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Observatory News February 2012 513-321-5186 Published by the Friends of the Observatory www.cincinnatiobservatory.org Bill Cartwright, editor Coming Up At The Observatory.... FOTO Meeting, Feb 2 , 7:30p FOTO Kids & Teens Feb 3, 7:00p Scout Badge Night, Feb 4, 6p Dean’s Class for Members, Feb, 7p Astro Thursday, Feb 9, 7p Astro Friday, Feb 10, 7p Late Night @ the O, Feb 10, 10:30p A2Z Astro Class, Feb 12, 7p History Tours, Feb 12, 1-4p Museum Comm. Mtg, Feb 13, 7p Valentine’s Night, Feb 14, 7p Keeping Time, Feb 15, 7p Astro Thursday , Feb 16, 7p Astro Friday, Feb 17, 7p Dance of the Gods, Feb 17 , 7p Stonelick Stargaze, Feb 18, dusk Stargazing 101, Feb 21, 7p Astro Thursday , Feb 23, 7p Astro Friday, Feb 24, 7p Stonelick Stargaze, Feb 25, dusk History Tours, Feb 26, 1-4p Binocular Stargazing, Feb 27, 7p Leap The Moon , Feb 29, 7p FOTO Meeting, Mar 1, 7:30p FOTO Kids & Teens, Mar 2, 7p Marsapalooza, Mar 3, 8p Questions? Call the Observatory at 513-321-5186. The Word By Dale Zoller On November 9, 2011, Russia launched the Phobos-Grunt probe on a mission that was intended to return a sample from Mars’ moon Phobos. It would have been the first spacecraft to return a “macroscopic” sample from an extraterrestrial body since the Soviet Luna 24 in 1976. Unfortunately, the upper stage that was to power Phobos-Grunt on its way to Mars failed to reignite, stranding the satellite in earth orbit. After numerous attempts to regain control of the craft, the mission was finally declared a failure on November 24, 2011. On January 15, 2012, the probe made an uncontrolled re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere and crashed into the ocean near Chile. Thus ended another failed Russian (or Soviet) mission to Mars. In all, 18 spacecraft aimed at Mars by the USSR/Russia since 1960 have failed. But getting to Mars is tough! Volume 23 No. 2 [email protected] Of the 39 probes launched in an attempt to reach Mars, only 19 have succeeded – a success rate less than 50%. Not counting the current Mars Science Laboratory mission, the US has sent 17 spacecraft to Mars with 11 successes. Mariner 3, the first US mission to Mars, was launched on November 5, 1964 on a flyby attempt. The solar panels failed to open, causing the mission to fail. However, its sister ship (Mariner 4) was launched a few weeks later and succeeded in returning the first close-up images of the red planet. The 22 pictures taken by Mariner 4 were the first to show the surface of Mars is cratered. Mariners 6 and 7 (1969) were successful flyby missions which returned over 400 close-up photos of Mars. When Mariner 9 (1971) was placed into orbit around Mars it became the first US spacecraft to enter orbit around a planet other than Earth. It returned the first highresolution images of the moons Phobos and Deimos and channel like features on the surface of Mars. In 1976, the Viking 1 and 2 landers touched down on Mars. The landers provided detailed color panoramic views of the Martian terrain. Both were equipped with experiments to detect Martian micro-organisms. 1 While the results were initially reported as negative, they are still being debated to this day. The era of the rovers began on July 4, 1997 when the Mars Pathfinder landed on Mars. The Sojourner rover it carried roamed the area around the lander for 4 months. The Mars Exploration Rovers – better known as Opportunity and Spirit – touched down on Mars in January 2004. They have shown that water most definitely flowed on the Martian surface in the distant past. Although Spirit’s mission officially ended in May 2011, Opportunity has just begun the ninth year of its planned 90-day mission and has travelled nearly 20 miles across the surface of Mars. The US Mars Science Laboratory (nicknamed Curiosity) was successfully launched in November 2011. The rover’s mission is to determine whether Mars has (or had) an environment capable of supporting microbial life. The rover is much larger than the MERs (about the size of a Mini Cooper) and will use a totally different landing method called the “sky crane.” When it arrives at Mars in August 2012, let’s hope it beats the odds and continues our recent string of success. January’s FOTO Meeting Business Meeting Tom East announced the Globe at Night is having four observing campaigns this year: the first is January 14th to the 23rd, with activities for all ages posted on the website. The other three campaigns are listed at www.globeatnight.org Dave Bosse announced his A2Z astronomy class is meeting on the second Sunday of each month at 7pm. Becky Shundich asked how the COC T-shirts have been selling; Scott reported that the polo shirts have sold well, the T-shirts less well. We are thinking of ordering more polo shirts and also having COC “hoodies” made. COC Director; Craig Niemi: Craig stated that the COC Board has been discussing the possibility of approaching big corporations to fund the PBS “Stargazers” program withDean Regas.. The calendar is filling up for 2012, with many events scheduled at COC. Craig thanked the volunteers for all their work last year. By Dale Zoller January’s program Jupiter: The Brilliant Wandering Star was presented by FOTO member Dr. Terry Flesch. Dr. Flesch gave an excellent lecture about the planet Jupiter, from Galileo’s discovery of its moons to the latest information on the planet and its moons discovered by the space probes sent there. COC Representative; Scott Gainey: Thanked the volunteers who helped with Luminaria Night Showed a display of meteorites available for sale in the gift shop. 2012 Calendars: still for sale in the gift shop. Valentine’s Night Of Romance at the Observatory February 14th 7-9pm By Craig Niemi "Turn the lights down low, the stars are out.” There is nothing more romantic than the night sky. Starry-eyed lovers have been gazing upward in wonder for millennia. So, this year give your Valentine a true, out-of-this-world experience at the Cincinnati Observatory high atop Mt. Lookout. On Valentine’s night, the “Birthplace of American Astronomy” will offer music, drinks, chocolate, flowers and viewing of the planets Venus, Jupiter and Mars through the historic telescopes (weather permitting) Our Outreach Astronomer (and resident "James Bond of the Night Sky"), Dean Regas will give a presentation about red stars of passion in the winter sky and there will be tours of the buildings. This is your opportunity to “wish upon a star” and perhaps cuddle a bit beneath the Cincinnati Observatory's silvery domes. Cost: $50 per couple. Reservations are required. Space is limited. Call 513-321-5186 to reserve your space for the unique event. 2 Leap the Moon At the Observatory Wednesday, February 29 7-9 pm Welcome New & Renewing Members! By Dean Regas Every four years we need to add a day to our calendar – a Leap Day. And this year, the Moon is in perfect position to view on February 29. Moon lovers and Luna-tics will love this program! Leap the Moon includes classes and tours by local Moon experts. The cow won’t jump over the Moon, but you will when you see the Moon through the Observatory telescopes (weather permitting). Stop by after work or school to celebrate our extra day this year. Cost: $5 per person Reservations recommended. For further information or to make reservations, please call 513-321-5186. FOTOKids and FOTO Teens By Dean Regas Our next meeting is Friday, February 3rd, 7 pm at the Observatory. Last month we had a perfect night for viewing a half dozen objects in the sky. This night we’ll have lots to look at if it’s clear. Our old favorites will be there: Venus, Jupiter, and the gibbous Moon. Also we will try for the planet Uranus which will be between Venus and Jupiter that night. Dress warmly and if you have binoculars, please bring them. They will help you find the Seven Sisters, the Hyades, and Orion Nebula. If you have any questions please email Dean Regas at [email protected] Terrence & Kelly Anchrum Rob and Dulaney Anning Bert & Barbara Becker Douwe and Caroline Bergsma John Betsch John and Tricia Bevan James Mulloy & Robert Bonney William Bristol David E. Burcham Burdette Family Tom Busemeyer Peggy Bustamante Kelly Byars Olivia Canada Bill and Melissa Canon Janet Canter Andrew F. and Deborah Chrien Michael and Minnie Clements Patrick Crowley Mike and Lisa Debbeler Eric Dunn Tom and Sally East Paul Dehmer & Kristin Elzey Amy & Dale Erickson Charles Fairbanks Richard and Joan Finan Bob and Mary Fitzpatrick Noah and Julie Fleischmann Andy Foley William & Dean Foster Mark Fulton Larry Gache Joseph S. Gallagher Michael S. George Sandra Haas Jeff and Lynne Hamner Robert Heslar Todd Hofacre Jeff Howe Thomas Huenefeld Nancy & Steve Hurst Mike Iten Tom and Amber Klekamp "Frank B. Knapke, Jr" James Knapke Jay Jones & Katie Krafka Laura Kremer Marjorie Kuck Leslie Laine Kevin Langston Rob and Katie Magenheim Eric & Grace Maurer Lori McElroy Minnie Mehuron Rodney and Susan Moeller Mellen Moors-Dressing James Myers and Linda Badovick Pamela Nebel-Logson Craig and Valerie Niemi Sinan Ozyol Adam Penick Alan & Tina Pfeiffer Tim Phillips Matt Pine Kurt Poppe Greg Ries Dede and Basil Rowe Carl Sack Richard and Susan Schmidt Jennifer Schneider Becky Shundich George Slama and Margaret Drew Henry Stacey Pam & Doug Stadler David Steele Carol and Mark Stephenson Donald and Sheila Storck Gary Studer Suzanne and Tom Terwilliger Ann & Mike Ullman Joe and Darlene Verkamp Chris & Nancy Virgulak Michelle White Dean and Marcia Wochner John Zehler 3 Craig’s Corner By Craig Niemi Every Child, Every Step of the Way, Cradle to Career. The Strive Partnership is focused on the success of our children. The partnership unites common providers around shared issues, goals, measurements and results, and then actively supports and strengthens strategies that work. Education is perhaps the most important engine of economic growth and individual success. Greater Cincinnati leaders of the education, nonprofit, community, civic, and philanthropic sectors are working together to tackle some of our most pressing challenges, and to take advantage of some of our biggest opportunities. Strive is working on several campaigns to ensure that students are supported all along their academic careers. We’re representing the Observatory in their STEM Innovation Collaborative. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics represent the 21st century skills that today’s students will need throughout their lives. The overall objective is to increase the number of students graduating high school with and interest in and the preparation for STEM related postsecondary and careers. Our Grade 3-5 Subcommittee is working on several fronts but the main charge is identifying community partners such as your Observatory, iSpace, the Civic Garden Center, the Zoo and others, which offer authentic STEM experiences that will capture the imagination of young students and find ways to mentor those students as they move into higher grade levels. Working with this long list of terrific organizations we’re developing the criteria needed to measure our successes, connect to grade 3-5 educators and find the community partners that can help sustain the program. There are many talented people in this region who have dedicated themselves to education and this collaborative has become a great opportunity for all the players to come and work together on their shared goals. To learn more about the Strive Partnership visit. www.strivetogether.org February 2012 FOTO Planning Meeting By Dale Zoller The next FOTO Planning Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 6pm at the Observatory. The meeting generally lasts a couple hours. The planning meetings are open to all FOTO members. We encourage your participation in the discussion of future FOTO activities. Scout Programs By Craig Niemi Scout Badge Night Feb 4th 6pm Junior Scouts Feb 28th 6pm The Observatory’s evening Scout Merit Badge Programs provide girl scouts and boy scouts with a unique stargazing experience that fully completes the requirements of the badge or pin. $6/participant (includes scouts, adults, and all siblings) Private programs (Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday evenings) require a $100 minimum group fee. Contact Leo Sack, Outreach Educator at 513-321-5186 [email protected] www.cincinnatiobservatory.org/sco utprograms.html You'll swear the images are from the Hubble Space Telescope. $15 each, $13.50 Members, 10 or more $10 each Proceeds benefit the Observatory's education programs. Available in the Observatory's Gift Shop or online from our partner at Clerisy Press. (www.clerisypress.com) Our thanks to Xavier University's Center for Excellence in Education for their generous support of this year's calendar project! Water on Moon New maps produced aboard NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter reveal features at the Moon's northern and southern poles in regions that lie in perpetual darkness. The results suggest there could be as much as 1 to 2 percent water frost in some permanently shadowed soils. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releas es/2012/01/120113210608.htm 4 Late Night at the Observatory “Biggest Little” Lunar Eclipse Live From Reno, Nevada By Dean Regas February 10th 10:30 pm-12:00 am Can’t sleep? Looking for a unique Friday night out? Come see what the Observatory is like after hours long after the “early crowd” has gone home. You'll get to use the oldest big telescope in the U.S. to view astronomical objects that are not visible until late at night (weather permitting). Get a sneak preview of the next season’s planets and stars – including Jupiter, the Andromeda Galaxy, and more – a month or two ahead of everyone else. Plus, zoom in on a late-rising moon, or watch the whole sky for a meteor shower or satellite passes. Each night is different and special! These programs are recommended for adults only. If the weather does not permit viewing, we’ll have fun with some of the crazy science experiments and “adult” constellation mythology stories that we can’t share with family audiences. Admission is $6 per person To make reservations please call 513-321-5186 Did You Know That…. Almost all the iron in our solar system came from a double star supernova which exploded more than 5 billion years ago. On December 10, 2011 there was a total lunar eclipse – but nobody in Cincinnati could see it. It was only visible west of the Rocky Mountains so I decided to go to a city with a better angle on the eclipse: Reno, Nevada. As part of my work with the PBS show Star Gazers, the producers of the show (WPBT2 in Miami, Florida) wanted to try something unique. With the help of KNPB (Reno’s PBS station) we made a live webcast of the entire thing (at least until the Moon set). I and fellow Star Gazer host, Marlene Hidalgo, gave a running commentary, answered questions from viewers and interviewed some special guests during the eclipse from 4:00-7:00 am. The weather was perfect for viewing the eclipse from its start to totality when the Moon set behind the mountains west of Reno. I always love that first moment of the eclipse when the dark shadow of the Earth can first be seen on the Moon’s surface. But near before totality, it really turned orange fast. During totality the color wasn’t as dramatic. In fact I thought it to be a very gray eclipse. A lot of the redness increased as the Moon got lower in the sky. It was a great experience to chase this eclipse, and share it with so many people who couldn’t see it. You can find a sped up video of the eclipse at: http://video.wpbt2.org/video/217695 7576/ Next up, I plan on traveling out west twice more in 2012 - to observe the Annular Solar Eclipse on May 20 and the Transit of Venus on June 5. Astronomer: Have Telescope, Will Travel. Order Your COC Polo Shirt or Hooded Sweatshirt! By Michelle Gainey Did the gift shop run out of your size of the blue, COC embroidered short sleeve polo shirt? If so, you can e-mail Scott Gainey with your gender and size, and he will order one for you. The cost is $30 for regular sizes, $31 for XXL or larger. Also, Scott will take orders for hooded, fully zippered sweatshirts. The sweat shirts will be navy blue with the COC logo embroidered in white on the left chest. They are of high quality, 50% cotton/poly blend, pill-resistant fleece. Sizes: Adult S – 3XL; children’s sizes XS (4), S (68), M (10-12), L (14-16), XL (1820). Cost: $45. If you would like to order a polo shirt or hooded zippered sweatshirt, please e-mail [email protected]. Be sure to include your name, phone number, size, and which kind of shirt you want. An announcement will be made in the newsletter and at the FOTO meeting when the shirts are available, and they will be held for you in the gift shop. 5 The Couch Has Returned By John Ventre You might have noticed that in the front lobby of the Herget Building there is a late 1800, early 1900, photograph that shows the John Quincy Adams oil portrait. To the left of the photograph you can also see the open closet with a chronograph (time recording machine) on a small table, the 1847 William H. Powell oil portrait of John Quincy Adams, a couch that is positioned under the portrait, and a table and chair that are positioned in front of the couch. These items have survived the ravage of time and are displayed in various locations at the Observatory, except for the couch. The Observatory’s Museum Committee members have been searching for the couch, or its equivalent, for the past 12 years. Marilyn Herget, the daughter of Dr. Paul Herget and the grand daughter of Dr. Elliott Smith, both directors of the Observatory, sits on the recently returned couch. Her grandfather sat on the couch in 1907 on his wedding day. (This picture was taken by Dr. Al Scheide.) Also, another photograph shows this same setting but with Dr. Elliott Smith and his new bride, Louise, sitting on this couch on their wedding day, November 28, 1907. Dr. Smith was then an assistant astronomer, but he eventually became the Observatory’s Director in 1940. The Smiths’ son-in-law, Dr. Paul Herget, became the Observatory’s director following WWII. Hence there was a keen interest for historical reasons to locate the couch. We sincerely appreciate the generosity of Stephen Marine, Assistant Dean and Executive Director of the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professionals and Ms. Doris Haag, the Center’s Director, who arranged for the donation and the transfer. The next time that you visit the Observatory please pause to look at the couch, and if you ask “pretty please” we might let you sit on it!!! "A Long Time Ago In Galaxies Far, Far, Away..." Dr. Al Scheide and John Ventre trying out the couch Miracles happen. The couch eventually was located in a medical museum in the University of Cincinnati’s (UC) medical complex. It was acquired by the museum’s director during the period in the early 1980s when UC attempted to close the Observatory and was attempting to dispose of its furnishings. When the museum’s director was informed of the couch’s history and the Observatory’s desire to have it returned the director opted to retain it in her museum because she had to pay for it and had it reupholstered. Miracles continue to happen. Many years pass and an intermediary informed the current medical museum staff of our desire to have the couch, and they very generously agreed to return it to the Observatory. We recently assembled a crew of volunteers: Michael Helfen, with his van, Dean Regas, Leo Sack and John Ventre to transfer the couch from UC to the Observatory. Our thanks to Dr. Amanda Bauer for offering to give a presentation at the Observatory. Demand was so great that Dr. Bauer agreed to give an encore presentation. Nearly 125 friends, family and FOTO members came out to her terrific talks. Be sure to follow her blog at http://amandabauer.blogspot.com/ Did You Know…. Our Moon will continued its drift from Earth, but will add just 2 seconds to Earth’s rotation every 100,000 years. 6 On January 15th I was solar observing from Titusville, Florida. The sky was blue and the temperature was in the mid 60 ’s that morning. I know I must have had a smile on my face as I tuned the Halpha filter on the sun. To my surprise, the sun was smiling back at me! So I replaced the eyepiece with my DMK camera and took the sun’s portrait. The image below shows a happy sun. Two sunspot regions 1401 on the left and 1402 make the black eyes with dark filaments and some white flare regions making the eyebrows. The mouth is a dark filament that rounded the solar limb 3 days before in a display of a large hedgerow prominence. On January 19th AR 1401erupted with an M3 solar flare and produced a Coronal Mass Ejection. At that time the two “eyes” had rotated near the center of the sun and the CME was directed at the Earth. On January 22nd the CME slammed into the Earth’s magnetic field and produced a green aurora display in Canada and Alaska. Good things always come from a smile. Space Mountain Produces Terrestrial Meteorites A2Z+ Astronomy Class Save the Leap-Second! When NASA's Dawn spacecraft entered orbit around giant asteroid Vesta in July, scientists fully expected the probe to reveal some surprising sights. But no one expected a 13-mile high mountain, two and a half times higher than Mount Everest, to be one of them. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) was due to vote this past week on whether or not to do away with the leap-second. Fortunately (or unfortunately?), the decision has been postponed for three years. What is a leap-second, you ask. Why are they needed? Is it something like a leap-day or a leap-year? Are they the same as say, a regular second? Well,… yes and no. In honor of this U.N. official committee’s non-decision, at the February A2Z+ Astronomy class we’re going to delve into time for a little while. Specifically, we will discuss the accomplishments of one John Harrison, who revolutionized time-keeping in the 18th century. He saved the lives of countless sailors by providing a method of determining Longitude at sea, simply by knowing what time it was. Stop by the Observatory on February 12th at 7:00 P.M., and maybe we can settle this leapsecond business once and for all! The A2Z+ class meets the second Sunday of each month at 7:00 pm in the West Wing of the Herget Building, lasts about an hour, and is free to any Obervatory member. The existence of this towering peak could solve a longstanding mystery: How did so many pieces of Vesta end up right here on our own planet? For many years, researchers have been collecting Vesta meteorites from "fall sites" around the world. The rocks' chemical fingerprints leave little doubt that they came from the giant asteroid. Earth has been peppered by so many fragments of Vesta, that people have actually witnessed fireballs caused by the meteoroids tearing through our atmosphere. Recent examples include falls near the African village of Bilanga Yanga in October 1999 and outside Millbillillie, Australia, in October 1960. http://science.nasa.gov/sciencenews/science-atnasa/2011/30dec_spacemountain/ By Dave Bosse Most Distant Dwarf Galaxy Detected Scientists have long struggled to detect the dim dwarf galaxies that orbit our own galaxy. So it came as a surprise on Jan. 18 when a team announced the discovery of a dwarf galaxy halfway across the universe. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releas es/2012/01/120118165143.htm 7 Asteroid Named for Dick Wessling he still makes telescopes, including scopes for Dick’s mirrors. diversity of planetary systems in our galaxy." Robert Holmes is an asteroid discoverer, founder of Comet Holmes, and telescope maker. Robert discovered Dick’s asteroid on February 21, 2006, in Charleston, Illinois, his home. He was the subject of an article in a recent Sky & Telescope. He appreciated Dick’s excellent advice on telescope optics and construction, including on the early design stages of a 50” telescope which will be operational in the spring of 2012. This artist's concept depicts an itsy bitsy planetary system -- so compact, in fact, that it's more like Jupiter and its moons than a star and its planets. Astronomers using data from NASA's Kepler mission and ground-based telescopes recently confirmed that the system, called KOI-961, hosts the three smallest exoplanets known so far to orbit a star other than our Sun. All three planets are thought to be rocky like Earth, but orbit close to their star. That makes them too hot to be in the habitable zone, Of the more than 700 planets confirmed to orbit other stars -- called exoplanets -- only a handful are known to be rocky. The three planets are very close to their star, taking less than two days to orbit around it. The KOI961 star is a red dwarf with a diameter one-sixth that of our Sun, making it just 70 percent bigger than Jupiter. by John Ventre The Minor Planet Center recently announced that they named an asteroid “Richardwessling” in memory of Dick Wessling. Many FOTO members will remember our friend and fellow FOTO member Dick Wessling, who died suddenly in 2011 at the age of 75. Dick made hundreds of telescope mirrors and built dozens of telescopes for astronomers throughout the United States. He was President of the Cincinnati Astronomical Association (CAA), the mirror grinders and telescope makers, who met in the basement of the Cincinnati Observatory. The CAA was asked to leave the Observatory in 1969 when Dr. Paul Herget, the then Director of the Observatory, needed the basement space to store his computer equipment. Dick was employed for over 35 years by the U.S. Precision Lens Co/ 3M Precision Optics as an optical designer and quality manager. He also operated his own company, the Pines Optical Shop, since 1991. John Pratte and Robert Holmes, both friends of Dick, arranged to have the asteroid 2006 DK8 named “Richardwessling” (242830). John used to grind mirrors in the Observatory’s basement, but he did not meet Dick until in the 1990s. John currently lives in Illinois where Kepler Discovers a Tiny Solar System Jan. 11, 2012: Astronomers using data from NASA's Kepler mission have discovered the three smallest planets yet detected orbiting a star beyond our sun. The planets orbit a single star, called KOI-961, and are 0.78, 0.73 and 0.57 times the radius of Earth. The smallest is about the size of Mars. "This is the tiniest solar system found so far," said John Johnson, the principal investigator of the research from NASA's Exoplanet Science Institute at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. "It's actually more similar to Jupiter and its moons in scale than any other planetary system. The discovery is further proof of the FOTO Board Members with Date Term Expires President: Dale Zoller / Oct. 2012 Vice President: Rebecca Schundich / Oct. 2012 Secretary: Michelle Lierl Gainey / Oct. 2012 Treasurer: JoAnne Pedersen / Oct. 2012 FOTO/COC Representative: Scott Gainey / Oct. 2013 Trustee: Dave McBride / Oct. 2012 Trustee: Frank Huss / Oct. 2012 Trustee: Dave Bosse / Oct. 2013 Trustee: John Blasing / Oct. 2013 8 Marsapalooza Saturday, March 3rd 8-10 pm The Red Planet is back! Mars, always a crowd favorite, will be the featured planet for a viewing extravaganza called Marsapalooza. The Cincinnati Observatory will open its doors and telescopes to the public while Mars is at its closest for the year. There will be classes about Mars, tours of the buildings, and viewing through the historic 1845 and 1904 telescopes (weather permitting). The Moon and Orion Nebula will also be observed. Cost: $6 per person. Reservations are recommended. For more information call 513-3215186. with sharply different results. Comet C/2011 N3 (SOHO) was completely destroyed on July 6, 2011, when it swooped 100,000 km above the stellar surface. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) recorded the disintegration. It might be possible to detect such "comet corpses" as they waft past Earth. A solar wind stream containing extra oxygen could be a telltale sign of a disintegrated comet. Other elements abundant in comets would provide similar markers. History of the Observatory 2nd & 4th Sundays 1-4pm By Craig Niemi UC Communiversity Programs for Life-Long Learners Choose from our wide variety of classes Explore timely topics with engaging teachers Learn pressure-free (no tests, grades or papers) Discover the convenience of our locations – on and offcampus Come evenings or weekends or try our online options anytime Meet people with similar interests Acquire lots of hands-on learning in just a little time We're ready when you are new courses start continually Feb 15th Keeping Time By the Stars Feb 17th Dance of the Gods: Motions of the Planets Feb 21st Stargazing 101 Feb 27th Binocular Astronomy Enrollment is easy – Just a quick phone call to 513-5566932 or visit www.uc.edu/ce/ Comet Corpses in the Solar Wind A paper published in the January 20th issue of Science raises an intriguing new possibility for astronomers: unearthing comet corpses in the solar wind. The new research is based on dramatic images of a comet disintegrating in the sun's atmosphere last July. Comet Lovejoy grabbed headlines in Dec. 2011 when it plunged into the Sun's atmosphere and emerged again relatively intact. But it was not the first comet to graze the Sun. Last summer a smaller comet took the same trip Our talented volunteer docents from the Museum & History Committee weave the fascinating story of the Cincinnati Observatory’s rich history and the unique cast of characters that made Cincinnati the Birthplace of American Astronomy. An ideal opportunity for our astronomy program volunteers to learn more about the Observatory and incorporate its history into your programming. No reservations needed, except groups. The End 9