Volume 12 Issue 12, December 2000

A GLANCE INSIDE
What's Up in December
NCRAL 2001 Reminder
A.L. Observing Program
Camp U-NAH-LI-YA
A Look Back at November
From The Membership

A GLANCE OUTSIDE
December:
04 - First Quarter Moon
11 - Full Moon
14 - Geminid meteor shower peak (95/hour)
18 - Last Quarter Moon
21 - Winter Solstice
22 - Ursid meteor shower peak (20/hour)
25 - New Moon (Partial solar eclipse 60 percent)

Mercury is at superior conjunction with the Sun on the 25th and is not observable this month.  Venus improves its visibility this month and stands about 15 degrees above the southwestern horizon at evening twilight.  Mars is in Virgo and rises in the east-southeast and stands nearly 30 degrees above the southeast horizon as morning twilight begins.  Both Jupiter and Saturn are in Taurus and stand 30 - 40 degrees above the eastern horizon at the end of evening twilight.  Jupiter sets about 2.5 hours before sunrise and Saturn sets before the beginning of morning twilight.

WHAT'S UP IN DECEMBER
DECEMBER 4^TH CUB SCOUT SHOW

Wayne Kuhn is giving a small tour of the universe to his son’s Cub Scout den, weather permitting. The group will consist of about ten 7 – 8 year olds and a handful of parents.

Wayne has two scopes and could use a couple more. There will be a quarter moon, Jupiter and Saturn to look at as well as a few choice deep sky objects. The viewing would start at 6:30 PM in the back parking lot of Christa McAuliff school in Bellevue. If you would like to help out please give Wayne a call at 468-0765.

NOTE FROM KATRINA DEWITT: the Cub Scout observing event for Weds. Dec 6th has been canceled. It is tentatively rescheduled for Jan. 17th instead. Same place, same time. Look for confirmation in the next newsletter.

DECEMBER 9^TH HOLIDAY PARTY!!!

 There is still time to sign up!!! Call Jill Last at 983-0734 or email her at jilllast@new.rr.com no later than Monday, December 4^th to get in. This year’s party is at the Rock Garden Supper Club, 1951 Bond Street in Green Bay. Cocktails start at 5:00 PM and dinner is at 6:00 PM.

The menu includes a choice of Tenderloin, Orange Roughy, or Chicken Oscar, each for $12.95 plus tax. Each dinner includes a tossed salad, baked potato, hot vegetable, dinner rolls, coffee and milk. Other drinks and dessert are extra.

DECEMBER 13^TH MONTHLY MEETING

Please join us from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the Neville Public Museum. This months talk is "The Building of Parmentier Observatory" given by club member George McCourt.

After the meeting everyone is invited to Happy Joes for food and/or drink.

NOTE FROM RON PARMENTIER: The Weekly Space Calendars are in and can be picked up at the Holiday Party or the December club meeting. If you cannot make either one please give Ron a call at 336-5878.

Just a reminder to send in your NCRAL 2001 Convention registration form this month. The form can be found in last month’s newsletter or contact Wayne Kuhn for a new one.

Since we are the host society for this event we want to ensure our own members have the first opportunity to sign up (there is a 200 person limit). On January 1^st we will be opening up registration to the rest of the North Central Region of the Astronomical League. More information is available at our club web site: www.npmas.com

HELP NEEDED FOR CONVENTION!

We have several needs that we are looking for club members to fulfill. First and foremost, we need someone to provide lodging for our main speaker, John Dobson. Mr. Dobson does not like motels and has asked to be a guest in someone’s home for the duration of his stay (Thursday, May 3^rd – Sunday, May 6^th). This could be the opportunity of a lifetime: Mr. Dobson is a fascinating personality and a living legend in the amateur astronomy field. (To learn more about John Dobson go to: http://www.magicpubs.com/dobson/)

We also have a need for Observatory drivers,
vender booth help, snack observer, etc. If you can help with any of these please give Katrina DeWitt a call at 405-8534.

A.L. Observing Program
SUNSPOTTER’S CLUB

By Katrina DeWitt - NPMAS President

This month we’re going to journey to "the only inherently dangerous observing an amateur astronomer can do". So dust off those solar filters and get ready to venture into the daylight and begin the Astonomical League’s Sunspotter’s Club.

To Begin this program, you will need a telescope and a proper solar filter. Under no circumstances should you look directly at the sun. Not only will you be seeing spots, but you could also do permanent and irreparable eye damage.

Other items you must have include copies of the observing forms, the A.L. publication Observe and Understand the Sun (revised edition), some pencils, a clipboard and preferably the sun at or near solar maximum. Maybe you don’t need to be a solar max, but you do need sunspots!

The premise of this club is to familiarize you with the sun and its cycles. To so this accurately, you will need to be well versed in terminology, features and the different classifications. This is where the above mentioned publication becomes an invaluable tool. Once this is understood you will have a greater knowledge of the sun and, hopefully, a deeper appreciation while viewing our closest star.

Completing this program will be a challenge. It requires time, patience, accuracy, and a willingness to see it through. So what needs to be done to earn the pin and certificate?

Simply put, you need to make two sets of drawings. Technically speaking, the first set must be five sunspot sketches on five different days. Included with these sketches, you must accurately depict their location and identify all relevant features such as the penumbra, facula, etc.

For the second set of drawings, you must make a whole disk drawing of the sun throughout the passage of a large sunspot group during two separate solar rotations. In addition, you need to classify the sunspot groups, do a sunspot count and compute the Wolf Number. All this requires a minimum of 20 whole disk drawings for the two rotations.

Once completed, you need to submit your materials to our awards coordinator, Don DeWitt, for verification. You will then be presented with a pin and certificate. Currently there are only 25 certificates given out as of the August 2000 issue of the Reflector.

I have not started this observing program and am unaware of anyone in our club working on this. I myself am waiting for access to a solar filter. Until then, I think I’ll read the manual and become very familiar with the terminology and classification of features.

(Editor’s note: to see an actual picture of the sun that is updated daily, go to www.spaceweather.com. The sunspot groups are labeled and a total sunspot count is given.)

CAMP U-NAH-LI-YA

As 2000 comes to a close, we are already starting to look forward to our first event for 2001, our eleventh annual Camp U-Nah-Li-Ya Winter Weekend. The dates are Friday through Sunday, January 26^th through the 28th. Early arrival time is 4-5 PM Friday and late departure time is approximately 3 PM Sunday. Please check in at the Dining Hall when you arrive.

What is the Winter Weekend? First of all, it means relaxation. The camp cooks you six meals (Friday night dinner, 3 meals on Saturday, and breakfast and lunch on Sunday) and then they wash the dishes! The only phones are in the offices and there are no televisions or radio's to be found.

If you enjoy winter sports you will definitely like it here. The camp has an ice skating rink right next to the dining hall and there are hockey sticks and pucks for those interested in getting a game of broom ball going. There is also an extremely large ice rink known as the lake not far from our cabin. The camp has many different sizes of ice skates or you can bring your own.

Skating not your forte? Well how about cross-country skiing? The camp has over seven miles of well-groomed trails in and around the Nicolet National Forest for your enjoyment. Camp UNIE has many skis, boots and poles. Again, you are also welcome to bring your own equipment. Other activities include snowshoeing, ice fishing, and sledding. The camp has a variety of snowshoes, sleds and fishing gear including an ice shanty on the lake for our use.

What? You are a warm weather person? Fine, as a matter of fact, bring your shorts along! The camp has a wood burning sauna waiting to melt the icicles from your nose and we've got the keys! If you are brave you can even compete in the snow-rolling contest.

Lodging for both nights is in group cabins #11 and #12 that will be shared by NPMAS members and their families. Bunk beds with mattresses are provided but you must bring a sleeping bag or other bed linens. The cabins are heated and equipped with a wood-burning fireplace. Separate bathroom facilities and hot showers are provided. Since this is an astronomy club event, we will, of course, be bringing our telescopes along to enjoy Wisconsin's dark northern skies. The camp also owns an eight inch telescope which we will be able to use. There is currently one other group scheduled for that weekend. We have agreed to put on a stargazing session for them on Saturday if the weather cooperates. It usually lasts for one to two hours, which will leave us plenty of time afterwards to do some serious observing.

The cost for the weekend is $61.00 for adults and $51.00 for those under 18. A very reasonable price considering what you get: two nights lodging, six meals, unlimited use of all facilities, cross country skis, ice skates, sauna etc. If you are interested in going please send your check made payable to the NPMAS to Ron Parmentier, 161 Rosemont Drive, Green Bay, WI 54301. Advance payment is required by the January 10, 2001 NPMAS meeting. You can also call Ron at 336-5878 if you need more information.

We look forward to you coming along and making the Camp U-Nah-Li-Ya Winter weekend a weekend to remember!

A LOOK BACK AT NOVEMBER
MONTHLY MEETING NOVEMBER 8^TH

Thirty-seven club members made it to the November club meeting. The first hour was dominated by club business including a review of upcoming events and a few questions. The second hour featured the talk "Astronomy Toys" given by Tony Kroes and Wayne Kuhn. Tony and Wayne showed off their most recent acquisitions and gave a detailed look at the benefits they provided. Great job guys!

FROM THE MEMBERSHIP

WSP TICKETS FOR SALE
Steve Mofle and Julie Havens had signed up for the Winter Star Party in the beautiful Florida Keys but will not be able to attend.  So they are putting their tickets up for sale.  Here is a break down of what they signed up for:

Registration: $75.00/person for the week.  (Monday Feb. 19 through Sat. Feb24)
Camping: $50.00/person for the week  (same days)

I checked with the Winter Star Party registrar and they are all sold out so this is about the only way you can still get into the star party.

If you are interested, others going are George McCourt, Ron Parmentier, Don DeWitt, Tony Kroes and Ray Nancoz.  You can call Steve Mofle at 920-866-3523 if you are interested in the tickets.  You can also contact Don DeWitt if you are interested in other info on the star party.

HELP FOR HOMESCHOOLERS

Club member Beth Schultze is looking for one or more volunteers to give lessons on astronomy to a small group of six to eight homeschoolers. Beth, a homeschooler herself, says the kids would be a minimum of thirteen years old and up.

She would like to see the lessons start sometime between now and spring. Otherwise the dates, times, place, number of lessons and choice of topics would be entirely up to the volunteer(s). "Homeschoolers are very flexible," says Beth.

There are no guidelines – one or two people can put it all together or we could have several people volunteer one lesson each. If you would like to share your knowledge of astronomy and help shape the minds of the next generation, please give Beth a call at 920-826-7632.

BUYING & SELLING ON THE INTERNET

By Wayne Kuhn

Many people seem to have a stigma when it comes to doing business on the internet. They have heard of "horror stories" such as credit card numbers being stolen and dishonest businesses trying to con you out of your money. Americans are use to dealing face-to-face, "kicking the tires" of a potential purchase, and sealing the transaction with a handshake.

But the internet is here to stay and offers some great benefits to those who use it wisely. Yes, there are dishonest people out there, as in any form of commerce, trying to make a fast buck. But if you are careful on how you do business and do a little research on whom you do it with, you can feel somewhat secure about buying and selling on the internet.

 For amateur astronomers this can pay huge dividends. Back in the fall of 1997 I wanted to upgrade to a larger 10" telescope. But what to do with my three year old 5" Celestron C5+? I advertised it in our club newsletter – no takers. I took it with me to Astrofest and tried to sell it there – no takers. Finally, when it seemed I would not be able to sell it a friend placed an ad for me on a web site called Astronomy Mall. I received three inquires right a way and the scope was sold to the first one in less that a week! I also sold a set of colored filters and an eyepiece the same way and just as fast. All the items were sold for about 75% of their original value.

 Within this past month I had decided to purchase a small telescope that I could keep in the car with me and pull out for a quick look at the sun, moon, and planets or take on business trips. I felt a used ETX90-EC would fill the bill if I could find the right deal – lots of accessories for not so much money. Over a two week span I browsed the internet classifieds and saw at least 6 different ETX90-EC’s offered for sale. I finally chose one that included the Autostar computer, a solar filter, a 45 degree prism, a hard carrying case, two eyepieces, and the table top legs. If all of this was purchased new it would have cost me $1,100.00. I got it for $750.00 (no tax, and the seller paid the shipping!).

I did take precautions on all the deals. On the items I sold I took the buyer’s credit card number and kept it as a last resort if their check failed to show up (My business takes credit cards so I was able to check on the card to make sure it was valid and I could have charged to it if I needed to. Not everyone has this ability). Both transactions went smooth.

On my recent purchase of the ETX telescope the seller sent it COD via UPS. I just made out the check when it showed up. This method provided both parties peace of mind that they would not get "ripped off".

Everyone I have dealt with turned out to be very sincere, interesting, and all around good people. My C5+ went to a gentleman in Seattle, WA who bought it for his college bound daughter. My eyepiece and filters went to a mother of two in Ohio who just built her own scope. After three years we still email each other once in a while.

My ETX purchase was from a young man in Kalamazoo, MI. He took the time to include two pages he typed giving me advice from his experience on how to use the scope. One week after I had received everything, he emailed me that he decided to send me his tripod also (a $100-$150 value) AT NO CHARGE! This was totally unexpected and above and beyond the call of duty. I suppose we had gotten to know each other a little via email and a couple of phone calls, he figured I could use the tripod more than he did, and decided to commit a random act of kindness. Though I have never met this former ETX owner I believe I have a new friend.

Person to person transactions like these have the most risk but also offer the best buys. I have also done extensive shopping on the internet looking at various merchandise dealer’s web pages. Secure online ordering is normally safe, especially if you deal with businesses that regularly advertise in the trade magazines or have been recommended by other people you trust. I can research an item, view a picture of it, and find the lowest price available in a minimum amount of time.

Next time you have the urge to indulge yourself with a new or used telescope, binoculars, or accessory, log on and look around! It’s a big world out there but the internet can bring it all right to your computer screen.

To buy/sell used astronomy equipment try:

http://www.buytelescopes.com/cls/default.asp

http://63.169.124.5/cats.asp (Astromart)

http://www.burnettweb.com/ite/used.htm

http://astronomy-mall.com/

COW II REVIEW

By Julie E. Holzer

The Crivitz Observing Weekend II was held October 27^th - 29^th in the northern Wisconsin wilderness. Dave Jorgenson and his girlfriend, Carol, were our gracious hosts at their home alongside the Thunder River.

Friday afternoon, Steve Mofle (master star-hopper and all around good guy), his faithful dog, Brandy, and I arrived in Crivitz. We chatted with Dave at DJ’s Motorcycle Shop, checked out the satellite photos of the clouds overhead and wondered who else would show up for the observing event.

Set-up at the site (a large clearing on flat ground above the Thunder River) was like having the Great Plains to ourselves when compared to the limited space this year at Parmentier Observatory (due to corn encroachment).

Friday night was blustery, cloudy, cold, and we had no opportunity to observe the night sky. Ty Westbrook from Appleton spent the night in the second cabin but none of us knew he’d come up Friday night!

Saturday brought cold breezes and sunny skies and the rest of the COW II crew: Gerry Kocken, Tony Kroes, Wayne Kuhn, Mike Monfils and Ray Nancoz. Mike brought watermelon to share and its sweet taste, despite the brisk air and pale sunlight, reminded me of summer. Brandy the dog ate the rinds. Steve insists the dog is not senile.

After a hot supper at a good local restaurant, we ascended the hillside to the clearing and were soon joined by a mixed group of Cub, Webelo, and Boy Scouts. They were curious and impressed by the telescopes, the gadgetry and the deep space objects they saw. However, we all turned to the North in proper awe when the Northern Lights danced like a midnight rainbow for us. Many of the Scouts had never seen the Northern Lights before and I am sure they won’t forget their hours with the astronomers any time soon.

Sunday morning I got up at 7:30 AM but Ray, asleep on the couch, didn’t seem to appreciate my rise-n-shine attitude after Tony and he had stayed out observing until 4:30 AM. The morning was partly cloudy and cool. Everybody ended up in our cabin, breakfasting on home-made brownies, blueberry muffins, cookies, hot cherry turnovers, milk, juice, and hot cocoa.

By mid-afternoon, everyone had packed up and headed south, back to the big city. I had a nice collection of wild turkey feathers, a slight cold and happy memories of the wilderness weekend. Thank you, Dave and Carol, for hosting your NPMAS friends and sharing your beautiful land with us "city folk".

DPAS FIRE

EDITORS NOTE: This was emailed to us on 11/19/00:

I am writing with awful news. I received a call this morning with news that the Leif Everson Astronomical Observatory had been broken into and started on fire last night. Apparently the only item of interest to the perpetrators was the computer, which they stole. The fire had severely damaged the warm
room, however the telescope and dome seem to be unharmed.

We are now in need of some people to volunteer some time to help with repairs after the insurance adjuster has assessed the damage. If you can help, please contact me directly by replying to this email or calling me at 746-0481 or 920-831-6048 during my work hours of 8-5. I will know more about the timeline at a later date and keep you all informed. Thank you.
 

John W. Beck (Door Peninsula Astronomical Society)

PizzaFiend@itol.com
http://members.itol.com/~pizzafiend

LEONIDS GALORE

Taken from Science@ NASA

November 21, 2000 -- A bright moon, city lights and scattered clouds weren't enough to keep the 2000 Leonid meteor shower at bay. Sky watchers who ventured outdoors after midnight on Nov. 17th and 18th enjoyed sporadic flurries of bright shooting stars numbering more than 200 per hour over parts of Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

This year's Leonid meteor shower consisted of three main episodes lasting several hours each. There was a modest flurry of 50 to 100 meteors per hour on Nov. 17th, followed by two more outbursts of 150 to 450 per hour on the 18th.

For many North Americans the times of greatest activity coincided with local midnight when the constellation Leo was lying low on the eastern horizon. Normally, low-hanging radiants are bad news because they make shooting stars hard to see. In this case, however, sky watchers were treated to a vivid display of Earthgrazing meteors. "Earthgrazers" are shooting stars that emerge from just below the horizon and streak through the upper atmosphere nearly parallel to the ground. They often display colorful halos and long-lasting trails stretching 90 degrees or more across the sky.

"I [started watching] just before 11:00 pm on Friday," recounted Pierre Martin from eastern Ontario. "Even with the Leonid radiant only 3 degrees over the eastern horizon, it was obvious that some fairly high activity was in progress. Several spectacular Earthgrazers appeared! .... A most impressive orange-colored Leonid split the sky in half. It traveled 70 degrees. A multi-colored one at 11:55 pm really blew me away... It went from vivid blue to green to orange before it extinguished and left behind a train that lingered for 3 seconds."

The bright Moon was not a serious impediment to meteor watching as many feared it would be. The Leonids were bright and they tended to streak far from the shower's moonlit radiant.

"I never expected a shower [to be] this good with the Moon up," added Ted Nichols of the Astronomical Society of Harrisburg, PA. "During one 15 minute interval I counted 45 meteors!" Altogether, he saw 275 shooting stars between 10:30 pm on Friday and 3:30 am on Saturday. But, not everyone was so fortunate.

"Like a lot of people in the southeastern US, all we saw in Louisiana were rain showers -- about 10.5 inches worth at my house," lamented meteor enthusiast Dave Hostetter. "We've been having a drought for a year and a half -- I should have known which weekend would get rain!"

Fortunately for such observers, more Leonids are on the way. The triple-peaked character of this year's shower appears to confirm new research that predicts powerful Leonid meteor storms in the future.

"We're very confident that Leonid storms are coming in 2001 and 2002," says forecaster David Asher of the Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland. "Peak rates during those years should reach at least 10,000 meteors per hour when Earth passes through debris streams from comet Tempel-Tuttle."

Asher and collaborator Robert McNaught (Australian National University) drew attention last year when they predicted the onset of a Leonid meteor storm over Europe within minutes of the time it actually occurred. They had carefully studied the orbits of myriad debris streams shed by comet Tempel-Tuttle during its periodic 33-year visits to the inner solar system. By noting the time when Earth passed close to one of those dust trails, Asher & McNaught were able to forecast the1999 Leonids with unheard-of precision.

Astronomers have long regarded the Leonids as stubbornly unpredictable. The failure of a major Leonid storm to appear in 1899, after scientists had urged millions to stay up and watch it, was "the worst blow ever suffered by astronomy in the eyes of the public," according to 19th-century astronomer Charles Olivier. For the next hundred years astronomers fared little better with hit-or-miss forecasts based on historical records.

As mid-November 2000 approached, meteor watchers were anxious to learn if the dust stream models developed by Asher & McNaught would work again. It seemed to be a testable question because -- according to the models -- Earth was heading for the outskirts of three debris streams. Expectations were tempered by the fact that the expected encounters were not very close. Earth would pass half a lunar distance (LD) from one stream and 0.3 LD from two others. Researchers suspected that these might be great distances compared to the average width of a dust filament. If the outer reaches of the debris fields were rarefied, observers might see very little meteor activity or possibly none at all.

The doubters became believers by day's end on Nov. 18th as sky watchers reported strong meteor activity during all three encounters. There is still some uncertainty about the exact times of the maxima and their amplitudes, and how those compare to the predictions, but the essentials are clear: Asher & McNaught-style models can predict Leonid meteor showers, and for more than one year in a row. Otherresearchers are already working to improve the basic predictive models by, e.g., adding the effects of radiation pressure on meteoroids and considering in detail the trajectories of debris particles ejected from the parent comet. Decades of uncertain Leonid meteor forecasts may soon be a distant memory.

Indeed, the future looks bright for Leonid meteors. In mid-November 2001 Earth will pass almost directly through three more Leonid dust streams. Observers in the Americas, east Asia, Australia and the Pacific Ocean will be favored for a good display. Even the Moon is expected to cooperate -- its phase will be nearly New, affording dark skies for observers.

So, if rain or clouds (or simply a faulty alarm clock) spoiled your view of the 2000 Leonids, don't despair. The best may be yet to come!