ASTRAL PROJECTIONS JANUARY 2017 VOLUME 28 ISSUE 1 SUPER SIZE AWARDS ISSUE Page 1
CONTENTS What's Inside? Page 2: Event Calendar Page 3 4: Obituaries Page 5 7: Awards Page 8 9: Awards Gallery Page 10 11: Space Place Page 11: Comet Alert Page 12: Astronomy Calendar Page 12: Items for Sale Page 13: Club Benefits Cover Photo Phil Zollner shakes hands with former ASTRA club president Matthew McCue upon the preslentation of the prestigious R. Erik Zimmermann award during the December 9th ASTRA club meeting. EVENT CALENDAR January 4th Private Star Party Location: Long Beach Island Elementary School, LBI Time:6:30p.m. 8:30p.m. Contact: JohnEndreson@msn.com January 7th Jakes Branch Star Party Location: Jakes Branch County Park, Beachwood Time:6:00p.m. 8:00p.m. January 13th Monthly Meeting Location: Ocean County College, Robert J. Novins Planetarium(Building 13) Time:7:00p.m. 10:00p.m. Following club business, ASTRA will help the public with our annual New Telescope Workshop. A.S.T.R.A. Robert J. Novins Planetarium Ocean County College P.O. Box 2001 Toms River, NJ 08754 2001 January 17th Private Star Party Location: Bayhead Elementary School, Bayhead Time:6:30p.m. 8:30p.m. Contact: JohnEndreson@msn.com January 21st Cloverdale Farms Star Party Location: Cloverdale Farms Park, Barnegat Twp Time:6:00p.m. 8:00p.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
AD ASTRA J. Randolph Walton 1949 2016 J. Randolph Walton, 67, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, November 29,2016atOcean Medical Center. He was born in Philadelphia, and was raised in Philadelphia and Springfield Township, Pennsylvania. He worked forbelllabsinholmdel,njasthecompany changed names through the years, earning anohter degree in Electronic Engineering from Monmouth University. He kept active after retiring by involving himself in many clubs like the Monmouth County Rifle& Pistol Club, the Monmouth Audubon Society, the Brookdale Computer User Group, the New Jersey Lighthouse Society, and most importantly our own Astronomical Society of the Toms River Area. "Membership was down, attendance at meetings was down, enthusiasm among the members was atanall timelowandnobodywantedthejobof President. The club might have gone under, dissolved,ranaground,sunkinthemud,went downthetubes,kaputorworseifrandyhadn t steppedupandtakenthehelm.therewasno wayhe djustsitbackandletthathappen.randy madesurewekepttheclubfunctioningasan organization with rules and regulations to be upheld. It didn t matter how many people showed MorethanamerememberRandyservedas treasurer and twice as President, in addition to lending his services as webmaster, newsletter editor, and coordinating the club's star parties. In recognition of these, and his other contributions to ASTRA, Randy received the coveted R. Erik Zimmermann award in 2012. Our Vice President Secretary Bob Salvatore acknowledged Randy's efforts during the award presentation. up,thankstorandytherewasameetingevery month, some sort of presentation, coffee and snackswerethereandwehadfun.mostofall, theclubremainedaliveandrandywasahuge part of that effort." Randywasafixtureofourclubandatourevents. Helping out at our annual New Telescope Workshops, helping out with Astronomy Day with solar observations and as Comet Chef, volunteering at star parties, with the sole purpose of sharing his unbridled enthusiasm for astronomy withtheworld.whileineverknewhim,onlybeing amembersinceoctober2013,i'vecometoknow andrespectrandybasedonhislegacywith ASTRA. You will be missed. Page 3
AD ASTRA Mauro Bacolo passed away on December 10, 2016.Bornandraisedin Brooklyn, NY, Mauro retired to the Jersey Shore with his wife, Victoria, while their son, Adrian, remained in Brooklyn. Mauro's life wasspentinserviceto his country, community andfamily.maurowasalifelongmemberofthe United States military and volunteered to work on"the Pile" after 9/11. Ournewermembersmightnothavemet Mauro.Hehasn'tbeenactiveoverthelastfew years,buthealwaysbroughtthe'party'tostar parties. Mauro set an example for every ASTRA memberwithhiszestforlife,senseofhumor, and passion for astronomy. He loved to have fun, sometimes getting the best of a serious astronomerbutalwaysingoodfun.atmost ASTRAeventsMaurowouldhangoutinthe background, ready to step forward and lend a hand with someone's telescope, give advice, or make friendly conversation with anyone. Best of all, Mauro would always ensure everyone hadagoodtime. Iamricherforhavingknownthispatriot, someone who served in the military for America and brought the same dedication to ASTRA. It's anhonortohaveknownmauroandiwillmiss him always! Thank you. Mauro Bacolo 1947 2016 by John Endreson Page 4
AWARDS The 2016 Dr. R. Erik Zimmerman Award PhilZollnerhasbeenamemberofASTRAfor 38yearswherehehassharedhispassionfor Astronomy.Hewasinvitedtogiveatalkonone of his eclipse trips and joined ASTRA after that. He has the distinction of being the earliest memberwhoisstillwithus. The Planetarium opened in 1974 with Erik Zimmermann as the Director. ASTRA was formedin1977bythethenassistantdirectorto the Planetarium John Coolbaugh. After about ayear,johnleftandtheoperationoftheclub wasassumedbyerik.eriktookcareofall aspects of the club including doing all the presentations. Bythemid80 s(afterijoinedin1982)several ofusincludingphildidsomeofthe presentations taking the burden off Erik. Phil hasaflairforpresentingatopicwhileweaving inastoryatthesametime.hehasdone several presentations on astrophotography, one of his favorites. He has combined photography of the heavens against the backdrop of Earth scenes, sometimes called Earth/Sky photography. by Rich Brady He has done presentations on eyepieces demonstrating the different types, what they are usedfor,howtheywork,andwhichonestoget. He has also given presentations on telescopes and mounts. Finally, he shared his experiences on manyofthe13(soontobe14)eclipsestoplaces like Siberia, Colombia, Australia, Kenya, Manitoba andmauritaniatonamejustafew. Instead of giving information on just the eclipse, Phil presented a bit of a travelogue giving information on his trip, exploring the surrounding area and culture, and any astronomical related activities in the area(museums, Planetariums, etc.) Everyone was interested in his presentation. This typifies Phil s style of presenting a topic and weavingastoryintoitatthesametime.when Erik was preparing to retire(around 2001), he askedphil(alongwithgeneandi)tohelp run theclubasadirector.thiswasbeforewehadthe bylaws and election of officers. Phil has also been with the Planetarium for about 38 years sharing his passion for Astronomy there aswell.hestartedinsep1978longbeforethe Planetarium installed the automated system. He did live shows as well as prerecorded shows, someofwhichhadhisvoicealongwitherik sand Bill Kinsella s(the Assistant Director). He continued after the Planetarium was automated, helping with the school shows as well asthepublicshowsontheweekends.philhasan eyefortheskyandcannoticewhensomethingis outofplaceintheplanetariumsky.hereminds mealittleofgeorgeloviwhodidthestarcharts that were published in Sky& Telescope years ago. ItwassaidthathecouldwalkintoaPlanetarium andspotastaroutofplace. PhilhasadegreeinAstronomyandwasamiddle school media specialist for most of his career. Phil is also a licensed pilot. Because of Phil s interest in the hobby, enthusiasm for the club and personal efforts to help with club activities, we the members of ASTRA present you, Philip Zollner, our highest honor, The R. Erik Zimmermann Award. Page 5
AWARDS Rich Brady celebrates Phil's 38 years with ASTRA, and all of Phil's contributions over the years. Phil expresses his gratitude on receiving ASTRA's highest honor. Image credit: John Endreson Thank you, Phil Zollner! Page 6
AWARDS EveryyearASTRAhonorsmemberswhohavecontributedtotheclubinsomeway.Someawardsare just for fun, while others recognize a club member's efforts to help spread the word about ASTRA, popularize stargazing, in addition to educating others about the sky, planets, and our universe. Donald Durett Webmaster Award Emit Villalobos Appreciation Award Bill Edelen Appreciation Award John Endreson Star Party Committee Award Telescope/Library Loan Committee Award Vice President Award Gloria Villalobos Honorary Membership Certificate Sarah Waters Refreshment Committee Award Presenter Awards Peter Macron RookieoftheYearAward Matthew McCue BillGatesAwardfortheMostEmailsSentbya Member President Award Vic Palmieri Procurer of the Island Beach Permits Award Geoff Redington Refreshment Committee Award Bob Salvatore The Invisible Member Award Chris Savia Most Message Board Postings in History Award Newsletter Award Rosemarie Spedaliere Astronomical League Committee Award Star Party Committee Award Treasurer Award Amanda Vick Boyle Appreciation Award Honorary Membership Certificate Showmanship Award for Presenting Great ShowstotheClub Robert Chamberlain Show and Tell Using a GSO Superview 40mm camera projection lens with astrophotography Bill Edelen Show and Tell Hydrogen Alpha Filter John Endreson How to Clean Telescope Optics,WhattoKnowbeforeBuyinga Computerized Telescope Ryan Knipple The Future of Spaceflight: My Experience at Space Camp Matthew McCue How to Clean Telescope Optics Sam Micovic Climate Change Presentations Vic Palmieri How to Collimate a Telescope Chris Savia Show and Tell Astrophotography onabudget Ro Spedaliere Vatican Observatory Faith and Astronomy Workshop, Meteorites or Meteorwrongs? Phil Zollner Phil's Visit to Lowell Observatory, Show and Tell Equatorial Mount If you are on this list and did not receive your award, please contact a club officer. Page 7
GALLERY Our proud President already looking forward to retirement. Meetings wouldn't be the same without you! Image credit: John Endreson Thanks for all the goodies, Geoff! Vic can't contain himself over receiving his presenter award and the coveted Procurer of the Island Beach Permits Award Ro's earned the right to show off! Way to go, Ryan! Gloria is an asset to ASTRA! Thank you for your contributions! Page 8
GALLERY President Elect and current Vice President Secretary can't wait for January! Meet ASTRA's new blood, Peter Macron! The best is yet to come, Phil! Awesome job, Bill! A rare display of humility with Chris Savia receiving three awards! Image credit: John Endreson Page 9
SPACE PLACE Big Science in Small Packages by Marcus Woo About250milesoverhead,asatellitethesizeofaloafofbreadfliesinorbit.It'soneofhundreds of so called CubeSats spacecraft that come in relatively inexpensive and compact packages that have launched over the years. So far, most CubeSats have been commercial satellites, student projects, or technology demonstrations. But this one, dubbed MinXSS("minks") is NASA's first CubeSat with a bona fide science mission. Launched in December 2015, MinXSS has been observing the sun in X rays with unprecedented detail. Its goal is to better understand the physics behind phenomena like solar flares eruptions on the sun that produce dramatic bursts of energy and radiation. Much of the newly released radiation from solar flares is concentrated in X rays, and, in particular, the lower energy range called soft X rays. But other spacecraft don't have the capability to measure this part of the sun's spectrum at high resolution which is where MinXSS, short for Miniature Solar X ray Spectrometer, comes in. Using MinXSS to monitor how the soft X ray spectrum changes over time, scientists can track changesinthecompositioninthesun'scorona,thehotoutermostlayerofthesun.whilethesun's visible surface, the photosphere, is about 6000 Kelvin(10,000 degrees Fahrenheit), areas of the coronareachtensofmillionsofdegreesduringasolarflare.butevenwithoutaflare,thecorona smolders at a million degrees and no one knows why. One possibility is that many small nanoflares constantly heat the corona. Or, the heat may come fromcertainkindsofwavesthatpropagatethroughthesolarplasma.bylookingathowthe corona's composition changes, researchers can determine which mechanism is more important, says Tom Woods, a solar scientist at the University of Colorado at Boulder and principal investigator of MinXSS:"It's helping address this very long term problem that's been around for 50 years:howisthecoronaheatedtobesohot." The $1 million original mission has been gathering observations since June. The satellite will likely burn up in Earth's atmosphere in March. But the researchers have built a second one slated for launch in 2017. MinXSS 2 will watch long term solar activity related to the sun's 11 year sunspot cycle and how variability in the soft X ray spectrum affects space weather, which can be a hazard for satellites. So the little mission that could will continue this time, flying atahigher,polarorbitforaboutfiveyears. Page 10
SPACE PLACE Astronaut Tim Peake on board the International Space Station captured this image of a CubeSat deployment on May 16, 2016. The bottom most CubeSat is the NASA funded MinXSS CubeSat, which observes soft X rays from the sun such X rays can disturb the ionosphere and thereby hamper radio and GPS signals. (The second CubeSat is CADRE short for CubeSat investigating Atmospheric Density Response to Extreme driving built by the University of Michigan and funded by the National Science Foundation.) Credit: ESA/NASA COMET ALERT Break out your binoculars as Comet C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) may reach 6th magnitude over the next week. Viewing conditions, clouds notwithstanding, should be excellent with the new moon.lookinthedirectionofophiuchusinthe earlymorningforapeek.simplifiedstarmapto theright,courtesyof The Sky Live,isrelevantfor 30 Dec, 2016. FEBRUARY'S NEWSLETTER DEADLINE: JANUARY 30, 2017 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. Page 11
ASTRONOMY OBSERVING CALENDAR January 3, 4 Quadrantids Meteor Shower. The Quadrantids is an above average shower with up to40meteorsperhouratitspeak.itpeaksthisyearonthenightofthe3rdandmorningofthe4th. The first quarter moon sets shortly after midnight leaving fairly dark skies. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Bootes, but can appear anywhere in the sky. January 12 FullMoon.Thisphaseoccursat6:35a.m.EST.Thisfullmoonwasknowntoearly NativeAmericantribesastheFullWolfMoonbecausethiswasthetimeofyearwhenhungrywolf packs howled outside their camps. January 12 VenusatGreatestEasternElongationat47.1degreesfromtheSun.Atitshighest pointabovethehorizon,thisisthebesttimetoviewvenus.looktothewesternskyaftersunset for this bright planet. January 19 MercuryatGreatestWesternElongationof24.1degreesfromtheSun.Atitshighest pointabovethehorizon,thisisthebesttimetoviewmercury.lookfortheplanetlowinthe eastern sky just before sunrise. January 27 NewMoon.TheMoonwilllocatedonthesamesideoftheEarthastheSunandwill notbevisibleinthenightsky.thisphaseoccursat7:07p.m.est.thisisthebesttimeofthe month to observe faint, deep sky objects because there is no moonlight outshining them. Astronomy Equipment For Sale From Phil Zollner I veboughtsomenewequipmentmoresuitedtomychangingabilitytotransportandsetupatstar parties. Sonow,ImustletgoofsomeobservingitemsI'veenjoyedusingforalongtime.I llstart with brief descriptions of the items, and a very reasonable suggested price. I ll accept any reasonable offer this stuff must go. Contact Phil at pazap@optimum.net for more details. 1. Vixen Porta Alt az mount with tripod and slow motion handles. A grab and go item for small scopesupto10lbs.$75. 2. 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 20 lbs. Originally over $2,000 18 years ago. Please make an offer. 3. William Optics 105mm Zenithstar apochromatic refractor(no chromatic aberration). Superb images both visual and photographic. Short focal length yet can go to 200 power when seeing permits. One flaw: focuser can slip using very heavy eyepieces or cameras. Includes 2 WO dielectric diagonal and carry case. Originally $2,000. Please make offer. Iwillbehappytosupplyanyfurtherinformationandphotosifyouwish. Also,Icanbringanyitem to an ASTRA meeting for inspection. Page 12
CLUB BENEFITS A FRIENDLY REMINDER Are you caught up with your club dues for the new year? If you are uncertain reach out to our Treasurer, Ro Spedaliere, to check your status! 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 ManybooksareavailableforloantoASTRAmembersfromourlibraryforaonemonthperiod.A listoftheseitemsisavailableontheastrawebsite.requestsfortheseitemsmustbemade prior to our regular meeting, and returned by the following meeting. Please e mail our librarian John Endreson at Library Loan@astra nj.org, or call him at 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. Page 13