ASTRAL PROJECTIONS MAY 2017 VOLUME 28 ISSUE 5 Page 1
CONTENTS What's Inside? Page 2: Event Calendar Page 3 4: Recap Page 5: Space Place Page 6: Astronomy Calendar Page 6: Classfieds Page 7: Club Benefits Cover Photo Ball and Raytheon technicians integrate the VIIRS Optical and Electrical Modules onto the JPSS 1 spacecraft in 2015. The spacecraft will bereadyforlaunchlaterthisyear. Image Credit: Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. EVENT CALENDAR May 12th Monthly Meeting Location: Ocean County College, Building #10 opposite the Planetarium Time:7:00p.m. 10:00p.m. Following club business, Bob Chamberlain continues his series"making Your Own Telescope" followed by John Endreson addressing Telescope Field of View. For more details, please turn to page 6. May 13th JakesBranchStarParty Location: Jakes Branch County Park, Beachwood Time:8:30p.m. 10:30p.m. A.S.T.R.A. Robert J. Novins Planetarium Ocean County College P.O. Box 2001 Toms River, NJ 08754 2001 May 27th JakesBranchStarParty Location: Jakes Branch County Park, Beachwood Time:8:30p.m. 10:30p.m. EVENT CANCELLATIONS Members will receive an email notification of event cancellation, or call the ASTRA Hotline: 609 971 3331 President: John Endreson President@astra nj.org Treasurer: Ro Spedaliere Treasurer@astra nj.org Newsletter Editor: Chris Savia newsletter@astra nj.org Vice President Secretary: Bob Salvatore VP@astra nj.org Webmaster: Donald Durett Webmaster@astra nj.org Page 2
RECAP April's meeting was short, but ASTRA accomplished a lot in that span of time. With ASTRA President John Endreson away on vacation Ro covered club business, letting everyone know the need for volunteers at Astronomy Day. Matt regaled us with his visit to the Northeast Astronomy Forum(NEAF). Matt happened to bump into Al Nagler from Tele Vue Optics who confided about a new gadget that's going to capture everyone's interest, and it's only a matter of time before ardent astronomers hear about Tele Vue's latest creation. A selection of the grit used by Bob Chamberlain to grind his mirrors. Image credit: Chris Savia Bob Chamberlain rounded out our gathering with the first installment of his Make Your Own Telescope presentation series. Bob covered the basics of reflector/dobsonian telescope design and materials, a little telescope history, in addition to the necessity to shop around when it comes to certain aspects of a telescope build. When he needed to aluminize his telescope's mirror, he was quoted$700,butbobeventuallyfoundanoutfitwhodidthejobforjust$50. Page 3
RECAP Bob's mirror blank grinder. Image credit: Chris Savia ASTRA learns the fine art of grinding mirrors from Bob. Image credit: Chris Savia Page 4
SPACE PLACE NOAA's Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) To Monitor Earth As Never Before By Ethan Siegel Later this year, an ambitious new Earthmonitoring satellite will launch into a polar orbit around our planet. The new satellite called JPSS- 1 is a collaboration between NASA and NOAA. It is part of a mission called the Joint Polar Satellite System, or JPSS. At a destination altitude of only 824 km, it will complete an orbit around Earth in just 101 minutes, collecting extraordinarily highresolution imagery of our surface, oceans and atmosphere. It will obtain full-planet coverage every 12 hours using five separate, independent instruments. This approach enables nearcontinuous monitoring of a huge variety of weather and climate phenomena. JPSS-1 will improve the prediction of severe weather events and will help advance early warning systems. It will also be indispensable for long-term climate monitoring, as it will track global rainfall, drought conditions and ocean properties. The five independent instruments on board are the main assets of this mission: The Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) will detail the atmosphere s 3D structure, measuring water vapor and temperature in over 1,000 infrared spectral channels. It will enable accurate weather forecasting up to seven days in advance of any major weather events. The Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) adds 22 microwave channels to CrIS s measurements, improving temperature and moisture readings. Taking visible and infrared images of Earth s surface at 750 meter resolution, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument will enable monitoring of weather patterns, fires, sea temperatures, light pollution, and ocean color observations at unprecedented resolutions. The Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) will measure how ozone concentration varies with altitude and in time over every location on Earth's surface. This can help us understand how UV light penetrates the various layers of Earth s atmosphere. The Clouds and the Earth s Radiant System (CERES) instrument will quantify the effect of clouds on Earth s energy balance, measuring solar reflectance and Earth s radiance. It will greatly reduce one of the largest sources of uncertainty in climate modeling. Image credit: NASA https://eospso.nasa.gov/missions/joint polar satellitesystem The information from this satellite will be important for emergency responders, airline pilots, cargo ships, farmers and coastal residents, and many others. Long and short term weather monitoring will be greatly enhanced by JPSS-1 and the rest of the upcoming satellites in the JPSS system. Page 5
ASTRONOMY OBSERVING CALENDAR May 6 7 EtaAquaridsMeteorShowerreachesitspeak.Thesemeteorsaremorevisibleinthe southern hemisphere, but those living in the northern hemisphere can catch a glimpse of this event.looktowardsaquariusnearmidnight,andtrynottocursetoomuchatthewaxinggibbous moon. May 10 Fullmoonat5:42p.m..ThisfullmoonisknownastheFullFlowerMoontoNative Americans because flowers appeared in great numbers around this time of year. May 17 Mercury reaches greatest western elongation of 28.5 degrees from the sun. Look east before sunrise to catch a glimpse of this elusive planet. May 25 Newmoonat3:44p.m..Newmoonsaregreatforobservingfaint,deepskyobjects. Astronomy Equipment For Sale Meade 7 f/15 Maksutov telescope(no longer made). A superb visual and imaging scope for those who prefer refractor like images and high magnifications when seeing permits. Includes external rack& pinion focuser, dew shield and mirror cooling exhaust fans, Weighs about 20lbs. Originally over $2,000 18 years ago. Optical tube assembly only, with a full length Losmandy style mounting plate. Please make an offer. Contact Phil Zollner at pazap@optimum.net for more details. Iwillbehappytosupplyanyfurtherinformationandphotosifyouwish.Icanbringthistoan ASTRA meeting for inspection. Celestron CPC 800 Computerized Telescope: 8" scope on a twin fork mount that's much steadier than single fork, with built in GPS on a 2" tripod. Great optics with a smooth focuser! Includes all original equipment and eyepieces. Also includes a dew shield, 8" solar filter, red dot finder, and portable power pack. Telescope sells online for $1999, asking $900. Call Bill Edelen at 732 899 8639. Making Your Own Telescope Series On May 12th, Bob Chamberlain continues his series of presentations on creating your own telescope. His project is to create a tabletop 4¼ inch Dobsonian, f/6 with an approximate 24"focallengthbuiltonabudget.May's presentations will address mirror grinding and polishing/silvering. Future installments will cover: 1. Optical Tube assembly. Mounting primary and secondary mirrors. 2. Design/building of base. 3. Final assembly and use. Page 6
CLUB BENEFITS LOCATION CHANGE FOR MAY'S MEETING May12th'smeetingwillbetakingplacein Building 10, across from the Robert J. Novins Planetarium at Ocean County College. Still parkinlot#2,headuptheramp,thenturn right for Building 10. WHY JOIN? For $25.00 a year, you can enjoy many benefits with the Astronomical Society of the Toms River Area. Members can take advantage of A.S.T.R.A.'s lending library, borrow telescopes for observations, access to private star parties, in addition to comraderie with local amateur astronomers. Contact one of our club officers today to join the fun. ISLAND BEACH STATE PARK PERMITS One of the perks of being an ASTRA member is the special permit for after-hours stargazing at Island Beach State Park. Please contact the executive board for more details about how you can acquire your 2017 permit. ASTRA'S TELESCOPES ASTRA has several different types of telescopes, telescope mounts, along with binoculars, eyepieces, and eyepiece filters available for members to borrow. If any member is interested, please check out ASTRA's website and contact John Endreson at telescope loan@astra nj.org, or 609 971 3331. ASTRA'S LIBRARY ManybooksareavailableforloantoASTRAmembersfromourlibrary.Alistofthesebooksis available at the ASTRA website. To request any of these books, please email John Endreson at LibraryLoan@astranj.org, or call 609 971 3331 with your request for materials. VOLUNTEER PRESENTERS Members are invited to give presentations related to astronomy or space science at our monthly meetings. Please contact a club officer to make arrangements. SUBMISSIONS WELCOME Members are invited to submit articles, photos, news, or stories for inclusion with Astral Projections. Please contact Chris Savia at newsletter@astra nj.org. JUNE'S NEWSLETTER DEADLINE: MAY 30, 2017 Page 7