CHRISTMAS PARTY AND MEETING -- DECEMBER 18, 2007 Observing Programs with the Astronomical League -- Bob Karcha

Determining Orbital Velocities -- Hank Bouchelle + Other mini-talks by our membersMt. Cuba Astronomical Observatory

Volume 52, No. 9December, 2007

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE – Hank BouchelleThe folks who missed our November field trip meeting at Spitz missed a treat! Joyce Towne and members of the Spitz staff really pulled out all the stops to make it an enjoyable and informative evening, complete with a tour and insights into the manufacturing of planetaria. And the high point had to be a demonstration of the digital planetarium that closed the evening. Gratitude and many thanks to Joyce and the Spitz staff!

This month’s meeting is our annual Christmas party. It is a great opportunity for folks to give a mini-talk to inform the membership of gift ideas or handy gadgets that would make an amateur astronomer happy, or on any topic of astronomical interest. We would love to have more involvement by our members, so please consider a five- or ten-minute sharing session.

And feel free to bring treats to share with the group!

With Marc Hutton’s departure for greener pastures, we are looking for a Publications Chair, a Board position, whose major responsibility is preparation of the Focus. Please let me know if you or someone among our membership would be will to accept this appointment so crucial to the DAS.

Speaking of the Focus, a substantial majority of the Board is on record expressing a desire gradually to move toward sending the Focus to its membership via e-mail. (See the Executive Summary elsewhere in this issue.) Consistent with my philosophy and habit of mind, I am anxious for the membership to

share their sentiments and suggestions with Board members, whose names and contact information are listed elsewhere in the Focus.

DAS Board of Director’s Meeting, December 18, 2007, 7:00 pm Library, Mt. Cuba Astronomical Observatory

Agenda(More than we can accomplish in one

meeting, but important items, all)Review of November’s minutesTreasurer’s Report – Bob Mentzer

Standing committee reports/requestsFocus/Publications Library- Glenn Bentley

Education Programs- Bob KarchaYoung Person’s Award?Sawin Observatory -- Tom SidowskiObserving – Greg Lee

May dinner location/speaker discussionFocus distributionPublications Chair vacancySpring Officer Elections & Chair?Discussion – Tentative Speaker

Schedule for 2007-2008June meeting format/program?Chartered Awards CommitteeCarry-over from last yearOther?

Executive SummaryDAS Board Meeting, November 20, 2007

There is some question about holding our dinner meeting at the Oliver House due to increased fees. Board members were asked to explore alternate locations

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Tom Sidowski reported on progress with the Sawin Observatory telescope upgrades and maintenance. He mentioned plans to sell an unneeded lens.

Bill Hanagan offered a motion to move toward sending the Focus to the membership via e-mail, pointing to substantial savings in the cost of printing and postage, and the savings in time required to prepare the Focus for mailing. There was considerable discussion, but a consensus that the move should be gradual.

DAS Meeting Topic Schedule, 2007-2008Jan. 15 -- DARK and WET -- Dr. Judy Provencal

Feb. 19 -- Mini-talk night-- Costas Krikelis on Ancient Greek

Astronomy -- Dave Groski on A Schupmann

Medial Refractor and Stellafane

March 18 -- Long-term Survival of Life Forms in Space -- Dr. Russell Vreeland, West Chester State University (tentative)

April 15 -- The Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope --With Robert Naeye, NASA

(very tentative)

May 20 -- Annual Dinner MeetingSpeaker and location to be announced

June 17 -- To Be Announced

AWARDS -- Gus SwartoutThe DAS is currently soliciting its membership for nominations for both the Amateur Astronomer Award and the Luther Porter Award. The Amateur Astronomer Award is awarded to a member of the DAS while the Luther Porter Award is open to the general astronomical community. This year's selection committee consists of Bob Karcha, Greg Lee, 2006 Amateur Astronomer recipient) and myself.

The awards are presented at the annual dinner meeting held in May. Nominations can be given to any committee member.

A NICE LETTER FROM THE CHESTER COUNTY ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY ---Dear Henry and Emil,

On behalf of the Executive Committee and the members of the Chester County Astronomical Society, I congratulate the Delaware Astronomical Society on your 50th Anniversary. This is quite an accomplishment and you should all be very proud of your history; your efforts of outreach and observing opportunities at present; and your outlook for the future.

DAS and the Mount Cuba Astronomical Observatory are examples of what all astronomy clubs should strive for and are held in great regard throughout the Delaware Valley and beyond.

Thank you for your example and best wishes for another 50 years.Most sincerely,Kathy BuczynskiPresident and Education ChairChester County Astronomical Society

OBSERVERS' HANDBOOKS – Bob MentzerThe 2008 Observers Handbboks are in. The cost is $17. I still have about 6 copies that have not been spoken for. Call me at 764-1926 or E-mail me at robmentzer@comcast.net or see me at the meeting.

STAR PARTIES AT MT. CUBA – Tom SidowskiStar parties are usually held on the grounds of the Mt. Cuba Astronomical Observatory. You can bring your on scope or just come to observe through others. Telescopes in use may include the club's 12.5" Newtonian reflector, 17" Coulter Odyssey 2, or 6" Orion SkyQuest XT6 Dobsonian (when not on loan). Star parties are always weather permitting. The remaining DAS star party at Mt. Cuba for 2007 is Saturday, December 15th @ 8:00pm.

Here is the complete list:Saturday, 12/15/07 @ 8:00pmFriday, 1/11/08 @ 7:30pmSaturday, 02/09/08 @ 7:30pmSaturday, 03/08/08, @ 8:00pm (cont'd)Friday, 04/11/08, @ 8:00pmFriday, 05/09/08 @ 8:00pm

LOANER TELESCOPES -- Tom SidowskiOne of the best advantages of being a member of the Delaware Astronomical Society is that all members have the privilege of being trained

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to use and then borrow equipment owned by the club for personal use. Currently, we have two scopes available for loan: a Celestron 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain, and a 6" Orion SkyQuest XT6 Dobsonian reflector. The loan is for at least a month. If you're interested in checking out either of these scopes, contact Tom Sidowski at 239-1844.

MCAO PUBLIC NIGHTS – Emil VolcheckThe Mt. Cuba Observatory Public Nights continue year round! In addition to learning about many aspects of the heavens, you'll have a chance to visit and view our all-digital full-dome planetarium! You can pick up a schedule when you next come to a meeting - or get the latest updated version off the website at: http://mountcuba.org .

DAS ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP (AP SIG) – Bill HanaganThe DAS Astrophotography Special Interest Group meets on Friday nights at 7:30 PM every other month at Mt. Cuba regardless of weather. The SIG also meets for photo shoots scheduled on 1-2 day notice to synchronize with the weather.

The monthly meetings are informal and typically include the presentation of astrophotos taken by the members along with an extended question and answer period. Objects commonly photographed include constellations, auroras, lunar eclipses, and planetary photos, as well as a wide variety of deep-sky objects such as nebulae, galaxies, star clusters, etc. The topics discussed cover the entire gamut of astrophotography, from how to get started with a minimum of equipment, to polar aligning your telescope, all of the way to the fine points of using auto-guiders and post-processing digital images.

If you are interested in joining the AP SIG, just email your name, address, and phone number to me at hanaganw@comcast.net.

SAWIN OBSERVATORY REMINDER-- Tom SidowskiThe DAS maintains a club observatory on the grounds of the Mt. Cuba Astronomical Observatory. The Sawin Observatory houses the club's permanently mounted 12.5" reflecting telescope and a 17.5" Coulter Odyssey 2 Dobsonian telescope. It is for the use by club members once they are trained

and checked-out in a simple operating procedure. Members who are interested in becoming key holders of the Sawin Observatory should contact me at 239-1844 to arrange for training in the use of the facility

LIBRARY NEWS - by Glenn BentleyI would like to take this opportunity to invite the membership to drop by the library at the December meeting to check out potential reading material for the coming snowy evenings. The DAS Library wishes you and yours a safe and merry Christmas.

DAS AMATEUR TELESCOPE MAKING SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP (ATM SIG)-- Bill Hanagan

The DAS Amateur Telescope Making Special Interest Group meets on evenings and weekends according to the availability of the members and the particular projects that are underway. The general range of activities of the ATM SIG includes all manners of telescope making, mirror making, and the making of accessories for telescopes and observing.

Anyone interested in joining us should email their name, address, and phone number to me at hanaganw@comcast.net.

DAS FORUM/E-MAIL SITE ON YAHOO --Don ShedrickThis is a restricted e-mail service for use by DAS members for DAS purposes. To use this site, go to http://groups.yahoo.com; search for Delaware astronomical society; and click on the link that comes up. To join, you must have a Yahoo ID and password; if you don’t, you can register at this time by following Yahoo’s instructions. You will then be allowed to “Join the group” upon clicking in that box. You must then register for the DAS group and add your profile by clicking on “add new profile” and completing the form. When adding or editing your profile, you will need to enter your actual name in the "Real Name" box so you can be identified as a DAS member so Don Shedrick can approve your application to join the DAS group, and everyone will know to whom they are communicating. Finally, specify your desired e-mail address for delivery of messages. Note you may choose to not have your name and email address displayed to anyone other than DAS members who are members of the Yahoo DAS email group. For

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more detailed instructions, go to the DAS web site under DAS Resource Links.

MEMBERSHIP EXPIRATION NOTICES: If the mailing label on the envelope containing your FOCUS is marked with Red Marker, your membership is expiring or has expired. To continue to receive the Focus, Sky and Telescope or Astronomy, and Reflector, send the renewal form below with your check to:

DAS, c/o Robert Mentzer605 River Road

Wilmington, DE 19809

DAS CONTACTSCall any of us with your concerns!

Membership: Any of the following: President: Hank Bouchelle-------------------- 302-429-4013Vice President: John Case ------------------- 302-836-4888Secretary: Lynn King ------------------------- 302-764-8816Treasurer: Bob Mentzer---------------------- 302-764-1926DAS/MCAO Advisor: Emil Volcheck----- 610-793-5156Education Chair: Bob Karcha------------ 302-999-9509Messier Club: Lynn King -------------------- 302-764-8816Observing: Greg Lee ------------------------- 302-762-5358Youth Coordinator: Sarah Baird ---------- 302-292-8950Archivist: Rene Van Caneghem ---------- 410-392-3718Board Members at-large:ATM and AP SIGs: Bill Hanagan --------- 302-239-0949Chairman, Observatory Committee and DAS Monthly Star Parties: Tom Sidowski ----------------------- 302-239-1844

By-Laws: Henry Bouchelle ---------------- 302-983-7830Light Pollution Strategist; Greg Weaver 302-239-Library Chair: Glenn Bentley -------------- 410-869-0706Ad Hoc Star Parties: Sheila Vincent - --- 302-322-4739Elections Comm. Chair -- Costas Krikelis 302-478-9099Awards Comm. Chair – David Swartout 302-836-4618MCAO Web Page: www.mountcuba.orgDAS Web Page: www.delastro.orgFocus Editor: Vacant – A Volunteer is Needed

FOCUS CLASSIFIED ADVERTISINGFOR SALE: 6" f/8 Edmund Scientific reflecting

telescope. Motorized equatorial mount. $150.00. Call Tom Sidowski 239-1844.

FOR SALE: 6" f/8 uncoated Jaegers achromatic telescope objective in cell. Call if interested, Bill Hanagan 239-0949.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION OR RENEWAL If you have questions, call any of the member representatives listed above. Otherwise, just check the appropriate boxes and complete the form below. Cut it off and send it with your check to Bob Mentzer at his address given above. The magazine prices are group rates to DAS members. Thanks, and welcome to the DAS if you’re just joining us for the first time.

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Left: A lot of effort has gone into revitalizing the Sawin telescope over the years, and recently Tom Sidowski (left) and Bill McKibben lubricated the upper cage rotation bearing. Tom will be glad to show you how to use it if you ask him, and you can have a key after learning the ropes.

Right : Tom Sidowski took this picture of the moon, 63% illuminated, at the October DAS AP SIG meeting and processed it for high contrast. Despite poor seeing conditions, the sharpness is impressive. This shows the skill and precision we've come to expect from Tom's work.

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