From the Outreach Chair

Posted on May 2, 2011 by ST Editors

by David Letcher, Outreach Chair

The skies couldn’t have been much clearer than on Thursday, April 14 at the Stuart Country Day School Star Party.  Thanks go to Brian Van Liew, Jeff Bernardis, Gene Ramsey, new members Hamilton Potter and daughter Olivia, and me for a very successful event.  The Moon was near full, but we were able to see the Orion Nebula, Sat-urn, and a few other objects. We all had a very nice time with a nice group of very enthusiastic young women.

The State Museum and Planetarium in Trenton is sponsoring the Super Science Saturday on May 7.  It would be nice to have a few telescopes there for viewing the Sun.  Maybe we’ll see some sun-spots this time!  In the words of their website: “Don’t forget. Bring the entire family for a day of hands-on learning and fun. Explore the many fields of science with more than 20 exhibitors representing astronomy to zoology and everything in between. Encounter new worlds beyond our galaxy in the Planetarium.”


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I Am the Cosmos

Posted on May 2, 2011 by ST Editors
I Am The Cosmos

I Am The Cosmos by Amy

The New Jersey State Museum is proud to present the exhibition, I Am the Cosmos, on view through May 29, 2011. The exhibition, organized by scholar and independent curator Sara Lynn Henry, explores new cosmic art for our era.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, a new mode of art appeared showing astral, spiral, spherical and constellated forms set into deep space. The dynamics of these forms are suggestive of cosmic processes. A large cohort of artists has resonated with recent discoveries concerning the stars, galaxies, deep space, the Big Bang, dark matter and energy. The stunning photographs from the Hubble Telescope (beginning 1994) and from space probes have made the actualities of deep space phenomena more real for all of us. Images from electron microscopes and high-speed particle collisions have opened up new scientific and visual domains. For some artists, recent discoveries have affected directions they were already undertaking; for others it has opened up whole new terrains.

Unlike earlier 20th century precedents, these 21st century artists plunge us directly into the vastness of time and space. Images are more tangible, astronomically and microscopically informed. Outer-space references multiply, suggesting abstracted star fields, nebulae, comets and cosmic webs of macro and micro phenomena. Spheres expand and explode. Fiery clouds of luminous, roiling atmospheres give birth to metaphoric stars. Galaxies spin and points of light congregate in fathomless dark spaces. Movements are elliptical, spiral and curved, rather than the more static idealized diagonals and perfect circles of the earlier art.

Artists included in the exhibition are David Ambrose, Alice Aycock, C Bangs, Paul Brach, Amy Cheng, Kwang-Young Chun, Russell Crotty, David Hardy, Carter Hodgkin, Ellen Levy, Robert Longo, David Mann, Matthew Ritchie, Dorothea Rockburne, Todd Siler, Barbara Takenaga, John Torreano, Sarah Walker and Marlene Tseng Yu. The exhibition is enhanced by antiquarian objects used by astronomers, and by source material from NASA/Hubble Space Telescope.

The exhibition was funded, in part, by the Friends of the New Jersey State Museum through the Lucille M. Paris Fund.

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From the Director

Posted on April 3, 2011 by ST Editors

by Ludovico D’Angelo, Director

What does it mean to “do” astronomy?  This has been a question posed to me on several occasions. And I have various answers for this. Does doing astronomy mean looking at the stars and planets with your naked eye, a telescope or binoculars? Looking at computer screens full of data? Taking CCD pictures? There are various amount of aptitude and ability on these issues within the amateur community and our club. Some get into this hobby and then find an interesting thing or two to concentrate on like comet hunting or solar observing. Others like to look at objects, take measurements, and analyze the results. I’m a simple guy, so right now, I just like to look, read about what I’m seeing and enjoy the fresh air. Does doing astronomy mean getting together with a group outside to look at the sky or inside to hear a lecture?  I think doing astronomy is all of the above. It’s social or non-social; all depending on your personality. It’s also participating in any way possible in conversations, writing, taking pictures, or studying: participation in the great and limitless facets of our universe. It cannot be done all at once. It takes time. It takes patience. I hope you will all participate to the best of your ability.

Along with my simple observations, I also enjoy going out to our public outreach events. Lately I’ve been a little busy so I have not been able to attend some of these. But I know David Letcher, our Outreach Organizer, has been doing a great job. One event coming up will be at Stuart Country Day School in April. On Saturday, May 7th, the Superscience Day at the NJ State Museum and Planetarium will be happening. Every Friday night starting April 1st are public nights at our Simpson Observatory. Of course, as I write this, the forecast is for rain, snow, clouds…. typical.

Last week I was up at Jenny Jump to attend a board meeting of United Astronomy Clubs of New Jersey (UACNJ). We are a member club, and we have not had any real representation up there for many years concerning its activities. We also have an observatory there. What I found was a very busy and engaged group of volunteers that are doing many organizational activities to promote astronomy. They have some major astronomical projects going on also. We’ll be talking about this during future club meetings and how we can be more involved with UACNJ. Our observatory there needs some work. The enclosure for our 12” telescope has wood rot in some areas, and it needs a paint job and some maintenance. So I hope we can also organize this in the future.

Our next meeting is in Peyton Hall on Tuesday, April 12th at 8 PM.  See you all there!


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From the Program Chair

Posted on April 3, 2011 by ST Editors

by John Church, Program Chair

On April 12th, we will be treated to a talk by Dr. Michael R. Molnar on the subject of his researches on the Star of Bethlehem.  Since one of the celestial events he will be discussing occurred in a long-ago April, the timing of his talk is very appropriate. He will be offering copies of his book on this subject for sale during the intermission, which he would of course be glad to sign.

Dr. Michael Molnar

Dr. Michael Molnar

Dr. Molnar is an astronomer, educator, and researcher with a long history in academe and industry. He received his Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Wisconsin in 1971 and went on to do pioneering research in the field of magnetic stars by using satellite observations. Dr. Molnar served on the research teams for several space missions such as the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory-2 (1971) and Mariner 9 Mars Orbiter (1973).  He has lectured and conducted research at the University of Colorado, the University of Toledo, and Rutgers University.

Dr. Molnar also has a diverse background in industry, where he developed spectrometer and fiber optic systems and managed various computer system projects.  He was National Director of Academics at The Chubb Institute.  A person of wide interests, he is also a maker of violins.

There will be a “Meet the Speaker” dinner at 6:00 pm before the meeting. Please email me by noon on Tuesday, April 12th for a reservation.  I will respond with the dinner location, which has yet to be determined. It will be at either the Sports Bar (old Sotto) or the Triumph Brewing Company, which are close to one another on Nassau Street in Princeton.  To insure a place or places at the table, it will be very important to make all reservations by noon on the 12th.

On May 10th, we will be hearing our own Dr. Ken Kremer’s talk on the future of NASA.  To round out our current session, we will have our traditional presentation by former Director Bill Murray in the New Jersey State Planetarium in Trenton on June 14th.

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Losmandy Mount Donated to AAAP

Posted on April 3, 2011 by ST Editors

by Rex Parker

In March the club was the recipient of a generous donation by Bob Wolf, amateur astronomer and recent AAAP member. Bob donated a Losmandy G-11 Gemini Go-To mount.  This is a “portable” German equatorial design similar to the classic G11 but with a more robust, DC-servo drive, mechanism instead of stepper motors.  It includes the Gemini Go-To electronics and extensive deep sky database of 41,000 objects.  The mount is in pristine condition and is packed in a Scopeguard transport case.

Gemini GotoAt first the mount seemed to be a solution to the issues we’ve had on the classic G11/refractor mount at the Observatory.  Those problems now appear to be solved by the recent repair efforts of John Giles and others.  Alternatively, the new mount could be a great addition to AAAP’s member observing and outreach activities by providing a solid platform for another telescope in the field adjacent to the observatory.  Ideas for the mount are being considered and options will be reviewed by the Observatory committee. Thanks very much to Bob for this very generous gift which bolsters our capabilities for member and public access to the stars!


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Membership Meeting Minutes March 8, 2011

Posted on April 3, 2011 by ST Editors

by Larry Kane, Secretary

The meeting was called to order by Director Ludy D’Angelo.

1.        Bill Murray has accepted the duties of Nomination Chair.

2.        It was announced that the club needs to pay its dues for UACNJ membership, and to send delegates to go to their board meetings.  It was decided that Bill Murray will be the primary and Ludy D’Angelo will be the backup representatives.  The UACNJ will have a booth at the balloon festival.

3.        Two of the editors of Sidereal Times have resigned and a request was made for someone to assume the responsibility of editor.  Ira will remain in his position until a replacement is identified.

4.        The next Board meeting will be held on March 23.

5.        There was no Secretary’s report.

6.        Program Chair report – Current chair, John Church, announced the details of the remainder of the season.

7.        The Treasurer’s report appears in another section of  Sidereal Times.

8.        Webmaster John Miller discussed a misuse of Twitter as a communications tool between members.  He will set up the club’s Facebook page for that purpose.  He suggested that this page be made available to every member. He volunteered to be the administrator.

9.        Member Michael Wright stated that the number of hits on the club’s blog has increased and some members have left comments.

10.     Outreach Coordinator – David Letcher discussed requests that have been received from the Hopewell Elementary School, the Millstone School in Plainsboro and the Stuart County Day School.  The Waldorf School requested that we donate a star party for their fund raiser auction.   The consensus was that we ask them to come to our observatory, but not on a public night.

11.     Observatory Report – Gene Ramsey stated that a keyholder asked him to do a refresher course.  He said that he would do so and invite all keyholders.  John Giles reported that the repaired controller and guider were installed on the refractor but the motors did not respond.  It was decided that the motors may required new grease and the gears may need to be cleaned.  Gene and John Church will check out the mount motors.  Gene and Jeff Bernardis are still getting information on security systems.

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Board Meeting Minutes, March 23, 2011

Posted on April 3, 2011 by ST Editors

by Michael Mitrano, Acting Secretary

Attending were Board members Jeff Bernardis, Ludy D’Angelo, John Church, and Michael Mitrano, and members Michael Wright, David Letcher, and John Miller.  With notice having been properly given, a quorum was present.

1.        John Miller reported that the web site is up to date, except that the 2011 public observing duty rotation has not yet been posted.  Public observing will begin on April 1 with Team 1.  Users of mailing lists other than the roster are cautioned to check the roster each time to make sure that their list agrees with the roster.   John will set up a Facebook group for the AAAP.

2.        David reported that outreach events are upcoming on :

a.        Friday, March 25, at Hopewell Elementary School

b.       Tuesday, March 29 (rain date March 30) at Millstone River school

c.        Wednesday, April 6 (rain dated April 13) at Stuart Day School

3.        David also outlined a proposed astronomy class for the general public — following in the tradition of the course most recently taught by Vic Belanger — to be held at the Nature Center in Washington Crossing State Park for the four Fridays beginning on September 30.  They would take place from 7:30- 8:30 pm and be followed, skies permitting, by visits to the observatory.  The Board endorsed David’s proposal and encouraged him to continue its preparation.

4.        It was also suggested that coffee and conversation time be planned before the Peyton Hall lectures from 7:30-8:00, to encourage member conviviality.

5.        Ludy proposed that members be designated to attend NEAF and obtain donated gifts or purchase items of up to $300 in value as prizes for the next StarQuest.  Ludy and Jeff will prepare a letter to prospective donors and at the next business meeting, we will discuss who will go.

6.        Ludy will attend the UACNJ upcoming board meeting to represent the AAAP and obtain more information about UCANJ plans.  Their symposium coincides again with StarQuest.

7.        Michael Mitrano reported that membership is up to 83 and predicted that it will match last year’s final total.  Cumulative reserves exceed $20 thousand, and he expects a strong surplus for this year.

8.        Michael Wright reported that publicity for lectures is taking place as planned.

9.        Ludy will provide Michael Mitrano with information necessary to send a letter of recognition to the donor of the AAAP’s new Losmandy G-11 Gemini GoTo mount.

10.     The board discussed opportunities to improve its facilities at Washington Crossing and make use of the mount and a recently donated telescope.  This could be a tripod, a permanent outdoor pier and slab, or a second observatory building.  It was resolved that the foundation for any new building would not be hand-dug.  Plans might begin with a slab designed with a later structure in mind.  The board agreed that a planning group should be appointed to consider alternatives, assess their benefits, and estimate costs.

11.     The observatory will need to be ready for opening on April 1 with the water turned on.


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Treasurer’s Report

Posted on April 3, 2011 by ST Editors

by Michael Mitrano, Treasurer

Membership has increased to 85 with many late-in-the-year renewals. We are now only four shy of last year’s full-year membership.  Outreach contributions already exceed last year’s and match the full-year amount for two years ago.  Our routine expenses have remained modest, and the AAAP’s surplus for the year-to-date has therefore risen to $2,500.  On a cumulative basis, the surplus is almost  $21,000.


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From the Outreach Chair

Posted on April 3, 2011 by ST Editors

by David Letcher

Tuesday evening, March 25 proved that the U.S. Weather Service can provide a precise, down-to-the-minute forecast.  Five of us came to the Hopewell Elementary School star party at about 6:30 and so did the clouds!  But, we relied on the forecast and, sure enough, the skies began to clear and the kids showed up.  We had good views of the Orion Nebula, the Pleiades, and Saturn.  Thanks to volunteers Matt Stires, Kevin Burkhart, Gene Ramsey, Jeff Bernardis, and me.

Clear, dark skies on Tuesday, March 29th enabled Jeff Bernardis and me to give a very successful, well-attended star party at the Millstone River School in Plainsboro.  We were able to show the children and their parents the Orion Nebula and Saturn, among other objects.  We even received a $100 donation from the school!

As of this writing, we have another star party on Wednesday, April 6 at the Stuart Country Day School.

I have received a few requests from scout troops too, but it looks like they will generally be satisfied with future visits to our Friday evening open houses.

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