August 2012

Highlights of theHighlights of the

August SkyAugust Sky. . .. . .

-- -- -- 11stst -- -- -- Full MoonFull Moon

-- -- -- 33rdrd -- -- -- AM: Jupiter ~5° to upper AM: Jupiter ~5° to upper left of Aldebaran.left of Aldebaran.

-- -- -- 99thth -- -- -- Last Quarter MoonLast Quarter Moon

-- -- -- 1111thth -- -- -- DAWN: The Moon forms a DAWN: The Moon forms a tight triangle with Jupiter tight triangle with Jupiter and Aldebaran.and Aldebaran.

-- -- -- 1111thth →→ 1212thth -- -- -- Perseid Meteor Shower Perseid Meteor Shower peaks peaks (ZHR = 60)(ZHR = 60)

-- -- -- 1313thth -- -- -- AM: Venus is ~4° below a AM: Venus is ~4° below a thin crescent Moon.thin crescent Moon. PM: The Moon occults PM: The Moon occults Venus in broad daylight at Venus in broad daylight at about 4:38 pm.about 4:38 pm.

-- -- -- 1313thth && 1414thth -- -- -- DUSK: Mars is between DUSK: Mars is between Saturn and Spica.Saturn and Spica.

-- -- -- 1616thth -- -- -- DAWN: Use binoculars to DAWN: Use binoculars to find a very thin Waning find a very thin Waning Crescent Moon well below Crescent Moon well below Mercury very low in east a Mercury very low in east a halfhalf--hour before sunrise.hour before sunrise.

-- -- -- 1717thth -- -- -- New MoonNew Moon

-- -- -- 2121stst -- -- -- DUSK: A Waxing Crescent DUSK: A Waxing Crescent Moon forms a quadrilateral Moon forms a quadrilateral with Mars, Saturn, and with Mars, Saturn, and Spica low in the west.Spica low in the west.

-- -- -- 2424thth -- -- -- First Quarter MoonFirst Quarter Moon

-- -- -- 3131stst -- -- -- DAWN: Use binoculars to DAWN: Use binoculars to locate Regulus just 1¾° to locate Regulus just 1¾° to the lower right of Mercury. the lower right of Mercury. Look very low in ENE 20 Look very low in ENE 20 minutes before sunrise.minutes before sunrise. Full MoonFull Moon www.kasonline.org

Perseid Potluck Picnic: Saturday, August 11 @ 6:00 pm

Kalamazoo Nature Center - See Page 4 for Details

Observing Session: Saturday, August 11 @ 8:30 pm

Perseid Meteor Shower - Kalamazoo Nature Center

Observing Session: Saturday, August 25 @ 8:30 pm

Moon, Uranus & Neptune - Kalamazoo Nature Center

This Months This Months KAS EventsEvents

Prime FocusPrime FocusPrime Focus A Publication of the Kalamazoo Astronomical SocietyA Publication of the Kalamazoo Astronomical SocietyA Publication of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society

Inside the Newsletter. . .Inside the Newsletter. . . July Meeting Minutes.............................. p. 2

Perseid Potluck Picnic........................... p. 4

Observations........................................... p. 4

Curiosity Rover...................................... p. 5

August Night Sky.................................... p. 6

KAS Board & Announcements............ p. 7

Perseid Meteor Shower Watch.......... p. 8

August 2012

The general meeting of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society was brought to order by President Richard Bell on Friday, July 13, 2012 at 7:12 pm EDT. Only 17 members and guests were in attendance in the Glen Vista Room at the Kalamazoo Nature Center. The theme of the July meeting, as it has been for the past several years, was Gadget Night. Gadget Night is one of the longest running traditions for the KAS; dating back to at least 1954. Richard started off with a report on the 2012 Northeast Astronomy Forum & Telescope Show (NEAF), which is a mecca for gadget lovers. In addition to Richard, KAS members Jean DeMott and Robert Wade (who lives in Connecticut) also attended NEAF this year. NEAF was founded by Allan Green of the Rockland Astronomy Club and Al Nagler, owner of Tele Vue Optics, in 1991. The event is currently chaired by Alan Traino, also of the Rockland Astronomy Club. It’s held annually at Rockland Community College, near Suffern, New York. It would likely take several pages to summarize all the gadgets Richard saw, but here are some of the highlights:

Meade showcased their new 16” LX600 with the MAX Wedge, 14” LX800, and 130mm Series 6000 apochromatic refractor with LX800 EQ Mount.

Tele Vue had several new Delos eyepieces on display. They include 14mm, 12mm, 8mm, 4.5mm, and 3.5mm. Delos eyepieces feature a 20mm eye-relief and 72° apparent field of view.

Vixen Optics had their new Polarie Star Tracker on display. This is an ultra-portable star tracker for

astrophotography. It is the size of a point-and-shoot camera and will work with any standard tripod. It costs $629 with tripod, or $429 separately.

The Astro-Physics display had a 1950’s sweet sixteen theme to celebrate the release of their new 1600GTO German equatorial mount. The 1600GTO promises completely error free tracking and a 200 lbs. load capacity. The mount was carrying the $19,800 175mm f/8 StarFire EDF Triplet Apo Refractor with 4" Focuser. Sweet!

Avalon Instruments (from Italy) had two mounts on display, which aren’t even available in the U.S. yet. These include the Linear Fast Reverse Equatorial Mount and M-Uno Fast Reverse Single Fork Arm Equatorial Mount. Both replace traditional worm and gear arrangements with a new transmission system based on pulleys and tooth belts, for both right ascension and declination.

AstroDreamTech (from South Korea) had two of their line of “Morning Calm” mounts on display. These include the 500GE (154 lbs. capacity) and 200GE (45 lbs. capacity). Richard said he spent more time talking with these folks than anyone since the 200GE caught his eye.

After NEAF, Richard and Jean went on to New York City to first visit the American Museum of Natural History and the Hayden Planetarium. They also attended a taping of the “Late Show with David Letterman” and had lunch at the Hello Deli with Rupert Jee. They also went to the top of the Rockefeller Center, cruised out to the Statue of Liberty, ran

Prime Focus Page 2

KAS President Richard Bell gave a report on the 2012 Northeast Astronomy Forum (NEAF).

Bill Nigg shared his custom built dovetail plate which can hold two instruments side-by-side with no flexure.

August 2012 Prime Focus Page 3

through the Metropolitan Museum of Art, visited the 9/11 Memorial, and went to the top of the Empire State Building. They then drove to Lakeview Cemetery near Ithaca, New York and visited the grave of Carl Sagan. Their trip ended after visiting Niagara Falls. Jean DeMott served root beer floats during the snack break. This was a welcome treat since it has been unbearably hot and humid this summer! The traditional portion of Gadget Night followed the snack break. Chicago-area amateur Darren Drake, who visits us each July while volunteering at Camp Eberhart near Three Rivers, shared an artificial star built by Arthur Okun which can be used to collimate your telescope before it gets dark. Darren had his specially modified so it is focuser insertable, which mean you can put it in a bigger telescope and do a star test with a smaller telescope. These are no longer available because Mr. Okun passed away. Darren wrote an article about this which is available on Astromart. Bill Nigg shared two gadgets. The first was a battery pack that doubles as a counterweight on his CG-5 equatorial mount. Next was a specially built dovetail bar built by Clay Kessler, co-owner of Telescope Support Systems. A camera with a telephoto lens can go side-by-side an autoguider with very little or no flexure. Joe Comiskey brought a red-lighted flashlight that you can attach to your head for hands-free star chart viewing. He also shared a green laser pointer he purchased for only $7 on eBay (most of that cost was probably shipping fees). Joe can attach it to his telescope with a wrist band and use it as a finder aide. Don Stilwell first showed the solar filters he made for his 42mm binoculars at the KAS workshop on May 11th. The filter material is mounted to a Kellogg cereal box (he lives in Battle Creek after all). He also shared the Sun Funnel he built for the Transit of Venus (see page 6 of the May 2012

issue of Prime Focus for more information). Several photos of both Richard Bell’s and Don Stilwell’s Sun Funnels in action are on the Transit of Venus gallery page. Roger Williams shared a Baader Planetarium 2” ClickLock, which eliminates thumbscrews to securely lock eyepieces and accessories into place. Baader claims it is so strong it can support the weight of an entire telescope and not slip out of place. Roger also shared a cooling fan for his new Celestron 14” EdgeHD Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope. It goes in place of the secondary mirror, which can be easily removed for HyperStar use. Last up was Scott Macfarlane. He modified a flashlight for dedicated astronomy use following the instructions given in a recent issue of Astronomy Technology Today magazine. (FYI: KAS members can subscribe to this magazine at a discount. Contact us for more information.) Scott purchased a pack of flashlights and had to purchase the LED’s in bulk, so contact him if you’d like him to make one for you! Richard mentioned that a handful of members are planning to attend the Manitoulin Star Party from August 17th - 19th. (see Richard’s column on page 4 for further details). Several members said they took advantage of the long streak of clear nights recently. Joe Comiskey commented on an article about observing under light polluted skies by Sky & Telescope writer Alan MacRobert. Jack Price mentioned Pluto’s newly discovered fifth moon (Editor’s Note: Pluto is still not a planet). Joe Comiskey mentioned the occultation of Venus by the Moon on August 13th. The Curiosity rover touches down on Mars on August 6th (eastern time). Royce Goodchild mentioned the pre-dawn conjunction of the Moon, Venus, Jupiter, and Aldebaran on July 15th. Richard covered upcoming events, which included the Perseid Potluck Picnic on Saturday, August 11th (see page 4). The meeting concluded at about 9:10 pm.

Scott Macfarlane modified a flashlight after reading an article in Astronomy Technology Today.

Roger Williams showed a cooling fan for his new Celestron 14” EdgeHD Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope.

August 2012 Prime Focus Page 4

August is shaping up to be another fun month for astronomy and space exploration. It begins at almost exactly 1:31 am EDT on August 6th. That’s the estimated time of Curiosity’s arrival on the red planet. Curiosity, also known as the Mars Science Laboratory, is NASA’s largest rover to date. Curiosity is about twice as long and five times heavier than the Spirit or Opportunity and carries over ten times the mass of scientific instruments. Overall, it’s about the size of Mini Cooper! Another major difference between Curiosity and the previous Mars Exploration Rovers is the power source. Spirit and Opportunity received their power from the Sun, while Curiosity will run off a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG), much like the successful Viking 1 and Viking 2 landers that touched down on Mars in 1976. The mission is expected to last at least one Martian year (687 days) and its goals include determining Mars' habitability, studying the Martian climate, studying Martian geology, and collecting data for a future manned mission to Mars. I’m sure I won’t be the only KAS member online watching NASA TV during the early morning hours of August 6th! This year’s apparition of the Perseid Meteor Shower perfectly coincides on the weekend. The peak occurs on the night of Saturday, August 11th and Sunday, August 12th. The Moon will only cause moderate interference. The KAS will be hosting a special Perseid Meteor Watch that night and I hope you’ll join your fellow members at the Nature Center. We will do some telescopic observing, but the most important accessories on that night will be a blanket and/or a reclining lawn chair, a warm beverage, and a little bug spray. Another reason to attend the Perseid Watch is our annual Perseid Potluck Picnic. That begins at 6:00 pm on August 11th. All the details on the picnic appear in the column to your left. There are approximately 200 individual members in the KAS and the average picnic attendance is about 30 people. Let’s shatter that average, shall we? Come for the food and fun, and stay for the peak of the Perseids! Last month I talked about a possible KAS excursion to either the Manitoulin Star Party or Starfest. Both are held at almost the same exact time in mid-August somewhere in Ontario, Canada. Both Jack Price and Mike Sinclair are still planning to attend Starfest. Jean DeMott, Rich Mather, Don Stilwell, and I are planning to attend the Manitoulin Star Party. Manitoulin offers much darker skies than Starfest, but Starfest is a bit closer and offers many guest speakers. Early registration for Starfest has already come and gone, but you can sign-up for Manitoulin any time (although they prefer registration by August 5th). Please consider joining the fun!

ObservationsObservations by Richard S. BellRichard S. Bell

Mark your calendar. Hope for good weather. It's time for the big social event of the summer for the KAS. So get ready to party! Here are the details: The KAS will provide the hamburgers, hot dogs, and veggie burgers by order. Expect an e-mail about a week before the picnic confirming your attendance and requesting your food order. You will be required to bring your own beverages, table service, lawn chairs, bug spray, and a dish to pass. Condiments will be provided by the KAS. While dinner is cooking we will have solar observing available through KAS member telescopes. Feel free to

bring any type of outdoor games or toys to pass the time while we wait for dinner. After dinner, we’ll hold a Public Observing Session - gates open at 8:30 pm. Stargazers should be

prepared to observe the deep sky delights of the summer Milky Way, and the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower. This gathering will take place rain or shine, so be prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws our way!

The The EighteenthEighteenth AnnualAnnual

Perseid Potluck PicnicPerseid Potluck Picnic

Kalamazoo Nature Center Saturday, August 11th

Arrive at 6:00 pm EDT Dinner begins at 7:00 pm EDT

Observing after Sunset (weather permitting)

August Night Sky........................August Night Sky........................

NORTH

EA

ST

WE

ST

EE arth passes through the orbital debris of Comet Swift-Tuttle on the night

of August 11/12. That means it is time for the famous Perseid Meteor Shower! At maximum, you can expect to see 50 - 80 meteors per hour. Begin observing around 11:00 pm on August 11th. The higher the constellation Perseus gets the

more meteors you can expect to see. The Moon will be 2 days past Last Quarter, so it will wash out the faintest meteors. Don’t let that deter you from witnessing one of the best showers of the year! The Waning Crescent Moon will occult (cover up) Venus during the afternoon of

August 13th. The occultation takes place in West Michigan at about 4:38 pm EDT. This will be a difficult observation as the Moon & Venus will only be 12° above the western horizon. Venus will reappear from behind the Moon’s dark limb at about 5:28 pm EDT when the pair are only 4° above the WNW horizon.

SOUTH

This star map is property of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society. However you may make as many copies as you wish free-of-charge, so long as it is for non-profit educational purposes and full credit is given to the KAS.

www.kasonline.org

This map represents the sky at the following local standard times:

Late July 11 pm

Early August 10 pm

Late August Dusk

PRESIDENT

Richard S. Bell 373-8942

VICE PRESIDENT

Jack Price 343-3193

TREASURER

Rich Mather 629-5312

SECRETARY/ALCOR

Roger Williams 375-4867

MEMBERS-AT-LARGE

Joe Borrello 321-0410 Mike Cook 762-2241 Scott Macfarlane 679-2865 Don Stilwell 963-5856

E-MAIL a BOARD MEMBER

KAS BOARDKAS BOARD August 2012 Page 7

Planetarium admission is $3.00 per person. The Kalamazoo Valley Museum is located at 230 North Rose Street in downtown Kalamazoo. For more information please call (269) 373-7990 or visit us on the web at www.kalamazoomuseum.org

Dawn of the Space AgeDawn of the Space Age Saturday @ 1pm; Sunday @ 2pm

Treasures of the Great LakesTreasures of the Great Lakes Tues. & Thurs. @ 3pm; Sat. @ 2pm

Ice WorldsIce Worlds Sun., Mon., Wed., Fri. & Sat. @ 3pm

Public Observing SessionsPublic Observing Sessions

Kalamazoo Nature Center Kalamazoo Nature Center ◆ 7000 N. Westnedge Ave.7000 N. Westnedge Ave.

Saturday, August 11th Features: Perseid Meteor Shower

Saturday, August 25th Features: Moon, Uranus & Neptune

Gates Open: 8:30pm Observing Begins: 9:30 pm

The Kalamazoo Astronomical Society’s Orion ShortTube 80mm refractor, mounted on the light and ultra-portable EQ-1 mount, is available for loan. This little scope gives great wide-field views and can be setup in a snap. Visit the Telescopes for Loan webpage and contact KAS Equipment Manager, Mike Dupuis, today if you’d like to use it.

© August 2012, Stargazer Productions

Kalamazoo Astronomical Society c/o KAMSC 600 West Vine, Suite 400 Kalamazoo, MI 49008

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