january 2020 volume xx number 1 observe - learn -...

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JANUARY 2020

Volume XX Number 1

OBSERVE - LEARN - SHARE

Contents

Upcoming Events

January 24 General Meeting Lone Star College – Kingwood

January 25 Star Party O’Brien Dark Site

February 7 Public Night Insperity Observatory

February 28 General Meeting Lone Star College – Kingwood

February 22 Star Party O’Brien Dark Site

1 Upcoming Events

2 Monthly Meeting

3 Club News

4 Gallery

5 Conjunctions and Groupings - Coming Soon

9 Thin Moon Circumstances for 2020

10 January Star Party

11 Dark Site Information

12 Insperity Observatory

13 About NHAC

14 Calendar, Membership, Officers

15 Affiliations

Established 1999

NORTH STAR – JANUARY 2020 OBSERVE-LEARN-SHARE

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January 24, 2020

NOVICE SESSION (6:30 P.M……Room CLA 221……. Lone Star College - Kingwood)

"Winter Constellations, What’s Coming in 2020 and What’s up with Betelgeuse” Presented by Bruce Pollard, NHAC Vice President Bruce will describe the wonders of the Winter Sky, with its many easily recognizable sights. He will also provide a summary of what 2020 has in store for the solar system and deep sky. And what’s going on with Betelgeuse? Bruce will tell us the latest.

GENERAL MEETING (7:30 P.M……Room CLA 112…Lone Star College - Kingwood)

"Music and the Cosmos" Presented by Debbie Moran, Houston Astronomical Society Debbie Moran is an accomplished violinist, formerly with the Houston Symphony. She is a self-proclaimed space geek and has been interested in astronomy since childhood. She is a member of the International Dark-Sky Association and is a big proponent of better night time lighting. She will also give us an update on what is happening in the light pollution world.


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Executive Board Elections During the December 13, 2019 General Meeting, Club members elected the following slate of officers for 2020:

President - Carlos Gramajo Vice-President - Bruce Pollard Secretary - Rusty Hill Treasurer - Joana Tan Newsletter Editor - Jesse Roberts Astronomical League Coordinator - Aaron Clevenson Webmaster - Justin McCollum Observation Committee Chair - James Billings Membership Committee Chair - Hagen Miller Program Committee Chair - Trevor Arnold Immediate Past President - Susan Pollard Rusty, Hagen and Trevor are new in their positions. Many thanks to everyone serving on the Board.

2020 Club Dues are Due

The NHAC membership year runs from January through December. Dues are $10 for students, $30 for individuals and $40 for a family.

NHAC 2020 Calendar

Calendars are $10 and are available to purchase at the monthly club meetings.

The latest issue of "What's Up, Doc" by Dr. Aaron Clevenson is at What's Up, Doc?

NHAC Commemorative T Shirt The NHAC 20th Anniversary commemorative T shirts will be available soon.

Astronomical League Matters

Congratulations to the following Club members who recently achieved AL awards: Apollo 50th Anniversary Challenge – Jim Barbasso, Jeff Barney, Carlos Gramajo, Bruce Pollard, Susan Pollard, Joana Tan Meteor Observing (6 hours) – Jesse Roberts Outreach - Robert Brayton, Michael Comeaux, Benjamin Dutschmann, David Dutschmann, Ed Fraini, Carlos Gramajo, Cliff Herseim, Jesse Roberts, Joana Tan Stellar Outreach - Robert Brayton, Benjamin Dutschmann, David Dutschmann, Carlos Gramajo, Joana Tan Master Outreach – Robert Brayton

Learn about the League’s programs at the Astronomical League Website. The NHAC Coordinator is Aaron Clevenson, at [email protected] .

We welcome news, photos, comments and contributions for North Star, the NHAC newsletter. Please send them to [email protected] by the 10th of each month.

https://www.humbleisd.net/Page/81224

https://www.astroleague.org/

mailto:[email protected]


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Image by Steven Wiechert, NHAC This is a photo of the full 'cold' moon taken as it was rising over Lake Conroe. Somewhat significant as this is the last full moon of the decade. This shot was taken Wednesday December 11 at about 5:15 PM with the sun just setting at 5:22 PM. Equipment was a Sony ARII full frame camera and a 600 mm Tamron lens.

Image by James Billings, NHAC This is M35 taken almost 10 years ago in my backyard with my Orion EON 120mm refractor on the Orion Atlas mount using the Orion Star Shoot Pro color camera. The small cluster toward the upper left is NGC 2158.


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By Jesse Roberts, NHAC During 2020 there will be a number of photogenic planetary and lunar conjunctions and groupings with stars. The following sky charts show SOME of the events that will occur during the first part of the year. Get the camera ready.

Information was obtained from In the Sky.org (https://in-the-sky.org/) and the 2020 Stargazers Almanac (Sky and Telescope). Charts were drawn using Cartes du Ciel (https://www.ap-i.net/skychart/en/start).

Jan 22 7 AM – Looking southeast - Moon is waning, 6% illumination.

https://in-the-sky.org/

https://www.ap-i.net/skychart/en/start

https://www.ap-i.net/skychart/en/start


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Feb 18 6 AM – Looking southeast - Moon is waning, 24% illumination. On the following two mornings, the Moon will then be in conjunction with Jupiter (19th) and Saturn (20th).

Mar 18 6 AM – Looking east - Moon is waning, 29% illumination. Two mornings later, on March 20, Jupiter and Mars are in conjunction.


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Mar 28 9 PM – Looking west - Moon is waxing, 19% illumination. Three days later, on the morning of March 31, Saturn and Mars will be in conjunction.

Apr 15 6 AM – Looking southeast - Moon is waning, 45% illumination.


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May 12 6 AM – Looking south - Moon is waning, 71% illumination.

Jun 23 9 PM – Looking west – Moon is waxing, 7% illumination. Close pass by

the Beehive Cluster/M44


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By Kenneth Drake, NHAC Following is information for this year’s thin crescent moons. There appear to be possible chances to acquire opposing crescents in June, August and November. I used both Mooncalc 6 and Voyager 4.5 to create and examine the data. Jan 23 6:50AM A very pretty crescent 15 degrees elongation with Jupiter 6 degrees above at 1:00

position Jan 25 6:15PM A 12 deg separation might make this a difficult naked eye crescent with Mercury 5 deg

to lower right Feb 24 6:40PM At 15 deg separation, this crescent should be easy and pretty to view with Venus 30

deg directly above Mar 22 7:05AM Moon only up 3 deg but 20 deg from Sun might make for a pretty view if you have

minimal horizon obstruction Mar 24 7:55PM Extremely challenging 8 deg separation with Moon only up 1 deg + refraction Apr 21 6:30AM 18 deg separation may lend itself to spotting at moonrise Apr 23 8:15PM Separation of only 10 deg could make this crescent a mild binocular challenge May 21 7:05AM Because of the angle of the ecliptic, this 14 deg separation may be challenging May 23 8:45PM Should be a simple find as a 14 deg separation with Venus only 4 deg above right of

crescent Jun 20 6:00AM Spotting this 9 deg crescent opens the door to the opposing crescent next evening.

Use Venus to help Jun 21 8:45PM You might use Mercury to assist locating this 9 deg separation crescent - very

challenging Jul 19 5:55AM This 15 deg crescent is so much easier than last month with 1st mag Mercury above

right Jul 21 8:50PM Nice and pretty 17 deg separation Aug 17 6:00AM Spot this easy 21 deg separation when the Moon rises for a really pretty view Aug 18 6:32AM This 8+ deg separation if nailed opens the door for the opposing crescent on the 19th Aug 19 8:20PM Very challenging but possible under 9 deg separation Sep 16 6:30AM Should be an easy 13 deg separation Sep 17 7:42PM Get this difficult 8.5 deg separation will net you another 37 hour opposing crescent Oct 15 6:40AM Easy 18 deg separation should be a very pretty view with Venus just 20 deg above Oct 17 7:10PM Another 16 deg separation presents a pretty thin but nice crescent Nov 14 6:25AM A 9 deg separation will be difficult but use Mercury and Venus as guides Nov 15 5:40PM This 10 deg separation lends itself to another opposing crescent of 35h15m Dec 13 6:35AM 15 deg separation with Venus just 10 deg at 1:00 position makes this an easy find Dec 15 5:55PM The final thin crescent of the year at 17 deg separation with Saturn above left should

be pretty


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By Rusty Hill, NHAC

Hi Folks! IF the weather cooperates, we will have a Star Party at the O’Brien Dark Site north of

Dobbin. This will be the day of the New Moon, which will likely not even be visible. The Sun sets at

5:53 that day, and the Moon will set less than an hour later. So, the sky will not have pollution from

the Moon.

The weather is discouraging, but it pays to be flexible and ready to head for the dark site if we get a

clear evening. As always, the 10 days or so leading up to the New Moon is good observing if the

weather should break. In fact, you might want to notice if the skies look decent this weekend of

January 17-19 because the moon will not be a factor until 3 or 4 days after the New Moon. There is

no need to wait for a declared Star Party if the sky and the Moon are allowing good observing. Just

be sure to send an email to the O’Briens, Wanda and Tim, 24 hours in advance. They do watch the

NHAC email to know if someone is coming out and to let us know there is no conflict. (Hi, Wanda and

Tim!)

Right now, Saturday night (1/18) looks like having a decent chance, and Sunday night (1/19) might

be pretty good.

For the month of January, in the early-mid evening hours, the Pegasus/Andromeda Constellations

will be visible in the West, and the Orion Constellation will be high in the East. Two of the most

popular objects for observation, M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, and M42/43, the Orion Nebula, will be

easily located and with decent sky will be easily seen even in binoculars. In fact, with a good dark

sky and good eyes, they are both naked eye visible.

Next month I will be giving more information about taking part in the NHAC Messier Challenge,

supplementing the presentation by Aaron Clevenson on the Messier Marathon.

Clear skies, and good observing.

Rusty.


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If you are new to the club, Star Parties are especially for you. We, the members, are the reason we

have observing Star Parties, and they are great occasions to get familiar with observing. We have

10" Dobsonian telescopes available at the Dark Site for your use. There will also be several other

scopes available for all to try. And do bring a Binocular-- you can do lots of successful observing with

nothing more.

NHAC Club Policy is that the focus of the Star Parties will be to give as much assistance as possible to

new observers. For those who may not have been to the O'Brien Dark Site, it is just north of Dobbin,

which is on Highway 105 west of Montgomery. It has reasonably dark skies and a great low horizon

in all directions. The Owners, Tim and Wanda O'Brien, are very generous hosts, and they do turn off

any outside lights which might bother us, if we remember to ask.

The specific Dark Site location is password protected. Any club officer can give you the password,

but it is NOT FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC!

Access to the Dark Site must be requested from the O’Brien’s in advance via the NHAC email. It is

only necessary for any 1 member to request access… Access approved for any of us is access

approved for all of us.

On our NHAC web site, click on "Observing" then select "O'Brien Dark Site". Scroll down to the

O'Brien Dark Site information and look for the "detailed directions" link. You will need to enter the

password. There are maps as well as directions. It is well worth the drive, which is about 6- or 7-

minutes driving time north of Dobbin off of State Highway 105 west of Montgomery.

Star Parties are routinely scheduled for the Saturday on, just before, or just after the New Moon

throughout the year. This is to provide the best opportunity for dark skies.


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Public Night will be on Friday, February 7, 2020

Doors will be open by 6:00 P.M. and remain open to the public until 10:00. Sunset will be at 6:03

P.M. The moon will be almost full - about 98% illuminated - and will be in the eastern sky.

These Public Nights are a great opportunity for us to be a part of Astronomy Outreach, and also to

observe with scopes we might never get to use, otherwise. The Observatory has a 6" Takahashi

refractor, a 16" Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain, and a 20" Plane Wave telescope. Each is computer

controlled, and provides an awesome view of the sky. There are usually about 75 to 100 guests,

sometimes more, on Public Night, with many repeating. Our guests are very appreciative of the

opportunity to enjoy the sky and also expose their kids to Astronomy. Then after all our guests have

departed, several of us usually stay for a while and enjoy the views and each other's company. This

can be an opportunity to see a new or favorite object in a large telescope.

The Observatory is about 3/4 of a mile south of Will Clayton Parkway on S. Houston Ave, just north

of Rankin Road in Humble, in the back part of the Jack Fields Elementary School on the East side of S.

Houston Ave. The address is:

Jack Fields Elementary School 2505 S. Houston Ave.

Humble, TX 77396

For more information, the Observatory phone number is 281-641-STAR and the web site is

https://www.humbleisd.net/observatory.

Dates and times are subject to change.

https://www.humbleisd.net/observatory


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The North Houston Astronomy Club (NHAC) is a not-for-profit organization established in 1999 for educational

and scientific purposes, for people of all races, creeds, ethnic backgrounds and sex. Our primary purpose is to

develop and implement programs to increase the awareness and knowledge of astronomy, especially for

those living near the north side of Houston, Texas.

NHAC is dedicated to providing an opportunity for people to pursue the science of astronomy, to observe in a

dark-sky site, to learn the latest technology, and to share their knowledge and experience, thus our “Observe-

Learn-Share” motto.

Public meetings are normally held each month on the fourth Friday. In the months of October, November and

December they are usually rescheduled for the third Friday of each month, so as to not conflict with the

Annual All Clubs meeting, Thanksgiving, or Christmas.

The benefits for membership include:

➢ Loaner telescopes after being a member for 6 months.

➢ Opportunity to observe from dark sky observing sites.

➢ Learn from experienced observers.

➢ Astronomy Magazine subscriptions at a discount.

➢ Astronomical League membership, with its many observing programs.

➢ Subscription to the Astronomical League magazine "Reflector".

➢ Access to the NHAC library

➢ Discounts on purchases at Land, Sea and Sky. Be sure to identify yourself as an NHAC member.

More information at the NHAC Website

Check out our Facebook page.

Our mailing address is:

North Houston Astronomy Club Post Office Box 5043

Kingwood, TX 77335-5043 NHAC is sponsored by:

http://astronomyclub.org/nhacwp/

https://www.facebook.com/NorthHoustonAstronomyClub/


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Membership Memberships run from January 1 through December 31. Full year dues are: Students $10 Individuals $30 Family Groups $40 Membership applications and dues payments can be made at the NHAC website at:

NHAC Website

2020 NHAC Executive Board

President Carlos Gramajo - email

Vice-President Bruce Pollard - email

Secretary Rusty Hill - email

Treasurer Joana Tan - email

Newsletter Editor Jesse Roberts - email

Astronomical League Coordinator

Aaron Clevenson - email

Webmaster Justin McCollum - email

Observation Committee Chair James Billings - email

Membership Committee Chair

Hagen Miller - email

Program Committee Chair Trevor Arnold - email

NHAC General Calendar New Moon Star Party General Meeting

January 2020 Jan 24 Jan 25 Jan 24

February 2020 Feb 23 Feb 22 Feb 28

March 2020 Mar 24 Mar 21 (and BBQ) Mar 27

April 2020 Apr 22 Apr 18 Apr 24

May 2020 May 22 May 16 (and BBQ) May 22

June 2020 Jun 21 Jun 20 Jun 26

July 2020 Jul 20 Jul 18 Jul 24

August 2020 Aug 18 Aug 15 Aug 28

September 2020 Sep 17 Sep 12 (and BBQ) Sep 25

October 2020 Oct 16 Oct 17 Oct 23

November 2020 Nov 14 Nov 14 (and BBQ) Nov 20

December 2020 Dec 14 Dec 12 Dec 18

Dates and times are subject to change. Star parties are weather permitting.

http://astronomyclub.org/nhacwp/












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NHAC is a member of:

The Astronomical League https://www.astroleague.org/

Night Sky Network https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/

International Dark Sky Association https://www.darksky.org/

https://www.astroleague.org/

https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/

https://www.darksky.org/

january 2020 volume xx number 1 observe - learn -...

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