LAAS Yahoo GroupLAAS Yahoo Group— ———how …Membership Annual Dues: Youth $ 20.00 Regular...

Membership Annual Dues: Youth $ 20.00 Regular (18-65) $ 35.00 Senior Citizen (65 and up) $ 20.00 Senior Family $ 30.00 Family $ 50.00 Group or Club $ 50.00 Life $ 500.00 Additional fees: Charter Star member $ 30.00 Star member, with pad $ 70.00 Star member, no pad $ 60.00 (Membership due date is indi-cated on the mailing label)

HANDY PHONE LIST LAAS Answering Machine ...... (213) 673-7355 Griffith Observatory Program................................ (213) 473-0800 Sky Report .............................unavailable for

now Lockwood Site ......................... (661) 245-2106 (not answered, arrange time with caller. Outgoing calls – collect or calling card) Mt. Wilson Institute .................. (626) 793-3100

6 LAAS BulletinLAAS Bulletin

LAAS Yahoo GroupLAAS Yahoo GroupLAAS Yahoo GroupLAAS Yahoo Group————how to joinhow to joinhow to joinhow to join

Some have asked me how to join the LAAS Yahoo group. The group is private, and therefore does not come up in a search. You can join by sending email to:

[email protected]

with your full name so the moderator can verify your membership in the LAAS. Your full name is necessary so we can check our records to see if you really are a member of the LAAS. If approved, you will receive further instructions via email. �

Free TelescopeFree TelescopeFree TelescopeFree Telescope

A former LAAS member, Richard Packard, has offered to give a 6” reflector to any new or young member who can make good use of it. It is a home made classic 6” f/8 reflector with a Cave mirror. The tube, equatorial mount, and clock drive are home made. It comes equipped with a set of eyepieces, a 2X Barlow, and a red filter for viewing of Mars. He lives in Valley Village and can be contacted at (818) 761-0161. This will be a good starter instrument for someone that does not already have a telescope. �

Astronomy Magazine Subscription Rate Changes

For those that subscribe to Astronomy Magazine through the LAAS, the rate has gone up to $35 a year. �

Inside this issue

Featured Article—The Milky Way ······························1,6-10 Contact Information ···············································2 Editor’s Message ··················································2 Public Star Party Information ····································3 3rd Annual S. Cal Astronomy Expo ····························4 Mt Wilson Nights ·················································5 New Members Event ··············································5 Moon and Venus (image) ·········································11 Alternate Route to Observatory ·································12 Sky & Telescope Renewal News ································13 Monterey Park Observatory Map ·······························13 Griffith Fire (image) ··············································13 Loaner Corner ·····················································14 Events Calendar ··················································15 Astronomy Subscription Rate Change ··························16 LAAS Yahoo Group: How to Join ······························16 Fre4e Telescope ···················································16 Membership Information ·········································16

LOS ANGELES ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY

BULLETIN volume 81, issue 7 July 2007

Page 1 LAAS BulletinLAAS Bulletin

The Milky WayThe Milky WayThe Milky WayThe Milky Way By Tim ThompsonBy Tim ThompsonBy Tim Thompson

Torrent of light and river of air, Along whose bed the glimmering stars are seen

Like gold and silver sands in some ravine Where mountain streams have left their channels bare!

From “The Galaxy”, a sonnet by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The summer months bring a return of our very own galaxy, the Milky Way. Henry (Continued on page 6)

OUR 81st YEAR OF ASTRONOMY IN LOS ANGELES Los Angeles Astronomical Society

Griffith Observatory 2800 East Observatory Road

Los Angeles, CA 90027

Change of Address, Membership: Peter De Hoff, LAAS Secretary

LAAS Officers: President . . . . . . . . . . . . David Sovereign

(626) 794-0646 Vice President . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Brown

[email protected] Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . Darrell Dooley

[email protected] Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Peter De Hoff

[email protected] Recording Secretary . . . . . PJ Goldfinger

[email protected] Volunteers: Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Brown

[email protected] Outreach . . . . . . . . . . . . . Don DeGregori

[email protected] Loaner Scopes . . . . . . . . Dave Sovereign

(626) 794-0646 Messier Program . . . . . . . . Norm Vargas

(626) 288-4397 New Members . . . . . . . . . . . Bob Redding

[email protected] Speakers Bureau . . . . . . . Tim Thompson

[email protected] Youth Liaison . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Brian Mok

[email protected] LAAS Bulletin Editor . . David Nakamoto

[email protected] Bulletin Printers and Web Site Managers

Peter De Hoff & Minghua Nie [email protected]

Contributing Editors . . . . . Tim Thompson Don DeGregori

David Sovereign

LAAS BulletinLAAS Bulletin

Editor’s Message

We’re heading into summer,

usually a busy time for us despite the shortened nights.

Griffith and the LAAS are still feeling their way forward as far as public star party night policies are concerned, so I encourage patience and flexibility on our part.

Our outreach program is very much alive and busy, with multiple outings each month. My thanks to Dan DeGregori and Herbert Kraus for their efforts to support the large number of requests for public outreach the LAAS has received, and my thanks to Herbert Kraus and others for the images from these events!

My continued thanks to all who have and continue to contribute to the success of the bulletin with their articles and images.

Another reminder that the deadline for submitting bulletin material is the 10th of each month. Please submit electron ical ly, i f possible, to [email protected]. All other material may be sent to the address listed at the top of the column at left, but timely reception and publication cannot be guaranteed. �

David Nakamoto

LAAS Home Page: http://www.laas.org LAAS Bulletin Online: http://www.laas.org/bulletin.html

Page 15 Vol 81, issue 7

EVENTS CALENDAR

Date Event Location and Information

July 9th (Mon) General Meeting

Griffith Observatory Dr. Tom Spirock, Post-Doc & electrical

engineer at the Big Bear Solar Observatory will introduce us to what it

is and what it can do. His talk will include movies & high resolution solar

imagery.

July 14th (Sat) Dark Sky Night Lockwood Valley

July 21st (Sat) Public Star Party Griffith Observatory

See pg 3 for details on how to attend.

Aug 11th (Sat) Dark Sky Night Lockwood Valley

Aug 13th (Mon) General Meeting

Griffith Observatory Dr. Bruce Banerdt, Project Scientist for the Mars Exploration Rover project. He

will be talking about the Mars Exploration Rovers.

Aug 18th (Sat) Public Star Party Griffith Observatory


There is no board meeting in July. The board meeting in August is held at 8pm on the Wednesday night prior to the general meeting, at Garvey Ranch Park. The Monday general meetings start at

7:30 pm


Evenings are getting a bit warmer which heralds the coming of the spring and summer star parties. Jupiter and Saturn will be good targets as they always provide a good show. In the summer the center of the galaxy in Sagittarius will be coming into view. As can be seen from the listing below, there has been some minor re-alignment in the instrument collection. For those new members that do not have a telescope of their own or members that would like to try out other types, the LAAS has a large selection of telescopes that can be borrowed.

LAAS-1: Celestron 4.5” f/8 Newtonian reflector on a Polaris equatorial mount.

LAAS-2: Tasco 4.5” f/8 Newtonian reflector on a driven equatorial mount by Edmund .

LAAS-4: Telescopics 6” f/5 Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian mount.

LAAS-5: Parks 6” f /6 Newtonian reflector on a driven Polaris clone equatorial mount. This is the best instrument in the LAAS collection.LAAS-6: Discovery 10” f/4.5 Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian mount.

LAAS-9: 80mm f/6.25 refractor on an equatorial mount. This instrument was

recently donated by your recording secretary, P.J. Goldfinger, who used it to go through the Messier catalog

For further information call: David Sovereign at (626) 794-0646. �

LOANER CORNER

LAASLAASLAASLAAS----4444


Vol 81, issue 7

Griffith ObservatoryGriffith ObservatoryGriffith ObservatoryGriffith Observatory Public Star Party UpdatePublic Star Party UpdatePublic Star Party UpdatePublic Star Party Update

PJ Goldfinger PJ Goldfinger be will be taking over the duty of Handling the Griffith Observatory Public Star Party List. In speaking with our GO PSPC = public star party contact, Griffith would like the LAAS to adhere strictly to the following understanding for this public event. Please note this is not final, changes forthcoming in the future.

-------- Current Attendance Policy for the GO Public Star Party Current Attendance Policy for the GO Public Star Party Current Attendance Policy for the GO Public Star Party Current Attendance Policy for the GO Public Star Party --------

• LAAS Members Only - sorry no guests and only families that fall under Family Membership status allowed.

• It is the focus and Priority of any LAAS member who attends this event: To be of Public Service with their telescopes in showing the patrons of Griffith Observatory the delights of the nighttime sky:)

• LAAS Members must sign up on time - Deadline is no later than the Tuesday night prior to the Saturday GO Public Star Party each month. The list information required is the same. Your name, any LAAS Members in your car, The make of car, Car License plate #, Bring Telescope y/n. NOTE: Those attending with out a telescope as a favor will be required to be of some assistance if asked, needed and able - Thanks !!!

• The list currently has been updated to 30 spots for LAAS members.

• To sign up for the Griffith Observatory Star Party the NEW email address is [email protected]

We understand the disadvantages all around in the change of scheme to LAAS Members Only attending this event. Please understand this is a trial and patience from all LAAS Members will be appreciated. The LAAS would like to continue a commendable relationship with Griffith Observatory as we have done so for perhaps some 50+ years now.

Thanks to all who attended and assisted the February 24 PSP. It was a great turnout !!! This new information as well as reminders and updates will be sent out in the LAAS members email list plus the bulletin to keep everyone informed. So don¹t forget to sign up ;) Once again Thanks and . . . .

Thanks to Peter DeHoff for already doing a lot of work in this area. �


THIRD ANNUAL SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ASTRONOMY EXPO 2007

SCAE07 Seminar Symposium & Star Party – Saturday, July 14, 2007

Don't miss OPT's Third Annual Southern California Astronomy Expo Seminar Symposium and Star Party on Saturday, July 14th, 2007! Experience FREE presentations from 11:00AM until 5:30PM by popular speakers such as Dr. Kevin Grazier, Investigation Scientist for the Cassini-Huygens Mission to Saturn & Titan and Science Advisor for Battlestar Galactica; Tony Hallas, one of the best astrophotographers of our time; cinematographer and solar specialist, Gary Palmer; local astronomer, lecturer, and photographer, Dennis Mammana; and last but not least, Cassini-Huygens Mission designer, John C. Smith! Inquisitive adults of all ages and experience levels will enjoy the entire seminar. At the end of the day, the winners of the First Annual SCAE Astro Shootout Photo Contest will be announced, and cash prizes awarded! All entries are welcome...you have till July 1st to submit photographs. For the evening festivities, be our guests for a FREE BBQ dinner starting at 7:00PM at the San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park, located just east of the Wild Animal Park, and then star party with OPT and our guests from dusk till 11:00PM.

SCAE07 Telescope Demonstration & Star Party – Saturday, July 28, 2007 See all the latest telescope equipment at the Third Annual Southern California Astronomy Expo Telescope Demonstration & Star Party on Saturday, July 28, 2007 beginning at 10:00AM. Join over twenty manufacturers of fine telescopes, CCD cameras, and accessories in the OPT parking lot for a day of fun, education, demonstrations, and short talks on Astrophotography & CCD Imaging by a variety of manufacturers. A free pizza lunch will be provided that afternoon, complements of OPT. Stay for our HUGE Giveaway Raffle, which includes over $10,000 in prizes! Raffle tickets are FREE to attendees, but you must be present for the drawing to have a chance to win. A star party in the parking lot will begin at dusk (weather permitting) and run through 10:00PM. Get a chance to look through lots of telescopes and see astrophotography in action! Visit www.optcorp.com/scae.aspx for the latest information on SCAE07, including a growing list of prizes, seminar topics, star party information, directions, and more.

10 Freeway

Valley Blvd

Garvey Ave

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Garvey RanchPark Observatory

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(The place to build your telescope)(The place to build your telescope)(The place to build your telescope)

Map to Monterey Park Observatory


Sky and Telescope Subscription News Our Treasurer, Darrell Dooley, wishes to inform everyone who has a club subscription to Sky and Telescope that if you have a renewal bill, send it directly to Sky Publishing. Do not give it to him.

People who wish to start a Sky and Telescope subscription should contact Darrell (see the contact information on page 2) directly to subscribe to the magazine at the club rates, and then thereafter send the renewal bills directly to Sky Publishing.


With coming Greek theater events causing closure of Vermont Ave to through traffic, many have asked for a map of the local area and the alternate directions in case Vermont is closed. Please save this map for future reference. I will post it in the bulletin from June to September, and then not for the rest of the year.

The alternate route is to use Ferndale, which changes into Western Canyon Road. Ferndale is about 1 mile further west on Los Feliz than either Hillhurst or Vermont. Ferndale becomes Western Canyon Road once you enter the park. Western Canyon Road is very windy, so drive carefully. You will have to go through the tunnel at the top of the road and turn right onto East Observatory Road.

Vol 81, issue 7

We’ve got a few dates settled on. They’re all Friday nights.

Only LAAS members are allowed to sign up. If there is still room two (2) weeks prior to the date, paying guests will be permitted. Be sure to let Darrell Dooley know the

names of your guests as he is keeping a waiting list. (First Come, First Serve).

Any LAAS member who has not been to a 60 inch night at Mount Wilson should consider it as an opportunity to visit astronomy history. To see the location and equipment used by giants such as Wilson and Hubble, will add to your appreciation of their contributions.

The scope belongs to LAAS all night. We mutually agree upon which objects to view. Often, a member is the operator, so it is a very comfortable environment. (Do bring a coat, however) The viewing is without a doubt the best your are likely to see in your lifetime.

Send your check payable to LAAS, for $60 per person per night, to

Darrell Dooley, 1815 Avalon Street, Los Angeles 90026.

You can also email [email protected] to let him know that your check is in the mail. Please specify the names of attendees. �

Mt Wilson 60” Nights

New Members CornerNew Members CornerNew Members CornerNew Members Corner

Welcome to the Los Angeles Astronomical Society! Every year we have a New Member Potluck to welcome the New Members of the last year. This year the party will be Saturday, April 28, 2006 from 4:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. There will be talks about astronomy, telescope making workshops, and of course food! There will be an email following this bulletin announcement on what to bring and further information. �

Rob Redding, New Member Coordinator, Phone: (714) 274-3747 Email: <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected]

July 13th Aug 17th Nov 9th


This is an image of M95 from the 3.6 meter Canada France Hawaii telescope on Mauna Kea. This galaxy has a central bar and numerous spiral arms. This is a

good idea of what our Milky Way would look like from the outside.

Wadsworth Longfellow calls it a “torrent of light and river of air”, in his sonnet The Galaxy. Unlike many of the esoteric objects studied by modern astronomers, and discovered only with the deployment of the largest telescopes, the Milky Way has been obvious to people since they first became people. The ancient Greeks called it Galaxias Kyklos or “Milky Circle”, which the Roman’s

(Continued on page 7)


David Pinsky took this image on May 26th of the pairing of the Moon and Venus with a Canon Powershot A 710 IS at f 2.8 - 1/80 sec - iso 100, and a 6-inch

Teleview refractor run by one of the Griffith staff.


now recognize this as the center of the Galaxy, at a distance of about 25,000 LY. The most distant globular cluster is about 300,000 LY from the center of the Galaxy. The most distant stellar cluster gravitationally bound to the Milky Way, only recently discovered is about 500,000 LY from the center of the Milky Way. So how big the galaxy is depends on what you are looking for. The stellar disk is about 100,000 LY across, the gas disk twice that size, and the halo about 1,000,000 LY across. In short, our Galaxy is really big.

Then there is the question of Local Group bragging rights. Which is the bigger galaxy, M31 or the Milky Way? So far the evidence indicates that M31 is slightly smaller. M31 is not likely more massive than 900,000,000,000 solar masses, and is surely no more massive than 1,000,000,000,000 suns, whereas the Milky Way is surely no less massive than 1,000,000,000,000 suns. The stellar disk of M31 is about the same size as the Milky Way, and both galaxies have extensive collections of dwarf satellite galaxies. Indeed, only one of more than 60 local group galaxies appears to be free from the gravity of either M31 or the Milky Way. The Milky Way appears to be the champion galaxy of the Local group, but only by a slim margin, and this judgment varies with time. it is hard to model the mass of a galaxy, and there are groups constantly working on the problem for both M31 and the Milky Way. They have traded heavyweight titles before, and doubtless will again, as we learn more about weighing galaxies.

We may not be able to accurately weigh the Galaxy, but we can accurately weigh the monster black hole that lives at the very center of the Milky Way. That black hole is coincident with the long known radio source Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*). The stars at the center of the Galaxy are hidden behind clouds of dust that are opaque to visible light, but not opaque to longer wavelength infrared light. The Galactic Center Group at UCLA, headed by Prof. Andrea Ghez, has been able to observe stars orbiting the central black. They have determined that it has a mass of about 3,700,000 solar masses. You can follow this research yourself from the UCLA Galactic Center Group webpage: http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~ghezgroup/gc/

We can’t see what our own Galaxy looks like from the outside, but we can figure out a lot from our interior vantage point. Feelings of inferiority because our sun is an “average” star can be set aside, even though it is not true; the sun is larger

This image was taken at Maurice Sendak Elementary School in North

Hollywood on April 24: Reggie Flores is showing the sun to a group

of interested viewers.

Vol 81, issue 7

translated into Via Lactea, which, literally translated into English, is Milky Way. It is the most common name in the European & western nations, although Bird’s Path is common in the Baltic nations, the Chinese Silvery River is common in east Asia, and Straw Way is common trough central Asia, the Arab nations & Africa. But ancient people knew little about what the diffuse glow in the sky really was. The ancient Greek philosopher Democritus (450-370 BC) was the first person we know of to claim that the glow of the Milky Way was actually the collective glow of distant stars. But it was not until Galileo pointed his new telescope at the Milky Way in 1610, that the true nature of its glow was resolved into the distant stars predicted by Democritus about 2000 years before.

Ancient people saw the Milky Way as the embodiment of myths & legends.


This is a diagram of the orbits of stars around the central black hole of the Milky Way, from the UCLA Galactic Center Group webpage.


The stars of the Milky Way, imaged by the Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment (DIRBE) instrument on the Cosmic Microwave Background

Explorer (COBE) satellite.

Today we see the Milky Way as one of many millions of galaxies, but that idea only dates from the 1920’s, when Edwin Hubble used the new 100-inch Hooker telescope at Mt. Wilson Observatory to prove that the diffuse “spiral nebulae” were actually “extragalactic stellar systems”, as he called them. Hubble published his results for NGC 6822 in 1925, followed by a 1926 paper on M33, and a 1929 paper on M31. Hubble’s observation demoted the Milky Way from its status as “the Universe” to “the Galaxy”, but created at the same time, a vast universe full of galaxies. So today we see the Milky Way as one of many galaxies. And we wonder how our Galaxy measures up to all those other galaxies.

Our Milky Way, and the spiral galaxy M31 are the dominant members of a cluster of at least 60 galaxies known as the Local Group. And that count of galaxies is constantly on the rise, as observers find more & more dwarf galaxies in the group. We now know that our own Milky Way is a barred spiral type of galaxy; its central bar is about 25,000 light years (LY) long, about 3,900 LY wide, about 1,600 LY thick, at an angle of about 43 degrees to the line from the sun to the center of the Galaxy, and it holds about 6 billion solar masses worth of stars. The mass of the Galaxy as a whole is no less than 1,000,000,000,000 (one trillion) solar masses, and probably closer to 2,000,000,000,000. There are too many stars in the Galaxy to count, and most of them are too far away to individually resolve anyway. But based on the luminosity of the Galaxy, estimates range from 100,000,000,000 to 500,000,000,000 stars; we know that there are many more stars less massive than the sun, than there are stars more massive than the sun, but the number you count depends on how you model the mass distribution of the



This is an infrared image of the stars at the center of the Milky Way, hidden behind clouds of dust, from the UCLA Galactic Center Group webpage.

population of stars. Those models are not arbitrary, but neither are they tightly bound, hence the uncertainty, and large range in the possible number of stars.

A typical estimate for the size of the Milky Way is that it is about 100,000 LY in diameter, but that only refers to the main stellar disk of the Galaxy. The neutral hydrogen gas disk of the Galaxy has been measured out to a diameter of 200,000 LY. And the Galaxy is surrounded by a more or less spherical halo of stars, star clusters & tenuous gas as far away as 500,000 LY. Harlow Shapley studied the globular cluster system from the 60-inch telescope on Mt. Wilson, and by 1920 had already determined that our sun is well removed from the center of the globular cluster system, which Shapley placed in the direction of Sagittarius. We



The stars of the Milky Way, imaged by the Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment (DIRBE) instrument on the Cosmic Microwave Background

Explorer (COBE) satellite.

Today we see the Milky Way as one of many millions of galaxies, but that idea only dates from the 1920’s, when Edwin Hubble used the new 100-inch Hooker telescope at Mt. Wilson Observatory to prove that the diffuse “spiral nebulae” were actually “extragalactic stellar systems”, as he called them. Hubble published his results for NGC 6822 in 1925, followed by a 1926 paper on M33, and a 1929 paper on M31. Hubble’s observation demoted the Milky Way from its status as “the Universe” to “the Galaxy”, but created at the same time, a vast universe full of galaxies. So today we see the Milky Way as one of many galaxies. And we wonder how our Galaxy measures up to all those other galaxies.

Our Milky Way, and the spiral galaxy M31 are the dominant members of a cluster of at least 60 galaxies known as the Local Group. And that count of galaxies is constantly on the rise, as observers find more & more dwarf galaxies in the group. We now know that our own Milky Way is a barred spiral type of galaxy; its central bar is about 25,000 light years (LY) long, about 3,900 LY wide, about 1,600 LY thick, at an angle of about 43 degrees to the line from the sun to the center of the Galaxy, and it holds about 6 billion solar masses worth of stars. The mass of the Galaxy as a whole is no less than 1,000,000,000,000 (one trillion) solar masses, and probably closer to 2,000,000,000,000. There are too many stars in the Galaxy to count, and most of them are too far away to individually resolve anyway. But based on the luminosity of the Galaxy, estimates range from 100,000,000,000 to 500,000,000,000 stars; we know that there are many more stars less massive than the sun, than there are stars more massive than the sun, but the number you count depends on how you model the mass distribution of the


Vol 81, issue 7

This is an infrared image of the stars at the center of the Milky Way, hidden behind clouds of dust, from the UCLA Galactic Center Group webpage.

population of stars. Those models are not arbitrary, but neither are they tightly bound, hence the uncertainty, and large range in the possible number of stars.

A typical estimate for the size of the Milky Way is that it is about 100,000 LY in diameter, but that only refers to the main stellar disk of the Galaxy. The neutral hydrogen gas disk of the Galaxy has been measured out to a diameter of 200,000 LY. And the Galaxy is surrounded by a more or less spherical halo of stars, star clusters & tenuous gas as far away as 500,000 LY. Harlow Shapley studied the globular cluster system from the 60-inch telescope on Mt. Wilson, and by 1920 had already determined that our sun is well removed from the center of the globular cluster system, which Shapley placed in the direction of Sagittarius. We



now recognize this as the center of the Galaxy, at a distance of about 25,000 LY. The most distant globular cluster is about 300,000 LY from the center of the Galaxy. The most distant stellar cluster gravitationally bound to the Milky Way, only recently discovered is about 500,000 LY from the center of the Milky Way. So how big the galaxy is depends on what you are looking for. The stellar disk is about 100,000 LY across, the gas disk twice that size, and the halo about 1,000,000 LY across. In short, our Galaxy is really big.

Then there is the question of Local Group bragging rights. Which is the bigger galaxy, M31 or the Milky Way? So far the evidence indicates that M31 is slightly smaller. M31 is not likely more massive than 900,000,000,000 solar masses, and is surely no more massive than 1,000,000,000,000 suns, whereas the Milky Way is surely no less massive than 1,000,000,000,000 suns. The stellar disk of M31 is about the same size as the Milky Way, and both galaxies have extensive collections of dwarf satellite galaxies. Indeed, only one of more than 60 local group galaxies appears to be free from the gravity of either M31 or the Milky Way. The Milky Way appears to be the champion galaxy of the Local group, but only by a slim margin, and this judgment varies with time. it is hard to model the mass of a galaxy, and there are groups constantly working on the problem for both M31 and the Milky Way. They have traded heavyweight titles before, and doubtless will again, as we learn more about weighing galaxies.

We may not be able to accurately weigh the Galaxy, but we can accurately weigh the monster black hole that lives at the very center of the Milky Way. That black hole is coincident with the long known radio source Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*). The stars at the center of the Galaxy are hidden behind clouds of dust that are opaque to visible light, but not opaque to longer wavelength infrared light. The Galactic Center Group at UCLA, headed by Prof. Andrea Ghez, has been able to observe stars orbiting the central black. They have determined that it has a mass of about 3,700,000 solar masses. You can follow this research yourself from the UCLA Galactic Center Group webpage: http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~ghezgroup/gc/

We can’t see what our own Galaxy looks like from the outside, but we can figure out a lot from our interior vantage point. Feelings of inferiority because our sun is an “average” star can be set aside, even though it is not true; the sun is larger

This image was taken at Maurice Sendak Elementary School in North

Hollywood on April 24: Reggie Flores is showing the sun to a group

of interested viewers.


translated into Via Lactea, which, literally translated into English, is Milky Way. It is the most common name in the European & western nations, although Bird’s Path is common in the Baltic nations, the Chinese Silvery River is common in east Asia, and Straw Way is common trough central Asia, the Arab nations & Africa. But ancient people knew little about what the diffuse glow in the sky really was. The ancient Greek philosopher Democritus (450-370 BC) was the first person we know of to claim that the glow of the Milky Way was actually the collective glow of distant stars. But it was not until Galileo pointed his new telescope at the Milky Way in 1610, that the true nature of its glow was resolved into the distant stars predicted by Democritus about 2000 years before.

Ancient people saw the Milky Way as the embodiment of myths & legends.


This is a diagram of the orbits of stars around the central black hole of the Milky Way, from the UCLA Galactic Center Group webpage.


This is an image of M95 from the 3.6 meter Canada France Hawaii telescope on Mauna Kea. This galaxy has a central bar and numerous spiral arms. This is a

good idea of what our Milky Way would look like from the outside.

Wadsworth Longfellow calls it a “torrent of light and river of air”, in his sonnet The Galaxy. Unlike many of the esoteric objects studied by modern astronomers, and discovered only with the deployment of the largest telescopes, the Milky Way has been obvious to people since they first became people. The ancient Greeks called it Galaxias Kyklos or “Milky Circle”, which the Roman’s


Vol 81, issue 7

David Pinsky took this image on May 26th of the pairing of the Moon and Venus with a Canon Powershot A 710 IS at f 2.8 - 1/80 sec - iso 100, and a 6-inch

Teleview refractor run by one of the Griffith staff.


With coming Greek theater events causing closure of Vermont Ave to through traffic, many have asked for a map of the local area and the alternate directions in case Vermont is closed. Please save this map for future reference. I will post it in the bulletin from June to September, and then not for the rest of the year.

The alternate route is to use Ferndale, which changes into Western Canyon Road. Ferndale is about 1 mile further west on Los Feliz than either Hillhurst or Vermont. Ferndale becomes Western Canyon Road once you enter the park. Western Canyon Road is very windy, so drive carefully. You will have to go through the tunnel at the top of the road and turn right onto East Observatory Road.


We’ve got a few dates settled on. They’re all Friday nights.

Only LAAS members are allowed to sign up. If there is still room two (2) weeks prior to the date, paying guests will be permitted. Be sure to let Darrell Dooley know the

names of your guests as he is keeping a waiting list. (First Come, First Serve).

Any LAAS member who has not been to a 60 inch night at Mount Wilson should consider it as an opportunity to visit astronomy history. To see the location and equipment used by giants such as Wilson and Hubble, will add to your appreciation of their contributions.

The scope belongs to LAAS all night. We mutually agree upon which objects to view. Often, a member is the operator, so it is a very comfortable environment. (Do bring a coat, however) The viewing is without a doubt the best your are likely to see in your lifetime.

Send your check payable to LAAS, for $60 per person per night, to

Darrell Dooley, 1815 Avalon Street, Los Angeles 90026.

You can also email [email protected] to let him know that your check is in the mail. Please specify the names of attendees. �

Mt Wilson 60” Nights

New Members CornerNew Members CornerNew Members CornerNew Members Corner

Welcome to the Los Angeles Astronomical Society! Every year we have a New Member Potluck to welcome the New Members of the last year. This year the party will be Saturday, April 28, 2006 from 4:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. There will be talks about astronomy, telescope making workshops, and of course food! There will be an email following this bulletin announcement on what to bring and further information. �

Rob Redding, New Member Coordinator, Phone: (714) 274-3747 Email: <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected]

July 13th Aug 17th Nov 9th


THIRD ANNUAL SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ASTRONOMY EXPO 2007

SCAE07 Seminar Symposium & Star Party – Saturday, July 14, 2007

Don't miss OPT's Third Annual Southern California Astronomy Expo Seminar Symposium and Star Party on Saturday, July 14th, 2007! Experience FREE presentations from 11:00AM until 5:30PM by popular speakers such as Dr. Kevin Grazier, Investigation Scientist for the Cassini-Huygens Mission to Saturn & Titan and Science Advisor for Battlestar Galactica; Tony Hallas, one of the best astrophotographers of our time; cinematographer and solar specialist, Gary Palmer; local astronomer, lecturer, and photographer, Dennis Mammana; and last but not least, Cassini-Huygens Mission designer, John C. Smith! Inquisitive adults of all ages and experience levels will enjoy the entire seminar. At the end of the day, the winners of the First Annual SCAE Astro Shootout Photo Contest will be announced, and cash prizes awarded! All entries are welcome...you have till July 1st to submit photographs. For the evening festivities, be our guests for a FREE BBQ dinner starting at 7:00PM at the San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park, located just east of the Wild Animal Park, and then star party with OPT and our guests from dusk till 11:00PM.

SCAE07 Telescope Demonstration & Star Party – Saturday, July 28, 2007 See all the latest telescope equipment at the Third Annual Southern California Astronomy Expo Telescope Demonstration & Star Party on Saturday, July 28, 2007 beginning at 10:00AM. Join over twenty manufacturers of fine telescopes, CCD cameras, and accessories in the OPT parking lot for a day of fun, education, demonstrations, and short talks on Astrophotography & CCD Imaging by a variety of manufacturers. A free pizza lunch will be provided that afternoon, complements of OPT. Stay for our HUGE Giveaway Raffle, which includes over $10,000 in prizes! Raffle tickets are FREE to attendees, but you must be present for the drawing to have a chance to win. A star party in the parking lot will begin at dusk (weather permitting) and run through 10:00PM. Get a chance to look through lots of telescopes and see astrophotography in action! Visit www.optcorp.com/scae.aspx for the latest information on SCAE07, including a growing list of prizes, seminar topics, star party information, directions, and more.

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(The place to build your telescope)(The place to build your telescope)(The place to build your telescope)

Map to Monterey Park Observatory

Vol 81, issue 7

Sky and Telescope Subscription News Our Treasurer, Darrell Dooley, wishes to inform everyone who has a club subscription to Sky and Telescope that if you have a renewal bill, send it directly to Sky Publishing. Do not give it to him.

People who wish to start a Sky and Telescope subscription should contact Darrell (see the contact information on page 2) directly to subscribe to the magazine at the club rates, and then thereafter send the renewal bills directly to Sky Publishing.


Evenings are getting a bit warmer which heralds the coming of the spring and summer star parties. Jupiter and Saturn will be good targets as they always provide a good show. In the summer the center of the galaxy in Sagittarius will be coming into view. As can be seen from the listing below, there has been some minor re-alignment in the instrument collection. For those new members that do not have a telescope of their own or members that would like to try out other types, the LAAS has a large selection of telescopes that can be borrowed.

LAAS-1: Celestron 4.5” f/8 Newtonian reflector on a Polaris equatorial mount.

LAAS-2: Tasco 4.5” f/8 Newtonian reflector on a driven equatorial mount by Edmund .

LAAS-4: Telescopics 6” f/5 Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian mount.

LAAS-5: Parks 6” f /6 Newtonian reflector on a driven Polaris clone equatorial mount. This is the best instrument in the LAAS collection.LAAS-6: Discovery 10” f/4.5 Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian mount.

LAAS-9: 80mm f/6.25 refractor on an equatorial mount. This instrument was

recently donated by your recording secretary, P.J. Goldfinger, who used it to go through the Messier catalog

For further information call: David Sovereign at (626) 794-0646. �

LOANER CORNER




Griffith ObservatoryGriffith ObservatoryGriffith ObservatoryGriffith Observatory Public Star Party UpdatePublic Star Party UpdatePublic Star Party UpdatePublic Star Party Update

PJ Goldfinger PJ Goldfinger be will be taking over the duty of Handling the Griffith Observatory Public Star Party List. In speaking with our GO PSPC = public star party contact, Griffith would like the LAAS to adhere strictly to the following understanding for this public event. Please note this is not final, changes forthcoming in the future.

-------- Current Attendance Policy for the GO Public Star Party Current Attendance Policy for the GO Public Star Party Current Attendance Policy for the GO Public Star Party Current Attendance Policy for the GO Public Star Party --------

• LAAS Members Only - sorry no guests and only families that fall under Family Membership status allowed.

• It is the focus and Priority of any LAAS member who attends this event: To be of Public Service with their telescopes in showing the patrons of Griffith Observatory the delights of the nighttime sky:)

• LAAS Members must sign up on time - Deadline is no later than the Tuesday night prior to the Saturday GO Public Star Party each month. The list information required is the same. Your name, any LAAS Members in your car, The make of car, Car License plate #, Bring Telescope y/n. NOTE: Those attending with out a telescope as a favor will be required to be of some assistance if asked, needed and able - Thanks !!!

• The list currently has been updated to 30 spots for LAAS members.

• To sign up for the Griffith Observatory Star Party the NEW email address is [email protected]

We understand the disadvantages all around in the change of scheme to LAAS Members Only attending this event. Please understand this is a trial and patience from all LAAS Members will be appreciated. The LAAS would like to continue a commendable relationship with Griffith Observatory as we have done so for perhaps some 50+ years now.

Thanks to all who attended and assisted the February 24 PSP. It was a great turnout !!! This new information as well as reminders and updates will be sent out in the LAAS members email list plus the bulletin to keep everyone informed. So don¹t forget to sign up ;) Once again Thanks and . . . .

Thanks to Peter DeHoff for already doing a lot of work in this area. �

OUR 81st YEAR OF ASTRONOMY IN LOS ANGELES Los Angeles Astronomical Society

Griffith Observatory 2800 East Observatory Road

Los Angeles, CA 90027

Change of Address, Membership: Peter De Hoff, LAAS Secretary

LAAS Officers: President . . . . . . . . . . . . David Sovereign

(626) 794-0646 Vice President . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Brown

[email protected] Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . Darrell Dooley

[email protected] Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Peter De Hoff

[email protected] Recording Secretary . . . . . PJ Goldfinger

[email protected] Volunteers: Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Brown

[email protected] Outreach . . . . . . . . . . . . . Don DeGregori

[email protected] Loaner Scopes . . . . . . . . Dave Sovereign

(626) 794-0646 Messier Program . . . . . . . . Norm Vargas

(626) 288-4397 New Members . . . . . . . . . . . Bob Redding

[email protected] Speakers Bureau . . . . . . . Tim Thompson

[email protected] Youth Liaison . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Brian Mok

[email protected] LAAS Bulletin Editor . . David Nakamoto

[email protected] Bulletin Printers and Web Site Managers

Peter De Hoff & Minghua Nie [email protected]

Contributing Editors . . . . . Tim Thompson Don DeGregori

David Sovereign


Editor’s Message

We’re heading into summer,

usually a busy time for us despite the shortened nights.

Griffith and the LAAS are still feeling their way forward as far as public star party night policies are concerned, so I encourage patience and flexibility on our part.

Our outreach program is very much alive and busy, with multiple outings each month. My thanks to Dan DeGregori and Herbert Kraus for their efforts to support the large number of requests for public outreach the LAAS has received, and my thanks to Herbert Kraus and others for the images from these events!

My continued thanks to all who have and continue to contribute to the success of the bulletin with their articles and images.

Another reminder that the deadline for submitting bulletin material is the 10th of each month. Please submit electron ical ly, i f possible, to [email protected]. All other material may be sent to the address listed at the top of the column at left, but timely reception and publication cannot be guaranteed. �

David Nakamoto

LAAS Home Page: http://www.laas.org LAAS Bulletin Online: http://www.laas.org/bulletin.html

Vol 81, issue 7

EVENTS CALENDAR

Date Event Location and Information

July 9th (Mon) General Meeting

Griffith Observatory Dr. Tom Spirock, Post-Doc & electrical

engineer at the Big Bear Solar Observatory will introduce us to what it

is and what it can do. His talk will include movies & high resolution solar

imagery.

July 14th (Sat) Dark Sky Night Lockwood Valley

July 21st (Sat) Public Star Party Griffith Observatory


Aug 11th (Sat) Dark Sky Night Lockwood Valley

Aug 13th (Mon) General Meeting

Griffith Observatory Dr. Bruce Banerdt, Project Scientist for the Mars Exploration Rover project. He

will be talking about the Mars Exploration Rovers.

Aug 18th (Sat) Public Star Party Griffith Observatory


There is no board meeting in July. The board meeting in August is held at 8pm on the Wednesday night prior to the general meeting, at Garvey Ranch Park. The Monday general meetings start at

7:30 pm

Membership Annual Dues: Youth $ 20.00 Regular (18-65) $ 35.00 Senior Citizen (65 and up) $ 20.00 Senior Family $ 30.00 Family $ 50.00 Group or Club $ 50.00 Life $ 500.00 Additional fees: Charter Star member $ 30.00 Star member, with pad $ 70.00 Star member, no pad $ 60.00 (Membership due date is indi-cated on the mailing label)

HANDY PHONE LIST LAAS Answering Machine ...... (213) 673-7355 Griffith Observatory Program................................ (213) 473-0800 Sky Report .............................unavailable for

now Lockwood Site ......................... (661) 245-2106 (not answered, arrange time with caller. Outgoing calls – collect or calling card) Mt. Wilson Institute .................. (626) 793-3100


LAAS Yahoo GroupLAAS Yahoo GroupLAAS Yahoo GroupLAAS Yahoo Group————how to joinhow to joinhow to joinhow to join

Some have asked me how to join the LAAS Yahoo group. The group is private, and therefore does not come up in a search. You can join by sending email to:

[email protected]

with your full name so the moderator can verify your membership in the LAAS. Your full name is necessary so we can check our records to see if you really are a member of the LAAS. If approved, you will receive further instructions via email. �

Free TelescopeFree TelescopeFree TelescopeFree Telescope

A former LAAS member, Richard Packard, has offered to give a 6” reflector to any new or young member who can make good use of it. It is a home made classic 6” f/8 reflector with a Cave mirror. The tube, equatorial mount, and clock drive are home made. It comes equipped with a set of eyepieces, a 2X Barlow, and a red filter for viewing of Mars. He lives in Valley Village and can be contacted at (818) 761-0161. This will be a good starter instrument for someone that does not already have a telescope. �

Astronomy Magazine Subscription Rate Changes

For those that subscribe to Astronomy Magazine through the LAAS, the rate has gone up to $35 a year. �

Inside this issue

Featured Article—The Milky Way ······························1,6-10 Contact Information ···············································2 Editor’s Message ··················································2 Public Star Party Information ····································3 3rd Annual S. Cal Astronomy Expo ····························4 Mt Wilson Nights ·················································5 New Members Event ··············································5 Moon and Venus (image) ·········································11 Alternate Route to Observatory ·································12 Sky & Telescope Renewal News ································13 Monterey Park Observatory Map ·······························13 Griffith Fire (image) ··············································13 Loaner Corner ·····················································14 Events Calendar ··················································15 Astronomy Subscription Rate Change ··························16 LAAS Yahoo Group: How to Join ······························16 Fre4e Telescope ···················································16 Membership Information ·········································16

LOS ANGELES ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY

BULLETIN volume 81, issue 7 July 2007


The Milky WayThe Milky WayThe Milky WayThe Milky Way By Tim ThompsonBy Tim ThompsonBy Tim Thompson

Torrent of light and river of air, Along whose bed the glimmering stars are seen

Like gold and silver sands in some ravine Where mountain streams have left their channels bare!

From “The Galaxy”, a sonnet by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The summer months bring a return of our very own galaxy, the Milky Way. Henry (Continued on page 6)

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