October National Meeting 1

Members’ Gallery 2

President’s Message 3

Observing Sites 4

For Sale 5/6

Upcoming Events 6

Looking AheadRemember, you are alwayswelcome to attend meetings ofCouncil, held on the first Tues-day of every month at 7:30pmin the G.M.S.O.Nov. 8: Dr. Rick Greenburg,University of Arizona, is consid-ered on of the world’s expertson Europa and will speak on it.Dec. 13: AGM; VancouverCentre member JasonRickerby on CCD imaging.Jan. 10: TBD

Next Issue DeadlineMaterial for the January Novashould submitted by Monday,Jan. 2, 2006. Please send sub-missions to:Gordon Farrell(gfarrell@shaw.ca)

The October National Meetingby Doug Montgomery

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NEWSLETTER OF THE VANCOUVER CENTRE RASC

VOLUME 2005 ISSUE 6 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005

The October meetingwas held in Hamilton thisyear, at the Tim Horton’sCamp. I was surprised to seehow rural the area was. Wedrove by farm houses thatwere built in the 1800s andstill in excellent condition.The camp is impeccablyclean and well maintained.Above the meeting roomthere is a 24-foot dome thathouses a Meade 16-inch LX200 GPS that our host, LesNagy, uses to teach kidsabout astronomy.

Even though the weatherwas good we did have to getto the meeting. The big topicis the fate of the Journal.There will be a “specialmeeting” before February todecide what to do about theexpense of the Journal. Na-tional wants to go with anelectronic (e-mail) Journaland if you want a printed ver-

sion it will cost $15 to $20per year. We support this planas it will save the club about$30,000 a year. The new edi-tor is agreeable to this planand is looking forward to hisnew duties. In the e-mail for-mat he can add color picturesand more content as he is notrestricted in how many pageshe can have. You will receivea proxy in the mail and weurge you to fill it out and getit to me, Jason or anyone oncouncil as they have to bepresented in person at theFebruary meeting.

There will also bechanges to our National website. These changes willmake our web site easier tonavigate and make better useof the e-store for renewalsand RASC merchandise. Itwill also have a window tonews and events across the

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Members’ Gallery

M 8 (Lagoon Nebula)Jason Rickerby

Mt. KobauCanon EOS 20DCanon EF 70-200mm f/4L USMPiggyback image on CelestronUltima 2000 8"200mm Focal Length, F5ISO 400, 10 minutes

IC 1318(Gamma Cygni Nebula)Jason Rickerby

Mt. KobauCanon EOS 20DCanon EF 70-200mm f/4L USMPiggyback image on CelestronUltima 2000 8"200mm Focal Length, F6.3ISO 400, 10 minutes

M 31 (Andromeda Galaxy)& M110

Jason Rickerby

Mt. KobauCanon EOS 20D

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USMPiggyback image on Celestron

Ultima 2000 8"200mm Focal Length, F5

ISO 400, 10 minutes

3

2005 VancouverCentre Officers

PresidentRon Jerome 604-298-3292jerome3292@shaw.caVice-PresidentPomponia Martinez 604-215-8844pomponia@telus.netSecretaryBrian Morse 604-267-6717TreasurerMarc Verschueren 604-986-1485marcver@shaw.caLibrarianWilliam Fearon 604-939-1895williamfearon147@hotmail.comMembershipDan Collier 604-732-6046CARO Committee ChairBob Parry 604-215-8844robpar@telus.netDirector of TelescopesPhil Morris 604-734-8708Public RelationsBruce MacDonald 604-882-3820brumac@gmail.comSpeakersBarry Shanko 604-271-0615barryshanko@telus.netNat’l Rep./MerchandisingDoug Montgomery 604-596-7058moondoug@home.comNova EditorGordon Farrell 604-734-0326gfarrell@shaw.caNat’l Rep./WebmasterJason Rickerby 604-502-8158rickerby@dccnet.comLPA Committee ChairChris Dolman 604-707-0089cdolman@telus.netEducation Cmte. ChairCraig Breckenridge 604-437-3103craig.breckenridge@shaw.caTrusteesSally Baker 604-324-3309Karl Miller jkmiller@direct.ca

About RASCThe Vancouver Centre, RASC

meets at 7:30 PM in the auditoriumof the H.R. MacMillan Space Cen-tre at 1100 Chestnut St., Vancou-ver, on the second Tuesday of everymonth. Guests are always wel-come. In addition, the Centre hasan observing site where star par-ties are regularly scheduled.

Membership is currently $58.00per year ($34.25 for persons under21 years of age) and can be ob-tained by writing to the Treasurerat the address below. Annualmembership includes the invalu-able Observer’s Handbook, six is-sues of the RASC Journal, and, ofcourse, access to all of the clubevents and projects.

For more information regardingthe Centre and its activities, pleasecontact our P.R. Director.

NOVA, the newsletter of theVancouver Centre, RASC, is pub-lished on odd numbered months.Opinions expressed herein are notnecessarily those of the VancouverCentre.

Material on any aspect of as-tronomy should be e-mailed to theeditor or mailed to the address onpage 5.

AdvertisingNova encourages free use of itsclassified ads for members withitems for sale or swap. Notify theeditor if you wish your ad to run inmore than one issue.

CommericalRates

1/4 Page: $15.00 per issue1/2 Page: $25.00 per issueFull Page: $40.00 per issueRates are for camera-ready, orelectronic files. Payment, bycheque, must accompany ad ma-terial. Make cheque payable to:RASC Vancouver Centre.

President’sMessage

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The Chris Graham Ro-botic Telescope project ismoving forward. Assemblyof the scope and domeshould be completed late thismonth. We hope to havesome of our members visitthe New Mexico location inthe new year and become fa-miliar with the operationsthere. In the meantime, withCAROp and other facilities,we have equipment compa-rable to that being installedon the robotic scope, whichwill facilitate volunteer train-ing. The Space Centre hasagreed to provide us an of-fice at the GMSO to use as acentre for our activities. Weare holding organizationalmeetings the third Tuesday ofeach month at the GMSO at7:00pm. Interested membersand volunteers are invited toattend.

We collaborated with theSpace Centre on a MarsWatch event. In spite of fore-casts to the contrary, theweather was perfect for thefirst night’s efforts on Octo-ber 29th. Some 300 peopleattended at the GMSO. The

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Observing Sites

Dale McNabb Observatory inAldergrove Lake Park (RASC Van-couver Centre's regular viewingsite)Contact Mike Penndelton (604-888-1505) or Howard Morgan(604-856-9186)

Site of the annual star party organ-ized by the RASC Vancouver Cen-tre

Site of the annual Mt. Kobau StarParty organized by the MountKobau Astronomical Society

Site of the regular Saturday nightstar party. On the dike at the footof 72nd St.

5

ASTROCOMPUTINGSpaceBase™ (604-473-9358,59).Affiliated since 1992 with RASCVancouver, our link to RASC Net,RASC Members only chat area.Future data distribution hub forCARO Project. Features includelatest HST images, current worldspace news and astronomy pro-grams.

LIBRARYThe centre has a large library ofbooks, magazines and old Nova’sfor your enjoyment at the GSO.Please take advantage of this clubservice and visit often to check outthe new purchases. Suggestionsfor future library acquisitions areappreciated.

RASC-VC on the Internethttp://www.pcis.com/rascvan/ orhttp://www.rasc.ca/vancouver

H.R. MACMILLANSPACE CENTRE

The Pacific Space Centre Societyis a non-profit organization whichoperates the H.R. MacMillan SpaceCentre and Gordon M. SouthamObservatory. Annual Membership($30 Individual, $80 Family) in-cludes a newsletter, Discounts onSpace Camps, special programsand lectures, Vancouver MuseumDiscounts, and free admission tothe Space Centre. Admission to theSpace Centre includes: Astronomyshows, Motion Simulator rides,multimedia shows in GroundStationCanada, and access to the CosmicCourtyard Exhibit Gallery. For Mem-bership information, call MahiJordao at 604-738-7827, local 237for information. You can also reachthem on the Internet at http://www.hrmacmillanspacecentre.com/

MEMBERSHIPHAS ITS

PRIVILEGES!New members, did you know?

The Vancouver Centre has 8 tel-escopes available for loan free ofcharge! We have telescopes rang-ing from 60mm to 10" diameter.For more information see Phil Mor-ris, Director of Telescopes in themeeting room of the GSO after themembers meeting. All telescopesare to be picked up and returned atthe GSO. The loaner period is forone month, to be returned after thenext meeting. Telescopes are notallowed to circulate outside of thesemeetings. You can now reserve 2different telescopes per year anduse what is left at the end of themeeting anytime. Phil can bereached at 604-734-8708.

Your greatest opportunity as amember of the R.A.S.C. is to takeadvantage of the company of otherenthusiasts to increase your knowl-edge, enjoyment and skill in as-tronomy.

The best thing you can do togain the most from your member-ship is to get active! Take in theclub meetings; engage other mem-bers with questions; come out to ob-serving sessions (also known as“star parties”), and, by all means,volunteer to take part in our manypublic events.

Observing takes place atBoundary Bay on the dike at thesouth end of 72nd St. in Delta (seemap on p. 4). We are there mostclear Thursday/Friday nights. Con-tact Jason Rickerby at 604-502-8158.

RASC1100 Chestnut Street

Vancouver, B.C.V6J 3J9

604-738-2855

FOR SALE

RASC MERCHANDISEAvailable for purchase after meetings:

Calendars $14.00Golf Shirts $30.00Sweat Shirts $30.00Centenary Mugs $ 7.00Beginners’ Guides $15.00Observers’ Guides $20.00Cloth Crests $11.00Lapel Pins $ 6.00L.E.D. Flashlights $22.00

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Upcoming EventsDecember13 – AGM

continued on page 7

FOR SALEReduced in time for

Christmas! The club hastwo telescopes for sale. Con-tact a council member afterthe meeting if interested:

60 mm f/15 refractorwith a German equitorialwood tripod mount. Asking$100.00 $75.00

4.5" Tasco reflector witha manual german equatorialmount and tripod. Red &Black $125.00 $100.00

8” Dobsonian for sale.D = 7.75” F= 48” 1/6wavefront mirror50 mm mounting bracketsfor a finder scope2” helical focuser9” adjustable spiderDobsonian stand that needsa bit of tweaking

$100 for the lot

Call Diane at 604-255-8809

Celestron Ultima 11. 13 yrsold, rarely used! Wheeledcarrying case, tripod, wedge,instruction manual, 2" stardiagonal, 18mm & 30mmlenses, 8 x 50 finder, Handcontroller. $1500

Call Doug Graeb at604-732-7151

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public was able to get a goodlook at the red planet andviewing was good until wellafter midnight. We thank thevolunteers who gave up theirevening to make it happen.Inclement weather interferedwith similar plans the follow-ing weekend.

National Council finallytook a serious step towardmaking the Journal an on-line publication. A specialcouncil meeting will be heldin February since the initia-tive requires a vote by themembership. To that end,proxies will be delivered toall members. We will be arm-twisting all of you to com-plete and return them to yourcouncil representatives sothey can be counted at thatmeeting. The financial situ-ation at National has pro-

gressed along the lines wesuggested before the GA.This step is the most con-structive and beneficial thatcan be achieved relativelyquickly. It needs your sup-port.

At our AGM in Decem-ber we will have the usualagenda to complete, includ-ing the election of your cen-tre council for 2006. Thenominating committee con-sists of Karl Miller, BillRonald and me. As always,we encourage volunteers tostep forward and take a moreactive role in this organiza-tion. We benefit from newideas and for those of youthat feel that a change isgood, this is the opportunityto help make it happen.Please contact any one of thethree of us if you want to getinvolved.

It is with regret that I ad-vise the membership of pass-ing of one of our life mem-bers—Paul Skyes. Paulserved with distinction in theUS Air Corp during WWII.After the war he completedhis degree in physics at UBC.He rejoined the US AirForce, completed a MastersDegree in Physics and at-tended the Oakridge Schoolof Reactor Technology. Hewas subsequently appointeda lecturer and administratorin Physics at UBC where heremained until his retirementin 1983. His interest in as-tronomy began in his youthand he was inspired to writeobserving articles for a localnewspaper. He later joinedand became active memberof the RASC.

– Ron Jerome

country so we can see what’sgoing on in other centers.

David Levy joined themeeting and has proposed ajoint project with the ASP toset up a robotic scope in Ari-zona. He also plans anotherscope somewhere in the

southern hemisphere. Davidwill be seeking private fundsfor this project, and will notneed funds from either club.

In closing, I would liketo say thanks to our host, LesNagy from the HamiltonCentre. The Tim Horton’scamp was a super location

for the meeting. We got toobserve with the scope bothon Friday night and on Sat-urday night after dinner. Thiswas the first time I have everobserved at a national meet-ing, and I enjoyed it a lot.

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3303 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V6R 1N6, Canada

WE’VE MOVED!

COME SEE US AT OUR

NEW LOCATION:

4th & blenheim