Stephen Ferris will be giving a presentation on Eyepieces and their essentials, which should help out anyone that is looking for some holiday gift ideas.
Doug Smith will be giving our second topic on Solar Observing.
Presenter: Pete Hermes
Pete Hermes will be providing the astronomer of the month on George Hale.
He conceived and developed the world’s largest telescopes four times in succession — Yerkes Observatory (40-inch refractor), Mount Wilson Observatory (60-inch reflector, 100-inch reflector) and Palomar Observatory (200-inch reflector). https://www.mtwilson.edu/george-ellery-hale/#:~:text=The%20sound%2Dbite%20description%20of,(200%2Dinch%20reflector).
Presenter: Jim Knoll and Bob Rose
Jim Knoll and Bob Rose will be presenting the main topic on using the Meade GOTO system.
TBD
Presenter: Connor Justice
Connor Justice will be presenting on Maria Mitchell for our ongoing astronomer of the month series.
Presenter: Stephen Ferris
Stephen Ferris will be presenting on the James Webb Space Telescope for our main topic.
On July 1st, the Euclid space mission launched from Cape Canaveral on a Falcon 9 rocket. Euclid is the first space telescope designed to study the still-mysterious accelerated expansion of the Universe. A broad community of scientists from around the world eagerly anticipates the insights Euclid will ultimately yield on the nature of that acceleration, and the dark energy that presumably powers it. In his talk, Dr. Eric Huff will discuss the recent public release of the first science images, and explain how the Euclid mission will go about making measurements of dark energy and dark matter over the next few years.
Biography: Dr. Eric Huff was raised in Bullhead City, Arizona, and followed an early passion for physics to college in Tucson and a PhD at Berkeley. He’s done original work on a variety of topics, ranging from observational cosmology to tidal modeling of surface features on Jovian moons. Dr Huff is currently a Staff Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Lab and will be giving his presentation remotely.
Picture Caption: One of Euclid’s first images: the Perseus cluster of galaxies
In 1181 A.D., Chinese and Japanese observers reported a bright Guest Star in the constellation Cassiopeia that was unmoving and visible for 185 days. What was it? If confirmed as a supernova, it would be the fifth historical supernova to be known. In 2013, amateur astronomer Dana Patchick discovered a unique nebula surrounding a unique star, named Pa30, that was possibly the supernova remnant (SNR) of the Supernova (SN) 1181. Dr. Bradley Schaefer will talk about his research, using historical evidence, and current astronomical tools to connect SN1181 and PA30.
Bio: Dr. Bradley Schaefer received his Ph.D in 1983 from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Louisiana State University. His wide range of interests include many areas of astrophysics, as well as many aspects of astronomical events in history (e.g. the Crucifixion and the Star of Bethlehem) and in literature. Dr. Schaefer was a member of the Supernova Cosmology Project which led to the discovery of Dark Energy. The paper for the project won the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics for its leader, Saul Perlmutter. And, as one of the prize-winning paper’s co-authors, Dr. Schaefer received a share of the 2007 Gruber Cosmology Prize, and the 2015 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.
Photo: Is nebula PA30 a remnant of SN 1181?
Credit: Astronomer Ron Fessen (observing at MDM on Kitt Peak)
Mary Turner presents her popular seasonal talk about what to see in the night sky from October to December, as well as fascinating myths and facts about each object. Included is the Oct. 14th annular eclipse; perhaps the highlight of the next three months. Learn about bright planets, meteor showers, and all else accessible, to the naked eye, binoculars, and/or telescopes.
Bio: Mary Turner received her Ph.D in Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona (UA). She is currently the Technical Fellow in Optical Design for Edmund Optics, where she designs custom optical systems for a wide variety of applications, including camera systems, machine vision applications, free-space communications and other laser systems. Additionally. Dr. Turner is a lecturer for the University of California-Irvine, teaching courses in optical design. She also lectures at UA in aspects of optical design, including tolerance analysis, polarization devices and stray light analysis. Throughout her career, Dr. Turner has taught optical design fundamentals to more than 5000 students around the world. She has also authored chapters in several technical references relating to the field of optical design.
The Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) has been in operation since the late 90’s with the goal of discovering and tracking Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs). Headquartered in Tucson, with its primary telescopes on Mt. Lemmon, CSS plays a major role in Earth’s planetary defense. David Carson Fuls will present CSS’s latest project, a new citizen science initiative called “The Daily Minor Planet” which gives volunteers the opportunity to review images taken by CSS survey telescopes to discover new asteroids! This project, much like CSS nighttime operations, focuses on rapid identification of new objects, so images are uploaded the day after they are taken. Carson will cover the project in detail and present its initial discoveries since its official launch in May, ’23. For more info., visit: https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/fulsdavid/the-daily-minor-planet
Bio: David Carson Fuls is the Senior Operations Scientist/Engineer for the Catalina Sky Survey. A graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University (MS physics), he has been with CSS since 2015, and has discovered thousands of asteroids and eight comets that bear his name. The asteroid 1999 UN24 was named in his honor. When not searching for space rocks, Carson volunteers with the Southern Arizona Rescue Association, which performs search and rescue missions in the mountains and deserts of southern Arizona.
By Erich Karkoschka
Mercury is visible around 8 pm in the west until August 16th.
Mars is about 5 degrees to the upper left during this time, just a little dimmer, but still visible since it is higher up. By the end of the month it becomes hard to find. It will reappear in March 2024. During the first week of August, both planets are best visible. Around the 13th, they are closest together.
Saturn in Aquarius is visible all night since it is at opposition on the 27th. Its rings are narrow, 43″ x 6″ in extent.
Jupiter in Aries rises now before midnight, outshining all stars and other planets.
Venus rises up to become visible starting on the 18th during dawn. It is obvious by the 31st, when a 10 percent illuminated crescent shows up in binoculars. Venus is near the head of Hydra, where other planets do not go.
The moon occults Antares on the 24th between 7:03 and 7:58 pm AZ Time in Tucson. The disappearance is a few minutes after sunset, when it is easily visible in binoculars and impressive in a telescope near the half moon. It occurs at the dark side of the moon which is not visible during bright twilight. The reappearance is at the bright limb, when the sky is dark.
The Perseids are active until mid-month, visible without moonlight. The maximum is the night of the 12th, morning of the 13th. Best viewed under dark skies at the peak after midnight on the morning of the 13th. Look toward the east. The meteors will appear to emanate from the constellation Perseus. The parent comet is Swift-Tuttle (16 miles/26 kilometers across).
An Annular Eclipse of the Sun will occur in the late morning traveling from Oregon to Texas.
It will pass over Utah and the Four Corners area, then central New Mexico before entering Texas.