August - San Diego Astronomy Association

San Diego
Astronomy Association
Celebrating Over 50 Years of Astronomical Outreach
http://www.sdaa.org
A Non-Profit Educational Association
P.O. Box 23215, San Diego, CA 92193-3215
Next SDAA Business Meeting
August 9th at 7:00pm
7270 Trade Street
San Diego, CA 92121
Next Program Meeting
August 17, 2016 at 7:00pm
Mission Trails Regional Park
Visitor and Interpretive Center
1 Father Junipero Serra Trail
August 2016
August Program Meeting
Date: August 17, 2016
Speaker:
Topic: TBD
San Diego Astronomy Association (SDAA) sponsors speakers on a wide range of
astronomy topics on the third Wednesday of every month at the Mission Trails Regional
Park Visitors Center. The program meeting begins at 7pm. Each attendee receives
one free door prize ticket. After announcements and a small amount of business, the
audience is treated to the featured presentation. At the close of the meeting the door
prizes are presented. The event is open to the public. The Mission Trails Regional Park
Visitors Center is at One Fr. Junipero Serra Trail, San Diego CA 92119. Call the park at
619-668-3281 for more information or visit http://www.mtrp.org.
CONTENTS
August 2016, Vol LIV, Issue 8
Published Monthly by the
San Diego Astronomy Association
Incorporated in California in 1963
Au g u s t P r o g r a m M e e t i n g. . . . . . . . . 1
Julian StarFest..............1
July Minutes...............4
Remembering Mike Dietz....5
July Calendar...................8
S DA A C o n t a c t s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2016 TDS Schedule..............10
Fo r S a l e. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0
Space Place Par tners Ar ticle....11
A s t r o n o m y C a r t o o n s. . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3
Newsletter Deadline
The deadline to submit articles
for publication is the
15th of each month.
SDAA's 9th Annual Julian StarFest
August 4 – 6, Menghini Winery, Julian
San Diego Astronomy Association
Julian StarFest is fast approaching. Sign up now at www.julianstarfest.com. There is something for
everyone.
Thursday,
August 4 after 3
pm to Saturday,
August 6
All days
Friday and
Saturday
Camping sign-in and registration for up to
three nights of camping. Limited number of
RV spaces. Volunteer and camp for free,
contact info@julianstarfest.com. Only prearranged and pre-approved assignments are
eligible for free camping.
Snacks and full meals from Niederfrank’s
Ice Cream, and Julian Cuyamaca CERT Mobile
Field Kitchen
Vendors: OPT will be there offering good
deals on astronomy merchandise. Also
expect to see Shannon Telescopes, Focus
Astronomy Outreach and several others.
Friday and
Saturday
Live-Feed by Woody Schlom: The "Live
Feed" astro-video tent theater displays live and
nearly-live video from telescopes onto video
monitors and a video projection screen. View
the Sun by day and deep sky at night.
Friday, Aug 5
afternoon and
evening
Optional Night Sky Photography Workshop
Friday night & all
day Saturday
Lectures on astronomy by a diverse group
of guest speakers. A complete list is at
www.julianstarfest.com.
with Dennis Mammana: Learn the basics of
capturing these phenomena with little more than
a camera and tripod; all from one of America's
favorite night sky photographers.
http://www.julianstarfest.com
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San Diego Astronomy Association
Saturday
morning, meet at
8am sharp by the
corral, or be at
Palomar before
10 am.
Saturday, Aug 6
10am and 2pm
Saturday
afternoon at 5pm
Saturday evening
starting at 7pm
Sunday morning
Optional tour of Palomar Observatory:
reservations are required, box lunches can
be reserved: This tour includes the lower
observatory floor, and the main floor with
the 200" Hale. See
http://www.julianstarfest.com
Kids' events: Fun astronomy crafts and
games for kids...go on a celestial scavenger
hunt, make a straw rocket that you can keep,
design you own constellation, or make your
own marshmallow shooter.
The raffle: Donations from SDAA
supporters and sponsors. Tickets will
available for purchase at the event. Proceeds
benefit SDAA's outreach activities.
THE STAR PARTY: We expect over 1,000
people again this year. Even if you can't
attend the full event, come out on Saturday
evening with your telescope to share the
night sky with the public. To help with
planning, please contact outreach@sdaa.org
with your contact information.
Pack-up and say goodbye: until we meet
again at the next Julian StarFest.
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San Diego Astronomy Association
San Diego Astronomy Association Board of Directors Meeting
July 12, 2016 – Unapproved and subject to revision
1.
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 7pm with the following board members in attendance: Greg Farrell, Vice President; Gene Burch,
Treasurer; Brian McFarland, Recording Secretary; Dave Decker, Director; Dennis Ritz, Director; Michael Vander Vorst, Director; and
Dave Wood, Director.
2.
Approval of Last Meeting Minutes
The minutes of the June meeting were approved as published in the Newsletter.
3.
Priority / Member Business – none.
4.
Treasurer’s & Membership Report
• Gene presented the treasurer’s report and it was approved.
• Currently at 487 members.
• Bank error – they disbursed a $200 check to a mystery person. The error was rectified and we were credited.
• JSF activity is picking up.
5.
Standard Reports
a. Site Maintenance – Bill confirms red lights in warming room not working. Will address in August.
b. Observatory Report – The declination control on the Lipp is only working in one direction.
c. Private Pad Report – No report.
d. JSF – No report.
e. Program Report
• Received about $100 at the last meeting.
• This month features Dave Wood and Pt Boyce to discuss the latest TDS projects.
• Will try and schedule Scott Losmandy to present in August.
f. AISIG Report
• Tony Hallas this month.
g. Newsletter Report – Impressive work by Andrea K as always.
h. Website Report
• JSF website is almost complete. Vendor and attendee online registration is working and the schedule should be final soon.
i. Outreach Report-OSIG
• We had a good turnout for the Mike Dietz memorial on Friday.
• Mt. Helix on Saturday was a big success.
• Cuyamaca is scheduled for the 30th.
• We need some red LEDs for Sycamore; they’re $3.99 each. Dave D will pick some up. May make use of the SDAA sandwich
board, too.
j. Merchandise Report – No report.
k. New Member Mentor Report – No report.
l. Rising Stars Report – Nothing happening until late August or early September.
m. TARO/Observatory C
• Dave W took the 1st pic (an H-alpha shot) and it looked good. Appears to have a good, flat field.
• Dave has been working hard to tweak the system for optimal performance.
n. Cruzen Observatory – we need a volunteer to oversee the pad pour and construction (project lead).
6.
Old Business
a. Banquet planning – we have a volunteer from UCSD, and the donated ETX 90 was verified to work and will be a raffle item.
b. Electrical analysis – we need one, and we need a project lead or a committee to head this up. We will initiate conversations with the
electrician who repaired the TARO circuit for upgrading our drop to 200 amps.
c. Insurance – our carrier discontinued our type of coverage and informed us that it will lapse in August. Will endeavor to make sure
we get new coverage in place and avoid any gaps.
7.
New Business
a. Audit committee – Brian will search for volunteers.
b. Call for other New Business – None.
8. Adjournment – Adjourned at 8:15pm.
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San Diego Astronomy Association
Honoring an SDAA Member and a Friend
By Craig Ewing
On Friday, June 8th at Mission Trails Recreational Park, members of the San Diego Astronomy Association gathered to pay respect
to long-time member Mike Dietz. Approximately twenty people attended the event. Speakers included Terry Stewart, Bill Griffith,
Dennis Amman, Bob Wexel, and Alice Harvey. They shared information and stories about Mike. One was about how he had
attended every Riverside Telescope Makers Conference (RTMC) event since the mid-1980s. Another was about how he wouldn't
hesitate to help people such as assisting Terry Stewart move from one residence to another. And a humorous story was how "he
was a happy drunk" and would giggle endlessly when he'd had enough.
Arguably the most significant contribution that Mike made to the SDAA was being "The Original SDAA Star Party Coordinator"
for so many years, starting the Camp with the Stars events at Heise and Vallecitos, as well as coordinating the entire county before
the club split it up into four current area coordinators. He did it for about 30 years, and the majority of it all by himself. Amazing!
Mike had put around 300,000 miles on his old Probe driving to all those school and public star parties back in the day, eventually
requiring major repairs. And the estimated quarter million to a third of a million people that looked through his telescope at all
those events? Astonishing!
Life is better with people like Mike in it! The friendly disposition, the perpetual smile, the humbleness. He passed away from cancer, in just five months after being diagnosed, in April, 2016. He was only 55 years old. A modification from Dion's song 'Abraham, Martin and John' -- "Has anybody here seen my old friend Mike? Can you tell me where he's gone? He was loved by a lotta
people. But it seems that the good, they die young. You know, I just looked around, and he was gone."
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San Diego Astronomy Association
6
San Diego Astronomy Association
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San Diego Astronomy Association
Sunday
Monday
1
August 2016
Tuesday
2
Wednesday
Thursday
3
4
5
Julian StarFest
Julian StarFest
11
12
Stars in the Park
7
8
New Moon
Viewing
14
9
New Moon
10
SDAA Business
Meeting
15
16
22
23
17
24
AISIG Meeting
28
29
SPIE Convention
Star Party
30
Saturday
6
Julian StarFest
13
Stars at Mission
Trails
SDAA Program
Meeting
21
Friday
31
18
19
20
25
26
27
Kids-n-Cancer
West Sycamore
TDS Public Night
1
2
3
Stars at
Sycamore
Canyon
Full Moon
KQ Ranch
TDS Member
Night
Cuyamaca State
Park
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San Diego Astronomy Association
SDAA Contacts
President
Vice President
Recording Secretary
Treasurer
Corresponding Secretary Director Alpha
Director Beta
Director Gamma
Director Delta
Club Officers and Directors
Mike Chasin Greg Farrell
Brian McFarland Gene Burch
Nick Andrews Dave Decker
Dennis Ritz
Michael Vander Vorst Dave Wood President@sdaa.org
VicePresident@sdaa.org
Recording@sdaa.org
Treasurer@sdaa.org
Corresponding@sdaa.org
DirectorDelta@sdaa.org
DirectorBeta@sdaa.org
DirectorGamma@sdaa.org DirectorAlpha@sdaa.org
(858) 210-1454
(858) 705-0065
(619) 462-4483
(858) 926-9610
(858) 215-0479
(619) 972-1003
(619) 890-7480
(858) 755-5846
(858) 735-8808
Committees
Site Maintenance
Bill Quackenbush TDS@sdaa.org(858) 395-1007
Observatory Director Jim Traweek Observatory@sdaa.org
(619) 207-7542
Private Pads
Mark Smith
Pads@sdaa.org(858) 484-0540
Outreach
Kin Searcy
Outreach@sdaa.org
(858) 586-0974
N. County Star Parties
Jerry Hilburn
NorthStarParty@sdaa.org
(858) 877-3103
S. County Star Parties
-Vacant-
SouthStarParty@sdaa.org
E. County Star Parties
Dave Decker
EastStarParty@sdaa.org
(619) 972-1003
Central County Star Parties
Kin Searcy
CentralStarParty@sdaa.org
(858) 586-0974
Camp with the Stars
Jerry Hilburn
CampWiththeStars@sdaa.org
(858) 877-3103
K.Q. Ranch Coordinator
Dennis Ammann KQ@sdaa.org(619) 247-2457
Newsletter
Andrea Kuhl
Newsletter@sdaa.org
(858) 547-9887
New Member Mentor
Dan Kiser Mentor@sdaa.org(858) 922-0592
Webmaster
Jeff Stevens
Webmaster@sdaa.org
(858) 566-2261
AISIGDave Wood
AISIG@sdaa.org (858) 735-8808
Site Acquisition
-Vacant-
SecondSite@sdaa.org
Field Trips
-Vacant-
FieldTrips@sdaa.org
Grants/Fund Raising
Jerry Hilburn
Grants@sdaa.org(858) 877-3103
Julian StarFest Hillary Griffith
info@julianstarfest.com
(619) 890-5267
MerchandisingRich WilkinsonMerchandising@sdaa.org
(858) 357-7404
Publicity-Vacant- Publicity@sdaa.org
Loaner ScopesEd Rumsey
(858) 722-3846
Governing Documents
TBD
TDS Network
Dave Wood
TDSNet@sdaa.org
(858) 735-8808
Amateur Telescope Making
-Vacant-
SDAA Editorial Staff
Editor - Andrea Kuhl
newsletter@sdaa.org
Assistant Editor: Craig Ewing
Have a great new piece of gear? Read an astronomy-related book that you think
others should know about? How about a photograph of an SDAA Member in
action? Or are you simply tired of seeing these Boxes in the Newsletter rather
than something, well, interesting?
Join the campaign to rid the Newsletter of little boxes by sharing them with the
membership. In return for your efforts, you will get your very own byline or photograph credit in addition to the undying gratitude of the Newsletter Editor. Just
send your article or picture to Newsletter@SDAA.Org.
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San Diego Astronomy Association
2016 TDS SCHEDULE
DATE
MOON DATA
SUNSET
ASTRO TWILIGHT
Aug. 27
R- 2:42a 16%
7:14p
8:20p
Sep. 3
S- 8:37p 4%
7:06p
8:30p
24
R- 1:39a 28%
6:37p
7:59p
S- 7:10p 0%
6:28p
7:50p
22
R-12:28p 43%
6:03p
7:25p
29
S- 5:45p 1%
5:56p
7:19p
R-10:17p 69%
4:41p
6:07p
26
R- 4:41a 3%
4:39p
6:06p
Dec. 17
R- 9:02p 84%
4:42p
6:10p
Oct. 1
Nov. 19
PUBLIC
PUBLIC
PUBLIC
PUBLIC PST
PUBLIC
For Sale:
For Sale: 10” f/4 1016mm focal length TPO Imaging Newtonian Reflector. Brand new never been out of the box. 3.3”
Crayford style focuser with 35mm extension, 2” & 1.25” adapters. Dual hinged rings with Vixen style dovetail. Cooling fan
and 8x50 finderscope. Carl Weber 760 787-0174 cwweber1@cox.net $500
10
San Diego Astronomy Association
NASASpacePlaceAstronomyClubArticle
This article is provided by NASA Space Place.
With articles, activities, crafts, games, and lesson
plans, NASA Space Place encourages everyone to get
excited about science and technology.
Visit spaceplace.nasa.gov to explore space and Earth
science!
July2016
Venus and Jupiter prepare for their close-up this August
By Ethan Siegel
As Earth speeds along in its annual journey around the Sun, it consistently overtakes the
slower-orbiting outer planets, while the inner worlds catch up to and pass Earth
periodically. Sometime after an outer world—particularly a slow-moving gas giant—gets
passed by Earth, it appears to migrate closer and closer to the Sun, eventually appearing
to slip behind it from our perspective. If you've been watching Jupiter this year, it's been
doing exactly that, moving consistently from east to west and closer to the Sun ever since
May 9th.
On the other hand, the inner worlds pass by Earth. They speed away from us, then slip
behind the Sun from west to east, re-emerging in Earth's evening skies to the east of the
Sun. Of all the planets visible from Earth, the two brightest are Venus and Jupiter, which
experience a conjunction from our perspective only about once per year. Normally,
Venus and Jupiter will appear separated by approximately 0.5º to 3º at closest approach.
This is due to the fact that the Solar System's planets don't all orbit in the same perfect,
two-dimensional plane.
But this summer, as Venus emerges from behind the Sun and begins catching up to Earth,
Jupiter falls back toward the Sun, from Earth's perspective, at the same time. On August
27th, all three planets—Earth, Venus and Jupiter—will make nearly a perfectly straight
line.
As a result, Venus and Jupiter, at 9:48 PM Universal time, will appear separated by only
4 arc-minutes, the closest conjunction of naked eye planets since the Venus/Saturn
conjunction in 2006. Seen right next to one another, it's startling how much brighter
Venus appears than Jupiter; at magnitude -3.80, Venus appears some eight times brighter
than Jupiter, which is at magnitude -1.53.
Look to the western skies immediately after sunset on August 27th, and the two brightest
planets of all—brighter than all the stars—will make a dazzling duo in the twilight sky.
As soon as the sun is below the horizon, the pair will be about two fists (at arm’s length)
to the left of the sun’s disappearance and about one fist above a flat horizon. You may
need binoculars to find them initially and to separate them. Through a telescope, a large,
gibbous Venus will appear no more distant from Jupiter than Callisto, its farthest Galilean
satellite.
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San Diego Astronomy Association
NASASpacePlaceAstronomyClubArticle
July2016
As a bonus, Mercury is nearby as well. At just 5º below and left of the Venus/Jupiter pair,
Mercury achieved a distant conjunction with Venus less than 24 hours prior. In 2065,
Venus will actually occult Jupiter, passing in front of the planet's disk. Until then, the
only comparably close conjunctions between these two worlds occur in 2039 and 2056,
meaning this one is worth some special effort—including traveling to get clear skies and
a good horizon—to see!
Image credit: E. Siegel, created with Stellarium, of a small section of the western skies as
they will appear this August 27th just after sunset from the United States, with Venus and
Jupiter separated by less than 6 arc-minutes as shown. Inset shows Venus and Jupiter as
they'll appear through a very good amateur telescope, in the same field of view.
To teach kids more about Venus and Jupiter, visit the NASA Space Place webpages titled
“All About Venus” [http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/all-about-venus/en/] and “All About
Jupiter” [http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/all-about-jupiter/en/].
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San Diego Astronomy Association
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
Send dues and renewals to P.O. Box 23215, San Diego, CA 92193-3215. Include any renewal cards from Sky & Telescope or Astronomy magazine in which you wish to
continue your subscription. The expiration date shown on your newsletter’s mailing label is the only notice that your membership in SDAA will expire. Dues are $60 for
Contributing Memberships; $35 for Basic Membership; $60.00 for Private Pads; $5 for each Family membership. In addition to the club dues the annual rates for magazines
available at the club discount are: Sky & Telescope $32.95 and Astronomy $34. Make checks payable to S.D. Astronomy Assn. PLEASE DO NOT send renewals directly to
Sky Publishing. They return them to us for processing.
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