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Vol. 60, No. 10, DECEMBER, 2015
Next Meeting – Tuesday, December 15th, 2015 at 7pm
at the Mt. Cuba Astronomical Observatory
~ Please Join Us for Fellowship and Fun!!
ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARTY & Swap Meet!
The Holiday Season is
here again and our next
meeting will be our traditional
Holiday Party. Please bring
your favorite food and/or drink
to share. And if you have any
astrogear you would like to sell we will have tables for
you to display your wares.
Over the years DAS has received gifts of unused telescopes from several donors. Some we have
been able to fix up and use. A few we could not use
but were able to sell and are using the money to acquire other equipment that meets our needs. Our
newest aquisition is a 60mm Lunt Solar Scope! If
you were able to participate in our Solar Saturday
event you remember comparing several solar scopes.
Now we have one of our own! It becomes another
benefit of DAS membership as a loaner scope (after a
bit of training). It will be on display for your admiration
at the meeting.
Some of the other donated scopes we have
received are basic beginner scopes which we have
cleaned and adjusted. We will be offering these to the
membership at no cost and they will be on display at
the meeting. If you know a budding stargazer who
might enjoy one you may place your name in an envelope on the scope and we will draw names during the
party. Of course, the real gift to a budding stargazer is
not the scope but the time you spend showing him/her
how to use it. That’s not in the box with those department store scopes.
See you Tuesday.
IN THE DECEMBER ISSUE. . .
“From the Observing Chair” - Fred De Lucia
Public Nights Schedule at Mt. Cuba Observatory
Sawin Reminder & Loaner Telescopes and Equipment
DAS Forum / Email Site on Yahoo
On-Site AP SIG Meetings at Ron Worden’s - Bill Hanagan
December 13 Geminids
How to Get Started in Astro-Photography
DAS Telescope Making Special Interest Group
Pages 2 & 4
Page 2
Page 3
Page 3
Pages 4-6
Page 6
Page 7
Page 7
Photos from DAS Members
Page 8
From Rob Lancaster
From Dave Hockenberry
From Willis Greiner, Jr.
From Frank Colosimo
Pages 8-12
Pages 13-15
Page 16
Pages 17-18
Star Parties, Upcoming Events and Activities:
See the Website at www.DelAstro.org
Rates for Astronomy Technology Today & Amateur Astronomy Page 12
“NASA Science News”
Space Vision
The “Omics” of Space Travel
The Hidden Meltdown of Greenland
Hubble Peers Through the Eliptical Haze
Hubble Views a Lonely Galaxy
Page 19
Page 20
Page 21
Page 22
Page 22
Of Interest to ALL Members:
Clear Sky Session of December 4th
Member Steps Up when Nov. Speaker Can’t Appear
Sawin Certification Program
Astro Photos Wanted by Mt. Cuba Observatory
Education Chairman Position Filled
Information about Memberships & Magazine Subscriptions
Contact Information for the DAS Board
“The Last Word” - FOCUS Editor Joe Neuberger
Page 23
Page 23
Page 24
Page 24
Page 24
Page 25
Page 26
Page 26
Each issue of FOCUS is full of useful hyperlinks. Just click on
any graphic or telltale blue web address and your browser should
take you to additional linked web resources.
The Whirlpool Galaxy- also known as
Messier 51a, M51a, or NGC 5194, is an
interacting grand-design spiral galaxy with a
Seyfert 2 active galactic nucleus in the
constellation Canes Venatici.
Credit: Photo by DAS Member
Rick Davis
Observing with the Delaware Astronomical Society...
Trailing through Triangulum
and Pieces from Pisces
by Fred De Lucia, DAS Observing Chairperson
Sometime in mid-November I took delivery of a new 115mm f/7 refractor. As with all
new astro toys I was anxious to get it out under a dark sky, so off I went to the ChesLen
Preserve and met up with Bill Hanagan, as well as Jack Goodwin and ChesMont bud Lionel
with their respective 101mm f/5.4 and 130mm f/7 refractors.
It was a clear night with adequate seeing. Ambient temperature was 48° F and the scope
was well equilibrated showing only the most minimal signs of turbulence. The double star,
Almach, revealed very good color contrast. We observed some DSOs (M15, M31, M76 and
others) and then moved on to Capella for a star test. It looked like the collimation held well
for the scope’s 3000 mile journey to my home but we didn’t spend much time assessing
collimation as we were quickly distracted when racking inside and outside of focus. Inside of
focus showed a crisp Airy disc but with somewhat oval rings which is an indication of astigmatism. Outside of focus revealed considerable fuzziness making it impossible to discern clearly an Airy disc pattern. Not so with Jack’s 101mm. His scope gave a clear textbook
image of an Airy disc on both sides of focus confirming that what we saw in mine was not turbulence related. So, my new 115mm
refractor is back at the manufacturer who agreed to have its objective replaced. I await its return… for further assessment.
Next clear sky opportunity I met up again with astro buddy Lionel and Rob Lancaster at Coyle Field on Friday December
4. This time out was with my 18” f/4.3 and new digital setting circles, the Nexus DSC from Astro Devices. It’s a drop-in replacement for my ArgoNavis. The Nexus DSC is more intuitive with vastly superior catalogues of objects and more features. I aligned
on Polaris and Altair at 5PM and GoTos were very good all night, all within 1/2° (even less at times) until I turned off the Nexus
DSC at midnight to pack up. Navigation of the menus was quite natural and easily managed. First stop, from an observing list
quickly generated in Skytools 3 Pro, was IC 142. I was initially shocked at what I saw in my 10mm eyepiece but then saw a
familiar arcing arm with a bright region at its end. Consulting the coordinates in my Interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas confirmed that
it was M33. I didn’t realize IC 142 was a HII region lying along the outer edge of one of the inner arms of M33 (the Pinwheel
Galaxy) in Triangulum, which covers more than 1° x ½° angle of sky. I couldn’t confirm seeing IC 142, even with a lower power
eyepiece, so now it’s a target for another time. (Continued on Page 4)
“PUBLIC NIGHTS” at the Mt. CUBA OBSERVATORY...
MCAO PUBLIC NIGHTS
updates on programs planned. Interested individuals or
groups can apply by letter or call 654-6407 (preferably
between the hours of 9 and 11 am, Monday through Friday)
to the Observatory to obtain reservations for these “Public Nights”.
Greg Weaver
The Mt. Cuba
Observatory Public
Nights continue year
round! In addition to
learning about many
aspects of the heavens,
you’ll have a chance to
visit and view our all-digital full-dome planetarium. You can pick
up a schedule when you next come to a meeting or get the
latest updated version off the website at: http://
MountCuba.org. Programs are presented on Monday
nights at 8pm. Please check the website for full details and
The Remaining Public Nights schedule for
2015 follows:
Date
Speaker
Topic
11 Dec. Scott Jackson
Family Night- The Christmas Star
14 Dec. Scott Jackson
Family Night -The Christmas Star
The 24 inch Herr Telescope
(Photo Courtesy Greg Weaver)
-2-
SAWIN OBSERVATORY REMINDER AND DAS
LOANER TELESCOPES AND EQUIPMENT Bill Hanagan
The DAS owns and maintains The Sawin Observatory on the grounds of the Mt. Cuba Astronomical Observatory. The
Sawin Observatory houses the club’s equatorially mounted 12.5" reflecting telescope. The Sawin is also currently home
base for our 17.5" split-tube Dobsonian telescope.
DAS members can obtain a key for access to the Sawin Observatory by being checked out on these telescopes and
the use of the observatory. Naturally, all DAS members are invited to look through these telescopes during our Member Star
Parties (MSPs) at the Sawin. DAS members who are interested in becoming key holders of the Sawin Observatory should
contact Greg Lee to receive training in the use of the facility and the telescopes. See more information on Page 24.
LOANER TELESCOPES and EQUIPMENT
80 mm Celestron Refractor (on loan from Bill McKibben)
The club currently has on loan from our Secretary, Bill McKibben, an 80 mm Celestron Refractor with a
Nextar GOTO mount. Contact Bill McKibben if you would like to give this scope a try.
6” Orion Dobsonian Telescope
We have a 6" Orion Sky-Quest XT6 Dobsonian reflector, complete with eyepiece set, available for loan to members.
You can keep the telescope out on loan for a month or more. However, we use this telescope heavily for outreach star
parties at the Woodside Farm Creamery, so if you have it on loan from April through October you may be asked to bring it
out to one or more of these events.
Meade 8” LX-10 Telescope
We also have an 8” Meade LX-10 Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope (SCT) available for loan. This telescope is
equipped with an equatorial wedge and is driven in Right-Ascension only. If you have any thoughts about buying a telescope,
especially an SCT, you are strongly advised to take this one out on loan so you can learn the advantages and disadvantages
of this design.
Barlowed Laser Collimator Toolset
Also available for loan to DAS members is Howie Glatter’s version of the Barlowed Laser Colimator. This is actually
made up of a set of three very nice tools: 1) a 1.25” Glatter laser collimator (which is useful on its own for collimating the
secondary mirror); 2) a 1.25” “TuBlug”, which converts the straight beam laser collimator into a “Barlowed” laser collimator,
complete with a target screen that’s visible from the back end of your Newtonian telescope; and 3) an Orion 2” to 1.25”
centering adapter for use with 2” focusers.
Along with the center donut or triangle on your Newtonian primary mirror, a Barlowed laser collimator is a very
accurate and incredibly easy way to collimate your Newtonian or Dobsonian telescope. It may sound complicated, but using
the Barlowed laser collimator is incredibly quick and easy compared to earlier generations of collimation tools. As one
person noted “It’s one of the handiest and most useful tools the club has ever offered for loan to the membership!”
Obviously, no one DAS member can keep these collimation tools out on loan forever, but borrowing this set of tools is a great
way to become familiar with the new “Barlowed Laser Collimator” approach to collimation without having to buy the tool set
sight unseen.
If you’re interested in borrowing any of the club’s loaner telescopes or other items, please contact Bill
Hanagan, Jeff Lawrence, or Greg Lee at one of our monthly meetings.
When adding or editing your profile, you will need to enter your actual
name in the “Real Name” box so you can be identified as a DAS member
so Don Shedrick can approve your application to join the DAS group, and
everyone will know to whom they are communicating.
Finally, specify your desired email address for delivery of
messages. Note: You may choose to not have your name and email
address displayed to any-one other than DAS members who are
members of the Yahoo DAS email group.
For more detailed instructions, go to the DAS
website under DAS Resource Links.
DAS FORUM / E-MAIL SITE ON YAHOO
This is a restricted e-mail service for use by DAS members
for DAS purposes. To use this site, go to http://groups.yahoo.com;
search for Delaware Astronomical Society; and click on the link that
comes up. To join, you must have a Yahoo ID and password; if you
don’t, you can register at this time by following Yahoo’s instructions.
You will then be allowed to “Join the group” upon clicking in that box.
You must then register for the DAS group and add your profile by
clicking on “add new profile” and completing the form
-3-
On-Site AP-SIG Meetings
Bill Hanagan
Our fourth “On-Site” AP-SIG meeting of the year was held on December 5 at Ron Worden’s backyard observatory and home. We made this an informal dinner meeting and had some excellent local Pizzas delivered.
The first photo shows part of the 12’ x 14’ telescope room of the observatory, where Ron (on the right) is explaining
what he does with the different telescopes. While it looks a bit packed with telescopes and AP-SIG members, Ron
only uses one telescope at a time and most of the scopes can anytime more space is space required.
The next photo on the following pageshows a
profile view of the observatory as seen from the deck
on the rear of Ron’s home. The observatory has 3
distinct parts: a warm room on the left, a telescope
room in the center, and a support structure for the rolloff roof on the right.
As seen in the photo, the roof has already
been opened and rolled off to the right, exposing the
central room where the telescopes are positioned.
The dew shield on Ron’s 10” LX-200 can be seen
poking above the open roof line just to the left of the
door.
(Continued on the following Page)
From the Observing Chair
(Continued from Page 2)
Wanting to get deeper into using the Nexus DSC I tapped in the Tour
function which turned out to be a lot of fun. One can select either a constellation tour or a “within” tour, which is what I used. I set it to find <14th magnitude galaxies within a 10° arc field of view from IC 142. It took me to the NGC
507 Group of Galaxies on the border of Pisces and Andromeda. I was able to
count 6 galaxies but my atlas showed more than a dozen that should be
visible in my 18” but sky conditions weren’t sufficient. The Nexus DSC next
brought up the NGC 382 Group in Pisces, also known as Arp 331, a chain
group of 4 discernible galaxies in my scope, but even more were shown in my
atlas. Hickson 8 in Andromeda was extremely challenging but Hickson 100
and Stephan’s Quintet in Pegasus were enjoyable finds even more so be
cause they are 270 to 345 million light years distant. I’ll report more on the Nexus DSC as I become more familiar with it.
The rest of the night I spent running down the aforementioned Skytools list as I went about observing some comets, planetary
nebulae and, of course, more galaxy groups.
Temperatures were below freezing when I left at 12:30AM but Rob was still there imaging the Rosette.
Helping to Save the Land Helps to Save the Skies
The Delaware Astronomical Society is named among the donors under “Gifts in Kind” in the Fall/Winter issue of the
Natural Lands Trust (NLT) magazine. DAS is among those honored lists because of our participation in the NLT’s Friday Night
Lights, Astronomy Night and Stardust events which help to connect people to nature and to foster the NLT’s ongoing efforts to
save land and steward natural resources. DAS’ mission in promoting astronomy and the NLT’s land saving efforts are
complementary. As more land is saved from development, more inroads are made to suppress light pollution’s encroaching
demons into our night skies. This in turn creates opportunities to share our appreciation of the unimaginable distances viewed
from our home planet from such places like the ChesLen Preserve, not only among DAS members but with members of the
public who sometimes experience a new found understanding of their place in the universe. In this Holiday Season of cheer
and giving, few organizations can gift to its members and to the surrounding communities that of a dark sky to share. DAS’
contribution of time and resources in partnering with the NLT affords us all a better window to venerate the infinite canopy of
starlight above us.
Anyone who’s interested in joining me on an observing run to a dark site can email me at: [email protected] and
I’ll drop you a note when planning starts, or just email me if you have questions. Those interested in knowing more about our
most frequently visited observing sites can go to http://delastro.org/members/observing-sites.
Clear, dark, steady skies and best wishes to all for a safe and enjoyable Holiday Season.
-4-
On-Site AP-SIG Meetings (Continued from preceeding page)
The floor of the observatory is made from treated lumber and sits on a bed of gravel.
The walls of the central telescope room are 7’ high. The most important part of the sky, the high dark area that extends 45-50
degrees down from the zenith, can be photographed or observed through the telescopes. Ron recommends that anyone following in his footsteps think carefully about reducing the height of the walls to extend the visibility even farther toward the horizon.
The interior structure of the roof can be seen in the next photo. The roof is supported entirely on a series of garage door rollers
(visible at the right side of the photo) and a garage door opener is used to open and close the roof. All of the exterior surfaces
are clad with either vinyl or aluminum so the structure never needs to be painted.
Below, most of the group stops
on the porch underneath the roll-off roof
for a group photo. From left to right are
Bill Hanagan, Ron Worden, Rob
Lancaster, Bill McKibben, Rick Davis,
Bob Trebilcock, and Rick Spencer. Ron’s
neighbor and friend, Walt, stepped in as
the photographer for this shot.
(Continued on the following Page)
-5-
The next photo at left shows Bill
McKibben and Bob Trebilcock (left to
right) basking in the heat of the warm
room before heading back outside. The
warm room is an optional extra that Ron
had the builder add. It acts as the control
center for imaging operations and houses
the computer equipment, as well as a
heater, air conditioner, and bookshelves.
Ron insulated the warm room and put in
the drywall himself, so the room stays
toasty warm even on a cold winter night.
On-Site AP-SIG Meetings (Continued from preceeding page)
The last photo was taken during the Q&A session. Among other items, we discussed a balance problem that
Rob Lancaster brought to our attention in regard to his new 6” f/4 TPO imaging Newtonian.
After dinner and our Q&A
session, we returned to the observatory
to try some things out with Ron’s
telescopes before finally closing up. It
was another grand evening of camaraderie and astrophotography!
The Next AP-SIG Meeting is
Set for January 15 / 16 at MCAO
Please mark your calendars! The
specific details of the meeting (date,
time, location, directions, etc.) will be
announced via DAS YAHOO GROUP
EMAIL as well as by direct email to
AP-SIG members.
December 13 Geminids Occur Near the New Moon
by Bill Hanagan
On December 13, a thin crescent moon will make an
early appearance and will set at 7:09 PM, leaving a moonless sky for the remainder of the night, just what we need for
this year’s Geminid meteor shower! The Geminids and the
August Perseids are the two most reliable meteor showers in
terms of producing a high Zenith Hourly Rate (ZHR) every
year. You don’t have to stay up until 3 AM for the Geminids
because the radiant of the shower rises very early in the
evening—at 5:48 PM—and the ZHR for the Geminids is
typically quite high for a period of nearly a day.
By 11 PM on December 13, the radiant (apparent
source point) for the Geminids will reach an altitude of 52.5
degrees, which means that you can expect to see and
perhaps photograph quite a few Geminid meteors in the
hours before midnight, provided the sky is clear. This means
you can get out and observe the Geminids and still get
plenty of sleep.
In 2012, we held a special “Geminid Meteor Shower
Member Star Party” at the ChesLen preserve. Several DAS
members attended and enjoyed the show immensely. I took
the photo below just as we were packing up and going home.
Appearing from left to right are Jeff Lawrence, Rich LeMay,
Bill Hanagan, Greg Lee, and Fred DeLucia. Several other
attendees left earlier.
Upcoming Events and Activities Extended
Check out the website at http://www.delastro.org/ for all of the upcoming events and activities. There’s PLENTY going on, so
be sure you’re informed and don’t miss something that would interest you
-6-
DAS ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP
Bill Hanagan
The DAS astro-photography special interest group (DAS AP-SIG) meets monthly at Mt. Cuba and at our members’
homes. The AP SIG sometimes meets regardless of the weather, but some meetings are planned around specific imaging
demonstrations and are “Flex-Scheduled” using email on 1-2 day notice to synchronize with the weather. AP-SIG meetings
are regularly announced via the DAS Yahoo Group as well as by email to AP-SIG members. See the sidebar for a brief
rundown on how to get started taking astro-photos. To join the AP-SIG, send me an email at [email protected] with
your name, address, and phone number and tell me that you want to join the AP-SIG.
AP-SIG meetings are informal and typically include the presentation of astrophotos taken by the members along
with an extended question and answer period. The topics discussed during our Q&A sessions have covered the entire
gamut of astrophotography, from how to get started with a minimum of equipment, to polar aligning your telescope, to the
fine points of using auto-guiders and post-processing digital images.
In addition, we often have special presentations on topics of particular interest at the time. For example he third onsite AP-SIG meeting of the season will was held Saturday, November 7 at Dave Hockenberry's home.
Even if you aren’t an AP-SIG member, you’re welcome to attend the AP-SIG meetings to learn more.
The subsequent meeting of the AP-SIG is currently scheduled for the weekend of January 15 - 16 at MCAO! Please
mark these dates on your calendar!
The specific date will be announced a day or two ahead of the meeting via DAS Yahoo Group email.
On How to Get Started in Astro-Photography
Bill Hanagan
You can get started in astrophotography with your current camera mounted on a tripod by taking wide field photographs of meteor showers, conjunctions, constellations, and star trails. Mounting your camera “piggyback” on a motorized
telescope that tracks the movement of the stars allows you to photograph a few more subjects, mostly large and bright
nebulas and comets. At this level, some smaller subjects may benefit from the use of a telephoto lens. As you move to
progressively fainter and smaller subjects, the demands on your equipment will grow considerably. However, as you improve
your equipment, the number of subjects that you can photograph will also increase exponentially.
Joining the AP SIG is a great way to learn what equipment you’ll need to photograph the subjects that interest you
and to find out what specific equipment works well (or doesn’t work) before you spend your money.
DAS AMATEUR TELESCOPE MAKING SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP
Bill Hanagan
The DAS Amateur Telescope Making (ATM) Special Interest Group (SIG) is made up of DAS members who get
together to work on their own as well as club related telescope making projects. The ATM SIG meets at times and locations
appropriate for whatever projects are currently underway.
The general range of activities of the ATM SIG includes all manner of telescope making including Newtonian mirror
making, the testing of complete telescopes as well as individual optics, and the making of telescope accessories. In the
past, we’ve made several Newtonian telescope mirrors from scratch and completed some that members brought in as works
in progress, including one that was started in the mid-60’s! We’ve also made new telescope tubes, made secondary mirror
holders, tested numerous telescope objectives, manufactured spiders, and made many solar filters for telescopes and
binoculars. We recently completed the refiguring of the DAS 17.5” Newtonian mirror.
Anyone interested in joining the ATM SIG should email their name, address, and phone number to me at
[email protected].
.
FOCUS uses plenty of photos
in banners & elsewhere each issue, and
So how about you?? HAVE ANY
OLD or NEW ASTROPHOTOS??
we want to use YOURS...not Hubble’s!!
PLEASE email to FOCUS editor
(or tell us where they can be found on the web if your photos reside therei)
Photos need NOT be current.
-7-
Photos from DAS Members
From
Rob Lancaster taken at Coyle Field on November 14th, 2015...
Hey guys, here are my results from November 14th at Coyle Field. I was testing out my new 6” f/4 to see how she
performs. These are by no means the best it can do. This was just a test drive so to speak. I selected a number of targets
that should be ideal for this scope (and probably one that was too big) and did as many as I could. All of the photos were
through my brand new 6” f/4 Third Planet Optics Reflector. All of them were taken with my SBIG 8300M CCD camera, all were
on my Losmandy G11 mount, and I was guiding. I was using a Paracorr mounted on the camera. And I did R, G, and B filters
for most of them. For the North American Nebula, I also did some H alpha data, but that was the only one because I haven’t
automated the focuser on this new scope yet. I think it is doing pretty well for a $300 telescope.
The
Andromeda
Galaxy (M31)4 Red, 4 Green, and 4
Blue 2 minute
exposures
The
Pleiades
(M45)10 Red, 10 Green,
and 11 Blue
2 minute exposures
-8-
Rob Lancaster (Continued)
Horsehead
and Flame
Nebulas
around
Alnitakr10 Red, 10 Green,
and 8 Blue 2 minute
exposures
North American Nebula
(NGC7000
Mexico and
Florida
Regions)8 Red, 8 Green, and 8
Blue 2 minute exposures and 6 5 minute
Hydrogen Alpha
Exposures
-9-
Rob Lancaster (Continued)
Orion Nebula
(M42) and
Running Man
Nebula
(M43)8 Red, 8 Green, and 8
Blue 1 minute exposures
Nebula
Here are some shots from Coyle field on Friday night when I was there with Fred and Lionel. I was using my new 6 inch scope on my Losmandy G11
mount the whole time. I was trying out the automated focuser from my big scope mounted on the small scope because I am thinking of getting a MoonLite
Focuser for my small scope. Mostly I was just exploring some of the wintertime objects, because I usually don’t do them (Other than the orion area) due to
the cold. But with my new boots, my new gloves, and my new hat, I was pretty happy and warm on Friday despite the fact that it got below freezing. I
started with the California Nebula, since it was high in the sky at the time, then I swung down to the Witch’s Head which is at Orion’s feet which I have
never taken or seen before except in photos online. Then I headed to a really cool cluster of nebulas between Gemini and Monoceros. I took brief shots
of a few of them to see what they looked like and then decided to take a slightly longer picture of IC446 as an experiment. Then I took the Rosette Nebula
just before the moon came up.
From Coyle Field,
Friday, December 4th
California
Nebula
4 Red, 3 Green, and 3
Blue, 5 minute
exposures
-10-
Rob Lancaster (Continued)
Witches
Head
Nebula
3 Red, 3 Green,
and 4 Blue,
5 minute exposures
IC446
3 Red, 3
Green, and 3
Blue, 2
minute
exposures
-11-11-
Rob Lancaster (Continued)
Rosette
Nebula
8 Red, 8 Green,
and 8 Blue,
2 minute
exposures
DAS Now has a Discount Subscription Rate for Astronomy
Technology Today Magazine and Amateur Astronomy Magazine
Astronomy Technology Today: Members can subscribe directly on-line and then in the appropriate box enter the club’s
discount code which is: DAS. During the order process, members simply enter the discount code and they will receive the
discounted rate at checkout. Print subscribers also have unlimited access to all current and past digital issues at no addi-
tional cost. Normal print subscriptions are $18 per year. The club rate is $14 per year.
The magazine is issued bi-monthly. https://www.astronomytechnologytoday.com/
Amateur Astronomy Magazine: DAS members must print, fill out and mail the form found in the “Files” section of our
Yahoo email list website.
.
The magazine is issued quarterly. http://www.amateurastronomy.com/index.htm.
-12-
From NEW DAS Member and AP-SIG Participant
Dave Hockenberry (Continued)
Attached find Dave’s image of NGC660. This is a Polar Ring galaxy in Pisces, an unusual type of galaxy of which
there are only a dozen or so known. Even among Polar Ring galaxies NGC660 is atypical, as the rings are inclined to
almost 45 degrees from the main galaxy plane and apparently stable. Various sources place NGC660 at between 20 and
30 million light years distance.
Image shot through a Hyperion 12.5" telescope with a QSI 583wsg CCD camera. Autoguided with Lodestar X2
guiding camera and SXAO LF Active Optics unit. Driven on an AP 1200 mount. Image capture, observatory and guiding/AO
control with MaxIm DL. Images calibrated and stacked, Lum image deconvolved and RGB creation in CCDStack. L-RGB
merge and further adjusments in Photoshop CS5. Total of 12.75 hours Lum (15 minute subexposures), 4 hours Green, 7
hours Red, and 4.5 hours Blue filters (all color subs 10 minutes).
NGC660 -A Polar Ring
Galaxy in Pisces,
-13-
From NEW DAS Member and AP-SIG Participant
Dave Hockenberry (Continued)
NGC 7380, the
Wizard Nebula. Open
cluster and nebulosity in
Cepheus, about 7200 light
years distant. Shot
August and September
2011 with as Astrotech
8RC telescope and
QSI583wsg camera.
Autoguiding with Starlight
Xpress Lodestar off-axis
and SX AO LF Active
Optics unit. Image
capture, observatory and
AO/autoguiding control
with MaxIm DL. Images
calibrated, stacked, RGB
creation, and Lum
deconvolution in
CCDStack. Further image
processing and LRGB
merge in Photoshop CS3.
9 X 600-second Lum
exposures, 5 X 300-sec
Red, Green, and Blue filter
exposures.
Van den Berg 152, an
enigmatic dust cloud in
Cepheus about 1,400 light
years distant. A gas
cloud partly illuminated by
the bright star entering the
cloud on the right, but the
bluish color is also partly
reflected ambient light
from the surrounding Milky
Way. This cloud also
obscures much of the red
and yellow light behind it,
giving it an ethereal
appearance. Shot
September 2012 with an
AstroTech 8RC telescope
and QSI583-wsg camera.
Autoguiding with SX
Lodestar camera off-axis
and SX AO LF active
Optics unit. Image
capture and AO/
autoguiding control with
MaxIm DL. Images
calibrated, stacked, RGB
creation, and Lum
deconvolution in CCDStack. Further image processing and LRGB merge in Photoshop CS3. 19 x 900-second Lum
exposures, 9 x 300-sec Red, green and Blue filter exposures.
-14-
From NEW DAS Member and AP-SIG Participant
Dave Hockenberry
IC342, open face spiral galaxy in Camelopardalis about 10.7 million light years distance. Also goes by the
designation Caldwell 5. Shot April and May 2013 with an AT8RC telescope and QSI582wsg camera.
Autoguiding with SX Lodestar camera off-axis and SX AO LF Active optics unit. Image capture, observatory and
AO/autoguiding control with MaxIm DL. Images calibrated, stacked, RGB creation and Lum deconvolution in
CCDStack. L-RGB merge and further image processing in Photoshop CS3. 18 X 900-second Lum images, 9 X
600-second Red, Green and Blue filter images.
DAS Annual Dues were to be paid in November -- If you’ve
not yet paid your DAS Dues, Please do so ASAP!
THANK YOU!!
-15-
Photos From DAS Member
Willis Greiner, Jr.
(Continued)
Double Cluster (Caldwell 14) / NGC869 and NGC 884 in Perseus – December 01, 2015
Image obtained 12-01-2015 through RVO's Megrez 80mm refractor with Orion field-flattener lens, using a Baadermodified Canon XSi DSLR and BackyardEOS image-acquisition software – 26 (of 28 obtained) carefully selected and stacked
120-second luminance frames combined with multiple dark, flat and bias calibration frames shot at ISO 1600 and totaling more
than 140 minutes (~52 minutes effective luminance) were used to create this image; optics driven by the Losmandy G-11 mount
equipped with Ovision's precision RA worm gear, guided with an Orion SSG3 Monochrome CCD camera using Maxim DL Pro
and post-processed with DeepSkyStacker and Photoshop CS3
-16-
Images by Member Frank Colosimo
from His Blue Mountain Vista
Observatory at New Ringgold, PA
NGC 896 is a magnitude 7 Emission nebula and star-forming region in the constellation of Cassiopeia, and is
located at a distance of 6150 light years from us. It has an apparent dimension of 10 arc minutes. It is located in
the Perseus arm of the Milky Way, and makes up the Upper right part of the much larger Heart Nebula, IC 1807.
Date: Oct 4 - 9 2011 Location: New Ringgold PA
Optics: Hyperion 12.5 inch f/9 2532mm focal length
Mount: Paramount ME
Camera/Filters: SBIG STL 11000 camera Baader filters
Exposure: HA: 26x20 minutes, R:15x9 min G:19x6 min B:22x8 min. The total time was 16 hours
Processing: Image acquisition using CCD Autopilot. Initial processing was done using Maxim DL with subsequent
processing using Photoshop. HA was used for the Luminance channel.
-17-
Images by Member Frank Colosimo (Continued)
NGC 7814 or Caldwell 43 is an edge-on spiral galaxy in Pegasus. It lies about 40 million light years away. It has a
distinctive lateral dark lane that looks like a smaller version of the Sombrero Galaxy, M104. Several faint and remote
galaxies can be seen in the field.
Date: Sep-Oct 2015
Location: Blue Mountain Vista Observatories,New Ringgold PA
Optics: Starizona Hyperion f/8 12.5 inch, FL 2540 mm
Mount: Paramount ME
Camera: Apogee U8300
Guiding: ST-402 on Innovations Foresight On-Axis Guider
Exposure: LRGB: L:28x10 R:18x8 min, G:17x6 min, B:19x10 min for a total of 11.9 hrs.
Processing: Image acquisition using CCD Autopilot. Initial processing was done using Maxim DL with subsequent
processing with Photoshop.
-18-
Space Vision
ScienceCasts: Space Vision
Nov. 17, 2015: Traveling in space has many odd effects on
Many astronauts report a blurring of their eyesight in microgravity. Researchers are
trying to get to the bottom of this phenomenon before astronauts travel to Mars
and beyond. https://youtu.be/xtq3b_HYg9w
the human body. One of the strangest has to do with
vision.
After spending some time on the International Space
Station, many astronauts discover that they cannot see
as well as they do on Earth. The effect is so well known
that members of the crew routinely pack “space
glasses” to correct their vision in orbit.
Researchers still aren’t sure what causes the
problem, but they would like to solve it before humans
travel beyond low-Earth orbit. A trip to Mars could take at
least three years -- five times as long as a mission to
the station. So it’s important to learn about the adverse
effects of microgravity on vision and develop ways to counter them. Christian Otto of the Universities Space Research Association in Houston, Texas, is one of the researchers trying to get a clearer understanding of “space vision.” He is the Principal
Investigator of the Ocular Health study now underway on the space station.
An accomplished off-road triathlete with an interest in human performance in extreme environments, Otto is well-suited
to this PI role. He once toted an ultrasound machine up Mount Everest to study the effects of oxygen deprivation on intracranial
pressure. Now, with the Ocular Health study, he’s remotely conducting similar tests on astronauts.
“Testing astronauts before, during, and after their missions to the station shows us their status preflight and helps us
identify changes that result from the environment and microgravity on the station,” explains Otto.
On the space station, the body’s fluids, particularly the blood supply, shift toward the head much like what happens on
Earth when you lie down. Therefore, it is hypothesized that the pressure inside the skull increases. That increase in intracranial
pressure is believed to be transmitted to the eye and optic nerve, leading to changes in eye structure and visual acuity.
Optic Disc Edema (ODE) -- swelling of the optic disc -- is the most critical change. If it persists, it can lead to a loss of
peripheral vision and eventual blindness. Astronauts have experienced only mild ODE to date, but no one knows how severe it
could become on a Mars expedition.
“Data from this study will help researchers develop countermeasures for and reduce susceptibility to issues like ODE,”
says Otto. “It will help us develop targeted treatments to prevent problems.”
Adding preliminary data from the Ocular Health study to data from previous Vision Impairment and Intracranial Pressure
(VIIP) studies, Otto and his team have made some interesting discoveries.
“Around 70% of 33 International Space Station crewperson subjects have experienced mild VIIP, and we are finding that
men are affected about twice as severely as women.
ODE is measured on a scale of 0-5, with 1 being the least effected and 5 being the most. Six out of seven subjects with
ODE were grade 1, while the 7th subject had a grade 3 eye. All seven subjects that developed clinical grade ODE were men.
Results from the Ocular Health study will help doctors better understand disorders such as glaucoma and Idiopathic
Intracranial Hypertension (IIH) that can plague people back on Earth. The latter is a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid
pressure rises and remains elevated for a long time, causing severe headaches that even the strongest pain medications can’t
touch. Like glaucoma, the condition sometimes leads to vision loss and blindness.
Says Otto,“This study will tell us more about noninvasive measurement of intracranial pressure. The way doctors
measure it now is through a spinal tap or making a burr hole in the skull and inserting an intraventricular monitor.”
“We are pushing the envelope in several areas of terrestrial clinical medicine. NASA’s Ocular Health study is providing
new insights in neurology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, and cardio-vascular physiology. The clinical community is very excited.”
For more on studies on the International Space Station, go to www.nasa.gov/station
Click
Below To
-19-
https://youtu.be/lgL_7-qT8S8
The "Omics" of
Space Travel
Nov. 15, 2015: The human body is incredibly complex. Every part of us—from our
bones to our blood cells—is subject to a
host of chemical reactions and molecular
interactions that, without our conscious
effort, keep us alive.
But what happens to these processes when
we leave the planet?
In Earth orbit and beyond, where gravity is
ScienceCasts:
counteracted by a constant state of freefall
and cosmic radiation intensifies, the molecuThe “Omnics” of Space Travel
lar inner-workings of the human body may
During an unprecedented 1-year mission to the International Space Station, scientists are
change. To find out how, NASA has entered
studying how astronauts' bodies respond to long-duration space travel.
a realm of bioresearch known as “-omics.”
“Omics” refers to the collection of data on the medley of microcosms that regulate our bodies at a molecular level.
Things that work with the metabolism are grouped underneath the term “metabolome.” All of the lipids in the body are called
the “lipidome.” All of the proteins? You guessed it—“proteome.”
“We have launched a one-year study to understand the omics of space travel,” says Craig Kundrot, Ph.D. in the
Office of the Chief Scientist at NASA Headquarters. “Astronauts are spending a year on the International Space Station, and
we are looking at what happens to them on the molecular level.”
This project is really two projects:
First, there is the “Twins Study. NASA has twin astronauts: One of them, Mark Kelly (retired), is staying on Earth
while his brother, Scott Kelly, orbits Earth. For one year, Mark and Scott will be poked, prodded, and questioned to learn if
the omics of identical twins show more signficant differences than normal aging would cause after one of them spends a
year in space.
At the same time, Scott Kelly is involved in a separate project called the “One Year Mission.” Unlike previous
expeditions to the space station, which lasted only 6 months, Scott Kelly is spending a full year onboard the station alongside Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko. This One Year Mission has its own battery of tests designed to reveal the
physiological effects of long-term space flight.
Why 1 year?
“NASA knows a lot about what happens to astronauts after 6 months in orbit,” says Kundrot. “Deep space missions
are going to take much longer than that. A round trip to Mars, for instance, might take thirty months or more. This 1-year
experiment is the next, natural step in that direction.”
Kundrot also notes the intangible significance of 1 year to humans.
“When we leave home for 6 months, it’s like a long business trip. Leaving home for a year is a different thing. We
are going to miss every birthday, anniversary, graduation and many other milestones. It feels like a big chunk of life—and
this could affect the mood or behavior of the space travelers.”
Indeed, some of the studies focus the astronauts’ psychological state. At the same time that blood is drawn and
other samples are taken, the astronauts will be filling out questionnaires about their mood, thoughts and dreams. This
approach could reveal links between the astronaut’s mental state and their molecular state.
In total, more than 30 research proposals have been approved for the Twin Study and the One Year Mission—and
they are well underway. The experiments began on March 27, 2015, when Kelly and Kornienko blasted off onboard a
Russian rocket for their year in space.
For more on studies on the international space station, go to www.nasa.gov/station
Author: Ferris Molina
-20-
The Hidden
Meltdown
of Greenland
https://youtu.be/xkxjyZmdJgg
ScienceCasts:
The Hidden Meltdown of Greenland
More than 90 percent of
our planet’s freshwater ice is bound in
the massive ice sheets and glaciers of
the Antarctic and Greenland. As
temperatures around the world slowly
climb, melt waters from these vast
stores of ice add to rising sea levels.
All by itself, Greenland could bump
sea levels by 7 meters (23 feet) if its
ice melted completely.
And … it’s melting.
NASA-supported researchers have found that ice covering Greenland is melting faster than
In August 2014, Eric Rignot, a
previously thought.
glaciologist working at the University of
California, Irvine and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, led a team in mapping ice cliffs at the front edges of three outlet
glaciers in Greenland. The researchers found cavities that undercut the base of these leading edges that can destabilize
the ice front and enhance iceberg calving, the process where parts of the glacier break off and float away.
“In Greenland we have melt rates of a few meters a day in the summer months,” says Rignot.
What’s causing this ‘big thaw’?
Rignot’s team found that Greenland's glaciers flowing into the ocean are grounded deeper below sea level than
previously measured. This means that the warm ocean currents at depth can sweep across the glacier faces and erode them.
“In polar regions, the upper layers of ocean water are cold and fresh,” he explains. “Cold water is less effective at
melting ice.”
“The real ocean heat is at a depth of 350-400 meters and below. This warm, salty water is of subtropical origin and
melts the ice much more rapidly.”
Rignot’s research team is providing critical information needed to document this effect and accurately predict
where and how fast glaciers will give way. The team gathered and analyzed around-the-clock measurements of the depth,
salinity, and temperature of channel waters and their intersection with the coastal edge of Greenland's ice sheet.
They found that some of the glaciers balance on giant earthen sills that are protecting them, for now. But other
glaciers are being severely undercut out of sight beneath the surface, meaning they could collapse and melt much sooner.
It’s not easy gathering such data. On top of the rough waters, wind, rain, and cold weather, there’s the ice itself.
“We came to study glaciers that discharge into the fjord. And the fjords are full of ice. In some places it can be so
full of ice that the boat can’t even push through.”
But ice holds a peculiar fascination for Rignot. “I’ve always been interested in polar regions,"he says. "My friends
wanted to cruise in the Caribbean but I’d rather cruise here in these waters. I don’t know why. I just like them.
”What’s next?
“OMG,” answers Rignot. And he’s not using chatspeak.
OMG stands for Ocean Melting Greenland -- the name of a new NASA-funded 5-year project that will take their
investigation even further, to the four corners of Greenland by ship and by plane.
‘’We hope that the data collected will be a game changer for studying ice-ocean interaction in Greenland,’’ says
Rignot. ‘’It will help modelers make better projections of Greenland ice sheet melt in the future.’’
Rignot’s results have been accepted for publication in the journal Geophysical Research Letters and are now
available online.
Aug. 28, 2015:
Click to
and Stay Informed About
EVERYTHING to do with
Man’s Exploration
of the Universe!
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/
-21-
Hubble Peers Through the Elliptical Haze
Like a lighthouse in the fog,
the luminous core of NGC
2768 slowly fades outwards
to a dull white haze in this
image taken by the NASA/
ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
The galaxy is also mamarked
by a prominent plume of dust
reaching out from the center and
lying perpendicular to the
galaxy’s plane. This dust
conceals a symmetrical, Sshaped pair of jets that are
being produced by the
supermassive black hole as
it feeds.
NGC 2768 is an elliptical
galaxy in the constellation of
Ursa Major (The Great Bear).
It is a huge bundle of stars,
dominated by a bright
central region, where a
supermassive black hole
feasts on a constant stream
of gas and dust being fed to
it by its galactic host.
Image credit: ESA/Hubble,
NASA and S. Smartt (Queen's
University Belfast)
Last Updated: Dec. 4, 2015
Editor: Ashley Morrow
Hubble Views a Lonely Galaxy
Only three local stars appear in this image, quartered by right-angled diffraction spikes. Everything
besides them is a galaxy; floating like a swarm of microbes in a drop of water, and brought into view here not by
a microscope, but by the Advanced Camera for Surveys on the Hubble Space Telescope.
In the foreground, the spiral arms of MCG+01-02-015 seem to wrap around one another, cocooning the
galaxy. The scene suggests an abundance of galactic companionship for MCG+01-02-015, but this is a cruel
trick of perspective. Instead, MCG+01-02-015’s unsentimental naming befits its position within the cosmos: it is
a void galaxy, the loneliest of galaxies.
-22-
Clear sky session Friday night Report of December 4th, 2015
by Phil Moyer
I opened the Sawin at 6:10 and started setting up my gear. I was startingobservations around 7. Greg Lee had a group
of high school students at MCAOfor a few hours, too.
Shortly after I started fussing with the camera to get it set up, Bill H.dropped by. He transferred huge amounts of
knowledge and helped me outtremendously. He even refrained from dismissing my little telescope and
Nikon camera. :-) Bill taught me how to properly star align the telescope,since I had been doing it poorly and, as a result, was
getting star trailsin my pictures. He taught me the value of a higher-powered eyepiece for
doing the star alignment, how to properly center the star in the field ofview (the trick for me was taking off my glasses and refocusing), andrecommended a crosshair reticle eyepiece. Fortunately, it's pretty easy to
replace previously-entered stars on the Celestron and re-align the scope.He also pointed out that I really need a dew heater on
the telescopebecause it started to fog up as soon as we took the dew shield off tocollimate the telescope (see next paragraph).
Next, Bill noticed the telescope needed collamination. I had no idea howdo that, so we went to the workship to get a
small phillips headscrewdriver, and then Bill showed me how to properly collimate thetelescope by adjusting the secondary.
One of the fascinating things wasseeing the thermals inside the telescope from the temperature differential.
I need to put my jewler's screwdriver set in one of my astronomy backpacks.
Once we got *those* issues addressed, the telescope was tracking much moreaccurately. I observed and imaged:
- M45 - the Pleiades;- M42 - the great Orion nebula; - NGC884 - half the Double Cluster;- M33; - M32; - M31 - the
Andromeda galaxy
This is an unstacked frame of M42 right out of the camera (well, I didscale the iage in post to make it smaller, and
adjust the levels). Not abad night for a novice astrophotographer! This was, btw, the first time I'dever taken pictures through a
telescope, even though I have a very goodbackground in photography.
I have a list of deep sky objects I'd like to observe/image. I have somethings I need to adjust on the telescope - namely,
setting the slew limitsso the camera doesn't hit the mount. I also need to practice focusing thecamera using the viewfinder. I
think getting a copy of BackyardNikon wouldbe helpful here because I can then use the software to fine-focus thetelescope.
Bill also showed me how to piggyback a camera mount on the 12.5" reflectorin the Sawin, then showed me how to use
BackyardEOS (I believe it was) tocapture images off the camera and control camera settings. He was testing a
new lens for his Canon (a Sigma f/1.4, IIRC) with a light pollution filter.Greg stopped by after his event to say "hi" and see how
we were doing.
Before I packed up, a little after three in the morning, I shot a series ofdarks at 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 45 second
expoures. I'll have to note thatit was 27 degrees when I shot those darks.
Now I need to figure out the post-processing workflow of stacking thelights and darks. I've only ever done that (and it
was over a year ago)with data from the Hubble Space Telescope, so I'll have to learn theprocess essentially from scratch.
I hope to make it to the AP-SIG meeting tonight.
Member Steps Up When November Speaker was Unable to Appear
Jeff Lawrence
I would like to give a giant thanks, and job well done to Mark Phillips!
When we discovered that a mix-up left us with a room full of DAS members, and no speaker for the November meeting,
Mark jumped right up and gave a really good talk he had at the ready! It was a unique topic, and very well presented.
And this came from a member who just joined the club 2 months ago! Way to jump right in, Mark!
What I like best about the club is the variety of interest and backgrounds of the different members that adds to the
diversity of our activities. it is also great when more members jump in to help out, as in a volunteer organization, the club will
only be as strong as the collective involvement of its members.
Thanks again Mark! You really saved the day and it was greatly appreciated!
-23-
Sawin Certification Program Fred De Lucia
The Sawin is the major centerpiece of DAS. In the past it was in use
much more often and by a number of members on every clear Friday night. It
has been largely underutilized for a number of reasons. One reason, I believe,
is that newer members or members who do not own a telescope might feel
intimidated by the equipment and the observatory’s layout. We hope to address
this by instituting the Sawin Certification Program. With the new upgrades
installed, its use will be more inviting and user friendly to both new and experienced members. Certified Key Holders of the Sawin have access to its use at
any time without supervision
.
The Program will consist of a minimum of 2 sessions, scheduled at the
Sawin, to obtain the necessary knowledge and experience in using the Sawin
equipment. These sessions will be supervised by a current Sawin Key Holder.
The first session, likely set for a weekend in the daylight (even if it’s cloudy), will familiarize learners with the layout
of the Sawin and overall operation, including opening the roof, uncovering and covering the telescopes, handling eyepieces
and pointing the telescopes, etc.
If the supervising Sawin Key Holder determines that progression during the first session is acceptable, then the
second session will be scheduled for a clear sky night session to address night time use of the equipment.
The Sawin Certification Program is for DAS members only who are in good standing and 16 years of age or older.
Participants in the program who are under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
For information or sign-up, please contact Greg Lee, DAS President at [email protected].
ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE MEMBERSHIP
·
·
·
The DAS offers an optional membership in the Astronomical League (AL) at a discounted rate.
AL membership dues are $7.50 per year and are due on June 1 for all members.
Prorated discounts for new memberships starting mid-year are as follows:
April 16 - July 15: $7.50 per member
July 16 - Oct 15: $5.62 per member
Oct 16 - Jan 15: $3.75 per member
Jan 16 - April 15: $1.87 per member
Members should make their check out to DAS and mail it to the Treasurer whose information is below::
Jeff Lawrence
DAS Treasurer
815 Leeds Lane
Newark, DE 19711
Jack Goodwin Steps Up to be Education Chairperson
Jack Goodwin has come forward to fill the important Board position of Education Chair. We thank Jack and wish
him luck in this new and important endeavor
Call for DAS AstroImages for Display in Mt. Cuba Lobby
MCAO is asking for any DAS members to submit their astroimages for display in the Observatory. It would like to
display the club member’s talents and update some of the images currently on display in the lobby of
the Observatory.
Images will be displayed for up to a year and replaced as new images are submitted. Full credits to the imager will be
included. Please include all technical information with the image (date, telescope and camera used, exposure time, image
processing software, etc.). You may email digital images to the Mt. Cuba website. Photos may be sent to the Observatory or
brought to a DAS meeting.
The Observatory looks forward to displaying your beautiful images! Contact Greg at [email protected].
-24-
INFORMATION ON DAS MEMBERSHIPS AND MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS
DAS MEMBERSHIP
· DAS membership dues are $30.00 per year and due on November 1 for all members.
- There is no need to renew membership until the treasurer contacts you during the membership renewal drive starting in mid-October.
·
New members joining at various times of the year may be eligible for a prorated dues amount.
- $20 when joining March-May
- $10 when joining June-August
- $30 for joining September-October through November 1 of the following year.
SKY & TELESCOPE MAGAZINE
·
·
·
·
·
·
The DAS offers subscriptions to Sky & Telescope at a discounted rate of $32.95 per year.
Subscriptions to S&T will be processed by the club for the first subscription year only.
The publisher should then send renewal notices directly to the subscriber at the club rate of $32.95.
You may receive renewal offers for amounts other than $32.95. If so, check to see if they are special offers and how close you
are to your renewal date.
Your subscription expiration date should be displayed on the mailing label on your magazine.
If you are within 3 months of your renewal date and still have not received the correct renewal notice, please contact the publisher and tell them you should receive the member rate.
ASTRONOMY MAGAZINE
·
·
·
·
The DAS offers subscriptions to Astronomy magazine at a discounted rate of $34.00 per year.
Subscriptions to Astronomy will be processed by the club for the first subscription year only.
Your subscription expiration date should be displayed on the mailing label on your magazine.
Renewals can be handled by all club members on the Astronomy.com website using the following steps:
a. go to www.astronomy.com
b. select the ‘customer service’ link in the upper right corner
c. select the ‘renew your subscriptions’ link
d. enter your customer number (found on the mailing label), postal code, and the renewal code of ‘RCLUB040’ and
click ‘continue’
e. follow the remaining steps from there.
NEW MEMBERSHIP FORM
·
·
Please review the membership and magazine information above carefully.
PLEASE fill out the membership form below completely.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- -- - - -
NEW MEMBERSHIP FORM
Please be sure to review the Membership and Magazine information above carefully.
Please make checks payable to DAS and forward to:
Jeff Lawrence, Treasurer, 815 Leeds Lane, Newark, DE 19711
Senior / Family Membership
$30.00/20.00/10.00
Junior Membership (15 or under)
$10.00
Sky & Telescope Magazine
$32.95
Astronomy Magazine
$34.00
Total:
Name_________________________________________________Email Adress________________________________
Street Address_________________________________________________Phone Number______________________
City___________________________________________________________State______Zip___________________________
Notes_________________________________________________________________________________________________
For questions or concerns, contact Jeff Lawrence, DAS Treasurer at (302) 668-8277 or [email protected]
-25-
DAS CONTACTS
Please call any of us with your concerns!
Board members:
Officers:
President:
Greg Lee -- 302-762-5358 or [email protected],
Vice-President: Rob Lancaster -- also, Program Chair & Future Web Site Development -- [email protected]
Secretary:
Bill McKibben, Secretary [email protected]
Treasurer:
Jeff Lawrence
[email protected]; (302) 668-8277also Sky & Telescope & Astronomy magazine issues
Board Members at Large:
Terry Lisansky [email protected]
Glenn Bentley -- 610-869-0706 or [email protected]
Bill Hanagan -- 302-239-0949 or [email protected], also Astronomical Photography Special Interest
Group; Amateur Telescope Making Special Interest Group; By-Laws;Observatory and Equipment Improvements
Standing Chairs:
Publications:
Joe Neuberger -- 302-723-2734 or [email protected], also, FOCUS Newsletter article/photo contributions
Observing:
Fred DeLucia -- 609-410-8943 or [email protected], also, Elections Chair and Awards Chair
Education:
Jack Goodwin - (610)-457-2945 or [email protected]
Observatory:
Open Position (contact Pres. Greg Lee with questions)
Library
Maria Lavalle and Sue Bebon
Other Chairs:
MCAO Web Page: www.MountCuba.org
DAS Web Page: www.DelAstro.org
Other Contacts: Astronomical League Coordinator: Lynn King - [email protected]
SEE PRECEEDING PAGE FOR NEW MEMBERSHIP FORM
If you have questions, call any of the member representatives listed. Otherwise, just check the appropriate boxes and complete the form on the preceeding
page. Print it or cut it off and send it with your check to Jeff Lawrencet his address on
the form. The magazine prices are group rates to DAS members.
If you’re just joining us for the first time, THANK YOU VERY MUCH,
and WELCOME to the DAS! It’s GREAT to have you with us!
The Last
Word. . .
FOCUS editor
Joe Neuberger
I can hardly believe that this is my 74th issue as Your Publications Chair and FOCUS
Editor, which I have been doing since September, 2008.
And it has been my Pleasure to serve the membership in this manner.
I strive to make each issue of the FOCUS a little better than the last, and hope I
succeed in that effort. Only YOU can say.
And I look forward to another year in 2016.
So, before 2015 comes to a close, let me say “Thank You” for your wide
ranging support, and to wish Everyone a sincere “Happy Holidays!”
And “Best Wishes for a Safe & Happy New Year to ALL!”