Jan/Feb 2020 SGN Contents

Astronomy News for Bluewater Stargazers Vol 14 No.1 Jan/Feb 2020

p 1: From the President: Get your FREE dome! p 2: Mercury Transit Report -Nothing seen locally p 3: Green Laser Pointers Effectively Banned p 4: Hubble Images Comet Borisov p 5: More Juno Jupiter Images p 6: Insect Populations affected by Light Pollution p 7: Canadians name an exoplanet and its star p 8-10: Quetican Field of View: Starlink Satellites p 11: Sky Sights: January/February p 12: Eclipses in 2020; Planets in Jan/Feb p 13: Constellation page: Eridanus and Lepus p 14: Miscellaneous Page and Classifieds p 15: Image of the Month: Lone Elm Star Trails

Star Gazer News

From the President:

BAS 2 m Dome Goes on Astrobuysell in JanuaryAny BAS member who can produce a reasonable plan for the 2-m Observa Dome we have in storage is welcome to it! Add a 10 x 10 shed and It would make a nice personal observatory. As mentioned previously, the dome parts are in need of TLC. It is presently in 6 large pieces (4 dome sections and 2 slit doors) plus a large circular base ring. The ring parts are rusty and need cleaning and the original dome rotation motor and castors have been lost. However, we have a complete set of dome assembly instructions from the manufacturer. There will be help with the transport and re-assembly. Contact John H. if interested. If we hear nothing from any BAS member by Jan 1, we will consider offering on Astrobuysell.

The year 2019 was full of surprises. The biggest was 5 telescopes and accessories that arrived on our doorstep from a bequest by Doug Scott of Southampton. Then 3 telescopes turned up in the BOEC barn. Our compliment of 8-inch dobsonian telescopes for student use is complete and the three 6-inch dobs freed up as a result for purchase by members have been spoken for!

We also now have additional scopes for members to use visually or as imaging tools. There is a Celestron C-11, now on the main mount at the Fox and a unique 8-inch Cassegrain-Newtonian reflector (a CN212 Takahashi) which converts from Cassegrain to wide-field Newtonian by switching out the secondary mirror. (See image right) This telescope is a smaller version of the Vernonscope the club received from the University of Guelph in 2005. That telescope can switch from 5-metre (f/16) Cassegrain to a Newtonian (f/4, 1250 mm focal length).

This past year has also seen some new partnerships formed with local organizations that are seeking to add astronomy viewing events to their repertoire. The two most notable are the Coffin Ridge Winery and NPX Innovations and both have indicated they would like to continue to have our expertise at 2020 astronomy events. With regular viewing nights in 2020 for students at the BOEC and dark sky camping events at BPNP in July and Inverhuron PP in September, BAS will be having another busy year with our eyes to the skies!

Last Chance to Scoop up a Dome!

Images here show the difference in field of view at the C a s s e g r a i n v s Newtonian focus of the Tak CN212. The Moon is 0.5° across and the frame in image left is about 0.6°.

Image right FoV is a lmost 5x larger or about 2 . 5 ° a c ro s s . John H. images Canon 6D.

July 17, 2019

July 14, 2019

S G N Jan/Feb 2020 pg 2BAS News

BAS Executive 2020-2021 President: John Hlynialuk stargazerjohn@rogers.comV-President: Eric Ingard ceing54@gmail.com Secretary: Lorraine Rodgers lorrainerodgers64@gmail.com Treasurer: Cheryl Dawson cheryl.dawson@bell.netMemb-at-Lrg: Zoë Kessler kudra44@gmail.comMembership: Marian Ratcliffe glenelgrat@gmail.com Past Pres: Brett Tatton bretttatton@gmail.com

Disclaimer: S G N reports on the activities of the Bluewater Astronomical Society (formerly Bruce County Astronomical Society) but any opinions presented herein are not necessarily endorsed by BAS. See the BAS website at www.bluewaterastronomy.com for up-to-date details relating to BAS events. SGN is produced and edited by John Hlynialuk and I am solely responsible for its content. Your original articles, images, opinions, comments, observing reports, etc., are welcome. I reserve the right to edit for brevity or clarity. Errors or omissions are entirely mine. I will not publish your emails or other materials without your specific permission. No part of this publication shall be reproduced in any form whatsoever without the editor’s consent. However, the Sky Calendar and Feature Constellation pages are free to copy for non-commercial use. Feel free to forward this issue in its entirety to friends. Email comments and/or submissions to stargazerjohn@rogers.com

Nov 11: Transit of Mercury -Clouded-out The weather gods did not play with us kindly in most of Ontario and even a short thinning of cloud around mid-transit (image right) did not allow for any views or images of Mercury crossing the face of the Sun. The last two visible from Canada which managed to be recorded were the May 2016 transit (clear for the entire day) and one in 2006 that relatively few in Ontario saw due to cloudy weather. The great thing about the modern internet is that live feeds were available where weather was better and we were able to see the event on our computers. Still, a personal view would have been nice.

As reported in the last SGN, the next Mercury transit happens in 2032 but will be visible only in the eastern hemisphere. After that another November transit takes place in 2039 but it too, is only visible in the east. The next Mercury transit visible from here in N. America is May 7, 2049. Your long-lived editor will be pushing 100 years old at that point but I hope to be there to see it!

Image above: Clouds thinned but Mercury stayed hidden in this iPhone shot. Exposure 1/1000 s, focal length 4 mm, f/2, ISO 32. Image by John H.

A brief thinning of the solid overcast teased observers at the Fox Observatory around noon on transit day, but even though the Sun was outlined in the finderscope, nothing was visible through the solar filter. We did not succumb to the temptation to remove the filter and look.

NOTE: Solar viewing requires a suitable solar filter and one of the best around is the Baader Solar filter. Now that we are past solar minimum, solar activity should ramp up and sunspots will start to appear again. Contact John H. if you need Baader Solar Filter material to DIY. A sheet of filter 25 cm square is $25. See also the For Sale items on pg 14.

A lunar eclipse has occurred in January in 2018, 2019 and we get another in 2020, but the three-in-a-row is just a coincidence. The Jan 10 event depicted above is technically an eclipse but just barely so, with the Moon passing through the penumbra, the pale outer Earth shadow. Furthermore, this eclipse can be seen only in the eastern hemisphere, but maybe you have plans to be in India at the time, who knows? The decrease in light output will not likely be detectable by naked eye, but an image taken before and after greatest eclipse may show some darkening. Three more penumbral eclipses happen in 2020, on June 5, July 5 and Nov 30 -only the last two will be visible in Canada.

Jan 10: Penumbral Lunar Eclipse visible(?) only in eastern hemisphere

The following was the reply from CARCA (Canadian Aviation Regulation Advisory Council) to a recent email question about the use of lasers:

Section 601.20 of the CARs prohibits the projection of a bright light source into navigable airspace, unless authorized by the Minister under 601.21. This prohibition applies t o e v e r y o n e , i n c l u d i n g m e m b e r s o f astronomical societies. Should the Bluewater Astronomical Society want its members to be able to project lasers into navigable airspace for the purpose of public education, a written request would need to be sent to Transport Canada. An authorization could be issued if the projection is not likely to create a hazard to aviation safety or to cause damage to an aircraft or injury to persons on board the aircraft. Conditions would be attached to such an authorization.In Short: Regulations now restrict anyone shining a regular laser pointer into the sky. BAS will need authorization for use at the Fox.

S G N Jan/Feb 2020 pg 3BAS NewsNew Green Laser Pointer Regulations:

In Short: DO NOT USE laser pointers until further notice from BASThe idiots that shone laser pointers at aircraft have put the kibosh on our use of green lasers for pointing out astronomical objects. There were 502 cases of lasers pointed at aircraft in 2014, and 400 in 2017 according to figures from Transport Canada. Putting people’s lives in danger by flashing aircraft has prompted Transport Canada (and Health Canada) to issue regulations about the use of laser pointers with power levels greater than 1 mW (1 mW is the standard red pointer used by slide show presenters and are not affected). There are two parts to the new rules: possessing a GLP and using it to shine up in the sky.

So, in short, laser pointers other than the ones used in slide shows can no longer be used in astronomy without authorization by Transport Canada. We are doubly affected because we are within the 10 km exclusion zone from an airport (12 km by road, but 8.0 km as the crow flies). BAS is still debating whether to seek an authorization for GLP use, but a quick look at the form that needs to be submitted was not encouraging. They are making it very hard to get an exemption. Still, RASC has done it and there may be some help available there if we decide to pursue this route. Thus, we are asking ALL members who have laser pointers to cease using them at the Fox (or elsewhere). You risk a $5000 fine on the spot if you do.

On a recent foggy night, I got out my green laser pointer and shone it up into the sky (when it was still legal). There was a Full Moon out (the white blob inside the heart above) and I was curious if the GLP could be seen in bright moon light. No problem. While a regular green pointer of 5 mW, the maximum allowed under the new Transport Canada rules, is not as bright as the above on a clear night with the Full Moon out, the fog made the difference. I did not see any small plane traffic since it was not a night to be flying and the higher flying aircraft were hidden by the ground fog.

Regulation regarding possession of a laser pointer greater than 1 mW power:4 (1) No person shall have in their possession a battery-powered hand-held laser (a) in the municipalities of the Montréal, Toronto

and Vancouver regions listed in the table to this subsection; or

(b) within a 10-km radius of the geometric centre of an airport or heliport.

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply if (a) the laser is in a dwelling-house; or

the person is in possession of the laser for a legitimate reason, including

(i) the person uses the laser for occupational or business purposes,

(ii) the person uses the laser for educational purposes, (iii) the person is transporting the laser in the course of their employment, and (iv) the person is a member of an astronomical society.

Regulation regarding use of a laser pointer greater than 1 mW power:

IN A NUTSHELLAs BAS members, you are allowed to possess a laser up to 5 mW (but you can’t use them outside in most places).

You are NOT allowed to use a 5 mW or higher laser to point into the sky at the Fox Observatory or Owen Sound. Both are within the 10-km radius of an airport.

BAS exec is discussing getting an authorization for use at the Fox Observatory only, we will keep you posted.

Jan/Feb 2020 pg 4S G N 2I/Borisov at Closest Distance from Sun Dec 7

Left: On Nov 16, the comet appeared in front of a distant background spiral galaxy (2MASX J10500165-0152029). Since Hubble was tracking the comet, the galaxy’s bright core appears smeared. The galaxy is 500 million light years away.

Right: Hubble re-imaged the comet (Dec 9) shortly after its (Dec 7) closest approach to the Sun, when the comet was 300 million km from the Sun and 285 million km from Earth. Borisov was about 15th magnitude at this point and visible in large amateur telescopes. NASA / ESA / D. Jewitt (UCLA)

Hubble Space Telescope images Interstellar Comet at its closest

On Dec 12, 2019, Hubble Space Telescope astronomers released new Hubble images of 2I/Borisov – the second-known interstellar object – shortly before and shortly after its December 8 perihelion. These historic images recorded an historic event, an interstellar object sweeping closest to our sun. 2I/Borisov, now identified as a comet, was discovered on August 30, 2019, by comet hunter Gennady Borisov in

Crimea about 2 AU (twice the Sun-Earth distance) on the inner edge of the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Since comets are most active when closest to a star – astronomers hoped to see 2I/Borisov exhibit an outburst or other activity. That did not happen, but the Hubble observations did yield important science. Astronomer David Jewitt of UCLA led the team that captured the new images.

Jewitt said in a statement:

Hubble gives us the best upper limit of the size of comet Borisov’s nucleus, which is the really important part of the comet. Surprisingly, our Hubble images show that its nucleus is more than 15 times smaller than earlier investigations suggested it might be -smaller than 0.5 km. Knowing the size is potentially useful for beginning to estimate how common such objects might be in the solar system and our galaxy. Borisov is the first known interstellar comet, and we would like to learn how many others there are.

Borisov passed through our solar system on an eccentric orbit which was not elliptical -a give-away that it was not gravitationally bound to the Sun. Diagram left by “user Drbogdan” shows Borisov position on Nov 13, 2019.

Jan/Feb 2020 pg 5S G N Juno Continues Sending Stunning Jupiter Images

This stunning compilation image (above) of Jupiter's stormy northern hemisphere was captured by NASA's Juno spacecraft as it performed a close pass of the gas giant planet. Some bright-white clouds can be seen popping up to high altitudes on the right side of Jupiter's disk. Juno took the four images used to produce this color-enhanced view on May 29, 2019, as the spacecraft performed its 20th science pass of Jupiter. At the time the images were taken, the spacecraft was between 18,600 km and 8,600 km

above Jupiter's cloud tops, above a northern latitude spanning from about 59 to 34 degrees.Citizen scientist Kevin M. Gill created this image using data from the spacecraft's JunoCam imager.JunoCam's raw images are available for the public to peruse and process into image products athttps://missionjuno.swri.edu/junocam/processing. More information about Juno is at https://www.nasa.gov/juno andhttps://missionjuno.swri.edu.

The color-enhanced image right, was taken from about 12,326 km from the tops of the clouds on April 1, 2018, as Juno performed its twelfth close flyby of Jupiter at a northern latitude of 50.2 degrees. Citizen scientist Kevin M. Gill also processed this image using data f ro m t h e J u n o C a m imager.

Light Pollution is Doing in Insects, TooS G N Jan/Feb 2020 pg 6

Light pollution is key 'bringer of insect

apocalypse'Light pollution is a significant but overlooked driver of the rapid decline of insect populations, according to the most comprehensive review of the scientific evidence to date.

Artificial light at night can affect every aspect of insects’ lives, the researchers said, from luring moths to their deaths around bulbs, to spotlighting insect prey for rats and toads, to obscuring the mating signals of fireflies.

“We strongly believe artificial light at night – in combination with habitat loss, chemical pollution, invasive species, and climate change – is driving insect declines,” the scientists concluded after assessing more than 150 studies. “We posit here that artificial light at night is another important – but often overlooked – bringer of the insect apocalypse.”

However, unlike other drivers of decline, light pollution was relatively easy to prevent, the team said, by switching off unnecessary lights and using proper shades. “Doing so could greatly reduce insect losses immediately,” they said.

Brett Seymoure, a behavioural ecologist at Washington University in St Louis and senior author of the review, said: “Artificial light at night is human-caused lighting – ranging from streetlights to gas flares from oil extraction. It can affect insects in pretty much every imaginable part of their lives.

Insect population collapses have been reported in Germany and Puerto Rico, and the first global scientific review, published in February, said widespread declines threatened to cause a “catastrophic collapse of nature’s ecosystems”.The latest review says: “Insects around the world are rapidly declining. Their absence would have devastating consequences for life on this planet.”

There are thought to be millions of insect species, most still unknown to science, and about half are nocturnal. Those active in the day may also be disturbed by light at night when they are at rest.

The analysis, published in the journal Biological Conservation, notes that light has long been used deliberately by farmers to suppress insects. But as human infrastructure has expanded, and the cost of lighting has fallen, light pollution has come to affect a quarter of the world’s land surface.

The most familiar impact of light pollution is moths flapping around a bulb, mistaking it for the moon. One-third of insects trapped in the orbit of such lights die before morning, according to work cited in the review, either through exhaustion or being eaten.

Recent research in the UK found greater losses of moths at light-polluted sites than dark ones. Vehicle headlights alone have been estimated to result in 100 billion insect deaths per summer in Germany.

Artificial light also hinders insects finding a mate in some species, the review found, most obviously in firefly beetles, which exchange bioluminescent signals during courtship.

Some insects use the polarization of light to find the water they need to breed, as light waves line up after reflecting from a smooth surface. “Mayflies live for only one day, so they come out and look for polarized light. They find it – but from asphalt – lay their eggs there, and they all die. That’s a good way to knock out an entire population in 24 hours.”

The development of juvenile insects, such as field crickets, also has been shown to be affected by light pollution, which changes the perceived length of the day and night.

The review found the search for food is affected by light pollution. Insects that avoid light spend less time foraging in light-polluted areas.

As a food source, insects are important prey for many species, but light pollution can tip the balance in favour of the predator if it traps insects around lights. Spiders, bats, rats, shorebirds, geckos and cane toads have all been found feeding around artificial lights. Such increases in predation risk was likely to cause the rapid extinction of affected species, the researchers said.

A 0.5 s exposure captures dozens of moths trapped by a typical streetlight. John H. photo

Light vs Insects (cont’d)S G N Jan/Feb 2020 pg 7

The researchers said light pollution is particularly hard for insects to deal with. Most human-caused threats to insects have natural analogues, such as climate change and invasive species, meaning some adaptation may take place. But the daily cycle of light and dark had remained constant for all of evolutionary time, they said.

However, light pollution was the easiest of all the threats to insects to deal with, Seymoure said. “Once you turn off a light, it is gone. You don’t have to go and clean up, like you do with most pollutants. I am not saying we need to get rid of light at night, I think we just need to use it wisely.”

Simply turning off lights that are not needed is the most obvious action, he said, while making lights motion-activated also cuts light pollution. Shading lights so only the area needed is illuminated is important, as is avoiding blue-white lights, which interfere with daily rhythms. LED lights also offer hope as they can be easily tuned to avoid harmful colours and flicker rates.

“The evidence that light pollution has profound and serious impacts on ecosystems is overwhelmingly strong,” said Matt Shardlow, the chief executive of the conservation charity

Buglife. “It is imperative that society now takes substantial steps to make the environment safer for insects.

“A national light-reduction target, enforceable in law, would be the most appropriate next step.” He said new UK government light-pollution guidance failed to take into account the insect decline crisis.

Prof Nigel Raine, a pollination expert at Guelph University in Canada who is not involved in the review, said: “Light pollution could have significant ramifications at the insect population, species or community level.”

He said more attention should be paid to the issue by scientists: “But it might be too soon to say the impacts are as significant as other stressors.”

Seymoure’s team said there had not been more research on light pollution and insects because of diurnal bias – a preference among ecologists for studying daytime phenomena.

Story from The Guardian International Edition

Thursday, December 19th 2019, 2:20 pm - Two Canadian space and astronomy enthusiasts can now claim to have named an exoplanet! Alberta science teacher Amanda Green, and Manitoba's "very own Star Guy", Wilfred Buck, have written two new names among the stars.

Roughly 320 light years away from Earth, in the direction of the constellation Bootes, is a Sun-like star circled by a massive gas giant planet of about two Jupiter masses orbiting within its star's habitable zone. This star is called HD 136418 and the exoplanet was dubbed HD 136418b.

Now, thanks to Green's and Buck's suggestions, this particular astronomical pair has a set of new names that are far more interesting. Star HD 136418 is now officially named "Nikawiy", which is the Cree word for "mother", and planet HD 136418b is now officially known as "Awasis", the Cree word for “child".

Back in June, to help celebrate their 100th anniversary, the International Astronomical U n i o n c h o s e 1 1 2 s t a r a n d p l a n e t combinations from their extensive catalogue of astronomical bodies to officially receive real names.

To name these objects, the IAU started the NameExoWorlds campaign, opening it up to the entire world! They assigned each of the star and planet pairs to a different country, with the citizens of that country asked to come up with name suggestions. HD 136418

and HD 136418b went to Canada.

Wilfred Buck is an Opaskwayak Cree Nation science facilitator, at the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre (MFNERC). Travelling to different communities with his mobile, inflatable dome-shaped planetarium, Buck teaches students about the night sky from the perspective of First Nations mythology.

"They are seeing their own culture right before their eyes that they were never told about," Buck said in a 2016 CBC Radio interview. "They have to know they are connected to the universe and they also have to know that their people knew just as much about the stars as anyone else.”

Awasis, Canada's newly-named alien planet by Scott Sutherland Weather Network

Awasis

Nikawiy

The Summer Milky Way, imaged from Little Pine Tree Harbour, Bruce Peninsula. D. Cunningham photo June 22, 2012 Canon 50D exp=276s f/5.6 ISO 1600 18mm lens (35mm eq:28.8mm) Image is unprocessed.

“Look now upon the River of Heaven, Sky-Road of the Immortals, With the Star-Frost of a billion years…” -Burnhams Celestial Handbook

Jan/Feb 2020 pg 8

Elon Musk’s Starlink Satellites are Causing Serious Concern

Among Astronomers

Quetican Field of View by Doug Cunningham

There is something grand about living close to nature. Paula and I live on the Bruce Peninsula, and we love it here! The B r u c e P e n i n s u l a , s e p a r a t i n g L a k e Huron from Georgian Bay, is a naturalist’s paradise. It hosts two N a t i o n a l P a r k s , n u m e r o u s Conservation Areas, a n d i t h a s a n a c c l a i m e d B i r d Observatory at Cabot Head. It is home to rare alvars and fens, and at least 44 species of orchids grow here. I t h a s t h e b e s t d o l o m i t e r o c k climbing in North A m e r i c a , a n d provides some of the Bruce Trail’s finest wilderness hiking. Last, but certainly not least, for amateur a s t r o n o m e r s , t h e Bruce Peninsula has the darkest night skies in SW Ontario! Our night skies (image above) are excellent, and are rated Bortle 2, on John Bortle’s 9 class scale (see p.10). On this scale, the best night skies are rated Bortle 1, and the worst night skies, like you would have in downtown Toronto, are rated Bortle 9. Although our Bortle 2 night skies are not the best on Earth, they are still excellent. This means that our summer Milky Way is highly structured to the unaided eye, a number of globular clusters (i.e. M13, M5, M3) are visible as naked eye objects. The galaxy, M33, in Triangulum, is visible with averted vision, and the pyramidal shaped zodiacal light is visible to the naked eye and rivals the Milky Way in brightness. The best night skies (Bortle 1) that Paula and I have ever experienced are in the high transparency, low humidity deserts of the world, the Australian outback, the Namib Desert, in Namibia and the Atacama Desert, in Chile. All of them are stunning, all Bortle class 1 skies, with the top prize going to the Atacama Desert.

When Paula and I moved to the Bruce Peninsula in 1971, our night skies were pristine! I was confident that our low density

“We had the sky up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them, and discuss about whether they was made, or only just happened. Jim, he allowed they was made, but I allowed they happened; I judged it would have took too long to make so many.” The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain 1896

of population, our remote location, and our small industrial and commercial footprint, would keep our dark night skies protected for many decades… and they have!

But, our society is changing and our communication technology is rapidly adapting. Companies, such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Amazon’s Kuiper Satellite Program, and OneWeb, are getting ready to meet the huge, world-wide, demand for 5G internet service. To meet this demand, SpaceX for now, and soon for Amazon, and OneWeb, plans to launch a constellation of 42,000 satellites, of which, to date (December 2019) only 120 satellites have been launched.

Image above: Image taken November 18th, 2019, just after the launch of SpaceX’s second group of 60 satellites. Astronomer Cliff Johnson, from Northwestern University in Chicago, and his co-astronomer, Clarae Martinez-Vazquez, were using the 4 metre Blanco telescope at Cerro Tololo, in Chile, to image local galaxies dominated by dark matter. The team was using a dedicated dark energy camera (DECam) as part of a 3 year exploration survey.

According to a report by Jonathan O’Callaghan, writing in Forbes on-line magazine, the astronomers were taking 40 exposures of the night sky when, during one set of these images, a train of 19 Starlink Satellites crossed the field of view of the telescope. The streaks crossing the image from left to right are shown in the image above. SpaceX had just

launched its second batch of 60 Starlink satellites, bringing the total in orbit so far to 120. It took the satellites about 5 minutes to cross the field, and their reflected light ruined the scientific value of the image.

Image courtesy of Cerro Tololo Observatory

Jan/Feb 2020 pg 9Quetican Field of View Starlink Satellites Concern (Cont’d)

When all the SpaceX (42,000), Amazon (3,000), and OneWeb (2,000) satellite launches are completed (within 2-3 years) our low-Earth orbit skies, for the entire planet, will be populated by at least, 47,000 bright internet satellites. These satellites are relatively large, endowed with reflective surfaces, and large solar panels. The reflected light from these satellites, unless mediated, will permanently change the visual appearance of the night sky, and adversely affect ground based, and visible-light astronomy for amateurs and professional astronomers around the whole world.

The 3 images on this page show how Space X’s Starlink Satellite Constellations has affected the data from 3 separate scientific experiments. By Nov 18, 2019 there were “only” 120 Starlink Satellites in orbit and yet they still compromised the date from these experiments. When all 42,000 Starlink Satellites have been launched the potential for ruining scientific observations is enormous! [Let alone the effect on amateur astronomy -ed] Image above: Image was taken on May 25th, 2019, from

Lowell Observatory, in Flagstaff, Arizona, after the launch of the first 60 Starlink Satellites. This photo shows the satellite trails passing in front of the Galaxy Group, NGC 5353. Jeff Hall, Lowell Observatory’s Director, commented, “This was of course an exceptionally bright example, coming as it did, just after the Starlink launch. But even if the satellites fade below the threshold of visibility to the naked eye, they will remain dazzlingly bright to the camera. Image courtesy Victoria Girgis, Lowell Obs. Flagstaff AZ

Image above: Starlink Satellites “photobombed” this Global Meteor Camera in Cherkessk Russia on the night of November 25th, 2019 during the peak of the Monocerotid Meteor shower. Notice the numerous meteors, Starlink satellite trails, and diurnal star trails, all in the same image! Credit: Global Meteor Camera Web Resource

Jan/Feb 2020 pg 10Quetican Field of View Starlink Satellites Concern (Cont’d)

As of late November, 2019, the two SpaceX Falcon-9 launches have delivered 120 Starlink satellites into Earth orbit. Even with this relatively small number, the negative impact of reflections from Starlink satellites has already been noticed by the astronomical and scientific communities.

Below, are portions of two resolutions, passed by the American Astronomical Society, in June, 2019, after the first batch of 60 Starlink Satellites were launched.

Jeffrey C. Hall (Lowell Observatory), Chair of the AAS Committee on Light Pollution, Radio

Interference, and Space Debris AAS Board of Trustees Meeting

June 8th, St. Louis, Missouri

SpaceX was caught off guard by the brightness of their Starlink Satellites and the negative reaction of the astronomical community.

The good news is that SpaceX is now paying attention and is searching for a remedy. SpaceX’s President, Gwynne Shotwell, told a group of reporters during a press conference on December 6th, 2019.

Also, during the same December 6th meeting with reporters Shotwell said:

“ We want to make sure we do the right thing … there will be a coating (anti- reflective ) on the bottom of one of the satellites in the December launch. The Company (SpaceX) would do a trial and error to figure how to get this thing done.”

I was very pleased to read parts of this interview, and to learn that SpaceX wants to do the “right thing”. I have been a fan of Elon Musk for many years, and expect him and his company to solve this problem. The technical goal is to lower the reflectivity of Starlink’s constellation of 42,000 internet satellites to a level below the dark adapted limit of human vision. And, SpaceX should not spare any expense in getting this problem solved! Left unsolved, it would be the equivalent of having mankind trapped inside a luminous, internet, squirrel cage. With the intrusive satellite reflectivity issue solved, when people look up from a “Dark Sky” site, they can gaze, in amazement and child-like wonder, at a star-studded universe. Their view should remain uncluttered by tens of thousands of internet satellites.

Astronomer Robert Burnham Jr, in the introduction to his classic, 3 Volume handbook, “Burnham’s Celestial Handbook”, used poetic verse as he talked about the intellectual, poetic, and aesthetic attractions of astronomy: Here is a brief part of what he wrote :

Burnham considered the celestial sphere as a transparent window on infinity. How appropriate. I like his metaphor and hopefully, we do not lose that window.

“The American Astronomical Society notes, with concern, the impending deployment o f v e r y l a r g e constellations of satellites into Earth orbit. The number of such satellites is projected to grow into the tens of thousands over the next several years, creating t h e potential for substantial adverse impacts to ground- and space-based astronomy. These impacts could include significant disruption of optical and near-infrared astronomical observations by direct detection of satellites in reflected and emitted light; contamination of radio astronomical observations by electromagnetic radiation in satellite communication bands; and collision with space-based observatories.” Position Statement AAS Board of Trustees Meeting June 8th, St. Louis, Missouri

“There are lots of people that have looked at Starlink and looked at the satellites, lots of people knew what we were doing, and no one thought of this, we didn’t think of it , the astronomy community didn’t think of it. It happened !”

A star! Look skyward now, and see above …. Infinity! Vast and dark and deep and endless …. Your heritage!

"The natural night sky is a resource not just for astronomers but for all who look upward to understand and enjoy the splendor of the universe, and its degradation has many negative impacts beyond the astronomical,"

The Bottle Scale: Illustrated

Jan/Feb 2020 pg 11Sky Sights for Jan/FebS G N January 2020

02 Thu 01:30 Moon at Apogee: 404 580 km 03 Fri 04:45 FQ Moon rises locally at 12:18 pm EST 04 Sat 09:00 Quadrantid Meteor Shower 05 Sun 08:00 Earth at Perihelion: 0.98324 AU 07 Tue 21:09 Aldebaran 3.0°S of Moon 10 Fri 15:00 Mercury at Superior Conjunction (not vis.) 10 19:10 Pen. Lunar Eclipse; mag=0.896 10 19:21 FM rises locally at 5:00 pm EST 11 Sat 02:26 Pollux 5.3°N of Moon 11 23:54 Beehive 1.0°S of Moon 13 Mon 11:37 Regulus 3.8°S of Moon 13 14:00 Saturn in Conjunction with Sun (not vis.) 13 20:20 Moon at Perigee: 365 964 km 17 Fri 12:58 LQ Moon rises locally at 12:26 am EST 17 23:03 Mars 4.7°N of Antares 20 Mon 19:13 Mars 2.3°S of Moon 23 Thu 02:42 Jupiter 0.4°N of Moon: Occn. (not vis. here) 24 Fri 21:42 NM rises locally at 7:54 am EST 25 Sat 13:20 Mercury 2.2° N of Moon (1-day old cres. ) 27 Mon Venus only 10 minutes of arc from Neptune (W) 28 Tue 07:29 Venus 4.1°N of Moon 29 Wed 21:28 Moon at Apogee: 405 390 km

February 2020 02 Sun 01:42 FQ Moon rises locally at 11:27 am EST 04 Tue 06:53 Aldebaran 3.1°S of Moon 07 Fri 12:58 Pollux 5.3°N of Moon 08 Sat 10:16 Beehive 1.0°S of Moon 09 Sun 07:33 FM rises locally at 6:17 pm EST 09 21:15 Regulus 3.8°S of Moon 10 Mon 14:00 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 18.2°E 10 20:31 Moon at Perigee: 360 464 km 12 Wed 05:00 Mercury at Perihelion 15 Sat 22:17 LQ Moon rises locally at 12:42 am EST 18 Tue 13:18 Mars 0.8°S of Moon: Occn. (daytime) 19 Wed 19:36 Jupiter 0.9°N of Moon: Occn. (Antarctica) 20 Thu 13:47 Saturn 1.7°N of Moon 23 Sun 15:32 NM rises locally at 7:37 am EST 26 Wed 02:00 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction 26 11:35 Moon at Apogee: 406 277 km 28 Fri Crescent Moon near Uranus and Venus in west Note: Feb 2020 is a Leap Year. Leap Day is Sat Feb 29!

Planetary Conjunctions: Several planetary conjunctions occur in January and February, the best are highlighted here.

Jan 20: Mars, Antares and last crescent Moon in dawn sky

Jan 25: Mercury 2.2° from a 1 day young crescent Moon

Jan 27: Neptune and Venus only 10 minutes apart in western sky, crescent Moon nearby for two nights.

Feb 28: Venus, Moon, Uranus group in western sky

Mars and Jupiter are due to be occulted by the Moon Jan 23 (Jupiter) Feb 18 (Mars) and Feb 19 (Jupiter) but the first occurs below our horizon (eastern hemisphere), the second is a daytime event and the last occurs only for Antarctica.

Jan 20 dawn sky (6 am)

Jan 27, Venus-Neptune 10 min apart, 6 pm in West

Feb 28, Venus-Uranus-Moon, 6 pm in West Jan 25, One-day old Moon and

Mercury, 5:40 pm in West

Sky SightsPlanets

is just 2° from the planet on Jan 25 in the west. VENUS, (-3.9 to -4.2) stays the predominant Evening Star. Look for Mercury about 25° lower on the ecliptic in Feb. Venus is only 10 minutes of arc from Neptune on Jan 27 and a 3-day old crescent is nearby. Nice! MARS, (+1.4) is high in morning skies before sunrise. A nice grouping with Antares and a last crescent Moon occurs Jan 20. JUPITER, is a morning planet and gradually brightens to -1.9 as it climbs away from the morning Sun. It is 50° separation by month end but only 16° above the eastern horizon. SATURN, follows Jupiter into the morning sky and by February’s end is only 8° from Jupiter and shining at 0.66 magnitude. URANUS, (5.8) in Pisces, and NEPTUNE, (7.9) in Aquarius are both well past opposition and in the SW sky now. By the end of February, Neptune is setting in the west an hour after sunset and Uranus follows by 10:30 pm. Dwarf planet, Ceres (8.6) stays in Capricornus east of Saturn all winter long. Asteroid, Vesta (6.4 fading to 7.4) travels through the lower corner of Aries in Jan and Feb staying east of Uranus. PLUTO (mag. 14.3) stays between Saturn and Jupiter in Jan/Feb morning skies as the group gets higher and higher in dawn skies preceding sunrise. Finder charts for Pluto in 2020 are now on the BAS website.

Table below gives the sunrise/sunset times and the Sun’s altitude for dates in January and February The Sun continues heading southwards in our sky. The moon phase dates are in the Astronomy Events listing along with moonrise times for Owen Sound. Outside of the Bruce-Grey area, check https://www.timeanddate.com for Moon rise/set times for your location.

MERCURY becomes a second evening star from mid-Jan to Feb and is farthest from the Sun Feb 10 (18.2°). A 1-day old crescent Moon

Jan/Feb 2020 pg 12

Sunrise/set times: Owen Sound ON 44°35‘N 80°55’W Times in Eastern Standard Time (EST)

Date Rise Noon altitude Set Jan 10 7:59 am 23.5° 5:03 pm Jan 20 7:54 am 25.3° 5:15 pm Jan 30 7:45 am 27.8° 5:29 pm Feb 10 7:31 am 31.1° 5:44 pm Feb 20 7:16 am 34.5° 5:58 pm Feb 29 7:01 am 37.9° 6:11 pm

Data from www.timeanddate.com

E

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W

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Next BAS Meeting Mar 4, 2020 @ Bailey Hall

BAS Events in Jan/Feb Note: There are no meetings or regular viewing events scheduled for January and February. However impromptu viewing does occur when weather allows and astronomical events warrant. Contact Brett T. or John H. to be put on the email list for these.

Jan 3/4 (Fri/Sat): Quadrantid Meteors As the first major meteor shower of 2020, the Quadrantids should perform for N. American observers early on the morning of Saturday, Jan 4. The shower numbers vary from 50 to 100/h, with more than a few fireballs. The shower has a short 4-hour peak around 3 am Jan 4 when the radiant is 30 up or so (see diagram). The LQ moon will set at 1 am so there will be a few good hours for meteor watching. Bundle up, it is January out there! You should get 25/hr easy.

Lunar Eclipses in 2020 will be poor viewing. Only 2 of the 4 lunar eclipses are visible from North America and all four that occur in 2020 are penumbral, meaning that there will be no passage of the Moon through the dark umbral shadow and (probably) no noticeable effect visually.

The dates for the penumbral lunar eclipses are Jan 10, June 5, (both of these visible in the eastern hemisphere only) and Jul 5 and Nov 30 which will be visible in Canada.

With the FM slipping through the very faint penumbral circle and missing the umbral shadow totally, do not expect to see much dimming. However, for the Nov 30 eclipse, the Moon is deeper in the penumbra and there may be some a slight dimming of the bright Moon’s face in the northern regions of the Moon. On occasions of total lunar eclipses, observers have reported dimming minutes before the official contact with the umbra and this may be visible as the Moon passes closest to the umbra’s edge. It may be more easily seen in images, so take a FM shot before and at mid-eclipse and compare.

Solar Eclipses round out the year 2020 with an annular on June 21 and a total on Dec 14. The former is not visible in N. America and the later crosses a short 500 km stretch of land in S.Chile and Argentina. Fortunately that is also when the greatest eclipse occurs and there is about 2 min. 10 s of totality (compared to the Aug 21, 2017 eclipse with 2 min. 35 s of totality). The biggest city the track falls over is Villarrica, Chile with a population of about 50,000. (They claim the rainbow trout fishing in the lake nearby is pretty good.)

z

DOUBLE STARS Mag. Sep’n (s) Remarks

SGN Constellations: Eridanus and Lepus Jan/Feb 2020 pg 13

Eridanus (Eri) α-Eridani - Achernar (not visible in northern latitudes of Bruce/Grey)

Eridanus is a quite extensive, winding constellation of faint stars that cannot be seen in its entirety from northern latitudes. It begins just to the west of the left foot of Orion [Rigel] and traces a long, sinuous line heading generally westward, then curving south and back to the east, finally dropping south below the horizon. There is a fine field of stars around β-Eridani that can be observed in binoculars; also note the fine pair of orange stars below ν-Eridani.

Other Objects of Interest (Eri)

γ 3.5-13.0 53 θ 3.1-4.1 8 ο2 4.5-9.2 82 [the 9.2 mag star is 40-Eri-B, the famous white dwarf -ed] 32 5.0·6.3 7 Topaz-Pale Blue, fine contrast39 5.1-9.0 6 55 6.7-6.8 9 Yellow-WhiteΣ570 7.0-8.0 13

NGC 1535 - An unusual planetary nebula with a faint star in its centre, well worth observation.

Lepus is located at the feet of Orion, the Hunter; its four brightest stars, all of the 3rd magnitude, form an easily identified trapezoidal figure. Four smaller stars in a rough rectangle (λ, κ, ι and υ Leporis) represent the long ears of the hare. λ Leporis is a fieldglass double.

Lepus (Lep)

α 2.7-12.0 36 Yellow-Greyβ 2.8-9.4 3 γ 3.8-6.4 95 Yellow-Garnetκ 4.5-7.5 2.5 Yellow-BlueH3752 5.5-6.7- 3-59-9.0 TripleH3780 -- -- A beautiful multiple star; very fine in small telescopes

α−Leporis - Arneb β-Leporis - Nihal

M 79 7.9 Globular Cluster, fairly bright, beautiful

R Leporis - Hind’s “Crimson Star,” a long period (436 days) variable, magnitude range 6-11.

DOUBLE STARS Mag. Sep’n (s) Remarks

MESSIER OBJECTS Mag Remarks

Other Objects of Interest (Lep)

HIND'S CRIMSON STAR (R Leporis). Though stars are coloured their shades are subtle. There is little doubt, however, about the redness of "carbon stars." Not only are they among the coolest known stars, they have also -- through internal nuclear fusion and convection, changed their surface ratios of carbon to oxygen. In carbon stars, carbon is in the ascendancy, and those molecules remove what little blue light is left, leaving the stars a vivid red. Among the best of them is R Leporis, discovered in 1845 in Lepus by J. R. Hind (1823-1895).From: One Minute Astronomer by Brian Ventrudo [Another red carbon star is H e r s c h e l ’s G a r n e t S t a r i n Cepheus. it is brighter than R Lep and circumpolar too. Known as μ-Cephei, the Garnet Star varies from 3.4 to 5.1 over 3.8 days.-ed]

R

NGC1535 .

The Miscellaneous Page Jan/Feb 2020 pg 14S G N

SGN Classified

Ads Section (Also on our website)

More Thanksgiving Aurora

BAS Member Loaner Scopes

Several Dobs available. One 12-inch dobsonian loaner telescope is available for free

loan to members. Other telescopes are also available. Contact John H. or Brett T. for availability. Scopes come in and out so

keep checking with John or Brett if you are interested in borrowing a telescope.

Solar H-alpha scope now available. Our Lunt solar scope can be borrowed by BAS members and it is waiting at the Fox! Contact John to get your hands on it. We

now have a suitable mount for it as well. A short training session will be provided on pickup.

FOR SALE: 12.5 inch f/6 Dobsonian telescope Homebuilt by experienced telescope maker in 1980. See Sep 2014 SGN pg 9 for build details. Truss tube design with full thickness Coulter mirror -one of their best, recently re-aluminized. Focuser and secondary mirror/spider is a Novak unit. Alt-azimuth mount (3/4-inch ply) is a nice wood grain finish with coating of Varathane.  This is a large telescope and probably would be happy in a relatively permanent location, but is portable if you have lots of trunk space. Loading into and out of a car trunk is easier with two people. Can be seen at the Fox Observatory.  Asking $789 but willing to negotiate.  Contact John H. at 519-371-0670 or stargazerjohn@rogers.com.

FOR SALE: 2-inch Filters: - Antares 2” filter 23A (light red) ($35)- Antares 2” filter 80A (blue) ($35)- LP-2 Narrowband (light poll. filter)

for 2”eyepieces (asking $200 or BO)- contact stargazerjohn@rogers.com - ALL OFFERS CONSIDERED

FOR SALE: Contact stargazerjohn@rogers.com for any of these items. See the complete list on BAS

website STUFF FOR SALE page.

Set of 4 Meade Research grade Orthoscopic 1.25” eyepieces. (28 mm, 16.8 mm, 10.5 mm, 4 mm) Some of the best planetary eyepieces made by Meade. (price in 1980 was $145 ea.) $100/set or $30 each.

Meade full aperture glass solar filter (9.25” ID) -orange/yellow image (equivalent to Thousand Oaks Type 2 Glass filter) asking $40

Meade 2x-3x variable Barlow (1.25”) asking $20

Generic O-III nebula filter threads onto 1.25” ep $50

Manfrotto Tripod model 074 Controls on three axes HD $125

Two-inch mirror diagonal plus adapter for C-8’ or Meade SCTs $80

Minolta 35 mm film camera XG-SE, plus Makinon 80-200 mm f/4 zoom lens. Asking $20

Jan/Feb 2020 pg 15Image of the Month - Lone Elm Star TrailsS G N

One of my favourite star trail images was one I took 20 years ago of the Lone Elm on the farm owned by Stu and Nancy Brown near Kilsyth. A classic foreground with a century barn and even older elm tree, it was a survivor of the disease that took many other American elms in the area.

Sadly, the Lone Em has seen better days. After a probable lightning strike a few years ago it has started to lose major branches and exhibit signs of severe stress. The damage is extensive enough that the unhappy decision has been made to take the Lone Elm down next spring or summer. A local wood carver has first call on the wood and I expect much of it will go into bowls and other items that will preserve the heritage of this stately piece of nature’s work for future generations.

About the time of the image left, the University of Guelph initiated an Elm Recovery Project (https://www.uoguelph.ca/arboretum/researchandstewardship/elmrecovery) headed by horticulturist Henry Kock. In fact, of the 800 elms in the project, the one pictured on their website is none other than the Brown’s Lone Elm!

Image 1 (Upper Left) data:Camera:  Practika, 28 mm f/2.8, single 25 minute exp. Ektacrome P1600 slide film. Scanned into digital form by Kodak in 2007. Date of Image: Oct 10, 1999 (11 pm)

Image 2 (Below) data:  Camera:  Canon 6D, 24 mm f/4, stack of 50x20 s, ISO 4000. Date of Image: Oct 28, 2019 (11 pm) 20 years almost to the day!