Page 1 FOR OCTOBER 2017

Vol X Issue 2

THIS MONTH’S MEETING and CLUB STAR PARTY

MEETING DETAILS FEATURED SPEAKER and PRESENTATION

DATE: Tuesday, October 10th

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: Dr. Gareth Hughes,

VERITAS

~ 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: Dr. Gareth Hughes of VERITAS

TITLE: VERITAS - Gamma-ray astronomy in Arizona and

beyond

ABSTRACT: Gamma-ray astronomy is about to enter a new era,

but its history is firmly rooted in Arizona. This talk will outline

the scientific discoveries that enabled this new form of

astronomy to come about and present the discoveries we have

made on the way.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Gareth Hughes received a Master’s Degree

in Physics from the University of Manchester. He was awarded a

PhD in physics (astroparticle physics)

from Rutgers University in 2009.

From 2009 to 2013 he was a post doc

researcher in Germany at DESY, one of

the world's leading accelerator centers.

He then moved to Zurich, Switzerland

for further post doc work at ETH, a

leading international university for

technology and the natural sciences.

In March,2016 he accepted a position with VERITAS as Deputy

Operations and IT specialist. In his spare time, Gareth pursues

interests in weight lifting and running.

The Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System

(VERITAS) at Whipple Observatory

NEXT MEMBER STAR PARTIES

DATE: Oct 19th

TIME: 5:45 pm

PLACE: Whipple Visitors Center.

DATE: Nov 16th

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 OCTOBER 2017

Vol X Issue 2

UPCOMING EVENTS PRESIDENT’S NOTES

NEXT MEETING Greetings everyone,

We had some great presentations of member’s trips to view

the solar eclipse last August. Thanks to all who participated.

The common problem that many related was driving back to

their hotels if they were not able to view the eclipse from an

area close to where they stayed. The traffic was a nightmare. If

you were lucky enough to have relatives or friends in the area

of totality, it made things a lot easier. So next time see if you

can find someone who will adopt you.

There will be two future U.S. eclipses to prepare for. The first

will occur in 2023. It will be only an annular but will be visible

in the area around Albuquerque New Mexico. The following

year we will be able to see another total eclipse. The closest

location for viewing it will be in Texas. I can just imagine the

cost of hotel rooms and the traffic jams for that one.

We are starting to get some requests for public star parties.

Please contribute if you can.

John Dwyer

President SAS

DATE: Tuesday, Nov 12th

, 2017

TIME: 7:00pm

SPEAKER: Dr. Kevin Hainline of Steward Observatory

TITLE: James Webb Space Telescope

MEMBER STAR PARTIES Sep 21st, @ Whipple Jan 18th @ Whipple

Oct 19th, @ Whipple Feb 15th @ Whipple

Nov 16th, @ Whipple Mar 15th @ Whipple

Dec 14th, @ Whipple Apr 19th @ Whipple

PUBLIC STAR PARTIES • October 5

th, Tumacacori State Park, 1891 I-19 Frontage Rd,

Exit 34, set-up time 5:30 p.m.

• October 20th

, Historic Canoa Ranch,, 5375 I-19 Frontage Rd,

Exit 56, set-up time 5:15 p.m.

• November 17th

, Historic Canoa Ranch, set-up time 5:00 p.m.

If you have questions Contact Duane Johnsen

dr.johnsen@comcast.net, 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 October 9th

, Longitude: The Watch that

Mapped the World, Professor Michael Chriss, Steward

Observatory

Monday, October 23rd

, Countdown to the James Webb

Space Telescope, Dr. Stacey Alberts, Steward

Observatory

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: None

Page 3 FOR OCTOBER 2017

Vol X Issue 2

SKY HIGHLIGHTS FOR OCTOBER

OCTOBER MOON/SUN TIMES

Jupiter will be lost in the glare of the Sun this month. Saturn is

low in the southwestern sky at sunset and will be setting before

9pm by month’s end. Mars is in the morning sky rising about two

hours before sunrise. Venus is still low in the morning sky at a

magnitude just under -4. Mars and Venus will have a conjunction

on the 5th

. They will be within 0.2° of one another. Mercury will

move from the morning sky to the evening sky towards the end of

the month. Uranus is in Pisces and reaches opposition on the 19th

.

It will be visible all night. Neptune is in Aquarius. It reached last

month and will be visible most of the night.

The Moon will occult Regulus in the early morning of the 15th

.

There is only one comet visible now. Newly found Comet

C/2017 O1 ASASSN reaches perihelion on October 14th

. It is in

Perseus and so is now visible in the evening. It is predicted to

reach mag 7.5 this month, but current reports indicate that it is a

rather difficult object to find.

JPD

DATE M-

Rise M-Set M-Phase

Sun-

set Star Party

Sun 10/01 6:50 18:48 18:08

Mon 10/02 7:43 19:22 18:06

Tue 10/03 8:35 19:57 18:05

Wed 10/04 9:28 20:34 18:04

Thu 10/05 10:19 21:15 Full 18:03 Tumacacori

Fri 10/06 11:11 21:58 18:02

Sat 10/07 12:01 22:45 18:00

Sun 10/08 12:50 23:36

17:59

Mon 10/09 13:38 ----- 17:58

Tue 10/10 14:23 0:30

17:57

Wed 10/11 15:06 1:29 17:56

Thu 10/12 15:49 2:29 3rd Qtr 17:54

Fri 10/13 16:30 3:33 17:53

Sat 10/14 17:12 4:38 17:52

Sun 10/15 17:54 5:46 17:51

Mon 10/16 18:39 6:54 17:50

Tue 10/17 19:27 8:04 17:49

Wed 10/18 20:17 9:12 17:48

Thu 10/19 21:12 10:18 New 17:46 S.A.S.

Fri 10/20 22:10 11:20 17:45 Canoa Ranch

Sat 10/21 23:09 12:16 17:44

Sun 10/22 ----- 13:07 17:43

Mon 10/23 0:07 13:52 17:42

Tue 10/24 1:06 14:32

17:41

Wed 10/25 2:02 15:09 17:40

Thu 10/26 2:57 15:44 17:39

Fri 10/27 3:51 16:16 1st Qtr 17:38

Sat 10/28 4:44 16:49 17:37

Sun 10/29 5:38 17:23 17:36

Mon 10/30 6:30 17:57 17:36

Tue 10/31 7:23 18:33

17:35

(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 OCTOBER 2017

Vol X Issue 2

S.A.S. Club Officers

Office/Position Name Phone No. E-Mail Address

Chairman of the Board vacant

President John Dwyer (520) 393-3680 jd_2.astro@cox.net

Secretary Vacant

Treasurer John McGee (520) 207-6188 jcmcgee@cox.net

Star Party Coordinator Duane Johnsen (520) 303-6920 dr.johnsen@comcast.net

Newsletter Editor John McGee (520) 207-6188 jcmcgee@cox.net

Programs/Tours Coordinator (New Position?) ALCOR & NSN Reps* Burley Packwood (520) 396-3576 packbj@gmail.com

ALCOR & NSN Reps* Open

Past President Emeritus Dan F. Case (520) 207-6833 dfcase@cox.net

Past President Emeritus Ben Coppock (520) 625-5360 bcodent@aol.com

Yahoo! Group Owner John Dwyer (520) 393-3680 jd_2.astro@cox.net

*ALCOR: Astronomical League Coordinator

*NSN: Night Sky Network Coordinator

WHY JOIN S.A.S. OSIRIS-Rex Images Earth

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.

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 2014 Calendar $8.00

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!

A color composite image of Earth taken on Sept. 22 by the MapCam camera

on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This image was taken just hours after

the spacecraft completed its Earth Gravity Assist at a range of

approximately 106,000 miles (170,000 kilometers). MapCam is part of the

OSIRIS-REx Camera Suite

(OCAMS) operated by the

University of Arizona.

Visible in this image are the

Pacific Ocean and several

familiar landmasses,

including Australia in the

lower left, and Baja

California and

the southwestern United

States in the upper right.

The dark vertical streaks at

the top of the image are

caused by short exposure

times (less than three

milliseconds). Short

exposure times are required for imaging an object as bright as Earth, but are

not anticipated for an object as dark as the asteroid Bennu, which the

camera was designed to image.

For more images from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, visit:

http://www.asteroidmission.org/galleries/#spacecraft-imagery

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/University of

Arizona

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 OCTOBER 2017

Vol X Issue 2

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 joseph.ascarate@gmail.com

3. Orion XT8 Plus Dob

If you are interested in this scope, contact Robert Shropshire at rshropshire1@aol.com 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 OCTOBER 2017

Vol X Issue 2

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 NEW: 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 Aug: $1,673.71

Individual & Family Members: 166 Deposits / (W/Ds): $90.00/ ($277.05)

Total Membership: 166 Bank Balance as of End of Sep: $1,486.66

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

peterlammers@cox.net. Clear skies! Peter Lammers

Page 7 FOR OCTOBER 2017

Vol X Issue 2

THE STARGAZING CORNER: Cassini Says Goodbye

On September 15th, the Cassini spacecraft performed its final mission. It dove into the planet Saturn, gathering information and sending it

back to Earth as long as possible. As it dove, it burned up in the atmosphere, much like a meteor. Cassini’s original mission was supposed to

last four years, but it has now been orbiting Saturn for more than 13 years!

The spacecraft has seen and discovered so many things in that time. In 2010, Cassini saw a massive storm in Saturn’s northern hemisphere.

During this storm, scientists learned that Saturn’s atmosphere has water vapor, which rose to the surface. Cassini also looked at the giant

storm at Saturn’s north pole. This storm is shaped like a hexagon. NASA used pictures and other data from Cassini to learn how the storm

got its six-sided shape.

Cassini also looked at some of Saturn’s moons, such as Titan and Enceladus. Titan is Saturn’s largest moon. Cassini carried a lander to

Titan. The lander, called Huygens, parachuted from Cassini down to the surface of the moon. It turns out, Titan is quite an exciting place! It

has seas, rivers, lakes and rain. This means that in some ways, Titan’s landscape looks a bit like Earth. However, its seas and rivers aren’t

made of water—they’re made of a chemical called methane.

Cassini also helped us learn that Saturn’s moon Enceladus is covered in ice. Underneath the ice is a giant liquid ocean that covers the whole

moon. Tall geysers from this ocean spray out of cracks in the ice and into space, like a giant sneeze. Cassini flew through one of these

geysers. We learned that the ocean is made of very salty water, along with some of the chemicals that living things need.

If there is life on Enceladus, NASA scientists don’t want life from Earth getting mixed in. Tiny living things may have hitched a ride on

Cassini when it left Earth. If these germs are still alive, and they land on Enceladus, they could grow and spread. We want to protect

Enceladus, so that if we find life, we can be sure it didn’t come from Earth. This idea is called planetary protection.

Scientists worried that when Cassini ran out of fuel, it could crash into Titan or Enceladus. So years ago, they came up with a plan to

prevent that from happening. Cassini completed its exploration by diving into Saturn—on purpose. The spacecraft burned up and become

part of the planet it explored. During its final plunge, Cassini told us more about Saturn’s atmosphere, and protected the moons at the same

time. What an exciting way to say goodbye!

JohnD

Page 8 FOR OCTOBER 2017

Vol X Issue 2

SUMMARY OF THE SEPTEMBER 12TH

PRESENTATIONS

For the September 12th meeting President John Dwyer invited SAS members and visitors to talk about their experiences with the August 21st total solar eclipse.

This was Ben Coppock’s 10th eclipse. For the previous ones he traveled to exotic locations such as Indonesia, India, Chile, Java, Peru and Bolivia. Eclipses were always an adventure so he wondered what he would experience with this one. It turned out the adventure was a visit from the local sheriff. Ben went to Douglas, WY, east of Casper, and found a nice spot near a fishing hole. The owner of property called the sheriff, who suggested that Ben and his son move up the road. They did and watched the eclipse undisturbed by further adventure.

Ken Wayland, went to Driggs Idaho at an altitude of around 6,000 ft. He used a Nikon camera body mounted on a Williams Optics Star 71 telescope to take a sequence of images at different f stops to capture the sun’s magnetic field. He said that to the eye, the sky was clear but he found that smoke from forest fires diminished the quality of his images.

John McGee spoke about his first eclipse, his “Great Adventure”, traveling with a tour from South Dakota to Arizona with a stop in Jackson to view the eclipse. His photos included he and his wife with Dave Eicher, Editor of Astronomy magazine, who was there for the event. John said he was amazed by the dramatic temperature change and the very evident shadow bands that accompanied the eclipse.

For his third eclipse, Steve Little stayed with a friend in Thermopolis, WY. While not on the center line, he decided not to drive to another location because of traffic. He enjoyed the eclipse from his friend’s back yard, took one image through his 3-inch telescope and is looking forward to the 2024 eclipse.

Bob Frybarger and his wife, Aline, traveled to St Louis, Missouri to view the eclipse from their daughter’s home where they had the additional enjoyable experience of a family reunion.

Kari and Gary Kidd watched the eclipse from Hamer, Idaho near Pocatello, about 6 miles from the center line. They shared the viewing site, a school, closed for the event, with about 300 people. Kari’s sequence of photos clearly showed sunspots as the eclipse began and later the famous diamond ring.

Gaap Rusticus, a visitor from the Netherlands described camping near a very small Idaho town (population, 13) to watch the eclipse. One of the telescopes there was part of the NASA’s “Eclipse Across America”, imaging the eclipse from 11 sites along the path of totality. Our Dutch visitor experimented with filming the eclipse with his smart phone through his binoculars.

Brigham Young University opened its Idaho campus in Rexburg for the eclipse viewing. John Dwyer went there with other family members, including two young nephews. Videos made by another family member clearly showed the excitement of the crowd and especially of the young nephews. Just as he does at our local star parties, John generously helped others to set-up their equipment, leaving little time to adjust his two camera-equipped telescopes. When the eclipse happened, one telescope was not aimed precisely and the other not well focused. Fortunately, the computer software he was using to control the cameras worked very well, sequentially imaging the eclipse with the right f-stops.

As the meeting ended those in the audience commented how much they enjoyed hearing the personal stories and seeing the photos and videos. One even said, “this was the best program ever!”. Congratulations to John D. for coming up with the idea.

End note: A recurring theme from the speakers was very heavy traffic leaving the viewing sites.

JCM