Volume 29—Number 11 November 2012

Roanoke Valley Astronomical

Society Amateur Astronomy News and Views

In Southwestern Virginia

RVAS NL— November 2012— Pg 1 of 10

Saturday, October 6th—Picnic Day!—dawned with a sun-

niness tempered by high, thin clouds. The forecast had

not been good: mostly cloudy, with a chance of showers,

building to a rainy Sunday. Oh, well, hope for the best.

But as morning passed to afternoon, the clouds gath-

ered to a shoulder-drooping thick overcast. Like salt in

a wound. Last night had been beautifully clear, the wan-

ing gibbous Moon, Jupiter and Aldebaran a dazzling line-

up in the eastern sky.

Yet hope springs eternal, it is said. And hope was re-

warded. As Carolyn and I traveled 460 east out of Roa-

noke, small breaks appeared in the cloud cover. Then

more, until somewhere between Thaxton and Bedford,

blue overtook gray and continued spreading. By the

time we reached the Claytor Center remnant clouds

were scudding rapidly across the blue background, leav-

ing clear sky in their wake.

Sharon Stinnette, Fred Davis and Rick Rader were al-

ready on hand and introduced us to Dan Miles, of the

Claytor Center. It was now well after our 3:00 p.m.

starting time. Where was everyone else? Were the

clouds we left behind in Roanoke holding others back?

No! Little by little, club members began arriving. In all,

30 of the 40 who had signed up would make it—a fine

turnout; the best in quite a while.

In addition to those already mentioned, our picnickers

included: Paul Caffrey; Mike Good; John and Genevieve

Goss; Emily Hamilton; Gary Hatfield and daughters

Brooke and Madison; Josh and Robin Jones; Carol

Mesimer and son Raymond; Harry Montoro and Lynn

Donnary; Tom Skelly; Vince St. Angelo; Jeff Suhr;

Dave and Remona Thomas; Chris and Kim Wade; Ran-

dolph Walker and Deborah Wiley; and Roger and

(Picnic Continued on page 3)

Annual Event Held October 6th

Clear Skies Reward Picnickers

by Frank Baratta

(Left to right) Lynn Donnary, Emily Hamilton and Genevieve Goss

chat a bit before dinner as others begin getting the grills going.

(Carolyn Baratta photo)

RVAS NL— November 2012— Pg 2 of 10

The Roanoke Valley Astronomical Society is a membership organization of amateur astronomers dedicated to the pursuit of observational and photographic astronomical activities. Meetings are held at 7:30 p.m. on the third Monday of each month, at Virginia Western Community

College Natural Science Center, 3102 Colonial Ave. S.W. Roanoke, Virginia. Meetings are open to the public. Observing sessions are held one or two weekends a month at a dark-sky site. Yearly dues are: Individual, $20.00; Senior Individual, $18.00; Family, $25.00; Senior Family,

$22.00; Student, $10.00. Articles, quotes, etc. published in the newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views of the RVAS or its editor.

Officers/Executive Committee/Editor/Webmaster Frank Baratta, President (president@rvasclub.org )

Sharon Stinnette, Vice President (vicepresident@rvasclub.org) Rick Rader, Secretary (secretary@rvasclub.org) Jeff Suhr, Treasurer (treasurer@rvasclub.org)

Carol Mesimer, Member at Large (memberatlarge@rvasclub.org)

Michael Good, Immediate Past President (immediatepastpresident@rvasclub.org) Paul Caffrey, Past President (pastpresident@rvasclub.org)

David E. Thomas, RVAS Newsletter Editor (editor@rvasclub.org)

Roger Pommerenke & David E. Thomas, Webmaster (webmaster@rvasclub.org)

RVAS web page: http://rvasclub.org

Just an abbreviated message this time around. I have

other items in this issue of the newsletter and I don’t

want to monopolize its pages.

October was a busy month for the RVAS, with quite a

few activities taking place. You’ll read in this issue

about the great time we had at the October 6th picnic.

But you’ll also read about several outreach events in

which members participated, including the October 17th

Greenfield Elementary School and October 19th Wine,

Moon and Stars sessions, and the October 20th Weath-

erFest. Sadly, as I write this, it looks like Hurricane

Sandy will spoil the October 29th Salem Library Moon

Viewing, the third attempt to hold this event.

There are a couple activities I hope you’ll want to take

advantage of in the coming month. In mid- November,

Virginia Western Community College and the RVAS are

teaming up to present “The City Dark” to the communi-

ty. This is the widely-acclaimed documentary about the

loss of darkness and its impact on humanity and the

planet. It’s being shown to the general public at 7:00

p.m. on Tuesday, November 13th in the Whitman Theater

of VWCC’s Business Science Building. Admission is

FREE! There will be daytime screenings for VWCC and

other Valley students on both the 13th and 14th, likewise

with no admission charge. Don’t miss this visually capti-

vating and important film!

On November 19th we get back on our regular monthly

meeting schedule and we’re excited about the great

evening we have in store for members. Dwight Holland,

PhD, will be our speaker. Many of you will remember his

appearance a few years ago when he spoke about the

effects of weightlessness on the human body. Dwight is

a former member of the RVAS and has been spending

his time in California with an astronaut training pro-

gram. He has a wide range of interests related to space

and physiology. We have no idea what Dwight’s topic will

be, but it’s sure to be informative and entertaining. So,

be sure to join us at the November meeting.

Looking farther ahead to our December 17th meeting,

we’ll join in the holiday cheer with our Winter Social.

This is one of our annual activities that’s meant to be a

bit free-form and give members a chance to get to know

each other, with some snacks and soft drinks to lighten

the atmosphere. Members are invited to bring their

favorite munchies to add to the fare. We’ll also invite

members to bring astrophotographs, astro-gizmos, au-

dio-visual short subjects, or other show-and-tell items

to share with the group. It’ll be a fun evening.

That’s it for now. See you on November 19th!

Frank Baratta

President’s Message

A Busy Month and More Ahead

RVAS NL— November 2012— Pg 3 of 10

Terry Yeager. It was good to see many of our newer

members, as well as long-term members whose company,

because of distance, work or other factors, we hadn’t

enjoyed for too long a time.

For a while, people just hung out together, chatting,

greeting our newer members and renewing old acquaint-

ances. But by about 4:30, everyone was thinking

“Dinner!” and it was time to get matters moving—table

cloths down, covered dishes on this table, desserts on

that one, fire up the coals. Paul, Jeff and Fred, with

others fading in and out of the cooking crew, got the

burgers and hotdogs on the grill. Meanwhile, people

were nibbling here and there, and looking approvingly

(and hungrily!) at everything we would soon be enjoying

for our meal. The picnic tradition of being well fed was

in no danger of being broken.

In the field next to the pavilion, Mike had set up the

club’s Coronado solar scope and folks were getting views

of the Sun. The scope’s internal Hydrogen-alpha filter

reduces what remains of the solar radiation making it

through Earth’s magnetic and atmospheric envelope to a

fraction of a percent of its intensity. In such a scope

and filter, the Sun appears as a characteristically red-

orange disk, safe for viewing. Plainly seen were several

sunspots and flaring prominences extending from the

disk’s edge.

But now the burgers and hotdogs were being brought to

the table and the call to dinner was heard. No one had

to be coaxed. Lines formed on both sides of the tables

and people began filling their plates—a bit of this dish,

some of that salad, maybe some fresh veggies and so

many dessert choices! Soon, everyone was seated, en-

joying the meal, and joining in the various dinner-table

conversations underway within the group. Intermit-

tently, someone would rise and unabashedly saunter

over to the buffet for seconds (and thirds?).

By about 6:00 or so, dinner was winding down and we

were in that pleasant state that follows a good meal

with friends. Knowing that daylight would not much

longer be with us, we turned our attention to clean-up

and then doing our door prizes drawings. Of course,

following a meal people like to amble a bit, and reassem-

bling everyone took on appearances of the proverbial

“cat-herding.”

(Picnic Continued from page 1)

(Picnic Continued on page 4)

Frank Baratta (left), Fred Davis, and Jeff Suhr at the solar scope

(Rick Rader photo)

Mike Good (left) looks on as Chris Wade nibbles a bit

before dinner is served. (Carolyn Baratta photo)

The cooking crew Paul Caffrey (left), Jeff Suhr, Fred Davis

(Dave Thomas photo)

RVAS NL— November 2012— Pg 4 of 10

Eventually, all were back at the pavilion and, with Sha-

ron’s assistance, I began the drawings, noting that the

first prizes would be for picnickers age 15 or younger.

I called for a show of hands of all who fit the category.

Surprisingly, though only two present actually qualified,

at least 8 or 9 hands immediately shot up. It was that

kind of crowd. Everyone had received a slip with a star

name, and the first drawn was held by Brooke Hatfield,

age 10, who won a boxed set of star maps and a plastic

storage case. The next drawn was held by Madison

Hatfield, also age 10, who won a book, “The Stars, A

New Way to See Them,” and a notebook for recording

her observations.

Along with the forgoing, 15 great door prizes were

awarded at the picnic. The other winners (and win-

nings) included: Harry Montoro (24mm Meade MA eye-

piece); Kim Wade (Pocket Star Atlas); Rick Rader

(2013 Astronomical Calendar); Roger Yeager (The

Stargazing Year [book]); Tom Skelly (Astronomical

League Observer’s Logbook); Paul Caffrey and Sharon

Stinnette (Free, one-year RVAS memberships); Gary

Hatfield, John Goss and Lynn Donnary (2013 Deep Sky

Mysteries wall calendars); and Genevieve Goss, Mike

Good and Carolyn Baratta (RVAS mugs). Our thanks go

to John Goss for obtaining from the indicated sources

the Pocket Sky Atlas (Sky & Telescope), the 2013 As-

tronomical Calendar (Guy Ottewell and the Universal

Workshop) and the Observer’s Logbook (Astronomical

League). Thanks also to Fred Davis and Sharon Stin-

nette for donating “The Stargazing Year.” The eye-

piece, free memberships, wall calendars, mugs and

youth prizes were provided by the RVAS.

With the drawing completed, dusk coming on and a

clear sky beckoning, thoughts turned to setting up our

telescopes. The field next to the pavilion quickly had

half a dozen or so instruments awaiting nightfall. Dark-

ness grew and a chill filled the air as the Milky Way’s

glow appeared in the south and arched overhead. Some

sky glow from Bedford (just 5 miles away) was visible

on the southeastern horizon, though not obtrusively so;

but from the northeast all around to the southwest,

the sky was nicely dark and star-studded. Various fa-

vorite globular clusters, nebulae and galaxies soon

graced our eyepieces. Shortly before 8:30 we noted

clouds forming in the southeast, which rapidly built as

we continued observing over the next twenty minutes.

About 8:45, cloud cover had taken over and it was time

to pack it in. It had been an abbreviated but welcome

observing session, the first accompanying our annual

picnic in several years.

It didn’t take long before most everyone had departed.

Sharon and Fred stayed on to lock up, as Carolyn and I

finished our packing and made a final pit stop at the

Center’s education and research building. By around

9:30, we were also headed home.

It had been a fun afternoon and evening!

(Picnic Continued from page 3)

Brooke (left) and Madison Hatfield check out their prizes as their

father, Gary, looks on. (Rick Rader photo)

Michael Good made this panorama of the Peaks of Otter with his cellphone camera

(Combined in Photoshop. Unsharp mask to sharpen it a touch. Added “Astro” frame

from Astronomy Tools v1_6 plugin.)

The formation of our solar system, with multiple planets

and other bodies of varying sizes and compositions—this

was not a simple process. The more planetary systems

we discover around other stars, the more we confirm

the truth of this. Scientists are still working out the

details of exactly why we have a system that has been

remarkably stable over billions of years, with small and

rocky terrestrial planets clustered near the Sun, and

larger gaseous giant planets much farther away. With

only one example at hand, it was easy to tell ourselves

that our system was the norm. Yet ground-based obser-

vations combined with results from the Kepler Space

Telescope have shown us that solar systems come in a

bewildering variety of patterns: “hot Jupiters” with gi-

ant planets orbiting in scorchingly close orbits their

home stars, planets orbiting multiple stars, and planets

of very different compositions orbiting very close to

each other. We seem to have just about every possible

variation.

So it’s a little comforting when something we thought to

be true is shown to be true after all.

Such is the case with the Dawn mission to Vesta, the

second-largest among the asteroids that orbit between

Mars and Jupiter, with an average diameter of 326

miles (525 km). The Dawn spacecraft slipped into orbit

around Vesta in July 2011. After more than a year of

intensive study, it just as quietly slipped away this past

August, on its way to Ceres, either the largest asteroid

or a dwarf planet, depending on which side of the bed

you slept on last night. Dawn will arrive at Ceres in Feb-

ruary 2015. What did we expect to find at Vesta, and

what did we in fact find?

First, here is a video constructed from 64 actual images

of Vesta taken by Dawn:

(Vesta Continued on page 6)

Survivor By Neal Sumerlin

RVAS NL— November 2012— Pg 5 of 10

RVAS NL— November 2012— Pg 6 of 10

There are several interesting features, but I want to

draw your attention to just one. Vesta has a whopping

big crater (Rheasilvia) that dug out its southern polar

region.

The full extent of Rheasilvia is difficult to see from

the perspective of the movie; here is a better point of

view:

Next, what did we believe to be true about Vesta be-

fore the Dawn mission?

We know that meteorites that fall to earth are pieces

of asteroids or of other solar system bodies. A few me-

teorites are known to have come from the moon or from

Mars, by comparison of those meteorites either with

samples of the moon brought back by the Apollo astro-

nauts, or with compositions of Martian rocks deter-

mined by spacecraft landed on the surface of Mars. It’s

more difficult to assign meteorites to a particular as-

teroid, both because we lack detailed compositional in-

formation about the asteroids, and because there are

simply so many of them. There are probably over a mil-

lion with diameters of more than 1 km (0.6 miles).

But it stands to reason that more meteorites might

come from larger asteroids, particularly if there was a

major collision event in the asteroid’s history, and if

there is some plausible trajectory for bringing the de-

bris from that collision to the Earth. And if the “color”

of an asteroid—the detailed analysis of what wave-

lengths of light are absorbed and reflected from its

surface—matches that of the meteorite, you have a

reasonable case for concluding that a particular mete-

orite came from a particular asteroid.

Enter the HED meteorites. These were shown to match

Vesta’s surface colors, there was a trail of Vesta-like

asteroids leading to an area where Jupiter’s gravitation-

al influence could deliver them to Earth, and fuzzy Hub-

ble Space Telescope images hinted at the extent of

Rheasilvia. The close-up and detailed analysis of the

surface composition of Vesta (courtesy of Dawn) con-

firms that the HED meteorites are indeed pieces of

that asteroid. And Rheasilvia is more than large enough

to account for all the asteroids and meteorites that

apparently originated at Vesta.

What about the ages of these meteorites? They range

between 4.43 and 4.55 billion years old, among the very

oldest preserved objects in the solar system. And here

(Vesta Continued from page 5)

(Vesta Continued on page 7)

RVAS NL— November 2012— Pg 7 of 10

is the key fact: while there are

meteorites that are just as old or

older, none of them have been

conclusively tied to a specific par-

ent body as the HED meteorites

have to Vesta. Those other origi-

nal parent bodies have apparently

long since been shattered to piec-

es by collision, or incorporated

into larger bodies.

In other words, Vesta is a surviving protoplanet, one of

the small bodies from which the terrestrial planets,

including Earth, were assembled.

The early solar system was a tough neighborhood, with

frequent and violent collisions among the many small

bodies that initially formed. Some of these never grew

to any appreciable size. Some

grew to be protoplanets the size

of Vesta and larger and were then

assembled into larger bodies that

became the terrestrial planets:

Mercury Venus, Earth, and Mars.

Some of the protoplanets were

shattered into smaller pieces that

never became something larger.

And we now know that at least

one protoplanet survived to the

present age.

So raise a toast to Vesta! Surviving on an island with

several other devious manipulators for a few weeks is

nothing. Vesta is the true Survivor!

(Vesta Continued from page 6)

The night sky presents many objects of many different

types to observe and study. There is one class of deep

sky object which is quite unlike any other and which

many amateurs never consider hunting: Dark nebulae.

The Astronomical League offers an

observing program dedicated to dark

nebulae of all shapes and sizes. Prob-

ably the most well known of these

mysterious quarries is also the larg-

est, the Great Rift. Yes, it is on the

list along with other naked eye tar-

gets, a few binocular objects, and a

number of apparent holes in space

visible only with a telescope.

October 16th was dark and clear, at

least until 10:00 p.m. I had my 8 inch

reflector, which at 32x had greater than a 2º field, and

my 10 x 50 Nikon binoculars. Both were aimed at Bar-

nard 142/143 near Altair in Aquila. The telescope re-

vealed an area containing far fewer stars than the im-

mediate surrounding region, especially when considering

it was smack dab in the middle of the Milky Way. The

dark nebula wasn’t readily apparent.

Binoculars gave a very different impression. Amid the

subtle background glow from the

Milky Way, a vacant area roughly in

the shape of an “E” was discerned

just west of Gamma Aquilae. It was,

perhaps, a degree in width and

length. At first, B142/143 didn’t

stand out, but after some inspection

it became much more obvious. That is

when things got interesting.

Very thin clouds began to move in,

then quickly pass. The “hole” dissi-

pated, then reformed, then dissipat-

ed again as the atmospheric haze

slowly shifted high overhead. The “E”

was there, then it wasn’t, giving a strange eerie feeling,

at least to this observer. By 10:00 p.m. the clouds grew

heavy and finally won. The nebula was gone for good.

Holes in the fabric of space By John Goss

RVAS NL— November 2012— Pg 8 of 10

WDBJ reports that more than 5,000 people visited its

first WeatherFest event—and the RVAS was there to

spread its name and interest in astronomy to the com-

munity!

On Saturday, October 20th, the RVAS was well repre-

sented. Carol Mesimer, Jeff Suhr, John Goss, Mike

Good, Randolph Walker, Roger Pommerenke, and I

were on hand to engage the public. Our exhibit offered

various giveaways, solar viewing, a telescope display,

astro-images, a test-your-knowledge poster, scales giv-

ing your weight on Earth, Mars, Jupiter and the Moon,

and a tri-fold poster board with an assortment of as-

tronomical information. All but the solar scope were

collected under a 12 by 16 canopy, fronted by a table

draped with our new 6-foot banner.

The day started early, with most of our crew arriving

around 8:00 a.m. to set up the exhibit. We began

erecting a canopy John had brought, but found that our

location on pavement prevented use of the tie-downs

needed for stability. While the rest of us continued

setting up the telescopes and displays, Mike returned

home for his canopy, which worked perfectly. It also

proved very stable in the gusty conditions that pre-

vailed, and that precluded placing two displays on easels

(as seen in the photo below). By about 9:45 everything

was in place and we were ready to greet the public!

Throughout the day—at least when permitted by clouds

that played an ongoing hide-and-seek with the Sun—we

offered views with the club’s Coronado solar telescope.

This was a popular attraction, with waiting lines forming

several times. One thing is certain, we could use a find-

er for the scope. You’d think that, given its obvious vis-

ibility, aiming the scope at the Sun would be easy. But,

though you can use the scope’s shadow and the “palm

projection” technique, alignment can be pretty tricky!

We managed well enough, however, any many adults and

children were delighted by the Sun’s red-orange disk—a

consequence of the scope’s Hydrogen-alpha filter—

sunspots and solar prominences.

A lot of people stopped by our exhibit during the course

of the day. Various questions were posed and respond-

ed to by one or another of us. I often enjoyed asking

(Weatherfest Continued on page 9)

Taking Astronomy to the People

A Successful WDBJ WeatherFest

by Frank Baratta

Jeff Suhr and Carol Mesimer stabilize a poster board buffeted by

the wind during WeatherFest. (WDBJ Photo)

Michael Good shades the Coronado solar telescope’s eyepiece to aid

viewing of the Sun for a visitor to the RVAS exhibit. (Photo by

Roger Pommerenke)

RVAS NL— November 2012— Pg 9 of 10

kids (and some adults) to identify the content of a clear

plastic vial, which, after they puzzled a bit, typically

elicited “It’s a bead.” It was, except that the millime-

ter-size sphere represented the Earth, and the basket-

ball next shown, the Sun (at this scale), which led to

discussion of various other matters such as distances

and relative sizes.

I don’t know how many club members stopped by to say

hello during the day, but I was glad to see Chris Pohlad

-Thomas and children at one point. Later in the after-

noon I had the good fortune to speak with a couple,

Ralph and Sandy Birkenmaier, of Pilot, Virginia. As it

happens, in the 1970s, Ralph (then of Roanoke) was a

member of the Roanoke Amateur Astronomers, one of

the prior labels of our present Society, which traces

back to the late 1950s, when it was called the Amateur

Astronomers of Roanoke. I look forward to talking with

Ralph more about his experiences in the club back then

and adding his memories to our history files.

Of the items we had for the public to take with them,

all 150 October sky maps were given out, as were the

solar hologram cards and the “Getting Started in As-

tronomy” booklets, provided, respectively, by

Paul Caffrey, John Goss and Jeff Suhr. John also had

a seemingly unending supply of SOHO (orbiting solar

observatory) stickers and 21”x23” Cosmic Tour posters

that were eagerly taken. Interestingly, one of the fre-

quent questions during the day concerned the rocks we

were using as paperweights, which we regretted having

to inform people were not moon rocks. (“They’re just

‘yard rocks’,” Carol replied numerous times.) We also

gave out nearly 100 of our RVAS flyers, so maybe we’ll

see an increase in visits to our website and some new

people at our meetings!

WeatherFest ended at 4:00 p.m., by which time the

RVAS crew was about ready to wrap things up. The

crowd had thinned out during the previous hour and it

had turned mostly cloudy, so we began tearing down the

exhibit. We’d had a lot of fun sharing our interest in

astronomy with the visitors to our exhibit and spreading

the name of the RVAS to many who had not been aware

of us. And we’d created some good will with a television

station—always a positive outcome.

WDBJ is enthusiastic about the results of Weather-

Fest. An e-mail I received on October 22nd sought ex-

hibitor feedback about the event and interest in partic-

ipating again in 2013. I’d heartily endorse doing so.

(Weatherfest Continued from page 8)

October has a reputation of giving great skies or of

sending tropical storms. The former greeted us in mid-

October, paving the way for a couple of fun and

crowded outreaches.

The first, the October 17th Greenfield session for 5th

graders in Botetourt, scored a big hit by giving twenty-

five kids and parents the opportunity to see the moon,

the Andromeda galaxy, learn the constellations of Cassi-

opeia, Perseus, and Pegasus, as well as discover how to

find the North Star. Thanks to members Rick Rader,

Jeff Suhr, Fred Davis and Sharon Stinnette for taking

the time to join me and Karen Busher, of the Botetourt

school system ,to make this all possible.

The second event, October 19th’s “Wine, Moon, and

Stars,” was definitely more adult oriented. Ten RVAS

members met as darkness settled over Virginia Moun-

tain Vineyards to provide telescopes and act as star

guides for the over 200 attendees. The weather was

perfect, allowing great views of the first quarter moon,

the Andromeda galaxy (a crowd favorite), the Double

Cluster, and M13. One lady, a travel writer from

Brooklyn, was simply amazed at the number of stars in

the moonlit-but-still-dark skies at the Vineyards.

Promotional announcements convinced three non-club

members to bring telescopes, adding to the already

seven RVAS scopes. Thanks are in order to Rand

Bowden, Jeff Suhr, Jack and Gloria Gross, Roger and

Terri Yeager, Fred Davis, and Sharon Stinnette, for

joining me and Genevieve and giving their time to make

this a memorable event for so many.

Other October RVAS Outreach Activities

Greenfield and Vineyards by John Goss

RVAS NL— November 2012— Pg 10 of 10

Monthly Calendar

MONTHLY MEETING: Monday, November 19th, 7:30 p.m., Natural Science Center (next to the Arboretum),

Virginia Western Community College, Roanoke. Dwight Holland, PhD, and former RVAS member, will be on hand

to update us on his wide ranging interests in space, human physiology and his involvement with astronaut training in

California. Be sure to join us!

RVAS WEEKEND OBSERVING SESSIONS: Unless otherwise indicated, observing sessions are held at Cahas

Mountain Overlook, milepost 139 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

-- Friday and Saturday, November 2nd and 3rd. Sunset is at 6:20 p.m. Astronomical twilight ends at 7:49 p.m.

The Moon rises at 9:09 and 10:01 p.m., respectively.

-- Friday and Saturday, November 9th and 10th. Sunset is at 5:14 p.m. Astronomical twilight ends at 6:43 p.m.

The Moon sets at 2:21 and 2:55 p.m., respectively.

-- Future Sessions: December 7th and 8th; December 14th and 15th.

RVAS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING: To be determined. Call 540-774-5651 for information.

ROANOKE CITY PARKS and RECREATION PUBLIC STARGAZE: Saturday, November 10th, 6:00 p.m., Cahas

Overlook, Milepost 139 Blue Ridge Parkway. Nonmembers must register with Parks & Rec. at 540-853-2236.

Members can call 540-774-5651 for information. (Next session: December 8th, 5:45 p.m., Cahas Overlook.)

Astro-Quiz

While we’re on the subject of constellations (see below), several famed astronomers such as Edmund Halley,

Johannes Hevelius, and John Herschel had patterns rejected. But one 18th Century astronomer takes the prize,

having created 15 in one year, all of which were rejected. Who was this hapless astronomer?

Answer to Last Month’s Astro-Quiz: After the French monk Nicholas-Louis de Lacaille broke up Ptolemy’s huge

Argo Navis into three separate constellations in 1763, it seemed every celestial cartographer felt the need to

introduce new patterns. Among many finally rejected by the International Astronomical Union in 1922 was

Quadrans Muralis (the mural quadrant), introduced in 1795 by another Frenchman, J.J. Lalande, and occupying

the area where Draco, Boötes and Hercules meet. Today, this failed constellation is chiefly remembered for the

annual Quadrantid meteor shower seen from the 1st to the 5th of January, and whose meteors appear to emanate

from this area of the sky.