Jack Sales is more than an amateur astronomer and Sacramento Valley Astronomical Association board member. He is also the founder of the California chapter of the International Dark-Sky Association. Through Cal-IDA he works to reduce light pollution statewide.
According to Jack, urban observers should be able to capture about 2000 stars on an ideal seeing night. Instead, they are fortunate to pick out about 100. He declares that loss intolerable. "The dark skies, the deep-space objects like comets, are part of our natural environment. We should care about losing them; we lose something of ourselves when we lose that connection."
IDA's primary goals are: to halt the spread of light pollution, to attempt to reverse the negative environmental impacts already caused by light pollution, and to protect existing dark-sky regions to the maximum degree possible. Secondarily, the group hopes to educate the public, particularly public officials, about alternative lighting programs so that suburbs and cities can begin to reclaim their night skies.
Gene and Carolyn Shoemaker and their colleague David Levy jointly discovered "their" comet some 16 months before it was to inspire intense observation by shredding into a succession of fragments that impacted Jupiter individually. Gene and Carolyn were on an annual expedition to study terrestrial impact crater sites Down Under when he was fatally injured on July 18th. Together the Shoemakers shot more than 25,000 plates of the sky from Palomar Observatory. In addition to their comet finds and recoveries, they can claim the identification of over 800 asteroids. Their work on the mechanics of comet/asteroid impacts and the classification of Earth-cross ing objects also brought them international recognition.
Steve Kufeld improved amateur astronomy by perfecting the Telrad system for targeting an astronomical object with a bulls-eye pattern. His devise can be seen in use at every TVS star party. Steve's brother Ron Kufeld informed AANC officers that Steve succumbed on July 1st. Production of the Telrad has been briefly suspended, but Ron expects it to resume once Steve's affairs are set in order.
Condolence messages can be forwarded to the families of both men. To send your regards, contact the respective parties below. Carolyn Shoemaker c/o Cal Tech Astronomy Department Mail Stop 105-24 Caltech Pasadena, CA 91125
Ron Kufeld c/o Eagle Optics 716 S. Whitney Way Madison, WI 53711
Club librarian Chris Cody is eager to hear what members would like in the way of upgraded holdings. He is also creating the software that will allow the catalog to be fully on line.
To respond to the survey, simply complete it, and tear that page away from the corner staple. Fold the sheet in half, staple or taped closed, and attach a 32-cent stamp in the corner indicating postage. Then just drop it in the closest post box, and it's on its way to Chris.
President
Dave Anderson (510) 661-4249
Secretary
Bill Burnap (510 ) 449-4552
Vice President
Chuck Grant (510) 449-1500
Treasurer
Gene Nassar (510) 462-7843
Observatory Director Chuck Grant (510) 449-1500
Librarian
Chris Cody (707) 747-6550
Eyes on the Skies BBS Mike Rushford
http://www.hooked.net/~tvs/eyes/
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
Membership: 186
Board
Alane Alchorn, Dennis Beckley, Rich Combs, Rich Green, Russ Kirk,
Dave Rodrigues, Debbie Scherrer, Al Smith, Dave Sworin, Jim Zumstein
August 23 Sky Shack observatory and dark site open house, meet at Mines and Tesla Roads at 7:00 PM
September 6 Sycamore Grove Park Livermore 8:30 PM
September 20 Sky Shack observatory and dark site open house, meet at Mines and Tesla Roads at 7:00 PM Final open house for 1997.
For information on these or any other star parties refer to the club star parties webpage.
---- Yosemite potluck : The club needs a potluck coordinator for the star party weekend at Yosemite. If you are planning to attend, and can help assign food for different families to bring, please contact Dave Rodrigues at (510) 483-9191. You will not be responsible for cooking or providing any special contribution beyond your fair share. Thanks!
| August 1997 | ||
| 1 | Fri | Io's shadow transits Jupiter 11:08 PM to 1:27 AM Io transits 11:19 PM to 1:38 AM PDT. |
| 2 | Sat | Star party at Sycamore Grove Park (Livermore Park District) 8:00 PM (Wetmore Rd. entrance near Holmes St.). |
| Star-B-Que at Fremont Peak (South of Gilroy) 5:00 PM | ||
| Mars 1.7° north of Spica. | ||
| 3 | Sun | New Moon 1:14 AM Excellent weekend for observing. |
| Mercury at greatest eastern elongation (27° ) in evening sky. | ||
| End of Mars Pathfinder's primary mission. | ||
| 5 | Tue | Mercury 1.0° south of Moon (occulted in Greenland). Venus nearby. |
| 6 | Wed | Ganymede eclipsed by Jupiter's shadow 1:35 AM |
| 8 | Fri | Galileo explores Jupiter's magnetot ail. |
| 9 | Sat | Jupiter at opposition (mag -2.8, apparent diameter 48"). |
| Mars 4° south of Moon. | ||
| Io's shadow transits Jupiter 1:03 to 3:21 AM Io transits 1:03 to 3:22 AM Io occulted 10:19 PM, reappears from eclipse 12:37 AM | ||
| Europa transits until 10:57 PM; shadow transits until 11:00 PM | ||
| 10 | Sun | Callisto reappears from ooccultation by Jupiter 8:47 PM |
| Io transits until 9:47 ; Io's shadow until 9:50 PM | ||
| 11 | Mon | First Quarter Moon 5:42 AM |
| Delta Cephei at maximum 2:22 AM Variable rises to mag. 3.5 from 4.4 in about 1.5 days. (Period is 5.366341 days). Compare Zeta Cephei (mag. 3.35) and Epsilon Cephei (mag. 4.2). | ||
| 12 | Tue | Perseid meteor shower peak around 11 AM |
| 15 | Fri | Tri-Valley Stargazers meeting 7:30 PM Unitarian Universalist Church of Livermore, 1893 N. Vasco Road, Livermore. (3/4 mile north of I-580). |
| 16 | Sat | Io transits Jupiter 2:47 AM; Io's shadow transits 2:58 AM |
| Ganymede transits Jupiter until 10:31 ; Ganymede's shadow until 11:19 PM | ||
| Europa transits 10:20 PM to 1:10 AM; Europa's shadow transits 10:43 PM to 1:34 AM | ||
| Io occulted 12:02 AM, reappears from ooccultation 2:32 AM | ||
| 17 | Sun | Jupiter 4° south of Moon. |
| Io transits 9:13 to 11:32 ; shadow transits 9:27 to 11:45 PM | ||
| 18 | Mon | TVS Planning Meeting 7:00 PM Round Table Pizza, 1540 First St., Livermore (in Orchard Supply/Longs/Safeway shopping center). |
| Full Moon 3:55 AM | ||
| Io reappears from eclipse by Jupiter's shadow 9:00 PM | ||
| Callisto transits 9:37 PM to 2:25 AM Callisto's shadow transits 11:58 PM | ||
| 21 | Thu | Saturn 0.008 ° north of Moon (occulted in central Africa). |
| 22 | Fri | Star Party at Glacier Point, Yosemite. |
| Ganymede transits Jupiter 10:10 PM to 1:49 AM; shadow transits 11:41 PM to 3:20 AM | ||
| Europa transits 12:34 to 3:24 AM; shadow transits 1:18 to 4:09 AM | ||
| Io occulted 1:46 AM, reappears from eclipse 4:26 AM | ||
| 24 | Sun | Last Quarter Moon 7:23 PM |
| Asteroid 19 Fortuna (mag 9.6) at opposition. | ||
| Io transits Jupiter 10:58 PM to 1:16 AM; Io's shadow 11:22 PM to 1:40 AM | ||
| 25 | Mon | Aldebaran 0.3° south of Moon (occulted in daylight). |
| Europa reappears from eclipse by Jupiter's shadow 10:47 PM | ||
| Io reappears from eclipse 10:55 PM | ||
| 29 | Fri | Asteroid 1 Ceres (mag 7.7) at opposition. |
| 30 | Sat | Excellent weekend for observing: No Moon until 4:30 AM |
| 31 | Sun | Ganymede transits Jupiter 1:31 ; shadow transits 3:43 AM |
| Europa transits 2:49 ; shadow transits 3:53 AM | ||
| Io occulted 3:31 AM | ||
| September 1997 | ||
| 1 | Mon | Labor Day. |
| New Moon 4:52 PM PDT. | ||
| Partial solar eclipse in Australia. | ||
| Io transits Jupiter 12:43 to 3:01 AM; shadow transits 1:17 to 3:35 AM | ||
| Europa occulted by Jupiter 9:19 PM, reappears from eclipse 1:25 AM | ||
| Io occulted 9:57 PM, reappears from eclipse 12:49 AM | ||
| 2 | Tue | Moon at farthest apogee of year (40 6,479 km). |
| Io transits Jupiter until 9:28 PM; shadow transits until 10:04 PM | ||
| 3 | Wed | Europa's shadow transits Jupiter until 8:01 PM |
| Ganymede reappears from eclipse 9:15 PM | ||
| 4 | Thu | Asteroid 1 Ceres (mag 7.7) at opposition. |
| Callisto's shadow transits Jupiter until 11:01 PM | ||
| Date (00 UT) | R.A. (2000) | Dec | El | Sky | Mag |
| 08-05 | 07h24.3 m | -14° 28' | 39° | M | 4.7 |
| 08-10 | 07h29.6 m | -16° 21' | 42° | M | 4.9 |
| 08-15 | 07h34.7 m | -18° 16' | 45° | M | 5.0 |
| 08-20 | 07h39.5 m | -20° 13' | 47° | M | 5.1 |
| 08-25 | 07h44.1 m | -22° 11' | 50° | M | 5.3 |
| 08-30 | 07h48.4 m | -24° 11' | 52° | M | 5.4 |
| 09-04 | 07h52.4 m | -26° 12' | 55° | M | 5.5 |
| 09-09 | 07h56.2 m | -28° 15' | 58° | M | 5.6 |
C/1997 N1 (Tabur)
| Date (00 UT) | R.A. (2000) | Dec | El | Sky | Mag |
| 08-05 | 08h42.8 m | -02° 21' | 20° | M | 6.2 |
| 08-10 | 09h10.9 m | +03° 24' | 12° | M | 5.7 |
| 08-15 | 09h37.7 m | +09° 31' | 5° | M | 5.5 |
| 08-20 | 10h04.2 m | +15° 35' | 4° | E | 5.8 |
| 08-25 | 10h31.1 m | +21° 08' | 11° | E | 6.4 |
| 08-30 | 10h59.0 m | +25° 56' | 18° | E | 7.1 |
| 09-04 | 11h28.5 m | +29° 58' | 24° | E | 7.8 |
| 09-09 | 11h59.7 m | +33° 15' | 30° | E | 8.4 |
A new comet has been recently discovered in the southern sky. Meanwhile, Comet Hale-Bopp continues to dim in the southern sky. Both comets will be briefly visible to many Northern Hemisphere observers in a few months.
The new comet was discovered by Vello Tabur of Australia on July 2. He used an 8-inch f/4.7 reflector to find the tenth magnitude object, which was situated in the morning sky, far south of the sun and out of view of Northern Hemisphere observers. It was Tabur who had made the last visual discovery--nearly a year ago. Comet Tabur (C/1997 N1) will appear in the evening sky for northern observers in early September.
The solar-orbiting satellite SOHO has picked up five additional small comets as they headed toward the sun. Most of the 17 comets found by the satellite belong to the Kreutz Sungrazing Group, all were faint and seen only by the satellite. Most disappeared as they rounded the sun.
COMET HUNTING NOTES: With Tabur's find, six of the last seven visually-discovered comets have been found south of the celestial equator; and 14 of the last 17 visually-discovered comets have been found in the morning sky.
Orbital Elements
| Object: | Hale-Bopp | Tabur |
| Peri. Date: | 1997 04 01.13800 | 1997 08 15.24722 |
| Peri. Dist (AU): | 0.9141 405 AU | 0.3832 189 AU |
| Arg/Peri (2000): | 130.58915 deg. | 345.44824 deg. |
| Asc. Node (2000): | 282.47069 deg. | 148.24000 deg |
| Incl (2000): | 089.42943 deg. | 086.40198 deg |
| Eccen: | 0.9951172 | 1.0 |
| Orbital Period: | ~2500 years | Long Period? |
| Ref: | MPC 29568 | IAU Cir. 6694 |
| Epoch: | 1997 06 01 | 1997 08 15 |
| Absol. Mag/"n": | -1.0/4.0 | 9.0/4.0 |
Circle your selections.
1. Number of times you have used the library in the last six months
| 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
2.
| Do you use the library's | Frequently | Never | ||||
| Books | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Magazines | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Videos | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Audio Tapes | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Computer Programs | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
3.
| Types of resources desired | Strongly | Not at all | ||||
| Books | ||||||
| General | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Textbooks | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| History | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Biography | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Video | ||||||
| Solar System | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Space exploration | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Deep Sky | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| History | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Audio | ||||||
| Books on Tape | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Observation aides | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Programs Planetarium | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Ephemeris | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Solar System | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
4. Would an on-line catalog be useful to you?
| 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
5. Have you contacted the library web page? Y N
6.
| How valuable to you is the: | Very | Not at all | ||||
| Periodical page | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Reference page | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Interlibrary loan page | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
7. Is the collection easy to search Y N
8. Do you have a CD ROM on your computer? Y N
| What is your interest in CD ROM | ||||||
| images? | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| programs? | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Mail to Chris Cody, P.O. Box 142, Benicia, Ca 94510-0142 or bring to the next meeting.
Tri-Valley Stargazers Membership/Renewal Application
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