February 2012

AEA Astronomy Club Newsletter, February 2012

Contents

AEA Astronomy Club News & Calendar p.1

Video(s) & Picture(s) of the Month p. 5

Astronomy News p. 7

General Calendar p. 8

Colloquia, lectures, mtgs. p. 8

Observing p. 9

Useful Links p. 10

About the Club p. 10

Club News & Calendar.

News:

Jan. 19 Pizza Party & LX-200 Tutorial. The pizza proved popular, with about 20 in attendance. And David Wright’s LX-200 tutorial was likewise very popular. Thanks again to him for the handouts he prepared, and helping us feel more comfortable using this impressive telescope. Hopefully it’ll now get more use. We should be videorecording these presentations, and will make more of an effort to do so.
We covered 2 star parties in 2 consecutive nights!
Jan 28 – Griffith Park Star Party. 3 club officers (Mark, Paul & David) operated the LX-200 on the grounds of the Griffith Observatory during the monthly LAAS public star party there. It was a clear, warm, night and the public was out in force. We shared Jupiter, Venus, Mars, M42 (Orion Nebula), M31 (Andromeda Galaxy), Pleiades & the Moon with some long lines of excited observers, including Paul’s family & David’s son. The LX-200 performed beautifully. Here are some shots, courtesy of Paul. We also made a very useful contact with a senior member of the LAAS, who invited some of us to come as his guest to the LAAS dark sky observing site in Lockwood Valley for their monthly dark sky night. Maybe the Saturday nearest new moon in March? Paul has also now joined LAAS, so we have another inside man.







Meadows Elementary School Science Night (by Mark Barrera) I attended Meadows Elementary School Science Night on Friday January 27th, bringing the Aerospace Astronomy Club 8" Dobsonian telescope. Meadows Elementary is a K-5 school near Aerospace in Manhattan Beach. Meadows Science night was started last year by 5th grade science teacher Chris Miko, to get kids interested in exploring science, math, engineering, and in particular, space. Chris now teaches at the Da Vinci Science Academy (just down the street from Aerospace on Aviation Blvd.), but his legacy still continues at Meadows Elementary and he is still a major contributor to this event. This year, there were science exhibits from local companies such as Northrop Grumman, SpaceX, and the Manhattan Beach Roundhouse Aquarium as well as fun science workshops on topics such as rocketry, robotics, and optical illusions.

This was my second year participating and the response was once again tremendous. The night was clear and warm, just perfect for viewing the planets. With help from my wife, Annie Barrera, and daughter Yasmeen Barrera (age 11), we helped Science Night attendees view the Moon, Jupiter, and Venus through the 8" Dob. For many people, this was their first time ever looking through a telescope. The telescope is big enough to catch lots of people's attention. The look of excitement on the faces of both children and parents was worth it all. We had many return visitors and were busy all evening from about 5:30 - 8:30 pm. In all, I would say we had about 120-150 people look through the telescope. Kids and adults had many questions. They were especially excited to see the Galilean moons of Jupiter which I asked people to count when they looked at Jupiter. Anyway, this was a great way to help spur more interest in science and engineering among the kids as well as raising awareness among adults. All in all, a great time was had by all!

First Light for the ATIK CCD Imager. From Jim Edwards (Treasurer/Resource Comm. Chmn.): “A quick and dirty image of the sun I took yesterday using the new ATIK imager and Coronado H-alpha solar telescope. The first image is "tuned" to show the surface features, the second is "tuned" to show those few prominances that were blooming [above the limb] at the time (bottom left, around 7:30). Turned out better than I was expecting, given the time constraint I was working with and the low sun angle.”“Hopefully these will get the juices flowing in some of the members to try this stuff out for themselves. I'm hoping to do night work in some two weeks from now.” [maybe shown at his February club presentation?]



Computer cable for LX-200. We got one of these to enable uploads of satellite/comet ephemerides etc., to the scope database, operation of the scope from a laptop planetarium program, etc.

Mystery Object Photo Contest

Here is a message & photos just received from an observer in Costa Rica -- sent to someone here at Aerospace. Can you identify the object using the info given (see especially the image on the right)? A good test of astronomical/astrodynamical prowess. We may give prize(s) or recognition at our next club mtg. (club officers may not be qualified if they saw my solution, unless they come up with a better one). We expect validation by then.

“....The object which look like a comet to me moved about a half of the sky in a about an hour and a half. I made me really nervous because I realized that for me to observe something at that speed it had to be close to Earth. Then when I got home late that night I went online to try to find out about possible asteroids passing close to Earth on that date but couldn’t find anything. When I look at the pictures I found also that in some of the photos that took of Venus and Neptune I was seeing a light blue bright spot, when I zoomed it in I started seeing semicircular object around this bit of blue light. What really looks interesting to me is that at first, as the photo shows, we only saw the object reflecting this blue bright light fro its very center and then as it apparently changed direction it revealed the tail we started seeing....”





Calendar

16 Feb 2012 Monthly Meeting "Doing Real Astronomical Imaging Science Using Modest Equipment (e.g., our new ATIK imager & LX-200 telescope),” Jim Edwards, Aerospace. A1/1029

18 Feb. AEA Astronomy Club star party at Yosemite (contact David Wright for details)

15 March Monthly Meeting “Planetary Defense,” Bill Ailor, Aerospace. A1/ 1026

19 April Monthly Meeting “Human Exploration of Mars,” Mark Benton, Boeing. A1/ 1026

17 May Monthly Meeting “IR Airglow Images,” Lynette Gelinas, Aerospace. A1/ 1026

AEA Astronomy Club meetings are on 3rd Thursdays at 11:45am. in A1/1029 (Feb. & June-Dec.), A1/1026 March-May.

Astronomy Video(s) & Picture(s) of the Month

(from Astronomy Picture of the Day, APOD: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html)

Video(s)

A weekly 5 minute video about what’s up in the night sky: www.skyandtelescope.com/skyweek.

Jan. 24 Aurora video: http://vimeo.com/35618405

Zodiacal Light & the false dawn: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120116.html

3 award-winning planetary science lectures from the Fall AGU mtg. You may have to scroll to find the lectures – the Whipple on 7 December, and the Sagan and Shoemaker on 8 December. Check them out!

Whipple Lecture Video (Wednesday, 7 December)

Sagan and Shoemaker Lecture Videos (Thursday, 8 December)

Jan. 24 Aurora photos: http://spaceweather.com/submissions/large_image_popup.php?image_name=Andy-Keen-IMG_1235_1327467287.jpg


2012 January 24
January Aurora Over Norway Image Credit & Copyright: Bjørn Jørgensen
Explanation: What's that in the sky? An aurora. A large coronal mass ejection occurred on our Sun five days ago, throwing a cloud of fast moving electrons, protons, and ions toward the Earth. Although most of this cloud passed above the Earth, some of it impacted our Earth's magnetosphere and resulted in spectacular auroras being seen at high northern latitudes. Pictured above is a particularly photogenic auroral corona captured last night above Grotfjord, Norway. To some, this shimmering green glow of recombining atmospheric oxygen might appear as a large eagle, but feel free to share what it looks like to you. This round of solar activity is not yet over -- a new and even more powerful solar flare occurred yesterday that might provide more amazing aurora as soon as tonight.

2012 January 22
Saturn's Hexagon Comes to Light Image Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA
Explanation: Believe it or not, this is the North Pole of Saturn. It is unclear how an unusual hexagonal cloud system that surrounds Saturn's north pole was created, keeps its shape, or how long it will last. Originally discovered during the Voyager flybys of Saturn in the 1980s, nobody has ever seen anything like it elsewhere in the Solar System. Although its infrared glow was visible previously to the Cassini spacecraft now orbiting Saturn, in 2009 the mysterious hexagonal vortex became fully illuminated by sunlight for the first time during the Cassini's visit. Since then, Cassini has imaged the rotating hexagon in visible light enough times to create a time-lapse movie. The pole center was not well imaged and has been excluded. This movie shows many unexpected cloud motions, such as waves emanating from the corners of the hexagon. Planetary scientists are sure to continue to study this most unusual cloud formation for quite some time.

Astronomy News:

Free digital (online) subscription to Sky & Telescope magazine for print subscribers – signup at www.SkyandTelescope.com/SubscriberServices. Soon an iPad & other tablet computer edition.

Largest Solar Storm In Years Hitting Earth. The AP (1/24, Borenstein) reports, "The sun is bombarding Earth with radiation from the biggest solar storm in more than six years with more to come from the fast-moving eruption." The flare took place on Sunday and over the next few days could "cause communication problems for polar-traveling airplanes, said space weather center physicist Doug Biesecker," although experts noted that other storms in the past have been worse. Meanwhile, "NASA's flight surgeons and solar experts examined the solar flare's expected effects and decided that the six astronauts on the International Space Station do not have to do anything to protect themselves from the radiation, spokesman Rob Navias said."

The Washington Post (1/24, Vastag) notes the storm "could disrupt GPS signals and the electrical grid Tuesday, especially at high latitudes, space weather experts warned Monday." Biesecker also "said any rocket launches scheduled for Monday probably would have to be scrubbed, although he said he was unaware of any." Michael Hesse of the NASA Space Weather Laboratory expects the peak of activity to come this morning, noting "it's not going to be a catastrophe." Hesse, who described how NASA notified satellite operators and Office of Science and Technology Policy, said, "We're going to be monitoring this."

According to the Los Angeles Times (1/24, Khan), while solar storms could potentially knock out satellites, "most satellites built today should be relatively safe from mid-level storms such as the current one, said NOAA research scientist Juan Rodriguez." Meanwhile, because the storms could affect planes' navigational systems, "this particular worry is expected to force rerouting of some flights during the storm."

FOX News (1/23) also focused on how planes will need to be rerouted to deal with the event in after "a rare warning from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency." Meanwhile, Space (1/24) reports on how several NASA satellites monitoring the sun captured the event which "spewed from sunspot 1402, a region of the sun that has become increasingly active lately."

General Calendar:

Colloquia, Lectures, Seminars, Meetings, Open Houses & Tours:

Note: The South Bay Astronomical Society website (http://www.sbastro.org/.) is temporarily not functional (due to recent death of the webmaster). Nor have I received the usual hardcopy mailing recently. So I have no dates for their Sept. events.

Colloquia: Carnegie (Tues. 4pm), UCLA, Caltech (Wed. 4pm), IPAC (Wed. 12:15pm) & other Pasadena (daily 12-4pm): http://obs.carnegiescience.edu/seminars

Carnegie astronomy lectures – only 4 per year in the Spring http://www.obs.carnegiescience.edu/. Visit www.huntington.org for directions. March 12, March 26, April 16, and April 30, 2012Friend's Hall, Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical GardensAll lectures are free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Please arrive early. Lectures start at 7:30pm, with light refreshments in advance.

3 Feb. SBAS Monthly General Meeting at El Camino College planetarium. 7:30 PM
Topic: TBD Guest Speaker:. http://www.sbastro.org/.

13 Feb. LAAS LAAS General Mtg.. Griffith ObservatoryEvent Horizon Theater8:00 PM to 10:00 PM

16 Feb 2012 AEA Astronomy Club Monthly Meeting "Doing Real Astronomical Imaging Science Using Modest Equipment (e.g., our new ATIK imager & LX-200 telescope),” Jim Edwards, Aerospace. A1/1029

Feb. 16 & 17 The von Kármán Lecture Series: 2012 -- Climate Sciences and the Climate Center of JPL
Understanding the far-reaching effects of climate change and how to adapt to these effects is one of the great challenges facing society today. Underpinning this challenge is the need to strengthen our understanding of the science and improve on our ability to project the future change, particularly at the regional scale. The factors that connect the buildup of CO2 to global warming require improvements in our understanding which come use of a variety of earth observations that are both available today and planned for tomorrow. JPL lies at the forefront of key areas of the climate sciences both in developing the critical global observations of Earth required to meet these significant challenges as well as in advancing our understanding of key climate processes on many different fronts. This talk will place many aspects of the research pursued at JPL in this larger context. The JPL-based Earth science highlighted will include:

• Basic research on understanding cryospheric changes, including the loss of ice from the world’s ice sheets and subsequent challenges in modeling this ice loss. • The monitoring of sea level rise and the challenges in understanding the factors that produce this rise and the projections of future rise. • The planetary energy balance, our understanding of it, how it is expected to change and where gaps exist in our understanding of the change. • The carbon cycle – how research at JPL is leading the community in a growing understanding of the carbon cycle and strategies to manage it.• The water cycle, its component parts including clouds, precipitation, water vapor and surface and subsurface water. New ways to fingerprint the processes that shape the water cycle and determine how it is changing will be emphasized.

One of the ways these important advances are being used is through an ongoing and focused effort to evaluate Earth system models in an attempt to place some level of ultimate confidence on their projections. An important activity led by JPL is the Earth system model evaluation effort carried out in partnership with PCMDI. Highlights of this effort, drawn from the research activities above, will be described.
Speaker: Dr. Graeme StephensJPL Center for Climate Science Director, CloudSat Principal Investigator

Locations:
Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012, 7pmThe von Kármán Auditorium at JPL4800 Oak Grove DrivePasadena, CA› Directions Friday, Feb. 17, 2012, 7pmThe Vosloh Forum at Pasadena City College1570 East Colorado Blvd.Pasadena, CA› Directions
Webcast:
For the webcast on Thursday at 7 p.m. PST, click here If you don't have RealPlayer, you can download the free RealPlayer 8 Basic.

Observing:
The following data are from the 2012 Observer’s Handbook, and Sky & Telescope’s 2012 Skygazer’s Almanac & monthly Sky at a Glance.

A weekly 5 minute video about what’s up in the night sky: www.skyandtelescope.com/skyweek.

Sun, Moon & Planets for June:

Planets: Jupiter sets between 11 & 12pm. Mars rises between 6 & 8:30pm. Saturn rises between 10 & 11:30pm. Mercury sets between 5 & 7pm. Venus sets 3 hrs after sunset. Uranus sets 7:30-9:30pm.

Other Events:

10 Feb. Venus 0.3 deg N of Uranus; Zodiacal Light visible in N lat. After evening twilight for next 2 weeks.

18 Feb. AEA Astronomy Club star party at Yosemite (contact David Wright for details)

18 Feb. LAAS Dark Sky Night: Lockwood Valley (Steve Kufeld Astronomical Site; LAAS members and their guests only)

? SBAS Star Party (weather permitting): RPV at Ridgecrest Middle School 28915 North Bay Rd.

25 Feb. LAAS Public Star Party: Griffith Observatory Grounds 2-10pm

? SBAS out-of-town observing – contact Greg Benecke http://www.sbastro.org/.

Internet Links: Link(s) of the Month

A weekly 5 minute video about what’s up in the night sky: www.skyandtelescope.com/skyweek.

General
e! Science News Astronomy & Space
NASA Gallery
Astronomical Society of the Pacific (educational, amateur & professional)
Amateur Online Tools, Journals, Vendors, Societies, Databases
The Astronomy White Pages (U.S. & International Amateur Clubs & Societies)
American Astronomical Society (professional)
More...

Regional (esp. Southern California)
Western Amateur Astronomers (consortium of various regional societies)
Mt. Wilson Institute (www.mtwilson.edu/), including status for visits & roads
Los Angeles Astronomical Society (LAAS)
South Bay Astronomical Society (SBAS)
Orange County Astronomers
The Local Group Astronomy Club (Santa Clarita)
Ventura County Astronomical Society

About the Club

Club Websites: Internal (Aerospace): https://aeropedia.aero.org/aeropedia/index.php/Astronomy_Club It is updated to reflect this newsletter, in addition to a listing of past club mtg. presentations, astronomy news, photos & events from prior newsletters, club equipment, membership & constitution. We expect to link some presentation materials from past mtgs. Our club newsletters are also being posted to an external blog, “An Astronomical View” http://astronomicalview.blogspot.com/.

Membership. For information, current dues & application, contact Jim Edwards (x66545, M1-167), or see the club website where a form is also available. Benefits will include use of club telescope(s) & library/software, discounts on Sky & Telescope magazine and Observer’s Handbook, field trips, great programs, having a say in club activities, acquisitions & elections, etc.

Committee Suggestions & Volunteers. Feel free to contact: Paul Rousseau, Program Committee Chairman (& club VP), David Wright, Activities Committee Chairman (& club Secretary), or Jim Edwards, Resource Committee Chairman (over equipment & library, and club Treasurer).

Mark Clayson,

AEA Astronomy Club President