Volume 28 Issue 3 March 2014 The Observer East Valley Astronomy Club Upcoming Events: Deep Sky Star Party - March1 & 29 Public Star Party - March 14 Evac Monthly Meeting - March 21 Local Star Party - March 22 Messier Marathon - March 29 Check out all of the upcoming club events in the Calendars on page 9 EVAC This Month by Claude Haynes Messier Marathon March 29 Sidewalk Astronomy We will honor the memory of John Dobson on Saturday, March 8, by doing what he was most passionate about - setting a telescope on a sidewalk and saying take a look. Many of us have Dobsonian telescopes. John was kind enough to autograph my base when he last spoke to EVAC. I m looking forward to using mine as we gather at the Riparian Preserve that Saturday evening. Many of us have also enjoyed the Grand Canyon Star Party; continuing John s tradition to a truly diverse and international audience. Much of our club activities are public outreach. The Gilbert Rotary Centennial Observatory, and school star parties present the wonders of the night sky to thousands every year. We share John s mission to keep your eyes open, and see beyond the confines of our own planet into the vastness of the universe. While it may not fit John s Eastern religious views, I am reminded of a quote from William Blake about perception: To see a world in a grain of sand, And a Heaven in a wild flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour. I hope you will also join us for the Messier Marathon on March 29. It is a great chance to race through the list of fuzzies, and spend time with fellow observers. Keep looking up. Inside this Issue: Welcome to the New Year 1 If It s Clear... 2 Messier Quiz 3 2014 Messier Maration 3 Evac Meeting Minutes 4 Classified Ads 6 Meeting Maps 7 Calendar 9 Membership Form 10 Deep Sky Object of the Month 11
If It s Clear by Fulton Wright, Jr. Prescott Astronomy Club March 2014 If it s clear for March 2014 by Fulton Wright, Jr. Prescott Astronomy Club Celestial events (from Sky & Telescope magazine, Astronomy magazine, and anywhere else I can find information) customized for Prescott, Arizona. Remember, the Moon is 1/2 degree or 30 arc-minutes in diameter. All times are Mountain Standard Time. Mars is moving toward its opposition in on April 8 and will be big enough to be worth a look through a telescope all month. It rises at 9:55 PM on the first of the month and 7:30 PM on the last day of the month. Wait till later in the night (for it rise higher in the sky) before you scope it out. Around the middle of the month, Venus appears at its best between 5 AM and 6 AM, low in the east. Actually, it s not bad the whole month. On Saturday, March 8, the Moon is at first quarter phase and sets at 1:18 AM (Sunday). On Sunday, March 9, at 2:00 AM, most of the USA participates in that madness known as daylight savings time by setting their clocks to 3:00 AM (Spring Forward). Arizona is too wise to do such a foolish thing. On Sunday, March 9, about 8:30 PM, you can catch the variable star, Algol, at its minimum. On Sunday, March 9, at 11:25 PM, the Moon occults 20 Geminorum. It is a double star with components magnitude 6.2 and 6.9, 20 arc-seconds apart. It reappears from the bright limb of the Moon at 12:10 AM (Monday). Tonight and the next few nights are good times to view the northern part of the Moon because it is tipped toward us by libration. On Monday, March 10, at 9:00 PM, the Moon passes just north of the magnitude 3.6 star Lambda Geminorum. The path of a grazing occultation runs just north of Ash Fork. On Sunday, March 16, at 6:58 PM (20 minutes after sunset) the full Moon rises, spoiling any chance of seeing On Thursday, March 20, Spring officially begins in the Northern Hemisphere. On Sunday, March 23, from 7:06 PM to 7:30 PM, there are two satellite shadows on Jupiter, Io s on the right and Ganymede s on the left (non-inverting telescope). The satellites themselves are to the right of the planet. The Sun sets at 6:44 PM so the hard part of this observation will be finding Jupiter (80 degrees up in the South) before the event is over. Ganymede s shadow stays on the planet till 10:21 PM. On the night of Sunday, March 23, the third quarter Moon rises at 1:48 AM (Monday). On the night of Thursday, March 27, you can watch some events with Jupiter s moons. Here is the schedule: 06:48 PM The Sun sets. 07:02 PM Europa moves in front of the planet. 08:12 PM Callisto moves in front of the planet. 09:33 PM Europa s shadow falls on the planet. 09:41 PM Europa moves from in front of the planet. 11:44 PM Callisto moves from in front of the planet. 12:13 AM Europa s shadow leaves the planet. After this, note Io, Europa, and Callisto dancing around each other until... 02:08 AM Jupiter sets. On the night of Sunday, March 30, it is new Moon and you have all night to hunt for faint fuzzies. You can also catch some events with Jupiter s moons. Here is the schedule: 06:50 PM The Sun sets with Io and Ganymede in front of the planet. 07:12 PM Io s shadow falls on the planet. 08:09 PM Io moves from in front of the planet. 09:08 PM Ganymede moves from in front of the planet. 09:25 PM Io s shadow leaves the planet. 11:07 PM Ganymede s shadow falls on the planet. 12:00 AM The Great Red Spot is centered in the south belt. 01:57 AM Jupiter sets. faint fuzzies for the night. Page 2 The Observer
The Backyard Astronomer Messier Quiz by Bill Dellinges With the coming March Messier Marathon, what better time for a Messier catalog quiz? The reference I used to torment you was the Atlas of the Messier Objects by Ronald Stoyan. Answers follow the last question. Let us begin! Questions: (1) What is the brightest Messier object? (2) What is the faintest? (3) What is furthest south? (4) Furthest north? (5) What is the youngest? (6) Most distant? (7) Nearest? (8) In what constellations are M3, M69, M63 and M71 found? (9) What percentage of M objects did Charles Messier discover himself? (10) What M objects have no NGC number? (11) What M object has an IC number? (12) Which type of object in the Messier list is the most numerous? (13) Messier s final catalog of 1781 (published in 1784) contained how many objects? (14) What kind of telescopes did Messier use? (15) Where did Messier live and observe from during the 1771, 1780, and 1781 publications of his catalogs? (16) Possibly the most ridiculous Messier object is M40. Why? (17) Charles Messier died in 1817. Why was he inactive after 1781? Answers: (1) M45, Magnitude 1.5 (2) M76, M91, M98, magnitude 10.1 (3) M7. 4) M82. 5) M1, the Crab Nebula. (6) M109, 67.5 MLY (7) M45, 400 LY (8) M3 Canes Venatici. M69 Sagittarius, M63 Canes Venatici, M71 Sagitta. (9) ~45%, 49 out of 110. (10) M 24, M45, and M25. (11) M25, IC 4725. (12) Galaxies 40.There are also 29 globulars, 28 clusters, 6 nebulae, 4 planetaries, 2 asterisms, 1 supernova remnant. (13) 103 objects. (14) His favorite was a 3.5 inch F12 achromatic refractor (uncoated). He also had access to Gregorian reflectors with apertures of 3, 6.4, and 12 inches and an 8 inch Newtonian (though larger than typical lenses of those days, mirrors of that period were made of speculum, an alloy of copper and tin, then polished to reflect light not terribly efficient instruments. (15) An apartment in the Hotel de Cluny in central Paris. (16) M40 is an optical double star. (17) Severe injuries from fall in 1781, failing health and eyesight, and the overshadowing popularity of William Herschel s discovery of Uranus in 1781 and Herschel s concurrent discovery of thousands of clusters and nebulae using superior telescopes. Good luck with your Messier Marathon. I prefer just 3 or 4 a night myself! 2014 Messier Marathon by Lori Prause SAC is trying to imitate Evac s fine tradition of sponsoring a dinner at this year s Messier Marathon. We feel it is a great gathering time for everyone to eat and greet, so please join us. The cost is $5 which includes a sub sandwich, chips, fruit, soda, and cheesecake. We would appreciate pre-payment or a firm commitment, so we have enough every one that wants a great meal. You can buy a ticket at March s SAC or EVAC meetings or Lori will take e-mail orders email: loriprause@gmail.com. Also if you d like to pot-luck in a sugary/salty snack and/ or a gallon of potable water for the midnight snacks and caffeine boost table that will be appreciated and contribute positively toward another record breaking Messier Marathon. Volume 28 Issue 3 Page 3
EVAC Meeting Minutes by Marty Pieczonka Claude Haynes called the meeting to order at 07:30 PM on February 21. After visitor introductions, Dave Coshow gave a short report on the observatory. Visitor attendance was good but we are still in need of volunteer operators. If anyone can help out, contact Dave Coshow or Gordon Rosner. Events Coordinator Lynn Young handed out Night Sky Network pins for doing five or more star parties to: Bob Alba Ray Heinle Bruce LaFrance Brook Scofield David Shiel So far EVAC has done thirty nine school star parties with almost four thousand attendees. March 8th is Sidewalk Astronomy night in honor of John Dobson and EVAC will have extra telescopes at GRCO. Brooks Scofield and Ken Sumiec were elected to fill the two open EVAC board conditions. Don Wrigley gave a presentation on how to collimate a telescope and Tom Polakis gave a presentation on running a Globular Cluster Marathon. The 2014 Messier Marathon will be held at Hovatter Airstrip on March 29. The break was followed by a presentation by Dr. Melissa Bunte of Mesa Community College on the Automatic Detection of Vulcanism in the Outer Solar System. EVAC will conduct an auction at the March Meeting on 3/21. The following telescopes will be auctioned: 4.5 short tube Reflector on an Alt-az mount 8 Celestron Celestar 8 Meade Starfinder on an Equatorial Mount 10 Meade LX200 Page 4 The Observer
New Moon on March 1 at 01:00 First Quarter Moon on March 8 at 06:27 *Full Moon on March 16 at 11:08 Last Quarter Moon on March 23 at 19:46 New Moon on March 30 at 12:45 Looking for that perfect weekend activity? Why not resolve to getting involved? Contact Dave Coshow to join the staff at GRCO Email: grco@evaconline.org Volume 28 Issue 3 Page 5
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Upcoming Meetings March 21 April 18 May 16 June 20 July 18 August 15 September 19 The monthly general meeting is your chance to find out what other club members are up to, learn about upcoming club events and listen to presentations by professional and well-known amateur astronomers. Our meetings are held on the third Friday of each month at the Southeast Regional Library in Gilbert. The library is located at 775 N. Greenfield Road; on the southeast corner of Greenfield and Guadalupe Roads. Meetings begin at 7:30 pm. All are welcome to attend the pre-meeting dinner at 5:30 pm. We meet at Old Country Buffet, located at 1855 S. Stapley Drive in Mesa. The restaurant is in the plaza on the northeast corner of Stapley and Baseline Roads, just south of US60. Visitors are always welcome! 2 Old Country Buffet 1855 S. Stapley Drive Mesa, Az. 85204 1 Southeast Regional Library 775 N. Greenfield Road Gilbert, Az. 85234 Page 8 The Observer
March 2014 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 March 6 - Edu-Prize School March 7 - Circle Cross Ranch March 10 - Red Mountain Ranch Elementary March 13 - Pomeroy Elementary March 14 - Riparian Public Star Party March 21 - General Meeting at SE Library March 26 - C.O. Greenfield School March 27 - Settler s Point Elementary March 29 - Messier Marathon April 2014 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 April 11 - Riparian Public Star Party/Skywatch April 15 - Total Lunar Eclipse April 18 - General Meeting at SE Library April 22 - Taylor Junior High April 26 - City of Chandler Volume 28 Issue 3 Page 9
East Valley Astronomy Club -- 2013 Membership Form Please complete this form and return it to the club Treasurer at the next meeting or mail it to EVAC, PO Box 2202, Mesa, Az, 85214-2202. Please include a check or money order made payable to EVAC for the appropriate amount. IMPORTANT: All memberships expire on December 31 of each year. Select one of the following: New Member Renewal Change of Address New Member Dues (dues are prorated, select according to the month you are joining the club): $30.00 Individual January through March $22.50 Individual April through June $35.00 Family January through March $26.25 Family April through June $37.50 Individual October through December $15.00 Individual July through September $43.75 Family October through December $17.50 Family July through September Includes dues for the following year Renewal (current members only): $30.00 Individual $35.00 Family Name Badges: $10.00 Each (including postage) Name to imprint: Quantity: Total amount enclosed: Please make check or money order payable to EVAC Payment was remitted separately using PayPal Payment was remitted separately using my financial institution s online bill payment feature Name: Phone: Address: Email: City, State, Zip: URL: Publish email address on website How would you like to receive your monthly newsletter? (choose one option): Electronic delivery (PDF) Included with membership US Mail Please add $10 to the total payment Areas of Interest (check all that apply): Please describe your astronomy equipment: General Observing Lunar Observing Cosmology Telescope Making Planetary Observing Astrophotography Deep Sky Observing Other Would you be interested in attending a beginner s workshop? Yes No How did you discover East Valley Astronomy Club? PO Box 2202 All members are required to have a liability release form (waiver) on file. Please Mesa, AZ 85214-2202 complete one and forward to the Treasurer with your membership application www.evaconline.org or renewal. Page 10 The Observer
The Deep Sky Object of the Month NGC 2422 (M 47) Open Cluster in Puppis RA 07h 36m 35.0s DEC -14 29 00 Magnitude: 4.3 Apparent Size: 25.0 Volume 28 Issue 3 Page 11
The Observer is the official publication of the East Valley Astronomy Club. It is published monthly and made available electronically as an Adobe PDF document the first week of the month. Printed copies are available at the monthly meeting. Mailed copies are available to members for a slight surcharge to offset printing and mailing expenses. Please send your contributions, tips, suggestions and comments to the Editor at: news@evaconline.org Contributions may be edited. The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily represent those of the East Valley Astronomy Club, the publisher or editor. Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any manner without written permission from the editor. 2005-2013 The East Valley Astronomy Club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization. www.evaconline.org President: Claude Haynes Vice President: Lesley Watkins Secretary: Marty Pieczonka Treasurer: David Shiel Board of Directors: Ron Barstad, Gordon Rosner, Brook Scofield, Ken Sumiec & John Goerger Events Coordinator: Lynn Young Property Director: David Hatch Refreshments: Jan Barstad Observing Program Coordinator: Marty Pieczonka AL Representative: TBD Membership: Les Wagner Newsletter Editor: Marty Pieczonka Webmaster: Marty Pieczonka SkyWatch Coordinator: Claude Haynes Observatory Manager: Dave Coshow East Valley Astronomy Club PO Box 2202 Mesa, Az. 85214-2202