Presenter:
The constellation of the month has not yet been determined.
Main Presentation:
Presenter: Doug Smith
Doug Smith will be giving the main topic on Telescope Maintenance.
Speaker: Mary Turner, PhD
Mary Turner, TAAA’s appointed Chief Observer, takes us on a tour of the winter night sky. Dr. Turner’s use of astronomical data, images, and mythology will bring seasonal changes in the sky to life, as always in her popular quarterly talks.
Speaker: Ewan Douglas joined the University of Arizona Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory in the Spring of 2019 as an assistant professor. His research focuses on space instrumentation, wavefront sensing and control, and high-contrast imaging of extrasolar planets and debris disks, and small spacecraft such as CubeSats. Dr. Douglas graduated from Tufts University with a Bachelors in Physics in 2008. He worked for a year at the Hanford Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory before attending graduate school at Boston University, where he received a PhD from the Astronomy Department in 2016 followed by a postdoc in the MIT Space, Telecommunications, Astronomy, and Radiation Laboratory.
Dr. Douglas’ talk will focus on his ongoing work in the University of Arizona’s Space Astrophysics Lab (UASAL) to leverage low-cost spacecraft such as CubeSats, sounding rockets, and SmallSats, so that they efficiently and effectively, as well as relatively inexpensively, advance the technologies needed to image Earth-sized planets and asteroid belts around other stars. With Dr. Douglas’ work in cutting edge technologies, and ability to simplify complicated topics, TAAA’s first main presentation of 2020 promises to be interesting to all.
Topics to be determined.
Speaker: Mae Smith, TAAA President
TAAA President Mae Smith will give a presentation on the group’s Minor Policy updates, review and training. Minor Policy procedures are to be fully enacted throughout TAAA by January 1, 2020. Mae’s talk will include updates on any changes to the policy, reviews of responsibilities of members and leaders, and review of the procedures for TAAA members involved in the different TAAA activities. Attendance at this meeting will count as training in the fundamental minor policy course for TAAA leaders and members and as the required annual review for leaders who previously took the training.
Speaker: Tim Hunter has been an amateur astronomer since 1950, and he is the owner of two observatories, the 3towers Observatory and the Grasslands Observatory (http://www.3towers.com). He also considers himself “a prime example of someone whose hobby has run amok, spending more time and money on it than common sense would dictate.” Tim has been the President of the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association, Inc. (TAAA) and a member of the TAAA since 1975. He is the immediate past Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Planetary Science Institute (PSI). For decades, he has been interested in the growing problem of light pollution. In 1987, he and Dr. David Crawford founded the International Dark-Sky Association, Inc. (IDA). IDA is a nonprofit corporation devoted to promoting quality outdoor lighting and combatting the effects of light pollution.
Tim’s talk to TAAA will describe his experience owning and operating the Grasslands Observatory near Sonoita, Arizona. As Tim explains: “The observatory was founded in 1987 and evolved from a mainly visual use facility to three remotely operated telescopes used for astrophotography.” He will illustrate the evolution of the observatory, and discuss remote telescopic operations in general and how his three telescopes—a PlaneWave CDK24 24-inch f/6.5 telescope, an ASA 20-inch f/3.6 telescope, and a Takahashi Epsilon 180 f/2.8 telescope—are remotely operated from Tucson and used for various astrophotographic projects. As Tim explains, “Remote telescope operation is quite possible and offers great convenience with respect to travel and sleeping. It comes with considerable costs including monetary as well as the need for constant attention to maintain the operation. Things can and will go wrong. One must be prepared to respond to the gravest of contingencies at a remote location in the darkest hours of the night. “
Annual Tucson Star Party co-sponsored with Astronomy Magazine. Solar observing from 2 pm until sunset. Evening observing from sunset to 9 pm. Enjoy some dark sky observing under wonderful Tucson skies. Follow the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association Facebook event for weather and other updates.
by Jim Knoll
Monday November 11, 2019 (Veterans Day). This is a school holiday and a work holiday for many. Don’t pass up this “seldom-in-a-lifetime event”. A Mercury Transit (passing in front of) will NOT be visible again in the U.S. until May 7, 2049. Transits occur only 13-14 times per century. A Mercury Transit is too small to see without a properly filtered solar telescope. When you observe a transit, you see a small black circle (the planet Mercury) moving across the Sun. This event is visible throughout the U.S. TAAA will have several solar telescopes to safely view the Transit at Brandi Fenton Memorial Park (3482 E River Rd, River & Alvernon) on November 11 from 7:30 – 11 am (Mercury mid-transit when it is crossing the middle of the Sun is at 8:20 am Tucson time). Sunrise November 11 is 6:49 am and the Transit will already be underway. You can follow the Mercury Transit event on our Facebook page (facebook.com/tucsonastronomy) for real-time weather updates. This event requires a clear view of the Sun (no cloud cover). CAUTION: Never look at the Sun without a proper solar filter or you can damage your eyes.
For more information, email: astronomy-events@tucsonastronomy.org.
by Erich Karkoschka
Planets for October 2019
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Mercury is 7 degrees left and slightly above Venus for most of the month. During the last week of October, it moves below Venus. MARK YOUR CALENDAR for the transit of Mercury on November 11th. |
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Venus is back in the evening sky visible before 6:30 pm. |
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Shortly after New Moon, the Moon is near Venus on the 29th and near Jupiter on the 31st. |
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Mars becomes visible again around the 19th during dawn. On the 26th it is 5 degrees below the thin lunar crescent. |
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Jupiter shines above Antares in the southwest during the early evening. Its distance from Venus shrinks from 50 to 25 degrees |
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Saturn is 25 degrees to the east of Jupiter. By the end of the month only 20 degrees. |
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Uranus is in opposition on the 267th in Aries, visible with very good eyes. |
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Neptune can be found with binoculars in Aquarius, 45 degrees west of Uranus. |
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The Orionids meteors are best visible during the morning of the 22nd. |
A star party to support the International Observe the Moon and Flandrau Science Center. Several telescopes will be set up on the University of Arizona Mall just south of Flandrau Science Center.
A Star Party to dedicate the Lonny Baker TAAA Telescope for Library patrons to use. A Star Party using the Orion telescope will follow a short ceremony.
A Star Party to dedicate the Horheimer TAAA Telescope for Library patrons to use. A Star Party using the Zhumell telescope will follow a short ceremony.