Save These Dates!

Posted on May 31, 2014 by ST Editors

Next Meeting – June 10, 2014

The June meeting will be our annual  trip to the planetarium at the NJ State Museum in Trenton.  Bill Murray, AAAP member and staff member at the Planetarium, will present one of two new shows: “Blackholes” or “Back to the Moon”.

StarQuest – September 26-28, 2014

Join members and friends September 26-28, 2014 at the Hope Conference Center in beautiful Warren County for a weekend of stargazing under dark skies.  Watch you email over the summer for registration information.

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From the Outreach Chair

Posted on May 31, 2014 by ST Editors

by David Letcher, Outreach Chair

Super Science Saturday on May 3, 2014 saw some of our members showing the sun and its spots to the public on a rather cloudy day. The early part of the day lent itself to good views of the sun, but clouds began to accumulate more and more as the day wore on. Thanks go to members Jen & Dave Skitt, Victor Davis, Gene Ramsey, Larry Kane and yours truly. We had two Coronado solar scopes, two reflectors and one binocular station. Lots of posters were on display at our booth as well. Lots of children were excited to receive and use a free pair of special glasses from Jen & Dave Skitt to view the sun too.

Our next event will also be at the State Museum. We have been asked  to bring our scopes to the museum to celebrate NJ’s 350th anniversary on Sunday, June 22nd from 10:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m. on the grounds of the State Museum. An email about this was sent out to members on May 27. Bill Murray will announce this at our June meeting too.

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Treasurer’s Report

Posted on May 31, 2014 by ST Editors

by Michael Mitrano, Treasurer

As we approach the end of our fiscal year that ends on June 30, we have 99 members along with two who are pre-paid for the coming year.  In dollar terms we are down about 5% from dues at the same time a year ago.

Expenses continue to be very modest and it’s not certain that anticipated observatory improvements (such as roof work and gravel for parking) will be completed in June.  Our surplus for the year to date is over $2 thousand at this point, so we’ll surely have a surplus for the year.

On a cumulative basis, the AAAP’s surplus is close to $25 thousand.

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Minutes of the May 13, 2014 Meeting

Posted on May 31, 2014 by ST Editors

By Michael Wright, Secretary

Director Jeff Bernardis opened the meeting.  He introduced Jim McHenry of the Nominating Committee who presented the following slate of candidates for the 2014-15 Board of Trustees:

  • Director – Rex Parker
  • Assist. Director – Larry Kane
  • Treasurer – Michael Mitrano
  • Secretary – Jim Poinsett
  • Program Chair – Kate Otto

Jim motioned for acceptance, which was seconded by Mary Hayes.  Jeff verified that a quorum of at least fifteen members were present.  Eligible members unanimously voted by a show of hands for the slate.  Jeff thanked Board members individually for their service last year.  He reminded that the observatory donation was unfinished business that the new Board needs to address and wished Rex Parker success as the new Director.

Program Chair Kate Otto introduced this month’s speaker Prof. Neta Bahcall, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Astrophysics and the Director of the Undergraduate Program in

Astrophysics at Princeton University.  Prof. Bahcall gave a detailed explanation and answered many questions about the evidence for dark matter.  Due to many questions, she could only give overview of dark energy.  It was suggested that, if she were willing, the club would like to have her return to continue her engrossing lecture.

After a short break, Jeff convened the business meeting.

Communiversity – Assist. Director Larry Kane announced that Communiversity (4/27/14) was a success and thanked John Giles, Pat & Mary Hayes, Bill Murray and John Miller for helping at the club booth.  They handed out S&T freebies and about 80 new club brochures that Larry edited.

Super Science Saturday  – Larry reported that SSS (5/3/14) was a good day for talking about AAAP because the day was mostly cloudy.  Jen & Dave Skitt, Victor Davis, Gene Ramsey and Dave Letcher manned the AAAP booth and handed out solar glasses and the AAAP brochure.

Washington Crossing Park Association – Larry reported that the WCPA held a successful clean up on the same day as SSS so AAAP participation was limited.  Larry also enjoyed the recent history fair held at the park and recommended that members consider attending next year.

Simpson Observatory – Gene Ramsey announced that new member Alex Hakkinen is interested in becoming a keyholder.  He thanked the team that installed the new Gemini mount under the Hastings-Byrne refractor:  Jeff Bernardis, John Church, Rex Parker and David Skitt.  (See John’s report in the May sidereal times for details.)  Dave briefly explained operation of the mount. The manual in PDF format will be forwarded to keyholders for their use and a hard copy will be kept in the cabinet in the observatory.  Keyholder training will be scheduled.

The ongoing access issues were discussed again.  The AAAP lock is not on the Church Road gate so we are forced to enter and leave by the soccer fields.  Gene suggested that team leaders invite campers to the observatory.  Also, tell campers that visitors and keyholders we will be leaving at 11:00 p.m. so they are less likely to complain about us leaving via the soccer fields.

Everyone should avoid parking on the grass because it is still soft from the recent rains.  John Church and Michael Mitrano are working on a plan to spread new stone at the observatory. The park administration has approved the proposal but limited it to restoning over the existing driveway and parking areas.   A member work party will be called to spread the stone after it is delivered.

John Church obtained a quote from Bob Newcamp in the amount of $570 to raise the roof to prevent it from catching on the interior wall.  Additional work may be required, after the deteriorated wood is removed.  After a discussion of the proposed repairs, Larry Kane made a motion, which was seconded by Michael Mitrano, to accept the quote and to authorize an expenditure of up to $1000 for the repair.  John Church volunteered to be onsite when the work is done.

Gene said that if an upcoming Boy Scout visit is clouded out on Friday night, he would like to offer them Saturday night.  Rex was concerned that keyholders using the observatory on Saturday night would be bumped.  Gene said that he would send an email to keyholders alerting them about visitors on Saturday night.

Jennifer Skitt requested that keyholders remove the ladder from the scope room on public nights and return it at the end of the evening.

Outreach Report – Dave Letcher thanked everyone who helped with Super Science Saturday and Communiversity.  He announced another event with the D&R Greenway in August to view the Perseids.

June Meeting – The June meeting will be at the planetarium at the NJ State Museum in Trenton.  Bill Murray said that the show will be one of two new shows: “Blackholes” or “Back to the Moon”.  Also, he is hosting a semi-private planetarium show on Friday May 30 to be followed by a visit to the observatory.  He will alert the team leader for that night.

Solar Observing – Gene announced that he will host a solar observing party at the Nature Center on Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.  The rain date is Monday.

Jeff adjourned the meeting.

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Get Schooled Online: MOOCs

Posted on May 31, 2014 by ST Editors

by Ed Sproles

Have you heard of MOOCs, Massive Open Online Courses?   They are online courses on many topics offered by several services including Coursera and EdX.  They are typically 6 to 12 weeks long with recorded lectures that you watch at your convenience.  Generally, they are free unless you want an official completion certificate.  All course materials are available free online.  If you start a class and it turns out to be not to your taste, just stop participating. There is no cost or penalty if one drops out.

This spring I have been participating in The Science of the Solar System, a class taught by Mike Brown, the Cal Tech professor who discovered several dwarf planets including Eris and Sedna.  The class has covered water on Mars, the giant planets, the dwarf planets and life in the universe at an introductory college level.  Online discussions have been a significant added bonus as other students raise topics and point to resources.   I also have been participating in another class offered by the University of Edinburgh entitled AstroTech: The Science and Technology behind Astronomical Discovery.  It is more basic and may be of less interest to this group.

There is another class starting shortly entitled  The Diversity of Exoplanets offered in English by the University of Geneva.  I have registered for it and encourage others to consider it.

Interested?  Just Google MOOC, Coursera or EdX to see what is available.

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Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission’s 3-D Look at Earth’s Magnetic Reconnections

Posted on May 31, 2014 by ST Editors

by Dr. Ken Kremer, Universe Today & AAAP

NASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER, MD – An armada of four identical spacecraft comprising NASA’s groundbreaking Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission will soon fly through Earth’s magnetic reconnection events to capture the first  3-D maps of this little understood process that releases vast amounts of energy into the magnetosphere that protects Earth.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Ken Kremer observe NASA’s MMS in the cleanroom at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Credit: Ken Kremer

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Ken Kremer observe NASA’s MMS in the cleanroom at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Credit: Ken Kremer

On May 12, 2014, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Science Chief John Grunsfeld and Goddard Center Director Chris Scolese made a special visit to inspect the observatory quartet in their rarely mated and fully stacked launch configuration inside the Goddard cleanroom.  I was there for a firsthand look and detailed briefing from NASA’s leaders and the mission team about the science goals.

“MMS will help us study the phenomena known as magnetic reconnection and help us understand how energy from the sun – magnetic and otherwise – affects our own life here on Earth,” NASA Administrator Bolden told me standing beside the MMS spacecraft.

Magnetic reconnection is the process whereby magnetic fields around Earth connect and disconnect while explosively releasing vast amounts of energy.  It occurs throughout our universe but is best studied ‘in situ’ in Earth’s magnetosphere.  MMS launches in March 2015 aboard an Atlas V rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

For more on my interview with NASA Administrator Bolden about NASA’s MMS and human spaceflight programs read my articles here:

http://www.universetoday.com/111852/nasas-magnetospheric-multiscale-mission-to-provide-1st-3-d-view-of-earths-magnetic-reconnection-process-cleanroom-visit-with-bolden/

http://www.americaspace.com/?p=60403

http://www.sen.com/ken-kremer/orion-team-keeps-options-open-for-september-launch-interview-with-nasa-administrator-bolden

http://www.universetoday.com/112192/why-commercial-crew-is-critical-for-future-exploration-one-on-one-interview-with-nasa-administrator-charles-bolden/

Astronomy Outreach

Antares Rocket Launch to ISS, June 17: NASA Wallops Island, VA. Evening outreach Jun 15-17 at Rodeway Inn, Chincoteague, VA.

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

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Curiosity Mosaic by Ken Kremer Featured at APoD – May 7, 2014

Posted on May 31, 2014 by ST Editors

Congratulations to member Ken Kremer!  Another of his amazing Mars mosaics was selected for Astronomy Picture of the Day on May 7, 2014.

Curiosity’s panoramic view of Mount Remarkable where the rover conducted the third drill campaign on Mars. The raw images were taken on Sol 603, April 17, 2014, stitched and colorized. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Ken Kremer/Marco Di Lorenzo.

Curiosity’s panoramic view of Mount Remarkable where the rover conducted the third drill campaign on Mars. The raw images were taken on Sol 603, April 17, 2014, stitched and colorized. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Ken Kremer/Marco Di Lorenzo.

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140507.html

 

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AAAP at Communiversity 2014

Posted on May 29, 2014 by steditors
IMG_0021

Photo credit: Kate Otto

IMG_1158

Photo credit: Mary Hays

AAAP’s participation in Communiversity on April 27, 2014 was a success due to Larry Kane, John Giles, Pat & Mary Hayes, Kate Otto, Bill Murray and John Miller who helped at the club booth.  They dazzled visitors with views of the Sun through the club’s telescopes.

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Chandra

Posted on May 29, 2014 by ST Editors
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (Public Domain Image)

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (Public Domain Image)

by S. Prasad Ganti

The name Chandra brings two things to the minds of those who are inclined towards astrophysics and cosmology. One is the Chandrasekhar limit, which is equivalent to 1.4 times the mass of the Sun. Stars weighing more than the limit die a different death than those weighing less. Two is an X-ray space telescope named in his honor.

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar came from an illustrious family going back three generations, which was steeped in science and mathematics in British-colonized India. Chandra’s uncle was the great CV Raman who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in the early twentieth century for his “Raman Effect”. The family benefited from the English education system put together by the British Governor General Lord William Bentinck and Thomas Macaulay in the early 1800s. Though the British rule was widely criticized, a small minority of Indians benefited from this system, which was mainly created by the colonial power to turn out civil servants for the administration.

Chandra was very studious and precocious as a child. He took keen interest in mathematics and physics in his school and college days. Chandra published a paper that caught the attention of William Fowler of Cambridge University. Fowler helped Chandra to get a scholarship to study at Cambridge in the 1930s. On the voyage to England, Chandra came up with some ideas relating to what later became known as the “Chandrasekhar limit”. In those days, scientists knew that stars are born and eventually die, like all species do. They speculated that all stars end up as white dwarfs after they burn their fuel away. A white dwarf is a smoldering remains of a dead star. Chandra came up with the concept that not all stars end up the same way. Stars heavier than 1.4 times the weight of our own Sun end up as supernovae and eventually as neutron stars. Some really massive ones end up as black holes.

This concept was strongly opposed by Arthur Eddington who conducted a famous experiment in 1919 during a solar eclipse to prove Albert Einstein’s General theory of relativity. This opposition did not discourage Chandra but being a novice he could not stand up to Eddington. Paul Dirac and William Fowler were Chandra’s mentors at Cambridge where he got his PhD in 1933. Eddington and Fowler were his thesis examiners.

Chandra joined the University of Chicago as an Assistant Professor at its Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. He remained in the US for rest of his life and became an American citizen. In Chicago, Chandra worked with the likes of Enrico Fermi and John Von Neumann. He got lot of praise from his colleagues and his students for his lasting contribution to the field of astrophysics. He became a Fellow of Royal Society of Britain in 1944. He was also the editor of Astrophysical Journal from 1955 to 1971 during which time the journal gained national stature.

Finally in 1983, history vindicated this great man. The idea for which Eddington reviled him, led to a Nobel Prize in physics, which he shared with his guru William Fowler. The Chandrasekhar limit like the Raman effect became part of physics vocabulary forever. More details on Chandra’s life and achievements can be found in the biography Chandra by Kameshwar Wali.

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From the Director

Posted on May 3, 2014 by ST Editors

By Jeff Bernardis, Director

It’s hard to believe that we are already at the end of the club year.  It seems like just yesterday that we were celebrating our 50th anniversary over at the IAS.

Jeff Bernardis

Jeff Bernardis

We are now entering into my favorite part of the year – the public viewing season over at Washington Crossing.  Last year I think we had a fantastic year both in terms of very few rain/cloud days, and in the number of attendees.  I hope we have a repeat of all of that his year.

Even though this is a fun part of the year for me, I can’t overlook the fact that this ends my tenure as Director.  I have been honored to be the director to bring us into our 2nd 50 years.  It has not been without its challenges, and there are still things that need to be resolved, but nevertheless it was a rewarding experience.

I look forward to what Rex will get done during his tenure.  When I first joined the club, Rex was the Director.  I liked the direction the club was moving in at the time, and I’m sure I will have the same feelings next year.

I cannot leave this post without thanking my board; as I said last year, one of the reasons I decided to accept the nomination for Director was because of the strong people on the slate with me.

  • Michael Wright has been a steady influence in his secretary position. I always felt that the information provided by him was timely and accurate, and he represented the club well when dealing with others. Although he too is stepping down from his post, he will remain in a prominent position as co-editor of the Sidereal Times. He will also manage the word-press site. Mike also volunteered to coordinate Starquest this year.
  • Michael Mitrano has become synonymous with Treasurer to me.       With him in his position, I have never had to worry about anything financial with the club. I’m glad to see him continue in this position; I know everything is in good hands.
  • Kate Otto continues to fill our schedule with interesting speakers. It’s a job I don’t feel I’d be good at, but which she makes look easy.       Again, I think the club will be well-served as she returns in the same position.
  • Larry Kane is a long-time member of the club who stepped up to the AD role this past year. Larry has taken the initiative to help improve our relationship with Washington Crossing Park by helping to form the “Friends of” group. This is extremely important to us since, of course, our observatory is housed there. He too is returning in the same role next year.

At the risk of overlooking someone, I should also thank those who are in other prominent roles in the club for their contributions:

  • Dave Letcher continues to serve as our outreach coordinator,
  • Gene Ramsey, and now Dave and Jen Skitt, for their roles in managing the observatory
  • Surabhi Agarwal for her work as co-editor of the ST, and
  • John Miller for his work as webmaster.
Posted in May 2014, Sidereal Times | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Dark Side Of The Universe

Posted on May 3, 2014 by ST Editors

by Surabhi Agarwal

Neta A Bahcall. Credit: Princeton University

Neta A Bahcall. Credit: Princeton University

What is the Universe made of? Observations suggest surprising results: not only most of the matter in the Universe is dark and unconventional but, more surprisingly, the major component of the Universe may be in the form of ‘dark energy’ — a form of energy that opposes the pull of gravity and causes the expansion of the universe to accelerate. By combining observations of large-scale structure, distant supernovae, and the cosmic microwave background, we find evidence for a Universe that has only 5% ‘normal’ baryonic matter, 20% non-baryonic dark matter, and 75% ‘dark energy’. The observations suggest a Universe that is lightweight, with only 25% of the critical mass-density needed to halt the Universal expansion, and a geometry that is flat with no space curvature.

Neta A. Bahcall, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Astrophysics and the Director of the Undergraduate Program in Astrophysics at Princeton University will discuss her observations on the Dark Side of the Universe and their implications on Tuesday May 13th 2014. Bahcall is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, Distinguished Research Chair at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, past Vice-President and Councilor of the American Astronomical Society, Century Lecturer of the AAS, and Chair and member of various NASA, NSF, and Congressional committees.

Bahcall has won numerous awards during her distinguished career. Some of the most recent ones are:
•The Cecilia Payne-Gasposkin Prize, Harvard University (2013)
•Distinguished Research Chair, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Ontario, Canada (2009 -2013 )
•Frontiers of Astronomy Lecturer, CWRU (2009)
•Evnin Lecturer, Princeton University (2008)
•Honorary Degree, Doctor of Science, The Ohio State University (2006)

She has penned hundreds of research papers. Some of her latest ones are:
•“SDSSIII Photometric Quasar Clustering: Probing the Initial Conditions of the Universe Using the Largest Volume” (S. Ho et al), JCAP (2013)
•“On the Determination of Cluster Masses: Lensing versus SZ/Xray Mass” (N. Bahcall and Allison Hume), in preparation (2013)
•“Supermassive Black Holes in Quasars” (N. Bahcall, M. DiDonato, M. Medeiros), in preparation (2013)
•“Tracing Dark Matter and Baryons in the Universe”, (N. Bahcall and B. Cook), in preparation (2013)
•“Baryon Acoustic Oscillations Using Clusters of Galaxies” (N.Bahcall, H.Yesuf, P.Bode), in preparation (2013)

See you on Tuesday, May 13th at 8:00 p.m. in Peyton Hall, 4 Ivy Lane, Princeton. The lecture will be followed by a business meeting.

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Treasurer’s Report

Posted on May 3, 2014 by ST Editors

by Michael Mitrano, Treasurer

New memberships and continued renewals have brought the AAAP member count to 97 for the fiscal year to date.  Dues income, however, is slightly below the level of a year ago.

Monthly expenses continue to be very modest and our surplus for the year to date is nearly $3 thousand.

On a cumulative basis, the AAAP’s surplus is approaching $25 thousand.

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News Flash!!

Posted on May 3, 2014 by ST Editors

by John A. Church

Here is a news flash, hot off the wires!

On Saturday April 26, Rex Parker, Jeff Bernardis, Dave Skitt and the writer successfully replaced the existing Paramount mount on the Hasting-Byrne refractor at Washington Crossing with the GoTo version which had been stored in the observatory for some time.  The replacement went perfectly and there were no mechanical issues at all. Balance in all orientations is very good.

The electronics were successfully fired up and all the systems worked well after a little tweaking of the motherboard to get the main IC seated correctly.  The button battery that works the clock turned out to be discharged, but this is an easy replacement.

We were all pleased at how smoothly the two servo motors slewed the long OTA at varying speeds, ramping up and down very nicely.  We had previously tested the mount’s performance with a heavy wooden mockup which simulated the moments of inertia of the actual telescope about both axes, so we knew that it would likely work very well when actually installed, and it did.

Keyholders will need to undergo some training with this new system. The operating manual will be circulated by email for easy reference. In the meantime, the mount can still be used in manual mode.

We anticipate that the rest of the transition will go smoothly, and we will soon be enjoying the benefits of computer control with this fine old instrument.  I like to think that its 1880-era makers would be very pleased to know that it has been upgraded this way.  It is now ready for even more generations of delighted users to enjoy the sharp and contrasty wide field views of an excellent 6-inch refractor.

Posted in May 2014, Sidereal Times | Tagged , , | Leave a comment