ASTRONOMY CLUB OF TULSA
OBSERVER
March
2001
http://www.b-its.com/astroclub
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
Astronomy Club of
Tulsa Meeting
When
Friday,
March 2, 2001 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.
Notes
from the President
John
Land
"Starlight, Star Bright,
First Star I see tonight - -" Most of us are familiar with
this simple rhyme. Trouble is for many of us we have to change the rhyme
to read "Hope I can SEE some Stars Tonight". This month
we have invited Patric Johnstone to return to give us an update on
Lighting Issues in Tulsa. Several of you may recall Patric's presentation
last year concerning Light Pollution Issues. As a result of Channel 6 News
featuring Patric and some of our club members on their award winning
documentary "Blinded by the Light" more Tulsans have
become aware of lighting issues. The Tulsa Energy Board headed by
councilman Rosco Turner recently invited Patric to present them with ideas
about Lighting Policies for roads and businesses in Tulsa. Patric is
hoping to convince them to adopt the American National Standards
for Roadway Lighting. These standards include Full Cut-off Shielding for
all roadway lighting. Patric will give us an update on the significant
progress made this past year.
The recent concern about rising
energy costs is helping to focus public attention on lighting. I have also
invited a representative of PSO to come discuss their ideas on public and
business lighting. At this writing I have not received confirmation from
PSO. Hopefully PSO is becoming more aware of Public and Private interest
in good lighting policy. I would ask us to be polite and
non-confrontational to the PSO representative. With deregulation scheduled
for Oklahoma in 2002, PSO and other utilities have a real vested interest
in becoming more involved with the communities they serve. Organizations
such as ours can build a spirit of cooperation toward fresh approaches to
lighting issues. For a fantastic view of the earth at night go to: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001127b.html
If we do not have a PSO
representative, I will give a demonstration and discussion of the
"Message of Starlight", a brief history of spectroscopy and some
of the information that can be discovered by the study of the spectrum
produced by starlight.
Up coming Club meetings and
events:
Shapley Lecture
at University of Tulsa
"Conditions
for Extraterrestrial Life To Be Topic of Public Lecture by Astronomer Feb.
28 at TU"
Just a reminder. Please invite
friends, family and students. This lecture is free and open to the public.
Are we alone in the universe? Fritz
Benedict, an astronomer at the University
of Texas McDonald Observatory, will address that topic -- and the
steps that must be explored before answering the question -- during a
lecture at The University of Tulsa on Wednesday, Feb. 28. The lecture is
free and open to the public.
Benedict, a senior research
scientist who uses the Hubble Space Telescope for his work, will speak at
7 p.m. in Room M-1 of Keplinger Hall, Fifth Street and Harvard Avenue,
home of the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences. He will present
the 2001 Shapley Lecture, titled "Nine Steps to Extraterrestrial
Life."
Benedict says there are nine
essential steps that lead to humans dominating this planet. "The
first four steps involve an astronomical exploration of our
universe," he says. "Is there anything special about our galaxy,
our star, the Sun; or the planet we inhabit?"
Chemistry dominates the next three
steps, he says. How did life arise on our planet? Could this process occur
elsewhere in the galaxy?
"The last two steps are
doozies," he says. Does intelligence arise as a natural consequence
of a rich, threatening environment? Is our galaxy sterile, feral, fallow
or filled? The answer, he says, "may most depend on a final, critical
tenth step."
Benedict says most of his career
has centered on the Hubble Space Telescope, planning, designing, building
and using it for projects such as determining precise distances to stars,
measuring precise masses for stars, and looking for planets around other
stars. He also studies clusters of stars in other galaxies, looking for
clues regarding star formation.
The Shapley Lecture, funded by the American
Astronomical Society, is named after astronomer Harlow Shapley.
For more information, contact Shawn
Jackson in the TU physics
department at (918) 631-3022.
Friday April 6 - Wayne Wyrick
of the Kirkpatrick
Planetarium in Oklahoma City will be our guest speaker. Wayne will
bring us up to date on some of the discoveries and developments in
Astronomy. You won't want to miss this one.
Other future meetings for your
calendar are April 6, May 4 and June 8
As spring arrives many groups want
to learn more about Astronomy. Volunteers are needed to help with events.
Below are tentative dates for our
club meetings and star parties.
Unless noted otherwise Events are
at the Observatory.
Note: Poor Road Conditions are
still a major concern. It is advisable to call before planning any trips
to the observatory. Also at present the water is off due to a winter
plumbing problem.
FEB
02-23-01 Fri 18:00 Club Star Party
02-24-01 Sat 18:00 Back up for 02-23-01
MAR
03-01-01 Thu 19:00 Hoover
Elementary (at the school) 2337 S Darlington, Tulsa Several Telescopes
needed
03-03-01 Sat 18:00 Brassfield
Elementary School (10)
03-09-01 Fri 18:00 Riverfield Country School (20)
03-24-01 Sat Messier Marathon (at
TUVA. Details at www.Tuvaclub.org) This event is near intersection of I 40
and Hwy 69 near Checotah, OK. Note no Organized Club Star party due to
Messier Marathon but members may visit the Observatory Grounds by request.
Contact Gerry Andries
03-30-01 Fri 18:00 Public Star
Party (at TCC West Campus)
03-31-01 Fri 18:00 Back up for
03-30-01 We will need several Telescopes for this one.
APR
04-02-01 Mon ?:00 Collinsville (At
Collinsville) ?
04-05-01 Thu 18:30 Dove Science
Academy (43)
04-06-01 Fri 18:00 Back up for
03-09-01
04-20-01 Fri Jennifer Wolf's grade
school class w/ Chris Brown ?
04-25-01 Mon ?:00 Collinsville (At
Collinsville) ?
MAY
05-19-01 Sat 19:45 Pack 188 ?
May 13 to May 20 Texas Star Party
in SW Texas
AUG
08-17-01 Tulsa Bicycle Club w/ Ed
Kirkman ? ?
08-18-01 Tulsa Bicycle Club w/ Ed
Kirkman ?
To help Contact Gerry Andries - 369
- 3320 gmandries@juno.com
Observing Manuals Available
You can get started in astronomy
with one to the Astronomical League Observing Projects. We have several of
the "Universe Sampler" booklets to get you started learning the
night sky. We also have a few of the "Messier Observer's" and
"Herschel I " manuals for the more advanced or ambitious
observers. These are available for $8.00 each. Plus we also have a list of
the features to be observed to earn your Lunar Certificate for only $1.00.
For a look at these and other programs, check out the Astronomical
League. Contact John Land at
astroland@gbronoline.com or call 357-1759. http://www.astroleague.org./al/obsclubs/obsclub.html
03-24-01 Sat Messier Marathon (at TUVA.
Details at www.Tuvaclub.org)
This event is near intersection of
I 40 and Hwy 69 near Checotah, OK
This annual event brings
astronomers from all over Oklahoma to test their skills and endurance. The
object is to try to locate as many Messier Objects as possible in a single
night. Some of our Tulsa club members have been reigning champions at this
event.
Messier Marathon TUVA home of Ron
and Maura McDermott Wood and BART their 24" telescope.
918-474-3275
1. From the BA expressway, exit at 81st
street which is also highway 51 (last exit before Muskogee turnpike
starts)
2. Go about nine miles to Coweta. Watch
for Walmart on left at the last light before you exit right off highway,
onto highway 72. Go under railroad bridge and through downtown Coweta.
BEWARE of SPEED TRAPS ! !
3. Continue on 72 through Haskell,
Boynton and Council Hill.
4. About 3 1/2 to 4 miles south of
Council Hill, 72 ends. Watch for signs that say this and "junction
266." To the right is 266 west to Henryetta, straight ahead 266 east
to Checotah.
5. At this junction turn left (east) onto
county road (used to be dirt, now paved right there)
6. Go 1/4 mile to stop sign, past white
church. Continue two miles east to stop sign and white two story house,
7. Turn north (left). Go 1/2 mile north
to silver and red gate on west.
8. There is a black mail box and white
Muskogee Phoenix box. Turn in -- you're there! (Warning: Haskell and
Boynton are speed traps)
No rain date because of the moon.
Power is available and a charcoal Grill will be working for anyone wanting
to use it. Participants may arrive anytime they like on Sat. afternoon and
are welcome to camp out overnight.
The person observing the most
Messier objects in the course of the night will win the Dave Stine
Award, named for original and two-time winner David Stine. Winner's
names are engraved on a plaque in the TUVA observatory. Other past winners
include James Liley (twice), Marc Chouinard and Scott Parker.
Astronomy Software for Home and
Telescope
I am pleased to announce that our
club has been authorized to distribute copies of the Starry Night Pro
and Starry Night Backyard at significant discount to our members.
Starry Night by Sienna Software
is available on CD in both MAC and Windows versions. It is one of the most
spectacular pieces of Astronomy software to come along in years. I have
been using this suite of software for 3 years and each new free update is
even more fantastic.
Starry Night Backyard
features 1 million star Hipparcos/Tyco database, images of all 110 M
objects, zoom features from 100 degrees down to one arcsec, ability to go
forward and backward in time with full precession from 4713 BC to 9999 AD.
In addition you can travel to any object in the solar system or stars
within 20,000 light years with full accounting for parallax. Many of the
objects are linked to additional information on the Internet. It comes
with a database filled with comets, asteroids and earth satellites with
room for you to add many more. In addition you can customize print or
capture charts to export to other software. The SE version also comes with
an astronomy tutorial book by John Mosley.
Starry Night Pro is for the
advanced astronomer comes with all the above plus much more. It has a 19
million star database including the Hubble and NGC/IC catalogs plus the
PGC catalog of 70,000 galaxies. Ability to link to several major brands of
telescopes including Meade LX, ETX and now Celestron. Automatic update of
database via the Internet for Comets, Asteroids and Earth satellites so
you will always have the most precise positions. There are so many more
features you will just have to check them out for yourself.
We will be taking orders through
March 20. Contact John Land - 357
-1759 astroland@gbronoline.com Bring your money Friday if you can.
Prices
Starry Night
Backyard $ 35 Reg $50
SE edition $45 Reg
$60
Starry Night Pro $90
Reg $130
You save $15 to $40 plus no
shipping if we order in bulk. We hope to have these available to you at
our April 6 meeting or sooner.
DAVID'S ASTRO
CORNER
"MESSIER
MARATHON"
by David Stine
March brings thoughts of warmer
weather, flowers blooming, trees budding and most of all clear night skies
for observing. It is also the time of year that it is possible to view all
the Messier deep sky objects from dusk to dawn. For you that are not aware
of what a Messier object is, I will give you a brief history. Messier was
a comet hunter, and many of the objects he came across while looking for
comets, actually looked like comets. Comets move after several minutes and
deep sky objects remain fixed. Messier had to wait and wait and wait to
see if the object he was looking at moved. So to eliminate this
distraction he started numbering these objects that were not comets and
the rest is history. These objects include globular star clusters, open
star clusters, double stars, galaxies, planetary nebulas, and nebulas.
They number 1-110. On March 24, you will have the opportunity, weather
providing, to view all of these objects, if your have the patience to look
for them from dusk to dawn. There are actually marathons throughout the
world that are held at this time of year for just this purpose. We are
fortunate to have one near us at the TUVA Observatory near Council Hill,
Oklahoma, just a 45-minute drive from Tulsa. Ron and Maura Wood host the
Messier Marathon at their ranch. They have very dark skies for observing.
Ron is inviting everyone to come early and set-up anytime in the afternoon
of the 24th and camp overnight if they desire. They will have the coffee
pot on and electrical hook-ups if needed. Ron and Maura have been hosting
this marathon for several years and it has always been a highlight for the
year for observers. Ron even awards the person who sees the most Messier
objects with what he calls the "David Stine Messier Marathon
Award." Whoever wins gets their name on the plaque. I won it the
first year finding 98 objects and that is where the name comes from. Since
then several other members have won including James Liley, who found over
100 objects, Scott Parker, and others. I don't think anyone has ever
achieved finding all, so maybe it will be you this year. Ron's marathon
was one of the first, and now everyone is doing them. This will be the
first marathon since Ron's accident so the revival should be exciting. If
you want the challenge get ready, it isn't easy. You need to start as soon
as it is dark enough to start seeing stars. The hardest objects are: M77,
M74, M33, and M110, the first to look for, and the last early dawn
objects: M69, M70, M54, M55, M75, M15, M2, M72, M73, and the very hardest,
M30. Of course the Virgo Cluster is no easy task, but it is manageable
since it will be high overhead by Midnight. Tips to remember:
Start early-You will have to find a
lot of objects before they set.
Don't spend a lot of time on each;
locate the object then on to the next one.
Have a list and time frames for the
objects that will be available at the marathon for your use. Stay on
schedule, but take breaks.
To add a couple of more challenges
for you that aren't that hard, but very interesting, try and locate three
Southern Hemisphere objects that are possible at this latitude. They are:
the 2nd brightest star in the Universe, Canopus, located near the southern
horizon below the brightest star Sirius when the star is due south. Galaxy
Centarus A, a radio source, and the Omega Star Cluster, considered the
largest and best star cluster in the heavens. It will look like a large
dim blob because it is so low. Both objects are near the horizon, below
the star Spica and M83. Also you will get to see the unusual star Delta
Scorpii. It has recently brightened from Mg. 2.3 to 1.8Mg. and is now
easily the brightest star in the naked-eye row of Beta, Delta, and Pi
Scorpii in Scorpius. Delta seems to be undergoing an outburst. Delta is a
rapidly rotating star occasionally flinging mass from its equator.
So, how do you get to the marathon?
From Tulsa going east on the Broken Arrow Expressway, take the last exit
before Muskogee Turnpike, which will put you on Highway 51 to Coweta.
Drive about 8.7 miles, exit Highway 51, take Highway 72 South, look for
Wal-Mart and Sonic on the left and Jiffy Trip on the right at the last
light before Highway 72, exit right to 72 and go under a railroad and
through downtown Coweta. Follow 72 south to Haskell, Boynton, and Council
Hill, watch for End 72 and Junction 266. Exit left (East) at the junction.
Go East 2 and 1/4 mile, mostly dirt, to the second stop sign then turn
left. Go North 1/2 mile to the TUVA observatory, which will be on your
left, and you are there. You can also bypass Coweta and go south on
Memorial through Bixby, make the big curve to the east and go through
Leonard to Haskell and follow the directions above from Haskell. Don't
forget to bring snacks. Hope to see you there and if you have a hard time
following directions meet me at 91st and Memorial in front of Steinmart
between 3-3:15p.m. and follow me.
Ron said if weather is a problem on
the day of the marathon or you get lost, you could call him at
918-474-3275 for any last minute information. I also will be available for
last minute questions and information at 834-1310.
The club welcomes
our new members:
Many new members have joined us
during the past month. Gordon Nesbit, a retired Stockbroker is
renewing his long time interest in Astronomy. Deborah Palmour has
been reading up on Astronomy at the Library. She is works in Fiberoptics
Telecommunications for A T & T. Martha Atkinson, a Professional
Nurse, talked her friend Karen Bishop into coming to our meetings
and now both have joined ACT. Karen is a Secretary at Atkinson
Engineering. She recently read "Atlas of the Universe" a Readers
Digest publication and wants to learn a lot more about Astronomy. Katie
Sharp is a Student at Holland Hall where she recently formed an
Astronomy Club that already has 20 members. The club is off to a great
start having been donated a 20" telescope. Jackie Westfield, a
retired Home Care Coordinator from St. Francis Hospital finds that she now
has the time to pursue her long time interest in Astronomy and may want to
do some space art paintings. She recommends reading "Space, Time,
Infinity" by James Trefil. Chuck Gilroy took a free Barnes and
Noble Astronomy class on the Internet and has purchased a nice traveling
telescope, a Meade ETX 90. Chuck is a Stage Electrician at the downtown
Performing Arts Center.
Denny Mishler, New Member
Coordinator
EARN A MESSIER
OBSERVING CERTIFICATE
We'll be starting up an observing
group of club members that want to earn a Messier Certificate by observing
the famous Messier deep sky objects over the next year. This can be done
by observing 1 or 2 nights a month and we'll use the regularly monthly
club star parties on Friday or Saturday night as our main observing time.
This is a fun activity that myself and several others in our club have
done. It is a suitable activity for new members or old members that want
to start observing again. We can share telescopes so that those without a
telescope can also participate. See the last page of the Reflector
Newsletter from the Astronomical League for additional information, and
see me after the March and April meetings to sign up for this worthwhile
activity.
Denny Mishler, New Member
Coordinator
Greetings Phellow Photon Phanatics
!!
As the Vice-President of the
Colorado Springs Astronomical Society I wanted to let you know about a
fantastic event we have planned for this summer in case any of your
members are passing through our neck of the woods this summer:
JUNE 21-24, Colorado. The 15th
Annual Rocky Mountain Star Stare hosted by The Colorado Springs
Astronomical Society will be held in the pristine Tarryall Mountains of
central Colorado. Our observing site is located approximately 50 miles
west of Colorado Springs in the Pike National Forest at an elevation of
9000 feet. Guest speakers, workshops, door prizes, contests, children's
activities, barbecue, family camping and some of the most transparent
skies in the country. Registration fees prior to May 18th are $10.00 per
adult and $4.00 per child. After May 18th fees are $15.00 and $5.00
respectively. For more information contact Chris Earley at (719)567-8292;
e-mail: chrisearley@sprynet.com or visit our website at http://www.rmss.org/rmss2001.htm
Clear Skies !!
Chris Earley
Vice-President
Colorado Springs Astronomical Society
Astronomy
Club of Tulsa,
918.688.MARS
President:
John Land, 918.357.1759
Vice
President: Dennis Mishler,
918.491.9186
Secretary:
Teresa Kincannon,
918.234.4938
Treasurer:
Nick Pottorf, 918.742.7577
RMCC
Observatory Manager: Gerry Andries,
918.369.3320
Observing
Chairman: David Stine,
918.834.1310
Web
Master: Tom McDonough,
918.665.1853
New
Membership: Denny Mishler,
918.491.9186
Librarian:
Ed Reinhart, 918.745.6022
Education
Coordinator: Scott Parker, 918.582.3414
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