ASTRONOMY CLUB OF TULSA
OBSERVER
March
2004
http://AstroTulsa.com
ACT, Inc. has been meeting continuously
since 1937 and was incorporated in 1986. It is a nonprofit; tax
deductible organization dedicated to promoting, to the public, the art
of viewing and the scientific aspect of astronomy.
What
The Astronomy Club of Tulsa Club
When
Friday, 5 March, 2004 at
7:30 PM
Where
Room M1
inside Keplinger Hall, the Science & Engineering Building at
TU
Enter
the parking lot on the East Side of Keplinger Hall from Harvard
and 5th Street
This will take you directly toward the staircase to enter the
building.
Room M1 is the first room on the left.
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President’s
Message
Craig Davis
Another month has gone by and we are
getting closer and closer to the transit of Venus in June.
This will be one of the most interesting occurrences in such
an extended amount of time. That alone will grace all of us
with something that will come only once in our entire life
times. Wouldn't it be rather funny if Venus made the same
number of transits as there are solar eclipses? But no,
planetary orbits aren't quite the same. It only takes place
after many, many years. The countdown has started and
hopefully when we get down to the final few hours of it we
won't have to contend with a vast overcast. If the future
weather reports and satellite images reveal a socked in agenda
it may actually be worth a short, or perhaps even a long trip
to an open sky area. Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope
for the best. Break out the filters and be ready, it will be a
grand transit as we've never seen before.
Both Spirit and Opportunity have been
churning out a tremendous amount of information concerning the
geological arena of Mars surface. Each of the small rovers
busy grinding away at a rock face to see what may lie below.
Both of the Mars rovers are starting to generate less power
these days though because Mars is starting to slip into
Winter. In order to compensate for the reduced amount of light
falling on the rovers' solar panels, engineers have begun a
new lower-power communications plan. The rovers will only
receive information in the morning, and transmit through Mars
Odyssey twice a day. The rovers will also take more
"naps" during the day to conserve battery power.
Even so, there has yet been a definite and positive
confirmation of possible water deposits, or from what may very
well be salty brine that may lie just below the surface. If
so, this in and of itself will possibly hold a form of water.
With that, in a way, it only fits the on running mystery of
Mars as it will remain intriguing until the final conclusions
are made - one way or another. Is there, or is there not
water? The answer remains to be found.
A planning session is to be held for the
upcoming "Public Planet Night". This will be held in
conjunction with the Oxley Nature Center at Mohawk Park just
as the Mars Watch was back in September. With events of this
nature we will be well known by the public at large as well as
showing many people what is so beautiful and rewarding in the
field of amateur astronomy. Specific dates and times for this
event will be relayed to all as soon as possible. It will be
looking forward to I'm sure. Keep your fingers crossed and we
won't have the same encounter with heavy dew as before. Oh
yes, keep an eye on comet T7. Before long it will be naked eye
visible and well worth the view.
It's with true regret that I must say that
we shall not have a guest speaker at the upcoming March
meeting. After having contacted so many people at so many
different schools and institutes, unfortunately, none were
available for our next meeting. From so many different
schedules that effect availability all other meetings up to
October are locked in with a guest speaker but for some
unknown reason there has seemed to have been a curse that was
placed on March. I truly apologize to all of you. No, our
meeting has not been canceled, yet there will be many things
exchanged that I believe will be of considerable interest to
all. Stand bye, you can't ever tell what's coming up to
counter this curse of March. See you all at our next meeting.
Craig D. Davis
President
Astronomy Club of Tulsa
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David's
Astro Corner
"Messier
Hunting"
By
David Stine
How
many of you have been able to locate and document all 110
Messier objects over the past several years. I bet only a
handful. What if I told you it is possible to see all or most of
them in one marathon night. It can only be done at a certain
time of the year and that time will be in a few weeks. OK lets
back up for a minute for all you new comers. What is a Messier
object? Way, way back when astronomy was just being recognized
as a legitimate science, a man named Charles Messier was one of
the first true comet observers. He was constantly looking for
new and unobserved comets. He did have one irritation. There
were allot of comet look-alikes that when he would venture upon
them he would have to take valuable time to determine if what he
was looking at was a comet or not. You see, comets move after a
few minutes and other objects don't. After doing this many
times, Messier decided to number these objects and log them so
that if he came upon them again while searching for comets he
would immediately know that it wasn't a comet he was looking at
and wouldn't waste valuable time. The rest is history, these
irritations have now become known as Messier 1-110, some of the
most beautiful objects in the heavens known as galaxies,
nebulas, star clusters, etc. I am sure you have seen some of the
brighter ones like, Orion nebula, Andromeda Galaxy, Lagoon
Nebula, etc. Back in the 70's people like Tom Hoffelder wondered
if it was possible to see all of the objects in one setting. So
after several calculations he determined the date that it was
actually possible to accomplish the feat. And the marathon was
born. There are as I said 110 of these objects and at one time
of the year all of them can be seen from dusk to dawn. This year
the date is March 20. Tom got the ball rolling then others like
Ron and Maura Woods established their own marathons here in
Oklahoma. Every year our neighboring astronomy club, TUVA near
Council Hill, Ok. Hosts a Messier Marathon. It has always been a
highlight event of the year and a joy to participate in. One
year it was even reported in Oklahoma Today magazine. Each year
whoever finds the most Messier objects is designated the winner
of the David Stine Messier Marathon Award. It was named after me
because I was the first winner back in the early 90's. Last year
Rod Gallagher won finding 104 objects. The event is always a lot
of fun and many members and past members show up for the event.
If you enjoy observing the sky and talking with others about
your hobby you do not want to miss this event and you might even
find the most objects. Ron and Maura are great hosts and you
will enjoy their hospitality. This year in addition to finding
all the Messier objects, you may be able to locate all the
planets as well and possibly see Comet T-7 before it sets in the
west. You might also try for the 2nd brightest star, Canopus,
which will be south of Sirius the brightest star and hugging the
southern horizon. Also a favorite is the Omega Star Cluster,
which will be just above the southern horizon after 1a.m. I'm
sure Steve Chapman will be happy to show you the Chapman Star
Cluster that resembles an elephant too. I will be leading a
caravan starting at 3:15p.m. on that Saturday. If you want to
travel in the caravan meet me at the Homeland parking lot at
91st and Memorial or directions to the site are the following:
Go south on Memorial through Bixby make the big curve back east
and go through Leonard and Haskell. Stay on the Hwy 72 south
through Boynton and Council Hill. G0 3.5 miles south of Council
Hill watch for "End 72" and Junction266". Exit
left (east) at junction. You can also see a church steeple from
72, which is you sign to turn. You will be on a dirt/gravel
road. Go east 2 and ¼ miles to second stop sign and turn left
(north) at a two story white house with black roof. Go north ½
mile to an open field where TUVA is located. Turn left back west
and find you a parking spot. You are here and ready for an all
night marathon of observing and fun. Give yourself about 35-45
minutes from Tulsa. TUVA now has a nice building next to the
observing site where you can rest and warm up if so desired
during the evening and look through their many astronomical
readings and even see a meteorite and learn about the history of
TUVA. Even Bart (Big Astronomical Reflector Telescope) may be
available for you to check out the sky. Ever look through a
30-inch scope? Its awesome and home made. TUVA's ace
photographer and imager, Gerald Miller, may be available to talk
to about his CCD work. He has some awesome images. As I said, it
will be a great time for all and I hope to see you there. Be
sure to bring several layers of clothing, as it does get chilly
during the evening and morning. There's always snacks available
but be sure and bring your own also. If you plan on going with
the caravan please be at the Homeland by 3:15p.m. sharp. You can
reach me at 810-2243 if you are meeting us there. Again that's
Sat. Mar. 20.
One of the
M-Objects has been getting additional attention recently. On the
night of January 23rd, Jay McNeil observed M78 in Orion and took
some CCD shots. He noticed something different about the area.
There was another nebulous object near M78 that wasn't in any of
his other pictures. He immediately notified Brian Skiff of the
Lowell Observatory. On Feb. 10th the International Astronomical
Union announced that McNeil's new object seems to be a faint
optical counterpart to the infrared source IRAS 05436-0007 that
has gone into outburst producing a large reflection nebula. It
has been dubbed " McNeil's Nebula. Looking at past pictures
this nebula has appeared before, so it apparently has outbursts.
When you view M78 be sure and see if you can spot this dim
nebula near by.
Last year the
Astronomy Club of Tulsa and Oxley Nature Center co-hosted a
public viewing of Mars at its nearest approach to earth. It was
a very big success and we are in the planning processes of
co-hosting another public viewing this spring. This time it will
be the major planets. We will need all the help we can get from
our members to have a successful event. The proposed date is
Saturday April 17 at the John Oxley Polo Grounds at Mohawk Park.
I hope everyone will bring their scopes and expertise to show
the public the planets. Please let me know if you will be able
to participate in this event. More details will be available in
the future.
Comet Linear 2002
T7 has slowed down on brightening in the last few weeks and has
stayed steady at around 7th Mg. Does this mean it may fizzle.
Not at all, it is still performing as it should, but it will be
reaching a critical stage in the next few weeks where we will
know definitely if the comet will be another Hale-Bopp or not
for Southern Hemisphere viewers in May. Presently it is on track
to become at the least a 2nd Mg. comet with a beautiful fan dust
tail and could be even as bright as -0.3. Unfortunately it will
be too far south for us to see, however it may still be naked
eye in late May and June when we will be able to see it again.
Right now it is getting closer toward the Sun and won't be
visible much longer in the Northern Hemisphere so you better get
out and view it in the early evenings before it is gone. On the
other hand viewers in the southern hemisphere are reporting that
Q4 is continuing to brighten and this comet will be our best bet
for a bright naked eye comet in early May in the evening. At
that time it is expected to be at least 3rd Mg. and possibly as
bright as 1st Mg. It should be a quite a site hanging between
Venus and Jupiter in the constellation Cancer in May. It should
be something to look forward to.
More Information:
Comet T7 and Q4, for photos and coordinates:
http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/
More Information:
Messier Marathon: http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/marathon/results.html#mm2002
http://www.tuvaclub.org
That's about it
this month from my astro corner. Next month results from the
Messier Marathon, more comet news, updates on the Spring Public
Planet Observing, and a review on binoculars. Keep you eyes to
the skies until next time. |
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MSRAL 2004
coming June 18-19 at Springfield, Mo.
Many of you
attended the MidStates Convention here in Tulsa last June. The
Springfield Astronomical Society is pleased to be the host for
the 54th annual MSRAL convention.
Watch for
details to be posted on the web page www.MSRAL.org
The Great
Texas Star Party is May 16 to 23rd in SW Texas. This year
they are having a drawing for the 700 lucky registrants allowed
to go. See the details at http://www.texasstarparty.org/
A lot closer to home in the tip
of the Oklahoma Panhandle is the Okie-Tex Star Party to
be held Oct 10th to Oct 17th, 2004 There has been serious
discussion of limiting attendance to 300 so stay tuned to their
website. http://www.okie-tex.com/
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Astroland Tidbits
by John Land
New member William Varney sent this great
personalized website with all sort of astronomy events, sky
maps and forums. www.AstronomyDaily.com
It is likely to become one of your most used web resources.
William lives near Ft Gibson Lake and has just completed
making his own customized 10-inch Dobsonian and is eagerly
awaiting the arrival of his mirror so he can start observing.
Congratulations William!
10% Discount on Sky & Telescope
products - If you are a Sky & Telescope subscriber you
simply have to give them your subscription number and
information on the shipping label to qualify for the 10%
discount.
Welcome to our new members.
Troy Reiner, William Varney, John Boston,
Jim Wolfe
TIME for MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS and MAGAZINE
RENEWALS - See information below about sending in your
renewals or bring them to the Friday Feb 9th meeting.
ON LINE REGISTRATION - We now have an
automated on line registration form on the website for new AND
renewal memberships plus magazine subscriptions. You simply
type in your information and hit send to submit the
information. You can then print a copy of the form and mail in
your check. At this time we do not have an option for credit
card payment but may explore that at a later time. http://www.astrotulsa.com/Club/join.asp
EMAIL NEWSLETTER vs POSTAL PRINTED
NEWSLETTER
In order to save postage and printing
expenses and keep annual club dues low, The 100 plus members
who have email will receive notice when each month's
newsletter is posted on the web. If you prefer to also receive
a printed postal newsletter make a request at membership@astrotulsa.com
Email subscribers I will begin sending out notices on expiring
memberships so you can stay current.
Magazine Subscriptions: You can get
substantial discounts for Sky & Telescope and Astronomy
magazine by ordering thorough the Astronomy Club. If your
magazines are coming up for renewal, try to save the mailing
label or renewal form you get in the mail. Do NOT mail
renewals back to the magazine!
To get the club discount you must go
through the club group rate.
Sky & Telescope is $33 / yr www.skyandtelescope.com
Astronomy is $29 for 1 year or $55
for 2 years. www.astronomy.com
If you cannot attend the TU meetings mail
your orders with check to Astronomy Club of Tulsa to the
address below.
Club Memberships and Renewals: If you
see errors or make any changes in your address or E-mail
please keep us informed. Contact John Land membership@astrotulsa.com
or by mail to the address below. You may make Renewals and
changes at any club meeting or mail a check to
Astronomy Club of Tulsa
25209 E 62nd St
Broken Arrow, OK 74014
Note: Sending your check to the club
mailbox may delay processing several weeks. Club memberships
are $25 per year for adults and $15 per year for students.
Online registration automated form is found at http://www.astrotulsa.com/Club/join.asp
or you may pick up a membership form at any of our club
events. You may forward questions to the club by email membership@astrotulsa.com
or call our message line at 918-688-MARS (6277). Please leave
a clear message with your name, phone number, your question -
along with address or email Please make email subject lines
address your question.
Address corrections: Every month we get
several newsletters returned due to faulty addresses. Check
your address label to see if it needs changes and send us an
address change if you move. Also on your mailing address label
you will see the month that your membership dues expire. Email
subscribers I will begin sending out notices on expiring
memberships.
Email Addresses - Sign UP to get the
latest Astro Alerts from David Stine and other
events that take place during the month. If you have not been
receiving these we do not have a valid email address for you.
If you would like to added to our email list send us your NAME
- and Email address with subject - Astronomy Club email list
to membership@astrotulsa.com
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Astronomy Club
of Tulsa |
|
|
|
|
Expense
Summary 2003 |
|
Treasurer
- John Land |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income |
|
|
|
|
|
New
Memberships |
77
New Members |
|
$
1,560.00 |
|
Renewal
Memberships |
69
renewals |
|
$
1,685.00 |
|
Observatory
Donations |
|
|
$
632.00 |
|
Net
2003 Mars
Watch Donations |
|
$
211.20 |
|
MSRAL
Share to Astronomy Club of Tulsa |
|
$
578.65 |
|
Close
Out of Nick Pottorf Books |
|
$
400.00 |
|
Total
2003 Income |
|
|
|
$
5,066.85 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
2003 Expenses |
|
|
|
$
4,816.18 |
|
|
|
2003 |
NET
Balance |
$
250.67 |
Expenses |
|
|
|
|
|
Ast
League 2001 Dues |
(
Back Dues owed) |
$
360.00 |
|
Astro
League dues 03-04 |
|
|
$
444.00 |
|
Club
Meeting costs -- Guest Speakers Etc. |
|
$
194.32 |
|
News
Letter |
|
|
|
$
424.90 |
|
Postal
BOX |
|
|
|
$
90.00 |
|
AstroTulsa
Web Site |
|
|
$
99.00 |
|
Bank
fees |
|
|
|
$
35.05 |
|
Club
Operation Expenses |
|
|
|
$
1,287.27 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Cost at Observatory (See
Below ) |
|
|
$
2,735.17 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Special
One Time expenses |
|
|
|
|
MSRAL
Gift Certificates |
|
|
|
$
125.00 |
New
Eyepieces for Observatory |
|
$
472.00 |
$
472.00 |
Gas
Line Weed Mower |
|
|
$
196.74 |
$
196.74 |
Donations
to Curtis James Family |
No
Cost to club |
$
110.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Product
Orders Paid in Advance by Club members
- No Net Expense or Gain |
|
Astronomy
Magazine Subscriptions |
|
$
951.00 |
|
Sky
& Telescope Subscriptions |
|
$
1,297.00 |
|
Year
in Space Calendars |
|
|
$
256.00 |
|
Astronomy
Wall Calendars |
|
|
$
229.00 |
|
Miscellaneous
Sales Items |
|
|
$
129.27 |
|
Canadian
Observing Handbooks |
|
|
$
348.50 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Observatory
Operation Costs |
|
|
|
|
Liability
Insurance |
$
753.00 |
Annual
Fee |
|
|
|
Phone |
$
411.73 |
(
$31.66 / mo) |
|
|
|
Electricity |
$
534.55 |
(
$48.60 / mo) |
|
|
|
Water |
$
193.60 |
(
$19.36 / mo) |
|
Observatory
Maintance & Repairs |
$
842.53 |
for
2003 yr |
|
Many
repairs due to MRSAL Hosting |
|
|
|
|
|
Observatory Total cost |
$
2,735.17 |
(
$227.93 / mo) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Minus
Observatory Donations |
|
$
(632.00) |
|
|
|
Net
Observatory Costs |
$
2,103.17 |
(
$175.26 / mo) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note
Club accounts are in process of changing banks |
|
|
Annual
Report of Accounts as of
Dec 31, 2003 |
|
|
F&M
Bank - Checking |
|
$1,059.81 |
|
|
F&M
Bank - Savings |
|
$
1,206.27 |
|
|
1st
Nat BA - Checking |
|
$
1,078.14 |
|
|
1st
Nat BA - Savings |
|
$
100.06 |
|
|
Total
Liquid Assets |
|
$
3,444.28 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
AG
Edwards Accounts |
Dec
31/03 |
|
Yeild |
|
Continental
Money Mkt |
$
2,071.97 |
|
0.43% |
|
40
Shares- Fanne Mae |
$
3,002.40 |
|
2.40% |
|
Franklin
Fund |
|
$
7,017.55 |
|
5.98% |
|
Total
Club investments |
$
12,091.92 |
|
|
|
Total
Club accounts |
|
$
15,536.20 |
|
|
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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
1. We will need a minimum of two scopes for
the So. Side Cadets group of 60 Girl Scouts at 07:30 PM Fri Feb
27. We will be at Hunters Park, on the south side of 91st St.
about 1/2 mile west of Sheridan. If everyone who has talked to
me shows up, we should have the minimum amount of volunteers.
Anyone else who shows up will be appreciated, so come on out and
join the fun. If you do not have a scope, just let me know
beforehand and we can provide you with equipment.
2. So far, no one has volunteered to help
with the The Haskel Middle School (which is actually at 81st and
Lynn Lane in Broken Arrow) on Fri March 26th. I have tried to
set the date as far from the Spring Break as possible and still
have a Moon for the kids to observe in that cycle. This is the
venue almost in your own back yard that some of you have
requested, so come on people, and show your public spirit now!
Tentatively scheduled dates below are
bracketed with question marks. The number of persons expected is
in parenthesis.
EVENTS AT RMCC OBSERVATORY:
MAR
19 Fri 06:00 Club Star Party
APR
16 Fri 07:30 Club Star Party
EVENTS AWAY FROM OBSERVATORY
MAR
05 Fri 07:30 Regular Meeting at TU Keplinger
Hall
20 Sat Messier Marathon at TUVA Club House
near Checotah
26 Fri 06:30 BA Haskel Middle School (300)
81st and Lynn Lane ?
APR
? 02 Fri 07:30 Chouteau School (100) ?
? 03 Sat 07:30 Back up for 04/02 ?
09 Fri 07:30 Regular Meeting at TU Keplinger
Hall
? 23 Fri 07:30 Comet Watch at Mohawk Park ?
Gerry Andries
Observatory Group Director
Astronomy Club of Tulsa
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Astronomy Club of Tulsa, 918.688.MARS
President: Craig Davis
Vice
President: Ruth Simmons
Treasurer: John Land
Secretary: Jim Miller
RMCC Observatory Manager: Gerry Andries
RMCC Facility Manager: Craig Davis
Observing Chairman: David Stine
Web Master: Tom McDonough
New Membership: Dennis Mishler
Newsletter: Richie Shroff
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