FROM
THE EDITOR
A GLANCE INSIDE
From the Editor
What’s Up in June
New Member Welcome Mat
A Look Back at May
Astronomy Day Review
From the Members
Constellation of the Month
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By Wayne E. Kuhn
THANK YOU. Such a simple phrase that we depend on for a wide spectrum
of feelings. From "Thank you for opening the door" to "Thank you
for saving my child's life", it can be overused and under appreciated or
inadequate for conveying the full strength of our meaning.
Such are the limitations of the English language. But a greater
injustice would be to not say THANK YOU at all. With our 1999 Astronomy
Day event depending on so many people for it to be the success that it
was, I will try to do that now.
MONTHLY MEETING - June 9th
This month's talk is "CCD Imaging" given by club member Tony Kroes. Please join us at the Neville Public Museum from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. Happy Joe's to follow!
WOW - June 11th - 13th
Wisconsin Observers Weekend will once again be held at Hartman Creek State Park, just West of Waupaca. Please contact Terry Becker of NEWSTAR at (920) 426-2286 for more information.
NEWSTAR MONTHLY MEETING - June 16th
The Newstar monthly meeting will be at the UW Fox Valley Center. If you are interested in going please call Don DeWitt at 920-405-8534 for more details.
STAR WARS MOVIE
OUTING - June 19th
By Katrina DeWitt
Are you ready to become a Jedi Knight? Do you feel up to the challenge of facing the evil nemesis known as the Dark Side? If you are, you're ready to join the NPMAS members and their family and friends for another movie outing to see Star Wars Episode I.
This event will take place on Saturday, June 19th at Bay
Park Square Cinema. As of this writing, the movie time is scheduled
for 1:00 p.m. However, a month from now, this time could change so
don't carve it in stone with your light saber just yet.
I will pass around a sign-up sheet at our upcoming meeting for everyone
interested in joining us. If you would like to go to the movie, but can't
attend the meeting, please e-mail me at astro_trek@bigfoot.com
or call me at 405-8534 and I will add you to the list. This way if
the movie time changes, you will be notified.
So use the force and get over to Bay Park Square Cinema on the 19th
for the 1:00 p.m. showing of Star Wars Episode I. I hope to
see you all there!
COME TO THE MOON
PARTY - June 25th - 26th By Katrina DeWitt
Let's face it, when the moon approaches full, there isn't much to observe.
The idea of scheduling an observing session is laughed at. Not this
time, we're having a moon party!
First off, why a "moon party"? The Astronomical League has a
great lunar observing program just waiting for it's members to complete.
What other way to get motivated and do this than with a scheduled observing
session.
The great thing about this award is that it's not only for telescope
owners. Many of the objects to be located or the activities to do
has to be done with the naked eye and binoculars. Besides, there
will be some club members that will let you use a telescope to find objects
if need be. So, there is no reason not to come out and join us for
our first moon party.
In addition, this observing award is one of the easiest and most fun
to do. Find the object, record the date and time you observed it,
(writing your observation is optional), and you're done and ready to move
on to the next feature. On the observing list, the best times to
see the object is noted, so it takes out a lot of the guesswork as to when
it's best to observe that feature.
Second, it's always more fun observing with a group of people.
That's why this observing session was created. It is also a challenge
to all club members. This is a great opportunity to get our entire
club simultaneously working on an award. Or get started anyway.
Third, this isn't an observing session for the faint, "barely there"
objects. The moon is easily located in the night sky and the terrain
is pretty good for hopping around to find objects. Besides, the club
will provide the needed observing forms if you don't already have a copy,
as well as provide several different moon maps for use if you don't have
one of your own.
Now that everyone is hyped up to discover our closest neighbor in space,
let me fill you in on the vital details of our moon party. "Come
to the Moon Party" is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, June 25th and
26th. The location is yet to be decided on but will be
announced at the club meeting.
Because we'll be observing the moon in the waxing gibbous phase, there
is no need to drive to a dark sky site or stay all night. The time
for the party is 7:00 p.m. till 10:00 p.m.
So mark it on your calendars for the 25th and 26th
from 7:00 till 10:00 PM. Come out and join us and get loony!
We had two new memberships in the club this past month. The first
one is the Judith Kempton family, 932 Lyndon Street, Green Bay, WI 54303-3840.
Phone: 920-405-0168, Voice mail: 737-6288, Email: Ijudith@webtv.net
The second new member is Gregg Seidl, 2580 S HWY T, Green Bay, WI 54311.
Phone: 920-863-6167, Email: K9KL@dct.com
Gregg heard of our club from member Mike Monfils, who like Gregg is
an amateur radio operator. "I had a telescope when I was in my early teens
but then when I got older I lost time to go observing." Recently he attended
one of our Public Observing events and became hooked again.
He currently has an LX-10 SC telescope on order which should be in
his hands by the time this newsletter is out. Gregg is married (Lisa,
10 years) and owns a dairy farm with his father about 7 miles East of Green
Bay. His favorite target was the Moon and he looks forward to observing
with the club.
Welcome Judith and Gregg!
MAY MONTHLY MEETING
Attendance at May's meeting was 39 - a very good crowd. The first
hour was dedicated to club business and upcoming events. One of the
announcements was the confirmation that we will be hosting the 2001 NCRLA
convention! Also our own George McCourt was re-elected as NCRAL chairman
and Don Dewitt as vice-chairman.
Another highlight was the donation of the "Cosmos" video series to
the club by Roger Dier. Please see the article below for more information.
Thank you Roger!
Ron Parmentier displayed the prizes he won at the NCRAL convention:
a book and an observing table. Some people have all the luck!
He also played a short video he took of an award presentation by George
McCourt at the convention.
The second hour was a slide show presentation by Don DeWitt. Subjects
included the Sun, Solar eclipses, Lunar eclipses, the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn,
aurora, and a few others. As they say, "a picture is worth a thousand
words" and everyone enjoyed the show. Great job, Don!
ASTRONOMY
DAY REVIEW
By Katrina DeWitt
Astronomy Day. These two words conjure up images from past years.
Cold, snow, clouds, road closings, the model comet falling off the ceiling.
So would this year be any different? YES! Finally, the NPMAS had
the cooperation of mom nature. She provided clear skies and comfortable
temps for our entire event. Our Astronomy Day was a huge success.
Friday night set-up went smoothly. Sanctuary displays were set
to the side while the tables to hold our displays were brought downstairs
and set up. Things were pretty much under control and we were done
by 9:30 p.m. Everyone went home to go to bed or do last minute additions
for some of the displays.
Saturday morning started with warmth and sunshine. Don, Steve
Mofle and myself arrived early. I started to straighten up, and the
boys went to blanket Bay Beach with our Astronomy Day posters as well as
hang our Astronomy Day banner by the main gate.
Soon after, the Space Shuttle
Bus, thanks to the Einstein Project, arrived and parked itself near the building.
Sue Theno then got together with all those that signed up for the kids activities
to go over what they had to do. By this time, most of the club members
who were coming to help were arriving; finding their nametags putting finishing
touches on some displays and getting ready for the people to arrive.
The morning hours saw a few dozen walk through and do the various activities.
The real onslaught began after the noon hour as people from Bay Beach walked
over and many that were too busy to attend in the morning now showed up.
There were people upstairs, downstairs, outside and in the Shuttle
Bus doing various activities or looking at all the displays. At times
there wasn't room in the Space Shuttle Bus to turn around! Inside
the building there was little relief for Ron Parmentier as people were
crowding in to receive their free door prize tickets and games that were
available.
Many of the displays had people crowded around them. They were
looking and reading and asking many questions. At one point, Ray
Nancoz turned off his mirror-grinding machine as the squealing noise was
getting on everyone's nerves.
Some of the displays on the main floor included telescopes, binoculars,
light pollution awareness, solar system models, an area commemorating the
30th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, club information
and a scale model of the International Space Station.
Upstairs, kids and adults had a chance to make craters after they made
some measurements and calculations of the size of impact they would produce.
They could also measure the height and distance of their jumps and then
do some calculations to see how far they would have gone had they been
on the moon. Many were surprised when they realized they had just
gone through the wall on the opposite side of the room! As a standby
for the little ones, there were "dot to dots" and coloring.
Two different workshops were alternately taking place throughout the
day. At the first one, people could learn how to read a star map
that was handed out, as well as using your hand to find distances in degrees.
It was also pointed out how to locate the North Star in the night sky by
using the Big Dipper as a guide. This workshop was rounded out with
slides of various constellations.
The other workshop was more a slide show on the solar system.
The club purchased a new slide set from Sky Publishing entitled A Spacecraft
Tour of the Solar System. With Steve Mofle's enthusiasm, this
normal half-hour show lasted close to an hour. The people received
a good understanding of our solar system and the distinctive features of
each planet and their largest satellites. All slides were taken from
NASA space probes.
Outside, solar observing was taking place. Earlier in the day,
Wayne Kuhn was the only one set up to handle the people. By the time
it got really busy, Al Collins and Dan Sheber were there to lend a helping
hand. The sun was showing off her numerous sunspots and a very nice
solar prominence as well.
The space Shuttle Bus had five computers up and running "Starry Nights",
a computer software program that shows close up views of the Messier objects
and the planets. Kids and adults were clamoring for a seat to test
out this software and learn about astronomy. Another activity inside
the Space Shuttle Bus consisted of strips of construction paper, string,
scissors and tape. With instructions at hand and a little help from
the volunteers, the kids were off constructing their scale model of the
sizes and distance of the Earth and Moon.
Before we knew it, 16 of the 18 door prizes were given away and it
was getting time to pack up. Take down time went much faster and everything
was back in order by 5:15 p.m. Several of us ventured to Fazoli's
for dinner and then it was back to the Sanctuary for the nighttime observing
session.
For most of the observing session, mom nature didn't let us down.
There were a few high cirrus clouds, but they didn't pose much of a threat.
Club members started arriving and setting up about 8:00 p.m. Those
that were not setting up telescopes began pounding in stakes and stringing
up caution tape along the road to guide the public into and out of the
observing area.
By twilight, there were several people in attendance waiting to get
a glimpse of the Moon, Mars or Venus. To aid in identifying lunar
features, free moon maps were given out to everyone entering the observing
field. As the sky grew darker, telescopes were aimed at different
clusters, nebulae and galaxies.
Later into the night, our observing session got hindered as the clouds
started to thicken and blanket more of the sky. However, being resourceful
as our members are, they moved the telescopes to areas that were unaffected
and came back to their favorite objects when the clouds moved on by.
By 10:30 p.m. most of the crowds had gone and people began to pack
up and head for home. All in all, our Saturday night observing session
brought out nearly 150 people. There were approximately 20 club members
that brought out their telescopes and binoculars.
After going through my notes and counting the door prize tickets, there
were approximately 450 people that turned out for our daytime activities.
This is a new record for our event.
Going through the evaluations that were turned in, the overwhelming
response was positive. All of the comments save one, mentioned how
friendly, approachable and knowledgeable our club members were in answering
questions and helping out in anyway. A big thanks to everyone who
helped make this day the huge success that it was!
If you'd like to be a part of Astronomy Day 2000, mark your calendars
for Saturday, April 8th.
As of this writing, the Sky and Telescope Astronomy Day award
is half way completed and will be mailed in by the deadline. If anyone
has anything to contribute for the award (pictures, info on media coverage,
activities etc.), I will need it by Wednesday, June 9th.
BILLIONS AND BILLIONS
"Cosmos" Comes to the NPMAS - At the May 12 meeting, Roger Dier
presented our club with the "Cosmos" video series that first aired on PBS
in the early 1980s. Hosted by the late Carl Sagan, Cosmos is a nine-part
astronomical look at our place in the cosmic creation.
The gift comes to us by way of the now-defunct Minnesota Valley Amateur
Astronomers (MVAA). The MVAA came to life when Halley’s Comet visited
in 1986, and disbanded in 1991. After dissolving the MVAA treasury, Roger
purchased the Cosmos series with the idea of giving it to a small-town
library in Minnesota.
However, that library already had the series on video. In late
April, Roger rediscovered the Cosmos series during spring-cleaning.
"Cosmos is a natural fit for the NPMAS," said Roger. "Astronomers
at all levels will enjoy the way Carl Sagan saw the universe, and why he
thought astronomy was important. The NPMAS is a great group of people
filled with all levels of curiosity and expertise about our place is the
cosmic order. I’m happy to contribute to the cause."
Sagan’s acclaimed series earned Emmy and Peabody awards for excellence.
Roger said it is not necessary to watch the series in episodic order: "Each
video is a mini-solar system of astronomical discovery."
Don Dewitt has taken the responsibility of handling the distribution
of the videos. Club members can sign out a "Cosmos" episode at the
club meetings. The video is then due back at the next monthly meeting.
LEST WE FORGET
By Wayne Kuhn
In the hustle and bustle of our public events like Astronomy Day it
is easy to get caught up in the moment and forget what it is really all
about. We advertise these events as being family oriented, which
they are. Most of the time we see kids of all ages accompanied by
one or more parents. This is the way it should be. But did
we forget somebody?
I did. At Astronomy Day 1998. I was so involved with helping
and teaching the public about the universe that I didn't spend any time
with my own family when they came to visit me. As could be
expected, they felt left out and forgotten.
Most of us are not fortunate enough to have a spouse that is as interested
in our hobby as we are. My wife, Linda, has looked through my telescope
no more than five or six times. Her and my two kids are perfect candidates
for a "family event" like Astronomy Day. Yet I was blinded to that
fact.
This year was different. I made sure that when they gave me another
chance I dropped what I was doing and devoted my whole attention to her
and the kids. We looked at displays, visited with friends, and took
the time to do some of the activities, like coloring pictures and doing
the "Moon" jump. We all had a great time.
That's what Astronomy day and our other public events are all about,
isn't it?
By Steve Wicker
Hercules is among the best known constellations. The constellation
representing this famous strongman is related to other star groups through
lore that reaches back into prehistory. The constellation's most
recognizable feature is the trapezoid of stars called the Keystone.
Hercules is the fifth largest of the constellations in area and contains
the brightest globular cluster visible in the Northern Hemisphere, M13
(NGC6205).
M92 (NGC6341), another globular cluster, is located north of the Keystone.
It is a bit smaller and dimmer than M13 but still can be seen in a smaller
telescope. Another globular cluster NGC6229 is still a bit dimmer
at magnitude 9.4.
There is also a planetary nebula, NGC6210. Its magnitude is 9.0 and
is very small.
There are also several galaxies in Hercules, but none brighter than
12th magnitude.
Good luck - hope you can find these and many more objects when you
are out at your favorite site. Clear skies!
WHATS
UP IN JUNE
A
LOOK BACK AT MAY