A S T R O N O M Y U B — M A Y 1 9 9 0 —

IE ALACHUA ASTRONOMY CLUB MEETS THE SECOND TUESDAY OF EACH MONTH AT THE DOYLE CONNER BUILDING, S.W. 34th STREET & 20th AVENUE AT 7:30 PM. EVERYONE INTERESTED IN ASTRONOMY IS INVITED TO ATTEND. CALL ANDI" VANN-JENSEN AT 475-1014, FOR MORE INFORMATION ON MEETINGS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES.

PROGRAM PROGRAM PROGRAM PROGRAM PROGRAM PROGRAM PROGRAM PROGRAM

THE RADIO SKY

Images from the Very Large Array in Nev Mexico

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with special concentration on COSMIC JETS

presented by Mr. Jim Adams

STARPARTY} STARPARTY! STARPARTY! STARPARTY! STARPARTY!

Come and help us find Comet Austin...and perhaps catch a glimpse of the Hubble Space telescope...

4:30 A.M. at the Paynes Prairie Observation Deck on Highway 441. . The Deck is located about one-half the way across the Prairie on the east side of the road. Park well off the road.

Bring binoculars and bug repellant! Breakfast after with club members. Call Mark Cowan or Chuck Broward for.more info.

ASTRONOMY DAY! ASTRONOMY DAY! ASTRONOMY DAY! ASTRONOMY DAY1

THE CLUB NEEDS YOU TO HELP PROMOTE ASTRONOMY, SHARE YOUR HOBBY WITH OTHERS, AND TO HAVE A FUN FILLED AFTERNOON AT THE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.

OM6T SEE THE ENCLOSED POSTER (OF WHICH THERE ARE TTO!!!!) FOR YOU TO POST AT

WORK, OR IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, OR SOMEWHERE (BE CREATIVE!!!).

AND PLEASE, PLEASE PLAN TO TAKE PART IN ASTRONOMY DAY ON MAY 12. CALL ANDI, 475-1014 TO PLAN YOUR INVOLVEMENT.

FOR SALE EQR_SALJ EflR_SAJJS FOR SALE Celestron C-8, classic orange tube, drive, tripod, two eyepieces, many

other accessories available $750 firm. Call Chuck, Andi 475-1014

ALACHUA ASTRONOMY CLUB

April 10, 1990

Welcome by the President. Andi reminded members of Astronomy Day - May 12th 1 pm to 4 pm. The Spring Arts Festival report was given by Andi. It was reported that Erica Svar has offered 3 5 acres west of town as an observation site. It was agreed that the club should investigate this offer. The members that were at Billy Dodd's star party reported a "Great Party". Dr. Cohen announced that Dan Durda received the Kerrick Prize in astronomy this year at the University of Florida. A star party is set for April 28th at Paynes Prairie at 4 am. , B o a r d m e e t i n g A p r i l 2 5 t h a t 7 : 3 0 pm a t J e f f Majewky s . The p r o g r a m of t h e e v e n i n g f e a t u r e d B i l l y Cooke w i t h d i s c u s s i o n s a n d d e m o n s t r a t i o n s of Home C o m p u t e r S o f t w a r e f o r A s t r o n o m y . D r . Cohen s p o k e on t h e o r i g i n a t i o n of t h e names of c o n s t e l l a t i o n s a n d s t a r s . R e s p e c t f u l l y s u b m i t t e d , D o r i s L . Andrew S e c r e t a r y

WHO NEEDS THE HUBBLE 1

Imagine t h i s . . . y o u have a t e l e s c o p e . . . a n d a l i ne of people a hundred feet long are clamoring for a look through the e y e p i e c e . . . a s they look you refer them to astronomy clubs in c e n t r a l , sou th , and north f l o r i d a . . . a n d plani tar iums as far away as Chicago! At the recent launch of STS-31 your ed i to r experienced j u s t t h a t , and once he regained h is w i t s , perhaps pointed some people in the d i r e c t i o n of a new hobby! I hope.

We need, I th ink , to be prepared to s e l l our avocation a b i t when we go public--and bel ieve me, a C-8 with lens hood, and camera is pub l i c ! I t looks impressive, as does any a s t r o - t e l e s c o p e . Serend ip i ty provided notes on other c lubs , and memory permit ted d i scuss ion of fa r - f lung p l a n i t a r i a .

Many of our neighbors want "the r e a l view". Even though TV s e t s had c lose up images of the s h u t t l e , the shimmery image of the pad, with r e a l plumes of ice-steam, of white clad f i gu re s , of pe l icans momentarily occul t ing a spaceship gave a l i f e to the launch, and permitted them to be a p a r t . "Why," they asked, " i s the pic ture sideways?" "Because,"I rep ly end l e s s ly , " t h i s i s a te lescope to look a t s t a r s , and astronomers d o n ' t need or want the ex t ra g las s to turn a image r i g h t - s i d e - u p . I t i s l i ke Hubble, i t i s to look in to space . " They caress the scope, and some re tu rn to look again and ask how the scope works, and why do we need Hubble when we have t h i s . One a s k s , " i s the te lescope American?" "Yes," I answer. "Good," he r e p l i e s , "we are s t i l l good."

America i s s t i l l a nat ion of spec ia l people . I know, I met many a t the Cape. But, many are dumb—seemingly ra i sed without experience except for the one-dimension image of t e l e v i s i o n . Some I met, perhaps j u s t one or two, w i l l hunt down a s t a r club and someday stand on a shore l ine and share t h e i r t e l e scope . And tha t wi l l be good. You, if you get involved can share a l s o .

Building Your Own Telescope George Russell. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I was unable to complete the fine grind-

ing of my telescope mirror this past month. But with some patience on my part, I think that I should have something to report next month.

Science Fair Project George Russell. One of our winners in the Science Fair Project this year, Stephanie Cineresky of

Westwood Middle School, recently won first place in her category in a State wide Sci-ence Fair held at St. Petersburg, Florida. Way to go Stephanie! We wish her the best with her activities in amateur astronomy and her "Sun and Sun Spots" project.

HST is UP, UP and Away George Russell. As reported by others, the launch of the Shuttle must have been simply awesome.

Imagine carrying all that weight into space with a "delicate" mirror, etc. With all that tremendous power to get the total assembly off the ground one would think that the mirror would crack! Heaven forbid!

One of the many things that HST is supposed to do is to "see" the beginning of the universe in terms of light years away. What HST will be seeing will be those photons of light energy that are just now reaching the orbit of this magnificent telescope. What came to mind as I thought about it was the possibility of "star dust" left over from the "Big Bang" that no longer emits photons and therefore could not be seen and would even make the universe "older" than what HST could tell us! How are we to ever know the beginning of the universe? Have you ever thought about it?

APRIL-MAY COMEMTARY In the April 13 th Gainesville Sun...a "Special Thanks" advertisement

from the organizers of the SPRING ARTS FESTIVAL. At the top of the list was the ALACHUA ASTRONOMY CLUBl For those of you who came out and manned the tent and scopes, many thanks! For those of you who didn't...you missed some fun. And, as a result of our involvement the Club has been offered a country viewing site!!! More on that at Tuesday's meeting.

And "A SPECIAL THANKS" to two special Gainesville area amateur astronomers. One is Randy Warren...who is donating a equatorial telescope mount to the club...Randy as some of you may remember was a driving force in the Club until school and career snatched him from us! And the other is George Russell. His comments and articles have filled the pages of the "Firstlight" from the beginning, and his coffee pot has been ever present at meetings. George is a bit under the weather at the moment, but promises to be back. Get Well!!!

We (Andi, Chuck, Adam, Edie) made it to the Cape for the launch of Hubble! The experience is one you should try...and I am not going to try and describe the feelings of being even a remote part of a launch...except to say that being surrounded by thousands of like-minded persons is fun and humbling.

FOR SALE FOR SALE FOR SALE CELESTRON ACCESSORIES TO GO WITH SCOPE ON FIRST PAGE...4,6,20,25,40 mm

eyepieces, 12 mm illuminated eyepiece, barlov lens, porro prism, off-axis guider, counterweights, various extension tubes, camera mounts, all items about 1/2 catalog prices and in excellent condition. Call Chuck 475-1014

AERIAL CAMERA LENS 12 FL, 5 IN DIA $125 CALL CHUCK 475-1014 BRONICA 135 MM F 3.5 LENS, EXCELLENT $75 CALL CHUCK 475-1014 YOKE MOUNT FOR 8 TO 10 INCH SCOPE (SIMILAR TO C-8), ALUMINUM,

PERHAPS GOOD FOR SMALL DOB, WELL MADE, MAKE OFFER CHUCK 475-1014

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Dear .-Arvd̂ eo.

Thank you so much for being a member of the Spring Arts Festival Volunteer Team! This year, our volunteer needs tripled and the Gainesville community really came through.

The 21st Annual Spring Arts Festival was tremendously successful, and we could not have done it without your hard work.

Our volunteer needs continue to grow as the festival flourishes, and we will have several volunteer meetings throughout the year to plan the 1991 festival. If you would like to be a core member of the volunteer team for this Gainesville community tradition and help year round, let us know!

Again, thank you for your dedication and hard work. We look forward to your 'suggestions and comments and, most importantly, we look forward to working with you again next year!

Sincerely,

Amelia Barnard Co-Coordinator

Santa Fe Community College • P.O. Box 1530 • Gainesville, Florida 32602 • (904) 372-1976

INFORMATION SHEET NUMBER 25 (Edition No. 1. February 1990):

INTERNATIONAL DARK-SKY ASSOCIATION 3545 N. Stewart, Tucson AZ 85716 U.SA.

How To Talk To Your Neighbor Who Has A Bad Light

Here's a typical Scenario: Your neighbors have just installed a dusk-to-dawn 175 mercury vapor light fixture, because they are worried about security. You can see what happened: they went down to the discount supply house and said "Give me the brightest, cheapest outdoor lighting fixture you have." And that's exactly what they got, paying "only" $29.95 (maybe even less). They brought it home, and hung it up. Now it's splattering iight everywhere, including into your lawn and in through your windows. They have their blinds drawn, of course, because they can't stand the glare either.

What did they get? Avery bright light, with very little light control and lots of glare. It produces lots of light trespass, light poilution, and energy waste. They probably now have a "feeling of security." Real security is likciy not to be any better than before.

Here's some ideas on what to do: First and always, be tactful and understanding. Don't argue. Do your homework first. Be well prepared. Understand the essence of the energy facts given below, and of what makes a good security light. Know the local costs of electricity, in KWH's. Know if there is a local lighting control ordinance, and, if so, the details of what is included, what enforcement is being done, who was involved, etc. Look around for the availability of good security lighting fixtures, and how much they cost. Facts are not enough, however. Emotions and perceptions are there all the time. Personal relations are very important and are in play all the time.

Approach them in a friendly way. They are worried about their security and safety. They tried to do something about it. Maybe they saw an ad from the utility company, or elsewhere, touting these specific lights. Maybe they got a "good deal" from the power company. Maybe they just didn't know what to do, but thought that adding a lot of light would help. Don't tell them, particularly in an unfriendly way, to shut off their light because it bothers you. They won't, and you will likely have hardened their position.

Make positive approaches. Help them solve their problems. Offer alternatives. Be flexible to the local needs. Ask for their advice also, in solving your problem. Most pcopie really like to be helpful, when they can. Let them know how. Be prepared to compromise, but always keep the overall goal in mind. You want and need dark skies, and no light trespass. You also want a secure and safe nighttime environment, just as they do. You want to help the country save energy and money. Show that you care, for all of those things in general, and for your sky, and for them.

Here are two specific issues you can discuss with them, to help win them over:

1. The Energy Issue, and Cost Savings: When new, the 175 watt mercury vapor lamp puts out 8000 lumens (a lumen is a measure of the amount of light produced by a lamp), declining in light output with time. The mean lumen output (after some years of use) is about 7000 lumens. That amount of light output compares approximately to a 400 watt incandescent lamp, a 100 watt high pressure sodium lamp, or a 55 watt low pressure sodium lamp. (See IDA Information Sheet No. 4)

These lamps use considerably different amounts of energy to produce the same amount of iight. When energy costs were very low, not that many years ago, it made little difference. Now, however, it does make a difference, especially when you consider how many of these lamps are in use in-an urban area/or in the United States. There arc many other lighting installations wasting light as well, with their use of inefficient lighting fixtures. (Sec IDA Information Sheet No. 26)

The cost to the country of ail this wasted iight is over One Billion Dollars a Year. (See IDA Information Sheet No. 26) And ail this wasted light and energy is doing nothing to promote safety, security, or a better life at night. It is merely lighting up the sky*, causing glare (glare never helps visibility), and offending neighbors. None of the Billion Dollars is being used to light the ground, or to provide safety and security. The glare and confusion and clutter caused by the bad lighting are definite factors in accidents and losses caused by such accidents. This also costs the nation too much money and pain. As individuals, we must do what we can to stop such waste.

2. Real Safety vs. Perceived Safetv: The 175 watt dusk-to-dawn may give the illusion of safety, because it's so bright, but it is really counterproductive to good vision." The criminal can hide in the glare or in the harsh shadows from such poor lighting (Look around near one; see the deep shadows? Imagine you are a criminal. Can you hide easily? Can you see easily? Can the owner?) The light used should be of such a nature that tfie owner can see.

So what to do? Here are two suggestions. Other good ideas are possible too, with conscious thought about the issues. Remember that qualify lighting is only one facet of good security, and no lighting system, no matter how good, wiii ensure security. But quality lighting will offer a much better chance than will poor lighting, which may, in fact, help the criminal.

A Use a low wattage (18, or 35, or 55 watt) low pressure sodium light source, in a good (well shielded) fixture. The Fixture should control the light output so that it goes only where needed, not into a neighbor's yard or windows, or up into the sky. There is lots of light (a good 35 watt LPS fixture will put out more useful light than the 175 watt dusk-to-dawn; even an 18 watt one will probably do a better job, ai one tenth the energy cost). There is essentially no glare at all One is not blinded, one can see. There is essentially no light trespass or sky glow produced. There are no dark, deep shadows for criminals to hide in. Visibility is the goai, and these quality LPS fixtures offer excellent visibility. There are also some excellent well shielded HPS fixtures.

B. Use an infrared sensor spotlight fixture. The spotlights only come on when the sensor senses movement. Any intruder will be scared off by the sudden turn-on of the spotlights. You are alerted by the light coming on (you can buy fixtures which wiil also sound an alarm inside the house, if you want the added security). What couid be better? This type of fixture is a great security lighting system: effective, quality lighting. (Be sure that the fixture is mounted under the eave, so that there's no wasted light, and point the light beam where it's needed, not into your neighbor's yard.)

The infrared sensed lights are widely available, in stores or by mail order. The cost ranges from about $20 to over $100, depending on the quality and who is selling them. They are easy to. install (just mount them, plug them in, and adjust them) and use. The LPS fixtures are harder to find, as few know of their existence. Ask for them at the local lighting suppliers. Insist on them. With such demand, they will start stocking them. If all else fails, buy tnem oy mail from a Tucson lighting supplier.

The quality LPS fixtures will certainly cost more than the 175 watt mercury, especially in an area where few are sold. But even if they cost $120, they save lots of energy and money. For example, 175 minus 35 watts is 140 watts, times 4100 hours per year, yields 574 KWH saved per year. At 8 cents per KWH, that is $46 dollars saved per year compared to the mercury. So the payoff period to replace a mercury with an effective lighting fixture is S120 divided by $46 or about two and a half years. If one considers the cost of the mercury fixture, say $30, then it's $120 - $30 = $90 extra cost, and $90 divided by $46, or a payoff period of only two years. The spotlight solution also has a very fast payoff period, of course. Very few energy savings concepts have shorter payoff periods than replacing ineffective security lights with better ones.

For more information about the issues, contact the International Dark-Sky Association, at the address at the top of the Information Sheet. Other information sheets available from IDA also address the issues of energy savings, the 175 watt mercury dusk-to-dawn Fixture, the operating efficiencies of different kinds of light sources, and other quality lighting issues. Join the cause of better lighting, and energy savings. We all can win. Ida is an incorporated non-profit organization.

Celebrate National Astronomy Day

with the Florida Museum of Natural History,

UFs Department of Astronomy, ; :| the Alachua Astronomy Club and others

This is your opportunity to see telescopes, model rockets and learn more about NASA.

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May 12,1990 from: 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Sponsored by the Florida Museum Associates

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