I live in an old folks home. Well, not really. It’s an “active adult living community” built by K Hovnanian in the early 2000s. It is riddled with obscene street lamps and blinding bollard post lights along walkways. For a while I maneuvered toward getting the street lamps changed out, but we are mired in some Machiavellian arrangement with PSE&G that even our attorneys are unwilling to try to unravel. And some resident is always complaining about the lack of light somewhere, as if we need more!
Anyway, there used to be a tree at the curb in front of my house that would shelter me somewhat from an overbearing street lamp, but the tree was feeble and has expired. While I gained a more complete view of the ecliptic from my driveway, there is now plenty enough light by which to read, all night long. My patio in back faces north and fortunately the walkway is not right on top of me. Those nasty bollard lights go off around midnight, if I stay up that late, and someone has attenuated the closest ones with black spray paint, thank you very much! Still, house and trees substantially restrict my sky back there, and in general I can observe more DSOs as well as the planets in front.
So, in order to keep from drowning in brilliance, I built a box. Isn’t that what everybody does? Lacking a giant stepladder by which to make measurements, I estimated, made a cardboard prototype first, and came close enough that it’s not worth making another. The photos show me installing the light shield and my attenuated but still shameful “observing field.” I’m incrementally getting my optical train finalized and trying out filters, so it’s not yet ready for prime time. Cherry Springs it ain’t, but EAA is enough for me, and it’s working!
Note from the editor: Curbing light pollution has become an existential necessity. We astronomers bear a unique responsibility towards the conservation of our environment, not just for our generation but for future generations of mankind. What makes us unique is our knowledge of the cosmos and the fact that there is only one planet — the Earth for us to inhabit in the vicinity. There is no planet B unless you believe Elon Musk will turn Mars habitable. So, it is for us to create awareness and take action. Below are links to Light Pollution Map, sample light ordinances, outdoor light ordinance and a presentation that you can freely use to impress upon neighbors, friends and local politicians to take immediate steps to save our only planet and its rich lifeforms.
Outdoor Light Ordinances adopted by the Township of Hopewell, Mercer County, New Jersey. Provided by Rex Parker.
Light Pollution Presentation To view it, open link in a new window and download it. You can save and use the presentation to urge people and local politicians to take sensible steps to curb light pollution.
I am a new member who joined a few weeks ago. I am Denise Baracia and I live in Plainsboro, NJ. I work as an outside sales representative for a lab equipment manufacturer and, prior to sales, I worked as an analytical chemist for many years in the pharmaceutical industry. I enjoyed astronomy as a kid so, I recently purchased a new telescope in hopes of revisiting this hobby. Here’s a photo of me and my 2 parrots Ayla and Nigel.
Hello and welcome to this month’s installment of “From the Lens of Lisa.”
10/5/22 11:58 PM EDT After days of rain here in Central New Jersey, there was finally a tiny window of clear skies before more clouds rolled in. I took advantage of that window to view the Waxing Gibbous Moon.
iPhone 13 through Celestron NexStar Evolution 8 (32 mm eyepiece)
10/11/22 When you love sleep a lot but your husband says the words… “look at the Moon!” 🙂 (And the foliage is beginning to turn!)
Canon PowerShot SX70 HS
10/16/22 The Moon was looking great as it was approaching Last Quarter! Some nice details on the terminator!
Canon PowerShot SX70 HS
10/22/22 4:20 AM ET- Up early to look for Orionid Meteors (we saw 5,) I spent a lot of time looking up in this region last night during a rare NJ crystal clear night. Mars was also shining bright and the Hyades and Pleiades were also quite visible naked eye!
iPhone 13 for wide field Detail: iPhone 13 through CelestronNexstar Evolution 8 with 13mm eyepiece (handheld)
Sharpened and contrasted using standard iOS tools. Assembled and labeled in Bazaart
What NASA’s Crash Into an Asteroid Looks Like NASA’s DART spacecraft was not able to take pictures of the very moment it slammed into an asteroid on Monday at more than 14,000 miles per hour. Or the aftermath. But telescopes on Earth, seven million miles away, were watching. The images they recorded revealed a spectacular outburst of debris rising from the asteroid after the collision…more
-NYT
Maarten Schmidt, First Astronomer to Identify a Quasar, Dies at 92 Maarten Schmidt, who in 1963 became the first astronomer to identify a quasar, a small, intensely bright object several billion light years away, and in the process upended standard descriptions of the universe and revolutionized ideas about its evolution, died on Sept. 17 at his home in Fresno, Calif. He was 92…more
-NYT
Neptune and Its Rings Come Into Focus With Webb Telescope No spacecraft has visited Neptune since 1989, when the NASA probe Voyager 2 flew past on its way out of the solar system. Neptune, which is four times as wide as Earth, is the most distant planet of our solar system. Voyager 2’s observations whetted the appetites of astronomers, who were eager to learn more about the ice giant…more
-NYT
China’s Discovery of Lunar Mineral Could Add to Fuller View of the Moon Scientists found a single crystal of a new phosphate mineral while analyzing lunar basalt particles, which were collected from the moon two years ago by the Chang’e-5 mission. In December 2020, it became the first country in about four decades to bring back lunar rocks and soil, amassing several pounds of samples, experts said…more
-NASA
Mars Is Mighty in First Webb Observations of Red Planet NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captured its first images and spectra of Mars Sept. 5. The telescope, an international collaboration with ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency), provides a unique perspective with its infrared sensitivity on our neighboring planet, complementing data being collected by orbiters, rovers, and other telescopes…more
-Phys.org
Webb reveals a galaxy sparkling with the universe’s oldest star clusters Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), researchers from the CAnadian NIRISS Unbiased Cluster Survey (CANUCS) team have identified the most distant globular clusters ever discovered. These dense groups of millions of stars may be relics that contain the first and oldest stars in the universe…more
-Phys.org
The composition of asteroidal cores in the early solar system Iron meteorites of the solar system are composed of parent cores belonging to the earliest credited bodies of the environment. The cores are formed in two isotopically distinct reservoirs including non-carbonaceous and carbonaceous types in the inner and outer solar system. In a new report…more
-Phys.org
New evidence for liquid water beneath the south polar ice cap of Mars An international team of researchers has revealed new evidence for the possible existence of liquid water beneath the south polar ice cap of Mars. The researchers, led by the University of Cambridge, used spacecraft laser-altimeter measurements of the shape of the upper surface of the ice cap…more
-NYT
NASA May Let Billionaire Astronaut and SpaceX Lift Hubble Telescope NASA announced on Thursday that it and SpaceX had signed an agreement to conduct a six-month study to see if one of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsules could be used to raise the altitude of the Hubble Space Telescope, potentially further extending the lifetime of the 32-year-old instrument…more
-NASA
New Europa Pictures Beamed Home by NASA’s Juno Spacecraft Europa, the ice-encrusted moon of Jupiter, is still everything it’s cracked up to be. Juno, a NASA spacecraft that has been orbiting Jupiter since 2016, zipped within 219 miles of Europa’s surface early on Thursday, speeding by at more than 30,000 miles per hour…more
by Rex Parker, PhD director@princetonastronomers.org
Transition to real time and space. After two-and-a-half years gathering virtually we are coming to the last of AAAP’s monthly Zoom sessions on October 11. Beginning in November we will again hold our meeting in person at Princeton University’s Peyton Hall. The Oct 11 meeting is an important one for members to attend, as we have invited the famed Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb as guest speaker. You may recall our vigorous discussion of his provocative book “Extraterrestrial” at a meeting a year and a half ago. Avi Loeb is one of the foremost thinkers examining the data from the highly unusual extra-solar-system “asteroid” Oumuamua in the fall of 2017. He and colleagues are proposing new ways to prepare for, and instrumentally detect, objects from other star systems passing through our local neighborhood. See the article below from Program Chair Victor Davis for more information on the talk. We hope to see you at the Oct 11 meeting – let’s have a big AAAP presence to welcome Dr. Loeb for this important presentation.
Storms, rockets, and the lunar south pole observing challenge. Hurricane Ian’s rage across Florida on September 28-29 seriously threatened the Space Coast, as the core of the storm passed right over Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral. NASA had wisely rolled back the massive Artemis I moon rocket and hardware into the giant vehicle assembly building, and the facilities suffered only minimal damage. A number of other rocket launches are planned for the next couple months. The Artemis rocket will now be readied for its next lunar orbit launch window, forecast Nov 12 to 27 according to reports from NASA (source, Ars Technica).
For those of you taking the lunar south pole observing challenge that I issued last month, the challenge remains right in front of us. The degree of difficulty is surprisingly high because most phases of the moon do not present the area close to the south pole to earthly observers – the pole is over the horizon. Lunar libration presents the south pole craters to our view only a couple of nights each month. See my article in last month’s Sidereal Times for more information on the south polar region, the discovery of water in that area, and why this is so important to lunar exploration. Below, I offer my best effort so far to image the south pole region. In the pre-dawn hours of Sept 21 the weather cooperated here in New Jersey, and I rose at 4am to see a beautiful crescent moon (after the last quarter) rising in the east. The images below reveal some of the near-south pole region craters, although those closest to the pole were not visible on this occasion. After studying a moon atlas, I identified several craters and concluded that the south-most features in this image are within 50-100 miles of the south pole. Looks like I’ll have to go for it again in the upcoming months. If you succeeded in the challenge, please submit your telescopic images to Sidereal Times, and send them on to me for showing at upcoming meetings.
Close but not quite there – lunar south pole region. I took these images Sept 21 with a 12.5” reflecting telescope and a ZWO ASI071MC camera. Southern craters were identified by comparing to The Virtual Moon Atlas, available free on line. Image by RAParker.
The October 2022 meeting of the AAAP will take place (virtually) on Tuesday, October 11th at 7:30 PM. (See How to Participate below for details). This meeting is open to AAAP members and the general public. Participants will be able to log in to the meeting as early as 7:00 pm to chat informally with others who log in early. We will not be using the “waiting room;” participants will enter the meeting as soon as they log in. However, you will enter the meeting space with your microphone muted. Please be aware you must unmute yourself to be heard by other participants.
For the Q&A session, you may ask your question using Zoom’s chat feature or you may unmute yourself and ask your question directly to the speaker. To address background noise issues, we are going to follow the rules in the table below regarding audio. If you are not speaking, please remember to mute yourself. You are encouraged, but not required, to turn your video on.
Featured Speaker: Abraham (Avi) Loeb
Frank B. Baird, Jr. Professor of Science
Harvard University
aloeb@cfa.harvard.edu
The Galileo Project: In Search of Technological Interstellar Objects. On October 19, 2017, astronomers using the University of Hawaii’s Pan-STARRS1 telescope discovered a highly unusual object. Its speed and trajectory indicated that it originated outside our solar system. Its elongated shape gave it an aspect ratio greater than that of any asteroid or comet observed to date. There was a lot that was odd about the object, 1l/2017 U1. It was soon named “Oumuamua,” Hawai’ian for “a messenger from afar arriving first.”
Most astronomers agreed Oumuamua was a unique and fascinating object. Harvard University Professor Avi Loeb went further. He suggested that Oumuamua could be a technological artifact of an alien civilization, cruising through our Solar System much as our own Voyager space probes are leaving it. Prof. Loeb gained notoriety and provoked no small amount of controversy when he argued in his book “Extraterrestrial” that Oumuamua could be a “technosignature” of alien life.
Prof. Loeb will discuss his views on extraterrestrial life and the recently announced “Galileo Project” searching for technological interstellar objects. He will feature content from his books “Extraterrestrial” and “Life in the Cosmos.”
Abraham (Avi) Loeb is the Frank B. Baird, Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University. He’s the author of several bestselling books and nearly a thousand academic papers. He was a longtime member of the Institute for Advanced Study and was the longest-serving Chair of Harvard’s Department of Astronomy. He serves on many advisory committees and is currently head of the Galileo Project. In 2012, TIME magazine selected Loeb as one of the 25 most influential people in space, and in 2020 he was selected among the 14 most inspiring Israelis of the last decade.
AAAP webcast: This month’s AAAP meeting, beginning with Rex’s opening remarks and ending at the beginning of the business meeting, will be webcast live on YouTube and recorded for subsequent public access on AAAP’s YouTube channel. Be aware that your interactions during this segment, including questions to our guest speaker, may be recorded for posterity.
Join YouTube Live to listen to the speaker Prof. Avi Loeb using the link below –
This session will be recorded and saved on YouTube. Send me an email at program@princetonastronomy.org if you have any concerns
Using Zoom: While we are social distancing, the AAAP Board has chosen to use Zoom for our meetings, based on our belief that many members have already used Zoom and have found it easy to use. One of its great features is you can choose whether you want to install the software on your computer or use it within your browser.
Please make sure you have Zoom installed on your computer. You do not need a Zoom account or to create one to join the meeting. Nor are you required to use a webcam.
Please see below for the link to the meeting, or visit our website.
There is no “Unjournal Club” presentation scheduled this month. As you may know, guest speakers receive a baseball cap with the AAAP logo embroidered upon it as a “thank you” for making a presentation to us. We’re expanding the hat giveaway to members who contribute an “Unjournal Club” presentation to encourage participation.
We hope to make these short presentations a regular feature of our monthly meetings. We’d like to know what members are doing or what members are thinking about in the broad range of topics encompassed by astronomy. A brief ten-minute (or so) presentation is a good way to introduce yourself and the topics you care about to other club members. If you are interested in presenting a topic of interest, please contact either director@princetonastronomy.org or program@princetonastronomy.org.
A look ahead at future guest speakers:
November 8, 2022 Our first in-person meeting in Peyton Hall!
Michael Strauss, Chair, Princeton University Department of Astrophysics. Prof. Strauss will speak on a topic TBA. He and Bob Vanderbei will be on hand to sign copies of “Welcome to the Universe” and “Welcome to the Universe in 3D” which will be available for purchase.
December 13, 2022
Ira Polans, former Program Chair of AAAP Ira will present “Sun Dagger” film and talk about indigenous people of New Mexico. Note that this film is solely for viewing by in-person members, as copyright restrictions will not permit broadcasting it on the internet.
January 10, 2023 Virtual meeting
Alyssa Pagan, Space Telescope Science Institute Alyssa works to process the JWST images that have been leaving us sockless. She’ll talk about JWST and her work turning its data into images.
February. 2023
Jenny Greene, Princeton University Professor of Astrophysics Jenny recently wrote an article on middleweight black holes for Sky & Telescope. She will discuss the contents of her article.
March 14, 2023
Joe DePasquale, Space Telescope Science Institute Joe is Senior Data Imaging Developer in the Office of Public Outreach at the Space Telescope Science Institute. A colleague of Alyssa’s, Joe will describe his work turning JWST data into images.
April-May, 2023
TBA
June 13, 2023
Bill Murray, AAAP’s Outreach Director and staffer at NJ State Museum planetarium Bill will give his traditional planetarium show at the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton.
As always, members’ comments and suggestions are gratefully accepted and much appreciated.
Featured Speaker: Abraham (Avi) Loeb
Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton 