the newsletter of the QUEEN ELIZABETH PLANETARIUM … · Telescopes for Skygazing (Paul) Outer Space Photography (Paul). How To Read The Night Sky (Kals) Edmund Sky Guid e 1981 RASC

the newslette r o f th eQUEEN ELIZABET H PLANETARIUMand theEDMONTON CENTRE , RAS C

APR./MAY 198 1

75*(FREE AT STARNIGH T '81 )

•Special Starnigh t '8 1 Issue

PH.: 455-011 9 for more information

DEATH OF THE DINOSAURS showtimes :

8 pm Tuesday — Friday3 pm and 8 pm Sat., Sun., and Holidays

APR./MAY 1981

EditorAlan Dye r

Assistant EditorStewart Krysk o

John Haul!Holmgren

Anthony Whyt e

TypesettingLorna Milliga n

Graphic ArtsDave Sciche r

Rick Corriga n

The City OfEDMONTONParks an dRecreation

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Vol. 26 No . 3

A Rid e in the Shuttl e Dav e BealeBeyond Mach 3, ejection from the Shuttle woul d b e fatal. If an emergencyarises now, th e cre w mus t fl y th e Shuttl e bac k t o eart h intact .

Astro-Photography Galler y a pictoria lA selectio n o f som e o f th e bes t astronomica l photograph y take n b ymembers of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Edmonton Centre

The Informatio n Explosion Ala n Dye rEvidence fo r th e curren t popularit y o f scienc e an d astronom y ca n befound ever y month o n th e newsstands.

The Fron t Pag e Starnigh t '81Astronomy Basic s What' s On The Market?Discoveries Astronom y News Updat eRASC New sGeneral Meetin g Notic eAt The Planetariu m

Look Bac k Tim e 5 0 and 100 Years AgoWhat's U p ? Th e Skies of Starnight

COVER: Th e spring sky heralds warme r weather, a season when amateur astronomerscome ou t of hibernatio n to explore the man y celestia l sights within reac h o f amateurtelescopes. This year, the planets Jupiter and Saturn are prominent. But every year, themajor feature of the spring sky is the thousands of galaxies that can be glimpsed beyon dthe boundaries of our own Milky Way . The Whirlpoo l Galaxy (or M51), depicted on thefront cover, is one of the finest of spring sky galaxies. It is a spectacular lace-on spiralsome 1 4 million ligh t years away. (Hale Observatories photo)

STARDUST, the newsletter of the Queen Elizabeth Planetarium and the Edmonton Centre, RASC, ispublished bi-monthly and is available free to all members of the Royal Astronomical Society ofCanada, Edmonton Centre as a benefit of membership. Single copies are available at the PlanetariumBookstore for 75C, STARDUST is also available by subscription for S4.50 per year for 6 issues ($9.00for tw o years fo r 7 2 issues). Please make al l cheques o r money orders payable to : Th e QueenElizabeth Planetarium. Write to: The Editor, STARDUST; do Queen Elizabeth Planetarium; CNTower 10th Floor; 10004 - 104 Avenue: Edmonton, Alberta, T5J OK1. Unsolicited articles orphotographs pertaining to any aspect of astronomy are welcome.

the

page

STARNIGHT '8 1On Friday, May 8 and Saturday, May 9 the Planetarium and EdmontonCentre, RASC will b e presenting two nights of publicastronomy.Theprinciple attractio n wil l b e telescope s manne d b y amateu rastronomers from the Edmonton area. They'll be your tour guides fortrips around the solar system and out into deep-space. Have you everseen th e crater s o f th e moon , th e cloud s o f Jupiter , o r the ring s ofSaturn for yourself? Through the telescopes at STARNIGHT you can.Early i n the evening , befor e sunset , we'll even be looking a t the sunand it s fiery prominence s throug h som e specia l sola r filters.

To complemen t th e real-lif e views o f celestia l objects , ther e will besome astronomical display s in the Planetarium lobby, plus showingsof film s an d videotapes . Fre e 20-minut e mini-show s i n th ePlanetarium theatr e wil l introduce you to the constellations visible inthe rea l sky outside .

STARNIGHT get s underwa y a t 7:3 0 P M bot h nights , wit h sola robserving. After 9:30 or so, the emphasis will shift to telescopic view sof the moo n an d planets .

In the even t of cloud y weather , we wil l be doing our best wit h thedisplays and telescopes se t up inside the Planetariu m lobby .

In this issue of Stardust, you'l l find an observing guide to the nightskies of STARNIGHT, plus lots of news and information on the RoyalAstronomical Society of Canada, the Planetarium, and astronomy i ngeneral. We hope you enjo y it .

RASC MEMBERS, PLEASE TAKE NOTE :Your assistanc e at STARNIGH T '8 1 wil l b e

greatly appreciated . I f yo u hav e a telescope ,please bring it down to the Planetarium on either(or both ) o f the tw o nights . ! f you d o no t hav e atelescope, w e woul d welcom e you r hel p i nmanning Planetariu m scopes , o r i n taking ove rfrom othe r RAS C member s durin g th e night .There's a job fo r everyon e a t STARNIGHT. T ovolunteer, pleas e phon e Gart h Fitzne r a t

Don' t wat t fo r hi m t o phon e you !STARNIGHT i s crazy and hectic but it's great fun.

E

HOURS:8:30am - 4:30pm

K/cn - F n6:30pm - 9:00pm

Tues - Su n1:30pm -4:00pm

So* an d S,,n

Ph.:455-0119

BOOKS FO R THE AMATEUR ASTRONOMER:

The Stars Belong to Everyon e (Hogg)Astronomy with Binoculars (Muirden)Telescopes for Skygazing (Paul)Outer Space Photography (Paul) .How To Read The Night Sky (Kals)Edmund Sky Guide1981 RAS C Observer's Handbook..- .Burnham's Celestial Handbooks Vol.1 -3Webb Society Handbooks: Vol.1 Double Stars

Vol. 2 NebulaeNorton's Star AtlasSeasonal Star ChartsASTRONOMY magazin e (monthly )

CARLWETZLAR BINOCULARS:

7 powe r x 50mm8 powe r x 40mm

MEADE 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope:

Special introductor y Price

Basic Telescope S1095.U OPackage (incl. Meade Wedge and Tripod ) S129 5 GO

ci/tioftomy bo/k /what'/ o n th e marke t ?

In purchasing a telescope, always keep in mind, that there is no single telescope, no matterwhat th e price , tha t wil l b e idea l fo r al l purposes . Som e telescope s howeve r ca n b e quit eversatile, while some tend to be very specialized. You should determine where your interest liesand purchas e a telescop e whic h i s bes t suite d t o tha t interest . Fo r example , i f you'r e ver yinterested i n deep-sky observin g (looking at faint star clusters, galaxies and nebulae) then youwould want something calle d a Rich Fiel d Telescope o r a n R.F.T.

There i s on e genera l rul e t o remembe r whe n telescop e shopping . A telescope' s mai npurpose is not for magnification; it's mainly a light gathering device. The light gathering powerof a telescope is determined b y the size of its objective lens or its primary mirror . The larger themirror o r lens , the mor e ligh t th e telescope will gather, yielding brighte r an d sharper images.

BINOCULARS- On e o f th e mos t popula r optica l aid s

among amateu r astronomer s i s a pai r o fbinoculars. They can range in size from a petitepair of opera glasses to a mammoth pair of 11 x80's. First , let' s ge t the terminology straigh t —the numbers indicate the magnify ing power andthe siz e o f th e objectiv e lense s (measure d inmillimeters) i n that order. Fo r exam pie a pair of7 x 50 binoculars magnif y 7 times and hav e 50mm objGctive lenses. The bigger the lenses, themore ligh t they'l l gather . Th e mos t commo nwould b e 7 x 5 0 whic h ar e relativel yinexpensive, abou t $5 0 to $100 . Of course youcan ge t binocular s whic h ar e specificall ydesigned fo r astronomy , suc h a s 1 1 x 80's .These however may cost up to $400. With theirlow magnification, binocular s are very good forwide-field observin g — scanning aroun d th esky looking at large star clusters and nebulae.REFRACTING TELESCOPE S

When a perso n think s o f a telescope, theimage tha t usuall y come s t o min d i s that o f arefracting telescope. A refracto r use s a lens togather th e ligh t an d for m a n image . Becaus elenses ar e significantl y mor e expensiv e t omanufacture tha n telescop e mirrors , larg erefracting telescopes are very , very expensive.As a n example , a reflecting telescop e wit h a10cm diamete r mirro r ma y cos t aroun d $400,

60mm Ait-azimuth Refractor

while a 10cm refractor woul d cost about $2000.Because o f thi s th e mos t commo n refractin gtelescopes hav e lense s o f onl y 60m m i ndiameter. Du e to the small size of the objectivelens they ar e somewhat limite d for observin gfaint galaxies , clusters, and nebulae. They are,however, useful for bright objectsjike the moonand planets . Altogethe r th e 60m m refracto rtends t o b e one of the mos t popular beginnerstelescopes; they cost about $175 on simple alt-azimuth mounts .NEWTONIAN REFLECTORS

The Newtonia n i s abou t th e simples toptical desig n availabl e i n a reflectingtelescope. Becaus e of this , the y ar e about th eleast expensiv e typ e o f reflecto r t o buy .

o8

M

•

Uin

Newtonians ar e available in popula r size s thatrange from 10c m t o 30cm , and the price s varyaccordingly, fro m $40 0 t o $3000 . Th e mos tpopular size s are the 15c m an d 20cm versionswhich fal l i n th e $60 0 t o $100 0 range . Thi sdesign i s one of the best all-purpose telescopesfor visua l use . They ar e goo d fo r deep-sk yobjects, (a s they hav e fairl y larg e mirror s an dtherefore gather a lot of light) an d they are alsogood for planets and double-stars, (as they canachieve fairly high magnification without losin gtoo muc h image quality) .

They d o suffe r however , i n tha t the y ar eless portabl e than othe r design s simply due totheir physica l size . Thi s ca n als o mak eastrophotography more difficult than with otheroptical designs .SCHMIDT-CASSEGRAIN REFLECTO R

The Schmid t -Cassegra i n r e j e c t i n gtelescope i s a muc h mor e comple x optica lc o n f i g u r a t i o n tha n t h e N e w t o n i a n .Commercially mad e Schmidt-Cassegrain s are

20cm (8") Celestron schmidt-cassegrai n

available to th e amateu r i n sizes from 10c m to35cm. Thes e ar e probabl y th e mos t versatil etype of amateur telescop e o n the market . The yare good for deep-sk y observing , excellen t fo rplanetary and double star work and finally, (dueto thei r compac t optica l desig n an d mountingsystems) ver y goo d fo r mos t type s o fastrophotography. Du e t o thes e factors , th eSchmidt-Cass. tends to be more expensive thanthe common Newtonian . Dependin g on thesizethey ma y range i n pric e fro m $80 0 to $10,000 .The popula r 20c m model s ar e priced betwee n$1000 an d $1500 . Ther e ar e no w thre ecommercial manufacturer s o f Schmidt -Cassegrain telescopes : Mead e Instruments ,Celestron Pacific , an d Criterio n Instruments .Meade and Celestron product s ar e sold a t thePlanetarium.EDMUND ASTROSCA N

The Astrosca n i s simpl y a Newtonia nreflector wit h a rounde d botto m tub e tha tcreates a ver y simpl e mountin g system . The '

round tube sits in the rounded base , and is ableto pivo t about , t o vie w i n any directio n o f th esky. This telescope ha s a 10cm primar y mirro rwhich ha s a very short foca l length (-400mm) .This allows the scope to have a very wide field ofview, meanin g you ca n se e a large are a of th esky a t any one time, about 2° or3°. Being a RichField Telescope, it i s best suited for lookin g atstar cluster s an d nebulae, a s well as the moon.With it s shor t foca l length , th e hig hmagnification needed for viewing the planets isd i f f i cu l t t o achieve . Th e Ast rosca n i sreasonably price d fo r a 10c m reflecto r($284.95) and a very good beginner's telescope.

-- Ste w KryskoB

di/covcric/o/tronomy neuu / updat e

RE-MAPPING TH E SKYFrom 194 9 to 1957 , astronomers a t Mt .

Patomar use d the 48-inc h Schmid t camer a t omap th e entir e norther n sky . The resul t was1,758 photos , eac h measurin g 1 4 x 1 4 inches.The origina l Paloma r Sky Survey ha s been a ninvaluable referenc e for astronomers .

Now 3 decade s later , astronomer s ar eplanning t o repea t th e project . Ne wphotographic emulsion s will make it possible tophotograph object s 4 times fainter than o n the

old surve y plates . Th e ne w surve y wil l pee rtwice as far int o space , to a n expected limit ofone billion ligh t years .

The survey will begi n i n 1983 . The bigges tproblems wil l b e overcomin g th e increase dlight pollutio n fro m nearb y Sa n Diego , an ddodging th e light s o f aircraf t tha t woul dotherwise trail across th e photograph.

NEUTRINOS WITH MAS SUntil recently , th e ghostl y sub-atomi c

particles called neutrinos were thought to haveno mass , lik e photons . Physicist s ar e no wspeculating tha t neutrino s hav e mas s — no tmuch mind you, but enough that when the massof al l th e neutrino s i n th e univers e i s adde dtogether, i t ma y b e sufficien t t o sto p th eexpanding universe . A univers e wit h "heavy "neutrinos ma y b e a close d universe , one tha twill eventuall y collapse on itself , producin g anew Bi g Ban g an d a new creation.

Evidence for neutrin o mass has come fromDr. Floy d Steche r o f NASA' s Goddard Spac eFlight Center . Ultraviole t observation sperformed b y a numbe r o f rocke t an dsatellite-borne instrument s ma y hav e revealedthe emissio n line s fro m decayin g neutrino spredicted by the new theory.

If the observations are correct, ou r galaxy,and presumably most others, is surrounded bya hal o o f neutrino s whic h wer e create d i n thefirst moment s o f the Bi g Bang .

REVIVING PLANE T XA tenth plane t in the sola r system has long

been a possibility. There is no reason why suc ha mysteriou s Plane t X shoul d no t exist , an devery fe w year s someon e come s u p wit hevidence suggestin g tha t i n fac t i t does exist.Thomas C . Va n Flander n o f th e U.S . NavalObservatory ha s analyzed irregularitie s i n themotions o f Jupiter , Saturn , Uranu s an dNeptune, conciuding tha t ".. . we are sure thereis something out there disturbing those planets,and i f it' s no t anothe r planet , we'l l b e har dpressed to accoun t fo r it. "

What about Pluto ? The discovery in 1979ofPluto's moon , Charon , allowe d astronomer s tomake th e firs t reliabl e estimate s o f it s mass .Pluto i s too smal l to accoun t fo r th e observedanomalies. Va n Flandern's 10th planet isat least

2.4 billio n k m beyon d Plut o an d take s 100 0years t o orbi t th e sun . A photographi c searchfor th e ne w Plane t X wil l begi n a s soon a s it slocation i n the sky i s narrowed down .

SOLAR MAX . SILENCE DLaunched i n February , 1980 , th e Sola r

Maximum Missio n satellit e wa s designe d t omonitor th e su n throug h th e curren t pea k i nsolar activity. It performed flawlessly, returnin gstunning images of flares, prominences and the

Image o f a prominence fro m the Sola r Max. Missio n

solar corona . Now , th e Sola r Max . satellit e i sdead, silenced prematurely by 3 fuses. Nothingexpensive, nothin g sophisticated , simpl y 3ordinary fuse s tha t blew , shuttin g dow n th espacecraft. On e o f th e satellite' s builders ,General Electric , neglected to instal l fuses witha higher ratin g during constructio n whe n somenew equipmen t wa s installe d o n th e satellitethat dre w mor e powe r than originally planned .NASA is embarrassed at this further example ofquestionable projec t management .

THE ARGON MYSTERYVenus has 75 times as much argon-36 in its

atmosphere as earth has. This fact, discoveredby the Pioneer/Venu s probes o f late-1978 , haspuzzled astronomers.

However, Dr . Thoma s Donahu e o f th eUniversity o f Michiga n ha s devised a possibl eexplanation. H e suggests that in the early daysof sola r syste m formatio n Venu s receive d ahigher dos e o f variou s gase s fro m th e sun ,including krypton , xenon , an d argon . Th ematerial whic h ble w ou t fro m th e su n woul d

Two photos from Pioneer/Venus orbiter taken 4 daysdays apart showing motions of clouds .

have collide d wit h th e materia l condensin gwithin Venus' s orbit. The proto-Venus materialwould hav e blocke d th e sola r win d fro mblowing furthe r ou t int o space , s o tha t Eart hand Mar s would no t be as "enriched" a s Venus.

The theor y i s strengthene d wit h the -findings tha t th e relativ e abundance s o fkrypton, xeno n an d argo n o n Venu s are morelike those o f th e Su n than of earth .

THE MIS-ALIGNMEN T OF '82The so-called alignment of planets in 1982

has been taken up by the prophets of doom as asure cause for th e end of the world (o r at leastLos Angeles) . Will the combine d gravitationa lpull o f th e planet s trigge r sola r activity ? Willsolar flare s create earthquakes? The chai n o fcause-and-effect whic h lead s from a groupin gof planets over 60° of sky in the spring of 1982 toa massiv e Californi a earthquak e ha s man yweak links. Nevertheless, to the untrained eye ithas the air of a solid scientific theory. This alonehas convinced man y peopl e o f it s truth .

What mos t people do not realize is that the"theory's" origina l proponent , scienc e write rJohn Gribbin , has since disowned hi s idea. Onthe basi s o f hi s theor y h e ha d predicte d tha tsolar activit y would pea k i n 1982 . Instead , thesun reache d maximu m activit y i n 1980 . I f it spredictions fail, a theory must be in error. In truescientific fashion, Gribbin withdre w the Jupitereffect, statin g "...I f anyon e trie s t o war n yo uabout th e Apocalypse coming i n 1982 , just tellhim tha t th e ol d theor y ha s long sinc e bee ndisproved."

-OMNI, March, 1980, p. 122

RideIn th e

ShuttleAt the beginning of April, Columbia' was poised on Pod 39A, read y tolaunch a new era in space exploration

byDave Beale

It's bee n calle d th e world' s firs t spaceship . I tis, in fact, the most complicate d vehicl e everbuilt. Thi s i s Columbia , th e firs t Spac e

Shuttle. At the beginning o f April, it was poisedon Pa d 39Aat Cape Canaveral, ready to launc ha ne w era i n space exploration.

Imagine you are on board, preparing for theride o f your life . While the circuits hum, and thepanel lights flash, you mentall y revie w some ofthe shuttle' s vita l statistics.

The Shuttl e i s a n 80-to n delta-winge dvehicle, not a spacecraft oran aircraft, but both.It has 3 main engines that provide 375,000 Ib. ofthrust each . Thes e engine s ru n of f liqui dhydrogen an d oxygen ; the y ca n b e restarte dseveral time s an d als o throttled . Th e Shuttl e

*I

also ha s tw o smalle r 6000-lb . thrus t engine scalled "orbi t manoeuverin g system " o r QM Sengines, a s wel l a s group s o f 870-ib . thrus tengines that form the reaction contro l system .The fue l fo r th e OM S engine s an d reactio ncontrol system is contained in the aft main bodyof the vehicle. The liquid hydrogen and oxygenfor th e main engine s is carried i n the "externa ltank", a devic e carried below the Shuttle . Thetank i s a n engineerin g marve l i n itsel f — i tdwarfs th e Shuttl e i n siz e an d weigh s over 1.5million Ib . Unfortunately , thi s weigh t i s to omuch fo r th e l i f t in g capabilit y o f th e mai nengines, so to overcome this problem, two sol idfuel booste r rockets are strapped t o either sideof th e externa l tank . Thes e monster s produc e2.65 million Ib . of thrust each , plu s lot s o f thickblack smoke . Th e complet e Shuttle/Tank /Booster combinatio n a t launc h weigh s 2. 1million Ib.

The Shuttle produces aimost 8rimes the noise as the more

powerful Saturn V rocket.

So here you are, in the cockpit o f Columbia ,awaiting launch . You entered the vehicle almos ttwo hour s befor e th e schedule d launc h time ;the hatc h wa s seale d 4 0 minutes later . As theclock count s down , yo u tes t an d retes t th ebewildering array of systems and their backups.

At T- 5 minutes , th e auxiliar y powe r unit sand hydraulic s ar e powere d u p — all contro lsurfaces ar e hydraulicall y activated . Th eexternal tan k i s topped wit h helium . Yo u havethree CRT' s (televisio n screens ) t o rea d dat afrom, controlle d b y on-boar d computers , a swell as more conventional avionics. The cockpitis a maze of switches, dials and meters . Barrin gserious failure , th e launc h wil l b e automatic .However, yo u mus t monito r th e system s an dthe flight , takin g ove r manuall y i f necessary.Remember, th e Shuttl e ha s neve r bee n flow nbefore.

At T- 6 seconds , th e mai n engine s ar eignited, a n even t whic h lurche s th e cockpi t

forward 1 9 inches (thi s i s called the "twang") ,starts a roar in the cock pi t, and has everyone onthe ground prayin g fo r you ! There is no escapeuntil th e vehicl e i s a t leas t 5 0 fee t abov e th eground, a t whic h poin t yo u couf d eject , bu twould fac e possibl e incineratio n fro m th eboosters1 exhaust plume .

At T-1, 4 sec . tfi e mai n engine s hav ereached at least 90% thrust and the "twang" hassubsided. At T=0, the solid rocket boosters areignited an d liftof f occur s wit h a viciou s roar .The Shuttle , largel y du e t o th e boosters ,produces almos t 8 times the nois e as the mor epowerful Saturn V moon rocket. This noise levelis reduce d t o onl y twic e th e nois e b y a ne w900,000 gallon pe r minut e wate r deiuge systemon the pad. The spray of water prevents the highnoise levels from damaging the Shuttle payioadbay and it s contents .

At l i f toff , yo u ar e lurche d abruptl y b y th e5.3 million Ib . thrust o f th e soli d boosters , andthe whol e vehicl e begin s intens e longitudina lvibrations. Yo u watc h i n a controlled terro r a syou mov e of f th e pad ; the Shuttl e move s bot hlaterally and verticall y at takeoff.

You clea r th e towe r i n 7 seconds, and th eground recede s rapidly . Yo u hav e grea tdifficulty focussing on the instruments becauseof wha t ha s bee n calle d "paint-shaker "vibrations. Th e vehicl e turn s t o it s "climbou tattitude" a s i t clear s the tower , rollin g 120 ° t oascend upsid e down .

At 3 0 sec. yo u ar e climbing throug h 800 0feet a t 67 5 feet pe r second. A t 3 2 seconds, th emain engine s are throttled bac k t o 65% for th epassage throug h th e regio n o f "Ma x Q. " Thi szone o f maximu m dynami c pressur e o n th evehicle occur s a t o r nea r Mac h 1 velocity. Youdon't notice thi s mileston e even t in the launch ,however, because of the overwhelming noise ofthe boosters . A t 5 0 sec. , th e engine s ar ethrottled bac k u p t o 100 % — altitud e i s no w24,000 fee t an d spee d i s Mac h 1 . The vehicl estarts t o wallo w slightly as the compute r use sthe aircraft-like contro l surface s on the Shuttleto compensate for high altitude winds. At 1 min.53 sec . missio n contro l call s negative seafs .Beyond Mac h 3 and 120,00 0 feet, ejection fro mthe Shuttl e woul d b e fatal . I f a n emergenc y

10

NASA artwor k

arises now , yo u hav e to fly the Shuttle back t oearth intact .

At 2 minutes from liftoff , travelling at Mach4, missio n contro l call s go fo r se p o f the soli dboosters. Eigh t 22,00 0 Ib.-thrus t separatio nmotors ar e ignite d o n eac h booster , blastin gthem free. You see a fiash out the window, andimmediately th e rid e become s smoothe r an dquieter.

Between 3 minutes and 4 minutes into theflight, your velocity climbs from Mach 4.6 to 6.3,and the altitude climbs from 43 nautical miles to63. The Shuttle is now at an angle of only 19° —almost horizontal . Now a critical decision mustbe made : t o commi t fo r a t leas t on e orbi t o rreturn t o th e launc h sit e a t Cap e Canaveral .Engine performanc e s o fa r a s been norma l s o

you commi t fo r orbit . Actually , th e groun dcontrollers mak e th e decisio n sinc e thei rcomputers ar e bette r abl e t o cop e wit h th edeluge of information — they call press to Meco— pres s o n t o Mai n Engin e Cut-Off . The n 3 0seconds late r missio n contro l call s negativereturn, meanin g yo u ar e committed t o a t leas tone orbit . I n fact , th e "return-to-launch-site "abort manoeuvr e i s s o difficult , tha t ever ychance fo r a "forward abort" t o orbi t i s taken.

Up to now , the compute r ha s been fooledinto thinkin g tha t such a return-to-launch-sit eabort wa s goin g t o occur ; i t ha s purposel ylofted th e vehicl e highe r tha n necessar y t opermit a turnaroun d abort . Bu t no w wit h aturnaround impossible , th e Shuttl e start s arather spectacular dive. The altitude drops from

11

Artist's conception of Shuttle descending during thefinal glide into th e runway . Not ? the chase aircraft .NASA Artwork

74 naut . mile s t o 63 . I t i s har d t o watc h th einstruments durin g th e div e — the view o f th eearth i s so spectacular!

At 6 min. 30 sec. you are travelling at Mach15, faste r tha n an y winge d vehicl e ha s eve rflown before . Missio n contro l call s singleengine thermal, meanin g a failur e o f tw oengines a t thi s poin t woul d forc e a reentry .Then 2 0 seconds late r the y cal l single enginepress t o Meco, meaning yo u now hav e enoughvelocity t o acheiv e orbi t wit h onl y on e engin efiring. A t 7 minutes the G forces peak at 3 G's —the Shuttl e ca n withstan d a maximu m o f only3.3 G's. The engines are throttled back .

8 minutes and 33 seconds — you cal l Mecoas th e mai n engine s shu t off . Th e Shuttl e i sclimbing a t 220 feet per second. Yo u have nowacheived an orbit o f 80x1 3 nautical miles.

In 1 7 seconds there is a bump; the externaltank ha s separated. You can actually fly alon gwith i t for a while, inspecting i t for an y signs ofan abnormal separation. Soon though, the tankwill dro p ou t o f th e sky , burnin g u p ove r theIndian Ocean . Unlik e th e soli d boosters , th etank i s no t recovered . ELK you ar e no t finishedyet — the two 6000-lb . QMS engines mus t nowignite t o chang e you r orbi t ini o a 150x50 mileellipse. Yo u are now over the mid-Atlantic , butby the time the 2-minuteburn iscompleted.youwill hav e los t contac t wit h Housto n an d mus tcall you r result s t o Madrid . Th e Shuttl e i sdesigned so that eve n i f the QM S engines fail,you can perform orbit insertion with the smallreaction contro l rockets . Abou t thi s tim e th eShuttle automatically dumps al l the oxygen and

hydrogen lef t i n th e fue l line s afte r th e tan kseparated — wit h th e tan k gone , th e mai nengines ar e useless . However , th e door scovering th e connection s to th e tan k mus t beclosed i f a safe reentry is to b e accomplished.

46 minute s afte r launc h a secon d OM Sburn commences , circularizin g you r orbi t t o150 nautical mile s up .

Once you'r e i n orbit , there i s much t o do .During th e fligh t you tes t every function o f theShuttle, includin g th e carg o ba y doors , th ereaction contro l system , th e radiators ,antennas, an d th e inertia l guidanc e system .You might eve n find tim e to eat and sleep. Butfrankly, afte r suc h a spectacula r launch , th ebusiness o f checkin g ou t th e Shuttl e i s ratherboring. Let' s prepare for reentry .

Mach 2.5 - altitud e 62,000 feer— you are 54 miles from the

runway. Remember, if you ar eshort....!

At reentr y yo u ar e i n a n 80-to n vehicl etravelling a t Mac h 24. 6 400,000 feet up . Thi stranslates t o 2.5 1 x 10 12 joules of energ y to b edisappated i n 3 1 minutes , o r 1.3 4 thousan dmillion watt s over 31 minutes. And n o brakes!

To reenter , yo u hav e t o manoeuve r th eShuttle s o tha t i t i s essentiall y pointe dbackwards. A 2. 5 minut e bur n o f th e QM Sengines change s you r orbi t t o 15 0 rnii e xintersection-with-earth. Afte r th e burn , th eShuttle fl ips back so that you ar e right sid e up,but wit h th e nos e pointe d 12 ° belo w th ehorizon. You now have to warm-up the contro lsurface hydraulics after their stay in the cold ofspace. Reentr y officiall y commence s 2 2minutes after the burn, as you watch dawn overthe Pacific.

Reentry begin s wit h a vengeance . Th eShuttle contro l surface s becom e active ,guiding th e craf t throug h th e uppe ratmosphere. Yo u lowe r your visor s to protec tyour eye s from th e intens e plasm a glow. Th e

12

computers ar e busy calculatin g th e remainin gdistance an d th e necessar y bank angles . Th ereentry is performed intentionall y to overshootthe runwa y — since you hav e no power, i f yo uturn u p shor t o f th e runway , you'r e SHORT !Better t o hav e too muc h distance . Thi s extr adistance i s eliminate d b y flyin g "s " curve s tolengthen your fligh t path . A t 5 minutes int o thereentry, the first such rol l occurs, a spectacular80° ban k angl e a t Mac h 24!

At 1 2 minutes into reentry you ar e at Mach21.3, th e poin t o f maximu m heatin g o n th eShuttle's oute r surface . You hope every one ofthose 33,00 0 individually fitte d tiles stays on!

At 1 7 minutes you ar e at Mach 15 , only 715nautical mile s from you r intende d touchdow npoint, Edward s Ai r Forc e Bas e i n California .You are descending ver y rapidly. At an attitudeof 120,00 0 fee t an d a spee d o f Mac h 5 th eShuttle enter s an unstabl e fligh t mode . (Hey ,nobody tol d m e about this! )

Mach 2. 5 — altitude 82,00 0 feet — you ar e54 miles from the runway. Yourexactentry pathnow depend s o n jus t ho w muc h energ y yo uhave left . Remember , i f you ar e short.... ! A t 28minutes you go subsonic , an d you begin t o flythe Shuttl e manually , usin g th e combinatio nrudder an d spee d brak e to kee p th e Shuttle' sspeed t o 29 0 knots.

The co-pilot lower s the landing gear. Only1,750 fee t abov e th e runwa y yo u ar e stil ldescending at 200 feet per second. Till now theShuttle's nos e ha s bee n pointe d dow n a t a nangle o f 16° , bu t her e yo u brin g th e nos e up .Only second s befor e touchdown , yo u ca n n olonger se e the runway. Instea d you are guidedby chas e aircraft.

Touchdown o n the lak e bed at Edwards —your spee d i s 19 0 knots, o r 35Qkm/hr . A s yo ucoast to a stop technicians rush to the Shuttle toconnect coolin g gear . Interna l temperature swill pea k 1 5 minutes afte r touchdown , an d i funchecked wil l rui n th e onboar d electronics .Welcome home !

With luck, the first flight of Columbia will gothis smoothly . I hop e yo u enjoye d ou rimaginary flight , one based on simulator rides .Perhaps one day you wil l hav e the opportunit yto experience the rea l thing!

Shuttle Update

As o f Marc h 24 , the da y Stardust wen t t opress, th e launc h dat e fo r Columbi a wa s stil luncertain. O n March 19 , a full dress rehearsel ofthe Shuttl e countdow n wa s performed . Thi swent flawlessly ; everythin g performe d a sexpected, Bu t shortl y afte r th e countdow nconcluded, traged y struck . Fiv e technician sentered a n engin e compartmen t fille d wit h anitrogen atmosphere , an d wer e immediatel yovercome. On e technicia n died , anothe r i s i ncritical condition. Thi s was the first fata! accidentduring a NAS A operation sinc e the 196 7 Apollofire wher e astronaut s Grissom , Whit e an dChaffee died whe n thei r Apoll o capsul e caughtfire o n th e pa d durin g a simila r countdow nrehearsel.

The accident ma y delay the Shuttle further ,pending investigation s o f the event, but no suchdelay ha d yet bee n announced .

In othe r news , Reaga n budge t cut s ma yforce NASA to cancel the Galileo Jupiter orbite rprobe an d th e Venus-Orbiter-lmaging-Rada rmission, but a final decision has not been made.

13

ASTRO-phoToqRAphy

OVER T!H E PAS T FE W YEARS , AMATEU R ASTRONOMER S I NEdMONTON CENTR E hAV E bEE N CApTURJN q iMAqE s o fobJECTS, FRO M liqhTNiN q T O disTANT MEbulAE . IT' S CAllEd ASTRO -phoToqRAphy, A spEciAlizEd blEN d o f Th E ASTRONOMER'SkNOwlEdqE AN d Th E phOTOqRAphER' s ART . HER E i s A SElECTiO N O fASTRO-phoTos TAkE N b y CENTR E

phoio b y DAV E BEAL E Lightning fro m Buck Mountai n (a t summer solstice)50mm lens , exposure o f severa l minute s

14

phoros b y DAV E BELCHE R

Aurora from Cooking Lak eEktachrome 6x 6 original

Close-up of Las t Quarte rMoon

Questar 7 , eyepiece proj.

JupiterQuestar 7 , eyepiece proj.

SaturnQuestar 7 , eyepiece proj .

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phoio b y ALA N DYE K Comet Bradfield , 1980tJan. 10 , from Buc k Mountai n

180mm fen s f2/8; guided fo r 5 minute s

phoro b y DAV E BEAL E

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Scutum/Sagittarius regio n with M16 and M1 750mm len s f/2 ; 2 0 minutes o n Ektachrom e 400

pknos b y ANDREW LOW E

M13 globular cluster30c m N e w t o n i a n

f/6 prim e focu s103aF film; 15 minutes

M42 Orio n Nebul a20cm Newtonia n

f/5 prim e focu s103aF film; 10 minutes

THEInformation Explosio nOne o f th e bigges t scienc e new s storie s

over the last 2 years is one you won't read aboutin th e ne w science magazines . Why ? Becaus ethe stor y i s those magazines .

Evidence fo r th e curren t popularit y o fscience an d astronom y ca n b e foun d ever ymonth o n th e newsstands . Durin g th e las t 2years, major new science magazines have beenlaunched b y companies like Time-Life and theHearst Corporation . Caterin g t o th e scientifi ccuriosities o f a new generatio n o f reader s hasbecome bi g busines s i n th e magazin e

byAlan Dyer

publishing world .True, there are many mor e science books

being publishe d toda y tha n eve r before , bu tmost o f thes e ar e stil l onl y availabl e throug hmail orde r firms . Mos t bookstore s her e i nEdmonton stil l hav e shoddy , poorly-stocke dscience sections. Audrey' s Book s on Jasper isbetter than mos t an d i s well wort h a visit .

But b y contrast , mos t o f today' s scienc emagazines ar e easil y foun d o n newsstands .Here i s a brie f rundown :

OMNIMonthly: subscription $24,00 U.S./year; Subscription Dept., P.O.Box908, Farmingdale, N.Y., 11737.; $2.25 per copy, available on just aboutevery newsstand in the entire universe!OMNI i s the thick , glossy blend of science and SF that started the newscience informatio n explosio n i n 1979 . Oddl y enough , i t ha s bee nsurpassed by newer entries into the market, at least when judged on thequantity of it s content of hard science. OMNI ha s remained primarily amagazine for th e visual and literary SF arts. The amount o f substantialscience information in i t each month is small, though well-written . Theinterviews with scientists are excellent, and are still OMNI's forte. It's amagazine definitely worth checkin g out eac h month .

SCIENCE DIGESTMonthly: subscription $16.97/10 issues, $18.97/12 issues, $29.97/20issues, $33.97/24 issues (all in U.S. $); P.O. Box 10076, Des Moines,Iowa, 50350; $2.00 per copy, available on most newsstands.This new publication replaces the old, pocketbook-sized pulp "ScienceDigest" monthly . Issue d as a quarterly fo r severa l trial issues, the newand very slick Science Digest magazine is now a monthly. The quality ofthe writing , illustrations , an d layou t i s marvelous. There i s a wealth ofarticles i n each issue , perhaps a dozen o r s o features, plus th e usua ldepartments. This i s a magazine loade d with information , bu t s o wel lassembled, it does not overwhelm you. There i s always a feature or twoon astronom y b y well-know n writer s lik e Jastro w an d Kaufmann . I fthere i s one general science publicatio n you should rea d each month,this i s it !

1§

DISCOVERMonthly: subscription $18/yr.; Time Inc., 541 North Fairbanks Court,Chicago, Illinois 60611; $2.00 per copy, readily available on everynewsstand.As on e woul d expec t fro m th e peopl e wh o publis h Time magazine ,Discover emphasize s new s and current event s in science, rather thangeneral review articles. There is also more emphasis on social sciencesand medicine. Nevertheless, astronomy and the hard sciences get a fairshowing, and Denni s Overbye's astronomy item s alone are worth th eprice o f admission. (Overby e used to b e with Sky and Telescope.) A ninteresting monthl y featur e i s the "Skeptica l Eye" wher e staff writerstake a critica l loo k a t som e popula r pseudo-scienc e belief , o rsometimes a t fellow scientists . While the magazin e is only a monthl y(not a weekly lik e the Britis h Ne w Scientist o r the journals Science o rNature), i t is amazing the rapidity with which they get stories into print.If onl y w e ha d a magazin e like thi s durin g th e heyda y o f planetar yexploration — the publi c wa s crying to se e the Mariner , Voyager andViking photos of the 1970's, but most people had no chance to see them.But better late than never; kudos to Time-Life for recognizing the newsvalue o f science .

SCIENCE '81Monthly, except bi-monthly Jan/Feb and July/'Aug: subscription $17.00U.S./yr., Subscription Dept., P.O. Box 10790, Des Moines, Iowa, 50340;available only by subscription.It is a shame that this magazine is not on the newsstands each month ,though i t ma y b e distributed this wa y late r i n the year . Science '81 i spublished b y th e prestigiou s America n Associatio n fo r th eAdvancement of Science. They also publish the weekly research journalScience. The y fel t a need for a sister publication t o Science, one thatwould conve y the resul t of research to the interested layman. Last yearthey starte d u p Science 8 0 with great success. And deservedl y so, forthe qualit y o f th e writin g i s very high , an d th e layou t very clean anduncluttered. The overall style is more conservative than Science Digest,but i t i s by n o mean s a stodgy o r technica l magazine . As with mos tgenera! science publications, there is usually an item about astronomyin eac h issue , and thei r coverag e of storie s is always refreshing andinformative. I f yo u hesitat e abou t subscribin g sight-unsee n t o amagazine, you needn' t worry about this one. Science '81 i s well worththe price . And, issue s usuall y arrive o n time!

Each o f these general science magazineshas a different style. There is usually very littl eoverlap i n their contents ; the rea l science buf fwill want to subscribe to all of them. Of course,let's no t forge t th e dea n o f monthl y scienc emagazines, Scientific American. The layoutandillustrations are rather bland . Bu t the articles ,though tendin g t o b e fairl y technical , ar e

excellent source s o f informatio n an d insight ,since they are written by the scientists who arethemselves responsibl e fo r th e research . Yo ulearn abou t scienc e firs t hand , rathe r tha nthrough th e secon d han d report s o f scienc ewriters. Scientific American i s readily availableon the newsstands.

1t

For thos e wishin g t o specializ e i nastronomy, ther e ar e two mai n magazine s o nthe market . I f you wan t t o lear n abou t a widevariety o f astronomica l new s an d research , asubscription t o on e o f thes e publication s i sessential. Th e sam e applie s t o thos e gettin g

into amateu r astronomy , ie . buildin g o rpurchasing your own telescope and using it toexplore th e sk y fo r yourself . Bot h magazine sdescribed belo w ar e a s muc h "hobby "magazines fo r th e amateu r a s the y ar epopularizations o f professiona l research .

ASTRONOMY

SKY AND TELESCOPEMonthly: subscription $17.50 U.S.II year, $33.00 U.S. 12 years ; Sk yPublishing Corporation, 49 Bay State Road, Cambridge, Mass., 02238;single copies $1.75, available only by subscription, no local outlets.Sky an d Telescope i s not a new magazine. I t was started in 1950 whentwo smalle r publications {yo u guessed it! ) The Sky and Th e Telescopeamalgamated. S & T has been the monthly bible of amateur astronomyever since. Most serious amateurs eventually end up subscribing to it —if yo u don't , yo u simpl y d o no t kno w what's going on i n the world ofastronomy. Eac h mont h ther e i s alway s a goo d mi x o f article s o nprofessional researc h an d spac e exploration , ofte n writte n b y th eastronomers involved , article s o n amateu r activities , wit h goo dcoverage of club news, plus detailed information on the sky-this-month.There ar e regula r column s o n telescop e making , observing , come thunting, boo k reviews , and new s notes . Th e technica l leve l o f somearticles is fairly advanced —this is not a magazine for the beginner. Theillustrations ar e profuse, bu t th e layout ari d style is fairly conservativeand unexciting , sometime s downright old-fashioned . Th e informationcontent o f each issu e is , however, substantial — if you reall y ge t int oastronomy, this ma y well b e a magazine that you read cover to cover.

ASTRONOMYMonthly: subscription $19.00 U.S./year; Astro-Media Corporation, 411E. Mason St., P.O. Box 92788, Milwaukee, Wl. 53202; $2.00 per copy;available each month at the Planetarium Bookstore but not available onlocal newsstands.Started i n 1973 , Astronomy ha s since gone o n to becom e the world'smost popula r English-languag e magazin e o n astronomy . I t i sbeautifully illustrated , superbly laid out, and the articles are well-writtenin a highly-readable style . Feature articles tend toward general reviewsof various fields o f investigation, rather than concentrating o n details.Astronomy give s you the "big picture." I t is ideal for beginners; there areregular departments covering science news, observing hints, telescopeequipment, astrophotography , and, of course , a run down of celestialevents for the month. Astronomy i s excel lent for "how to" articles aimedat the novic e amateur . The photo s and artwork are very colorful .

The Astro-Media people also put ou t tw o spin-of f publications —Telescope Making, fo r thos e specificall y intereste d in tha t art , an dOdyssey, an astronomy and space magazine just for youngsters 8-14.

If you are just starting out in astronomy, tryreading a few issue s of Astronomy. It , and Skyand Telescope, ar e availabl e a t the downtow nLibrary eac h month . Anothe r magazine , Starand Sky, ra n for 2 years but ceased publicationwith th e Februar y '8 1 issue . Thi s wa s a greatshame, sinc e th e qualit y o f article s wa s

80

excellent. If you come across some back issues,by al l mean s gra b them!

With al l thes e magazine s (an d ther e ar eothers) o n th e market , anyone who s o desire scan lear n ai l the y wan t t o abou t scienc e an dastronomy. The informatio n is all there — nowthe problem i s keeping ahead of the explosion!

f<i/c new /STARNIGHT NEED S YO U !

This issu e wil l b e goin g ou t t o Edmonto nCentre member s almos t a mont h prio r t oStarnight '81 , scheduled fo r Friday , May 8 andSaturday, Ma y 9 . We need your he!p , primarilyin providing an d mannin g telescopes . We needas man y telescopes , big an d small , as we ca nget, so i f you can bring on e down t o Starnight ,please contac t th e Centre' s Starnigh torganizer, Garth Fitzne r a t 466-2207 .

Starnight get s underwa y a t 7:3 0 p m bot hnights, with an hour or two of solar observing. Ifyou hav e a safe solar filter, please bring it along.Night sk y observing , primaril y o f th e moon ,Jupiter an d Satur n wil l ge t underwa y afte rsunset an d wil l continu e unti l 1:0 0 a m o r so .Telescopes ma y b e lef t a t th e Planetariu movernight fo r safe-keeping.

Hang on toyour scopes!Here comes

Starnight.

THE VICTORIA G.A.This year's RASC General Assembly will be

held i n Victoria , B.C. , o n th e U . o f Victori aCampus. A $2 0 registratio n fe e cover s th eFriday wine an d chees e reception, the Societ yBanquet dinner , an d al l othe r on-campu sactivities. Optiona l tour s ar e being arranged to

the Butchar t Gardens , th e Institut e o f Ocea nSciences an d th e Pacifi c Geoscienc e Center .There wil l als o b e an evening at the Dominio nAstrophysical Observatory.

The G.A . get s underwa y Friday , Jun e 2 6and conclude s Monday , Jun e 29 . Fo r mor einformation, pleas e write : Victoria Centre,RASC; c/o Dominion AstrophysicalObservatory, 5071 West Saanich Road,Victoria, B.C., V8X 4M6.

UPDATE ON BUCK MTN.The Centre has finally received the lease on

our requeste d 7 acres at Buc k Mountain . Th elease became effective in April, 1980, but almosta yea r o f governmen t paper-shufflin g delaye dour receip t o f th e actua l leas e unti l recently. .The lease is for 2 1 years (unti l 2001 ) at a cost of$1.00 pe r year . A group workin g o n the desig nof the observing building at Buck is looking int othe possiblit y o f purchasin g a mobil e hous etrailer a s a n alternativ e t o constructin g apermanent structure . Thi s ide a wil l b ediscussed a t future meetings.

THE BI G EYEThe grou p workin g o n th e Centre' s 17.5 "

Dobsonian telescop e is well along in the designof the mount, figuring out sizes of all necessarycomponents. Th e f ina l constructio n o f th emount mus t awai t installatio n o f th e mirro rwhich has not yet arrived from Coulter Optical.The 20 " diamete r tube , a n unwaxe d concreteform, ha s been purchase d fo r $28.00 .

NEWS FROM OTHER CLUBS

Members o f th e Riversid e Astronomica lSociety ar e onc e agai n gearin g u p fo r thei rannual R ive rs id e Te lescop e Maker sConference, th e BI G EVEN T i n Wes t Coas tastronomy. A s i n pas t years , severa l hundre damateur astronomers and telescope makers areexpected to converge on Camp Oakes, near Big

11

Last year' sRTMC wascold bu tsuccessful.

Bear Cit y i n th e Sa n Bernadin o Mountain s o fCalifornia. For those planning to attend, the feeis $31 (U.S.) whic h cover s registration, lodgingin camp dormitorie s fo r 3 nights, plu s 7 meals.For mor e information , writ e th e RTMC' sfriendly organizer , Clif f Holmes , 864 2 Well sAve., Riverside , CA 92503 .

Meanwhile, furthe r north , th e Victori aCentre, RASC, are also putting together a majorconference — the annua l Genera l Assembly. Afull schedule o f talks, tours, social events (plusthe infamou s RAS C Son g Contest ) ha s bee narranged. Everyon e i n th e Edmonto n Centr eshould tr y to attend. The Victoria Centre is alsoassembling a massiv e telescop e — atrailer-mounted 50c m {20") - The mirror is in theprocess o f bein g ground , an d th e moun t i sbeing machined .

Work o n the Vancouver Centre's proposedclub observator y ha s slowe d dow n whil emembers sor t ou t som e problem s wit h th edesign. Th e Vancouve r folk s wer e recentl ydonated a mirror-grindin g machin e fo r u p t o24" blanks . Th e questio n was , wher e t o pu tsuch a beast ? Observer s i n th e grou p ar eplanning a camping/observin g weeken d a tManning Park , B.C . o n June 5 - 6 .

The big projec t in the Calgary Centre is theplanning of their S47,000 Observatory. A privateschool sout h o f the city has provided the Cent rewith a site o n th e schoo l grounds . Th e grou phas receive d a donation o f a 25-foot steerabledish radi o telescope . Member s ar e als onegotiating wit h th e Provincia l government t oacquire Platea u Mountain a s the Centre's DarkSite. Th e Calgar y Centr e i s als o schedulin gpublic Starnight s for Ma y 8 , 9, and 10 .

The n e w l y - f o r m e d Medicin e Ha tAstronomy Clu b ha s begu n publishin g a

22

monthly newslette r "Stardrifters." The club nowhas an observing sit e 15 km west of the city on amember's farm . A n observator y housin g a 50cm scope i s planned. Meanwhile , the group hasreceived a Provincial grant of $410 to help in theconstruction o f a portabl e 2 5 c m (10" )Dobsonian. Las t summer , th e clu b als o ha d afloat i n the loca l Stamped e parade !

The Rystrom Observatory of the Saskatoo nCentre ha s bee n wel l utilize d b y members . Awarm-up hu t was buil t las t year, and a portable30 c m (12.5" ) Dobsonia n ha s jus t bee ncompleted. Th e Observator y no w house s aprivately-owned Celestron-8, but a centre-buil t40 cm (16" ) i s under construction .

The Winnipe g Centr e i s organizin g a nevent the y cal l th e "Manitob a Astronomica lConvention," a weekend of observing , lecturesand recreationa l activities i n Ridin g Mountai nNational Park , Aug. 1 - 3. For more informationwrite the Centre at P.O. Box 174, St. James P.O.,Winnipeg, Manitoba , R3 J 3R4 . On Ma y 9 , th eCentre plan s to hav e a display at the Manitob aPlanetarium an d a publi c observin g session attheir Glenle a Observatory.

Meanwhile, i n the hinterland s o f souther nOntario, member s o f th e Londo n Centre havebeen busy producing programme s forthesmal lplanetarium (whic h the y helpe d acquire )owned b y th e Regiona l Children' s Museum .Membership i n the Niagara Centre , onceoneofthe smallest RASC Centres, has jumped t o over60 lately . The ne w Kitchener-Waterloo Centre,formed las t year , hav e a dome d observator ywith a 30c m telescope , plu s a roll-of f roo fobservatory whic h house s a 36c m (1 4 1/4" )scope wit h a 20cm (8" ) Schmid t camera .

The Hamilton Centre was recently donateda 13c m (5" ) refracto r of 1980 vintage, The focallength o f the telescope is some 6.7 metres! Thefork moun t fo r thei r 45c m (17.5" ) scop e ha sbeen completed , an d th e tub e i s bein gdesigned. The Centre i s awaiting delivery of theoptics fro m Coulter . Durin g 1980 , th e Centr eestimates tha t almos t 120 0 person-hour s o fobserving ha d bee n logge d a t thei r ne wObservatory, thoug h onl y a smal l grou p i sdoing mos t o f th e observing . Observin gsessions ar e planne d fo r ever y clea r Saturdaynight, with the 2nd and 4th Friday nights of eachmonth se t aside for publi c nights .

1980 was a busy year for that mos t active oforganizations, th e Ottaw a Centr e Observer sGroup. Fran k Ro y ha d almos t exclusiv e use ofthe Centre' s Radi o Telescope , an d als oorganized meteo r observin g sessions . Bria nBurke organize d severa l grazin g an d asteroi doccultaiion expeditions . Rol f Meie r continue dhis come t huntin g an d supernov a searc hprograms wit h the Centre' s 40 cm (16" ) scope,and no t withou t success . Ke n Tapping , Ji mzii 1 11 nsKy. o f 11 p '."•/ 331 an u rioD u \ uo n u uc .sc £solar w£ic h program , monitorin g th e su n a tboth optical anci radio wavelengths. The Centreheld monthi y observing sessions ai a variety ofsites, plu s th e Ot h Annua l Deep-Sk y Weekend .Lately, ther e hav e no t bee n a s man y ne wmembers ou t a t th e Centre' s India n Rive rObservatory a s they would like , and the group isstarting a ne w ca r poo l program . Th e toug heastern winte r ha d force d th e Centr a t o sto psnow clearin g effort s a t thei r site .

Paul Deans recentl y gave a talk on Voyager

to a capacity crow d a t a meeting o f the TorontoCentre. Pau l also gave the talk to the Hamilto nand Niagar a Centres . Th e Toronto group hel dan "Astronom y Workshop " i n October, with 80people i n attendance . Dou g Welc h ha s bee nappointed th e Centre' s ne w Observer' s Grou pchairman. Th e Centr e i s als o face d wit h th eproblem o f encouragin g mor e member s t o getout an d us e the club observatory. I t is situate d30 km outside the city and houses a 25 cm (10" }scope i n a roll-off roo f building. A warm-up hu tis als o available . Presently , s doze n Centr emembers ar e ke y holders, bu t mechanica lproblems wit h th e buildin g hav e decreased itsuse. Th e Toront o Centr e wa s activ e i n publi ceducation las t year , presentin g 6 specia llectures/observing session s a t loca l libraries ,plus givin g a 3-wee k astronom y course . 3cable-TV program s wer e produced. Th e groupis no w organizin g a tou r t o th e Indonesia neclipse o f 1983 .

— complie d b y Ala n Dye r

NOTICE o f GENERA L MEETING S

Wednesday, April 8Dr. George Cumming, U. of A."The Age of the Sola r Syste mDr. Cumming Is with the Geophysics Dept of theU. of A., and ha* Addressed the Centre on severaloccasions In the past Dr. dimming'* Interestsalso Me In astronomy, and In this talk he will bereviewing the geological research Into the ageand formation of the solar system.

Monday, Ma y 1 1Dr. Phil Curry, Prov. Museum"The Extinction of the Dinosaurs"Dr. Curry was unable to attend our Marchmeeting, but has consented to a re-scheduling o fhis tali on the latest research Into dinosaurextinctions for our May meeting. We understandthat Dr. Curry will "be putting some sanky" (hisown words!) Into this controversial field, plusdeal with local Alberta findings.

JUNE

Monday, June 8Chris Pritchard, Calgary Centre"Observing with the OH Telescope "

Both meeting s al :8:00 PM ; MUSI C ROOM . EDMONTO N PUBLI C LIBRAR YGuests an d member s o l th e publi c ur n welcom e

at th e planetariu m

With rrxchfarv.crG.theQ.Fi.P .: ;!,u\ Death o f "irs Dinosaurs pr zo. The 5ud:3nt; s r^acjor ; ~:ir! -L;.has bear ; >/cr y • , . . . . i^'c'v cprogram tha i IK..; - a goo dsorious inforrnaiirm .

Yss. f i rs t 'Ivn c vra s Dr . \Then, alon g earn s Inspecto rYard). No w there' s Dronl yhost of our pateontological game show "Dialingfor Dinosaurs, " th e show-within-£-sho w i nDeath o f th e Dinosaurs. Bront y f i l l s u s i n o nsome o f th e popula r misconception s abou tprehistoric beast s before moving on to some ofthe ne w theories about wh y the dinosaurs die dout. We hope you'll take in the show; Dinosaursends Jun e 14 .

Running wit h Death of the Dinosaurs as anadded attractio n i s on e o f ou r scienc e new smini-shows, Discoveries. Thi s 10-minut e shor tdeals exclusively with the space shuttle, an itemvery muc h in the new s thes e days .

Throughout April , Ma y an d June , th ePlanetarium wil l als o b e offerin g a goo dselection o f astronomy course s and lectures aspart o f ou r "communi t y ast ronomy "programmes. Thes e course s an d talks are no theld a t th e Planetariu m (w e don' t hav e th eclassroom space to permit that) , but are held inother location s aroun d th e cit y suc h a s th eLions' Centr e o n 111 Ave., and the ACT Centrein Rundl e Park . A specia l serie s o f lunchtirn electures will also be presented i n the downtownLibrary's Musi c Roo m durin g the week of April27 - Ma y 1 . Phon e Stewar t Krysk o a t th ePlanetarium (455-0119 , Mon.-Fri., 8:30-4:30 ) formore information .

Beginning i n th e theatr e Jun e 16 , an drunning throug h th e summe r wil l b e ou rperennial favorit e On e Summer's Night, a livenight sky show for all those who ask, "Why don' tyou do shows where you point out some stars?"Based o n th e belie f tha t Planetarium s can' tsurvive strictly on an offering of shows with only

24

e.'-ctie topics { l ik e dinosaur ext inci ;a-a'): v,-s a!,?o>:a< tr ; ;rai<r !a sonic ) basi c nigh ; sk y aaoavc .7a-ra a/.vay a saciu a t c b e a n aadiioca for ih:3type o ; pi-orrain , ihounh ii is ofiCF i a srr.all (bu tappreciative!; audience .

•-'i 'ern is ri ag ,b ia a r^G , aar J r u a n i n nccnaL. 'rrani iy X V L U r - / ; c Sanr^jor' a ; //g/;i will b aaar aurorao r iaa'Juro , no' v title a . ' > Galzxy ciOn... Tai s v.'ii i bs a proorara v.'ita a unique topic-- aio evidence tiiat extraterrestrial life may notho as common ii: the galaxy as the Cart Sagansof th e wond would have us baneve . Thescnpi isbeing writte n fo r u s b y Pau l Dean s o f th e

Bronty Hall , hos t o f "Dialing fo r Dinosaurs" , invitesyou to attend th e Q.E.P.'s ne w program Death of th eDinosaurs befor e he becomes extinct .

COMMUNITY ASTRONOMY

,FreeLUNCHTIME LECTURES :Music Room , Public Library , 12 noon

April 27 — The Jupiter Effec tApril 28 — AstrologyApril 29 -U.FO'sApril 30 — Voyager/Saturn EncounterMay1 — Black Holes & Warped Spacetime

ASTRONOMY COURSES :Introductory Astronomy

Apr 1/1-Ma y 1 9 (Tues )/May 2l-June25(Thurs )Telescope User's Course

June 1 6 - 3 0 (Tuesdays)Spring Sk y Course

Apn, 27 - Ma y 1 1 (Mondays'Solar System Course

'ay 20 Jun e 1 0 (Wednesdays)Phone th e Planetariu m a t 455-011 9 fo rmore information.

Mclaughlin Planetarium, while the Q.E.P. staffare taking car e of the visuals , artwork, specia leffects, an d soundtrack. Eac h year we want todo a t leas t on e sho w writte n o r produce d b yanother Planetariu m or an outside writer . Thisshould provid e a variet y o f styl e t o ou rschedule, an d a welcom e inpu t o f ne w idea sand show topics .

However, a s many o f ou r reader s ar e n odoubt aware , no two planetarium s ar e alike. Ashow produced originall y i n one cannot simpl ybe plugged into another. Therefore, anytime weacquire a productio n fro m elsewhere , a greatdeal of work mus t still go into its adaptation forour theatre . Eve n "foreign " show s will , t o acertain extent , always have that "Q.E.P . look" .

But for an example of shows the Q.E.P. staffproduced fro m scratc h withi n the confines ofour littl e planetarium , se e Death o f theDinosaurs ana the shuttle mini-show. The basicconcept fo r th e Dinosau r show cam e from anH.R. MacMilla n Planetariu m programme , bu tour treatmen t o f th e topi c turne d ou t ver ydifferent fro m theirs , a reflectio n o f ou r tw o

styles an d productio n philosophies . Ou rapproach isn' t necessaril y bette r tha nVancouver's; it' s just different .

The productio n styl e w e hav e bee ndeveloping her e a t th e Q.E.P . i s ver y muchinfluencing th e desig n o f th e ne w Spac eScience Centre . Thoug h th e projec t ha s beenset back somewhat by the debate over the site inRossdale, th e desig n o f th e theatres ,production areas , an d exhibi t gallerie s ha sbeen goin g ahead . Th e two theatres , th e Sta rTheatre an d the A/ V Theatre , ar e going t o b eexciting places , wit h super b audio-visua lsystems capabl e o f a staggerin g arra y o feffects. The design emphasis is on "versatility"— th e ne w theatre s shoul d b e capabl e o fhandling a divers e rang e o f theatrica lproductions, giving the Space Scienc e Centr ethe flexibility that the presen t Q.E.P. lacks.

Till the new doors open, however, we mustdo the best with what we've got, which in itself isa fair challenge .

-- Ala n Dyer

21

APRIL, 193 1"A Daily Science Bulletin ... announces that

M.L. Humaso n ha s photographed wit h the 100inch reflecto r at Mount Wilson the spectrum of avery fain t nebul a discovere d b y W.H . Christie;its positio n i n th e sk y i s no t stated . Th espectrum shows a shift of the lines towards thered, correspondin g t o a recessio n o f 17,60 0km./sec., an d a n estimate d distanc e o f 12 0million light-years . Thi s i s b y fa r th e mos tdistant nebula , th e distanc e o f whic h ca n b eregarded a s 'measured' ; bu t i t wil l b e

was 1 1 1/ 2 digits , an d occurre d 1 2 minute sbefore loca l noon . I n summing up , the autho robserves tha t th e discussion s o f th e las thundred year s hav e greatl y narrowe d th epossible rang e o f dates . Th e rang e wa soriginally abou t te n years , bu t ha s now bee nreduced t o two ; ther e i s almos t universa lagreement tha t i t wa s either A.D . 29 or 30. "

MAY, 188 1"The politica l an d socia l disturbance s i n

Ireland hav e o f lat e somewha t diverte d

look boc k lim e5O & IOO year ; ago

remembered tha t whe n Dr . Hubbl e publishe dhis determinatio n o f th e distance s o f th eAndromeda nebul a an d Messie r 33 as nearly amillion light-years , h e estimate d tha t th efaintest nebula e tha t could be reached with the100-inch wer e distan t abou t 15 0 millio nlight years. "

MAY, 193 1"Astr. Nach. 5784 contains a paper o n th e

date of the Crucifixion b y E. Dittrich. I t includesa discussio n o f th e tota l eclips e o f th e su n o fNov. 2 4 i n A.D . 29 . Som e ancien t writer sattempted to explain the darkness mentioned atthe Crucifixio n b y the eclipse. The explanationis, of course, impossible, fo r the double reasonthat th e Passove r come s nea r th e sprin gequinox an d als o near the ful l moon . Still , th estatement ha s some value, for i t would scarcelyhave bee n mad e unles s th e yea r of the eclips eagreed with that of the Crucifixion, or came verynear it . The track of totality was investigated bySchoch, wh o foun d tha t i t ra n jus t nort h o fPalestine; th e maximu m phas e a t Jerusale m

M

attention fro m th e literar y an d scientifi c wor kdone i n tha t country . Suc h wor k ha snevertheless proceede d o n it s quie t wa ydespite lan d agitation, failure of crops, or evencommercial distress ; an d Irelan d i s t o b econgratulated o n th e completio n o f th e fin e27-inch refractin g telescope , designe d an dconstructed by Mr. Howard Grub b o f Duonnforthe Imperia l an d Roya l Observator y of Vienna.To enter int o ful l details o f all the various partsof this magnificent telescope woul d fa r exceedthe spac e a t ou r comman d .. . The tub e o f th etelescope i s mad e o f stee l plat e abou t one -eighth o f a n inc h thic k i n th e centre , an dtapering t o abou t one-twelft h o f an inch a t theends, the points bein g al l lapped an d riveted ; itis 33 1/2 feet in length , an d lessen s from 36 1/2inches i n diameter i n the centre t o 27 inches atthe on e an d 1 2 inches a t th e othe r end . Th eweight o f the movin g part s i s between si x an dseven ton s an d stil l th e whol e i s unde r eas ycontrol o f the muscula r powe r o f one arm. "

-- Compile d b y TONY WHYT E

who!*/ u p ?the /kie r o f /tarnigh t

SPRING

WINTERSKY

SKY

THE SPRIN G SKYWhen lookin g into the spring sky , you are

looking perpendicula r to the plane of our disk-shaped galaxy . In thi s directio n th e star s andclusters o f ou r Milk y Wa y ar e flanke d b ythousands o f distan t galaxies.

However, all the srars you see above you liewithin ou r ow n galaxy . Fo r example , hig hoverhead i s th e constellatio n o f Urs a Majo rwhich include s th e familia r group , th e Bi gDipper. Dow n into the south from Ursa Major isthe mos t prominen t sprin g star group, Le o theLion. Amon g th e stars of Le o is the bright starRegulus, formin g th e "dot " o f a backwar dquestion mar k o f stars . Two mor e brigh t star scan be found using the Big Dipper. B y drawinga curve d lin e throug h th e thre e star s o f th eDipper's handle , and continuing th e arc south,you come across Arcturus. (You drawthe arctoArcturus.) Thi s orang e sta r i s the brightes t i nthe constellatio n o f Boote s th e Herdsman .Finally, by continuing th e arc pas t Arcturus farinto the south you arrive at the constellation ofVirgo and the brigh t sta r Spica .

It i s i n thi s regio n o f the sky tha t you wil lalso find two brigh t object s close to each other— they are the planet s Jupiter (th e brightest ofthe two ) an d Saturn . The y hav e bee n within 3degrees of each other for the pas t few months.

We live In a disk-shaped spiral galaxy,with the solar system near the outeredge. In spring, the earth Is orientedIn Its orbit so that we ar e gazing outof the plane of the galaxy .

Finder Shart

> _*••* Bi g Dippe r

FCLLOW TH E "ARC * O F TH EHANDLE O F TH E SI C E1P££ 5TO Aaciua^s-THE H "SPEE DOK TO S?_1CA.

AHCTUJHJS - l « B&xt t .Coma S*f*nk* tMar Ckwta r

1

\\ R*okn e f rt n Golaxw t i

Saturn^. . Ju ter

• SPIC A - in VW90

27

At STARNIGHT the moon will be between 5and 6 days "old," i.e . nea r first quarter. This isnearly idea l fo r luna r observin g a s th eterminator (th e lin e separatin g th e da y an dnight sides ) passe s across the middl e o f th elunar disk . Luna r feature s near the terminato rcast the longest shadows and are therefore the

easiest to see.The mos t strikin g feature s ar e th e

numerous luna r craters , forme d billion s o fyears ago by meteor and asteroid impacts. Likethe earth, the moon also has mountain ranges.The lunar lowlands are the dark "mare" areas —they ar e larg e lav a plain s tha t ar e usuall yyounger tha t the surrounding highlands .

21 The phas e of the moon at STARNIGHT wilt be similarto thi s photo , take n throug h an amateur scope .

photo b y Aian Dyer

the /olar /y/te m

Friday Ma y 8th (12:00 Midnight)

CALLISTO

W

GANYMEDE

IO (lo' s Shadow) EUROP As

Saturday Ma y 9th (12:00 Midnight)

io

North is at the top, East to theright, as in a cassegrain orrefractor scope with a stardiagonal. JUPITER

JUPITERJupiter i s th e larges t plane t i n th e sola r

system an d one o f the easies t to observe in anamateur telescope . Sinc e th e dis k o f Jupite rappears fairl y larg e i n the eyepiece, quite a bitof detail can be seen in its colourful clouds. Th emost prominent features are the dark North andSouth Equatoria l Belts . Thes e ar e tw o dar kbands tha t exten d acros s the disk , paralle l t oone another. Occasionall y visible just south o fthe South Equatoria l Belt is the Great Red Spot,a reddish oval a full 3 times the diameter of theearth. Th e Re d Spo t i s a perpetua l stor m i nJupiter's upper clouds . Much of our knowledgeof Jupite r an d it s moon s ha s com e fro m th e1979 visit s o f Voyager 1 and 2 . Those mannin gthe telescope s a t STARNIGH T wil l provid efurther informatio n an d answer your question sabout Jupite r an d other celestia l objects.

THE MOON S OF JUPITEROnly 4 of Jupiter' s 1 5 moons are visible in

amateur telescopes . Thes e ar e th e Galilea nmoons, firs t discovere d i n 161 0 b y th e Italia nscientist Galileo . I n orde r fro m closes t t ofurthest fro m Jupiter , thei r name s ar e lo ,Europa, Ganymede , an d Callisto . Al l bu tEuropa ar e large r tha n ou r ow n moon , whil eGanymede i s no w though t t o b e th e larges tmoon in the solar system. They orbi t Jupite r i nperiods rangin g fro m 4 2 hour s t o nearl y 1 7days. Ove r the cours e o f a night, the inne r tw o(and therefor e th e fastes t moving ) i o an dEuropa, ca n b e seen t o chang e thei r posito nquite dramaticall y wit h respec t t o th e planet .They occasionall y mov e i n fron t o f Jupiter ,sometimes casting thei r shadows onto the topsof Jupiter' s clouds ; sometime s they disappea rcompletely behin d th e plane t i n eclipse . Atransit o f l o and it s shadow across the dis k o fJupiter wil l occu r durin g STARNIGH T o nFriday, Ma y 8 .

29

SATURNSaturn i s th e mos t spectacula r plane t t o

view through a telescope. In an amateur scope ,a tota l o f 6 o f it s 1 6 moons ca n b e seen. Titan,

the larges t o f Saturn' s moons , i s th e mos tprominent satellite ; the other s appea r a s faintstars nea r the planet . Titan , with a diameter o f5200km. i s large r tha n Mercur y o r Pluto ; i t i snow know n t o hav e a dens e atmospher e o fnitrogen an d a thick mantle of clouds. Saturn'smagnificent rings are easily visible — a total of 3major ring s system s ca n b e see n i n a smal ltelescope: the outermost A-ring, the very brightB-rinp, and the very faint inner C-ring. There isa distinc t dar k ga p betwee n th e A-rin g an d B -ring calle d Cassini' s Division . Presently ,Saturn's ring s ar e opening u p after their edge -on appearanc e las t year . Las t November ,Voyager 1 flew pas t Satur n an d severa l of it smoons, sendin g bac k spectacula r photos , aselection o f whic h ar e o n displa y i n th ePlanetarium lobby .

deep /k y

M37 open cluste r

M13 globular cluster

OPEN CLUSTERSOpen o r "galactic " cluster s consis t o f

anywhere fro m ten s t o hundred s o f stars , al lgravitationally boun d withi n th e sam e smal larea o f space . As th e nam e "galactic " cluste rimplies, thes e object s ar e locate d withi n th eboundaries o f our Milk y Way galaxy. As we arelooking away from the spiral arms of our galaxyat thi s tim e o f year , ther e ar e ver y fe w brigh topen sta r clusters visible now. The few that arevisible (especiall y from the city) are among therichest i n the sky. M35 is a bright cluster locatedin the constellatio n of Gemini , th e Twins. Thi sand M6 7 in Cance r ar e fine telescopic objects ,while th e large r M4 4 (th e Beehiv e Cluster ) i sone more suite d to binoculars .

GLOBULAR CLUSTER SGlobular star clusters are much differen t i n

size, structure, an d location tha n open clusters.Globulars usuall y contain from 100,000 to half amillion stars , arrange d i n a spherica l (o rglobular) shape . Th e globula r cluster s ar elocated outsid e th e spira l arm s o f ou r galax yand for m a hal o surroundin g it . A s a result ,globulars ten d t o li e a t greater distance s thanopen clusters , perhap s ten s o f thousand s o f

light year s away.Two of the sky's brightest globular clusters

are visibl e i n spring . On e o f thes e i s M1 3 i nHercules, an object brigh t enoug h t o b e visibleto th e nake d eye from a dark countr y site . In atelescope, i t can b e resolved into a rich sphereof stars . M 3 i n Cane s Venatic i i s nearl y a sbright, bu t no t a s large a s M13.

M57, tht Ring N«bula

M81 Mid M82 g«!txi«*

PLANETARY NEBULA E"Planetary nebula " i s certainly a misnomer.

These objects hav e nothing t o d o with planetsat all . A planetar y nebul a i s a shel l o f ga ssurrounding a dying star . I n telescopes, thesegaseous rings and shells usually appear as faintdisks, th e wa y a fain t plane t migh t appea r(hence thei r name) . These object s ar e usuallyfound withi n the spira l arm s o f the Milk y Way,and ar e mos t commo n i n th e summe r an dwinter skies.

There are a couple of nice planetaries in thespring sky , such a s NGC 2392, or the Clown -Face Nebula , i n Gemini . I t appears as a small,fuzzy, bluish disk. Other planetarie s have moreof a smoke-ring appearanc e — ones lik e M9 7(the Ow l Nebula ) an d M5 7 (the Rin g Nebula) .

GALAXIESGalaxies ar e th e larges t object s i n th e

universe; the y consis t o f billion s o f stars , an dare millions of light years away. Galaxies rang ein sizes and types, fro m spiral s lik e ou r Milk yWay (or likeM51 depicted on the front cover), togiant elliptical s an d formles s irregula r types .The sprin g sk y look s ou t int o inter-galacti cspace, providin g us with a view of hundreds ofgalaxies beyon d ours. Most ar e quite faint an dvery difficult t o see through the city sky glow. Adark country site is necessary to appreciate thefeeble ligh t from galaxies.

Depending o n sk y conditions , a fe wgalaxies may be visible at STARNIGHT, l ikethefamous pai r M8 1 an d M82 . These ar e a spiralgalaxy an d a n irregula r galax y locate d ver yciose t o eac h othe r i n th e directio n o f th econstellation o f Ursa Major. NGC 2903 near the"face" o f Le o the Lio n i s another exampl e of atilted spira l simila r t o M81 .

— Ste w Krysk o

for /al eFOR SALE: 3" (80mm) equatorial refractor with

wooden case , eyepieces, sola r projectio nscreen. $400.0 0 o r bes t offer . Ph. : Mrs .Dolan a t

EDITOR'S NOTE : Sinc e the edito r wil l be onvacation til l Ma y 17 , th e June/Jul y issu e o fStardust ma y be a bit late in getting to your mailbox. S o pleas e tak e not e o f th e Jun e RAS Cevents we've listed in this issue. Thanks.

31

bb/eruing octMtie rThe las t 2 month s o f Observer' s Corne r

meetings hav e feature d som e excellen tpresentations. I n February , Dav e Beal e gave arundown o n th e firs t Shuttle mission , a talk hehas converted into a feature article this month .In March , Dav e Belcher amazed everyone withhis plan s t o a buil d a monste r astrograph -telescope. Mor e abou t thi s i n th e June/Jul yissue. Th e Februar y observin g sessio n a tEllerslie wa s plague d b y som e cloud , bu tseveral member s showe d up and were able toscan the winter skies. The March session at ElkIsland Par k wa s cloude d out , thoug h smallergroups venture d out on other night s to catch afew hours of stargazing in surprisingly pleasantwinter weather.

APRILThe firs t observin g even t i n Apri l i s a

session scheduled fo r th e Centre' s Dark Site atBuck Mountai n o n Saturday , Apri l 4 . I f yo urequire directions , pleas e call . I f th e weathe rhas been wet beforehand, the road into the Sitemay b e quit e muddy . Th e Count y o fWestaskiwin has promised to instal l a culvert atthe Site entrance to alleviate this. This may notbe in place by April, so if we can't drive into theSite, we can se t up at an oil wel l sit e just a fewhundred fee t north o f Buck Creek Road, nea rthe intersectio n approx . 3. 5 mi . north o f Buc kMountain itself .

On Monda y night, April 27, the Observer'sCorner meeting i n the U. of A, Physics Bldg. willcentre aroun d Starnigh t preparations . In a talkwe've dubbe d A Starnight Survival Kit, Gart hFitzner wil l revie w the object s we'l l b e lookingat, and "techniques" for deal ing with the hordesof folk s a t you r eyepiec e a t STARNIGHT . I npast years, we have found that the public couldget much mor e out o f their STARNIGHT visit ifRASC member s wer e themselve s bette rprepared. Anyon e wh o i s bringing a telescopeto STARNIGH T wil l fin d thi s briefin g ver yhelpful. Pleas e atten d i f you can .

32

May onc e agai n start s of f wit h a nObserving Session at Buck, on Saturday, May 2.This i s prime observing season , and i s the BIGSESSION fo r th e spring . Th e Ma y Observer' sCorner, on Monday, May 25 (the Monday beforethe General Assembly) will once again feature atalk fro m tha t mos t prolific o f RAS C members,Dave Beale . Th e topi c i s Lightning an dDarkening, a review of the physics of lightning.

JUNEThere i s n o Centr e Observin g Sessio n

planned fo r June , du e t o th e interferenc e oftwilight. Bu t watc h fo r th e annua l Summe rSolstice Celebratio n Saturday , June 20 . Th eJune 2 2 Observer' s Corne r wil l featur e th eArizona tour group telling of their astronomicaladventures i n the desert s of the south-west.

~ for more Info. , call Darre l Cros s at 469-2931

SIBERIA I N '81 ?Intrepid eclips e chasers ar e making their

plans t o vie w th e 1 minut e 5 0 secon d tota leclipse o f th e su n o n Jul y 30 . Severa lorganizations ar e layin g o n specia l tou rpackages, som e to Russi a an d Siberia, othersare ocean cruises in the Pacific . The followingfirms have tour packages:

Orient Eclipse Cruises, Inc.; 108 0 Fift hAvenue, New York, N.Y. , 10028 .

World o f Oz , Ltd.; 3 Eas t 54th Street , NewYork, N.Y. , 10022.

International Seminar Programs; Suit e 100,645 East Park Avenue, Long Beach, N.Y., 11561 .

Gall Publications; 129 3 Gerrard St . East. ,Toronto, Ontario , M4 L 1Y8.

Star an d Sk y Expeditions, Inc.; 4 4 ChurchLane, Westpor t CT. , 06880 .

Write these companies for furthe r details.

DISCOVERihE

UNIVERSE

ThE

RoyAlASTROMOMiCAl

Socieiyof CANACJ AEDMONTON CENTR E

monthly genera l meeting smonthly observer s grou p meetingsregular grou p observing session suse of th e Ellersll e Observator ythe annua l RASC Observers HandbookSTARDUSTthe RAS C Journal an d Newsletterfree admission to alt Planetarium shows

President Te d CadienVice-President Dav e Belche rTreasurer Me l Rankln

fl^SC, EDMONTON CENTRE MEMBERSHI P APPLICATION FOR M

Please accep t m y application for membershi p in the Royat Astronomical Society of Canada. EDMONTONCENTRE (o r 1981 Enclose d is a cheque or money order for the appropriate fee: $20.00for Adults; $12,00 forYouths 1 7 and under I understand that upon receip t of my application an d fee remittance, a membershi pcard and a copy of the 1981 Observer's Handbook will be mailed to my address {o r can be picked up at thenext monthl y genera l meeting) , and that I will be placed on the mailing list s fo r RAS C publications.

Name.

Addr*9*_

Q Ne w MemberG Renewa l

PhonoPostal CodeMAIL TO : Edmonto n Centre , RAS C c/ o Quee n Elizabet h Planetariu m C N Tower , 10t h Floor10004 - 10 4 Avenue Edmonton , Albert a T5 J OKI . Please make all cheques payable to:Edmonton Centre , R.A.S.C. Thanks )

STARDUSTEDMONTON CENTRE, Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.c/o Queen Elizabeth Planetarium

10th Floor, C.N. TowerEdmonton, AlbertaTSJOK1

APRIL MAY

GENERAL MEETINGSMusic Room, Edm. Public Librar y

WEDNESDAY, April 8, 8 p mDr. George Gumming. U. of A

"The Age o f ihe Solar System"

Monday, May 11,8 pmDr. Phi! Curry , Prov . Museum"The Extinction of the Dinosaurs "

OBSERVER'S CORNERS

Monday, April 27, 8 p mGarih Fitzne r

"A Stcmight Survival Ktt "

Monday, May 25, 8 pm

"Lightning and Darkening "

OBSERVING SESSIONS

Sat., Apr. 4 at 8 PM Sat., May 2 at 10 PM .Buck Mtn.

TO: „