Roanoke Valley Astronomical Society · p.m. there will be a “Supermoon” Total Lunar Eclipse....
Transcript of Roanoke Valley Astronomical Society · p.m. there will be a “Supermoon” Total Lunar Eclipse....
Volume 32—Number 10 October 2015
Roanoke Valley Astronomical
Society Amateur Astronomy News and Views
In Southwestern Virginia
RVAS NL— October 2015— Pg 1 of 10
The September 21st monthly meeting was opened with
24 members and 6 guests present at 7:32 p.m. by Club
president, Dan Chrisman, who told all present that it
was his third meeting as president, and reminded the
members that “the third time is the charm”. Dan
acknowledged our special guest, Mr. Jim Rollings, cur-
rent director of the Science Museum of Western Vir-
ginia (SMWV), and our guest speaker, Mr. Nick Ander-
son, a student at Virginia Tech.
As the first order of business, Dan invited Jim Rollings
to the front of the room and asked Frank Baratta to
make a presentation on behalf of the RVAS member-
ship. In appreciation of Mr. Rollings’ interest, support
and friendship shown to RVAS over the years, Frank
presented Mr. Rollings with a plaque signifying an Hon-
orary Membership to Mr. Rollings, conferring all the
benefits of membership that other members receive,
including membership in the Astronomical League. In
accepting the plaque and RVAS membership Mr. Rol-
lings acknowledged that our own Mark Hodges, being
associated with both SMWV and RVAS, was instrumen-
tal in binding the SMWV/RVAS relationship.
Following the presentation Dan Chrisman made several
announcements regarding upcoming events, including:
9/26, 10 a.m.-12 noon, solar observing led by Frank
Baratta at the Virginia Science Festival at SMWV;
9/27, 8-12 p.m., total lunar eclipse public viewing at
VWCC hosted by Dr. John Anderson; 10/3, Virginia
Association of Astronomical Societies (VAAS) confer-
ence at UVA Charlottesville; 10/3, RVAS public observ-
ing event; 10/9 Cahas Messier observing hosted by
Rand Bowden; and 10/10, RVAS annual picnic/star par-
(Meeting Continued on page 2)
September RVAS Meeting Notes
Dark Energy……………So, what’s
the speed of Dark, anyway? By Bill Dillon, Secretary
Retiring Science Museum Director Jim Rollings is awarded an
Honorary Membership in the Society by RVAS Past President
Frank Baratta.
Photo by Carolyn Baratta
The Roanoke Valley Astronomical Society is a membership organization of amateur astronomers dedicated to the pursuit of observational and photographic astronomical activities. Meetings are held at 7:30 p.m. on the third Monday of each month. See calendar on last page of news-
letter for location. Meetings are open to the public. Observing sessions are held one or two weekends a month at a dark-sky site. Yearly dues are: Individual, $20.00; Senior Individual, $18.00; Family, $25.00; Senior Family, $22.00; Student, $10.00. Articles, quotes, etc. published in the
newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views of the RVAS or its editor.
Officers/Executive Committee/Editor/Webmaster Dan Chrisman, President ([email protected] )
Rand Bowden, Vice President ([email protected]) Bill Dillon, Secretary ([email protected]) Jeff Suhr, Treasurer ([email protected])
Carol Mesimer, Member at Large ([email protected])
Michael Good, Immediate Past President ([email protected]) Frank Baratta, Past President ([email protected])
David E. Thomas, RVAS Newsletter Editor ([email protected])
Roger Pommerenke & David E. Thomas, Webmaster ([email protected])
RVAS web page: http://rvasclub.org
RVAS NL— October 2015— Pg 2 of 10
ty (and October meeting) at Apple Ridge Farm at Cop-
per Hill from 3 p.m. to well after dark, weather permit-
ting.
Observing reports were next on the agenda, headlined
by Paul Caffrey’s roughly 9-hour odyssey to and from
Micaville NC to attempt to record asteroid
2001QM137 occulting Delta Aquarii. With all the right
equipment, help from some members of the Blue Ridge
Astronomy Group (a non-Astronomical League-
affiliated club for Yancy County and the Toe River,
North Carolina, http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/
group/blueridgeastronomygroup), and dark skies “all the
way to the horizon”, in Paul’s words “2001QM137 was
uncooperative so we recorded a miss. But we still had a
great observing session.” Rand Bowden spoke briefly
about the latest Messier observing session, and Jeff
Suhr discussed his recent trip west and his serendipi-
tous visits to Meteor Crater and the Lowell Observa-
tory, the “Home of Pluto”.
Next up was Frank Baratta’s “What’s Up”, highlighting
the near and deep sky from September 21, 2015 to Oc-
tober 18, 2015. During this period, Fall skies begin to
fill our main viewing area, with many constellations con-
nected with water, such as Aquarius, Capricornus, Ce-
tus, and Pisces. Planet viewing is tough at this time
with Saturn the only naked eye planet of the evening.
There will be a Last Quarter Moon on October 4th, with
Cahas observing on the 2nd and 3rd. On October 12th
there will be a New Moon, with Cahas observing on the
9th and 10th. Frank next gave us some interesting tidbits
and challenges for the coming few weeks. We all experi-
enced the Fall or autumnal equinox at
4:21 a.m. on September 23rd. On September 27th at 8:12
p.m. there will be a “Supermoon” Total Lunar Eclipse.
This one is special as the Moon will be at its closest per-
igee for 2015 at 55.95 Earth-radii distance. Frank very
nicely described with a slide the timing of the Moon’s
path and through the Penumbra and Umbra of the
eclipse.
Frank then challenged us with some tough observations.
The first is 4 Vesta, the brightest of the asteroids,
shining at magnitude 5.99 as it reaches opposition on
(Meeting Continued from page 1)
(Meeting Continued on page 4)
Paul Caffrey informs and amuses everyone about his recent
occultation timing activity, “A 9-hour trip for a one-second
event that didn’t happen!” he quipped.
Photo by Carolyn Baratta
RVAS NL— October 2015— Pg 3 of 10
June 28, 2015 June 29, 2015
June 29, 2015
For Sale (Will consider partial trade for 10-12" Dobsonian telescope)
Losmandy GM-8 S mount, with an extra 7 lb weight: $1,000.00 negotiable
Losmandy DV 13.5" dovetail plate, $25.00
Losmandy DVCM 2 - 3-axis 360° piggyback camera mount, $75.00
Losmandy DVR 108 - 108mm guide scope rings, $60.00
Contact Gary Hatfield at 540-397-2524 or e-mail [email protected].
ANNUAL RVAS PICNIC AND STAR PARTY Saturday, October 10th, 3:00 p.m. until???
Apple Ridge Farm, Copper Hill, VA.
It’s time once again for our annual fall event for RVAS members and their families—an afternoon and evening
of enjoyment that you don’t want to miss!!!. There’ll be food, fun and friends, along with prize drawings and
solar viewing and stargazing, weather permitting. Bring a covered dish, salad or dessert for our table. The
burgers, hot dogs, and beverages are provided by the RVAS.
Haven’t signed up yet? There’s still time. Just call the Message Line, 540-774-5651, and provide your name,
phone number, number of adults, teens and children coming and the food item(s) you’re bringing.
Need directions? Google Apple Ridge Farm, 9230 Pine Forest Rd, Copper Hill, VA 24079.
Reminder: This event takes the place of our October monthly meeting! The next regular monthly meeting will
be November 16th, in Classroom A, third floor, Center on Church, downtown Roanoke.
September 28th. Approximately 2o E toward the horizon
from zeta Cet, you’ll find 4 Vesta nestled in a “V”
formed by three stars of approximately 7th magnitude.
On October 4th, 10th magnitude Comet 22P Kopff ap-
pears just 0.13o N of 0.6 magnitude Saturn which will
be 15o high in the W at 8 p.m. And on the 8th of October
at 5:45 a.m. there will appear a very nice celestial line-
up of the waning crescent Moon, Venus (with Regulus
about 2.5o to its left), Mars and Jupiter, low in the
East just before morning twilight.
As there were no questions for Frank, Dan quickly and
smoothly transitioned to a Garrison Keillor-inspired in-
troduction of our guest speaker for the evening, Mr.
Nick Anderson. A former president of the Astronomy
Club of Virginia Tech, author of several articles on cut-
ting edge astronomy topics for another Astronomy
Club’s newsletter, the recipient of a Master Observer
Award from the Astronomical League and an “about to
graduate early” undergraduate student in physics at
Virginia Tech, Nick came to speak to RVAS about “Dark
Energy and Our Evidence for the Accelerated Expan-
sion of the Universe”, a deep topic to cover to be sure,
especially with a 35 minute time limit, Nick painted the
topic with broad brush strokes, creatively presented in
such a way as to whet the appetites of the meeting at-
tendees for follow-on questions.
Nick’s presentation touched on the life cycle of the
Sun, the Chandrasekhar limit, the Hertzsprung-Russell
diagram, type 1a supernovae, the inverse square law for
light, Hubble’s law describing the expansion of the Uni-
verse, the results of a type 1a supernova survey, the
estimated energy distribution of the Universe, and last-
ly, four future models of the Universe to include,
“accelerating”, “coasting”, “critical”, and “re-
collapsing”.
Leaving plenty of time for questions, there were several
for Nick. Members asked about the correlation between
early Universe expansion and current models of acceler-
ated expansion; Dark Energy/Dark Matter relation-
ships; antimatter; the uniformity of expansion and
whether expansion is an essential property of space; and
whether Dark Energy is directly related to the volume
of space.
All of the questions were deftly handled by Nick, and he
left us all with a thought provoking statement that,
“Theoretical Cosmology experimentation can, and often
does, result in bizarre results”, presumably leaving us
with we don’t know what we don’t know!
At the conclusion of Nick’s presentation, Dan Chrisman
thanked him and presented him with the infamous Goss-
delivered, Baratta-prepared, chocolate-filled, limited-
edition RVAS coffee mug.
Dan concluded the meeting at 9:03 p.m.
(Meeting Continued from page 2)
RVAS President Dan Chrisman confers upon our guest speaker,
Nick Anderson, the coveted Order of the Mug, replete with
chocolates to aid his journey home.
Photo by Carolyn Baratta
Club members share travel stories while awaiting their
pre-meeting meal.
Photo by Dan Chrisman
RVAS NL— October 2015— Pg 4 of 10
RVAS NL— October 2015— Pg 5 of 10
MESSIER PROGRAM OBSERVING
The Messier objects for October are: M11, M16, M17,
M18, M24, M25, M26, M55, and M75.
The observing session will be held at 8:15, Friday October
9th. at Cahas knob overlook, MP 139 on the parkway.
Club members are welcome to join in the Messier hunt at
any time. (Using a scope or binoculars)
Use Our Message Line!
Want to check whether anyone is getting out on a scheduled observing session night or share that you’re
planning to do so? Have questions about the club or need its assistance? Call the RVAS Message Line, 540-
774-5651, and leave a message or listen for any information available.
RVAS NL— October 2015— Pg 6 of 10
RVAS 25 years ago
In October of 1990, Club members were lamenting “the
wash-out of one observing session after another due to
cloud cover.” (Imagine that?!) The Newsletter reported
that according to the Astronomical Companion, by Guy
Ottewell, the “mean percentage of sky covered by cloud
in daylight hours” is lowest in October, which according
to the National Climatic Center in 1990 means that for
Roanoke on average “only 49%” of our days are cloud-
covered, with January the highest at about 63% and all
other months averaging percentages anywhere from the
mid to high 50s. (Oh woe is us!)
It was reported that the featured speaker for the No-
vember meeting would be Dr. Laurence Frederick of the
Astronomy Department, University of Virginia. It was
also reported that Carl Sagan would be appearing at the
University of Virginia. Presented by the Planetary Soci-
ety, the American Astronomical Society and the Univer-
sity, Dr. Sagan’s program was entitled “A Pale Blue Dot:
Exploring Other Worlds and Protecting this One.”
In an effort to recruit more members to RVAS, the
Club was offering current members a $7.50 credit to-
ward membership dues with each “new” full-member
successfully recruited.
RVAS 10 years ago In October 2005, RVAS was gearing up to host the
VAAS convention on November 5, 2005. RVAS vice-
president, Mike Overacker, was encouraging all mem-
bers to help with, personally support and promote the
event with friends, acquaintances and the teachers of
the children or grandchildren of members.
Katherine Hix, Club president, reported on a lecture at
Sweet Briar College, attended by several RVAS mem-
bers, given by Brian Greene, theoretical physicist at
Columbia University, and author of The Elegant Uni-
verse and The Fabric of the Cosmos. In addition to
Katherine, Mike Overacker, Paul Caffrey, John Goss,
Isaac Campbell and Fred Hoffman were present. Kathe-
rine goes on in the article to describe the historical
events related by Greene, beginning with Newton and
how they fit into the string hypothesis.
John Goss reported on the Club’s recently purchased a
Coronado MaxScope 40, a solar telescope. The article
goes on to describe the operation of the scope and the
views it can safely give an observer. The scope is availa-
ble to members for conducting daytime outreach pro-
grams.
The Newsletter reported that the annual RVAS picnic,
at the Franklin County Recreational Park on September
24th was “a non-viewing success” (what a surprise!). Afer
everyone had fully stuffed themselves, a short but
complete business meeting was held. A good time was
had by all (sans observing).
RVAS from the past By Bill Dillon
Get Connected!
Want to be more in touch with other RVAS members? Join the RVAS Yahoo Group! Share
last-minute observing plans, articles, ideas, astrophotos—you name it. You’ll need to have or
create a Yahoo email address. Click the link below. Once logged in, provide the information
requested, including your real name since the group is only for members and those invited.
You’ll receive an acknowledgement from the moderator.
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/RVAS_Club/info
For assistance, call the RVAS Message Line (540-774-5651). We’ll have you connected in no
time!
RVAS NL— October 2015— Pg 7 of 10
Member Observation
During the Lunar eclipse of September 27/28, at 0028 EDT, there was a momentary thinning of the cloud
cover which allowed me to get a quick shot of the Lunar disk almost clear of the shadow umbra.
Photo by Dave Thomas
Thanks to Alan Hale at the South County Library for the data.
RVAS NL— October 2015— Pg 8 of 10
RVAS Library Telescope Loan Program
Utilization on 9/25/2015
Click here for more info
Location Currently
loaned?
Patrons
Waiting
Total Times
Loaned
Date Available to Patrons
Blue Ridge Yes 16 58 6/7/2012
Gainsboro Yes 1 9 4/23/2015
South County Yes 1 19 9/22/2014
Williamson Road Yes 5 15 10/6/2014
Welcome Mat
The Society bids a warm and cordial welcome to Peter and Betty-Paige Rosenfeld, of Roanoke County, who joined
in September with a Family Membership. A Navy veteran originally from New York City, Pete’s a radiologist at
Lewis Gale Hospital; Betty-Paige is from Newport News and is a homemaker. The Rosenfelds have lived in Roa-
noke for 14 years, having moved here following Pete’s completion of a fellowship at the Mayo Clinic. They learned
about the club by searching the web and checking out our website. Pete says that he and Betty-Paige are both
astronomy beginners (“underlined and asterisked,” he notes) who are interested in learning more and having fun.
Other than binoculars, they don’t as yet own any equipment and want to gain from others’ experience before pur-
chasing a telescope. Among Pete’s interests is mountain climbing, an activity that has less pull on Betty-Paige,
though together they have scaled the famed Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest peak. “She’s the runner of the fami-
ly,” according to Pete. Both enjoy traveling.
Pete and Betty-Paige, we’re glad to have you with us, and we hope to meet you soon at a meeting or other club ac-
tivity. You’ll find many of your fellow RVAS members more than ready to share their knowledge and views
through their equipment as you explore amateur astronomy.
2015 VAAS Conference Virginia Association of Astronomical Societies
This event is open to all amateur astronomers and astronomy educators
Saturday, October 3, 2015
National Radio Astronomy Observatory Headquarters
on the grounds of the University of Virginia
Schedule (subject to change)
8:45-9:00 Welcome
9:00 - 9:50 Alan Aylward – Auroras and Atmospheric Observing
10:00 -10:50 Rob Capon – Robotic Telescopes and Automated Observing
11:00 -1:00 Lunch and vendor tables/swap tables
1:00 - 1:50 Shanil Virani – James Madison University Planetarium
2:00 - 2:50 Ed Murphy and Ricky Patterson – History of Astronomy at UVA
3:00 - 3:50 David DeVorkin – History of Modern Astronomy
4:00 - 4:30 Closing remarks & Door Prize Drawing
7:00 – 10:00 Open House and Observing at McCormick Observatory
Door Prizes have been donated by:
Astronomy Magazine – year subscription
Explore Scientific - TBA
Oceanside Photo and Telescope – Celestron binoculars
The Planetary Society – Planetary Radio Swag
Sky and Telescope Magazine – Pocket Sky Atlas and Binocular Highlights
Starlight Instruments – $100.00 gift certificate
Registration is $10.00
(pre-registration before 10/3 – 2 tickets for Door Prize drawing)
More information and to register: http://cvilleastro.com/vaas-2015/
Questions, contact Steve Layman [email protected]
RVAS NL— October 2015— Pg 9 of 10
RVAS NL— October 2015— Pg 10 of 10
Monthly Calendar
ANNUAL RVAS PICNIC AND STAR PARTY: Saturday, October 10th, 3:00 p.m., Apple Ridge Farm, Cop-
per Hill, VA. Our annual bash for RVAS members and their families, which takes the place of our regular
monthly meeting! It’s an afternoon and evening of food, fun and friends, with prize drawings and solar viewing
and stargazing, weather permitting. Bring a covered dish, salad or dessert for our table. Burgers, hot dogs, and
beverages provided by the RVAS. There’s still time for members to sign up. Call the Message Line, 540-774-
5651; provide your name, phone number, number of adults, teens and children coming and the food item(s) you’re
bringing.
RVAS WEEKEND OBSERVING OPPORTUNITIES: Unless otherwise indicated, observing is held at Cahas Knob
Overlook, milepost 139 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
-- Friday and Saturday, October 2nd and 3rd. Sunset is at 7:01 p.m. Astronomical twilight ends at 8:28p.m. The
Moon rises at 10:47 and 11:40 p.m., respectively. (Note: October 3rd is the annual VAAS gathering, this year in
Charlottesville.)
-- Friday and Saturday, October 9th and 10th. Sunset is at 6:51 p.m. Astronomical twilight ends at 8:18 p.m.
The Moon sets at 5:16 and 5:47 p.m., respectively. (Note: October 10th is the annual RVAS picnic and star par-
ty for members and their families. See above.)
-- Friday and Saturday, October 30th and 31st. Sunset is at 6:24 p.m. Astronomical twilight ends at 7:52 p.m.
The Moon rises at 9:27 and 10:23 p.m., respectively.
-- Future Sessions: November 6th and 7th; November 13th and 14th.
ROANOKE CITY PARKS and RECREATION PUBLIC STARGAZE: Saturday, October 3rd, 7:45 p.m., Carvin’s
Cover Boat Landing. (Note change of viewing location.) Nonmembers must register with Parks & Rec. at 540-
853-2236. Members can call 540-774-5651 for information. (Next session: November 7th, 6:00 p.m., Cahas Knob
Overlook, milepost 139, Blue Ridge Parkway.)
Astro-Quiz
The Sun has a complex structure composed of many zones and layers. When we observe sunspots through a
properly equipped telescope, what layer of that structure are we seeing?
Answer to Last Month’s Quiz: From 1603 to 1801, four celestial cartographers produced what are generally
considered the “Great” atlases of the heavens: Bayer (1603), Hevelius (1690, published posthumously), Flamsteed
(1729, also published posthumously) and Bode (1801). While striking for their ornate constellation figures over-
laid on the stars, all displayed their stars as dark symbols against a white or light background. Departing from
this approach, in 1799, German born Christian Friedrich Goldbach published his volume of 56 maps, containing
10,500 stars shown as white dots against a black background, as if one were looking at the night sky. Have an an-
swer to this month’s quiz (or a future question and answer to suggest)? E-mail it to [email protected]!