{"id":818,"date":"2015-03-29T15:01:24","date_gmt":"2015-03-29T19:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/?p=818"},"modified":"2019-01-17T08:05:42","modified_gmt":"2019-01-17T13:05:42","slug":"aprmayjun2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/2015\/03\/29\/aprmayjun2015\/","title":{"rendered":"AprMayJun2015"},"content":{"rendered":"

Science and Art at the February Monthly Meeting<\/strong><\/h1>\n

The blending of science and art was a theme at the February ASNH meeting at the Leitner Observatory.  Michael Miller gave a presentation entitled “The artistic representation of celestial objects as an incentive for improving observational skills.”  Miller has been practicing art with various media for about two decades, and he has created many drawings and paintings based on his views through the telescope.  His media range from colored pencils on paper to oil and acrylic paints on wood or canvas.  His usual method is to make rough sketches and take notes while observing through the eyepiece, and then to make his final sketches or paintings indoors at a later time.  In this hands-on presentation, Miller passed around some samples of his work, including drawings and paintings of craters on the Moon, the clouds of Jupiter, and deep-sky objects. Several members of the audience remarked that Miller’s beautiful works had inspired them to try their own hands at some astronomical art.<\/p>\n

After Miller’s talk, Al Washburn told the group about an assignment he has given to his high school astronomy classes. Each student picks a constellation and creates a poster that visually depicts the constellation and provides information about the stars and deep-sky objects within its borders.  Over the years, Washburn has collected hundreds of these projects, and many are quite impressive both artistically and for the information they contain.<\/p>\n

\"Michael

Michael Miller discusses one of his paintings of lunar craters.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Samples

Samples of Miller’s celestial artwork.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Al

At the February monthly meeting, Al Washburn shows a student’s poster on the constellation Scorpius.<\/p><\/div>\n


\nFeatures<\/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

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

These events are free and open to the public. At the observing events, we will have telescopes to show you the best objects visible in the sky that night. 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

April 2015<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Friday, April 24, dusk
\n<\/strong>Bethany Observatory, Bethany CT
\nOpen house and public observing session<\/p>\n

Saturday, April 25, dusk<\/strong>
\nYoung’s Pond Park, Branford CT
\nPublic observing session<\/p>\n

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

May 2015<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Friday, May 22, dusk
\n<\/strong>Bethany Observatory, Bethany CT
\nOpen house and public observing session<\/p>\n

Saturday, May 23, dusk<\/strong>
\nYoung’s Pond Park, Branford CT
\nPublic observing session<\/p>\n

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

June 2015<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Friday, June 19, dusk
\n<\/strong>Bethany Observatory, Bethany CT
\nOpen house and public observing session<\/p>\n

Saturday, June 20, dusk<\/strong>
\nYoung’s Pond Park, Branford CT
\nPublic observing session<\/p>\n

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

Members only observing sessions will be held starting at dusk on the following nights:
\nSaturday, April 18
\nSaturday, May 9
\nSaturday, June 13
\n<\/strong>Ansonia Nature Center,  10 Deerfield Ln, Ansonia CT (map<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Saturday, May 2, 3:00-6:00pm
\n<\/strong>Trumbull Nature and Arts Center, Trumbull CT
\nOutreach program<\/p>\n

Friday, May 15, 6:00-10:00pm<\/strong>
\nScout Jamboree at High Plains Fairground
\nObserving session, telescopes needed<\/p>\n

Saturday, May 16, 9:00am-1:00pm
\n<\/strong>Scout Jamboree at High Plains Fairground
\nMeteorite display<\/p>\n

Saturday, June 13, 12:00-6:00pm<\/strong>
\nSleeping Giant State Park Pavillion, Hamden, CT
\nAnnual Solstice Picnic (details to follow)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Observing Reports<\/strong><\/h1>\n

7 Minute Observing Session<\/strong><\/h2>\n

by Ray Kaville<\/h3>\n

Jan.15, 2015
\nHamden CT
\n10:30pm – 10:37
\nTemp: @ 18 degrees
\nConditions: mostly clear with slight overcast, slight breeze, good MW, cccold<\/p>\n

After sending a quick blurb onto Facebook about tomorrow morning’s lunar\/Saturn conjunction and a second on comet Lovejoy c12014\/Q2 I had to get out with the binocs and see the sky for myself.<\/p>\n

Slipping out into the cold I set up my tripod and mounted the binocs while visually scanning the sky to get my bearings. I noticed a Jupiter rising in the east and just about clearing the trees. First time this season for me. Panning back I spotted Sirius in the trees and the other bright stars of Canis Major. Above that Orion and up and right Aldeberan. The other stars in the ‘V’ were visible with difficulty, and the Pleiades off to the right and up from there. A quick pan to follow the Milky Way which looked surprisingly good.<\/p>\n

I had to relocate to evade the power lines and other obstructions. Very fortunate the students have not returned yet (school starts next Monday). I set up in the front yard and panned down from the Pleiades. Bang! There’s Lovejoy sitting in the SW just above the treetops! I was shocked it was so easy, and pleased at the same time. Been hoping to get a view of this comet for a while. Distinct large green fuzzy ball with a definite halo. No apparent tail, but these are 15×70 inexpensive binocs. I panned back up to the Pleiades and enjoyed the small cluster of bright stars for a minute, then paused briefly to ogle Aldeberan on the way back down to Lovejoy. As I watched I noticed the comet fading against the background, so I pulled back and looked at the sky conditions. A huge cloud front was rushing in from the west! Oh boy! I grabbed another look at Lovejoy as it disappeared and relocated up the lawn to check out Jupiter while I could.<\/p>\n

The clouds were looming and really moving fast. I got a good view of Jupiter and three of the moons. Two spaced on one side and one as it came off the planet on the opposite side. I couldn’t be sure, but I may have seen the fourth nestled very close to one of the pair. It was getting hard to see at that point. No planetary detail that I could see, and that was basically it. I looked away for a moment to check the conditions just as the ominous alto\/stratocumulus mass engulfed the planet.<\/p>\n

That was it. Disassemble and stow the gear and get inside to warm up. Seven minutes, but it was fun and great to check out some heavenly bodies. I can now say I’ve seen Lovejoy, and I did it before it disappeared or burned up in the sun. A short session, but well worth the effort.<\/p>\n

Getting  Ready for Dinner<\/strong><\/h2>\n

by Ray Kaville <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Feb. 20, 2015
\nHamden CT
\n@18:10 through 19:30
\nTemp & Sky: bitter cold sub freezing temperature, but only slightly overcast skies<\/p>\n

Heading to the kitchen to rustle some grub, I stole a glance out the back door at the western horizon. Through the heavy branch laden woods I was grabbed by a beautiful slim crescent. To the left was a brilliant bright Venus in close conjunction. It was still bright enough to see the cyan background of the sky, but it was getting dimmer by the minute. I rushed downstairs to grab my Olympus pocket camera and proceeded to brace it against the grill outside. Wearing only a sweatshirt and some old sneakers (yes I had pants on too) I snapped off a few shots and opted to grab my heavy jacket and tripod from the basement. Arriving back I noted the sky had darkened considerably, but it was still not past twilight. I continued to shoot moving around between the branches to get the most complete image and totally forgetting that Mars was sitting up there somewhere as well. I had seen Venus and Mars nestled almost on top of each other last night.<\/p>\n

The conjunction drifted into the heavy branches so I headed out to the front to see if I had any more views, leaving the little camera in the basement. Still in the trees there, but maybe enough to get a good view through the binocs. Not to be. Just touching the binocs was really cold on the fingers, and the tripod (both stored in my car) was so cold my skin was sticking to the metal. Not gonna happen. So I gave the lunar vista one last glance as I headed down the long icy driveway to grab the trash can. Turning at the end, there was the full monte! All three of these heavenly objects with a very visible red Mars and full Earthshine on the moon! Absolutely beautiful! I stood out in the street noting that all three were virtually sitting on top of my house with NO BRANCHES obstructing anything. Note to self, next time take a walk – and store the hardware in the house.<\/p>\n

Of course, no camera and by the time I got it all set up and back out it would be a waste of time. Still we had about 8 – 12 images from the back so maybe something came out. Indeed it did! Of the bunch I found about three really beautiful images even with the branches. Two of them showed a vivid Mars (which I hadn’t even seen in the view screen) and distinct Earthshine. However, even though I could scroll through all the newly shot images, only two of the new images were showing in the icon page of the camera. The rest were older images that I thought I had deleted. Hmm. Well, I suppose if I erase the old ones again, maybe the new ones will show up. RIght? So without copying the old images off (because I already had them), I dragged them to the trash bin. “Are you sure you want to delete these?” Yah, sure. Ok. The old images are gone, and still only two out of focus images remain – just like before. Let’s scroll through the list and see if the others pop up again. Nope. Nothing left but the shards of a broken dream. CARP!<\/p>\n

Grabbing the cheap little camera and the cheap little tripod I meandered over the ice back down to the street as quickly as was humanly possible to see if there was any way to undo this tragedy. As I reached the end of the driveway and turned I saw brief flash of Venus as it moved behind the heavy trees and a hint of the crescent with some Earthshine just barely visible. I can’t be sure, but I think the moon was laughing at me.<\/p>\n

So back I go with heavy heart and hunched shoulders. Off to the NE I spotted a bright plane headlight approaching the radio towers and climbing along Cassieopeia. Several more steps and – No! Climbing and skirting right along Cassiopeia is one of the brightest ISS passes I’ve seen. I watched it pass directly overhead until it faded and disappeared just as it passed in front of Castor and Pollux. Very cool! Heavens Above lists it as -3.5 and it was all of that. Their Pass Details map shows it exactly as I saw it pass over me.<\/p>\n

It’s never a bad idea to get out and observe. Who knows what you’ll see. One final nod to Orion and Jupiter as I moved into the garage rubbing the needles out of my now numb hands. It has to be me, but it looked like Jupiter was laughing too. Dang I’m hungry.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Night Sky Highlights for April-June, 2015<\/strong><\/h1>\n

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

Mercury
\n<\/strong>Mercury makes its best appearance of the year along the western horizon after sunset in late April and early May.  On April 30<\/span><\/strong>, it will be just a few degrees away from the Pleiades. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Venus
\n<\/strong>Bright Venus will be visible in the western sky after sunset throughout the spring, and by June a view through a telescope or large binoculars should show a half-illuminated ball, like a miniature version of the first-quarter moon.<\/p>\n

Mars
\n<\/strong>In early April, Mars will be low in the west just after sunset, but soon it drifts too close to the Sun and out of sight for the rest of the spring.<\/p>\n

Jupiter
\n<\/strong>Throughout the spring, Jupiter will be high in the sky during the evening hours, not too far from the Beehive Cluster in Cancer. On June 30<\/span><\/strong>, it will pass within 1\/3 of a degree of Venus, which should be a very impressive conjunction.<\/p>\n

Saturn
\n<\/strong>The ringed planet is currently located just a bit to the west of Beta Scorpii, the northernmost of the 3 stars that form the \u201cclaws\u201d of the scorpion.  It rises around midnight in April, but by June it is visible in the east as soon as the evening sky darkens.<\/p>\n

Lyrid Meteor Shower
\n<\/strong>April 22-23<\/strong>,<\/strong><\/span> late evening until dawn
\n<\/strong>This first meteor shower of the spring season is not particularly strong.  Its zenithal hourly rate (ZHR, the estimated maximum rate under ideal conditions) is about 15-20 meteors per hour.  But with the Moon out of the sky by later in the evening, this is a good year to try to observe them.<\/p>\n

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

The spring season is known for the many galaxies that can be observed in the regions of Leo, Virgo, and Coma Berenices with a telescope of modest size.  There are, however, many other types of deep-sky objects overhead,  just waiting to be observed.<\/p>\n

Messier 44, the Beehive Cluster
\n<\/strong>Open cluster in Cancer
\nDimly visible to the naked eye from a dark site, this is good binocular target.  Compared to the Coma Berenices open cluster (see below), this group is much smaller\u2014about 1.5 degrees in diameter.<\/p>\n

Melotte 111
\n<\/strong>Naked-eye open cluster in Coma Berenices
\nThis is one of the nearest open clusters, at a distance of about 260 light years.  This cluster spans over 5 degrees of sky.  Its brightest stars are about magnitude 4 and 5, making them visible under a reasonably dark sky.<\/p>\n

Messier 53 and NGC 5053
\n<\/strong>Two globular clusters in Coma Berenices
\nMessier 53 is located 1 degree to the northeast of alpha Coma Berenices, the brightest star of this dim constellation.  It is a fairly bright globular cluster with stars that can be resolved in a medium-sized telescope.  NGC 5053 is a smaller globular cluster just 1 degree ESE of Messier 53.<\/p>\n

Messier 65 and 66, and NGC 3628
\n<\/strong>Three galaxies in Leo
\nKnown as the Leo Trio, these three bright spiral galaxies 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 84 and 86
\n<\/strong>Two galaxies in Virgo
\nThese two elliptical galaxies of about 10th magnitude are visible in even a small telescope, just \u00bc degree apart.  Once you have spotted them, use a low-power eyepiece and slowly pan to the northeast.  You are likely to run into more faint, fuzzy galaxies.  This is the heart of the Virgo galaxy cluster.<\/p>\n

Gamma Virginis
\n<\/strong>Double star in Virgo
\nThis is a beautiful pair, consisting of a brighter yellow star and dimmer blue one, separated by 3 arcseconds.<\/p>\n

Messier 3
\n<\/strong>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 is the view.<\/p>\n

Messier 97. The Owl Nebula
\n<\/strong>Planetary nebula in Ursa Major
\nThis nebula is fairly large but dim.  Through a telescope of medium aperture, it appears as a large circle of dim light.  Two dark patches that make up the eyes of the owl are quite challenging to see even through large telescopes.<\/p>\n

Messier 108
\n<\/strong>Spiral galaxy in Ursa Major
\nThis galaxy is just 1 degree north of the Owl Nebula.  Its oblong shape is obvious through a telescope.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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

These two pages display some astronomical images taken by ASNH members.  The first three images are of different Moon and planet conjunctions.  These are followed by a variety of deep-sky objects.<\/p>\n

\"The

The Moon and Venus taken through tree branches on March 22, 2015, by Ray Kaville.
Olympus SZ-20 camera, automatic exposure with a zoom lens on a “really cheap flimsy tripod.”<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Venus,

Venus, Mars, and Moon (L to R), Feb 20, 2015, by Leo Taylor.
Pentax K100 Super, 300 mm Tamron Zoom, 1\/30 sec.
Jitter due to Cameraman error!<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Mercury

Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter, May 2013. by Leo Taylor.
Mercury is upper right, Venus lower right, Jupiter left center.
Pentax K100D DSLR, Tandon 200MM Zoom<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Messier

Messier 46 Cluster and NGC 2438 Nebula in Puppis, by Leo Taylor.
Meade 2080 8 in f\/10 SCT, f 6.3 Reducer, SBIG ST-4000XCM, 3 min * 13 exposures.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"NGC

NGC 4013 Galaxy in Ursa Major, by Leo Taylor.
Meade 2080 8 in SCT, SBIG ST4000XCM, 5 min * 18 exposures.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

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

All images on this page are by Jim Mazur, taken with an SBIG ST-8300M imager and a 14″ Meade LX850 telescope at f\/6.<\/p>\n

\"Messier

Messier 81 (Bode\u2019s Galaxy) in Ursa Major, and dwarf galaxy Holmberg IX (on left)
Exposure times of 150 minutes luminance and 30 minutes each of red, green, and blue.<\/p><\/div>\n

Larger image of Messier 81<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Messier

Messier 97, the Owl Nebula in Ursa Major
Exposure times of 45 minutes luminance, 24 minutes red, 30 minutes green, and 30 minutes blue.<\/p><\/div>\n

Larger image of Messier 97<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Perseus

Perseus I galaxy cluster (Abell 426), estimated to be 240 million light years away.
Exposure times of 240 minutes luminance and 30 minutes each of red, green, and blue.<\/p><\/div>\n

Larger image of Perseus I<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Science and Art at the February Monthly Meeting The blending of science and art was a theme at the February ASNH meeting at the Leitner Observatory.  Michael Miller gave a presentation entitled “The artistic representation of celestial objects as an incentive for improving … 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":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-15"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/818","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=818"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/818\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1893,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/818\/revisions\/1893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}