C-Row Star-B-Q at RGO
June 19 and 20, 2009
 Picture Gallery (click here)
 See the Sierra Vista Herald newspaper article here.
June 2009 News
Newly Viewed: The June 2009 Nightfall newsletter is here! This edition contains the article on "Globular Clusters in Ophiuchus," by Bob Kepple and Glen Sanner, the "Deep Sky Guys."
Club News—Observing Awards
[Click on the following images for larger versions.]
Calvin Hoyt [left] receives the Double Star observing certificate from Astronomical League Correspondent (AlCor) Dave Healy [right], as James Taylor [center] looks on, at the June 12, 2009 meeting of the Huachuca Astronomy Club at Cochise College, Sierra Vista, Arizona. Photo by Del Gordon
During the Deep Sky Report, Master Observer Bob Kepple urged all observers to always keep notes on observing sessions and the objects observed. Dave Healy, our Astronomical League Correspondent (AlCor), supported that opinion, saying that one possible positive outcome could be that you will qualify for an observing award from the Astronomical League.
Calvin Hoyt after receiving his Double Star certificate and observing award from the Astronomical League, June 12, 2009. Photo by Del Gordon
The Double Star certificate was awarded to Calvin Hoyt for observong one hundred of the finest double stars and multiple stars in the heavens. This makes five observing for Clavin, so he is about half-way to achieving the Master Observer's certificate. Calvin says he is stretching the limit of his ten-inch scope and working on the planetary nebula certificate.
Calvin Hoyt was also presented with an Award of Merit from HAC VP Keith Mullen for the Messier Marathon in March. The award stated, "Calvin Hoyt stood his ground until the skies failed him at the Huachuca Astronomy Club 2009 Messier Marathon." Calvin viewed over seventy Messier objects.
James Taylor receives the Master Observer Certificate, presented by Dave Healy, AlCor, at the June 12, 2009 meeting of the Huachuca Astronmomy Club. Photo by Del Gordon
The Astronomical League's Master Observer Award was awarded to James Taylor of the Huachuca Astronomy Club for completing the following ten observing clubs: Messier Club, Binocular Messier Club, Lunar Club, Double Star Club,
Herschel Club, Caldwell (Silver), Globular Clusters, Constellation Hunter (North), Deep Sky Binocular, and Planetary Nebula Club. Congratulations James!
Dave Healy said, "James Taylor is the Huachuca Astronomy Club's third Master Observer, and I think very few clubs can boast three of us in that category."
The Master Observer Certificate from the Astronomical League for James Taylor of the Huachuca Astronomy Club. Photo by Del Gordon
Asteroid Citations
Dave Healy added that he was naming an asteroid after James Taylor because of his accomplishment, as well as his efforts for the HAC in his role as board member and publicity director. James has asteroid 197196 Jamestaylor named for him.
After receiving his Master Observer certificate and asteroid citation, James had some words to say; "Dave. I'd like to talk about getting this award. Thank you so much for the work that you do as our AlCor. This has really been a delight. It has instilled in me a passion and a love for the heavens and the night sky that I don't think will ever be extinguished. The secret to doing this award is to not do it sequentially, but to do it simultaneously. Most of these observing clubs take a full year to accomplish—you've got to go through the totality of the seasons to see the sky. When I started this thing, what I did was I took a good week, a couple hours a night, and I looked through all the requirements, and I laid them out sequentially by calendar so I had them grouped: here's what you have to see in the winter, here's what you have to see in the spring, summer, and in the fall, and it gives you the ability to see about ten objects a week. You just have your list, and you've got something to look at when you go out to do it. It took about two and a half years to get through this. I'm very humbled to have it, and to be a member of this club, especially to be in a club where we have true masters, Dave, Bob, Glen, and Mr. Galaxy, and it's a pleasure to associate with you all."
To show appreciation for the efforts of Dave Healy, James Taylor presented Dave Healy with a Command Coin from the U.S. Army Intelligence Center. Photo by Del Gordon
Dave Healy Praised Highly
James Taylor continued, "I'd like to take a moment to recognize Dave [pause for applause]. This is a man who donates thousands of hours promoting astronomy. You can't go to his place and see his telescope and not wish you had one of those things, and you just gotta look through it, and appreciate the heavens. We have a tradition in the military, it's called the Command Coin Challenge. Every military unit gets to have the coin of their particular unit, so I have here the coin of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center. Underneath this challenge: if you ever see the person who awarded you the coin, the challenge is you pull the coin out of your pocket and if you beat the awardee, the one who loses buys the round. Unfortunately, I'm not a drinking man, so you may not get too far with that particular opportunity, but Dave, for all that you've done, and for all of the service that you've rendered, for all the military people who have come through who have appreciated this, I'd like to present you with the Coin of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center. Thank you."
Steve Coe Shows the AstroTrac
Visiting astronomer Steve Coe then gave a presentation on the AstroTrac, a tracking device for a digital camera. It is a two-armed device with a motor. Steve has a Canon XT camera with the Hutec modification. Steve showed an astrophotograph he exposed for two minutes at f/1.8 with an 85 mm lens. The picture showed a stunning starfield surrounding σScorpius, Antares, M4, and M80, with red and blue nebulosity and dark dust lanes visible. Steve than showed more images that were exposed for only one minute, such as the Scutum Star Cloud, and "Downtown Milky Way," with similar spectacular results. The images were not stacked. Steve characterized this as an "embarassingly simple" way to do astrophotography, you just align, shoot, and try not to kick the tripod. Bob Kepple reminded everyone that this can also be accomplished by using a camera pigyback on any telescope that has tracking capability.
Wayne Johnson: The Sun is Eclipsed by the Moon
HAC President Wayne Johnson gave a talk enttiled, "Eclipses: The
Moon's Gift to the Earth." The talk covered terminology, the solar eclipses he has observed, lunar
eclipses, how to prepare for the experience of an eclipse, and the upcoming total solar eclipse of
July 22, 2009, which will not be visible from Arizona. However, if you happen to be in the vicinity
of China, India, or the South Pacific, you may have a chance to see this stellar event.
Wayne Johnson demonstrates a small, portable telescope, the Edmunds Scientific Astroscan, at the June 12, 2009 meeting of the Huachuca Astronomy Club. The small, Schmidt-Newtonian telescope is an example of the type of equipment that is appropriate to view a solar eclipse (with proper solar filters, of course). Wayne gave a talk about the several solar eclipses he has observed around the world. He now has about twenty minutes of "shadow time" and hopes to increase that number with the upcoming solar eclipse on July 22, 2009, which will only be visible from locations in China, India, and the South Pacific. Photo by Del Gordon
Going Deep: Meeting News, June 12, 2009
Bob Kepple, one of our "Deep Sky Guys," gave a presentation on "Globular Clusters in Ophiucus." See The June 2009 Nightfall newsletter here!
May 2009 News
Kim Rogalski gave a presentation to the Huachuca Astronomy Club on Friday, May 8,
2009, at Cochise College, Sierra Vista, Arizona. Photo by Del Gordon
Are We Alone in the Universe?
At the public meeting of the Huachuca Astronomy Club on Friday, May 8, 2009, at Cochise College, Sierra Vista Campus,
the speaker was Kim Rogalski, math and astronomy instructor
from Cochise College. The topic was "Are We Still Alone? A Growing Consensus in Astrobiology."
Kim presented the argument popularized in a recent book titled Rare Earth, that complex, intelligent life as
we know it, such as our technological human civilization, could have a low probability of developing elsewhere in our
galaxy and throughout the universe. Kim discussed the many factors that influence the improbability of our existence,
such as planetary geometries, distribution and types of suns, habitable zones in the solar system and galaxy, and how
chemistry and physics constrains the equation. All of these factors, and more, conspire against the commonality of complex
life.
The famous Drake Equation was discussed. Given values that can vary widley, depending on your philosophy as much as
science, this equation yields the current number of intelligent civilizations capable of radio transmission.
What is the current number of intelligent civilizations in the universe capable of radio transmission?
A.) 1
B.) 1 to 10
C.) > 10
D.)
> 1,000
E.) > 1,000,000
To read more, click here. >>>
Rare Earth:
Why Complex Life Is Uncommon in the Universe
by Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee
(Click here or on the book icon to order
from Amazon and help support the HAC.)
April 2009 Meeting News
"On Europa, there is twice as much water as there is in all the oceans of Earth."
On April 10, 2009, Dr. Richard
Greenberg presented a talk entitled, "Unmasking Europa: The Search for Life on Jupiter's Ocean Moon," based
on his new book.
Dr. Richard Greenberg, Professor of Planetary Sciences at University of Arizona's
renowned Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, gave a presentation on Europa, the icy moon of Jupiter, at the April 2009
meeting of the Huachuca Astronomy Club in Sierra Vista, Arizona. Photo by Del Gordon
Unmasking Europa:
The Search for Life on Jupiter's Ocean Moon
Artist: Michael Carroll
Synopsis: Tides heat Jupiter’s moon Europa and stress its icy crust.
The distinctive tectonic cracks and ice floes demonstrate
active linkages between the surface and the underlying
deep global ocean, which have provided a variety of evolving
environmental niches. These processes were recent,
and thus most likely continue today. A habitable biosphere
might extend from the ocean up to within a few
centimeters of the surface. Longer term changes in environmental
conditions may have driven biological adaptation,
as well as provided opportunity for evolution. Life on
Europa might be relatively accessible to spacecraft exploration,
but at the same time vulnerable to contamination.
Speaker: Dr. Richard Greenberg of the UA Lunar and Planetary Lab recently authored the book Unmasking Europa: The Search for Life on Jupiter’s Ocean Moon.
He received his PhD from MIT in 1972. He is a Professor
of Planetary Sciences and Professor of Teaching
and Teacher Education at the University of Arizona. He
also founded the University's Science and Mathematics
Education Center. His research concerns planetary dynamics,
including formation, evolution, and tidal effects.
Photo Gallery Update: Mar. 1, 2009
 New astro photos of Comet Lulin by Paul Dybvig taken Mar. 1, 2009. Note the difference between tracking on the comet and tracking at the normal sidereal rate. Click here. 
New astro photos by Paul Dybvig taken Jan. 28, 2009. Can you find Supernova 2008in? Click here.
The Windy Mountain Observatory website,
by Rich Swanson.
"Welcome to the Exciting World of Astronomy"
On Friday, Jan. 9. 2009, the featured speaker for the regular HAC meeting was Bob Gent, and his topic was entitled, "Welcome to the Exciting World of Astronomy."
The program included selected astronomical images from spacecraft, some from professional observatories, and others from amateur astronomers. In addition, Bob showed some of his favorite reference materials that he used to get started in astronomy. He will conclude his talk with a brief discussion of the urgent need to protect the beauty of our night skies.
Bob Gent's slide presentation on Light Pollution.
About the speaker: Bob Gent is a retired USAF lieutenant colonel,
and he is the past-president of the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA). He also served as president of the
Astronomical League, a nonprofit federation of 275 astronomical societies and nearly 17,000 members. Among other
activities, he taught astronomy at Pima Community College in 1997-98. He holds university degrees in mathematics,
astronomy, and international relations.
International Year of Astronomy 2009
Also at the Jan. 9 meeting, Doug Snyder gave a short talk on the upcoming International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009). He presented a PowerPoint presentation created by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), and also had some handouts for the folks in attendance.
 Doug Snyder's IYA2009 website is here.
The IAU's IYA2009 website is here.
Remote Observatories: Innovative Bubble Dome
See Tom Kaye's Bubble Dome Construction Page!
The Chandra Deep Field South Image
Scott Schneeweis presented the Chandra Deep Field South image, from the European Southern Observatory (ESO). The image
represents a 40-hour stare, observed in the U-, B-, and R-bands. The U-band VIsible MultiObject Spectrograph (VIMOS)
observations were made over a period of 40 hours and constitute the deepest image ever taken from the ground in the
U-band. The image covers a spot in the sky 14 x 21 arcminutes—a third of a degree—which is about one-third
the size of your finger held at arm’s length. What you see are tens of thousands of galaxies. There are even
merging galaxies that appear to be doing the tango. The deeply red-shifted objects are probably about 11.5 billion
light years, so that’s about 85 or 90 percent of the age of the known universe.
The Chandra Deep Field South Image
European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Nine Years in the Making!
The third volume of the three-volume Night Sky Observer’s Guide is now available. Huachuca Astronomy Club (HAC) member Bob Kepple is one of the authors. Subtitled The Southern Skies, Volume 3 has taken nine years to complete. This volume covers the skies of the southern hemisphere. The chapters are organized by constellation, and include the following: Apus, Ara, Caelum, Carina, Centaurus, Chamaeleon, Circinus, Crux, Dorado, Grus, Horologium, Hydrus, Indus, Mensa, Musca, Norma, Octans, Pavo, Phoenix, Pictor, Reticulum, Telescopium, Triangulum Australe, Tucana, Vela, and Volans; plus extensive coverage of The Large Magellanic and Small Magellanic Clouds. A detailed description of the book can be found on Bob Kepple's website: http://astronomy-mall.com/astrocards.
Order the Night Sky Observer's Guide books here!
Note that Bob is offering signed versions of the book to HAC members for $34.95 (no sales tax). These books are essential astronomer's tools.
In Memory of Jeff Medkeff,
1968 - 2008
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 Just Spotted: The July 2009 Nightfall newsletter is here!
HAC Star Party Dates for 2009
Outreach Star Parties
Would you like to have an educational "Star Party" for your
school, youth group, or organization? Please contact Rich Swanson at:
(520) 803-7298, or send email to:
telegeek-64@cox.net
Event Guidelines and Polices
HAC Sponsors
 
Starizona and Farpoint: Sponsors and door prize donors.
Upcoming Events
See the list in the sidebar at upper left, or view
the HAC Calendar.
Astronomy Year 2009
What is the International Year of Astronomy all about?
Find out here.
A 2009 list of HAC events
is here.
Did you know?
As of March, 2008, the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) on Mount Graham, Arizona,
is the world's largest telescope. The LBT has taken celestial images using its
twin side-by-side, 8.4-meter (27.6-foot) primary mirrors together, achieving
first "binocular" light. The LBT has a light-collecting area equivalent to a
single 11.8-meter (39-foot) surface and will combine light to produce the image
sharpness equivalent to a single 22.8-meter (75-foot) telescope (900 inches). It is located on
10,480-foot Mount Graham in southeastern Arizona.
U.S., Italian and German partners in the LBT, have released new images. First
binocular light is a milestone not only for the LBT—now the world's most
powerful telescope —but for astronomy itself.
"Amateur astronomers today are exceptionally fortunate to be living in an era when high quality,
and very large, optics are so affordable."
Night Sky Observer's Guide, Kepple and Sanner 
Light Pollution Monitoring with Google Earth, click here.
Light Pollution info.
Photometry of M57 Field Stars by Brian Skiff, click here.
Mr. Galaxy's Supernovae pages.
The HAC Brochure is available here. Download, print, and distribute.
That's Cool Wire
That's Cool Wire
Due to many requests, here is a link to the website that sells the electroluminescent wire: thatscoolwire.com
Some pictures can be found here.
Specifically, the product similar to that you may have seen at HAC events can be found by clicking here.
The above link is the medium width wire. For wrapping around telescope tripods, the thinnest wire may work best, as it may be slightly dimmer.
For comparison, the model number purchased was: WY-PPL-N2, (2.2mm), EL Wire Kit 4, 15 feet, 3VDC, $17.61. This model was used to wrap around the handle of a step-stool for visibility.
Longer lengths, such as 26 feet, might be better for other applications, such as tables or signs. Measure for your application and order accordingly. The wire can be powered by two AA batteries, or with an AC adapter.
What is the Temperature of Deep Space?
Glenn Minuth gave a follow-up report to his prior talk in April on “Earth’s Energy Balance.” James Taylor had asked about why his infrared thermometer read -127° C when he pointed it into space. This leads to the question, “What is the temperature of Deep Space?” This is like asking, “What is the temperature of Earth?” How would you describe the temperature of Earth, would you use a range, or an average, or would it depend on your particular location? It turns out that as a result of the Big Bang, we can observe what is known as the Cosmic Background Radiation. Wherever you go in the Universe, if you are not close to a planet, that is, that temperature turns out to be 2.7° K (-455° F, or -270° C). If you are in the area of our solar system’s outer planets, the temperature is around 40° K (-388° F, or -233° C), and increasingly warmer the nearer to the Sun that you get. The temperature of absolute zero is 0° K, and nothing that we know of can get any colder than that, because at that temperature all molecular activity stops.
Schedule for 2009 Member and Public Star Parties.
Map to HAC Board of Directors Meeting at NGC.
Support the HAC:
Buy from Amazon.com
Amazon Links Page
"Watch the stars, and learn from them." — Albert Einstein
Big Star: "I am the brightest star in the sky."
Little Star: "Are you joking?"
Big Star: "No, I am Sirius."
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