ASTRAL PROJECTIONS APRIL 2017 VOLUME 28 ISSUE 4 Page 1
CONTENTS Page 2: Page 3 8: Page 9: Page 10: Page 11: Page 11: Page 12: What's Inside? Event Calendar Recap Space Place Book Review Astronomy Calendar Classfieds Club Benefits Cover Photo Our cover features the mostly restored 6" Georges Prin telescope at Rutgers's Schanck Observatory, a labor of love for March's guest presenter Dr. Steven K. Korotky. Image credit: Dr. Steven K. Korotky EVENT CALENDAR April 14th Monthly Meeting Location: Ocean County College, Building #10 opposite the Planetarium Time:7:00p.m. 10:00p.m. Following club business, Bob Chamberlain begins his"making Your Own Telescope" series of presentations, covering the basics of Dobsonian telescope design and buying the materials on a budget. For more details, please turn to page 10. A.S.T.R.A. Robert J. Novins Planetarium Ocean County College P.O. Box 2001 Toms River, NJ 08754 2001 President: John Endreson President@astra nj.org April 29th Astronomy Day Location: Jakes Branch County Park, Beachwood Time:3:00p.m. 5:00p.m. Every spring, astronomy clubs, planetariums, and skygazers band together to share the excitement and wonders of astronomy with their community. The theme of Astronomy Day is"bringing Astronomy to the People". The daytime event will have astronomy related demonstrations and events, in addition to safe solar observing. Free Admission! April 29th JakesBranchStarParty Location: Jakes Branch County Park, Beachwood Time:8:00p.m. 10:00p.m. The fun continues after sunset as ASTRA members share the night sky with the community. Free Admission! EVENT CANCELLATIONS Members will receive an email notification of event cancellation, or call the ASTRA Hotline: 609 971 3331 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 Restoration of the Daniel S. Schanck Observatory and the G. Prin Refractor Telescope by John Endreson StevenK.KorotkyisanativeofPaterson,NJ. HeisamemberofPhiBetaKappa,receivedan A.B. degree in Physics, and graduated with honors in 1975 from Rutgers College of Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. He later earned his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, in 1976 and 1980 respectively, in Physics from Yale University, New Haven, CT. Steve joined Bell Laboratories in 1980, as a Research Principal Investigator, holding the positions of Distinguished Member of Technical Staff, Technical Manager, Senior Manager, and Director, Optical Networking Applications and Technology, for the CTO office of Lucent's Optical Networking Business Group. The focus of Steve's research and development activities were in the areas of integrated optics, photonic circuits, and light wave communications with an emphasis on: optical waveguides, high speed optical modulation and pulse generation, optical switching and crossconnects, metro and long distance photonic transmission systems and networks, and, most recently, the evolving trends and backbone requirements of fiber mesh networks. ASTRA President John Endreson showing his gratitude to Steve for March's presentation. Image credit: Chris Savia Dr. Korotky holds 23 patents, co authored over 180 journal and conference publication, in additiontofivebooksonthetopicsof integrated optics and optical fiber communication. Dr.KorotkyisaFellowoftheAmerican Physical Society, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, and the Optical Society of America. He served on the technical program committees of several IEEE and OSA meetings and conferences, and on the IEEE LEOS Board of Governors. SteveservedtwotermsasthetopicalEditorof ASTRA members line up to ask Steve their questions about the Schanck Observatory and the Prin telescope. Image credit: Chris Savia Page 3
RECAP Applied Optics, two terms as Associate Editor of the Journal of Optical Communications and Networking, and three terms as Associate Editor of the Bell Labs Technical Journal. BellLaboratoriessawfittoawardhimtheBell Laboratories Distinguished Member of Technical Staff Award in 1990. Steve was also amemberoftheteamsreceivingthebelllabs President's Gold Award in 2000 and 2004. The renovation of Rutgers University's Daniel S. Schanck Observatory was recently completed in time for the celebration of the 150th anniversary of its original dedication on June 18, 1866. Absent from the observatory for more than two decades was its third and last working telescope the6and1/2inchrefractor fabricatedbygeorgesprinofparisin1929.a littleoverayearagotheprintelescopewas located and the process of restoring it and reassembling it in the Schanck was begun. InhistalkStevesummarizedthehistoryofthe Schanck Observatory including the renovation, recounting the journey of the Prin telescope, and provide an update on his restoration effort andseetheprintelescoperegainitsstatusas the scientific centerpiece of this historic astronomical observatory. Dr. Steven Korotky. Image credit: Stephen Korotky Page 4
RECAP Ihopethisletterfindsyouingoodspiritand thatyournewyearisofftoawonderfulstart.it wasalittleoverayearagothatifirstwroteto informyouandthemembershipoftheastra of the pending completion of work to renovate Rutgers University's Daniel S. Schanck Observatory; to ask your assistance to locate itsthirdandfinaltelescope the6"georges Prin refractor(1929); and to extend an invitation to attend the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Observatory in June of 2016. TodayIamwritingtoprovideanupdateonour project to restore the antique Prin telescope and reassemble it in its original home, the Schanck Observatory. I also write to invite you and members of your organization to visit the Observatory to see the restored Prin. Very soon after first writing you and other astronomy clubs last February we learned from Kevin Conod of the United Astronomy Clubs of NewJerseythatthePrintelescopewasattheir headquarters in Jenny Jump State Forest. There it had sat undisturbed in storage since being removed from the Schanck Observatory inmarchof1994. InlearningofourinteresttorestorethePrin,in March, 2016, the leadership of the UACNJ transferred custody of the telescope to my wife andme.(bothofusarealumniofrutgers College and had used the telescope together in the Schanck Observatory between 1973 and 1975.) With the assistance of Chris Callie, KevinConod,andGilJefferofUACNJandBob Brubaker and Mihaela Dinu of Friends of Rutgers Astronomy, the pieces of the telescope were gathered from storage and transported to ourhome.wethenbegantheprocessof disassembling, inventorying, and restoring the individual parts of the telescope. Among the many steps, our restoration PRIN TELESCOPE UPDATE from Dr. Steven Korotky Page 5
RECAP activities have encompassed stripping the flaking original finish, removing the rust, powder coating the steel parts(including inside andoutsideoftheprinandfieldtelescope tubes), plating the fastener heads, and polishing and clear coating the majority of the brass work. At the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Schanck Observatory on June 18, 2016, we displayed the refinished parts of the telescope in Kirkpatrick Chapel adjacent to the Observatory. After the celebration, and continuing through the fall and into the winter, withthehelpoffamilyandfriends,we reassembled the telescope in the Observatory. We finished attaching all of the available original parts, save for the restored electric drive motor assembly, just before the holidays in December. To illustrate this milestone and acknowledge the effort of all involved, I've attached a photograph(see cover image ed.) taken of the telescope in the Schanck Observatory on December 2, 2016. Although we have made substantial progress on the restoration of the Prin telescope we still have a significantamountofworktodotofully complete the restoration. The remaining work includes replicating or replacing several key parts, among them the objectivelensandlenscelloftheprin,thetail pieces of both the Prin and finder telescope, andtheeyepieces allofwhichwentmissing sometime after the telescope was last used in the Schanck Observatory for teaching in 1979 and prior to it being disassembled and removed fromtheschanckin1994.alsomissingarethe worm screw and several components of the drive shaft assembly, which went missing after the telescope was moved to the UACNJ facility. Ourgoalthisyearistofindthesemissing pieces or, if that proves intractable, to design and fabricate replacements. Regarding the latter prospect, among the many pleasant experiences and surprises that we have Page 6
RECAP enjoyed during the journey to find and restore the Prin, we have also recently learned that it has a surviving twin located in a trade school in Besancon, France. In closing this update, I invite you and members of your organization to come to see the restored Prin telescope in the renovated Schanck Observatory. Weather permitting, we plan to have the observatory open for invited tours on Rutgers Day, Saturday, April 29. The invited tours will be given between the hours of 12 PM and 4 PM and will include a guided portion lasting approximately 30 minutes. As the capacity of the observatory is small, the total number of persons that can be accommodated throughout the afternoon is limited. Those individuals who would like a tour of the observatory are asked to RSVP me at the email address listed above by April 20. Please note that by the nature of the tours and the sensitivity of the beautifully renovated historic building, the tours are limited to adults and to children 12 years of age and older. If members of your organization would like to tour the observatory but are unable to attend on April 29, please contact me to make arrangements for a private group tour on an earlier or later date. With best wishes for a happy, healthy, and productive 2017. Steven (Steve) J. Korotky Note to our Astral Projections readers, ASTRA members Vic Palmieri, Ro Spedalieri, and Matthew McCue visited the Schanck Observatory last June. Photos and a brief write up detailing their visit can be found in our July 2016 issue. Page 7
RECAP YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED... by John Endreson ASTRAmembersareinvitedtoseethe restored Prin telescope in the renovated Schanck Observatory. The observatory will be open for tours on Rutgers Day Saturday, April 29, weather permitting. Guided tours will take place between 12 p.m. and 4p.m. lasting approximately 30 minutes. The observatory's capacity is limited, so show upearlytogetyourpeek. If you are interested in participating, please R.S.V.P. Dr. Steven(Steve) K. Korotky at: skkorotky@alumni.rutgers.edu by April 20 for your tour of the Schanck Observatory. In consideration of the sensitive nature of this beautifully renovated historic building, please understand these tours are limited to adults and childrenages12yearsandolder.feelfreeto stopbyanytimeandstayaslongasyoulike. It's usually less hectic after 1pm. Saturday April 29th is also Rutgers Day. There will be many interesting events happening at Rutgers's College Avenue and Busch campuses. For a complete listing, please search the internet for"rutgers Day 2017" and "Rutgers Alumni Weekend 2017". Rutgers Day 2017; http://rutgersday.rutgers.edu/ Schanck Observatory 470 George Street New Brunswick, NJ 08901 According to Special Collections and Archives at Alexander Library, the Schanck observatory wasbuiltbytheuniversityin1865inhonorof DanielS.SchanckofNewYork.Thebuildingis areproductionofthetowerofwinds,a monument located in Athens, Greece, in reference to the eight winds in Greek Mythology. The Schanck Observatory was originally built for the purpose of astronomical obervations, and in its early history was utilized by corporate astronomers as well as members of the University community. Page 8
SPACE PLACE What It s Like on a TRAPPIST 1 Planet by Marcus Woo With seven Earth sized planets that could harbor liquid water on their rocky, solid surfaces, the TRAPPIST 1 planetary system might feel familiar. Yet the system, recently studied by NASA s Spitzer Space Telescope, is unmistakably alien: compact enough to fit inside Mercury's orbit, and surrounds an ultracool dwarf star not much bigger than Jupiter andmuchcoolerthanthesun. Ifyoustoodononeoftheseworlds,thesky overhead would look quite different from our own. Depending on which planet you're on, the star would appear several times bigger than thesun.youwouldfeelitswarmth,but because it shines stronger in the infrared, it would appear disproportionately dim. "Itwouldbeasortofanorangish salmon color basically close to the color of a lowwattage light bulb," says Robert Hurt, a visualization scientist for Caltech/IPAC, a NASA partner.duetothelackofbluelightfromthe star,theskywouldbebathedinapastel, orange hue. Butthat'sonlyifyou'reonthelightsideofthe planet.becausetheworldsaresoclosetotheir star, they're tidally locked so that the same side facesthestaratalltimes,likehowthemanon the Moon always watches Earth. If you're on the planet's dark side, you'd be enveloped in perpetual darkness maybe a good thing if you're an avid stargazer. If you're on some of the farther planets, though, thedarksidemightbetoocoldtosurvive.but onsomeoftheinnerplanets,thedarksidemay betheonlycomfortableplace,asthelightside might be inhospitably hot. Onanyofthemiddleplanets,thelightside wouldofferadramaticviewoftheinnerplanets as crescents, appearing even bigger than the moon on closest approach. The planets only takeafewdaystoorbittrappist 1,sofrom most planets, you can enjoy eclipses multiple times a week(they'd be more like transits, though, since they wouldn't cover the whole star). Lookingawayfromthestaronthedarkside, you would see the outer most planets in their full illuminated glory. They would be so close only a few times the Earth moon distance that you could see continents, clouds, and other surface features. The constellations in the background would appearasifsomeonehadbumpedintothem, jostling the stars a perspective skewed by the 40 light years between TRAPPIST 1 and Earth. Orion'sbeltisnolongeraligned.Oneofhis shoulders is lowered. And,withthehelpofbinoculars,youmighteven spot the sun as an inconspicuous yellow star: far, faint, but familiar. This artist's concept allows us to imagine what it would be like to stand on the surface of the exoplanet TRAPPIST 1f, located in the TRAPPIST 1 system in the constellation Aquarius. Image credit: NASA/JPL Caltech/T. Pyle (IPAC) Page 9
BOOK REVIEW The Glass Universe: How The Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars by Rich Futrell Dava Sobel, the bestselling author of Longitude and Galileo's Daughter, is known for teaching the history of science through the personal stories of scientists and the people around them. The Glass Universe tells the story of observational astronomy at Harvard from the late 1800s through the mid twentieth century as we follow the lives of two consecutive observatory directors, Edward Pickering and William Shapley, and their observers and computers(people who performed mathematical calculations), Williamina Fleming, Henrietta Swan Leavitt, Antonia Maury, Annie Jump Cannon, Cecilia Payne Gaposchkin, the tragically short lived Adelaide Ames, and many others. Edward Pickering revolutionized astronomy with glass plate photographic techniques and spectroscopic analysis, and catalogued a quarterofamillionstarsinthehenrydraper Catalogue(Draper's widow was a benefactor of the Harvard observatory). Annie Jump Cannon developed a stellar classification system still in usetoday:obafgkm(oh,beafinegirl,kiss Me!). Cecilia Payne utilized her knowledge of the blossoming field of quantum mechanics to determine stellar temperature and composition, and Henrietta Leavitt discovered a link between temperature and periodicity in variable stars which expanded the size of the universe. The Glass Universeisalsothestoryof astronomy when it was still relatively young. Einstein and the German quantum physicists had yet to completely turn Newton's pragmatic view of the universe on its head. Astronomers largelyhadtobuildoratleastdesigntheirown observational tools, including telescopes. Observations had to be made in complete darkness or by candle light. Calculations had to be performed on paper, and the resulting discoveries reported in paper journals or via letterwriting.itisthestoryofaromantictime Image credit: Penguin Random House LLC 2016, Amy Hill before computerized and instantaneous everything. Halfamillionstarswerecapturedontheplates at the Harvard observatory over 100 years, and they survive to this day. Currently, the DASCH project(digital Access to a Sky Century at Harvard) is involved in the digital preservation of the plates, and the Smithsonian Institute is seeking volunteers to transcribe Annie Jump Cannon's logbooks. The Glass Universe is highly recommended for anyone interested in American history, women's history, science, and of course, astronomy. The book is written for a general non scientific audience and contains a small dictionary of science and astronomy terms for readers who don't know their azimuth from their zenith. The bookrequiresatleastahighschoollevel vocabulary, but a precocious middle schooler shouldhavenoproblemwithit. The Glass Universe is about 300 pages, including glossy photographs, a timeline, a Who's Who, remarks, and bibliography. To learn how you can help transcribe Annie's logbooks, please visit https://transcription.si.edu Page 10
ASTRONOMY OBSERVING CALENDAR April 1 Planet Mercury reaches its greatest eastern elongation at 19 degrees from the sun. Look west to spy our innermost planet. April 7 Jupiterwillbeatopposition,shiningbrightlyatmagnitude 2.5inVirgowithanangular diameter of 43.3 arc seconds. April 11 Fullmoonat1:08a.m.EST.Thismoongoesbyseveralnameslikefullpinkmoon, sprouting grass moon, growing moon, full fish moon, and egg moon. April 22 23 The Lyrids meteor shower will hit its peak, radiating from the constellation Lyra. April 27 Newmoonat10:58p.m.,besttimeforviewingdimanddeep skyobjects. April 29 International Astronomy Day! Meet ASTRA at Jakes Branch County Park in Beachwood for a fun filled day celebrating our amazing universe. Astronomy Equipment For Sale From Phil Zollner 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. Optical tube assembly only, with a full length Losmandy style mounting plate. Please make an offer. Contact Phil at pazap@optimum.net for more details. Iwillbehappytosupplyanyfurtherinformationandphotosifyouwish. Also,Icanbringthistoan ASTRA meeting for inspection. Making Your Own Telescope Series Beginning April 14th, ASTRA member Bob Chamberlain begins his series of presentations on creating your own telescope. His project is to create a tabletop 4¼ inch Dobsonian, f/6 withanapproximate24"focallengthbuiltona budget. His presentations will address: 1. Basics of reflector/dobsonian telescope design and materials. 2. Mirror grinding and polishing/silvering. 3. Optical Tube assembly. Mounting primary and secondary mirrors. 4. Design/building of base. 5. Final assembly and use. Page 11
CLUB BENEFITS LOCATION CHANGE FOR APRIL'S MEETING April 14th's meeting will be taking place in 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. MAY'S NEWSLETTER DEADLINE: APRIL 24, 2017 Page 12