Volume 30—Number 10 October 2013

Roanoke Valley Astronomical

Society Amateur Astronomy News and Views

In Southwestern Virginia

RVAS NL— October 2013— Pg 1 of 12

It seemed as if it might be a carbon copy of last year’s

event. It almost was, but in some ways it was more!

On Saturday, September 28th, the RVAS held its 2013

picnic and star party for our members and their fami-

lies. For the second consecutive year the gathering

place was the Claytor Nature Study Center, about 5

miles northwest of Bedford. It’s a beautiful location

and fits our group’s needs extremely well. And this

year’s attendance was even better than last year’s—and

last year’s had been the best in quite awhile!

In all, 39 people turned out for our event. That’s a

(Picnic Continued on page 3)

This year’s RVAS Picnic and Star Party participants. Also attending but not seen in the photo were Carol Mesimer and Rick Rader.

Photo by Dave Thomas

RVAS Annual Picnic and Star Party

A Grand Time Had by All

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 Frank Baratta, President (president@rvasclub.org )

Sharon Stinnette, Vice President (vicepresident@rvasclub.org)

Rick Rader, Secretary (secretary@rvasclub.org)

Jeff Suhr, Treasurer (treasurer@rvasclub.org)

Carol Mesimer, Member at Large (memberatlarge@rvasclub.org)

Michael Good, Immediate Past President (immediatepastpresident@rvasclub.org)

Paul Caffrey, Past President (pastpresident@rvasclub.org)

David E. Thomas, RVAS Newsletter Editor (editor@rvasclub.org)

Roger Pommerenke & David E. Thomas, Webmaster (webmaster@rvasclub.org)

RVAS web page: http://rvasclub.org

RVAS NL— October 2013— Pg 2 of 12

Isn’t that just the way it goes? With amateur astrono-

my, just a few hours can make all the difference.

After rising each morning, before doing anything else, I

almost always peek through the bedroom window blinds

to check how the sky looks. It’s a habit I acquired a

long time ago, when I was fresh into amateur astronomy.

Sunday, the day after the RVAS annual picnic and star

party, I followed suit and was greeted by a sky that was

deep blue and virtually cloudless.

Now in the kitchen and starting the morning coffee

brewing—mostly decaf these days—the view of blue

through its window set me thinking: It might only have

been 10 hours, perhaps only 8. That was the difference

between this morning’s blue skies having been last

night’s. That was the difference between an opportuni-

ty to observe—between getting to connect with the

night sky—and not.

In “stream of consciousness” fashion, I was shifted

back into a particularly vivid memory typical of those

earlier years of being an amateur astronomer. Back

then, my work often entailed traveling Route 460 from

Roanoke to Lynchburg. This particular memory was of

doing so on a Friday, a third quarter Friday—an

“observing” Friday. And that morning, the mountains

seen through my kitchen window had been etched

against a deep blue, cloudless sky, an indicator of low

humidity and the possibility of a gloriously transparent

night to come! As I cruised down 460, through

Montvale and onward towards Bedford, the last thing on

my mind was work. I was pumped at the thought of get-

ting out under the stars that night! My mental images

now are like still-lifes of that blue sky framed against

sets of backgrounds along that road.

Actually, I don’t recall if I did get out that night,

whether the weather held through the day or not. But

I do recall the excitement of anticipating that I would.

That was a feeling powerful enough to ensure I’d retain

that mental imagery and emotional content all these

years. Familiarity with that feeling so many times over

the intervening years has moderated its “rush” to some

extent, but I still feel it when the sky is like that on a

scheduled club observing date.

I know I’m not unique in this sensation. I’ve heard other

members, especially some of our newer ones, sound ea-

ger about stargazing and deflated to learn that no is

doing so on a promising observing night. I think it’s par-

ticularly important to nurture that eagerness, to keep

promoting the opportunities for being out under the

stars. The key is having “observing buddies”—others

who want to join in.

(Message Continued on page 4)

President’s Message

In Just a Matter of Hours

RVAS NL— October 2013— Pg 3 of 12

great show of support from our club, whose total mem-

berships have been hovering in the mid-50s. As usual,

there were more hamburgers, hot dogs, side dishes, sal-

ads and desserts than the crowd could possibly con-

sume. And it all looked delicious. Our grill chefs—Paul

Caffrey, Fred Davis and Jeff Suhr—had the burgers

and hot dogs ready right about 5:00 p.m., as planned,

and everyone was eager to dig in. Funny how the “dinner

bell” focuses everyone’s attention!

Following our picnic dinner, it was time for our door

prize drawings. As usual, there was a great line up of

prizes, from certificates for astronomy accessories and

free club memberships to books, wall calendars and ever

-popular RVAS mugs. RVAS president Frank Baratta

led the drawing, randomly asking picnickers to draw a

star name “ticket” from his little tin bucket. Prize win-

ners included Brian Bowman, Paul Caffrey, Dan Chris-

man, Penny Dudley, Genevieve Goss, Katie Hannah,

Larry Hill, Josh Jones, Robin Jones, Charlotte Parrish,

Molly Simpson, Tom Skelly, Sharon Stinnette, Beverly

Suhr, Dave Thomas and Randolph Walker. Congratula-

tions to the winners! And thanks to members Genevieve

and John Goss and Vipin Trivedi, along with Guy Ot-

tewell and the Universal Workshop, Lumicon Interna-

tional and the RVAS, who provided the door prizes!

New for this year’s event were plans to observe the

night sky with the 20-inch Ritchey-Chrétien telescope

at the Belk Astronomical Observatory, also located on

the Center’s grounds. This is a research-quality instru-

ment available to the faculty and students of Lynchburg

College, which owns the Center, including the observato-

ry. The observatory features a 177-square-foot dome

housing the primary telescope, a single-story structure

with an insulated control room and other sections, in-

cluding an unheated, roll-off roof area equipped with

piers for mounting smaller telescopes, and an outer con-

crete deck with additional piers.

Unfortunately, this is where the weather departed

from what we experienced last year. Whereas last year

the overcast skies broke in our favor, this year they

didn’t. Though promising openings in the clouds did ap-

pear, they would reclose and were, in any event, insuffi-

cient to permit a genuine observing evening. Because

visual use of the 20-inch telescope requires equipment

adjustments, the decision was made to forgo the

planned session, though to continue with a tour of the

observatory.

About half of the picnickers stayed on for the tour and

at 7:00 p.m. caravanned to the facility. There, Dr. Mi-

chael Solontoi, Director of the Observatory, Dr. Neal

Sumerlin, former Director, and Docents Mike Overack-

er, Katherine Hix and Douglas Smith awaited. Breaking

up the picnickers into three tour groups, Dr. Sumerlin

introduced each group in turn to the overall facility,

while the Docents circulated and remained available to

answer questions. Dr. Sumerlin explained that, with

(Picnic Continued from page 1)

(Picnic Continued on page 4)

RVAS picnickers enjoy the camaraderie and tasty fare

at mealtime.

Photo by John Goss

RVAS President Frank Baratta calls out the next

winning star name in the door prize drawings.

Photo by Carolyn Baratta

RVAS NL— October 2013— Pg 4 of 12

the arrival of Dr. Solontoi, Belk was placing further em-

phasis on research, while continuing its ongoing focus on

outreach and education, which was his forte, especially

reaching children. He traced the latter to his own

childhood experience, when his great-grandmother al-

lowed him to stay up late to watch the Perseid meteor

shower with her, an event that flowered into his future

career.

Following Dr. Sumerlin’s introduction, tour groups pro-

ceeded to the dome, where Dr. Solontoi described the

observatory’s primary instrument, known as the Marga-

ret G. L. Gilbert telescope. This is an RC Optical Sys-

tems 20-inch Truss Ritchey-Chrétien telescope, the

same optical design as today’s premier telescopes, in-

cluding the Hubble Space Telescope. It’s equipped with

a CCD camera for astrophotography and is connected to

the Lynchburg College campus via Internet, making it

one of the best-equipped observatories in the state. As

it happened, the clouds thinned sufficiently to provide

Dr. Solontoi an opportunity to focus the telescope on

M31, the Great Galaxy in Andromeda, and give the tour-

goers a view. Notwithstanding the sub-par conditions,

suggestions of the galaxy’s spiral arms could be detect-

ed. Thereafter, the group enjoyed Q&A time with Dr.

Solontoi.

Meanwhile, some members had set up their own instru-

ments on the observatory grounds. Clark Thomas had

brought his newly repaired 16-inch Dobsonian reflector;

Chris Wade had his 10-inch SCT; and Mark Hodges had

his 66-mm refractor. In addition, Mike Good set up his

11x80 binoculars. All attempted to view whatever could

be seen in the limited skies. But by 9:30 most everyone

was heading home from the Center.

Perhaps the most curious occurrence happened before

all had done so. In the

grass and bordering the

gravel parking area near

the observatory, glowing

lights could be seen. Char-

lotte Parrish scooped up

one of the bioluminescent

objects and found it to be a larva of some sort (later

determined to be—we think—firefly larvae). “It’s like

looking at stars on the ground,” she observed. On a day

when few could be seen above, it was a fitting end our

2013 event.

Thanks to all who attended, and special thanks to Drs.

Solontoi and Sumerlin, to the Belk Docents and to Cen-

ter Director Greg Eaton and Facilities Manager Dan

Miles for graciously giving their time and effort to help

the RVAS have a most enjoyable afternoon and evening!

(Picnic Continued from page 3)

The Belk Astronomical

Observatory and its 20-

inch Ritchey-Chrétien

instrument. Lynchburg

College images.

One thing is certain, there’s nothing quite like having a

group of observers together on a clear night. It pro-

duces a synergy that—by definition—is not reproducible

by or through the devices of our increasingly virtual

interactions. It’s a characteristic solely the province

of astronomy clubs.

The next scheduled observing evening, call the RVAS

Message Line at 540-774-5651 to announce whether

you plan to get out for observing and where, or to find

out about such plans so you can hook up with others.

You can also alert others to your plans through the

RVAS Yahoo Group. If you’re not yet a Group member

and would like to be, let me know and we’ll get you con-

nected!

Frank Baratta

(Message Continued from page 2)

RVAS NL— October 2013— Pg 5 of 12

October 21st Meeting

Classroom A, 3rd Floor

Center on Church

20 E. Church Avenue SE

Roanoke, VA

Center on Church is located at 20 E. Church

in downtown Roanoke, across from a parking

garage. Parking is available there (at a cost

of $3.00) or on-street. Enter the building

through the double doors shown in the im-

age at left. Take the elevator to the 3rd

floor. Exit the elevator, turn left and con-

tinue down the hall to Classroom A, which

will be on the right.

WELCOME MAT

The Society bids a warm and cordial welcome to Mark and Mary Erickson, of Roanoke, who joined the RVAS at

the August meeting. Born in Massachusetts, Mark’s a pipefitter with the Norfolk Southern Railroad and has

lived in Roanoke for more than 46 years. Mary’s a native Virginian from the Blacksburg/Radford area and is a

sales associate at Wal-Mart. The Ericksons have 4 grown children and are virtually empty nesters. Both are

experienced, published photographers, and have earned awards for their images, including at the recent Salem

Fair. In fact, one of their motivations for joining the RVAS is to connect with astrophotographers in the RVAS

so they can learn about this facet of astronomy and expand their imaging skills. Mark and Mary love to be on

the road and hope to combine astrophotography with their travels.

Mark and Mary, we’re glad to have you with us! And connecting you with other astrophotographers in the club

through our Yahoo Group may be just what you need. Thanks, again, for joining!

RVAS NL— October 2013— Pg 6 of 12

On Friday night, September 6th, at 11:27 p.m. the Lunar

Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE)

lifted off from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility at Wal-

lops Island, on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, the first-ever

moon mission launch from the Commonwealth. LADEE

is taking a roundabout path to the moon, first making

three huge laps around Earth. It’s scheduled to arrive

at the moon in 30 days, then enter lunar orbit. NASA

announced prior to the launch that it would be visible,

weather permitting, as far south as South Carolina, as

far north as Maine and as far west as Pittsburgh.

Locally, a number of members were able to observe and

even photograph LADEE as it climbed into the atmos-

phere, including what appeared to be a rocket stage

separation. One member was even fortunate enough to

be close at hand to the Wallops facility at the time of

the launch. Here are the reports we’ve received.

Scott Adkins – I was lucky enough to be invited to the

NASA Social meet and was 2 miles from the rocket for

the launch. I hope you can see the blurry image of the

Minotaur launch I got from my old camera! I uploaded

the video to http://youtu.be/wB7bvzmLSqQ.

Genevieve Goss – I began watching at 11:20pm when I

saw a NASA tweet that said “T-7minutes, all systems

Go for launch.” Although I had previously thought that

the 7º altitude would probably keep me from being able

to see it due to the summer tree canopy and the hilly

terrain, the NASA message “spoke” to me, so I began

looking. Just past 11:27, I saw what looked like a red

light at our neighbor's house. Instantly, it arced high-

er and turned more flame-y orange. Just when I

thought it was over (sort of like watching a great big

Iridium flare), there was a white flash and LADEE con-

tinued to be visible. Again, when I thought it was out

of view, it reappeared with more of a faint orange col-

or and continued.

Mark Hodges – It was fun to see. I stayed at work

and watched from the 7th floor of Center in the

Square. Except for the downtown lights, it was plainly

visible. I did manage to get a couple of shots and saw

the first stage burnout and then the second stage ig-

nite. Pretty Cool!

Mary Crouch – Aw, man!! I left [the observing group at

Cahas Mt. Overlook] too soon!! That's super disappoint-

ing . . . BUT I had such a great time just getting out

under the stars once again at Cahas with a great group

of folks!! See y'all at the picnic!

Sharon Stinnette and Fred Davis – We had a good

view of the eastern sky from a hilltop in our neighbor-

hood in Southwest Roanoke. We observed the rocket

as a reddish-orange object rising vertically above the

horizon around 11:29 pm. Observing with binoculars,

we could see the vapor trail behind it. After about a

minute, the trajectory changed and we continued to

see the rocket and vapor trail for another couple of

minutes. As we watched, it disappeared briefly and

then reappeared with a bright flash of light, which we

interpreted to be the firing of a second-stage engine.

Eventually, it faded out of sight. Our total observing

time was about 4 minutes. We have toured NASA’s

facility at Wallops Island on Virginia’s Eastern Shore,

so we could visualize the setting for the launch. Aside

from the “wow” factor of witnessing the launch of a

rocket bound for the Moon, we appreciate the histori-

cal significance of this event. The Roanoke Times cov-

(LADEE Continued on page 7)

Liftoff Visible Locally

Members Report LADEE Sightings

LADEE launch from Wallops Island, Virginia

NASA/Carla Cioffi

RVAS NL— October 2013— Pg 7 of 12

erage indicated that the launch was the first lunar mis-

sion to leave from Virginia. The fact that the rocket

was built by a Virginia-based aerospace company deep-

ens the Virginia connection.

Paul Caffrey – I was so amazed I forgot to look in my

binoculars for the first 30 seconds! [Paul was observing

at Cahas. Former RVAS member and past president

Mike Overacker was standing next to Paul and captured

an image of the event – see above – that WDBJ’s Brent

Watts picked up on his blog on Tumblr.com. Here’s the

link: http://brentwatts.tumblr.com/

post/60542151391/the-ladee-launch-from-wallops-

island-was-visible.]

Thanks to all who provided their LADEE sightings – and

condolences to Mary Crouch for missing the show!

(LADEE Continued from page 6)

The LADEE launch seen from Cahas Mountain Overlook, milepost

139 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Photo by Mike Overacker

Friday night October 11 is the annual

"Wine, Moon, and Stars" at Virginia

Mountain Vineyards near Fincastle.

(http://www.vmvines.com) RVASers

are invited to bring telescopes, just

as we have in the past few years. The

people attending really enjoy the ce-

lestial views and this is a great

chance to connect with the public.

Plus, RVAS members with telescopes get in free.

(Sorry, you still must purchase your own bottles of

wine!)

Sunset: 6:46 p.m.

Moon: First Quarter in the south at 7 p.m.

Even with the Moon in the sky, it should

still be dark enough to target a number

of interesting deep sky objects. Saturn

will likely be too low in the southwest to

be visible.

The rain date is the following night Sat-

urday October 12.

Last year, the RVAS was in force with ten telescopes,

which was fortunate because there were over 200

Moon, Wine, and Stargazers! You are welcome to partic-

ipate in this fun event. If you are interested, please let

John Goss know.

Wine, Moon, and Stars and the RVAS

RVAS NL— October 2013— Pg 8 of 12

NOVAC hosts VAAS

Saturday October 5

The 2013 Virginia Association of Astronomical Societies (VAAS) gathering takes

place on Saturday October 5th, 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM at C. M. Crockett Park near

Warrenton, Virginia. It's hosted by the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club

(NOVAC) in combination with its Star Gaze program.

It's a FREE EVENT, except for the park entrance fee of $6.00 per car. REGIS-

TRATION IS REQUIRED. You can register at http://www.novac.com/wp/

vaas/. You can get more information about the Star Gaze program, including di-

rections to the park, at www.novac.com/wp/outreach/stargaze/.

Sign in will begin at 8:30 AM on the 5th accompanied by a light breakfast. At

9:45 NOVAC President Phil Wherry will welcome attendees and then we will have

two presentations plus a round-table discussion on amateur astronomy by VAAS

members with participation from the audience. All presentations will take place

rain or shine in our large tent adjoining the observing field.

NOVAC will have lunch catered beginning at 12:00 PM. VAAS attendees will be on

their own for dinner but we will have hand outs at our club tent that list a num-

ber of fine eateries in the area. Star Gaze begins at 3 PM and VAAS attendees

are welcome to attend three more presentations and interact with our public

guests.

Please contact John Goss or Rick Rader if you wish to carpool from Daleville.

We will leave at 6 a.m. Yep, that's right - 6 a.m.!

RVAS NL— October 2013— Pg 9 of 12

The first weekend in September provided an opportuni-

ty for some excellent observing. With the new moon on

Thursday, September 5, and crisp, clear, blue-sky days

on Friday and Saturday, the conditions were just right

for astronomy on the Parkway. So it seems unbelievable

that I had to force myself to get up and get out there.

On Friday evening, after a busy week, I had just settled

on the porch with the newspaper when Fred suggested

we needed to load the truck if we wanted to set up the

telescope before dark at Milepost 139. Load the

what??? Drive where??? But I just sat down with the

paper! I confess I had inertia to overcome. Besides,

after months of clouds and rain, the notion of viewing

the night sky seemed strange & foreign to me.

Fred and I were the first to arrive at the Cahas Moun-

tain Overlook. We waited for others before we began

to set up our telescope (just be sure this was real). One

by one, friends arrived and telescopes were deployed.

Members who gathered Friday night were Frank Bar-

atta, Paul Caffrey, Chris Wade, John Goss, Mary

Crouch, Clark Thomas, my husband Fred Davis and

me. Because the humidity was low, the light dome from

Roanoke was fairly compact and close to the horizon.

Stars and constellations began to appear like long-lost

friends. We were all hungry for the night sky. The

Summer Triangle emerged and proved challenging for

necks that were unaccustomed to looking up. As dark-

ness deepened, the Milky Way was dazzling. Earlier in

the year I had set a goal to work on the AL Messier

certificate, but on this night I abandoned any agenda.

It was enough just to be out under a clear, dark sky.

Around 9:30 high clouds began forming, hazy at first

but then blocking more of the sky. Fred and I decided

to leave. Others stayed, but we were home by 10:30.

The show was not over. Scheduled for the evening of

Friday, September 6, was a rocket launch from Wal-

lops Island, Virginia, which would be visible along much

of the eastern seaboard. So about quarter past 11:00,

Fred and I walked a few blocks to a hilltop in our neigh-

borhood where we had a good view of the eastern hori-

zon. Fortunately, there were no clouds to obscure the

view. NASA’s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment

Explorer, or LADEE, was the first lunar mission to leave

from Virginia bound for the moon. Its robotic mission is

to gather detailed information about conditions near

the moon’s surface and the formation of lunar dust. We

watched the rocket, reddish-orange in color, for about

4 minutes, observing the vapor trail and a stage separa-

tion. It was a real treat to see and a great ending to

our first night of observing in a very long time.

But wait…there’s more! On Saturday, September 7,

Frank had scheduled his monthly public stargaze

through the City of Roanoke Parks and Recreation De-

partment. After enjoying a gorgeous Saturday of shop-

ping at the City Market and planting fall mums in the

flower beds, Fred and I headed back to the Cahas

Mountain Overlook.

It was another clear night, but a touch more humid; the

Roanoke Valley light dome reached a bit higher into the

sky. RVAS members at the overlook on Saturday were

Frank, Brian Bone and his son Noah, Dan and Carolyn

Chrisman, Mark Hodges, Vince St. Angelo, and Fred

and me. About 15 people showed up for Frank’s pro-

gram, but for a little while folks wandered among the

telescopes that RVAS members had trained on various

sky objects. Observing conditions were good. Venus

was setting, but participants were able to observe the

planet in a gibbous phase, as well as Saturn with its

rings, slightly higher in the western sky. Frank’s pro-

gram was excellent, as always. I overheard more than

one visitor remark that they had enjoyed his tour of

the night sky before and wanted to experience it again.

Ditto for me! This evening, he focused on the “how to”

of locating sky objects; less emphasis on the mythology

surrounding the constellations. Frank started with the

familiar Big Dipper, using the “pointer stars” to locate

Polaris. He explained how the American Indians used

Alcor & Mizar in the dipper handle as a visual acuity

test for braves and warriors.

We spent some time exploring stars & constellations of

the Summer Triangle. Frank and several club members

focused their scopes on Albireo in Cygnus. The atmos-

(Weekend Continued on page 10)

A Weekend of Observing by Sharon Stinnette, RVAS Vice President

RVAS NL— October 2013— Pg 10 of 12

phere was clear enough to see the striking blue and or-

ange colors of the double star. Frank navigated the

stars and constellations across the sky - familiar ones

and the not-so-familiar. He highlighted M13 in Hercu-

les; we had very good resolution in our Celestron refrac-

tor. M13 is in an area of the sky where the star field is

not so dense, so it really stands out. We also visited

M22 in Sagittarius, the third brightest globular cluster

in the night sky, so it can be clearly seen even with the

denser background of stars closer to the center of the

Milky Way.

Throughout the evening, people were very engaged and

I found my rusty (from all the recent rains?) navigation

skills to be sharpened somewhat. After a long hiatus, it

was good to look to the night sky again.

(Weekend Continued from page 9)

WELCOME MAT

The Society bids a warm and cordial welcome to Penny Dudley, of Roanoke, who joined the club in September.

Having moved to Southwest Virginia in February from the Pacific Northwest, Penny was living in New Castle until

about a month ago, when she moved to the City. A Suffolk, Virginia, native, she graduated from Virginia Tech

with a degree in horticulture. Thereafter, she shifted directions, completing her preparation as a Registered

Nurse at UNC-Greenville. Penny traces her interest in astronomy to when she was a young girl and got her first

look through a telescope. She’s been hooked on stargazing ever since, and wherever she’s lived, she’s sought to

connect with other night sky enthusiasts. She once owned a telescope, but these days observes with binoculars

and by naked eye. Penny has varied interests and is also a member of the Rock Club, the Ski Club and the Or-

chid Society.

Penny, thanks for looking us up when you returned to Virginia! We’re glad to have you as a member and look for-

ward to your participating in RVAS meetings, events and activities.

Albireo

Photo by: Dave Thomas

M13

Photo by: Dave Thomas

M22

Credit: N.A.Sharp, REU program/AURA/NOAO/NSF

RVAS NL— October 2013— Pg 11 of 12

For two days last month about 30 Virginia and out-of-

state librarians gathered at Roanoke County’s South

County Library to learn about Jupiter and NASA’s Pro-

ject Juno. And the RVAS was on the agenda!

Conducted by the Lunar and Planetary Institute, a non-

profit organization that supports solar system explora-

tion, the September 11th and 12th workshop offered

information and activities the librarians could use to

interest youth in space science and the Juno space-

craft. Juno arrives at Jupiter in July 2016 after a five

-year journey that includes looping back around the

Earth in October 2013 for a gravity assist. Among the

workshop’s suggestions was that libraries partner with

local astronomy clubs, especially for holding moon and

planet viewing sessions. This led LPI’s Christine Shupla,

of Houston, Texas, to invite the RVAS to provide one or

two members to speak to the attendees.

On September 11th, our president, Frank Baratta, and

long-time member John Goss represented the RVAS at

the workshop. Frank began with comments about the

fascination most everyone feels when out under that

stars. He noted that the club facilitates interaction

among those who enjoy astronomy; builds knowledge

with its meeting programs, newsletter and affiliation

with the Astronomical League; promotes skill develop-

ment through observing sessions and League programs;

and raises community awareness by holding Astronomy

Day, public stargazes and other events. Given libraries’

interest in nurturing learning and personal development,

there’s a natural synergy with astronomy clubs. As

Frank quipped, “You’ve got the books, we have the

scopes!” After indicating how attendees could obtain

more information about the RVAS, Frank turned things

over to John.

John focused everyone’s attention on our most ambi-

tious interaction with libraries: the Library Loaner Tel-

escope, or “LiTel.” Inspired by the New Hampshire As-

tronomical Society, which has awarded 90 such scopes

to libraries in that state and neighboring areas, the

RVAS donated its first loaner scope to the Botetourt

Library last year. The scope is loaned out just like a

book or DVD, and has a long waiting list of users. Indi-

cating that this was the first such loaner scope in Vir-

ginia, John explained how the scope was modified to

avoid tinkering by the borrowers that might misalign

the optics. He also noted that a single zoom eyepiece is

permanently mounted in the scope, simplifying matters

and avoiding lost eyepieces. John displayed the Orion

AstroBlast won for the RVAS by member Vipin Trivedi

at July’s Green Bank Star Quest and said that it would

likely become the RVAS’ next LiTel. The group was duly

impressed by the LiTel program concept.

After some questions, Frank and John were invited to

join in the catered workshop lunch buffet of fajitas,

rice, chips, salsa and desserts, which they gladly ac-

cepted.

That evening, Frank returned to the library with his 10”

Dobsonian telescope for a moon and Saturn observing

session. About a dozen of the workshop participants

returned for the session, which provided views of the

moon through breaks in the considerable cloud cover.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Saturn,

which remained obscured the entire time.

Artist’s rendering of the Juno spacecraft approaching Earth

for a gravity assist on October 9, 2013. NASA/JPL-Caltech

RVAS Speakers at NASA Workshop

Monthly Calendar

MONTHLY MEETING: Monday, October 21st, 7:30 p.m., Center on Church, Downtown

Roanoke. The first monthly gathering at our new meeting place. See directions and infor-

mation inside. Gary Hatfield will be our speaker and will share with us his unique astrophotog-

raphy methods, which bridge old style film and digital imagery.

RVAS WEEKEND OBSERVING OPPORTUNITIES: Unless otherwise indicated, observing is held at Cahas Moun-

tain Overlook, milepost 139 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

-- Friday and Saturday, October 4th and 5th. Sunset is at 6:58 p.m. Astronomical twilight ends at 8:24 p.m.

The Moon sets at 6:41 p.m. and 7:17 p.m., respectively.

-- Friday and Saturday, October 25th and 26th. Sunset is at 6:30 p.m. Astronomical twilight ends at 7:57 p.m.

The Moon rises at 11:50 p.m. and 12:44 a.m., respectively.

-- Future Sessions: November 1st and 2nd; November 22nd and 23rd; November 29th and 30th.

RVAS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING: To be determined. Call 540-774-5651 for information.

ROANOKE CITY PARKS and RECREATION PUBLIC STARGAZE: Saturday, October 26th, 7:15 p.m., Cahas

Overlook, Milepost 139 Blue Ridge Parkway. Nonmembers must register with Parks & Rec. at 540-853-2236.

Astro-Quiz

Of the 88 currently recognized constellations, one was specifically named in reference to the Great Flood narra-

tive in the Old Testament of the Bible. What’s the constellation?

Answer to Last Month’s Astro-Quiz: An early developer of the vacuum tube, Sir William Crookes (1832—1919)

used his own version of such devices to investigate cathode rays. Experimenting with these beams of electrons,

he believed he had discovered a hitherto unknown state of matter, which he called “radiant matter” because of

the great heat that it produced. In 1928, the physicist Irving Langmuir used the term “plasma” (from the Greek

πλάσμα – a thing molded or formed) for what Crookes had observed, perhaps because the glowing discharge in

the Crookes tube seemed to mold itself to the tube’s shape. We now know that matter on the Sun is a plasma, as

are lightning, static electric sparks and fluorescent lamps on Earth.

RVAS NL— October 2013— Pg 12 of 12