March 2014
Monday, March 3, 2014
Bartlesville Public Library Meeting Room
6:45 p.m. Setup and Conversation
7:00 p.m. Club Business
7:10 p.m. This Month's Sky
7:20 p.m. Current Astronomy News
7:30 p.m.
Yellowknife Aurora Tour
by Kelly Fox
Kelly Fox will present a slide show and discussion describing her late December trip to Yellowknife, in Canada, to observe and photograph the northern lights.
Measuring your Eyepiece Field of View by John Land
Before we had GoTo telescopes or even computers to aid in locating objects, astronomers relied on printed star charts to find their way around the sky. “Star Hopping” was the technique most of us used to find our way around the sky. It’s still one of the most reliable methods to track down an illusive object. Knowing the field of view of your finder scope and each of your eyepieces is a valuable tool of any good observer.
The Constellation of Orion is an excellent target to start your measurements. Orion is about due south around 8:30 to 9:30 PM in early February. Orion is easily recognized by the 3 bright stars that make up his belt. These three stars span a distance of about 2.7 degrees from end to end. A typical 7 by 50 finder scope has a field of view of about 7 degrees. Earth’s rotation carries stars on the celestial equator 1 degree to the west in 4 minutes of time. Put a different way the earth rotates 1 degree in 240 seconds. A degree is a fairly large area of sky. The moon only covers an angle of about 1/2 degree. Astronomers subdivide a degree into smaller segments. One degree measures 60’ arc minutes across. Each arc minute is further divided into 60” arc seconds. So one degree equals 60’ or 3600” The full moon measures roughly 30’ across while the disk of Jupiter is 44”
Using the Drift Method to measure eyepiece field of view ( FOV ) To do so you need to locate a star near the celestial equator. Orion’s 3 belt stars also lay very near the celestial equator with the left most star, Mintaka, almost exactly on the equator. To measure your eyepiece field of view you’ll need a stop watch or clock ( phone display ) that shows seconds. Start with a medium power eyepiece. Something around 15 mm. The focal length of an eyepiece is usually printed on it. The larger the focal length # the lower the eyepiece magnification. Position your telescope so that Mintaka is in the field of view of the eyepiece. Turn Off any drive motors and watch the direction that the stars are drifting across the field of view. The direction the stars are drifting is WEST in the sky. Next move the telescope until Mintaka is just out of view on the on the EAST ( opposite side ) Start timing when the star enters your field of view and stop in when leaves the field of view. The star should drift more or less along a center diameter of the eyepiece. If it cuts across at a shallow angle, just reposition it and start your timing over. I find that it is sometimes easier to measure with one of the dimmer stars near Mintaka.
To calculate your field of view divide the number of seconds on the clock by 240 – this will give you the angle in degrees. Then multiple that number by 60 to find the angle in arc minutes. Or you can simply divide the timing by 4 to get the arc minutes directly. If you have more than one telescope you’ll need to do the timings for each telescope / eyepiece combination. Write them down in your observing notes for future reference.
The Magnification of a telescope is found by dividing the focal length of the telescope in mm - millimeters by the focal length of each eyepiece in mm. My 10 inch f 5 Dobsonian telescope has a focal length of 1270 mm. Using my 13.8 mm eyepiece that gives 1270 / 13.8 = 92 X Using the Drift Method I timed 163 seconds for stars to drift across its field of view. Calculating its field of view yields 163 / 240 = 0.68 degrees or 163 /4 gives about 41’ arc minutes. My 20 mm Erfle eyepiece on the same scope gives 63 X magnification and 241 seconds of drift time yielding a full degree field of view. Knowing the field of view of each eyepiece is a great asset in finding your way around the sky. Some software programs like Sky Tools 3 allow you to use this information to customize the data for each telescope – eyepiece combination.
Globe at Night Telecon: Audio and Transcripts now available
Connie Walker from Globe at Night joined Night Sky Network members on January 27th for an illuminating talk on the GaN program, and discussed how you can become involved in the fight against light pollution by measuring sky quality.
2014 promises to be a landmark year for GaN. They have released several new smartphone apps to help improve the accuracy of light readings for our night sky. In addition to their web-based sky quality app, there is also the Loss of the Night app on Google Play for Android devices, and the Dark Sky Meter app for iPhone 4S and higher on the iTunes store.
This year's GaN also comes with a new schedule: they now have monthly events! Connie discussed how to members can get involved, and how to encourage the general public to get involved as well. The more eyes on the skies, the more data points the GaN can get for their project; this allows them to do many wonderful things with their data. Some of their projects include dark sky quality maps, and kits which help to better inform city planners and councils on the effects and spread of light pollution.
Check out our dedicated Telecon wrap-up page for slides, audio, transcripts, and related links.
Save the Date: Mission: Mars Telecon with Dr. Pascal Lee coming in March
Save the date: March 26th at 6:00 pm PT/9:00 pm ET for our telecon with Dr. Pascal Lee of the Mars Institute and SETI on the future of Mars exploration with Mission: Mars! Subzero temperatures, killer rays, raging dust storms…Mars is a hostile planet. Could anything survive there? One job for Future Mars Explorers: Stay alive and help search for alien life.
Dr. Pascal Lee is chairman of the Mars Ins titute and a planetary scientist at the SETI Institute. He is also director of the NASA Haughton-Mars Project at NASA Ames Research Center. The project helps plan future human missions to Mars.
SKY &TELESCOPE
Table of Contents: 1941 – 2013
by the Editors of Sky & Telescope
S & T is the longest running of the two major American Astronomy Periodicals. A couple of years ago they published a comprehensive DVD set of all their issues
Now they have put online a comprehensive Table of Contents to all those issues. A very valuable tool for subscribers who have collections of back issues or
persons looking for a particular type or information or event.
The Table of contents is available in a searchable Excel format or Text Format
From John Land - Astronomy Club of Tulsa
2014 Texas Star Party - Last chance to sign up now!The great tradition of dark sky observing continues with the 36th Annual TEXAS STAR PARTY, May 25-31, 2014! near Ft Davis, Texas Staying on the Ranch in housing, RV, or camping? Staying off-site in other accommodations? Everyone needs to enter the TSP drawing, held in late January. You should submit a Registration/Reservation Request Form to ENTER THE TSP DRAWING before January 22, 2014. This will provide you the highest possible chance of being selected as one of the 500 people who will be able to attend TSP this year. Follow this link to get started! http://texasstarparty.org/get-started/ SIGN UP NOW! You can find out the status of your TSP Registration at any time by visiting http://texasstarparty.org/account/ We have some really neat new stuff for TSP 2014... including The 2nd annual Texas Imaging Symposium, Find out about these and other news at: http://texasstarparty.org/news/ Questions? Visit our web site for the latest and complete details! http://www.texasstarparty.org/ or email tsprooms@texasstarparty.org
We look forward to seeing you next May! Sincerely, the volunteers for Texas Star Party
FREE 2014 Astro Calendar for your Computer, Tablet or Phone
http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=32474
Astronomy Picture of the Day has a 2014 Astro Calendar in PDF form
For your computer or tablet. In addition to the usually dates and astronomical events
Each dates is a Hyperlink to an APOD image. The smaller 4.5 meg version works well on Ipads and Tablets.
It may also work on some smart phones but watch your data usage if you click the daily links
The larger 31.5 meg versions are suitable for computers of printing.
For those not familiar with Astronomy Picture of the Day
It can be found at http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ or just type APOD in any search engine.
It features a daily astronomical image along with information and links about the image.
There is also a search engine to its almost 18 years of images and information online.
Current News from Sky and Telescope
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news
A Meteorite Lights up the Lunar Night — February 24, 2014
Astronomers have witnessed the largest lunar impact to date. With an impact energy equivalent to 15 tons of TNT — approximately 3 times as great as the previous record-holder — the flash was visible even to the naked-eye.
Pesky Problems for Lunar Reflectors — February 21, 2014
For more than 40 years, astronomers have been firing lasers at specially-designed reflectors left on the lunar surface. But over time they've gotten dusty — and especially finicky whenever there's a full Moon.
Comet ISON Photo Contest Winners — February 23, 2014
Announcing the winners of Sky & Telescope's Comet ISON photo contest, sponsored by Celestron.
Mapping a Supernova's Radioactive Glow — February 21, 2014
A radioactive element produced near the heart of collapsing stars hints at the mechanism behind Cassiopeia A’s supernova explosion.
The Purest Star Tells an Ancient Tale — February 20, 2014
Astronomers have discovered the purest star to date. Composed almost exclusively of hydrogen and helium — with 15 million times less iron than our Sun — it illuminates what happened among the first supernovae in the early universe.
Red Sky for Brown Dwarf — February 19, 2014
Astronomers have discovered a new “failed star” with unusually red, dusty skies. The dust makes the object look much younger than it actually is, complicating studies of this type of brown dwarf.
Hot White Dwarfs Show Planet Debris Too — February 17, 2014
Both hot and cool white dwarf stars can display the remains of destroyed planets polluting their atmospheres. There now appear to be two routes for this material to make its way in.
Unveiling Ganymede — February 14, 2014
Get an eyeful of the solar system’s largest moon — a world of ancient, crater-packed plains and broad swaths of younger grooved terrain that defies easy explanation.
Curiosity Navigates the Crossroads — February 12, 2014
NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory — Curiosity — has successfully crossed a sand dune standing between the rover and its final science destination.
New Splat on Mars — February 11, 2014
NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter HiRISE camera captured this stunning image of a fresh impact on the Martian surface.
Why Galaxies Delay Star Birth — February 5, 2014
Two teams have independently pinpointed the same key player in postponing the growth of the universe’s smaller galaxies.
S&T Table of Contents: 1941 – 2013 — February 4, 2014
A unified table of contents for all 73 years of Sky & Telescope is now available online.
First Mercury Globe Now Available — February 3, 2014
Sky & Telescope announces the first-ever globe of Mercury, pieced together from the latest images taken by the Messenger spacecraft. It's now available on our online store!
Mystery of the Missing Galaxy Clusters — January 31, 2014
Astronomers have counted up the number of galaxy clusters in the cosmos and found a problem: the number is much lower than they expected. What's going on?
Weather-Mapping a Brown Dwarf — January 30, 2014
Astronomers using a novel technique have mapped a brown dwarf's visible surface — even though they can't resolve the object in telescopes.
Sleep of Death for Chinese Lunar Rover? — January 29, 2014
Reports suggest that something went wrong as the Yutu rover prepared to hibernate through the long lunar night. The glitch could be the end of the little robot.
Lighting Up the Cosmic Web — January 27, 2014
A rare alignment of a quasar’s “flashlight” beam and a filament of the cosmic web illuminates the universe’s large-scale structure.
Skyweek from Sky and Telescope Magazine also presents a variety of astronomical events for the naked eye as well as telescope viewing.http://www.skyandtelescope.com/videos/skyweek
March 1 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 08:00 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.
March 16 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 17:08 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Worm Moon because this was the time of year when the ground would begin to soften and the earthworms would reappear. This moon has also been known as the Full Crow Moon, the Full Crust Moon, and the Full Sap Moon.
March 20 - March Equinox. The March equinox occurs at 16:57 UTC. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of fall (autumnal equinox) in the Southern Hemisphere.
March 20 - Occultation of Regulus. An extremely rare event will take place on the morning of Thursday, March 20. An asteroid known as 163 Erigone will pass in front of the bright star Regulus in the constellation of Leo, causing the star to disappear. This event will be visible along a 45-mile-wide path and is predicted to begin at 2:07 a.m. EDT. The asteroid’s shadow will move on a southeast-to-northwest path that will extend from New York City to Oswego in New York State and continue northwest into Ontario, Canada. For those in the center of this path, the star will remain invisible for 12 seconds. (Occultation Path and Information)
March 30 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 18:45 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.
April 8 - Mars at Opposition. The red planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view and photograph Mars. A medium-sized telescope will allow you to see some of the dark details on the planet's orange surface. You may even be able to see one or both of the bright white polar ice caps.
April 15 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 07:42 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Pink Moon because it marked the appearance of the moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the first spring flowers. This moon has also been known as the Sprouting Grass Moon and the Growing Moon.
April 15 - Total Lunar Eclipse. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes completely through the Earth's dark shadow, or umbra. During this type of eclipse, the Moon will gradually get darker and then take on a rusty or blood red color. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of North America, South America, and Australia. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)
(Source: http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2014.html)
2014 BAS Programs
Next Meeting
April 7, Monday. Bartlesville Public Library Meeting Room (tentative)
Newsletter Contributions Needed
Our club newsletter is reaching more people each month, and member contributions in the form of short articles, interesting news items, alerts of upcoming astronomical events or activities, descriptions of personal observations or useful equipment, and observing tips, are encouraged. Recurring columns or multipart articles are also welcome. Please submit your contributions to Mike Woods or to bvilleastro@gmail.com .
Bartlesville Astronomical Society - Membership
B.A.S. is an organization of people interested in Astronomy and related fields of science.
The current officers are:
The current board members are:
Additional club positions:
Membership is open to everyone interested in any aspects of astronomy.
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Magazine Subscription (reduced rate for members)
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BAS Public Website: http://sites.google.com/site/bartlesvilleastronomyclub/
BAS Yahoo Group: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/BvilleAstro/
If you want to have your email address removed from the Bartlesville Astronomical Society mailing list, please send an email requesting removal to bvilleastro@gmail.com
BAS Yahoo Group: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/BvilleAstro/