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The Local Group - Astronomy Club of the Santa Clarita Valley – August 2016 Visit our Web Site at www.lgscv.org

Volume 33 Issue 1

MONTHLY MEETING Friday, August 12, 2016 At our monthly club meetings, you’ll have an excellent opportunity to hear interesting, educational presentations about all aspects of astronomy, to meet club members, and to socialize after the club meetings. Whether you’re a beginner in astronomy or a seasoned amateur astronomer, the meetings are a great learning and sharing opportunity. At this month’s meeting, our club President, Dave Flynn, will provide a presentation about one of the 88 constellations in the night sky. We’ll also enjoy an informative presentation from one of Dave’s colleagues about Citizen Scientists. NOTE! Friday is the deadline to vote for our new officers! If you are emailing your voting ballot, it must be sent to Simon Tang ([email protected]) or Glenn Basore ([email protected]) by 4 pm on Friday. Alternatively, you can turn in your paper ballots at the club meeting. Results will be announced at the meeting.

Welcome New Members Edward Dempsey Wesley Gaultney

July Events Vasquez Rocks Star Party July 2, 2016 Submitted by Don Cogan With clear skies, an impressive turnout of over 300 attendees, enthusiastic participation from our Local Group members and a perfect setting and event to celebrate our club’s 33rd anniversary, this was clearly one of the most successful of our star parties. Members arrived and began set up before 6 pm, which included several solar telescopes to view the sun as it set over the rock formations. When darkness gradually set in, with about a dozen telescopes set up to view the night sky, attendees continually arrived, both adults and youngsters eager to view, some for the first time, highlights of the summer skies including Saturn, Mars and Jupiter in the western sky. Deep sky objects such as those in the “summer triangle” of Lyra, Cygnus and Aquila were also seen as darkness progressed. We had our Local Group Astronomy Club booth set up for attendees to gather more information about our club. Since we were allowed until 11 pm for viewing, participants had more time to view with the darker skies. Many guests stayed on until past 10 pm as things gradually wound down. All in all, a successful event and a great time!

White Mountains Campout Submitted by Mary Courtney Fred Fuentes and I enjoyed three nights of dark skies at Camp Ferguson's 7,000 feet. This was our first away-from-home outing with my newly acquired used scope, mount, and tripod. To improve my new set-up, Fred added his Telrad and astronomy expertise. While I improved my telescope balancing and nebula finding, Fred worked on setting up a Nexus Digital Setting Circle device. Before sunset, waiting for nightfall was brightened by impromptu entertainment. Fern strummed on the ukulele, Van excelled as a campfire troubadour, and Natalie showed promise as an entertainment director. We always appreciate the friendly and helpful Local Group astronomers, most notably Glenn and Van, who shared several deep sky highlights with us and with our outing guests, Fern and Greg. Dave was our hero on Saturday when our Telrad finder acted up. Van kindly brought up more ice on his visit to town, which further preserved fresh food we had brought from home in a (too) lightweight cooler. During a daylight outing with Bruce, we enjoyed the pleasant coolness of an even higher altitude by visiting the ancient bristle-cone pines. The weekend's culinary highlight was the two stops we made (coming and going) at the hospitable Merry-Go-Round restaurant in Lone Pine for their amazing jalapeno shrimp. Surprisingly, on the way home we had the energy to visit the very moving Manzanar National Historic Site and Museum."

White Mountain trip 2016 Submitted by Christine Schmidt The trip up the mountain was full of familiar landscape, the tortured rock formations protruding through the dry soil, cinder cones and lava fields all around. As we wound around the mountain and rose in height, the road narrowed for a few brief tense moments then opened up again. Once up the hill it took an hour or so for me to acclimate to the altitude. We did only the minimum moving around enough to clear a place to sit for a while. Eventually we set up the scopes and rested some more. We greeted newcomers and sat in the shade of the central pavilion.

As night fell we worked on targets for the evening. The first night was not productive for me, still acclimating. Daryl was on a roll though as he had but the one night to find all he could. He was plowing through a list in his head so fast the objects whirled past the other astronomers as he called out the items located one by one for maybe 20 to 25 total items found. Early Saturday evening before dark we had dinner all together and were graced with some Ukulele music and songs by Fern and Mary with some old favorites then Van took the stage with 2 very funny songs. Great entertainment, thanks to you three. The list was a good idea and LaVere took the time to write a list of Messier numbers, totaling 29. We teamed up and as he found an M number in his 12” scope, I found it in my 6” scope and we then compared the views we found in both scopes. It gave some real insight as to the item found and what to expect of the view for each in the two sizes of scope. It worked so well we tried the same method the next night with NGC numbers. We are now in the process of identifying the items found and trying to determine the fuzzy blob of a galaxy from the fuzzy blob of a globular cluster or a nebula. We are learning a lot that way. We will be returning to the mountain again next year. Won’t you come join us?

July Club Meeting Friday, July 22, 2016 Discussion: Board member nominations needed for 5 positions eligible to be filled. Three positions are currently held: Dave Flynn, Christine Schmidt and Will Wira. There are two open positions, for which the nominated candidates are Johan Vandersande and LaVere Schmidt. Votes must be received either by email to Simon Tang or Glenn Basore by Friday at 4 pm, or brought to the August club meeting. One vote is allowed for each membership family. The results will be announced at the club meeting. Meeting Program Our Club President, Dave Flynn, gave a very informative presentation on Space Telescopes. We learned that although Earth-based telescopes are able to image visible light (or radio signals in the case of radio telescopes) there is significant information to be acquired and analyzed by collecting light in other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, including infrared, X-Ray, gamma rays. Due to various limitations of the Earth’s atmosphere, much of this part of the spectrum is blocked from reaching the Earth’s surface. Thus the need for space-based telescopes which can collect and transmit this vital data and transmit it to Earth for analysis, to allow astrophysicists and other experts to learn more about the universe. Dave explained the background and workings of several of these “specialty” Space Telescopes including the Spitzer (Infrared), Chandra (X-rays) and also Space Telescopes in the works for future applications, such as the James Webb telescope, which will be the most advanced space telescope ever built.

July Staff Meeting 7-25-2016 Meeting came to order about 7:28 pm. We are now at 56 paid members. There are several people up for renewal, and we will have a total of 69 paid members when all dues are paid up. Financially we are at $2,190 in the checking account and were able to put $500 into savings. Dave renewed our domain name at $12 per year. There was an option of renewing for $60 for 5 years. We elected to simply renew it annually. The elections have been postponed until the board all is in place. Replacing Craig Whitehead as vice president will be postponed until after the Board elections. Astronomy Day has Michael at the Library excited and they have split the $340 cost of ordering 40 more telescopes. Our half will be $170. We will be developing two flyers. One will be for Sidewalk Astronomy at the mall which will be held on September 10; it will advertise both the Vasquez Rocks Star Party on October 1 and Astronomy Day on October 10. The second flyer will be for the Vasquez Rocks Star party, and will advertise Astronomy Day The August 12th meeting is going to be Dave’s co-worker who will talk about being Citizen Scientists. Dave will give the constellationof-the-month talk. There was a motion to make Christine Schmidt a lifetime member and was passed unanimously.

We will be printing ballots with the board members that are running for 5 positions. The candidates are: Christine Schmidt, Dave Flynn, Will Wira, LaVere Schmidt and Johan Vandersande if no one else steps up for that position. For those who attend public outreaches, Dave asked that we could talk more about what we are looking at through our telescopes. At school events it will be mostly planets and the Moon. For later events there are stars, planetary nebulae and other deep sky objects visible. It would be nice to be able to tell people what kind of object it is, how it may have formed or how far, how big etc. Just the basic but more interesting facts are what the public likes to hear about that glowing light they just saw in your telescope. It was suggested that you could download the Messier list with such facts at the Rose City Astronomers site. Meeting adjourned about 9:15 P.

Upcoming Events Sidewalk Astronomy at the Mall September 8 This event will be located in the plaza right outside Sisley restaurant and the food court. As this is a brightly lit area, viewing is mostly limited to the Moon and planetary observation. It is a highly trafficked area and thus a good opportunity for participation by visitors to the mall.

Star Party - Vasquez Rocks Natural Area October 1 This is one of our most popular public viewing events, scheduled quarterly. To get to the viewing area, enter the park via the main gate, turn left at the ranger station and continue to the end of the road past the large rocks.

Astronomy Day–Valencia Public Library October 8 Astronomy Day at the Valencia Public Library is planned for October 8. This event will feature a different format than our previous such events, with a number of individual stations featuring various aspects of astronomy. More information will be forthcoming in the upcoming What’s Up newsletters and other LGSCV announcements.



SPACE NEWS

The Next Generation of Mars Rover NASA is developing a new Mars Rover, called appropriately enough, the Mars 2020 Rover. It will be deployed in the Mars 2020 mission to the Red Planet. This highly sophisticated laboratory on wheels will explore the region of Mars where the ancient environment may have been favorable for microbial life. The Rover, currently targeted to launch in summer of 2020 for arrival on the Red Planet in February 2021, will collect samples of rock and soil, and store them on the surface for potential return to Earth by a future mission. "The Mars 2020 Rover is the first step in a potential multi-mission campaign to return carefully selected and sealed samples of Martian rocks and soil to Earth," said Geoffrey Yoder, acting associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "This mission marks a significant milestone in NASA's Journey to Mars to determine whether life has ever existed on Mars, and to advance our goal of sending humans to the Red Planet."

Perseid Meteor Shower Will Be Extra Awesome This Year, NASA Says

Shooting-star seekers heading out to watch the Perseid meteor shower August 11 and 12 may see a much better show than in past years. That's because the Earth will collide with more material than usual from Comet Swift-Tuttle, which is the source of the Perseids. Jupiter's gravity has tugged the debris stream in such a way that Earth will move closer to the middle of the stream, rather than the edge, NASA officials said in a statement. In fact, Earth may collide with three or more streams during the shower this year. This could result in double the usual rate of meteors, and a spectacular rate of 200 meteors per hour under perfect conditions, according to the statement. The 2016 Perseid meteor shower will peak overnight on August 11 and 12, 2016. The meteor shower appears to radiate out of the constellation Perseus in the northern sky. (Credit: NASA/JPL) Although the meteor shower is named after the constellation Perseus (the meteors appear to radiate from that direction), the fragments burning up in Earth's atmosphere have a much closer source: Comet Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun every 133 years, leaving behind a trail of tiny particles as it goes. By Elizabeth Howell, Space.com Contributor | August 4, 2016 01:36pm ET

Space.com

Moving the Earth's Prime Meridian The prime meridian, frequently visited by tourists, is prominently marked at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England. However, the latest technology reveals that the actual site of the imaginary north-south line that cuts the Earth in half at zero degrees longitude lies 334 feet (102 meters) east of the existing marker. "Most people stand on the stripe and have their picture taken, with the sundial in the background," said Ken Seidelmann, an astronomer at the University of Virginia. "If they stood there with their GPS receiver, it wasn't zero degrees." Seidelmann learned that many people reported that their GPS devices listed the line of zero degrees longitude in a completely different location than at the landmark. He was part of a team of scientists who found that the prime

meridian had shifted because of improved measurements rather than changes in the Earth's surface. Seidelmann presented the results at the American Astronomical Society's Division on Dynamical Astronomy in Nashville, Tennessee, in May. By Nola Taylor Redd, Space.com Contributor | August 5, 2016 07:00am ET Credit: Google Maps

Tourists visiting the Airy meridian at the Royal Observatory in England (dotted line) stand on the historic location of the prime meridian, but improving technology reveals its actual location lies to the east (solid line).

AUGUST CHALLENGE CORNER - DOUBLE Provided by Christine Schmidt Q1. What do we call the event when the earth moves through the debri path of a comet, causing lots of falling stars? Q2. How far in miles is a light year? Answer to be provided in the September 2016 What’s Up Newsletter.

Answer to July Challenge Corner Q: Stars viewed through a telescope are normally a white point of light but some have a lot of color. What is the true name of the pair that is called the “Boy Scout” pair due to its brilliant blue and yellow star pairing? A. Albireo

The Local Group Astronomy Club Officers President:

Dave Flynn

Vice President

OPEN

Treasurer:

Johan Vandersande

Secretary:

Christine Schmidt

Committee Members Star Parties/Field Trips: Membership:

Jim Van Winkle

Newsletter Editors:

Don Cogan/Ellen Brokaw

Astrophoto Meetings:

Paul Keen

Website Monitor

Dave Flynn, Stephan Webster

Public Events Coordinator

Don Cogan

Board of Directors Glenn Basore Dave Flynn Christine Schmidt Jim VanWinkle Van Webster Don Cogan Will Wira

Directions to Observing Sites Chuchupate Directions: Take Interstate-5 North beyond Castaic about 35 miles to Frazier Mountain Road exit. Go

west, passing Frazier Park, until you come to a 4 way stop with a flashing red light. Continue straight ahead for several more miles until you come to an intersection with a Market/Liquor store on the corner of Lockwood Valley Road, turn left. Continue for about 3 miles until you see a small sign "Chuchupate Ranger Station", turn left. The speed limit on this road is 20 mph. Drive through the Ranger Camp, for about 1/8 mile until you see a sign "Trail Head" and make a right turn into the parking lot. Bring your own food and water. Dress for the weather — it can get cold even in the summer months. Cell phones do not work here, some are able to send and receive text messages and sometimes, you can connect to the Wi-Fi connection, which bleeds over from the ranger station. There are restrooms but no running water. Templin Highway: Take I-5 North through Castaic. Just N of Castaic, the freeway shifts from RH-running to LH-running, and begins a 5% upgrade. When the freeway reverts to RH-running, about five miles N of Castaic, the next exit is Templin Hwy. At the foot of the exit turn right and follow the curves for approximately 1 mile. On the right (S) side of the highway is a wide turnout sometimes used for storing road fill. This is the observing site. If you reach the stop sign at the Ridge Route, you have gone too far. Vasquez Rocks Natural Area: From the I-5 Freeway, take the 14 Freeway east about 16 miles and exit at the Agua Dulce Canyon Road off ramp. Turn left and go about 2 miles, following the signs to the park. (If you arrive after dark, the park entrance sign on your right is hard to see.) Enter, drive slowly, and follow the dirt road to the left for about 1/2 mile, over the little hill to the large open parking area. No alcoholic beverages. There are portable restrooms. if more info is needed, contact the park ranger at 661-268-0840. Mt. Pinos Site: Take Interstate 5 North beyond Castaic about 35 miles to the Frazier Mountain Road off Ramp. Go west 21 miles on the good paved mountain road, passing Frazier Park, and follow the signs to Mt. Pinos Recreation Area. The observing site is a large paved parking area at the very end of the paved road. Bring your own food and water. Dress for the weather — it can get cold! Chains may be required during winter months. The elevation is 8300 ft. There are portable restrooms. No camping in the parking lot, but you can sleep in your

vehicle. Walk ¼ mile to tent camping. For road and weather information call the Forest Service at Frazier Park, 805-245-3731 or on the Internet, you can go to www.frazmtn.com/pmcwebcam Dry Gulch observing site is located about 7 miles East on Lake Hughes Road, from the I-5 Lake Hughes off Ramp in Castaic. It’s an easy drive and offers a pretty good 365-degree sky with plenty of parking. The dirt here is not as nice as Vasquez Rocks; it’s a bit clumpy and rocky but can be driven over carefully! Directions: 1. I-5 North to Lake Hughes off Ramp, at the bottom of the off ramp turn right. You’re now on Lake Hughes Rd. 2. Continue on Lake Hughes Rd. for about 6-7 miles. About a ½ mile or so before you get to Dry Gulch Road, you will see a Big Red Rock on the horizon to your right – you’re getting close! 3. Look for the yellow sign on the right side of the road indicating your approach a “T” intersection. This is the Dry Gulch Rd junction off to your right. Use caution as you drive onto this dirt lot, there are some dips / ruts and rocks.

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This is a Primitive Site – no water – no restrooms

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Cell phones do work here.

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This area is patrolled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept and The US Forestry Rangers.

Calendar of Events – August 2016 Tuesday, August 2

New Moon

Wednesday, August 10

1st Quarter Moon

Friday, August 12

Club Meeting Barnes & Noble Bookstore

Friday, August 12

Perseids Meteor Shower Viewing Templin Hwy Viewing Site (Following Club Meeting)

Thursday, August 18

Full Moon

Wednesday, August 24

3rd Quarter Moon

Saturday, August 27

Club Star Viewing Chuchupate Ranger Station

Monday, August 29

Staff Meeting

What’s Up! The Local Group - Astronomy Club of the Santa Clarita Valley P.O. Box 221296 Santa Clarita, CA 91322