san diego astronomy association - sdaasan diego astronomy association 3 h. outreach report – there...

San DiegoAstronomy AssociationCelebrating Over 50 Years of Astronomical Outreach

http://www.sdaa.orgA Non-Profit Educational Association

P.O. Box 23215, San Diego, CA 92193-3215

October 2017

Next SDAA Business MeetingOctober 10th at 7:00pm

7270 Trade StreetSan Diego, CA 92121

Next Program Meeting October 18th at 7:00pm

Mission Trails Regional ParkVisitor and Interpretive Center1 Father Junipero Serra Trail

CONTENTSOctober 2017, Vol LV, Issue 10Published Monthly by the San Diego Astronomy AssociationIncorporated in California in 1963October Prog ram Meet ing. . . . . . . 1A n n u a l B B Q . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1S e p t e m b e r M i n u t e s . . . . . . . . . . . 2S o l a r E c l i p s e E x p e r i e n c e s . . 42 0 1 7 T D S S c h e d u l e . . . . . . . . . . 1 0O c to b e r C a l en d a r. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1S DA A C o n t a c t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2M e e t t h e M e m b e r s . . . . . . 1 3Space P l ace Pa r tne r s Ar t i c l e . 14A s t r o n o my C a r t o o n s. . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6

Newsletter DeadlineThe deadline to submit articles

for publication is the15th of each month.

October Program MeetingDate: October 20, 2017Speaker: Jerry HilburnTopic: Cassini End of Mission Update

Jerry is a longtime SDAA member and NASA solar system ambassador, and his talks are always engaging and informative.

San Diego Astronomy Association (SDAA) sponsors speakers on a wide range of astronomy topics on the third Wednesday of every month at the Mission Trails Regional Park Visitors Center. The program meeting begins at 7:00pm. Each attendee receives one free door prize ticket. After announcements and a small amount of business, the audience is treated to the featured presentation. At the close of the meeting the door prizes are presented. The event is open to the public. The Mission Trails Regional Park Visitors Center is at One Fr. Junipero Serra Trail, San Diego CA 92119. Call the park at 619-668-3281 for more information or visit http://www.mtrp.org.

Annual BBQ at TDS

Members and guests are invited to our annual BBQ on Saturday, October 14th. Master Chef Dave Wood will be cooking chicken strips, bratwurst, hamburgers, veggie burgers and beans. The club will also be providing condiments, potato salad, cook-ies and chips. Feel free to bring a side dish or dessert to share. We light up the grill at 4:00pm. Come for food and friends; stay for the stars.

http://www.sdaa.org

San Diego Astronomy Association

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San Diego Astronomy Association Board of Directors Meeting September 12, 2017- Unapproved and subject to revision

1. Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 7pm with the following board members in attendance: Mike Chasin, President; Kin Searcy, Vice President; Gene Burch, Treasurer; Scott Dixon, Corresponding Secretary; Brian McFarland, Recording Secretary; Dave Wood, Director; Jeff Herman, Director. Members in attendance: John and Mary Todd, and Tom Webb.

2. Approval of Last Meeting Minutes

The August meeting minutes were approved. 3. Priority / Member Business

Long time members attended the board meeting to understand what is going on and feel that our existing communications techniques are not best serving all members. The board is aware of the need for improvement, has established a social media chairman, and is actively looking to improve member communications.

4. Treasurer’s & Membership Report a. Gene presented the treasurer’s report; it was approved. b. QuickBooks is up and running and so far, so good. c. The insurance company was very responsive to our need for Also Insured.

5. Standard Reports a. Site Maintenance - Progress on the power panel upgrade project, but we need someone to take over as lead and

to try and coordinate the SDG&E and electrician visit. Gene will see if he can help accommodate the visit coordination.

b. Observatory Report 1. Ed Rumsey has agreed to assume the role of observatory director when Jim steps down at the end of the

year. Many thanks to Ed for stepping up and to Jim for many years of outstanding support. 2. Brian identified a suitable replacement for the Lipp focuser and will provide a link to the rest of the Board.

Gene will see if we can get a discount through OPT. c. Private Pad Report

1. We have 2 free pads with a 3rd that is being given up if anybody else wants to lease it (it is Mark Smith’s old pad and is one of only 2 on the site that is completely undeveloped) and a 4th that Mark is trying to reclaim; there are 5 people actively looking at pads. It’s expected that all available pads will be leased before the end of the year.

2. Pad 36, formerly a grandfathered pad, is now available as a leased pad. Bob and Allen Pellymounter are now sharing Pad 29 (this is also a grandfathered pad so no need to execute a new lease).

3. The Steigler pad is still a hazardous mess and susceptible to the upcoming Santa Ana winds. The Board will document its condition with photographs, and will hire someone to dismantle the “shed” and secure it. The SDAA will bill Mr. Steigler for any expense. This went to Board Motion and passed unanimously.

d. Program Report 1. Program meetings: September will be eclipse topics, October is Jerry Hilburn reporting on Cassini, and

November will be gadget night. 2. Banquet: David Reitze, Executive Director of LIGO, will be the featured guest speaker. At his request,

the SDAA will provide two nights stay in lieu of one night plus speaker fee. We may open this up to other clubs but need to check on the venue size first.

3. OPT will attend the SDAA BBQ. They are interested in supporting the SDAA and other non-profits. e. AISIG Report – Hiro will discuss new low-noise CMOS cameras at the next meeting. f. Newsletter Report – Andrea continues to do stellar work. g. Website Report – Nothing to report.


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h. Outreach Report – There was a disconnect between the newsletter and website calendars due to cached data – it’s been resolved although there is an ongoing sync issue. Gene and Kin will evaluate use of Wild Apricot calendar to solve the synch issue.

i. Merchandise Report 1. We are missing the original SDAA artwork; Brian will see if he has any. 2. Gene and Tom Webb will look at options for chairing the merchandise position.

j. TARO – We now have a solid internet connection; the problem was on the provider’s end. k. Cruzen Observatory – No recent development due to excessive heat. l. Social Media – Nothing new to report for Social Media. User engagement is steady and all of our Star Party

invites are publishing to social media and are receiving typical traffic. m. JSF- No report.

6. Old Business

a. Insurance/taxes were paid up. b. 40-year anniversary of TDS merch/logo – there was no interest so the effort is cancelled. c. Fall BBQ will be October 14. d. Banquet – The club will pay the $1K deposit and will send out requests for donations letters.

7. New Business a. Associate Membership – we need to research this to see if there’s a way to make it more valuable to the

recipient. Maybe a tie-in to the A.L.? b. Basic Membership – time to re-evaluate this membership category. Make it more inclusive/ valuable? What do

the By-Laws say? c. Jerry Hilburn would like to continue to use the 18” donated Dobsonian for outreach. The Board agreed. d. Nominating Committee – it’s time to form one. A couple members were recommended.

8. Adjournment – Adjourned at 9pm.


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2017 Total Solar Eclipse in Salem, Oregon My Dad on September 10, 1923 helped photograph the Total Solar Eclipse in Mexico when he was with the University of Arizona. I have a copy of that photograph and still remember him telling me all about it. So, there was no way I was going to miss this chance to experience what he did. My wife and I made the drive and the traffic was terrible, especially on the way back, but it was worth it. The eclipse experience is hard to describe but below is the best we could do to describe it. Images taken with a Canon DLSR, 24-105 lens, and I bracketed the exposures.

The sky got dimmer and dimmer and the air got cooler and cooler, and then in an instant, like a light switch being turned off,

the sky was as night, and there appeared to be no sun and no moon, only one of these strange objects in the sky. ~Duane Done.


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Casper Wyoming Eclipse Experience By John & Mary Todd

John and Mary Todd traveled to Casper, Wyoming to attend the Astrocon conference and view the total solar eclipse. This was their second time as they had viewed the total solar eclipse in Australia in 2012. It was very exciting especially as part of the conference. This was the annual conference of the Astronomical League of amateur astronomy clubs all over the USA including the San Diego Astronomy Association. The presentations which involved various aspects of total eclipses in general and the Great American Eclipse in particular enriched our experience of the eclipse and there were presentations on a range of topics as well. In addition, there were field trips offered and we enjoyed viewing a preview of the eclipse at the Casper Planetarium. The presentations were very informative. Programs by Fred Espenak AKA Mr. Eclipse included Photography Basics for the 2017 Eclipse and the Astrocon Keynote about his experience with total eclipses. (Fred Espenak is the author of the photography article distributed for the Mission Trails eclipse viewing.) Psychologist Dr. Kate Russo discussed research on various aspects of the phenomenon of "eclipse chasing". Derryl Barr described Saros Series 145 and the Great American Eclipse of 2017. Martin Ratcliffe, Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, compared and contrasted the Indian eclipses of 1898 and 1995. Dr. Timothy Slater demystified eclipses for amateur astronomers. Dr. Fran Bagenal participated in NASA's planetary exploration missions including the Juno mission to discover the interior of Jupiter which she described in illuminating detail. Dr. J McKim Malville described his exciting archeoastronomy work in Chaco Canyon and its Great House communities in Colorado and New Mexico, Nabta Playa in southern Egypt, the earliest know example of megalithic astronomy in the world, and Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley of Peru. Dr. Stephanie Slater explored eclipses and science fiction and how the authors highlighted human and ethical dilemmas into futuristic settings. Robert Gent gave an update and suggestions on approaches to develop programs to facilitate dark skies in communities. Dr. Wladimir Lyra focused on Jupiter's moon Europa with computational models of mantle convection to inform our understanding especially with respect to liquid water and possibly life under its icy crusts. See ASTROCON website: https://astrocon2017.astroleague.org/ for additional presentation information. Planning Committee Chair Lowell Lyon had been meeting with the Mayor of Casper as well as other important persons so that among other benefits conference participants were offered several venues for viewing the eclipse. Casper College set aside their campus which was on the center of the path of totality for the exclusive use of Astrocon participants. We chose to set up at that site along with Fred Espenak and Mary and Les Anderson who have contributed eclipse photos to Astronomy Magazine. The equipment was impressive from telescopes to cameras so that we were surrounded by all aspects of eclipse viewing. The eclipse view was excellent and John and Mary enjoyed the awesome beauty of the event. The time of almost 2 1/2 minutes was both finished in an instant but seemed to last forever. They were left with a renewed appreciation of the universe and its vastness and an increased connection with nature. Some of the vendors included Meade, Celestron, OPT, Explore Scientific, StellarVue, Vixen Optics, Astro Physics. One of the vendor booths was for the Astronomical League. In addition to the yearly conference, there were various programs available to members. These are self study programs for which a certificate is awarded upon completion so that amateur astronomers could develop and demonstrate their skills. They are planning to attend the Astronomical League annual conference next year in Minneapolis, Minnesota.


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Photos by John Todd


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Idaho Falls Eclipse ExperienceBy Alberto Levy

Here are a couple photos taken from north of Idaho Falls. Our "expedition" consisted of 4 members of our Astronomy Association in Tijuana and a young boy(8 yrs). We rented a motor home and our round trip logged 3300 miles, visiting several national parks too.Photos data:Location: Juniper Campground, Ririe , IdahoTelescope: FSQ106 at f/8 (800mm)Camera: Canon 60Da ISO: 200Exposures: from 1/8000 sec to 1/2 sec.Totality: 2 min 15 sec.

Photo1: Solar Eclipse sequence, assemble of 4 shots in photoshop


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Photo 2: Detailed Corona, using HDR


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A Different Perspective of the 2017 Great American Eclipseby Craig Ewing

Instead of writing about how the temperature dropped ten degrees, how the sky was darker nearest the sun and brightest along the hori-zons, and how I wept during the experience (I didn't), I want to write about what occurred "on the ground" both before, during, and after the eclipse in Casper, Wyoming on August 21, 2017.

I rented a vehicle that was large enough to transport both my telescope and my backpacking equipment. I drove 1,400 miles in about 18 hours, including a one-hour nap, from San Diego to Casper. When I arrived, my friends told me that it there had been a lot more clouds and rain than usual during the previous week. Uh-oh! And it was either completely or mostly cloudy every day and night in Casper from the day that I arrived on August 12th until August 16th.

My friends' house is about five miles southeast from town. There are about ten properties in the area covering around 200 acres and there is only one entrance in and out of the area. The residents were concerned that if the estimates were correct that as many as 40,000 to 50,000 people were estimated to go to Casper for the event (Casper has a population of 50,000.), then the eclipse viewers might trespass onto their properties and doing who-knows-what. (You know how crazy astronomers can be.) So, a lock was placed on the gate that led to the area. Well, it turned out that nowhere near that many people went to Casper. (I'd seen and heard that between 4,000 and 5,000 people went there.) Nevertheless, good planning.

A strange "phenomenon" occurred during the end of the week prior to Monday the 21st. One of our eclipse observing party went to the Casper Walmart store to buy some things. When she went to one of the aisles, she noticed that the shelves on one side were empty. She looked at the signs and the items were flour and sugar. Flour and sugar?! Why would the store be out of those items? My guess is that someone was making thousands of eclipse cookies. And if they did, they might have made A LOT of money from it!

Related to Casper's international airport (Yes, Casper has an international airport.), there were three interesting things. One, supposedly, was that one or two sheikhs from the Middle East were flying into Casper for the event. (Why Casper? Who knows.) Two, Casper's airport was going to be shut down one hour before and after totality. (Did this occur in other cities that were located along the path of totality?) And three, Casper's third runway was going to open for eclipse observers. I don't know if any of these things happened. But they're good stories, nonetheless.

Now for the day itself ...

I woke up before the sun rose, saw the clear sky, and let out a "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" By the way, we were located about 1-1/4 miles from "center line" and were about 500 feet above it since my friends' property is perched on a hillside leading up to the Laramie Mountain Range. The morning progressed, the two dozen or so people ate breakfast, and we all prepared for the moment of a lifetime. One person laid out a bed sheet in order to try and record "solar snakes." I set up my 10-inch, f/7.2 telescope with my new solar filter and shield to protect both the tube and the viewer. And ... eventually ... it happened. But one of the surprising things was the instant prior to totality. It was interesting how it seemed like the type of experience where you are in a room at night with the lights on, you flip the switch, and it's instantaneously dark. During totality, at 11:42, as you know if "you were there", it wasn't completely dark, but it was significantly darker. And colder. And calmer. The opposite thing occurred at the end of totality at 11:45am ... it was dark, and -- BOOM! -- it was light. To me, that was one of the most spectacular parts of what might be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

There were other interesting phenomenon. My friend has a weather station on his property. He recorded the temperature, humidity, and wind measurements for the entire day. Between the times preceding and following totality, the temperature dropped exactly ten degrees and the wind went from a calm breeze to absolute stillness. If felt like a 20-degree drop, enough to where one woman donned a windbreaker. Another phenomenon was my strategy of taking photos of the lake at "ground zero" both before and during totality. Ten minutes before, normality. Five minutes before, the lake was more difficult to see. At totality, I couldn't see it. And the camera's photo barely displayed it as it was surrounded by the grayish-colored landscape that had been a dull yellow hue just five minutes before.


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2017 TDS SCHEDULE

DATE MOON DATA SUNSET ASTRO TWILIGHT

Oct. 14 R- 2:43a 27% 6:12p 7:34p

21 S- 7:41p 3% 6:04p 7:26p

Nov. 11 R-12:38a 33% 4:46p 6:10p Public PST

18 S- 5:18p 0% 4:42p 6:07p

Dec. 9 R-11:50p 57% 4:39p 6:07p Public

16 S- 3:57p 3% 4:41p 6:09p

Did you see them? -- Regulus, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury and Mars? I didn’t see the latter two stars (as someone stated), but I saw the other objects. And the star chart that I printed out for the others to use, who did not have any significant interest in astron-omy until this event, was useful to them so that they would know “stars” they were seeing on the sides of the sun and the moon. A funny moment -- I was so excited during totality that when someone saw the corona shooting out around the moon and asked me what it was, I responded “It’s the chromosphere!” And someone had a sense of humor, playing one of Pink Floyd’s albums during the event. I don’t think that I need to tell you the name of the album.

About 30 minutes after last contact at 1:09pm, one of the families of my friend left to return to Denver. (In case you don't know how long it takes and in order to save you time Googling it, it usually takes 4-1/2 hours to complete the trip.) When the family arrived at their home, they texted my friend to let them know that they were safe and sound. At 1:30am. Wow, I bet that they'll never bother going to see another total solar eclipse again! Related to that, according to the news, there was a steady line of about 100 cars in line for gas in nearby Glendo (about 75 miles east-southeast of Casper) ... until they ran out of gas.

And for what is probably my most different perspective related to the eclipse -- I set up a video camera to record how my friend's chickens and rooster (Horny Harry) would react. I expected them to return to the chicken coup at some point prior to totality, remaining there until sometime after it ended. (Usually, they're walking around the gravel driveway and dirt yard, spreading land mines and cockle-doodle-doing up a storm.) I was wrong. Instead, nearly all of them gathered in the shade of an RV's canopy, barely moving and not making any noise several minutes before and after totality. Not even Harry made a peep.

I hope that you enjoyed the story. During the next eclipse, maybe I'll be "selfish" and do like some people suggest, not sharing the experience with others, instead concentrating on obtaining beautiful images of the "dance of the sun and the moon". But after the fun that I had while sharing the experience with my friends and others, maybe not.


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October 2017 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

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4 Stars in the Park

5 SD

Environmental Profesionals

6 Full Moon

Birney Elementary

Pride Academy

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SDAA Business Meeting

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Stars at Mission Trails

Girl Scouts Astronomy

14 SDAA BBQ

Oak Oasis


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Benchley 3rd Grade

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SDAA Program Meeting

19 New Moon

Nightfall- Palm Canyon Hotel

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21 Member Night

TDS


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AISIG Meeting

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Benchley/ Weinberger Elementary

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West Sycamore

28 KQ Ranch

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SDAA ContactsClub Officers and Directors

President Mike Chasin [email protected] (858) 210-1454Vice President Kin Searcy [email protected] (858) 586-0974Recording Secretary Brian McFarland [email protected] (619) 462-4483Treasurer Gene Burch [email protected] (858) 926-9610 Corresponding Secretary Scott Dixon [email protected] Director Alpha Dave Decker [email protected] (619) 972-1003Director Beta Jeff Herman [email protected] Director Gamma Pat Boyce [email protected] (619) 227-9614Director Delta Dave Wood [email protected] (858) 735-8808

CommitteesSite Maintenance Bill Quackenbush [email protected] (858) 395-1007Observatory Director Jim Traweek [email protected] (619) 207-7542Private Pads Mark Smith [email protected] (858) 484-0540Outreach Kin Searcy [email protected] (858) 586-0974N. County Star Parties -Vacant- [email protected] S. County Star Parties -Vacant- [email protected] E. County Star Parties Dave Decker [email protected] (619) 972-1003Central County Star Parties Kin Searcy [email protected] (858) 586-0974Camp with the Stars -Vacant- [email protected] K.Q. Ranch Coordinator Dennis Ammann [email protected] (619) 247-2457Newsletter Andrea Kuhl [email protected] (858) 547-9887New Member Mentor Dan Kiser [email protected] (858) 922-0592Webmaster Jeff Stevens [email protected] (858) 566-2261AISIG Dave Wood [email protected] (858) 735-8808Site Acquisition -Vacant- [email protected] Field Trips -Vacant- [email protected] Grants/Fund Raising -Vacant- [email protected] Julian StarFest -Vacant- [email protected] Merchandising -Vacant- [email protected] Publicity Jeff Flynn [email protected] Loaner Scopes Ed Rumsey [email protected] (858) 722-3846 Governing Documents TBDTDS Network Dave Wood [email protected] (858) 735-8808Amateur Telescope Making -Vacant-

Have a great new piece of gear? Read an astronomy-related book that you think others should know about? How about a photograph of an SDAA Member in action? Or are you simply tired of seeing these Boxes in the Newsletter rather than something, well, interesting?

Join the campaign to rid the Newsletter of little boxes by sharing them with the membership. In return for your efforts, you will get your very own byline or pho-tograph credit in addition to the undying gratitude of the Newsletter Editor. Just send your article or picture to [email protected].

SDAA Editorial StaffEditor - Andrea [email protected]

Assistant Editor: Craig Ewing

mailto://[email protected]




















mailto:[email protected]


[email protected]






mailto:// [email protected]




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Meet the Members

Gilbert Ikezaki at TDS with his Rokinon 135F2 on an iOptron ZEQ25GT that he uses for imaging.


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NASASpacePlacePartnerArticle September2017

This article is provided by NASA Space Place. With articles, activities, crafts, games, and lesson plans, NASA Space Place encourages everyone to get excited about science and technology. Visit spaceplace.nasa.gov to explore space and Earth science!

Cassini Says Goodbye By Teagan Wall

On September 15th, the Cassini spacecraft will have its final mission. It will dive into the planet Saturn, gathering information and sending it back to Earth for as long as possible. As it dives, it will burn 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 worry that when Cassini runs 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 will complete its exploration by diving into Saturn—on purpose. The spacecraft will burn up and become part of the planet it explored. During its final plunge, Cassini will tell us


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NASASpacePlacePartnerArticle September2017

more about Saturn’s atmosphere, and protect the moons at the same time. What an exciting way to say goodbye! To learn more about Saturn, check out NASA Space Place: https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/all-about-saturn

Caption: This image of the hexagonal storm on Saturn’s north pole was taken by Cassini in 2013. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute


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MEMBERSHIP INFORMATIONSend dues and renewals to P.O. Box 23215, San Diego, CA 92193-3215. Include any renewal cards from Sky & Telescope or Astronomy magazine in which you wish to continue your subscription. The expiration date shown on your newsletter’s mailing label is the only notice that your membership in SDAA will expire. Dues are $60 for Contributing Memberships; $35 for Basic Membership; $60.00 for Private Pads; $5 for each Family membership. In addition to the club dues the annual rates for magazines available at the club discount are: Sky & Telescope $32.95 and Astronomy $34. Make checks payable to S.D. Astronomy Assn. PLEASE DO NOT send renewals directly to Sky Publishing. They return them to us for processing.