Star Parties. Welcome to FWAS New Members. May Meeting - Topic. Museum Renovation. FWAS Picnic

Transcription

1 Welcome to FWAS New Members Star Parties Jeral Ahtone Trevor Bakker Andrea Barbee Darren Barbee Jim Barbee Steven Bolser Jessica Deason Tracie Henderson Lloyd Lashbrook Jim Bob Measures Kate Measures Gary Ridge Jose Vera Andrew Walters May 19 (Fr): Briarwood Retreat Center (Argyle) Sponsored by Cancer Care Services ( ) for additional information about Briarwood, contact fwasoutreach@yahoo.com directly to participate. May Meeting - Topic The topic for the May meeting will be Meteors Part II (a continuation of Tres Ross presentation on Meteors from the March 21 st meeting). Museum Renovation On May 4 th, it was announced the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History would embark on a 2-year major renovation in mid With the exception of the Omni Theater, which is expected to remain open during the construction, all facilities will be either relocated or replaced. For additional information, please see: 6.html?from_rss=1 FWAS Picnic The FWAS Picnic is being planned for June 24. This earlier time is expected to avoid the 100+ F temperatures normally seen in August. Members should be considering how they could assist / volunteer... the needs for the Picnic will be discussed in the May 16 th meeting. May 27: Sun Fun & Starwalk at Copper Breaks SP theme: Arcturus, Ursa Major, and Planets Jun 2 (Fr): Bob Jones Nature Center (Southlake) for add l information on the Nature Center, contact fwasoutreach@yahoo.com directly to participate Jun 3: Ft. Worth Museum of Science & History Jun 24: FWAS Picnic Jun 24: Starwalk at Copper Breaks State Park theme: Globular Clusters Jul 8: Ft. Worth Museum of Science & History emphasis on lunar viewing (phase ~ 95%) special shows in the Noble Planetarium Jul 22: Starwalk at Copper Breaks State Park theme: Scorpius Aug 5: Ft. Worth Museum of Science & History Aug 19: Starwalk at Copper Breaks State Park theme: Milky Way Page #1 of 6

2 Presentation Brenham Meteorites Linda Krause presented an overview of her early- April trip to Kansas, where she joined professional meteorite hunter Steve Arnold in searching for meteorites in the Brenham Meteorite Strewn Field. The story begins in the 1880s in Brenham, KS, a (former) community in southern Kansas (~ 5 miles east of today s Greensburg, KS). Eliza Kimberly, a homesteader, noted peculiar black rocks in an otherwise rock-free soil; she also noted their resemblance to meteorites she had seen earlier. Eventually, Eliza persuaded scientists to examine her rocks, and they were confirmed as being meteorites. The Brenham meteorite(s) are dispersed over a 3- mile by 1-mile area. The fragments tend to be pallasites - one of the two main classes of stonyiron meteorites. They are characterized by crystals of olivine in an iron-nickel matrix. Olivine is an olive-green (hence the name) magnesium-iron silicate; the green color is thought to be due to the presence of nickel (when transparent, olivine is often used as a gemstone known as a peridot ) Meteorites from the Brenham Strewn Field will be on display in the lobby of the Museum until July 5 th. The display includes the 1430-lb world s largest oriented pallasite, as well as the 60-lb Bisonshaped meteorite. If Linda s presentation and the Museum s meteorite display makes you want to go to the Brenham area and start digging, there are some considerations... Meteorites belong to the person on whose land it was found, and the strewn field is all on private (agricultural) property. Meteorites are generally not visible on the surface; they are located using sensitive metal detectors Access is controlled by issuing meteoritehunting leases, and Mr. Arnold holds the leases for most of the strewn field (another meteorite hunter from NY holds the remainder). Access is denied during planting, growing and harvest seasons. There are some other points of interest in the area: the world s largest hand-dug well; for info, see Kiowa County State Park. Brenham Meteorites Jargon Strewn Field term describing how the meteorites fell to Earth; it indicates a large number of smaller meteorites dispersed over an area, as opposed to a single hit of a larger meteorite. Oriented Meteorite a meteorite that doesn t tumble while going through the atmosphere (i.e., it maintains its orientation). When found, the meteorite tends to have a characteristic ablated nosecone shape. The Brenham Meteorites are classified as stony iron meteorites, a mixture of iron-nickel alloy and non-metallic matter. Approximately 1% of meteorites are classified as stony iron. For a detailed meteorite classification table, please see Outreach Corner By Dave Titus, FWAS Public Outreach Coordinator May 19 (Fr): Briarwood Retreat Center (Argyle) Starting at 8:00 we will be sharing our knowledge of astronomy and later as it gets dark a viewing of the night sky with cancer patients who will be guests at the Briarwood Retreat Center in Argyle. Every year the Cancer Care Services sponsors this retreat for cancer patients. Each patient will have a caregiver in attendance who may be a family member, a health care professional, etc. June 2 (Fr): Bob Jones Nature Cntr (Southlake) One of the missions of the center is to foster learning experiences about the North Texas natural environment. In support of this mission, they have asked us to provide a star party starting at 8:00. We will start with a short talk at 8:00, and answer any questions the guests may have. You can find more details on both of these events on the egroup. As always, if you would like to volunteer, please let me know by ing me at fwasoutreach@yahoo.com Thanks to you all for your support of FWAS public outreach! Page #2 of 6

3 Mid-South Star Gaze April 26-29, French Camp, Mississippi By Ben Hudgens The Star Gaze was scheduled on the same dates as the TSP this year, and as I couldn't be at both, I chose to return to my Mississippi roots. The Star Gaze has been hosted at French Camp for almost 20 years now and it continues to grow yearly. There were about 120 people from eleven states registered for the event, and two of us attending represented Texas. The Mid-South Star Gaze was a limited success this year due to the weather. The same weather systems that moved through Texas also visited Mississippi... despite heavy rain and subsequent fog and heavy dew, some nights were good. Afternoon talks were featured on each day, such as Jay McNeil (of the newly-discovered McNeil's Nebula in Orion) and Jim Fly of CatsEye Collimation Tools. Other presenters covered topics from digital imaging with video and the new Canon astro camera. Rex McDaniel of Astro Stuff (Dover, AR) was another regular vendor with his thousands of goodies spread out on several tables for us to lose our checkbooks and take home some new toys. Additional details can be found at A lot of people were imaging, and scopes of all types and sizes were in use. I opted for tracking some 15th mag. asteroids along with a dozen or so of the Arp galaxies on the Astronomical League's Observe list. Comet 73P fragments, C and B, were easily seen with C being about 8th mag. and sporting a pretty good tail. B fragment was dimmer at about 10th mag. and its tail was dimmer and shorter, but some said it appeared to be somewhat curved. Throughout the week, I used my Discovery 15" f/5 Dob as well as viewing through a host of many other scopes. One of my old observing friends had a newly purchased Johnsonian tracking platform with his 16" AstroSystems kit Dob riding on it. I was quite impressed with the tracking accuracy. The Rainwater Observatory at French Camp hosts a fantastic collection of permanent telescopes ranging from a small solar scope to a massive 32" Dob. will give you lots of info on the observatory complex and the newest remote robotic telescope (almost completed). Its operation will be geared toward education and research similar to the new observatory at Tarleton State. As I mentioned above, weather was the downside this year. Wednesday night (the 26 th ) was cloudy, but Thursday night (the 27 th ) was a great night and much drier. Friday afternoon (the 28 th ) the clouds rolled in, and then rain and scattered thunderstorms balanced out the weekend. Plan B was in effect in case of cloudy weather and additional talks and presentations kept us informed and entertained. Lots of astro flea market stuff was available, as well as hundreds of books being sold by the Rainwater Observatory for a fund raising event. If you have never been to the Rainwater Observatory at French Camp, plan to make a stop anytime you are in the area. There is always something going on and Jim Hill welcomes visitors anytime. Next year's Star Gaze will again be in April. Mid-South Star Gaze French Camp, Mississippi Page #3 of 6

4 In the Sky (mid-may thru end-june) Mercury Venus an evening star ; max easterly elongation (~ 25 ) on June 20 th a morning star Mars getting low as well as continuing to fade and shrink; at sunset plus 1½ hours... at end-may, altitude will be ~ 23 with mag about +1.7 and 4.3 arc sec diameter at end-june, altitude will be ~ 9½ with mag about +1.8 and 4.0 arc sec diameter Jun 15: centered in the Beehive (M44) Jun 17: conjunction with Saturn (~ 33 arc min separation) Jupiter well-positioned for evening viewing (opposition on May 3 rd ) in Libra... ~ mag 2.3. The lesser Red Spot lags the Great Red Spot by approximately one hour; to find when the Great Red Spot crosses the Jovian Central Meridian (as seen from Earth), please see: Saturn low in the evening sky; at sunset plus 1½ hours... at end-may, altitude will be ~ 29 at end-june, altitude will be ~ 5 Jun 17: conjunction with Mars (~ 33 arc min separation) Uranus Neptune Pluto Sun Moon ω-cen Comet at end-june... a 6 th magnitude object in the vicinity of λ-aquarii; at an altitude of 47 at sunrise less 1½ hours. Please see Sky & Telescope, May, 2006, P. 66 for a guide chart. an 8 th magnitude object in the vicinity of ι-capricorni; at end-june, transits at about sunrise less 2h:02m (max altitude ~ 37 ). Please see Sky & Telescope, May, 2006, P. 66 for a guide chart. a 14 th magnitude object a little less than 2 east of ξ-serpentis Please see Sky & Telescope, May, 2006, P. 66 for a guide chart. Jun 21: solstice at 7:26am CDT, marking the start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere Jun 27: latest sunset May 27: New Moon at 12:26am CDT; North American viewers may be able to a thin lunar crescent in the morning twilight near Mercury (within 24 hours of new ). Jun 25: New Moon at 11:05am CDT the largest globular cluster; unfortunately, it transits at an altitude of only ~ 9¼... at end- May, transit is at ~ 10:21pm CDT (corresponding to sunset plus ~ 1h:48m) Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann now receding from Earth; as the comet is still approaching the Sun (the tail should still be growing), better viewing should occur later in May. Please see for current location(s) Meteor Various dates: 15 minor meteors showers; for a complete listing, please see: Showers Page #4 of 6

5 FWAS MEMBERSHIP INFO FWAS Officers: Trista Oppermann President John Dowell Vice President Tres Ross Secretary / Treasurer president@fortworthastro.com vicepresident@fortworthastro.com secretary@fortworthastro.com FWAS Meetings FWAS meets at 7:00 PM on the third Tuesday of the month at the UNT Health Science Center Research & Education Building, Room 100; 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd; Ft. Worth. Guests and visitors are always welcome. FWAS Web Site FWAS E-Group (members only) send a blank to fwas-subscribe@yahoogroups.com to subscribe. Post messages to the group by sending to fwas@yahoogroups.com. Any message sent to fwas@yahoogroups.com will be automatically sent to all members on the list. Outreach items concerning FWAS Outreach activities should be addressed to FWAS Public Outreach Coordinator at fwasoutreach@yahoo.com Prime Focus The FWAS newsletter is published monthly. Letters to the editor, articles for publication, photos, or just about anything you would like to have included should be sent to: primefocus@fortworthastro.com. FWAS Annual Dues - $40 for adults / families, $20.00 for students (half-price Jan 1 thru June 30); checks payable to Ft. Worth Astronomical Society; payments can be mailed to P.O. Box , Ft. Worth, TX or in-person at the next indoor meeting. Membership runs July 1 through June 30. Discount Subscriptions Available Sky & Telescope ($32.95), and Astronomy (1 year for $34.00; 2 years for $60.00). A Sky & Telescope subscription through FWAS entitles you to 10% off purchases at Sky & Telescope s on-line store Astronomical League Membership Your FWAS membership also enrolls you in the Astronomical League. This makes you eligible for various observing certificates and you get their quarterly magazine, The Reflector. On This Day May 18: 1969: launch of Apollo-10, the final test flight of the Lunar Module; it would take astronauts Stafford & Cernan within 50,000 ft of the lunar surface. May 28: 1971: launch of Mars 3 (USSR); its Lander would perform the first successful soft-landing on Mars and relay approximately 20 seconds of video data before failure. May 21: May 25: May 26: 1961: John F. Kennedy commits the USA to landing a man and returning him safely to Earth by the end of the decade. 1961: the Apollo program initiated by President John F. Kennedy. 1543: died: Nicolaus Copernicus 1973: launch of the US spacestation Skylab; it would be manned by three crews before being abandoned in February 1974, and eventually deorbit and reenter the atmosphere in : born: Sally Ride, US astronaut. May 30: Jun 3: Jun 8: Jun 13: 1971: launch of Mariner-9; it would become the first artificial satellite of another planet when it went into orbit around Mars. 1934: born: Alexei Leonov, USSR cosmonaut 1948: dedication of the Hale Telescope at Mt. Palomar Observatory; at the time, it was the largest telescope in the world. 1625: born: Giovanni Cassini 1983: Pioneer 10 [US] passes Neptune, becoming the first man-made object to leave the solar system. (cont d, P. 6) Page #5 of 6

6 Observing Site Reminders Astronomical League 2006 Convention The 2006 Astronomical League Convention and Exhibits (ALCON/EXPO) will be held August 4-5, 2006 at the E.H. Hereford Center on the UTA Campus (Arlington, TX). The Convention will have speakers, trade shows, and exhibitions. The last day for early registration is July 5, For additional details, please see All members Be careful with fire Sign the logbook in the clubhouse Put equipment back neatly when finished Leave a log note if there is a club equipment problem; in addition, please contact an FWAS Trustee to let them know. Turn out the bathroom light and close the door tightly do NOT lock; leave the thermostat alone. Maintain Dark-Sky etiquette Turn out your headlights at the gate!! Last person out, please Turn off lights Check all doors closed, but not locked Make sure nothing is left out Chain the gate when departing site. On This Day (cont d from P. 5) Jun 16: Jun 18: Jun 22: 1963: Soviet Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman to fly in space; she was launched into a 3-day orbital flight to study the effects of weightlessness. 1983: American Astronaut Sally Ride becomes the first American woman to fly in space. 1978: James Christy discovers Charon, the moon of Pluto. Jun 29: lead to the widespread use of the term flying saucers. 1868: born: George Ellery Hale, American astronomer. Though known by the 200-inch reflecting telescope at Mt. Palomar Observatory in California, Hale also invented the spectroheliograph for studying the surface of the sun in 1889, and served as director of both the Yerkes and Mt. Wilson Observatories. Jun 24: 1947: An American pilot reports saucer-shaped objects flying near Mt. Ranier in Washington state; this would Jun 30: 1908: A mysterious explosion occurred in the skies over Siberia; it has since been attributed to comet fragments. Page #6 of 6