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In This Issue Grillin’ & Gazin’ 2006 Tracking The Tricky Planets Kepler’s Third Law Volume 22, Number 9 N Hagerstown, MD N September 2006 Boonesborough Days September 9 - 10, 2006 Our Friendly Skies Science & Exploration Astronomical Chronicle William Lindenfelser Boonesborough Days And More... Next Meeting September 20, 2006 at the Planetarium 7:30pm www.TristateAstronomers.org Boonesborough Days September 9 - 10, 2006 O ur first ever Boonesborough Days event was a huge success! It is estimated that we had well over 200 visitors stop at our booth each day of the event. Besides having 8 poster displays and 2 computer presentations, we also had 2 telescopes set up for solar viewing along with some solar viewing glasses. As luck would have it, we were fortunate to have one relatively large sunspot and two tiny spots visible on the surface of the photosphere (see the August 2006 issue of The Observer for an explanation of sunspots). Mike Sager, George Michael and Dan Kaminsky created numerous poster displays for the event. Mike created 4 displays (”Sunspots”, “African Solar Eclipse of 2006”, “Hubble Space Telescope”, and “How Big is our Universe”), George created 1 display (”Solar Eclipse”) and Dan created 3 displays (”Our New Solar System”, “The Battle of South Mountain, and “About Us”). In addition, George provided a PowerPoint presentation from his Eclipse trip. Marcella Sager hand crafted the table covers with stamped designs of stars, moons, and suns for a very dramatic and professional appearance. TSA is a nonprofit group that was established in 1985 to promote astronomy and encourage related activities to interested persons in the Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia Area. Membership in the TSA costs $15.00 annually. The group meets on the third Wednesday of the month in the planetarium of the Washington County Board of Education in Hagerstown, Maryland. TSA OFFICERS The weather turned out to be spectacular for both days. Saturday was a little bit foggy in the morning until about 10:30 and then it remained cloud free until about 4:00. Temperatures were in the low 80s. Sunday started out clear and remained that way until about 4:00 with temperatures again in the low 80s. Several TSA members helped each day with crowds, answering questions and showing sunspots. Thanks go to Marsha Fuller, Betty Wasiluk, Helene, Marcella Sager, George Michael, Andy Smetzer, Lee Gillespie, Mike Sager, and Dan Kaminsky. Thanks also to Cynthia Kaminsky and Curtis Harsh for help with handing out information. Many visitors appreciated our demonstration. A donation container setup at the entrance to the booth collected over $27 during the two days even though it was not clearly marked. As is usually the case, the excitement of the guests when they were able to see the sunspots through the telescopes or view the sun through solar glasses was uplifting. When viewing with solar glasses, many visitors compared the appearance of the sun to the moon. As the guests were leaving the booth you could hear comments such as “That was so cool!” or “I didn’t know you could look at the sun like that.” Children that stopped to observe would soon return dragging their parents with them so they too could take a look. is the monthly newsletter of the TriState Astronomers. Outdoor observing sessions are usually scheduled each month during the weekend of the new moon, weather permitting. In addition to the extensive work Mike did on his poster presentations, he was the organizer of the event as well. Mike provided the tent, tables, extension cords, power strips, security, donation containers, and set up the area each day. He arrived by 7:00 am and didn't leave until 6:00 p.m. M&M take a well deserved break. (Marcella & Marsha) THE OBSERVER Bruce Booher . . . . . . . . Chairman Rod Martin . . . . . . . . . . Secretary Bob Miller . . . . . . . . Treasurer and Membership Chairman Andy Smetzer . . . . . . Publicity Dir. Mike Sager . . . . . . . Pgrm. Coord. William Horning . . . . . . Alcor Rep. Dan Kaminsky. . Newsletter Editor Andy Smetzer. . . . . . . Webmaster Reed Waters . . . . . . . . . Ex Officio Mailing Address: TriState Astronomers Washington Co. Planetarium 820 Commonwealth Ave. Hagerstown, MD 21740 Web Site: www.tristateastronomers.org TSA member George Michael shows the Sun to a young guest. Without a doubt, Boonesborough Days was a huge success for the TSA and our guests! Let’s do it again next year! o NEW MEMBERS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME! Contents © Copyright 2006 TriState Astronmers unless otherwise noted Tracking The Tricky Planets Kepler's Third Law of Planetary Motion By George Michael - TSA ([email protected]) W e have been tracking the tricky planets recently in this column but the trickiest of them all is Pluto. In fact, is Pluto really a planet? Well, according to that August body, the International Astronomical Union, Pluto doesn't measure up. Pluto's status has been the subject of a big debate in science circles for the past year since the discovery of another object beyond Pluto now officially named Eris. The questions about Pluto took center stage at the IAU Convention held in Prague last month. The problem is Pluto's tricky orbit. It is very dissimilar from the other eight planets. For instance, its orbit is much more elliptical than the others. With almost 50% difference between its perihelion and aphelion, it is 14 times more eccentric than earth's orbit. This elliptical orbit was most noteworthy from 1979 to 1999. Orbits of the Outer Planets While Pluto was approaching and leaving its perihelion, it was actually closer to the sun than Neptune, the 8th planet. Even now it is just a mere 1.1 astronomical units farther from the sun than Neptune. The other weird part of its orbit is that it inclines at an angle of 17 degrees from the ecliptic. Mercury is next worst at seven degrees while the others average under two degrees deviation from the ecliptic. In other words, Pluto's orbit is at a big tilt to the other eight. A final problem with Pluto is its size. At 1,500 miles in diameter, it is less than half the size of tiny Mercury. And it has a moon Charon with a diameter that is more than 50% of its own size. Such a planet-moon ratio is very different from the other six planets that have moons. Many have recently classified Pluto and Charon as double dwarf planets. observing Pluto for 76 years, how do we know it takes 248.5 years to go around the sun? With Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, ancient sky watchers just had to wait awhile until the planet came back to the same spot in the sky compared to the stars to figure out its revolution time. But with the last three planets, we have known their orbital periods shortly after their discovery. Here is where that guy Johannes Kepler can help us understand the planets once again with his Third Law. Law Three: The squares of the period of revolution of any two planets are proportional to the cubes of their mean distances from the sun. Wow! There's a mouth full(or a thought full)! In other words, if you compare any two planets and square their time of revolution, this will be equal to the cubes of their distance from the sun. Maybe an illustration will help. Also, you may want to get out your calculator. Earth is 1 A.U. from the Sun and has an orbit of 1 year. We will use Earth because it makes the calculations easier. Pluto's distance from the sun can be estimated fairly precisely using a parallax. Suffice it to say for now that Pluto's mean distance is 39.5 A.U. We can use its distance from the sun to figure out its period of revolution. Setting up the proportion we get: (Earth's period)2 (Pluto's period)2 = (Earth's distance)3 (Pluto's distance)3 Simplified we get: (Pluto's period)2 = (Pluto's distance)3 or (x)2 = (39.5 AU)3 So if we cube Pluto's distance from the sun (39.5) and then take the square root of this product, we get an answer of 248.5. Presto! We have Pluto's revolution. So are there really eight planets as the IAU decreed? My vote is to leave it as nine. Just think of all the solar system models that will have to be replaced in museums and classrooms now. Probably, textbook publishers are pretty pumped about the change in the number of planets! You may use this law of Kepler's, setting up proportions for any two planets in the solar system, and it works. If you like doing the math that is. We can 'cheat' using calculators. Too bad Kepler didn't have such things in his day. It would have made his life a lot easier. But then maybe he wouldn't have bothered to figure all this out for us. But here is one more m y s t e r y. Pluto was discovered in 1930 at the Lowell Observatory by Clyde Tombaugh. Pluto has an orbit of 248.5 years. Question: If we have been This has something to do with the planets staying in their orbits and being at the necessary distance from the sun compared to their speed. But what it all means is beyond my comprehension. Once again, we can appreciate both the marvelous complexity of the universe along with its wonderful orderliness. o O n the evening of Wednesday September 6, 2006 from 6:00p.m. until 8:00p.m. the Tri-State Astronomers joined together with the Discovery Station in downtown Hagerstown for their 1st Anniversary Celebration. TSA members Rod Martin, Mike Sager and Dan Kaminsky set up a display in the existing astronomy exhibit consisting of telescopes, poster presentations, PowerPoint slides and videos. While there was a large gathering of guests all evening, most were focused on socializing and the fundraising activities of the Discovery Station and did not get to visit too many of the displays. A small number of guests did stop by our exhibit and asked questions about the telescopes. The Astronomical Chronicle By Marsha Fuller - TSA ([email protected]) From the Baltimore Telegraph of Jan. 9 very extraordinary Meteor made its appearance on Wednesday night about 8 o'clock, not far distant from the turnpike gate, on the Frederick-Town road. Our informant was in a close carriage, and had not an opportunity of observing the Meteor itself, but so great was the blaze of light produced by its bursting, that it A would have enabled him for the space of one or two seconds to have read common print, notwithstanding the extreme darkness of the night. The servant who drove the carriage, described it as descending like a large bright candle, until it approached within a few yards of the earth, when it expanded without any explosion, and became a luminous body fully the size of a common barrel. Science and Exploration by Wadim Kaminsky TSA ([email protected]) (Excerpt from Science and Exploration speech made by NASA Administrator M.D. Griffin Dec. 2005 and NASA article 2004 Renewed Spirit Recovery: The President's Vision for Space Exploration) S pace Exploration has become one of the most exiting and rapidly growing fields in the United States. From the Apollo landings on the Moon, to robotic surveys of the Sun and the planets, to compelling images captured by advanced telescopes, U.S. achievements in space have revolutionized humanity's view of the universe and have inspired Americans and people around the world. one has the same rocky characteristics as our home planet. Dr Griffin indicated that we are just at the dawn of the true space age, in a matter of years, people around the globe will be able to look up at a new moon, and with the aid of a good telescope, be able to see glimmering lights of a research station on the lunar surface. At this research station, pioneering astronauts will be learning how to obtain oxygen from lunar regolith. They will be deploying antennae on the back side of the moon, linked in phase to form the largest radio telescope ever built, free of radio noise from Earth. They will be engaged in geological exploration of the moon, finally establishing the origins of our Earth-moon system and other astronauts, in Earth orbit, will be readying a 500 ton spaceship for mankind's first voyage to Mars. In space we are expanding our virtual presence via robotic mission to other planets and their moons, to asteroid and comets, and to the Kuiper Belt. We are in the midst of a full-scale investigation of Mars, with one or more missions launching every twenty-six months. We are directing more of our attention to the moons of the giant planets as we see intriguing signs of both water and dynamism on their surfaces, knowing that on Earth, where there is water and energy there is also life. We are progressing from observers to rovers to sample return missions, each step bringing us closer to our principle goals: to understand whether life does or did exist elsewhere in the Solar System, and to prepare for human expeditions to other planetary bodies. The President envisions that over next three decades, NASA will send robotic probes to explore our solar system, including our Earth's Moon, the planet Mars the moons of Jupiter and other planets, and will launch new space telescopes to search for planets beyond our solar system. These robotic explorers will pursue compelling scientific questions, demonstrate breakthrough technologies, identify space resources, and extend an advanced telepresence that will send stunning imagery back to Earth. Dr. Griffin emphasized that human exploration of space will benefit from the scientific research that we conduct in support of the Vision. The selection of lunar and Martian landing sites, the development of techniques for operations in differing radiation environments and atmosphere, and the exploitation of the Lagrange points are examples of the productive interactions we anticipate between science and exploration as each is pursued for its own purpose. Starting at the Moon in 2008 and at Mars in 2011, NASA will launch dedicated robotic missions that will demonstrate new technologies and enhance our scientific knowledge of these destinations. These new technologies and discoveries will pave the way for more capable robotic missions and eventually human missions. The first human explorers will be sent to the Moon as early as 2015, as a stepping stone to demonstrate sustainable approaches to exploring Mars and other worlds. The Space Age, for all its achievements, is less than fifty years old, and is just getting underway. To date, twelve human beings have explored the surface of the moon for a total time of less than one man-month. New Horizon mission launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Jan 19, 2006 to conduct the first robotic exploration of Pluto is expected to arrive at Pluto in 2015. We have also barely scratched the surface when it comes to understanding the extent and nature of extra-solar planets. In just ten years, more than 150 planets beyond our solar system have been discovered, and there are indications that at least Space exploration holds a special place in the human imagination. Youth are especially drawn to Mars rovers, astronauts, and telescopes. If engaged effectively and creatively, space inspires children to seek careers in math, science and engineering, careers that are critical to our future national economic competitiveness. The accomplishment of U.S. space explorers are also a particularly potent symbol of American democracy, a reminder of what the human spirit can achieve in a free society. o Next TSA Meeting September 20, 2006 The next General Club Meeting is at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, September 20, 2006 at the planetarium. Our Guest Speaker this month is our very own Rod Martin. Rod will speak about Pluto and planet classifications. A ugust’s Grillin’ & Gazin’ was the last one for 2006. Mike Sager cooked the burgers and hot dogs to perfection once again! Cooked beans, fried chicken, and meatballs were also available. As usual, there was plenty of good food, good drinks and fantastic desserts for everyone. In spite of the fact that the weather did not allow us to do any Gazin’ this time, we all had a great time eating and talking by the side of the pool. There is also a lot to get caught up on since our last regular meeting. We need to consider a replacement Chairman to fulfill the remainder of the Chairman’s term. The Treasurer’s position is expiring in December. Our fall public star party needs to be decided. Updates on our summer outreach programs will be presented. And lots more. If you were not able to take part in G&G this year try to make it to one next year. Everyone has enjoyed them tremendously. All members AND their immediate family are welcome to attend. o A Oh Well... s reported in a previous issue of The Observer, the TSA submitted an entry into Astronomy magazine’s “Out-of-this-world” award. This first annual award is presented to a club for outstanding and continuous community outreach events. Regrettably, our entry was not selected as the winner. Congratulations go to Celestial North, Inc., of Puget Sound, Washington, for their outstanding efforts. o Our next Club Star Party will be September 22nd or 23rd Beaver Creek Country Club First clear night Perseids 2006 Mike Sager and his father went outside on the night of August 11 to view the meteor shower. Called the Perseids because they seem to emanate from the constellation Perseus and associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle, they were able to view about 16 meteors between 9:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Dan Kaminsky also did some Perseid hunting from 12:30 a.m. until about 2:00 a.m. that same night. He was able to see about 20. o OUR FRIENDLY SKIES SEPTEMBER 2006 by Rod Martin, Planetarium Resource Teacher and Andy Smetzer, TriState Astronomers Solar System Visible Morning Planets VENUS is very low early in the month. SATURN is low in the eastern sky. Visible Evening Planet JUPITER is low in the southwest. This is a ho-hum month for planetary observing. The "King of the Planets" is the brightest object in the evening sky, except the Moon. Jupiter is low in the southwest in Libra the Scales and sets about two hours after the Sun. Use binoculars to spot the four larger satellites originally seen through Galileo's small telescope. Jupiter shares the evening sky with three, make that two, nearly invisible planets. Uranus is in the constellation Aquarius at magnitude +5.7. Binoculars or a small telescope is needed to see it. Uranus is near the full moon on September 7 and reaches opposition, the best time to see it, on September 5. Neptune is nearby in Capricornus the Goat at magnitude nearly 8. The "used to be" planet Pluto is also nearby in Serpens above the Scorpion at magnitude +14. Venus dominates the planets of the morning sky at 3.8 magnitude, but it is very low. In fact Venus will dive into the morning twilight and disappear from view by the last part of the month. Saturn is rising higher each evening. It is in Leo and gains altitude each day. The crescent moon is nearby on September 19. Mercury is at superior conjunction on September 1 and is not visible all month. Mars is too close to the Sun to be seen until December. All Sky Chart September 15, 2006 21:30 ET 11 hours and 49 minutes of daylight. Days will shorten until the first day of winter in December, then they will begin lengthening again. The equinox is on September 23 shortly after midnight this year. The Sun begins the month in the constellation Leo the Lion and enters the largest zodiac constellation Virgo the Maiden on September 16. The Moon reaches full on September 7, last quarter on the 14th, new on the 22nd, and first quarter on the 30th. This month's full moon is called the "Fruit Moon." The full moon closest to the equinox is the "Harvest Moon" and will occur in October this year. There are two eclipses this month. A partial lunar occurs at the full moon and an annular solar eclipse occurs at the new moon. Neither are visible from North America. Sun and Moon The Sun rises around 6:38 and sets at 7:42 for 13 hours and 4 minutes of daylight on September 1. Daylight will be shortening this month by a couple minutes each day as we approach the first day of autumn, the fall equinox. The equinox is the time that the center of the Sun is on the celestial equator. When the Sun is above the equator, there is more daylight than nighttime. When the Sun is below the equator, there is more nighttime than daytime. By September 30, sunrise is at 7:06, sunset is at 6:55 for William Brish Planetarium Public programs resume at the planetarium on October 3. That program is called "Spirits in the Sky" and is about Native American's use of the sky to tell seasons, and how to use the stars for hunting and planting. Planetarium programs are held each Tuesday that schools are in session from October through April. Admission fees are $3 for adults, $2 for students. In Memoriam It is with sincere regret that I must report the passing of TSA member William “Bill” Lindenfelser. Bill was a long time member of the TSA and was a “regular” at club meetings. Rod Martin received this email from Bill’s son, Matt: Hi Rod, I wanted to let you (and the rest of the Tri-State Astronomers) know that my dad, Bill Lindenfelser, died in June. Even as the cancer that took his life robbed him of energy, he was always ready to rouse himself on third Wednesday nights to go to the planetarium for meetings. He really enjoyed the presentations there, and after the few meetings I attended with him we would talk about space exploration on the way home. My dad believed in life after death, so perhaps he's exploring the cosmos on his own now, getting a closer look at the wonders you showed him on the dome. Thank you for this pleasure that you brought to him in his last years. Best regards, Matt Lindenfelser