The newsletter of the Tri-Valley Stargazers July 1996.
Translated (roughly) from postscript into HTML for your browsing and downloading pleasure.
A beautiful new addition to the TVS Loaner Telescope program is the three-inch refractor, donated by Jerome (Jerry) Howland of Livermore. Jerry is not a club member (yet...), but reached us by way of a referral from Jack Marling at Lumicon.
The refractor is an early-50s Unitron, with a rotating eyepiece holder that accepts .965 or 1.25 inch sizes. The scope is in wonderful condition, with its original boxes and a solar projector. (The solar projector will be removed and safely stored when the scope is in general loan. It will be used by specific members at club functions or public star parties.)
Many thanks to Jerry for his kind and generous donation to the club. Those of us at the June meeting very much enjoyed meeting him, and we look forward to seeing him at Sycamore Grove or other star parties.
Club member Chuck Vaughn, who presented the June program on Internet Astronomy, has made us an offer we won't refuse. He is willing to digitize negatives and slides for posting to the TVS web page. You can contact Chuck at (510) 797-8365, or on the Internet at aa6g@aa6g.com.
Thanks, Chuck, for a fine program last month, and a great on-going service to TVS.
Mike Spreitzer prints Prime Focus every month using the excellent and cooperative services of Xerox. In < addition, he has posted the newsletters from March, April, and May to the club website.
We very much appreciate the money, time, and effort Mike's work saves the club.
Speaking of money...
Updates on the state of the club
treasury,
through the end of June,
are:
$5,003.68 - checking account
$3,032.35 - certificate of deposit
$1,187.88 - money market
The certificate of deposit includes
all key deposits held for the The Dark Site
Pines Sky Shack.
The letter acknowledging TVS's contribution is reprinted below.
June 10, 1996
Dear Dave,
We greatly appreciate the Tri-Valley
stargazers' gift toward the resoration
project at Glacier Point.
Gifts like
this,
from people who know and love
Yosemite,
are the foundation of all our
work.
As you were the one to "pass the hat around", I'm glad that you were able to see the start of the project that your club has helped to make possible.
We will keep you updated, via our newsletter Approach, on the progress at Glacier point this year. We look forward to your presence at a celebration of the new amphitheater and completed revegetation -- hopefully by next year!
Thank you again for your participation in this exciting project.
Yours sincerely,
Bernadette Powell
Annual Giving Manager
Those of you who don't believe in observing by moonlight may want to bring your favorite astronomical gadgets to discuss with fellow members. Last year, this part of the evening engendered some lively conversation! This year, the barbecue officially opens at 7:00 pm, so you will have plenty of time to set up your scope before dinner.
As usual, the club will provide an excellent selection of grilled meats, prepared by Rich and Barbara Green. TVS also supplies all your utensils, condiments, and cold soft drinks. Bring a side dish or dessert, to feed eight, according to the first letter of your last name as below:
A - Q Side dish
R - Z Dessert n
August 23 September 27
October 25 Novovember 22
December 20
Star Parties:
July 19-21 Camp Shelly Dusk South Lake Tahoe Public star party and viewing
August 10 Sycamore Grove 8:00 pm Livermore "Meteors and comets"
August 30 - Sep. 2 Glacier Point Dusk Yosemite Public star party and viewing
Sep. 21 Sycamore Grove 8:00 pm Livermore "Planets and the solar system"
Secretary
Earl Mack
(510) 828-1414
Vice President
Bob Braddy
(510) 855-0964
Treasurer
Gene Nassar
(510) 462-7843
Observatory Director
Chuck Grant
(510) 449-1500
Eyes on the Sk y BBS
Mike Rushford
(510) 443-6146
Web Site
http://www.hooked.net/~tvs/
Editor
Alane Alchorn
(510) 455-9464
(510) 455-9466 fax
circlewing@aol.com
Meeting Location
Unitarian Universalist
Church in Livermore
1893 N.
Vasco Rd.
3/4 mile north of I-580
Board
Alane Alchorn
Dennis Beckley
George Cameron
Rich Combs
Chuck Grant
Rich Green
Al Smith
Tri-Valley
Stargazers
PO Box 2476
Livermore,
CA 94551
August
1 Thu Mercury 0.5° north of Regulus.
(Look shortly after sunset.)
Ganymede transits Jupiter 9:09 PM
to 12:16 AM;
shadow transits 11:52 PM
to 3:03 AM
(AM=2nd).
3 Sat Saturn 3° south of Moon.
5 Mon Last Quarter Moon 10:25 PM
PDT.
Io transits Jupiter 9:10 to 11:25 PM,
followed by shadow 9:55 to 12:11 AM
Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) (mag.
5.7) near Tau Ophiuchi,
between globular clusters NGC6517 (mag.
10.3) and NGC6539 (mag.
9.6)
6 Tue Io reappears from eclipse by Jupiter 9:21 PM
Callisto reappears from ooccultation 10:03 PM
Europa occulted 10:05 PM
8 Thu Aldebaran 1° south of Moon;
occulted in Arct ic.
9 Fri Venus 1.2° north of Moon.
(Ri se about 2:30 AM)
10 Sat FPOA/AANC Star-B-Que (potluck picnic & star party) 5:00 PM
Fremont Peak State Park (south of Gilroy).
RSVP (40 8) 623-2465.
Star Party at Sycamore Grove Park (Livermore Park Distri ct) 8:00 PM
(Wetmore Rd.
entrance near Holmes St.).
Excellent weekend for observing:no Moon until about 3 AM
Mars 6° north of Moon.
11 Sun Long-period (40 7 d) variable Chi Cygni near maximum (about mag.
5.2).
12 Mon Perseid meteor shower peaks about 5 AM
Io occulted,
then eclipsed,
by Jupiter 1:39 to 4:47 AM
14 Wed New Moon 12:34 AM
15 Thu White Mountain Star Party.
(Grandview campground tonight).
Europa's shadow transits Jupiter 8:36 to 11:24 PM;
satellite transit ends 9:32.
16 Fri White Mountain Star Party.
(Barcroft High-Altitude Research Facility).
Mercury 0.3° north of Moon;
occulted in South America.
17 Sat White Mountain Star Party.
Ephemerides
C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp)
DATE (00 UT) R.A.
(2000) DEC El.
Sky Mag
07-16 18h33.3m -10° 24' 160° E 6.0
07-21 18h26.0m -09° 55' 154° E 5.9
07-26 18h18.9m -09° 26' 149° E 5.8
07-31 18h12.0m -08° 59' 142° E 5.7
08-05 18h05.5m -08° 32' 136° E 5.7
08-10 17h59.4m -08° 07' 130° E 5.6
22P/ Kopff
DATE (00 UT) R.A.
(2000) DEC El.
Sky Mag
07-16 19h23.2m -20° 04' 175 ° E 7.0
07-21 19h23.8m -20° 45' 171 ° E 7.1
07-26 19h24.8m -21° 25' 166 ° E 7.2
07-31 19h26.2m -22° 03' 162 ° E 7.3
08-05 19h28.2m -22° 36' 157 ° E 7.4
08-10 19h30.8m -23° 05' 153 ° E 7.6
by Don Machholz
Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) is now visible to the unaided eye- at least to some eyes. The rest of us will have to be content with binocular views of the comet for awhile longer. This comet will likely be a unaided-eye object for more than a year, the Northern Hemisphere will see it through mid-May, 1997. This affords an opportunity to conduct an experiment, and to set a personal record: for how long you can follow the comet without optical aid. In 1985-6 Halley's Comet was seen for about seven months, and early in the last century the Great Comet of 1811 was a unaided-eye object for about nine months. Simply record the first night you view Comet Hale-Bopp with the unaided eye, and, sometime next May, your last unaided-eye viewing. The comet is presently 3.2 AU from us and 4.1 AU from the sun.
Meanwhile Periodic Comet Kopff is visible in the same part of the sky, but you'll need a pair of binoculars or a small telescope in order to see it. Other comets that we have been watching have now faded or moved south.
Orbital Elements
| Object | Hale-Bopp | Kopff |
| Peri. Date | 1997 04 01.14561 | 1996 07 02.19980 |
| Peri. Dist (AU) | 0.9140971 AU | 1.5795617 AU |
| Arg/Peri (2000): | 130.59227 deg. | 162.83487 deg. |
| Asc. Node (2000): | 282.47087 deg. | 120.91329 deg. |
| Incl (2000) | 089.42807 deg. | 004.72143 deg. |
| Eccen: | 0.9950784 | 0.5440739 |
| Orbital Period: | 3000 yrs. | 6.45 yrs. |
| Ref: | MPC 26879 (3-26) | MPC 22032 (1991) |
To encourage you to observe the universe first-hand, Tri-Valley Stargazers offers awards for certain accomplishments in amateur astronomy. At this time, awards are available for completion of the following programs:
David Anderson is the current Awards Coordinator. He can provide you with observing forms, as well as lists of objects on paper or in computer- readable form. Copies of the forms are also available in the TVS library for you to reproduce and use. (Please do not write on the library copies.) When you have finished a project, give a copy of your observing notes to the Awards Coordinator. You will receive a certificate honoring your achievement at the next general meeting of the Tri-Valley Stargazers.
All observations must be made within two years of registration.
The Astronomical Lea gue offers certificates for the Messier Objects,
Binocular Messier Objects,
and the Herschel 400.
TVS is not a member of the AL,
but the Eastbay Astronomical Society (EAS) is,
so by joining the EAS you can apply for
the AL awards.
Their address is:
Eastbay Astronomical Society,
Inc.
4917 Mountain Boulevard
Oakland,
CA 94619.
Binocular Program:
Earn at least 150 points.
Telescope Program:
Earn at least 250 points.
| Object | Observation | Points |
| Sun | Follow the motion and evolution of one or more sunspots for at least five days.* (B) | 20 |
| Mercury | Locate during a morning or evening apparition. | 5 |
| Observe gibbous and crescent phases.* (T) | 20 | |
| Venus | Locate in daylight. | 10 |
| Observe gibbous and crescent phases.* (T) | 15 | |
| Moon | Track rising and/or setting times and phases throughout a lunar cycle. | 15 |
| Locate a very young or old Moon (wi thin 24 hours of New). | 5 | |
| Observe and identify several interesting features (craters, mountain ranges, rilles, etc.).* (B) | 20 | |
| Mars | Track the planet's motion on a star chart during both prograde and retrograde phases. | 10 |
| Observe the polar cap(s).* (T) | 15 | |
| Observe and identify other markings.* (T) | 15 | |
| Observe seasonal changes and/or storms.* (T) | 20 | |
| Asteroids | Locate, identify, and trace the motion of at least one. (B) | 15 |
| Observe and time a stellar occultation. (T) | 20 | |
| Jupiter | Locate in daylight. | 15 |
| Observe and identify the Galilean satellites. (B) | 5 | |
| Observe and time an eclipse, occultation, or transit of a Galilean satellite. (T) | 10 | |
| Observe and identify the major belts and zones.* (T) | 10 | |
| Observe and identify other surface features.* (T) | 10 | |
| Saturn | Observe therings and (possibly) surface features.* (T) | 10 |
| Observe and identify Titan, Rhea, and Iapetus. (T) | 10 | |
| Observe and identify 3 to 5 other satellites. (T) | 15 | |
| Uranus | Locate. (B) | 5 |
| Observe Titania and/or Oberon. (T) | 15 | |
| Neptune | Locate. (B) | 10 |
| Observe Triton. (T) | 15 | |
| Pluto | Locate (Sketch the star field on two different nights). (T) | 20 |
| Comets | Track the motion of at least one on a star chart. (B?) | 10 |
| Observe the coma, tail and other features of at least one.* (B?) | 10 | |
| Meteor | Record a shower for at least six hours. | 15 |
| Special Events | Observe an eclipse, transit, comet collision, etc. (B or T?) | 20 |
For your information...
The following two items are published without endorsement by the club. They are provided as a service to club members who may find them useful.
Steve Smith, an amateur observer in Cleveland, OH, operates the Comet Rapid Announcement Service with an ephemeris position table and finder chart for new bright comets. CRAS is published in conjunction with The Shallow Sky Bulletin and has news of newly-discovered and -recovered comets.
For more information on the exact
services Steve Smith provides,
and
their costs,
write to him at
CRAS
P.O.
Box 110282
Cleveland,
OH
44111-0282.
The second item of potential interest comes from Joe Goetz of Reedley, CA.
Joe offers for sale his Celestron SP 102 refractor, a four-inch German equatorial on a Super Polaris mount. He is also including a 6 X 30 finder scope and a Celestron 26mm eyepiece.
Either a sale ($985) or trade will work for Joe. The trade scope would be a good quality altazimuth 60 or 80mm refractor, or a 6-8 inch Dobsonian. He is looking for a good starter scope that he can use with his grandchildren. Joe's phone number is (209) 591-5721.
(Editor's note: Please let me know if items like these are helpful, or an annoyance. We often receive such unsolicited material at the P.O. Box.)
Watch the web site for future postings on who is planning to use the club scope. Some members have expressed an interest in sharing rides to the site. Others simply would like to know that they'll have some company on an observing run.
The twin Coulter mirrors are ready to reside in matching tubes, and Chuck needs some help to make that happen. If a binocular scope piques your interest, reach Chuck at (510) 449-1500 (yes, that really is his home phone number), or via Internet at: grant@hooked.net.
To limit the lighting at LHS
Saturday night programs,
write to:
Barbara Ando
Laurence Hall of Science
UC Berkeley
Berkeley,
CA 94720-5200.
Or,
you
may send her an e-mail at
bando@uclink4.berkeley.edu.
Thanks for visiting.