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OBSERVER
College of San Mateo Astronomy Program Newsletter Spring 2009
Looking Up
Professor Mohsen Janatpour
Astronomy Program at the College of San Mateo is
expanding on several fronts. Our students are now
imaging celestial bodies remotely, from Tzec Maun
observatory in New Mexico. We have added three new
Light curve of variable star BL Cam
-Prof. Stanford
sections to our program for Fall ‘09 to better accommodate our students and the public. Two of our
new sections will be taught at the Coastside to better serve the Half Moon Bay students and
community. We are in the process of writing two new 200-level courses in astronomy, Astroimaging,
and Cosmology, which we hope to offer in the Spring 2010 semester.
p. 2
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Inside…
• “Symvisio”
•Photo Gallery
SMCAS/Astronomy Day
On April 4, San Mateo County Astronomical Society (SMCAS) and CSM are proud
to host “Astronomy Family Fun Day” here on campus. (see below) Expert SMCAS
•Astronomy Family
Fun Day -SMCAS
• Astronomy News
members share their knowledge of astronomy with children and adults.
In addition, Professor Stanford will present planetarium shows with stars, stories,
constellations, and all dome videos on our 40” planetarium dome. Later, we’ll go to the
rooftop observatory to look thru telescopes. We’ll see the first quarter moon, Saturn, star clusters, and
listen to great Jazz on campus station KCSM with our monthly “Jazz Under The Stars” party.
CSM/SMCAS Community
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SMCAS President Ed Pieret
I’d like to invite everyone to “Astronomy Family Fun Day” from 4 -11:00 pm on CSM campus, Saturday
April 4. Enjoy planetarium shows, demonstrations, displays and evening observing.
You are also invited to SMCAS meetings at the Planetarium on first Fridays featuring speakers from
the leading edge of space sciences. We’d also love to share the night sky with you at Star Parties held
twice a month at Crestview Park in San Carlos. For details and directions: www.smcas.com .
We invite you to become a member of SMCAS. Membership includes your immediate family and entitles
you to substantial discounts on astronomical equipment and publications. Members can also borrow
SMCAS telescopes and equipment. Visit the membership tab on www.smcas.com
“Symvisio” Art Lecture
A ssociated Students and CSM Math/Science
Division presents Prof. Mohsen Janatpour’s lecture
and art exhibition: “Unity-in-Variety Principle in Art &
Science.” The lecture will be Friday April 3, 2009 at
7:30 pm in College of San Mateo Main Theater.
Admission is free and a reception follows.
Prof. Janatpour during last year’s lecture.
-Drumheller
“Unity is the holy grail to both art and science. In this 22nd presentation of Art and Science I will discuss
the experiential roots of this principle and how it has guided both artists and scientists in advancing
their respective fields. Symvisio, which is the visual equivalent of symphony, is a direct application of
this principle; Symvisio is to visual art as symphony is to music. I’m planning to complete my Symvisio VIII
and unveil it during this presentation.”
To complete the evening, telescopes will be set up in front of the theater courtesy of San Mateo
County Astronomical Society and CSM Astronomy department. With help from the experts, you will be
treated to the spectacular views of Saturn with its majestic ring system and other celestial beauties. MJ
For more info. call 650-574-6272 or visit www.mohsensart.com
Astronomy Day
from p. 1
2009 is the “International Year of Astronomy,” celebrating 400 years since Galileo first
turned his telescope to the night sky. He discovered craters on the moon, the rings of
Saturn, and more. We’ll rediscover all these during “Astronomy Family Fun Day” April 4.
Also check out our Live Webcam schedule to see the sun, moon and Saturn, live from our
observatory, to your home! See you on campus April 4.
Looking Up
from p.1
Our state of the art observatory is now equipped with spectroscopy and photometry instruments.
With these instruments, our students have been graphing the light curve of intrinsic variable stars, as
well as eclipsing binaries, in order to determine their period. They will be analyzing the spectrum of
stars to determine their spectral type as part of their laboratory work. Our one of a kind observatory,
among the community colleges, has been noted by professional researchers in the field and we have
been asked to team up with them to do research at the frontiers of astronomy. They have seen what
we are capable of and like it. Stay tuned for more details on this.
We also want to especially thank two local CSM astronomy program supporters: Dr. Ken Lum, who’s
130mm AP refractor is on long term loan to CSM, and will be used by students to do photometry. And
Mike Kran of Hands on Universe, and International Astronomical Search Collaboration, who donated
ACP, a program which will soon give students remote operation of Dr. Lum’s refractor ! Thanks ! Last
but not least, our students will soon be part of an international team to search for asteroids. CSM
Observatory is really looking up! -Mohsen
Photo Gallery
Our telescopes reach to the Milky Way galaxy and beyond, to
gather the light of stars, nebulae, galaxies and Messier objects.
As seen here, students are also imaging thru LRGB filters, to bring
the night sky to life in full color. Visit our web page for more images.
http://collegeofsanmateo.edu/astronomy/astrophotos.asp
M82 Cigar Galaxy - 20” RCOS telescope
NEWS NOTES
M1 Crab Nebula – Student David Faleschini
Dumbbell Nebula M27 - Student Alessio Sangalli
Horsehead Nebula -140mm refractor
Professor Darryl Stanford
Comet Lulin- Don’t miss your chance to view a distant denizen of the Oort Cloud, that
cloud of comets and other debris, 50,000 astronomical units from the sun. This
comet is probably making its first appearance to the inner solar system. It got as close
as 38 million miles from Earth on February 24 and is now heading back out to deep
space, never to return for millions of years. At closest approach, astronomers
Did You Know ?
• Some stars are
600,000 times brighter
than our sun !
• NASA was established
back in 1958.
• Saturn is so buoyant, it
would float in water.
estimated that Comet Lulin was spewing 800 gallons of water each second. Dubbed
the green comet, because of its poisonous cyanogen and diatomic carbon atmosphere, Comet Lulin is a fuzzy
patch of light near Regulus, the brightest star in Leo. With binoculars, Comet Lulin resembles a fuzzy star.
When satellites collide- On February 10, the unbelievable happened. Two satellites collided 491 miles above
Siberia, the first time that this has ever occurred. The satellites involved were the Kosmos 2251 and the Iridium 33.
Both satellites were shattered, but Kosmos 2251 was broken into twice as many pieces as Iridium 33. According to
Daniel Deak of Canada, the Kosmos fragments range in altitude from 227 km to 1690 km, while those from the
Iridium satellite occupy a band between 525 km and 1265 km. NASA says that the Hubble Space Telescope is
somewhat at risk, since it orbits 75 miles below where the collision occurred.
Mars Rover still going strong- After more than 1800 Martian days or sols, 20 times longer than it was expected to
survive, Mars Spirit rover has driven down a low plateau, called Home Plate. It spent 2008 on a north-facing
slope on the edge of Home Plate, tilting its solar panels toward the sun for maximum solar output. Spirit was 30
cm or 1 foot into its drive on January 31, when its right front wheel hit a submerged rock, stopping the drive. This
wheel no longer turns, so controllers had to send signals to Spirit for its next drive in a slightly different direction,
to get around the pesky rock.
CSM OBSERVER
Sky Sites & Events
Web Sites
On Campus
•SMCAS monthly meetings –bldg. 36
•SMCAS
http://www.smcas.com/
San Mateo County Astronomical Society
Star parties, astronomy events & activities
•CSM Astronomy Program
General meeting and guest speaker.
First Fridays, 7:30-10 PM in bldg. 36
www.smcas.com
•“Symvisio VIII” “Unity-in-Variety Principle”
www.collegeofsanmateo.edu/astronomy/
Art Lecture & Exhibit by Prof. Janatpour
Updates & Information on all events
CSM Theatre April 3, 7:30 pm Reception follows
http://www.mohsensart.com/
•International Year of Astronomy
•CSM Planetarium Shows free
http://astronomy2009.us/
Second Friday of every month 7:30 & 8:20 pm
Global celebration of astronomy
Prof. Stanford presents “The Sky Tonight”
http://www.collegeofsanmateo.edu/astronomy/
CSM Observer • College of San Mateo Astronomy Program Newsletter • [email protected]
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San Mateo County Community College District
Karen Schwarz, President
Patricia Miljanich, Vice President-Clerk
Helen Hausman
Richard Holober
Dave Mandelkern
Virginia Medrano Rosales, Student Trustee 2008–2009
Ron Galatolo, District Chancellor
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