Highlights of the November Sky

- - - 3rd - - -

AM: Algol at minimum brightness for ~2 hours centered at 2:42 am EDT.

- - - 5th - - - PM: A waxing crescent Moon is about 5º to the right of Mars.

- - - 7th - - - First Quarter Moon 2:51 pm EST

- - - 8th - - - AM: Algol at minimum brightness for ~2 hours centered at 7:19 pm EST.

- - - 14th - - - Full Moon 8:52 am EST

- - - 14th 15th - - - PM: The Moon is near the Hyades and Aldebaran.

- - - 17th - - - AM: Leonid meteor shower peaks, but moonlight interferes.

- - - 21st - - - AM: The Moon is less than 2° below Regulus in Leo.

Last Quarter Moon 3:33 am EST

- - - 24 - - - AM: Gamma Virginis () is about 2° to the lower left of the Moon.

- - - 25th - - - DAWN: A crescent Moon, Jupiter, and Spica form a triangle about 9° tall in the southeast.

- - - 28th - - - AM: Algol at minimum brightness for ~2 hours centered at 9:02 am EST.

- - - 29th - - - New Moon 7:18 am EST

General Meeting: Friday, November 4 @ 7:00 pm Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center - See Page 10 for Details

Field Trip: Saturday, November 5 @ 5:00 pm Abrams Planetarium & MSU Observatory - See Page 4 for Details

Board Meeting: Sunday, November 13 @ 5:00 pm

Sunnyside Church - 2800 Gull Road - All Members Welcome

KAS

Inside the Newsletter. . . October Meeting Minutes.................... p. 2

Board Meeting Minutes......................... p. 2

Observations........................................... p. 3

NASA Space Place.................................. p. 3

Field Trip to East Lansing..................... p. 4

Observing Without Tears.................... p. 5

Astrophotography Night Highlights... p. 6

November Night Sky............................. p. 8

KAS Board & Announcements............ p. 9

General Meeting Preview..................... p. 10

November 2016 Prime Focus Page 2

The KAS Board met on October 16, 2016 at Sunnyside Church. After examination of the agenda, the meeting was called to order by President Richard Bell at 5:10 pm. Board members present were Joe Comiskey, Mike Cook, Scott Macfarlane, Rich Mather, Jack Price, and Roger Williams. Rich presented the Treasurer’s Report, which still required some adjustment in category assignments to reconcile the robotic telescope funds with Richard’s numbers. One unusual inflow item came from the sale of a donated telescope. The robotic telescope fund is now getting nearly spent down. Richard gave a brief summary of November events, including the November 4th general meeting featuring J. Kelly Beatty, and a field trip to Abrams Planetarium & MSU Observatory on November 5th at 5pm. Discussion of follow-up items from the previous meeting began with the good news that the robotic observatory roof would now open under internet control, for which the Board expressed sincere thanks to Rich Mather and Jim Kurtz. A major remaining item is installation of the Takahashi camera, planned for the week of March 5 – 12, 2017. The second SBIG camera ordered from OPT had finally arrived in Kalamazoo after frustrating delays related to Customs, since SBIG has been bought by Diffraction Limited, a Canadian company. Discussion of follow-up items continued with Owl Observatory maintenance. The planned repairs were not quite finished at the last work session, and there was little enthusiasm for another work day this season. It was decided that the rest could be deferred until next year. In the community outreach category, Spooky Science Saturday at Kingman Museum and WMU Education Day at the Seelye Center were both scheduled for October 22nd. Richard planned to attend the former, while Jack was organizing the latter. Under New Business, Roger reported that a community member had donated an 80-mm Celestron refractor, which was brought along for inspection. The donor was okay either with giving the telescope to someone who would use it or selling it to raise money for the robotic telescope fund. After a motion by Richard and second by Joe, the Board voted to sell the telescope. Rich expressed a possible interest in being the buyer, and the telescope was sent home with him for a performance check. [Note: In an e-mail vote following the meeting, the Board showed unanimous support for giving the Celestron to Rich if he wants it, in view of the very considerable time and expense he has contributed to the Robotic Telescope Project]. Some discussion was held of the solar eclipse shades, which are in Kalamazoo and some of which have already been sold. Richard favored selling them in a 4” × 6” Ziploc bag with a postcard showing the eclipse path. He said that Jean DeMott had an alternative idea which would produce a smaller snack

The general meeting of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society was brought to order by President Richard Bell on Friday, October 7, 2016 at 7:14 pm EDT. Approximately 33 members and guests were in attendance at the Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center (KAMSC). The October meeting has long been devoted to the art of astrophotography and this year was no different. Five KAS members shared their celestial imagery. Finding no other volunteers, Richard Bell shared his images first. As mentioned last month, Richard spent the Labor Day weekend looking for dark sky sites up north. While at Rockport State Recreation Area (near Alpena), he witnessed a nice Northern Lights display and showed one of his images. Most of Richard’s images were taken during the 2016 Texas Star Party. These include many wide-field and close-up shots of the Milky Way. The massive globular cluster, Omega Centauri, is only 10° above the horizon at the Prude Ranch (host of TSP), but showed up very well in an image taken under the transparent Texas skies. Richard concluded with images of the Eagle Nebula (M16) and the Lagoon & Trifid Nebula (M8 & M20). Eric Schreur, who recently rejoined the KAS after a long hiatus, shared several images. Eric does much of his imaging from home and has to contend with light trespass and tree obstruction. He retired as the Planetarium Coordinator at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum last year and now has time to travel to darker locations. One of Eric’s projects in his retirement was to image the entire Messier Catalog. He showed his progress in a large mosaic. Eric saw the same Northern Lights display that Richard did, but from Boon Hill (the site used by Michigan amateur Doug Bock). Eric also shared a few time lapse movies of that aurora display and others, including one from Muskallonge Lake this past July that showed many freighter zipping along the horizon. Jim Kurtz shared images taken through his recently acquired Tele Vue NP127is refractor. Some of these include the Pelican (IC 5070) and California (NGC 1499) Nebula . Jim also captured the May 9th Mercury transit with his new Lunt 100mm H-alpha telescope. Roger Williams shared several images of galaxies and nebulae taken with his HyperStar equipped Celestron 14-inch EdgeHD Schmidt Cassegrain. Roger also shared more of his excellent images of the Sun in H-alpha. Dave Garten shared images after the traditional snack break of apple cider and donuts. Dave images from his home in Portage and cabin in the Manistee National Forest. Dave recently purchased an H-alpha filter for his Canon 60Da and shared very nice images of the Horsehead, Eagle, and Rosette Nebula. See highlights from this year’s Astrophotography Night beginning on page 6. Members in attendance unanimously voted to amend the Bylaws to add a Publicity Officer to the Board. Astronomical news was only briefly discussed, since we were running long. The meeting concluded at about 9:35 pm.

November 2016 Prime Focus Page 3

bag. The Board favored having Jean present her idea before making a decision. In further new business, Richard proposed community talks on the 2017 solar eclipse, which he is willing to do but which could also be done by other interested members. It was also suggested that someone could record one of the presentations for online or public access TV viewing. Richard presented for discussion a proposed schedule for 2017 general meetings and public viewing sessions. He proposed moving the annual picnic to July 29th and canceling the usual August events, to leave the solar eclipse free of interfering activities. July 31st would be the cutoff date for sale of eclipse shades that required shipping. Richard presented a list of other possible events and approximate dates for the Board to consider for 2017. With the conclusion of regular business, Mike moved to thank Rich and Jim once more for getting the remote roll-off roof problem solved, and the motion passed by acclamation. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:45 pm. The next meeting was set for November 13th, same time and place. Respectfully submitted by Roger Williams

Is Proxima Centauri’s “Earth-Like” Planet Actually Like Earth at All?

by Dr. Ethan Siegel

Just 25 years ago, scientists didn’t know if any stars - other than our own sun, of course - had planets orbiting around them. Yet they knew with certainty that gravity from massive planets caused the Sun to move around our solar system’s center of mass. Therefore, they reasoned that other stars would have periodic changes to their motions if they, too, had planets. This change in motion first led to the detection of planets around pulsars in 1991, thanks to the change in pulsar timing it caused. Then, finally, in 1995 the first exoplanet around a normal star, 51 Pegasi b, was discovered via the “stellar wobble” of its parent star. Since that time, over 3,000 exoplanets have been confirmed, most of which were first discovered by NASA's Kepler mission using the transit method. These transits only work if a solar system is fortuitously aligned to our perspective; nevertheless, we now know that planets - even rocky planets at the right distance for liquid water on their surface - are quite common in the Milky Way. On August 24, 2016, scientists announced that the stellar wobble of Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our sun,

Observations by Richard S. Bell

Daily life is not conducive to the amateur astronomer. We spend most of our days working away and sleeping during the night when the stars come out to play. Some weekends are spoiled by overwhelming moonlight or overcast skies. Rarely, everything may work out in our favor. Our schedules are clear, the Moon is out of the way, and the skies are crystal clear. Even then most of us must contend with light pollution. Many of us have favorite locations away from city lights, but it’s something that’s always there if you observe anywhere in Southwest Michigan. We have little control over our schedules, the phases of the Moon or the weather, but light pollution is the one thing we - as a community - could control if we wanted to. Most people don’t even realize it is a problem. After working on their observing assignments, my students always made similar comments. First, they never realized how cloudy Michigan is and, secondly, how prevalent light pollution is in today’s society. Indeed, it’s been said that 80% of the world’s population can no longer see the Milky Way. We all know the offenders, chief among them is the ordinary street light. These fixtures can easily be adapted, so their light shines directly to the ground, where it’s needed, and not up into the sky where it’s not. The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) estimates that least 30% of all outdoor lighting in the U.S. alone is wasted, mostly by lights that aren’t shielded. That adds up to $3.3 billion in wasted energy every year! Most cities work on

tight budgets, so properly shielding street lights would also allow them to use lower wattage bulbs or LEDs. This is guaranteed to save cities millions of dollars. There’s also environmental impacts. That wasted energy translates to an extra 21 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) released into the atmosphere every year. That’s right, light pollution is one of the causes of global warming, climate change, or whatever you want to call it. Some may doubt global warming is even occurring (like certain presidential candidates), but they’re so very, very wrong and one of the causes is literally shining in their face every night! Light pollution has a variety of ecological impacts as well. It effects plant growth, causes millions of birds to crash into illuminated buildings, and makes newly hatched sea turtles turn toward artificial lights instead of the shimmering ocean surface. It also effects the health of humans. Poorly shielded lights can temporarily blind us while driving and cause accidents. Light trespass can disrupt our circadian rhythms that regulate our sleep cycles, reducing our performance at school or work. Those exposed to electric lighting at night are also at higher risk of prostate and breast cancer. Learn more about the effects of light pollution and the efforts currently underway to curtail it at our special general meeting on Friday, November 4th. J. Kelly Beatty, a long-time senior editor at Sky & Telescope magazine and one of the Board of Directors of the IDA, will present Darkness in Distress. Please join us for this special presentation.

November 2016 Prime Focus Page 4

On November 5th, KAS members will take another field trip to Abrams Planetarium, located on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing. We’ll enjoy a show featuring their new state-of-the-art Digistar 5 projector. Weather permitting, we’ll also attend the last Open House of the year at MSU Observatory. Our itinerary will include:

1. Meet in State Systems Radio parking lot for carpooling between 4:45 - 4:55 pm.

State Systems Radio is located at 5066 Sprinkle Road, located just south of Kilgore Road on the west side of Sprinkle.

2. Depart for East Lansing at 5:00 pm.

3. Stop for dinner at Turkeyville at 6:00 pm.

4. Arrive at Abrams Planetarium at ~7:30 pm.

5. Abrams Planetarium show at 8:00 pm. Admission paid by the KAS (members only).

Preview: Back to the Moon for Good

This award-winning Google Lunar XPRIZE full dome planetarium show chronicles teams around the world competing for the largest international incentivized prize in history, by landing a robotic spacecraft on the Moon. The show opens with the first era of space exploration in the late 1960s and early 1970s and ends with a stunning glimpse of a plausible scenario for our future on the Moon.

5. Attend MSU Observatory Open House from 9:00 pm – 11:00 pm (weather permitting). Viewing through the 24” Boller & Chivens Ritchey-Chrétien Telescope.

6. Depart for Kalamazoo at ~11:00 pm

7. Arrive in Kalamazoo at ~12:30 am.

For last minute details please attend the general meeting on November 4th. If you are unable to attend the meeting but would like to go on the field trip then please contact us ASAP. If the weather is really bad (heavy rain or snow, severe thunderstorms, etc.) we will notify everyone that has signed up of a cancellation.

Field Trip To East Lansing

indicated the existence of an exoplanet. At just 4.24 light-years away, this planet orbits its red dwarf star in just 11 days, with a lower limit to its mass of just 1.3 Earths. If verified, this would bring the number of Earth-like planets found in their star's habitable zones up to 22, with 'Proxima b' being the closest one. Just based on what we've seen so far, if this planet is real and has 130% the mass of Earth, we can already infer the following:

It receives 70% of the sunlight incident on Earth, giving it the right temperature for liquid water on its surface, assuming an Earth-like atmosphere.

It should have a radius ~10% larger than our own planet's, assuming it is made of similar elements.

It is plausible that the planet would be tidally locked to its star, implying a permanent 'light side' and a permanent 'dark side'.

And if so, then seasons on this world are determined by the orbit's ellipticity, not by axial tilt.

Yet the unknowns are tremendous. Proxima Centauri emits considerably less ultraviolet light than a star like the Sun; can life begin without that? Solar flares and winds are much greater around this world; have they stripped away the atmosphere entirely? Is the far side permanently frozen, or do winds allow possible life there? Is the near side baked and barren, leaving only the 'ring' at the edge potentially habitable? Proxima b is a vastly different world from Earth, and could range anywhere from actually inhabited to completely unsuitable for any form of life. As 30 meter-class telescopes and the next generation of space observatories come online, we just may find out! Looking to teach kids about exoplanet discovery? NASA Space Place explains stellar wobble and how this phenomenon can help scientists find exoplanets:

http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/barycenter/en/ This article is provided by NASA Space Place. With articles, activities, crafts, games, and lesson plans, NASA Space Place encourages everyone to get excited about science and technology. Visit spaceplace.nasa.gov to explore space and Earth science!

November 2016

It is often the little things that keep us from stargazing. So let’s pick one of those “little” things and do some troubleshooting. One problem I’ve seen our members (including myself) struggle with is properly (and easily) aiming the telescope. You’d think with a finder scope, red dot finder, or Telrad that this should be easy. Not necessarily so! Aiming at a celestial object, involves two main steps: aiming the telescope tube in the general area of sky that the object resides (which I’ll call rough aiming) and zeroing in on the target (which I’ll call precise aiming). Problems occur with each step due to several factors, three of which come to mind:

1. Not having an easy line-of-sight for rough aiming 2. Finder scope issues 3. Age and reduced flexibility of the astronomer

We’ll address the first one of these in this article, the second one in a subsequent article, and hope/pray the third one just gets better. Rough aiming is basically getting the telescope aimed close enough so that the object of interest is in the field-of-view (FOV) of the finder scope. In contrast to the long-tube Sears refractor of my early years, my stubby Maksutov-Cassegrain ‘scope is not conducive to easy rough aiming. Even the Moon is not always a snap to aim and get it in the finder scope’s FOV. Worse yet, aiming such a telescope at objects close to zenith often becomes a nightmare in bodily contortion. There’s not an easy line-of-sight to use. So what’s an amateur astronomer to do? Fortunately, rough aiming problems can be mitigated by at least three methods. First, a reflex finder such as a Telrad or a red dot finder is an excellent way to quickly aim a telescope in the right area of

the sky. These devices do not magnify, but allow one to line up an illuminated red dot or circular pattern with the portion of sky of interest. The second method is to attach a green laser pointer to a telescope tube. Mounting kits can be purchased to accomplish this, or one can rig up a homemade device or even attach a laser pointer with rubber bands or tape. Once aligned with the telescope, the laser is activated and the telescope tube is moved until the laser beam points to the area of sky where the object of interest is. Both the laser and the reflex finders have their pros and cons. The reflex finders work well in both warm and cold weather; however, they still might require some body contortion to look through, especially if mounted low on the telescope tube. On the other hand, laser pointing allows the observer to aim without bending at all. Unfortunately, lasers are prone to fail at cooler temperatures, and care must be taken never to point them in the vicinity of aircraft. A third and inexpensive alternative to the reflex finder and laser pointer is to build a sighting strip out of wood, eyelets, and some other miscellaneous hardware. Instructions for this (as well as other tips for improving a less than stellar telescope) can be found on Sky & Telescope’s website. Any of these methods can be used to make rough aiming quick and easy, bringing the object of interest into the FOV of the finder scope. From there, it’s an easy matter of precise aiming by placing the object in the crosshairs of the finder scope and beholding the view in the main telescope. Incidentally, a properly aligned reflex finder or green laser pointer is often sufficient for precise aiming at objects visible with the unaided eye. However, zeroing in on more elusive celestial targets is best done with a magnifying finder scope. We’ll discuss finder scope issues (in excruciating detail) in the next installment. Stay tuned! Joe Comiskey joined the KAS in 2009 and is currently serving his third term as a Member-At-Large on the Board.

Prime Focus Page 5

Observing Without Tears: Take Aim! (Part 1) by Joe Comiskey

The author observes through his 10-inch f/6 Starsplitter Dobsonian at a Public Observing Session on July 9, 2016. Note the Telrad finder for “rough aiming” and the right-angle finder scope for “precise aiming.”

Astrophotography Night Highlights

The Lagoon & Trifid Nebula (M8 & M20) Richard Bell The Lagoon Nebula (M8) is an emission nebula located about 4,310 light‐years away in the constella on Sagi arius. Astronomy writer Agnes Clark named it the Lagoon in 1890. It contains the open cluster NGC 6523. M8 has an angular size of 90’ x 40’ which translates to actual dimension of 110 × 50 light‐years, making it substan ally larger than the Orion Nebula.

The Trifid Nebula (M20) is located 2,660 light‐years away and is both an emission and reflec on nebula. Famed astronomer John Herschel gave the nebula its name. The age of the star cluster within the nebula is less than 400,000 years old. Its angular size of 20’ x 20’ suggests its 15 light‐years across.

Details: TMB‐92SS triplet apochroma c refractor with an Hap Griffin modified Canon T3i (600D) DSLR camera and Tele Vue 0.8× focal reducer and field fla ener on an Astro‐Physics Mach1GTO German equatorial mount. It is a 51‐minute total exposure taken during the 2016 Texas Star Party, held annually at the Prude Ranch near Fort Davis, Texas.

Star Trails & the Space Sta on

Eric Schreur

As Earth rotates on its axis, stars in the Northern Hemisphere appear to travel counterclockwise around the North Celes al Pole. This effect can be captured in a star trail image. This image was taken at the Leelanau RV Park on the night of May 23‐24, 2014. Li le did Eric know at the

me, but the Interna onal Space Sta on crossed through the field‐of‐view. The missing gaps were between exposures.

Details: Canon 60Da DSLR camera with a Tokina 11 ‐ 16mm lens set at 11mm and f/8. Approximately 700 20‐second exposures at ISO 800 were combined using Star Trails 2.3, resul ng in the 3 hour star trail image shown below.

The Pleiades Jim Kurtz

The Pleiades (M45) is an open cluster located at a distance of 440 light‐years in the constella on of Taurus the Bull. It contains over 1,000 stars in a sphere about 14 light‐years across. The cluster is es mated to be at least 100 million years old.

Details: Tele Vue NP‐127is apochroma c refractor with an SBIG ST‐2000XCM CCD camera. It is a 295‐minute equivalent exposure taken from Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Astrophotography Night Highlights Horsehead & Flame Nebula Dave Garten

The Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33) is a dark nebula seen in silhoue e against the emission nebula IC 434. The Flame Nebula (NGC 2024), seen at the lower le , is also an emission nebula. They are all part of the giant Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. Alnitak, the eastern‐most star of Orion’s Belt, is the bright star just le of center.

Details: Takahashi FSQ‐106 apochroma c refractor (using a 0.73× focal reducer) with a Canon 60Da DSLR camera (at ISO 800) and 6nm hydrogen alpha filter on a Losmandy G‐11 German equatorial mount. It is an 80‐minute equivalent exposure taken from Portage, Michigan.

Elephant’s Trunk Nebula Roger Williams

Within the constella on Cepheus is IC 1396, a massive cloud of ionized gas about 2,400 light‐years away. The Elephant’s Trunk Nebula is an elongated column of dust and gas found within this region.

Details: Celestron 14‐inch EdgeHD Schmidt‐Cassegrain telescope equipped with Starizona’s HyperStar system and SBIG ST‐8300C CCD camera, all mounted on a So ware Bisque Paramount MX robo c mount. It is a stack of 64 1‐minute unguided exposures taken from Oshtemo, Michigan.

Heart Nebula Dave Garten

The Heart Nebula (IC 1805) is an emission and dark nebula located about 7,500 light‐years away in the constella on Cassiopeia. It’s about 200 light‐years in diameter and located in the Perseus arm of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Details: Takahashi FSQ‐106 apochroma c refractor (using a 0.73× focal reducer) with a Canon 60Da DSLR camera (at ISO 800). It is a 4‐hour equivalent exposure (combining 49 5‐minute images) taken from the Manistee Na onal Forest near Walkerville, Michigan.

Milky Way Rising Richard Bell

The Milky Way rises above the Davis Mountains on May 7, 2016 during the annual Texas Star Party. The central bulge of our galaxy can be seen with Antares, the orange‐red supergiant star in Scorpius, to the upper right. The bright object just above the bulge is the planet Saturn.

Details: Canon T3i (600D) DSLR camera modified for astrophotography using a Rokinon 24mm lens at f/4 mounted on an iOptron Skytracker. It is a 7.2‐minute equivalent exposure at ISO 3200.

November Night Sky..................

NORTH

EA

ST

WE

ST

L ook for a waxing crescent Moon about 7° to the upper right of Mars

on the evening of November 5th. Turn toward the southwestern horizon and spot brilliant Venus 8° to the left of Saturn. A nearly Full Moon looms near the V-shaped Hyades cluster, representing the face of Taurus the Bull, on the night of

November 14th - 15th. Use binoculars and watch the Moon get closer and closer to the Hyades as the night progresses. Moonlight spoils the already weak Leonid meteor shower during the early morning hours of November 17th. Regulus, the heart of Leo the Lion, shares

the sky with the Last Quarter Moon during the early morning hours of November 21st. The Moon is only 2° below the “little king” star. A waning crescent Moon, Jupiter, and Spica (in Virgo) form a triangle about 9° tall in the southwestern sky at dawn on November 25th.

SOUTH

This star map is property of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society. However you may make as many copies as you wish free-of-charge, so long as it is for non-profit educational purposes and full credit is given to the KAS.

www.kasonline.org

Early October 11 pm

Late October 10 pm

Early November 8 pm

Late November 7 pm

This map represents the sky at the following local standard times:

PRESIDENT

Richard S. Bell 373-8942

VICE PRESIDENT

Jack Price 343-3193

TREASURER

Rich Mather 629-5312

SECRETARY/ALCOR

Roger Williams 375-4867

MEMBERS-AT-LARGE

Joe Comiskey 329-4251 Mike Cook 345-4998 Scott Macfarlane 679-2865 Don Stilwell 963-5856

E-MAIL a BOARD MEMBER

November 2016 Page 9

Opening nominations for 2017 KAS Officers and At-Large Board Members will take place at the November General Meeting. Please send us your nominations if you are unable to attend the meeting. Ask not what the KAS can do for you, but what you can do for the KAS!

Moving? New E-mail? Have you recently moved and/or changed your e‐mail address? If so please let us know ASAP.

If you are moving out of town before your membership expires please contact us anyway. You paid for a years worth (or more) of newsle ers and that’s what you’ll get!

On 21 August 2017, an eclipse of the Sun will occur across a 70‐mile‐wide path from Oregon to South Carolina, giving tens of millions of people a chance to see the greatest phenomena in Nature.

Eclipse shades will allow you to safely view this momentous event. Buy a pair for yourself, friends, family, co‐workers, etcetera! Hurry and order now before eclipse fever sweeps the na on!

Send your orders to: kas@kasonline.org

© November 2016, Stargazer Productions

Kalamazoo Astronomical Society c/o KAMSC 600 West Vine, Suite 400 Kalamazoo, MI 49008

STAMP

General Meeting Preview

Credit: Roger Williams

As part of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society’s 80th anniversary celebration J. Kelly Beatty, a long‐time Senior Editor at Sky & Telescope magazine, invites you to a discussion about the most serious threat to our greatest natural resource, the night sky.

Light pollution, simply put, is any unnecessary or excessive outdoor illumination. Sadly, it’s become a pervasive and ugly consequence of modern 24/7 society. Light pollution robs us of the night sky’s beauty, negatively affects the ecosystem, and creates an in‐your‐face waste of energy. But a new mindset and new technology are poised to slow — and perhaps reverse — this bane of modern life.

Friday, November 4 @ 7:00 pm

Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center 600 West Vine, Suite 400 • Use Dutton St. Entrance

─ Dutton Entrance Locked by 7:10 pm ─