{"id":715,"date":"2014-09-29T17:32:47","date_gmt":"2014-09-29T21:32:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/?p=715"},"modified":"2019-01-17T08:07:21","modified_gmt":"2019-01-17T13:07:21","slug":"octnovdec2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/2014\/09\/29\/octnovdec2014\/","title":{"rendered":"OctNovDec2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

Connecticut Star Party 24, September 26-28, 2014<\/strong><\/h1>\n

\"Group\"Observing<\/p>\n

\"Lunch\"Observing<\/p>\n


\nMore CSP photos:<\/p>\n

\"Observing

Observing a very active Sun<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Observing

Observing the double star Castor in broad daylight!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The

The CSP raffle.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Beautiful,

Beautiful, clear nights.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/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 Silver Sands State Park in Milford and Young’s Pond Park in Branford.  This section gives the dates, times, and descriptions of these events. <\/strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n

Upcoming Events for ASNH Members  <\/strong>These events are for ASNH members only.  Some of these 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

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

These events are free and open to the public. Our members will also point out the stars, planets, and constellations that you can see with the naked eye.  If you have your own telescope or binoculars, feel free to bring them.  If you have a telescope but don’t know how to operate it, our experienced observers can help you learn to use your equipment. 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

October 2014<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Sunday, October 5, 7:00-10:00pm
\n<\/strong>Madison Surf Club, Madison CT (map<\/a>)
\nMoonlight Walk and telescope observing<\/p>\n

Friday, October 10, beginning at sunset<\/strong>
\nBethany Observatory, Bethany CT
\nOpen house and public observing session <\/strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n

Friday, October 24, beginning at sunset<\/strong>
\nSilver Sands State Park, Milford, CT
\nPublic observing session<\/p>\n

Saturday, October 25, beginning at sunset<\/strong>
\nYoung\u2019s Pond Park, Branford, CT
\nPublic observing session<\/p>\n

Tuesday, October 28, 7:00pm<\/strong>
\nYale Leitner Student Observatory
\nGeneral monthly meeting<\/p>\n

November 2014<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Friday, November 7, beginning at sunset<\/strong>
\nBethany Observatory, Bethany CT
\nOpen house and public observing session <\/strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n

Friday, November 14, beginning at sunset<\/strong>
\nSilver Sands State Park, Milford, CT
\nPublic observing session<\/p>\n

Saturday, November 15, beginning at sunset<\/strong>
\nYoung\u2019s Pond Park, Branford, CT
\nPublic observing session<\/p>\n

Tuesday, November 25, 7:00pm<\/strong>
\nYale Leitner Student Observatory
\nGeneral monthly meeting<\/p>\n

December 2014<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Friday, December 5, beginning at sunset<\/strong>
\nBethany Observatory, Bethany CT
\nOpen house and public observing session <\/strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n

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

Except for the Winter Solstice Dinner, all of these are public outreach events, and members are encouraged to come with their telescopes.<\/p>\n

Saturday, October 4, 7:30-10:30pm<\/strong>
\nTrumbull Nature & Arts Center, Trumbull CT
\nOutreach and observing session (map)<\/a><\/p>\n

Saturday, October 11, 7:00-10:00pm
\n<\/strong>Ansonia Nature Center, Ansonia CT
\nOutreach and observing session<\/p>\n

Friday, October 17, 7:00-10:00pm
\n<\/strong>Camp Cedarcrest, Orange CT
\nCub Scout Famoree, outreach and observing event<\/p>\n

Saturday, November 1, 6:00-8:00pm
\n<\/strong>Bethany Observatory, Bethany CT
\nOrange Synagogue outreach and observing event<\/p>\n

Saturday, November 22, 7:00-10:00pm
\n<\/strong>Massaro Farms, Woodbridge, CT (map<\/a>)
\nOutreach and observing event<\/p>\n

Saturday, December 20,  6:00pm
\n<\/strong>Bethany Observatory, Bethany CT
\nWinter Solstice Party (More information will be forthcoming)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/h1>\n

<\/p>\n

Recent ASNH Activities and News<\/strong><\/h1>\n

by Donna Pursley<\/h3>\n

Silver Sands Public Observing Session, Friday, June 27<\/b><\/h2>\n

We had a pretty good crowd before it was dark.  It was mostly cloudy so we started with Saturn and Mars.   Later on it cleared up and we were able to see a few star clusters and double stars.  There were about 50-60 people and 4 scopes set up.  We packed up around 10:30 pm.<\/p>\n

Young\u2019s Park Public Observing Session, Saturday, June 28<\/b><\/h2>\n

Again, we had people there before we set up.  And again, it was mostly cloudy.  There were about 15-20 people and 2 scopes set up.  This time, most of the people were very interested and enthusiastic about what we showed them and stayed a long time in spite of the mosquitos.  And, just like Friday, it cleared up later on.  We were able to see Mars, Saturn, M13, M4, M29, M27, M57 and other star clusters and doubles and the brighter stars.  We left around 10:30 pm.<\/p>\n

Stellafane 2014, July 24-27<\/b><\/h2>\n

Stellafane is the Springfield Telescope Makers annual convention and is held in Springfield, VT under dark skies. Stellafane gives out awards for telescope making.  There are two main competitions:  optical, where the entrants grind their own mirrors, and mechanical, where the entrant has built the telescope.<\/p>\n

This year there were two entrants from ASNH.  Amiee and Claire Chang, daughters of Sandy Chang, entered a 6-inch f\/8.5 Dobsonian.  They won First Place Optical (Junior), and First Place Mechanical (Junior).   Congratulations Amiee and Claire!!<\/p>\n

\"Stellafane

Stellafane award winners Amiee and Claire Chang<\/p><\/div>\n

Ivano Dal Prete entered a  4\u00bd-inch f\/9 Newtonian that was similar to the Bob Carruther\u2019s scopes.   The design has crutches for legs and uses a salad bowl mount.  Ivano had made his own modifications to the original design. He also entered a simple to make filter wheel.<\/p>\n

Andy Poniros was this year\u2019s Shadowgram speaker. He did a very nice tribute to John Dobson.  Andy knew John very well and mentioned items that I never knew about him.<\/p>\n

We had three nights of observing and three dry days.  Thursday was a clear night but it was very wet.  Dew heaters were set on high but the skies were clear and we were able to find pretty much everything that we looked for.  Friday would have been clear but there was smoke from forest fires that made a haze over the entire sky.  Saturday\u2019s forecast was calling for 100% clouds and rain.  During the day almost everyone packed up their scopes.  But, after the evening program the sky cleared.  I set up my scope and was able to see M51 for the first time with the help of a few friends (Chris Predom and Arizona Jack).<\/p>\n

I saw about a half a dozen members from ASNH there at Stellafane. It is a big site so I might have missed a few.  There were also members of the Westport, Stratford and Hartford clubs that we run into once in a while.<\/p>\n

Summer Solstice Picnic 2014<\/b><\/h2>\n

By Ray Kaville<\/p>\n

Greg and Cheryl arrived before noon and set up the event with the park rangers.  Within five minutes we were unloading the vehicles and starting the charcoal fire for cooking.<\/p>\n

It was a spectacular day!  Clear and dry with a beautiful breeze blowing through the trees.  We carried a couple of tables back into the pavillion (all 12 were outside for some reason).  Soon we were filling the seats with about two dozen club members from all points around CT.  Allan S. brought his amazing new solar scope and shared spectacular views of our closest star.  We had music and singing, lots of chat and lots of laughs along with a TON of great food!  Salads, chips and dips of all kinds, fruit, desserts, and hot and cold drinks.  Cheryl, Greg and Chris P. manned the grill which we started with a new charcoal starter (no petrochemicals!) so the dogs, burgers and grilled chicken tasted extra delicious.<\/p>\n

Thank you to our BOD members and all who helped to make this wonderful relaxing day, and thank you to all our new and old friends for attending and bringing your tasty treats for us to share.  I look forward to seeing you all at our next solstice party!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Night Sky Highlights for October-December, 2014<\/strong><\/h1>\n

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

Lunar eclipse
\n<\/b>Morning of Wednesday, October 8
\n<\/b>Unfortunately, the timing of this eclipse of the Moon does not favor the Eastern US, but if the skies are clear we should see at least part of it before dawn.  The timing of events is as follows:
\n4:14 am:  Penumbral eclipse begins
\n5:15 am:  Partial eclipse begins
\n6:24 am: Total eclipse begins
\n6:59 am:  Moon sets<\/p>\n

Mars
\n<\/b>The red planet is moving east in its orbit around the Sun and so is the Earth, and as a result Mars remains in the southern and western sky in the evenings throughout the fall.  It is not especially close to Earth, but its orange-red ball should be visible through a telescope.<\/p>\n

Saturn
\n<\/b>You can still catch Saturn low in the western sky right after sunset in October, but later in the fall it is too close to the Sun to be seen.<\/p>\n

Uranus
\n<\/b>Now in Pisces, this greenish planet borders on naked-eye visibility, and it is not hard to find with binoculars or a telescope if you have a good map, such as this one from Sky & Telescope<\/i>:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/d366w3m5tf0813.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/WEB_Uranus_Neptune_2014.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

Neptune
\n<\/b>The link above also provides a finder chart for Neptune, which is in Aquarius, and can be observed with binoculars or a telescope in the evening throughout the fall.<\/p>\n

Venus
\n<\/b>Venus enters the evening sky in October, but for most of the fall it will be very low in the west after sunset and therefore difficult to see.  By mid-December, it will be higher and easier to observe after sunset.<\/p>\n

Mercury
\n<\/b>Late October and early November provide a relatively good chance to see Mercury in the morning sky before dawn.  It will be farthest from the Sun, and therefore easier to observe, on November 1.<\/p>\n

Jupiter
\n<\/b>Early in the fall, the giant planet does not rise until after midnight, but by December it can be observed in the eastern sky late in the evening.<\/p>\n

Geminid Meteor Shower
\n<\/b>Peaking on December 13 and 14
\n<\/b>With maximum rates of 50 to 130 meteors per hour, the Geminids are considered the most prolific annual meteor shower (even surpassing the popular Perseids of August).   The meteors can be seen all night long, but this year the Moon rises about midnight on these dates, so the best viewing may be before the Moon brightens the sky.<\/p>\n

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

The cool, crisp evenings of autumn often provide good conditions for observing the night sky.  Listed here are a few of the most popular targets.   More than half of them can be seen, at least dimly, with the naked eye.<\/p>\n

Perseus Double Cluster
\n<\/b>Pair of open clusters in Perseus
\nWith the naked eye, these two clusters appear as a faint oblong cloud.  Through a telescope, hundreds of stars can be seen, including several red giant stars (which have an orange-red tint).  This is almost certainly the most impressive pair of open clusters in the night sky.<\/p>\n

Messier 15
\n<\/b>Globular cluster in Pegasus
\nAt about magnitude 6, this is bright globular cluster is easy to find.  A telescope shows its very condensed center and a scattering of stars around the edges.<\/p>\n

Messier 27, the Dumbbell Nebula
\n<\/b>Planetary nebula in Vulpecula
\nThis is one of the largest and brightest planetary nebulas in the sky.  Through large binoculars or a telescope, it has an hourglass shape.<\/p>\n

NGC 7000, the North America Nebula
\n<\/b>Emission nebula in Cygnus
\nThis nebula\u2019s  resemblance to the continent of North America is easy to see in photographs, but it is not at all obvious visually through a telescope.  However, this large nebula can be seen quite easily with the naked eye on a dark autumn evening.  It appears as a bright patch in the Milky Way, roughly the size of the full Moon, about 1 degree northeast of Deneb, the first magnitude star that marks the tail of Cygnus, the Swan.<\/p>\n

Messier 31, the Andromeda Galaxy
\n<\/b>Spiral galaxy in Andromeda
\nThe nearest spiral galaxy to our own can be seen with the naked eye on a dark clear night.  Through a telescope, its two largest satellite galaxies (M32 and M101) can also be seen.<\/p>\n

Gamma Andromeda
\n<\/b>Double star in Andromeda
\nThis pair provides a nice telescopic view, with a bright yellow star and a dimmer blue companion separated by about 10 arcseconds.<\/p>\n

NGC 6960 and 6992, the Veil Nebula
\n<\/b>Supernova remnant in Cygnus
\nThis nebula spans about 3 degrees of sky, but it is dim and not an easy target.  However, under dark skies with a large telescope (or a smaller, wide-field scope), considerable detail of its structure can be seen.  Using an OIII filter dramatically improves the view.<\/p>\n

Messier 45, the Pleiades<\/b>
\nNaked-eye open cluster in Taurus
\nThis group is also known as the Seven Sisters, and an observer with good eyesight can see seven or more stars under good conditions.  Even under light polluted skies, about five stars can be seen in a tiny dipper shape.  This is a great object for binoculars or a telescope with a wide-angle eyepiece.<\/p>\n

The Hyades
\n<\/b>Naked-eye open cluster in Taurus
\nThis cluster appears large because it is relatively close to us, at about 150 light years.  The reddish first-magnitude Aldebaran marks the location of this cluster, but Aldebaran is actually closer to us and not part of the group.   Several of the other brightest stars form a V-shape that represents the head of Taurus, the Bull.<\/p>\n

NGC 253, the Silver Coin Galaxy
\n<\/strong>Spiral galaxy in Sculptor
\nThis member of our local galaxy group is low in the southern sky from Connecticut, but it is still well worth tracking down.  Its large oval shape can be seen in small telescopes, and with a large scope and a dark sky, the entire galaxy has a mottled appearance.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Gallery<\/strong><\/h1>\n

These two pages include images of some popular autumn deep-sky targets, taken by ASNH members.<\/p>\n

\n
\"The

The Veil Nebula in Cygnus., taken by Leo Taylor. (Pentax Takumar 135 mm lens, SBIG 4000XCM, 3 min x 39 exposures.)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\"NGC<\/dt>\n
NGC 253, the Silver Coin Galaxy in Sculptor, taken by Leo Taylor. (Meade 2080 8 inch, f\/6.3 Reducer, SBIG ST4000XCM, 3 min x 24 exposures.)<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\"Messier<\/dt>\n
Messier 45, the Pleiades cluster in Taurus, taken by Leo Taylor. (SBIG ST4000XCM, 210mm lens, 3 min x 14 exposures.)<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

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

The Double Cluster in Perseus, taken by Jim Mazur.<\/p><\/div>\n

View larger image<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Messier

Messier 31, the Andromeda Galaxy, with M32 (below) and M110 (upper right), taken by Jim Mazur.<\/p><\/div>\n

 View larger image<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Messier

Messier 27, the Dumbbell Nebula in Vulpecula, taken by Jim Mazur.<\/p><\/div>\n

View larger image<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Connecticut Star Party 24, September 26-28, 2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-16"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715","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=715"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1896,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715\/revisions\/1896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}