APL Astronomy ClubAPL Astronomy Club

General MeetingGeneral Meeting

September 17, 2014September 17, 2014

AgendaAgenda

• FY 2014 budget request – status• Treasurer’s Report• Proposed 2015 Equipment Purchase

Overview• Star Party / Solar Party planning• Upcoming Events• Observing Reports• October’s Lunar Eclipse

APL Astronomy Club TreasuryAPL Astronomy Club TreasurySeptember 17, 2014September 17, 2014

Dues income for Dues income for CYCY 2014 2014• 28 members have paid CY 14 dues to date (23 paid 28 members have paid CY 14 dues to date (23 paid

in 2013)in 2013)

$ 700.00$ 700.00

CarryoverCarryover $ 927.13$ 927.13

Recent ExpendituresRecent Expenditures

Credit Union balance (17 September 2014)Credit Union balance (17 September 2014) $ $ 823.75823.75

Rec Office Balance (Rec Office Balance (FYFY 2014) 2014)• Grant announced December 3rd, 2013 - $2284.0Grant announced December 3rd, 2013 - $2284.0

$ 0.00$ 0.00

*Includes $1 check fee

Star / Solar Party PlanningStar / Solar Party Planning

• Solar observing party:Solar observing party:– Next solar observing session Sept 18, Central Next solar observing session Sept 18, Central

GreenGreen• Fall Friends and Family Star Party:Fall Friends and Family Star Party:

– Plan for week of Sept 29th; 1Plan for week of Sept 29th; 1stst Quarter Moon on Quarter Moon on Oct 1Oct 1stst

– Next 1Next 1stst Quarter October 30 (Thursday, Quarter October 30 (Thursday, Halloween eve)Halloween eve)

– Full Moons: Oct 8, November 6. Full Moons: Oct 8, November 6. • Dark Sky Party:Dark Sky Party:

– Any plans for future trips?Any plans for future trips?

Upcoming Events – APL ClubUpcoming Events – APL Club

• Next Club Meeting – October 15– Volunteer speaker?

• Solar observing party – To be held on Sept 18th

• Fall Friends and Family Star Party – sometime during the week of Sept 29th-Oct 3rd

Upcoming Events - RegionalUpcoming Events - Regional• Chaos Spring Star Party – Mar. 27 – 30, 2014 – Staunton River State Park – Near Scottsburg,

VA• Central PA Consortium Astronomers Meeting• NEAF/NEAIC 23 – Apr. 12 - 13, 2014 – Rockland Astronomy Club and S&T - Rockland

Community College, Suffern, NY• Star Gaze – Apr. 24 - 27, 2014 – Delmarva Star Gazers – Tuckahoe State Park in Queen Anne,

MD• Texas Star Party 2014 – May 25 – Jun. 1, 2014 – Astronomical League Southwest Region -

Prude Ranch near Fort Davis, TX• The Cherry Springs Star Party – Jun. 26 - 29, 2014 – The Astronomical Society of Harrisburg –

Cherry Springs State Park near Coudersport, PA • Greenbank Star Quest XI – Jun. 25 - 28, 2014 – National Radio Astronomy Observatory -

Greenbank, WV• Mason-Dixon Summer Star Party – Jul. 23 - 27, 2014 – York County, PA • Stellafane Convention – Jul. 24 - 27, 2014 – Springfield, VT• NOVAC AHSP 10 – Aug. 22 - 26, 2014 – Spruce Knob, WV• Black Forest Star Party – Aug 22 – 24, 2014 – Cherry Springs, PA

• Delmarva NoFrills 2014 – Sept 18-21 – Tuckahoe State Park• Blackwater Falls Astronomy Weekend – Sept 25-28, 2014 –

Blackwater Falls, WV

Observing ReportsObserving Reports

October’s Total Lunar Eclipse!October’s Total Lunar Eclipse!

October 8October 8thth Lunar Eclipse Lunar Eclipse

• This is to be the second of four consecutive total lunar eclipses (a tetrad) in 2014/2015

• There were no tetrads between 1582 and 1908

• There are 17 tetrads between 1909 and 2156

• The last tetrad was in 2003/2004.• The next will be 2032/2033.

October 8October 8thth Lunar Eclipse Lunar Eclipse

• During the 5000-year period from 1999 BC to 3000 AD there have been/will be:– 4378 penumbral eclipses– 4207 partial lunar eclipses– 3479 total lunar eclipses

• 568 of these total lunar eclipses belong to a tetrad

October 8October 8thth Lunar Eclipse Lunar Eclipse

• Twilight eclipse, not going to be a great show for us, unfortunately (unlike the clouded out eclipse earlier this past April)

• Sunrise is 7:11am, full eclipse is at 6:55am

• The further west you go, the better/more you’ll get to see! (Hawai’i is nice this time of year, I’m given to understand)

Eclipse Coverage AreaEclipse Coverage Area

Eclipse Coverage AreaEclipse Coverage Area

Timing DetailsTiming Details

Event UTC Local Time Visible in Maryland?

Penumbral Eclipse start

08:17 4:17am Yes

Partial Eclipse begins

09:18 5:18am Yes

Full Eclipse begins

10:27 6:27am Yes

Maximum Eclipse 10:55 6:55am Yes

Full Eclipse ends 11:22 7:22am No, below horizon

Partial Eclipse ends

12:32 8:32am No, below horizon

Penumbral Eclipse ends

13:32 9:32am No, below horizon

Blaine Roelke Blaine Roelke ObservatoryObservatory

Steve ConardSteve Conard

17 September 201417 September 2014

Blaine Roelke ObservatoryBlaine Roelke Observatory

• Being built at Bear Branch Nature Center, a county park• Telescope, dome, and building being donated by the family of

the late Blaine Roelke, a founding member of the Westminster Astronomical Society (WAS)

• This dome was used by Blaine in several locations during his lifetime, most recently in rural central Pennsylvania

• In addition, Carroll County has paid for the planning and concrete work, and WAS has paid for running power from the nature center to the observatory, a pier, and (TBC) a new telescope mount– Only through the combined effort of Blaine’s family, Carroll

County, and WAS could this come together• Expect to open officially in 6-8 weeks

EquipmentEquipment

• The dome is a 10’ Ash, that was refinished– Light tan outside, black inside– Manual rotation and slit opening for now, hope to

upgrade to motorized long-term• Mounted on a ~12’ x 16’ structure• Telescope will be either a Celestron or Meade 14”

SCT– The baseline is the Celestron, but that will require a

new mount (hopefully to be finalized this week)– Pier is a Pier Tech II, which adjusts up/down, allowing

more people to use the telescope without using the rolling stairway

LocationLocation

About 5 miles north of Westminster, just of MD-97

This is Bortle 5 (orange) for light pollution

PhotosPhotos

UseUse

• Both BBNC personnel and WAS members will use the observatory

• There will be at least one public opening per month, in conjunction with shows at BBNC’s planetarium– WAS members will generally operate the

telescope for these scheduled shows• WAS members can also become qualified to

operate the observatory, and use it for their own interests on other nights, with advance reservation