Page 1 FOR DECEMBER 2017

Vol X Issue 4

THIS MONTH’S MEETING and CLUB STAR PARTY

MEETING DETAILS FEATURED SPEAKER and PRESENTATION

DATE: Tuesday, December 12th

ANNUAL POT LUCK DINNER: 5:45pm

MEETING TIME: 7:00pm

PLACE: La Posada Recreation Center

MEETING SCHEDULE:

7:00: Meeting Intro and Welcome

7:10 Organizational Announcements

7:30: Featured Speaker: Teddy Kareta and John Noonan, LPL

~ 8:15: Club Activities/Business

~ 8:30: Door Prizes Drawing?

~ 8:45: Outside Activities / Snack at Denny’s

Join us after the meeting at the local Denny’s Restaurant for a

snack, dessert, or whatever so we can get to know each other

better and talk more astronomy.

WHO: Teddy Kareta and John Noonan, Lunar and

Planetary Lab

TITLE: Space Agency Rosetta Comet Escort Mission

ABSTRACT: The European Space Agency Rosetta comet

escort mission, it's impact on the cometary science

community, and the clues it's given us about the early solar

system.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS: Theodore (Teddy) Koreta is a

planetary science graduate student at the Lunar and

Planetary Laboratory at the University of

Arizona studying small bodies and the

processes that govern how they change with

time. He graduated from UMass Amherst in

2017 with a degree in Physics and

Astronomy. He is currently working to

analyze observations of Comets C/2015 V2

Johnson and 41P from his May 31st - June

1st (2017) observing run at the WIYN 0.9m telescope at Kitt

Peak National Observatory.

John Noonan John is with the Lunar and

Planetery Laboratory, University of

Arizona. He graduated from the University

of Colorado, Boulder, in 2016 with a B.A.

in Astrophysics. He worked on the

ESA/NASA

Rosetta mission, which gathered data

about comet 67P/Churyumov-

Gerasimenko from 2014 until September 2016. He analyzed

the surrounding coma of the comet to determine its

composition, its response to outside energetic events like

coronal mass ejections from the Sun, and what these

observations tell us of the comet's origin and evolution.

.

NEXT MEMBER STAR PARTIES

DATE: Dec 14th

TIME: 5:10 pm

PLACE: Whipple Visitors Center.

DATE: Jan 148h

TIME: 5:15 pm

PLACE: Whipple Visitors Center.

Please join our Yahoo Group site:

(http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/sas_club/)

To get directions and up-to-date information on the status

of a star party in case a weather issue develops.

If you have a telescope that you don’t know how to use,

or are looking to buy a telescope and want to compare

different telescopes, join us at a star party and we can

give you some help.

Page 2 FOR DECEMBER 2017

Vol X Issue 4

UPCOMING EVENTS PRESIDENT’S NOTES

NEXT MEETING Greetings everyone,

We are excited that Whipple Observatory is reinstating public

star parties at the Visitor’s Center. The first one will be held

on Friday December 15th

. Please support this star party as

there could be a large public attendance.

There is also another star party at Tumacacori on the 13th

.

Please let Duane know if you can attend either of these public

star parties.

We will be holding our annual “pot luck” dinner this month

preceding the meeting. Get those ovens warmed up and bring

some good food to share with everyone.

If anyone is interested in auditing science classes for non-

credit at the U of A at a significantly reduced rate ($150/credit

hour), the U of A College of Science is offering 30 classes from

13 departments available to local community members

beginning in the Spring semester which starts January 10th.

Courses available cover the fields of Astronomy, Chemistry,

Biology, and Earth Sciences, and more. The number of seats

are limited and are available at a first-come first-served basis.

You can get more information at:

http://cos.arizona.edu/connections/community-science-

scholars.

John Dwyer

President SAS

DATE: Tuesday, Jan 9th

, 2018

TIME: 7:00pm

SPEAKER: Cassandra Lejoly of L.P.L.

TITLE: T.B.D.

MEMBER STAR PARTIES Dec 14th, @ Whipple Apr 19th @ Whipple

Jan 18th @ Whipple May 17th @ Whipple

Feb 15th @ Whipple Jun 14th @ Whipple

Mar 15th @ Whipple Jul 12th @ Whipple

PUBLIC STAR PARTIES

• December 13th

, Tumacacori National Historic Park, Set-up

5:00 p.m.

• December 15th

, Whipple Visitor Center. Whipple

Observatory talk, 5:00; stargazing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

If you have questions Contact Duane Johnsen

dr.johnsen@comcast.net, 303-6920

OTHER EVENTS U of A Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory

Public Evening Lectures Series, Fall 2017. Starting at 7:30 p.m.,

Room N210, Steward Observatory. Afterwards, the Steward

Observatory telescope will be available for viewing. Events are

free.

Monday, December 4th

, “Black Holes, Galaxies &

Cosmic Fireworks”, Dr. Stephanie Juneau, National Optical

Astronomy Observatories

Other events offered by the University of Arizona/Steward

Observatory

1. Public Evening Lecture Series Podcasts

2. Mt. Lemmon Sky Center

3. Tours

4. Flandrau Science Center

5. Biosphere2

NEW MEMBERS SINCE LAST MEETING Welcome to our new members:

Jim and Linda Work

Greg Bohemier

Mark Boykin

Page 3 FOR DECEMBER 2017

Vol X Issue 4

SKY HIGHLIGHTS FOR DECEMBER

DECEMBER MOON/SUN TIMES

Jupiter will be rising a few hours before the Sun in the morning

sky this month. Saturn is now lost in the glare of the Sun. Mars is

in the morning sky rising about four hours before sunrise. Venus

will be basically too close to the Sun to be visible this month. Mercury will be too close to the Sun to be seen for most of the

month. Uranus, in Pisces, will be visible for the first half of the

evening. Neptune is in Aquarius and is about due south at sunset.

We are currently devoid of any decent visible comets.

December is the month for the Geminid meteor shower. This will

peak on the evening of the 13th

into the morning of the 14th

.This is

not too far from the date of the new Moon, so there will be no

interference from the Moon. You can expect possibly up to 50

meteors per hour including some very bright ones. It is one of the

few showers that can be visible in the evening.

JPD

DATE M-

Rise M-Set M-Phase

Sun-

set Star Party

Fri 12/01 16:11 4:39 17:20

Sat 12/02 16:58 5:47 17:20

Sun 12/03 17:51 6:56 Full 17:20

Mon 12/04 18:50 8:04 17:20

Tue 12/05 19:53 9:09 17:20

Wed 12/06 20:59 10:08 17:20

Thu 12/07 22:05 11:00 17:20

Fri 12/08 23:09 11:46 17:20

Sat 12/09 ----- 12:26 17:20

Sun 12/10 0:10 13:04 3rd Qtr 17:20

Mon 12/11 1:09 13:38 17:21

Tue 12/12 2:06 14:12 17:21 Meeting

Wed 12/13 3:02 14:45 17:21

Thu 12/14 3:57 15:20 17:21 S.A.S.

Fri 12/15 4:51 15:57 17:22 Whipple

Sat 12/16 5:45 16:36 17:22

Sun 12/17 6:37 17:18 New 17:22

Mon 12/18 7:29 18:03 17:23

Tue 12/19 8:17 18:52 17:23

Wed 12/20 9:03 19:43 17:24

Thu 12/21 9:46 20:35 17:24

Fri 12/22 10:25 21:30 17:25

Sat 12/23 11:02 22:24 17:25

Sun 12/24 11:38 23:20

17:26

Mon 12/25 12:12 ----- 17:27

Tue 12/26 12:47 0:17 1st Qtr 17:27

Wed 12/27 13:23 1:17 17:28

Thu 12/28 14:02 2:18 17:28

Fri 12/29 14:45 3:23 17:29

Sat 12/30 15:34 4:30 17:30

Sun 12/31 16:28 5:39 17:30

(S)=Solar

WANT TO VIEW SATELLITES? WANT CURRENT COMET INFORMATION?

To find out information on when you can view satellites, such as

the International Space Station (ISS), or satellite related events,

such as Iridium Flares, go to www.heavens-above.com. Under

“Configuration”, use “select from map” to enter your specific

location (precision can make a difference for Iridium Flares), and

choose what satellite’s information you want to view. Also,

information on comets, planets, and other objects are available.

If you want information on current observable comets, go to “The

Weekly Information about Bright Comets” site at

http://www.aerith.net/comet/weekly/current.html. Comets are

listed in brightest to least bright order. Remember, to see a comet

without any optical aid, it must be approximately 4th

magnitude or

brighter. With binoculars, the comet would most likely need to be

at least 8th

magnitude. Comets below 11th

magnitude might be

difficult to pick up with other than a large aperture telescope.

Visibility can also depend on how diffuse the comet is.

Page 4 FOR DECEMBER 2017

Vol X Issue 4

S.A.S. Club Officers

Office/Position Name Phone No. E-Mail Address

Chairman of the Board Open

President John Dwyer (520) 393-3680 jd_2.astro@cox.net

Secretary Michael Moraghan (520) 399-3352 moraghanm@bellsouth.net

Treasurer John McGee (520) 207-6188 jcmcgee@cox.net

Star Party Coordinator Duane Johnsen (520) 303-6920 dr.johnsen@comcast.net

Newsletter Editor John Christensen (520) 869-8983 jayrayaz@gmail.com

Web Master Joe Castor joe_castor@compuserve.org

ALCOR Burley Packwood (520) 396-3576 packbj@gmail.com

NSN Rep Duane Johnsen (520) 303-6920 dr.johnsen@comcast.net

Past President Emeritus Dan F. Case (520) 207-6833 dfcase@cox.net

Past President Emeritus Ben Coppock (520) 625-5360 bcodent@aol.com

Yahoo! Group Owner John Dwyer (520) 393-3680 jd_2.astro@cox.net

*ALCOR: Astronomical League Coordinator

*NSN: Night Sky Network Coordinator

WHY JOIN S.A.S. SPACE NEWS

1. SAS Family Membership Fee is only $15.00 per year.

2. SAS monthly newsletter “The Sonoran Starry Nights.”

3. Top-quality astronomy lectures by local astronomers!

4. SAS Yahoo! Group Website member forum. (sas_club.)

5. SAS Discount for Astronomy Magazine $34.00 for 1-

year or $60.00 for 2 years renewed through our treasurer.

6. SAS Discount subscription rate for Sky & Telescope

Magazine $32.95 for 1-year self-renewed.

7. RASC Observer’s Handbook at a discount, $30.00.

8. SAS T-Shirts for sale for $10.00—M, L, XL.

9. Member of International Dark-sky Association (IDA)

and The Astronomical League.

11. SAS Discount for Astronomy 2018 Calendar $10.00

12. SAS monthly Member Star Parties.

13. SAS Telescope and astronomy book loan programs.

14. SAS outreach to astronomy education in schools.

15. SAS fellowship with other amateur astronomers!

Dr. Kevin Hainline spoke at the November meeting about his awe

and excitement viewing the historic Apollo mission test chamber and

control center a the Johnson Space Center. Approrpiately, we recall

that it was 49 years ago, December 21, 1968 when Apollo 8 was

launched. It was the first manned launch on a Saturn V rocket, the

first to leave Earth orbit and the first to travel to the moon. Crew

members were Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders. It was

Anders who took the iconic Earth Rise photo.

CLUB DUES

Dues (family or individual) are $15 annually, payable each

year in the month you initially joined the club. You will

receive a reminder in the monthly newsletter e-mail of

your due date. You can either pay at the club meeting or

mail it to the club’s address (S.A.S., P.O. Box 1081, Green

Valley, AZ, 85622).

OUR YAHOO GROUP and WEB SITES

If you want to keep up-to-date with club activities, such as

star parties, tours, etc., want information on current

astronomical events, or have questions about astronomy,

please join our Yahoo group at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sas_club.

Also check out our web site

http://www.sonoraastronomicalsociety.org.

Page 5 FOR DECEMBER 2017

Vol X Issue 4

CLUB EQUIPMENT FOR LOAN OUT EQUIPMENT FOR SALE

TELESCOPES:

2 - 8” Celestron Schmidt Cassegrain telescopes

1 – 4” Refractor telescope

1 – 1” Refractor telescope

Note: Instruction may be required for some telescopes. Contact

one of the club officers for information and availability.

OTHER EQUIPMENT:

1. Celestron NextStar 5 telescope with JNI tripod and

mobile sliding pedestal with wheels for moving outdoors

and back. The equipment is in excellent condition, has been

covered and kept indoors. Asking $500.

Contact Tom Purdon at 520-648-7080

2. Meade 10" LX200 Advanced Coma-Free SCT, with

GPS FOR SALE ($3200.00). Includes:

* Built-in GPS Controlled Tracking System, over 145,000

objects.

* Meade Standard Field Tripod designed for 8" and 10"

LX90 abd LX200 GPS Telescopes.

* Meade Deep Sky CCD Imager (510x492 - 250,000

pixels).

* Meade #644 Flip-Mirror system.

* Meade #777 Off-Axis Guider.

* Meade Autostar II Hand Controller, includes more than

145,000 celestial objects.

* Eye Piece Tray.

* Astronomy Viewing Chair.

* Plus, much more.

Contact Joe Ascarate at joseph.ascarate@gmail.com

3. Orion XT8 Plus Dob

If you are interested in this scope, contact Robert Shropshire at rshropshire1@aol.com for more information.

CLUB BOOK AND CDs/DVDs LOAN LIBRARY

BOOKS:

The following books are available for check out:

1. Guide to the Stars (16”) by David H. Levy

2. The Next Step: Finding and Viewing Messier’s Objects by

Ken Graun

3. Touring the Universe: A Practical Guide to Exploring the

Cosmos through 2017 by Ken Graun (2 copies)

4. What’s Out Tonight? Celestial Almanac & Astronomy Field

Guide 2000 to 2050 by Ken Graun (2 copies)

5. Sky Atlas 2000.0 Companion by Robert A. Strong (donated by

Paul Anderson)

Please see the club treasurer or secretary for availability.

Our thanks to Ken Graun for his generous donations.

CDs/DVDs:

We have “Understanding the Universe: An Introduction to

Astronomy”. This is a 16 DVD set of 96 lectures (30 min per

lecture) by Dr Alex Filippenko of UC Berkeley and CalTech. This

is a nontechnical introductory college-level course on astronomy.

More information about this course can be found at

http://www.teach12.com/ttcx/coursedesclong2.aspx?cid=1810.

Please see the club treasurer at the next meeting for availability.

Page 6 FOR DECEMBER 2017

Vol X Issue 4

SAS IS A MEMBER OF THE ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE SAS IS A MEMBER OF IDA

Since SAS is a member of the

Astronomical League, any SAS member

may join the Astronomical League for a

nominal fee of $7.50. What are the

advantages to you of joining the AL?

1. You can receive various observing

awards by joining an “observing club” and

observing the required number of objects. There are all levels of

clubs from beginner to advanced, viewing constellations to deep-

sky objects and using either your naked eyes, binoculars, or a

telescope. Contact our ALCOR reps Paul and Cathy Anderson for

details.

2. You can get a 10% discount on books purchased through the

AL Book Service.

3. You will receive the AL’s quarterly “Reflector” magazine

which keeps you up to date on all the AL activities.

More info at www.astroleague.org

SAS is proud to be a member of the International

Dark-Sky Association, supporting the reduction in

light pollution around the U.S. and the world.

More info at www.darksky.org

OUR NON-PROFIT STATUS

The Sonora Astronomical Society is a 501 (c) (3)

nonprofit charitable organization! SAS has a

CERTIFICATE OF GOOD STANDING from the

State of Arizona Corporation Commission for 2009-

2011!

MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS To order or renew your Sky and Telescope Magazine at the Club

Rate, you can do so directly by going to

www.skyandtelescope.com/clubspecial

To order or renew Astronomy Magazine, see the Treasurer.

OUR SPONSORS

S T A R I Z O N A ADVENTURES IN ASTRONOMY AND NATURE

5757 N. Oracle Rd www.starizona.com

Tucson, AZ 85704 (520) 292-5010

Since 1986

New Address:

3721 E 37TH ST

TUCSON AZ 85713

(520) 571-0877

http://www.stellarvisiontucson.com

CLUB STATISTICS / FINANCES

Lifetime Members: 0 Bank Balance as of End of Oct: $1,515.66

Individual & Family Members: 169 Deposits / (W/Ds): $465.00/ ($0.00)

Total Membership: 169 Bank Balance as of End of Nov: $1.980.66

LOCAL ASTRO-IMAGING GROUP: Sonoran Desert Astro Imagers (SDAI) (Peter Lammers, Coordinator)

Are you interested in Astrophotography or are you currently involved in imaging the skies? Please plan to join our monthly

meeting of the Sonoran Desert Astro Imagers group. Our meetings focus on improving our skills, helping each other, workshops, and field

trips. Please send your Name and E-mail address to my address below and we’ll include you in the emailing notices of monthly meetings;

“the when and where meeting notice.” Do you have any questions? If so, call me (Peter Lammers) at (520) 398-4308 or email to

peterlammers@cox.net. Clear skies! Peter Lammers

Page 7 FOR DECEMBER 2017

Vol X Issue 4

THE STARGAZING CORNER: Geminid December Meteor Shower

In December will occur one of the best meteor showers of the year, the Geminids. It is one of the best for two reasons: (1) it can generate

some large very bright meteors and (2) you don’t have to be up in the wee hours of the morning to see them. They are visible in the evening

before midnight as well as into the morning hours after midnight.

The Geminids are an unusual meteor shower in that their parent body is “3200 Phaethon”, an asteroid, rather than a comet. It is speculated

though that Phaeton is actually a "gassed out" comet, and so the debris that makes up the Geminids may still be cometary particles.

The Geminids are a fairly reliable meteor shower and this year moonlight will not interfere. Some decent meteors rates should be seen,

possibly as much as one a minute from a dark site.

Unlike the Leonids, where there is a very narrow peak of high activity, the Geminids have a broad peak and will show good activity well

before and after the peak, and on the day before and after. The peak is the evening of December 13th

just before midnight but levels should

remain good into the early morning after that so you should get decent rates. Gemini begins rising about 7:00pm rise so you will not have to

disturb your sleep for this one.

As a side note, you will be able to see asteroid 3200 Phaethon as it flies within 6 million miles of the Earth on December 16th

. It is expected

to reach about 11th

magnitude on the 14th

when it will be at its brightest in Perseus, visible in a small telescope (3in or greater). It will be

moving very fast (15° per day or almost the width of the Moon in about 15 minutes) so you should actually see it moving in your eyepiece.

Sky and Telescope has a finder chart for it here: (3200 Phaethon).

(Thanks to astroblogger for some info)

JohnD

Page 8 FOR DECEMBER 2017

Vol X Issue 4

SUMMARY OF THE NOVEMBER 14TH

PRESENTATION

Presentation by Kevin Hainline, PhD, Steward Observatory, The Extraordinary James Webb Space Telescope and the Future of

Astronomy

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) mirror is 6.5 meters in diameter, compared to Hubble’s 2.4-meter mirror. Also, while Hubble operates at primarily visible wavelengths, Webb will be infrared. The launch date was recently rescheduled to the spring of 2019. While the delay is disappointing it’s also good for Kevin because it gives him more time to prepare his science experiments. The Webb has a 5-year planned life but will likely perform for ten or even 15 years. The propellent used to keep the Webb in the L2 Lagrange point about 1 million miles from Earth will eventually run out, allowing the telescope to drift away.

The launch will take place in French Guiana aboard an Ariane 5 rocket. To fit within the rocket’s payload bay the large telescope must me intricately folded. Once the telescope is released in space it will slowly unfold during its one-month flight to the L2 point.

Unlike the Hubble Space Telescope, the JWST will be beyond the reach of manned repair or upgrade missions. Kevin is often asked ‘what happens if it breaks?’. The answer is, nothing could be done. However, there are backup components and multiple tests have been and are being performed to ensure everything works and can withstand the rigors of launch and deep space. Kevin participated in some of those tests at Goddard in Baltimore. While there he was excited to watch assembly of the segmented mirror. He later traveled to Houston for further testing of the JWST components in the Space Environment Simulation Laboratory. Kevin was in Houston in August 2017 when Hurricane Harvey hit. The Space Center shut down except for JWST “mission critical testing” of which Kevin was a part. Kevin worked 12-hour nighttime shifts, night after night, with plastic sheeting protecting him and the other team members from leaks in the ceiling.

The JWST has four instruments: NIRCam, NIRSpec, MIRI and FGS/NIRISS. NIRCam is a University of Arizona project headed by Marcia Rieke. NIRCam is the primary imager and the one that will provide images the public will marvel over, according to Kevin. NIRCam comprises two identical cameras. If one fails, the other provides a back-up. When both are operating they will image adjacent parts of the sky at different wavelengths with multiple filters. The image will be much larger than Hubble’s.

The JWST’s science objectives can be grouped under four themes, one of which is study of the farthest galaxies; The JWST will reveal galaxies that are so far away they have red shifted to the infrared part of the spectrum, the farthest things humans have ever found. That is the task Kevin is working on. For nearer galaxies, the JWST’s “amazing resolution” will look inside the star forming regions that Hubble shows only as “clumps”, increasing knowledge of star birth and galaxy formation.

Macia Rieke’s team will receive 900 hours of JWST imaging time. 450 hours will be used for a deep survey of a portion of the sky imaged extensively by other telescopes, including the Hubble. Of the remaining 450 hours, some will be used to study the atmospheres of exoplanets. The JWST is designed to subtract out the light of a distant star to allow study of its planets. The JWST also will be used to study our own solar system, including the moons of Jupiter and Saturn.

In conclusion Kevin urged us to continue following news about the JWST as he and other scientists eagerly await its first images.

JCM