EYEPIECE Journal of the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York September 2012 Volume 61 Number 9 ISSN 0146-7662 Lynn Helen Darsh, president of the Amateur Astronomers Association from 1992 to 2002 and a guiding force in the club’s deliberations and growth for more than 30 years, died August 23 at St. Luke’s- Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan following a valiant battle with lymphoma. She was 61. Many years ago, while lying on her back on a friend’s boat in Long Island Sound, Lynn saw a sky awash in stars, and decided to learn more about astronomy. After joining the club, she was mentored by two of its giants, John Marshall and Fred Hess, and joined the board in 1979. She eventually succeeded Hess as president. A native of Waterbury, CT, Lynn grew up in nearby Wa- tertown. She graduated from Cornell University in 1973 as a College Scholar, a prestigious honor. After four years with the New York City Department of Social Services, Lynn joined Chemical Bank and, after 25 years with major New York banks, closed her career as a vice president in information technology at JP Morgan Chase. In 1989, she juggled her work with receiving a master’s in business administration from Co- lumbia University. A major AAA activity launched during Lynn’s presi- dency, in 1995, was Urban Starfest at the Central Park Sheep Meadow. Each fall, amateurs and professionals gather with a myriad of telescopes to show the public the night sky. Having successfully put together four nights of observing in the Sheep Meadow when Shoemaker-Levy whacked Jupiter in 1994, Lynn and other AAA members spearheaded the idea of Star- fest, originally a joint effort by four organizations, now run by the AAA and the Urban Park Rangers. It was the first official city large-scale star party to take place in Central Park. As Starfest has demonstrated, if you look up, you can indeed see stars from the heart of the city. And that was a con- stant subtext to Lynn’s activities as president. In a 1999 inter- view with The New York Times for an article, “Stargazing De- spite Bright Lights, Big City,” focusing on observing at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, she said: “When you live in the city, you can be blinded to the stars by all the lights, which is sad because the sky is spectacularly beautiful. When you go to places like Floyd Bennett Field where there are very few lights, you're still in the city, but you can see the stars and get a whole new perspective on the universe.'' Lynn Darsh, Who Led the AAA for 10 Years, Dies at 61 By Dan Harrison Lynn was a Renaissance woman. She was a mirror-and telescope-maker, scuba diver and four-time Himalayas trekker. She was knowledgeable and articulate on any number of sub- jects, from science to literature, from art and music to politics, from history to psychology, and she enjoyed escaping into the world of science fiction. One of her favorite people was Jane Austen, most of whose novels she read multiple times. In gen- eral, Lynn gulped down books at an astounding rate. She loved good food, good conversation and travel. She was devoted to her large, tight-knit family and to her friends. In short, Lynn was a woman of unbounded intelligence and great good cheer. AAA members were excited May 16 when Lynn, despite the battle she was waging, came to the annual meeting, where she was effusively greeted by all who knew her. Katherine Avakian’s comment was typical of many: “It was wonderful to see her with so much energy, talk- ing animatedly and gesturing with her hands. So it was an es- pecially cruel twist when, a few short months later, that impla- cable foe, with whom she had been dueling so bravely and for so long, finally claimed victory over her.” “What can't be vanquished, however, are her major ef- forts over the years to disseminate knowledge about astronomy to the public through the AAA. And what is remembered most by those whose lives she touched are her stellar qualities: her strong character, sense of fairness and generous spirit.” Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson said: “People like Lynn Darsh are rare. She was the sum of so many personal traits, any one of which the rest of us would aspire to reach. She was smart, dedicated and loyal. She was a leader. She was courageous. And she always sought what was best for others. Most importantly, to Lynn, the future was not some- thing to hope for. It was something within our power to create. I'll miss her, but the world may just miss her a bit more.” AAA treasurer Tom Haeberle, who knew Darsh for 12 years, said that his “one big regret was not to have known her longer. She was a good friend and my mentor regarding the affairs of club. I was honored that she appointed me to the board after Lee Baltin stepped down as financial secretary. There are many things I will miss about Lynn: times shared at observing sessions and newsletter mailings, or coffee klatsch- ing at some nearby café. But what I will miss most is her strength and leadership, and most of all her friendship.” Eulogizing her sister at a funeral Mass August 28 at St. John the Evangelist Church in Watertown, Doreen Darsh noted Lynn Darsh— continued on Page 2 Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11 Commander, Dies at Age 82 Story on Page 7
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EYEPIECE Journal of the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York
September 2012 Volume 61 Number 9 ISSN 0146-7662
Lynn Helen Darsh, president of the
Amateur Astronomers Association from
1992 to 2002 and a guiding force in the
club’s deliberations and growth for more
than 30 years, died August 23 at St. Luke’s-
Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan following
a valiant battle with lymphoma. She was
61.
Many years ago, while lying on her
back on a friend’s boat in Long Island Sound, Lynn saw a sky
awash in stars, and decided to learn more about astronomy. After joining the club, she was mentored by two of its giants,
John Marshall and Fred Hess, and joined the board in 1979.
She eventually succeeded Hess as president.
A native of Waterbury, CT, Lynn grew up in nearby Wa-
tertown. She graduated from Cornell University in 1973 as a
College Scholar, a prestigious honor. After four years with the
New York City Department of Social Services, Lynn joined
Chemical Bank and, after 25 years with major New York
banks, closed her career as a vice president in information
technology at JP Morgan Chase. In 1989, she juggled her work
with receiving a master’s in business administration from Co-
lumbia University.
A major AAA activity launched during Lynn’s presi-
dency, in 1995, was Urban Starfest at the Central Park Sheep
Meadow. Each fall, amateurs and professionals gather with a myriad of telescopes to show the public the night sky. Having
successfully put together four nights of observing in the Sheep
Meadow when Shoemaker-Levy whacked Jupiter in 1994,
Lynn and other AAA members spearheaded the idea of Star-
fest, originally a joint effort by four organizations, now run by
the AAA and the Urban Park Rangers. It was the first official
city large-scale star party to take place in Central Park.
As Starfest has demonstrated, if you look up, you can
indeed see stars from the heart of the city. And that was a con-
stant subtext to Lynn’s activities as president. In a 1999 inter-
view with The New York Times for an article, “Stargazing De-
spite Bright Lights, Big City,” focusing on observing at Floyd
Bennett Field in Brooklyn, she said: “When you live in the
city, you can be blinded to the stars by all the lights, which is sad because the sky is spectacularly beautiful. When you go to
places like Floyd Bennett Field where there are very few
lights, you're still in the city, but you can see the stars and get a
whole new perspective on the universe.''
Lynn Darsh, Who Led the AAA for 10 Years, Dies at 61 By Dan Harrison
Lynn was a Renaissance woman. She was a mirror-and
telescope-maker, scuba diver and four-time Himalayas trekker.
She was knowledgeable and articulate on any number of sub-
jects, from science to literature, from art and music to politics,
from history to psychology, and she enjoyed escaping into the
world of science fiction. One of her favorite people was Jane
Austen, most of whose novels she read multiple times. In gen-eral, Lynn gulped down books at an astounding rate. She loved
good food, good conversation and travel. She was devoted to
her large, tight-knit family and to her friends. In short, Lynn
was a woman of unbounded intelligence and great good cheer.
AAA members were excited May 16 when Lynn, despite
the battle she was waging, came to the annual meeting, where
she was effusively greeted by all who knew her. Katherine
Avakian’s comment was typical of many:
“It was wonderful to see her with so much energy, talk-
ing animatedly and gesturing with her hands. So it was an es-
pecially cruel twist when, a few short months later, that impla-
cable foe, with whom she had been dueling so bravely and for
so long, finally claimed victory over her.”
“What can't be vanquished, however, are her major ef-
forts over the years to disseminate knowledge about astronomy
to the public through the AAA. And what is remembered most
by those whose lives she touched are her stellar qualities: her
strong character, sense of fairness and generous spirit.”
Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson said:
“People like Lynn Darsh are rare. She was the sum of so many
personal traits, any one of which the rest of us would aspire to reach. She was smart, dedicated and loyal. She was a leader.
She was courageous. And she always sought what was best for
others. Most importantly, to Lynn, the future was not some-
thing to hope for. It was something within our power to create.
I'll miss her, but the world may just miss her a bit more.”
AAA treasurer Tom Haeberle, who knew Darsh for 12
years, said that his “one big regret was not to have known her
longer. She was a good friend and my mentor regarding the
affairs of club. I was honored that she appointed me to the
board after Lee Baltin stepped down as financial secretary.
There are many things I will miss about Lynn: times shared at
observing sessions and newsletter mailings, or coffee klatsch-
ing at some nearby café. But what I will miss most is her
strength and leadership, and most of all her friendship.”
Eulogizing her sister at a funeral Mass August 28 at St. John the Evangelist Church in Watertown, Doreen Darsh noted Lynn Darsh— continued on Page 2
Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11 Commander, Dies at Age 82 Story on Page 7
2
EYEPIECE September2012
Henry Stern honored Lynn with a Nom du Parc at a ceremony
at the Central Park Arsenal a few years ago. Her name will
forever be Andromeda.
On a personal note Lynn was instrumental in helping me find work at the Food Network. She had mentioned that a per-
son across the hall from her worked there and she handed off
my resume to that person. It took a while, but I landed the job
and worked there for five plus years. All thanks to Lynn for
putting two and two together.
For the last year or so, I made soup that I would deliver
to her when I felt it might cheer her up. On the day before she
died, I dropped off some coconut-corn-ginger soup. I thought
it might be an easy palliative for her. When I returned home
that night, I had the nicest message from Lynn thanking me.
Her voice was almost chirping with delight. I was so happy to
hear her in strong, good spirits. She said she would call me
“tomorrow.”
I was a little surprised when she didn’t call. But now I
know why. And I find it very hard to accept that Lynn’s life
was taken from her, and she from us, so quickly, and too soon.
I will keep her last message in my computer so I’ll be able to
hear her voice again when this sadness fades away. And when
I look into the heavens at night, I’ll hope she’ll somehow be
connected to my eyes, so we can observe together again. ■
Eyepiece, June 2011
AAA Gets Update on Kepler Search
for Earthlike Exoplanets
By Lynn Darsh
“Is Earth unique?” The Kepler Space Telescope’s mis-
sion is to find the answer, according to Dr. Andrea K. Dupree, senior astrophysicist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Obser-
vatory, part of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophys-
ics in Cambridge, Mass. Speaking on “Searching for Exoplan-
ets with Kepler” at the AAA’s annual John Marshall Memorial
Lecture at the AMNH March 4, Dupree said that she and her
colleagues are searching for planets that could have liquid wa-
ter. “We don’t want it to be too hot, we don’t want it to be too
cold, we want it to be just right, and with a sufficient mass …
so there would be some atmosphere.”
The .95-meter Kepler telescope, launched in March 2009,
searches a 100-square-degree field in Cygnus, between Deneb
and Vega, looking along the Orion spur and slightly above the
plane of the Milky Way for a distance of about 3,000 light-
years. This field includes older stars that are slightly metal-
poor. Some have traveled from other birthplaces, but, Dupree said, “The orientation and positioning of the satellite and the
CCDs was exquisitely designed to avoid all the very bright
stars.”
A large array of CCD detectors, with 95 megapixels,
images 156,000 target stars every 30 minutes, and collects
Lynn Darsh: AAA Gets Update - continued on Page 3
Lynn Darsh - continued from Page 1
that "Lynn shared with us the words her friend John Marshall
used to comfort her during his last hours. ’It will be harder for
you than for me. There are never enough days no matter how
many we have.' We all wish we had more days with Lynn,
too."
In addition to Doreen, of Middlebury, CT, Lynn is sur-
vived by her mother, Donna Darsh, of Watertown; three other
sisters: Deirdre McDonald of Middlebury, Holly Casperson of
Brookfield, CT, and Lisbeth Darsh of Scotts Valley, CA; and
nine nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held Sunday, September 23 at
2 p.m. at All Souls Unitarian Church, Lexington Avenue and
80 Street.
Contributions in Lynn’s memory can be sent to: the Lym-
phoma Research Foundation, 115 Broadway, Suite 1301, NY,
NY 10006; or Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
at mskcc.org/giving. ■
Michael O’Gara
Remembers His Friend Lynn Darsh
Lynn wasn’t a Buddhist, but her approach to life was
informed by many ethical traditions of that discipline. Gener-
osity, patience, understanding and support are attributes that
Lynn practiced daily, in her dealings with club members and
the public.
Lynn was extremely intelligent. I could always rely on
her for the answer to any question, astronomical or otherwise.
For some reason I’ll never understand, Lynn thought I had the
stuff to be a member of the board of directors early on. She,
John Marshall and I would have executive planning meetings
at John’s apartment, and I always felt out of my league. But
Lynn encouraged me to stick with it, and encouraged me to
become vice president when she was elected president. Lynn and I were a team for 10 years, and then she convinced me to
run for president. She was extremely helpful as I delegated
responsibilities and took control over aspects of the club that
needed to be vetted. Without her help, I’m sure I would have
foundered.
Lynn was dedicated: to the public’s awareness of our
club, to her friends and family, and to simply getting it right.
She was smart, articulate, and quick, and she knew her facts
when it came to astronomy. She was a telescope maker in the
old days of the optics division at the AMNH, and later became
a telescope-making instructor in that group.
Whenever we were called on to bring out scopes, Lynn
was there. I’ll never forget standing outside the new Rose
Center when it was conducting its biggest event, a huge fund-
raiser with the absolute cream of New York society. It was a
cold and cloudy night, but Lynn, Bruce Kamiat, and I were
there with our scopes, and at one point it started to snow. Lynn
and I were howling at how ridiculous it was for us to be out
there, but we stayed. Dedication.
Lynn respected and enjoyed people who she believed
were like her: dedicated to making New York a better, exciting
place to live. Maybe that’s why then - Parks Commissioner
Lynn Darsh was an avid supporter of Eyepiece, writing
numerous articles that can be found on the club website. To
honor her memory, we reprint her last article below, written
in June, 2011. - Evan B. Schneider, Editor -
3
EYEPIECE September2012
techniques of imaging and coronagraphy, and the indirect
planet finding techniques of astrometry, pulsar timing and
gravitational microlensing. Another indirect planet-finding
technique, radial velocity, has found more than 400 extrasolar
planets by measuring changes in a star’s velocity caused by the
gravitational tug of a planet, and is being used with Earth-
based telescopes to confirm Kepler’s findings. ■
NASA Update: Kepler Space Telescope Mission
Less than a year after identifying the first circumbi-
nary planet, Kepler-16b, NASA's Kepler mission has discov-
ered multiple transiting planets orbiting two suns for the first
time in the Kepler-47 system. Known as a circumbinary plane-
tary system, it is 4,900 light-years from Earth in the constella-tion Cygnus. The discovery proves that more than one planet
can form and persist in the stressful realm of a binary star and
demonstrates the diversity of planetary systems in our galaxy.
Astronomers detected two planets, a pair of orbiting stars eclipsing each other every 7.5 days. One star is sized similar to
the Sun but only 84% as bright. The second star is only one-
third the size
of the Sun and
less than 1%
as bright.
"In con-
trast to a sin-
gle planet
orbiting a sin-
gle star, the
planet in a
circumbinary
system must
t r an s i t a 'moving tar-
get.' As a consequence, time intervals between the transits and
their durations can vary substantially, sometimes short, other
times long," said Jerome Orosz, of San Diego State University
and lead author of the paper. "The intervals were the telltale
sign these planets are in circumbinary orbits."
The inner planet, Kepler-47b, orbits the pair of stars in
under 50 days. While not directly viewed, it is thought to be a
sweltering world, where the destruction of methane in its super
-heated atmosphere might lead to a thick haze that could blan-
ket the planet. At three times the radius of Earth, Kepler-47b is
the smallest known transiting circumbinary planet.
The outer planet, Kepler-47c, orbits its host pair every
303 days, placing it in the so-called "habitable zone," where
liquid water might exist on the surface of a planet. While not a
world hospitable for life, Kepler-47c is thought to be a gaseous
giant slightly larger than Neptune, where an atmosphere of
thick bright water-vapor clouds might exist.
"Unlike our Sun, many stars are part of multiple-star sys-
tems where two or more stars orbit one another. The question
always has been - do they have planets and planetary systems?
This Kepler discovery proves that they do," said William
Borucki, Kepler mission principal investigator at NASA's Ames Research Center. "In our search for habitable planets,
we have found more opportunities for life to exist."
Lynn Darsh: AAA Gets Update - continued from Page 2
additional data on a set of 512 additional targets every minute.
Kepler’s instruments are sensitive enough to pick up variations
in the light output of a star as small as 80 parts in a million.
Kepler does its work in a heliocentric orbit so the Earth
cannot block the view. The mission, designed to last for more
than three and a half years, released the first 90 days of data
last June. On February 1 of this year, the second data release
of four months of observations included the discovery of 15
extrasolar planets and more than 1,200 “active planetary candi-
dates.”
“We have a handful in the habitable zone and this is only
from the first four months of Kepler data,” Dupree said. “Of
the dwarf stars, about 19% of them have planets, with orbital
periods less than 125 days. There are more planets around
smaller stars than larger stars and this will tell us something
about the formation of planets. This is already challenging
what we know. Theoretically nothing really works at this
point.”
“The first five planets we have found are close in but
they are very, very massive.” These are “the easy ones, the big
ones.” All are hot planets with orbits between 3.2 and 4.9 days. Four are larger than Jupiter, and the fifth is about four times
the mass of Earth.
It will take time to find a possible “Goldilocks planet.” The Kepler team estimates the geometric probability of a
planet being in the correct plane to transit its star from Ke-
pler’s vantage point is 0.5%-10%. Many stars must be ob-
served, almost continuously, for three years, to discover terres-
trial planets in habitable zones or show that terrestrial planets
are rare.
The size of this habitable zone changes. “When stars are
very hot, the habitable zone is further out. And simply observ-
ing a transit is just the beginning. When one observes a transit,
a lot more needs to be done to verify that it is not something
else. There could be another star in the field that produces the
signal mimicking a transit.” Kepler also measures radial ve-
locities of a star to confirm it’s moving in a way that agrees
with the transit.
Dupree described the “exciting” Kepler 10 system that
has at least two planets. “The transit tells us the size of the
planets. Then we measure radial velocity to determine a
planet’s mass. With this knowledge, we know the radius and
the mass, and it turns out it is a planet which is rocky, just like
Earth. It has a period of about .84 days. It has a radius about 1.4 times the radius of Earth and a mass 4.6 times Earth’s. This
rocky planet…is locked into the host star. One side is very hot-
-1,800 degrees, the temperature of molten lava--and the other
is very cold.”
Kepler 11 is a star with six planets. If the six were placed in our solar system, they’d be within Venus’ orbit. “They’re
bigger and more massive than Earth, and more massive than
Kepler 10, which is the rocky planet. So they’re probably a
mixture of things, where they have hydrogen and helium, and
maybe some are a little bit rockier than others.”
The common transiting method of finding exoplanets is
far more successful (122 planets found) than the other direct