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October 2015 First Light Newsletter
October, 2015 (Issue No. 135)
AlachuaAstronomyClub.org
Astronomical League's pin for Asterism Program.
Astronomical League's pin for the Lunar II Program.
North Central Florida's
Amateur Astronomy Club
Serving Alachua County since 1987
Member Member
Astronomical League
MemberNASA Night Sky Network
NASA DSCOVR VIDEO & MOON’S DARK SIDEBy Dr. Howard Cohen
Emeritus Associate Professor of Astronomy University of Florida
Robert Munyer, AAC member, wrote a recent email (2015 August 31) about the DSCOVR video (2015August 5) showing the Moon passing in front of an illuminated (full) Earth as viewed from the DSCOVRsatellite. Here, the Sun also illuminates the far side as the Moon that observers on Earth cannot see.
(Note: DSCOVR’s location is between Earth and Sun approximately one million miles from Earth where itcan monitor the Sun’s particles from the solar wind.)
If you have not seen this spectacular video, From a Million Miles Away, NASA Camera Shows MoonCrossing Face of Earth? Then go to http://goo.gl/e2E7Js.
Munyer’s informative email correctly explains the geometry of the video and includes some pertinentremarks about the Moon’s “dark side.”
Unfortunately the use of the term “Moon’s dark side” has now become so pervasive through the mediacreating a universal myth that the Moon truly has a dark side.
It does not.
On-line news stories about this video were filled with this term. Some examples:
“Though the moon's so-called dark side isn't visible from Earth . . .” – CNN
“A satellite caught this stunning view of the Earth and the dark side of the moon from a million miles out inspace . . .” – ABC Action News
“The ‘dark side’ of the moon looks even cooler when seen crossing the Earth from a million miles away . ..” – NBC News
“NASA's EPIC video shows dark side of the moon passing over Earth . . .” – CNET
“The pictures show the ‘dark side’ of the moon that is never visible from Earth, fully illuminated by the sun. . .” – CBS News
I could cite many more examples.
The last example is striking since the article refers to the “dark side” yet states the “dark side” is “fullyilluminated by the sun!” Confusing at best.
Geek Snack even goes further stating, “NASA recently managed to snap some very nice pictures of thedark side of the Moon so that we need not wonder anymore about its appearance.”
Apparently Geek Snack does not know that we have been photographing the far (back) side of the Moonfrom spacecraft since 1959 when the USSR’s Lunar Probe 3 first photographed the Moon’s “other side.”Apollo astronauts then became the first humans to view the far side and continued to photograph it. Morerecently, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (launched 2009) has returned high resolution images of thefar side.
Of course, one could argue that the term “dark side of the Moon” is just an original reference to just the“unknown side of the Moon” rather than lack of light. However, I would respond that the continued use of“dark side” helps propagates wrong information about the Moon to the public.
Mark Twain even wrote, “Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.” (Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar in Following the Equator, 1897.) Did Twain understand that theMoon does not have a dark side or was he just simply using the term to mean “unknown” in the sensethat everyone has a personality hidden from others?
Finally, some who have viewed the video have wondered why no solar eclipse happened during thepassage shown in the NASA video since the Moon was between Sun and Earth. The answer is that thesatellite, Moon, Earth alignment was not precise in this video. In fact, the leading edges of both Earth andMoon show a slight terminator (darkening) that illustrates this.
Do not confuse the series of color fringes on the Moon’s edge with the terminator in the video. Thesecolor fringes, as NASA explains, result from combining three monochromatic photos taken at differentwavelengths. Then it takes about 30 seconds to combine the three monochromatic images into a colorimage. Both the Earth and the Moon move slightly during this time. So the color fringes are artifacts fromthat process
Also, the Earth’s image shows a faint, almost central specular reflection of the Sun. However, thereflection looks slightly off center showing the slight misalignment.
The view in the video also shows how much brighter the sunlit face of Earth is compared with the Moon'ssunlit (and gray) face illustrating the much greater reflectivity of Earth.
The DSCOVR video prompted needed attention on space and astronomy. Unfortunately, such eventsalso help propagate misinformation. Astronomy organizations as the AAC must be relentless in helpingcommunicate correct information to the public.
School OutreachBy Mike Toomey
Our first evening school school star party will be for a Gainesville-area elementary school onTuesday, October 20. We expect at least 100 students, along with parents and a few siblings. Please register for this event on the website. Your confirmation email will include the location ofthe event as well as other set-up instructions. (You can always un-register later).
In conjunction with the Community Sciences Coalition (CSC), club volunteers will be presentingone-hour programs immediately after school. Each group will consist of about twenty 4th and 5thgraders. We will provide hands-on demonstrations both in- and outside the classroom. Volunteers are welcome to choose their own topic(s), bring their own show-and-tell materials, oruse club materials when available. You are welcome to shadow other volunteers at theseactivities before diving in. Keep in mind, you do not need to possess an encyclopedic knowledgeof astronomy for these activities. It's fine to say, “I don't know the answer to that.” It's even betterto ask students what they know, and then build upon that.
Our first after-school program was held at Caring & Sharing in September. We were cheerfullyreceived by twenty enthusiastic 4th graders. Ivo Rabell offered views of the sun through aCoronado Personal Solar Telescope (PST) just before clouds rolled in. Pam Mydock and I usedthe balance of the hour talking about the solar system and the motions of Earth's moon, includinga primer for the upcoming (now past) lunar eclipse. The students were well-informed and had lotsof great questions. We will return to Caring & Sharing in the spring.
Our next after-school program will be on the east-side of Gainesville on Thursday, October 22,from 3:00pm – 4:00pm. As always, please register for this event on the website for completedetails.
Mike Toomey has served the AAC in many capacities since 1998, including President, Secretary,FirstLight Editor, Star Party Coordinator and School Outreach Coordinator. Mike resides inGainesville and is the author of “An Illustrated Guide to Macaroni Art, Part I. The Early Years: The Latins Through the Goths”.
Newberry Star ParkBy Andy Howell
Last month, Newberry Star Park was pressure-washedand repainted a sky-blue "charismatic sky" colorusing Behr Ultra Premium Plus paint. Thanks to LisaEager for making arrangements to hire a good painterfor this work!
Also last month, Newberry Star Park received newletters to replace the old plywood letters that were
delaminating and losing paint. The new Gemini letters are injection-molded plastic,designed for long life in an outdoor setting. Thanks to the ever reliable JoAnnStevener who procured the letters for Alachua Astronomy Club!
Lisa Eager, Andy Howell, JoAnnStevener, and Allen (JoAnn's spouse) arealso to be thanked for mounting the newletters to the NSP building. Andy Howellis also to be thanked for all the blisters hegot on his hands while dismantling the oldletters.
The entire project (pressure washing,painting, and letters) cost the Club approximately $750. When one considers thatthe NSP building is AAC's single most valuable asset, it is worth keeping in topshape for the years ahead.
If you haven't seen Newberry Star Park's new look, you should definitely plan toattend the star party & outreach on October 10! Register HERE.
Meetings and EventsNewberry Star Park Star Party and Public Outreach
Saturday, Oct. 10, 7-11 p.m.Newberry Star Park
24880 NW 16th Avenue, Newberry, FL 32660
AAC Public MeetingTuesday, Oct. 13, 2015, 7-9 p.m.
Kika Silva Pla Planetarium3000 NW 83rd Street, Building X-129
Gainesville, FL 32606
Speaker and host: James Albury, planetarium director and co-host of the TV show Star Gazers.
Big Shoals State ParkSaturday, Oct. 17, 2015, 5:30-11:30 p.m.
Star Party and OutreachSee event calendar for details and to register.
New Members since August 1!
Stacy DreherSharon Gavin
Tabitha SpinuzzaAnn Welch
In Memoriam
JoAnn Stevener informed us of the sad news that James A. Quinlan passed away Sept. 10. James wasa longtime AAC member who enjoyed sharing his love of astronomy with all whom he met. James was ascholarship member for 2015, and he will be greatly missed.
PresidentAndy Howell
First Light Newsletter EditorLaura Wright
If you haven't voted yet in the NameExoWorldscontest, vote for us!
VOTE HERE
The wonders of the Astronomical LeagueObserving programs never cease to amaze andteach us about the wonderful night sky.
Please check out the Asterism Program
Scroll down the list until you cometo our entry that proposes thenames Verne, Heinlein, Asimov,and Clarke for UpsilonAndromedae and its four knownexoplanets.
According to the InternationalAstronomical Union (IAU), astronomy clubs andnon-profits from 45 countries submitted 247proposals. Members of the public have alreadycast over 300,000 votes. Winners will receivecommemorative plaques and will be eligible topropose a name for a minor planet.
The voting deadline is October 31, 23:59 UTC.
You can vote more than once, for each electronicdevice you own (computer, phone, tablet, etc.)
Get out there and vote! VOTE HERE
- Andy
Certificate. In the introduction of theobserving program, Troy Stratton, theAsterism Program Chair says"asterisms are a group of stars thatappear to be associated with eachother, but are not. The most wellknown asterism is the Big Dipper
which is only a small portion of the largerconstellation Ursa Major. Asterisms are oftennamed and may be composed of stars that aremembers of one or more constellation. There is alist of asterisms on the program page from whichto observe and sketch 100 asterisms to qualify forthe certificate and pin."
The Lunar II Program was developed by the AstroLeague in response to the many avid lunarobservers and their desire for a more challengingprogram to follow the popular Lunar Program.
Find these and more Observing programs atwww.astroleague.org.
Best regards,Laura
The Night Sky this Month
October's Night SkyFrom Seasky.org
October 1 - Comet C/2013 US10 Catalina. Newly discovered comet C/2013 US10 Catalina mayreach naked eye visibility on October 1. The comet will continue to brighten and could reachmagnitude 5 by November 6.
October 8 - Draconids Meteor Shower. The Draconids is a minor meteor shower producingonly about 10 meteors per hour. It is produced by dust grains left behind by comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner, which was first discovered in 1900. The Draconids is an unusual shower in that the bestviewing is in the early evening instead of early morning like most other showers. The shower runsannually from October 6-10 and peaks this year on the the night of the 8th. The second quartermoon will block out all but the brightest meteors this year. If you are patient, you may be able tospot a few good ones. Best viewing will be in the early evening from a dark location far away fromcity lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Draco, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
October 11 - Uranus at Opposition. The blue-green planet will be at its closest approach toEarth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the
year and will be visible all night long. This is the best time to view Uranus. Due to its distance, itwill only appear as a tiny blue-green dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.
October 16 - Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatestwestern elongation of 18.1 degrees from the Sun. This is the best time to view Mercury since itwill be at its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky. Look for the planet low in theeastern sky just before sunrise.
October 13 - New Moon. The Moon will located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun andwill not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 00:06 UTC. This is the best time of themonth to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlightto interfere.
October 21, 22 - Orionids Meteor Shower. The Orionids is an average shower producing up to20 meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by dust grains left behind by comet Halley, whichhas been known and observed since ancient times. The shower runs annually from October 2 toNovember 7. It peaks this year on the night of October 21 and the morning of October 22. Thefirst quarter moon will set shortly after midnight leaving fairly dark skies for what should be a goodshow. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from theconstellation Orion, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
October 26 - Venus at Greatest Western Elongation. The planet Venus reaches greatesteastern elongation of 46.4 degrees from the Sun. This is the best time to view Venus since it willbe at its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky. Look for the bright planet in theeastern sky before sunrise.
October 26 - Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter. A conjunction of Venus and Jupiter will takeplace on October 26. The two bright planets will be visible within 1 degree of each other in theearly morning sky. Look to the east just before sunrise for this impressive planetary pair.
October 27 - Full Moon, Supermoon. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of theEarth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 12:05 UTC.This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Hunters Moon because atthis time of year the leaves are falling and the game is fat and ready to hunt. This moon has alsobeen known as the Travel Moon and the Blood Moon. This is also the last of three supermoonsfor 2015. The Moon will be at its closest approach to the Earth and may look slightly larger andbrighter than usual.
October 28 - Conjunction of Venus, Mars, and Jupiter. A rare, 3-planet conjunction will bevisible on the morning of October 28. The planets Venus, Mars, and Jupiter will all form a tight 1-degree triangle in the early morning sky. Look to the east just before sunrise for this spectacularevent.
Copyright © 2015 Alachua Astronomy Club, Inc. All rights reserved. Contact email: [email protected]
Alachua Astronomy Club, Inc.2603 NW 13th St., #161Gainesville, FL 32609-2835
