Volume 29—Number 6 June 2012
Roanoke Valley Astronomical
Society Amateur Astronomy News and Views
In Southwestern Virginia
RVAS NL— June 2012— Pg 1 of 9
Richmond Astronomical Society to Host VAAS
Jim Browder, of the Richmond Astronomical
Society, announces they will host this year's
meeting of the Virginia Association of Astro-
nomical Societies on September 15 at a dark
sky site west of Richmond.
The event will be held at the Heart of Virginia
Scout Reservation in Goochland County. It will
begin on the morning of September 15 and
continue with an observing session through the
night. The facility is an excellent location for
the meeting with a large dining hall adjacent
to open areas for observing. AC power and
WiFi are available in the field.
More details to follow at:
http://www.richastro.org/
Messier 66
(NGC3627) is a lovely
barred spiral in the
Constellation of Leo
the Lion, part of the
triplet with M65 and
NGC 3628. Consulting
Wikipedia, it confirms
that this trio is gravi-
tationally interacting,
and the belief is that
M66 had a past en-
counter with NGC
3628 (lovingly called
the Hamburger Gal-
axy by some ama-
teurs). Another inter-
esting statement is a
“resolved noncorotat-
ing clump of HI mate-
rial apparently re-
moved from one of
the spiral arms”, (Jewel Continued on page 2)
A Jewel in Leo By Michael Good
RVAS NL— June 2012— Pg 2 of 9
which has this galaxy listed in the Atlas of Pe-
culiar Galaxies. A quick glance does show a
perturbance to the left of the central bar
(with a bluish tint), as well as “arm material”
down and to the right, between the two well-
formed arms. The dust lanes were enhanced in
this image by using an Unsharp Mask in Pho-
toshop.
The Wiki article references an Astrophysical
Journal article from 1993 (Zhang, Wright, Al-
exander). In this article, the authors used a
Berkeley-Illinois-Maryland Association inter-
ferometer array with 7” resolution to map car-
bon monoxide data, and they used the VLA at
30” resolution to map the 21cm emission of
neutral hydrogen for the entire galaxy. This
data has yielded theories on the gravitational
torque that M66 experienced in its encounter
with NGC 3628. Their work indicates our
friend M66 may be in the process of having its
nucleus become active, with a process to
“channel the interstellar medium into the cen-
ter of the galaxy to fuel nuclear starburst and
Seyfert activities”. (Reference http://
adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1993ApJ...418..100Z )
The attached picture is the result of multiple
nights of experimentation. The better
datasets had to be discarded due to flat field-
ing issues (the cotton obstruction discussed in
last month’s newsletter). The back-end in-line
focuser is now removed, and the Robofocus is
now attached directly to a drive gear on the
Celestron 14” mirror focus knob. The focal re-
ducer elements are inside a Ted Agos adapter,
which nestles inside a very nice 2” adapter
(Astro-Physics), which is mated to the Celes-
tron 3” equipment threads. All these words
mean that the CCD plane is now closer to the
proper placement, reducing vignetting through
the optical path.
This image is only four 10 minute Lum images,
shot Friday, May 25, with a young crescent
moon, and very poor transparency (2/5). A sin-
gle 15 min exposure was made at 2x2 binning
for each of the color frames (again – not ideal,
but enough to eek some color into the image).
No deconvolution was applied. Data was cap-
tured with CCDSoft, and processed with
AIP4Win, before using Fits Liberator to con-
vert the FIT format to TIF, which was read
by Photoshop CS4, where the color data was
assembled and married to the luminance. Lev-
els/curves and unsharp masking were used
(along with feathering and some color balance
adjustment). Star spikes were added by a Pho-
toshop Carboni add-in. You can see a satellite
graced the image along the right hand side.
(Jewel Continued from page 1)
Cameras Trump Telescopes? By John Goss
RVAS NL— June 2012— Pg 3 of 9
Each year hand-held digital cameras improve
regarding their resolution and sensitivity.
With advances in pixel size, quantum efficien-
cy and pixel number,
who know what awaits
the photographer —
and astrophotogra-
pher?
This shot was taken
on May 25 with a Can-
on point-n-shoot set
on manual mode and
manual focus. The exposure settings were 200
ASA, 1/125 second, f/5.6. The optical zoom
was 12x with about another 4 power digital
zoom multiplying that,
giving at least 48x.
The image of the cres-
cent Venus, taken 40
minutes after sunset,
is crummy, for sure.
Considering, though,
that no telescope was
used, it doesn't seem
so bad!
The current slate of nominees that have
agreed to serve as our RVAS Executive Board
for 2012-13, are:
President: Frank Baratta
Vice President: Sharon Stinnette
Secretary: Rick Rader
Treasurer: Jeff Suhr
Member at Large: Carol Mesimer
----- positions above are elected -------------
Immediate Past President: Michael Good
Past President: Paul Caffrey
Per our By-Laws, unless there is a request by
another member to serve, then hearing no oth-
er nominations, we will NOT have to hold bal-
loting on June 18, and this will be the slate of
officers for next year as we can elect them
without balloting.
Executive Board formed for 2012-2013
Waxing nostalgic for a look at amateur scopes of the 50’s, 60’s, or beyond? Try this link:
http://www.philharrington.net/old50.htm
RVAS NL— June 2012— Pg 4 of 9
RVAS NL— June 2012— Pg 5 of 9
New at your local cinema is Battleship, a $300
million dollars evil-space-aliens epic loosely
based on the board game of the same name.
It is set in Hawaii, scene of the Pearl Harbor
“cultural alien” attack by the Japanese. In
this version today’s Japanese and the retired
battleship Missouri help save the day.
Astronomers will chuckle when the evil in-
vaders show up quickly after we beam our
presence to distant stars via multiple Hawaii-
based radio telescopes, relayed and focused
by a satellite no less. Science absurdity
aside, this movie does deal with the global ex-
tinction possibility. As one of the actors said,
it’s like what happened after Columbus met the
Indians; and this time we are the Indians.
There are multiple other dramas using the
same extinction theme, going back to Orson
Wells and his Martians. Each time something
minor has a major impact on the outcome.
Bacteria killed off Martian invaders; and a
simple Mac laptop was more recently used to
defeat the Independence Day bad guys. To-
day’s heroes use naval weapons for the same
end. Each movie of this type is very patriotic,
and we humans stand victorious at the end, or
(SETI Continued on page 6)
SETI vs. Battleship
by Clark M. Thomas
NASA—Martian Explorers and Pressurized Rover
RVAS NL— June 2012— Pg 6 of 9
do we?
Mexico’s Cinco de Mayo celebrates the first
ever victory over invading French forces by
natives. However, a larger French army ap-
peared and defeated the locals. With nasty
space aliens eager to feast on our flesh, or
whatever, there is always method to their
madness. These aliens seem like avatar pro-
jections of the very worst aspects of human
nature, somewhat
like the Mongol
invasion of medie-
val western civili-
zation.
Modern humans
are reaching out
to the stars for
multiple purposes.
The only place we
may intend to col-
onize is Mars. Going interstellar is very diffi-
cult, due to the immense distances. Neverthe-
less, with deep hibernation, or even machine-
like life, a journey at nearly luminal speeds is
possible within the proximal galaxy. In other
words, the bad guys must really want to hunt
and hurt us to go to such efforts.
If we had unique technologies, or critical min-
erals, or something else urgently needed for
survival in this region of the MW, maybe in-
vade. Good and bad are in the eye of the be-
holder. My guess is that such “visitors” would
rather negotiate a mutually beneficial arrange-
ment, after they intimidate us. However, they
might be highly enlightened and come in pure
peace to help us, as did the aliens in Contact.
They could even be stranded “space tourists,”
like ET, or the man who fell to Earth.
Looking at the list of possibilities, we cannot
logically exclude the most evil scenarios.
Problem is, we cannot place a probability on
any scenario. Most likely, if we have already
been visited by
aliens, as many be-
lieve (and don’t
test my DNA),
then our future is
good, as long as a
new bunch of bad
guys doesn’t show
up to overwhelm
the local alien
good guys.
Good tends to overcome evil. If we use human
history as a systems theory predictive model,
a new hybrid good follows a bad era. Whether
the initial body count is in the thousands or
millions, civilization is like metal, where the
best steel is tempered by the hottest flame.
Ultimately, cooperation is more efficient than
deadly competition.
Modern human civilization is becoming like a
transitional alien society. Autonomous civiliza-
tions increase in complexity and power to
(SETI Continued from page 5)
(SETI Continued on page 7)
NASA— Discovery II Fusion Spacecraft
RVAS NL— June 2012— Pg 7 of 9
where they develop the power to self-
exterminate, if only by accident. I contend
that the most critical event in human history
was the Cuban missile crisis. We got lucky.
Visiting alien societies may have had their own
version of our crisis. If all their nukes had
been unleashed in a global war on a home plan-
et, only a small population would be left in a
stone age, or maybe no life forms at all would
be left that we
would enjoy. We
might some day
travel to another
blue planet which
is only a remnant
of its past.
Any life forms
coming at us could
be a remnant
crowd looking for a
new home. More
likely, they would
settle much closer
to their damaged home planet, on another plan-
et within a habitable zone. Even if they only
obliterate some of their already populated
planets, that extinction lesson would be awe-
some. Therefore, I conclude that it is likely
that anybody who shows up will not be amped
on space testosterone, but full of wisdom.
Because it is impossible to exclude all Mongoli-
an horde hypotheses, I suggest that the pas-
sive listening approach of SETI is most pru-
dent. Sadly, their array of telescopes has
been hibernating for a year due to insufficient
operational funds. That’s OK in the big pic-
ture. The funds will come, and SETI will again
be operational: http://www.space.com/15803-
jill-tarter-seti-search-retirement-qanda.html
We already have unintentionally reached out to
potential aliens. Starting with early radio
broadcasts, and
then with early TV,
we have shown the
aliens who we real-
ly are, and that in-
cludes the first TV
signals featuring
Adolf Hitler.
Hopefully, future
visitors will not be
in a hurry to visit,
because subse-
quent TV featured
The Honeymoon
ers and I Love Lucy.
If I were an advanced space alien civilization
looking for something worth conquering,
Earth’s vast wasteland TV signals would be
sufficient reason to avoid such a quarrelsome
and primitive place.
(SETI Continued from page 6)
NASA—Antimatter Spacecraft
The Roanoke Valley Astronomical Society is a membership organiza-
tion of amateur astronomers dedicated to the pursuit of astronomical ob-
servational and photographic activities. Meetings are held at 7:30 p.m.
on the third Monday of each month, at Western Va. Community College
Natural Science Center, 3102 Colonial Ave. S.W. Roanoke, Virginia. Meet-
ings are open to the public. Observing sessions are held one or two
weekends a month at a dark-sky site. Yearly individual dues are $20.00,
Seniors $18.00. Family dues are $25.00, Senior Family $22.00 . Student
dues are $10.00. Articles, quotes, etc. published in the newsletter do not
necessarily reflect the views of the RVAS or its editor.
RVAS web page: http://rvasclub.org
Officers/Executive Committee/Editor
Michael Good, President ( [email protected] )
John Goss, Vice President ([email protected])
Rick Rader, Secretary ([email protected])
Jeff Suhr, Treasurer ([email protected])
Carol Mesimer, Member at Large ([email protected])
Paul Caffrey, Immediate Past President ([email protected])
Randy Sowden, Past President ([email protected])
David E. Thomas, RVAS Newsletter Editor ([email protected])
Astro-Quiz By Frank Baratta
While we’re on the subject of chemical elements, in addition to mercury and the three others
figuring in the answer to last month’s quiz (see below), two other elements, selenium and tellu-
rium, also have a solar system connection to each other. What’s this connection?
Answer to Last Month’s Astro-Quiz: Remember the “periodic table of the elements” we all
studied in Chemistry class? One of the elements with which we have become all-too-familiar
in the atomic age is number 92, uranium, named in 1789 in honor of the discovery of the planet
Uranus eight years earlier. In 1940, element number 93 was finally synthesized in the Univer-
sity of California, Berkeley, cyclotron. Since this element came after uranium, it was, fittingly,
given the name “neptunium,” for the planet Neptune, next after Uranus in the solar system.
But hold on, later in 1940, element 94 was similarly synthesized. It was called, as you probably
know or can guess . . . “plutonium,” for obvious reasons.
RVAS NL— June 2012— Pg 8 of 9
Calendar of Events By Frank Baratta
MONTHLY MEETING: Monday, June 18th, 7:30 p.m., Natural Science Building
(next to the Arboretum), Virginia Western Community College, Roanoke. The
meeting will feature the Ice Cream Social and other delicious subjects. .
RVAS WEEKEND OBSERVING SESSIONS: Unless otherwise indicated, observ-
ing sessions are held at Cahas Mountain Overlook, milepost 139 on the Blue Ridge
Parkway.
◊ Friday and Saturday, June 8th and 9th. Sunset is at 8:40 p.m. Astronomical
twilight ends at 10:32 p.m. The Moon rises at 12:07 and 12:39 a.m., respectively.
◊ Friday and Saturday, June 15th and 16th. Sunset is at 8:42 p.m. Astronomical
twilight ends at 10:36 p.m. The Moon sets at 5:23 and 6:18 p.m., respectively.
◊ Future Sessions: July 13th and 14th; July 20th and 21st.
ROANOKE CITY PARKS and RECREATION PUBLIC STARGAZE: Saturday,
June 16th, 9:15 p.m., Cahas Overlook, Milepost 139 Blue Ridge Parkway. Non-
members must register with Parks & Rec. at 540-853-2236. Members can call 540
-774-5651 for information. (Next session: July 14th, 9:30 p.m., Cahas Overlook.)
RVAS NL— June 2012— Pg 9 of 9