Feb 02

February 2006

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Newsletter

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Board Minutes February 2, 2006

In attendance: Pete Burkey, Mark Logsdon, Robin Hudson

Treasurers Report: $ 499.92

Old Business

  1. Membership Dues: Please have all dues paid at the next club meeting.
  2. Februarys Club meeting will be collimating telescopes, by Larry and Terry for members.
  3. Schedule to Monastery-Jim Reier
  4. Mark Logsdon looked into a guest speaker from GVSU for May meeting, but was unable to contact professor.

New Business

    1. Tax exempt status needs to be filed with the Federal Government, which I(Robin) will be looking at getting for the club. Discussion of the club name to stay the same or should be filed as Holland Astronomy Club.
    2. Terry to provide Februarys refreshments.
    3. Pete will call Lois Yonker at West Ottawa Schools about the Planetarium. Discussion of a tentative club board meeting at the Planetarium for March, if it is done, to look over and try it out. If the Planetarium is not done, then a slide presentation will be done for the open house that is scheduled in March for the public.
    4. Telescope Workshop-Pete will call Robert to see how their groups workshop went at the Air Zoo. This was the night before we attended the Air Zoo on Saturday. This may give our club the insight of possibly doing a workshop. We will also have to look at when would be a good time to have it and where. Commitment from club members in doing it
    5. Februarys club meeting will also hold a special election to elect me (Robin) or someone else for the Secretarys position.

 

  • Refreshment schedule is as follows:
    February Terry Amante
    March Pete Burkey
    April John Alderson
    May Carson Mantooth
    June George Miller

 

Respectfully submitted by Robin Hudson

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Feb 01

February 2006

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What's Up In The Sky

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Whats Up in the Sky February, 2006

The excitement of discovering new planets

There has been much in the news lately about the discovery of new planets, both in our own solar system and orbiting other stars. Since Saturday is the birthday of Clyde Tombaugh, the discoverer of Pluto, I thought it would be fun to recap the history of planetary discoveries.

The five brightest planets, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, were known to ancient people because, unlike the fixed stars that make up the constellations, these objects changed their positions over days and weeks, “wandering” through a narrow band of the sky known as the zodiac. (The word “planet” comes from the Greek for “wanderer”.) Of course, the true nature of these objects was not known until the dawn of the scientific revolution when guys such as Copernicus and Galileo argued that they were objects like the earth, orbiting the sun.

Then, in 1781, William Herschel, an astronomer known at the time to be a skilled comet hunter, discovered Uranus by accident while searching for comets. During the next several decades, discrepancies in its orbit were observed. These could be explained by the gravitational tug of another planet nearby. Through calculations based on gravitational theory, the location of this object was predicted. Based on these predictions, astronomers observed and identified Neptune in 1846.

In February, 1930, Clyde Tombaugh, comparing photographs made the previous month at the Lowell observatory in Arizona, found an object that was soon identified as the planet Pluto.

Things remained unchanged until recently, when several other Pluto-like objects were discovered. The debate over whether we have a tenth planet continues.

Since 1995, about 160 planets have been discovered orbiting other stars. Most of these are giants, but recently an Earth-sized exoplanet has been discovered.

Our view of the planets has certainly changed dramatically from godlike objects to natural results of star-forming activity, common among the stuff we observe up in the sky.

Here are February’s viewing highlights:

Planets this month: See three planets at dusk — Mercury low in the west, Mars high in the south, below the Pleiades, Saturn rising in the southwest; Venus shines brilliantly in predawn sky, Jupiter, second in brightness

February 1: One hour before sunrise, Venus-Jupiter-Saturn span 157 degrees, from east to west
February 5: First-quarter Moon (1:29 a.m.)
February 5: Moon, just past first quarter, makes beautiful grouping with Mars and the Pleiades high in south
February 9: Waxing gibbous Moon passes between the stars Castor and Pollux and Saturn
February 12: Full Moon – most distant of year
February 14: Venus and Jupiter bright in morning twilight.
February 21: Third-quarter Moon
February 23: Crescent moon between Venus and Jupiter before sunrise.
February 23: Mercury at greatest separation from sun; look near western horizon around 7:00 p.m.
February 27: New Moon – closest moon of the year

Peter Burkey – SAAA President

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Jan 05

January 2006

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Newsletter

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Board Minutes January 5, 2006

In attendance: Pete Burkey, Mark Logsdon, Robin Hudson, Jim Reier

Treasurers Report: $ 399.65

Old Business

  1. 2006 membership dues ($20) to be collected at the January 19th Club meeting.
  2. George Miller met with Holland Public Library and requested permission to setup a telescope workshop on May 6th (Nat’l Astronomy Day). The library is willing to house our workshop, but not on May 6th because that’s the start of Tulip Time. The Club will discuss a new workshop date at the January meeting.
  3. The Club was informed that the planetarium upgrade would occur during January. Jim Reier will contact Dave Zimmer to arrange planetarium training.
  4. January 21st Field Trip to Kalamazoo Air-Zoo
    1. Members must RSVP to Robin Hudson no later than Monday 1/16/06.
    2. Please identify all members in your party. Be sure to indicate number of children ages 15 years or younger and seniors over the age of 60.
    3. Robin Hudson will purchase tickets online on 1/17/06. Participants are asked to reimburse Robin at the January 19th SAAA Club Meeting or on the day of the field trip. Robin will email each member to advise on the amount of reimbursement (as our discount will be determined by number of guests).
    4. We will meet and group at the Air-Zoo at 10:00am. Tickets will be distributed upon your arrival.
    5. We will break for lunch at the Kitty-Hawk Cafe located inside the Air-Zoo.

New Business

  1. Upcoming SAAA meetings:
    1. January 19th – Membership dues collected followed by Quiz Bowl.
    2. February 16th – Collimating telescope tutorial (performed on 4.5″ and 6″ Club scopes and member scopes.)
    3. March 16th – Park Township night, power-point and planetarium presentations of our Solar System
    4. April 20th – DVD Video recently received by Jet Propulsion Labs (JPL).
    5. May 18th – Guest speaker (to be announced).
  2. Jim Reier will forward this year’s observing schedule to Vivekanada Monastery.
  3. Pete Burkey will contact Holland Parks/Recreation to request permission to setup telescopes at Kollen Park on Saturday, May 6th (Nat’l Astronomy Day). Note; this night is the Tulip Time fireworks show.
  4. Mark Logsdon to contact/arrange a guest speaker (GVSU Prof.?) for our May 18th club meeting.
  5. Mark Logsdon to forward active member list to Pete, Jim and Robin.
  6. Jim Reier proposed the Club solicit donations at public events as a way to fund proceeds that go towards the Int’l Dark Sky Association and other valued charities/services.
  7. Mark Logsdon to produce a copy of the Non-Profit Organization filing with the State of Michigan that identifies the SAAA Non-Profit identification number.
  8. Robin Hudson volunteered to consult with a friend who is a CPA about legalities governing the acceptance of donations, and to investigate state and federal laws for non-profit organizations.

Respectfully submitted by Jim Reier

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Dec 01

December 2005

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What's Up In The Sky

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Whats Up in the Sky December, 2005

Japan Space Program

Japanese automakers have been in the news lately, but Ive seen little about an incredible spacecraft launched by Japans space agency, JAXA, in May of 2003. It is called Hayabusa (which means œfalcon in Japanese) and, as of this writing, it has successfully landed on the asteroid Itokawa becoming the only space probe to land on an asteroid and then take off. However, it failed to collect material for a planned sample-return to Earth so mission controllers decided to try a second time to land, capture a sample, and return to Earth. This second landing took place last Saturday and surface samples were, indeed, collected. When you read this the spacecraft should be safely awaiting its return trip to Earth. If successful, it will be the first time a space probe has returned samples from an asteroid.

Named after Hideo Itokawa, a pioneer of Japanese rocketry, the asteroid is more like a pile of rubble rather than a solid boulder, 1800 feet long and 1000 feet wide. It orbits the sun out as far as Mars.

The spacecraft has until early December before it must begin its 180 million-mile trip back. In June of 2007, if all goes according to plan, it should land in the Australian Outback, hopefully with a sample of the asteroid for scientists to examine. By studying asteroid samples, astronomers hope to gain knowledge about the early stages in the formation of the solar system. This is because, unlike planets and moons, asteroids have surfaces that are believed to be unchanged since they were formed.

Scientists will also try to better understand the potential for using the raw materials from asteroids to build structures in space.

Here are this months viewing highlights:

Planets this month: Venus is at its highest point in the SW at dusk and sets about three hours later. Mars is bright in east at sunset. Five hours later, Mars is high in S, Saturn is near E horizon. Dec. See Mercury and Jupiter near SE horizon between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m.

December 1: New Moon
December 4: Look for Venus and crescent Moon, SW one hour after sunset.
December 8: First Quarter Moon
December 12: Greatest separation between Mercury and Sun – 21 degrees
December 13: Geminid meteor shower washed out by moonlight.
December 15: Full Moon – very high – up for 16 straight hours!
December 19: Saturn appears extremely close to 7th magnitude star.
December 23: Third Quarter Moon
December 25: Crescent moon close to star Spica before sunrise.
December 30: Second New Moon of month (Blue Moon)

Peter Burkey is president of the Shoreline Amateur Astronomical Association and has been an amateur astronomer and astrophotographer for 25 years. He also taught astronomy at Fennville High School from 1981 to 2003.

Peter Burkey – SAAA President

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Nov 03

November 2005

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Board Minutes November 3, 2005

In attendance: Pete Burkey, Jim Reier, Carson Mantooth, Mark Logsdon, Larry Logsdon

Treasurers Report: $ 399.65

Old Business:

  • Mark Logsdon will do a presentation regarding the Chinese space program for the November meeting.
  • December meeting Pete Burkey will do a short presentation on the Star Of Bethlehem. The annual club Christmas party will follow.
  • Feb and/or March, 2006 Park Township presentation. Jim Reier will contact Park Township.
  • ODC public star party was held Oct. 25th. Six members were in attendance with scopes.
  • Business cards have been printed and were given to Board members. Cards will be available for all members at the November meeting.

New Business:

Future meetings:

  • November Mark will cover status of the Chinese space program.
  • December Pete will do a short program on the Star of Bethlehem followed by the clubs Christmas party.

Carson will contact Herrick District Library to determine if subscription exists for Sky & Telescope as the subscriber. Carson will also check out a subscription to Night Sky.

Extensive discussion continued this month concerning gaining new members and retaining old members. The following will be done.

  • Pete Burkey contact members from 2004 membership list.
  • Conduct a clinic on telescope basics prior to the Christmas season. Session would be held at ODC. Mark Logsdon will contact ODC to determine if this is feasible.
  • Contact Riders Hobby Shop and invite them to the “telescope basics seminar. Pete Burkey will make this contact.

Respectfully submitted by Larry Logsdon

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