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The Sidereal TimesJune 2002

The Official Newsletter of The Albuquerque Astronomical Society

The Official Newsletter of The Albuquerque Astronomical SocietyThe Sidereal Times

P.O. Box 50581, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87181-0581 www.taas.org

June 2002

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1....Messier Marathon 20022....President’s Update3....General Meeting News

4....Calendars6....Minutes of the BoD7....Special Interest Groups

8....GNTO News & Views9....TAAS Reports & Notices10..Astronomy Day Highlights

11..Observer’s Page13..Classified Ads

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The Amazing Messier Marathon of 2002Peter Eschman

Wonderful weather helped to bring over 60 people toGNTO to enjoy this year’s Messier Marathon. In additionto the always-enjoyable Messier objects, this year alsooffered a treat of four comets, several of which were quitespectacular. The four comets included Ikeya-Zhang (C/2002 C1), Snyder-Murakami (C/2002 E2), Utsunomiya (C/2002 F1), and LINEAR (C/2000 WM1). Since we scheduledthis event for later in the year than we have in years past,

we had a different set of unavailable Messier objects. Thisyear’s impossible finds included M33, M74 and M77, allof which were too low in the evening twilight to bedetected. On the plus side, M30 was easier to catch in theearly morning light than it has been in previous years.

We benefited greatly from some excellent charts andchecklists prepared by Barry Spletzer. Barry also was on

hand to mentor some of the new comers to the marathon.Barry helped numerous folks identify objects and planviewing strategies through the course of the night. Barrywaited until well after his last “mentee” packed up beforehe packed up his own equipment. Barry also took somegreat panoramic photos of the event. Barry’s photos, alongwith some other wonderful event photos by Larry Cash,Nancy Davis, and Sammy Lockwood can be found on theTAAS web site.

In fact, the 2002 Messier Marathon is currently featuredon the first page of the TAAS web site (http://www.taas.org), but just in case the first page changes, here

is the specific web page:http://www.taas.org/events/mm2002/index.html.Thanks to Sammy (our hard working webmaster) forgetting this great coverage up on the web. Bill Tondreaualso did an excellent set of panoramic photos of the event,and Bill’s work can be found on his web site ath t t p : / / w w w. k u p e r c o n t r o l s . c o m / n m a s t r o /gntom2002.htm.

Photos by Bill Tondreau



President’s UpdateRay Collins ❖

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Once again it is Saturday afternoon and Iam pushing another deadline for thiscolumn (do I detect a pattern in this?) Ourfirst Oak Flat star party of the season is afew hours away, and I can see the cloudsgathering. Speaking of patterns, someoneshould investigate how many years TAASevents in the Manzano Mountains havebeen catalyzing monsoonal activity? Ihave often enjoyed the spirit of fellowshipand eternal optimism as we stand andsurvey the clouds for holes or localthinning. (“There – wasn’t thatArcturus?”) With the current horrendousdraught, however, I would be far morepleased to have a true gully-washer – ifwe are not to enjoy clear skies and calmair.

Another school year is drawing to a close:several hundred joyous and confidentSeniors graduated from Valley yesterday,three TAAS members among them.Another roomful of Astronomy studentshave traveled from Earth to the edge ofthe observed universe, and I am confidentthat many will book return passageeventually. I will miss so many of thesecompanions – the shift to summer’sindolence is not one of unalloyed joy forme. There is real sadness in thesedepartures, even as I prepare to let 150strangers help me push back the frontiersof knowledge. Of course there is somesolace in planning the next campaign,reflecting on the lessons that worked andthe lessons that made time stand still.

I feel very fortunate in this work I do.There are immense rewards when I listenfor the confirmatory “Aha!” and (such ararity in Physics) “It worked!” All learningistransformational, I know, but Physics and,more particularly, Astronomy seem to meto be two introductory subjects that havethe greatest chance of being life-altering.We who enjoy astronomy take continuingdelight as we contemplate scales of timeand distance that must forever remainbeyond our imagining. I have the joy ofbeing present as these realizations takehold, again and again, in the minds of highschools students.My students write self-evaluations fourtimes a year. It occurred to me only a fewyears ago that, as a student, I was neverencouraged to reflect on my progress orto take credit for the learning which wasmeaningful to me. They write, and I learn!

Some of what they take from Astronomyis predictable. So much more gives mefresh insights into why it is that I teach.The following extracts were written bySeniors several weeks ago.

“The biggest idea that I have taken fromAstronomy is the idea that we are indeedpart of the universe. That idea had neveroccurred to me before. I had alwaysthought of myself as being on the outsidelooking in.”

“My ideas seem incomplete because, infact, they are! I will spend my whole lifecontemplating the questions and ideasthat I have only just begun to process.”

“I find myself telling people interestingthings that I learned earlier in the day. Ihave a sense of knowledge lying deepwithin my brain that amazes even myself.Even though there are obstacles in thepath of understanding this science fully, Iam committed to stomping them flat bycontinuous work. I just hope that I cancontinue into this field after college.”

“I took this course initially for the sake ofeducation and the teacher. I take from thiscourse a highly evolved set of questions.I’ve learned many things of scientificvalue, but those will stay with me at bestfor the next few years. The true treasurethat I leave this course with is the sense ofa Universe that is infallible.”

“I think we protect our own existence forthe same reason that we protect the whitetiger or the panda bear. We may beendangered in a Universe that favors starmatter over brain matter. Our uniqueposition, and circumstances that are ableto harbor life, may be a rarity in anindifferent Universe. So we strive to saveour own existence through our ability tounderstand ourselves, and the more weunderstand about ourselves, the moresignificant we become.”

“This subject is important not onlybecause we learn the physical aspects ofthe universe, but because we are able toconnect with them. We are able to gain asense of belonging and unity, and back itall up with scientific evidence.”

“Often I have said jokingly that ‘Scienceis the new God.’ Much to my chagrin Ihave found that I am mostly right,

although my statement was lacking fourkey words: ‘Science is the new way oflooking at God.’ The realization thataccompanied this revision was a great one.No longer do I believe that God andscience are fighting one another. On thecontrary, I now see that they are one andthe same.”

“So we come back to the original question:why study astronomy. Because bylearning about the Universe we learnabout God and ourselves.”

I am unspeakably proud, of course. Thesestudents give me a sense that our speciesis hardly as doomed as, in my darkestmoments, I might otherwise be led tobelieve. To the foregoing I can do no betterthan to add: “Aha!” and “It worked!”

I suppose there may be those who scanthe President’s Message for something inverse, and they should not bedisappointed. What more fitting tribute tothese wonderful graduates than a rousingstanza of Gaudeamus Igitur. In Latin, I’mafraid, though it was a popular Germanuniversity song from the 18th century on.As a kindness, I will provide an Englishtranslation.Gaudeamus igiturTherefore while we are young,Juvenes dum sumusLet us rejoice!Gaudeamus igiturTherefore while we are young,Juvenes dum sumusLet us rejoice!Post jucundum juventutemAfter a pleasant youthPost molestam senectutemAfter a troublesome old ageNos habebit humus.The earth will have us.Nos habebit humus.The earth will have us.

As a further kindness, here is a somewhatless doleful translation with, it must bementioned, no great fidelity to theoriginal!

For companions near us!Jubilation now resoundFor our youth to cheer us!After youth, the bold, the airy,Age advances cautionary.Quiet then will hold us,Quiet earth will enfold us.



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June 1, 2002 GeneralMeeting Preview

Saturn or BustI wish I could take credit for the June1 meeting program, but all the kudosgo to Neil Goldberg. Originallyplanned as one of our two TAAS/Lodestar evenings of the year, themeeting will now be held at RegenerHall, due to an unexpected facilityscheduling conflict at Lodestar.

We are very fortunate to have as aspeaker NASA JPL Solar SystemAmbassador Leonard Duda. Dr. Dudahas a PhD in physical chemistry andis a working scientist at SandiaNational Labs. In addition, he isPresident of Explora Science Centerand secretary of the New MexicoSpace Society.

Dr. Duda’s topic will be the Cassinivoyage to Saturn, and he will give amid-course report on the mission andthe planned rendezvous with Titan,Saturn’s largest moon. Cassini willreach Saturn in July of 2004 and sixmonths later will begin its probe ofTitan.

If you’re a Saturn lover (and whoisn’t?) you won’t want to miss thisopportunity to get the inside track onCassini. Nor will you want to miss thechance to graze at the refreshment barand get social with your fellow TAASmembers. If you’re a new member,this is a great opportunity to find outall that the club has to offer and topump our seasoned observers forinformation. I hope to see you there.

The General Meeting starts at 7:00 PM.Regener Hall is located on UNM’sMain Campus, west of Popejoy Hall.For more information, contact KarenKeese at [email protected] or 261-0040.

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TAAS General Meeting NewsKaren Keese

Highlights of the April 27General Meeting

What do a career parole officer fromChicago, a mental health professionalfrom Washington State, and anastrophysics student from Utah havein common? Well, in addition tohaving been our speakers at the April27 meeting, they have in commontheir love for a magical place calledChaco Culture National HistoricalPark.

We were 90strong at theApril generalm e e t i n g ,turning out inforce towelcome ourfriends, newand old, from

Chaco. G.B. Cornucopia is a veteran

of TAAS General Meetings, havingpresented to us on archeoastronomyin the past, and John Sefick is known

to many of usthrough hisa s t r o -photography andhis generoussupport of bothGNTO and theC h a c oObservatory. Afresh new facewas provided byAngie Richman,who is finishingup her under-graduate degree

in astrophysics at UNM and who isheavily involved in the dark-skyresearch project underway at Chaco.G.B., a long-time interpretive rangerat the Park, demonstrated in hislecture the breadth of his knowledgeof archeoastronomy research at Chaco.His interest in Chaco was first sparkeda number of years ago by images ofthe famous Supernova Pictograph, asseen on Carl Sagan’s Cosmos series.G.B. cautioned that archeoastronomy

is more an artform than ascience andthat differentresults area c h i e v e dbased uponthe differentmethodologiesused and thed i f f e r e n tr e s e a r c h

questions asked. Although the sites atChaco appear to reflect a keen interestin the sky and celestial events,precisely how they were used withrespect to astronomy remains amystery, because the ancientChacoans left no written records. Wecan safely say that close examinationof the structures at Chaco and theirorientation to the sun and the moon,and particularly to the winter solstice,reveals a long list of intriguing andcompelling coincidences. G.B.described in detail some of thearcheoastronomical features that arefound at Pueblo Bonito, Fajada Butte,

and other sites in the Park. He alsopresented slides of the construction of

Continued on Page 12

G.B. Cornucopia

Supernova Pictograph

Pueblo Bonito as itmight have been

John Sefick



Astronomical Events

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June 2002

1

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

SUN MON WED THU FRI SAT

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TUE

30

• UNM

• UNM

• UNM

• UNM

• Oak Flat

• ATM Workshop 7 P.M., Valley HS


• GNTO Committee Mtg

• Board Meeting (7 P.M. @ PandA

Bldg.)

• GNTO-CTC

• TAASGeneral

Mtg, 7 P.M. Regener Hall

• Last Quarter @ 18:06

•New Moon @ 17:47

• First Quarter @ 18:29

• TAASGeneral


• GNTO Chaco Canyon

• Full Moon @ 15:42

6/1 04:55/19:176/15 04:53/19:246/30 04:57/19:26

Sunrise/Sunset Planet Rise / Set (6/15/2002)Mercury 03:47/17:31 Saturn 04:36/18:53Venus 07:33/21:52 Uranus 23:13/10:06Mars 06:05/20:38 Neptune 22:11/08:32Jupiter 06:45/21:06 Pluto 18:10/05:01

¥ The Sidereal Times

Deadline

• June 3, 17:00: Venus 1.6º North ofJupiter.

• June 21, 07:23: Summer solstice.The Sun, appearing to travel alongthe ecliptic, reaches the point whereit is farthest north of the celestialequator. so days are longest andnights shortest ( other way aroundfor the southern hemisphere).

More John Sefick Images



NotesTAAS = The Albuquerque AstronomicalSocietyGNTO = General Nathan TwiningObservatory - premium observing night.GNTO-CTC = Must confirm with GNTODirector - Pete Eschman ( [email protected], or873-1517). Check TAAS-L listserv forinformationGNTO Training = GNTO observing andtrainingUNM = University of New MexicoObservatory. Call the TAAS hotline @296-0549, or the UNM hotline @ 277-1446 toconfirm, or [email protected] = Albuquerque Coffee ShopAstronomers. Contact Sammy forinformation or visit www.taas.org and selectsidewalk astronomyATM = Amateur Telescope Making. CallMichael Pendley for information @ 296-0549,or [email protected] = UNM Physics and Astronomy.Corner of Lomas and Yale.

TAASGeneral Meeting

Saturday, June 1, 2002 7P.M.Regener Hall - UNM

Subject:

Cassini Voyage toSaturn

Speaker:Leonard Duda, PhD

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July 2002

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28 29 30 31

SUN MON WED THU FRI SAT

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

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ATM WorkshopRay Collins/Mike Pendley

[email protected]

The Amateur Telescope Makingworkshop is now in operation. Theworkshop meets the first and thirdWednesdays of each month at ValleyHigh School, 1505 Candelaria—thenorth side of Candelaria, just west of12th street. The meetings begin at 7P.M. and are in Building E, Room #3.

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• GNTO-CTC • GNTO

• UNM

• UNM

• UNM

• UNM


• ATM Workshop 7 P.M., Valley HS CANCELLED

• GNTO Committee Mtg

• Board Meeting (7 P.M. @ PandA

Bldg.)

• TAASGeneral


¥ The Sidereal Times

Deadline

• GNTO Training

7/1 04:58/19:267/15 05:05/19:237/31 05:16/19:12

Sunrise/Sunset

Planet Rise / Set (7/15/2002)Mercury 04:26/18:54 Saturn 02:53/17:12Venus 08:26/21:36 Uranus 21:13/08:05Mars 05:40/19:53 Neptune 20:11/06:30Jupiter 05:19/19:33 Pluto 16:05/03:00

• Last Quarter @ 11:21

• Full Moon @ 03:07

•New Moon @ 04:26

• First Quarter @ 22:47



Minutes of the Board of Directors MeetingDavid Blair

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Minutes of The AlbuquerqueAstronomical Society Board of Directorsmeeting, 25 April 2002, Physics andAstronomy Building, The University ofNew Mexico:President Ray Collins called to orderthe Board of Directors at 7 P.M.Attending members were thepresident, Karen Keese (vicepresident), Dave Brown (treasurer),David Blair (secretary), Eric Bucheit,Larry Cash, Pete Eschman, NeilGoldberg, Dan Richey, Barry Spletzer,Absent were Judy Stanley and ChrisWilson. David Beining, director of theLodestar Astronomy Center, andSociety members Barry Gordon, andMark Kroska were also present.Minutes of the 28 March meeting wereamended to reflect the absence ofBoard member Eric Bucheit from thatBoard meeting.

Public Relations Standout

Ray opened the meeting bycommending Karen Keese for the“quality and extent” of her publicrelations efforts on behalf of TAAS.Circulated to the Board were copies ofa 25 April Albuquerque Journal articleby John Fleck, science writer. Thearticle was based on a 19 Aprilmeeting that Karen had arrangedamong Fleck and TAAS membersrehearsing for the Five Planets event.Ray also read a note from TAASmember and founder Robert Kyrlach,thanking the Society for extendingpermanent membership.

Treasurer’s Report

Dave reported on the followingfunds—checking account funds,$6144.75 (up $945.35 from theprevious month); savings accountfunds, $1,208.64 (up $0.10 from last

month); total funds on deposit,7353.39 (up $945.45 from the previousmonth).Fund totals—General, $11254.24;Observatory, $3583.15; Education,$1534.65; Explorer, $66.99; Dark Sky,$214.36; Broline, $700.00.Major revenue—membership, $933;donations, $1894.99.Major expenses—CCD color wheel,$774; Sidereal Times special edition,$572.00; applications, $179.88; bulkmail deposits, $100; GNTO expenses,$98.90; Astronomy Day posters, $60.Membership—regular 209 (up 3);family 64 (up 2); educational 17 (down6); total paid 290 (down 1), honorary4 (no change); complementary 11 (nochange), total membership 305 (down1).

TAAS/Lodestar Astronomy Center

David Beining discussed the Lodestarforum, planned for May 4 at theastronomy center. Ray and Dan agreedto represent TAAS at that event.Neil reviewed an April 3 meeting withDavid Beining and David Blair, inwhich the joint TAAS/LodestarAstronomy Center photo exhibit wasplanned. He reported on preliminaryrules, categories, and procedures.David Beining expressed the hope thatthe exhibit would become an annualevent.

GNTO Committee

Pete reported that the GNTOCommittee had met April 18 toevaluate loading dolly for the Meade16" and that the dolly wassubsequently purchased.Arrangements for Astronomy Dayhad also been discussed and Petethanked Larry and Nancy Cash for afine Powerpoint Presentation that hadbeen prepared for Astronomy Day.

Submissions and materials were beingalso being collected for theScreensaver project.Pete noted that grant applications arein the works with a focus on the NGCMax and a laptop for GNTO.Pete also outlined capital expendituresof $700 to $900 for upgrades to themount of the Isengard: refurbishing ofmotors and addition of a jog box. TheBoard gave consent for thoseexpenditures.

La Semilla

Mark Kroska addressed the Board,recommending that TAAS keep itsfoot in the door concerningdevelopment of La Semilla, just southof Albuquerque. The State Land Officehas made an offer to give TAAS a five-year lease on the land at no cost, withno decision necessary beforeNovember.Pete expressed concern about LaSemilla’s place in the Society’s publicprograms. Ray wondered about thecommitment of Society time involved.Board members will make their ownvisit to La Semilla, tentatively May 19.

Grants

Barry requested information fromBoard members for PNM Foundationgrants, not that several opportunitiesa year to apply, with a deadline of May15 on the next one.Eric noted that General Mills is veryreceptive to Grant applications.

Retrospective

Ray called the weather “our bestfriend” for the Messier Marathon, andrequested a “cheer for Judy andSammy” for their efforts toward asuccessful Astronomy Day. The Board adjourned at 9:10 P.M.



Special Interest Groups (SIGs)❖

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For details on events (including ahandy event map sheet), visit theBackyard Astronomy Website:http://mywebpages.comcast.net/backyardastronomy

Ryan [email protected]

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Sammy LockwoodDid you “Coffee shop” with usafter the May TAAS generalmeeting? If not, then you aremissing out on what has become apopular TAAS tradition. Coffeeshop Astronomy after the TAASmonthly meetings is often theperfect way to end the evening.

The tradition continues in June atthe Flying Star Cafe on North RioGrande Blvd, just north of GriegosRd. This location combines fairly

Photos by Sammy Lockwood

Judy Stanley

School Star Party News

Stand By...

Our very successful school star partyseason ended with, can you believe it,RAIN! The clouds did part just long

Please note that the second meetingin July, ordinarily Wednesday the 17th,is cancelled to allow for staffvacations. We anticipate that fulloperations will resume in August.

Ray Collins

Amateur Telescope

Making workshop

Backyard

Astronomy

Ryan Gray

enough for the crescent Moon andVenus to grace one field of view. Whata show stopper! The principal of GilSanchez Elementary , Joanna Carter,was so thrilled with our outreacheffort that she made a generousdonation out of her own pocket. Anamazing way to end our 2001- 2002school year.

Plans are in the works for revisions toour school outreach effort, so stand byfor upcoming announcements. Ourfamily of docents has grown this year,however we still need YOU. Doconsider becoming part of our docentfamily.

Please plan to attend the June 1general meeting as we present awardsfor outstanding achievement inastronomy outreach education tothose who shared their love ofastronomy with over 2,000 studentsthis year. Great job everyone!However, the best is yet to come...

dark, quiet skies with a hugeoutdoor patio. The perfect venuefor coffee shop astronomy, whichcombines good food and goodcompany with appreciativeviewers.

Even if you don’t set up a scope,it’s a nice way to get together.



GNTO News & ViewsPeter Eschman ❖

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This year’s very successful MessierMarathon at GNTO on April 13th isreported elsewhere, so I will not saymore about it here. Our April GNTOcommittee meeting took place on the18th with eight attendees, includingDave Brown, Larry Cash, Ray Collins,Nancy Davis, Karen Keese, MarkKroska, and Gordon Pegue. Westarted out by discussing someplanned improvements and decidedto purchase a loading dolly to make iteasier to move the Meade 16” dob inand out of the observatory. We alsodiscussed plans to use some surplusroad grader blades that Larry locatedat the county yard to refurbish thecutting edges of our road dragger. Thedragger is now usable again, and wewill be taking turns dragging thelower part of Twining when timepermits.

We reviewed Larry and Nancy’sprogress on a slide presentation thatwas later used at Astronomy Day, andcan also be shown at other events. Theslide show is a great product, andreally does a nice job of promotingGNTO to current and future TAASmembers. Thanks to you both!

We discussed the great work Mark hasdone to renovate the GNTO web pagesection of the TAAS web site, andmade plans to add more eventcoverage to the GNTO web section. Ifyou have not seen the revised pages,please visit the TAAS web site andselect the GNTO section. Let us knowwhat you think.

The TAAS screen saver project is wellunder way, under the direction ofKaren, Mark and Gordon. Imagesubmissions are still welcome for thisrevenue-generating project. If youhave some good CCD or film images,this is a great opportunity to help outTAAS, and maybe get a little

recognition as well. Please let usknow if you have any images toshare.

The final meeting topic centered oncapital improvements at GNTO. Wedecided to that the highest prioritywas to refurbish the drive motors,controller, and jog box on theIsengard. We have been runningwithout a Dec motor and jog box forsome time now, and have beenhaving some problems with the RAmotor as well. I reported to thecommittee that I had found somenew equipment from Parallax thatwould serve our purposes, and thecommittee recommended thisequipment purchase. The Isengardimprovements will cost between $700and $900 and the expenditure wasapproved at the Board of Directorsmeeting the following week.

We had a very successful GNTOtraining session on May 4th, withexcellent attendance and enthusiasticparticipants. Since we had over 30folks, I will not attempt to list all thenames here. Karen Keese led theLevel I training, and Mark Kroska ranthe Level III CCD and Astrophysicstraining. Later in the evening, I didthe Level II training on use of theGNTO computers, and the interfacebetween the Isengard and TheSkysoftware on the TAAS 1 computer.When this interface is established,you can see where the Isengard ispointing on the sky chart on thecomputer screen, and you can alsouse the computer to guide to any ofthe many objects in the softwaredatabase. Our next GNTO trainingsession is scheduled for July 13th.

By the following weekend (May 11th),Mark Kroska had our new CFW-8color filter wheel set up to use withour ST-9E CCD camera. Around 20

folks attended this evening, andfortunately the winds did begin tosubside around dusk, as they often doat GNTO. Great sky conditionsrewarded those of us who came downto GNTO. An eager group waspreoccupied with CDD imaging,using the new color wheel, and Iunderstand the imaging sessionslasted right up to dawn’s early light.The color images I have seen so farlook great! Thanks again to the threepeople whose donations coverednearly all of the cost of this new colorwheel ($500 from George Pellegrino’sbusiness, MyoRehab Inc., anddonations of $100 each from CarlFrisch and Gordon Pegue).

Upcoming events at GNTO includeevents on Friday June 6th andSaturday June 8th. Like all GNTOFridays, you should call to confirmthat someone will be at theobservatory, but the Saturday event isdefinite. This second weekend of Juneis also shared with Chaco, and GNTOwill be available for those who want acloser viewing site. Remember thereare several general-purpose telescopesfor you to use at GNTO, so don’t feelyou need to have your ownequipment in order to have fun at ourobservatory.

GNTO committee meetings are opento all interested TAAS members. Wemeet on Thursdays, one week beforethe TAAS general meeting. If youhave questions about access andavailability of GNTO, please contactme (Pete Eschman, [email protected],home phone: 873-1517, work phone:277-0020.) As a reminder, there arelots of free ranging cattle along theroad to GNTO, and the young calvescan be very unpredictable, so becareful as you drive! I hope to see yousoon at our observatory.



UNM ReportJay Harden, UNM Campus

Observatory [email protected]

TAAS Reports/Notices❖

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Dave Brown, [email protected]

Monthly Membership Report(April, 2002)

Membership Current Past Change Month Month

Regular 209 206 3Family 64 62 2Educational 17 23 -8Total Paid 290 291 -1Honorary 4 4 0Complimentary 11 11 0Total Members 305 306 -1

Please note that the deadline for theJuly 2002 issue of The Sidereal Timeswill be Friday, June 14th, as thefinished manuscript must be at theprinters on Monday, June 17th sothat you will receive it by thefollowing Saturday. My e-mailaddress is [email protected].

Editor’s Note❖ ❖

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Dan Richey

Donations to TAASTAAS General Fund: Mike Pendley,Robert Williams, Andy Freman, andthe American Civil EngineersConference.

TAAS GNTO Fund: James Moore andPete Eschman.

TAAS GNTO Fund in remembranceof Lyman Sandy: Eaves, Bardache,Baugh, Kierst & Kiernan PA, JoyceLackey, Chuck & Louise Peterson, andRobert & Elizabeth Sandy.

CCD Color Filter Wheel for GNTO:Gordon Pegue, George Pellegrino andCarl Frisch.

TAAS Education Fund: NavahoElementary, Onate Elementary andTomasita Elementary.

Astrophotography Contest❖ ❖

TAAS and Lodestar announce a jointcompetition in astrophotography. Thecategories include Youth, Land andSky, Film or Plate, CCD, and Master.The competition will be judged byTAAS members, professionalphotographers, and a Lodestarrepresentative. The deadline forsubmission will be August 21, 2002,and the entries will be on display atthe Lodestar Planetarium fromSeptember 21 through November 21,2002. Awards and certificates will bepresented. Further details and contestrules will be posted soon, so get outthose cameras and star charts and startclicking.

New MexicoAstronomers Narrowly

Escape FirestormJackie Diehl

Alamogordo Astronomy ClubMindful of the potential for forest firesin southeastern New Mexico, Mikeand Lynn Rice chose the summit ofMount Joy near the small town ofMayhill for their inn and guestobservatory (S&T: August 1999, page86) because they thought it offeredgood protection from thesedevastating events.

But their worst fears were realized onMay 2nd when a wind-whippedfirestorm exploded from 800 to 9,500acres in one day and raced towardtheir New Mexico Skies observatorycompound. “It was terrifying,” saysLynn. Fortunately, an eight-memberteam of “hotshots” and a truck full offire-retardant foam arrived just intime, fighting the advancing flames allnight and saving all the summit’sbuildings from incineration.

When the Rices returned the next day,they found that the flames had comewithin inches of one structure and hadleft a layer of ash on everything -including their seven large telescopes.Nothing was damaged, Lynn reports,“but we’ve been vacuuming likemad!”

Apr 5: Mostly cloudy. We had twoscopes and twelve viewers. Docents:Mark Kroska, Jay Harden. Apr l2: Cloudy again and breezy. Wehad two scopes and fifteen viewers.Docents: Mark Kroska and JayHarden. Apr 19: One of our better nights.Some thin clouds and sometimesbreezy. We had twelve telescopes andsome binoculars operating. We hadover 100 viewers. The last docent leftat 11:00 PM.There were at least 20 docents there.I’ll not name the docents as I probablymissed some. Apr 20: Special astronomy night. Wehad lots of clouds, lots of potentialviewers and lots of docents.I’ll not name the docents as I wouldprobably miss some.Apr 26: Partly cloudy. We had 10telescopes plus binoculars operating.We had at least 100 viewers andprobably more. Again, I’ll not namethe docents. May 3: Fairly good night. We had 10telescopes and some binos operating.We had in excess of 100 viewers. .Again, I’ll not name the docents. To all the unmaned docents, I thabkyou for your dedicated work and timefor TASS.

Membership Services

• Membership Inquiries• Events Information• Volunteer Opportunities

PO Box 50581 Albuquerque, NM87181-0581

Contact Neil Goldberg at

• Membership Dues•Magazine Subscriptions•Address/E-mail Changes

Contact Dave Brown at

[email protected]/798-1958

for:

for:

[email protected]/275-9126



Astronomy Day Highlights❖

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Astronomy Day 2002 was held on April 20th at theCoronado Shopping Center in Albuquerque, NM. Onceagain, the event was organized and hosted by TheAlbuquerque Astronomical Society, and was a completesuccess.

In additionto a TAASinformationalbooth ands o l a rv i e w i n g ,this year ’ss h o wincluded afew newaddit ions .

The TAAS Starlab was used for Spectral Analysis and slideshow demonstrations, Ray Collins gave live mirror

g r i n d i n gdemonstrations,and Brock Parkerunveiled his 18"trailer mountedtelescope, towedby a HarleyD a v i d s o nmotorcycle. Itwas quite a show.

Many thanks tothe people who spent time and effort to make AstronomyDay a success. If I list them allhere I would risk missingsomeone (as I have in pastyears), so I will refrain. Bigthanks to Pete, Mae Jeanne, andthe crew at Coronado Center.

However,I wouldlike to make note of one particularmember’s marathon efforts. Afterspending his Friday night with theset-up crew, Dale Murray spent theentire Saturday along side BruceLevin offering solar views throughhis Tele Vue refractor while bravinghot, dusty 45 mph winds thatcontinuously tried to blow hisscope over. When the weatherfront finally passed, he joined thecold, windy Astronomy Day StarParty at the UNM CampusObservatory. TAAS member DaleMurray is this year’s AstronomyDay Marathon Man.

Photos by Nancy Davis

BruceLevin

Mickey Bock

RayCollins

Invitations were made to almost every astronomicalinstitution in NM earlier in the year. Many thanks to the

great groups that joined us,including: The LodestarAstronomy Center, the AirForce Research Laboratory(Starfire Optical Range), theInstitute of Meteoritics,Explora Science Center,National Radio AstronomyObservatory (VLA), theYoung Astronauts Club, theNew Mexico Space Society,

the ApacheP o i n tObservatory,the NationalA t o m i cMuseum, andthe Santa FeCommuni tyC o l l e g ePlanetarium.For morephoto’s of thisyear ’s event,check out ourweb site atwww.taas.org

Brock Parker

Dale Murray



Another Breakthrough forTAAS!

Barry Gordon

On Friday evening, May 3 last,about a dozen or so TAASmembers gathered at UNMObservatory to set up telescopesfor a public viewing of the fiveplanet get-together in the evening’swestern sky. The event was quitewell attended, and the sky (for themost part) was pretty cooperative— early on, it was quite clearexcept for a few wisps of cloud justabove the western horizon.

For an observer with someexperience, the five naked-eyeplanets were easy to observe. Forthe inexperienced, however, a bitof assistance was very much inorder — particularly for Mercury,which is never an easy object tofind. Fortunately for those in needof assistance — this writerincluded, Pete Eschman (amongothers) was there to offer it.

Since my telescope was set upfairly close to Pete’s, I was able tooverhear his guidance to one guestafter another: “From Venus, thevery bright one, you go down andto the right toward that small wispof cloud — then just above thatcloud, you should be able to spotMercury.”

As we all know, astronomers allover the world have for manyyears been practicing the techniqueknown as star-hopping. However...

Of them all — to the best of myknowledge — we in TAAS are theonly ones that do cloud-hopping.

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Observer’s Page

Five Planets

Karen Keese

Despite great media coverage andgreat docent turnout, our FivePlanets event at the UNM CampusObservatory on April 26 had asmaller public turnout thananticipated due to poor weatherconditions.

One week earlier, John Fleck,science editor with theAlbuquerque Journal, visited theObservatory for the first time, withstaff photographer JessicaMcGowan (also a first-timer) intow. The result was a wonderfularticle with outstanding colorphotos that ran the following weekon the front page of the Metrosection, making instant celebritiesof David Blair, Barry Spletzer, andSammy Lockwood. In addition,Larry Moehlenbrink with KKOB-AM ran excerpts all week longfrom a taped interview he did withme.

Because of the coverage, membersof the public started arrivingshortly after 6 PM on the appointedevening. All told, I believe we hadapproximately 100 eager planet-hunters show up, despite the fiercewinds and the cloudy skies. OurFive Planets handout, specialedition full-color Sidereal Times,and membership application wereall popular take-aways. The valiantdocents nabbed planets where they

could in fleeting sucker holes andtreated the enthusiastic crowd ofadults and kids to the best viewspossible. The crowd included Dr.Stephen Gregory, our UNM liaison,who may be one of our biggestfans. As he said in an email Ireceived the following week: “Itwas fun Friday—except for thewind. You TAAS people are sowonderful.”

Many thanks to the followingwonderful people who, wieldingscopes and binoculars, braved thesirocco and smiled through the gritin their teeth: Barry Gordon, BarrySpletzer, Brock Parker, Carl Frisch,David Blair, Jay Harden, LarryCash, Mark Kroska, Mickey &Judy, Pete Eschman, Ray Collins,Sammy Lockwood, Steve Snider,and anyone else I may haveinadvertently forgotten.

Although I spent half of the“official” planetary event duckinginto my car to wash off my contactlenses, it did not dampen my ardorfor this alignment. How fortunatewe are to be living at a time whenwe can experience the simple thrillof facing west and ticking off fiveplanets. I am lucky to have a clearview from my front yard and I’vebeen looking every chance I get. It’san added thrill to watch them overa series of evenings come togetherand move apart in a sort of celestialdance as they continue along theirrespective orbits. I believe ourBarry Gordon calls this “theclockwork of the universe”. Don’tmiss it.



C h a c o ’ sobservatorya n dpromotedt h e i re x c i t i n gp u b l i castronomy

programs, which include star partiesheld every Friday and Saturdaythroughout the summer.Part of the Park’s mission is tocelebrate the dark sky at the Canyonand to be a force in protecting that sky;in fact they have designated their skya natural resource. Angie Richmangave us an overview of the lightpollution measurement project that iscurrently underway at the Park; thisis a joint effort of the Park Service,TAAS, and UNM. The goal of theproject is to measure the current skybrightness at the site, afflicted even attheir remote location by 13 lightdomes from urban centers as far awayas Albuquerque, and to monitorchanges to the baseline measurementsboth seasonally and over time. Themeasurements are achieved by CarlFrisch using the Park’s CCD camerato take three 360-degree sets ofimages—around the horizon, at 45degrees above the horizon, and at thezenith. The collected data is then sentto Dr. Stephen Gregory at UNM forreduction; Angie is mainly involvedwith this data reduction process andwith public education. The results ofthe light pollution research will bepresented at TAAS’s Dark SkyConference and Backyard AstronomyExpo, which is scheduled for Saturday,September 28.John Sefick capped off the programwith an eyeful of great astro-imagestaken at Chaco with various refractorsand his ST-10E CCD camera. John firstdisplayed the camera and explainedhow it worked. Then he led us on abreathtaking tour of the universe thatfeatured colorful nebula such as the

Rosette, theHorsehead,the Flame, theBubble, theD u m b b e l l ,and the Ring;and massivegalaxies such

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April 27 Meeting continued as the Sombrero,the Black Eye,the Whirlpool,the Hamburger,the SiameseTwins, and theA n d r o m e d awhich is

apparently on a collision course withthe Milky Way. A note on the colorsseen in astro-images: redsignifies apreponderanceof hydrogen;green is oxygen,and blue isnitrogen. Johnalso treated us togreat images ofthe Moon, Comet Ikeya Zhang, and

Jupiter which itseems is thejunkpile of thesolar system,holding in itsgrav i ta t iona lfield a lot ofdebris that,unconstrained,might have

blasted Earth to smithereens in itsinfancy.Many thanks to our three speakers formaking the long journey to give ussuch a memorable evening. If youwant another Chaco “fix”, be sure tocheck out the details of our upcomingstar party in the next article.Neil Goldberg posed a positivelyBlairesque trivia question to thegathering: Canopus, lying in Carinaat declination minus 50 degrees, is thesecond brightest star in the sky. Atwhich geographic point would youhave to stand for Canopus to liedirectly overhead in the night sky? Ayounger member of ouraudience, StephanieMoats, took home theprize, with the correctanswer of Rio Gallegos,Patagonia, Argentina.The die-hards adjournedto the new Flying Star onRio Grande Blvd NW forsome coffee shopastronomy, good food,and good company –please join us next time!

Observatory atChaco Canyon

John Sefickand theHorshead Nebula

Going to ChacoKaren Keese

It is fast approaching—the first Chaco starparty of the year! ROAD TRIP!!! The eventis scheduled for Saturday, June 8. I believemost people drive up Saturday morningand drive back Sunday evening, but thelength of your stay is up to you. It is a 3-hour smooth, scenic drive fromAlbuquerque on the newly renovatedHighway 550.Our host, G.B. Cornucopia, is planning acatered meal of traditional Navajo cuisinefor our group on Saturday at about 5 PM.He is also planning some give-awaycontests for the visiting public thatevening, e.g., answer the astronomicalquestion correctly and receive anastronomy book.G.B. also hopes to offer a special walkingtour or two on Sunday morning for bothastronomers and interested public. Thesewill feature some of thearcheoastronomical sites that are easilyvisited, and those of you who have beenthere know that G.B. gives a wonderfultour with rich insights into the Chacoanway of life.For accommodations, G.B. has reservedthe special volunteer campground for ourgroup for the night of the 8th. Thiscampground sports a refrigerator, acooking stove, a large sink, and evenshowers (how civilized!). For those whowish to stay additional nights, the publiccampground has 47 sites available on afirst-come, first-served basis. Tables,fireplaces and central toilets are provided.No firewood, food, or gas is available inthe Park. Trailers over 30 feet are notpermitted.If you need more information or havequestions, contact G.B. at his homenumber, 1-505-786-7145. Please bepersistent when calling as G.B.’s machinedoesn’t always pick up. Just keep tryinguntil you get the machine. (Hey, it’s Chaco,it’s supposed to be primitive!) Or you canemail him at [email protected](OK, it’s not that primitive.)I made my first trip to Chaco earlier thisyear, and I’m still trying to put my fingeron what it is that makes the place“magical”. Perhaps it is a synthesis ofthings both physical and emotional. All Ican say for sure is you can’t experience itunless you go there. The sky alone isworth the trip—black as the ace of spadesand incredibly transparent. Here’s anewsflash for you: analysis of the datacollected for the dark-sky survey hasrevealed that the sky overhead at Chacois comparable to the sky at the Mauna KeaObservatory. You heard it here.

Earthbound photos by Eric BucheitAstrophotos by John Sefick

StephanieMoats



Classified AdsFree Telescope Offer

Some restrictions apply. Offer valid for current TAAS members. Offer is first

come first served. Late comers will be put on a waiting list. Neither TAAS nor

the telescope curators will be held liable for any lost sleep or other problems

arising from the use of TAAS scopes.

Borrowers are required to enjoy the telescopes.

★★ ★★

★★

What’s that? Did you say Free? That’s right FREE!

Any TAAS member can use this coupon to borrow a TAAS telescope.

Call Randall Gauntt at 293-3410 or [email protected] and receive

a loaner telescope absolutely free. You can choose from scopes with apertures

ranging from 6” to 13”.

❖❖ SOCIETY STAFF ❖❖

President/ATM Coordinator Ray Collins 344-9686(H) [email protected] [email protected] President/Public Relations/Gen Mtg Coord Karen Keese 261-0040(C) [email protected] [email protected] David Blair 296-9632(H) [email protected]/Membership Services Dave Brown 275-9126(O) [email protected]/Observatory Director Pete Eschman 873-1517 (H) [email protected]/Education Liaison Judy Stanley 838-2950 (H) [email protected]/Membership Director Neil Goldberg 798-1958 (H) [email protected]/Newsletter Editor Dan Richey 293-3983 (H) [email protected] Eric Bucheit 771-9050 (H) [email protected] Larry Cash 299-4686 (H) [email protected] Barry Spletzer 294-4601 (H) [email protected] Chris Wilson 821-1640 (H) [email protected]

Board of Directors - [email protected] Telephone E-mail Address

Events Coordinator Vacant [email protected] Archivist Pat Appel 292-0463 (H) [email protected] Librarian Dawn Gray 856-2054 (H) [email protected] Coordinator Michael Pendley 296-0549 (H) [email protected] Web Master Sammy Lockwood 275-0258 (H) [email protected] Campus Observatory Coordinator Jay Harden 296-0537 (H) [email protected] Curator Randall Gauntt 293-3410 (H) [email protected] Post 110 President Ted Schuler-Sandy 856-7450 (H) [email protected] Post 110 Advisor Mark Kroska 884-9108 (H) [email protected]

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Mara Payne brought her students from an Astronomy classshe was teaching at UNM’s Valencia campus. She usedthe Meade 16” GNTO loaner scope to great advantage withthe students, who also enjoyed a tour of the GNTO facility.Robert Williams started out using the 6” GNTO loanerdobsonian, and then switched to the Meade 16” when itbecame available later in the evening. As you can tell, noteveryone stayed to see the morning at GNTO, but everyonehad a great time no matter how long they stayed. Some ofus who did stay till morning met at the diner for breakfastbefore heading back to town. I’m sure the good food andcoffee helped us make it home in one piece.

Here are object counts from some of the folks that reportedtheir tallies. In the group of folks that used NGC MAX orcomputer goto mount plus charts we have: Mark Kroska(20), Mark Nagrodsky (40), Elaine Kroska (97), Larry Cash(105), Pete Eschman (107+2 comets), and Gordon Pegue(107+4 comets and some faint fuzzies). In the group ofobservers who used only charts and finder scopes ortelrads we have: Robert Williams (30), David Blair (71),Sammy Lockwood (89+2 comets), Karen Keese (90), andJohn Laning (107).

Mark Kroska had the Astrophysics and ST-9E CCD cameraset up and he helped several folks image objectsthroughout the night. Ray Collins and others also usedthe Isengard to share various objects, which made theviewing all that much more fun. I would like to thank allthe people who helped to make this event such a success,and I’d like to thank all of you that came down to enjoythe event with us. Let’s do it again next year!

Messier Marathon continued



MEMBERSHIP: You may request amembership application by sendinge-mail to [email protected] or calling(505) 798-1958. Applications may also bedownloaded from the Web site. Annualdues to The Albuquerque AstronomicalSociety are $30/year for a fullmembership and $15/year for a full timestudent (High School or less) membership.Additional family members may join for$5/each (student and familymemberships are not eligible to vote onsociety matters). New memberinformation packets can be downloadedfrom the website or requested from theTAAS Membership Services Director [email protected] You may sendyour dues by mail to our newsletter returnaddress with your check written out toThe Albuquerque Astronomical Societyor give your check to the Treasurer at thenext meeting.MAGAZINES: Discount magazinesubscriptions to Sky and Telescope andAstronomy as well as discounts on booksfrom Sky Publishing Corporation areavailable when purchased by TAASmembers through our society. Include anyof the above magazine renewal mailersand subscription payments as part of your

renewal check. Make checks out to TAAS(we will combine and send one check tothe publisher). Warning: publishers takeseveral months to process magazinesubscriptions.ARTICLES/ADVERTISEMENTS:Articles, personal astronomical classifiedadvertisements and business card sizeadvertisements for businesses related toastronomy must be submitted by thedeadline shown on the Society calendar(generally the Saturday near the newMoon) Rates for commercial ads (perissue) are $120 per page, $60 per half page,$30 per quarter page, $7 for business cardsize. The newsletter editor reserves theright to include and/or edit any article oradvertisement. E-mail attachments inMicrosoft Word, 10 point Palatino,justified, no indent at paragraphbeginning, one space betweenparagraphs is preferred. ASCII and RTFare acceptable. One column isapproximately 350 words. Contact theNewsletter Editor at [email protected] formore information.CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Note that TheSidereal Times is mailed at a nonprofitorganization bulk mail rate. As a result,the newsletter will NOT be forwarded toyour new address should you move!!

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDALBUQUERQUE, NM

PERMIT NO. 352

The Albuquerque Astronomical Society

P. O. Box 50581Albuquerque, NM 87181-0581

Address Service Requested

Please provide the Treasurer([email protected]) with your newmailing address to ensure that youreceive your newsletter.TAAS LIBRARY: Please contact theLibrarian at [email protected] or 856-2054to check out a book or make acontribution.

TAAS on the World Wide Web:http://[email protected]

Map to Regener Hall(not to scale)

MLK Dr.

Central

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Popejoy

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