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OAKLAND ASTRONOMY CLUB

NEWSLETTER

                                                       JANUARY  2009                                                       


icicles


Gort
Bill  MacIntosh,  Editor



CLUB PRESIDENT:     Dave Holt  (248-674-1950)                                                              WEBSITES:   www.oaklandastronomy.org   Link                  
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                                                                                                                                                                               (Newsletter html site)                                
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LAST MEETING
Minutes from January 11, 2009
M. Jeffery, Secretary                                                                                                                                            
                                                             
Opening
President Dave Holt called the meeting to order at 7:35 PM.     
10 members present, 2 visitors:   Ryan and Rob Siebert

Announcement of 2009 Officers:
Observing Reports:
Bob Berta reported viewing a comet, named "Kushida" thru a 10" scope at the Warren Club site a couple weeks ago, estimating it to be about 10.7 mag.    

The conjunction of planets was also seen by several members.

The larger-than-normal FULL MOON at perigee also drew positive comments on how big and bright it appeared.

Introduction of visitors:
Ryan and his dad (Rob) introduced themselves.   Ryan is a student at Oakland University, very interested in Astronomy and seeking advice on acquiring his first telescope.

 Sky-at-a-Glance

Bill Girardin distributed SkyMaps  and gave the presentation.  ( See Below)   
Club Activities

Past
       Michigan Winter weather inhibited activity at Addison Oaks due to accessibility issues.
  
frozen

 Future
                 February 21st  8-10pm
              April 4th   9-10pm
              July 25th   9-11pm
              November 14th   8-10pm
Observing Night Contacts  -  Addison Oaks 

Contact for:      
                          
                          Jan  23 & 24     Dave Holt     248-674-1950  
                          Jan  30 & 31     Tom Hagen   248-650-8951    
                                Feb   20            Jim Saoud     248-652-1496
                          Feb  27 & 28     Dave Holt
Business Meeting:

· Bill Girardin gave the financial report.   All income so far this year has been from dues.   Most expenses have been for insurance and association fees.   Club dues are being received this month.     The OAC account has been transferred to a different bank to reduce fees.

Presentations:

      Bob Berta gave a quick introduction to a new Windows based planetarium software program called "Tachyon" that can run on a PDA.  It is reasonably full featured and available for download HERE.


General Discussion:    

      Eyepieces-----Just how many do you really need ?

    Walt Fielek asked about the Club's website and its maintenence.    Although tweaked a bit last year, it remains somewhat outdated in content.     To make up for this, the Club Newsletter is linked to the menu button "Club News" for re-direct to more current info when visitors access the site which otherwise has been basically static for over a year.
                                                                                                        

                                                                                                                                             
                    


Adjournment:   9:10 PM
Next Meeting:    Sunday, February 8th, 7:30 pm


For Current MoonPhase click HERE
The Sky-at-a-Glance
by Bill Girardin
  Telescope blink
MOON                                                                             CALENDAR
                    LQ     Sun, Jan 18                           12 Jan  Moon Near M44 Beehive
                    NM   Sun, Jan 25                           14 Jan  Venus Greatest Elongation, seen as a near perfect half-circle with a scope
                    FQ     Mon, Feb 2                           22 Jan  Moon at Apogee (252, 350 vs Perigee 222, 138)
                    FM    Mon, Jan 9                           29 Jan   Annular Solar Eclipse over Indian Ocean
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

COMETS:   (Click Links for Finder Charts & Details)

                   Comet C/2007 N3 (Lulin) visible in morning sky between Antares and Spica, 8th Mag.   A one-time visitor from the Oort Cloud, it                       will never return again.

                   Comet Kushida visible at Mag 10.7  

                    The MYSTERY of the "disappearing comet" involves Comet 85/P Boethin.   Although prominently featured in the January 09                             edition of ASTRONOMY on P. 54 including a path chart,  it can no longer be found.   References to it have also disappeared from                       their website.     Some speculate it may have just broken up or evaporated.     No one knows for sure what happened or where it                           went.      So the mystery continues.
                         

PLANETS
                  MERCURY   Fades to Sun, then re-emerges at end of January half-hour before Sunrise, Mag 0.6
                  VENUS          Dusk,  SW, Mag  -4.4,  47 degrees from Sunset        
                  MARS           Hidden in the Sun's glare all month  
                  JUPITER       Evening, WSW, Mag  0.9, N of  Sagittarius
                  SATURN       SE  Mag 1.0 near the tail of Leo, beginning retrograde, rings narrowing
                  URANUS       In Aquarius
                  NEPTUNE     In Capricornus

            
CONSTELLATION PICKS & HIGHLIGHTS:

     AURIGA - The Charioteer
             Capella (Alpha), Mag .1, 42 LY distant, historically signalled the arrival of autumn & winter when it rises

     GEMINI - The Twins
             M35 OC,  Mag 5,  2800 LY distant near the W edge of Gemini, containing about 120 stars
                  
     TAURUS - The Bull - One of the oldest constellations on record
             M45 - The Pleiades, Mag 1.2, Dist = 415 LY
             Hyades, OC,  Dist = 140 LY
             Alpha (Aldebaran the Follower),  Dist = 60 LY
             M1,  the Crab Nebula, Supernova Pulsar, Mag 8.1
  
    ORION - The Hunter
             Alpha (Betelgeuse),  Mag .5,  310 LY distant,  name is Arabic for House of Twins Red Giant
             Beta (Rigel),  Mag .1,  920 LY distant, a blue/white supergiant
             M42-43,  the famous Orion Nebula,  Mag 4, 1700 LY distant
             SIGMA - triple group

    LEPUS - The Hare
            M79,  GC,  Mag 8,  S of Beta

    CANIS MAJOR - The Great Dog
            Alpha (Sirius), Mag -1.5,  8.8 LY distant (fifth closest star), rising predicted the Nile flood and the New Year
             ---- Sirius is a double star ---- how many have actually observed Sirius B, its white dwarf companion ??
            M41, OC,  Mag 6,  about 50 stars just S of Sirius 
             
           

                                                                                                    The Winter Circle
                                                         Made up of seven bright and colorful stars that cover one-fourth of the night sky.
Winter Circle
                                                                                                      Credit   Astronomy.com
   

        
DSO PICK:
           M79   ( See feature below)
                               

 

                                                                                                                                                             


DSO OF THE MONTH
 From Sky-at-a-Glance

                      

  M79   - Globular Cluster  (NGC 1904 )                                                                      Distance = 42,100 LY                                          
M79
 Located in the hemisphere opposite the Galactic Center,  the cluster was discovered by Pierre Méchain October 26, 1780, and reported  to his friend and colleague,  Charles Messier who determined its position and  included it in his catalog on December 17, 1780. It was first resolved into stars and recognized as a globular cluster by William Herschel in about 1784.
Right Ascension 05 : 24.5 (h:m)
Declination -24 : 33 (deg:m)
Distance 42.1 (kly)
Visual Brightness 7.7 (mag)
Apparent Dimension 9.6 (arc min)

More details:
 http://www.maa.clell.de/Messier/E/m079.html
 
Image Credit: Misty Mountain Amateur Observatory in Arizona,  32"  RCT
Equipment, imaging details and FULL SIZE image, click ======> HERE    
  		            Constellation:  LEPUS

 
 


COOL LINK THIS MONTH:

The UNIVERSE VIDEOS
 
This series of videos from History.com is fun to watch and suitable for educational
purposes as well.    The link above will take you to Part 1 of "The Biggest Things in the Universe."
 
                                                ADVERTORIAL
                                          (CLUB PROMOTION)

Woven patches with the Club logo are available for only $3 bucks in two styles, button loop and stitch/iron on.
   		    SEE DAVE HOLT TO GET 'EM.                               

                    


ASTRO-FACTOID OF THE MONTH


DID YOU KNOW?  


Titan Transit
Image Credit:   NASA/ESA  HubbleSite
On February 24, observers have a rare opportunity to witness the Transit of Titan across the globe of Saturn without rings in the way.   Titan's shadow crosses the northern part of Saturn's disk just before dawn.    The timing of this event favors observers in North America.   The transit shadow will begin starting around 5 a.m. CST.  

Since Titan orbits Saturn once every 16 days, combined with the relatively short duration of a shadow transit and that the planet is visible less than 12 hours a day and you can see why shadow transits don't happen often from any single location.

So, break out that long-tube f/15 Refractor and crank up the mag for a spectacular viewing !!!!

                                                                                               Source:   Astronomy,  Feb 09,  P. 46
   

PERSPECTIVES


Beautiful..............uh...........what is it  ?


What is it?



                                    Nope, it doesn't have a Messier number                                        
                                                                 No, it's not a Hubble image (it's taken with a Takahashi refractor)                                          
                                                                  HINT:  It's located in the Winter Circle from Sky-at-a-Glance above                               
                                                    
                 Click HERE for the answer                                     






 

FUNZIES


galileo




 Credit:   Chris Madden
http://www.chrismadden.co.uk/moon/galileo.html
                  
                                                                 
 
 
 
     
CLUB MEMBER ASTROPHOTO OF THE MONTH

 M27 - The Dumbbell Nebula in Vulpecula

   M27 O'Toole


Image Credit:  Dave O'Toole

Color CCD image, 80 second composite binned exposure from Lake Orion, Michigan
The telescope used was a Celestron 8" SCT operating at f/3.3; the CCD camera used was an SBIG ST-237.
 Post processing was done with Adobe Photoshop    


 

FOR SALE:

Items forwarded from the Warren Club Newsletter
FOR SALE: Orion Skyquest xT8, 8” Dobsonian Telescope,
1200 mm; f/5.9, crayford
style focuser that accepts 2”
and 1.25” eyepieces. Comes
with Object Locator. Enjoy fully
computerized object capability.
Also comes with Sirius Lenses;
25 mm plossl and 10 mm plossl,
9x50 right angle finder, and the
Orion Lasermate Deluxe Collimator.
Bought in April 2008. Still under warranty until
April, ’09. Asking price: $550 or best offer. Contact
John Kosmo at 586-427-6014 
FOR SALE: Discovery PDHQ Dobsonian Telescope,       
12.5”, f5, (94% pyrex mirror reflectivity), 1 1/4”, 2”
Crayford focuser, Base plus 2x2’ Platform, 12v antidew
system, Telrad Reflex Sight, Aluminum foam lined
lens case, Meade lenses: 40 mm super wide, 32 mm
super plossl, 8.8 mm ultra wide, 12.4 mm super plossl,
4.7 mm super plossl, 2x “shorty” Barlow. Sirius
Lenses: 25 mm plossl, 17 mm plossl, 10 mm plossl.
Filters: 1 1/4” 13%, 25% Moon, 1 1/4” variable polarizer
(moon), 1 1/4”, 2” Oxygen III, 1 1/4” Narrow
Band, 1 1/4” Blue, Green, Red, Yellow, 2” Fine Focus
Adapter, Orion Collimating Cheshire, Orion LaserMate
Collimator, Red Beam Flashlight, Desert Storm “Aluminum”Cover, Transporting Dolly. Initial Purchase Price:
$3500. Asking Price: $1900. Contact Al McDonald,
248 -343-1643.







 
launch

CLUB DUES 

Membership is $35 annually
If you are unable to make the next meeting and wish to support OAC
with your 2009 dues, you can mail your check payable to

OAKLAND ASTRONOMY CLUB
600 Shelley Dr
Rochester Hills, MI  48307-4237


NEXT MEETING:    February 8th,  2009       7:30 PM
           
                                                                        
.

 Links to other club sites:

Warren Astronomical Society (WAS)
Seven Ponds Astronomy Club
Ford Astronomy Club
GLAAC


Editor's Note:   Newsletters can be saved locally by right-clicking, then select Save Webpage Complete



2008 NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE

                    http://www.oaklandastronomy.ulmb.com/oacnews0108.html    OAC Newsletter Jan 2008  
                     http://www.oaklandastronomy.ulmb.com/oacnews0208.html    OAC Newsletter Feb 2008
                    http://www.oaklandastronomy.ulmb.com/oacnews0308.html     OAC Newsletter Mar 2008
    http://www.oaklandastronomy.ulmb.com/oacnews0408.html     OAC Newsletter Apr 2008
     http://www.oaklandastronomy.ulmb.com/oacnews0508.html    OAC Newsletter May 2008
     http://www.oaklandastronomy.ulmb.com/oacnews0608.html    OAC Newsletter June 2008
    http://www.oaklandastronomy.ulmb.com/oacnews0708.html    OAC Newsletter July 2008
    http://www.oaklandastronomy.ulmb.com/oacnews0808.html    OAC Newsletter Aug 2008
                    http://www.oaklandastronomy.ulmb.com/oacnews0908.html    OAC Newsletter Sept 2008
                    http://www.oaklandastronomy.ulmb.com/oacnews1008.html    OAC Newsletter Oct 2008
                    http://www.oaklandastronomy.ulmb.com/oacnews1108.html    OAC Newsletter Nov 2008
                    http://www.oaklandastronomy.ulmb.com/oacnews1208.html    OAC Newsletter Dec 2008





2007 NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE

 http://oaklandastronomy.ulmb.com/oacnews0607.html    OAC Newsletter June 2007
http://oaklandastronomy.ulmb.com/oacnews0707.html    OAC Newsletter July 2007
http://oaklandastronomy.ulmb.com/oacnews0807.html    OAC Newsletter Aug 2007
http://oaklandastronomy.ulmb.com/oacnews0907.html    OAC Newsletter Sep 2007
http://oaklandastronomy.ulmb.com/oacnews1007.html    OAC Newsletter Oct 2007
 http://oaklandastronomy.ulmb.com/oacnews1107.html    OAC Newsletter Nov 2007
 http://oaklandastronomy.ulmb.com/oacnews1207.html    OAC Newsletter Dec 2007




Oakland Astronomy Club Newsletters are on the Web as Public Domain and may be freely accessed, linked-to or referenced by anyone.
However, certain images and articles are copyrighted material and such acknowledgements and credits are given whenever known.
Opinions in signed articles are those of the authors, and not necessarily those of the Editor or the OAC.


Orbiting



Submit Club news, astro-photos, equipment sale/trades to the editor:

Bill MacIntosh
nightwinger2004@yahoo.com