Astral Projections Online August 2023
Check our Website for updated content at www.astra-nj.com
Club Presentations Wanted:
Does anyone have any astronomy items of interest to share with the membership?
Please let us know at Club Contacts.
Club dues and membership. If you renew after March 31 you will be renewed as a new member.
ASTRAL PROJECTIONS ONLINE (APO for short) is an email-linked publication for members only. If you exit APO to the club website or other resources you will need to use the emailed link again to get back to it. If you wish to retain a copy please bookmark or refer back to the email. We will make all efforts to post by the first week of the month.
Submissions Welcome: Members are invited to submit articles, photos, news, or stories for inclusion with Astral Projections Online. Please contact the ASTRA Webmaster.
Event Calendar
ASTRA’s next meeting … Non for August, we will have the club picnic for those that have registered for the event.
EVENT Cancellations: Members will receive email notifications of an event cancellation.
Upcoming August ASTRA Meeting
None for August. Picnic August 12 at 2 PM for members who have registered for the event.
Upcoming Star Parties
Public - Jakes Branch Star Party - August 19 - 9 PM
Public - Jakes Branch Star Party - September 16 - 8 PM
Public - South Seaside Park Environmental Society Star Party - September 23 - 8 PM
Public - Island Beach State Park Moonlight Hike - Every Friday at 7 PM (Parking Lot 13)
August 4, August 11, August 18, August 25
Upcoming County & State Park Presentations 2023
Public Outreach Presentations, if any member wishes to support ASTRA outreach efforts with the public, please let Vinny, Ro, or Jim know of any interest.
County & State Park presentations require a registration fee, call the hosting park to reserve.
Cattus Island - October 7 - Solar Astronomy - 10 AM
Cloverdale - October 28 - SciStarter Earth Science - 10 AM
Cattus Island - November 16 - Beginner Astronomy: What is in the Night Sky - 6 PM
Website Updates …
Please visit our club website. We continue to have additional updates, if there is some content that would be useful to members please let us know.
"Space isn’t remote at all. It’s only an hour’s drive away if your car could go straight upwards”
- Sir Fred Hoyle, Astronomer
Event Reports
July 21 - Our first setup for Island Beach State Park occurred on July 21. Unfortunately, only two Moonlight Hike participants came by our telescopes.
July 22 - Jakes Branch County Park Star Party for July was a much better showing for both members and the public. The weather held for a time before it finally overwhelmed the sky.
July 28 - Island Beach State Park - The weather played havoc again with us so we packed it in early without much observing. While there were cars, most appeared to have not been with the Moonlight Hike, only three cards were there when the clouds and haze overwhelmed the sky. Seem the same rabbit was there to greet us from July 21.
June ASTRA Meeting Summary
For our July ASTRA meeting, we had Vic Palmieri provide the membership with another presentation. We are grateful in his increased efforts in sharing his knowledge and interest. This time was on the Saturn Rockets.
The Saturn V was developed by NASA as a super heavy-lift three-stage rocket designed to take astronauts to the Moon and back. There was much testing with both successes and failures that Vic reviewed. All of NASA's hard work and those involved started in October of 1961 and resulted in one of man’s greatest achievements in July of 1969.
More on the Saturn Rocket Program where it all started can be found at NASA.
Our Nearest Neighbor
Let’s explore some interesting features, facts, or myths about our nearest neighbor, the Moon. Without it, life on Earth would be totally different, if not at all.
Apollo
The success of the Saturn Rocket Program also lead to the eventual success of the Apollo missions that landed men on the moon. Without those earlier achievements, Apollo would not have been possible.
Apollo 11 was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 with Michael Collins remaining in the command module orbiting the moon.
For July, Astronomy.com shared an article “30 interesting images from Apollo 11.” - astronomy.com
In the image below, we see the six locations where we had successful lunar missions. While Apollo 13 did not make it, the mission was still a success for the NASA team and astronauts to come up with an emergency plan to get the three astronauts home providing a solution working around the damaged service module.
Scientific Visualization Studio. Source: NASA
Did You Know?
Aerospace Engineer Judith Love Cohen created a computer program for the Abort-Guidance System in the Lunar Excursion Module.
She also helped save the Apollo 13 Astronauts by solving problems related to the accident. She called her boss from the hospital before giving birth to her son of Hollywood fame, Jack Black.
For more on Judith Love Cohen … The Vintage News
Outreach material below is distributed free for public outreach.
Around The Web
On the lighter side of astronomy …
Members Submitted Articles & Items
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Saturn Oppositions: 2001-2029
Shared by Rosemarie Spedaliere
For more on this go to Forbes.com
What’s Up:
Sky Watching Tips from NASA
Provided by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Is usually updated anywhere from the first day of the month to the fifth day of the month. Check back to this linked image if it hasn’t been updated yet.
For more go to NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory webpage: What’s Up: Skywatching Tips From NASA
This article and images are distributed by NASA Night Sky Network
The Night Sky Network program supports astronomy clubs across the USA dedicated to astronomy outreach.
Visit nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov to find local clubs, events, and more!
Super Blue Sturgeon Moon
By Vivian White
On August 1st, catch a full Moon rising in the east just 30 minutes after sunset. We are seeing the entire sunlit side of the Moon as it is nearly (but not quite) in line with the Sun and Earth. The Farmers’ Almanac calls this month’s Moon the “Sturgeon Moon”, for the time of year when this giant fish was once abundant in the Great Lakes. Cultures around the world give full Moons special names, often related to growing seasons or celebrations.
As the Moon rises later and later each night, the bright sunlit part appears to get smaller or “wane” - we call this a waning gibbous Moon. About a week later, on August 8th, we see only one-half of the Moon alight. At this phase, the Moon rises around midnight and sets around noon. Have you ever seen the Moon in the daytime? You may notice this phase towards the southwest in the morning sky. Hold up a ball or egg beside it and see how the Sun lights up the same part.
By August 16th, the Moon has gone through its crescent phase and is now only showing its dark side toward the Earth. Did you know the dark side and the far side of the Moon are different? The Moon always shows the same face towards Earth due to the gravitational pull of Earth, so the far side of the Moon was only viewed by humans for the first time in 1968 with the Apollo 8 mission. However, the dark side is pointed at us almost all the time. As the Moon orbits the Earth, the sunlit side changes slowly until the full dark side is facing us during a new Moon. When the Moon is just a small crescent, you can sometimes even see the light of an Earthshine reflecting off Earth and lighting up the dark side of the Moon faintly.
Then as the Moon reappears, making a waxing (or growing) crescent Moon, best seen in the afternoons. By the time it reaches the first quarter on August 24th, we see the other half of the Moon lit up. At this point, the Moon passes through Earth’s orbit and marks the spot where the Earth was just 3 hours prior. It takes the Earth about 3 hours to move the distance between the Moon and Earth.
The Moon on August 30th is referred to as a blue moon. Blue moons are not actually blue in color of course; it refers to the second full Moon in any month. Since it takes 29.5 days to complete the cycle from full to new and back to full, most months will see only one. But occasionally, you’ll fit two into one month, hence the phrase “once in a blue moon.” We see a blue moon about once every 3 years on average - next in May 2026. In addition, this full Moon appears larger in the sky than any other full Moon this year - an unofficial supermoon. A supermoon appears larger than average because it is closer in its slightly elliptical orbit. The difference in apparent size between the smallest and largest full Moon is about the size difference between a quarter and a nickel. Even at its largest, you can always cover the whole Moon with your pinky extended at arm's length.
A supermoon appears larger than average because it is closer in its slightly elliptical orbit. The difference in apparent size between the smallest and largest full Moon is about the size difference between a quarter and a nickel. Even at its largest, you can always cover the whole Moon with your pinky extended at arm's length.
Image of a waning crescent Moon shown next to a ball on a stick that is lit by the Sun on the same side as the Moon, with trees and a blue sky in the background. Try this with an egg or any round object when you see the Moon during the day! Credit: Vivian White
Earthshine as seen from the International Space Station with the sun just set - Astronaut Photograph ISS028-E-20073 was taken on July 31, 2011, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center
Follow the Moon with us this month and keep a Moon journal if you like - you may be surprised by what you discover! moon.nasa.gov/moon-observation
Let’s Explore Space - What’s in the Sky August 2023.
Brocchi’s Cluster (Collinder 399)
A favorite summertime object for ASTRA members to see, Brocchi's Cluster.
Brocchi’s Cluster is an asterism of 10 stars. Six of the stars appear in a row, across 1.3° of the night sky. The cluster is in the south of the constellation Vulpecula, near the constellation Sagitta. Its nickname is the Coathanger.
If you can find the Summer Triangle, you can find the Coathanger. Just be sure to look from a dark rural location, and have some binoculars handy. The cluster is located along a line between two Triangle stars, Vega and Altair. The image below illustrates the view. It’s easy to spot with binoculars and a dark sky and makes for a great binocular object for star parties.
Dr Ski in Valencia, Philippines, captured the Summer Triangle on August 19, 2019, and wrote: “The line between Vega and Altair is broken so as not to obscure the Coathanger Cluster.”
Albireo to Alpha Vulpeculae to the Coathanger
Got Albireo? Now for some specifics on finding the Coathanger. With binoculars, look for the brightest star in the vicinity of Albireo. That star is called Alpha Vulpeculae, which appears as a double star through binoculars (though the two stars are not gravitationally bound).
Draw an imaginary line from Albireo through Alpha Vulpeculae to locate the Coathanger. In most binoculars, Alpha Vulpeculae and the Coathanger fit within the same binocular field of view, though just barely.
Source Information: earthsky.org - For more check out YouTube, Learn The Sky.
Tonight’s Sky: August
In August, a flock of star-studded figures soars overhead. Look for the Vega and Lyra constellations, which point to Epsilon Lyrae and the Ring Nebula. You can also spot three bright summer stars: Vega, Deneb, and Altair, which form the Summer Triangle.
Visit the STScI which produces Hubblesite.org video overviews for Tonight’s Sky.
They can be found both on Facebook and stsci.edu.
Submissions Welcome
Members are invited to submit articles, photos, news, or stories for inclusion with Astral Projections Online. Please contact the ASTRA Webmaster.