Astral Projections Online October 2022
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.
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 will be Friday, October 14, 2022, at 7 PM EST. This will be an in-person meeting at the Planetarium. We will be suspending the Zoom sessions starting in September. We will utilize Zoom if we go back under COVID restrictions, campus closure or if the weather is severe enough to warrant it.
Jakes Branch Public Star Party - International Observe the Moon Night - Saturday, October 1, 2022, at 7 PM
St. Barnabas Youth Group Star Party - Saturday, October 15, 2022, at 7:30 PM
Jakes Branch Public Star Party - Saturday, November 19, 2022, at 6 PM
EVENT Cancellations: Members will receive email notifications of an event cancellation.
Upcoming County Park Presentations 2022
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 Park presentations require a registration fee, call the hosting park to reserve.
Catus Island - November 15 - 6 PM - Beginner Astronomy
Jakes Branch - February 21 - 6 PM - Astronomy with Binoculars
Catus Island - February 28 - 6 PM - Beginner Milkyway Photography
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.
"Astronomy is useful because it raises us above ourselves; it is useful because it is grand; …. It shows us how small is man's body, how great his mind since his intelligence can embrace the whole of this dazzling immensity, where his body is only an obscure point, and enjoy its silent harmony.”
- Henri Poincare - Physicist
ASTRA Elections
It’s that time of year to start thinking about the ASTRA Board elections. If there is anyone interested in running for any of the three spots, president, vice-president, or treasurer, please let the current board members know. Elections are at the December meeting, unless there are no takers, then the current board will remain in place.
President - Jim Webster
Vice-President - Vinny Illuzzi
Treasurer - Rosemarie Spedaliere
Event Reports
Lavallette Yacht Club
We had a good turnout for September 1 at the Lavallette Yacht Club and the viewing that night was okay. Early in the evening Jim Webster also held a presentation in the Yacht Club on the second floor that drew in about thirty people. We had a good member turnout and the weather was much better than last year.
Setting up before the Yacht Club members arrived.
Jakes Branch
On September 17 the membership provided a star party at Jakes Branch that had a good showing of members and guests. We were also able to provide assistance to some of the public that brought their own telescopes. Thanks to John Endreson, Phil Zolner, and John Deriso for assisting them. Quite possibly it helped us get some new members.
September ASTRA Meeting
How I Made Tripods
Our September presentation was by ASTRA member Vic Palmieri on how he made several tripods from scratch. If you’ve seen his telescope setup, they are all handmade and very solid. Vic is an excellent craftsman in my opinion. Doesn’t matter if it is wood or metal, he can do it.
For the tripods, Vic uses red oak and each piece is hand-picked. Vic went through each of the tools and materials used. He had some tripods on hand and explained each one’s history.
For me the highlight of the presentation was the perfect balance a single tripod leg would have, by itself, staying up and not falling over.
Below are some images from our September meeting.
We had some time and Vic brought up another interesting topic, Aristotle’s Wheel Paradox.
Assuming the larger circle rolls without slipping (or skidding) for one full revolution, the distances moved by both circles' circumferences are the same. The distance traveled by the larger circle is equal to its circumference, but for the smaller it is greater than its circumference, thereby creating a paradox. … Wikipedia
This of course went into some lengthy discussions during and after the meeting. Our math and physics wizards in the group were hard at it with equations being drawn up in the front of the room working on how to figure out how it works. One individual (me) tried to follow along and had my brain turned to jelly, thankfully Gloria was on hand to help the pain go away.
For more on Aristotle’s Wheel Paradox check out wolframclouds.com.
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.
Monthly Lunar Destination - by Vic Palmieri
NASA/HUBBLE
Your eyes are not playing tricks with you. That is Mars and the reason I am using this space to discuss Mars is the planet’s opposition on December 8th.
Mars is the fourth planet from the sun and has been described as the planet most Earth-like. It does share some features with Earth but in reality, Mars is a planet with its own identity.
Mars data:
Average solar distance = 142 million miles
Diameter = 4,220 miles
Axial tilt = 25 degrees
Length of year = 687 Earth days
Length of day = 24 hours 37 minutes
Mass = 1/10 of Earth
Gravity = 0.375 of Earth
Average temperature = -81 degrees F
Temperature extremes = -284 degrees F à +86 degrees F
Atmosphere = mostly carbon dioxide
Density of atmosphere = 1/100 that of Earth
Land area of Mars is similar to that of Earth.
The December opposition of Mars is considered a transitional opposition being about halfway between an aphelic and perihelic oppositions. The opposition will be on December 8 with Mars showing a 17.1” disk. Closest approach will be on December 1 with Mars having a 17.2” disk. Mars will be high in the sky having a declination of approximately +25 degrees making it a good target for observation.
Since the previous opposition, the Earth and Mars have been moving apart at every following opposition. Eventually, each opposition will become closer and Mars will grow to this size again on May 2031. On September 2035 the Martian disk will be a delightful 24.5”. The message is as follows: Mars will be well placed for observing and of good size to reveal surface features and events!
The best advice I ever received about observing and how it taught me to see detail was “try drawing it”. If you do attempt to draw Mars make sure you have a very good eraser!
The following link will direct you to “The 2022 – 2023 Apparition Of Mars” By Jeffrey D. Beish. This document has everything you would ever need to know about Mars including a “Calendar of Events”. I click on the link “2022-2023 Ephemeris” within the article and print a few sheets to calculate the meridian of Mars at the time I am observing. It makes the observing session feel more scientific.
https://www.alpo-astronomy.org/jbeish/2022_MARS.htm
Sky & Telescope also provides a Mars Profiler that is quick to use and very handy. Strongly recommended.
There are several albedo features easily observable in a small telescope: Sinus Meridiani, Sinus Sabaeus, Mare Serpentis. Solis Lacus (the Eye of Mars) is worth looking for. Syrtis Major and Acidalium Planitia are large dark surface features. Hellas Basin is where many dust storms originate. The link above discusses events at the polar caps. At the south polar cap are the Mysterious Mountains of Mitchell (there are no mountains). During the 2003 opposition as I watched the south polar cap shrink, I observed a tiny bright area being left behind. It was the Mysterious Mountains of Mitchell. Limb haze, or clouds, can be very bright. The photo at the top of this article shows them well.
I guess it is time to mention the Martian canals. Of course, we now know that there are no such artifacts but I have discovered that some of the linear features, aka, canals, are dust streaks from prevailing winds. Darker material on floors of craters gets picked up and blown downwind leaving streaks that were seen and thought to be canals.
On a night with good seeing and Mars high in the night sky, I can understand why early astronomers considered Mars as habitable. The eyes play tricks with contrast making us see the darker areas a green. The melting polar caps and the morning limb haze suggested a thicker atmosphere. The real Mars is different but still mysterious and the older view of a Mars with Martians gave us all some great science fiction novels and movies.
International Observing the Moon Night
While we were not able to participate at Jake’s Branch for the International Observing the Moon night due to what remains of Hurricane Ian, observing the moon will always be available to us. NASA has a great article on ten different ways of observing the moon.
Telescope Loaner Program Update
The Telescope Loaner Program has been updated to include with the club 15x70 Celestron Binoculars the following items:
Orion Paragon Tripod with Pan-head Mount and bracket assembly.
Orion Telescope Bag.
A small compact setup that is good for both beginners to try out and seasoned observers.
Both Orion items were donated by ASTRA members Jim and Gloria Webster.
Outreach material below is distributed free for public outreach.
Around The Web
How to get the most from a night of observing or astrophotography.
The linked video just a few minutes shy of one hour was a presentation at the 2022 Black Forest Star Party, held in Cherry Springs each year. This year's presenter was David Farina of Cosmos Safari. … YouTube Video Presentation
BEST TELESCOPES 2022
With the holidays now approaching some of us may be interested in what telescopes are out there. Then there are others like Captain Jack that want to go bigger. Either way, Space.com has an article on the best telescopes for 2022. - space.com
DART Mission
Recently completed the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, a NASA space mission aimed at testing a method of planetary defense against near-Earth objects. They now need to analyze the data to see how successful this mission was.
For more check NASA.gov.
Let’s Explore Space - What’s in the Sky October 2022?
Andromeda - M31
Distance to Earth: 2.537 million light-years
Radius: 110,000 light-years
Magnitude: 3.44
Coordinates: RA 0h 42m 44s | Dec +41° 16′ 9″
Stars: 1 trillion
Constellation: Andromeda
Apparent dimension: 60′–190′
Image by: Sam Granovsky
The Andromeda Galaxy is featured as one of the topic objects in Tonight’s Sky: October. Also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224 and originally the Andromeda Nebula, is a barred spiral galaxy with a diameter of about 46.56 kiloparsecs approximately 2.5 million light-years from Earth and the nearest large galaxy to the Milky Way.
With an apparent mag. of +3.4, it's one of the brightest Messier objects and easily visible to the naked eye even from areas with a certain amount of light pollution. M31 is usually regarded as the most distant object that can be easily seen without optical aid. Viewing improves with both binoculars and telescopes. Andromeda is a favorite object for beginner astrophotographers as well as seasoned imagers.
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.
Nothing for September
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!
Fomalhaut: Not So Lonely After All
By David Prosper
Fall evenings bring a prominent visitor to southern skies for Northern Hemisphere observers: the bright star Fomalhaut! Sometimes called “The Autumn Star,” Fomalhaut appears unusually distant from other bright stars in its section of sky, leading to its other nickname: “The Loneliest Star.” Since this star appears so low and lonely over the horizon for many observers, is so bright, and often wildly twinkles from atmospheric turbulence, Fomalhaut’s brief but bright seasonal appearance often inspires a few startled UFO reports. While definitely out of this world – Fomalhaut is about 25 light-years distant from us – it has been extensively studied and is a fascinating, and very identified, stellar object.
Sky map of the southern facing sky for mid-latitude Northern Hemisphere observers. With Fomalhaut lying so low for many observers, its fellow member stars in the constellation Piscis Australis won’t be easily visible for many without aid due to a combination of light pollution and atmospheric extinction (thick air dimming the light from the stars). Fomalhaut is by far the brightest star in its constellation, and is one of the brightest stars in the night sky. While the dim constellations of Aquarius and Capricorn may also not be visible to many without aid, they are outlined here. While known as the “Loneliest Star,” you can see that Fomalhaut has two relatively close and bright visitors this year: Jupiter and Saturn!
Illustration created with assistance from Stellarium
Fomalhaut appears solitary, but it does in fact have company. Fomalhaut’s entourage includes two stellar companions, both of which keep their distance but are still gravitationally bound. Fomalhaut B (aka TW Piscis Austrini, not to be confused with former planetary candidate Fomalhaut b*), is an orange dwarf star almost a light year distant from its parent star (Fomalhaut A), and Fomalhaut C (aka LP 876-10), a red dwarf star located a little over 3 light years from Fomalhaut A! Surprisingly far from its parent star – even from our view on Earth, Fomalhaut C lies in the constellation Aquarius, while Fomalhaut A and B lie in Piscis Australis, another constellation! – studies of Fomalhaut C confirm it as the third stellar member of the Fomalhaut system, its immense distance still within Fomalhaut A’s gravitational influence. So, while not truly “lonely,” Fomalhaut A’s companions do keep their distance.
Fomalhaut’s most famous feature is a massive and complex disc of debris spanning many billions of miles in diameter. This disc was first detected by NASA’s IRAS space telescope in the 1980s, and first imaged in visible light by Hubble in 2004. Studies by additional advanced telescopes, based both on Earth’s surface and in space, show the debris around Fomalhaut to be differentiated into several “rings” or “belts” of different sizes and types of materials. Complicating matters further, the disc is not centered on the star itself, but on a point approximately 1.4 billion miles away, or half a billion miles further from Fomalhaut than Saturn is from our own Sun! In the mid-2000s a candidate planetary body was imaged by Hubble and named Fomalhaut b. However, Fomalhaut b was observed to slowly fade over multiple years of observations, and its trajectory appeared to take it out of the system, which is curious behavior for a planet. Scientists now suspect that Hubble observed the shattered debris of a recent violent collision between two 125-mile wide bodies, their impact driving the remains of the now decidedly non-planetary Fomalhaut b out of the system! Interestingly enough, Fomalhaut A isn’t the only star in its system to host a dusty disc; Fomalhaut C also hosts a disc, detected by the Herschel Space Observatory in 2013. Despite their distance, the two stars may be exchanging material between their discs - including comets! Their co-mingling may help to explain the elliptical nature of both of the stars’ debris discs. The odd one out, Fomalhaut B does not possess a debris disc of its own, but may host at least one suspected planet.
The magnificent and complex dust disc of the Fomalhaut system (left) with the path and dissolution of former planetary candidate Fomalhaut b displayed in detail (right).
Image credits: NASA, ESA, and A. Gáspár and G. Rieke (University of Arizona) Source: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/exoplanet-apparently-disappears-in-latest-hubble-observations
While Hubble imaged the infamous “imposter planet” of Fomalhaut b, very few planets have been directly imaged by powerful telescopes, but NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will soon change that. In fact, Webb will be imaging Fomalhaut and its famous disc in the near future, and its tremendous power is sure to tease out more amazing discoveries from its dusty grains. You can learn about the latest discoveries from Webb and NASA’s other amazing missions at nasa.gov.
*Astronomers use capital letters to label companion stars, while lowercase letters are used to label planets.
For more on Fomalhaut check out the Space.com article: Fomalhaut, Royal Star of Autumn - space.com
Tonight’s Sky: September
Clear crisp October nights are full of celestial showpieces.
Find Pegasus, the flying horse of Greek myth, to pinpoint dense globular star clusters and galaxies, and keep watching for space-based views of M15, NGC 7331, and the Andromeda Galaxy.
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.