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OAKLAND ASTRONOMY CLUB

NEWSLETTER

JULY  2007

 Bill  MacIntosh,  Editor  



CLUB PRESIDENT:     Dave Holt  (248-674-1950)                                                             WEBSITES:   www.oaklandastronomy.org   Link                  
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  LAST MEETING                                                                                                                                                  
                                                             
Oakland Astronomy Club Monthly Meeting Minutes
JULY 8, 2007

Opening
Meeting called to order by Club President Dave Holt at 7:35 pm     Printed agenda provided.
8 Members in attendance, 0 guests

Past Events:    There were no past events this period

Sky-at-a-Glance:
SKYMAP for July distributed.  An improptu discussion of Summer favorites based on the handout, including the CoatHanger (CR399) and the Wild Duck Cluster (M11).    Also the many worthwhile glob targets in Ophiuchus.
                                                             See feature article on M11 below.

 Observing Reports:
Bob Berta discussed Steve Koral's acquisition of an 11" SCT on a Vixen mount and their efforts to match it with a Mallincam color video camera and an F 1.8 Hyperstar adapter.    We are looking forward to viewing some nice images from this combo at Rotary Park (Warren Club observing site.)

On Friday night July 6,  5 members and 5 scopes gathered at the Club Addison Oaks site for an evening of Glob hunting and DSO imaging.  While waiting for darkness, viewing of Jupiter and its moons provided entertainment.    Many Summer favorites were observed---including the Lagoon and Trifid nebulae in the Sagittarius "teapot" region experimenting with different filters.    The Club's l7.5" Dob bagged NGC 6229, a "baby glob" often overlooked because of its compact size.       A spectacular view of the Double Cluster in Perseus with an ultra-wide field EP in the big scope closed out the session at Moonrise around 2:00 am.

John McSorley displayed prints of a rainbow taken from his home and some DSO images he obtained from the Addison Oaks session the previous Friday.    (See some of John's images below )   

Future Events:
 August Observing Site Contacts:          

8/10    Dave Holt   (248-674-1950)

8/17 and 8/18  Jim Saoud  (248-652-1496)

Treasurer Report             No report this month.

Presentations:       
No formal presentation.    General discussion on focusing techniques, carrying and mounting large OTAs.    Dave Bailey reported he's currently working on several presentations.

ADJOURNED:   8:40 pm

NEXT MEETING:   AUGUST 12,  7:30 PM

                                                                                                                                                             

DSO OF THE MONTH
From Sky-at-a-Glance


    M11 -  The Wild Duck Cluster                                                                  Credit:  www.darkskyimages.com
M11 Discovered by Gottfried Kirch in 1681 and first resolved into stars by William Derham of England in 1732, the cluster was nicknamed by Admiral Smyth who noted the brighter stars resemble "a flight of wild ducks."

Filled with beautiful turquoise blue young stars, it is thought to have formed 250--500 million years ago.   Some stars are golden in hue, offering a stunning contast.   M-11 is dominated by a bright orange giant near the center, not believed directly associated with the cluster.

Overall mag 5.8 and 35 arc minutes in diameter (a little larger than the full moon) the cluster is receeding at 22 km/sec.  
Distance:  5,500 LY
Contains some 2900 stars, over 500 of which are brighter than Mag 14.    Range 9th to 14th.
       Celestron 11" SCT @ F10.8  Nikon Camera w/Fuji NPH400 film, Tucson AZ
                                  RA 18h  51.5m       Dec  -06o  16'    5-30-2000              		                          Constellation:    Scutum



                                                ADVERTORIAL
                                          (CLUB PROMOTION)

Woven patches with the Club logo are available for only $3 bucks in two styles, button loop and stitch/iron on.
   		  SEE DAVE HOLT TO GET 'EM.                               


ASTRO-FACTOIDS OF THE MONTH

DID YOU KNOW?  

  • The Moon is the only known body that moves through space at its own diameter each hour.  That's why it takes approximately an hour for both solar and lunar eclipses to progress from start to totality.
  • The Andromeda galaxy displays the same nearly edgewise (13o) slant to us that we do to it.   That the Andromeda galaxy lies so near the Milky Way in the sky is proof that we must be nearly edge-on to any Andromedans looking our way.
  • Venus's day is longer than its year (243 days versus 225).  The cloud covered world really barely moves at all.   Its leisurely spin, the slowest of any known body in the universe, would allow a Venusian equatorial inhabitant to keep night-fall at bay just by walking in the right direction !
                                                                        ***From Bob Berman's STRANGE UNIVERSE***
FUNZIES
  With Jupiter prominent on the ecliptic, watching its ever changing moons and great red spot can be a constant fascination for many observers.     Imagine Galileo's thoughts on the realization that long believed Earth-centered cosmology was crashing down with his telescopic discoveries !

This link to an online ephemeris provides daily and hourly info on positions of Ganymede, Io, Europa, and Callisto along with eclipse and transit times to help observers identify them in the eyepiece.   Watching a moon suddenly begin to appear from the planet's shadow can be a memorable experience even with modest equipment.    Click or paste this link to see how it works.
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/javascript/jupiter 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
     
CLUB ASTROPHOTOS OF THE MONTH


M4 in Scorpius  
Distance =  7,000  LY
M4


Veil Nebula - Supernova Remnant in Cygnus
Distance = 1,400 LY

Veil Nebula


M101 in Ursa Major
Distance = 22 Million LY

 M101



Images by John McSorley
4.5" Newt, composite 11.3 second subs with DSI Pro II
Addison Oaks Site, July 6 2007



M17 - SWAN Nebula in Sagittarius (with evil Earth-cloud approaching)
Distance = 5,000 LY

Swan

Image by Bill Barsuhn
33  Stacks x 15 sec Fits files w/Mintron camera on Starblast 114mm OTA
Addison Oaks Site,  July 6 2007







Members can obtain GLSG5 registration forms online or at the next Club meeting August  12.

                                                                                                                                     		                                        GLSG5  2007

This year's GREAT LAKES STAR GAZE in Gladwin will be hosted on three nights, Thursday 9-13 thru Sunday 9-16.   Details and registration forms can be obtained here:                  http://www.boonhill.net/sunset/SASGLSG.htm
       
                                 Register before 8-24 to avoid a late fee
           
                                                                        
.

ASTRONOMY TECHNOLOGY TODAY

Astronomy Technology Today  - A new startup magazine for equipment geeks features reviews, specs and images from both users and distributers.   They are offering subscriptions for only $12 per year.  
Details on their website:   www.astronomytechnologytoday.com



Submit Club news, astro-photos, equipment sale/trades to the editor:

Bill MacIntosh
nightwinger2004@yahoo.com