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Auburn Astronomical Society E-Newsletter March, 2007 In this Issue
If the stars should appear one night in a thousand
years, how would men
This month’s meeting will be on Friday, March 2, at 8:00PM in room 215 of the Aerospace Engineering Building. 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 7:00PM. Our dark-sky star party/ Messier Marathon this month will be on Saturday, March 17, at Cliff Hill’s farm, clouds permitting of course. March 2, March meeting “Soon after sunset on Saturday evening, March
3, sky watchers in eastern North America can watch the rising full Moon
undergoing its first total eclipse in nearly 2 years. ... For North Americans,
the farther east you are the better. The eclipse will already be
in progress when the Sun sets and the Moon rises, two events that happen
almost simultaneously on a lunar eclipse night. ...The Moon will track
across the northern portion of the Earth’s shadow, and will be completely
immersed for one-hour and 14 minutes, making this a somewhat longer than
normal totality.” http://www.space.com/070209_ns_lunar_eclipse.html
AAS membership dues for 2006 expired at the end of December. Annual dues for 2007 are $20.00 for regular membership, and $10.00 for full-time students. Those who have paid dues to AAS for 2007 are: 1 Joe AlbreeMake your check payable to Auburn Astronomical Society. If you can’t attend the meeting, send your check to: Auburn Astronomical Society
Aaron Wilson Hope things are going well for everyone at the A.A.S. Since moving back here to Raleigh NC last summer I've been hard-pressed to find a dark site as nice as Cliff Hill Farm and Conecuh National Forest. The skies around my house are decent for being only 16 miles south of Raleigh... lucky for me there aren't any nearby local light pollution sources besides the city. Haven't got around to putting a permanent shed in yet, but I do have a couple piers placed strategically to avoid backyard trees. Now that I have a new laptop, MX7C for auto-guiding, and a new Rebel XTi, I hope to start turning out better photos than my days of manual guiding! Anyways, this may not be news to you guys but thought I'd share in case you have any early risers. I've yet to see it myself due to clouds, but hoping for a lucky break tomorrow: A Naked-Eye Nova in Scorpius: http://skytonight.com/observing/home/Nova-Sco-2007.html
Aaron Wilson
Jeff Logue of LaGrange GA, has found us and is anxious to learn more about astronomy. He is using his binoculars now, but has his eye on an 8-inch goto SCT. Here’s Jeff’s online interview: AAS: Are you a seasoned amateur astronomer or just getting into the hobby? J.L.: Always been a sky watcher, have become more interested recently! AAS: What was your first experience that attracted you to astronomy? J.L.: I just love the Stars!!! AAS: Tell us a little about your family members; spouse? kids? siblings? significant other? J.L.: Divorced, two kids 19 and 23… I’ve taught them a little! Right now teaching or better yet learning together with a friend Erica! AAS: Can you tell us a little about your
formal education?
AAS: Do you have any pets? What kind? How Many? J.L.: 1 dog AAS: Where do you work? If you're retired, what was your occupation? If you're still in school, have you chosen a career? J.L.: Sales at Acura of Columbus AAS: Besides astronomy, what other
hobbies do you enjoy?
AAS: What was your first or favorite car?
AAS: What was your first or most interesting job? J.L.: Sales AAS: Tell us about your favorite vacation. J.L.: TEXAS on the fly!!!
[Editor’s Note:
With CCD/DSLR cameras and image-stacking software, exposure times are kept
to a minimum and guiding less critical than with even the fastest film.
Focusing is still essential for good astro imaging. The link below
is in French, but I think you’ll see from the diagrams how the Hartmann
mask works. Google Hartmann maskRDW]
Try this figure for a Hartmann mask to focus
Optical Dictionaries
http://www.angelfire.com/biz/Leica/page14.html
The basic idea is to put a coating that's 1/4 wave thick on the lens. Then when light goes through the coating and some reflects off the glass, the reflection is 1/2 wave out of phase with the incoming light when it gets back to the top surface of the coating, so it cancels. I'm not exactly sure how (probably involves the law of conservation of energy), but that results in more light going through the lens.
From Shane Bledsoe: Check out this nut job: http://www.fixedearth.com/ Anagrams [PG-17] Anagrams of "Meade Instruments": Unterminated mess; Mutants need miser; Menu isn't mastered; Immense, neat turds; Nude man's termites; Meanest turds in me; Determine nut mass; Termites amend sun; Stand mere minutes; Mundane items rest; Trustees in madmen; Mustiest, mean nerd; Menus and termites; A mud mess internet; Nudism enters team; Turd tameness in me; Unseen, dimmest rat; Mine untested Mars; Resent nudism, mate. Anagrams of "Celestron International": Intolerant intolerances; Tentacles not on airliner; Clean rattle on insertion; Nose-intolerant clarinet; Nicer talents, alien or not; Ancient, intolerant loser; Tolerant once in latrines; Intestinal cleaner or not; Alien continental resort; An insincere, tolerant lot; An intolerant, sincere lot; An intolerant, sole cretin; Clean torrential tension; Loneliest nectar on train; Rectilinear noon talents; I clean on rotten latrines; Nicer, intolerant, sane lot; I tolerate innocent snarl; Ancient or stolen latrine; Insolent recanter in alto; Latrines entertain colon. Hoping to see everyone at the meeting and star party, Russell
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