Volume 12 Issue 8, August 2000

A GLANCE INSIDE

What’s Up in August
From the President
A Look Back at July
NPMAS Logo Shirts
On the Horizon
From the Internet
WHAT'S UP IN AUGUST

AUGUST 4TH – 6TH NORTHWOODS STARFEST

     All 150 spots have been taken for this year’s Northwoods Starfest. NPMAS members that have registered include George McCourt, Wayne Kuhn, Ray Nancoz, Dick Francini, Don & Katrina DeWitt, Ron Parmentier, Shaun & Deanne Stamnes, Tony Kroes, Steve & Sue Wicker, Gary Baier, and Beth Schultze Look for a recap of this event in next month’s newsletter.

AUGUST 9TH MONTHLY MEETING

     Please join us from 7:00 PM to 9:00PM at the Neville Public Museum. This months talk is "Weather on other Planets" given by club member Jill Last. It will also be your last chance to order club-logo shirts this time around.
     Happy Joes to follow!

AUGUST 19TH ANNUAL CLUB PICNIC

     Our 17th annual club picnic will be held at Perkins Park starting at around 2:30 PM.  It will be held on the 19th – not the 12th as was published in our club calendar of events. Please bring your own meat and beverage and a dish to pass. The club will provide all dinnerware and condiments. We are looking for some members who can bring grills!
     The picnic will be discussed more in-depth at the August club meeting. If you have any questions please contact our picnic coordinator, Steve Wicker, at: Phone: 920-496-0288 Email: wickster@gbonline.com
     Come on out and have GREAT time!

AUGUST 25TH – 26TH POW WITH NEWSTAR

     The second Parmentier Observing Weekend of the summer includes our good friends from the valley. Dust off your binoculars and telescopes and join your fellow amateur astronomers for two nights (hopefully) of observing bliss. You can set up your own equipment in the field below the observatory or join Ron for views through his 30 inch telescope.
     Summer doesn’t last long, so get out and observe while it’s still warm out!

FROM THE PRESIDENT
     By Katrina DeWitt

     Welcome to the second installment of the AL Observing programs. This month's program was chosen for all of our new members to our club, those who think they don't know anything about astronomy (especially navigating and finding objects in the night sky), and those experienced observers who want a refresher on the basics of observing.
     The name of this program is Universe Sampler: A Journey through the Universe for the Beginner. It is specifically designed for the beginner with either a small telescope or a pair of eyes. That's right, an observing program that does not require a telescope! Its purpose: to introduce the night sky, what's in it, and how to navigate around it.
     For this observing program, a few things are required. First you need to purchase the book, Universe Sampler from the AL web site or purchase it at any league sales booth at any major star party or regional or national convention **. A copy will be at the August meeting for anyone wishing to look through it. If you are using a telescope, all observations must be done manually. Finally, some object observations may require you to get away from city lights.
     As for the book, it consists of 29 pages plus an observing form for photocopying. Pages one through seventeen are broken down into twelve lesson plans which are titled: 1) Basic Sky Movement, 2) How to find North in the Sky, 3) Star Charts and Constellation Patterns, 4) Angular Measures of Distance, 5) Stating the Location of an Object in the Sky (RA and Dec./ Alt and AZ), 6) Star-Hopping, 7) Eyepiece Field Orientation, 8) Recording your Observations, 9) The Art of Seeing, 10) The Moon, 11)Variable Stars, and 12) The Sun.
     Pages 18 to 29 are the lists for the observing program. The observing is based on the twelve previous lessons. Not only does it reinforce what you have just learned, its allowing the observer to go out and use these skills that become necessary for the advanced observer in search for the elusive galaxy or nebula.
     The observing program is broken down into three separate lists. The first list is required for both naked eye and telescope users. In this section, the activities range from sketching constellations and labeling their brightest stars, to estimating distances between objects, to observing variable stars, meteors and the sun through a pin hole projection.
     Object list two is designed specifically for those using a telescope. It is broken down into two sections. The first section deals with observations of the lunar surface, and the choice of observing three different planets or a comet. The second section is reserved for deep sky objects. There are eighteen different objects ranging in magnitude from 3.8 to 11.2 and are divided by season. Many of these objects are Messiers
     Object list three is set up in the same fashion as list two. The only difference, list three is for naked eye observing. The first section includes observing several lunar features and the option of observing either three planets or a comet. Due to the fact you are using the eye, you need to sketch the planets' position in or near a constellation or record its Azimuth and Altitude. As for the comet, you need to plot the path on a star chart with a minimum of four position points. The second section is reserved for deep sky objects that are broken down into season and range from magnitude1.2 to 5.8. (Dark sky might be needed to observe some of these objects with the naked eye).
     Once you have completed all the necessary observations for this program, you logs should be sent to Don DeWitt for verification. Once all the paper work is in order, you will receive your certificate and pin at the next club meeting for presentation and your name will appear in the next issue of the Reflector.
     Currently, no one in our club has completed this award. With the last issue of the Reflector, only 6 or 7 people have earned this award. Now is the chance to get the book **, learn your way around the sky and be the first in our club to earn this award! The challenge is up to you.
     For more information on this award or any other AL observing program, contact Katrina DeWitt.

**The current price for this book is $8.00/ea. + 15% of the total. The NPMAS is entitled to a 10% discount and no S&H fees on any order of AL publications totaling 15 or more copies (need not all be the same). If there is enough interest in this or any other publication please let me know and a mass order can be made.

A LOOK BACK AT JULY

MONTHLY MEETING JULY 12TH

     A very good crowd (37 people) joined us for the July club meeting. Club business in the first hour included presentation of a Lunar Certificate (#220) to Tony Kroes for observing 100 features on the moon. This is an Astronomical League Award available to all club members (see last month’s From The President article). Congratulations Tony!
     The second hour featured club member and mystery topic speaker Jim Sentowski. Jim gave us an in-depth look on the life and accomplishments of everyone’s favorite comet hunter, Charles Messier. His talk was interactive with questions, answers, and comments supplied by the audience. Great job, Jim!

ADLER FIELD TRIP JULY 15TH
     By Becka, Jeannine, and Bill LaPlant

     Our trip to Chicago started out like all the other members of the NPMAS that made the trip to the Adler Planetarium. But then again, that’s not quite true - we started out on Wednesday while everyone else started out on Saturday. We started out from Green Bay, others started out from DePere, Sturgeon Bay, Abrams, and even Michigan. We traveled down highway 41 and Lake Shore Drive to get to the Planetarium, others stayed on the interstate. So what was the same??? I think everyone had a good time.
     This was our first trip in to the heart of Chicago as well as to the Adler Planetarium, and we enjoyed the complete experience. The drive along Lake Shore Drive was everything I was told it would be. It consisted of great views looking out over the many beaches on to the lake as well as the Chicago skyline. What made the driving experience even better is that we had no problems and didn’t go through any bad areas of the city.
     Our time at the Planetarium started off with a walk through the History of Astronomy Gallery. This may have been the part I most enjoyed because I have an interest in timepieces. The Gallery had a large display of sundials both big and small dating from way back in time. From the History of Astronomy Gallery we moved on to the Hubble Space Telescope display. The model of the Hubble Telescope was impressive, as were the displays, which included hands on interaction.
     Our next stop was the Sky Show Journey to Infinity. This was the first interactive show I ever went to. Each seat had a key pad that when activated would either light and rotate a box on the screen or be part of navigating a craft along the surface of Mars (by the way the spectators crashed each time). Following the show we went back to finish up the Hubble display and moved on to the remaining Galleries (Special Exhibits, Atwood Sphere, Cosmology, Milky Way Galaxy, and ending up at Our Solar System. All of the Galleries included interactive displays and plenty of interesting things to read and review.
     We ended our Planetarium visit with a walk through the Infinity Shop and the memory that we didn’t stop to eat lunch (the food cart outside took care of the lunch oversight). During our snack break we walked around the Planetarium and enjoyed the waterfront, which included a walk on the beach and along the boardwalk (concrete sidewalk).
     It is a very nice area and we will be making more trips back to take in not only what we missed at the Planetarium but to visit the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum, and maybe even more of the downtown Chicago area as well.
     Our day ended with a dinner stop in Chicago and good return trip home. When all was said and done our trip to the Planetarium consisted of 700 miles and lots of fun. But that will be put into my "What I Did On My Summer Vacation Essay" (which by the way most of you won’t see).

NEW MEMBER WELCOME MAT

     Another adventurous person joined our club this past month. Her name is Lynn Ward, 2355 Deckner Avenue, Green Bay, WI 54302. Phone: 920-469-1515  Email: lward2001@yahoo.com
     Via the miracle of email, I asked Lynn several questions about her interest in astronomy and our club. Here is her response:
     "I've had a life-long interest in astronomy. I belonged to the Planetary Society and the Astronomical Society many years ago, and went to a few meetings at local clubs in other towns I lived in. I'm relatively new to Green Bay, and found your club by searching for a local club on the Internet."
     "I started a degree in astronomy and physics at Arizona State University in the mid-eighties, but changed my major to Computer Information Systems. I currently work as a consultant for a Milwaukee firm. They send me on projects at different companies in the Green Bay area where I help with technical documentation and training."
     "I hope to learn a lot from the club and joined it because, from the calendar, it looks like there are
speakers and presentations pretty regularly. That's important to me because my interest in astronomy is primarily academic."
     "I've been divorced for sometime and have a son in college majoring in economics and computer science."
     Lynn has a pair of binoculars and an 8" reflector that she has used for public observing with an another astronomy club.
     WELCOME TO THE CLUB, LYNN!

NPMAS LOGO T-SHIRTS
     By Steve Wicker

     Its your last chance to order T-shirts and sweatshirts again - the deadline is the 16th of August. Bring your order forms (enclosed in the last issue of The Eyepiece) to me at the August meeting or send me a check along with your order form - make sure I get it on or before the 16th. We should then receive them by our meeting in September so everyone can show them off at Astrofest!
     Clear skies - Steve Wicker

(Any questions call Steve Wicker at 496-0288. Send all orders to Steve Wicker, 1286 San Jose Place, Green Bay WI, 54303. Once again, please make sure your order is in by august 16th so that they will be ready to pick up at the Sept 13th meeting.)

ON THE HORIZON

ASTROFEST 2000

     This year's Astrofest is Friday, September 22 – Sunday, September 24.  If you are interested in attending your registration must be postmarked on or before 8-19-99.  A registration form and a T-shirt order form can be found along with more information at the Chicago Astronomical Society website: http://www.chicagoastro.org/

FROM THE INTERNET

THE MISSING PIECES OF COMET LINEAR
     Taken from NASA NEWS

     August 7, 2000 -- To the surprise and delight of astronomers, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a small armada of "mini-comets" left behind by what seemed to be a total disintegration of the explosive comet LINEAR.
     Hubble's powerful vision has settled the fate of the mysteriously-vanished solid nucleus of the comet, which disappeared from the view of Earth-bound telescopes following its passage around the Sun on July 26th.
     On July 27, ground-based observers lost sight of the bright core of the comet and suggested that the nucleus disintegrated into a pile of dust. Astronomers at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, MD, quickly reprogrammed Hubble to search for the missing nucleus. Johns Hopkins University astronomer Hal Weaver said he was stunned when the Hubble image popped up on his computer screen. "My first thought was Hubble Space Telescope does it again! We caught the fish! This is amazing, very exciting, very neat."
     Though comets have been known to break apart before, this is the first time astronomers have a close-up view of the dismantling of a comet's nucleus due to the Sun's heat. Since the 1950s, researchers assumed comet nuclei were loose clusters of ice and dust, called cometesimals, held together by gravity. Solar heat causes the ices to sublimate and violently release gas as explosions and garden hose-style jets. The pressure of the solar radiation blows away particles like debris caught in a gale.
     Some astronomers think that the fragments now being seen in LINEAR may be the primordial building blocks of the original nucleus, the so-called cometesimals, which theory predicts should be several tens of feet across. The breakup of a comet tells scientists how it was put together in the first place. The cometesimals were built up from micron-sized grains of dust as it collected in the early solar system, roughly 4.6 billion years ago.
     On Weaver's screen were at least a half dozen "mini-comets" with tails, resembling the shower of glowing fireballs from fireworks. They were clustered in the lance-head tip of an elongated stream of dust. An isolated brighter piece in front of the cluster may be the parent nucleus for the smaller fragments. Hubble's exceptional resolution and sensitivity allowed it to reveal the nuclei as separated bodies at a level of detail never before seen in a disintegrating comet.
     Some astronomers find it hard to imagine how an object the size of a mountain could totally disintegrate in only two weeks. "Actually, I would have been more amazed if Hubble saw no pieces," adds co-investigator Carey Lisse, of STScI. "The comet's breakup was too violent and fast for it to completely vaporize. How do you pulverize something the size of a mountain?"
     In hindsight Comet LINEAR began falling apart in June when the comet unexpectedly brightened, indicating an outburst of dust. Powerful gas jets nudged the comet along a chaotic path, another indication of a very volatile activity. Hubble fortuitously caught a piece blowing off on July 5 - which may have been the first of the cometesimals or a piece of crust. Another comet brightening happened on July 20. When the comet went around the Sun on July 26, the Sun's heat made the comet come unglued.
     Weaver says it will be important for the largest ground-based telescopes to try and see the mini-comets as they spread apart. This may yield further clues on the structure of the original nucleus and the sizes of the remaining fragments.
     Some astronomers believe this was Comet LINEAR's first visit to the inner solar system, after traveling for nearly the distance of one light-year (six trillion miles) from the vast comet storehouse called the Oort cloud. Other astronomers suggest that LINEAR may have been a fragile piece that broke off of a larger comet that visited our solar system more than 10 million years ago.