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Page 1 FOR DECEMBER 2017
Vol X Issue 4
THIS MONTH’S MEETING and CLUB STAR PARTY
MEETING DETAILS FEATURED SPEAKER and PRESENTATION
DATE: Tuesday, December 12th
ANNUAL POT LUCK DINNER: 5:45pm
MEETING TIME: 7:00pm
PLACE: La Posada Recreation Center
MEETING SCHEDULE:
7:00: Meeting Intro and Welcome
7:10 Organizational Announcements
7:30: Featured Speaker: Teddy Kareta and John Noonan, LPL
~ 8:15: Club Activities/Business
~ 8:30: Door Prizes Drawing?
~ 8:45: Outside Activities / Snack at Denny’s
Join us after the meeting at the local Denny’s Restaurant for a
snack, dessert, or whatever so we can get to know each other
better and talk more astronomy.
WHO: Teddy Kareta and John Noonan, Lunar and
Planetary Lab
TITLE: Space Agency Rosetta Comet Escort Mission
ABSTRACT: The European Space Agency Rosetta comet
escort mission, it's impact on the cometary science
community, and the clues it's given us about the early solar
system.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS: Theodore (Teddy) Koreta is a
planetary science graduate student at the Lunar and
Planetary Laboratory at the University of
Arizona studying small bodies and the
processes that govern how they change with
time. He graduated from UMass Amherst in
2017 with a degree in Physics and
Astronomy. He is currently working to
analyze observations of Comets C/2015 V2
Johnson and 41P from his May 31st - June
1st (2017) observing run at the WIYN 0.9m telescope at Kitt
Peak National Observatory.
John Noonan John is with the Lunar and
Planetery Laboratory, University of
Arizona. He graduated from the University
of Colorado, Boulder, in 2016 with a B.A.
in Astrophysics. He worked on the
ESA/NASA
Rosetta mission, which gathered data
about comet 67P/Churyumov-
Gerasimenko from 2014 until September 2016. He analyzed
the surrounding coma of the comet to determine its
composition, its response to outside energetic events like
coronal mass ejections from the Sun, and what these
observations tell us of the comet's origin and evolution.
.
NEXT MEMBER STAR PARTIES
DATE: Dec 14th
TIME: 5:10 pm
PLACE: Whipple Visitors Center.
DATE: Jan 148h
TIME: 5:15 pm
PLACE: Whipple Visitors Center.
Please join our Yahoo Group site:
(http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/sas_club/)
To get directions and up-to-date information on the status
of a star party in case a weather issue develops.
If you have a telescope that you don’t know how to use,
or are looking to buy a telescope and want to compare
different telescopes, join us at a star party and we can
give you some help.
Page 2 FOR DECEMBER 2017
Vol X Issue 4
UPCOMING EVENTS PRESIDENT’S NOTES
NEXT MEETING Greetings everyone,
We are excited that Whipple Observatory is reinstating public
star parties at the Visitor’s Center. The first one will be held
on Friday December 15th
. Please support this star party as
there could be a large public attendance.
There is also another star party at Tumacacori on the 13th
.
Please let Duane know if you can attend either of these public
star parties.
We will be holding our annual “pot luck” dinner this month
preceding the meeting. Get those ovens warmed up and bring
some good food to share with everyone.
If anyone is interested in auditing science classes for non-
credit at the U of A at a significantly reduced rate ($150/credit
hour), the U of A College of Science is offering 30 classes from
13 departments available to local community members
beginning in the Spring semester which starts January 10th.
Courses available cover the fields of Astronomy, Chemistry,
Biology, and Earth Sciences, and more. The number of seats
are limited and are available at a first-come first-served basis.
You can get more information at:
http://cos.arizona.edu/connections/community-science-
scholars.
John Dwyer
President SAS
DATE: Tuesday, Jan 9th
, 2018
TIME: 7:00pm
SPEAKER: Cassandra Lejoly of L.P.L.
TITLE: T.B.D.
MEMBER STAR PARTIES Dec 14th, @ Whipple Apr 19th @ Whipple
Jan 18th @ Whipple May 17th @ Whipple
Feb 15th @ Whipple Jun 14th @ Whipple
Mar 15th @ Whipple Jul 12th @ Whipple
PUBLIC STAR PARTIES
• December 13th
, Tumacacori National Historic Park, Set-up
5:00 p.m.
• December 15th
, Whipple Visitor Center. Whipple
Observatory talk, 5:00; stargazing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
If you have questions Contact Duane Johnsen
[email protected], 303-6920
OTHER EVENTS U of A Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory
Public Evening Lectures Series, Fall 2017. Starting at 7:30 p.m.,
Room N210, Steward Observatory. Afterwards, the Steward
Observatory telescope will be available for viewing. Events are
free.
Monday, December 4th
, “Black Holes, Galaxies &
Cosmic Fireworks”, Dr. Stephanie Juneau, National Optical
Astronomy Observatories
Other events offered by the University of Arizona/Steward
Observatory
1. Public Evening Lecture Series Podcasts
2. Mt. Lemmon Sky Center
3. Tours
4. Flandrau Science Center
5. Biosphere2
NEW MEMBERS SINCE LAST MEETING Welcome to our new members:
Jim and Linda Work
Greg Bohemier
Mark Boykin
Page 3 FOR DECEMBER 2017
Vol X Issue 4
SKY HIGHLIGHTS FOR DECEMBER
DECEMBER MOON/SUN TIMES
Jupiter will be rising a few hours before the Sun in the morning
sky this month. Saturn is now lost in the glare of the Sun. Mars is
in the morning sky rising about four hours before sunrise. Venus
will be basically too close to the Sun to be visible this month. Mercury will be too close to the Sun to be seen for most of the
month. Uranus, in Pisces, will be visible for the first half of the
evening. Neptune is in Aquarius and is about due south at sunset.
We are currently devoid of any decent visible comets.
December is the month for the Geminid meteor shower. This will
peak on the evening of the 13th
into the morning of the 14th
.This is
not too far from the date of the new Moon, so there will be no
interference from the Moon. You can expect possibly up to 50
meteors per hour including some very bright ones. It is one of the
few showers that can be visible in the evening.
JPD
DATE M-
Rise M-Set M-Phase
Sun-
set Star Party
Fri 12/01 16:11 4:39 17:20
Sat 12/02 16:58 5:47 17:20
Sun 12/03 17:51 6:56 Full 17:20
Mon 12/04 18:50 8:04 17:20
Tue 12/05 19:53 9:09 17:20
Wed 12/06 20:59 10:08 17:20
Thu 12/07 22:05 11:00 17:20
Fri 12/08 23:09 11:46 17:20
Sat 12/09 ----- 12:26 17:20
Sun 12/10 0:10 13:04 3rd Qtr 17:20
Mon 12/11 1:09 13:38 17:21
Tue 12/12 2:06 14:12 17:21 Meeting
Wed 12/13 3:02 14:45 17:21
Thu 12/14 3:57 15:20 17:21 S.A.S.
Fri 12/15 4:51 15:57 17:22 Whipple
Sat 12/16 5:45 16:36 17:22
Sun 12/17 6:37 17:18 New 17:22
Mon 12/18 7:29 18:03 17:23
Tue 12/19 8:17 18:52 17:23
Wed 12/20 9:03 19:43 17:24
Thu 12/21 9:46 20:35 17:24
Fri 12/22 10:25 21:30 17:25
Sat 12/23 11:02 22:24 17:25
Sun 12/24 11:38 23:20
17:26
Mon 12/25 12:12 ----- 17:27
Tue 12/26 12:47 0:17 1st Qtr 17:27
Wed 12/27 13:23 1:17 17:28
Thu 12/28 14:02 2:18 17:28
Fri 12/29 14:45 3:23 17:29
Sat 12/30 15:34 4:30 17:30
Sun 12/31 16:28 5:39 17:30
(S)=Solar
WANT TO VIEW SATELLITES? WANT CURRENT COMET INFORMATION?
To find out information on when you can view satellites, such as
the International Space Station (ISS), or satellite related events,
such as Iridium Flares, go to www.heavens-above.com. Under
“Configuration”, use “select from map” to enter your specific
location (precision can make a difference for Iridium Flares), and
choose what satellite’s information you want to view. Also,
information on comets, planets, and other objects are available.
If you want information on current observable comets, go to “The
Weekly Information about Bright Comets” site at
http://www.aerith.net/comet/weekly/current.html. Comets are
listed in brightest to least bright order. Remember, to see a comet
without any optical aid, it must be approximately 4th
magnitude or
brighter. With binoculars, the comet would most likely need to be
at least 8th
magnitude. Comets below 11th
magnitude might be
difficult to pick up with other than a large aperture telescope.
Visibility can also depend on how diffuse the comet is.
Page 4 FOR DECEMBER 2017
Vol X Issue 4
S.A.S. Club Officers
Office/Position Name Phone No. E-Mail Address
Chairman of the Board Open
President John Dwyer (520) 393-3680 [email protected]
Secretary Michael Moraghan (520) 399-3352 [email protected]
Treasurer John McGee (520) 207-6188 [email protected]
Star Party Coordinator Duane Johnsen (520) 303-6920 [email protected]
Newsletter Editor John Christensen (520) 869-8983 [email protected]
Web Master Joe Castor [email protected]
ALCOR Burley Packwood (520) 396-3576 [email protected]
NSN Rep Duane Johnsen (520) 303-6920 [email protected]
Past President Emeritus Dan F. Case (520) 207-6833 [email protected]
Past President Emeritus Ben Coppock (520) 625-5360 [email protected]
Yahoo! Group Owner John Dwyer (520) 393-3680 [email protected]
*ALCOR: Astronomical League Coordinator
*NSN: Night Sky Network Coordinator
WHY JOIN S.A.S. SPACE NEWS
1. SAS Family Membership Fee is only $15.00 per year.
2. SAS monthly newsletter “The Sonoran Starry Nights.”
3. Top-quality astronomy lectures by local astronomers!
4. SAS Yahoo! Group Website member forum. (sas_club.)
5. SAS Discount for Astronomy Magazine $34.00 for 1-
year or $60.00 for 2 years renewed through our treasurer.
6. SAS Discount subscription rate for Sky & Telescope
Magazine $32.95 for 1-year self-renewed.
7. RASC Observer’s Handbook at a discount, $30.00.
8. SAS T-Shirts for sale for $10.00—M, L, XL.
9. Member of International Dark-sky Association (IDA)
and The Astronomical League.
11. SAS Discount for Astronomy 2018 Calendar $10.00
12. SAS monthly Member Star Parties.
13. SAS Telescope and astronomy book loan programs.
14. SAS outreach to astronomy education in schools.
15. SAS fellowship with other amateur astronomers!
Dr. Kevin Hainline spoke at the November meeting about his awe
and excitement viewing the historic Apollo mission test chamber and
control center a the Johnson Space Center. Approrpiately, we recall
that it was 49 years ago, December 21, 1968 when Apollo 8 was
launched. It was the first manned launch on a Saturn V rocket, the
first to leave Earth orbit and the first to travel to the moon. Crew
members were Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders. It was
Anders who took the iconic Earth Rise photo.
CLUB DUES
Dues (family or individual) are $15 annually, payable each
year in the month you initially joined the club. You will
receive a reminder in the monthly newsletter e-mail of
your due date. You can either pay at the club meeting or
mail it to the club’s address (S.A.S., P.O. Box 1081, Green
Valley, AZ, 85622).
OUR YAHOO GROUP and WEB SITES
If you want to keep up-to-date with club activities, such as
star parties, tours, etc., want information on current
astronomical events, or have questions about astronomy,
please join our Yahoo group at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sas_club.
Also check out our web site
http://www.sonoraastronomicalsociety.org.
Page 5 FOR DECEMBER 2017
Vol X Issue 4
CLUB EQUIPMENT FOR LOAN OUT EQUIPMENT FOR SALE
TELESCOPES:
2 - 8” Celestron Schmidt Cassegrain telescopes
1 – 4” Refractor telescope
1 – 1” Refractor telescope
Note: Instruction may be required for some telescopes. Contact
one of the club officers for information and availability.
OTHER EQUIPMENT:
1. Celestron NextStar 5 telescope with JNI tripod and
mobile sliding pedestal with wheels for moving outdoors
and back. The equipment is in excellent condition, has been
covered and kept indoors. Asking $500.
Contact Tom Purdon at 520-648-7080
2. Meade 10" LX200 Advanced Coma-Free SCT, with
GPS FOR SALE ($3200.00). Includes:
* Built-in GPS Controlled Tracking System, over 145,000
objects.
* Meade Standard Field Tripod designed for 8" and 10"
LX90 abd LX200 GPS Telescopes.
* Meade Deep Sky CCD Imager (510x492 - 250,000
pixels).
* Meade #644 Flip-Mirror system.
* Meade #777 Off-Axis Guider.
* Meade Autostar II Hand Controller, includes more than
145,000 celestial objects.
* Eye Piece Tray.
* Astronomy Viewing Chair.
* Plus, much more.
Contact Joe Ascarate at [email protected]
3. Orion XT8 Plus Dob
If you are interested in this scope, contact Robert Shropshire at [email protected] for more information.
CLUB BOOK AND CDs/DVDs LOAN LIBRARY
BOOKS:
The following books are available for check out:
1. Guide to the Stars (16”) by David H. Levy
2. The Next Step: Finding and Viewing Messier’s Objects by
Ken Graun
3. Touring the Universe: A Practical Guide to Exploring the
Cosmos through 2017 by Ken Graun (2 copies)
4. What’s Out Tonight? Celestial Almanac & Astronomy Field
Guide 2000 to 2050 by Ken Graun (2 copies)
5. Sky Atlas 2000.0 Companion by Robert A. Strong (donated by
Paul Anderson)
Please see the club treasurer or secretary for availability.
Our thanks to Ken Graun for his generous donations.
CDs/DVDs:
We have “Understanding the Universe: An Introduction to
Astronomy”. This is a 16 DVD set of 96 lectures (30 min per
lecture) by Dr Alex Filippenko of UC Berkeley and CalTech. This
is a nontechnical introductory college-level course on astronomy.
More information about this course can be found at
http://www.teach12.com/ttcx/coursedesclong2.aspx?cid=1810.
Please see the club treasurer at the next meeting for availability.
Page 6 FOR DECEMBER 2017
Vol X Issue 4
SAS IS A MEMBER OF THE ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE SAS IS A MEMBER OF IDA
Since SAS is a member of the
Astronomical League, any SAS member
may join the Astronomical League for a
nominal fee of $7.50. What are the
advantages to you of joining the AL?
1. You can receive various observing
awards by joining an “observing club” and
observing the required number of objects. There are all levels of
clubs from beginner to advanced, viewing constellations to deep-
sky objects and using either your naked eyes, binoculars, or a
telescope. Contact our ALCOR reps Paul and Cathy Anderson for
details.
2. You can get a 10% discount on books purchased through the
AL Book Service.
3. You will receive the AL’s quarterly “Reflector” magazine
which keeps you up to date on all the AL activities.
More info at www.astroleague.org
SAS is proud to be a member of the International
Dark-Sky Association, supporting the reduction in
light pollution around the U.S. and the world.
More info at www.darksky.org
OUR NON-PROFIT STATUS
The Sonora Astronomical Society is a 501 (c) (3)
nonprofit charitable organization! SAS has a
CERTIFICATE OF GOOD STANDING from the
State of Arizona Corporation Commission for 2009-
2011!
MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS To order or renew your Sky and Telescope Magazine at the Club
Rate, you can do so directly by going to
www.skyandtelescope.com/clubspecial
To order or renew Astronomy Magazine, see the Treasurer.
OUR SPONSORS
S T A R I Z O N A ADVENTURES IN ASTRONOMY AND NATURE
5757 N. Oracle Rd www.starizona.com
Tucson, AZ 85704 (520) 292-5010
Since 1986
New Address:
3721 E 37TH ST
TUCSON AZ 85713
(520) 571-0877
http://www.stellarvisiontucson.com
CLUB STATISTICS / FINANCES
Lifetime Members: 0 Bank Balance as of End of Oct: $1,515.66
Individual & Family Members: 169 Deposits / (W/Ds): $465.00/ ($0.00)
Total Membership: 169 Bank Balance as of End of Nov: $1.980.66
LOCAL ASTRO-IMAGING GROUP: Sonoran Desert Astro Imagers (SDAI) (Peter Lammers, Coordinator)
Are you interested in Astrophotography or are you currently involved in imaging the skies? Please plan to join our monthly
meeting of the Sonoran Desert Astro Imagers group. Our meetings focus on improving our skills, helping each other, workshops, and field
trips. Please send your Name and E-mail address to my address below and we’ll include you in the emailing notices of monthly meetings;
“the when and where meeting notice.” Do you have any questions? If so, call me (Peter Lammers) at (520) 398-4308 or email to
[email protected]. Clear skies! Peter Lammers
Page 7 FOR DECEMBER 2017
Vol X Issue 4
THE STARGAZING CORNER: Geminid December Meteor Shower
In December will occur one of the best meteor showers of the year, the Geminids. It is one of the best for two reasons: (1) it can generate
some large very bright meteors and (2) you don’t have to be up in the wee hours of the morning to see them. They are visible in the evening
before midnight as well as into the morning hours after midnight.
The Geminids are an unusual meteor shower in that their parent body is “3200 Phaethon”, an asteroid, rather than a comet. It is speculated
though that Phaeton is actually a "gassed out" comet, and so the debris that makes up the Geminids may still be cometary particles.
The Geminids are a fairly reliable meteor shower and this year moonlight will not interfere. Some decent meteors rates should be seen,
possibly as much as one a minute from a dark site.
Unlike the Leonids, where there is a very narrow peak of high activity, the Geminids have a broad peak and will show good activity well
before and after the peak, and on the day before and after. The peak is the evening of December 13th
just before midnight but levels should
remain good into the early morning after that so you should get decent rates. Gemini begins rising about 7:00pm rise so you will not have to
disturb your sleep for this one.
As a side note, you will be able to see asteroid 3200 Phaethon as it flies within 6 million miles of the Earth on December 16th
. It is expected
to reach about 11th
magnitude on the 14th
when it will be at its brightest in Perseus, visible in a small telescope (3in or greater). It will be
moving very fast (15° per day or almost the width of the Moon in about 15 minutes) so you should actually see it moving in your eyepiece.
Sky and Telescope has a finder chart for it here: (3200 Phaethon).
(Thanks to astroblogger for some info)
JohnD
Page 8 FOR DECEMBER 2017
Vol X Issue 4
SUMMARY OF THE NOVEMBER 14TH
PRESENTATION
Presentation by Kevin Hainline, PhD, Steward Observatory, The Extraordinary James Webb Space Telescope and the Future of
Astronomy
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) mirror is 6.5 meters in diameter, compared to Hubble’s 2.4-meter mirror. Also, while Hubble operates at primarily visible wavelengths, Webb will be infrared. The launch date was recently rescheduled to the spring of 2019. While the delay is disappointing it’s also good for Kevin because it gives him more time to prepare his science experiments. The Webb has a 5-year planned life but will likely perform for ten or even 15 years. The propellent used to keep the Webb in the L2 Lagrange point about 1 million miles from Earth will eventually run out, allowing the telescope to drift away.
The launch will take place in French Guiana aboard an Ariane 5 rocket. To fit within the rocket’s payload bay the large telescope must me intricately folded. Once the telescope is released in space it will slowly unfold during its one-month flight to the L2 point.
Unlike the Hubble Space Telescope, the JWST will be beyond the reach of manned repair or upgrade missions. Kevin is often asked ‘what happens if it breaks?’. The answer is, nothing could be done. However, there are backup components and multiple tests have been and are being performed to ensure everything works and can withstand the rigors of launch and deep space. Kevin participated in some of those tests at Goddard in Baltimore. While there he was excited to watch assembly of the segmented mirror. He later traveled to Houston for further testing of the JWST components in the Space Environment Simulation Laboratory. Kevin was in Houston in August 2017 when Hurricane Harvey hit. The Space Center shut down except for JWST “mission critical testing” of which Kevin was a part. Kevin worked 12-hour nighttime shifts, night after night, with plastic sheeting protecting him and the other team members from leaks in the ceiling.
The JWST has four instruments: NIRCam, NIRSpec, MIRI and FGS/NIRISS. NIRCam is a University of Arizona project headed by Marcia Rieke. NIRCam is the primary imager and the one that will provide images the public will marvel over, according to Kevin. NIRCam comprises two identical cameras. If one fails, the other provides a back-up. When both are operating they will image adjacent parts of the sky at different wavelengths with multiple filters. The image will be much larger than Hubble’s.
The JWST’s science objectives can be grouped under four themes, one of which is study of the farthest galaxies; The JWST will reveal galaxies that are so far away they have red shifted to the infrared part of the spectrum, the farthest things humans have ever found. That is the task Kevin is working on. For nearer galaxies, the JWST’s “amazing resolution” will look inside the star forming regions that Hubble shows only as “clumps”, increasing knowledge of star birth and galaxy formation.
Macia Rieke’s team will receive 900 hours of JWST imaging time. 450 hours will be used for a deep survey of a portion of the sky imaged extensively by other telescopes, including the Hubble. Of the remaining 450 hours, some will be used to study the atmospheres of exoplanets. The JWST is designed to subtract out the light of a distant star to allow study of its planets. The JWST also will be used to study our own solar system, including the moons of Jupiter and Saturn.
In conclusion Kevin urged us to continue following news about the JWST as he and other scientists eagerly await its first images.
JCM