Non-Elected Positions. FWAS Elections in June. FWAS Picnic Star Party - Lake Worth. Annual Dues

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1 FWAS Elections in June Elections for three officers will be held during the June meeting; they are: The President The Vice-President, and The Secretary-Treasurer. Looking at these positions in more detail The President o Is the public image of FWAS; wherever possible, it is the President who speaks for FWAS. o Appoints members to non-elected positions with Executive Committee s approval (see Non-Elected Positions) o Attends FWAS-sponsored functions o Assures that FWAS-sponsored events run smoothly o Performs other duties as required. The Vice-President o Backs-up the President when necessary o Attends FWAS-sponsored functions. o Is responsible for the programs for the monthly meetings o Performs other duties as required The Secretary-Treasurer o handles the money o maintains subscriptions o Performs other duties as required Non-Elected Positions Should a member not wish to be an officer, but wish to help with Club activities, there are a number of non-elected positions within the Club Publications Coordinator assists the Secretary- Treasurer with sales and processing subscriptions Outreach Coordinator is the point-contact for Outreach activities Star Party Coordinator liaises between FWAS and other organizations wishing Star Parties Please contact the President directly if interested in these positions. FWAS Picnic The FWAS Picnic will be June 24 this year. FWAS will be providing hot dogs and sodas. If you want to eat or drink anything else (such as chips, tater salad, slaw, dessert,...), it s BYO - you'll have to bring it yourself. When dark enough, Harry Bearman will conduct his always-informative Constellation School. It should be noted the cut-off date for RSVP ing was June 14th. If you are not on the list, then no accommodation has been made for you (it is all BYO). Annual Dues Annual Dues will become payable at the July meeting. They should be paid as soon as possible as the gate code will be changed a few months later, and the new code will be made available only to members in good standing. Star Party - Lake Worth Members interested in holding a Constellation School / Star Party in Lake Worth in July, please contact John Dowell ( johnad_99@yahoo.com ). This activity, along with alternative locations, will be discussed in the June meeting. Page #1 of 6

2 Jupiter & Io Barringer Crater Astrophotographer: Matt Reed Equipment: an 8 Celestar SCT on an EQ6 Skyscan mount; using a 3Com Homeconnect webcam with Televue 3x Barlow & an IR filter. Image captured with K3CCDTools 3, stacked with Registax3, & cleaned-up with Photoshop CS. Star Parties 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 Sep 2: Starwalk at Copper Breaks State Park theme: Moon, Summer Triangle Sep 30: Ft. Worth Museum of Science & History While flying back from Las Vegas, Barry Lieb captured this shot of Barringer Meteor Crater, approx 20 miles west of Winslow, AZ. Outreach Corner By Dave Titus, FWAS Public Outreach Coordinator Our club recently participated in two very successful outreach opportunities. On Friday evening, May 19 we had a total of nine scopes at the Briarwood Retreat Center in Argyle for the annual Cancer Care Services Retreat. We had about 40 guests which included cancer patients and caregivers. A good time was had by all, and the guests were most appreciative of us coming out to share the wonders of the night sky with them. A big thanks to Juan M., Ben H., Doug B., Loren L., Patrick M., Ron C. (and Laure & Kyle), Alex V., Lowell M., and Thomas W. On Friday evening, June 2 we had a total of 16 scopes at the Bob Jones Nature Center in Southlake. The coordinator told me that the official guest count was 186 but she also saw several families who had not signed in so she is estimating the final count is more like 200. A Night Sky Network presentation preceded the star party and the guests all indicated how appreciative they were for our participation in this star party. Thanks to John D., Doug C., Doug B., Danny A., Dean C., Matt R., Pat N., Tres R., Neil W., Loren L., Juan M., and Chris N. for putting on a very successful star party, and reaching a new audience. If I ve missed any volunteer names I apologize in advance. I tried my best to keep track of everyone in the dark. As always, continue to monitor the egroup for upcoming events. Page #2 of 6

3 May Presentation (I) Meteor Observing John Dowell presented Meteor Observing. The type of meteor activity can be described as: sporadic meteors, which are not associated with any other object (e.g., a comet); sporadic meteors do not have a radiant meteor showers, which are associated with another object, usually a comet; they occur at a specific time of year... that time of year when the Earth s orbit intersects the object s orbit. In addition, a true meteor shower will have a radiant. In some instances, such as with Halley s Comet, the orbits will intersect twice, and two showers may occur (sun inbound, and sun outbound). By observing the color of the meteor, a relative idea of the speed can be made... slow meteors tend to be reddish; an example is the Orionid Shower fast meteorites tend to be white or bluishwhite; an example is the Perseid shower. A comprehensive table of Meteor Showers throughout the year, along with various properties of the Showers, can be found at: The following Table describes 10 of the better meteor showers during the year: Name Peak Associated Comet Quadrantids Jan Lyrids Apr 22 Thatcher Eta Aquarids May 5 Halley So. Delta Jul Aquarids Perseids Aug 12 Swift-Tuttle Orionids Oct 21 Halley So. Taurids Nov 5 Encke No. Taurids Nov 12 Encke Leonids Nov Tempel-Tuttle Geminids Dec 14 Phaeton¹ ¹ Asteroid Guidance for observing meteors can be found at: the Astronomical League s Meteor Club or/metrcl.html the American Meteor Society May Presentation (II)- The Ten Commandments for Amateur Astronomers Contributed by Trista Oppermann 1. Thou shalt have no white light before thee, behind thee, or to the side of thee whilst sharing the night sky with thy fellow stargazers. 2. Thou shalt not love thy telescope more than thy spouse or thy children; as much as, maybe, but not more. 3. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's telescope, unless it exceeds in aperture or electronics twice that of thy wildest dreams. 4. Thou shalt not read "Astronomy" or "Sky & Telescope" on company time, for thine employer makes it possible to continue thine astronomical hobby. 5. Thou shalt have at least two telescopes so as to keep thy spouse interested when the same accompanies thee under the night sky or on eclipse expeditions to strange lands where exotic wild animals doth roam freely. 6. Thou shalt not allow either thy sons or thy daughters to get married during the Holy Days of Starfest. 7. Thou shalt not reveal to thy spouse the true cost of thy telescope collection; only the individual components and that shall be done with great infrequency. 8. Thou shalt not buy thy spouse any lenses, filters, dew shields, maps, charts, or any other necessities for Christmas, anniversaries, or birthdays unless thy spouse needs them for their own telescope. 9. Thou shalt not deceive thy spouse into thinking that ye are taking them for a romantic Saturday night drive when indeed thou art heading for a dark sky site. 10. Thou shalt not store thy telescope in thy living room, dining room, or bedroom, lest thou be sleeping with it full time. Brenham Meteorite Members are reminded that the 1,400-lb oriented pallasite meteorite will be at the Ft. Worth Museum of Science and History until July 5 th. If anyone has not seen it, please plan on doing so before then. Page #3 of 6

4 In the Sky (mid-june thru end-july) Mercury Venus Mars an evening star thru early-july June 20: max easterly elongation (~ 25 ) a morning star getting low as well as continuing to fade and shrink; at end-june at sunset plus 1½ hours, altitude will be ~ 9½ with mag about +1.8 and 4.0 arc sec diameter; it will probably become unobservable in mid- to late-july. Jupiter well-positioned for evening viewing in Libra... ~ mag 2.2. 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 end-june at sunset plus 1½ hours, altitude will be ~ 5 ; it will probably become unobservable in mid- to late- July. Uranus at end-july, a 6 th magnitude object in the vicinity of λ-aquarii; it transits at an altitude of ~50 at ~ 4:00am CDT. Please see Sky & Telescope, May 2006, P. 66 for a guide chart. Neptune Pluto Sun Moon Meteor Showers at end-july, an 8 th magnitude object in the vicinity of ι-capricorni; it, transits at an altitude of ~ 41½ at ~ 2:20am CDT. Please see Sky & Telescope, May 2006, P. 66 for a guide chart. an opportune time to try the Pluto Challenge. At end-july, a 14 th magnitude object a little less than ½ southwest of ξ-serpentis, transiting at an altitude of ~ 41 at ~ sunset plus two hours. July 14: conjuncts with ξ-serpentis... ~ 21 south 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 Jul 3: Earth at aphelion at 6:00pm CDT ( ~ 94½ million miles) Jun 25: New Moon at 11:05am CDT Jul 24: New Moon at 23:31pm CDT Jul 28: peak of southern Delta Aquarids (pre-dawn sky) Various dates: 10 minor meteors showers; for a complete listing, please see: 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 Page #4 of 6

5 FWAS MEMBERSHIP INFO FWAS Officers: Trista Oppermann President John Dowell Vice President Tres Ross Secretary / Treasurer prezzident@fortworthastro.com vicepres@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 Jun 22: Jun 29: 1978: James Christy discovers Charon, the moon of Pluto. 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 the Yerkes and Mt. Wilson Observatories. Jul 8: Jul 11: 1695: died: Christiaan Huygens; ~ 1654 he developed a new method of grinding and polishing lenses, and subsequently was the first to identify Titan as well as the rings of Saturn; 2 years later, he would work on pendulum clocks to improve the accuracy of timekeeping, both nautical and astronomical. 1979: Skylab, America s first space station, reenters the atmosphere and disintegrates over the Indian Ocean & Australia. Jun 30: Jul 4: 1908: A mysterious explosion occurred in the skies over Siberia; it has since been attributed to comet fragments. 1997: touchdown of Mars Pathfinder; it bounced about 15 times and rolled to a stop about 2.5 minutes and 1 km after impact. A six-wheel rover, named Sojourner, would roll onto the Martian surface about 2 days later. Jul 16: 1994: Fragments of Shoemaker-Levy-9 begin to impact Jupiter; for the next 6 days, over 20 major fragments, sometimes referred to as the string of pearls, would be photographed before, during, and after the impacts. 1945: the first atomic explosion, codenamed Trinity, occurs near Alamogordo, NM (cont d P. 6) Page #5 of 6

6 Observing Site Reminders 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) Jul 20: Jul 22: 1969: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin land the Eagle (Apollo 11) on the Moon; they would become the first men to walk on the moon 1784: born: Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel; though remembered for mathematical analysis using the Bessel Function, he was the first to compensate for optical, mechanical, meteorological effects on observations, and was able to identify proper motions of stars. Jul 25: Jul 26: 1573: born: Christoph Scheiner. Frequent controversy between Scheiner and Galileo over the discovery of sunspots was an important factor (though not the only one) responsible for the degradation in the relationship between Galileo and the Jesuits. 2005: launch of STS-114; it was the first Shuttle launch since the Columbia disintegrated during reentry about 2½ years earlier. Jul 23: Jul 24: 1995: Discovery of Comet Hale-Bopp 1950: Bumper-8 launched; it was the first launch from the Cape Canaveral facility. The first stage was a V-2 rocket, which bumped its second stage (a WAC Corporal rocket developed by the JPL) to a higher altitude Bumper began in the mid 1940s as a program to increase the altitude missiles could fly so science instruments could study the upper atmosphere. Jul 30: 1971: Apollo 15 lands on the Moon; this mission was the first to carry a Lunar Roving Vehicle, which allowed astronauts to venture several kilometers from the landing site. 1610: Galileo observes Saturn; unfortunately, his optics could not resolve the rings, and he interpreted his observation as a composite of three stars in a row. Page #6 of 6