Greetings:
Season’s Greetings and I hope you all had a Happy Holiday!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, 2020 has been a year to remember to forget or forget to remember, either way let’s hope that 2021 starts and ends on a better note. So the plan for this year is to wait and see if COVID subsides before we return to public outreach. You’ll see others doing public outreach and wondering why we don’t. The reason is that COVID or any virus is transmitted through mucus membranes, in our hobby that would be through your eye. If you have someone with symptoms that looks through your scope and they place their eye on the eyepiece (this happens a lot during public outreach) and someone else does the same then there is a very good chance that that person would be infected. Board members are testing new and innovative ways get us back out in the field as soon as possible. After sunset on December 21, Suzanne Duran Crelin used an iphone to take this image of the historic conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. Look closely and you can see that the two planets have different colors. The planets were just about 6 seconds of arc apart, the closest they have been in hundreds of years. For those who were lucky enough to have clear skies, it was a memorable sight!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Torin Thurston writes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Patricia and I were able to see the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn for about twenty minutes on December 21. I set up my 8\u201d Newtonian scope in a few inches of snow. A yellowish Saturn, the two major bands around Jupiter and 4 of Jupiter\u2019s moons dynamically tilted with respect to the horizon. Low in the horizon, between trees and clouds, but beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And, extra special as it was our 36th<\/sup> wedding anniversary!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like everything else in 2020, our annual Winter Solstice celebration had to be quite a bit different. Instead of gathering in person and sharing all sorts of delicious food, we met via Zoom on Saturday evening, December 19. There was a lot of interesting discussion on topics both astronomical and non-astronomical. Many of us had been watching Jupiter and Saturn as they approached their rare conjunction on December 21. Others had braved the cold and spotted some of the Geminid meteors, which apparently put on a pretty good show this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The highlight of the evening was the 28th edition of Al Washburn’s astronomy quiz. This year’s quiz included 15 questions, many of them quite difficult (as usual), and we graded ourselves on the honor system. No one came close to getting a perfect score, but Leo Taylor was the night’s winner with 11 correct, and Rich Cosgrove came in a close second with 10 correct. Well done, Leo and Rich!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n By Donna Pursley<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our\nASNH General Meetings are a little different now. We are holding them via Zoom.\nWe can still see those who share their screens, but Zoom allows for dial-in\ncalling also so no one is left out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\nis a short summary of some of the discussions that have been happening during\nour meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jim\nMazur showed images he took:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1)\nJupiter with Io. He took with his 14inch\nMeade and Canon Camera. It was a video with\nabout 600 frames that he processed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2)\nSaturn. Same night and same setup as the Jupiter picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3)\nMilky way with a meteor streaking through it. \nTaken with a wide-angle lens, Canon camera, 15 second shots to get the\nmeteor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bob\nCaruthers showed us his sketch of Mars. \nHe’s also done drawings of the Moon and has looked at Jupiter and Saturn\nas well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Michael\nAmato saw Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and some meteors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\nwas discussion around Mars getting closer\/bigger. No dust storm is expected on Mars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Michael\nAmato asked if we should plan a club trip to see the next total eclipse. We spoke about where to go. We have a few years to plan. Rochester could have bad weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bob\nCarruthers said that Saturn\u2019s rings and the shadow looked really good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Michael\nAmato said he could see the darker features of Mars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bob\nCarruthers and Gaianne Jenkins commented about seeing the comet in July. They\nshowed it to some friends. Don Straka\nalso saw the comet in binoculars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bob\nCarruthers has been looking for naked eye objects. The Moon looked really cool\ngoing in and out of the clouds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jim\nMazur has been doing some binocular observing in his backyard around\nSagittarius. There is a really nice orange star in Cepheus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An\nasteroid passed within 30,000 miles of the Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dave\nNoble was in Flagstaff, Arizona at Lowell Observatory. It was sunny (time zone\nthing). He talked about the telescopes and how nice it was to be there. Bob Carruthers\nsaid that he has looked through the scope that was in Dave\u2019s background.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gaianne\nJenkins saw the 2-day-old moon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andrew\nBuynak\u2019s wife bought him a small scope in August, a 4 \u00bd inch Starblast. He is learning to use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Someone\nsaw a shooting star that broke into pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most\nagreed that the Comet NEOWISE looked better in binoculars than in a scope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\nFiler visited Tony Mallilo in Littleton New Hampshire. Tony is an old club\nmember. They had very dark skies up there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Greg\nreported that Mike Dzubaty had passed away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Monthly Meetings on Zoom (continued):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Many\npeople have been looking at the planets. Ham radio operators suggested activity\non the Sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Donna\nPursley had a lawn chair constellation viewing in North Branford. No scopes,\njust a laser pointer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\nStraka has been using his binoculars and saw M31 and the double cluster in\nlight polluted skies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\nhad a little discussion about how the new LED streetlights are affecting the\nviewing from our homes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Matt\nBaker was able to go to a nice location in Vermont and saw the Milky Way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Laurie\nAverill talked about her brother who is on a zoning review board in Vermont and\nhas made it a point to require full-cutoff lights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bob\nCarruthers talked about some interesting stories of past excursions out West.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chris\nPredom had a link showing a really nice close up detail of the horsehead in\nOrion. This was made available to all using the Chat feature of Zoom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bob\nCarruthers had a telescope out on Halloween at Rocky Corner in Bethany. A dozen\nor so people showed up. It was a Blue Moon and considering that it was\nHalloween, the group decided to howl at the moon. The funny thing is that a howl\ncame back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Michael\nAmato saw the latest Comet Atlas. He said it didn\u2019t look like much of a comet,\nit just looked like a little round smudge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Al\nWashburn has been making drawings of Jupiter with the locations of the moons\nwhich are constantly changing. He also has been sketching the Moon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Donna\nPursley and Mike Zarick had the telescope out on Halloween. They used a cell\nphone mount to show the full Moon to people without them having to look through\nthe scope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Greg\nsaid that on past Halloweens they had the telescope next to a bowl of candy.\nThere was a note that said if the person could tell what the scope was pointed\nat, they could have the whole bowl of candy. There were no winners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andrew\nBuynak has been visiting a Canaan hillside for viewing. The skies are very dark\nup there, very different than Milford. He has been able to see the Milky Way\nfrom edge to edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\nhas been much discussion about White Memorial in Litchfield for viewing. Pat\nMaturo likes the \u2018Activity Field\u2019 for viewing. It is a longer walk than the\nother field. A reminder that anyone can go to White Memorial any time. But it\nmight be nice to check their website or call first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gary\nZrelak said that our CSP location boy scout camp has been pretty much empty\nthis year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tuesday, January 26, 7:00 pm We will continue to use this format for monthly meetings through at least the beginning of 2021 and until it is safe to meet in person again. A week or two before each meeting, members will receive an email announcement with a link that will allow them to connect to the online meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just click the link or copy and paste in your browser and that will connect you to the meeting. You can do this on any device that has an internet connection and a browser. You can do this on a smart phone. You can display yourself if you like with your selfie camera on your device. If you don’t that’s okay, don’t feel you have to. Because of COVID-19, all of our public observing events have been cancelled until further notice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Astro-tourism in Connecticut:<\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/www.ctvisit.com\/articles\/stargazing-astrotourism-connecticut<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n John J. McCarthy Observatory in New Milford has live-stream astronomy events on the second Saturday evening of every month:<\/p>\n\n\n\n http:\/\/www.mccarthyobservatory.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Video of the Arecibo radio telescope collapse:<\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/mail.google.com\/mail\/u\/0\/#inbox\/WhctKJWJGZwlplGPDzFjRRwDgZzXRQJdsZSJBbQpjtWgZxKWkHzVtJPtlQSrXnNMHnDVHNG?projector=1<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\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\n\n\n Calendar <\/strong> 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\n\n\n SkyMap <\/strong> 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\n\n\n Space Place<\/strong> Read the monthly article from Space Place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Directions <\/strong>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\n\n\n Other regular features can be found within these pages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Upcoming Public Events <\/strong>Many ASNH events are free and open to the public. These include the monthly meetings and public observing sessions at Young’s Pond Park in Branford and Silver Sands State Park in Milford. This section gives the dates, times, and descriptions of these events.<\/p>\n\n\n\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\n\n\n Night Sky Highlights <\/strong>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\n\n\n Gallery <\/strong> This section features 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\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Mercury<\/strong> Venus<\/strong> Mars<\/strong> Jupiter<\/strong> Saturn<\/strong> Uranus<\/strong> To find Uranus or Neptune with a telescope, you will need a go-to scope or a finder chart such as the one in this article from the Sky & Telescope<\/em> website: <\/p>\n\n\n\n www.skyandtelescope.com\/observing\/planets\/ice-giants-neptune-and-uranus\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Neptune<\/strong> The Caldwell Catalog is a list of 109 deep sky objects created by Patrick Moore in 1995 to supplement the Messier Catalog. These are all interesting targets for amateur astronomers but they vary greatly in their degree of difficulty. Some are visible to the naked eye, and others are challenging to see even with a good telescope. The objects are listed from north to south, so in Connecticut only about the first 75 or 80 objects are visible. Below are some of the Caldwell objects well placed for winter observation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Caldwell 1 (NGC 188) Caldwell 2 (NGC 40, the Bow Tie Nebula)<\/strong> Caldwell 5 (IC 342) Caldwell 7 (NGC 2403)<\/strong> Caldwell 8 (NGC 559) Caldwell 10 (NGC 663) <\/strong> Caldwell 46 (NGC 2261), Hubble’s Variable Nebula Caldwell 49 (NGC 2237-9), the Rosette Nebula, and NGC 2244 Caldwell 64 (NGC 2362), the Tau Canis Majoris Cluster<\/strong> Three of the Caldwell Objects mentioned in this issue’s Night Sky Highlights are shown here. They were taken by Jim Mazur using a 14-inch Meade LX850 telescope at f\/6 and an SBIG STF 8300M imager. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Below is Caldwell 1 (NGC 188), an open cluster in Cepheus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" President’s Annual Message Greetings:Season’s Greetings and I hope you all had a Happy Holiday! Well, 2020 has been a year to remember to forget or forget to remember, either way let’s hope that 2021 starts and ends on a better … Continue reading
I want to thank those BoD members (Donna, Ray, Dave, Jim, Cheryl, and Al) for their work this year and Jim Mazur for publishing our Newsletter.
We’ll continue with our Zoom General and BoD Meetings for now. Keep an eye on your emails from Prez@asnh.org<\/a> for meeting notifications.
Have a happy and safe New Year!
Regards and clear skies
Greg Barker <\/p>\n\n\n\nJupiter-Saturn Conjunction of December 21, 2020<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Suzanne-Duran-Crelin.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWinter Solstice Celebration on Zoom<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Monthly Meetings on Zoom<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
August\n25, 2020<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
September 29, 2020<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
October 27, 2020<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
November 24, 2020 <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Upcoming monthly meetings on Zoom:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Tuesday, February 23, 7:00 pm
Tuesday, March 30, 7:00 pm<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can also dial in to the meeting. The number and password will be given in the announcement. <\/p>\n\n\n\nCancellation of Public Events <\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Astronomy Links<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Features<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Night Sky Highlights for January-March 2021<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Solar System<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The best chance to observe Mercury this winter is in late January, especially around the dates of January 23-25, when it will be visible in the southwestern sky just after sunset. There is also a morning appearance in mid-March, but its low angle with the horizon will make it challenging to see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the beginning of January, early risers may be able to spot Venus very low in the southeast just before sunrise. For the rest of the winter, Venus will be too close to the Sun to see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The disk of Mars get smaller as it moves away from us, but the planet is still very conspicuous (first magnitude or brighter) throughout the winter. It will be easy to find this red beacon in the south and southwest during the evening hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After its close conjunction with Saturn in December, Jupiter will be too close to the Sun in January and February to be easily viewed. By March, it can be seen in the southeastern sky before dawn in the constellation Capricornus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like Jupiter, Saturn will be too close to the Sun for easy observation in January and most of February. Because Jupiter has now passed Saturn (from our viewpoint), their separation will be slowly increasing as the days and weeks go by. By mid-March Saturn will be about 10 degrees west of Jupiter in the pre-dawn sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Currently in Aries, Uranus will be well placed for evening observing throughout the winter. Its blue-green disk can be seen with even a small telescope. If you have never looked for it with a telescope it can be a thrill to find it. On January 21<\/strong>, Uranus will be about 1.8 degrees south of brilliant Mars, which should make it easy to locate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neptune is in Aquarius. In January and early February it can be found in the southwest sky in the early evening. For the rest of the winter it will be too close to the Sun to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDeep Sky Objects<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Open cluster in Cepheus
Just 5 degrees from the north celestial pole, this 8th magnitude open cluster is visible all year. It is a very old open cluster, perhaps 9 billion years old, and contains something like 100 stars. Star-hop chart<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Planetary nebula in Cepheus
This is a nice planetary nebula to check out because its 9th magnitude central star is easy to see in even small telescopes. The star is surrounded by a faint nebula with a blue-green tint. In large scopes, two brighter edges of the nebula can be seen, which gives the object its bow tie appearance and its nickname. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Spiral galaxy in Camelopardalis
More than 1\/4 degree in diameter, this is a large face-on spiral galaxy that is relatively nearby, about 10 million light years away. However, it is obscured by dust from our Milky Way. It has a fairly bright central region, but the surrounding spiral arms are very faint and not easy to see in a typical amateur telescope. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spiral galaxy in Camelopardalis
This is another fairly nearby spiral, about 8 million light years away. Its oval shape is obvious through a telescope with a low-power eyepiece, but surface detail is pretty hard to see. The galaxy is thought to be a member of a group of galaxies that includes the well-known pair M81 and M82 in Ursa Major.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Open cluster in Cassiopeia
This cluster is fairly compact, about 7 arcminutes in diameter, and contains about 150 stars. At magnitude 9.5 it is not as bright as some of the other nearby clusters in Cassiopeia, but it is a nice distinct group that makes a good telescopic target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Open cluster in Cassiopeia
This cluster contains a nice mixture of brighter and dimmer stars scattered in an area of about 1\/4 degree in diameter. It is quite a bit larger and slightly brighter than the open cluster M103. which is about 1.5 degrees away. It is interesting to compare these two clusters, only one of which made it into Messier’s catalog. Star-hop chart<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Diffuse nebula in Monoceros
This is a very interesting nebula because its appearance can actually change over as little as a few days. The nebula is fan-shaped and looks a lot like a comet. The brightest section of the nebula contains the variable star R Monoceros. It is thought that moving clouds of dust surrounding R Mon cast shadows on the nebula that change over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Diffuse nebula and open cluster in Monoceros
The Rosette Nebula is more than 1 degree in diameter, and it surrounds the open cluster NGC 2244. The star cluster is easy to see in even small telescopes, but the large nebula is so dim and diffuse that it is much more challenging. To spot it, you will need a dark night and a low-power eyepiece with a large field of view. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Open cluster in Canis Major
This is a pretty cluster, triangular in shape with sharp points, and very distinct. The cluster includes the bright star Tau Canis Majoris, which increases its visual appeal. It is about 4800 light years away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGallery<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/NGC188.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Next is Caldwell 2 (NGC 40), a planetary nebula in Cepheus also known as the Bow Tie Nebula.<\/p>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/NGC40.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Finally, this is Caldwell 5 (IC 342), a large but diffuse spiral galaxy in Camelopardalis.<\/p>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/IC342.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n