PAGE 2 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY SEPTEMBER 2016

Contact information: Info Officer (General Info) – info@fortworthastro.com Website Administrator – webmaster@fortworthastro.com

Postal Address: Fort Worth Astronomical Society c/o Matt McCullar 5801 Trail Lake Drive Fort Worth, TX 76133 Web Site: http://www.fortworthastro.org (or .com) Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/3eutb22 Twitter: http://twitter.com/ftwastro Yahoo! eGroup (members only): http://tinyurl.com/7qu5vkn

Officers (2015-2016): President – Si Simonson, president@fortworthastro.com Vice President – Tom Roth, vicepres@fortworthastro.com Sec/Tres – Michelle Theisen, sec-tres@fortworthastro.com

Board Members: 2016-2018 Bill Nichols Fed Klich 2015-2017 Matt Reed Phil Stage Observing Site Reminders:

Be careful with fire, mind all local burn bans!

Dark Site Usage Requirements (ALL MEMBERS):

Maintain Dark-Sky Etiquette (http://tinyurl.com/75hjajy)

Turn out your headlights at the gate!

Sign the logbook (in camo-painted storage shed. Inside the door on the left-hand side)

Log club equipment problems (please contact a FWAS board member to inform them of any problems)

Put equipment back neatly when finished

Last person out:

Check all doors – secured, but NOT locked

Make sure nothing is left out

FW

AS

I ns id e th is i s s ue :

Cover Photo: Annual Swap Meet held in August for members and visitors to buy, sell and

trade their new and used equipment was a success. Photo by the Editor

The Fort Worth Astronomical Society (FWAS) was founded in 1949 and is a non-profit 501(c)3 scientific educational organization, and incorporated in the state of Texas. This publication may be copied and distributed for free only. This publication cannot be uploaded or distributed into any media unless it is in its original, full, unaltered, published form. All rights reserved by FWAS.

Page

E d i t o r :

S h a w n K i rc h d o r f e r

I s s u e C o n t r i b u t o r s :

M a t t M c C u l l a r

K e l l y B e e b e

M i c h e l l e T h e i s e n

B r u c e C o w l e s

P a t r i c k M c M a h o n

September Club Calendar 3

Young Astronomer News 4

Celestial Events 5

Interesting Objects 6

Abbreviations/Classifications 6

Cloudy Night Library 7

TCU Longitude Dial 9

Constellation of the Month 11

Constellation Mythology 12

Monthly AL Observing Club 13

ISS Visible Passes for DFW 14

Monthly Planet Visibility 14

Monthly Sky Chart 15

Moon Phase Calendar 16

1st/Last Crescent/Ephem 17

Conjunctions:Lunar/Planet 18

Mercury/Venus Data 19

Jupiter Data 20

Saturn Data 21

RU Ready for SETI? 22

August Meeting Minutes 23

Fundraising/Donation Info 24

That’s A Fact 25

Full Moon Name 25

FWAS Fotos 26

SEPTEMBER 2016 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY PAGE 3

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30

See our full FWAS Event Calendar at:

http://www.fortworthastro.com/meetings.html

for the latest updates on what our club has scheduled

NM

FQ

SEPTEMBER 2016SEPTEMBER 2016

Click calendar icons above to see details of bright ISS passes this month.

Moon Apogee: 405089.0 km

FM Young

Astronomers

Meeting

Starts @ 7pm-9pm

FWAS

Monthly

Meeting

Starts @ 7pm

LQ

S t u r g e o n M o o n

Moon Perigee: 361880.2 km

Neptune @ Opposition

NM

130th Anniversary

(1886), 1st Photo

Taken of Ring Neb-ula by Eugene von

Gothard

40th Anniver-

sary

(1976), Viking 2, Mars Landing

Kyongae Chang's 70th Birthday (1946)

James Gilliss' 205th Birthday (1811)

50th Anniver-

sary (1966), 1st Star Trek Episode

on TV

5th Anniversary

(2011), GRAIL Launch (Moon

Orbiter)

Anousheh Ansari's 50th Birthday (1966)

Seth Chandler's 170th Birthday (1846)

H.G. Wells' 150th Birthday (1866)

Robert Haag's 60th Birthday (1956)

170th Anniversary

(1846), Johann Galle's Discovery

of Neptune

Johann Encke's 225th Birthday (1791)

Alberto Conti's 50th Birthday (1966)

Stephanie Wilson's 50th Birthday (1966)

65th Anniversary

(1951), Seth Nichol-son's Discovery of

Jupiter

Moon Ananke Enrico Fermi's 115th Birthday (1901)

y

Autumnal Equinox

Penumbral Lunar

Eclipse

PAGE 4 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY SEPTEMBER 2016

On that date it will be magnitude 7.6, which is

possible to see with a telescope but might be

hard in town. We will attempt to view it during

out meeting on Sept 17th from the parking lot.

Young Astronomers September has us look-

ing further out into

our solar system to

the cold blue gas

giant Neptune.

On Sept 2nd Neptune will

be at OPPOSITION to the Earth, meaning it will

be exactly opposite the Sun with us in the mid-

dle. Check out the Young Astronomers Web Page at: http://

www.fortworthastro.com/young_astronomers.html

e

Welcome to our New Members New members joining the July meeting: Glen Winn

Keith & Wendy Dugas

Ralph Malaker

Denita Arnold

Mark Hollingsworth

Javier Duran

Paul & Meredith Kocurek* David & Jane Wagner

William David Holmes

New members joining the August meeting: James Belk

The Hawken Family Brian, Jennifer, Andrew

Stephen Tuttle*

Barber Family*

Chad, Hollie, Sam, Max

SEPTEMBER 2016 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY PAGE 5

Sep 01 Th 04:03 New Moon

Sep 01 Th 04:08 Annular Solar Eclipse (Africa)

Sep 01 Th --:-- Venus: 23.5° E

Sep 01 Th 10:27 Moon Ascending Node

Sep 02 Fr 10:16 Neptune Opposition

Sep 03 Sa 05:33 Moon-Venus: 1.2° S

Sep 04 Su 19:03 Saturn-Antares: 6.1° N

Sep 06 Tu 13:44 Moon Apogee: 405100 km

Sep 08 Th 16:23 Moon-Saturn: 4.2° S

Sep 09 Fr 06:49 First Quarter

Sep 10 Sa 17:05 Moon South Dec.: 18.5° S

Sep 12 Mo 18:38 Mercury Inferior Conj.

Sep 15 Th 18:55 Moon Descending Node

Sep 16 Fr 13:56 Pen. Lunar Eclipse

Sep 16 Fr 14:05 Full Moon

Sep 18 Su 10:12 Venus-Spica: 2.4° N

Sep 18 Su 12:00 Moon Perigee: 361900 km

Sep 21 We 17:13 Moon-Aldebaran: 0.2° S

Sep 22 Th 09:21 Autumnal Equinox

Sep 23 Fr 04:56 Last Quarter

Sep 23 Fr 11:44 Moon North Dec.: 18.5° N

Sep 26 Mo 01:19 Jupiter Conjunction

Sep 27 Tu 17:32 Moon-Regulus: 1.8° N

Sep 28 We 13:59 Mercury Elongation: 17.9° W

Sep 28 We 17:06 Moon Ascending Node

Sep 30 Fr 19:12 New Moon

C E L E S T I A L E V E N T S T H I S M O N T H

(* Times are Local) D a t a S o u r c e : N A S A S K Y C A L - S K Y E V E N T S C A LE N D A R

PAGE 6 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY SEPTEMBER 2016

I N T E R E S T I N G O B J E C T S

Deep Sky* - (C4) Iris Nebula-DN, (C20) North America Nebula-DN, (C63) Helix Nebula-PN,

(C76) Northern Jewel Box-OC, (M8) Lagoon Nebula-DN, (M13) Great Globular Cluster in Her-

cules-GC, (M20) Trifid Nebula, DN, (M27) Dumbell Nebula-PN, (M31) Andromeda Galaxy-Sb,

(M57) Ring Nebula-PN, Milky Way Galactic Center

Double/Multiple Stars** - Beta (b) Cap, Epsilon (e) Cas, Omicron (o) Cyg

Constellations* - Aquila, Capricorn, Cassiopeia, Cygnus, Draco, Libra, Lyra, Pegasus, Sagitta-

rius, Scorpius, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor

Asterisms*** - Summer Triangle, Three Leaps of the Gazelle (UMa), Tennis Racket (Aql),

Party Balloon (Cas), Meerschaum Pip (Cyg), Mini-Cassiopeia (Dra), Seedling (Peg), Teaspoon

(Sgr)

Lunar Features**** - Pico (R11), Hyginus Rille (R34), Messier & Messier A (R48)

SEPTEMBER 2016 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY PAGE 7

M ars has been glowing big and bright in our Tex-

as sky lately, so why not read more about it. Humans may well and truly walk around on Mars before we know it. But it's a long trip... even longer than driving to the Texas Star Party. What is being locked inside an air-tight can for three years go-ing to do to the astronauts' psyches? Will they all return safe and sound... or stark, raving mad? Who should make a journey like this?

Packing for Mars goes into great detail about what ex-actly goes into keeping a room full of humans alive. And not all of it is pleasant. Here's a great quote from author Mary Roach: “To the rocket scientist, you are a problem. You are the most irritating piece of machinery he or she will ever have to deal with. You and your fluctuating metabolism, your puny memory, your frame that comes in a million different configurations. You are unpre-dictable. You’re inconsistent. You take weeks to fix. To me, you are the best thing to happen to rocket science. The human being is the machine that makes the whole endeavor so endlessly intri-

guing.”

Some sage once said, “Hell is being locked in a room with your friends.” Would heavy sedation be a good option for such a long space trip? Hiberna-tion helps conserve weight. But what if the hiber-nation system fails? Would there be enough food and supplies on board for the rest of the trip? If the astronauts are awake and fully functional for

the entire journey, one must plan for all eventualities. Who might be better suited?

In the days of Gemini and Apol-lo, most astronauts were mili-tary pilots with very strong egos. The missions never last-ed more than a couple of weeks, and crew compatibility wasn't very high on the list of things to worry about because the thinking was, “Any crew can fly any mission.” By the time the Space Shuttle started flying, however, that belief be-gan to change. NASA no longer looks for very-strong-willed individuals; they want astro-nauts who can work comforta-bly as part of a team to get the job done. It won't be a solitary person going to Mars. It will likely be a multi-cultural, inter-national crew who has proven that they can get along.

You be the psychologist in charge of selecting the first

crew to Mars. Whom should you pick? Whom would you reject? Any why? Based on what crite-ria? Scientific data? Intuition? Countless studies and simulations over the years (in Antarctica and in isolation chambers) have yielded plenty of data on personality management, but there's no telling

(Continued on page 8)

Media Reviews By: Matt McCullar, FWAS

Packing for Mars: The Curi-ous Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach

Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach Published by W. W. Norton & Co. – 2010 ISBN 978-0-393-06847-4 334 pages

PAGE 8 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY SEPTEMBER 2016

what can or cannot trigger conflict... especially after months of the same boring scenery and the same boring faces day after day after day. A com-mander can't trust a last-minute replacement crew member quite as much as an astronaut he or she has personally trained with for months. Suppose there's a communications breakdown – either between spacecraft and Earth (remember, at times Mars is behind the Sun) or between crew members who may not speak a common language as well as they thought.

“Space doesn’t just encompass the sublime and the ridiculous. It erases the line between,” says author Roach. This book goes far deeper into the gory details of what will be involved in a manned mission to Mars than any other book I've read: space sickness, personal hygiene, human relation-ships, etc. Good food is vital for morale, but what are the drawbacks to each item on the menu? What happens to the crew if the toilet breaks? (This problem is sometimes thrown at astronaut candidates during training.) Should a crew be men only? Women only? Married couples?

Much of Packing for Mars discusses the pros and cons of long-duration stays in tight quarters, espe-cially when combined with people from other countries. Different people react different ways to different stimuli. “Make sure they speak a common language well enough to communicate. Check out how well they work as a team. Choose people with a resilient sense of humor. Give eve-ryone a crash course in cross-cultural etiquette.” But matter how thoroughly you try to anticipate cross-cultural clashes, something’s bound to be overlooked. And space travel brings up things no one can foresee.

Every astronaut who has ever been in space never tired of looking at the Earth. But during an inter-planetary journey, Earth won't be there to watch anymore. Will the crew be able to look at the

stars until they reach another planet? What kinds of videos should astronauts watch in space? Per-haps footage of Mars taken from earlier probes. (Or footage of Earth from orbit.)

Believe it or not, there are plenty of people who will gladly volunteer for a one-way trip to Mars. But would they really make good astronauts? They could potentially live a long while due to un-manned supply ships. And a lot of early Earth ex-plorers wanted to venture to uncharted lands, knowing they would probably never see their homes again.

All in all, a huge undertaking like this is going to be horribly expensive. That is why it's likely that many countries will share the cost. But is it really worth it? Would you go? Why or why not?

Mary Roach's writing style is very up-front, very descriptive, in-your-face, amusing and entertain-ing – despite the subject matter. Be prepared to read far more about “waste management” than you ever cared to.

4 out of 5 suitcases. Recommended... but not for the squeamish.

(Book Review—Continued from page 7)

If you have an idea for an article, have astronomical related photos or an astronomy pro-

ject you’ve done, and you’d like to share or want to contribute to the newsletter in any oth-

er way, please contact the editor at primefocus@fortworthastro.com or through the club’s

Yahoo! eGroup forum.

e

SEPTEMBER 2016 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY PAGE 9

32°42’39.19”N, 97°21’38.83”W

PAGE 10 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY SEPTEMBER 2016

www.longitudedial.com

SEPTEMBER 2016 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY PAGE 11

A ndromeda constel-

lation is located in

the northern sky,

between Cassiope-

ia’s W asterism and the

Great Square of Pegasus.

The constellation was

named after the mythical

princess Andromeda, the

wife of the Greek hero Per-

seus. It is also known as the

Chained Maiden, Persea

(wife of Perseus), or Cepheis

(daughter of Cepheus). An-

dromeda was first cata-

logued by the Greek astron-

omer Ptolemy in the 2nd

century.

Among other notable deep

sky objects, Andromeda

constellation contains the famous Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31) and the dwarf elliptical galaxies Messier

32 (Le Gentil) and Messier 110.

Andromeda is the 19th biggest star constellation in the night sky, occupying an area of 722 square degrees.

It is located in the first quadrant of the northern hemisphere (NQ1) and can be seen at latitudes between

+90° and -40°. The neighboring constellations are Cassiopeia, Lacerta, Pegasus, Perseus, Pisces and Triangu-

lum.

Andromeda contains three Messier objects – Messier 31 (Andromeda Galaxy), Messier 32 and Messier 110

– and has seven stars with known planets. The brightest star in the constellation is Alpheratz. The Androme-

dids meteor shower (also known as the Bielids) in mid-November appears to originate from this constella-

tion.

Andromeda belongs to the Perseus family of constellations, along with Auriga, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Cetus, Lacerta, Pegasus, Perseus, and Triangulum.

http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/andromeda-constellation/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andromeda_(constellation)

C o n s t e l l a t i o n o f T h e M o n t hC o n s t e l l a t i o n o f T h e M o n t h

e

Andromeda

PAGE 12 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY SEPTEMBER 2016

I n Greek mythology, Androm-

eda was the daughter of

King Cepheus of Ethiopia

and Queen Cassiopeia, who

offended the Nereids (sea

nymphs) by claiming that she was

more beautiful than they were.

The nymphs complained to the

sea god Poseidon and he sent a

sea monster, Cetus, to flood and

destroy Cepheus’ lands as punish-

ment for his wife’s boastfulness.

When the king sought advice

from the Oracle of Ammon on

how to prevent complete de-

struction of his lands, he was told

that the only way to appease the

gods and nymphs was to sacrifice

his daughter to Cetus. Subse-

quently, Andromeda was chained

to a rock and would have been left

to the monster if Perseus had not

come along and saved her. The two were later married and had six children,

including Gorgophonte, who fathered Tyndareus, the famous Spartan king,

and Perses, who was an ancestor of the Persians.

In the story, it was the goddess Athena who commemorated Princess Androm-

eda by placing her image among the stars, next to the constellations repre-

senting her husband Perseus and her mother Cassiopeia.

Text Source: http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/ Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urania%27s_Mirror

e

Andromeda as depicted in Urania's Mirror, a set of constellation cards published in London c. 1825.

SEPTEMBER 2016 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY PAGE 13

Al Observing Club

Highlight Of The Month

The Astronomical League has been highly successful motivating League club/society members to not only get out and observe, but to also record and submit their obser-vations for appropriate recognition. The stated goal for the Observing Programs is that they offer encouragement and certificates of accomplishment for demonstrating ob-serving skills with a variety of instruments and objects. The success of the Astronomi-cal League's various Observing Programs and awards is but just one of the League's many benefits to its member club/societies.

The Astronomy League’s Outreach Award encourages and recognizes the work of indi-viduals who promote the hobby of astronomy. There are many reasons why the Astro-nomical League values outreach activities:

1. Outreach is paramount to the survival of our hobby. Our clubs need new members of all ages, and outreach programs by clubs or individuals are important to the growth of our hobby.

2. Outreach can also enhance the lives of individuals in our schools and communities. Astronomy is a worthwhile hobby and has much to offer individuals and society. Through outreach programs, we offer children and youth a door into mathematics and sciences which may become future career fields. Outreach to older adults can introduce them to astronomy as a new challenge that can enrich retirement years. Outreach for intergenerational groups can enhance a family’s life together.

3. The highly-successful League Observing Programs are popular and inviting. By making Astronomy Outreach on the same level as other League Observing Programs, it promotes the importance of outreach among our many members. It would also encourage clubs/societies to become more involved.

4. Astronomy can often be a solitary activity. Outreach programs connect individual astronomers in a way that ena-bles these individuals to share, teach, and mentor one another so that we all enjoy our hobby to an ever greater ex-tent.

5. The Astronomical League is the organization that has historically tied together amateur clubs and societies. The League is, therefore, the best vehicle to recognize and reward individual outreach efforts. The League already recog-nizes efforts by clubs/societies for Astronomy Day. Yet we need to practice outreach on more than one day per year - and many of us do just that. It is often the individual who makes this happen.

6. You cannot have too much outreach nor recognize outreach efforts often enough!

The Outreach Observing Award O b s e r v i n g E x p e r i e n c e L E V E L

B E G I N N E R

e

e

PAGE 14 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY SEPTEMBER 2016

Times and Data are for Fort Worth, Texas Locations Only Data Source: Heavens Above

NOTE: NO bright ISS passes visible in the DFW area, for dates not listed.

Chart created using: Cartes du Ciel

Date Bright-ness

Start Highest point End Pass type

(mag) Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az.

02 Sep -1.7 06:13:32 10° SSW 06:16:27 31° SE 06:19:24 10° ENE visible

03 Sep -0.7 05:23:07 13° SSE 05:24:11 14° SE 05:26:03 10° E visible

04 Sep -3.4 06:05:59 22° SW 06:07:54 83° NW 06:11:11 10° NE visible

05 Sep -2.0 05:16:03 37° ESE 05:16:03 37° ESE 05:18:37 10° ENE visible

06 Sep -2.2 05:58:41 26° WNW 05:59:30 29° NW 06:02:25 10° NNE visible

07 Sep -1.3 05:08:34 27° NNE 05:08:34 27° NNE 05:10:13 10° NE visible

08 Sep -1.1 05:51:01 14° NW 05:51:14 14° NNW 05:53:04 10° N visible

09 Sep -0.4 05:00:46 13° NNE 05:00:46 13° NNE 05:01:19 10° NNE visible

18 Sep -0.3 06:48:41 10° NNE 06:49:38 11° NNE 06:50:35 10° NE visible

20 Sep -0.9 06:38:42 10° NNW 06:41:19 22° NE 06:43:56 10° E visible

21 Sep -0.3 05:47:01 10° N 05:48:35 13° NNE 05:50:10 10° ENE visible

22 Sep -2.6 06:29:37 10° NW 06:32:49 53° NE 06:36:02 10° ESE visible

23 Sep -1.3 05:38:47 19° N 05:40:13 26° NE 05:43:02 10° E visible

24 Sep 0.3 04:49:20 11° ENE 04:49:20 11° ENE 04:49:30 10° ENE visible

24 Sep -3.1 06:22:03 19° WNW 06:24:09 48° SW 06:27:18 10° SSE visible

25 Sep -2.0 05:32:48 36° ESE 05:32:48 36° ESE 05:34:53 10° SE visible

25 Sep -1.1 20:29:29 10° S 20:30:13 13° SSE 20:30:13 13° SSE visible

26 Sep -1.2 06:16:27 14° SSW 06:16:27 14° SSW 06:17:28 10° S visible

26 Sep -1.3 21:12:12 10° SW 21:13:42 25° WSW 21:13:42 25° WSW visible

27 Sep -3.2 20:19:44 10° SSW 20:22:55 52° SE 20:24:15 29° ENE visible

28 Sep -1.3 21:04:05 10° W 21:06:50 24° NW 21:07:17 24° NNW visible

29 Sep -2.5 20:11:01 10° WSW 20:14:11 49° NW 20:17:22 10° NE visible

30 Sep -0.3 20:57:00 10° NW 20:58:24 12° NNW 20:59:47 10° N visible

SEPTEMBER 2016 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY PAGE 15

Chart displayed is for September 15, 2016 @ 21:00 Local Time

Fort Worth, TX (32.7555°N, 97.3308°W)

September Sky Chart

PAGE 16 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY SEPTEMBER 2016

SEPTEMBER 2016 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY PAGE 17

Data source: http://astropixels.com/ephemeris/moon/moon2015.html

Friday 2 September 2016

20.3h Lunar Crescent visible, 40.2 hours after new moon

Elongation: 18.7°, 2.8% illuminated, Position angle of crescent (from Zenith to East): 233.7° - crescent points to the lower right, Width of the crescent: 0.80', Length of the crescent: 125°, Moon sets at 20h46m, 54 minutes after the Sun (Azimuth: 272°/W)

The Yallop (1998) criteria additionally states for this event with q=+0.513

Thursday 29 September 2016

6.8h Lunar Crescent visible, 35.8 hours before new moon

Elongation: 16.1°, 2.2% illuminated, Position angle of crescent (from Zenith to East): 172.4° - crescent is hori-zontal like a boat, Width of the crescent: 0.59', Length of the crescent: 153°, Moon rises at 6h05m, 78 minutes before the Sun (Azimuth: 84°/E)

The Yallop (1998) criteria additionally states for this event with q=+0.894

Saturday 1 October 2016

19.5h Lunar Crescent probably visible under perfect conditions, only 24.3 hours after new moon

Elongation: 11°, 1% illuminated, Position angle of crescent (from Zenith to East): 222.6° - crescent points to the lower right, Width of the crescent: 0.27', Length of the crescent: 31°, Moon lower limb relative to sunset point at sunset: dalt=7.1° daz=-7.4° (i.e. eastward), Altitude of moon center at listed time: 3.8°, Azimuth: 261.1°/W, Altitude of Sun: -4.5°, Moon sets at 19h52m, 39 minutes after the Sun (Azimuth: 264°/W)

The Yallop (1998) criteria additionally states for this event with q=-0.099: Telescope required to find crescent!

First and Last Lunar Crescent Visibility

PAGE 18 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY SEPTEMBER 2016

Lunar Occultations &Lunar Occultations & Conjunctions of PlanetsConjunctions of Planets

Wednesday 3 August 2016Wednesday 3 August 2016

8.8pm8.8pm Close to Venus, Close to Venus, --3.9mag, Separation=4.06°, Limb separation=3.82° =7.42 lunar dia., Po-3.9mag, Separation=4.06°, Limb separation=3.82° =7.42 lunar dia., Po-sition angle=46.0° NE, Azimuth az=282.2°, Altitude h=6.2°, RA=10h03.1m Dec=+13°32.1', Moon sition angle=46.0° NE, Azimuth az=282.2°, Altitude h=6.2°, RA=10h03.1m Dec=+13°32.1', Moon phase=1.7%, Sun altitude hsun=phase=1.7%, Sun altitude hsun=--4.9°4.9°

Friday 2 September 2016Friday 2 September 2016

17.9h17.9h Close to Jupiter, Close to Jupiter, --1.7mag, Separation=0.29°, Limb separation=0.03° =0.07 lunar dia., 1.7mag, Separation=0.29°, Limb separation=0.03° =0.07 lunar dia., Position angle=25.04° NE, Azimuth az=246.4°, Altitude h=34.25°, RA=11h56.7m Dec= +1°33.3', Position angle=25.04° NE, Azimuth az=246.4°, Altitude h=34.25°, RA=11h56.7m Dec= +1°33.3', Moon phase=2.5%, Sun altitude hsun=24.1°, in daylight, elongation from sun: 18.1°; (Northern limit: Moon phase=2.5%, Sun altitude hsun=24.1°, in daylight, elongation from sun: 18.1°; (Northern limit: 97°16'W 28°20'N, alt=32.3°, bright limb; Southern limit: 97°16'W 8°19'S, alt=29.1°, bright limb)97°16'W 28°20'N, alt=32.3°, bright limb; Southern limit: 97°16'W 8°19'S, alt=29.1°, bright limb)

19.9h19.9h Close to Jupiter, Close to Jupiter, --1.7mag, with Sun below horizon, Separation=0.88°, Limb separa-1.7mag, with Sun below horizon, Separation=0.88°, Limb separa-tion=0.63° =1.25 lunar dia., Position angle=311.7° NW, Azimuth az=265.3°, Altitude h=10.1°, tion=0.63° =1.25 lunar dia., Position angle=311.7° NW, Azimuth az=265.3°, Altitude h=10.1°, RA=11h56.7m Dec= +1°32.9', Moon phase=2.8%, Sun altitude hsun=RA=11h56.7m Dec= +1°32.9', Moon phase=2.8%, Sun altitude hsun=--0.2°0.2°

Thursday 8 September 2016Thursday 8 September 2016

17.3h17.3h Close to Saturn, 0.5mag, Separation=3.18°, Limb separation=2.93° =5.87 lunar dia., Po-Close to Saturn, 0.5mag, Separation=3.18°, Limb separation=2.93° =5.87 lunar dia., Po-sition angle=197.55° S, Azimuth az=154.8°, Altitude h=32.45°, RA=16h35.8m Dec=sition angle=197.55° S, Azimuth az=154.8°, Altitude h=32.45°, RA=16h35.8m Dec=--20°29.9', Moon 20°29.9', Moon phase=44.7%, Sun altitude hsun=29.1°, in daylight, elongation from sun: 83.8°phase=44.7%, Sun altitude hsun=29.1°, in daylight, elongation from sun: 83.8°

19.7h19.7h Close to Saturn, 0.5mag, with Sun below horizon, Separation=3.30°, Limb separa-Close to Saturn, 0.5mag, with Sun below horizon, Separation=3.30°, Limb separa-tion=3.06° =6.11 lunar dia., Position angle=210.3° SW, Azimuth az=195.2°, Altitude h=35.2°, tion=3.06° =6.11 lunar dia., Position angle=210.3° SW, Azimuth az=195.2°, Altitude h=35.2°, RA=16h35.9m Dec=RA=16h35.9m Dec=--20°30.0', Moon phase=45.7%, Sun altitude hsun=20°30.0', Moon phase=45.7%, Sun altitude hsun=--0.2°0.2°

Thursday 15 September 2016Thursday 15 September 2016

20.2h20.2h Close to Neptune, 7.8mag, with Sun below horizon, Separation=3.77°, Limb separa-Close to Neptune, 7.8mag, with Sun below horizon, Separation=3.77°, Limb separa-tion=3.51° =6.44 lunar dia., Position angle=248.1° W, Azimuth az=111.1°, Altitude h=15.3°, tion=3.51° =6.44 lunar dia., Position angle=248.1° W, Azimuth az=111.1°, Altitude h=15.3°, RA=22h48.5m Dec= RA=22h48.5m Dec= --8°31.9', Moon phase=99.2%, Sun altitude hsun=8°31.9', Moon phase=99.2%, Sun altitude hsun=--9.0°9.0°

Thursday 29 September 2016Thursday 29 September 2016

6.5h6.5h Close to Mercury, Close to Mercury, --0.5mag, with Sun below horizon, Separation=1.74°, Limb separa-0.5mag, with Sun below horizon, Separation=1.74°, Limb separa-tion=1.49° =2.97 lunar dia., Position angle=319.2° NW, Azimuth az=87.3°, Altitude h=6.1°, tion=1.49° =2.97 lunar dia., Position angle=319.2° NW, Azimuth az=87.3°, Altitude h=6.1°, RA=11h21.3m Dec= +5°31.4', Moon phase=2.2%, Sun altitude hsun=RA=11h21.3m Dec= +5°31.4', Moon phase=2.2%, Sun altitude hsun=--11.8°11.8°

Friday 30 September 2016Friday 30 September 2016

10.7h10.7h Close to Jupiter, Close to Jupiter, --1.7mag, Separation=0.54°, Limb separation=0.28° =0.56 lunar dia., 1.7mag, Separation=0.54°, Limb separation=0.28° =0.56 lunar dia., Position angle=207.13° SW, Azimuth az=127.5°, Altitude h=42.20°, RA=12h18.5m Dec= Position angle=207.13° SW, Azimuth az=127.5°, Altitude h=42.20°, RA=12h18.5m Dec= --0°48.5', 0°48.5', Moon phase=0.1%, Sun altitude hsun=38.7°, in daylight, elongation from sun: 4.4°; (Southern limit: Moon phase=0.1%, Sun altitude hsun=38.7°, in daylight, elongation from sun: 4.4°; (Southern limit: 97°16'W 55°43'N, alt=25.3°, bright limb)97°16'W 55°43'N, alt=25.3°, bright limb)

Data Source: http://www.calsky.com/

SEPTEMBER 2016 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY PAGE 19

V E N U S

Data and Image Sources: www.calsky.com

M e r c u r y

SEP 01

SEP 15

LOCAL SUNSET

SEP 01

SEP 15

OCT 01

OCT 01 LOCAL SUNSET

PAGE 20 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY SEPTEMBER 2016

J

UP

IT

ER

JU

PI

TE

R

Great Red Spot Transits

Data Source: http://www.calsky.com/

Jovian Moon Position Chart

Chart source: JupSat Pro Software

1 1h22.9m 11h18.8m 21h14.7m

2 7h10.6m 17h06.5m

3 3h02.3m 12h58.2m 22h54.1m

4 8h50.0m 18h45.8m

5 4h41.7m 14h37.6m

6 0h33.4m 10h29.3m 20h25.2m

7 6h21.1m 16h16.9m

8 2h12.8m 12h08.7m 22h04.5m

9 8h00.4m 17h56.3m

10 3h52.2m 13h48.0m 23h43.9m

11 9h39.8m 19h35.6m

12 5h31.5m 15h27.4m

13 1h23.2m 11h19.1m 21h15.0m

14 7h10.8m 17h06.7m

15 3h02.6m 12h58.5m 22h54.3m

16 8h50.2m 18h46.1m

17 4h41.9m 14h37.8m

18 0h33.7m 10h29.5m 20h25.4m

19 6h21.2m 16h17.1m

20 2h13.0m 12h08.8m 22h04.7m

21 8h00.6m 17h56.4m

22 3h52.3m 13h48.2m 23h44.0m

23 9h39.9m 19h35.8m

24 5h31.6m 15h27.5m

25 1h23.3m 11h19.2m 21h15.1m

26 7h10.9m 17h06.8m

27 3h02.6m 12h58.5m 22h54.4m

28 8h50.2m 18h46.1m

29 4h41.9m 14h37.8m

30 0h33.7m 10h29.5m 20h25.4m

SEPTEMBER 2016 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY PAGE 21

S

AT

UR

N

S

AT

UR

N Chart Source: http://www.calsky.com/

Saturn Tilt as it will appear on

the 15th of the month.

PAGE 22 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY SEPTEMBER 2016

Are You Ready for SETI?

HD164595

Double star HD164595

Information from catalog: Stars

Extended Hipparcos Compilation

Visual magnitude: 7.07

HD: 164595

BD: BD+29 3165

HIP: 88194

Colour index: 0.64

Blue magnitude: 7.71

Spectral class: G2V

Proper motion in right ascension: -139 [mas/y]

Proper motion in declination: 173 [mas/y]

Parallax: 35.3 [mas]

Distance: 92.4 light years

Component: A

Constellation: Hercules

Radial velocity: 2.06 [km/s]

Magnitude I: 6.4

Coordinates: Apparent

Apparent RA: 18h01m17.656s DE:+29°34'46.85"

Mean of the date RA: 18h01m17.337s DE:+29°34'23.22"

Astrometric J2000 RA: 18h00m38.717s DE:+29°34'21.80"

Ecliptic L: +270°28'04" B:+53°00'50"

Galactic L: +55°28'03" B:+23°16'39"

Data Source = Cartes du Ciel (SkyChart)

With the recent news that SETI scientists think they might have discovered a potential intelligent signal from an

extra-solar source, I’ve created this chart of the star in question, HD164595. At 92 Light years away this very sun-

like G2V type star has got astronomers buzzing. Now you too can look and wonder about whether the LGM’s are

looking back at you. Below is more data on this star. Enjoy. – Editor

SEPTEMBER 2016 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY PAGE 23

PAGE 24 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY SEPTEMBER 2016

AmazonSmile is a website operated by Ama-

zon that lets customers enjoy the same wide

selection of products, low prices, and con-

venient shopping features as on Ama-

zon.com. The difference is that when custom-

ers shop on AmazonSmile at

smile.amazon.com, the AmazonSmile Foun-

dation will donate 0.5% of the price of eligi-

ble purchases to the charitable organizations

selected by customers.

To participate, visit AmazonSmile and select

Fort Worth Astronomical Society as your

charity upon log-in. For more information vis-

it org.amazon.com. The site will remember

your charity automatically when you visit

AmazonSmile to shop. If you are already an

Amazon.com user, you can use the same ac-

count to log-in to AmazonSmile to shop. You

must sign-in to AmazonSmile each time you

shop in order for your purchases to count to-

wards a donation to your charitable organiza-

tion. If you do not have an Amazon account,

signing up is free!

FWAS Club

Fundraiser FWAS is still asking for donations to raise

the $3000 to cover the costs of purchasing

our new Lunt LS60THa solar telescope and

an iOptron ZEQ25 GT mount. We have al-

ready used this at some outreach and edu-

cational events, and

it was a hit!

Donations are tax

deductible. We are a

501(c)3 non-profit

organization dedicat-

ed to educating and

sparking the interest

in Astronomy and

Space in the public.

If you would like to

help us recoup this

expense, it’s still not

too late. You can still

donate. Please click

the button below or

go to the URL shown

at the bottom. Any

amount is welcome

and greatly appreci-

ated.

http://www.fortworthastro.com/donate.html

SEPTEMBER 2016 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY PAGE 25

Newsletter: The FWAS newsletter, Prime Focus, is published monthly. Letters to the editor, articles for publication, photos you’ve taken, per-sonal equipment reviews, or just about anything you would like to have included in the newsletter that is astronomy related should be sent to: primefocus@fortworthastro.com

Meetings: FWAS meets at 7:00 PM on the third Tuesday of the month at the UNT Health Science Center – Research & Education Building, Room 100; 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd; Ft. Worth. Guests and visitors are always welcome.

Outreach: Items regarding FWAS Outreach activities, or requests for FWAS to attend an event, should be sent to: out-reach@fortworthastro.com

Young Astronomers: FWAS’ youth activities (known as YA!) meet on the 3rd Saturday of every month between 7pm and 9pm (check our calendar for time changes throughout the year - determined by seasonal sun-set times). This group meets for one hour at the Parkwood Hill HOA Club House - 5573 Eastwedge Dr., Fort Worth, TX 76137. YA! Coordinators: ya@fortworthastro.com

FWAS Annual Dues: $40 for adults / families & households $20.00 for students (half-price Dec 1 thru May 31); Membership runs June 1st through May 31st. Please make checks payable to: Fort Worth Astronomical Society See our Secretary/Treasurer for more info: sec-treas@fortworthastro.com Cash and checks should be paid in-person at the next indoor meeting, or checks can be mailed in the traditional way. Mem-bers should check the eGroup for the latest postal mailing ad-dress listed by the Secretary/Treasurer. Credit card payments (for existing membership renewals only) can be made through our PayPal link (private link is on the club’s Yahoo eGroup – no PayPal account required).

Discount Magazine Subscriptions: Sky & Telescope, Astronomy, and StarDate (McDonald Observa-tory) magazines are available for discounted subscription rates through our association with the NASA Night Sky Network and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. The link can be found on the club’s Yahoo eGroup. (Members Only)

Astronomical League Membership: Your FWAS membership gives you associate membership in the Astronomical League. This gives you access to earn various ob-serving certificates through the AL observing clubs. You also re-ceive their quarterly magazine, Reflector. AL Observing clubs: http://tinyurl.com/7pyr8qg

The closest black hole to the The closest black hole to the

Earth is only 1600 light years Earth is only 1600 light years

away! away!

This full Moon corre-

sponds with the time

of harvesting corn. It is

also called the Barley Moon, because it is the

time to harvest and thresh the ripened bar-

ley. The Harvest Moon is the full Moon near-

est the autumnal equinox, which can occur in

September or October and is bright enough

to allow finishing all the harvest chores.

F U L L M O O N N A M E

Source: OId Farmer’s Almanac

“Full Corn Moon”

Sept e mbe r

That’s a Fact!

Just go to their website at http://www.amsmeteors.org/

and hover your cursor on the Fireball menu item at the

top of the page and you will see the link to report a fire-

ball. They will ask you several questions in a web ques-

tionnaire and your observations will be added to the

other witnesses for the same event. These will be com-

piled and analyzed to determine the location and direc-

tion from which the object entered the atmosphere.

Seen a Fireball Lately? Report it to the

American Meteor Society (AMS)

Source

e

PAGE 26 FORT WORTH ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY SEPTEMBER 2016

Have an interesting photo you’ve taken of the sky? Discovered a technique and want to show the results to fellow FWAS mem-

bers? Submit your photos to primefocus@fortworthastro.com or send them in the Yahoo! eGroup to the attention of the news-

letter editor. Your participation in showing off your personal astrophotography is greatly appreciated by all FWAS members.

(Below) Moon and Jupiter (with moons) in Conjunction —taken by FWAS member Patrick

(Left)

The “Desk

Crew” (FWAS mem-

bers) building obser-

vation decks at the

FWAS Starr Ranch

dark site.