November 2013

Highlights of the November Sky. . .

- - - 2nd - - - DAWN: Mars and Venus are less than 1º apart for the next two mornings. Look for Jupiter about 6º to their upper right.

- - - 3rd - - - Last Quarter Moon 7:24 am EST

- - - 4th - - - PM: Algol at minimum brightness for ~2 hours centered at 10:32 pm EST.

- - - 7th - - - DAWN: A waning crescent Moon is less than 2º from Venus, forming a triangle with nearby Mars. Jupiter is 11º above them.

- - - 11th - - - New Moon 12:47 pm EDT

- - - 18th - - - AM: Leonid meteor shower peaks between midnight and dawn.

- - - 19th - - - First Quarter Moon 1:27 am EST

- - - 25th - - - AM: Algol at minimum brightness for ~2 hours centered at 12:15 am EST. Full Moon 5:44 pm EST

- - - 26th - - - AM: The Moon occults Aldebaran at about 6:43 am EST.

- - - 27th - - - AM: Algol at minimum brightness for ~2 hours centered at 9:04 pm EST.

- - - 28th - - - DAWN: Spica, in Virgo, is less that 5º from Venus for the next five days. www.kasonline.org

General Meeting: Friday, November 6 @ 7:00 pm Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center - See Page 8 for Details

Work Session: Saturday, November 7 @ 12:00 pm

Kalamazoo Nature Center - See Page 7 for Details

Board Meeting: Sunday, November 8 @ 5:00 pm Sunnyside Church - 2800 Gull Road - All Members Welcome

This Months This Months KAS EventsEvents

Prime FocusPrime Focus A Publication of the Kalamazoo Astronomical SocietyA Publication of the Kalamazoo Astronomical SocietyA Publication of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society

November 2015

Inside the Newsletter. . .Inside the Newsletter. . . October Meeting Minutes.................... p. 2

Board Meeting Minutes......................... p. 2

Astrophotography Night Highlights....p. 3

Observations........................................... p. 4

New Library Acquisitions..................... p. 4

NASA Space Place.................................. p. 5

November Night Sky............................. p. 6

KAS Board & Announcements............ p. 7

General Meeting Preview..................... p. 8

November 2015 Prime Focus Page 2

The KAS Board met on October 18, 2015 at Sunnyside Church. The meeting was called to order by President Richard Bell at 5:07 pm. Members present were Mike Cook, Joe Comiskey, Scott Macfarlane, Rich Mather, Jack Price, and Roger Williams. Rich began with a Treasurer’s Report. As was the case last month, the significant activity related to payments for equipment needed for the Robotic Telescope Project. Less than $10,000 remained to be paid on the telescope itself, and PlaneWave wanted to ship the telescope now, with the proviso that the warranty period would not begin until it was installed. Richard reported that just about all that was still needed was the computer and software to be used for control of the mount and the observatory. Richard gave a brief summary of events planned for the next month. The November General Meeting will feature Dave DeBruyn, and planning was beginning for the December holiday party. Owl Observatory maintenance was again discussed, since the last effort had not been completed. November 7th at 12:00 pm was chosen as the next work date. Richard reported that the latest problem with the 12” LX200 scope was clearly failure of the AC power supply. He suggested that a fan be mounted inside the pier where the failed power supply had been mounted, since the pier was found to be quite wet inside. Finally, staffing for community outreach events was reviewed. Richard Bell and Rich Mather agreed to handle Spooky Science Saturday (Kingman Museum, Oct. 24th), while Jack Price, Bill Van Dien, and Mike Cook would cover WMU Education Day (same date). In the category of New Business, Richard noted that Neil deGrasse Tyson would be at Miller Auditorium on March 22nd at 7:30 pm. The reported lowest available ticket price is $47, which put a damper on enthusiasm. Richard suggested asking about setting up an information table inside the building or scopes outside, to use the opportunity to reach potential new enthusiasts. Richard also showed a first draft of calendar dates for year 2016. The merits of general meeting and public observing dates were discussed, with some tentative changes. Rich and Mike reported that there is some interest in a library telescope at the Richland Public Library. A short discussion was also held about security and maintenance problems with the Portage library telescopes. These will be addressed further with the Portage District Library staff. With business concluded, the meeting was adjourned at 6:30 pm. The next meeting will be held at Sunnyside on Sunday, November 8th at 5:00 pm. Respectfully submitted by Roger Williams

The general meeting of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society was brought to order by President Richard Bell on Friday, October 2, 2015 at 7:15 pm EDT. Approximately 30 members and guests were in attendance at the Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center (KAMSC). KAS tradition says that the October meeting shall be devoted to the art of astrophotography. This year five KAS members shared their celestial imagery. Arya Jayatilaka started things off with an image of a waxing gibbous Moon taken with a Canon 60D and 400mm lens. Arya also shared an image from January 16th of the Pleiades (M45) with Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy visible in the lower right-hand corner. Lovejoy was just barely visible to the unaided eye at the time. Joe Comiskey shared an afocal image of the hydrogen-alpha Sun taken with the KAS Coronado PST. He also shared two afocal shots of Venus taken in broad daylight. Roger Williams (and Molly) were vacationing in France, but Roger left several of his images to share in his absence. The first two were razor-sharp images of the hydrogen-alpha Sun taken with his Coronado MaxScope 70 and Lumenera SKYnyx 2-1 camera. Next was an image of Jupiter taken through his Celestron 14” EdgeHD Schmidt-Cassegrain and Lumenera. The remaining images were of various deep sky targets too numerous to mention here. They were all taken with his HyperStar-equipped Celestron 14” EdgeHD SCT and Paramount MX equatorial mount. Kevin Jung shared several pictures taken at Holland Beach featuring the “Big Red” Lighthouse. Two of them showed a waxing crescent Moon after sunset, while another featured a full Moon at sunrise. Others showed the setting Sun and serene twilight colors. Kevin compared the two full Moons from this past July and ended with a shot of the Harvest Moon Eclipse on September 27th. Richard Bell’s slide show started and ended with lunar eclipse photos. First was a sequence of photos that showed Earth’s umbra creep across the lunar surface during the October 8, 2014 eclipse. The other shots were taken during our Lunar Eclipse Party at Richland Township Park. In between were deep sky images taken on his iOptron Skytracker. Other images were taken through his TMB-92SS refractor and Astro-Tech 8” f/4 Newtonian riding on his Astro-Physics Mach1GTO mount. Our traditional October meeting snacks of apple cider and donuts were once again provided by Jean DeMott. Thanks, Jean! Jack Price shared some snap shots taken at the recent Great Lakes Star Gaze during the business portion of the meeting. The meeting concluded at 9:10 pm.

OCTOBEROCTOBEROCTOBER Meeting MinutesMeeting MinutesMeeting Minutes

BOARDBOARDBOARD Meeting MinutesMeeting MinutesMeeting Minutes

Astrophotography Night Highlights

Blue Moon, Red House Kevin Jung  

The second full moon of July, commonly called a "blue moon",  slides  toward  the waters  of  Lake Michigan  on  a warm  July morning,  as  the  "Big Red"  Lighthouse  at  Holland  Beach  watches  in silent apprecia on.  Details: Canon EF 70‐200 mm  lens set at 148mm with a Canon EOS 7D DSLR camera.   It  is a 1/80‐second  exposure  at  ISO  400  from  Holland, Michigan. 

Swan Nebula (M17) Richard Bell  

Many  stars  are  in  the process of  forming  in  this emission nebula located 4,890 light‐years away in Sagi arius.  This  popular  summer  treat  is  also known  at  the  Omega,  Horseshoe  or  Checkmark Nebula. 

Details:  Astro‐Tech  8‐inch  f/4  Newtonian  and  a modified Canon 600D DSLR camera at ISO 800 on an  Astro‐Physics  Mach1GTO  German  equatorial mount.    It’s  a  12  minute  total  exposure  from North Fulton Cemetery.  

Hydrogen Alpha Sun Roger Williams  

Prominences slowly dance above the Sun’s chromosphere, while  sunspots  pepper  its surface. 

Details:  Coronado  MaxScope  70  and Lumenera SKYnyx 2‐1 camera on an Orion Atlas  German  equatorial  mount.  Roger stacked 350 of 1200 images using Registax 6 to create this image. 

November 2015 Prime Focus Page 4

The general meeting on November 6th is our last public activity of the year. Only members and invited guests will be allowed to attend our Annual Meeting & Holiday Party on December 4th and Geminid Meteor Shower Watch on December 13th (weather permitting). Planning for 2016 is currently underway and I’m hoping to make it another special year, after all it’ll be the 80th anniversary of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society. First and foremost, we hope to invite several top-notch speakers to our general meetings in 2016. There are several I have in mind. World-renowned eclipse expert Fred Espenak (a.k.a. Mr. Eclipse) has tentatively agreed to give a talk in 2016 on the Great American Eclipse of August 21, 2017. The eclipse will probably be over a year away when Mr. Espenak gives his presentation, but the time to plan is NOW! As many of you may recall, Terence Dickinson, author of NightWatch and The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide, gave a special presentation at our 75th Anniversary Gala in November 2011. For our 80th anniversary, I’d like to invite his Backyard Astronomer’s Guide co-author, Alan Dyer, to give a talk. In addition to being a respected author, Mr. Dyer is also an excellent astrophotographer. I’m even considering inviting Dr. Alan Stern, Principle Investigator of the New Horizons mission, to give us an update on the historic encounter with Pluto & Charon this past July. Again, much of this is just wishful thinking right now. We’ll need to write a grant to secure funding for all these speakers. What other speakers or topics would you like to hear in 2016? The Texas Star Party will be held at the magnificent Prude Ranch near Fort Davis, Texas from May 1st - 8th. Groups of 6 KAS members attended in 2001 and 2002 and I hope we can do the same (or better) in 2016. Sometimes the weather at TSP can be a mixed bag, but when it’s clear it’s absolutely incredible! The Milky Way is so bright it casts shadows! Even if you are just considering attending TSP next year, please go to their website and create an account and fill out the Registration Request Form. They plan to e-mail those that have filled out the form in late November when registration is available. There are two special sky events to plan for in 2016. The first is rare Transit of Mercury on May 9th. The KAS won’t hold a special event for the transit, since it takes place on Monday morning. I’ll be on my way home from TSP and plan to observe it from the road! There’s also what I’m calling a “Super Conjunction” of Venus and Jupiter on August 27th. On that evening the two brightest planets will be a mere 6.1 arcminutes apart! Last month they were only 2º apart, but that translates to 120 arcminutes! 2016 will be a special year and I hope you can share it with us!

ObservationsObservations by Richard S. Bell

Donated by Bill Van Dien:

Thompson. Light This Candle: The Life and Times of Alan Shepard America’s First Spaceman (2004) Dupas. Destination Mars (2004) Reigot. Space Traveler: To Space and Back on the Shuttle Proctor and Weldon. Moongate: a novel (2002) Jenkins. Space Shuttle: The History of the National Space Transportation System (2001) Furniss. The History of Space Vehicles (2001) Winchester, ed. Space Missions From Sputnik to SpaceShipOne: The History of Space Flight (2006) Boyce. Smithsonian Book of Mars (2008) Donated by Bill Nigg:

Beet. Mathematical Astronomy for Amateurs (1972) Bergman, Clark & Wilson. Discovering the Universe: Observing Projects Using Starry Night Enthusiast (2008) Dick, Robert. The Celestial Sphere (DVD) Dickinson. NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe (2003) Enright. The Beginner’s Observing Guide: An Introduction to the Night Sky for the Novice Stargazer (1993) Gainer. Astronomy Laboratory and Observation Manual 5th ed. for Dixon. Dynamic Astronomy (1989) Green. Peer Instruction for Astronomy (2003), 2 copies Hartmann. A Traveler’s Guide to Mars the Mysterious Landscapes of the Red Planet (2003) Huffer and Marasso. Laboratory Exercises in Introductory Astronomy (1967) Freedman & Kaufmann III. The Solar System Universe 3rd ed. (2008) Littmann, Willcox & Espenak. Totality: Eclipses of the Sun 2nd ed. (1999) Eicher. Beyond the Solar System (1992) Palen. Astronomy (Schaum’s Outline) (2002) Reynolds & Sweetsir. Observing Eclipses 2nd ed. (1979) Robertson & Will. The Novice Observer’s Handbook (1973) Slater & Adams. Strategies for Astro 101 (2003) 2 copies Note 1: For new members: To check out an item remove the card from the envelope inside the book; fill in your name and date on the back and place it in the black card box. It will be due the next meeting. Note 2: Bob (the Librarian) will have books from our collection that are outdated, duplicates or damaged in the front of the room. They are free to members. They will be available for two meetings after which they will be donated to Portage District Library for their book sale.

New Library Acquisitions

November 2015

Of all the planets in the solar system other than our own, Mars is the one place with the most Earth-like past. Geological features on the surface such as dried up riverbeds, sedimentary patterns, mineral spherules nicknamed "blueberries," and evidence of liquid-based erosion all tell the same story: that of a wet, watery past. But although we've found plenty of evidence for molecular water on Mars in the solid (ice) and gaseous (vapor) states, including in icecaps, clouds and subsurface ices exposed (and sublimated) by digging, that in no way meant there'd be water in its liquid phase today. Sure, water flowed on the surface of Mars during the first billion years of the solar system, perhaps producing an ocean a mile deep, though the ocean presence is still much debated. Given that life on Earth took hold well within that time, it’s conceivable that Mars was once a rich, living planet as well. But unlike Earth, Mars is small: small enough that its interior cooled and lost its protective magnetic field, enabling the Sun's solar wind to strip its atmosphere away. Without a significant atmosphere, the liquid phase of water became a virtual impossibility, and Mars became the arid world we know it to be today. But certain ions — potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium,

chloride and fluoride, among others — get left behind when the liquid water disappears, leaving a “salt” residue of mineral salts (that may include table salt, sodium chloride) on the surface. While pure liquid water may not persist at standard Martian pressures and temperatures, extremely salty, briny water can indeed stay in a liquid state for extended periods under the conditions on the Red Planet. It's more of a "sandy crust" like you'd experience on the shore when the tide goes out than the flowing waters we're used to in rivers on Earth, but it means that under the right temperature conditions, liquid water does exist on Mars today, at least in small amounts. The measured presence and concentration of these salts, found in the dark streaks that come and go on steep crater walls, combined with our knowledge of how water behaves under certain physical and chemical conditions and the observations of changing features on the Martian surface supports the idea that this is the action of liquid water. Short of taking a sample and analyzing it in situ on Mars, this is the best current evidence we have for liquid water on our red neighbor. Next up? Finding out if there are any single-celled organisms hardy enough to survive and thrive under those conditions, possibly even native to Mars itself! This article is provided by NASA Space Place. With articles, activities, crafts, games, and lesson plans, NASA Space Place encourages everyone to get excited about science and technology. Visit spaceplace.nasa.gov to explore space and Earth science!

Prime Focus Page 5

Dark narrow streaks, called "recurring slope lineae," emanate from the walls of Garni Crater on Mars, in this view constructed from observations by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The dark streaks here are up to few hundred yards, or meters, long. They are hypothesized to be formed by flow of briny liquid water on Mars. The image was produced by first creating a 3-D computer model (a digital terrain map) of the area based on stereo information from two HiRISE observations, and then draping an image over the land-shape model. The vertical dimension is exaggerated by a factor of 1.5 compared to horizontal dimensions. The draped image is a red waveband (monochrome) taken on March 12, 2013 at 11.5º south latitude, 290.3º east longitude.

These dark, narrow, 100 meter-long streaks called recurring slope lineae flowing downhill on Mars are inferred to have been formed by contemporary flowing water. Recently, planetary scientists detected hydrated salts on these slopes at Hale crater, corroborating their original hypothesis that the streaks are indeed formed by liquid water. The blue color seen upslope of the dark streaks are thought not to be related to their formation, but instead are from the presence of the mineral pyroxene.

How We Know Mars Has Liquid Water on its SurfaceHow We Know Mars Has Liquid Water on its Surface by by Dr. Ethan Siegel Dr. Ethan Siegel

November Night Sky..................November Night Sky..................

NORTH

EA

ST

WE

ST

E arly risers will continue to be rewarded in November with

planetary conjunctions and one stunning occultation at month’s end. Faint Mars and brilliant Venus will be less than 1º apart for the next two mornings beginning on November 2nd.

Jupiter will be 6º to their upper right. They’ll be due east at 5am and visible through dawn. A waning crescent Moon will be less than 2º to the right of Venus before dawn on November 7th. Just above will be faint Mars, forming a triangle. Don’t forget

about giant Jupiter, which hangs about 10º above the Moon. The Full Moon will occult (block) the bright orange star Aldebaran, in Taurus, at approximately 6:43 am EST on November 26th. Aldebaran reappears at about 7:28 am, just as the sky brightens.

SOUTH

This star map is property of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society. However you may make as many copies as you wish free-of-charge, so long as it is for non-profit educational purposes and full credit is given to the KAS.

www.kasonline.org

Early October 11 pm

Late October 10 pm

Early November 8 pm

Late November 7 pm

This map represents the sky at the following local standard times:

PRESIDENT

Richard S. Bell 373-8942

VICE PRESIDENT

Jack Price 343-3193

TREASURER

Rich Mather 629-5312

SECRETARY/ALCOR

Roger Williams 375-4867

MEMBERS-AT-LARGE

Joe Comiskey 329-4251 Mike Cook 345-4998 Scott Macfarlane 679-2865 Don Stilwell 963-5856

E-MAIL a BOARD MEMBER

KAS BOARD November 2015 Page 7

Saturday, November 7th @ 12:00 pm

Owl Observatory is in need of maintenance. We will be making repairs to the building, re-staining the outside and cleaning the inside. Would you like to help? Please let us know by sending a note through the Contact Page. We’ll let you know if we have to cancel due to rain or other weather conditions.

Maintenance Session

Opening nominations for 2016 KAS Officers and At-Large Board Members will take place at the November General Meeting. Please send us your nominations if you are unable to attend the meeting. Ask not what the KAS can do for you, but what you can do for the KAS!

Moving? New EMoving? New E--mail?mail? Have  you  recently  moved  and/or changed your e‐mail address?    If  so please let us know ASAP.  

If you are moving out of town before your  membership  expires  please contact  us  anyway.  You  paid  for  a years worth (or more) of newsle ers and that’s what you’ll get! 

© November 2015, Stargazer Productions

Kalamazoo Astronomical Society c/o KAMSC 600 West Vine, Suite 400 Kalamazoo, MI 49008

STAMP

General Meeting Preview

Are we alone  in  the universe?    It  is a ques on  that has been asked  for centuries,   and more  frequently  in the past 20 years since  the  first  planet was  confirmed  orbi ng  a  distant  star  in 1995.  Since  then,  increasingly  sophis cated  observa onal techniques  have  resulted  in  hundreds  of  addi onal  planets turning  up  near  other  stars.    Some  have  earth‐like    or  near earth‐like  characteris cs,  begging the ques on:  Could some of those planets harbor intelligent life?  If so, will we ever have the means to communicate?  This is the thought provoking subject we will address,  including how we might have  to modify how we think of ourselves if E.T. is "out there." 

  

Friday, November 6 @ 7:00 pm 

Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center 600 West Vine, Suite 400 • Use Dutton St. Entrance 

  

─   Dutton Entrance Locked by 7:10 pm   ─