Volume 12 Issue 4, April 2000

A GLANCE INSIDE

What’s Up in April
A Look Back at March
New Member Welcome Mat
Astronomy Day
On The Horizon
From the Membership
NPMAS Marketplace

WHAT'S UP IN APRIL

APRIL 8^th ASTRONOMY DAY

     Once again our biggest event of the year is upon us. Hours for the daytime activities are 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Neville Public Museum. We can start setting up the displays and activities as early as 8:00 AM. Nighttime Observing will be held at the Wildlife Sanctuary grounds on Danz Avenue from 7:30 to 10:00 PM. Come an hour early to set up your scope.
     Please read the full article about Astronomy Day events below. Also, make copies of the poster and put as many of them up around the city as you can.
     SPECIAL NOTE: We could use more binoculars for the binocular display and probably more telescopes for both the museum display and the Wildlife Sanctuary display. Please bring out whatever you can. You can coordinate with Wayne Kuhn who is handling the binocular display and Steve Wicker for the telescope display.

APRIL 12^th MONTHLY MEETING

     Join us at the Neville Public Museum from 7:00 to 9:00 PM for our monthly club meeting. This month’s talk is "Space Telescopes & Planetary Probes" given by club member Ray Nancoz. Happy Joe’s to follow!
 

A LOOK BACK AT MARCH

MESSIER MARATHON – MARCH 4^TH

A FIRST-TIMER’S VIEW
     By Anthony J. Kroes

     The night started out with cloudy overtones. There were quite a few people at the site by the time I arrived at sunset. It looked to be a good turnout, but the sky was not cooperating (as usual from what I've been told of past years) and there were many thin layers of clouds. The jet contrails were stretching from horizon to horizon. It didn't look good, but with the night off of work and so much good company I decided to set up my LX200 telescope. I did some testing of my video cameras through the scope on Jupiter and Saturn while we all waited for the sun to set and the clouds to (hopefully) disappear.
     At the onset of darkness we were all greeted by a pleasant surprise... stars! The spectacularly colored and cloudy sunset disappeared and took its clouds home too. We were left with nice dark skies with just a wisp or two here and there. The marathon began in earnest with a large complement of our club as well as members of the Door County and Appleton clubs joining in.
     Tough objects were the first item of business as the scopes all turned to the West to catch M77 and M74 before they were lost in the murk. It didn't look like a good start for me as it took 45 minutes and a couple of trips back in between other objects too finally pick out M74. I was using the 'goto' capability of my scope because I just wanted to enjoy the sights.  Many of the Messiers I had not viewed before and I wanted to soak vistas instead of racing to star hop to the next object like the veteran observers who had been here many times before.
     The night went smoothly after that with good conversation and 'scope hopping' as people wandered around looking at scopes, objects, and talking.  The food was great, although I made the mistake of waiting awhile before going inside to warm up by the fire - much of the good stuff was polished off already! Luckily there was still plenty left - and all of it good. Hot chocolate and sugar (thanks to whoever brought the hard candy!) kept us going well into the night.
     Those that were not involved with the Marathon busied themselves by looking at many of the other splendors of the sky. Tammy Wicker worked on her binocular certificate and chalked up 25 or 30 objects if I remember right. Some folks had cause to call the evening early, but there were still quite a bunch left past 2:00 am and a handful left to greet the dawn the next morning.

     Survivors included Wayne Kuhn, Mike Monfils, Dave Jorgenson, and a couple of folks from the Door County club who hung on until the last moment. Steve Mofle and I spent the last minutes of the brightening sky searching frantically for objects to pop out from behind tree trunks and branches as
the sun grew ever closer to peeking above the horizon. True dawn found all of us with at least a handful of objects left (the early date of the marathon meant that some objects would rise with the sun), but Steve Mofle was the king of the night with an even 100 objects - all found by hand. I bagged a couple extra over that, but with the 'goto' of the LX200, it was not a 'true' marathon - maybe next year!
     It was very nice to be treated to a full night of clear skies (give or take a wisp) and a chance to enjoy my first Messier Marathon. The skies, food, and company were great. I look forward to next year - maybe I'll try to CCD image all 110 objects, hmmmmmmmm.

MONTHLY MEETING – MARCH 8^TH
     Forty-three people made it out to our club meeting last month. A rare combined Hershel Award was presented to the team of George McCourt and Don DeWitt for observing the first 400 Hershel objects. Also, Tony Kroes was presented with the Binocular Messier Award. Both awards are offered through the Astronomical League. Congratulations George, Don, and Tony!
     Steve Wicker delivered over 50 T-shirts and sweatshirts that had been ordered by club members. The shirts featured the club logo on the front and looked great. Good work Steve!
     The second hour featured a combined talk given by George McCourt, Gary Baier, and Wayne Kuhn. The subject was "An Introduction to Observing" and featured explanations of the most basic knowledge and terms used in our hobby. Good job George, Gary, and Wayne!
 
NEW MEMBER WELCOME MAT

     We had a new family join in February: Alan & Shari Wagner, 2617 Van Beek Road, Green Bay, WI, 54311. Phone: 920-465-1659  Email: shariw38@aol.com
     Alan and Shari have two kids: Karli (age 9) and Andy (age 12). Andy is the driving force behind their membership in the NPMAS. Last year he "discovered" his Dad’s binoculars and happened to point them skyward. His interest in astronomy blossomed and this past Christmas he received a new Orion 6" dobsonian reflector.
     Andy’s parents have also become interested in the hobby and like the opportunity it provides for "family" outings. They have taken Andy to several of our monthly meetings and the Messier Marathon. At the Marathon, Andy bagged 14 Messier objects with his new scope.

ASTRONOMY DAY
By Katrina DeWitt

     Our biggest public event of the year is upon us! Astronomy Day 2000 will be held on Saturday, April 8^th, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Neville Public Museum. We need YOUR help!!
     This year's event is bigger and better than ever before. We have secured a NASA representative to give two presentations, the National Weather Service office in Green Bay will be setting up a booth, as well as several hands-on activities including making, and launching rockets, crater making and Earth/Moon scale models.
     Due to the increased publicity (yes, the media has called for interviews already), more activities, and additional organizations joining us we can expect record or near crowds this year. Did I mention a second location of Astronomy Day activities? What we need yet is a near record of volunteers. That's where you come in.
     Let me explain what we do have and where we need your help. Our main focus is on the activities at the Museum during the day of the 8^th. Due to the museum closing early on Friday, we have to have set up on Saturday morning beginning at 8:00 a.m. and hope we're ready to go when the doors open at 11:00.
     Secondly, we want to make this year a transition year from the Wildlife Sanctuary to the Museum. The activities at the Sanctuary will be of lower key, as we will be putting up more static displays and less activities. Nonetheless, we do need a few volunteers to be there to answer questions and maybe do some solar observing and an activitiy or two. The time for the Sanctuary activities is from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Set up for this event will occur on Friday, April 7^th from 7:00 -9:00 p.m.
     Weather permitting, observing is scheduled at the Wildlife Sanctuary Grounds off Danz avenue from 7:30 p.m. -10:00 p.m. We need as many telescopes and binoculars at the field to eliminate long lines. Even if you don't own a telescope come out and participate. We need members to escort the public along the road to the observing site.
     As you can see, with what is happening, we need as many club members as possible to help out. Even if you can't participate the entire day, please consider coming out for a few hours. The more members we can have help, the less burden it will be on everyone. The more people you have, the more fun it can get.J
     Please consider helping out your club and its members who have already signed up to volunteer. To add your name to the list, please contact Katrina DeWitt at katrinadewitt@gbonline.com or call 920-405-8534. Even a hour or two can make a difference!
 

ON THE HORIZON

NCRAL 2000 MEETING
     Taken from the NCRAL 2000 Meeting web page

     The La Crosse Area Astronomical Society will host the annual meeting of the North Central Region of the Astronomical League May 5 and 6, 2000 ("The Great Gathering"). The meeting will be held at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse.
     Group rates for rooms are available at the Midway Hotel (Best Western), 1835 Rose St, La Crosse, WI 54603. A block of rooms is being held until April 5th. Group room rates are $79 per night (1, 2, 3, or 4 persons). Make reservations by calling the hotel directly at (608) 781-7000 and refer to group code 1202. The Night Saver Inn (1906 Rose St.) is also holding a block of rooms until April 5th at $62. Their phone # is (608)-781-0200. They are both located a couple minutes south of the I-90 Hwy. 53 South exit. It is about a 10-minute drive to UW - La Crosse from them.
     Other nearby hotels:
          Brookstone Inn 1830 Rose St., 608-781-1400
          Exel Inn 2150 Rose St., 608-781-0400
          Hampton Inn 2110 Rose St., 608-781-5100
          Days Inn 101 Sky Harbour Dr., 608-783-1000
          Holiday Inn Express 9409 Hwy 16, Onalaska, 608-783-6555
          Microtel Inn 3420 N Kinney Coulee Rd., Onalaska 608-783-0833
          Nuttelman's Motor Lodge N3080 Hwy 16, 608-782-0297 (inexpensive)
          Roadstar Inn 2622 Rose St., 608-781-3070
          Super 8 of La Crosse 1625 Rose St., 608-781-8880
          Baymont Inn 5377 N Kinney Coulee Rd., Onalaska, 608-783-7191

     The meeting registration fee will be $25 until April 5th, $30 from April 6th to May 4th, and $35 at the door. Lunch (choice of baked fish with lemon and butter or stir fry vegetables; both entrees include tossed garden greens, green beans almondine, wild rice blend, rolls, carrot cake and coffee or tea) will be $9 and the banquet dinner (choice of Beef Wellington, Chicken Oscar, or Vegetarian Lasagna; all 3 entrees include spinach salad, sugar snap peas, potatoes Anna, rolls, turtle cheesecake, and coffee or tea) will be $15. Use the registration form below
     The meeting will begin with a reception (6:30 PM to 10 PM) and a planetarium program ("Journey To The Stars" at 7:30 PM and 8:30 PM) at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse Planetarium in Room 20 of Cowley Hall Friday evening. An observing session will be held from 8:30 PM to 10:30 PM that evening on the Cowley Hall rooftop platform (entrance near Room 420), if clear. Saturday's activities will be held in Room 100 of Cowley Hall and will include a keynote speaker, papers, a business meeting, and a banquet speaker.
     Speakers will include:

     The Keynote Speaker will be radio astronomer Dr. Eric Wilcots of the University of Wisconsin - Madison Astronomy Department. The title of his talk is "Making Galaxies".

     Dr. Frank Barmore of the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse Physics Department will give a talk titled "The Earth's Climate: The Last 4 Gigayears and the Next 4 Gigayears".

      Dick Greiner (Madison) will give a talk titled "The Role of CCD Cameras in Amateur Astronomy". His web page is at http://www.mailbag.com/users/ragreiner/.

      Greg Gonia of the Wehr Astronomical Society will give a talk titiled "The Lost Legend of Carl Elias".

      Paul Castle of the Popular Astronomy Club of Rock Island, IL will give a talk titled "The Construction Of A Mobile Observatory".

     We are very fortunate to have Dr. Peter Chen of NASA's Goddard Spaceflight Center as our banquet speaker. His talk will be on "Ultralite Optics". He is working on space and ground-based ultra-lightweight composite mirrors. For a look at his work, visit http://snoopy.gsfc.nasa.gov/~lunartel/.

     La Crosse is located on I-90 on the Mississippi River. Approximate driving time from Green Bay is 4 hours. For more meeting information, contact Robert Allen at (608) 785-8669 or send an email to: Robert Allen.

NCRAL 2001 PLANNING MEETING – May 24^th

     Our next planning meeting for the North Central Region of the Astronomical League (NCRAL) 2001 meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 24^th at the home of Wayne Kuhn. His address is 2142 Spring Creek Circle in Green Bay. Phone: 468-0765.
     Starting time for the meeting is 7:00 PM. Quite a bit of progress was made at the last meeting. The dates are set for Friday and Saturday, May 4^th and 5^th of 2001 and we have agreed on the Ramada Inn of Green Bay as the site. Now we are getting into the phase of delegating some of the workload. The more people we have involved the easier (and more fun) it will be.
     Please come to the meeting and help out.

FROM THE MEMBERSHIP

"STAR WARE" BOOK REVIEW
     by Dick Francini

     The book is "Star Ware-Second Edition" by Philip S. Harrington. The author calls the book "The amateur astronomer`s ultimate guide to choosing, buying, and using telescopes and accessories". It contains information which will be extremely helpful to both the beginner and intermediate level observer.
     Some of the areas covered include: telescope types, their advantages and disadvantages, a review of many different competing telescope brands, a discussion and review of a wide range of accessories, an in-depth explanation of eyepiece types, and a recommendation of some possible good choices depending what type of telescope you own and what you can afford to spend. It also has a very interesting chapter on items you can make at home from items purchased at the local hardware store. These include simple accessories like homemade collimation tools (a sight tube or cheshire eyepiece) to more complicated projects like an observing chair, a binocular observing chair, and a homemade auto-focus device. It also contains a good chapter on collimating and mirror testing.
     The book now has you ready to go outside under the stars to try out your observing skills. The final chapters are devoted to helping you find a number of the brighter more interesting objects in the sky by giving some basics in beginning observing. He includes a listing of his favorite 175 objects including the Messier objects. The book concludes with appendixes of telescope information (including a rough cost estimate and some basic specs), eyepiece information, and a astronomical yellow pages. He also asks anyone who reads the book to fill out a questionnaire detailing what items they have personally bought, and as much detail as you are willing send back to him regarding how these items worked, problems you may have experienced, and your overall rating of them. This is for his next book, volume three.
     I found this book to be the most complete book I’ve seen on astronomy equipment (although my experience in this area is somewhat limited), with the reviews and recommendations extremely helpful. The book received good reviews from both Sky and Tel and Astronomy, and is available through Sky Publishing. I can give anyone interested in the book the information to order it.

NPMAS MARKETPLACE

FOR SALE:
     Meade 400 series plossel 9.7mm ocular. Brand new in the box, never opened. It lists for about $95 from the mail-order people with the shipping. $75 will buy it. CONTACT:
Don Stewart, W8923 North Lake Road Vulcan, MI 49892 906-438-2277