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OBSERVATORY NEWS September 2013 Published by the Friends of the Observatory (FOTO) Volume 24 No. 9
513-321-5186 www.cincinnatiobservatory.org Bill Cartwright, editor
COMING UP AT
THE OBSERVATORY.... FOTO Member’s Meeting Sep 5 7:30p
FOTO Kids & Teens Sep 6 8p
Stonelick Stargaze Sep 7 Dusk
Sunday History Tours Sep 8 1-4p
A2Z+ Member’s Class Sep 8 7-9p
Educators Expo @ the Zoo Sep 11 12-6p
Astronomy Thursday Sep 12 8p
ScopeOut Sep 14, noon-11p
FOTO Planning Meeting Sep 19 7:30p
The Final Frontier * Sep 20-21-22
Astronomy Friday Sep 20 8p
The Final Frontier * Sep 21 8p
Sunday History Tours Sep 22 1-4p
The Final Frontier * Sep 22 2p
Sunday with the Stars Sep 22 8p
Astronomy Thursday Sep 26 8p
Stonelick Stargaze Sep 28 Dusk
Great Outdoor Weekend Sep 28 7:30-
10p
Great Outdoor Weekend Sep 29 7:30-
10p
FOTO Member’s Meeting Oct 3 7:30p
FOTO Kids & Teens Oct 4 tbd
A 100 Foot Telescope! Oct 10 tbd
International Moon Night Oct 12 7-10
* Event held at Music Hall
Save-The-Dates *Life Out There? Oct 23
* Behind the Scenes Oct 29
Meet a Meteorite Nov 9
The Cornerstone’s 170th Nov 10
*Stargazing 101 Nov 12
*Anasazi of Solar System Nov 15
Luminaria Night Dec 15
* UC Communiversity
THE WORD
By Basil Rowe
I wanted to thank everyone for all their help at the annual picnic on July 11th. Thanks to Tiffany
Groen for coordinating the event, Jim and Susan Groen for setting up and picking up a lot of the supplies, Frank Huss, Steve
and Sue Rismiller and so many others for all the food and drink they brought. We had perfect weather and were able to have the picnic outside! It’s time for the annual elections. Frank Huss and Al
Scheide have volunteered to serve on the Nominating Committee. Being a trustee is a great way to help the Observatory, the group is pretty easy going, the meetings are friendly, so please have no fears about joining in. The more candidates we have, the more
fun the October election meeting is! Please contact the Nominating Committee or any trustee if you are interested in any position. Finally, FOTO’s big event, ScopeOut, is upon us this month. It’s never too late to sign up for a task and get free admission (well except the day of). We need all the help we can get, even if it’s just for an hour or two it is GREATLY appreciated. Please contact Dale Zoller (see his
article for more information).
September FOTO
Planning Meeting
By Basil Rowe
The next FOTO Planning Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 19th at 7:30pm at the Observatory (Note the time change due to the Mitchel Society event earlier
that day). The meeting generally lasts a couple hours. The planning meetings are open to all FOTO members. We encourage your participation in the discussion of future FOTO activities.
Did You Know….
The asteroid Vesta has an iron core like the Earth.
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ScopeOut 2013
Telescope Festival at
The Observatory
Saturday, September 14
Noon to 11 pm The Cincinnati Observatory celebrates the telescope with an all-day (and all night) open house called ScopeOut. Activities include classes, educational materials for teachers, kid’s space crafts, safe viewing of the Sun, swap table, meteorites, tours of our historic buildings and more astronomical door prizes than you can imagine. You may even win a telescope. Great for all ages. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Noon to 5 pm main displays, classes, and tours. $7/adults, $5/kids
6 pm to 8:30 pm Dinner and Keynote Lecture by Emily
Lakdawalla from the Planetary Society. $25/person, reservation required.
9 pm to 11 pm Viewing through the old telescopes (weather permitting) $5/person suggested donation For more information, please contact: Dean Regas, 321-5186, [email protected] http://www.cincinnatiobservatory.org/scopeout.html
Did You Know…. Mars does not have plate tectonics
as we do here on Earth.
FOTO's September Meeting
By Dave McBride
Our next meeting will be on Thursday, September 5th, at 7:30 pm in the west wing of the Herget Building at the Observatory. Dave Bosse will present "John Harrison - Longitude and the Modernization of Timekeeping." This topic is a reprise of a 2001 FOTO presentation by Dave on the strides made during the 18th century in the science of Horology. One cannot speak of the modernization of clocks and timekeeping without mentioning Christiaan Huygens, John Harrison, the story of the calculation of longitude at sea and the politics of British science during Harrison’s lifetime. Oh, yes, and a bit on the physics involved in the “going” of clocks (clocks don’t run; they go). In October the Program committee will host a "member's night" of brief presentations given on special interest topics by our members. This is the occasion where several presentations that are about 10 to 15 minutes in length are combined for the evening's program. Do you have a favorite area of interest or a topic that you would like to share with other members? Member's night is the perfect time to share it! In November we look for-ward to hearing from Mark Plano Clark and Lee Hite as they describe the progress of their project: "The History and Restoration of the Cincinnati Observatory Time Ball." This is one of the latest efforts at COC to bring some of our fascinating history back to life.
Aurora season has begun. This is a phrase that you may have heard or seen on the internet. So what does that mean? Quite simply, the long summer days of the northern latitudes are getting shorter and the nights are coming back. With more hours of darkness, the auroras are showing their colors again.
Sue and I were on an Alaskan Inside Passage cruise in August. We noticed that the sun set around 9 pm but it took forever to get dark! It was 11:30 before the Milky Way was visible. Around 2:30 am the Milky Way dissappeared and it started getting light again. In the 3 hours of darkness, we could still see the orange glow of twilight on the northern horizon. On August 12, while docked at Haines, Alaska, we were treated to some nice green and purple aurora with a few Perseid meteors sprinkled in. Thanks to solar activity several days before, an active solar wind buffetted the earth’s magnetic field in our upper atmosphere and we saw the start of the northern aurora season. To see aurora here in south-west Ohio, the Kp index number has to be 7 or higher. Keep an eye on Spaceweather.com to monitor that Kp index number.
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Highlights of the August
FOTO Meeting
By Michelle Gainey
Leo Sack was presented with a going-away card and gift (Cabelas gift card) from his friends in FOTO. He was then presented with an indictment for the crime of leaving his position at COC, by Lina Alkhamhawi, Assistant Prosecutor. Volunteer Opportunities
Sept. 14: ScopeOut. Emily Lakdawalla will be the keynote speaker. Dale needs volunteers to help with the gift shop, parking, kids’ activities.
Sept. 20-22, 8 pm: Cincinnati Pops presents “The Final Frontier” featuring music from Star Wars and other sci-fi favorites; Dean Regas will be the co-narrator along with George Takei (Mr. Sulu).
Program: In honor of Neil Armstrong, who died one year ago, the movie “Neil Armstrong, First Man on the Moon” was shown. This documentary gave a nice overview of Mr. Armstrong’s life leading up to, and after his historic trip to the Moon.
New Business: Basil Rowe, FOTO President, mentioned that elections will be held in October; he asked members to consider running for an officer position.
Did You Know….
Mars has 20 major volcanoes.
FOTO Kids and
FOTO Teens
By Dean Regas
The next FOTO Kids and Teens meeting will be Friday September 6th at 8 pm (note the earlier time). We’ll try to catch Venus at twilight and get one last glimpse of Saturn before it rides off into the sunset. Our main program will be “Messier Bingo.” In the 1700s, Charles Messier catalogued 110 deep space objects. These include some of the coolest sights in the heavens including the Orion Nebula and Andromeda Galaxy. These objects are now referred to as Messier, or “M” Objects and are listed from M1 to M110. FOTO Kids and Teens will work together to identify these objects while playing Bingo. If you’d like to study ahead of time please visit http://www.jastrow.net/messier/ and practice identifying them simply by their picture. Not an easy task! Even if you can’t tell M2 from M24 this will be a fun trip through the universe and if your team gets Bingo first, you win a prize. If you have any questions, please contact Dean Regas at 513-321-5186 or [email protected]
Hot Jupiters An exotic class of exoplanets called "hot Jupiters" are even weirder than astronomers imagined. While these worlds may have Earth-like blue skies, new data show that they are anything but Earth-like.
The Final Frontier
Boldly go with John Morris
Russell, Dean Regas, and the Pops on a majestic mission to experience epic scores from Star Wars and Star Trek, along with selections from orchestral masterpieces such as Holst’s The Planets and Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra (popularized in 2001: A Space Odyssey). Host and narrator George Takei, “Mr. Sulu” himself of Star Trek fame, guides this space-themed multimedia musical extravaganza, featuring breathtaking NASA images on the big screen. Dean Regas will also guest star to help us distinguish science fact from science fiction.
Performances Friday September 20th 8:00pm Saturday September 21st 8:00pm Sunday September 22nd 2:00pm
Tickets from $25 513-381-3300 www.cincinnatisymphony.org
Did You Know…. Our solar system has at least 170 moons.
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Welcome
New & Renewing
Members!
Bill and Cathy Bachelder
Timothy R. Boyer Charles and Debra Clark
Michael and Minnie Clements Kevin and Lucy Cocoran
Frank Cogliano Mike & Jody Crane
Josh and Alison Cumby Hallie & Mark Dovich
Margaret Drennon Fred & Mariann Fehr
Terry Flesch Jane Garvey and John Lanier
Kathy and Bob Hinklin Christy and Scott Holland
Jim and Carolyn Kite Jean and Hinrich Knuth
Heru Lasana Nick and Donna Mancini
Alfred and Regeana Morgan Mary Mullen
Jim and Marty Neumeister Jeffrey H. Oberst & Angela M.
D'Andrea Scott Oldfield
Tom and Adelaide Ottenjohn JoAnne and Poul Pedersen
Robert Hampel and Lynn Phelps Lori Pieper
Patricia & Allan Schreiber Robert Scott
Jon & Jacqueline Seymour Reuben Shaffer Gerald A. Shubs
Joseph Sims James L. Thompson
Robert E. Turner Tom Uhl
Horst Guenther & Devorah Waesch
Stephen R. Wavra Linda and Jim Weber
Stargazing at Stonelick
State Park
By Craig Niemi
All on Saturdays – September 7th & 28th October 5th & 26th
Stargazing begins at dusk. Open
to all ages. Just bought a new
scope or released an old one from
closet exile? Bring it for expert
help setting it up and exploring
the night sky.
Stargazes are weather
permitting. “Friend” the
Stonelick Lake Stargazers
Facebook page for weather and
schedule updates.
ScopeOut 2013
By Dale Zoller
ScopeOut 2013, the Observatory’s annual astron-omy, science and education fair will be held Saturday, September 14, 2013 at the Observatory. One of the Observatory’s signature events, ScopeOut features family-friendly activities designed to promote astronomy and related sciences. There will be a kids’ tent featuring astronomy art and making dry-ice comets. We will have solar viewing through the Mitchel telescope using special filters (weather permitting); solar energy displays, and “meteorite hunt” for kids. There will be vendors and exhibitors in the big tent including iSpace and the Mars Society. During the afternoon there will be a variety of astronomy-related talks. Our keynote speaker will be Emily Lakdawalla from the Planetary Society with her presentation “What’s Up In Planetary Exploration.” After the dinner and presentation we will have night-time viewing through the historic telescopes (weather permitting). As always, we depend on FOTO volunteers to make the event a success. We are still in need of volunteers to cover numerous activities. As in the past, volunteers will have their ScopeOut admission fee waived – but this applies only to those who have signed up in advance. I will have sign-up sheets available at the September FOTO meeting. If you would like to volunteer but cannot attend the meeting, please contact me at [email protected].
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Great Outdoor Weekend
Saturday, September 28th Sunday, September 29th
7:30-10:00 pm
By Craig Niemi
Come early to catch brilliant Venus and lovely Saturn in the western sky at sunset. View through the beautiful 1845 Mitchel Telescope. Behold colorful double stars, exploding stars, the very remote Andromeda Galaxy and other celestial treasures. Viewing is weather dependent, but even if it’s cloudy there will be plenty to do. The evening includes tours of the historic observatories and activities for all ages. Amateur astronomers will be on hand with their personal telescopes to help you explore the universe. Great Outdoor Weekend, an initiative of Green Umbrella, is a sampling of the best outdoor recreation and nature education activities offered in the region around greater Cincinnati. This time around we have over 120 opportunities for adults and children alike to engage with the environment around us. You might get a little dirt on your hands learning about composting or water on your feet taking a creek walk. You might work your way up 60 feet in the air exploring the tree tops or you could pick up a bow and
arrow for the first time and try your shot at archery. And best of all, all programs are FREE and open to the public. You can find a searchable listing of the weekend’s events on Facebook. www.facebook.com/GreatOutdoorWeekendand and at: www.cincygreatoutdoorweekend.org.
International Moon Night
October 12th, 8-10 pm
International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN) is an annual event that is dedicated to encouraging people to ‘look up’ and take notice of our nearest neighbor, the Moon. From looking at the Moon with a naked eye to using the most sensitive telescope, every year on the same day, people from around the world hold events and activities that celebrate our Moon. For more information and educational activities visit. http://observethemoonnight.org/activities/
Did You Know….
Supermassive black holes are a million to a billion times as large as a typical black hole. It is quite simply, gravity gone mad! It destroys the very fabric of the Universe!
Sunday With the Stars
Come out and spend a Sunday Night at the Observatory
September 22nd, 8:00-9:30 pm
By Craig Niemi
Free for Members. Not an Observatory member? Sign up and join the all excitement. On select Sunday nights Chuck Strubbe will open up one of the Observatory’s large, refracting telescopes for stargazing. Then you can decide whether you want to try your own hand at finding celestial objects or prefer Chuck to take you on a guided tour. If cloudy, the night
will be open to discussions of any and all astronomical subjects. (Chuck reserves the right to leave after the 1st half hour if no one shows up).
FOTOKids Looking for
New Leaders
By Tiffany Groen
With Leo onto his next adventure, we are now looking for at least two to three volunteers to take on the FOTOKids group to help alleviate some of Dean's workload. The two groups will be combined, with the potential of the FOTOTeens assisting the younger children with the activities. Dean will be able to be a guest speaker on occasion as well. If interested, please contact Tiffany Groen at [email protected].
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A Really BIG Telescope!
October 10th (Time and more details to
follow.)
By Craig Niemi
Can you find the astronomer
in this picture?
Astronomers, amateur or professional, are always seeking the largest telescopes they can get their hands on. When astronomers say they have an eight inch, twelve inch or huge twenty inch telescope they’re not talking about length, they’re talking diameter. In 1904 the astronomers here at the Observatory stepped up from the original 11-1/4” telescope to the 16” Clark that is in the main building. That 4”+ increase in diameter equates to a two times increase in light gathering power, brightness and detail. And everything you’re going to learn about a celestial objects is carried by that precious light. Can you imagine what you could learn about the universe with a telescope nearly 1,200 inches across! Well, astronomers and engineers can imagine it and are building it. On October 10th, Dr. Warren Skidmore from the Thirty Meter Telescope Project will present the plans, goals and challenges of building a truly giant eye on the sky.
Nomination of FOTO
Executive Committee
By Frank Huss
The annual FOTO nomination for members of the Board of Trustees will be conducted at the regular September FOTO meeting on Thursday, September 4, 7:30 p.m. The positions to be elected are president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer and two trustees. Please attend this meeting and consider nominating those who will be leading your FOTO organization in 2014.
In addition to making your nomination at the September meeting, nominations are currently being accepted by the Nomination Committee, Frank Huss (phone: 513.300.0678, e-mail: [email protected]) or Al Scheide (phone:513.541.8544, e-mail: [email protected]).
Nominations may be made until the October 2nd election meeting.
FOTO Board Members &
Date Term Expires
President: Basil Rowe / Oct. 2013 Vice President: Tiffany Groen Oct. 2013 Secretary: Michelle Lierl Gainey Oct. 2013 Treasurer: JoAnne Pedersen / Oct. 2013 FOTO/COC Representative: Frank Huss / May 2016 Trustee: Dave McBride / Oct. 2014 Trustee: Al Scheide / Oct. 2014 Trustee: Dave Bosse / Oct. 2013 Trustee: John Blasing / Oct. 2013
Craig’s Corner
By Craig Niemi
How fitting that a waning gibbous moon hung in the western sky as friends and family gathered for the dedication of the Neil Armstrong memorial tree and marker. Sitting beside a newly planted Black Tupelo tree is the marker stone designed by local artist and friend of the family, Debbie Lentz. The marker includes features taken from the work of John Ruthven, who was in attendance.
Neil Armstrong Memorial Marker, August 25, 2013
Representing the University of Cincinnati was Board Chairperson, C. Francis Barrett. Of course not to let a teachable moment go by, Scott Gainey and Terry Endres of the Cincinnati Astronomical Society, treated visitors with a view of the Moon. Then after the dedication Valerie
Niemi thrilled everyone with close up views of solar flares while John Ventre shared some of our distinguished history. There will be more about the new marker in upcoming newsletters but for now we welcome you to stop by the Observatory and remember the remarkable person that was Neil Armstrong.
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History of the Observatory
By Craig Niemi
2nd & 4th Sundays. September 8th and 22nd
Drop in anytime between 1 and 4 pm to explore the fascinating story of the people who made Cincinnati the "Birthplace of American Astronomy".
Wanted! Any information on this painting of Observatory Founder Ormsby MacKnight Mitchel. Artist? Date? Location? Details of his Civil War uniform? Whether you're an astronomer, engineer or history buff, you'll find the Observatory has something for all. We'll explore Cincinnati's past and how the citizens of Cincinnati founded the nation's first public astronomical observatory. The tours can be customized to match your interests and time. These hands-on tours are great for younger visitors too and are aligned with Ohio’s 3rd & 4th grade social studies standards. $5 per person suggested donation. Free for members. Group tours available by appointment.
For other Cincinnati Treasures visit “Museums and Historic Sites of Greater Cincinnati”. www.historicgreatercincinnati.or
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A2Z Astronomy Class
School’s Out
By Dave Bosse
Early September: most schools are ramping up classes this time of year. The A2Z Astronomy class, however, has a distraction this month: Scope-Out! As a result, The A2Z class will not meet in September, but will pick up again the second Sunday in October, the 13th. If you’ve just got to have an infusion of Astronomy this month, be sure to get your fix at Scope-Out on Saturday September 14th! The A2Z Astronomy class (usually) meets the second Sunday of each month at 7:00 P.M. in the West Wing of the Herget Building. The group meets for about an hour or so and is free to any member of the Observatory. Join us on October 13th for a discussion of all topics astronomical.
A Magnetar Mystery
One of the strongest magnets in the
universe, a magnetar, is
unexpectedly capable of a strange
new kind of glitch — a mysterious,
unexplained drop in speed.
Educators Expo @ the Zoo
September 11th 12-6p
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
Harold C. Schott Education Center
This is a fun, free afternoon for teachers of all grades and subjects to learn about the resources provided by the Greater Cincinnati Environmental Educators (GCEE) and its partner organizations including the Observatory. Last year over 300 teachers came out and learned about Rocks from Space from John, while Dean, Leo and Craig revealed the secrets of our sun with solar scopes outside. GCEE member organizations (including the Observatory) provide programming to both formal (K-12) and non-formal audiences (youth and adults). Since its inception, GCEE has served dozens of environmental education professionals, hundreds of classroom educators and thousands of Greater Cincinnati school children by providing resource fairs, education workshops, classroom programs and field trips. For more information and to register: http://cincinnatizoo.org/events/ultimate-educator-expo/
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New Star Gazers
With Dean Regas
Star Gazers airs locally on channels 14 and 48 and you can watch each month’s episodes on our website: http://www.cincinnatiobservatory.org/stargazer.html “Keep Looking Up!”
Observatory to be featured
at Space and Aviation
Academy
By Craig Niemi
Duke Energy will sponsor a Space and Aviation Academy at UC Clermont beginning September 28th and running until December 6th. The sponsorship highlights Duke’s ongoing support and UC Clermont’s commitment to delivering programs that support student interest in STEM fields. STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. The Space and Aviation Academy is hands-on weekend workshop series designed to acquaint students with education options and diverse careers in astronomy, space and aviation. The program is open to
30 students who are 11-14 years old. With Duke Energy’s support, cost of the program is reduced to $100 and covers all activities, materials, admissions, an Academy T-shirt, student meals, and transportation for two field trips. To participate, the student must be 11, 12, 13 or 14 years old on September 30, 2013. “Duke Energy is proud to support the Space and Aviation Academy as part of our strategic initiatives to advance STEM programs. Programs like this one contribute to the building blocks of a desirable workforce and highlight the talent in this region." said Warren Walker, District Manager Community & Government Relations Duke Energy.
Program topics are:
Astronomy Exploration Students travel to the Cincinnati Observatory and do a series of hands-on investigations using light and telescopes to explore the science of astronomy.
Aviation and Flight You’ll visit the Tri-State Warbird Museum & Clermont County/Sporty’s Airport to learn about pre-flight work, aerodynamics, aircraft instruments, airport operations and more.
Space Simulation
Includes a field trip to iSPACE in Sharonville for an interactive, space-based mission simulation.
The Wonder of Space: Astronaut Rick Searfoss Colonel Searfoss grew up enthralled with flying and space in the amazing days of Apollo and America’s push for the
Moon. For more information about the academy, please contact: Glenda Neff, Director, Outreach Services at UC Clermont. [email protected] or 513- 558-0008.
Mitchel Building
Renovation
By Craig Niemi Work is finishing up on the home of “America’s First Telescope”. As we reported last month much work has been completed in the Mitchel building. Interior plaster repairs and interior and exterior painting is done. The protective cabinet for the hand crank should be in place by the time you read this allowing our visitors to hand crank the dome just as it was done in 1904. We’ve come in under budget so we’ll look at eliminating other maintenance issues such as renovating the rollers and pulleys that operate the dome’s shutter, and quite possibly giving the floors some much needed attention. 25,000 visitors a year do tend to take their toll. Our thanks to our generous funders! The Louise Taft Semple Foundation, The Sutphin Family Foundation, The John A. Schroth Family Trust and the Ohio Valley Foundation.
Did You Know…. By watching the shadow of the
Earth on the Moon, some of the
ancients concluded the Earth was curved, not flat.
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Museums and Historic
Sites of Greater Cincinnati
Museums & Historic Sites of Greater Cincinnati encourages an appreciation of history through tourism, educational program-ming and other activities. M&HSofGC is currently comprised of over 30 particip-ating sites across Greater Cincinnati. Each site offers a unique perspective on local history and culture through public programs, exhibits, lectures, and tours. Through this group the Observatory has benefited from exposure to museum best practices, programming ideas and collaborations and networking with other resources such as Northern Kentucky Universities, Public History Professors and students. Julie Carpenter (Betts House) and Jean Graves (Taft Museum) were both very active in leading the group. Unfortunately they both are moving on to other opportunities. The Observatory wishes them well!
Did You Know….
Astronomers have recently discovered the coldest brown dwarf
star ever, just 40 light years from
Earth. Its surface temperature is just
80 degrees F! It’s more massive than Jupiter but smaller than our
Sun. It actually has clouds in its
outer atmosphere.
New Exoplanet GJ 504b Is
Lowest-Mass Alien World
Detected Around
Sun-Like Star
A newly seen alien planet sets a new record as the lowest-mass world ever detected around a Sun-like star using direct imaging, astronomers report in a paper to be published in The Astrophysical Journal.
The research team used infrared data from the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii to capture the exoplanet, dubbed GJ 504b. The magenta-colored planet is several times the mass of Jupiter and similar in size. "If we could travel to this giant planet, we would see a world still glowing from the heat of its formation with a color reminiscent of a dark cherry blossom, a dull magenta," Dr. Michael McElwain, a member of the discovery team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., said in a written statement. "Our near-infrared camera reveals that its color is much more blue than other imaged planets, which may indicate that its atmosphere has fewer clouds." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/06/new-exoplanet-gj-504b-found-alien-world-star_n_3713990.html?ref=topbar
Foundations Support
COC Education
By Lyn Marsteller
As school budgets dwindle and the demand for STEM education increases, the COC has come to be an important resource for school education programs, both in their classrooms and under the domes of the COC. Foundation support like this is imperative to help reach the most underserved students and schools in our region, the very schools that can’t afford field trips or guest speakers. We are pleased to report that since January 2013 we have received generous grant support from the following local foundations to help further our education programs:
Andrew Jergens Foundation - $5,000 to support student programs.
William S. Rowe Foundation - $5,000 to support student programs.
Stillson Foundation - $10,00 to underwrite the cost of buses for field trips for underserved schools to visit the field trips to the COC. In addition, the COC was awarded a $2,500 NASA Summer of Innovation mini-grant to provide professional development for 4th-9th grade teachers.
Did You Know…. A lightning storm on Saturn can reach around the entire planet.
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Sidewalk Astronomy
By Dean Regas
In August Cincinnati Observatory members brought telescopes to the people. August 15th Ryan and Cindy Kelly set up their telescope at the Ault Park Dance to show visitors the Moon.
That weekend John Barnes and
Evan Noga set up telescopes at Washington Park with the Kelly’s help.
Outside Newport on the Levee, Lina Alkamhawi, Vincent Hammerstein, David and Justin Griggs, and Scott and Michelle Gainey brought their scopes to show the Moon and Saturn to
hundreds of people on August 16th. James Bongey and Dean Regas joined Lina and Vincent
for an encore at the Levee on the 17th. This is a great way to surprise people with stellar views through telescopes. The leading reaction was, “Wow!” Very few people have looked through a telescope and they are always very appreciative for the privilege. Plus it’s a great way to get the word out about us! We are planning to set up solar scopes at Fountain Square the week of September 9-13 during lunch hour. At night we’ll be outside Hyde Park Graeter’s September 12th and 13th and at Oakley Late Night September 13th.
If you’d like to participate (even if you don’t have a telescope) or would like to recommend a public place to set up, please contact Dean Regas at [email protected] or 513-321-5186. Join the Sidewalk Astronomy crew!
One Hundred Asteroids
By Fred N. Bowman
On 19 July 2013, I reached a milestone of sorts – I logged my 100th asteroid identification (105 as of this writing). This is a small accomplishment compared
to the big boys with their super-fast computers, the latest data and automated orbit routines. I on the other hand do this the old fashioned way – one orbit at a time. I began in 1980 with no more than a slide rule and a MDAS (multiply, divide, add, and subtract) calculator. Identifications are the linking of asteroid observations made in separate years; this involves a lot of comparisons of previously published orbital elements. My first identification was found in 1980. My identifications include members of all asteroid groups, but mainly Hungarias, Hildas, and Trojans. Earth approaching asteroids had to be seen at two or more apparitions. Main belt asteroids had to be seen at a minimum of three apparitions with at least one apparition after an identification was made. These rules were established to reduce the number of "lost" asteroids. One of the benefits of making identifications is the prospect of being able to suggest a name for the object. It is a long process, first you must make the identification, wait for it to receive a permanent number, then wait for ten years while the original discoverer(s) mull whether they should give it a name. After that you can suggest a name then wait an additional six months to a year for it to be published. It is considered bad form to announce any new names before they are published. I have been lucky enough to have named four of my identifications. Of my 105 identifications, thus far only 47 have received a permanent
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number, of those 15 remain unnamed and of those only two fall under the “ten year rule” for naming rights. Patience is a must when it comes to naming asteroids. All new names are published in the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planets and Comets Circulars. Prior to World War II, as soon as an orbit was computed the asteroid automatically received a number. When Dr. Herget took on the responsibilities of the Cincinnati Observatory’s Minor Planet Center in 1948, many (over 7%) asteroids were considered "lost." They were “lost” because the astronomers who were tracking them all left their astronomical post to go to war. To reduce the number of lost asteroids he changed the criteria for how asteroids were numbered. In 1949, Dr. Frank Edmondson, of Indiana University, borrowed the 1906 T. Cooke Astro-Photographic triplet lens from the Cincinnati Observatory to look for those asteroids which had not been seen in a number of years and/or were considered lost. With this borrowed lens he discovered the asteroid on September 5, 1954, that bears my name: (2996) Bowman. This lens now resides in the basement of the Cincinnati Observatory. Currently I have 86 double designations, asteroids seen more than once at a single apparition. My fascination with asteroids began in the mid-1960s when there were fewer than 1500 with well-established orbits. My quest for knowledge of them led me to the University of Cincinnati and
the Minor Planet Center, then located at the Cincinnati Observatory. Now there are over 600,000 asteroids with nearly 400,000 receiving a permanent number. Since 1978 the Minor Planet Center operates under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, which is part of the Center for Astrophysics along with the Harvard College Observatory.
NASA Resurrecting Old
Space Telescope to Hunt
Asteroids
On August 21st NASA officials announced they will reactivate an asteroid-hunting spacecraft next month to help identify potentially dangerous space rocks and flag candidates for the agency's ambitious asteroid-retrieval mission. The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, will be awakened from hibernation in September to conduct a three-year search for near-Earth objects (NEOs). The probe is expected to discover 150 new asteroids and characterize about 2,000 others, NASA officials said. WISE's new work could help the agency pick a target for its "Asteroid Initiative," a bold plan to drag a small space rock to a stable orbit near the moon. Once there, the asteroid could be visited by astronauts using NASA's Space
Launch System rocket and Orion capsule, perhaps as soon as 2021. [NASA's Asteroid-Capture Mission in Pictures http://www.space.com/22473-nasa-wise-space-telescope-asteroid-hunter.html Editor’s Note: FOTO’s own Richard Hunter had a part in designing the Ku-band data transmitter in this space craft.
Were Black Holes Common
in the Early Universe?
Ever wonder what a black hole
looks like? This artist's illustration
gives some insight.
Black holes may have been
abundant among the first stars in the
universe, helping explain the origin of the supermassive monsters that
lurk at the heart of galaxies today,
researchers say.
An international team of astronomers has found that black
holes likely contributed at least 20
percent of the infrared cosmic background, light emitted 400
million to 800 million years after the
Big Bang that created our universe 13.8 billion years ago.
These early pioneers may have
been the seeds that later grew into
supermassive black holes, which contain millions to billions of times
the mass of our sun, researchers
said. [Gallery: Black Holes of the Universe]
http://www.wunderground.com/new
s/black-holes-common-early-universe-20130607
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