To avoid possible holiday conflicts, we’ve slipped this month's meeting back one week to Friday, September 11, at 7:45PM, in room 215 of Davis Hall, the Aerospace Engineering Building.  The doors to the building automatically lock at 8:00PM, so if you’re running late, rap on the door nearest our meeting room and we’ll let you in.  It’s a game weekend in Auburn, so remember to allow a little extra time to find a parking space.

Riders from the Montgomery area are welcome to meet at the home of Russell Whigham, 518 Seminole Dr., and carpool over to Auburn.  Plan to be ready to leave for Auburn at 6:45PM. 

Our new moon star party this month will be on Saturday, September 19 at Cliff Hill’s farm, clouds permitting of course. 

September 11, Monthly meeting 7:45PM, in room 215 of Davis Hall,
September 19, Monthly dark sky star party at Cliff Hill’s farm
October 11th – 18th Peach State Star Gaze 2009 will be held at the Deerlick Astronomy Village 
October 14th – 18th  DSRSG Wednesday, at The Feliciana Retreat Center, in Norwood, LA
October 17, Anyone up for a trip to Conecuh National Forest?
November 21, Mary Olive Thomas Demonstration Forest stargaze

Scroll down to the August 16 images to see Christopher Go’s amazing animation of Io’s shadow transit on Ganymede.  You can even see the albedo features on the moons!  Also note that Great Red Spot is separating from the South Equatorial Band.  The transit is also featured on the Sky & Tel Web page. 

400 Years After Galileo, Astronomy's New Golden Age (NPR, 3:54)

Astronomical Image Library (Commercial)

Phil Hosey has some shots of M27 using his new coma corrector on his 8" f/4 newt.

Robert Rock called Allen Screws a couple of weeks ago. Last winter Robert had a couple of stents put in. He’s slowly improving, and is going to try to make the next meeting. Robert also reminds us that  his 8 inch Celestron is for sale. 

Rand Becker writes:

Greetings from the deep south.......way down south. Hope you and the gang are doing well in Auburn. I miss the darkness. Do you know if any members are attending the DSRSG down here?  I'm hoping to get out for a couple of days. The astronomy program is really taking off down here and we're always looking for speakers on Sundays....let me know if you're ever in the area.

Be well,

Rand

Randall Becker
Gulf Islands National Seashore
3500 Park Road
Ocean Springs, MS 39564

Let Rand know if you’re planning to go to DSRSG. Randall_Becker@nps.gov

Literally like new (never used, but a couple of years old; still have original packing!) Orion SkyQuest XT6 Classic Dobsonian telescope, $200 (compare to new over $300). An excellent entry-level telescope for students, middle schoolers, teens, young adults or adults just getting into astronomy. With its big 150mm diameter parabolic primary mirror the XT6 collects nearly 80% more light than a 4.5" reflector, rendering brighter images and greater detail in deep-sky nebulas and star clusters. The 1200mm focal length gives the scope ample power to zoom in on subtle planetary and lunar features. The 45"-long enameled-steel optical tube glides on the wood base. You just point the scope and view! Orion-engineered CorrecTension springs keep the tube balanced to perfection and allow the whole unit to be carried together by the handle on the base. The XT6 is outfitted with a 1.25" rack-and-pinion focuser, an EZ Finder II reflex sight, collimation cap, and 25mm Sirius Plossl eyepieces. The mirror is center-marked for precise collimation. Original box and cover included.  See the ad on.  For a detailed list of accessories go to the Astronomical Exchange page. Contact Sandi Madaris at 334-318-1405 or email ssmadaris@yahoo.com .

Robert Rock’s C-8 is for sale. The scope was sold as a PowerStar 8 but is the same as several of the other Schmidt scopes.

• 8 inch Celestron SCT on a fork mount
• Built in 9 volt tracking/drive system
• 8 by 50 polar finder
• Telrad unity finder
• f /6.3 telecompressor
• Ultima 30 mm Plossl,
• Ultima 15 mm  wide angle
• Ultima 7.5 mm  Plossl
• Photographic extension tube
• Electric focuser

Robert Rock, 
rock@ATT.net
334-303-5788

Sept. 10 - HTV-Demo Test Flight H-2B Launch (International Space Station, Japan)
Sept. 22 - Autumnal Equinox, 21:18 UT
September 26 - Mars Rover Opportunity began journey to Endeavour crater in 2008.
                         Endeavour is 13.70 miles in diameter compares to Victoria crater  0.47 miles,
                         On March 7, 2009 Opportunity was 7 miles from Endeavour though because of 
                         having to avoid hazards it was estimated that it would take at least 30% more
                         driving than that for it to reach Endeavour. 
Sept. 30 - MESSENGER, 3rd Mercury Flyby
Oct. ? - Large Hadron Collider restarted.
Oct 01 - Soyuz TMA-16 Soyuz FG Launch (It will transport 2 members of the Expedition 21 crew and a 
             Canadian entrepreneur to the ISS.
Oct 06 - Phobos-Grunt (Russian Phobos Sample Return Mission & China Mars Orbiter)
Oct 09 - LCROSS Impacts Moon (seen with large amateur telescopes)
Oct 13 - Cassini, Distant Rhea Flyby
Oct 14 - Cassini, Distant Mimas & Tethys Flyby
Oct. 19 - New Horizons spacecraft 2000 days to Pluto encounter
Oct. 31 - Ares 1-X Test launch

Send your Name to Mars on Mars Science Laboratory launched in 2011
 

Hoping to see everyone at the meeting,

Russell