November Meeting Minutes · certificate and pin for completing the Astronomical League’s Honorary Messier Program. This was Aaron’s first observing award and we hope it’s not

Highlights of the December Sky

- - - 1st - - -

DAWN: Mercury and Mars are 11° apart in the southeastern sky before sunrise. DUSK: Saturn, Venus, and Jupiter form a line 18° long with the waxing crescent Moon to their upper le .

- - - 4th - - - First Quarter Moon 1:58 am EST

- - - 10th - - - DUSK: Venus and Saturn are less than 2° apart above the southwestern horizon. PM: A waxing gibbous Moon moves within 5° of Aldebaran in Taurus the Bull.

- - - 12th - - - Full Moon 12:12 am EST DAWN: Mars is less than ¼° to the upper le of the double star Alpha Librae (Zubenelgenubi).

- - - 13th - - - PM: The Geminid meteor shower peaks, but is washed out by a waning gibbous Moon.

- - - 17th - - - AM: The nearly last quarter Moon is about 4° to the upper le of Regulus in Leo the Lion.

- - - 18th - - - Last Quarter Moon 11:57 pm EST

- - - 20th - - - AM: The Moon is about 5° from Porrima in Virgo.

- - - 26th - - - New Moon 12:13 am EST

KAS

Annual Meeting: Friday, December 6 @ 6:30 pm Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center

Holiday Party & BINGO! - See Page 5 for Details

Nomination & Election for 2020 KAS Board Members

Board Meeting: Sunday, December 8 @ 5:00 pm Sunnyside Church - 2800 Gull Road - All Members Welcome

Remote Session: Saturday, December 14 @ 8:00 pm

WMU Rood Hall (Room 1110) - See Page 12 for Details

Inside the Newsletter. . . November Mee ng Minutes............. p. 2

Board Mee ng Minutes..................... p. 3

Observa ons...................................... p. 4

KAS Holiday Party.............................. p. 5

Choosing a Telescope........................ p. 6

NASA Night Sky Notes........................ p. 9

December Night Sky.......................... p. 10

KAS Board & Announcements............ p. 11

Remote Viewing Session.................... p. 12

December 2019

The general meeting of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society was brought to order by President Richard Bell on Friday, November 1, 2019 at 7:06 pm EDT. Approximately 46 members and guests were in attendance at the Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center (KAMSC). Richard had the privilege of presenting Aaron Roman with a certificate and pin for completing the Astronomical League’s Honorary Messier Program. This was Aaron’s first observing award and we hope it’s not his last. In his President’s Report, Richard asked for KAS and astronomically-themed clothing designs. We plan to offer a new line of clothing on a custom design website. This way members can order any size in any color without anyone having to bring items to sell at KAMSC. Richard also encouraged all KAS members to attend the first-ever Remote Viewing Session and celebration on November 16th. A Remote Telescope Training Session has been scheduled for November 22nd (Note: This has been postponed to December 7th due to issues with Piishii Observatory’s roof). Finally, all members were asked to renew their membership (if needed) and to contribute to the Owl Observatory Upgrade Project. Our special guest speaker for the evening was Dr. Artemis Spyrou, an associate professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Michigan State University and an Associate Director for Education and Outreach for the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB). The title of Dr. Spyrou’s talk was Year of the Periodic Table: The Synthesis of the Elements in the Stars and in the Lab. Dr. Spyrou began by showing a Periodic Table of the Chemical Elements. Currently, 118 chemical elements have been identified. Of those, the first 94 are found in Nature, The remaining 24 are synthetically produced in nuclear reactors or particle accelerators. As even most amateur astronomers know, hydrogen (H) and helium (He) are by far the most abundant elements in Nature. Other common elements highlighted included carbon (C), oxygen (O), phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), and iron (Fe). It is no

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coincidence that most of these elements are the foundation for life. Scientists have made great headways in the past century discovering where these elements originated from. A table showing the chemical elements shortly after the Big Bang would have only shown three elements: hydrogen, helium, and lithium (Li). The remaining elements found in Nature were produced in stars. One of the elements that help prove this is technetium (Tc, #43 on the periodic table). Technetium is considered a synthetic element as very little of it is found in Nature. All isotopes of technetium are radioactive, none have a half-life longer than ~4 million years. Paul Merrill, while at Mount Wilson Observatory in 1952, was the first to detect the spectral signature of technetium in red giant stars. These old, dying stars contained abundant amounts of this relatively short-lived element. This supported the hypothesis that heavy elements are produced by nucleosynthesis in stars. Dr. Spyrou then transitioned into a discussion of the different forms of elements, referred to as isotopes (containing the same number of protons, but different numbers of neutrons). One element highlighted was #42, molybdenum (Mo), which has an unknown number of isotopes. Isotopes of molybdenum can be made in a variety of processes. Some isotopes are made in Type II or Type Ia supernovae by proton capture reaction or p-process. Other forms of molybdenum are made in the atmospheres of giant stars by the slow neutron capture or s-process. Isotopes can even be created by the rapid neutron capture or r-process in Type II supernovae and possibly even neutron star mergers. The next topic covered in detail by Dr. Spyrou was the proton-proton chain, the series of three nuclear reactions that build a helium nucleus by adding protons one at a time. It is by this process stars the mass of the Sun and lower generate energy in their cores. Elements beyond helium are produced by different fusion reactions, but it ends at iron. Iron fusion, occurring in only the most massive stars, absorbs energy (rather than releasing it) which causes the star to go supernova. Elements beyond iron can be produced in stars (or supernovae) by the s- and r-processes mentioned earlier. The p-process breaks elements down to simpler forms. A simulation of the r-process was then shown. Dr. Spyrou later passed along a link to a site where interested members can view this simulation (and many more). Dr. Spyrou then discussed MSU’s National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory and the new Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) that is still under construction. She shared a video about FRIB that can be viewed online. Dr. Spyrou concluded by inviting KAS members to take a private group tour of FRIB at some point in the near future. Opening nominations for 2020 KAS Officers and At-Large Board Members were held after the snack break. Notable nominations include Don Stilwell for Treasurer and Dave Garten, Rich Mather, and Aaron Roman for Member-At-Large. All remaining nominations were for current serving

November Meeting Minutes

Professor Artemis Spyrou, from MSU, was the guest speaker at the general meeting on November 1st.

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picture of the activities of Mr. Ashby is emerging. Cathy and Mike said they would keep us informed when new material of interest is found. They departed, and the regular board meeting was convened by Richard at 5:12 pm. Don presented the Treasurer’s Report, covering current account balances and cash flow since January 1, 2019. Richard noted that PayPal funds were not shown in the account balances and should be included. He also suggested that training fees for the Remote Telescope should be displayed in the maintenance account. Richard then summarized November/December events. The outlook for the Mercury transit event on November 11th was dismal. [Note added in proof: The weather on the actual date didn’t even rise to dismal.] Things looked much more promising for the first Remote Viewing Session and Ceremony on November 16th at Rood Hall, beginning at 7pm. A Remote Telescope Training Session was set for November 22nd at KAMSC, and another Remote Viewing Session was planned for 8pm on December 14th (with a cloud date of Dec. 21st) at Rood Hall. The KAS Annual Meeting & Holiday Party was set for December 6th at KAMSC with a special start time of 6:30 pm. In a discussion of follow-up items, Richard reported that he had received a return authorization number for the gearboxes of the Astro-Physics 1600GTO mount on the new Owl Observatory telescope. Astro-Physics has said that a simple (but unspecified) fix will stop the ominous noises sometimes heard when the mount is slewed. A second fundraising letter was sent out with membership renewal notices, in the hope that we will soon have enough to finish the Owl upgrades. A numerical lock box for the KNC front gate has been chosen, but an opinion from KNC is awaited. Finally, Richard suggested we purchase a power adapter to test the Meade 10-inch f/6.3 Classic LX200 telescope that was donated late last year. Both Scott Macfarlane and Jack Price said they may have a compatible adapter for testing. If operational, this rare telescope will be put up for sale. The schedule for year 2020 general meetings was reported to be coming together well. For the January 10th meeting, the topic has been given as Astronomy Open House, with short talks from Dale Mais, Jack Price, and Eric Schreur. Six more programs were proposed at least tentatively. The 2020 Public Observing Schedule has been approved by the Nature Center. Concerning additional year 2020 events, Richard had spent some effort in finding a different venue for his Introduction to Amateur Astronomy lecture series, but he was not successful. By this time, the Portage Library facility used previously was booked up, so Richard dropped this plan for another year. The Halloween Full Moon Party was still planned for October 31st. Nothing further had yet been heard from Gustavo Silva, the Bloomingdale High School student looking for guidance on a senior project. The business meeting was adjourned at 6pm, with the next meeting set for 5pm on December 8th at Sunnyside. Attention was then turned to the delicious cake provided by Donna Mather in celebration of Rich’s 76th birthday. Everyone enjoyed the cake and gave best wishes to Rich. Respectfully submitted by Roger Williams

The KAS Board met on Nov. 10th at Sunnyside Church. Those present were board members Richard Bell, Joe Comiskey, Jean DeMott, Scott Macfarlane, Rich Mather, Jack Price, Don Stilwell, and Roger Williams, along with KAS member Aaron Roman. Donna Mather was briefly present with a cake for a birthday celebration (more later). The gathering took place at 4pm to accommodate special guests (and KAS members) Cathy & Mike McMinn. Cathy is the granddaughter of Leonard James Ashby, who founded the Kalamazoo Amateur Astronomical Association (the precursor to KAS). Cathy and Mike have been searching through old records and photographs to fill in the gaps about the history of Mr. Ashby. They generously offered access to the KAS to copy any of this material. Since they are looking through material that has not been seen for years, there may be more information yet to come. The board members examined the records and asked questions, and a coherent

board members. Final nominations and elections will be held at the annual meeting on December 6th. Richard shared an e-mail he received from Oceanside Photo & Telescope (OPT) just before the meeting. It was for the new STELLINA Smart Telescope from Vaonis. It features a built-in digital camera that is controlled through a smartphone app. The price is $4,000! (Note: there is a review online.) After 6-months of trying, Aaron Roman reported that he finally caught Jupiter’s Great Red Spot transiting the meridian in October. Mike Sinclair mentioned the possible discovery of a mini black in a binary star system. Duane Weller mentioned the discovery of a new millisecond pulsar. In bad news, SpaceX is about to launch another 60 Starlink satellites. After discussing upcoming events, the meeting concluded at 9:11 pm.

Congratulations to Aaron Roman for completing the Astronomical League’s Honorary Messier Program.

December 2019

Plans for the KAS Remote Telescope were first laid out exactly 10 years ago in this newsletter. One of the goals stated in that article only receives a single line: “The facility would allow the KAS to add on winter Public Observing Sessions.” This seemed to be a logical way to share the telescope with members and the public, not to mention encouraging use of our premiere facility. It would also help us fill in that all too long gap between November and March when observing opportunities in Michigan are infrequent. Indeed, the way we typically share our love of astronomy during this time period is at our monthly meetings. Therefore, much of the planning and fund-raising these past 10 years have been working toward the “Remote Viewing Sessions.” I knew this was going to be a challenge from the start, and it has been. Not just not from a technological stand point, but from an awareness one (for lack of a better term). I mean, the remote sessions are pretty different and, to our knowledge, no other astronomy club or educational institution has tried something like this before. There are other online telescopes that do webcasts, but we wanted to do something that would bring people together. As I often say, it’s called the Kalamazoo Astronomical SOCIETY! I knew we might be in trouble even before our debut session on November 16th. We distributed nearly 1,000 flyers throughout the community, sent out press releases, and did follow-ups through e-mail and social media. I did hear one promotion through Michigan Public Radio, but local news outlets like WWMT and the Kalamazoo Gazette completely ignored us. It’s clear we’re going to have to get more aggressive with follow-ups by phone. Preparation for the November 16th celebration and session was extensive. Naturally, I must first thank Jean De Mott for her handling the celebration portion of the evening. Fred Espenak, Mr. Eclipse himself, shot the drone video of Arizona Sky Village and Piishii Observatory that we shared at the top of the evening. This was skillfully edited by new KAS member Steve Crawford. Mike Patton made sure our all-sky camera was crystal clear, and recorded a 5-minute

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tour of Piishii Observatory with his ASV neighbor, Rick Beno, behind the camera. Special thanks to noted amateur astronomer, author, and PBS documentary maker Timothy Ferris for taking the time to record some brief remarks. Unfortunately, the first session didn’t quite go as planned. We were unable to show the telescope on the big screen TV because Tim Kurtz got locked out of TeamViewer (both Jim Kurtz and Mike Patton have reported similar issues). TheSkyX (the software used to control the Paramount ME II) wouldn’t let me point the telescope exactly where I wanted, so this made the constellation tour difficult to do. And then, for reasons I still don’t understand, the script to start-up the Takahashi got overwritten, so I could only image with the PlaneWave CDK20. This interfered with my plans more than anything. I was able to find quick solutions to all these problems once I got home and had a moment to think. All in all though, our first effort was a failure. A handful of members told me they enjoyed the session, which I appreciated. Of the 55 people in attendance though, more than half walked out before the session ended at 10pm. That told me everything I need to know about our success or lack thereof. Another member, who is often honest to a fault, told me that our first effort was an “embarrassment for the club.” Since I spearheaded the effort to start the remote sessions this year, I took that to mean I embarrassed the KAS. If so, I’ll accept full responsibility. All I can say is that I did my best to make our first Remote Viewing Session a success. The problems that popped up have never occurred before or seem to happen at random (the Takahashi script issue). I’ve spent many hours with the Remote Telescope and felt very comfortable going ahead with the first session. This seems to be a recurring theme with this project, we take one step forward and two back. Needless to say, I’ve been feeling pretty down ever since Nov. 16th. I’m not ready to give up yet and I hope you’re not either. We’ll try again on December 14th (or 21st). Please mark your calendar, join us, and show your support.

Attendees enjoy a tour of Piishii Observatory by Mike Patton before the first-ever Remote Viewing Session.

Jean DeMott cuts the celebratory cake, while Don Stilwell, Rich Mather, and Mike Cook look on.

December 6th @ 6:30 pm Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center • 600 West Vine, Suite 400

You are cordially invited to the KAS

W ell, all to quickly Earth has made that lap around the Sun and it is time for the annual KAS Holiday Party. It’s time to pull out the best

family heirloom recipes for appetizers and desserts and bring your submissions to this ever popular get together of the KAS family. The KAS will be providing beverages and Jean De Mott will once again be making a bowl of steaming wassail. All you will need to bring is either an appetizer or dessert to share.

For those of you new to this annual tradition, we will be celebrating another successful year of club activities and also holding our annual meeting on December 6th. This is an evening open to members and their guests and it is always well attended, affording an excellent opportunity to spend an enjoyable evening with fellow Society members and their families.

We will start out at 6:30 pm (rather than the usual 7:00 pm) with food and socializing and then conclude that portion of the

evening’s activities with a round of our always highly competitive BINGO game run by President Richard Bell. We are asking all members to contribute BINGO and door prizes again this year.

The annual meeting, after the BINGO games, will feature images from the past year. We’ll conclude with final nominations and election of officers and at-large board members for 2020. We will be awarding door prizes at the conclusion of the annual meeting. So, mark you calendar and we will see you at the Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center (KAMSC) for an astronomically good time!

December 2019

NIGHT or DAY There are two basic kinds of uses for telescopes: daytime terrestrial (bird watching, scenery, sports) and astronomical (planets, galaxies, stars, the Moon) viewing. All telescopes can be used in some capacity for both purposes, but some telescopes are best suited for only one use. Astronomical telescopes, for example, should be as large in aperture (diameter) as possible, to gather more of the faint light which travels such a long distance from its source. Terrestrial telescopes can be built much smaller, for portability and convenience, since they have lots of light to work with and don't need so much magnification. Most people settle on a compromise between these extremes, depending on just what they want from a telescope. TELESCOPES Telescopes have progressed through many changes over the years. Many modern designs look quite unlike the traditional image of a telescope. We recommend choosing telescopes not just by technical design, but by suitability for particular uses. Telescope optical designs are many and varied; some commercial designs are hybrids of several basic types, but most telescopes on the market today fit into one of the following groups: The Refractor ‒ The familiar long tube, with the lens in front and the eyepiece in back, has in modern times evolved into two distinctly different kinds of telescopes, achromatic and apochromatic. When white light passes through a lens, its constituent colors are refracted at different angles. This results in blue or

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orange halos around bright objects like the Moon, planets, and stars. These halos are referred to as a secondary spectrum, with the overall effect known as chromatic aberration. It plagued the first refractors. One early solution was to make refractors with tremendously long focal lengths, which helped mask this effect. Achromatic refractors use two lens elements to help reduce chromatic aberration. One element is a concave lens composed of Flint glass, with the other being a convex lens made from crown glass. Newer apochromatic refractors use more exotic lenses like extra-low-dispersion (ED) glass or fluorite to completely eliminate chromatic aberration. This comes at a high price, literally! Apochromats (apos) are the highest cost per inch of aperture out of all telescope designs. The good news is that, thanks to competition, costs have come down in recent years. The astronomical refractor is the same basic type commonly seen in department stores, so many beginners may give them a bad rap. This is undeserved as even the lower cost achromats from reputable makers will perform quite well. If equipped with a sturdy mount, a small refractor is very nice for observing the Moon, planets, many of the larger star clusters, nebulae, and so forth. With an 45° diagonal, a small astronomical refractor can make a very nice terrestrial telescope. When used with a standard 90° star diagonal, refractors show a left-to-right reversed image. The Newtonian Reflector ‒ A very popular and economical telescope, the Newtonian reflector (invented by Sir Isaac Newton in 1688) is primarily an astronomical instrument. It is quite simple in design, resulting in the lowest cost per inch of aperture of any type of telescope. Thus, Newtonians are available in the widest range of apertures. Although heavier and somewhat more difficult to transport than similar sized compound telescopes, the Newtonian is preferred by many astronomers who want large aperture at moderate cost. Six- and eight-inch Newtonians are easily carried in an automobile, and the tube detaches from the mounting in seconds. Newtonians are generally not suited to earthly observing, as the image is upside-down. Newtonians need occasional cleaning and collimation (optical alignment of the primary and secondary mirrors), but you can easily do this yourself. Optical performance is excellent. The large aperture makes them ideal for deep-space views of galaxies, star clusters, and nebulae. The simple optical design results in sharp, high-contrast planetary and lunar views for longer focal lengths, too.

The three basic type of amateur telescopes. Each have their advantages and disadvantages.

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Compound Telescopes ‒ Compound (or Catadioptric) telescopes have combined the best features of other types into very compact, lightweight instruments. They use both mirrors and lenses, resulting in telescopes only about twice as long as they are wide. Unlike the basic refractor and reflector, these telescopes are distinctly modern 20th Century designs. The features are many - the closed tube, lightweight, rugged designs are easily portable, and their optical performance is nearly equal to other telescope types. Little if any maintenance or alignment is required. Like refractors, compound telescopes can be used either astronomically or terrestrially. The lightweight optical assembly for apertures under 10-inches allows very strong mounts to be made very light in weight. Camera adapters and many varied accessories are widely available. The only significant disadvantage is just what might be expected - with the exception of apochromatic refractors, compound telescopes cost more than other telescopes of equal aperture. The Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope is perhaps best known due to the introduction of the Questar telescope in the 1950's. The “Mak,” introduced by Dmitry Dmitrievich Maksutov in 1944, uses a deeply-curved, thick front corrector lens, with a reflective spot on the corrector acting as the secondary mirror. The most popular Maksutov telescopes today are 90mm in diameter. “Spotting Scope” models are used for both astronomical and terrestrial observing. Large diameter models are very difficult to manufacture and take a long time to reach thermal stability at night, but can rival apochromatic refractors with high-contrast views of the planets. The Schmidt-Cassegrain design was made commercially economical due to the optical production innovations of Tom Johnson at Celestron International in the late 1960's. His techniques for producing the complex-curved Schmidt corrector plate were the foundation for every major manufacturer in the business today.

TELESCOPE MOUNTS The telescope mount can account for at least half the cost of a telescope system. The best optics in the world are useless without a good, sturdy mount (especially when used for astrophotography). An astronomical telescope requires a much different mount than a small terrestrial scope. The two basic types of mounts are the altazimuth and equatorial. The altazimuth mount has two motions, altitude (up and down) and azimuth (left and right). What makes Dobsonian telescopes so popular are their rocker-box-style altazimuth mounts. Many astronomical refracting telescopes are used with altazimuth mounts today. The "alt-az" is the simplest type of mount to use, requires no set-up alignment, and is low in cost. It is ideal for terrestrial use, although a good altazimuth mount with slow motion controls will work very well for astronomy. Many are now even motorized! The equatorial mount is designed specifically for astronomical use. As Earth rotates once each day, the stars and planets appear to move across the sky. To follow a celestial object, the telescope must track a curved path at exactly the correct rate. An equatorial mount has one axis tilted so that it is parallel to Earth's axis of rotation. By then simply rotating the telescope in one axis only, objects will appear to sit still when viewed through the scope. Fork Mounts are a very popular equatorial mount design, being well suited to the short tubes found on compound telescopes. The companion equatorial wedge tilts the 'polar axis' of the telescope to line up with the celestial sphere for astronomical use. Usually the base of the fork mount can be attached to the tripod without the wedge for terrestrial altazimuth operation or general viewing at night. German Equatorial Mounts are easily recognized by their counterweights extending opposite the optical tube. Refractors and Newtonian reflectors are often found on this kind of mount, and recently some Schmidt-Cassegrain designs have become popular. These mounts function very well, with the inconvenient and sometimes awkward counterweight being the major drawback to this design.

Refractors (left) are well suited for use with solar system objects and double stars, while Schmidt-Cassegrains (the most popular style of a Compound telescope) are considered all-purpose designs while being compact and highly portable. Both are on German equatorial mounts.

Newtonian reflectors have the lowest cost per inch of aperture. This makes them the most widely used design for amateur astronomers. The one pictured above is on the popular Dobsonian mount.

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Slow motion controls are a real convenience on any non-computerized telescope. You'll be adjusting the aiming of your telescope quite often, to follow objects and to find new ones. On a simple telescope, you just push the tube to adjust the aim. Slow motion controls let you simply turn a knob to make precise adjustments, greatly smoothing the movement. Electric motor drives (clock drives) work along with an equatorial mount to drive the telescope across the sky at just the right speed to cancel the apparent motion of the heavens. It's a real surprise to most people to see how quickly even a large object like the Moon will drift right out of view, unless a motor drive is in use. MAGNIFICATION No other characteristic of telescopes is so widely known and yet so misunderstood by most people. When beginners ask, "What's the power of this telescope?" we explain that the question is like asking a car salesman, "What's the speed of this automobile?". The car might, if pushed, do 90 or 120 mph, but does this really matter? The magnification of most telescopes is variable, depending on the focal length of the eyepiece being used. The eyepiece used is the “gas pedal,” and if you want to see any of the scenery, you won't often “floor it.” As power increases, image brightness and sharpness decrease rapidly. Half the power, four times the brightness. Twice the power, one-fourth the brightness. This is a basic law of optics. With lower powers, you see brighter, sharper images and cover a larger area. It's easier to find your target, vibration is less troublesome, and things usually look more detailed. Experienced telescope users know this, and usually use the lowest power available most of the time. Higher powers are quite useful for viewing small and distant objects like planets and double stars. Most observers have a selection of eyepieces to match the objects they are viewing. The absolute magnification limit for any telescope under ideal conditions is 50 to 60 power per inch of aperture (about 2 power per mm).

APERTURE If any one thing affects the overall performance of a telescope the most, it is aperture: the diameter of the primary mirror or objective lens of the telescope. You know how professional observatories are always after bigger telescopes? That's because a telescope with a larger diameter can gather much more light, give a brighter image, and resolve finer detail. In general, you should buy the largest aperture telescope which fits your portability and budget requirements. PORTABILITY Ordinary amateur telescopes range in weight from only a few pounds to over one hundred pounds, and overall bulk varies tremendously. Some types are quite rugged, while others can require re-alignment after a little rough handling. It's very important for you to consider portability carefully; your telescope is no good unless you use it, and you may not want to hassle with a bulky, awkward telescope. On the other hand, there is no reason to pay for portability if you don't need it (i.e. you’re lucky enough to have an observatory). Compare carefully, considering your individual needs. PHOTOGRAPHY Most telescopes can be used for high-powered terrestrial or astronomical photography, as long as you have a removable lens type DSLR camera. Refractors and compound telescopes are the most useful for general use, as they’re ideal as a telephoto lens. Camera adapters are also available for any telescope with standard 1.25" diameter eyepieces. Astrophotography is an interesting and rewarding hobby. It can be either quite simple (photographing the Moon, for example) or very complex (long exposure shots of nebulae, galaxies, etc.). FOCAL RATIO The mysterious “f” number (such as f/6, f/11, etc.) is really quite simple. It's the same number used by photographers, and refers simply to the focal length divided by the aperture

Astrophotography can be as simple or complicated as you like. Demands on optical and mount performance increase dramatically as the technique advances.

Like telescopes, eyepieces come in a variety of sizes and styles. A barrel diameter of 1.25" is standard, but many prefer the wider-field of 2" eyepieces. Thankfully, 0.965" sizes have largely been discontinued.

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of the telescope. For example, a telescope with a focal length of 600mm and a 60mm aperture is f/10. Smaller f/numbers result in wider fields of view and lower magnification, best suited for nebulae, galaxies, and many other deep sky objects. Medium focal ratios (f/8 to f/11) can be used for low or high-power applications by switching eyepieces. FINDERSCOPES Many telescopes have a miniature refracting telescope attached to the side. A finderscope is aligned perfectly with the main instrument, and has a very low power and wide field of view, so you can easily find an object and center it where it can be seen in the main eyepiece. EYEPIECES & BARLOWS Standard eyepieces have a barrel diameter of 1.25" and are interchangeable with all telescope models. Eyepieces with 0.965" barrel diameters are often of lower quality and have been historically included with cheap department store telescopes. They should be avoided. Some very low power, wide-field eyepieces are supplied in extra-large 2" barrels, which have breathtaking “porthole in space” performance - if your telescope has a suitably-sized diagonal or eyepiece holder which fits them. Some cost more than quality telescopes and can be quite heavy, making balance an issue with some telescopes. An extremely useful tool every amateur astronomer should have is a Barlow lens, invented by Peter Barlow in the 19th century. The 2× Barlow is the most common and will double the magnification of the eyepiece it is attached to. They are typically lower cost than eyepieces, so its an economical way to extend your range of magnifications. CONCLUSION Above all, choose a telescope that seems to fit your lifestyle and personality. Do not worry too much about specifications and other technical details. If you choose a reputable brand, and use common sense in picking a telescope that appeals to you, you won't go wrong.

Winter begins in December for observers in the Northern Hemisphere, bringing cold nights and the return of one of the most famous constellations to our early evening skies: Orion the Hunter! Orion is a striking pattern of stars and is one of the few constellations whose pattern is repeated almost unchanged in the star stories of cultures around the world. Below the three bright stars of Orion’s Belt lies his sword, where you can find the famous Orion Nebula, also known as M42. The nebula is visible to our unaided eyes in even moderately light-polluted skies as a fuzzy “star” in the middle of Orion’s Sword. M42 is about 20 light-years across, which helps with its visibility since it’s roughly 1,344 light-years away! Baby stars, including the famous “Trapezium” cluster, are found inside the nebula’s whirling gas clouds. These gas clouds also hide “protostars” from view: objects in the process of becoming stars, but that have not yet achieved fusion at their core. The Orion Nebula is a small window into a vastly larger area of star formation centered around the constellation of Orion itself. NASA’s Great Observatories, space telescopes like Hubble, Spitzer, Compton, and Chandra, studied this area in wavelengths we can’t see with our earthbound eyes, revealing the entire constellation alight with star birth, not just the comparatively tiny area of the nebula. Why then can we only see the nebula? M42 contains hot young stars whose stellar winds blew away their cocoons of gas after their “birth,” the moment when they begin to fuse hydrogen into helium. Those gas clouds, which block visible light, were cleared away just enough to give us a peek inside at these young stars. The rest of the complex remains hidden to human eyes, but not to advanced space-based telescopes. We put telescopes in orbit to get above the interference of our atmosphere, which absorbs many wavelengths of light. Infrared space telescopes, such as Spitzer and the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope, detect longer wavelengths of light that allow them to see through the dust clouds in Orion, revealing hidden stars and cloud structures. It’s similar to the infrared goggles firefighters wear to see through smoke from burning buildings and wildfires.

The Orion Nebula: Window Into a Stellar Nursery

by David Prosper

NASA Night Sky Notes...

Finderscopes are a necessity for all telescopes - even the computerize variety. They make it considerably easier to locate stars and deep sky objects.

— December Night Sky —

NORTH

EAST W

EST

D ecember begins with a gathering of planets in the evening sky. Saturn,

Venus, and Jupiter form an 18° long line above the southwestern horizon after sunset on December 1st. Following the line quickly leads you to a waxing crescent Moon in Capricornus. Venus, shining at magnitude -4, and

Saturn will be less than 2° apart at dusk on December 10th. Look low above the southwestern horizon and be sure to view them with binoculars. Later on that same evening, the Moon will be near the bright star Aldebaran in Taurus. Early risers can catch Mars very close to the star Zubenelgenubi (Alpha Librae)

shortly before dawn on December 12th. The Red Planet will be less than ¼° from the double star. The peak of the Geminid meteor shower will be severely hampered by a waning gibbous Moon on the night of December 13th/14th. Only the brightest of meteors will break through the Moonlight.

SOUTH

This star map is property of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society. However, you may make as many copies as you wish free-of-charge, so long as it is for non-profit educa onal purposes and full credit is given to the KAS. www.kasonline.org

• Early November 11 pm

• Late November 10 pm

• Early December 9 pm

• Late December 8 pm

This map represents the sky at the following local standard mes:

PRESIDENT

Richard S. Bell

VICE PRESIDENT

Jack Price

TREASURER

Rich Mather

SECRETARY/ALCOR

Roger Williams

PUBLICITY MANAGER

Joe Comiskey

MEMBERS-AT-LARGE

Jean De Mo

Sco Macfarlane

Don S lwell

E-MAIL a BOARD MEMBER

December 2019 Page 11

Final nominations and elections for 2020 KAS Officers and At-Large Board Members will take place at the Annual Meeting on December 6th. If you are interested in running for a position but cannot attend the meeting then please contact us by December 5th. Ask not what the KAS can do for you, but what you can do for the KAS!

NEW ITEMS IN

ORDER ONLINE AT : skyshop .kasonl ine .org

KAS Lapel Pin $5.00

Miller Planisphere $13.00

KAS Embroidered Caps $20.00 each

and help the

Did you know that you could purchase telescopes, binoculars, eyepieces, and much more from Orion Telescopes & Binoculars and help the KAS in the process?

Simply click on the link provided above and begin shopping on Orion’s website. Purchasing their products through the link gives the KAS a commission.

© December 2019, Stargazer Productions

Kalamazoo Astronomical Society c/o KAMSC 600 West Vine, Suite 400 Kalamazoo, MI 49008

STAMP

Saturday, December 14th (21st), 8 - 10 pm

WMU Rood Hall • 2101 Wilbur Ave. • Free Parking in Lot 61

E njoy the wonders of the universe as seen through the “eyes” of the KAS Remote Telescope, located under the dark skies of

southeastern Arizona. Par cipants will enjoy views of constella ons and deep-sky objects captured with the system’s CCD cameras in Arizona, transmi ed to Kalamazoo via the internet and projected on the lecture hall screen. Live streaming video will also show the telescope in opera on.

If weather condi ons necessitate a postponement, a second “cloud date” has been scheduled for the following Saturday (noted below in parenthesis). Postponement or cancella on informa on will be posted on kasonline.org