Volume 52, No. 2 February, 2007 Next Meeting February 20, 2007 8 p.m. Mini-Talk Night: Hank Bouchelle on planispheres And Others PRESIDENT S MESSAGE Hank Bouchelle Folks: Many thanks to Dr. Judy Provencal for her excellent talk on Mt. Cuba s Astronomical Observatory s Projects! It was fascinating to learn of the work of the Observatory, and its role in orchestrating important stellar observations around the world. An excellent talk! We plan our February meeting to be a mini-talk night, where individuals can share information about activities, topics of interest, or information. If you have not already done so, let me know of your interest presenting a brief talk. Remember that the election this spring for the DAS At Large Board Members. We are in the process of confirming an Elections Chair. Make a note if you or someone you know would like to be a candidate. Nominations close April 1. Be sure to mark your calendars as well for the April regular meeting and May dinner meeting, which will feature celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the DAS. Emil Volcheck (mtcuba@udel.edu) is coordinating the effort. I am very pleased at the way this effort is advancing. I think you will be impressed with the results! If you have nominees for the Porter Educator Award or Astronomer of the Year Award, both given at the dinner meeting, contact Gus Swartout at David.A.Swartout-1@invista.com Finally, please remember that all members are cordially invited to the DAS Board of Director s meeting, especially if there is an agenda item about which you would like to have input. We meet in the Mt. Cuba library at 7:00, before the regular meeting. Please come! 1 Sky and Telescope Introductory Astronomy Course Spring 2007 This Spring the Delaware Astronomical Society (DAS) will conduct a seminar series on introductory astronomy. This informal and interactive series is intended for those individuals who wish to have an introduction to "Observing the Sky". It will present basic information for observing and understanding a wide range of astronomical topics, including solar and lunar happenings, stars and constellations, appearance and locations of planets, as well as types of telescope and their use. Participants will receive a syllabus, sunrise/set tables, a calendar of astronomical events, and a handy planisphere to use in locating celestial objects. There will be opportunities for sky viewing (weather permitting). The 4-session series will be held on March 21 & 28, April 4 & 11. Each session will begin at 8:00 PM and end at approximately 9:30 PM. All sessions will be held at the Mt. Cuba Astronomical Observatory on Hillside Mill Road in Greenville. The fee for the series is $35. The deadline for registration is Mar 12 and pre-registration is required. A registration form is attached to this issue of The Focus or you can call the Observatory, at 302-654-6407, (or email to mtcuba@udel.edu) to obtain one. DAS Meeting Cancellations In the event of inclement weather, or should a meeting must be cancelled, members and guests can find cancellation information by listening to one of the following list of radio stations : WSTW 93.7FM WJBR 99.5 FM WILM 1450 AM WDEL 1150 AM
Board of Directors Meeting Agenda Hank Bouchelle (More than we can accomplish in one meeting, but important items, all) Review of Minutes President s Summary Treasurer s Report DAS Anniversary Report on progress, Costs? Materials/showpiece/set pieces The story so far Status of DAS Banner Dinner meeting Menu selection? Defray gratuity? Honored/invited guests? Budgeting Focus Marc Hutton Library Education Programs Sawin Observatory Tom Sidowski Other? Chartered Awards Committee report Gus Swartout Scheduling for close-up after meetings Refreshment Host Spring elections Elections Committee chair Nominee statements? Astronomy Day Moved to September Any preparation needed for March s Messier Marathon meeting? DAS Post Office box? Board of Directors Meeting Summary Hank Bouchelle President s Summary January 16, 2007 Discussion of Board Minutes vs. President s Summary Treasurer s report Overall total: $2,228 LJP Fund: $4,400 Tom Sidowski alerted the Board of future Sawin Observatory requests Emil Volcheck reported progress on planning for the DAS 50th Anniversary Gus Swartout reported on the discussions of the Chartered Awards Committee Hank Bouchelle requested resumes of past LJP Award recipients. Hank Bouchelle suggested that we create a schedule for close up after the meetings. Hank noted the need for an Elections Committee Chair for this spring s election Lee Kaser agreed to be in charge of the Christiana Care health day activities Bob Karcha and Hank Bouchelle will work on outreach to area high schools. DAS 50th Anniversary Commemoration Lee Kaser You know that DAS is celebrating its 50th year, and several of us are working on projects for the April and May meetings. I am trying to find interesting items from the past, the older the better, and if you have a file or collection of papers, pictures, or other items related to your membership in DAS, please contact me at kaserlo@msn.com or call me at 302-995-6251 and we can talk about your items. Some of our most senior members have already contributed their files, but I would like to have more, so please help me to prepare a good display. Thanks in advance for any help you can give. STAR PARTIES AT MT. CUBA Tom Sidowski The schedule for DAS star parties at Mt. Cuba for the first part of 2007 are as follows: Day Date Time Saturday February 17th 7:30 pm Saturday March 24 8:00 pm Friday April 20th 8:00 pm NEW MEMBERS THIS MONTH WELCOME NADINE BANGERTER BRUCE BAYLERAN ERIK BESECKER NEWARK DE NEWARK DE WILMINGTON DE The 7th Annual Mid-Atlantic Mirror Making Seminar (March 2-4) Bill Hanagan This is a reminder that The Delmarva Star Gazers will host the Seventh Annual Mid-Atlantic Mirror Making Seminar on March 2-4, 2007, at Mallard Lodge just outside of the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Reserve located east of Smyrna, Delaware. This seminar is a great way to make your own 6", 8", or 10" Newtonian primary mirror in record time. You can also bring an unfinished mirror of a similar size along 2
with your own tool and finish your mirror at the seminar under the guidance of expert mirror makers. This is the third year that I've had the honor of leading the mirror makers through the program, though this is anything but a one man show. Don Surles is the main organizer of the event again this year, and he is assisted by many hard-working members of the Delmarva Stargazers as well as by several DAS members. Mirror figuring and testing assistance will be provided by professional optician Steve Swayze, of Swayze Optical, as well as by myself and several other experienced mirror makers from the mid-atlantic region including our own Dave Groski. Swayze Optical offers mirror refiguring services as well as custom-made Newtonian primary mirrors, in case you want to build a telescope or upgrade your current optics without getting into mirror making. See their web site at www.europa.com/~swayze/. If you think you might like to make a telescope mirror at some point down the road, consider dropping by on Saturday, March 3 to check out the seminar. If nothing else, there will be other people interested in telescope making there to talk to. Visit the Delmarva Stargazers web site at the link below for more detailed information. www.delmarvastargazers.org The mirror making positions are nearly all filled, but if you want to make a mirror this year, you should contact Don Surles at 302-653-9445 to see if there are any positions still available. If you're interested in mirror making or more generally in telescope making, this is an event you won't want to miss. LOANER TELESCOPES Emil Volcheck Spring's mild weather months will be a good time to get out and try your hand with a scope. So, if you are new to the club and/or do not have a scope, you can get the loan of either: or 1) a Celestron 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain 2) an Orion 6" Dobsonian reflector The loan is for at least a month (depends on how long the waiting list is). To get on that list, promptly, contact Emil Volcheck, 610-793-5156 or 302-654-6407. DAS Meeting Topic Schedule, 2006-2007 March 20 Messier Marathon With Greg Lee At the McCullough Planetarium, New Castle April 17 DAS Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration With former officers, guest speakers, general good times! May 15 Dinner Meeting at The Terrace at Greenhill Speaker TBA 3 June 19 Astronomical Equipment Show & Tell With Marc Hutton and others Global Warming Watchdog Report: Rene VanCaneghem My philosophy on this subject is that global warming is a fact. Also, I believe that it will get worse before it gets better. Consequently, corrective action now is absolutely necessary to avert devastating effects on properties, agriculture and the lives of people. Therefore, I strongly recommend that some serious thought be given to your next car. What type should it be? It should probably be a hybrid which gives at least 45 mpg and little, or no, CO2 emissions. More info will be given on a future report. MCAO PUBLIC NIGHTS Emil Volcheck The Mt. Cuba Observatory Public Nights continue year round! In addition to learning about many aspects of the heavens, you'll have a chance to visit and view our all-digital full-dome planetarium! You can pick up a schedule when you next come to a meeting - or get the latest updated version off the website at: http://mountcuba.org. Library News Glenn Bentley I would like to take this opportunity to invite the membership to drop by the library at the end of the February meeting to check out reading material for those intensely cold, moonlit and/or snowy evenings for which the tri-state region is famous. DAS Astrophotography Special Interest Group (AP SIG) Bill Hanagan The DAS Astrophotography Special Interest Group meets on Friday nights at 7:30 PM every other month at Mt. Cuba regardless of weather. The SIG also meets for photo shoots scheduled on 1-2 day notice to synchronize with the weather. The monthly meetings are informal and typically include the presentation of astrophotos taken by the members along with an extended question and answer period. Objects commonly photographed include constellations, auroras, lunar eclipses, and planetary photos, as well as a wide variety of deep-sky objects such as nebulae, galaxies, star clusters, etc. The topics discussed cover the entire gamut of astrophotography,
from how to get started with a minimum of equipment, to polar aligning your telescope, all of the way to the fine points of using auto-guiders and post-processing digital images. If you are interested in joining the AP SIG, just email your name, address, and phone number to me at hanaganw@comcast.net. SAWIN OBSERVATORY REMINDER Tom Sidowski DAS members who are interested in becoming users of the Sawin Observatory and/or the Big Red DOB, should contact me at 302-239-1844 to arrange for some hands-on training in using the facility. DAS AMATEUR TELESCOPE MAKING SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP (ATM SIG) Bill Hanagan The DAS Amateur Telescope Making Special Interest Group meets on evenings and weekends according to the availability of the members and the particular projects that are underway. The general range of activities of the ATM SIG includes all manners of telescope making, mirror making, and the making of accessories for telescopes and observing. Anyone interested in joining us should email their name, address, and phone number to me at hanaganw@comcast.net. DAS FORUM/E-MAIL SITE ON YAHOO Don Shedrick This is a restricted e-mail service for use by DAS members for DAS purposes. To use this site, go to http://groups.yahoo.com ; search for Delaware astronomical society; and click on the link that comes up. To join, you must have a Yahoo ID and password; if you don t, you can register at this time by following Yahoo s instructions. You will then be allowed to Join the group upon clicking in that box. You must then register for the DAS group and add your profile by clicking on add new profile and completing the form. When adding or editing your profile, you will need to enter your actual name in the "Real Name" box so you can be identified as a DAS member so Don Shedrick can approve your application to join the DAS group, and everyone will know to whom they are communicating. Finally, specify your desired e-mail address for delivery of messages. Note you may choose to not have your name and email address displayed to anyone other than DAS members who are members of the Yahoo DAS email group. For more detailed instructions, go to the DAS web site under DAS Resource Links. LEARNING AID Emil Volcheck The Mt. Cuba Observatory offers an aid to learning the sky. For new folks and not-so-new who want something easy to carry around, we have the "Night Sky" planisphere, at a price of $3 each. This is David Chandler's design that provides much better constellation forms than most other such designs, to make finding them easier! Makes a nice gift, too! MEMBERSHIP EXPIRATION NOTICES : If the mailing label on the envelope containing your FOCUS is marked with Red Marker, your membership is expiring or has expired. To continue to receive the Focus, Sky and Telescope, and Reflector, send the renewal form below with your check to: DAS, c/o Robert Mentzer 605 River Road Wilmington, DE 19809 Or give it to Bob at a meeting. Thank you. Call any of us with your concerns! DAS CONTACTS Membership: Any of the following: President: Hank Bouchelle-------------------- 302-429-4013 Vice President: John Case ------------------- 302-836-4888 Secretary: Lynn King ------------------------- 302-764-8816 Treasurer: Bob Mentzer---------------------- 302-764-1926 DAS/MCAO Advisor: Emil Volcheck----- 610-793-5156 Education Chair: Bob Karcha ------------ 302-999-9509 Messier Club: Lynn King -------------------- 302-764-8816 Observing: Greg Lee --------------------- --- 302-762-5358 Youth Coordinator: Sarah Baird ---------- 302-292-8950 Archivist: Rene Van Caneghem ---------- 410-392-3718 Board Members at-large: ATM and AP SIGs: Bill Hanagan --------- 302-239-0949 Chairman, Observatory Committee and DAS Monthly Star Parties: Tom Sidowski ----------------------- 302-239-1844 By-Laws: Henry Bouchelle ---------------- 302-983-7830 Light Pollution Strategist; Greg Weaver 302-239-1338 Library Chair: Glenn Bentley -------------- 610-869-0706 Ad Hoc Star Parties: Sheila Vincent - --- 302-322-4739 Elections Comm. Chair:Costas Krikelis 302-478-9099 Awards Comm. Chair David Swartout 302-836-4618 DAS PowerPoint Adviser Max Peterson 302-369-6982 MCAO Web Page: www.mountcuba.org DAS Web Page: www.delastro.org Focus Editor: Marc Hutton Phone 302-351-3415 E-mail Huttonm@comcast.net - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION OR RENEWAL FORM If you have questions, call any of the member representatives listed above. Otherwise, just check the appropriate boxes and complete this form. Cut it off and send it with your check to Bob Mentzer at his address given above under the membership expiration notices section. The magazine prices are group rates to DAS members. Thanks, and welcome to the DAS if you re just joining us for the first time. New Member Senior/Family Membership $20.00 Renewal Junior membership (16/under) $10.00 Sky and Telescope Magazine $33.00 Astronomy Magazine $34.00 NAME STREET ADDRESS Total Submitted ------ $ CITY STATE ZIP TELEPHONE E-MAIL ADDRESS (optional) Any Questions? Call us. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ASTROPHOTOGRAPH OF THE MONTH Bill McKibben The image of the Orion Nebula was taken through a Vixen 80ED at f/7.5 on a Celestron Advanced Series mount. The camera was a Canon 20D (not modified). All images were at ISO 800. I combined 12 images at 90 seconds each, 9 at 30 seconds and 20 at 10 seconds along with the appropriate dark frames to make the final image. I used blending techniques from the book Photoshop Astronomy by R. Scott Ireland to bring out more of the detail in the Trapezium. 5
OBSERVING THE SKY An Introduction To Astronomy Spring 2007 REGISTRATION FORM This spring the Delaware Astronomical Society (DAS) will again conduct a seminar series on introductory astronomy. This informal and interactive series is intended for those individuals who wish to have an introduction to observing the sky. It will present basic information for observing and understanding a wide range of astronomical topics, including solar and lunar phenomena, stars and constellations, appearance and locations of planets, as well as telescope types and their use. Participants will receive a syllabus, sunrise/set tables, a calendar of astronomical events, and a handy planisphere to use in locating celestial objects and have opportunities for sky viewing. The four sessions will be held on March 21 & 28, April 4 & 11. Each session will begin at 8:00 PM and end at approximately 9:30 PM. All of the sessions will be held at the Mt. Cuba Astronomical Observatory on Hillside Mill Road in Greenville. The fee for the series is $35. The fee for DAS members is $20. Checks should be made payable to DAS. Pre-registration is required. Registration deadline is March 12. Mail this form and your payment to: MCAO, PO Box 3915, Greenville DE 19807-0915. Name Address City State Zip Home Phone# Work Phone# Email address Are You a DAS member? Yes No How did you learn about this seminar? 6
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