Invitation to students

Posted on April 5, 2013 by ST Editors
Poetry Contest

Poetry Contest

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The Intertwined Lives of Galaxies and Their Supermassive Black Holes

Posted on March 7, 2013 by ST Editors

by Michael Wright

Our monthly lectures will continue on Tuesday, March 12 at 8:00 pm in Peyton Hall on the Princeton University Campus. Our speaker this month will be Dr. Rachel Somerville, who will present a lecture entitled “The Intertwined Lives of Galaxies and their Supermassive Black Holes.”

Dr. Rachel Somerville

Dr. Rachel Somerville. Photo Credit: Rutgers University

Astrophysicists have strong evidence that in the hearts of many, perhaps all, massive galaxies lurk supermassive black holes with masses millions to billions times the mass of our Sun. These black holes can grow by gobbling up stars and gas that fall into the center of their host galaxies. Some of this accreted mass is converted into energy, causing the black holes to release enormous amounts of radiation and produce giant jets of relativistic particles in some cases. Dr. Somerville will explain the observational evidence that supermassive black holes exist, and that they power quasars, some of the most luminous objects in the Universe. She will talk about how galaxies form and evolve over cosmic time and how supermassive black holes shape the galaxy properties that we can observe. She will showcase recent results from the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey (CANDELS), the largest project ever undertaken with the Hubble Space Telescope.

Dr. Somerville has won several prizes for work. Most recently, the American Institute of Physics and the American Astronomical Society awarded her the 2013 Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics “for providing fundamental insights into galaxy formation and evolution using semi-analytic modeling, simulations and observations.”

Dr. Somerville has been a member of several large observational teams, including the Hubble Ultra Deep Field team and the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) team. She currently leads the theory working group for CANDELS. She received her Ph.D. from UC Santa Cruz, and did postdoctoral work at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem and the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge. Dr. Somerville has served on the faculty at the Univ. of Michigan and headed the theory group at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany. She formerly served on the science staff at the Space Telescope Science Institute and as a research professor at Johns Hopkins University. She currently holds the George A. and Margaret M. Downsbrough Chair in Astrophysics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Rutgers.

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50th Anniversary Celebration

Posted on March 7, 2013 by ST Editors

Dear Friends,

It is our honor to invite you and your family to join us to celebrate our AAAP’s 50th Anniversary. Mark your calendars now to “Celebrate the past and Inspire the future!”

We are planning to commemorate this milestone with a special dinner, program and outdoor observing. The event will be held at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey on Saturday, May 11th, 2013.

Warm Regards,
Surabhi Agarwal & Bob Vanderbei
AAAP 50th Anniversary Celebration Co-Chairs

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From the Outreach Chair

Posted on March 7, 2013 by ST Editors

by David Letcher, Outreach Chair

Hello Everyone,

The following are the current outreach opportunities for us. Let me know if you can participate in any or all events.

On March 17, Sunday at 3:00 p.m., a film called The City Dark is playing at the Pennington Public Library. The librarians are wondering if a representative from the AAAP would be willing to talk afterward. The film is a documentary about light pollution and the loss of the night sky. It would be wonderful to have it followed by a guest speaker who could talk about this issue in local terms, what is visible from Hopewell Valley, and remind the audience about the April 5 reopening of the Simpson Observatory in Washington Crossing.

This came to me from member Victor Davis: Every year, Orchard Hill Elementary School has several Family Astro Space Nights. They are looking for some local astronomers who might be willing to bring a telescope out on one or more nights. If it is nice evening, they would like to also view the evening sky at conclusion of our program. Refreshments will be served.

Dates: Tuesday, April 9, 2013
            Monday, April 15, 2013
            Monday, April 22, 2013

Time: There are two presentations each night with about 25 families each session. Presentation should be suitable for second grade (7-8 years old). The first session is from 4:30-6:15 p.m. The second session is from 6:45-8:20 p.m.

Where: Orchard Hill Elementary School
              244 Orchard Road, Skillman, NJ 08558
              Main lobby straight to the cafeteria.

Directions: From Rte. 206 South, turn right on Orchard Hill Road. From Rte. on 206 North, turn right on to River Road/Orchard Hill Road exit. Turn left on to Orchard Road.

And from the D & R Greenway group: We are planning another night out under the stars during the Perseid Meteor Shower on Monday, August 12, 2013. We plan to have the event at our St. Michaels Farm Preserve in Hopewell Township this year. It is a wonderful property that is much easier to find than the event site last year.

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Sourland Star Party

Posted on March 7, 2013 by ST Editors

Enjoy an evening with friends and family under the stars on March 16, 2013 between 6:30 to 9:30pm. The Hillsborough “Sourland Star Party” is hosting a free event to highlight the arrival of Comet PANSTARRS. Located on a dark “Starry Hill” on Montgomery Rd. 0.8 mile south of Amwell Road and about seven miles west of Rte. 206/Amwell or eight miles east of Rte. 31 and Amwell/Old York Road. Many amateur astronomers and their telescopes will be available to let you view the wonders of the crescent moon, planets, star clusters, galaxies, double stars and other deep space objects.

Feel free to bring your telescope too, if you have one ~ be a part of the astro-evening! A “Star Party” experience guaranteed to “WOW” young and old alike. Hot coffee and hot chocolate will be available to keep you warm.

Contact Keith Marley of NJAA at SourlandStarParty@gmail.com for more information and directions to this dark site just outside of Hillsborough or register on the Hillsborough Twp. website. Our new website Sourlandstarparty.com will online soon and will post this event also.

Posted in March 2013, Sidereal Times | Tagged | 1 Comment

Treasurer’s Report

Posted on March 7, 2013 by ST Editors

by Michael Mitrano, Treasurer

We have received a number of late renewals following the January postal mailing and our member count is now 77. Together with contributions and astronomy item sales, revenue so far for the fiscal year is about $3,600. Ordinary expenses, taken together with the earlier power-washing and painting of the Simpson Observatory rails, leave us with a small $300 surplus for the year to date. Hopefully, additional renewals together with new member dues will offset the proposed additional observatory maintenance costs this year. On a cumulative basis, our surplus is about $22,200.

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February 4, 2013 AAAP Meeting Minutes

Posted on March 7, 2013 by ST Editors

by Michael Wright, Secretary

Director Ludy D’Angelo called the meeting to order. He welcomed everyone to the meeting. Ludy recognized the new members in attendance and invited them to participate in club activities.

Kate Otto, Program Chair, introduced the speaker, Dr. James Green, Director of Planetary Science at NASA. In his talk entitled “The Revolution in Planetary Science”, he enthusiastically discussed the findings of NASA’s exploration of the Solar System over the past 50 years. Members enjoyed his explanations and illustrations of our current understandings about the rocky planets, the dwarf planets, comets and asteroids, the Galilean moons, Titan, Saturn’s rings and the Kuiper Belt. Also, Dr. Green spoke passionately about the possibility that NASA will find life in the Solar System. After a brief break, Ludy reconvened the business portion of the meeting.

  1. Program Chair: Kate Otto said that the speaker for the March meeting is author Michael Lemonick. The anniversary dinner planning committee is making progress toward the May event and will be holding a conference call on Tuesday, Feb. 5 at 7:00 pm. Ludy reminded Kate that the May meeting is the annual meeting at which the Board elections are held so she should book a speaker for that meeting.

  2. Observatory Donation: Jim McHenry reported for the new observatory committee. He said that Chair Michael Mitrano submitted a letter to Neil Ferrari, the W-C park superintendent, asking for approval to build the new observatory. Neil is circulating the request through the various bureaus at NJDEP that have to sign-off on it. Ludy reminded that all official communication should come from the Board. Specifications are being written to get quotes for the structure. The options for Internet access are Comcast ($9000), Verizon (no quote yet), DSL and Wireless. Verizon will be contacted because they have lines to the amphitheatre and may extend them to AAAP’s observatory and the Nature Center at a reasonable cost. There is DSL elsewhere in the park, but the park staff is dissatisfied with it. Wetlands are not present where the observatory is proposed. Ludy reminded that the plans do not have to be based on the donated equipment, which is dated. Purchasing new equipment may be better. Jim responded that the committee is working under the assumption that the club wants to accept and use the donation. Ludy said the club does not have to accept the donation. If AAAP takes it, the equipment must be used and not stored indefinitely in a storage locker or member’s garage.

  3. Comet PANSTARRS: Gene Ramsey suggested that AAAP hold a public event at the soccer field parking lot at Washington-Crossing to observe comet PANSTARRS. The best observing dates are predicted to be March 5 to 15. The comet is projected to be at mag. -1. Bill Murray reported that the brightness estimates have been reduced to mag. 1 – 2. Gene will contact Neil Ferrari. Ken Kremer suggested holding the event at the Engineering Quad parking garage. Ludy said that would only be feasible if AAAP does the vent jointly with Princeton. Michael Wright said that to publicize the event a press release would have to go to the papers two weeks before the event, say by Feb. 19, so plans have to be made within the next two weeks. Mike, Gene and Jeff Bernardis will work together.

  4. Observatory Report: Gene reported that the park has not made any progress in repairing the gates and reopening our access to the observatory. Rex Parker presented a $625 quote from a mason to repair the columns that support the roll-off roof. There was a discussion about whether the quote should be accepted or additional quotes should be sought. The consensus among Board members present was that the quote was reasonable. Since the work cannot be done until warmer, action on the quote is not urgent. Ludy requested Rex to submit the quote in writing for the full Board’s review.

  5. Outreach Report: David Letcher was not present, but Ludy said he asked for a current copy of the membership roster. Mike agreed to send it to David.

  6. Sidereal Times: Mike said the deadline for submitting articles for the March issue is February 28, 2013.

Ludy adjourned the meeting at 10:00 p.m.
After the meeting, Michael Lemonick’s talk was rescheduled to April.

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Comet PANSTARRS Emerges in Evening Twilight Next Week

Posted on March 7, 2013 by ST Editors

by Michael Wright

Comet PANSTARRS (a.k.a C/2011 L4) has been eagerly followed since astronomers predicted last year that it might reach mag. -1. Unfortunately, the comet has not performed as expected, and it is now predicted to only reach mag. +2 when it is visible in the northern hemisphere next week. Sky and Telescope magazine is reporting that southern hemisphere observers reported observing it at mag. 2.7 on February 28 and March 1.

Position of PANSTARRS generated using SkySafari+ iPad app

Position of PANSTARRS generated using SkySafari+ iPad app

The optimum time to observe the comet will be approximately 45 minutes after sunset on a clear evening between March 12 and 20. The chart to the right generated using the SkySafari+ iPad app shows the position of PANSTARRS on March 12 at 7:30 p.m. The comet will be slightly higher each evening after March 12, but it will never be more than 10 degrees above the western horizon. Finding an observing site with an unobstructed view of the western horizon will be important to getting a clear view. An elevated site like a hilltop would be even better. The “Starry Hill” location of the Sourland Star Party mentioned above just might be the ticket. The sky will not be as dark as shown on the chart so binoculars will be helpful to find the coma and tail against the bright twilight sky. Sky and Telescope and other online sources have updates and finder charts to help amateurs locate the comet in the sky. Happy hunting!

Posted in March 2013, Sidereal Times | Tagged | Leave a comment

SpaceX Dragon Launches to the ISS and Docks After Thruster Failure

Posted on March 7, 2013 by ST Editors

by Dr. Ken Kremer, AAAP, Spaceflight Magazine & Universe Today

Kennedy Space Center – After overcoming a frightening thruster failure that could have spelled rapid doom on the heels of a breathtakingly beautiful launch, the privately developed Dragon spacecraft successfully berthed at the International Space Station (ISS) at 8:56 a.m. EST Sunday morning, March 3, 2013 thereby establishing an indispensable
American lifeline to the massive orbiting lab complex.

March 1, 2013 launch of Falcon 9 SpaceX CRS-2 from the VAB roof, Cape Canaveral, Florida. Credit: Ken Kremer

March 1, 2013 launch of Falcon 9 SpaceX CRS-2
from the VAB roof, Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Credit: Ken Kremer

Hearts sank following the flawless March 1 launch of the Dragon cargo resupply capsule atop the 15-story tall Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Barely 11 minutes after the spectacular launch, absolute glee suddenly threatened to turn to total gloom when the mission suffered an unexpected failure in the critical propulsion system required to propel the Dragon to the Earth-orbiting outpost.

Expedition 34 crew members Kevin Ford and Tom Marshburn of NASA used the station’s Canadian supplied robotic arm to successfully grapple and capture Dragon at 5:31 a.m. March 3 as the station was flying 253 miles above northern Ukraine. Originally, Dragon capture was slated only about 20 hours after launch. The capture came one day, 19 hours and 22 minutes after launch. Ground controllers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston then commanded the arm to install Dragon onto the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module.

Dragon is loaded with 1,268 pounds (575 kilograms) of vital supplies and provisions to support the ongoing science research by the resident six man crew, including more than a ton of vital supplies, science gear, research experiments, spare parts, food, water and clothing.

NASA says that despite the one-day docking delay; the Dragon unberthing will still be on March 25 followed by a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California.

Dragon will spend 22 days docked to the ISS. The station crew will soon open the hatch and unload all the cargo and research supplies. Then they will pack the Dragon with 2,668 pounds (1,210 kilograms) of science samples from human research, biology and biotechnology studies, physical science investigations, and education activities for return to Earth.

Read more about the SpaceX launch at my Universe Today articles here:
Berth of a Dragon after Thruster Failure Recovery Establishes American Lifeline to ISS
SpaceX Dragon Recovers from Frightening Propulsion System Failure – Sunday Docking Set
SpaceX Commercial Rocket Poised for March 1 Blast Off to ISS

Outreach by Ken Kremer: “Curiosity and the Search for Life on Mars – (in 3-D)” – Washington Crossing State Park, Nature Center: Titusville, NJ, April 28, 1:30 PM.

Please contact Ken for more info or science outreach presentations.
Email: kremerken@yahoo.com website: www.kenkremer.com
http://www.universetoday.com/author/ken-kremer/

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Poetry Contest

Posted on March 7, 2013 by ST Editors
Poetry Contest
Posted in March 2013, Sidereal Times | Tagged | Leave a comment

From the Director

Posted on January 28, 2013 by ST Editors

Ludovico D’Angelo, Director

We had a fairly low key Board meeting on the 15th of January. Other than the Board, only a few members attended. I think this was the lowest attended Board meeting in quite a while. We did discuss several things that are included in the Board Minutes in this issue. The New Observatory Committee and 50th Anniversary Committee have held meetings and are making progress toward the tasks they have been given. There will soon be a proposed plan, and budget, for the proposed new observatory. If the Board approves, the plan and budget will go out to the membership for a vote.

The anniversary dinner may be in the beginning of May. It was assumed that there would be no regular meeting that month, but May is our annual meeting. Voting for the new Board will be then so we will need to hash that out in some way.

We will have a change in our meeting this coming month. We will meet in Peyton Hall on Monday, February 4th. This change was made to allow our guest speaker to give his presentation. We will not meet on the second Tuesday so please mark your calendars.

Jim Poinsette has volunteered once again to head the nominations committee. If you are interested in helping out in this effort, please contact him. I will not be Director next year, and as I understand, the current Assistant Director will not be on the Board next year so that leaves at least two spots open. It is important that if you care about the direction of the club and our future as a club, that you step up and help lead, or recommend someone you know in the club that would make a good leader.

Its cold outside, so keep warm and we will see you on Monday, February 4th in Peyton Hall at 8:00 p.m.

Posted in February 2013, Sidereal Times | Tagged , | 1 Comment

From the Program Chair

Posted on January 28, 2013 by ST Editors

Kate Otto, Program Chair

Dr. Jim Green

Dr. Jim Green

Our next meeting will be on Monday, February 4, at 8:00 p.m. in Peyton Hall on the Princeton University Campus. Our speaker this month will be Dr. Jim Green, who will present a lecture entitled “The Revolution in Planetary Science.”

Fifty years ago NASA had launched its first successful planetary spacecraft. Virtually everything we knew about the solar system, up to that time, came from ground-based telescope observations or the analysis of meteorites. NASA literally invented planetary science that allowed us to reveal many of the wonders of the solar system. This talk will give a brief glimpse of this fantastic journey.

As Director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division since 2006, Dr. Green is eminently qualified to discuss the latest discoveries about our Solar System. He received his Ph.D. in Space Physics from the University of Iowa in 1979. Since then, he has headed several data centers responsible for providing scientists with rapid access to data, other scientists, and NASA computers and information. While at Goddard Space Flight Center, Dr. Green was a co-investigator and the Deputy Project Scientist on the Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) mission. He has written over 100 scientific articles about the Earth’s and Jupiter’s magnetospheres and over 50 technical articles on data systems and networks. Dr. Green has received numerous awards including the 1988 Arthur S. Flemming award for outstanding individual performance in the federal government and Japan’s 1996 Kotani Prize in recognition of his international science data management activities.

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From the Outreach Chair

Posted on January 28, 2013 by ST Editors

David Letcher, Outreach Chair

Community outreach opportunity: On Thursday, February 21, 2013 from 6:30 – 8:30 PM AAAP Members are invited to set up their telescopes on the playground and share their expertise at Mill Lake School’s annual Astronomy Night. This event is for the benefit of second grade students and their families, with middle school students presenting a variety of space centers and activities along with more than eight teachers. Pizza and sandwiches with hot and cold beverages will be served. The event is held regardless of the weather. Mill Lake School is located at 115 Monmouth Road, Monroe Township, NJ 08831. While optimum night sky viewing conditions rarely present themselves at this event, the children always learn in a fun way and gain an appreciation of space study. Interested persons may call Member and Principal Dr. Lynn Barberi.

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