburn, Mike Zurick and I. All of us were able to locate 20+ objects with Greg Barker pulling in the night’s top number of 50. Al also viewed comet Garradd. \u00a0Of course, Jupiter, Mars and Venus were some of our easiest non-messier targets of the evening.<\/span><\/p>\nI want to give a special call out to Donna and Mike who prepared our messier marathon checklists, brought a cook stove, food, drink, a heater and their willingness to step away from their scopes to help others (me) find objects. \u00a0I also want to give Donna kudos for being the most prepared with a 3-ring binder of star charts and extracts from books and guides on the objects she wanted to find. \u00a0And thanks to\u00a0Al Washburn for setting us up with a warming tent as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nEven though we were going to have a contest and compete against other area astronomy clubs, and they had proclaimed interest in a contest, no one attended from any other club. So I am proud to announce that The Astronomical Society of New Haven is the winner of our first official Astronomical Society of New Haven Messier Marathon Contest. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nI look forward to next year’s competition and hope that more people can attend and challenge each other to find more objects\u2026or just attend to have fun.<\/span>
\n<\/p>\nSolar Viewing Box by Al Washburn<\/strong><\/h2>\nAl Washburn submitted the following instructions on how to build a Solar Viewing Box. \u00a0This is a great project to do with the kids or grandkids. Its simple design will allow you to see the sun safely. \u00a0(Prominences and sun spots will not be visible.)<\/span><\/p>\nHow to Make a \u201cSafe\u201d Solar Viewing Box<\/strong><\/h3>\nPresented by\u00a0<\/strong>Al Washburn<\/strong><\/p>\nMaterials<\/strong><\/p>\n1 Box with collapsible top panels (large enough for an 8 \u00bdin x 11in piece of paper to\u00a0be taped on one side<\/p>\n
1 Piece of \u201cflat\u201d aluminum foil 5cm x 5cm (2in x 2in)<\/p>\n
1 Piece of white paper 22cm x 28cm (8 \u00bdin x 11in or appropriate size \u2013 see below)<\/p>\n
1 Straight pin<\/p>\n
1 Pair Scissors\/Exacto Knife\u00a0Tape<\/p>\n
Procedure<\/strong><\/p>\n1)\u00a0\u00a0 Take your box with collapsible top panels and at one end, inside, tape the piece of white paper (8 \u00bd in x 11in or appropriate size to fit box panel).\u00a0 This is your viewing screen.<\/p>\n
2)\u00a0\u00a0 At the opposite end, cut out a 2in x 2in hole (square or round doesn\u2019t matter).\u00a0 Keep the hole centered on the white paper across from it.<\/p>\n
3)\u00a0\u00a0 Tape a piece of aluminum foil over the 2in x 2in hole.<\/p>\n
4)\u00a0\u00a0 Carefully, so it doesn\u2019t tear, poke a pinhole in the center of the aluminum foil. This is where the sunlight will enter the box.<\/p>\n
5)\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMidway\u201d on either side of the box, make a door by cutting three (3) equal length cuts (6in will do) in the box to create a door to open and close.\u00a0 The door should open outward and away from the pinhole end.<\/p>\n
6)\u00a0\u00a0 Seal over the top panels with the tape, so that light cannot enter, and you are ready.<\/p>\n
7)\u00a0\u00a0 Go outside on a clear day, face away from the sun and place the box on your shoulder. Lower the \u201cview screen end\u201d and \u201craise\u201d the pinhole end. While looking through the side panel door, adjust the box (up, down, left, right) until you see the image of the sun cast onto the view screen!<\/p>\n
CAUTION:\u00a0 NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/SolarBox2-1024x529.png\" "\\"SolarBox\\"")
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Astronomy 101 Class – 2011 by Cheryl Barker<\/strong><\/h2>\nLast year saw our first Astronomy 101 class. \u00a0Club members attending were lucky enough to have Bob Carruthers, Chris Predom, Leo Taylor and Al Washburn as instructors. \u00a0Between them, they’ve got more decades with the club and astronomy than they would want me to reveal here. \u00a0 <grin> \u00a0or \u00a0<groan> \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nClasses met monthly from March through November with a combination of classroom and hands on night sky\/telescope instruction. \u00a0The classes were set up to cover a broad range of topics including:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n- Daily Motion of the Sky<\/li>\n
- Stellar Magnitude<\/li>\n
- Planisphere – Construction and Use<\/li>\n
- Telescopes and Eyepieces<\/li>\n
- Star Charts<\/li>\n
- Types of Objects<\/li>\n
- Planets and their Motions<\/li>\n
- Cosmology<\/li>\n
- Observing Methods<\/li>\n
- and so on<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The class sizes were small, between 4 and 8 people, which allowed each class to be tailored to the students needs. No previous knowledge of astronomy is needed to attend these classes. The last class consisted of an open book quiz. \u00a0Luckily<\/span>\u00a0Unfortunately, I missed the last class and was unable to take the quiz. Bob\/Chris\/Leo\/Al – I do have the quiz and I will someday take it. \u00a0Maybe I’ll take it when you re-give it after this year’s class.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nAstronomy 101 Class – 2012 by Cheryl Baker<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe first class for this year had to be cancelled due to lack of participation. We had 3 members who took the class last year (including me) sign up and one new member. \u00a0While any member is welcome to attend any class, we really would like to encourage new members to attend. \u00a0You do not have to sign up for all the classes. Just sign up for the ones that you find interesting or with topics you need help with. If there is a topic that you want covered, please let us know. We’ll be sending out notices for each month’s class and ask for RSVPs so that we can determine if the class is going to be held or not. \u00a0Please consider broadening your astronomy horizons. \u00a0I look forward to seeing you at a future class.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Don’t forget to visit the ASNH with these special links<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/CalendarImage.png\" "\\"CalendarImage\\"")
<\/a>\u00a0![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/WeatherImage.png\" "\\"WeatherImage\\"")
<\/a><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Space_Place_Header_sml.jpg\" "\\"Space_Place_Header_sml\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\nVolume 76 Issue 1 ——Astronomical Society of New Haven–\u2014\u2014\u2014 www.asnh.org<\/h3>\n
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\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Volume 76————————————-Issue 1——–\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014 2012 Dear ASNH Club Members: Welcome to the latest version of the Shooting Star. We’ve had a little intermission in publishing our newsletter, but are back and ready to keep our members informed once again. … Continue reading
I also want to thank Bill Chellis for his hard work as the newsletter editor for the last few years. Unfortunately, due to his work schedule, he’s had to step down. Bill took the initiative to bring us into the 21st century, by creating ASNH Twitter and Facebook accounts. Bill made the newsletter look easy. We are definitely missing him already.<\/p>\n
A lot has happened during the year since the last newsletter. Last year’s rain had us canceling many public events. The ones we did have were well attended by both the public and club member volunteers.<\/p>\n
Speaking of volunteers…. Our calendar is already full of public and private events. All members are encouraged to attend. You do not need to own a telescope or be an expert in Astronomy to be helpful at these events. The more events you attend the more fun you’ll have and the more you will learn. We are going to have some events this year with lots of attendees and will need as many hands on deck as we can get. The more scopes and the more help we have managing the crowds the better. \u00a0I look forward to seeing you there.<\/p>\n
Best regards and clear skies<\/address>\nGreg Barker<\/address>\nPrez@asnh.org<\/a><\/address>\n\u00a0<\/address>\n75th Anniversary<\/strong><\/h2>\n2012 marks the 75th anniversary for ASNH and we’re planning a bash later this year announcements will be sent out when we have everything finalized.<\/p>\n
New Officers Elected at the Novermber General Meeting<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/strong><\/strong>These are the results from the November 29th, 2011 General Meeting election. All ran unopposed and were voted unanimously. Officers serve for a two year term. Members-at-large serve for one year. All terms began January 1, 2012, and were sworn in at the December 10th Solstice Dinner.<\/p>\n\nOfficers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n- Bob Carruthers, elected Secretary<\/li>\n
- Matthew Baker, elected Treasurer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Members at Large<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n- Donna Pursley<\/li>\n
- Alan Sacharow<\/li>\n
- Al Washburn<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Outgoing Officers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n- Bill Chellis – Secretary \u00a0 Please thank Bill for his work for the last two years. \u00a0Bill was very conscientious of cost and made sure that the equipment used for newsletters and mailings was efficient and cost effective. Bill’s work during special events like CSP was key to getting the word out in a timely and effective manner.<\/li>\n
- Rich Gresham – Treasurer \u00a0Please thank Rich for his work for the last two years. Rich kept our money safe and was a thrifty spender. \u00a0Rich’s diligence handling the registration during CSP was key to our being able to run a successful event. \u00a0Rich has also helped our club in starting the Car Donation program that has brought in almost $900 in its first year! Please go to\u00a0ASNH Donations<\/a>\u00a0to see how you can donate your junker to raise money for ASNH.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
New Lifetime Member<\/strong><\/h2>\nHarriet Katz has been a constant supporter of ASNH for over 30 years and was honored this year with a Lifetime Membership. \u00a0Harriet was inducted at the November general meeting. Congratulations Harriet!!<\/p>\n
Behind the scenes at ASNH!\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\nBelow is a letter from Orion Telescope Al Washburn received recently thanking ASNH for thanking them for donating items for this past CSP door prize event.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nDear Astronomical Society,<\/div>\nYour kind words are sincerely appreciated. We are so happy to share our products with you! Thank ou for your kind support and amazing compliments. We love getting feedback from our fellow astronomers.Also thank you for the picture! It is always great to see a beaming astronomer with a new scope! We love to be able to share the wonders of the night sky. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance and once again thank you!<\/div>\n<\/div>\nSincerely,<\/div>\nHilary F.<\/address>\nOrion Telescope & Binoculars<\/address>\n89 Hangar Way<\/address>\nWatsonville, Ca. 95076<\/address>\n<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n2012 Messier Marathon \u00a0by Cheryl Barker<\/strong><\/h2>\nWe scheduled our Messier Marathon for four (4) days this March hoping for at least one good (clear sky) night. We reserved March 16, 17, 23 and 24 at The Edmund D. Strang Scout Camp in Goshen, CT. Fortunately for us, everything worked as planned and we were able to view exactly one night out of the four. We should all get extra points for being astronomers dealing with our fantastic New England weather.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMarch 16, 23 and 24 were all cancelled due to clouds\/rain. March 17th was the one good night we had. Temperatures were mild (no gloves were needed), and the magnitude 6 sky was a little hazy with some high clouds coming in around midnight. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAttending were Greg Barker, Ray Kaville, Walt Kupson, Donna Pursley Al Washburn, Mike Zurick and I. All of us were able to locate 20+ objects with Greg Barker pulling in the night’s top number of 50. Al also viewed comet Garradd. \u00a0Of course, Jupiter, Mars and Venus were some of our easiest non-messier targets of the evening.<\/span><\/p>\nI want to give a special call out to Donna and Mike who prepared our messier marathon checklists, brought a cook stove, food, drink, a heater and their willingness to step away from their scopes to help others (me) find objects. \u00a0I also want to give Donna kudos for being the most prepared with a 3-ring binder of star charts and extracts from books and guides on the objects she wanted to find. \u00a0And thanks to\u00a0Al Washburn for setting us up with a warming tent as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nEven though we were going to have a contest and compete against other area astronomy clubs, and they had proclaimed interest in a contest, no one attended from any other club. So I am proud to announce that The Astronomical Society of New Haven is the winner of our first official Astronomical Society of New Haven Messier Marathon Contest. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nI look forward to next year’s competition and hope that more people can attend and challenge each other to find more objects\u2026or just attend to have fun.<\/span>
\n<\/p>\nSolar Viewing Box by Al Washburn<\/strong><\/h2>\nAl Washburn submitted the following instructions on how to build a Solar Viewing Box. \u00a0This is a great project to do with the kids or grandkids. Its simple design will allow you to see the sun safely. \u00a0(Prominences and sun spots will not be visible.)<\/span><\/p>\nHow to Make a \u201cSafe\u201d Solar Viewing Box<\/strong><\/h3>\nPresented by\u00a0<\/strong>Al Washburn<\/strong><\/p>\nMaterials<\/strong><\/p>\n1 Box with collapsible top panels (large enough for an 8 \u00bdin x 11in piece of paper to\u00a0be taped on one side<\/p>\n
1 Piece of \u201cflat\u201d aluminum foil 5cm x 5cm (2in x 2in)<\/p>\n
1 Piece of white paper 22cm x 28cm (8 \u00bdin x 11in or appropriate size \u2013 see below)<\/p>\n
1 Straight pin<\/p>\n
1 Pair Scissors\/Exacto Knife\u00a0Tape<\/p>\n
Procedure<\/strong><\/p>\n1)\u00a0\u00a0 Take your box with collapsible top panels and at one end, inside, tape the piece of white paper (8 \u00bd in x 11in or appropriate size to fit box panel).\u00a0 This is your viewing screen.<\/p>\n
2)\u00a0\u00a0 At the opposite end, cut out a 2in x 2in hole (square or round doesn\u2019t matter).\u00a0 Keep the hole centered on the white paper across from it.<\/p>\n
3)\u00a0\u00a0 Tape a piece of aluminum foil over the 2in x 2in hole.<\/p>\n
4)\u00a0\u00a0 Carefully, so it doesn\u2019t tear, poke a pinhole in the center of the aluminum foil. This is where the sunlight will enter the box.<\/p>\n
5)\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMidway\u201d on either side of the box, make a door by cutting three (3) equal length cuts (6in will do) in the box to create a door to open and close.\u00a0 The door should open outward and away from the pinhole end.<\/p>\n
6)\u00a0\u00a0 Seal over the top panels with the tape, so that light cannot enter, and you are ready.<\/p>\n
7)\u00a0\u00a0 Go outside on a clear day, face away from the sun and place the box on your shoulder. Lower the \u201cview screen end\u201d and \u201craise\u201d the pinhole end. While looking through the side panel door, adjust the box (up, down, left, right) until you see the image of the sun cast onto the view screen!<\/p>\n
CAUTION:\u00a0 NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Astronomy 101 Class – 2011 by Cheryl Barker<\/strong><\/h2>\nLast year saw our first Astronomy 101 class. \u00a0Club members attending were lucky enough to have Bob Carruthers, Chris Predom, Leo Taylor and Al Washburn as instructors. \u00a0Between them, they’ve got more decades with the club and astronomy than they would want me to reveal here. \u00a0 <grin> \u00a0or \u00a0<groan> \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nClasses met monthly from March through November with a combination of classroom and hands on night sky\/telescope instruction. \u00a0The classes were set up to cover a broad range of topics including:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n- Daily Motion of the Sky<\/li>\n
- Stellar Magnitude<\/li>\n
- Planisphere – Construction and Use<\/li>\n
- Telescopes and Eyepieces<\/li>\n
- Star Charts<\/li>\n
- Types of Objects<\/li>\n
- Planets and their Motions<\/li>\n
- Cosmology<\/li>\n
- Observing Methods<\/li>\n
- and so on<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The class sizes were small, between 4 and 8 people, which allowed each class to be tailored to the students needs. No previous knowledge of astronomy is needed to attend these classes. The last class consisted of an open book quiz. \u00a0Luckily<\/span>\u00a0Unfortunately, I missed the last class and was unable to take the quiz. Bob\/Chris\/Leo\/Al – I do have the quiz and I will someday take it. \u00a0Maybe I’ll take it when you re-give it after this year’s class.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nAstronomy 101 Class – 2012 by Cheryl Baker<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe first class for this year had to be cancelled due to lack of participation. We had 3 members who took the class last year (including me) sign up and one new member. \u00a0While any member is welcome to attend any class, we really would like to encourage new members to attend. \u00a0You do not have to sign up for all the classes. Just sign up for the ones that you find interesting or with topics you need help with. If there is a topic that you want covered, please let us know. We’ll be sending out notices for each month’s class and ask for RSVPs so that we can determine if the class is going to be held or not. \u00a0Please consider broadening your astronomy horizons. \u00a0I look forward to seeing you at a future class.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Don’t forget to visit the ASNH with these special links<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/a>\u00a0<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\nVolume 76 Issue 1 ——Astronomical Society of New Haven–\u2014\u2014\u2014 www.asnh.org<\/h3>\n
<\/center>
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Volume 76————————————-Issue 1——–\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014 2012 Dear ASNH Club Members: Welcome to the latest version of the Shooting Star. We’ve had a little intermission in publishing our newsletter, but are back and ready to keep our members informed once again. … Continue reading
<\/strong><\/strong>These are the results from the November 29th, 2011 General Meeting election. All ran unopposed and were voted unanimously. Officers serve for a two year term. Members-at-large serve for one year. All terms began January 1, 2012, and were sworn in at the December 10th Solstice Dinner.<\/p>\n Harriet Katz has been a constant supporter of ASNH for over 30 years and was honored this year with a Lifetime Membership. \u00a0Harriet was inducted at the November general meeting. Congratulations Harriet!!<\/p>\n We scheduled our Messier Marathon for four (4) days this March hoping for at least one good (clear sky) night. We reserved March 16, 17, 23 and 24 at The Edmund D. Strang Scout Camp in Goshen, CT. Fortunately for us, everything worked as planned and we were able to view exactly one night out of the four. We should all get extra points for being astronomers dealing with our fantastic New England weather.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n March 16, 23 and 24 were all cancelled due to clouds\/rain. March 17th was the one good night we had. Temperatures were mild (no gloves were needed), and the magnitude 6 sky was a little hazy with some high clouds coming in around midnight. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Attending were Greg Barker, Ray Kaville, Walt Kupson, Donna Pursley Al Washburn, Mike Zurick and I. All of us were able to locate 20+ objects with Greg Barker pulling in the night’s top number of 50. Al also viewed comet Garradd. \u00a0Of course, Jupiter, Mars and Venus were some of our easiest non-messier targets of the evening.<\/span><\/p>\n I want to give a special call out to Donna and Mike who prepared our messier marathon checklists, brought a cook stove, food, drink, a heater and their willingness to step away from their scopes to help others (me) find objects. \u00a0I also want to give Donna kudos for being the most prepared with a 3-ring binder of star charts and extracts from books and guides on the objects she wanted to find. \u00a0And thanks to\u00a0Al Washburn for setting us up with a warming tent as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Even though we were going to have a contest and compete against other area astronomy clubs, and they had proclaimed interest in a contest, no one attended from any other club. So I am proud to announce that The Astronomical Society of New Haven is the winner of our first official Astronomical Society of New Haven Messier Marathon Contest. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I look forward to next year’s competition and hope that more people can attend and challenge each other to find more objects\u2026or just attend to have fun.<\/span> Al Washburn submitted the following instructions on how to build a Solar Viewing Box. \u00a0This is a great project to do with the kids or grandkids. Its simple design will allow you to see the sun safely. \u00a0(Prominences and sun spots will not be visible.)<\/span><\/p>\n Presented by\u00a0<\/strong>Al Washburn<\/strong><\/p>\n Materials<\/strong><\/p>\n 1 Box with collapsible top panels (large enough for an 8 \u00bdin x 11in piece of paper to\u00a0be taped on one side<\/p>\n 1 Piece of \u201cflat\u201d aluminum foil 5cm x 5cm (2in x 2in)<\/p>\n 1 Piece of white paper 22cm x 28cm (8 \u00bdin x 11in or appropriate size \u2013 see below)<\/p>\n 1 Straight pin<\/p>\n 1 Pair Scissors\/Exacto Knife\u00a0Tape<\/p>\n Procedure<\/strong><\/p>\n 1)\u00a0\u00a0 Take your box with collapsible top panels and at one end, inside, tape the piece of white paper (8 \u00bd in x 11in or appropriate size to fit box panel).\u00a0 This is your viewing screen.<\/p>\n 2)\u00a0\u00a0 At the opposite end, cut out a 2in x 2in hole (square or round doesn\u2019t matter).\u00a0 Keep the hole centered on the white paper across from it.<\/p>\n 3)\u00a0\u00a0 Tape a piece of aluminum foil over the 2in x 2in hole.<\/p>\n 4)\u00a0\u00a0 Carefully, so it doesn\u2019t tear, poke a pinhole in the center of the aluminum foil. This is where the sunlight will enter the box.<\/p>\n 5)\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMidway\u201d on either side of the box, make a door by cutting three (3) equal length cuts (6in will do) in the box to create a door to open and close.\u00a0 The door should open outward and away from the pinhole end.<\/p>\n 6)\u00a0\u00a0 Seal over the top panels with the tape, so that light cannot enter, and you are ready.<\/p>\n 7)\u00a0\u00a0 Go outside on a clear day, face away from the sun and place the box on your shoulder. Lower the \u201cview screen end\u201d and \u201craise\u201d the pinhole end. While looking through the side panel door, adjust the box (up, down, left, right) until you see the image of the sun cast onto the view screen!<\/p>\n CAUTION:\u00a0 NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Last year saw our first Astronomy 101 class. \u00a0Club members attending were lucky enough to have Bob Carruthers, Chris Predom, Leo Taylor and Al Washburn as instructors. \u00a0Between them, they’ve got more decades with the club and astronomy than they would want me to reveal here. \u00a0 <grin> \u00a0or \u00a0<groan> \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Classes met monthly from March through November with a combination of classroom and hands on night sky\/telescope instruction. \u00a0The classes were set up to cover a broad range of topics including:<\/span><\/p>\n The class sizes were small, between 4 and 8 people, which allowed each class to be tailored to the students needs. No previous knowledge of astronomy is needed to attend these classes. The last class consisted of an open book quiz. \u00a0Luckily<\/span>\u00a0Unfortunately, I missed the last class and was unable to take the quiz. Bob\/Chris\/Leo\/Al – I do have the quiz and I will someday take it. \u00a0Maybe I’ll take it when you re-give it after this year’s class.<\/p>\n The first class for this year had to be cancelled due to lack of participation. We had 3 members who took the class last year (including me) sign up and one new member. \u00a0While any member is welcome to attend any class, we really would like to encourage new members to attend. \u00a0You do not have to sign up for all the classes. Just sign up for the ones that you find interesting or with topics you need help with. If there is a topic that you want covered, please let us know. We’ll be sending out notices for each month’s class and ask for RSVPs so that we can determine if the class is going to be held or not. \u00a0Please consider broadening your astronomy horizons. \u00a0I look forward to seeing you at a future class.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/center> Volume 76————————————-Issue 1——–\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014 2012 Dear ASNH Club Members: Welcome to the latest version of the Shooting Star. We’ve had a little intermission in publishing our newsletter, but are back and ready to keep our members informed once again. … Continue reading Officers<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Members at Large<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Outgoing Officers<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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New Lifetime Member<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Behind the scenes at ASNH!\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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2012 Messier Marathon \u00a0by Cheryl Barker<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n<\/p>\nSolar Viewing Box by Al Washburn<\/strong><\/h2>\n
How to Make a \u201cSafe\u201d Solar Viewing Box<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nAstronomy 101 Class – 2011 by Cheryl Barker<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Astronomy 101 Class – 2012 by Cheryl Baker<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Don’t forget to visit the ASNH with these special links<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a>\u00a0<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/a><\/p>\nVolume 76 Issue 1 ——Astronomical Society of New Haven–\u2014\u2014\u2014 www.asnh.org<\/h3>\n
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