universe - sample issue
TRANSCRIPT
UNIVERSE 1 Vol 60 4
Journal of the Astronomical Society of New South Wales Incorporated
UNIVERSEUNIVERSE October 2011 Vol 60 4
This ultra-wide-field
mosaic of the
Scorpius-Sagittarius
region was taken by
Marc Aragnou
More details p2
UNIVERSE 2 Vol 60 4
The Astronomical
Society of
New South Wales
GPO Box 1123
Sydney NSW 2001
Phone XX XXXX XXXX
Fax XX XXXX XXXX
email secretaryasnswcom
Homepage
httpwwwasnswcom
IN THIS ISSUE
2 Index Editorial Directions
3 Scoped Out
Prominences explained
by Harry Roberts
4 Starry Messenger
The sky for OctNov
by Geoff Smith
6 Look-back Time
courtesy John Flavin
7 Vale Cyril Brown
8 E E Barnard Part Three by Gerard Keyser
10 NSP 22 Part Two
by Andrew James
13 Seeing Double
by Richard Jaworski
14 Notice of
Special General Meeting
11th November 2011
Ground-based Reports
School Nights
by Don Whiteman
15 Event Horizon
What‟s on near and far
16 Society Info [omitted from
sample issue]
Deadline for the
November issue is
Friday 14th October
Correspondence
editorasnswcom
If contributions over 10Mb
please send to
starryladyhotmailcom
Please also include a phone
number when you submit your
contribution This allows the
editor to make any quick
enquiries
Desk Space Dear Members
Features this month include a spectacular Milky Way image on
the cover (details below) another blast from the past from
John the next episode in the life of E E Barnard from Gerard
more star stuff from Andrew a tribute to the late Cyril Brown
(Life Member of ASNSW) and an important notice of our
Special General Meeting in November Geoff and Harry are
back with their regular contributions joined this month by
Richard with his double-star challenge Enjoy the Universe Yours truly
Lesa Moore Editor
ON THE COVER
This fabulous ultra-wide-field image of the Scorpius-Sagittarius
region was taken by Marc Aragnou using his SMC Pentax-
M 100mm lens at F56 on a 6 megapixel one-shot cooled QHY8
camera and Losmandy G11 mount
It is a three-panel mosaic each panel being a stack of twenty 3-
minute subs The field of view is 27 x 13 degrees North is left
West is up (Original image 18 megapixels but reduced to 1MB
for publication)
The central dust lane of the Milky Way runs diagonally from
top right to bottom left The top right corner is occupied by the
huge smoky Pipe Nebula Centre top in the smoke from the
pipe is the tiny Snake Nebula
The very conspicuous bright coolish pink emission nebula in
the middle of the main dust lane is the Lagoon (M8) The much
smaller Trifid (M20) is just to the left At the very bottom is the
magnificent Crackerjack globular (M22) showing as a warmer
orange-white Extending a line from the Lagoon through the
Trifid and well beyond reaches the large white open cluster
M23 Other identifiable objects are too numerous to mention
How to get to Meetings
Meetings are held at Epping Creative Centre Meetings start at 8pm
sharp and are held in the Pringle Room at the far end of the building
The Epping Creative Centre is in Stanley Rd and is about 1km from
Epping Station via Epping Road
How to get to Crago Observatory
Crago Observatory is at Bowen Mountain 12 km from North
Richmond The observatory is situated 100 metres along Burralow Fire
trail which is at the northern end of Lieutenant Bowen Road A
grassed area adjacent to the observatory is suitable for setting up a
telescope Crago Observatory is usually open on designated Saturday
nights closest to the Last Quarter moon and at other times Members
should check UNIVERSE or wwwasnswcom for scheduled observing
sessions Before driving to the site it would be prudent to contact Ian
Parr Vice President Crago to make sure that it will be open
How to get to Wiruna
Wiruna is for use by members their guests and bona fide visitors
Directions withheld from sample issue of Universe
UNIVERSE 3 Vol 60 4
Prominences are
ldquoPlasma Trapsrdquo
by Harry Roberts
2011 June 5 and 6 saw some fine prominences at
both the east and west limbs (see diagrams abc
amp d) - and we see the trapped plasma (almost) any
time we view the Sun in H-alpha Yet science
struggles to confine plasma despite decades of
effort How does the Sun do this trick so easily
Confusingly trapped material is called a filament
on the Sun‟s disc ndash and a prominence when seen
above the limb Either way it‟s trapped plasma
The first views must have been during total
eclipses ndash and over past millennia many a giant
prominence must have drawn attention
The temperature inside a quiet filament is about
5000K much less than the chromosphere‟s 8000K
ndash that‟s why the same thing looks different
depending on our line of sight dark on the disc
bright above the limb Filaments can be stable for
weeks ndash so how does the Sun entrap material for
so long
The plasma ldquotraprdquo is formed by magnetism and
Zirin (ldquoAstrophysics of the Sunrdquo) lists the main parts
ndash reviewed below
Fields quiet prominences arise where surface
fields are rather weak about 10 times Earth‟s field
(ie 5-10 gauss) Such fields occur in bands on the
Sun at latitudes above the current spots where
large unipolar regions are found Where two such
regions adjoin a plasma ldquotraprdquo can form Between
the ldquounlikerdquo regions a narrow ldquoneutral linerdquo
arises and a ldquomagnetic channelrdquo forms there
Magnetic channel Most of the emerging field is
vertical but at the neutral line the fields connect
across the zone as loops However below these
loops the fields do not connect across the gap but
instead turn 90ordm from vertical to horizontal and
run in opposite directions along the channel ndash
forming parallel ldquofencesrdquo of horizontal field that
can entrap material This ldquomakes sense because
the field can hold up the material only if it is
horizontalrdquo (Zirin p274)
ldquoPlasma cannot be contained by field lines convex
to itrdquo (p278) - ie plasma will escape unless the
ldquotraprdquo is everywhere concave
Exact details are still being studied ndash and how
material gets in is unknown The captured
material grows into a sheet 50 megametres (Mm)
high and sometimes as wide And while the
filament (or prominence) can be 50 Mm high
above that height it becomes unstable ndash and soon
erupts apparently as the
transverse loops are broken Yet
the ldquotraprdquo survives and often
refills in a day or so
The ldquocagedrdquo filament can grow
so dense it ldquoblanketsrdquo the Sun‟s
surface and a bright band
below the filament is often seen
in H-alpha
Coronal heating ldquoSince the
prominence is immersed in the
million-degree corona why
doesn‟t it heat uprdquo Because it
ldquois supported by magnetic field
lines that go to the surface so hot
coronal ions would have to cross
the field lines to heat itrdquo (p280) ndash
this is something ions can‟t do
Prominences - they are
wonderful things and may grow
much larger than the ones
shown It‟s a good reason to
often view the Sun in H-alpha -
even every day - if it‟s clear
Editorrsquos Note Although Harry made these
observations several months ago the article
contains some excellent educational content
worthy of inclusion at any time
SCOPED OUT Observations by Members
YOUR SPACE
Send in your observation(s) to appear in ldquoScoped
Outrdquo It could be a single photo or sketch a
description of an observing run or something you
saw while riding home on the train
No contribution is too large or too small
UNIVERSE 4 Vol 60 4
STARRY MESSENGER The Sky for October and November
by Geoff Smith
The Moon
There will be a partial solar eclipse on 25th
November visible from the southern tip of Tasmania
Mercury
Mercury returns to the evening sky in October You
should be able to see it approaching Venus from
below by mid-month During the last week of
October the two planets will be 2deg apart During the
first two weeks of November Mercury and Venus
maintain their close companionship On 10th
October Mercury will be 2deg from both Antares and
Venus with the three of them forming a straight line
There will be a close (1deg) pass by Mercury to the
globular cluster M19 on 17th November
Venus
Venus climbs higher in
the sky during October
hotly pursued by
Mercury It begins the
month in Virgo but about
mid-month passes into
Libra On 21st October it
will be 0deg2 from α Librae
a wide (4acute) double You
should be able to get all
three objects into the
same low power field
During November Venus
continues its climb into
the western sky Watch
for a close (1deg) approach
to the globular cluster
M28 on 30th November
Mars
Mars spends the first three weeks of October in
Cancer before moving into Leo where it remains
until mid-January It crosses the Beehive cluster in
the first few days of October On the 11th November
Mars will be within 1deg3 of Regulus During these
months Mars slowly increases its angular size from
5rdquo5 to 6rdquo4 so it remains a challenging object on
which to see detail
Jupiter
Jupiter comes into opposition on 29th October and is
ideally placed for viewing This is a favourable
opposition with the angular diameter of the planet
reaching 49rdquo7 In November it remains well-placed
for observation The smallest telescope will show a
wealth of detail on Jupiter A 2rdquo telescope will show
satellite shadows in transit across the disc while a 3rdquo
working under good conditions will show that the
cloud belts are not entirely regular but show darker
patches and sometimes projections at their edges
An occasional bright spot may also be detected with a
3‟‟ telescope
Saturn
Saturn is in conjunction with the Sun on 14th October
It returns to the morning sky in November but will
only be a twilight object
Uranus and Neptune
Uranus is just past opposition in October and is high
in the northeastern sky at the end of evening twilight
In November it will be about 5deg above the circlet in
Pisces at the end of twilight
Neptune will be in Aquarius throughout October and
November It remains within 1deg7 of ι Aquarii
throughout these months
Minor Planets and Dwarf Planets
Pallas at magnitude 10 will be 0deg3 east of ε Aquilae on
1st November and 0deg1
south-east of θ Aquilae on
21st November
Pluto at magnitude 14
stays in Sagittarius for
October and November
It sets at midnight in mid-
October and around 10pm
in mid-November and
crosses the meridian
around 7pm mid-month
Ceres at magnitude 8 will
be in Aquarius through
October See the finder
chart Start at Fomalhaut
and then star hop
northeast through two
triplets of modest stars till
you reach the long string
containing 107 Aquarii
Meteor Showers
Moon Forecast for 20ndash22 October 2011 Waning
crescent
The Orionid meteor shower is the second of two
showers that occur each year as a result of Earth
passing through dust released by Halleys Comet
with the first being the Eta Aquarids The point from
where the Orionid meteors appear to radiate is
located within the constellation Orion
The Orionids generally begin on October 15 and end
on October 29 with maximum generally occurring
during the morning hours of October 20-22 The
Orionids are barely detectable on the beginning and
ending dates but observers in the Northern
Hemisphere will see around 20 meteors per hour at
maximum while observers in the Southern
Hemisphere will see around 40 meteors per hour The
maximum can last two or three nights although there
is evidence of some fluctuation from year to year
There are other weaker meteor showers going on
around the same time as the Orionids The Orionids
generally appear to move fast When you see a
Figure 1 Finder chart for Ceres
UNIVERSE 5 Vol 60 4
meteor mentally trace it backwards If you end up at
Orion then you have probably seen an Orionid
meteor
Source httpmeteorshowersonlinecomorionidshtml
Constellation of the Month Sculptor
Culmination About 10pm in the middle of the month
Sculptor is a small and faint constellation but has
some impressive deep sky objects It lies in a region
rich in galaxies some of which are large and bright
making fine telescopic objects It was introduced by
Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century who
originally named it Apparatus Sculptoris (the
sculptors studio) but the name was later shortened to
Sculptor (the sculptor) As with most of Lacaille‟s
introductions one cannot help but admire his
imagination No stars brighter than 3rd magnitude
are located in Sculptor This is
explained by the fact that Sculptor
contains the south galactic pole where
stellar density is very low
The brightest is α Sculptoris an SX
Arietis-type variable star with the
magnitude of only 43 The constellation
also contains the Sculptor Dwarf Galaxy
which is a member of the Local Group
as well as the Sculptor Group the group
of galaxies closest to the Local Group
The Sculptor Galaxy (NGC 253) a
barred spiral galaxy and the largest
member of the group lies near the
border between Sculptor and Cetus
Another prominent member of the
group is the irregular galaxy NGC 55
Double Stars in Sculptor
κ1 Scl is a bright yellow pair in a sparse
field easily resolved with a 4rdquo
telescope Mags 61 62 sep 1rdquo4 PA
261deg (2001)
τ Scl A close yellow pair The separation is
decreasing and will need at least 8rdquo to
separate the pair Mags 60 74 sep 0rdquo8 PA 169deg
(1999)
ε Scl Showcase pair bright yellow Mags 54 85
sep 4rdquo9 PA 24deg(2002)
Deep sky objects in Sculptor
NGC 253 (Silver Coin Galaxy) makes everyone‟s list
of top ten galaxies It is very large (30acute x 6acute9) and
very bright (mag 71) It is visible to the naked eye
by sharp-eyed observers from a dark sky site and is
an easy binocular object You should be able to
detect a mottled appearance through an 8rdquo telescope
while 12rdquo should begin to reveal the spiral arms
NGC 55 (String of Pearls Galaxy) is another very
large (25acute x 2acute5) bright (mag 71) galaxy and is a fine
example of an edge-on barred spiral An OIII filter
and a 12rdquo telescope reveal the star-forming regions of
ionized hydrogen as small hazy spots near the centre
NGC 300 (Southern Pinwheel) This is perhaps the
sky‟s most classic spiral galaxy Through 12rdquo and
larger telescopes you should be able to see spiral
arms and dark lanes Size 20acute x 15acute
NGC 247 This galaxy is in Cetus but is included
here as it is a prominent member of the Sculptor
Group of galaxies Through a 10rdquo telescope the
galaxy has a tight circular centre with an oval haze
around it The southern end is tapered while the
northern end is more rounded
NGC 288 This is a nice globular cluster It‟s quite
big (14acute) but sparsely populated which makes it easy
to resolve Expect to see about 100 stars with an 8rdquo
telescope
See full list of deep sky objects next page
Clear Skies
References Astronomy 2011
NGCIC webpage httpwwwngcicprojectorg
defaulthtm
Hartung Astronomical Objects for Southern
Telescopes Melbourne UP 1995
Figure 2 Radiant at about 200 am local time
around October 21
Figure 3 The constellation Sculptor
UNIVERSE 6 Vol 60 4
Double Stars for Small Telescopes by Sissy Haas
Constellation diagrams from http
wwwdibonsmithcomconstelhtm and used here with
the permission of the author Richard Dibon-Smith
Uranometria constellation figure from scans by the
Linda Hall Library of Science Engineering and
Technology httpwwwlindahallorgservices
digitalebooksbayer
variables
(The Observations Officer here interposed to refer to
the necessity for collaboration between variable star
observers in this Society and of practice in the work
with a view to gaining experience in this field before the
anticipated meeting with the Variable Star Section of the
British Astronomical Association)
Mr G Patston gave a ldquoMoonwatchrdquo report saying that
the preceding month had given reasonable viewing
weather there had been 12 good nights recorded in the
log
An observation had been made of the American 20-inch
satellite (7th magnitude) on August 1st 1959 At
midnight on the night of the meeting (7th August) an
attempt would be made to observe the newly launched
American satellite Explorer VI whose distance would
be 165 miles at perigee and 20000 miles at apogee and
equipped with solar cells to supply power to its
instruments and radio
Bulletin Cover
The Editor trusts that members will like the new
ldquoBulletinrdquo cover ndash it gives the ldquoold magrdquo quite a fillip
The object is of course eta Carinae ndash Keyhole ndash Nebula
in the Milky Way near Crux The negative from which
the block was taken was presented to the SAA by Dr
C Gum of the CSIRO Apologies to those members
who didn‟t receive a Bulletin last month First of all the
covers ran out Then there was some confusion as to
whom was financial or not The muddle has now been
sorted out From now on those members who should
get a Bulletin will and those who shouldn‟t won‟t
The new ldquoBulletinrdquo cover introduced with the July 1959
issue was our third cover design since our first issue in
July ‟55 The bdquoeta Carinae‟ cover stayed with us until the
February 1962 issue
The above extracts are taken from the July and
August 1959 issues of our Journal - John Flavin
Table 1 Deep Sky Objects in Sculptor
OGM held at Belfield August 7th 1959
The President Mr G Miles took the Chair and
opened the meeting at 1955 hours there being 51
members and 4 visitors present The President
welcomed the visitors who included the evening‟s
Guest Speaker Dr Hill of the CSIRO
Building expenses
The Treasurer reported that the amount received or
promised by way of either donation or interest-free loan
towards the cost of the sanitary conveniences necessary to
be constructed for the new building [Clubhouse] was pound67
The President announced that the Treasurer would there
and then receive further contributions to this cause and
members immediately took advantage of the opportunity
to make their gifts or loans At this stage it was moved and
seconded that in order that lenders of money should have
a suitable acknowledgement of the Society‟s obligation to
repay them the Treasurer be authorised to issue receipts
for loans in the following terms
Received from Mr A B the sum of poundx being interest free
loan repayable within twelve months from 1st August 1959
- Sydney Amateur Astronomers - Per Treasurer
This motion was carried
The President said that the total required to be raised was
pound100 and that a member who wished to remain
anonymous had promised that he (or she) would provide
any balance still left to be found after the collection had
been made This act of generosity was warmly applauded
Within a few minutes thereafter the Treasurer reported that
the total received or promised in gifts or loans was pound125 ndash
a very creditable result
Observations
Mr P Williamson showed [sunspot] drawings made by
him on 11th July and 1st August 1959 the former one
showing a spot of large size divided into two parts by a
ldquobridgerdquo which later entirely disappeared in the space of
a few hours He also reported some observations of
Mercury Mr Tonkin showed drawings of sunspots made
on the 15th July 1959
In connection with this subject the Secretary said that the
helioscope under construction by the Junior Section was
nearing completion
Mr L Williamson spoke on T Centauri and other
Object RA (J2000) Dec (J2000) Type Mag Size
NGC 55 00 15 084 -39 13 14 GX 83 25 x 25
NGC 134 00 30 214 -33 14 50 GX 105 85 x 20
NGC 150 00 34 161 -27 48 16 GX 114 39 x 19
IC 1581 00 46 060 -25 54 00 GX ---- 11 x 02
NGC 253 00 47 331 -25 17 17 GX 78 30 x 69
NGC 289 00 52 417 -31 12 28 GX 11 51 x 36
NGC 288 00 52 474 -26 35 24 GC 81 14
NGC 300 00 54 534 -37 41 00 GX 83 20 x 15
NGC 409 01 09 325 -35 48 20 GX 131 13 x 11
NGC 424 01 11 279 -38 04 59 GX 13 18 x 08
NGC 438 01 13 335 -37 54 07 GX 13 14 x 11
NGC 613 01 34 175 -29 24 58 GX 101 55 x 42
NGC 7507 23 12 077 -28 32 26 GX 108 28 x 27
IC 5332 23 34 300 -36 06 00 GX 106 66 x 51
NGC 7713 23 36 149 -37 56 20 GX 112 46 x 22
NGC 7793 23 57 497 -32 35 30 GX 92 93 x 63
LOOK-BACK
TIME The ASNSW from the Archives
UNIVERSE 7 Vol 60 4
Cyril Brown a
dedicated and
active member
from our early
days died on the
5th September
aged 96 at
Maryborough
Cyril joined us in
the late sixties a
period that saw
our Society facing
considerable
difficulty arising
from our having to depart our original home at
Belfield It was fortunate that Cyril came to us when
he did as his property in the semi-rural surrounds
of Dural became the location for the telescopes that
had to be moved from Belfield At the July 1970
AGM ndash held at the Canterbury Council buildings
and our first away from Belfield ndash Cyril was elected
President a position he would hold until 1973 His
home at Dural become an easy-to-reach bdquodark sky‟
site for some years until Bowen Mt became
operational
In his working life Cyril was a Saw Doctor ndash a trade
that covers the repair and upkeep of a range of
tools A McNiven Medal recipient and a Life
Member he filled many positions in his years with
us In 2004 he moved to Queensland to be near
some members of his family who had earlier
moved to that state Cyril maintained his interest in
astronomy going out to see Comet McNaught a few
years ago and looking up astronomy sites on the
internet Within the last year Cyril attended an
astronomy outing with the 1st Burrum Heads Girl
Guides (his great granddaughters are members) to
show them the sky Cyril is survived by daughter
Marian son Cyril Jr grandchildren and great
grandchildren
The Girl Guides really enjoyed the night which was
part of Space Week They followed this up with
decorating our shed with planets etc They were then
presented with their space badge for their sash
Personally I can not say enough of how much we
appreciated Marian bringing Cyril out to share their
knowledge with the girls - Leeanne Bouveng
This poem from Walt Whitman (1865) was
read at his service followed by the closing
lines from his daughter Marian Lynch
When I heard the learn‟d astronomer
When the proofs were ranged in columns
before me
When I was shown the charts and the
diagrams
to add divide and measure them
When I sitting heard the astronomer
where he lectured with much applause in the
lecture room
How soon unaccountable I became tired
and listless
Till rising and going out I wander‟d off by
myself
In the mystical moist night air and from time
to time
Look‟d up in perfect silence at the stars
Now Cyril strolls
from star to star in the Universe
With the greatest Astronomer of all
Sharney Bouveng stands behind Cyril with his great
granddaughters Shylani and Hannah Mallett
(left and right respectively)
VALE CYRIL BROWN
Portraits of Cyril from an earlier time (top left) and
last year (above)
UNIVERSE 8 Vol 60 4
by Gerard Keyzer
In episode two we left Edward Emerson Barnard
with his newly acquired 5-inch refractor as his
observing began in earnest Barnard was gifted
with incredible eyesight and a thoughtful
determined character and he spent the next few
years honing his observing skills while taking his
first tentative steps into the world of the
professional astronomer In his personal life he
was gaining yet more stability earning the respect
and admiration of Rhoda Calvert his colleague‟s
sister who was eventually to become his wife
Around this time Barnard took a long lease on a
nice house on the outskirts of Nashville While not
yet married to each other Rhoda began to help
Edward with the daily running of the household
and the care of his invalid mother As Rhoda was
fourteen years his senior many felt she set her cap
for him as a ldquolast chancerdquo to
avoid spinsterhood Possibly
but this sensitive young man
was mature beyond his years
and marrying on January
27th 1881 the pair became
devoted to each other in
every respect for the
remainder of their lives
It was at the house at 1919
Patterson Ave that Edward
was able to throw himself
into his observations
distanced from the continual
interruptions of casual
visitors to the telescope
Using a homemade light box
he would spend many hours
sketching and was soon
being published in technical journals such as the
English Mechanic The cloud bands and moons of
Jupiter the markings of the Martian surface the
rings of Saturn were all favourite targets His
Byrne refractor was of the finest calibre optically
showing the Galilean moons as distinct discs and
his observations of the Great Red Spot and
eruptions in the cloud bands were compared
favourably with those from Dearborn Observatory
done through an 185-inch refractor and measured
with a micrometer
My favourite story of Barnard‟s early observing
occurred at this time and is best told in his own
words Observing Jupiter at 2am he paused to rest
his eyes for a moment and was bdquohorrified to see two
glaring greenish-red balls of fire a few feet away in
the obscurity of the bushes Cold chills played up
and down my backbone and I was too frightened to
move These balls of fire came slowly toward me A
supernatural horror seemed to bind me to the spot
as a nightmare holds one in its pitiless grasp I
could not have moved if I had known the foul fiend
himself was behind those lights Just at the point
when I felt that I must collapse as the hateful lights
came close to me I felt the warm touch of the
tongue of some animal licking my cold hand and in
the obscurity I saw a great dog wagging his tail in a
friendly manner The relief was tremendous and a
warm flow of blood seemed to infuse my veins It
proved to be a great and fierce bulldog belonging
to my neighbour This dog had always looked so
savage with his cruel teeth that I had not
attempted to cultivate his friendship Why he had
not attacked me in the darkness and what made him
seek this friendship I do not know but from that
time on he was my good friend and made it a habit
to lie down near me every night I was out
observing His friendship was a blessing for I no
longer felt the nameless dread of the night with his
powerful form at my
feet‟ (Reprinted from ldquoThe
Immortal Fire Withinrdquo)
Barnard‟s natural reticence
and conservative nature
were to stand him in good
stead when popular interest
in Mars conjured up all sorts
of fanciful claims of canals
and civilizations He
preferred only to note and
comment on what he actually
observed not what he
ldquothoughtrdquo he saw At twenty-
two he already had an
aversion to ldquorashly drawn
conclusionsrdquo Barnard‟s
settled domestic situation
allowed him to progress his budding semi-
professional status Discovery of a comet brought
much kudos and during this period he was
awarded a cash prize of $200 called the Warner
prize The recognition amongst his peers was the
greater prize sought by Barnard His first comet
discovery was sadly not confirmed later analysis
showing that inferior equipment and delays by
those expected to confirm it led to it being ldquolostrdquo
This caused Barnard great embarrassment but he
would persevere in quest of the Warner prize
desirous of emulating the great comet seekers
Messier and Pons In the course of his comet
seeking he was to discover a new nebula
designated NGC 5584 one of twenty credited to
him during this period Remember most of the
famous Messier objects had been discovered
while searching for comets
On September 17th 1881 Barnard discovered his
first confirmed comet and silenced his critics with
the official designation of Comet Barnard or 1881
Edward Emerson BARNARD
1857-1923
Part Three
NGC 5584 in Virgo
UNIVERSE 9 Vol 60 4
VI With the first Warner prize cheque of $200
Edward and Rhoda bought a plot of land took a
mortgage and built a cottage where they lived
with Edward‟s mother Happy times followed
although they struggled for a living but the
remote location allowed Edward every possible
opportunity to continue with his comet-seeking
gaining the Warner prize again with 1882 III and
discovering a total of sixteen comets in the next
eleven years including the first photographic
discovery Other comets of the period were more
spectacular and created greater interest such as
Wells‟s Comet Swift‟s Comet Tebbutt‟s Comet
(discovered in Australia by JC Tebbutt in June
1881) and the Great Comet of 1882 Barnard‟s
observing diligence and skill were rewarded in
another way as he observed The Great Comet of
1882 Over the period of 22nd September to 14th
October he recorded this comet breaking first in
two then eventually into six or eight fragments
the discovery being confirmed by professionals
from around the globe Interestingly on the
morning of 13th October Barnard had ldquoforeseenrdquo
this occurrence in a dream of a sky filled with
comets He later said ldquo the association of this
dream with the reality has always seemed a
strange thing to merdquo
While less noteworthy for their appearance
Barnard‟s comet discoveries did bring him some
financial security through three Warner prizes
and more importantly they brought him the
official recognition of his peers opening the door
to the professional career he would now aspire to
Locally they brought him acclaim and a group of
prominent citizens resolved to build an
observatory for ldquothe young astronomer of
Nashvillerdquo He would not take the plan seriously
but when the architect‟s plan materialised along
with foundation stonework he rushed to his
benefactors Apologetically he refused their
generous offer because he felt he would be
obliged to remain in situ and not be free to move if
he was offered an official position He was soon to
be proven right
Stay tuned for Episode Four
Sources ndash Various Encyclopaedia Brittanica and Wiki
and ldquoThe Immortal Fire Withinrdquo by William Sheehan
Barnardrsquos skilful drawing of Halleyrsquos Comet
May 18th 1910 at Yerkes Observatory
Barnardrsquos photograph of Comet Swift 1892
Barnardrsquos photographs of Comet Brooks
October 1893 showing the comet
fragmenting
UNIVERSE 10 Vol 60 4
by Andrew James
Last issue featured the planetary nebula He2-73 This
month explores the surrounding region
The following objects can be found in a moderately
starry field using moderate to low power about 40‟ S
of the Crux-Musca border I originally centred on this
field in 20cm using the 26mm Plossel (78x with 32
arcmin field) deliberately just looking for the pair
COO 130 as mentioned in both AOST1amp2 Later I
investigated the other four objects nearby then
centring at the field‟s mid-position at 11h 504m
-65o 04‟ Here you can bdquohold‟ all in one field TZ Mus
IC 2966 He2-80 B2730 and my target pair
Furthermore half a field southwards using moderate
powers there are also two faint Cepheids - UU Mus
and TZ Mus (see descriptions below)
COO 130 HIP 57851 SAO 251617 HD 103079
(11519-6512) was discovered by SI Bailey in 1894
during routine observations to produce the extensive
Cordova Observatory (CD) star catalogue beginning
in the 1890s It is really surprising that neither John
Herschel nor HC Russell found this system in their
extensive double star surveys yet it is very remotely
possible that the star appeared single between 1835
and 1880 COO 130 lies almost 20‟ due east of He2-73
and the field is marked with three stars in a bent line
at the south-eastern edge of the field at low powers
These field stars have respective visual magnitudes
from south to north of 75 75 and 95 and form an
oddly-shaped triangular figure
COO 130 comprises 52v and 74v magnitude (497V
amp 725V) stars with 16 arcsec separation and position
angle of 159o as last measured by the Hipparcos
satellite in 1991 From the available data these stars
are very slowly diminishing in separation thus
making future amateur observations more difficult
Resolution is possible in 15cm telescopes but this
becomes much easier in 20cm AOST2 does claim this
is ldquo just possible rdquo in 75cm but my own four
different observations between 1978 and 1981 using
the 75cm f10 reflector and 108cm refractor could
not resolve the pair even with good seeing Using
20cm these stars are much easier to split and I saw
the colours as bluish and white or perhaps blue and
white which is about right when compared to the
given B4V spectral class for the primary
This same double star is featured in AOST2 as object
483 where a comment on
the connection of the
system states
ldquo the angle is slowly
increasing but separation
has not changed
Physical connection
between the stars seems
likelyrdquo
This is an example of a
bright prominent double
star that observers have
neglected likely just
because it is not among
either the prominent
Russell Herschel or
Dunlop pairs Equal
proper motions are -029
mas and -001 mas for the
RA and Dec
respectively
Selected Measures
PA Sep Year
162 21 1894
159 18 1940
159 16 1991
B 2730 (11478-6519) is a
faint pair within the same
field as the He2-73 some
126‟ SSE first discovered
by W H van den Bos
while presumably
measuring nearby COO
NSP 22 Part Two
Figure 1 Field Chart of He2-73 and Surrounding Objects
This shows the 1o x 1o field of He2-73 in Musca and surrounding objects in NSP 22
The figure also shows the nebula IC 2966 and the motion of the high-proper-motion
star L145-141 between 2010 AD and 3000 AD
UNIVERSE 11 Vol 60 4
130 This 95v and 115 magnitude bluish and
colourless pair is easily visible in dark skies using
either 105cm apertures or 75cm with some
diligence B 2730 was last measured in 1987 where
the separation was measured as 64 arcsec along the
easterly position angle of 104o
TX Mus (11471-6524) is another variable 75 SW
further on from B 2730 (above) This 124 mag RR
Lyrae variable of type ldquoABrdquo It is positioned some 3prime
N of 9th mag star PPM 778644 HD 102466 (11472-
6527) The small rise in brightness from 124 to 128
takes 2 hours 16 minutes being 20 (M-mD) of the
short 0473226 day period Discovery of this period
was is based on the Julian Date (JDE) of
2424260264+-0003 of 19th April 1925
This period was recently updated by German
astronomer Joachim Hubscher in the Information
Bulletin on Variable Star (IBVS) No 5802 on 25th
October 2007 He determines that the minima are
now set from the 10th June 2007 at 22h 00m 29s
UT (JDE 2454262417) Also below TX Mus is a
small 4‟ sized asterism of about twelve stars of
12th magnitude all shaped in an arc Little else is
known about this variable
UU Mus HIP 57884 (11523-
6524) (Appears on map U450) is
a 95 mag star some
120 (PA=160o) from COO 130
and both are shown in
Uranometria 20000 UU Mus
varies between 913-1028 over
1163641 days The rise of 115
magnitudes takes approximately
4305 days where the spectrum
changes from G0p to the hotter
F7 Epoch 2436208270 B-
V=0982 Plx=000285 plusmn 000127
TZ Mus (11509-6508) is fainter
than UU Muscae although it was
discovered first It lies some 69‟
NW through PA 306o from COO
130 Brightness varies between
1116V and 1212V (= 096) magnitude over the period of
4944885 days Epoch
242425937 This yellow-orange
star can be usefully checked
because the wide ldquoPair
1rdquo (11515-6504) to the NE of TZ
Mus is about 53‟ away The white 100 magnitude
star is PPM 778689 and I estimated the magnitudes as
10 and 115 separated by about 30 arcsec at PA 20o
No one so far has listed this faint pair in any of the
double star catalogues
IC 2966 VdBH 56 Bran 374 (11502-6452) (U450)
appears is a faint small 3 arcmin reflection bright
emission nebula that is sometimes referred just as
ldquonebulosity around a starrdquo In 20cm I spent some
time searching for this object in dark skies and
frankly returned without much success The stated
position is merely 202‟ NW at PA 333o of COO 130
and is shown in both Uranometria 20000 and Sky
Atlas 20000 It was discovered by RH Frost using a
24-inch refractor at the Arequipa station in the late
1890s (possibly 1898) and catalogued as Frost 791
(Ann Harv Coll Obs Vollx pp179 - 192 ldquoNebula
found by Photographyrdquo) Later the object was entered
into the Index Catalogue (1908) described as ldquopL
bMrdquo - pretty large bright in middle IC 2966 is really
much smaller than this description suggests and the
latest observations limit this size to 30 arcmin across
Classed as ldquo2 Irdquo in Sky Catalogue 20000 and classed
ldquo1rdquo - Bright (1 Brightest - 2 Faintest) of Intermediate
ldquoIrdquo photographic colour (scaled from Red-Grey-
Blue) they give the visual magnitude of the nebula as
1149v (109B) with the general spectral class of B05
Illuminating the nebulosity is the star PPM 778678
CSI -64-14771 (11507-6455) placed a further 24‟ E at
PA 114o of the central nebula position Given as 100
mag (PPM says 95) this star to my eyes appears
distinctly red in the telescope (Note Another star is
111 magnitude GSC 8981293 on the northern edge
the nebulas boundary) Data in the Tycho catalogue
from the Hipparcos satellite give a parallax of 890
mas and if this is the star brightening the nebula
then distance is roughly 110 pc According to Auke
Slotegraaf‟s ldquoDeep Sky Observer‟s Companionrdquo Van
den Bergh and Herbest noted that there is little
difference in the appearance in
either blue or red astronomical
plates - only that the maximum
diameter is 24 arcmin in red and
26 arcmin in blue
Looking at the object the
photographic images and the
data on this object it is possible
that the brightness of the
nebulosity has changed in the
last hundred years or so as most
stars that illuminate reflection
nebulae are more commonly
blue ie like the Pleiades It is
possible that significant
obscuration is being brought
into play here hiding much of
the nebulous light
BC Mus GSC 89812285 (11475
-6443) is merely 16‟ N from the
Centaurus Musca border This
121 mag semi-detached
eclipsing binary can be seen in a
moderate field with the PNe
He2-73 due south and at the
bottom of the field IC 2966 is on
the eastern edge of the same field with BC Mus
located on the NW edge [Actually 20‟ NE of IC 2966
or 26‟ NNW (PA 345o)] Alternatively use the bluish
70 mag HIP 57451 SAO 251582 HD 102370 BD-64
564 PPM 358966 (11466-6446) some 68‟ NE (PA 70o)
The target star is marked by a roughly 14‟ spaced
equilateral triangle of stars whose apex points due
south with the blue-coloured star to the east being
the variable
BC Mus varies between 122p and 145p over
3511171 days Based on the maximum on the 11th
March 1927 (JDE 2424951363) the ratio of the
primary eclipse to the period is 12 being some
042134052 days Seeing this deep 23 mag drop in
Figure 2 IC 2966 Nebula in Musca
Image size 125 x 125 from ALADIN
previewer (Red AAORDSS2 Blue SERI
DSS2 Green average Redblue image
modified by Silvering reducing
saturation) Note L145-141 HIP 57367 will
pass through this nebula in 2640AD
UNIVERSE 12 Vol 60 4
brightness for an eclipsing binary is unusual and to
catch the magnitude drop of the eclipse you will
certainly have to inspect the field several times
Incidentally about 10‟ to 15‟ NE from this triangle is a
small void almost empty of stars Also the
surrounding fields are scattered with many stars
below 10th magnitude
L145-141 GJ440 HIP 57367 WD1142-645 (11458-
6450) in north-western Musca is one of the closer
stars to the Sun Its main interest is due to the very
high proper motion which is
almost equal in prominence
with the far more famous
southern gem alpha
Centauri L145-141 in fact
has the 27th highest proper
motion known and is the most
southerly of the ldquoTop 100rdquo of
all the quickest moving stars
in the sky It is catalogued as
Gliese-Jones‟s GJ 440 or
alternatively W J Luyten‟s
designation of L145-141 This
faint 115v mag star is easily
found within a lovely starry
field [Note L145-141 in
Uranometria 20000 Chart
450 is shown as a tiny dot
above the ldquo(rdquo of the character
string printed on the chart It
is not the brighter star above
the ldquo(rdquo but the one left of it]
When centred on the nearby
7th mag HIP 57451 L145-141
lies 76‟ SW away along PA
234o almost mirroring the
position of BC Mus and HIP
57451 The actual star is the
southern of two 11th
magnitude stars separated by
13 arcmin Figure 1 shows the 1o field locating both
this star and the variable BC Mus
General proper motions were originally obtained for
this region in the late 1920s with the data published
in 1930 A little later the proximity of the star based
on the measured parallax of 0195 arcsec was found
to be 512pc or 167 ly This happens to be about
twice the current distance of Sirius Hipparcos later
improved the distance to the closer 4617(44) plusmn
0050pc or 1507 plusmn 016 ly from the huge parallax of
021640 plusmn 000211 arcsec making this the 37th closest
star to the Sun More recent observations by Henry T
J et al (1997) during the RECONS observation
program of nearby stars found a slightly improved
value of 021657 plusmn 000201 arcsec and this was
determined by the weighted means of both the
Hipparcos and Yale Parallax Catalog [Note These
data are also available from the ldquoAstronomisches
Rechen-Institutrdquo (AIR) in Heidelberg using the ARICNS
(ARI Data Base for Nearby Stars)]
From this distance the absolute magnitude (Mv) is
1318 being some nine magnitudes or 2100 times
less luminous than the Sun In 1986 the quoted 1144v
magnitude was found using UBV photometry but
more recent observations by Henry et al (1997) find
1150V with the B-V magnitude being the whitish
value of 0196
Observed proper motions for L145-141 have since
proven to be very rapid being similar in value to
alpha Centauri (See NSP 17) with the values in RA
+266517 plusmn 0198 mas and Dec -34683 plusmn 0191 mas
This is equivalent to 2665 arcsec per year or 1o every
1350 years The vector changes in RA by 4442‟ or
0074o and Dec by 0578‟ or 0009o each century
calculating the motion in PA terms as moving
towards PA 974o so that it is
travelling almost due east
Such strong easterly motion is
highly unusual as the majority
of these stars are going the
opposite way (ie directly
opposite even Alpha and
Proxima Centauri) There is
likely some significance in
this as to the origin of the star
that has caused this
prodigious velocity
Presently the proper motion
is towards the emission
nebula IC 2966 (11502-6452)
which it will reach in 2640
AD passing about 2‟ S from its
centre in 2670 AD Eventually
L145-141 will also pass close
to the position of the planetary
IC 4191 (13088-6739) (see
NSP 20) though by then the
PNe nebulosity may already
be totally gone
Spectral data reveal a stellar
white dwarf whose spectral
class was first tentatively
given by Zakhozhaj VA
(1979) as A8VII This was later
changed to ldquoDCrdquo indicating distinct lack of emission
lines or just showing a continuous spectrum This was
again updated to the more modern ldquoDQ6rdquo which
suggests the element carbon is present The ldquo6rdquo in
this instance gauges the surface temperature which
calculated by the equation 50400ldquoTrdquo is 8400K
making its nearest ldquosister starrdquo in temperature
Procyon B in Canis Minor The DQ6 classification is
also similar to the earlier A8 spectrum suggesting the
surface temperature is more like 8200K To date
only UV carbon lines have been detected An
estimated mass for L145-141 is about 05 solar masses
and size can be calculated as about 13000 km across
L145-141 is currently fourth closest of all the known
white dwarfs the first two of course being the
companions to Sirius and Procyon Although this star
is not some PNN it is likely that not too long ago at
least in astronomical terms this was once a PNe
central star The original nebulosity has vanished and
has now long since been forgotten
Two Pairs Near L145-141
In addition to the pair near TZ Mus there are two
more pairs in this field ldquoPair 2rdquo of similar PA and
(Continued bottom next page)
Figure 3 L145-141 HIP 57367 Image of
Surrounding Field and Observed Proper
Motion
HIP 57367 is moving across the field right to left
In 2011 the position is about half the
distance again between the 16 yr (1998-1982)
difference blue star to orange star in image
Image source and format details as for Figure 2
UNIVERSE 13 Vol 60 4
by Richard Jaworski
Welcome to the return of ldquoSeeing
Doublerdquo In this series of articles
I hope to introduce you to some
of the best visual double stars the
sky has to offer
Gamma Delphini (Struve 2727) is
in my list of the top 10 double
stars The star marks one corner
of the asterism ldquoJobs Coffinrdquo in
the constellation Delphinus I
have observed it many times
with my 15cm f8 Newtonian
reflector To my eye the primary
is yellow and the companion is
pale blue by comparison Some
see the companion as greenish
In reality the primary is a
yellow-white dwarf star (F7V)
and the secondary an orange
subgiant star (K1IV) Gamma is
located 101 light-years from us
Adding to the vista is the nearby
fainter pair Struve 2725 located
15‟ to the southwest and often
overlooked in favour of the more
dominant Gamma Struve 2725 is
located 125 light years from us
and has a different proper motion
to that of Gamma
A sketch of the pair can be found
at Astronomy Sketch of the Day -
httpwwwasodinfop=6351
I hope you can take the time to
enjoy this pair of pairs
(From page 12)
separation is about 3‟ NE of L145-14 but these
are about a magnitude fainter than the high-
proper-motion star ldquoPair 3rdquo is 55‟ S This wider
9698 pair points towards HIP 57451
References L145-141 Hoberg JB et al ldquoA new look at the local white dwarf
populationrdquo Astron J 135 1225 (2008)
Subasavage et al ldquoThe solar neighborhood XXI Parallax
results from the CTIOPI 09 M program 20 new members of
the 25 parsec white dwarf samplerdquo Astron J 137 4547
(2009)
Zakhozhaj VA ldquoCatalogue of nearest stars until 10pcrdquo
Vestnik Khar‟kovskogo Universiteta (VKha) 190 52
(1979)
Next in NSP 23
He2-68 on the Eastern Corner of Musca
Seeing DoubleDouble
Star RA Dec Mags PA Separation
Gamma Del 20 467 +16 07 43 52 266 9rdquo0
Struve 2725 20 462 +15 54 71 79 10 6rdquo1
UNIVERSE 14 Vol 60 4
Dear Members
Please be advised that a special general meeting of the Astronomical Society of NSW will be
held on Friday 11th November 2011 at the Epping Creative Centre commencing at 800pm
The purpose of the meeting is to vote on the Committee‟s nomination of
John Flavin for Life Membership
All members are encouraged to attend
Paul Hatchman President
Special General Meeting Friday 11
th
November 2011
Another School Year Over
Despite a lot of what could only
be described as inconsiderate
weather in the early part of the
year in the last month
members of the Society have
visited 3 schools to share the
night sky with students
18th August was Oakhill College
at Castle Hill It was a fairly cool
night with very clear skies and
not too bad seeing for suburban
Sydney Oakhill College is a
school that the Society has been
going to for many years This
year we had 9 members with 6
telescopes and 2 displays in
attendance Harry Roberts had
head science teacher Sandra
Woodward looking at spectra of
Antares whilst Karen
Whittingham was capturing the
spectra on a DMK 21 with
Harry‟s C8 Peter Kinna had his
Milky Way Galaxy model and
Crux distance and local solar
neighbourhood spectral
displays out and these always
get a large gathering to see
them Saturn was the champion
of the night
3rd September was an Open
Night at Tara Anglican School
for Girls at North Parramatta
Over the last 2-3 years the
ASNSW has had a very close
association with Tara and it was
a great pleasure to help them
out with their first open night
Once again the weather was
very kind to us with pretty good
skies despite a 4-5 day old
Moon The guest speaker on
the night was Professor Katherine
Blundell from Oxford University
and Project Leader of the Global
Jet Watch program of which Tara
is one of the participating schools
Students parents and teachers all
got to walk around the observing
field after the talk looking
through telescopes of varying
sizes and types at objects being
shown by members of ASNSW
Twelve members with telescopes
were on hand to help out with the
large crowd Member Karen
Whittingham had students taking
images of the Moon through her
10rdquo LX 200 with a DMK 21 camera
and then emailed the images out
to the students the following day
The evening ended inside the
Dome with ASNSW members
suggesting good objects to be
imaged with the 20rdquo RCOS
Barnard‟s Galaxy and the Bug
Nebula were amongst the objects
imaged
6th September saw the Society
doing a school night at
Abbotsleigh Ladies College
another school that has invited us
back year after year for the last
decade plus some The weather
forecast was looking a bit
foreboding the day before and we
were looking out the window all
day Tuesday to see if the clouds
had rolled in yet Luck was on our
side as we headed up the Pacific
Highway to Wahroonga and we
arrived and set up on the tennis
courts to a very clear night with
only ordinary seeing Saturn will
aways win a crowd even at low
altitude A quick walk around the
scopes to see what was on show
Member Jack Giles had a C11
with a CCD camera at Hyperstar
focus and was imaging M8 and
even though it was very near an
8 day old Moon he was still able
to capture the Hourglass Nebula
Gary Kopff had Neptune in the
18rdquo Obsession scope which was
a real treat for the students Most
humans never see Neptune in the
flesh Globular clusters open
clusters carbon stars and the
Moon all make for a good mix of
objects for the students and
teachers to look at and just as
the last students left the
observing area the sky
deteriorated and by the time
pack up was complete the sky
was gone
The following members have
helped out this year at schools
and I would like to thank them on
behalf of the Society Barry
Gerdes Mick McCullagh Chris
Douglass Harry Roberts Karen
Whittingham Peter Kinna and his
friend (sorry forgot your name)
Alex Comino George Comanos
Richard Jaworski Brett and
Francis White Mark Notary Jack
Giles Gary Kopff Dave Scott
Paddy DeKlerk John Flavin and
an unknown member who came
to Oakhill to help out
School nights will again be
happening next year
Come along have some fun
All the above people had a ball )
Cheers Don Whiteman
Ground-based Reports School Nights
UNIVERSE 15 Vol 60 4
ASNSW EVENTS
Meetings
Friday 7th October 2011 at 800pm
Observational astronomy from Tycho Brahe to
William Herschel
Geoff Smith Observations Officer ASNSW
Friday 14th October 2011 at 800pm
Making the Sky Dark
Dr Simon Ellis AAO
Friday 11th November 2011 at 800pm SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
to vote on Life Membership of John Flavin
Observing Sessions
Crago Observatory 22nd October 19th November
Wiruna 28th - 29th October 25th-26th November
SYDNEY
Astronomy Open Night
at Macquarie University NOTE CHANGE OF DATE
Saturday 29th October 2011
from 630pm to 10pm At 730pm hear Prof Andrew Melatos University of
Melbourne Neutron Stars Natures Most Extreme
Quantum Laboratories
Charges $5 ChildConc $12 Adult $27 Family
[invalid link deleted from sample issue] Please bring along a telescope to share to gain free
entry and join in the fun
Tuesday November 1st ndash 29th from 6pm to 8pm Exploring the Heavens
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash An Introduction to Astronomy Course
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
Thursday November 3rd ndash December 1st 6pm to 8pm Understanding Gravity
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash Learn the Fundamentals of Gravity
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
REGIONAL NSW
October 27th - 30th 2011 Sixth Annual IceInSpace Astro-Camp (IISAC)
Lostock Scout Camp in the Hunter Valley of NSW
Star Party organised by IceInSpace
For more information prices and registration visit
httpwwwiceinspacecomauiisachtml
October 8th - 9th 2011 from 9am ndash 4pm both days Parkes (The Dish) Telescope 50th Anniversary
Open Days
Free entry ndash telescope tours astronomer talks and
QampA sessions and a look behind the scenes at ASKAP ndash
loads of family activities for all
Saturday October 8th 2011 at 6pm Opera at the Dish
For more information check out
httpwwwparkesatnfcsiroaunews_events
opendays2011
October 14th - 28th 2011 The Great World Wide Star Count
Count the stars in Sagittarius
httpwwwwindows2universeorgcitizen_science
starcountconstellations_shhtml
Friday October 14th 2011 at 630pm Science in the Pub Is there anybody out there
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
ANU Astronomers Prof Charlie Lineweaver Dr Daniel
Bayliss and AAO astronomer Dr Simon O‟Toole will
light-heartedly discuss the search for ET Compered
by the ABC Western Plains Sally Bryant
Saturday October 15th 2011 from 10am to 4pm Siding Spring Open Day
Come and see behind the scenes at Australia‟s largest
professional Optical Observatory
Saturday October 15th 2011 Bok Lecture
Prof Mike Bessell ndash Free Astronomical Lecture in
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
For information on the above events contact Donna
Burton [details withheld from sample issue]
ACT
November 6th 2011 - 10am to 4pm Mt Stromlo Observatory Open Day
Contact Mt Stromlo Observatory 02 6125 0230
VICTORIA
October 19th 2011 630pm - 730pm Public Lecture ndash Into the Heart of a Globular Cluster
httpastronomyswineduauoutreach
topic=freelectures
October 28th - 31st 2011 VicSouth Desert Spring Star Party
More info httpvicsouthinfovicsouth2011htm
QUEENSLAND
October 3rd 2011 5pm ndash 6pm Innovation Annual Lecture Sleuthing for Exoplanets
httpwwwscienceuqeduauan-invitation-to-
innovation-annual-lecture
EVENT HORIZON WORLDWIDE ASTRONOMY DAY
Saturday 1st October 2011
UNIVERSE 2 Vol 60 4
The Astronomical
Society of
New South Wales
GPO Box 1123
Sydney NSW 2001
Phone XX XXXX XXXX
Fax XX XXXX XXXX
email secretaryasnswcom
Homepage
httpwwwasnswcom
IN THIS ISSUE
2 Index Editorial Directions
3 Scoped Out
Prominences explained
by Harry Roberts
4 Starry Messenger
The sky for OctNov
by Geoff Smith
6 Look-back Time
courtesy John Flavin
7 Vale Cyril Brown
8 E E Barnard Part Three by Gerard Keyser
10 NSP 22 Part Two
by Andrew James
13 Seeing Double
by Richard Jaworski
14 Notice of
Special General Meeting
11th November 2011
Ground-based Reports
School Nights
by Don Whiteman
15 Event Horizon
What‟s on near and far
16 Society Info [omitted from
sample issue]
Deadline for the
November issue is
Friday 14th October
Correspondence
editorasnswcom
If contributions over 10Mb
please send to
starryladyhotmailcom
Please also include a phone
number when you submit your
contribution This allows the
editor to make any quick
enquiries
Desk Space Dear Members
Features this month include a spectacular Milky Way image on
the cover (details below) another blast from the past from
John the next episode in the life of E E Barnard from Gerard
more star stuff from Andrew a tribute to the late Cyril Brown
(Life Member of ASNSW) and an important notice of our
Special General Meeting in November Geoff and Harry are
back with their regular contributions joined this month by
Richard with his double-star challenge Enjoy the Universe Yours truly
Lesa Moore Editor
ON THE COVER
This fabulous ultra-wide-field image of the Scorpius-Sagittarius
region was taken by Marc Aragnou using his SMC Pentax-
M 100mm lens at F56 on a 6 megapixel one-shot cooled QHY8
camera and Losmandy G11 mount
It is a three-panel mosaic each panel being a stack of twenty 3-
minute subs The field of view is 27 x 13 degrees North is left
West is up (Original image 18 megapixels but reduced to 1MB
for publication)
The central dust lane of the Milky Way runs diagonally from
top right to bottom left The top right corner is occupied by the
huge smoky Pipe Nebula Centre top in the smoke from the
pipe is the tiny Snake Nebula
The very conspicuous bright coolish pink emission nebula in
the middle of the main dust lane is the Lagoon (M8) The much
smaller Trifid (M20) is just to the left At the very bottom is the
magnificent Crackerjack globular (M22) showing as a warmer
orange-white Extending a line from the Lagoon through the
Trifid and well beyond reaches the large white open cluster
M23 Other identifiable objects are too numerous to mention
How to get to Meetings
Meetings are held at Epping Creative Centre Meetings start at 8pm
sharp and are held in the Pringle Room at the far end of the building
The Epping Creative Centre is in Stanley Rd and is about 1km from
Epping Station via Epping Road
How to get to Crago Observatory
Crago Observatory is at Bowen Mountain 12 km from North
Richmond The observatory is situated 100 metres along Burralow Fire
trail which is at the northern end of Lieutenant Bowen Road A
grassed area adjacent to the observatory is suitable for setting up a
telescope Crago Observatory is usually open on designated Saturday
nights closest to the Last Quarter moon and at other times Members
should check UNIVERSE or wwwasnswcom for scheduled observing
sessions Before driving to the site it would be prudent to contact Ian
Parr Vice President Crago to make sure that it will be open
How to get to Wiruna
Wiruna is for use by members their guests and bona fide visitors
Directions withheld from sample issue of Universe
UNIVERSE 3 Vol 60 4
Prominences are
ldquoPlasma Trapsrdquo
by Harry Roberts
2011 June 5 and 6 saw some fine prominences at
both the east and west limbs (see diagrams abc
amp d) - and we see the trapped plasma (almost) any
time we view the Sun in H-alpha Yet science
struggles to confine plasma despite decades of
effort How does the Sun do this trick so easily
Confusingly trapped material is called a filament
on the Sun‟s disc ndash and a prominence when seen
above the limb Either way it‟s trapped plasma
The first views must have been during total
eclipses ndash and over past millennia many a giant
prominence must have drawn attention
The temperature inside a quiet filament is about
5000K much less than the chromosphere‟s 8000K
ndash that‟s why the same thing looks different
depending on our line of sight dark on the disc
bright above the limb Filaments can be stable for
weeks ndash so how does the Sun entrap material for
so long
The plasma ldquotraprdquo is formed by magnetism and
Zirin (ldquoAstrophysics of the Sunrdquo) lists the main parts
ndash reviewed below
Fields quiet prominences arise where surface
fields are rather weak about 10 times Earth‟s field
(ie 5-10 gauss) Such fields occur in bands on the
Sun at latitudes above the current spots where
large unipolar regions are found Where two such
regions adjoin a plasma ldquotraprdquo can form Between
the ldquounlikerdquo regions a narrow ldquoneutral linerdquo
arises and a ldquomagnetic channelrdquo forms there
Magnetic channel Most of the emerging field is
vertical but at the neutral line the fields connect
across the zone as loops However below these
loops the fields do not connect across the gap but
instead turn 90ordm from vertical to horizontal and
run in opposite directions along the channel ndash
forming parallel ldquofencesrdquo of horizontal field that
can entrap material This ldquomakes sense because
the field can hold up the material only if it is
horizontalrdquo (Zirin p274)
ldquoPlasma cannot be contained by field lines convex
to itrdquo (p278) - ie plasma will escape unless the
ldquotraprdquo is everywhere concave
Exact details are still being studied ndash and how
material gets in is unknown The captured
material grows into a sheet 50 megametres (Mm)
high and sometimes as wide And while the
filament (or prominence) can be 50 Mm high
above that height it becomes unstable ndash and soon
erupts apparently as the
transverse loops are broken Yet
the ldquotraprdquo survives and often
refills in a day or so
The ldquocagedrdquo filament can grow
so dense it ldquoblanketsrdquo the Sun‟s
surface and a bright band
below the filament is often seen
in H-alpha
Coronal heating ldquoSince the
prominence is immersed in the
million-degree corona why
doesn‟t it heat uprdquo Because it
ldquois supported by magnetic field
lines that go to the surface so hot
coronal ions would have to cross
the field lines to heat itrdquo (p280) ndash
this is something ions can‟t do
Prominences - they are
wonderful things and may grow
much larger than the ones
shown It‟s a good reason to
often view the Sun in H-alpha -
even every day - if it‟s clear
Editorrsquos Note Although Harry made these
observations several months ago the article
contains some excellent educational content
worthy of inclusion at any time
SCOPED OUT Observations by Members
YOUR SPACE
Send in your observation(s) to appear in ldquoScoped
Outrdquo It could be a single photo or sketch a
description of an observing run or something you
saw while riding home on the train
No contribution is too large or too small
UNIVERSE 4 Vol 60 4
STARRY MESSENGER The Sky for October and November
by Geoff Smith
The Moon
There will be a partial solar eclipse on 25th
November visible from the southern tip of Tasmania
Mercury
Mercury returns to the evening sky in October You
should be able to see it approaching Venus from
below by mid-month During the last week of
October the two planets will be 2deg apart During the
first two weeks of November Mercury and Venus
maintain their close companionship On 10th
October Mercury will be 2deg from both Antares and
Venus with the three of them forming a straight line
There will be a close (1deg) pass by Mercury to the
globular cluster M19 on 17th November
Venus
Venus climbs higher in
the sky during October
hotly pursued by
Mercury It begins the
month in Virgo but about
mid-month passes into
Libra On 21st October it
will be 0deg2 from α Librae
a wide (4acute) double You
should be able to get all
three objects into the
same low power field
During November Venus
continues its climb into
the western sky Watch
for a close (1deg) approach
to the globular cluster
M28 on 30th November
Mars
Mars spends the first three weeks of October in
Cancer before moving into Leo where it remains
until mid-January It crosses the Beehive cluster in
the first few days of October On the 11th November
Mars will be within 1deg3 of Regulus During these
months Mars slowly increases its angular size from
5rdquo5 to 6rdquo4 so it remains a challenging object on
which to see detail
Jupiter
Jupiter comes into opposition on 29th October and is
ideally placed for viewing This is a favourable
opposition with the angular diameter of the planet
reaching 49rdquo7 In November it remains well-placed
for observation The smallest telescope will show a
wealth of detail on Jupiter A 2rdquo telescope will show
satellite shadows in transit across the disc while a 3rdquo
working under good conditions will show that the
cloud belts are not entirely regular but show darker
patches and sometimes projections at their edges
An occasional bright spot may also be detected with a
3‟‟ telescope
Saturn
Saturn is in conjunction with the Sun on 14th October
It returns to the morning sky in November but will
only be a twilight object
Uranus and Neptune
Uranus is just past opposition in October and is high
in the northeastern sky at the end of evening twilight
In November it will be about 5deg above the circlet in
Pisces at the end of twilight
Neptune will be in Aquarius throughout October and
November It remains within 1deg7 of ι Aquarii
throughout these months
Minor Planets and Dwarf Planets
Pallas at magnitude 10 will be 0deg3 east of ε Aquilae on
1st November and 0deg1
south-east of θ Aquilae on
21st November
Pluto at magnitude 14
stays in Sagittarius for
October and November
It sets at midnight in mid-
October and around 10pm
in mid-November and
crosses the meridian
around 7pm mid-month
Ceres at magnitude 8 will
be in Aquarius through
October See the finder
chart Start at Fomalhaut
and then star hop
northeast through two
triplets of modest stars till
you reach the long string
containing 107 Aquarii
Meteor Showers
Moon Forecast for 20ndash22 October 2011 Waning
crescent
The Orionid meteor shower is the second of two
showers that occur each year as a result of Earth
passing through dust released by Halleys Comet
with the first being the Eta Aquarids The point from
where the Orionid meteors appear to radiate is
located within the constellation Orion
The Orionids generally begin on October 15 and end
on October 29 with maximum generally occurring
during the morning hours of October 20-22 The
Orionids are barely detectable on the beginning and
ending dates but observers in the Northern
Hemisphere will see around 20 meteors per hour at
maximum while observers in the Southern
Hemisphere will see around 40 meteors per hour The
maximum can last two or three nights although there
is evidence of some fluctuation from year to year
There are other weaker meteor showers going on
around the same time as the Orionids The Orionids
generally appear to move fast When you see a
Figure 1 Finder chart for Ceres
UNIVERSE 5 Vol 60 4
meteor mentally trace it backwards If you end up at
Orion then you have probably seen an Orionid
meteor
Source httpmeteorshowersonlinecomorionidshtml
Constellation of the Month Sculptor
Culmination About 10pm in the middle of the month
Sculptor is a small and faint constellation but has
some impressive deep sky objects It lies in a region
rich in galaxies some of which are large and bright
making fine telescopic objects It was introduced by
Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century who
originally named it Apparatus Sculptoris (the
sculptors studio) but the name was later shortened to
Sculptor (the sculptor) As with most of Lacaille‟s
introductions one cannot help but admire his
imagination No stars brighter than 3rd magnitude
are located in Sculptor This is
explained by the fact that Sculptor
contains the south galactic pole where
stellar density is very low
The brightest is α Sculptoris an SX
Arietis-type variable star with the
magnitude of only 43 The constellation
also contains the Sculptor Dwarf Galaxy
which is a member of the Local Group
as well as the Sculptor Group the group
of galaxies closest to the Local Group
The Sculptor Galaxy (NGC 253) a
barred spiral galaxy and the largest
member of the group lies near the
border between Sculptor and Cetus
Another prominent member of the
group is the irregular galaxy NGC 55
Double Stars in Sculptor
κ1 Scl is a bright yellow pair in a sparse
field easily resolved with a 4rdquo
telescope Mags 61 62 sep 1rdquo4 PA
261deg (2001)
τ Scl A close yellow pair The separation is
decreasing and will need at least 8rdquo to
separate the pair Mags 60 74 sep 0rdquo8 PA 169deg
(1999)
ε Scl Showcase pair bright yellow Mags 54 85
sep 4rdquo9 PA 24deg(2002)
Deep sky objects in Sculptor
NGC 253 (Silver Coin Galaxy) makes everyone‟s list
of top ten galaxies It is very large (30acute x 6acute9) and
very bright (mag 71) It is visible to the naked eye
by sharp-eyed observers from a dark sky site and is
an easy binocular object You should be able to
detect a mottled appearance through an 8rdquo telescope
while 12rdquo should begin to reveal the spiral arms
NGC 55 (String of Pearls Galaxy) is another very
large (25acute x 2acute5) bright (mag 71) galaxy and is a fine
example of an edge-on barred spiral An OIII filter
and a 12rdquo telescope reveal the star-forming regions of
ionized hydrogen as small hazy spots near the centre
NGC 300 (Southern Pinwheel) This is perhaps the
sky‟s most classic spiral galaxy Through 12rdquo and
larger telescopes you should be able to see spiral
arms and dark lanes Size 20acute x 15acute
NGC 247 This galaxy is in Cetus but is included
here as it is a prominent member of the Sculptor
Group of galaxies Through a 10rdquo telescope the
galaxy has a tight circular centre with an oval haze
around it The southern end is tapered while the
northern end is more rounded
NGC 288 This is a nice globular cluster It‟s quite
big (14acute) but sparsely populated which makes it easy
to resolve Expect to see about 100 stars with an 8rdquo
telescope
See full list of deep sky objects next page
Clear Skies
References Astronomy 2011
NGCIC webpage httpwwwngcicprojectorg
defaulthtm
Hartung Astronomical Objects for Southern
Telescopes Melbourne UP 1995
Figure 2 Radiant at about 200 am local time
around October 21
Figure 3 The constellation Sculptor
UNIVERSE 6 Vol 60 4
Double Stars for Small Telescopes by Sissy Haas
Constellation diagrams from http
wwwdibonsmithcomconstelhtm and used here with
the permission of the author Richard Dibon-Smith
Uranometria constellation figure from scans by the
Linda Hall Library of Science Engineering and
Technology httpwwwlindahallorgservices
digitalebooksbayer
variables
(The Observations Officer here interposed to refer to
the necessity for collaboration between variable star
observers in this Society and of practice in the work
with a view to gaining experience in this field before the
anticipated meeting with the Variable Star Section of the
British Astronomical Association)
Mr G Patston gave a ldquoMoonwatchrdquo report saying that
the preceding month had given reasonable viewing
weather there had been 12 good nights recorded in the
log
An observation had been made of the American 20-inch
satellite (7th magnitude) on August 1st 1959 At
midnight on the night of the meeting (7th August) an
attempt would be made to observe the newly launched
American satellite Explorer VI whose distance would
be 165 miles at perigee and 20000 miles at apogee and
equipped with solar cells to supply power to its
instruments and radio
Bulletin Cover
The Editor trusts that members will like the new
ldquoBulletinrdquo cover ndash it gives the ldquoold magrdquo quite a fillip
The object is of course eta Carinae ndash Keyhole ndash Nebula
in the Milky Way near Crux The negative from which
the block was taken was presented to the SAA by Dr
C Gum of the CSIRO Apologies to those members
who didn‟t receive a Bulletin last month First of all the
covers ran out Then there was some confusion as to
whom was financial or not The muddle has now been
sorted out From now on those members who should
get a Bulletin will and those who shouldn‟t won‟t
The new ldquoBulletinrdquo cover introduced with the July 1959
issue was our third cover design since our first issue in
July ‟55 The bdquoeta Carinae‟ cover stayed with us until the
February 1962 issue
The above extracts are taken from the July and
August 1959 issues of our Journal - John Flavin
Table 1 Deep Sky Objects in Sculptor
OGM held at Belfield August 7th 1959
The President Mr G Miles took the Chair and
opened the meeting at 1955 hours there being 51
members and 4 visitors present The President
welcomed the visitors who included the evening‟s
Guest Speaker Dr Hill of the CSIRO
Building expenses
The Treasurer reported that the amount received or
promised by way of either donation or interest-free loan
towards the cost of the sanitary conveniences necessary to
be constructed for the new building [Clubhouse] was pound67
The President announced that the Treasurer would there
and then receive further contributions to this cause and
members immediately took advantage of the opportunity
to make their gifts or loans At this stage it was moved and
seconded that in order that lenders of money should have
a suitable acknowledgement of the Society‟s obligation to
repay them the Treasurer be authorised to issue receipts
for loans in the following terms
Received from Mr A B the sum of poundx being interest free
loan repayable within twelve months from 1st August 1959
- Sydney Amateur Astronomers - Per Treasurer
This motion was carried
The President said that the total required to be raised was
pound100 and that a member who wished to remain
anonymous had promised that he (or she) would provide
any balance still left to be found after the collection had
been made This act of generosity was warmly applauded
Within a few minutes thereafter the Treasurer reported that
the total received or promised in gifts or loans was pound125 ndash
a very creditable result
Observations
Mr P Williamson showed [sunspot] drawings made by
him on 11th July and 1st August 1959 the former one
showing a spot of large size divided into two parts by a
ldquobridgerdquo which later entirely disappeared in the space of
a few hours He also reported some observations of
Mercury Mr Tonkin showed drawings of sunspots made
on the 15th July 1959
In connection with this subject the Secretary said that the
helioscope under construction by the Junior Section was
nearing completion
Mr L Williamson spoke on T Centauri and other
Object RA (J2000) Dec (J2000) Type Mag Size
NGC 55 00 15 084 -39 13 14 GX 83 25 x 25
NGC 134 00 30 214 -33 14 50 GX 105 85 x 20
NGC 150 00 34 161 -27 48 16 GX 114 39 x 19
IC 1581 00 46 060 -25 54 00 GX ---- 11 x 02
NGC 253 00 47 331 -25 17 17 GX 78 30 x 69
NGC 289 00 52 417 -31 12 28 GX 11 51 x 36
NGC 288 00 52 474 -26 35 24 GC 81 14
NGC 300 00 54 534 -37 41 00 GX 83 20 x 15
NGC 409 01 09 325 -35 48 20 GX 131 13 x 11
NGC 424 01 11 279 -38 04 59 GX 13 18 x 08
NGC 438 01 13 335 -37 54 07 GX 13 14 x 11
NGC 613 01 34 175 -29 24 58 GX 101 55 x 42
NGC 7507 23 12 077 -28 32 26 GX 108 28 x 27
IC 5332 23 34 300 -36 06 00 GX 106 66 x 51
NGC 7713 23 36 149 -37 56 20 GX 112 46 x 22
NGC 7793 23 57 497 -32 35 30 GX 92 93 x 63
LOOK-BACK
TIME The ASNSW from the Archives
UNIVERSE 7 Vol 60 4
Cyril Brown a
dedicated and
active member
from our early
days died on the
5th September
aged 96 at
Maryborough
Cyril joined us in
the late sixties a
period that saw
our Society facing
considerable
difficulty arising
from our having to depart our original home at
Belfield It was fortunate that Cyril came to us when
he did as his property in the semi-rural surrounds
of Dural became the location for the telescopes that
had to be moved from Belfield At the July 1970
AGM ndash held at the Canterbury Council buildings
and our first away from Belfield ndash Cyril was elected
President a position he would hold until 1973 His
home at Dural become an easy-to-reach bdquodark sky‟
site for some years until Bowen Mt became
operational
In his working life Cyril was a Saw Doctor ndash a trade
that covers the repair and upkeep of a range of
tools A McNiven Medal recipient and a Life
Member he filled many positions in his years with
us In 2004 he moved to Queensland to be near
some members of his family who had earlier
moved to that state Cyril maintained his interest in
astronomy going out to see Comet McNaught a few
years ago and looking up astronomy sites on the
internet Within the last year Cyril attended an
astronomy outing with the 1st Burrum Heads Girl
Guides (his great granddaughters are members) to
show them the sky Cyril is survived by daughter
Marian son Cyril Jr grandchildren and great
grandchildren
The Girl Guides really enjoyed the night which was
part of Space Week They followed this up with
decorating our shed with planets etc They were then
presented with their space badge for their sash
Personally I can not say enough of how much we
appreciated Marian bringing Cyril out to share their
knowledge with the girls - Leeanne Bouveng
This poem from Walt Whitman (1865) was
read at his service followed by the closing
lines from his daughter Marian Lynch
When I heard the learn‟d astronomer
When the proofs were ranged in columns
before me
When I was shown the charts and the
diagrams
to add divide and measure them
When I sitting heard the astronomer
where he lectured with much applause in the
lecture room
How soon unaccountable I became tired
and listless
Till rising and going out I wander‟d off by
myself
In the mystical moist night air and from time
to time
Look‟d up in perfect silence at the stars
Now Cyril strolls
from star to star in the Universe
With the greatest Astronomer of all
Sharney Bouveng stands behind Cyril with his great
granddaughters Shylani and Hannah Mallett
(left and right respectively)
VALE CYRIL BROWN
Portraits of Cyril from an earlier time (top left) and
last year (above)
UNIVERSE 8 Vol 60 4
by Gerard Keyzer
In episode two we left Edward Emerson Barnard
with his newly acquired 5-inch refractor as his
observing began in earnest Barnard was gifted
with incredible eyesight and a thoughtful
determined character and he spent the next few
years honing his observing skills while taking his
first tentative steps into the world of the
professional astronomer In his personal life he
was gaining yet more stability earning the respect
and admiration of Rhoda Calvert his colleague‟s
sister who was eventually to become his wife
Around this time Barnard took a long lease on a
nice house on the outskirts of Nashville While not
yet married to each other Rhoda began to help
Edward with the daily running of the household
and the care of his invalid mother As Rhoda was
fourteen years his senior many felt she set her cap
for him as a ldquolast chancerdquo to
avoid spinsterhood Possibly
but this sensitive young man
was mature beyond his years
and marrying on January
27th 1881 the pair became
devoted to each other in
every respect for the
remainder of their lives
It was at the house at 1919
Patterson Ave that Edward
was able to throw himself
into his observations
distanced from the continual
interruptions of casual
visitors to the telescope
Using a homemade light box
he would spend many hours
sketching and was soon
being published in technical journals such as the
English Mechanic The cloud bands and moons of
Jupiter the markings of the Martian surface the
rings of Saturn were all favourite targets His
Byrne refractor was of the finest calibre optically
showing the Galilean moons as distinct discs and
his observations of the Great Red Spot and
eruptions in the cloud bands were compared
favourably with those from Dearborn Observatory
done through an 185-inch refractor and measured
with a micrometer
My favourite story of Barnard‟s early observing
occurred at this time and is best told in his own
words Observing Jupiter at 2am he paused to rest
his eyes for a moment and was bdquohorrified to see two
glaring greenish-red balls of fire a few feet away in
the obscurity of the bushes Cold chills played up
and down my backbone and I was too frightened to
move These balls of fire came slowly toward me A
supernatural horror seemed to bind me to the spot
as a nightmare holds one in its pitiless grasp I
could not have moved if I had known the foul fiend
himself was behind those lights Just at the point
when I felt that I must collapse as the hateful lights
came close to me I felt the warm touch of the
tongue of some animal licking my cold hand and in
the obscurity I saw a great dog wagging his tail in a
friendly manner The relief was tremendous and a
warm flow of blood seemed to infuse my veins It
proved to be a great and fierce bulldog belonging
to my neighbour This dog had always looked so
savage with his cruel teeth that I had not
attempted to cultivate his friendship Why he had
not attacked me in the darkness and what made him
seek this friendship I do not know but from that
time on he was my good friend and made it a habit
to lie down near me every night I was out
observing His friendship was a blessing for I no
longer felt the nameless dread of the night with his
powerful form at my
feet‟ (Reprinted from ldquoThe
Immortal Fire Withinrdquo)
Barnard‟s natural reticence
and conservative nature
were to stand him in good
stead when popular interest
in Mars conjured up all sorts
of fanciful claims of canals
and civilizations He
preferred only to note and
comment on what he actually
observed not what he
ldquothoughtrdquo he saw At twenty-
two he already had an
aversion to ldquorashly drawn
conclusionsrdquo Barnard‟s
settled domestic situation
allowed him to progress his budding semi-
professional status Discovery of a comet brought
much kudos and during this period he was
awarded a cash prize of $200 called the Warner
prize The recognition amongst his peers was the
greater prize sought by Barnard His first comet
discovery was sadly not confirmed later analysis
showing that inferior equipment and delays by
those expected to confirm it led to it being ldquolostrdquo
This caused Barnard great embarrassment but he
would persevere in quest of the Warner prize
desirous of emulating the great comet seekers
Messier and Pons In the course of his comet
seeking he was to discover a new nebula
designated NGC 5584 one of twenty credited to
him during this period Remember most of the
famous Messier objects had been discovered
while searching for comets
On September 17th 1881 Barnard discovered his
first confirmed comet and silenced his critics with
the official designation of Comet Barnard or 1881
Edward Emerson BARNARD
1857-1923
Part Three
NGC 5584 in Virgo
UNIVERSE 9 Vol 60 4
VI With the first Warner prize cheque of $200
Edward and Rhoda bought a plot of land took a
mortgage and built a cottage where they lived
with Edward‟s mother Happy times followed
although they struggled for a living but the
remote location allowed Edward every possible
opportunity to continue with his comet-seeking
gaining the Warner prize again with 1882 III and
discovering a total of sixteen comets in the next
eleven years including the first photographic
discovery Other comets of the period were more
spectacular and created greater interest such as
Wells‟s Comet Swift‟s Comet Tebbutt‟s Comet
(discovered in Australia by JC Tebbutt in June
1881) and the Great Comet of 1882 Barnard‟s
observing diligence and skill were rewarded in
another way as he observed The Great Comet of
1882 Over the period of 22nd September to 14th
October he recorded this comet breaking first in
two then eventually into six or eight fragments
the discovery being confirmed by professionals
from around the globe Interestingly on the
morning of 13th October Barnard had ldquoforeseenrdquo
this occurrence in a dream of a sky filled with
comets He later said ldquo the association of this
dream with the reality has always seemed a
strange thing to merdquo
While less noteworthy for their appearance
Barnard‟s comet discoveries did bring him some
financial security through three Warner prizes
and more importantly they brought him the
official recognition of his peers opening the door
to the professional career he would now aspire to
Locally they brought him acclaim and a group of
prominent citizens resolved to build an
observatory for ldquothe young astronomer of
Nashvillerdquo He would not take the plan seriously
but when the architect‟s plan materialised along
with foundation stonework he rushed to his
benefactors Apologetically he refused their
generous offer because he felt he would be
obliged to remain in situ and not be free to move if
he was offered an official position He was soon to
be proven right
Stay tuned for Episode Four
Sources ndash Various Encyclopaedia Brittanica and Wiki
and ldquoThe Immortal Fire Withinrdquo by William Sheehan
Barnardrsquos skilful drawing of Halleyrsquos Comet
May 18th 1910 at Yerkes Observatory
Barnardrsquos photograph of Comet Swift 1892
Barnardrsquos photographs of Comet Brooks
October 1893 showing the comet
fragmenting
UNIVERSE 10 Vol 60 4
by Andrew James
Last issue featured the planetary nebula He2-73 This
month explores the surrounding region
The following objects can be found in a moderately
starry field using moderate to low power about 40‟ S
of the Crux-Musca border I originally centred on this
field in 20cm using the 26mm Plossel (78x with 32
arcmin field) deliberately just looking for the pair
COO 130 as mentioned in both AOST1amp2 Later I
investigated the other four objects nearby then
centring at the field‟s mid-position at 11h 504m
-65o 04‟ Here you can bdquohold‟ all in one field TZ Mus
IC 2966 He2-80 B2730 and my target pair
Furthermore half a field southwards using moderate
powers there are also two faint Cepheids - UU Mus
and TZ Mus (see descriptions below)
COO 130 HIP 57851 SAO 251617 HD 103079
(11519-6512) was discovered by SI Bailey in 1894
during routine observations to produce the extensive
Cordova Observatory (CD) star catalogue beginning
in the 1890s It is really surprising that neither John
Herschel nor HC Russell found this system in their
extensive double star surveys yet it is very remotely
possible that the star appeared single between 1835
and 1880 COO 130 lies almost 20‟ due east of He2-73
and the field is marked with three stars in a bent line
at the south-eastern edge of the field at low powers
These field stars have respective visual magnitudes
from south to north of 75 75 and 95 and form an
oddly-shaped triangular figure
COO 130 comprises 52v and 74v magnitude (497V
amp 725V) stars with 16 arcsec separation and position
angle of 159o as last measured by the Hipparcos
satellite in 1991 From the available data these stars
are very slowly diminishing in separation thus
making future amateur observations more difficult
Resolution is possible in 15cm telescopes but this
becomes much easier in 20cm AOST2 does claim this
is ldquo just possible rdquo in 75cm but my own four
different observations between 1978 and 1981 using
the 75cm f10 reflector and 108cm refractor could
not resolve the pair even with good seeing Using
20cm these stars are much easier to split and I saw
the colours as bluish and white or perhaps blue and
white which is about right when compared to the
given B4V spectral class for the primary
This same double star is featured in AOST2 as object
483 where a comment on
the connection of the
system states
ldquo the angle is slowly
increasing but separation
has not changed
Physical connection
between the stars seems
likelyrdquo
This is an example of a
bright prominent double
star that observers have
neglected likely just
because it is not among
either the prominent
Russell Herschel or
Dunlop pairs Equal
proper motions are -029
mas and -001 mas for the
RA and Dec
respectively
Selected Measures
PA Sep Year
162 21 1894
159 18 1940
159 16 1991
B 2730 (11478-6519) is a
faint pair within the same
field as the He2-73 some
126‟ SSE first discovered
by W H van den Bos
while presumably
measuring nearby COO
NSP 22 Part Two
Figure 1 Field Chart of He2-73 and Surrounding Objects
This shows the 1o x 1o field of He2-73 in Musca and surrounding objects in NSP 22
The figure also shows the nebula IC 2966 and the motion of the high-proper-motion
star L145-141 between 2010 AD and 3000 AD
UNIVERSE 11 Vol 60 4
130 This 95v and 115 magnitude bluish and
colourless pair is easily visible in dark skies using
either 105cm apertures or 75cm with some
diligence B 2730 was last measured in 1987 where
the separation was measured as 64 arcsec along the
easterly position angle of 104o
TX Mus (11471-6524) is another variable 75 SW
further on from B 2730 (above) This 124 mag RR
Lyrae variable of type ldquoABrdquo It is positioned some 3prime
N of 9th mag star PPM 778644 HD 102466 (11472-
6527) The small rise in brightness from 124 to 128
takes 2 hours 16 minutes being 20 (M-mD) of the
short 0473226 day period Discovery of this period
was is based on the Julian Date (JDE) of
2424260264+-0003 of 19th April 1925
This period was recently updated by German
astronomer Joachim Hubscher in the Information
Bulletin on Variable Star (IBVS) No 5802 on 25th
October 2007 He determines that the minima are
now set from the 10th June 2007 at 22h 00m 29s
UT (JDE 2454262417) Also below TX Mus is a
small 4‟ sized asterism of about twelve stars of
12th magnitude all shaped in an arc Little else is
known about this variable
UU Mus HIP 57884 (11523-
6524) (Appears on map U450) is
a 95 mag star some
120 (PA=160o) from COO 130
and both are shown in
Uranometria 20000 UU Mus
varies between 913-1028 over
1163641 days The rise of 115
magnitudes takes approximately
4305 days where the spectrum
changes from G0p to the hotter
F7 Epoch 2436208270 B-
V=0982 Plx=000285 plusmn 000127
TZ Mus (11509-6508) is fainter
than UU Muscae although it was
discovered first It lies some 69‟
NW through PA 306o from COO
130 Brightness varies between
1116V and 1212V (= 096) magnitude over the period of
4944885 days Epoch
242425937 This yellow-orange
star can be usefully checked
because the wide ldquoPair
1rdquo (11515-6504) to the NE of TZ
Mus is about 53‟ away The white 100 magnitude
star is PPM 778689 and I estimated the magnitudes as
10 and 115 separated by about 30 arcsec at PA 20o
No one so far has listed this faint pair in any of the
double star catalogues
IC 2966 VdBH 56 Bran 374 (11502-6452) (U450)
appears is a faint small 3 arcmin reflection bright
emission nebula that is sometimes referred just as
ldquonebulosity around a starrdquo In 20cm I spent some
time searching for this object in dark skies and
frankly returned without much success The stated
position is merely 202‟ NW at PA 333o of COO 130
and is shown in both Uranometria 20000 and Sky
Atlas 20000 It was discovered by RH Frost using a
24-inch refractor at the Arequipa station in the late
1890s (possibly 1898) and catalogued as Frost 791
(Ann Harv Coll Obs Vollx pp179 - 192 ldquoNebula
found by Photographyrdquo) Later the object was entered
into the Index Catalogue (1908) described as ldquopL
bMrdquo - pretty large bright in middle IC 2966 is really
much smaller than this description suggests and the
latest observations limit this size to 30 arcmin across
Classed as ldquo2 Irdquo in Sky Catalogue 20000 and classed
ldquo1rdquo - Bright (1 Brightest - 2 Faintest) of Intermediate
ldquoIrdquo photographic colour (scaled from Red-Grey-
Blue) they give the visual magnitude of the nebula as
1149v (109B) with the general spectral class of B05
Illuminating the nebulosity is the star PPM 778678
CSI -64-14771 (11507-6455) placed a further 24‟ E at
PA 114o of the central nebula position Given as 100
mag (PPM says 95) this star to my eyes appears
distinctly red in the telescope (Note Another star is
111 magnitude GSC 8981293 on the northern edge
the nebulas boundary) Data in the Tycho catalogue
from the Hipparcos satellite give a parallax of 890
mas and if this is the star brightening the nebula
then distance is roughly 110 pc According to Auke
Slotegraaf‟s ldquoDeep Sky Observer‟s Companionrdquo Van
den Bergh and Herbest noted that there is little
difference in the appearance in
either blue or red astronomical
plates - only that the maximum
diameter is 24 arcmin in red and
26 arcmin in blue
Looking at the object the
photographic images and the
data on this object it is possible
that the brightness of the
nebulosity has changed in the
last hundred years or so as most
stars that illuminate reflection
nebulae are more commonly
blue ie like the Pleiades It is
possible that significant
obscuration is being brought
into play here hiding much of
the nebulous light
BC Mus GSC 89812285 (11475
-6443) is merely 16‟ N from the
Centaurus Musca border This
121 mag semi-detached
eclipsing binary can be seen in a
moderate field with the PNe
He2-73 due south and at the
bottom of the field IC 2966 is on
the eastern edge of the same field with BC Mus
located on the NW edge [Actually 20‟ NE of IC 2966
or 26‟ NNW (PA 345o)] Alternatively use the bluish
70 mag HIP 57451 SAO 251582 HD 102370 BD-64
564 PPM 358966 (11466-6446) some 68‟ NE (PA 70o)
The target star is marked by a roughly 14‟ spaced
equilateral triangle of stars whose apex points due
south with the blue-coloured star to the east being
the variable
BC Mus varies between 122p and 145p over
3511171 days Based on the maximum on the 11th
March 1927 (JDE 2424951363) the ratio of the
primary eclipse to the period is 12 being some
042134052 days Seeing this deep 23 mag drop in
Figure 2 IC 2966 Nebula in Musca
Image size 125 x 125 from ALADIN
previewer (Red AAORDSS2 Blue SERI
DSS2 Green average Redblue image
modified by Silvering reducing
saturation) Note L145-141 HIP 57367 will
pass through this nebula in 2640AD
UNIVERSE 12 Vol 60 4
brightness for an eclipsing binary is unusual and to
catch the magnitude drop of the eclipse you will
certainly have to inspect the field several times
Incidentally about 10‟ to 15‟ NE from this triangle is a
small void almost empty of stars Also the
surrounding fields are scattered with many stars
below 10th magnitude
L145-141 GJ440 HIP 57367 WD1142-645 (11458-
6450) in north-western Musca is one of the closer
stars to the Sun Its main interest is due to the very
high proper motion which is
almost equal in prominence
with the far more famous
southern gem alpha
Centauri L145-141 in fact
has the 27th highest proper
motion known and is the most
southerly of the ldquoTop 100rdquo of
all the quickest moving stars
in the sky It is catalogued as
Gliese-Jones‟s GJ 440 or
alternatively W J Luyten‟s
designation of L145-141 This
faint 115v mag star is easily
found within a lovely starry
field [Note L145-141 in
Uranometria 20000 Chart
450 is shown as a tiny dot
above the ldquo(rdquo of the character
string printed on the chart It
is not the brighter star above
the ldquo(rdquo but the one left of it]
When centred on the nearby
7th mag HIP 57451 L145-141
lies 76‟ SW away along PA
234o almost mirroring the
position of BC Mus and HIP
57451 The actual star is the
southern of two 11th
magnitude stars separated by
13 arcmin Figure 1 shows the 1o field locating both
this star and the variable BC Mus
General proper motions were originally obtained for
this region in the late 1920s with the data published
in 1930 A little later the proximity of the star based
on the measured parallax of 0195 arcsec was found
to be 512pc or 167 ly This happens to be about
twice the current distance of Sirius Hipparcos later
improved the distance to the closer 4617(44) plusmn
0050pc or 1507 plusmn 016 ly from the huge parallax of
021640 plusmn 000211 arcsec making this the 37th closest
star to the Sun More recent observations by Henry T
J et al (1997) during the RECONS observation
program of nearby stars found a slightly improved
value of 021657 plusmn 000201 arcsec and this was
determined by the weighted means of both the
Hipparcos and Yale Parallax Catalog [Note These
data are also available from the ldquoAstronomisches
Rechen-Institutrdquo (AIR) in Heidelberg using the ARICNS
(ARI Data Base for Nearby Stars)]
From this distance the absolute magnitude (Mv) is
1318 being some nine magnitudes or 2100 times
less luminous than the Sun In 1986 the quoted 1144v
magnitude was found using UBV photometry but
more recent observations by Henry et al (1997) find
1150V with the B-V magnitude being the whitish
value of 0196
Observed proper motions for L145-141 have since
proven to be very rapid being similar in value to
alpha Centauri (See NSP 17) with the values in RA
+266517 plusmn 0198 mas and Dec -34683 plusmn 0191 mas
This is equivalent to 2665 arcsec per year or 1o every
1350 years The vector changes in RA by 4442‟ or
0074o and Dec by 0578‟ or 0009o each century
calculating the motion in PA terms as moving
towards PA 974o so that it is
travelling almost due east
Such strong easterly motion is
highly unusual as the majority
of these stars are going the
opposite way (ie directly
opposite even Alpha and
Proxima Centauri) There is
likely some significance in
this as to the origin of the star
that has caused this
prodigious velocity
Presently the proper motion
is towards the emission
nebula IC 2966 (11502-6452)
which it will reach in 2640
AD passing about 2‟ S from its
centre in 2670 AD Eventually
L145-141 will also pass close
to the position of the planetary
IC 4191 (13088-6739) (see
NSP 20) though by then the
PNe nebulosity may already
be totally gone
Spectral data reveal a stellar
white dwarf whose spectral
class was first tentatively
given by Zakhozhaj VA
(1979) as A8VII This was later
changed to ldquoDCrdquo indicating distinct lack of emission
lines or just showing a continuous spectrum This was
again updated to the more modern ldquoDQ6rdquo which
suggests the element carbon is present The ldquo6rdquo in
this instance gauges the surface temperature which
calculated by the equation 50400ldquoTrdquo is 8400K
making its nearest ldquosister starrdquo in temperature
Procyon B in Canis Minor The DQ6 classification is
also similar to the earlier A8 spectrum suggesting the
surface temperature is more like 8200K To date
only UV carbon lines have been detected An
estimated mass for L145-141 is about 05 solar masses
and size can be calculated as about 13000 km across
L145-141 is currently fourth closest of all the known
white dwarfs the first two of course being the
companions to Sirius and Procyon Although this star
is not some PNN it is likely that not too long ago at
least in astronomical terms this was once a PNe
central star The original nebulosity has vanished and
has now long since been forgotten
Two Pairs Near L145-141
In addition to the pair near TZ Mus there are two
more pairs in this field ldquoPair 2rdquo of similar PA and
(Continued bottom next page)
Figure 3 L145-141 HIP 57367 Image of
Surrounding Field and Observed Proper
Motion
HIP 57367 is moving across the field right to left
In 2011 the position is about half the
distance again between the 16 yr (1998-1982)
difference blue star to orange star in image
Image source and format details as for Figure 2
UNIVERSE 13 Vol 60 4
by Richard Jaworski
Welcome to the return of ldquoSeeing
Doublerdquo In this series of articles
I hope to introduce you to some
of the best visual double stars the
sky has to offer
Gamma Delphini (Struve 2727) is
in my list of the top 10 double
stars The star marks one corner
of the asterism ldquoJobs Coffinrdquo in
the constellation Delphinus I
have observed it many times
with my 15cm f8 Newtonian
reflector To my eye the primary
is yellow and the companion is
pale blue by comparison Some
see the companion as greenish
In reality the primary is a
yellow-white dwarf star (F7V)
and the secondary an orange
subgiant star (K1IV) Gamma is
located 101 light-years from us
Adding to the vista is the nearby
fainter pair Struve 2725 located
15‟ to the southwest and often
overlooked in favour of the more
dominant Gamma Struve 2725 is
located 125 light years from us
and has a different proper motion
to that of Gamma
A sketch of the pair can be found
at Astronomy Sketch of the Day -
httpwwwasodinfop=6351
I hope you can take the time to
enjoy this pair of pairs
(From page 12)
separation is about 3‟ NE of L145-14 but these
are about a magnitude fainter than the high-
proper-motion star ldquoPair 3rdquo is 55‟ S This wider
9698 pair points towards HIP 57451
References L145-141 Hoberg JB et al ldquoA new look at the local white dwarf
populationrdquo Astron J 135 1225 (2008)
Subasavage et al ldquoThe solar neighborhood XXI Parallax
results from the CTIOPI 09 M program 20 new members of
the 25 parsec white dwarf samplerdquo Astron J 137 4547
(2009)
Zakhozhaj VA ldquoCatalogue of nearest stars until 10pcrdquo
Vestnik Khar‟kovskogo Universiteta (VKha) 190 52
(1979)
Next in NSP 23
He2-68 on the Eastern Corner of Musca
Seeing DoubleDouble
Star RA Dec Mags PA Separation
Gamma Del 20 467 +16 07 43 52 266 9rdquo0
Struve 2725 20 462 +15 54 71 79 10 6rdquo1
UNIVERSE 14 Vol 60 4
Dear Members
Please be advised that a special general meeting of the Astronomical Society of NSW will be
held on Friday 11th November 2011 at the Epping Creative Centre commencing at 800pm
The purpose of the meeting is to vote on the Committee‟s nomination of
John Flavin for Life Membership
All members are encouraged to attend
Paul Hatchman President
Special General Meeting Friday 11
th
November 2011
Another School Year Over
Despite a lot of what could only
be described as inconsiderate
weather in the early part of the
year in the last month
members of the Society have
visited 3 schools to share the
night sky with students
18th August was Oakhill College
at Castle Hill It was a fairly cool
night with very clear skies and
not too bad seeing for suburban
Sydney Oakhill College is a
school that the Society has been
going to for many years This
year we had 9 members with 6
telescopes and 2 displays in
attendance Harry Roberts had
head science teacher Sandra
Woodward looking at spectra of
Antares whilst Karen
Whittingham was capturing the
spectra on a DMK 21 with
Harry‟s C8 Peter Kinna had his
Milky Way Galaxy model and
Crux distance and local solar
neighbourhood spectral
displays out and these always
get a large gathering to see
them Saturn was the champion
of the night
3rd September was an Open
Night at Tara Anglican School
for Girls at North Parramatta
Over the last 2-3 years the
ASNSW has had a very close
association with Tara and it was
a great pleasure to help them
out with their first open night
Once again the weather was
very kind to us with pretty good
skies despite a 4-5 day old
Moon The guest speaker on
the night was Professor Katherine
Blundell from Oxford University
and Project Leader of the Global
Jet Watch program of which Tara
is one of the participating schools
Students parents and teachers all
got to walk around the observing
field after the talk looking
through telescopes of varying
sizes and types at objects being
shown by members of ASNSW
Twelve members with telescopes
were on hand to help out with the
large crowd Member Karen
Whittingham had students taking
images of the Moon through her
10rdquo LX 200 with a DMK 21 camera
and then emailed the images out
to the students the following day
The evening ended inside the
Dome with ASNSW members
suggesting good objects to be
imaged with the 20rdquo RCOS
Barnard‟s Galaxy and the Bug
Nebula were amongst the objects
imaged
6th September saw the Society
doing a school night at
Abbotsleigh Ladies College
another school that has invited us
back year after year for the last
decade plus some The weather
forecast was looking a bit
foreboding the day before and we
were looking out the window all
day Tuesday to see if the clouds
had rolled in yet Luck was on our
side as we headed up the Pacific
Highway to Wahroonga and we
arrived and set up on the tennis
courts to a very clear night with
only ordinary seeing Saturn will
aways win a crowd even at low
altitude A quick walk around the
scopes to see what was on show
Member Jack Giles had a C11
with a CCD camera at Hyperstar
focus and was imaging M8 and
even though it was very near an
8 day old Moon he was still able
to capture the Hourglass Nebula
Gary Kopff had Neptune in the
18rdquo Obsession scope which was
a real treat for the students Most
humans never see Neptune in the
flesh Globular clusters open
clusters carbon stars and the
Moon all make for a good mix of
objects for the students and
teachers to look at and just as
the last students left the
observing area the sky
deteriorated and by the time
pack up was complete the sky
was gone
The following members have
helped out this year at schools
and I would like to thank them on
behalf of the Society Barry
Gerdes Mick McCullagh Chris
Douglass Harry Roberts Karen
Whittingham Peter Kinna and his
friend (sorry forgot your name)
Alex Comino George Comanos
Richard Jaworski Brett and
Francis White Mark Notary Jack
Giles Gary Kopff Dave Scott
Paddy DeKlerk John Flavin and
an unknown member who came
to Oakhill to help out
School nights will again be
happening next year
Come along have some fun
All the above people had a ball )
Cheers Don Whiteman
Ground-based Reports School Nights
UNIVERSE 15 Vol 60 4
ASNSW EVENTS
Meetings
Friday 7th October 2011 at 800pm
Observational astronomy from Tycho Brahe to
William Herschel
Geoff Smith Observations Officer ASNSW
Friday 14th October 2011 at 800pm
Making the Sky Dark
Dr Simon Ellis AAO
Friday 11th November 2011 at 800pm SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
to vote on Life Membership of John Flavin
Observing Sessions
Crago Observatory 22nd October 19th November
Wiruna 28th - 29th October 25th-26th November
SYDNEY
Astronomy Open Night
at Macquarie University NOTE CHANGE OF DATE
Saturday 29th October 2011
from 630pm to 10pm At 730pm hear Prof Andrew Melatos University of
Melbourne Neutron Stars Natures Most Extreme
Quantum Laboratories
Charges $5 ChildConc $12 Adult $27 Family
[invalid link deleted from sample issue] Please bring along a telescope to share to gain free
entry and join in the fun
Tuesday November 1st ndash 29th from 6pm to 8pm Exploring the Heavens
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash An Introduction to Astronomy Course
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
Thursday November 3rd ndash December 1st 6pm to 8pm Understanding Gravity
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash Learn the Fundamentals of Gravity
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
REGIONAL NSW
October 27th - 30th 2011 Sixth Annual IceInSpace Astro-Camp (IISAC)
Lostock Scout Camp in the Hunter Valley of NSW
Star Party organised by IceInSpace
For more information prices and registration visit
httpwwwiceinspacecomauiisachtml
October 8th - 9th 2011 from 9am ndash 4pm both days Parkes (The Dish) Telescope 50th Anniversary
Open Days
Free entry ndash telescope tours astronomer talks and
QampA sessions and a look behind the scenes at ASKAP ndash
loads of family activities for all
Saturday October 8th 2011 at 6pm Opera at the Dish
For more information check out
httpwwwparkesatnfcsiroaunews_events
opendays2011
October 14th - 28th 2011 The Great World Wide Star Count
Count the stars in Sagittarius
httpwwwwindows2universeorgcitizen_science
starcountconstellations_shhtml
Friday October 14th 2011 at 630pm Science in the Pub Is there anybody out there
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
ANU Astronomers Prof Charlie Lineweaver Dr Daniel
Bayliss and AAO astronomer Dr Simon O‟Toole will
light-heartedly discuss the search for ET Compered
by the ABC Western Plains Sally Bryant
Saturday October 15th 2011 from 10am to 4pm Siding Spring Open Day
Come and see behind the scenes at Australia‟s largest
professional Optical Observatory
Saturday October 15th 2011 Bok Lecture
Prof Mike Bessell ndash Free Astronomical Lecture in
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
For information on the above events contact Donna
Burton [details withheld from sample issue]
ACT
November 6th 2011 - 10am to 4pm Mt Stromlo Observatory Open Day
Contact Mt Stromlo Observatory 02 6125 0230
VICTORIA
October 19th 2011 630pm - 730pm Public Lecture ndash Into the Heart of a Globular Cluster
httpastronomyswineduauoutreach
topic=freelectures
October 28th - 31st 2011 VicSouth Desert Spring Star Party
More info httpvicsouthinfovicsouth2011htm
QUEENSLAND
October 3rd 2011 5pm ndash 6pm Innovation Annual Lecture Sleuthing for Exoplanets
httpwwwscienceuqeduauan-invitation-to-
innovation-annual-lecture
EVENT HORIZON WORLDWIDE ASTRONOMY DAY
Saturday 1st October 2011
UNIVERSE 3 Vol 60 4
Prominences are
ldquoPlasma Trapsrdquo
by Harry Roberts
2011 June 5 and 6 saw some fine prominences at
both the east and west limbs (see diagrams abc
amp d) - and we see the trapped plasma (almost) any
time we view the Sun in H-alpha Yet science
struggles to confine plasma despite decades of
effort How does the Sun do this trick so easily
Confusingly trapped material is called a filament
on the Sun‟s disc ndash and a prominence when seen
above the limb Either way it‟s trapped plasma
The first views must have been during total
eclipses ndash and over past millennia many a giant
prominence must have drawn attention
The temperature inside a quiet filament is about
5000K much less than the chromosphere‟s 8000K
ndash that‟s why the same thing looks different
depending on our line of sight dark on the disc
bright above the limb Filaments can be stable for
weeks ndash so how does the Sun entrap material for
so long
The plasma ldquotraprdquo is formed by magnetism and
Zirin (ldquoAstrophysics of the Sunrdquo) lists the main parts
ndash reviewed below
Fields quiet prominences arise where surface
fields are rather weak about 10 times Earth‟s field
(ie 5-10 gauss) Such fields occur in bands on the
Sun at latitudes above the current spots where
large unipolar regions are found Where two such
regions adjoin a plasma ldquotraprdquo can form Between
the ldquounlikerdquo regions a narrow ldquoneutral linerdquo
arises and a ldquomagnetic channelrdquo forms there
Magnetic channel Most of the emerging field is
vertical but at the neutral line the fields connect
across the zone as loops However below these
loops the fields do not connect across the gap but
instead turn 90ordm from vertical to horizontal and
run in opposite directions along the channel ndash
forming parallel ldquofencesrdquo of horizontal field that
can entrap material This ldquomakes sense because
the field can hold up the material only if it is
horizontalrdquo (Zirin p274)
ldquoPlasma cannot be contained by field lines convex
to itrdquo (p278) - ie plasma will escape unless the
ldquotraprdquo is everywhere concave
Exact details are still being studied ndash and how
material gets in is unknown The captured
material grows into a sheet 50 megametres (Mm)
high and sometimes as wide And while the
filament (or prominence) can be 50 Mm high
above that height it becomes unstable ndash and soon
erupts apparently as the
transverse loops are broken Yet
the ldquotraprdquo survives and often
refills in a day or so
The ldquocagedrdquo filament can grow
so dense it ldquoblanketsrdquo the Sun‟s
surface and a bright band
below the filament is often seen
in H-alpha
Coronal heating ldquoSince the
prominence is immersed in the
million-degree corona why
doesn‟t it heat uprdquo Because it
ldquois supported by magnetic field
lines that go to the surface so hot
coronal ions would have to cross
the field lines to heat itrdquo (p280) ndash
this is something ions can‟t do
Prominences - they are
wonderful things and may grow
much larger than the ones
shown It‟s a good reason to
often view the Sun in H-alpha -
even every day - if it‟s clear
Editorrsquos Note Although Harry made these
observations several months ago the article
contains some excellent educational content
worthy of inclusion at any time
SCOPED OUT Observations by Members
YOUR SPACE
Send in your observation(s) to appear in ldquoScoped
Outrdquo It could be a single photo or sketch a
description of an observing run or something you
saw while riding home on the train
No contribution is too large or too small
UNIVERSE 4 Vol 60 4
STARRY MESSENGER The Sky for October and November
by Geoff Smith
The Moon
There will be a partial solar eclipse on 25th
November visible from the southern tip of Tasmania
Mercury
Mercury returns to the evening sky in October You
should be able to see it approaching Venus from
below by mid-month During the last week of
October the two planets will be 2deg apart During the
first two weeks of November Mercury and Venus
maintain their close companionship On 10th
October Mercury will be 2deg from both Antares and
Venus with the three of them forming a straight line
There will be a close (1deg) pass by Mercury to the
globular cluster M19 on 17th November
Venus
Venus climbs higher in
the sky during October
hotly pursued by
Mercury It begins the
month in Virgo but about
mid-month passes into
Libra On 21st October it
will be 0deg2 from α Librae
a wide (4acute) double You
should be able to get all
three objects into the
same low power field
During November Venus
continues its climb into
the western sky Watch
for a close (1deg) approach
to the globular cluster
M28 on 30th November
Mars
Mars spends the first three weeks of October in
Cancer before moving into Leo where it remains
until mid-January It crosses the Beehive cluster in
the first few days of October On the 11th November
Mars will be within 1deg3 of Regulus During these
months Mars slowly increases its angular size from
5rdquo5 to 6rdquo4 so it remains a challenging object on
which to see detail
Jupiter
Jupiter comes into opposition on 29th October and is
ideally placed for viewing This is a favourable
opposition with the angular diameter of the planet
reaching 49rdquo7 In November it remains well-placed
for observation The smallest telescope will show a
wealth of detail on Jupiter A 2rdquo telescope will show
satellite shadows in transit across the disc while a 3rdquo
working under good conditions will show that the
cloud belts are not entirely regular but show darker
patches and sometimes projections at their edges
An occasional bright spot may also be detected with a
3‟‟ telescope
Saturn
Saturn is in conjunction with the Sun on 14th October
It returns to the morning sky in November but will
only be a twilight object
Uranus and Neptune
Uranus is just past opposition in October and is high
in the northeastern sky at the end of evening twilight
In November it will be about 5deg above the circlet in
Pisces at the end of twilight
Neptune will be in Aquarius throughout October and
November It remains within 1deg7 of ι Aquarii
throughout these months
Minor Planets and Dwarf Planets
Pallas at magnitude 10 will be 0deg3 east of ε Aquilae on
1st November and 0deg1
south-east of θ Aquilae on
21st November
Pluto at magnitude 14
stays in Sagittarius for
October and November
It sets at midnight in mid-
October and around 10pm
in mid-November and
crosses the meridian
around 7pm mid-month
Ceres at magnitude 8 will
be in Aquarius through
October See the finder
chart Start at Fomalhaut
and then star hop
northeast through two
triplets of modest stars till
you reach the long string
containing 107 Aquarii
Meteor Showers
Moon Forecast for 20ndash22 October 2011 Waning
crescent
The Orionid meteor shower is the second of two
showers that occur each year as a result of Earth
passing through dust released by Halleys Comet
with the first being the Eta Aquarids The point from
where the Orionid meteors appear to radiate is
located within the constellation Orion
The Orionids generally begin on October 15 and end
on October 29 with maximum generally occurring
during the morning hours of October 20-22 The
Orionids are barely detectable on the beginning and
ending dates but observers in the Northern
Hemisphere will see around 20 meteors per hour at
maximum while observers in the Southern
Hemisphere will see around 40 meteors per hour The
maximum can last two or three nights although there
is evidence of some fluctuation from year to year
There are other weaker meteor showers going on
around the same time as the Orionids The Orionids
generally appear to move fast When you see a
Figure 1 Finder chart for Ceres
UNIVERSE 5 Vol 60 4
meteor mentally trace it backwards If you end up at
Orion then you have probably seen an Orionid
meteor
Source httpmeteorshowersonlinecomorionidshtml
Constellation of the Month Sculptor
Culmination About 10pm in the middle of the month
Sculptor is a small and faint constellation but has
some impressive deep sky objects It lies in a region
rich in galaxies some of which are large and bright
making fine telescopic objects It was introduced by
Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century who
originally named it Apparatus Sculptoris (the
sculptors studio) but the name was later shortened to
Sculptor (the sculptor) As with most of Lacaille‟s
introductions one cannot help but admire his
imagination No stars brighter than 3rd magnitude
are located in Sculptor This is
explained by the fact that Sculptor
contains the south galactic pole where
stellar density is very low
The brightest is α Sculptoris an SX
Arietis-type variable star with the
magnitude of only 43 The constellation
also contains the Sculptor Dwarf Galaxy
which is a member of the Local Group
as well as the Sculptor Group the group
of galaxies closest to the Local Group
The Sculptor Galaxy (NGC 253) a
barred spiral galaxy and the largest
member of the group lies near the
border between Sculptor and Cetus
Another prominent member of the
group is the irregular galaxy NGC 55
Double Stars in Sculptor
κ1 Scl is a bright yellow pair in a sparse
field easily resolved with a 4rdquo
telescope Mags 61 62 sep 1rdquo4 PA
261deg (2001)
τ Scl A close yellow pair The separation is
decreasing and will need at least 8rdquo to
separate the pair Mags 60 74 sep 0rdquo8 PA 169deg
(1999)
ε Scl Showcase pair bright yellow Mags 54 85
sep 4rdquo9 PA 24deg(2002)
Deep sky objects in Sculptor
NGC 253 (Silver Coin Galaxy) makes everyone‟s list
of top ten galaxies It is very large (30acute x 6acute9) and
very bright (mag 71) It is visible to the naked eye
by sharp-eyed observers from a dark sky site and is
an easy binocular object You should be able to
detect a mottled appearance through an 8rdquo telescope
while 12rdquo should begin to reveal the spiral arms
NGC 55 (String of Pearls Galaxy) is another very
large (25acute x 2acute5) bright (mag 71) galaxy and is a fine
example of an edge-on barred spiral An OIII filter
and a 12rdquo telescope reveal the star-forming regions of
ionized hydrogen as small hazy spots near the centre
NGC 300 (Southern Pinwheel) This is perhaps the
sky‟s most classic spiral galaxy Through 12rdquo and
larger telescopes you should be able to see spiral
arms and dark lanes Size 20acute x 15acute
NGC 247 This galaxy is in Cetus but is included
here as it is a prominent member of the Sculptor
Group of galaxies Through a 10rdquo telescope the
galaxy has a tight circular centre with an oval haze
around it The southern end is tapered while the
northern end is more rounded
NGC 288 This is a nice globular cluster It‟s quite
big (14acute) but sparsely populated which makes it easy
to resolve Expect to see about 100 stars with an 8rdquo
telescope
See full list of deep sky objects next page
Clear Skies
References Astronomy 2011
NGCIC webpage httpwwwngcicprojectorg
defaulthtm
Hartung Astronomical Objects for Southern
Telescopes Melbourne UP 1995
Figure 2 Radiant at about 200 am local time
around October 21
Figure 3 The constellation Sculptor
UNIVERSE 6 Vol 60 4
Double Stars for Small Telescopes by Sissy Haas
Constellation diagrams from http
wwwdibonsmithcomconstelhtm and used here with
the permission of the author Richard Dibon-Smith
Uranometria constellation figure from scans by the
Linda Hall Library of Science Engineering and
Technology httpwwwlindahallorgservices
digitalebooksbayer
variables
(The Observations Officer here interposed to refer to
the necessity for collaboration between variable star
observers in this Society and of practice in the work
with a view to gaining experience in this field before the
anticipated meeting with the Variable Star Section of the
British Astronomical Association)
Mr G Patston gave a ldquoMoonwatchrdquo report saying that
the preceding month had given reasonable viewing
weather there had been 12 good nights recorded in the
log
An observation had been made of the American 20-inch
satellite (7th magnitude) on August 1st 1959 At
midnight on the night of the meeting (7th August) an
attempt would be made to observe the newly launched
American satellite Explorer VI whose distance would
be 165 miles at perigee and 20000 miles at apogee and
equipped with solar cells to supply power to its
instruments and radio
Bulletin Cover
The Editor trusts that members will like the new
ldquoBulletinrdquo cover ndash it gives the ldquoold magrdquo quite a fillip
The object is of course eta Carinae ndash Keyhole ndash Nebula
in the Milky Way near Crux The negative from which
the block was taken was presented to the SAA by Dr
C Gum of the CSIRO Apologies to those members
who didn‟t receive a Bulletin last month First of all the
covers ran out Then there was some confusion as to
whom was financial or not The muddle has now been
sorted out From now on those members who should
get a Bulletin will and those who shouldn‟t won‟t
The new ldquoBulletinrdquo cover introduced with the July 1959
issue was our third cover design since our first issue in
July ‟55 The bdquoeta Carinae‟ cover stayed with us until the
February 1962 issue
The above extracts are taken from the July and
August 1959 issues of our Journal - John Flavin
Table 1 Deep Sky Objects in Sculptor
OGM held at Belfield August 7th 1959
The President Mr G Miles took the Chair and
opened the meeting at 1955 hours there being 51
members and 4 visitors present The President
welcomed the visitors who included the evening‟s
Guest Speaker Dr Hill of the CSIRO
Building expenses
The Treasurer reported that the amount received or
promised by way of either donation or interest-free loan
towards the cost of the sanitary conveniences necessary to
be constructed for the new building [Clubhouse] was pound67
The President announced that the Treasurer would there
and then receive further contributions to this cause and
members immediately took advantage of the opportunity
to make their gifts or loans At this stage it was moved and
seconded that in order that lenders of money should have
a suitable acknowledgement of the Society‟s obligation to
repay them the Treasurer be authorised to issue receipts
for loans in the following terms
Received from Mr A B the sum of poundx being interest free
loan repayable within twelve months from 1st August 1959
- Sydney Amateur Astronomers - Per Treasurer
This motion was carried
The President said that the total required to be raised was
pound100 and that a member who wished to remain
anonymous had promised that he (or she) would provide
any balance still left to be found after the collection had
been made This act of generosity was warmly applauded
Within a few minutes thereafter the Treasurer reported that
the total received or promised in gifts or loans was pound125 ndash
a very creditable result
Observations
Mr P Williamson showed [sunspot] drawings made by
him on 11th July and 1st August 1959 the former one
showing a spot of large size divided into two parts by a
ldquobridgerdquo which later entirely disappeared in the space of
a few hours He also reported some observations of
Mercury Mr Tonkin showed drawings of sunspots made
on the 15th July 1959
In connection with this subject the Secretary said that the
helioscope under construction by the Junior Section was
nearing completion
Mr L Williamson spoke on T Centauri and other
Object RA (J2000) Dec (J2000) Type Mag Size
NGC 55 00 15 084 -39 13 14 GX 83 25 x 25
NGC 134 00 30 214 -33 14 50 GX 105 85 x 20
NGC 150 00 34 161 -27 48 16 GX 114 39 x 19
IC 1581 00 46 060 -25 54 00 GX ---- 11 x 02
NGC 253 00 47 331 -25 17 17 GX 78 30 x 69
NGC 289 00 52 417 -31 12 28 GX 11 51 x 36
NGC 288 00 52 474 -26 35 24 GC 81 14
NGC 300 00 54 534 -37 41 00 GX 83 20 x 15
NGC 409 01 09 325 -35 48 20 GX 131 13 x 11
NGC 424 01 11 279 -38 04 59 GX 13 18 x 08
NGC 438 01 13 335 -37 54 07 GX 13 14 x 11
NGC 613 01 34 175 -29 24 58 GX 101 55 x 42
NGC 7507 23 12 077 -28 32 26 GX 108 28 x 27
IC 5332 23 34 300 -36 06 00 GX 106 66 x 51
NGC 7713 23 36 149 -37 56 20 GX 112 46 x 22
NGC 7793 23 57 497 -32 35 30 GX 92 93 x 63
LOOK-BACK
TIME The ASNSW from the Archives
UNIVERSE 7 Vol 60 4
Cyril Brown a
dedicated and
active member
from our early
days died on the
5th September
aged 96 at
Maryborough
Cyril joined us in
the late sixties a
period that saw
our Society facing
considerable
difficulty arising
from our having to depart our original home at
Belfield It was fortunate that Cyril came to us when
he did as his property in the semi-rural surrounds
of Dural became the location for the telescopes that
had to be moved from Belfield At the July 1970
AGM ndash held at the Canterbury Council buildings
and our first away from Belfield ndash Cyril was elected
President a position he would hold until 1973 His
home at Dural become an easy-to-reach bdquodark sky‟
site for some years until Bowen Mt became
operational
In his working life Cyril was a Saw Doctor ndash a trade
that covers the repair and upkeep of a range of
tools A McNiven Medal recipient and a Life
Member he filled many positions in his years with
us In 2004 he moved to Queensland to be near
some members of his family who had earlier
moved to that state Cyril maintained his interest in
astronomy going out to see Comet McNaught a few
years ago and looking up astronomy sites on the
internet Within the last year Cyril attended an
astronomy outing with the 1st Burrum Heads Girl
Guides (his great granddaughters are members) to
show them the sky Cyril is survived by daughter
Marian son Cyril Jr grandchildren and great
grandchildren
The Girl Guides really enjoyed the night which was
part of Space Week They followed this up with
decorating our shed with planets etc They were then
presented with their space badge for their sash
Personally I can not say enough of how much we
appreciated Marian bringing Cyril out to share their
knowledge with the girls - Leeanne Bouveng
This poem from Walt Whitman (1865) was
read at his service followed by the closing
lines from his daughter Marian Lynch
When I heard the learn‟d astronomer
When the proofs were ranged in columns
before me
When I was shown the charts and the
diagrams
to add divide and measure them
When I sitting heard the astronomer
where he lectured with much applause in the
lecture room
How soon unaccountable I became tired
and listless
Till rising and going out I wander‟d off by
myself
In the mystical moist night air and from time
to time
Look‟d up in perfect silence at the stars
Now Cyril strolls
from star to star in the Universe
With the greatest Astronomer of all
Sharney Bouveng stands behind Cyril with his great
granddaughters Shylani and Hannah Mallett
(left and right respectively)
VALE CYRIL BROWN
Portraits of Cyril from an earlier time (top left) and
last year (above)
UNIVERSE 8 Vol 60 4
by Gerard Keyzer
In episode two we left Edward Emerson Barnard
with his newly acquired 5-inch refractor as his
observing began in earnest Barnard was gifted
with incredible eyesight and a thoughtful
determined character and he spent the next few
years honing his observing skills while taking his
first tentative steps into the world of the
professional astronomer In his personal life he
was gaining yet more stability earning the respect
and admiration of Rhoda Calvert his colleague‟s
sister who was eventually to become his wife
Around this time Barnard took a long lease on a
nice house on the outskirts of Nashville While not
yet married to each other Rhoda began to help
Edward with the daily running of the household
and the care of his invalid mother As Rhoda was
fourteen years his senior many felt she set her cap
for him as a ldquolast chancerdquo to
avoid spinsterhood Possibly
but this sensitive young man
was mature beyond his years
and marrying on January
27th 1881 the pair became
devoted to each other in
every respect for the
remainder of their lives
It was at the house at 1919
Patterson Ave that Edward
was able to throw himself
into his observations
distanced from the continual
interruptions of casual
visitors to the telescope
Using a homemade light box
he would spend many hours
sketching and was soon
being published in technical journals such as the
English Mechanic The cloud bands and moons of
Jupiter the markings of the Martian surface the
rings of Saturn were all favourite targets His
Byrne refractor was of the finest calibre optically
showing the Galilean moons as distinct discs and
his observations of the Great Red Spot and
eruptions in the cloud bands were compared
favourably with those from Dearborn Observatory
done through an 185-inch refractor and measured
with a micrometer
My favourite story of Barnard‟s early observing
occurred at this time and is best told in his own
words Observing Jupiter at 2am he paused to rest
his eyes for a moment and was bdquohorrified to see two
glaring greenish-red balls of fire a few feet away in
the obscurity of the bushes Cold chills played up
and down my backbone and I was too frightened to
move These balls of fire came slowly toward me A
supernatural horror seemed to bind me to the spot
as a nightmare holds one in its pitiless grasp I
could not have moved if I had known the foul fiend
himself was behind those lights Just at the point
when I felt that I must collapse as the hateful lights
came close to me I felt the warm touch of the
tongue of some animal licking my cold hand and in
the obscurity I saw a great dog wagging his tail in a
friendly manner The relief was tremendous and a
warm flow of blood seemed to infuse my veins It
proved to be a great and fierce bulldog belonging
to my neighbour This dog had always looked so
savage with his cruel teeth that I had not
attempted to cultivate his friendship Why he had
not attacked me in the darkness and what made him
seek this friendship I do not know but from that
time on he was my good friend and made it a habit
to lie down near me every night I was out
observing His friendship was a blessing for I no
longer felt the nameless dread of the night with his
powerful form at my
feet‟ (Reprinted from ldquoThe
Immortal Fire Withinrdquo)
Barnard‟s natural reticence
and conservative nature
were to stand him in good
stead when popular interest
in Mars conjured up all sorts
of fanciful claims of canals
and civilizations He
preferred only to note and
comment on what he actually
observed not what he
ldquothoughtrdquo he saw At twenty-
two he already had an
aversion to ldquorashly drawn
conclusionsrdquo Barnard‟s
settled domestic situation
allowed him to progress his budding semi-
professional status Discovery of a comet brought
much kudos and during this period he was
awarded a cash prize of $200 called the Warner
prize The recognition amongst his peers was the
greater prize sought by Barnard His first comet
discovery was sadly not confirmed later analysis
showing that inferior equipment and delays by
those expected to confirm it led to it being ldquolostrdquo
This caused Barnard great embarrassment but he
would persevere in quest of the Warner prize
desirous of emulating the great comet seekers
Messier and Pons In the course of his comet
seeking he was to discover a new nebula
designated NGC 5584 one of twenty credited to
him during this period Remember most of the
famous Messier objects had been discovered
while searching for comets
On September 17th 1881 Barnard discovered his
first confirmed comet and silenced his critics with
the official designation of Comet Barnard or 1881
Edward Emerson BARNARD
1857-1923
Part Three
NGC 5584 in Virgo
UNIVERSE 9 Vol 60 4
VI With the first Warner prize cheque of $200
Edward and Rhoda bought a plot of land took a
mortgage and built a cottage where they lived
with Edward‟s mother Happy times followed
although they struggled for a living but the
remote location allowed Edward every possible
opportunity to continue with his comet-seeking
gaining the Warner prize again with 1882 III and
discovering a total of sixteen comets in the next
eleven years including the first photographic
discovery Other comets of the period were more
spectacular and created greater interest such as
Wells‟s Comet Swift‟s Comet Tebbutt‟s Comet
(discovered in Australia by JC Tebbutt in June
1881) and the Great Comet of 1882 Barnard‟s
observing diligence and skill were rewarded in
another way as he observed The Great Comet of
1882 Over the period of 22nd September to 14th
October he recorded this comet breaking first in
two then eventually into six or eight fragments
the discovery being confirmed by professionals
from around the globe Interestingly on the
morning of 13th October Barnard had ldquoforeseenrdquo
this occurrence in a dream of a sky filled with
comets He later said ldquo the association of this
dream with the reality has always seemed a
strange thing to merdquo
While less noteworthy for their appearance
Barnard‟s comet discoveries did bring him some
financial security through three Warner prizes
and more importantly they brought him the
official recognition of his peers opening the door
to the professional career he would now aspire to
Locally they brought him acclaim and a group of
prominent citizens resolved to build an
observatory for ldquothe young astronomer of
Nashvillerdquo He would not take the plan seriously
but when the architect‟s plan materialised along
with foundation stonework he rushed to his
benefactors Apologetically he refused their
generous offer because he felt he would be
obliged to remain in situ and not be free to move if
he was offered an official position He was soon to
be proven right
Stay tuned for Episode Four
Sources ndash Various Encyclopaedia Brittanica and Wiki
and ldquoThe Immortal Fire Withinrdquo by William Sheehan
Barnardrsquos skilful drawing of Halleyrsquos Comet
May 18th 1910 at Yerkes Observatory
Barnardrsquos photograph of Comet Swift 1892
Barnardrsquos photographs of Comet Brooks
October 1893 showing the comet
fragmenting
UNIVERSE 10 Vol 60 4
by Andrew James
Last issue featured the planetary nebula He2-73 This
month explores the surrounding region
The following objects can be found in a moderately
starry field using moderate to low power about 40‟ S
of the Crux-Musca border I originally centred on this
field in 20cm using the 26mm Plossel (78x with 32
arcmin field) deliberately just looking for the pair
COO 130 as mentioned in both AOST1amp2 Later I
investigated the other four objects nearby then
centring at the field‟s mid-position at 11h 504m
-65o 04‟ Here you can bdquohold‟ all in one field TZ Mus
IC 2966 He2-80 B2730 and my target pair
Furthermore half a field southwards using moderate
powers there are also two faint Cepheids - UU Mus
and TZ Mus (see descriptions below)
COO 130 HIP 57851 SAO 251617 HD 103079
(11519-6512) was discovered by SI Bailey in 1894
during routine observations to produce the extensive
Cordova Observatory (CD) star catalogue beginning
in the 1890s It is really surprising that neither John
Herschel nor HC Russell found this system in their
extensive double star surveys yet it is very remotely
possible that the star appeared single between 1835
and 1880 COO 130 lies almost 20‟ due east of He2-73
and the field is marked with three stars in a bent line
at the south-eastern edge of the field at low powers
These field stars have respective visual magnitudes
from south to north of 75 75 and 95 and form an
oddly-shaped triangular figure
COO 130 comprises 52v and 74v magnitude (497V
amp 725V) stars with 16 arcsec separation and position
angle of 159o as last measured by the Hipparcos
satellite in 1991 From the available data these stars
are very slowly diminishing in separation thus
making future amateur observations more difficult
Resolution is possible in 15cm telescopes but this
becomes much easier in 20cm AOST2 does claim this
is ldquo just possible rdquo in 75cm but my own four
different observations between 1978 and 1981 using
the 75cm f10 reflector and 108cm refractor could
not resolve the pair even with good seeing Using
20cm these stars are much easier to split and I saw
the colours as bluish and white or perhaps blue and
white which is about right when compared to the
given B4V spectral class for the primary
This same double star is featured in AOST2 as object
483 where a comment on
the connection of the
system states
ldquo the angle is slowly
increasing but separation
has not changed
Physical connection
between the stars seems
likelyrdquo
This is an example of a
bright prominent double
star that observers have
neglected likely just
because it is not among
either the prominent
Russell Herschel or
Dunlop pairs Equal
proper motions are -029
mas and -001 mas for the
RA and Dec
respectively
Selected Measures
PA Sep Year
162 21 1894
159 18 1940
159 16 1991
B 2730 (11478-6519) is a
faint pair within the same
field as the He2-73 some
126‟ SSE first discovered
by W H van den Bos
while presumably
measuring nearby COO
NSP 22 Part Two
Figure 1 Field Chart of He2-73 and Surrounding Objects
This shows the 1o x 1o field of He2-73 in Musca and surrounding objects in NSP 22
The figure also shows the nebula IC 2966 and the motion of the high-proper-motion
star L145-141 between 2010 AD and 3000 AD
UNIVERSE 11 Vol 60 4
130 This 95v and 115 magnitude bluish and
colourless pair is easily visible in dark skies using
either 105cm apertures or 75cm with some
diligence B 2730 was last measured in 1987 where
the separation was measured as 64 arcsec along the
easterly position angle of 104o
TX Mus (11471-6524) is another variable 75 SW
further on from B 2730 (above) This 124 mag RR
Lyrae variable of type ldquoABrdquo It is positioned some 3prime
N of 9th mag star PPM 778644 HD 102466 (11472-
6527) The small rise in brightness from 124 to 128
takes 2 hours 16 minutes being 20 (M-mD) of the
short 0473226 day period Discovery of this period
was is based on the Julian Date (JDE) of
2424260264+-0003 of 19th April 1925
This period was recently updated by German
astronomer Joachim Hubscher in the Information
Bulletin on Variable Star (IBVS) No 5802 on 25th
October 2007 He determines that the minima are
now set from the 10th June 2007 at 22h 00m 29s
UT (JDE 2454262417) Also below TX Mus is a
small 4‟ sized asterism of about twelve stars of
12th magnitude all shaped in an arc Little else is
known about this variable
UU Mus HIP 57884 (11523-
6524) (Appears on map U450) is
a 95 mag star some
120 (PA=160o) from COO 130
and both are shown in
Uranometria 20000 UU Mus
varies between 913-1028 over
1163641 days The rise of 115
magnitudes takes approximately
4305 days where the spectrum
changes from G0p to the hotter
F7 Epoch 2436208270 B-
V=0982 Plx=000285 plusmn 000127
TZ Mus (11509-6508) is fainter
than UU Muscae although it was
discovered first It lies some 69‟
NW through PA 306o from COO
130 Brightness varies between
1116V and 1212V (= 096) magnitude over the period of
4944885 days Epoch
242425937 This yellow-orange
star can be usefully checked
because the wide ldquoPair
1rdquo (11515-6504) to the NE of TZ
Mus is about 53‟ away The white 100 magnitude
star is PPM 778689 and I estimated the magnitudes as
10 and 115 separated by about 30 arcsec at PA 20o
No one so far has listed this faint pair in any of the
double star catalogues
IC 2966 VdBH 56 Bran 374 (11502-6452) (U450)
appears is a faint small 3 arcmin reflection bright
emission nebula that is sometimes referred just as
ldquonebulosity around a starrdquo In 20cm I spent some
time searching for this object in dark skies and
frankly returned without much success The stated
position is merely 202‟ NW at PA 333o of COO 130
and is shown in both Uranometria 20000 and Sky
Atlas 20000 It was discovered by RH Frost using a
24-inch refractor at the Arequipa station in the late
1890s (possibly 1898) and catalogued as Frost 791
(Ann Harv Coll Obs Vollx pp179 - 192 ldquoNebula
found by Photographyrdquo) Later the object was entered
into the Index Catalogue (1908) described as ldquopL
bMrdquo - pretty large bright in middle IC 2966 is really
much smaller than this description suggests and the
latest observations limit this size to 30 arcmin across
Classed as ldquo2 Irdquo in Sky Catalogue 20000 and classed
ldquo1rdquo - Bright (1 Brightest - 2 Faintest) of Intermediate
ldquoIrdquo photographic colour (scaled from Red-Grey-
Blue) they give the visual magnitude of the nebula as
1149v (109B) with the general spectral class of B05
Illuminating the nebulosity is the star PPM 778678
CSI -64-14771 (11507-6455) placed a further 24‟ E at
PA 114o of the central nebula position Given as 100
mag (PPM says 95) this star to my eyes appears
distinctly red in the telescope (Note Another star is
111 magnitude GSC 8981293 on the northern edge
the nebulas boundary) Data in the Tycho catalogue
from the Hipparcos satellite give a parallax of 890
mas and if this is the star brightening the nebula
then distance is roughly 110 pc According to Auke
Slotegraaf‟s ldquoDeep Sky Observer‟s Companionrdquo Van
den Bergh and Herbest noted that there is little
difference in the appearance in
either blue or red astronomical
plates - only that the maximum
diameter is 24 arcmin in red and
26 arcmin in blue
Looking at the object the
photographic images and the
data on this object it is possible
that the brightness of the
nebulosity has changed in the
last hundred years or so as most
stars that illuminate reflection
nebulae are more commonly
blue ie like the Pleiades It is
possible that significant
obscuration is being brought
into play here hiding much of
the nebulous light
BC Mus GSC 89812285 (11475
-6443) is merely 16‟ N from the
Centaurus Musca border This
121 mag semi-detached
eclipsing binary can be seen in a
moderate field with the PNe
He2-73 due south and at the
bottom of the field IC 2966 is on
the eastern edge of the same field with BC Mus
located on the NW edge [Actually 20‟ NE of IC 2966
or 26‟ NNW (PA 345o)] Alternatively use the bluish
70 mag HIP 57451 SAO 251582 HD 102370 BD-64
564 PPM 358966 (11466-6446) some 68‟ NE (PA 70o)
The target star is marked by a roughly 14‟ spaced
equilateral triangle of stars whose apex points due
south with the blue-coloured star to the east being
the variable
BC Mus varies between 122p and 145p over
3511171 days Based on the maximum on the 11th
March 1927 (JDE 2424951363) the ratio of the
primary eclipse to the period is 12 being some
042134052 days Seeing this deep 23 mag drop in
Figure 2 IC 2966 Nebula in Musca
Image size 125 x 125 from ALADIN
previewer (Red AAORDSS2 Blue SERI
DSS2 Green average Redblue image
modified by Silvering reducing
saturation) Note L145-141 HIP 57367 will
pass through this nebula in 2640AD
UNIVERSE 12 Vol 60 4
brightness for an eclipsing binary is unusual and to
catch the magnitude drop of the eclipse you will
certainly have to inspect the field several times
Incidentally about 10‟ to 15‟ NE from this triangle is a
small void almost empty of stars Also the
surrounding fields are scattered with many stars
below 10th magnitude
L145-141 GJ440 HIP 57367 WD1142-645 (11458-
6450) in north-western Musca is one of the closer
stars to the Sun Its main interest is due to the very
high proper motion which is
almost equal in prominence
with the far more famous
southern gem alpha
Centauri L145-141 in fact
has the 27th highest proper
motion known and is the most
southerly of the ldquoTop 100rdquo of
all the quickest moving stars
in the sky It is catalogued as
Gliese-Jones‟s GJ 440 or
alternatively W J Luyten‟s
designation of L145-141 This
faint 115v mag star is easily
found within a lovely starry
field [Note L145-141 in
Uranometria 20000 Chart
450 is shown as a tiny dot
above the ldquo(rdquo of the character
string printed on the chart It
is not the brighter star above
the ldquo(rdquo but the one left of it]
When centred on the nearby
7th mag HIP 57451 L145-141
lies 76‟ SW away along PA
234o almost mirroring the
position of BC Mus and HIP
57451 The actual star is the
southern of two 11th
magnitude stars separated by
13 arcmin Figure 1 shows the 1o field locating both
this star and the variable BC Mus
General proper motions were originally obtained for
this region in the late 1920s with the data published
in 1930 A little later the proximity of the star based
on the measured parallax of 0195 arcsec was found
to be 512pc or 167 ly This happens to be about
twice the current distance of Sirius Hipparcos later
improved the distance to the closer 4617(44) plusmn
0050pc or 1507 plusmn 016 ly from the huge parallax of
021640 plusmn 000211 arcsec making this the 37th closest
star to the Sun More recent observations by Henry T
J et al (1997) during the RECONS observation
program of nearby stars found a slightly improved
value of 021657 plusmn 000201 arcsec and this was
determined by the weighted means of both the
Hipparcos and Yale Parallax Catalog [Note These
data are also available from the ldquoAstronomisches
Rechen-Institutrdquo (AIR) in Heidelberg using the ARICNS
(ARI Data Base for Nearby Stars)]
From this distance the absolute magnitude (Mv) is
1318 being some nine magnitudes or 2100 times
less luminous than the Sun In 1986 the quoted 1144v
magnitude was found using UBV photometry but
more recent observations by Henry et al (1997) find
1150V with the B-V magnitude being the whitish
value of 0196
Observed proper motions for L145-141 have since
proven to be very rapid being similar in value to
alpha Centauri (See NSP 17) with the values in RA
+266517 plusmn 0198 mas and Dec -34683 plusmn 0191 mas
This is equivalent to 2665 arcsec per year or 1o every
1350 years The vector changes in RA by 4442‟ or
0074o and Dec by 0578‟ or 0009o each century
calculating the motion in PA terms as moving
towards PA 974o so that it is
travelling almost due east
Such strong easterly motion is
highly unusual as the majority
of these stars are going the
opposite way (ie directly
opposite even Alpha and
Proxima Centauri) There is
likely some significance in
this as to the origin of the star
that has caused this
prodigious velocity
Presently the proper motion
is towards the emission
nebula IC 2966 (11502-6452)
which it will reach in 2640
AD passing about 2‟ S from its
centre in 2670 AD Eventually
L145-141 will also pass close
to the position of the planetary
IC 4191 (13088-6739) (see
NSP 20) though by then the
PNe nebulosity may already
be totally gone
Spectral data reveal a stellar
white dwarf whose spectral
class was first tentatively
given by Zakhozhaj VA
(1979) as A8VII This was later
changed to ldquoDCrdquo indicating distinct lack of emission
lines or just showing a continuous spectrum This was
again updated to the more modern ldquoDQ6rdquo which
suggests the element carbon is present The ldquo6rdquo in
this instance gauges the surface temperature which
calculated by the equation 50400ldquoTrdquo is 8400K
making its nearest ldquosister starrdquo in temperature
Procyon B in Canis Minor The DQ6 classification is
also similar to the earlier A8 spectrum suggesting the
surface temperature is more like 8200K To date
only UV carbon lines have been detected An
estimated mass for L145-141 is about 05 solar masses
and size can be calculated as about 13000 km across
L145-141 is currently fourth closest of all the known
white dwarfs the first two of course being the
companions to Sirius and Procyon Although this star
is not some PNN it is likely that not too long ago at
least in astronomical terms this was once a PNe
central star The original nebulosity has vanished and
has now long since been forgotten
Two Pairs Near L145-141
In addition to the pair near TZ Mus there are two
more pairs in this field ldquoPair 2rdquo of similar PA and
(Continued bottom next page)
Figure 3 L145-141 HIP 57367 Image of
Surrounding Field and Observed Proper
Motion
HIP 57367 is moving across the field right to left
In 2011 the position is about half the
distance again between the 16 yr (1998-1982)
difference blue star to orange star in image
Image source and format details as for Figure 2
UNIVERSE 13 Vol 60 4
by Richard Jaworski
Welcome to the return of ldquoSeeing
Doublerdquo In this series of articles
I hope to introduce you to some
of the best visual double stars the
sky has to offer
Gamma Delphini (Struve 2727) is
in my list of the top 10 double
stars The star marks one corner
of the asterism ldquoJobs Coffinrdquo in
the constellation Delphinus I
have observed it many times
with my 15cm f8 Newtonian
reflector To my eye the primary
is yellow and the companion is
pale blue by comparison Some
see the companion as greenish
In reality the primary is a
yellow-white dwarf star (F7V)
and the secondary an orange
subgiant star (K1IV) Gamma is
located 101 light-years from us
Adding to the vista is the nearby
fainter pair Struve 2725 located
15‟ to the southwest and often
overlooked in favour of the more
dominant Gamma Struve 2725 is
located 125 light years from us
and has a different proper motion
to that of Gamma
A sketch of the pair can be found
at Astronomy Sketch of the Day -
httpwwwasodinfop=6351
I hope you can take the time to
enjoy this pair of pairs
(From page 12)
separation is about 3‟ NE of L145-14 but these
are about a magnitude fainter than the high-
proper-motion star ldquoPair 3rdquo is 55‟ S This wider
9698 pair points towards HIP 57451
References L145-141 Hoberg JB et al ldquoA new look at the local white dwarf
populationrdquo Astron J 135 1225 (2008)
Subasavage et al ldquoThe solar neighborhood XXI Parallax
results from the CTIOPI 09 M program 20 new members of
the 25 parsec white dwarf samplerdquo Astron J 137 4547
(2009)
Zakhozhaj VA ldquoCatalogue of nearest stars until 10pcrdquo
Vestnik Khar‟kovskogo Universiteta (VKha) 190 52
(1979)
Next in NSP 23
He2-68 on the Eastern Corner of Musca
Seeing DoubleDouble
Star RA Dec Mags PA Separation
Gamma Del 20 467 +16 07 43 52 266 9rdquo0
Struve 2725 20 462 +15 54 71 79 10 6rdquo1
UNIVERSE 14 Vol 60 4
Dear Members
Please be advised that a special general meeting of the Astronomical Society of NSW will be
held on Friday 11th November 2011 at the Epping Creative Centre commencing at 800pm
The purpose of the meeting is to vote on the Committee‟s nomination of
John Flavin for Life Membership
All members are encouraged to attend
Paul Hatchman President
Special General Meeting Friday 11
th
November 2011
Another School Year Over
Despite a lot of what could only
be described as inconsiderate
weather in the early part of the
year in the last month
members of the Society have
visited 3 schools to share the
night sky with students
18th August was Oakhill College
at Castle Hill It was a fairly cool
night with very clear skies and
not too bad seeing for suburban
Sydney Oakhill College is a
school that the Society has been
going to for many years This
year we had 9 members with 6
telescopes and 2 displays in
attendance Harry Roberts had
head science teacher Sandra
Woodward looking at spectra of
Antares whilst Karen
Whittingham was capturing the
spectra on a DMK 21 with
Harry‟s C8 Peter Kinna had his
Milky Way Galaxy model and
Crux distance and local solar
neighbourhood spectral
displays out and these always
get a large gathering to see
them Saturn was the champion
of the night
3rd September was an Open
Night at Tara Anglican School
for Girls at North Parramatta
Over the last 2-3 years the
ASNSW has had a very close
association with Tara and it was
a great pleasure to help them
out with their first open night
Once again the weather was
very kind to us with pretty good
skies despite a 4-5 day old
Moon The guest speaker on
the night was Professor Katherine
Blundell from Oxford University
and Project Leader of the Global
Jet Watch program of which Tara
is one of the participating schools
Students parents and teachers all
got to walk around the observing
field after the talk looking
through telescopes of varying
sizes and types at objects being
shown by members of ASNSW
Twelve members with telescopes
were on hand to help out with the
large crowd Member Karen
Whittingham had students taking
images of the Moon through her
10rdquo LX 200 with a DMK 21 camera
and then emailed the images out
to the students the following day
The evening ended inside the
Dome with ASNSW members
suggesting good objects to be
imaged with the 20rdquo RCOS
Barnard‟s Galaxy and the Bug
Nebula were amongst the objects
imaged
6th September saw the Society
doing a school night at
Abbotsleigh Ladies College
another school that has invited us
back year after year for the last
decade plus some The weather
forecast was looking a bit
foreboding the day before and we
were looking out the window all
day Tuesday to see if the clouds
had rolled in yet Luck was on our
side as we headed up the Pacific
Highway to Wahroonga and we
arrived and set up on the tennis
courts to a very clear night with
only ordinary seeing Saturn will
aways win a crowd even at low
altitude A quick walk around the
scopes to see what was on show
Member Jack Giles had a C11
with a CCD camera at Hyperstar
focus and was imaging M8 and
even though it was very near an
8 day old Moon he was still able
to capture the Hourglass Nebula
Gary Kopff had Neptune in the
18rdquo Obsession scope which was
a real treat for the students Most
humans never see Neptune in the
flesh Globular clusters open
clusters carbon stars and the
Moon all make for a good mix of
objects for the students and
teachers to look at and just as
the last students left the
observing area the sky
deteriorated and by the time
pack up was complete the sky
was gone
The following members have
helped out this year at schools
and I would like to thank them on
behalf of the Society Barry
Gerdes Mick McCullagh Chris
Douglass Harry Roberts Karen
Whittingham Peter Kinna and his
friend (sorry forgot your name)
Alex Comino George Comanos
Richard Jaworski Brett and
Francis White Mark Notary Jack
Giles Gary Kopff Dave Scott
Paddy DeKlerk John Flavin and
an unknown member who came
to Oakhill to help out
School nights will again be
happening next year
Come along have some fun
All the above people had a ball )
Cheers Don Whiteman
Ground-based Reports School Nights
UNIVERSE 15 Vol 60 4
ASNSW EVENTS
Meetings
Friday 7th October 2011 at 800pm
Observational astronomy from Tycho Brahe to
William Herschel
Geoff Smith Observations Officer ASNSW
Friday 14th October 2011 at 800pm
Making the Sky Dark
Dr Simon Ellis AAO
Friday 11th November 2011 at 800pm SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
to vote on Life Membership of John Flavin
Observing Sessions
Crago Observatory 22nd October 19th November
Wiruna 28th - 29th October 25th-26th November
SYDNEY
Astronomy Open Night
at Macquarie University NOTE CHANGE OF DATE
Saturday 29th October 2011
from 630pm to 10pm At 730pm hear Prof Andrew Melatos University of
Melbourne Neutron Stars Natures Most Extreme
Quantum Laboratories
Charges $5 ChildConc $12 Adult $27 Family
[invalid link deleted from sample issue] Please bring along a telescope to share to gain free
entry and join in the fun
Tuesday November 1st ndash 29th from 6pm to 8pm Exploring the Heavens
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash An Introduction to Astronomy Course
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
Thursday November 3rd ndash December 1st 6pm to 8pm Understanding Gravity
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash Learn the Fundamentals of Gravity
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
REGIONAL NSW
October 27th - 30th 2011 Sixth Annual IceInSpace Astro-Camp (IISAC)
Lostock Scout Camp in the Hunter Valley of NSW
Star Party organised by IceInSpace
For more information prices and registration visit
httpwwwiceinspacecomauiisachtml
October 8th - 9th 2011 from 9am ndash 4pm both days Parkes (The Dish) Telescope 50th Anniversary
Open Days
Free entry ndash telescope tours astronomer talks and
QampA sessions and a look behind the scenes at ASKAP ndash
loads of family activities for all
Saturday October 8th 2011 at 6pm Opera at the Dish
For more information check out
httpwwwparkesatnfcsiroaunews_events
opendays2011
October 14th - 28th 2011 The Great World Wide Star Count
Count the stars in Sagittarius
httpwwwwindows2universeorgcitizen_science
starcountconstellations_shhtml
Friday October 14th 2011 at 630pm Science in the Pub Is there anybody out there
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
ANU Astronomers Prof Charlie Lineweaver Dr Daniel
Bayliss and AAO astronomer Dr Simon O‟Toole will
light-heartedly discuss the search for ET Compered
by the ABC Western Plains Sally Bryant
Saturday October 15th 2011 from 10am to 4pm Siding Spring Open Day
Come and see behind the scenes at Australia‟s largest
professional Optical Observatory
Saturday October 15th 2011 Bok Lecture
Prof Mike Bessell ndash Free Astronomical Lecture in
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
For information on the above events contact Donna
Burton [details withheld from sample issue]
ACT
November 6th 2011 - 10am to 4pm Mt Stromlo Observatory Open Day
Contact Mt Stromlo Observatory 02 6125 0230
VICTORIA
October 19th 2011 630pm - 730pm Public Lecture ndash Into the Heart of a Globular Cluster
httpastronomyswineduauoutreach
topic=freelectures
October 28th - 31st 2011 VicSouth Desert Spring Star Party
More info httpvicsouthinfovicsouth2011htm
QUEENSLAND
October 3rd 2011 5pm ndash 6pm Innovation Annual Lecture Sleuthing for Exoplanets
httpwwwscienceuqeduauan-invitation-to-
innovation-annual-lecture
EVENT HORIZON WORLDWIDE ASTRONOMY DAY
Saturday 1st October 2011
UNIVERSE 4 Vol 60 4
STARRY MESSENGER The Sky for October and November
by Geoff Smith
The Moon
There will be a partial solar eclipse on 25th
November visible from the southern tip of Tasmania
Mercury
Mercury returns to the evening sky in October You
should be able to see it approaching Venus from
below by mid-month During the last week of
October the two planets will be 2deg apart During the
first two weeks of November Mercury and Venus
maintain their close companionship On 10th
October Mercury will be 2deg from both Antares and
Venus with the three of them forming a straight line
There will be a close (1deg) pass by Mercury to the
globular cluster M19 on 17th November
Venus
Venus climbs higher in
the sky during October
hotly pursued by
Mercury It begins the
month in Virgo but about
mid-month passes into
Libra On 21st October it
will be 0deg2 from α Librae
a wide (4acute) double You
should be able to get all
three objects into the
same low power field
During November Venus
continues its climb into
the western sky Watch
for a close (1deg) approach
to the globular cluster
M28 on 30th November
Mars
Mars spends the first three weeks of October in
Cancer before moving into Leo where it remains
until mid-January It crosses the Beehive cluster in
the first few days of October On the 11th November
Mars will be within 1deg3 of Regulus During these
months Mars slowly increases its angular size from
5rdquo5 to 6rdquo4 so it remains a challenging object on
which to see detail
Jupiter
Jupiter comes into opposition on 29th October and is
ideally placed for viewing This is a favourable
opposition with the angular diameter of the planet
reaching 49rdquo7 In November it remains well-placed
for observation The smallest telescope will show a
wealth of detail on Jupiter A 2rdquo telescope will show
satellite shadows in transit across the disc while a 3rdquo
working under good conditions will show that the
cloud belts are not entirely regular but show darker
patches and sometimes projections at their edges
An occasional bright spot may also be detected with a
3‟‟ telescope
Saturn
Saturn is in conjunction with the Sun on 14th October
It returns to the morning sky in November but will
only be a twilight object
Uranus and Neptune
Uranus is just past opposition in October and is high
in the northeastern sky at the end of evening twilight
In November it will be about 5deg above the circlet in
Pisces at the end of twilight
Neptune will be in Aquarius throughout October and
November It remains within 1deg7 of ι Aquarii
throughout these months
Minor Planets and Dwarf Planets
Pallas at magnitude 10 will be 0deg3 east of ε Aquilae on
1st November and 0deg1
south-east of θ Aquilae on
21st November
Pluto at magnitude 14
stays in Sagittarius for
October and November
It sets at midnight in mid-
October and around 10pm
in mid-November and
crosses the meridian
around 7pm mid-month
Ceres at magnitude 8 will
be in Aquarius through
October See the finder
chart Start at Fomalhaut
and then star hop
northeast through two
triplets of modest stars till
you reach the long string
containing 107 Aquarii
Meteor Showers
Moon Forecast for 20ndash22 October 2011 Waning
crescent
The Orionid meteor shower is the second of two
showers that occur each year as a result of Earth
passing through dust released by Halleys Comet
with the first being the Eta Aquarids The point from
where the Orionid meteors appear to radiate is
located within the constellation Orion
The Orionids generally begin on October 15 and end
on October 29 with maximum generally occurring
during the morning hours of October 20-22 The
Orionids are barely detectable on the beginning and
ending dates but observers in the Northern
Hemisphere will see around 20 meteors per hour at
maximum while observers in the Southern
Hemisphere will see around 40 meteors per hour The
maximum can last two or three nights although there
is evidence of some fluctuation from year to year
There are other weaker meteor showers going on
around the same time as the Orionids The Orionids
generally appear to move fast When you see a
Figure 1 Finder chart for Ceres
UNIVERSE 5 Vol 60 4
meteor mentally trace it backwards If you end up at
Orion then you have probably seen an Orionid
meteor
Source httpmeteorshowersonlinecomorionidshtml
Constellation of the Month Sculptor
Culmination About 10pm in the middle of the month
Sculptor is a small and faint constellation but has
some impressive deep sky objects It lies in a region
rich in galaxies some of which are large and bright
making fine telescopic objects It was introduced by
Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century who
originally named it Apparatus Sculptoris (the
sculptors studio) but the name was later shortened to
Sculptor (the sculptor) As with most of Lacaille‟s
introductions one cannot help but admire his
imagination No stars brighter than 3rd magnitude
are located in Sculptor This is
explained by the fact that Sculptor
contains the south galactic pole where
stellar density is very low
The brightest is α Sculptoris an SX
Arietis-type variable star with the
magnitude of only 43 The constellation
also contains the Sculptor Dwarf Galaxy
which is a member of the Local Group
as well as the Sculptor Group the group
of galaxies closest to the Local Group
The Sculptor Galaxy (NGC 253) a
barred spiral galaxy and the largest
member of the group lies near the
border between Sculptor and Cetus
Another prominent member of the
group is the irregular galaxy NGC 55
Double Stars in Sculptor
κ1 Scl is a bright yellow pair in a sparse
field easily resolved with a 4rdquo
telescope Mags 61 62 sep 1rdquo4 PA
261deg (2001)
τ Scl A close yellow pair The separation is
decreasing and will need at least 8rdquo to
separate the pair Mags 60 74 sep 0rdquo8 PA 169deg
(1999)
ε Scl Showcase pair bright yellow Mags 54 85
sep 4rdquo9 PA 24deg(2002)
Deep sky objects in Sculptor
NGC 253 (Silver Coin Galaxy) makes everyone‟s list
of top ten galaxies It is very large (30acute x 6acute9) and
very bright (mag 71) It is visible to the naked eye
by sharp-eyed observers from a dark sky site and is
an easy binocular object You should be able to
detect a mottled appearance through an 8rdquo telescope
while 12rdquo should begin to reveal the spiral arms
NGC 55 (String of Pearls Galaxy) is another very
large (25acute x 2acute5) bright (mag 71) galaxy and is a fine
example of an edge-on barred spiral An OIII filter
and a 12rdquo telescope reveal the star-forming regions of
ionized hydrogen as small hazy spots near the centre
NGC 300 (Southern Pinwheel) This is perhaps the
sky‟s most classic spiral galaxy Through 12rdquo and
larger telescopes you should be able to see spiral
arms and dark lanes Size 20acute x 15acute
NGC 247 This galaxy is in Cetus but is included
here as it is a prominent member of the Sculptor
Group of galaxies Through a 10rdquo telescope the
galaxy has a tight circular centre with an oval haze
around it The southern end is tapered while the
northern end is more rounded
NGC 288 This is a nice globular cluster It‟s quite
big (14acute) but sparsely populated which makes it easy
to resolve Expect to see about 100 stars with an 8rdquo
telescope
See full list of deep sky objects next page
Clear Skies
References Astronomy 2011
NGCIC webpage httpwwwngcicprojectorg
defaulthtm
Hartung Astronomical Objects for Southern
Telescopes Melbourne UP 1995
Figure 2 Radiant at about 200 am local time
around October 21
Figure 3 The constellation Sculptor
UNIVERSE 6 Vol 60 4
Double Stars for Small Telescopes by Sissy Haas
Constellation diagrams from http
wwwdibonsmithcomconstelhtm and used here with
the permission of the author Richard Dibon-Smith
Uranometria constellation figure from scans by the
Linda Hall Library of Science Engineering and
Technology httpwwwlindahallorgservices
digitalebooksbayer
variables
(The Observations Officer here interposed to refer to
the necessity for collaboration between variable star
observers in this Society and of practice in the work
with a view to gaining experience in this field before the
anticipated meeting with the Variable Star Section of the
British Astronomical Association)
Mr G Patston gave a ldquoMoonwatchrdquo report saying that
the preceding month had given reasonable viewing
weather there had been 12 good nights recorded in the
log
An observation had been made of the American 20-inch
satellite (7th magnitude) on August 1st 1959 At
midnight on the night of the meeting (7th August) an
attempt would be made to observe the newly launched
American satellite Explorer VI whose distance would
be 165 miles at perigee and 20000 miles at apogee and
equipped with solar cells to supply power to its
instruments and radio
Bulletin Cover
The Editor trusts that members will like the new
ldquoBulletinrdquo cover ndash it gives the ldquoold magrdquo quite a fillip
The object is of course eta Carinae ndash Keyhole ndash Nebula
in the Milky Way near Crux The negative from which
the block was taken was presented to the SAA by Dr
C Gum of the CSIRO Apologies to those members
who didn‟t receive a Bulletin last month First of all the
covers ran out Then there was some confusion as to
whom was financial or not The muddle has now been
sorted out From now on those members who should
get a Bulletin will and those who shouldn‟t won‟t
The new ldquoBulletinrdquo cover introduced with the July 1959
issue was our third cover design since our first issue in
July ‟55 The bdquoeta Carinae‟ cover stayed with us until the
February 1962 issue
The above extracts are taken from the July and
August 1959 issues of our Journal - John Flavin
Table 1 Deep Sky Objects in Sculptor
OGM held at Belfield August 7th 1959
The President Mr G Miles took the Chair and
opened the meeting at 1955 hours there being 51
members and 4 visitors present The President
welcomed the visitors who included the evening‟s
Guest Speaker Dr Hill of the CSIRO
Building expenses
The Treasurer reported that the amount received or
promised by way of either donation or interest-free loan
towards the cost of the sanitary conveniences necessary to
be constructed for the new building [Clubhouse] was pound67
The President announced that the Treasurer would there
and then receive further contributions to this cause and
members immediately took advantage of the opportunity
to make their gifts or loans At this stage it was moved and
seconded that in order that lenders of money should have
a suitable acknowledgement of the Society‟s obligation to
repay them the Treasurer be authorised to issue receipts
for loans in the following terms
Received from Mr A B the sum of poundx being interest free
loan repayable within twelve months from 1st August 1959
- Sydney Amateur Astronomers - Per Treasurer
This motion was carried
The President said that the total required to be raised was
pound100 and that a member who wished to remain
anonymous had promised that he (or she) would provide
any balance still left to be found after the collection had
been made This act of generosity was warmly applauded
Within a few minutes thereafter the Treasurer reported that
the total received or promised in gifts or loans was pound125 ndash
a very creditable result
Observations
Mr P Williamson showed [sunspot] drawings made by
him on 11th July and 1st August 1959 the former one
showing a spot of large size divided into two parts by a
ldquobridgerdquo which later entirely disappeared in the space of
a few hours He also reported some observations of
Mercury Mr Tonkin showed drawings of sunspots made
on the 15th July 1959
In connection with this subject the Secretary said that the
helioscope under construction by the Junior Section was
nearing completion
Mr L Williamson spoke on T Centauri and other
Object RA (J2000) Dec (J2000) Type Mag Size
NGC 55 00 15 084 -39 13 14 GX 83 25 x 25
NGC 134 00 30 214 -33 14 50 GX 105 85 x 20
NGC 150 00 34 161 -27 48 16 GX 114 39 x 19
IC 1581 00 46 060 -25 54 00 GX ---- 11 x 02
NGC 253 00 47 331 -25 17 17 GX 78 30 x 69
NGC 289 00 52 417 -31 12 28 GX 11 51 x 36
NGC 288 00 52 474 -26 35 24 GC 81 14
NGC 300 00 54 534 -37 41 00 GX 83 20 x 15
NGC 409 01 09 325 -35 48 20 GX 131 13 x 11
NGC 424 01 11 279 -38 04 59 GX 13 18 x 08
NGC 438 01 13 335 -37 54 07 GX 13 14 x 11
NGC 613 01 34 175 -29 24 58 GX 101 55 x 42
NGC 7507 23 12 077 -28 32 26 GX 108 28 x 27
IC 5332 23 34 300 -36 06 00 GX 106 66 x 51
NGC 7713 23 36 149 -37 56 20 GX 112 46 x 22
NGC 7793 23 57 497 -32 35 30 GX 92 93 x 63
LOOK-BACK
TIME The ASNSW from the Archives
UNIVERSE 7 Vol 60 4
Cyril Brown a
dedicated and
active member
from our early
days died on the
5th September
aged 96 at
Maryborough
Cyril joined us in
the late sixties a
period that saw
our Society facing
considerable
difficulty arising
from our having to depart our original home at
Belfield It was fortunate that Cyril came to us when
he did as his property in the semi-rural surrounds
of Dural became the location for the telescopes that
had to be moved from Belfield At the July 1970
AGM ndash held at the Canterbury Council buildings
and our first away from Belfield ndash Cyril was elected
President a position he would hold until 1973 His
home at Dural become an easy-to-reach bdquodark sky‟
site for some years until Bowen Mt became
operational
In his working life Cyril was a Saw Doctor ndash a trade
that covers the repair and upkeep of a range of
tools A McNiven Medal recipient and a Life
Member he filled many positions in his years with
us In 2004 he moved to Queensland to be near
some members of his family who had earlier
moved to that state Cyril maintained his interest in
astronomy going out to see Comet McNaught a few
years ago and looking up astronomy sites on the
internet Within the last year Cyril attended an
astronomy outing with the 1st Burrum Heads Girl
Guides (his great granddaughters are members) to
show them the sky Cyril is survived by daughter
Marian son Cyril Jr grandchildren and great
grandchildren
The Girl Guides really enjoyed the night which was
part of Space Week They followed this up with
decorating our shed with planets etc They were then
presented with their space badge for their sash
Personally I can not say enough of how much we
appreciated Marian bringing Cyril out to share their
knowledge with the girls - Leeanne Bouveng
This poem from Walt Whitman (1865) was
read at his service followed by the closing
lines from his daughter Marian Lynch
When I heard the learn‟d astronomer
When the proofs were ranged in columns
before me
When I was shown the charts and the
diagrams
to add divide and measure them
When I sitting heard the astronomer
where he lectured with much applause in the
lecture room
How soon unaccountable I became tired
and listless
Till rising and going out I wander‟d off by
myself
In the mystical moist night air and from time
to time
Look‟d up in perfect silence at the stars
Now Cyril strolls
from star to star in the Universe
With the greatest Astronomer of all
Sharney Bouveng stands behind Cyril with his great
granddaughters Shylani and Hannah Mallett
(left and right respectively)
VALE CYRIL BROWN
Portraits of Cyril from an earlier time (top left) and
last year (above)
UNIVERSE 8 Vol 60 4
by Gerard Keyzer
In episode two we left Edward Emerson Barnard
with his newly acquired 5-inch refractor as his
observing began in earnest Barnard was gifted
with incredible eyesight and a thoughtful
determined character and he spent the next few
years honing his observing skills while taking his
first tentative steps into the world of the
professional astronomer In his personal life he
was gaining yet more stability earning the respect
and admiration of Rhoda Calvert his colleague‟s
sister who was eventually to become his wife
Around this time Barnard took a long lease on a
nice house on the outskirts of Nashville While not
yet married to each other Rhoda began to help
Edward with the daily running of the household
and the care of his invalid mother As Rhoda was
fourteen years his senior many felt she set her cap
for him as a ldquolast chancerdquo to
avoid spinsterhood Possibly
but this sensitive young man
was mature beyond his years
and marrying on January
27th 1881 the pair became
devoted to each other in
every respect for the
remainder of their lives
It was at the house at 1919
Patterson Ave that Edward
was able to throw himself
into his observations
distanced from the continual
interruptions of casual
visitors to the telescope
Using a homemade light box
he would spend many hours
sketching and was soon
being published in technical journals such as the
English Mechanic The cloud bands and moons of
Jupiter the markings of the Martian surface the
rings of Saturn were all favourite targets His
Byrne refractor was of the finest calibre optically
showing the Galilean moons as distinct discs and
his observations of the Great Red Spot and
eruptions in the cloud bands were compared
favourably with those from Dearborn Observatory
done through an 185-inch refractor and measured
with a micrometer
My favourite story of Barnard‟s early observing
occurred at this time and is best told in his own
words Observing Jupiter at 2am he paused to rest
his eyes for a moment and was bdquohorrified to see two
glaring greenish-red balls of fire a few feet away in
the obscurity of the bushes Cold chills played up
and down my backbone and I was too frightened to
move These balls of fire came slowly toward me A
supernatural horror seemed to bind me to the spot
as a nightmare holds one in its pitiless grasp I
could not have moved if I had known the foul fiend
himself was behind those lights Just at the point
when I felt that I must collapse as the hateful lights
came close to me I felt the warm touch of the
tongue of some animal licking my cold hand and in
the obscurity I saw a great dog wagging his tail in a
friendly manner The relief was tremendous and a
warm flow of blood seemed to infuse my veins It
proved to be a great and fierce bulldog belonging
to my neighbour This dog had always looked so
savage with his cruel teeth that I had not
attempted to cultivate his friendship Why he had
not attacked me in the darkness and what made him
seek this friendship I do not know but from that
time on he was my good friend and made it a habit
to lie down near me every night I was out
observing His friendship was a blessing for I no
longer felt the nameless dread of the night with his
powerful form at my
feet‟ (Reprinted from ldquoThe
Immortal Fire Withinrdquo)
Barnard‟s natural reticence
and conservative nature
were to stand him in good
stead when popular interest
in Mars conjured up all sorts
of fanciful claims of canals
and civilizations He
preferred only to note and
comment on what he actually
observed not what he
ldquothoughtrdquo he saw At twenty-
two he already had an
aversion to ldquorashly drawn
conclusionsrdquo Barnard‟s
settled domestic situation
allowed him to progress his budding semi-
professional status Discovery of a comet brought
much kudos and during this period he was
awarded a cash prize of $200 called the Warner
prize The recognition amongst his peers was the
greater prize sought by Barnard His first comet
discovery was sadly not confirmed later analysis
showing that inferior equipment and delays by
those expected to confirm it led to it being ldquolostrdquo
This caused Barnard great embarrassment but he
would persevere in quest of the Warner prize
desirous of emulating the great comet seekers
Messier and Pons In the course of his comet
seeking he was to discover a new nebula
designated NGC 5584 one of twenty credited to
him during this period Remember most of the
famous Messier objects had been discovered
while searching for comets
On September 17th 1881 Barnard discovered his
first confirmed comet and silenced his critics with
the official designation of Comet Barnard or 1881
Edward Emerson BARNARD
1857-1923
Part Three
NGC 5584 in Virgo
UNIVERSE 9 Vol 60 4
VI With the first Warner prize cheque of $200
Edward and Rhoda bought a plot of land took a
mortgage and built a cottage where they lived
with Edward‟s mother Happy times followed
although they struggled for a living but the
remote location allowed Edward every possible
opportunity to continue with his comet-seeking
gaining the Warner prize again with 1882 III and
discovering a total of sixteen comets in the next
eleven years including the first photographic
discovery Other comets of the period were more
spectacular and created greater interest such as
Wells‟s Comet Swift‟s Comet Tebbutt‟s Comet
(discovered in Australia by JC Tebbutt in June
1881) and the Great Comet of 1882 Barnard‟s
observing diligence and skill were rewarded in
another way as he observed The Great Comet of
1882 Over the period of 22nd September to 14th
October he recorded this comet breaking first in
two then eventually into six or eight fragments
the discovery being confirmed by professionals
from around the globe Interestingly on the
morning of 13th October Barnard had ldquoforeseenrdquo
this occurrence in a dream of a sky filled with
comets He later said ldquo the association of this
dream with the reality has always seemed a
strange thing to merdquo
While less noteworthy for their appearance
Barnard‟s comet discoveries did bring him some
financial security through three Warner prizes
and more importantly they brought him the
official recognition of his peers opening the door
to the professional career he would now aspire to
Locally they brought him acclaim and a group of
prominent citizens resolved to build an
observatory for ldquothe young astronomer of
Nashvillerdquo He would not take the plan seriously
but when the architect‟s plan materialised along
with foundation stonework he rushed to his
benefactors Apologetically he refused their
generous offer because he felt he would be
obliged to remain in situ and not be free to move if
he was offered an official position He was soon to
be proven right
Stay tuned for Episode Four
Sources ndash Various Encyclopaedia Brittanica and Wiki
and ldquoThe Immortal Fire Withinrdquo by William Sheehan
Barnardrsquos skilful drawing of Halleyrsquos Comet
May 18th 1910 at Yerkes Observatory
Barnardrsquos photograph of Comet Swift 1892
Barnardrsquos photographs of Comet Brooks
October 1893 showing the comet
fragmenting
UNIVERSE 10 Vol 60 4
by Andrew James
Last issue featured the planetary nebula He2-73 This
month explores the surrounding region
The following objects can be found in a moderately
starry field using moderate to low power about 40‟ S
of the Crux-Musca border I originally centred on this
field in 20cm using the 26mm Plossel (78x with 32
arcmin field) deliberately just looking for the pair
COO 130 as mentioned in both AOST1amp2 Later I
investigated the other four objects nearby then
centring at the field‟s mid-position at 11h 504m
-65o 04‟ Here you can bdquohold‟ all in one field TZ Mus
IC 2966 He2-80 B2730 and my target pair
Furthermore half a field southwards using moderate
powers there are also two faint Cepheids - UU Mus
and TZ Mus (see descriptions below)
COO 130 HIP 57851 SAO 251617 HD 103079
(11519-6512) was discovered by SI Bailey in 1894
during routine observations to produce the extensive
Cordova Observatory (CD) star catalogue beginning
in the 1890s It is really surprising that neither John
Herschel nor HC Russell found this system in their
extensive double star surveys yet it is very remotely
possible that the star appeared single between 1835
and 1880 COO 130 lies almost 20‟ due east of He2-73
and the field is marked with three stars in a bent line
at the south-eastern edge of the field at low powers
These field stars have respective visual magnitudes
from south to north of 75 75 and 95 and form an
oddly-shaped triangular figure
COO 130 comprises 52v and 74v magnitude (497V
amp 725V) stars with 16 arcsec separation and position
angle of 159o as last measured by the Hipparcos
satellite in 1991 From the available data these stars
are very slowly diminishing in separation thus
making future amateur observations more difficult
Resolution is possible in 15cm telescopes but this
becomes much easier in 20cm AOST2 does claim this
is ldquo just possible rdquo in 75cm but my own four
different observations between 1978 and 1981 using
the 75cm f10 reflector and 108cm refractor could
not resolve the pair even with good seeing Using
20cm these stars are much easier to split and I saw
the colours as bluish and white or perhaps blue and
white which is about right when compared to the
given B4V spectral class for the primary
This same double star is featured in AOST2 as object
483 where a comment on
the connection of the
system states
ldquo the angle is slowly
increasing but separation
has not changed
Physical connection
between the stars seems
likelyrdquo
This is an example of a
bright prominent double
star that observers have
neglected likely just
because it is not among
either the prominent
Russell Herschel or
Dunlop pairs Equal
proper motions are -029
mas and -001 mas for the
RA and Dec
respectively
Selected Measures
PA Sep Year
162 21 1894
159 18 1940
159 16 1991
B 2730 (11478-6519) is a
faint pair within the same
field as the He2-73 some
126‟ SSE first discovered
by W H van den Bos
while presumably
measuring nearby COO
NSP 22 Part Two
Figure 1 Field Chart of He2-73 and Surrounding Objects
This shows the 1o x 1o field of He2-73 in Musca and surrounding objects in NSP 22
The figure also shows the nebula IC 2966 and the motion of the high-proper-motion
star L145-141 between 2010 AD and 3000 AD
UNIVERSE 11 Vol 60 4
130 This 95v and 115 magnitude bluish and
colourless pair is easily visible in dark skies using
either 105cm apertures or 75cm with some
diligence B 2730 was last measured in 1987 where
the separation was measured as 64 arcsec along the
easterly position angle of 104o
TX Mus (11471-6524) is another variable 75 SW
further on from B 2730 (above) This 124 mag RR
Lyrae variable of type ldquoABrdquo It is positioned some 3prime
N of 9th mag star PPM 778644 HD 102466 (11472-
6527) The small rise in brightness from 124 to 128
takes 2 hours 16 minutes being 20 (M-mD) of the
short 0473226 day period Discovery of this period
was is based on the Julian Date (JDE) of
2424260264+-0003 of 19th April 1925
This period was recently updated by German
astronomer Joachim Hubscher in the Information
Bulletin on Variable Star (IBVS) No 5802 on 25th
October 2007 He determines that the minima are
now set from the 10th June 2007 at 22h 00m 29s
UT (JDE 2454262417) Also below TX Mus is a
small 4‟ sized asterism of about twelve stars of
12th magnitude all shaped in an arc Little else is
known about this variable
UU Mus HIP 57884 (11523-
6524) (Appears on map U450) is
a 95 mag star some
120 (PA=160o) from COO 130
and both are shown in
Uranometria 20000 UU Mus
varies between 913-1028 over
1163641 days The rise of 115
magnitudes takes approximately
4305 days where the spectrum
changes from G0p to the hotter
F7 Epoch 2436208270 B-
V=0982 Plx=000285 plusmn 000127
TZ Mus (11509-6508) is fainter
than UU Muscae although it was
discovered first It lies some 69‟
NW through PA 306o from COO
130 Brightness varies between
1116V and 1212V (= 096) magnitude over the period of
4944885 days Epoch
242425937 This yellow-orange
star can be usefully checked
because the wide ldquoPair
1rdquo (11515-6504) to the NE of TZ
Mus is about 53‟ away The white 100 magnitude
star is PPM 778689 and I estimated the magnitudes as
10 and 115 separated by about 30 arcsec at PA 20o
No one so far has listed this faint pair in any of the
double star catalogues
IC 2966 VdBH 56 Bran 374 (11502-6452) (U450)
appears is a faint small 3 arcmin reflection bright
emission nebula that is sometimes referred just as
ldquonebulosity around a starrdquo In 20cm I spent some
time searching for this object in dark skies and
frankly returned without much success The stated
position is merely 202‟ NW at PA 333o of COO 130
and is shown in both Uranometria 20000 and Sky
Atlas 20000 It was discovered by RH Frost using a
24-inch refractor at the Arequipa station in the late
1890s (possibly 1898) and catalogued as Frost 791
(Ann Harv Coll Obs Vollx pp179 - 192 ldquoNebula
found by Photographyrdquo) Later the object was entered
into the Index Catalogue (1908) described as ldquopL
bMrdquo - pretty large bright in middle IC 2966 is really
much smaller than this description suggests and the
latest observations limit this size to 30 arcmin across
Classed as ldquo2 Irdquo in Sky Catalogue 20000 and classed
ldquo1rdquo - Bright (1 Brightest - 2 Faintest) of Intermediate
ldquoIrdquo photographic colour (scaled from Red-Grey-
Blue) they give the visual magnitude of the nebula as
1149v (109B) with the general spectral class of B05
Illuminating the nebulosity is the star PPM 778678
CSI -64-14771 (11507-6455) placed a further 24‟ E at
PA 114o of the central nebula position Given as 100
mag (PPM says 95) this star to my eyes appears
distinctly red in the telescope (Note Another star is
111 magnitude GSC 8981293 on the northern edge
the nebulas boundary) Data in the Tycho catalogue
from the Hipparcos satellite give a parallax of 890
mas and if this is the star brightening the nebula
then distance is roughly 110 pc According to Auke
Slotegraaf‟s ldquoDeep Sky Observer‟s Companionrdquo Van
den Bergh and Herbest noted that there is little
difference in the appearance in
either blue or red astronomical
plates - only that the maximum
diameter is 24 arcmin in red and
26 arcmin in blue
Looking at the object the
photographic images and the
data on this object it is possible
that the brightness of the
nebulosity has changed in the
last hundred years or so as most
stars that illuminate reflection
nebulae are more commonly
blue ie like the Pleiades It is
possible that significant
obscuration is being brought
into play here hiding much of
the nebulous light
BC Mus GSC 89812285 (11475
-6443) is merely 16‟ N from the
Centaurus Musca border This
121 mag semi-detached
eclipsing binary can be seen in a
moderate field with the PNe
He2-73 due south and at the
bottom of the field IC 2966 is on
the eastern edge of the same field with BC Mus
located on the NW edge [Actually 20‟ NE of IC 2966
or 26‟ NNW (PA 345o)] Alternatively use the bluish
70 mag HIP 57451 SAO 251582 HD 102370 BD-64
564 PPM 358966 (11466-6446) some 68‟ NE (PA 70o)
The target star is marked by a roughly 14‟ spaced
equilateral triangle of stars whose apex points due
south with the blue-coloured star to the east being
the variable
BC Mus varies between 122p and 145p over
3511171 days Based on the maximum on the 11th
March 1927 (JDE 2424951363) the ratio of the
primary eclipse to the period is 12 being some
042134052 days Seeing this deep 23 mag drop in
Figure 2 IC 2966 Nebula in Musca
Image size 125 x 125 from ALADIN
previewer (Red AAORDSS2 Blue SERI
DSS2 Green average Redblue image
modified by Silvering reducing
saturation) Note L145-141 HIP 57367 will
pass through this nebula in 2640AD
UNIVERSE 12 Vol 60 4
brightness for an eclipsing binary is unusual and to
catch the magnitude drop of the eclipse you will
certainly have to inspect the field several times
Incidentally about 10‟ to 15‟ NE from this triangle is a
small void almost empty of stars Also the
surrounding fields are scattered with many stars
below 10th magnitude
L145-141 GJ440 HIP 57367 WD1142-645 (11458-
6450) in north-western Musca is one of the closer
stars to the Sun Its main interest is due to the very
high proper motion which is
almost equal in prominence
with the far more famous
southern gem alpha
Centauri L145-141 in fact
has the 27th highest proper
motion known and is the most
southerly of the ldquoTop 100rdquo of
all the quickest moving stars
in the sky It is catalogued as
Gliese-Jones‟s GJ 440 or
alternatively W J Luyten‟s
designation of L145-141 This
faint 115v mag star is easily
found within a lovely starry
field [Note L145-141 in
Uranometria 20000 Chart
450 is shown as a tiny dot
above the ldquo(rdquo of the character
string printed on the chart It
is not the brighter star above
the ldquo(rdquo but the one left of it]
When centred on the nearby
7th mag HIP 57451 L145-141
lies 76‟ SW away along PA
234o almost mirroring the
position of BC Mus and HIP
57451 The actual star is the
southern of two 11th
magnitude stars separated by
13 arcmin Figure 1 shows the 1o field locating both
this star and the variable BC Mus
General proper motions were originally obtained for
this region in the late 1920s with the data published
in 1930 A little later the proximity of the star based
on the measured parallax of 0195 arcsec was found
to be 512pc or 167 ly This happens to be about
twice the current distance of Sirius Hipparcos later
improved the distance to the closer 4617(44) plusmn
0050pc or 1507 plusmn 016 ly from the huge parallax of
021640 plusmn 000211 arcsec making this the 37th closest
star to the Sun More recent observations by Henry T
J et al (1997) during the RECONS observation
program of nearby stars found a slightly improved
value of 021657 plusmn 000201 arcsec and this was
determined by the weighted means of both the
Hipparcos and Yale Parallax Catalog [Note These
data are also available from the ldquoAstronomisches
Rechen-Institutrdquo (AIR) in Heidelberg using the ARICNS
(ARI Data Base for Nearby Stars)]
From this distance the absolute magnitude (Mv) is
1318 being some nine magnitudes or 2100 times
less luminous than the Sun In 1986 the quoted 1144v
magnitude was found using UBV photometry but
more recent observations by Henry et al (1997) find
1150V with the B-V magnitude being the whitish
value of 0196
Observed proper motions for L145-141 have since
proven to be very rapid being similar in value to
alpha Centauri (See NSP 17) with the values in RA
+266517 plusmn 0198 mas and Dec -34683 plusmn 0191 mas
This is equivalent to 2665 arcsec per year or 1o every
1350 years The vector changes in RA by 4442‟ or
0074o and Dec by 0578‟ or 0009o each century
calculating the motion in PA terms as moving
towards PA 974o so that it is
travelling almost due east
Such strong easterly motion is
highly unusual as the majority
of these stars are going the
opposite way (ie directly
opposite even Alpha and
Proxima Centauri) There is
likely some significance in
this as to the origin of the star
that has caused this
prodigious velocity
Presently the proper motion
is towards the emission
nebula IC 2966 (11502-6452)
which it will reach in 2640
AD passing about 2‟ S from its
centre in 2670 AD Eventually
L145-141 will also pass close
to the position of the planetary
IC 4191 (13088-6739) (see
NSP 20) though by then the
PNe nebulosity may already
be totally gone
Spectral data reveal a stellar
white dwarf whose spectral
class was first tentatively
given by Zakhozhaj VA
(1979) as A8VII This was later
changed to ldquoDCrdquo indicating distinct lack of emission
lines or just showing a continuous spectrum This was
again updated to the more modern ldquoDQ6rdquo which
suggests the element carbon is present The ldquo6rdquo in
this instance gauges the surface temperature which
calculated by the equation 50400ldquoTrdquo is 8400K
making its nearest ldquosister starrdquo in temperature
Procyon B in Canis Minor The DQ6 classification is
also similar to the earlier A8 spectrum suggesting the
surface temperature is more like 8200K To date
only UV carbon lines have been detected An
estimated mass for L145-141 is about 05 solar masses
and size can be calculated as about 13000 km across
L145-141 is currently fourth closest of all the known
white dwarfs the first two of course being the
companions to Sirius and Procyon Although this star
is not some PNN it is likely that not too long ago at
least in astronomical terms this was once a PNe
central star The original nebulosity has vanished and
has now long since been forgotten
Two Pairs Near L145-141
In addition to the pair near TZ Mus there are two
more pairs in this field ldquoPair 2rdquo of similar PA and
(Continued bottom next page)
Figure 3 L145-141 HIP 57367 Image of
Surrounding Field and Observed Proper
Motion
HIP 57367 is moving across the field right to left
In 2011 the position is about half the
distance again between the 16 yr (1998-1982)
difference blue star to orange star in image
Image source and format details as for Figure 2
UNIVERSE 13 Vol 60 4
by Richard Jaworski
Welcome to the return of ldquoSeeing
Doublerdquo In this series of articles
I hope to introduce you to some
of the best visual double stars the
sky has to offer
Gamma Delphini (Struve 2727) is
in my list of the top 10 double
stars The star marks one corner
of the asterism ldquoJobs Coffinrdquo in
the constellation Delphinus I
have observed it many times
with my 15cm f8 Newtonian
reflector To my eye the primary
is yellow and the companion is
pale blue by comparison Some
see the companion as greenish
In reality the primary is a
yellow-white dwarf star (F7V)
and the secondary an orange
subgiant star (K1IV) Gamma is
located 101 light-years from us
Adding to the vista is the nearby
fainter pair Struve 2725 located
15‟ to the southwest and often
overlooked in favour of the more
dominant Gamma Struve 2725 is
located 125 light years from us
and has a different proper motion
to that of Gamma
A sketch of the pair can be found
at Astronomy Sketch of the Day -
httpwwwasodinfop=6351
I hope you can take the time to
enjoy this pair of pairs
(From page 12)
separation is about 3‟ NE of L145-14 but these
are about a magnitude fainter than the high-
proper-motion star ldquoPair 3rdquo is 55‟ S This wider
9698 pair points towards HIP 57451
References L145-141 Hoberg JB et al ldquoA new look at the local white dwarf
populationrdquo Astron J 135 1225 (2008)
Subasavage et al ldquoThe solar neighborhood XXI Parallax
results from the CTIOPI 09 M program 20 new members of
the 25 parsec white dwarf samplerdquo Astron J 137 4547
(2009)
Zakhozhaj VA ldquoCatalogue of nearest stars until 10pcrdquo
Vestnik Khar‟kovskogo Universiteta (VKha) 190 52
(1979)
Next in NSP 23
He2-68 on the Eastern Corner of Musca
Seeing DoubleDouble
Star RA Dec Mags PA Separation
Gamma Del 20 467 +16 07 43 52 266 9rdquo0
Struve 2725 20 462 +15 54 71 79 10 6rdquo1
UNIVERSE 14 Vol 60 4
Dear Members
Please be advised that a special general meeting of the Astronomical Society of NSW will be
held on Friday 11th November 2011 at the Epping Creative Centre commencing at 800pm
The purpose of the meeting is to vote on the Committee‟s nomination of
John Flavin for Life Membership
All members are encouraged to attend
Paul Hatchman President
Special General Meeting Friday 11
th
November 2011
Another School Year Over
Despite a lot of what could only
be described as inconsiderate
weather in the early part of the
year in the last month
members of the Society have
visited 3 schools to share the
night sky with students
18th August was Oakhill College
at Castle Hill It was a fairly cool
night with very clear skies and
not too bad seeing for suburban
Sydney Oakhill College is a
school that the Society has been
going to for many years This
year we had 9 members with 6
telescopes and 2 displays in
attendance Harry Roberts had
head science teacher Sandra
Woodward looking at spectra of
Antares whilst Karen
Whittingham was capturing the
spectra on a DMK 21 with
Harry‟s C8 Peter Kinna had his
Milky Way Galaxy model and
Crux distance and local solar
neighbourhood spectral
displays out and these always
get a large gathering to see
them Saturn was the champion
of the night
3rd September was an Open
Night at Tara Anglican School
for Girls at North Parramatta
Over the last 2-3 years the
ASNSW has had a very close
association with Tara and it was
a great pleasure to help them
out with their first open night
Once again the weather was
very kind to us with pretty good
skies despite a 4-5 day old
Moon The guest speaker on
the night was Professor Katherine
Blundell from Oxford University
and Project Leader of the Global
Jet Watch program of which Tara
is one of the participating schools
Students parents and teachers all
got to walk around the observing
field after the talk looking
through telescopes of varying
sizes and types at objects being
shown by members of ASNSW
Twelve members with telescopes
were on hand to help out with the
large crowd Member Karen
Whittingham had students taking
images of the Moon through her
10rdquo LX 200 with a DMK 21 camera
and then emailed the images out
to the students the following day
The evening ended inside the
Dome with ASNSW members
suggesting good objects to be
imaged with the 20rdquo RCOS
Barnard‟s Galaxy and the Bug
Nebula were amongst the objects
imaged
6th September saw the Society
doing a school night at
Abbotsleigh Ladies College
another school that has invited us
back year after year for the last
decade plus some The weather
forecast was looking a bit
foreboding the day before and we
were looking out the window all
day Tuesday to see if the clouds
had rolled in yet Luck was on our
side as we headed up the Pacific
Highway to Wahroonga and we
arrived and set up on the tennis
courts to a very clear night with
only ordinary seeing Saturn will
aways win a crowd even at low
altitude A quick walk around the
scopes to see what was on show
Member Jack Giles had a C11
with a CCD camera at Hyperstar
focus and was imaging M8 and
even though it was very near an
8 day old Moon he was still able
to capture the Hourglass Nebula
Gary Kopff had Neptune in the
18rdquo Obsession scope which was
a real treat for the students Most
humans never see Neptune in the
flesh Globular clusters open
clusters carbon stars and the
Moon all make for a good mix of
objects for the students and
teachers to look at and just as
the last students left the
observing area the sky
deteriorated and by the time
pack up was complete the sky
was gone
The following members have
helped out this year at schools
and I would like to thank them on
behalf of the Society Barry
Gerdes Mick McCullagh Chris
Douglass Harry Roberts Karen
Whittingham Peter Kinna and his
friend (sorry forgot your name)
Alex Comino George Comanos
Richard Jaworski Brett and
Francis White Mark Notary Jack
Giles Gary Kopff Dave Scott
Paddy DeKlerk John Flavin and
an unknown member who came
to Oakhill to help out
School nights will again be
happening next year
Come along have some fun
All the above people had a ball )
Cheers Don Whiteman
Ground-based Reports School Nights
UNIVERSE 15 Vol 60 4
ASNSW EVENTS
Meetings
Friday 7th October 2011 at 800pm
Observational astronomy from Tycho Brahe to
William Herschel
Geoff Smith Observations Officer ASNSW
Friday 14th October 2011 at 800pm
Making the Sky Dark
Dr Simon Ellis AAO
Friday 11th November 2011 at 800pm SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
to vote on Life Membership of John Flavin
Observing Sessions
Crago Observatory 22nd October 19th November
Wiruna 28th - 29th October 25th-26th November
SYDNEY
Astronomy Open Night
at Macquarie University NOTE CHANGE OF DATE
Saturday 29th October 2011
from 630pm to 10pm At 730pm hear Prof Andrew Melatos University of
Melbourne Neutron Stars Natures Most Extreme
Quantum Laboratories
Charges $5 ChildConc $12 Adult $27 Family
[invalid link deleted from sample issue] Please bring along a telescope to share to gain free
entry and join in the fun
Tuesday November 1st ndash 29th from 6pm to 8pm Exploring the Heavens
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash An Introduction to Astronomy Course
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
Thursday November 3rd ndash December 1st 6pm to 8pm Understanding Gravity
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash Learn the Fundamentals of Gravity
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
REGIONAL NSW
October 27th - 30th 2011 Sixth Annual IceInSpace Astro-Camp (IISAC)
Lostock Scout Camp in the Hunter Valley of NSW
Star Party organised by IceInSpace
For more information prices and registration visit
httpwwwiceinspacecomauiisachtml
October 8th - 9th 2011 from 9am ndash 4pm both days Parkes (The Dish) Telescope 50th Anniversary
Open Days
Free entry ndash telescope tours astronomer talks and
QampA sessions and a look behind the scenes at ASKAP ndash
loads of family activities for all
Saturday October 8th 2011 at 6pm Opera at the Dish
For more information check out
httpwwwparkesatnfcsiroaunews_events
opendays2011
October 14th - 28th 2011 The Great World Wide Star Count
Count the stars in Sagittarius
httpwwwwindows2universeorgcitizen_science
starcountconstellations_shhtml
Friday October 14th 2011 at 630pm Science in the Pub Is there anybody out there
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
ANU Astronomers Prof Charlie Lineweaver Dr Daniel
Bayliss and AAO astronomer Dr Simon O‟Toole will
light-heartedly discuss the search for ET Compered
by the ABC Western Plains Sally Bryant
Saturday October 15th 2011 from 10am to 4pm Siding Spring Open Day
Come and see behind the scenes at Australia‟s largest
professional Optical Observatory
Saturday October 15th 2011 Bok Lecture
Prof Mike Bessell ndash Free Astronomical Lecture in
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
For information on the above events contact Donna
Burton [details withheld from sample issue]
ACT
November 6th 2011 - 10am to 4pm Mt Stromlo Observatory Open Day
Contact Mt Stromlo Observatory 02 6125 0230
VICTORIA
October 19th 2011 630pm - 730pm Public Lecture ndash Into the Heart of a Globular Cluster
httpastronomyswineduauoutreach
topic=freelectures
October 28th - 31st 2011 VicSouth Desert Spring Star Party
More info httpvicsouthinfovicsouth2011htm
QUEENSLAND
October 3rd 2011 5pm ndash 6pm Innovation Annual Lecture Sleuthing for Exoplanets
httpwwwscienceuqeduauan-invitation-to-
innovation-annual-lecture
EVENT HORIZON WORLDWIDE ASTRONOMY DAY
Saturday 1st October 2011
UNIVERSE 5 Vol 60 4
meteor mentally trace it backwards If you end up at
Orion then you have probably seen an Orionid
meteor
Source httpmeteorshowersonlinecomorionidshtml
Constellation of the Month Sculptor
Culmination About 10pm in the middle of the month
Sculptor is a small and faint constellation but has
some impressive deep sky objects It lies in a region
rich in galaxies some of which are large and bright
making fine telescopic objects It was introduced by
Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century who
originally named it Apparatus Sculptoris (the
sculptors studio) but the name was later shortened to
Sculptor (the sculptor) As with most of Lacaille‟s
introductions one cannot help but admire his
imagination No stars brighter than 3rd magnitude
are located in Sculptor This is
explained by the fact that Sculptor
contains the south galactic pole where
stellar density is very low
The brightest is α Sculptoris an SX
Arietis-type variable star with the
magnitude of only 43 The constellation
also contains the Sculptor Dwarf Galaxy
which is a member of the Local Group
as well as the Sculptor Group the group
of galaxies closest to the Local Group
The Sculptor Galaxy (NGC 253) a
barred spiral galaxy and the largest
member of the group lies near the
border between Sculptor and Cetus
Another prominent member of the
group is the irregular galaxy NGC 55
Double Stars in Sculptor
κ1 Scl is a bright yellow pair in a sparse
field easily resolved with a 4rdquo
telescope Mags 61 62 sep 1rdquo4 PA
261deg (2001)
τ Scl A close yellow pair The separation is
decreasing and will need at least 8rdquo to
separate the pair Mags 60 74 sep 0rdquo8 PA 169deg
(1999)
ε Scl Showcase pair bright yellow Mags 54 85
sep 4rdquo9 PA 24deg(2002)
Deep sky objects in Sculptor
NGC 253 (Silver Coin Galaxy) makes everyone‟s list
of top ten galaxies It is very large (30acute x 6acute9) and
very bright (mag 71) It is visible to the naked eye
by sharp-eyed observers from a dark sky site and is
an easy binocular object You should be able to
detect a mottled appearance through an 8rdquo telescope
while 12rdquo should begin to reveal the spiral arms
NGC 55 (String of Pearls Galaxy) is another very
large (25acute x 2acute5) bright (mag 71) galaxy and is a fine
example of an edge-on barred spiral An OIII filter
and a 12rdquo telescope reveal the star-forming regions of
ionized hydrogen as small hazy spots near the centre
NGC 300 (Southern Pinwheel) This is perhaps the
sky‟s most classic spiral galaxy Through 12rdquo and
larger telescopes you should be able to see spiral
arms and dark lanes Size 20acute x 15acute
NGC 247 This galaxy is in Cetus but is included
here as it is a prominent member of the Sculptor
Group of galaxies Through a 10rdquo telescope the
galaxy has a tight circular centre with an oval haze
around it The southern end is tapered while the
northern end is more rounded
NGC 288 This is a nice globular cluster It‟s quite
big (14acute) but sparsely populated which makes it easy
to resolve Expect to see about 100 stars with an 8rdquo
telescope
See full list of deep sky objects next page
Clear Skies
References Astronomy 2011
NGCIC webpage httpwwwngcicprojectorg
defaulthtm
Hartung Astronomical Objects for Southern
Telescopes Melbourne UP 1995
Figure 2 Radiant at about 200 am local time
around October 21
Figure 3 The constellation Sculptor
UNIVERSE 6 Vol 60 4
Double Stars for Small Telescopes by Sissy Haas
Constellation diagrams from http
wwwdibonsmithcomconstelhtm and used here with
the permission of the author Richard Dibon-Smith
Uranometria constellation figure from scans by the
Linda Hall Library of Science Engineering and
Technology httpwwwlindahallorgservices
digitalebooksbayer
variables
(The Observations Officer here interposed to refer to
the necessity for collaboration between variable star
observers in this Society and of practice in the work
with a view to gaining experience in this field before the
anticipated meeting with the Variable Star Section of the
British Astronomical Association)
Mr G Patston gave a ldquoMoonwatchrdquo report saying that
the preceding month had given reasonable viewing
weather there had been 12 good nights recorded in the
log
An observation had been made of the American 20-inch
satellite (7th magnitude) on August 1st 1959 At
midnight on the night of the meeting (7th August) an
attempt would be made to observe the newly launched
American satellite Explorer VI whose distance would
be 165 miles at perigee and 20000 miles at apogee and
equipped with solar cells to supply power to its
instruments and radio
Bulletin Cover
The Editor trusts that members will like the new
ldquoBulletinrdquo cover ndash it gives the ldquoold magrdquo quite a fillip
The object is of course eta Carinae ndash Keyhole ndash Nebula
in the Milky Way near Crux The negative from which
the block was taken was presented to the SAA by Dr
C Gum of the CSIRO Apologies to those members
who didn‟t receive a Bulletin last month First of all the
covers ran out Then there was some confusion as to
whom was financial or not The muddle has now been
sorted out From now on those members who should
get a Bulletin will and those who shouldn‟t won‟t
The new ldquoBulletinrdquo cover introduced with the July 1959
issue was our third cover design since our first issue in
July ‟55 The bdquoeta Carinae‟ cover stayed with us until the
February 1962 issue
The above extracts are taken from the July and
August 1959 issues of our Journal - John Flavin
Table 1 Deep Sky Objects in Sculptor
OGM held at Belfield August 7th 1959
The President Mr G Miles took the Chair and
opened the meeting at 1955 hours there being 51
members and 4 visitors present The President
welcomed the visitors who included the evening‟s
Guest Speaker Dr Hill of the CSIRO
Building expenses
The Treasurer reported that the amount received or
promised by way of either donation or interest-free loan
towards the cost of the sanitary conveniences necessary to
be constructed for the new building [Clubhouse] was pound67
The President announced that the Treasurer would there
and then receive further contributions to this cause and
members immediately took advantage of the opportunity
to make their gifts or loans At this stage it was moved and
seconded that in order that lenders of money should have
a suitable acknowledgement of the Society‟s obligation to
repay them the Treasurer be authorised to issue receipts
for loans in the following terms
Received from Mr A B the sum of poundx being interest free
loan repayable within twelve months from 1st August 1959
- Sydney Amateur Astronomers - Per Treasurer
This motion was carried
The President said that the total required to be raised was
pound100 and that a member who wished to remain
anonymous had promised that he (or she) would provide
any balance still left to be found after the collection had
been made This act of generosity was warmly applauded
Within a few minutes thereafter the Treasurer reported that
the total received or promised in gifts or loans was pound125 ndash
a very creditable result
Observations
Mr P Williamson showed [sunspot] drawings made by
him on 11th July and 1st August 1959 the former one
showing a spot of large size divided into two parts by a
ldquobridgerdquo which later entirely disappeared in the space of
a few hours He also reported some observations of
Mercury Mr Tonkin showed drawings of sunspots made
on the 15th July 1959
In connection with this subject the Secretary said that the
helioscope under construction by the Junior Section was
nearing completion
Mr L Williamson spoke on T Centauri and other
Object RA (J2000) Dec (J2000) Type Mag Size
NGC 55 00 15 084 -39 13 14 GX 83 25 x 25
NGC 134 00 30 214 -33 14 50 GX 105 85 x 20
NGC 150 00 34 161 -27 48 16 GX 114 39 x 19
IC 1581 00 46 060 -25 54 00 GX ---- 11 x 02
NGC 253 00 47 331 -25 17 17 GX 78 30 x 69
NGC 289 00 52 417 -31 12 28 GX 11 51 x 36
NGC 288 00 52 474 -26 35 24 GC 81 14
NGC 300 00 54 534 -37 41 00 GX 83 20 x 15
NGC 409 01 09 325 -35 48 20 GX 131 13 x 11
NGC 424 01 11 279 -38 04 59 GX 13 18 x 08
NGC 438 01 13 335 -37 54 07 GX 13 14 x 11
NGC 613 01 34 175 -29 24 58 GX 101 55 x 42
NGC 7507 23 12 077 -28 32 26 GX 108 28 x 27
IC 5332 23 34 300 -36 06 00 GX 106 66 x 51
NGC 7713 23 36 149 -37 56 20 GX 112 46 x 22
NGC 7793 23 57 497 -32 35 30 GX 92 93 x 63
LOOK-BACK
TIME The ASNSW from the Archives
UNIVERSE 7 Vol 60 4
Cyril Brown a
dedicated and
active member
from our early
days died on the
5th September
aged 96 at
Maryborough
Cyril joined us in
the late sixties a
period that saw
our Society facing
considerable
difficulty arising
from our having to depart our original home at
Belfield It was fortunate that Cyril came to us when
he did as his property in the semi-rural surrounds
of Dural became the location for the telescopes that
had to be moved from Belfield At the July 1970
AGM ndash held at the Canterbury Council buildings
and our first away from Belfield ndash Cyril was elected
President a position he would hold until 1973 His
home at Dural become an easy-to-reach bdquodark sky‟
site for some years until Bowen Mt became
operational
In his working life Cyril was a Saw Doctor ndash a trade
that covers the repair and upkeep of a range of
tools A McNiven Medal recipient and a Life
Member he filled many positions in his years with
us In 2004 he moved to Queensland to be near
some members of his family who had earlier
moved to that state Cyril maintained his interest in
astronomy going out to see Comet McNaught a few
years ago and looking up astronomy sites on the
internet Within the last year Cyril attended an
astronomy outing with the 1st Burrum Heads Girl
Guides (his great granddaughters are members) to
show them the sky Cyril is survived by daughter
Marian son Cyril Jr grandchildren and great
grandchildren
The Girl Guides really enjoyed the night which was
part of Space Week They followed this up with
decorating our shed with planets etc They were then
presented with their space badge for their sash
Personally I can not say enough of how much we
appreciated Marian bringing Cyril out to share their
knowledge with the girls - Leeanne Bouveng
This poem from Walt Whitman (1865) was
read at his service followed by the closing
lines from his daughter Marian Lynch
When I heard the learn‟d astronomer
When the proofs were ranged in columns
before me
When I was shown the charts and the
diagrams
to add divide and measure them
When I sitting heard the astronomer
where he lectured with much applause in the
lecture room
How soon unaccountable I became tired
and listless
Till rising and going out I wander‟d off by
myself
In the mystical moist night air and from time
to time
Look‟d up in perfect silence at the stars
Now Cyril strolls
from star to star in the Universe
With the greatest Astronomer of all
Sharney Bouveng stands behind Cyril with his great
granddaughters Shylani and Hannah Mallett
(left and right respectively)
VALE CYRIL BROWN
Portraits of Cyril from an earlier time (top left) and
last year (above)
UNIVERSE 8 Vol 60 4
by Gerard Keyzer
In episode two we left Edward Emerson Barnard
with his newly acquired 5-inch refractor as his
observing began in earnest Barnard was gifted
with incredible eyesight and a thoughtful
determined character and he spent the next few
years honing his observing skills while taking his
first tentative steps into the world of the
professional astronomer In his personal life he
was gaining yet more stability earning the respect
and admiration of Rhoda Calvert his colleague‟s
sister who was eventually to become his wife
Around this time Barnard took a long lease on a
nice house on the outskirts of Nashville While not
yet married to each other Rhoda began to help
Edward with the daily running of the household
and the care of his invalid mother As Rhoda was
fourteen years his senior many felt she set her cap
for him as a ldquolast chancerdquo to
avoid spinsterhood Possibly
but this sensitive young man
was mature beyond his years
and marrying on January
27th 1881 the pair became
devoted to each other in
every respect for the
remainder of their lives
It was at the house at 1919
Patterson Ave that Edward
was able to throw himself
into his observations
distanced from the continual
interruptions of casual
visitors to the telescope
Using a homemade light box
he would spend many hours
sketching and was soon
being published in technical journals such as the
English Mechanic The cloud bands and moons of
Jupiter the markings of the Martian surface the
rings of Saturn were all favourite targets His
Byrne refractor was of the finest calibre optically
showing the Galilean moons as distinct discs and
his observations of the Great Red Spot and
eruptions in the cloud bands were compared
favourably with those from Dearborn Observatory
done through an 185-inch refractor and measured
with a micrometer
My favourite story of Barnard‟s early observing
occurred at this time and is best told in his own
words Observing Jupiter at 2am he paused to rest
his eyes for a moment and was bdquohorrified to see two
glaring greenish-red balls of fire a few feet away in
the obscurity of the bushes Cold chills played up
and down my backbone and I was too frightened to
move These balls of fire came slowly toward me A
supernatural horror seemed to bind me to the spot
as a nightmare holds one in its pitiless grasp I
could not have moved if I had known the foul fiend
himself was behind those lights Just at the point
when I felt that I must collapse as the hateful lights
came close to me I felt the warm touch of the
tongue of some animal licking my cold hand and in
the obscurity I saw a great dog wagging his tail in a
friendly manner The relief was tremendous and a
warm flow of blood seemed to infuse my veins It
proved to be a great and fierce bulldog belonging
to my neighbour This dog had always looked so
savage with his cruel teeth that I had not
attempted to cultivate his friendship Why he had
not attacked me in the darkness and what made him
seek this friendship I do not know but from that
time on he was my good friend and made it a habit
to lie down near me every night I was out
observing His friendship was a blessing for I no
longer felt the nameless dread of the night with his
powerful form at my
feet‟ (Reprinted from ldquoThe
Immortal Fire Withinrdquo)
Barnard‟s natural reticence
and conservative nature
were to stand him in good
stead when popular interest
in Mars conjured up all sorts
of fanciful claims of canals
and civilizations He
preferred only to note and
comment on what he actually
observed not what he
ldquothoughtrdquo he saw At twenty-
two he already had an
aversion to ldquorashly drawn
conclusionsrdquo Barnard‟s
settled domestic situation
allowed him to progress his budding semi-
professional status Discovery of a comet brought
much kudos and during this period he was
awarded a cash prize of $200 called the Warner
prize The recognition amongst his peers was the
greater prize sought by Barnard His first comet
discovery was sadly not confirmed later analysis
showing that inferior equipment and delays by
those expected to confirm it led to it being ldquolostrdquo
This caused Barnard great embarrassment but he
would persevere in quest of the Warner prize
desirous of emulating the great comet seekers
Messier and Pons In the course of his comet
seeking he was to discover a new nebula
designated NGC 5584 one of twenty credited to
him during this period Remember most of the
famous Messier objects had been discovered
while searching for comets
On September 17th 1881 Barnard discovered his
first confirmed comet and silenced his critics with
the official designation of Comet Barnard or 1881
Edward Emerson BARNARD
1857-1923
Part Three
NGC 5584 in Virgo
UNIVERSE 9 Vol 60 4
VI With the first Warner prize cheque of $200
Edward and Rhoda bought a plot of land took a
mortgage and built a cottage where they lived
with Edward‟s mother Happy times followed
although they struggled for a living but the
remote location allowed Edward every possible
opportunity to continue with his comet-seeking
gaining the Warner prize again with 1882 III and
discovering a total of sixteen comets in the next
eleven years including the first photographic
discovery Other comets of the period were more
spectacular and created greater interest such as
Wells‟s Comet Swift‟s Comet Tebbutt‟s Comet
(discovered in Australia by JC Tebbutt in June
1881) and the Great Comet of 1882 Barnard‟s
observing diligence and skill were rewarded in
another way as he observed The Great Comet of
1882 Over the period of 22nd September to 14th
October he recorded this comet breaking first in
two then eventually into six or eight fragments
the discovery being confirmed by professionals
from around the globe Interestingly on the
morning of 13th October Barnard had ldquoforeseenrdquo
this occurrence in a dream of a sky filled with
comets He later said ldquo the association of this
dream with the reality has always seemed a
strange thing to merdquo
While less noteworthy for their appearance
Barnard‟s comet discoveries did bring him some
financial security through three Warner prizes
and more importantly they brought him the
official recognition of his peers opening the door
to the professional career he would now aspire to
Locally they brought him acclaim and a group of
prominent citizens resolved to build an
observatory for ldquothe young astronomer of
Nashvillerdquo He would not take the plan seriously
but when the architect‟s plan materialised along
with foundation stonework he rushed to his
benefactors Apologetically he refused their
generous offer because he felt he would be
obliged to remain in situ and not be free to move if
he was offered an official position He was soon to
be proven right
Stay tuned for Episode Four
Sources ndash Various Encyclopaedia Brittanica and Wiki
and ldquoThe Immortal Fire Withinrdquo by William Sheehan
Barnardrsquos skilful drawing of Halleyrsquos Comet
May 18th 1910 at Yerkes Observatory
Barnardrsquos photograph of Comet Swift 1892
Barnardrsquos photographs of Comet Brooks
October 1893 showing the comet
fragmenting
UNIVERSE 10 Vol 60 4
by Andrew James
Last issue featured the planetary nebula He2-73 This
month explores the surrounding region
The following objects can be found in a moderately
starry field using moderate to low power about 40‟ S
of the Crux-Musca border I originally centred on this
field in 20cm using the 26mm Plossel (78x with 32
arcmin field) deliberately just looking for the pair
COO 130 as mentioned in both AOST1amp2 Later I
investigated the other four objects nearby then
centring at the field‟s mid-position at 11h 504m
-65o 04‟ Here you can bdquohold‟ all in one field TZ Mus
IC 2966 He2-80 B2730 and my target pair
Furthermore half a field southwards using moderate
powers there are also two faint Cepheids - UU Mus
and TZ Mus (see descriptions below)
COO 130 HIP 57851 SAO 251617 HD 103079
(11519-6512) was discovered by SI Bailey in 1894
during routine observations to produce the extensive
Cordova Observatory (CD) star catalogue beginning
in the 1890s It is really surprising that neither John
Herschel nor HC Russell found this system in their
extensive double star surveys yet it is very remotely
possible that the star appeared single between 1835
and 1880 COO 130 lies almost 20‟ due east of He2-73
and the field is marked with three stars in a bent line
at the south-eastern edge of the field at low powers
These field stars have respective visual magnitudes
from south to north of 75 75 and 95 and form an
oddly-shaped triangular figure
COO 130 comprises 52v and 74v magnitude (497V
amp 725V) stars with 16 arcsec separation and position
angle of 159o as last measured by the Hipparcos
satellite in 1991 From the available data these stars
are very slowly diminishing in separation thus
making future amateur observations more difficult
Resolution is possible in 15cm telescopes but this
becomes much easier in 20cm AOST2 does claim this
is ldquo just possible rdquo in 75cm but my own four
different observations between 1978 and 1981 using
the 75cm f10 reflector and 108cm refractor could
not resolve the pair even with good seeing Using
20cm these stars are much easier to split and I saw
the colours as bluish and white or perhaps blue and
white which is about right when compared to the
given B4V spectral class for the primary
This same double star is featured in AOST2 as object
483 where a comment on
the connection of the
system states
ldquo the angle is slowly
increasing but separation
has not changed
Physical connection
between the stars seems
likelyrdquo
This is an example of a
bright prominent double
star that observers have
neglected likely just
because it is not among
either the prominent
Russell Herschel or
Dunlop pairs Equal
proper motions are -029
mas and -001 mas for the
RA and Dec
respectively
Selected Measures
PA Sep Year
162 21 1894
159 18 1940
159 16 1991
B 2730 (11478-6519) is a
faint pair within the same
field as the He2-73 some
126‟ SSE first discovered
by W H van den Bos
while presumably
measuring nearby COO
NSP 22 Part Two
Figure 1 Field Chart of He2-73 and Surrounding Objects
This shows the 1o x 1o field of He2-73 in Musca and surrounding objects in NSP 22
The figure also shows the nebula IC 2966 and the motion of the high-proper-motion
star L145-141 between 2010 AD and 3000 AD
UNIVERSE 11 Vol 60 4
130 This 95v and 115 magnitude bluish and
colourless pair is easily visible in dark skies using
either 105cm apertures or 75cm with some
diligence B 2730 was last measured in 1987 where
the separation was measured as 64 arcsec along the
easterly position angle of 104o
TX Mus (11471-6524) is another variable 75 SW
further on from B 2730 (above) This 124 mag RR
Lyrae variable of type ldquoABrdquo It is positioned some 3prime
N of 9th mag star PPM 778644 HD 102466 (11472-
6527) The small rise in brightness from 124 to 128
takes 2 hours 16 minutes being 20 (M-mD) of the
short 0473226 day period Discovery of this period
was is based on the Julian Date (JDE) of
2424260264+-0003 of 19th April 1925
This period was recently updated by German
astronomer Joachim Hubscher in the Information
Bulletin on Variable Star (IBVS) No 5802 on 25th
October 2007 He determines that the minima are
now set from the 10th June 2007 at 22h 00m 29s
UT (JDE 2454262417) Also below TX Mus is a
small 4‟ sized asterism of about twelve stars of
12th magnitude all shaped in an arc Little else is
known about this variable
UU Mus HIP 57884 (11523-
6524) (Appears on map U450) is
a 95 mag star some
120 (PA=160o) from COO 130
and both are shown in
Uranometria 20000 UU Mus
varies between 913-1028 over
1163641 days The rise of 115
magnitudes takes approximately
4305 days where the spectrum
changes from G0p to the hotter
F7 Epoch 2436208270 B-
V=0982 Plx=000285 plusmn 000127
TZ Mus (11509-6508) is fainter
than UU Muscae although it was
discovered first It lies some 69‟
NW through PA 306o from COO
130 Brightness varies between
1116V and 1212V (= 096) magnitude over the period of
4944885 days Epoch
242425937 This yellow-orange
star can be usefully checked
because the wide ldquoPair
1rdquo (11515-6504) to the NE of TZ
Mus is about 53‟ away The white 100 magnitude
star is PPM 778689 and I estimated the magnitudes as
10 and 115 separated by about 30 arcsec at PA 20o
No one so far has listed this faint pair in any of the
double star catalogues
IC 2966 VdBH 56 Bran 374 (11502-6452) (U450)
appears is a faint small 3 arcmin reflection bright
emission nebula that is sometimes referred just as
ldquonebulosity around a starrdquo In 20cm I spent some
time searching for this object in dark skies and
frankly returned without much success The stated
position is merely 202‟ NW at PA 333o of COO 130
and is shown in both Uranometria 20000 and Sky
Atlas 20000 It was discovered by RH Frost using a
24-inch refractor at the Arequipa station in the late
1890s (possibly 1898) and catalogued as Frost 791
(Ann Harv Coll Obs Vollx pp179 - 192 ldquoNebula
found by Photographyrdquo) Later the object was entered
into the Index Catalogue (1908) described as ldquopL
bMrdquo - pretty large bright in middle IC 2966 is really
much smaller than this description suggests and the
latest observations limit this size to 30 arcmin across
Classed as ldquo2 Irdquo in Sky Catalogue 20000 and classed
ldquo1rdquo - Bright (1 Brightest - 2 Faintest) of Intermediate
ldquoIrdquo photographic colour (scaled from Red-Grey-
Blue) they give the visual magnitude of the nebula as
1149v (109B) with the general spectral class of B05
Illuminating the nebulosity is the star PPM 778678
CSI -64-14771 (11507-6455) placed a further 24‟ E at
PA 114o of the central nebula position Given as 100
mag (PPM says 95) this star to my eyes appears
distinctly red in the telescope (Note Another star is
111 magnitude GSC 8981293 on the northern edge
the nebulas boundary) Data in the Tycho catalogue
from the Hipparcos satellite give a parallax of 890
mas and if this is the star brightening the nebula
then distance is roughly 110 pc According to Auke
Slotegraaf‟s ldquoDeep Sky Observer‟s Companionrdquo Van
den Bergh and Herbest noted that there is little
difference in the appearance in
either blue or red astronomical
plates - only that the maximum
diameter is 24 arcmin in red and
26 arcmin in blue
Looking at the object the
photographic images and the
data on this object it is possible
that the brightness of the
nebulosity has changed in the
last hundred years or so as most
stars that illuminate reflection
nebulae are more commonly
blue ie like the Pleiades It is
possible that significant
obscuration is being brought
into play here hiding much of
the nebulous light
BC Mus GSC 89812285 (11475
-6443) is merely 16‟ N from the
Centaurus Musca border This
121 mag semi-detached
eclipsing binary can be seen in a
moderate field with the PNe
He2-73 due south and at the
bottom of the field IC 2966 is on
the eastern edge of the same field with BC Mus
located on the NW edge [Actually 20‟ NE of IC 2966
or 26‟ NNW (PA 345o)] Alternatively use the bluish
70 mag HIP 57451 SAO 251582 HD 102370 BD-64
564 PPM 358966 (11466-6446) some 68‟ NE (PA 70o)
The target star is marked by a roughly 14‟ spaced
equilateral triangle of stars whose apex points due
south with the blue-coloured star to the east being
the variable
BC Mus varies between 122p and 145p over
3511171 days Based on the maximum on the 11th
March 1927 (JDE 2424951363) the ratio of the
primary eclipse to the period is 12 being some
042134052 days Seeing this deep 23 mag drop in
Figure 2 IC 2966 Nebula in Musca
Image size 125 x 125 from ALADIN
previewer (Red AAORDSS2 Blue SERI
DSS2 Green average Redblue image
modified by Silvering reducing
saturation) Note L145-141 HIP 57367 will
pass through this nebula in 2640AD
UNIVERSE 12 Vol 60 4
brightness for an eclipsing binary is unusual and to
catch the magnitude drop of the eclipse you will
certainly have to inspect the field several times
Incidentally about 10‟ to 15‟ NE from this triangle is a
small void almost empty of stars Also the
surrounding fields are scattered with many stars
below 10th magnitude
L145-141 GJ440 HIP 57367 WD1142-645 (11458-
6450) in north-western Musca is one of the closer
stars to the Sun Its main interest is due to the very
high proper motion which is
almost equal in prominence
with the far more famous
southern gem alpha
Centauri L145-141 in fact
has the 27th highest proper
motion known and is the most
southerly of the ldquoTop 100rdquo of
all the quickest moving stars
in the sky It is catalogued as
Gliese-Jones‟s GJ 440 or
alternatively W J Luyten‟s
designation of L145-141 This
faint 115v mag star is easily
found within a lovely starry
field [Note L145-141 in
Uranometria 20000 Chart
450 is shown as a tiny dot
above the ldquo(rdquo of the character
string printed on the chart It
is not the brighter star above
the ldquo(rdquo but the one left of it]
When centred on the nearby
7th mag HIP 57451 L145-141
lies 76‟ SW away along PA
234o almost mirroring the
position of BC Mus and HIP
57451 The actual star is the
southern of two 11th
magnitude stars separated by
13 arcmin Figure 1 shows the 1o field locating both
this star and the variable BC Mus
General proper motions were originally obtained for
this region in the late 1920s with the data published
in 1930 A little later the proximity of the star based
on the measured parallax of 0195 arcsec was found
to be 512pc or 167 ly This happens to be about
twice the current distance of Sirius Hipparcos later
improved the distance to the closer 4617(44) plusmn
0050pc or 1507 plusmn 016 ly from the huge parallax of
021640 plusmn 000211 arcsec making this the 37th closest
star to the Sun More recent observations by Henry T
J et al (1997) during the RECONS observation
program of nearby stars found a slightly improved
value of 021657 plusmn 000201 arcsec and this was
determined by the weighted means of both the
Hipparcos and Yale Parallax Catalog [Note These
data are also available from the ldquoAstronomisches
Rechen-Institutrdquo (AIR) in Heidelberg using the ARICNS
(ARI Data Base for Nearby Stars)]
From this distance the absolute magnitude (Mv) is
1318 being some nine magnitudes or 2100 times
less luminous than the Sun In 1986 the quoted 1144v
magnitude was found using UBV photometry but
more recent observations by Henry et al (1997) find
1150V with the B-V magnitude being the whitish
value of 0196
Observed proper motions for L145-141 have since
proven to be very rapid being similar in value to
alpha Centauri (See NSP 17) with the values in RA
+266517 plusmn 0198 mas and Dec -34683 plusmn 0191 mas
This is equivalent to 2665 arcsec per year or 1o every
1350 years The vector changes in RA by 4442‟ or
0074o and Dec by 0578‟ or 0009o each century
calculating the motion in PA terms as moving
towards PA 974o so that it is
travelling almost due east
Such strong easterly motion is
highly unusual as the majority
of these stars are going the
opposite way (ie directly
opposite even Alpha and
Proxima Centauri) There is
likely some significance in
this as to the origin of the star
that has caused this
prodigious velocity
Presently the proper motion
is towards the emission
nebula IC 2966 (11502-6452)
which it will reach in 2640
AD passing about 2‟ S from its
centre in 2670 AD Eventually
L145-141 will also pass close
to the position of the planetary
IC 4191 (13088-6739) (see
NSP 20) though by then the
PNe nebulosity may already
be totally gone
Spectral data reveal a stellar
white dwarf whose spectral
class was first tentatively
given by Zakhozhaj VA
(1979) as A8VII This was later
changed to ldquoDCrdquo indicating distinct lack of emission
lines or just showing a continuous spectrum This was
again updated to the more modern ldquoDQ6rdquo which
suggests the element carbon is present The ldquo6rdquo in
this instance gauges the surface temperature which
calculated by the equation 50400ldquoTrdquo is 8400K
making its nearest ldquosister starrdquo in temperature
Procyon B in Canis Minor The DQ6 classification is
also similar to the earlier A8 spectrum suggesting the
surface temperature is more like 8200K To date
only UV carbon lines have been detected An
estimated mass for L145-141 is about 05 solar masses
and size can be calculated as about 13000 km across
L145-141 is currently fourth closest of all the known
white dwarfs the first two of course being the
companions to Sirius and Procyon Although this star
is not some PNN it is likely that not too long ago at
least in astronomical terms this was once a PNe
central star The original nebulosity has vanished and
has now long since been forgotten
Two Pairs Near L145-141
In addition to the pair near TZ Mus there are two
more pairs in this field ldquoPair 2rdquo of similar PA and
(Continued bottom next page)
Figure 3 L145-141 HIP 57367 Image of
Surrounding Field and Observed Proper
Motion
HIP 57367 is moving across the field right to left
In 2011 the position is about half the
distance again between the 16 yr (1998-1982)
difference blue star to orange star in image
Image source and format details as for Figure 2
UNIVERSE 13 Vol 60 4
by Richard Jaworski
Welcome to the return of ldquoSeeing
Doublerdquo In this series of articles
I hope to introduce you to some
of the best visual double stars the
sky has to offer
Gamma Delphini (Struve 2727) is
in my list of the top 10 double
stars The star marks one corner
of the asterism ldquoJobs Coffinrdquo in
the constellation Delphinus I
have observed it many times
with my 15cm f8 Newtonian
reflector To my eye the primary
is yellow and the companion is
pale blue by comparison Some
see the companion as greenish
In reality the primary is a
yellow-white dwarf star (F7V)
and the secondary an orange
subgiant star (K1IV) Gamma is
located 101 light-years from us
Adding to the vista is the nearby
fainter pair Struve 2725 located
15‟ to the southwest and often
overlooked in favour of the more
dominant Gamma Struve 2725 is
located 125 light years from us
and has a different proper motion
to that of Gamma
A sketch of the pair can be found
at Astronomy Sketch of the Day -
httpwwwasodinfop=6351
I hope you can take the time to
enjoy this pair of pairs
(From page 12)
separation is about 3‟ NE of L145-14 but these
are about a magnitude fainter than the high-
proper-motion star ldquoPair 3rdquo is 55‟ S This wider
9698 pair points towards HIP 57451
References L145-141 Hoberg JB et al ldquoA new look at the local white dwarf
populationrdquo Astron J 135 1225 (2008)
Subasavage et al ldquoThe solar neighborhood XXI Parallax
results from the CTIOPI 09 M program 20 new members of
the 25 parsec white dwarf samplerdquo Astron J 137 4547
(2009)
Zakhozhaj VA ldquoCatalogue of nearest stars until 10pcrdquo
Vestnik Khar‟kovskogo Universiteta (VKha) 190 52
(1979)
Next in NSP 23
He2-68 on the Eastern Corner of Musca
Seeing DoubleDouble
Star RA Dec Mags PA Separation
Gamma Del 20 467 +16 07 43 52 266 9rdquo0
Struve 2725 20 462 +15 54 71 79 10 6rdquo1
UNIVERSE 14 Vol 60 4
Dear Members
Please be advised that a special general meeting of the Astronomical Society of NSW will be
held on Friday 11th November 2011 at the Epping Creative Centre commencing at 800pm
The purpose of the meeting is to vote on the Committee‟s nomination of
John Flavin for Life Membership
All members are encouraged to attend
Paul Hatchman President
Special General Meeting Friday 11
th
November 2011
Another School Year Over
Despite a lot of what could only
be described as inconsiderate
weather in the early part of the
year in the last month
members of the Society have
visited 3 schools to share the
night sky with students
18th August was Oakhill College
at Castle Hill It was a fairly cool
night with very clear skies and
not too bad seeing for suburban
Sydney Oakhill College is a
school that the Society has been
going to for many years This
year we had 9 members with 6
telescopes and 2 displays in
attendance Harry Roberts had
head science teacher Sandra
Woodward looking at spectra of
Antares whilst Karen
Whittingham was capturing the
spectra on a DMK 21 with
Harry‟s C8 Peter Kinna had his
Milky Way Galaxy model and
Crux distance and local solar
neighbourhood spectral
displays out and these always
get a large gathering to see
them Saturn was the champion
of the night
3rd September was an Open
Night at Tara Anglican School
for Girls at North Parramatta
Over the last 2-3 years the
ASNSW has had a very close
association with Tara and it was
a great pleasure to help them
out with their first open night
Once again the weather was
very kind to us with pretty good
skies despite a 4-5 day old
Moon The guest speaker on
the night was Professor Katherine
Blundell from Oxford University
and Project Leader of the Global
Jet Watch program of which Tara
is one of the participating schools
Students parents and teachers all
got to walk around the observing
field after the talk looking
through telescopes of varying
sizes and types at objects being
shown by members of ASNSW
Twelve members with telescopes
were on hand to help out with the
large crowd Member Karen
Whittingham had students taking
images of the Moon through her
10rdquo LX 200 with a DMK 21 camera
and then emailed the images out
to the students the following day
The evening ended inside the
Dome with ASNSW members
suggesting good objects to be
imaged with the 20rdquo RCOS
Barnard‟s Galaxy and the Bug
Nebula were amongst the objects
imaged
6th September saw the Society
doing a school night at
Abbotsleigh Ladies College
another school that has invited us
back year after year for the last
decade plus some The weather
forecast was looking a bit
foreboding the day before and we
were looking out the window all
day Tuesday to see if the clouds
had rolled in yet Luck was on our
side as we headed up the Pacific
Highway to Wahroonga and we
arrived and set up on the tennis
courts to a very clear night with
only ordinary seeing Saturn will
aways win a crowd even at low
altitude A quick walk around the
scopes to see what was on show
Member Jack Giles had a C11
with a CCD camera at Hyperstar
focus and was imaging M8 and
even though it was very near an
8 day old Moon he was still able
to capture the Hourglass Nebula
Gary Kopff had Neptune in the
18rdquo Obsession scope which was
a real treat for the students Most
humans never see Neptune in the
flesh Globular clusters open
clusters carbon stars and the
Moon all make for a good mix of
objects for the students and
teachers to look at and just as
the last students left the
observing area the sky
deteriorated and by the time
pack up was complete the sky
was gone
The following members have
helped out this year at schools
and I would like to thank them on
behalf of the Society Barry
Gerdes Mick McCullagh Chris
Douglass Harry Roberts Karen
Whittingham Peter Kinna and his
friend (sorry forgot your name)
Alex Comino George Comanos
Richard Jaworski Brett and
Francis White Mark Notary Jack
Giles Gary Kopff Dave Scott
Paddy DeKlerk John Flavin and
an unknown member who came
to Oakhill to help out
School nights will again be
happening next year
Come along have some fun
All the above people had a ball )
Cheers Don Whiteman
Ground-based Reports School Nights
UNIVERSE 15 Vol 60 4
ASNSW EVENTS
Meetings
Friday 7th October 2011 at 800pm
Observational astronomy from Tycho Brahe to
William Herschel
Geoff Smith Observations Officer ASNSW
Friday 14th October 2011 at 800pm
Making the Sky Dark
Dr Simon Ellis AAO
Friday 11th November 2011 at 800pm SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
to vote on Life Membership of John Flavin
Observing Sessions
Crago Observatory 22nd October 19th November
Wiruna 28th - 29th October 25th-26th November
SYDNEY
Astronomy Open Night
at Macquarie University NOTE CHANGE OF DATE
Saturday 29th October 2011
from 630pm to 10pm At 730pm hear Prof Andrew Melatos University of
Melbourne Neutron Stars Natures Most Extreme
Quantum Laboratories
Charges $5 ChildConc $12 Adult $27 Family
[invalid link deleted from sample issue] Please bring along a telescope to share to gain free
entry and join in the fun
Tuesday November 1st ndash 29th from 6pm to 8pm Exploring the Heavens
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash An Introduction to Astronomy Course
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
Thursday November 3rd ndash December 1st 6pm to 8pm Understanding Gravity
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash Learn the Fundamentals of Gravity
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
REGIONAL NSW
October 27th - 30th 2011 Sixth Annual IceInSpace Astro-Camp (IISAC)
Lostock Scout Camp in the Hunter Valley of NSW
Star Party organised by IceInSpace
For more information prices and registration visit
httpwwwiceinspacecomauiisachtml
October 8th - 9th 2011 from 9am ndash 4pm both days Parkes (The Dish) Telescope 50th Anniversary
Open Days
Free entry ndash telescope tours astronomer talks and
QampA sessions and a look behind the scenes at ASKAP ndash
loads of family activities for all
Saturday October 8th 2011 at 6pm Opera at the Dish
For more information check out
httpwwwparkesatnfcsiroaunews_events
opendays2011
October 14th - 28th 2011 The Great World Wide Star Count
Count the stars in Sagittarius
httpwwwwindows2universeorgcitizen_science
starcountconstellations_shhtml
Friday October 14th 2011 at 630pm Science in the Pub Is there anybody out there
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
ANU Astronomers Prof Charlie Lineweaver Dr Daniel
Bayliss and AAO astronomer Dr Simon O‟Toole will
light-heartedly discuss the search for ET Compered
by the ABC Western Plains Sally Bryant
Saturday October 15th 2011 from 10am to 4pm Siding Spring Open Day
Come and see behind the scenes at Australia‟s largest
professional Optical Observatory
Saturday October 15th 2011 Bok Lecture
Prof Mike Bessell ndash Free Astronomical Lecture in
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
For information on the above events contact Donna
Burton [details withheld from sample issue]
ACT
November 6th 2011 - 10am to 4pm Mt Stromlo Observatory Open Day
Contact Mt Stromlo Observatory 02 6125 0230
VICTORIA
October 19th 2011 630pm - 730pm Public Lecture ndash Into the Heart of a Globular Cluster
httpastronomyswineduauoutreach
topic=freelectures
October 28th - 31st 2011 VicSouth Desert Spring Star Party
More info httpvicsouthinfovicsouth2011htm
QUEENSLAND
October 3rd 2011 5pm ndash 6pm Innovation Annual Lecture Sleuthing for Exoplanets
httpwwwscienceuqeduauan-invitation-to-
innovation-annual-lecture
EVENT HORIZON WORLDWIDE ASTRONOMY DAY
Saturday 1st October 2011
UNIVERSE 6 Vol 60 4
Double Stars for Small Telescopes by Sissy Haas
Constellation diagrams from http
wwwdibonsmithcomconstelhtm and used here with
the permission of the author Richard Dibon-Smith
Uranometria constellation figure from scans by the
Linda Hall Library of Science Engineering and
Technology httpwwwlindahallorgservices
digitalebooksbayer
variables
(The Observations Officer here interposed to refer to
the necessity for collaboration between variable star
observers in this Society and of practice in the work
with a view to gaining experience in this field before the
anticipated meeting with the Variable Star Section of the
British Astronomical Association)
Mr G Patston gave a ldquoMoonwatchrdquo report saying that
the preceding month had given reasonable viewing
weather there had been 12 good nights recorded in the
log
An observation had been made of the American 20-inch
satellite (7th magnitude) on August 1st 1959 At
midnight on the night of the meeting (7th August) an
attempt would be made to observe the newly launched
American satellite Explorer VI whose distance would
be 165 miles at perigee and 20000 miles at apogee and
equipped with solar cells to supply power to its
instruments and radio
Bulletin Cover
The Editor trusts that members will like the new
ldquoBulletinrdquo cover ndash it gives the ldquoold magrdquo quite a fillip
The object is of course eta Carinae ndash Keyhole ndash Nebula
in the Milky Way near Crux The negative from which
the block was taken was presented to the SAA by Dr
C Gum of the CSIRO Apologies to those members
who didn‟t receive a Bulletin last month First of all the
covers ran out Then there was some confusion as to
whom was financial or not The muddle has now been
sorted out From now on those members who should
get a Bulletin will and those who shouldn‟t won‟t
The new ldquoBulletinrdquo cover introduced with the July 1959
issue was our third cover design since our first issue in
July ‟55 The bdquoeta Carinae‟ cover stayed with us until the
February 1962 issue
The above extracts are taken from the July and
August 1959 issues of our Journal - John Flavin
Table 1 Deep Sky Objects in Sculptor
OGM held at Belfield August 7th 1959
The President Mr G Miles took the Chair and
opened the meeting at 1955 hours there being 51
members and 4 visitors present The President
welcomed the visitors who included the evening‟s
Guest Speaker Dr Hill of the CSIRO
Building expenses
The Treasurer reported that the amount received or
promised by way of either donation or interest-free loan
towards the cost of the sanitary conveniences necessary to
be constructed for the new building [Clubhouse] was pound67
The President announced that the Treasurer would there
and then receive further contributions to this cause and
members immediately took advantage of the opportunity
to make their gifts or loans At this stage it was moved and
seconded that in order that lenders of money should have
a suitable acknowledgement of the Society‟s obligation to
repay them the Treasurer be authorised to issue receipts
for loans in the following terms
Received from Mr A B the sum of poundx being interest free
loan repayable within twelve months from 1st August 1959
- Sydney Amateur Astronomers - Per Treasurer
This motion was carried
The President said that the total required to be raised was
pound100 and that a member who wished to remain
anonymous had promised that he (or she) would provide
any balance still left to be found after the collection had
been made This act of generosity was warmly applauded
Within a few minutes thereafter the Treasurer reported that
the total received or promised in gifts or loans was pound125 ndash
a very creditable result
Observations
Mr P Williamson showed [sunspot] drawings made by
him on 11th July and 1st August 1959 the former one
showing a spot of large size divided into two parts by a
ldquobridgerdquo which later entirely disappeared in the space of
a few hours He also reported some observations of
Mercury Mr Tonkin showed drawings of sunspots made
on the 15th July 1959
In connection with this subject the Secretary said that the
helioscope under construction by the Junior Section was
nearing completion
Mr L Williamson spoke on T Centauri and other
Object RA (J2000) Dec (J2000) Type Mag Size
NGC 55 00 15 084 -39 13 14 GX 83 25 x 25
NGC 134 00 30 214 -33 14 50 GX 105 85 x 20
NGC 150 00 34 161 -27 48 16 GX 114 39 x 19
IC 1581 00 46 060 -25 54 00 GX ---- 11 x 02
NGC 253 00 47 331 -25 17 17 GX 78 30 x 69
NGC 289 00 52 417 -31 12 28 GX 11 51 x 36
NGC 288 00 52 474 -26 35 24 GC 81 14
NGC 300 00 54 534 -37 41 00 GX 83 20 x 15
NGC 409 01 09 325 -35 48 20 GX 131 13 x 11
NGC 424 01 11 279 -38 04 59 GX 13 18 x 08
NGC 438 01 13 335 -37 54 07 GX 13 14 x 11
NGC 613 01 34 175 -29 24 58 GX 101 55 x 42
NGC 7507 23 12 077 -28 32 26 GX 108 28 x 27
IC 5332 23 34 300 -36 06 00 GX 106 66 x 51
NGC 7713 23 36 149 -37 56 20 GX 112 46 x 22
NGC 7793 23 57 497 -32 35 30 GX 92 93 x 63
LOOK-BACK
TIME The ASNSW from the Archives
UNIVERSE 7 Vol 60 4
Cyril Brown a
dedicated and
active member
from our early
days died on the
5th September
aged 96 at
Maryborough
Cyril joined us in
the late sixties a
period that saw
our Society facing
considerable
difficulty arising
from our having to depart our original home at
Belfield It was fortunate that Cyril came to us when
he did as his property in the semi-rural surrounds
of Dural became the location for the telescopes that
had to be moved from Belfield At the July 1970
AGM ndash held at the Canterbury Council buildings
and our first away from Belfield ndash Cyril was elected
President a position he would hold until 1973 His
home at Dural become an easy-to-reach bdquodark sky‟
site for some years until Bowen Mt became
operational
In his working life Cyril was a Saw Doctor ndash a trade
that covers the repair and upkeep of a range of
tools A McNiven Medal recipient and a Life
Member he filled many positions in his years with
us In 2004 he moved to Queensland to be near
some members of his family who had earlier
moved to that state Cyril maintained his interest in
astronomy going out to see Comet McNaught a few
years ago and looking up astronomy sites on the
internet Within the last year Cyril attended an
astronomy outing with the 1st Burrum Heads Girl
Guides (his great granddaughters are members) to
show them the sky Cyril is survived by daughter
Marian son Cyril Jr grandchildren and great
grandchildren
The Girl Guides really enjoyed the night which was
part of Space Week They followed this up with
decorating our shed with planets etc They were then
presented with their space badge for their sash
Personally I can not say enough of how much we
appreciated Marian bringing Cyril out to share their
knowledge with the girls - Leeanne Bouveng
This poem from Walt Whitman (1865) was
read at his service followed by the closing
lines from his daughter Marian Lynch
When I heard the learn‟d astronomer
When the proofs were ranged in columns
before me
When I was shown the charts and the
diagrams
to add divide and measure them
When I sitting heard the astronomer
where he lectured with much applause in the
lecture room
How soon unaccountable I became tired
and listless
Till rising and going out I wander‟d off by
myself
In the mystical moist night air and from time
to time
Look‟d up in perfect silence at the stars
Now Cyril strolls
from star to star in the Universe
With the greatest Astronomer of all
Sharney Bouveng stands behind Cyril with his great
granddaughters Shylani and Hannah Mallett
(left and right respectively)
VALE CYRIL BROWN
Portraits of Cyril from an earlier time (top left) and
last year (above)
UNIVERSE 8 Vol 60 4
by Gerard Keyzer
In episode two we left Edward Emerson Barnard
with his newly acquired 5-inch refractor as his
observing began in earnest Barnard was gifted
with incredible eyesight and a thoughtful
determined character and he spent the next few
years honing his observing skills while taking his
first tentative steps into the world of the
professional astronomer In his personal life he
was gaining yet more stability earning the respect
and admiration of Rhoda Calvert his colleague‟s
sister who was eventually to become his wife
Around this time Barnard took a long lease on a
nice house on the outskirts of Nashville While not
yet married to each other Rhoda began to help
Edward with the daily running of the household
and the care of his invalid mother As Rhoda was
fourteen years his senior many felt she set her cap
for him as a ldquolast chancerdquo to
avoid spinsterhood Possibly
but this sensitive young man
was mature beyond his years
and marrying on January
27th 1881 the pair became
devoted to each other in
every respect for the
remainder of their lives
It was at the house at 1919
Patterson Ave that Edward
was able to throw himself
into his observations
distanced from the continual
interruptions of casual
visitors to the telescope
Using a homemade light box
he would spend many hours
sketching and was soon
being published in technical journals such as the
English Mechanic The cloud bands and moons of
Jupiter the markings of the Martian surface the
rings of Saturn were all favourite targets His
Byrne refractor was of the finest calibre optically
showing the Galilean moons as distinct discs and
his observations of the Great Red Spot and
eruptions in the cloud bands were compared
favourably with those from Dearborn Observatory
done through an 185-inch refractor and measured
with a micrometer
My favourite story of Barnard‟s early observing
occurred at this time and is best told in his own
words Observing Jupiter at 2am he paused to rest
his eyes for a moment and was bdquohorrified to see two
glaring greenish-red balls of fire a few feet away in
the obscurity of the bushes Cold chills played up
and down my backbone and I was too frightened to
move These balls of fire came slowly toward me A
supernatural horror seemed to bind me to the spot
as a nightmare holds one in its pitiless grasp I
could not have moved if I had known the foul fiend
himself was behind those lights Just at the point
when I felt that I must collapse as the hateful lights
came close to me I felt the warm touch of the
tongue of some animal licking my cold hand and in
the obscurity I saw a great dog wagging his tail in a
friendly manner The relief was tremendous and a
warm flow of blood seemed to infuse my veins It
proved to be a great and fierce bulldog belonging
to my neighbour This dog had always looked so
savage with his cruel teeth that I had not
attempted to cultivate his friendship Why he had
not attacked me in the darkness and what made him
seek this friendship I do not know but from that
time on he was my good friend and made it a habit
to lie down near me every night I was out
observing His friendship was a blessing for I no
longer felt the nameless dread of the night with his
powerful form at my
feet‟ (Reprinted from ldquoThe
Immortal Fire Withinrdquo)
Barnard‟s natural reticence
and conservative nature
were to stand him in good
stead when popular interest
in Mars conjured up all sorts
of fanciful claims of canals
and civilizations He
preferred only to note and
comment on what he actually
observed not what he
ldquothoughtrdquo he saw At twenty-
two he already had an
aversion to ldquorashly drawn
conclusionsrdquo Barnard‟s
settled domestic situation
allowed him to progress his budding semi-
professional status Discovery of a comet brought
much kudos and during this period he was
awarded a cash prize of $200 called the Warner
prize The recognition amongst his peers was the
greater prize sought by Barnard His first comet
discovery was sadly not confirmed later analysis
showing that inferior equipment and delays by
those expected to confirm it led to it being ldquolostrdquo
This caused Barnard great embarrassment but he
would persevere in quest of the Warner prize
desirous of emulating the great comet seekers
Messier and Pons In the course of his comet
seeking he was to discover a new nebula
designated NGC 5584 one of twenty credited to
him during this period Remember most of the
famous Messier objects had been discovered
while searching for comets
On September 17th 1881 Barnard discovered his
first confirmed comet and silenced his critics with
the official designation of Comet Barnard or 1881
Edward Emerson BARNARD
1857-1923
Part Three
NGC 5584 in Virgo
UNIVERSE 9 Vol 60 4
VI With the first Warner prize cheque of $200
Edward and Rhoda bought a plot of land took a
mortgage and built a cottage where they lived
with Edward‟s mother Happy times followed
although they struggled for a living but the
remote location allowed Edward every possible
opportunity to continue with his comet-seeking
gaining the Warner prize again with 1882 III and
discovering a total of sixteen comets in the next
eleven years including the first photographic
discovery Other comets of the period were more
spectacular and created greater interest such as
Wells‟s Comet Swift‟s Comet Tebbutt‟s Comet
(discovered in Australia by JC Tebbutt in June
1881) and the Great Comet of 1882 Barnard‟s
observing diligence and skill were rewarded in
another way as he observed The Great Comet of
1882 Over the period of 22nd September to 14th
October he recorded this comet breaking first in
two then eventually into six or eight fragments
the discovery being confirmed by professionals
from around the globe Interestingly on the
morning of 13th October Barnard had ldquoforeseenrdquo
this occurrence in a dream of a sky filled with
comets He later said ldquo the association of this
dream with the reality has always seemed a
strange thing to merdquo
While less noteworthy for their appearance
Barnard‟s comet discoveries did bring him some
financial security through three Warner prizes
and more importantly they brought him the
official recognition of his peers opening the door
to the professional career he would now aspire to
Locally they brought him acclaim and a group of
prominent citizens resolved to build an
observatory for ldquothe young astronomer of
Nashvillerdquo He would not take the plan seriously
but when the architect‟s plan materialised along
with foundation stonework he rushed to his
benefactors Apologetically he refused their
generous offer because he felt he would be
obliged to remain in situ and not be free to move if
he was offered an official position He was soon to
be proven right
Stay tuned for Episode Four
Sources ndash Various Encyclopaedia Brittanica and Wiki
and ldquoThe Immortal Fire Withinrdquo by William Sheehan
Barnardrsquos skilful drawing of Halleyrsquos Comet
May 18th 1910 at Yerkes Observatory
Barnardrsquos photograph of Comet Swift 1892
Barnardrsquos photographs of Comet Brooks
October 1893 showing the comet
fragmenting
UNIVERSE 10 Vol 60 4
by Andrew James
Last issue featured the planetary nebula He2-73 This
month explores the surrounding region
The following objects can be found in a moderately
starry field using moderate to low power about 40‟ S
of the Crux-Musca border I originally centred on this
field in 20cm using the 26mm Plossel (78x with 32
arcmin field) deliberately just looking for the pair
COO 130 as mentioned in both AOST1amp2 Later I
investigated the other four objects nearby then
centring at the field‟s mid-position at 11h 504m
-65o 04‟ Here you can bdquohold‟ all in one field TZ Mus
IC 2966 He2-80 B2730 and my target pair
Furthermore half a field southwards using moderate
powers there are also two faint Cepheids - UU Mus
and TZ Mus (see descriptions below)
COO 130 HIP 57851 SAO 251617 HD 103079
(11519-6512) was discovered by SI Bailey in 1894
during routine observations to produce the extensive
Cordova Observatory (CD) star catalogue beginning
in the 1890s It is really surprising that neither John
Herschel nor HC Russell found this system in their
extensive double star surveys yet it is very remotely
possible that the star appeared single between 1835
and 1880 COO 130 lies almost 20‟ due east of He2-73
and the field is marked with three stars in a bent line
at the south-eastern edge of the field at low powers
These field stars have respective visual magnitudes
from south to north of 75 75 and 95 and form an
oddly-shaped triangular figure
COO 130 comprises 52v and 74v magnitude (497V
amp 725V) stars with 16 arcsec separation and position
angle of 159o as last measured by the Hipparcos
satellite in 1991 From the available data these stars
are very slowly diminishing in separation thus
making future amateur observations more difficult
Resolution is possible in 15cm telescopes but this
becomes much easier in 20cm AOST2 does claim this
is ldquo just possible rdquo in 75cm but my own four
different observations between 1978 and 1981 using
the 75cm f10 reflector and 108cm refractor could
not resolve the pair even with good seeing Using
20cm these stars are much easier to split and I saw
the colours as bluish and white or perhaps blue and
white which is about right when compared to the
given B4V spectral class for the primary
This same double star is featured in AOST2 as object
483 where a comment on
the connection of the
system states
ldquo the angle is slowly
increasing but separation
has not changed
Physical connection
between the stars seems
likelyrdquo
This is an example of a
bright prominent double
star that observers have
neglected likely just
because it is not among
either the prominent
Russell Herschel or
Dunlop pairs Equal
proper motions are -029
mas and -001 mas for the
RA and Dec
respectively
Selected Measures
PA Sep Year
162 21 1894
159 18 1940
159 16 1991
B 2730 (11478-6519) is a
faint pair within the same
field as the He2-73 some
126‟ SSE first discovered
by W H van den Bos
while presumably
measuring nearby COO
NSP 22 Part Two
Figure 1 Field Chart of He2-73 and Surrounding Objects
This shows the 1o x 1o field of He2-73 in Musca and surrounding objects in NSP 22
The figure also shows the nebula IC 2966 and the motion of the high-proper-motion
star L145-141 between 2010 AD and 3000 AD
UNIVERSE 11 Vol 60 4
130 This 95v and 115 magnitude bluish and
colourless pair is easily visible in dark skies using
either 105cm apertures or 75cm with some
diligence B 2730 was last measured in 1987 where
the separation was measured as 64 arcsec along the
easterly position angle of 104o
TX Mus (11471-6524) is another variable 75 SW
further on from B 2730 (above) This 124 mag RR
Lyrae variable of type ldquoABrdquo It is positioned some 3prime
N of 9th mag star PPM 778644 HD 102466 (11472-
6527) The small rise in brightness from 124 to 128
takes 2 hours 16 minutes being 20 (M-mD) of the
short 0473226 day period Discovery of this period
was is based on the Julian Date (JDE) of
2424260264+-0003 of 19th April 1925
This period was recently updated by German
astronomer Joachim Hubscher in the Information
Bulletin on Variable Star (IBVS) No 5802 on 25th
October 2007 He determines that the minima are
now set from the 10th June 2007 at 22h 00m 29s
UT (JDE 2454262417) Also below TX Mus is a
small 4‟ sized asterism of about twelve stars of
12th magnitude all shaped in an arc Little else is
known about this variable
UU Mus HIP 57884 (11523-
6524) (Appears on map U450) is
a 95 mag star some
120 (PA=160o) from COO 130
and both are shown in
Uranometria 20000 UU Mus
varies between 913-1028 over
1163641 days The rise of 115
magnitudes takes approximately
4305 days where the spectrum
changes from G0p to the hotter
F7 Epoch 2436208270 B-
V=0982 Plx=000285 plusmn 000127
TZ Mus (11509-6508) is fainter
than UU Muscae although it was
discovered first It lies some 69‟
NW through PA 306o from COO
130 Brightness varies between
1116V and 1212V (= 096) magnitude over the period of
4944885 days Epoch
242425937 This yellow-orange
star can be usefully checked
because the wide ldquoPair
1rdquo (11515-6504) to the NE of TZ
Mus is about 53‟ away The white 100 magnitude
star is PPM 778689 and I estimated the magnitudes as
10 and 115 separated by about 30 arcsec at PA 20o
No one so far has listed this faint pair in any of the
double star catalogues
IC 2966 VdBH 56 Bran 374 (11502-6452) (U450)
appears is a faint small 3 arcmin reflection bright
emission nebula that is sometimes referred just as
ldquonebulosity around a starrdquo In 20cm I spent some
time searching for this object in dark skies and
frankly returned without much success The stated
position is merely 202‟ NW at PA 333o of COO 130
and is shown in both Uranometria 20000 and Sky
Atlas 20000 It was discovered by RH Frost using a
24-inch refractor at the Arequipa station in the late
1890s (possibly 1898) and catalogued as Frost 791
(Ann Harv Coll Obs Vollx pp179 - 192 ldquoNebula
found by Photographyrdquo) Later the object was entered
into the Index Catalogue (1908) described as ldquopL
bMrdquo - pretty large bright in middle IC 2966 is really
much smaller than this description suggests and the
latest observations limit this size to 30 arcmin across
Classed as ldquo2 Irdquo in Sky Catalogue 20000 and classed
ldquo1rdquo - Bright (1 Brightest - 2 Faintest) of Intermediate
ldquoIrdquo photographic colour (scaled from Red-Grey-
Blue) they give the visual magnitude of the nebula as
1149v (109B) with the general spectral class of B05
Illuminating the nebulosity is the star PPM 778678
CSI -64-14771 (11507-6455) placed a further 24‟ E at
PA 114o of the central nebula position Given as 100
mag (PPM says 95) this star to my eyes appears
distinctly red in the telescope (Note Another star is
111 magnitude GSC 8981293 on the northern edge
the nebulas boundary) Data in the Tycho catalogue
from the Hipparcos satellite give a parallax of 890
mas and if this is the star brightening the nebula
then distance is roughly 110 pc According to Auke
Slotegraaf‟s ldquoDeep Sky Observer‟s Companionrdquo Van
den Bergh and Herbest noted that there is little
difference in the appearance in
either blue or red astronomical
plates - only that the maximum
diameter is 24 arcmin in red and
26 arcmin in blue
Looking at the object the
photographic images and the
data on this object it is possible
that the brightness of the
nebulosity has changed in the
last hundred years or so as most
stars that illuminate reflection
nebulae are more commonly
blue ie like the Pleiades It is
possible that significant
obscuration is being brought
into play here hiding much of
the nebulous light
BC Mus GSC 89812285 (11475
-6443) is merely 16‟ N from the
Centaurus Musca border This
121 mag semi-detached
eclipsing binary can be seen in a
moderate field with the PNe
He2-73 due south and at the
bottom of the field IC 2966 is on
the eastern edge of the same field with BC Mus
located on the NW edge [Actually 20‟ NE of IC 2966
or 26‟ NNW (PA 345o)] Alternatively use the bluish
70 mag HIP 57451 SAO 251582 HD 102370 BD-64
564 PPM 358966 (11466-6446) some 68‟ NE (PA 70o)
The target star is marked by a roughly 14‟ spaced
equilateral triangle of stars whose apex points due
south with the blue-coloured star to the east being
the variable
BC Mus varies between 122p and 145p over
3511171 days Based on the maximum on the 11th
March 1927 (JDE 2424951363) the ratio of the
primary eclipse to the period is 12 being some
042134052 days Seeing this deep 23 mag drop in
Figure 2 IC 2966 Nebula in Musca
Image size 125 x 125 from ALADIN
previewer (Red AAORDSS2 Blue SERI
DSS2 Green average Redblue image
modified by Silvering reducing
saturation) Note L145-141 HIP 57367 will
pass through this nebula in 2640AD
UNIVERSE 12 Vol 60 4
brightness for an eclipsing binary is unusual and to
catch the magnitude drop of the eclipse you will
certainly have to inspect the field several times
Incidentally about 10‟ to 15‟ NE from this triangle is a
small void almost empty of stars Also the
surrounding fields are scattered with many stars
below 10th magnitude
L145-141 GJ440 HIP 57367 WD1142-645 (11458-
6450) in north-western Musca is one of the closer
stars to the Sun Its main interest is due to the very
high proper motion which is
almost equal in prominence
with the far more famous
southern gem alpha
Centauri L145-141 in fact
has the 27th highest proper
motion known and is the most
southerly of the ldquoTop 100rdquo of
all the quickest moving stars
in the sky It is catalogued as
Gliese-Jones‟s GJ 440 or
alternatively W J Luyten‟s
designation of L145-141 This
faint 115v mag star is easily
found within a lovely starry
field [Note L145-141 in
Uranometria 20000 Chart
450 is shown as a tiny dot
above the ldquo(rdquo of the character
string printed on the chart It
is not the brighter star above
the ldquo(rdquo but the one left of it]
When centred on the nearby
7th mag HIP 57451 L145-141
lies 76‟ SW away along PA
234o almost mirroring the
position of BC Mus and HIP
57451 The actual star is the
southern of two 11th
magnitude stars separated by
13 arcmin Figure 1 shows the 1o field locating both
this star and the variable BC Mus
General proper motions were originally obtained for
this region in the late 1920s with the data published
in 1930 A little later the proximity of the star based
on the measured parallax of 0195 arcsec was found
to be 512pc or 167 ly This happens to be about
twice the current distance of Sirius Hipparcos later
improved the distance to the closer 4617(44) plusmn
0050pc or 1507 plusmn 016 ly from the huge parallax of
021640 plusmn 000211 arcsec making this the 37th closest
star to the Sun More recent observations by Henry T
J et al (1997) during the RECONS observation
program of nearby stars found a slightly improved
value of 021657 plusmn 000201 arcsec and this was
determined by the weighted means of both the
Hipparcos and Yale Parallax Catalog [Note These
data are also available from the ldquoAstronomisches
Rechen-Institutrdquo (AIR) in Heidelberg using the ARICNS
(ARI Data Base for Nearby Stars)]
From this distance the absolute magnitude (Mv) is
1318 being some nine magnitudes or 2100 times
less luminous than the Sun In 1986 the quoted 1144v
magnitude was found using UBV photometry but
more recent observations by Henry et al (1997) find
1150V with the B-V magnitude being the whitish
value of 0196
Observed proper motions for L145-141 have since
proven to be very rapid being similar in value to
alpha Centauri (See NSP 17) with the values in RA
+266517 plusmn 0198 mas and Dec -34683 plusmn 0191 mas
This is equivalent to 2665 arcsec per year or 1o every
1350 years The vector changes in RA by 4442‟ or
0074o and Dec by 0578‟ or 0009o each century
calculating the motion in PA terms as moving
towards PA 974o so that it is
travelling almost due east
Such strong easterly motion is
highly unusual as the majority
of these stars are going the
opposite way (ie directly
opposite even Alpha and
Proxima Centauri) There is
likely some significance in
this as to the origin of the star
that has caused this
prodigious velocity
Presently the proper motion
is towards the emission
nebula IC 2966 (11502-6452)
which it will reach in 2640
AD passing about 2‟ S from its
centre in 2670 AD Eventually
L145-141 will also pass close
to the position of the planetary
IC 4191 (13088-6739) (see
NSP 20) though by then the
PNe nebulosity may already
be totally gone
Spectral data reveal a stellar
white dwarf whose spectral
class was first tentatively
given by Zakhozhaj VA
(1979) as A8VII This was later
changed to ldquoDCrdquo indicating distinct lack of emission
lines or just showing a continuous spectrum This was
again updated to the more modern ldquoDQ6rdquo which
suggests the element carbon is present The ldquo6rdquo in
this instance gauges the surface temperature which
calculated by the equation 50400ldquoTrdquo is 8400K
making its nearest ldquosister starrdquo in temperature
Procyon B in Canis Minor The DQ6 classification is
also similar to the earlier A8 spectrum suggesting the
surface temperature is more like 8200K To date
only UV carbon lines have been detected An
estimated mass for L145-141 is about 05 solar masses
and size can be calculated as about 13000 km across
L145-141 is currently fourth closest of all the known
white dwarfs the first two of course being the
companions to Sirius and Procyon Although this star
is not some PNN it is likely that not too long ago at
least in astronomical terms this was once a PNe
central star The original nebulosity has vanished and
has now long since been forgotten
Two Pairs Near L145-141
In addition to the pair near TZ Mus there are two
more pairs in this field ldquoPair 2rdquo of similar PA and
(Continued bottom next page)
Figure 3 L145-141 HIP 57367 Image of
Surrounding Field and Observed Proper
Motion
HIP 57367 is moving across the field right to left
In 2011 the position is about half the
distance again between the 16 yr (1998-1982)
difference blue star to orange star in image
Image source and format details as for Figure 2
UNIVERSE 13 Vol 60 4
by Richard Jaworski
Welcome to the return of ldquoSeeing
Doublerdquo In this series of articles
I hope to introduce you to some
of the best visual double stars the
sky has to offer
Gamma Delphini (Struve 2727) is
in my list of the top 10 double
stars The star marks one corner
of the asterism ldquoJobs Coffinrdquo in
the constellation Delphinus I
have observed it many times
with my 15cm f8 Newtonian
reflector To my eye the primary
is yellow and the companion is
pale blue by comparison Some
see the companion as greenish
In reality the primary is a
yellow-white dwarf star (F7V)
and the secondary an orange
subgiant star (K1IV) Gamma is
located 101 light-years from us
Adding to the vista is the nearby
fainter pair Struve 2725 located
15‟ to the southwest and often
overlooked in favour of the more
dominant Gamma Struve 2725 is
located 125 light years from us
and has a different proper motion
to that of Gamma
A sketch of the pair can be found
at Astronomy Sketch of the Day -
httpwwwasodinfop=6351
I hope you can take the time to
enjoy this pair of pairs
(From page 12)
separation is about 3‟ NE of L145-14 but these
are about a magnitude fainter than the high-
proper-motion star ldquoPair 3rdquo is 55‟ S This wider
9698 pair points towards HIP 57451
References L145-141 Hoberg JB et al ldquoA new look at the local white dwarf
populationrdquo Astron J 135 1225 (2008)
Subasavage et al ldquoThe solar neighborhood XXI Parallax
results from the CTIOPI 09 M program 20 new members of
the 25 parsec white dwarf samplerdquo Astron J 137 4547
(2009)
Zakhozhaj VA ldquoCatalogue of nearest stars until 10pcrdquo
Vestnik Khar‟kovskogo Universiteta (VKha) 190 52
(1979)
Next in NSP 23
He2-68 on the Eastern Corner of Musca
Seeing DoubleDouble
Star RA Dec Mags PA Separation
Gamma Del 20 467 +16 07 43 52 266 9rdquo0
Struve 2725 20 462 +15 54 71 79 10 6rdquo1
UNIVERSE 14 Vol 60 4
Dear Members
Please be advised that a special general meeting of the Astronomical Society of NSW will be
held on Friday 11th November 2011 at the Epping Creative Centre commencing at 800pm
The purpose of the meeting is to vote on the Committee‟s nomination of
John Flavin for Life Membership
All members are encouraged to attend
Paul Hatchman President
Special General Meeting Friday 11
th
November 2011
Another School Year Over
Despite a lot of what could only
be described as inconsiderate
weather in the early part of the
year in the last month
members of the Society have
visited 3 schools to share the
night sky with students
18th August was Oakhill College
at Castle Hill It was a fairly cool
night with very clear skies and
not too bad seeing for suburban
Sydney Oakhill College is a
school that the Society has been
going to for many years This
year we had 9 members with 6
telescopes and 2 displays in
attendance Harry Roberts had
head science teacher Sandra
Woodward looking at spectra of
Antares whilst Karen
Whittingham was capturing the
spectra on a DMK 21 with
Harry‟s C8 Peter Kinna had his
Milky Way Galaxy model and
Crux distance and local solar
neighbourhood spectral
displays out and these always
get a large gathering to see
them Saturn was the champion
of the night
3rd September was an Open
Night at Tara Anglican School
for Girls at North Parramatta
Over the last 2-3 years the
ASNSW has had a very close
association with Tara and it was
a great pleasure to help them
out with their first open night
Once again the weather was
very kind to us with pretty good
skies despite a 4-5 day old
Moon The guest speaker on
the night was Professor Katherine
Blundell from Oxford University
and Project Leader of the Global
Jet Watch program of which Tara
is one of the participating schools
Students parents and teachers all
got to walk around the observing
field after the talk looking
through telescopes of varying
sizes and types at objects being
shown by members of ASNSW
Twelve members with telescopes
were on hand to help out with the
large crowd Member Karen
Whittingham had students taking
images of the Moon through her
10rdquo LX 200 with a DMK 21 camera
and then emailed the images out
to the students the following day
The evening ended inside the
Dome with ASNSW members
suggesting good objects to be
imaged with the 20rdquo RCOS
Barnard‟s Galaxy and the Bug
Nebula were amongst the objects
imaged
6th September saw the Society
doing a school night at
Abbotsleigh Ladies College
another school that has invited us
back year after year for the last
decade plus some The weather
forecast was looking a bit
foreboding the day before and we
were looking out the window all
day Tuesday to see if the clouds
had rolled in yet Luck was on our
side as we headed up the Pacific
Highway to Wahroonga and we
arrived and set up on the tennis
courts to a very clear night with
only ordinary seeing Saturn will
aways win a crowd even at low
altitude A quick walk around the
scopes to see what was on show
Member Jack Giles had a C11
with a CCD camera at Hyperstar
focus and was imaging M8 and
even though it was very near an
8 day old Moon he was still able
to capture the Hourglass Nebula
Gary Kopff had Neptune in the
18rdquo Obsession scope which was
a real treat for the students Most
humans never see Neptune in the
flesh Globular clusters open
clusters carbon stars and the
Moon all make for a good mix of
objects for the students and
teachers to look at and just as
the last students left the
observing area the sky
deteriorated and by the time
pack up was complete the sky
was gone
The following members have
helped out this year at schools
and I would like to thank them on
behalf of the Society Barry
Gerdes Mick McCullagh Chris
Douglass Harry Roberts Karen
Whittingham Peter Kinna and his
friend (sorry forgot your name)
Alex Comino George Comanos
Richard Jaworski Brett and
Francis White Mark Notary Jack
Giles Gary Kopff Dave Scott
Paddy DeKlerk John Flavin and
an unknown member who came
to Oakhill to help out
School nights will again be
happening next year
Come along have some fun
All the above people had a ball )
Cheers Don Whiteman
Ground-based Reports School Nights
UNIVERSE 15 Vol 60 4
ASNSW EVENTS
Meetings
Friday 7th October 2011 at 800pm
Observational astronomy from Tycho Brahe to
William Herschel
Geoff Smith Observations Officer ASNSW
Friday 14th October 2011 at 800pm
Making the Sky Dark
Dr Simon Ellis AAO
Friday 11th November 2011 at 800pm SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
to vote on Life Membership of John Flavin
Observing Sessions
Crago Observatory 22nd October 19th November
Wiruna 28th - 29th October 25th-26th November
SYDNEY
Astronomy Open Night
at Macquarie University NOTE CHANGE OF DATE
Saturday 29th October 2011
from 630pm to 10pm At 730pm hear Prof Andrew Melatos University of
Melbourne Neutron Stars Natures Most Extreme
Quantum Laboratories
Charges $5 ChildConc $12 Adult $27 Family
[invalid link deleted from sample issue] Please bring along a telescope to share to gain free
entry and join in the fun
Tuesday November 1st ndash 29th from 6pm to 8pm Exploring the Heavens
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash An Introduction to Astronomy Course
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
Thursday November 3rd ndash December 1st 6pm to 8pm Understanding Gravity
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash Learn the Fundamentals of Gravity
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
REGIONAL NSW
October 27th - 30th 2011 Sixth Annual IceInSpace Astro-Camp (IISAC)
Lostock Scout Camp in the Hunter Valley of NSW
Star Party organised by IceInSpace
For more information prices and registration visit
httpwwwiceinspacecomauiisachtml
October 8th - 9th 2011 from 9am ndash 4pm both days Parkes (The Dish) Telescope 50th Anniversary
Open Days
Free entry ndash telescope tours astronomer talks and
QampA sessions and a look behind the scenes at ASKAP ndash
loads of family activities for all
Saturday October 8th 2011 at 6pm Opera at the Dish
For more information check out
httpwwwparkesatnfcsiroaunews_events
opendays2011
October 14th - 28th 2011 The Great World Wide Star Count
Count the stars in Sagittarius
httpwwwwindows2universeorgcitizen_science
starcountconstellations_shhtml
Friday October 14th 2011 at 630pm Science in the Pub Is there anybody out there
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
ANU Astronomers Prof Charlie Lineweaver Dr Daniel
Bayliss and AAO astronomer Dr Simon O‟Toole will
light-heartedly discuss the search for ET Compered
by the ABC Western Plains Sally Bryant
Saturday October 15th 2011 from 10am to 4pm Siding Spring Open Day
Come and see behind the scenes at Australia‟s largest
professional Optical Observatory
Saturday October 15th 2011 Bok Lecture
Prof Mike Bessell ndash Free Astronomical Lecture in
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
For information on the above events contact Donna
Burton [details withheld from sample issue]
ACT
November 6th 2011 - 10am to 4pm Mt Stromlo Observatory Open Day
Contact Mt Stromlo Observatory 02 6125 0230
VICTORIA
October 19th 2011 630pm - 730pm Public Lecture ndash Into the Heart of a Globular Cluster
httpastronomyswineduauoutreach
topic=freelectures
October 28th - 31st 2011 VicSouth Desert Spring Star Party
More info httpvicsouthinfovicsouth2011htm
QUEENSLAND
October 3rd 2011 5pm ndash 6pm Innovation Annual Lecture Sleuthing for Exoplanets
httpwwwscienceuqeduauan-invitation-to-
innovation-annual-lecture
EVENT HORIZON WORLDWIDE ASTRONOMY DAY
Saturday 1st October 2011
UNIVERSE 7 Vol 60 4
Cyril Brown a
dedicated and
active member
from our early
days died on the
5th September
aged 96 at
Maryborough
Cyril joined us in
the late sixties a
period that saw
our Society facing
considerable
difficulty arising
from our having to depart our original home at
Belfield It was fortunate that Cyril came to us when
he did as his property in the semi-rural surrounds
of Dural became the location for the telescopes that
had to be moved from Belfield At the July 1970
AGM ndash held at the Canterbury Council buildings
and our first away from Belfield ndash Cyril was elected
President a position he would hold until 1973 His
home at Dural become an easy-to-reach bdquodark sky‟
site for some years until Bowen Mt became
operational
In his working life Cyril was a Saw Doctor ndash a trade
that covers the repair and upkeep of a range of
tools A McNiven Medal recipient and a Life
Member he filled many positions in his years with
us In 2004 he moved to Queensland to be near
some members of his family who had earlier
moved to that state Cyril maintained his interest in
astronomy going out to see Comet McNaught a few
years ago and looking up astronomy sites on the
internet Within the last year Cyril attended an
astronomy outing with the 1st Burrum Heads Girl
Guides (his great granddaughters are members) to
show them the sky Cyril is survived by daughter
Marian son Cyril Jr grandchildren and great
grandchildren
The Girl Guides really enjoyed the night which was
part of Space Week They followed this up with
decorating our shed with planets etc They were then
presented with their space badge for their sash
Personally I can not say enough of how much we
appreciated Marian bringing Cyril out to share their
knowledge with the girls - Leeanne Bouveng
This poem from Walt Whitman (1865) was
read at his service followed by the closing
lines from his daughter Marian Lynch
When I heard the learn‟d astronomer
When the proofs were ranged in columns
before me
When I was shown the charts and the
diagrams
to add divide and measure them
When I sitting heard the astronomer
where he lectured with much applause in the
lecture room
How soon unaccountable I became tired
and listless
Till rising and going out I wander‟d off by
myself
In the mystical moist night air and from time
to time
Look‟d up in perfect silence at the stars
Now Cyril strolls
from star to star in the Universe
With the greatest Astronomer of all
Sharney Bouveng stands behind Cyril with his great
granddaughters Shylani and Hannah Mallett
(left and right respectively)
VALE CYRIL BROWN
Portraits of Cyril from an earlier time (top left) and
last year (above)
UNIVERSE 8 Vol 60 4
by Gerard Keyzer
In episode two we left Edward Emerson Barnard
with his newly acquired 5-inch refractor as his
observing began in earnest Barnard was gifted
with incredible eyesight and a thoughtful
determined character and he spent the next few
years honing his observing skills while taking his
first tentative steps into the world of the
professional astronomer In his personal life he
was gaining yet more stability earning the respect
and admiration of Rhoda Calvert his colleague‟s
sister who was eventually to become his wife
Around this time Barnard took a long lease on a
nice house on the outskirts of Nashville While not
yet married to each other Rhoda began to help
Edward with the daily running of the household
and the care of his invalid mother As Rhoda was
fourteen years his senior many felt she set her cap
for him as a ldquolast chancerdquo to
avoid spinsterhood Possibly
but this sensitive young man
was mature beyond his years
and marrying on January
27th 1881 the pair became
devoted to each other in
every respect for the
remainder of their lives
It was at the house at 1919
Patterson Ave that Edward
was able to throw himself
into his observations
distanced from the continual
interruptions of casual
visitors to the telescope
Using a homemade light box
he would spend many hours
sketching and was soon
being published in technical journals such as the
English Mechanic The cloud bands and moons of
Jupiter the markings of the Martian surface the
rings of Saturn were all favourite targets His
Byrne refractor was of the finest calibre optically
showing the Galilean moons as distinct discs and
his observations of the Great Red Spot and
eruptions in the cloud bands were compared
favourably with those from Dearborn Observatory
done through an 185-inch refractor and measured
with a micrometer
My favourite story of Barnard‟s early observing
occurred at this time and is best told in his own
words Observing Jupiter at 2am he paused to rest
his eyes for a moment and was bdquohorrified to see two
glaring greenish-red balls of fire a few feet away in
the obscurity of the bushes Cold chills played up
and down my backbone and I was too frightened to
move These balls of fire came slowly toward me A
supernatural horror seemed to bind me to the spot
as a nightmare holds one in its pitiless grasp I
could not have moved if I had known the foul fiend
himself was behind those lights Just at the point
when I felt that I must collapse as the hateful lights
came close to me I felt the warm touch of the
tongue of some animal licking my cold hand and in
the obscurity I saw a great dog wagging his tail in a
friendly manner The relief was tremendous and a
warm flow of blood seemed to infuse my veins It
proved to be a great and fierce bulldog belonging
to my neighbour This dog had always looked so
savage with his cruel teeth that I had not
attempted to cultivate his friendship Why he had
not attacked me in the darkness and what made him
seek this friendship I do not know but from that
time on he was my good friend and made it a habit
to lie down near me every night I was out
observing His friendship was a blessing for I no
longer felt the nameless dread of the night with his
powerful form at my
feet‟ (Reprinted from ldquoThe
Immortal Fire Withinrdquo)
Barnard‟s natural reticence
and conservative nature
were to stand him in good
stead when popular interest
in Mars conjured up all sorts
of fanciful claims of canals
and civilizations He
preferred only to note and
comment on what he actually
observed not what he
ldquothoughtrdquo he saw At twenty-
two he already had an
aversion to ldquorashly drawn
conclusionsrdquo Barnard‟s
settled domestic situation
allowed him to progress his budding semi-
professional status Discovery of a comet brought
much kudos and during this period he was
awarded a cash prize of $200 called the Warner
prize The recognition amongst his peers was the
greater prize sought by Barnard His first comet
discovery was sadly not confirmed later analysis
showing that inferior equipment and delays by
those expected to confirm it led to it being ldquolostrdquo
This caused Barnard great embarrassment but he
would persevere in quest of the Warner prize
desirous of emulating the great comet seekers
Messier and Pons In the course of his comet
seeking he was to discover a new nebula
designated NGC 5584 one of twenty credited to
him during this period Remember most of the
famous Messier objects had been discovered
while searching for comets
On September 17th 1881 Barnard discovered his
first confirmed comet and silenced his critics with
the official designation of Comet Barnard or 1881
Edward Emerson BARNARD
1857-1923
Part Three
NGC 5584 in Virgo
UNIVERSE 9 Vol 60 4
VI With the first Warner prize cheque of $200
Edward and Rhoda bought a plot of land took a
mortgage and built a cottage where they lived
with Edward‟s mother Happy times followed
although they struggled for a living but the
remote location allowed Edward every possible
opportunity to continue with his comet-seeking
gaining the Warner prize again with 1882 III and
discovering a total of sixteen comets in the next
eleven years including the first photographic
discovery Other comets of the period were more
spectacular and created greater interest such as
Wells‟s Comet Swift‟s Comet Tebbutt‟s Comet
(discovered in Australia by JC Tebbutt in June
1881) and the Great Comet of 1882 Barnard‟s
observing diligence and skill were rewarded in
another way as he observed The Great Comet of
1882 Over the period of 22nd September to 14th
October he recorded this comet breaking first in
two then eventually into six or eight fragments
the discovery being confirmed by professionals
from around the globe Interestingly on the
morning of 13th October Barnard had ldquoforeseenrdquo
this occurrence in a dream of a sky filled with
comets He later said ldquo the association of this
dream with the reality has always seemed a
strange thing to merdquo
While less noteworthy for their appearance
Barnard‟s comet discoveries did bring him some
financial security through three Warner prizes
and more importantly they brought him the
official recognition of his peers opening the door
to the professional career he would now aspire to
Locally they brought him acclaim and a group of
prominent citizens resolved to build an
observatory for ldquothe young astronomer of
Nashvillerdquo He would not take the plan seriously
but when the architect‟s plan materialised along
with foundation stonework he rushed to his
benefactors Apologetically he refused their
generous offer because he felt he would be
obliged to remain in situ and not be free to move if
he was offered an official position He was soon to
be proven right
Stay tuned for Episode Four
Sources ndash Various Encyclopaedia Brittanica and Wiki
and ldquoThe Immortal Fire Withinrdquo by William Sheehan
Barnardrsquos skilful drawing of Halleyrsquos Comet
May 18th 1910 at Yerkes Observatory
Barnardrsquos photograph of Comet Swift 1892
Barnardrsquos photographs of Comet Brooks
October 1893 showing the comet
fragmenting
UNIVERSE 10 Vol 60 4
by Andrew James
Last issue featured the planetary nebula He2-73 This
month explores the surrounding region
The following objects can be found in a moderately
starry field using moderate to low power about 40‟ S
of the Crux-Musca border I originally centred on this
field in 20cm using the 26mm Plossel (78x with 32
arcmin field) deliberately just looking for the pair
COO 130 as mentioned in both AOST1amp2 Later I
investigated the other four objects nearby then
centring at the field‟s mid-position at 11h 504m
-65o 04‟ Here you can bdquohold‟ all in one field TZ Mus
IC 2966 He2-80 B2730 and my target pair
Furthermore half a field southwards using moderate
powers there are also two faint Cepheids - UU Mus
and TZ Mus (see descriptions below)
COO 130 HIP 57851 SAO 251617 HD 103079
(11519-6512) was discovered by SI Bailey in 1894
during routine observations to produce the extensive
Cordova Observatory (CD) star catalogue beginning
in the 1890s It is really surprising that neither John
Herschel nor HC Russell found this system in their
extensive double star surveys yet it is very remotely
possible that the star appeared single between 1835
and 1880 COO 130 lies almost 20‟ due east of He2-73
and the field is marked with three stars in a bent line
at the south-eastern edge of the field at low powers
These field stars have respective visual magnitudes
from south to north of 75 75 and 95 and form an
oddly-shaped triangular figure
COO 130 comprises 52v and 74v magnitude (497V
amp 725V) stars with 16 arcsec separation and position
angle of 159o as last measured by the Hipparcos
satellite in 1991 From the available data these stars
are very slowly diminishing in separation thus
making future amateur observations more difficult
Resolution is possible in 15cm telescopes but this
becomes much easier in 20cm AOST2 does claim this
is ldquo just possible rdquo in 75cm but my own four
different observations between 1978 and 1981 using
the 75cm f10 reflector and 108cm refractor could
not resolve the pair even with good seeing Using
20cm these stars are much easier to split and I saw
the colours as bluish and white or perhaps blue and
white which is about right when compared to the
given B4V spectral class for the primary
This same double star is featured in AOST2 as object
483 where a comment on
the connection of the
system states
ldquo the angle is slowly
increasing but separation
has not changed
Physical connection
between the stars seems
likelyrdquo
This is an example of a
bright prominent double
star that observers have
neglected likely just
because it is not among
either the prominent
Russell Herschel or
Dunlop pairs Equal
proper motions are -029
mas and -001 mas for the
RA and Dec
respectively
Selected Measures
PA Sep Year
162 21 1894
159 18 1940
159 16 1991
B 2730 (11478-6519) is a
faint pair within the same
field as the He2-73 some
126‟ SSE first discovered
by W H van den Bos
while presumably
measuring nearby COO
NSP 22 Part Two
Figure 1 Field Chart of He2-73 and Surrounding Objects
This shows the 1o x 1o field of He2-73 in Musca and surrounding objects in NSP 22
The figure also shows the nebula IC 2966 and the motion of the high-proper-motion
star L145-141 between 2010 AD and 3000 AD
UNIVERSE 11 Vol 60 4
130 This 95v and 115 magnitude bluish and
colourless pair is easily visible in dark skies using
either 105cm apertures or 75cm with some
diligence B 2730 was last measured in 1987 where
the separation was measured as 64 arcsec along the
easterly position angle of 104o
TX Mus (11471-6524) is another variable 75 SW
further on from B 2730 (above) This 124 mag RR
Lyrae variable of type ldquoABrdquo It is positioned some 3prime
N of 9th mag star PPM 778644 HD 102466 (11472-
6527) The small rise in brightness from 124 to 128
takes 2 hours 16 minutes being 20 (M-mD) of the
short 0473226 day period Discovery of this period
was is based on the Julian Date (JDE) of
2424260264+-0003 of 19th April 1925
This period was recently updated by German
astronomer Joachim Hubscher in the Information
Bulletin on Variable Star (IBVS) No 5802 on 25th
October 2007 He determines that the minima are
now set from the 10th June 2007 at 22h 00m 29s
UT (JDE 2454262417) Also below TX Mus is a
small 4‟ sized asterism of about twelve stars of
12th magnitude all shaped in an arc Little else is
known about this variable
UU Mus HIP 57884 (11523-
6524) (Appears on map U450) is
a 95 mag star some
120 (PA=160o) from COO 130
and both are shown in
Uranometria 20000 UU Mus
varies between 913-1028 over
1163641 days The rise of 115
magnitudes takes approximately
4305 days where the spectrum
changes from G0p to the hotter
F7 Epoch 2436208270 B-
V=0982 Plx=000285 plusmn 000127
TZ Mus (11509-6508) is fainter
than UU Muscae although it was
discovered first It lies some 69‟
NW through PA 306o from COO
130 Brightness varies between
1116V and 1212V (= 096) magnitude over the period of
4944885 days Epoch
242425937 This yellow-orange
star can be usefully checked
because the wide ldquoPair
1rdquo (11515-6504) to the NE of TZ
Mus is about 53‟ away The white 100 magnitude
star is PPM 778689 and I estimated the magnitudes as
10 and 115 separated by about 30 arcsec at PA 20o
No one so far has listed this faint pair in any of the
double star catalogues
IC 2966 VdBH 56 Bran 374 (11502-6452) (U450)
appears is a faint small 3 arcmin reflection bright
emission nebula that is sometimes referred just as
ldquonebulosity around a starrdquo In 20cm I spent some
time searching for this object in dark skies and
frankly returned without much success The stated
position is merely 202‟ NW at PA 333o of COO 130
and is shown in both Uranometria 20000 and Sky
Atlas 20000 It was discovered by RH Frost using a
24-inch refractor at the Arequipa station in the late
1890s (possibly 1898) and catalogued as Frost 791
(Ann Harv Coll Obs Vollx pp179 - 192 ldquoNebula
found by Photographyrdquo) Later the object was entered
into the Index Catalogue (1908) described as ldquopL
bMrdquo - pretty large bright in middle IC 2966 is really
much smaller than this description suggests and the
latest observations limit this size to 30 arcmin across
Classed as ldquo2 Irdquo in Sky Catalogue 20000 and classed
ldquo1rdquo - Bright (1 Brightest - 2 Faintest) of Intermediate
ldquoIrdquo photographic colour (scaled from Red-Grey-
Blue) they give the visual magnitude of the nebula as
1149v (109B) with the general spectral class of B05
Illuminating the nebulosity is the star PPM 778678
CSI -64-14771 (11507-6455) placed a further 24‟ E at
PA 114o of the central nebula position Given as 100
mag (PPM says 95) this star to my eyes appears
distinctly red in the telescope (Note Another star is
111 magnitude GSC 8981293 on the northern edge
the nebulas boundary) Data in the Tycho catalogue
from the Hipparcos satellite give a parallax of 890
mas and if this is the star brightening the nebula
then distance is roughly 110 pc According to Auke
Slotegraaf‟s ldquoDeep Sky Observer‟s Companionrdquo Van
den Bergh and Herbest noted that there is little
difference in the appearance in
either blue or red astronomical
plates - only that the maximum
diameter is 24 arcmin in red and
26 arcmin in blue
Looking at the object the
photographic images and the
data on this object it is possible
that the brightness of the
nebulosity has changed in the
last hundred years or so as most
stars that illuminate reflection
nebulae are more commonly
blue ie like the Pleiades It is
possible that significant
obscuration is being brought
into play here hiding much of
the nebulous light
BC Mus GSC 89812285 (11475
-6443) is merely 16‟ N from the
Centaurus Musca border This
121 mag semi-detached
eclipsing binary can be seen in a
moderate field with the PNe
He2-73 due south and at the
bottom of the field IC 2966 is on
the eastern edge of the same field with BC Mus
located on the NW edge [Actually 20‟ NE of IC 2966
or 26‟ NNW (PA 345o)] Alternatively use the bluish
70 mag HIP 57451 SAO 251582 HD 102370 BD-64
564 PPM 358966 (11466-6446) some 68‟ NE (PA 70o)
The target star is marked by a roughly 14‟ spaced
equilateral triangle of stars whose apex points due
south with the blue-coloured star to the east being
the variable
BC Mus varies between 122p and 145p over
3511171 days Based on the maximum on the 11th
March 1927 (JDE 2424951363) the ratio of the
primary eclipse to the period is 12 being some
042134052 days Seeing this deep 23 mag drop in
Figure 2 IC 2966 Nebula in Musca
Image size 125 x 125 from ALADIN
previewer (Red AAORDSS2 Blue SERI
DSS2 Green average Redblue image
modified by Silvering reducing
saturation) Note L145-141 HIP 57367 will
pass through this nebula in 2640AD
UNIVERSE 12 Vol 60 4
brightness for an eclipsing binary is unusual and to
catch the magnitude drop of the eclipse you will
certainly have to inspect the field several times
Incidentally about 10‟ to 15‟ NE from this triangle is a
small void almost empty of stars Also the
surrounding fields are scattered with many stars
below 10th magnitude
L145-141 GJ440 HIP 57367 WD1142-645 (11458-
6450) in north-western Musca is one of the closer
stars to the Sun Its main interest is due to the very
high proper motion which is
almost equal in prominence
with the far more famous
southern gem alpha
Centauri L145-141 in fact
has the 27th highest proper
motion known and is the most
southerly of the ldquoTop 100rdquo of
all the quickest moving stars
in the sky It is catalogued as
Gliese-Jones‟s GJ 440 or
alternatively W J Luyten‟s
designation of L145-141 This
faint 115v mag star is easily
found within a lovely starry
field [Note L145-141 in
Uranometria 20000 Chart
450 is shown as a tiny dot
above the ldquo(rdquo of the character
string printed on the chart It
is not the brighter star above
the ldquo(rdquo but the one left of it]
When centred on the nearby
7th mag HIP 57451 L145-141
lies 76‟ SW away along PA
234o almost mirroring the
position of BC Mus and HIP
57451 The actual star is the
southern of two 11th
magnitude stars separated by
13 arcmin Figure 1 shows the 1o field locating both
this star and the variable BC Mus
General proper motions were originally obtained for
this region in the late 1920s with the data published
in 1930 A little later the proximity of the star based
on the measured parallax of 0195 arcsec was found
to be 512pc or 167 ly This happens to be about
twice the current distance of Sirius Hipparcos later
improved the distance to the closer 4617(44) plusmn
0050pc or 1507 plusmn 016 ly from the huge parallax of
021640 plusmn 000211 arcsec making this the 37th closest
star to the Sun More recent observations by Henry T
J et al (1997) during the RECONS observation
program of nearby stars found a slightly improved
value of 021657 plusmn 000201 arcsec and this was
determined by the weighted means of both the
Hipparcos and Yale Parallax Catalog [Note These
data are also available from the ldquoAstronomisches
Rechen-Institutrdquo (AIR) in Heidelberg using the ARICNS
(ARI Data Base for Nearby Stars)]
From this distance the absolute magnitude (Mv) is
1318 being some nine magnitudes or 2100 times
less luminous than the Sun In 1986 the quoted 1144v
magnitude was found using UBV photometry but
more recent observations by Henry et al (1997) find
1150V with the B-V magnitude being the whitish
value of 0196
Observed proper motions for L145-141 have since
proven to be very rapid being similar in value to
alpha Centauri (See NSP 17) with the values in RA
+266517 plusmn 0198 mas and Dec -34683 plusmn 0191 mas
This is equivalent to 2665 arcsec per year or 1o every
1350 years The vector changes in RA by 4442‟ or
0074o and Dec by 0578‟ or 0009o each century
calculating the motion in PA terms as moving
towards PA 974o so that it is
travelling almost due east
Such strong easterly motion is
highly unusual as the majority
of these stars are going the
opposite way (ie directly
opposite even Alpha and
Proxima Centauri) There is
likely some significance in
this as to the origin of the star
that has caused this
prodigious velocity
Presently the proper motion
is towards the emission
nebula IC 2966 (11502-6452)
which it will reach in 2640
AD passing about 2‟ S from its
centre in 2670 AD Eventually
L145-141 will also pass close
to the position of the planetary
IC 4191 (13088-6739) (see
NSP 20) though by then the
PNe nebulosity may already
be totally gone
Spectral data reveal a stellar
white dwarf whose spectral
class was first tentatively
given by Zakhozhaj VA
(1979) as A8VII This was later
changed to ldquoDCrdquo indicating distinct lack of emission
lines or just showing a continuous spectrum This was
again updated to the more modern ldquoDQ6rdquo which
suggests the element carbon is present The ldquo6rdquo in
this instance gauges the surface temperature which
calculated by the equation 50400ldquoTrdquo is 8400K
making its nearest ldquosister starrdquo in temperature
Procyon B in Canis Minor The DQ6 classification is
also similar to the earlier A8 spectrum suggesting the
surface temperature is more like 8200K To date
only UV carbon lines have been detected An
estimated mass for L145-141 is about 05 solar masses
and size can be calculated as about 13000 km across
L145-141 is currently fourth closest of all the known
white dwarfs the first two of course being the
companions to Sirius and Procyon Although this star
is not some PNN it is likely that not too long ago at
least in astronomical terms this was once a PNe
central star The original nebulosity has vanished and
has now long since been forgotten
Two Pairs Near L145-141
In addition to the pair near TZ Mus there are two
more pairs in this field ldquoPair 2rdquo of similar PA and
(Continued bottom next page)
Figure 3 L145-141 HIP 57367 Image of
Surrounding Field and Observed Proper
Motion
HIP 57367 is moving across the field right to left
In 2011 the position is about half the
distance again between the 16 yr (1998-1982)
difference blue star to orange star in image
Image source and format details as for Figure 2
UNIVERSE 13 Vol 60 4
by Richard Jaworski
Welcome to the return of ldquoSeeing
Doublerdquo In this series of articles
I hope to introduce you to some
of the best visual double stars the
sky has to offer
Gamma Delphini (Struve 2727) is
in my list of the top 10 double
stars The star marks one corner
of the asterism ldquoJobs Coffinrdquo in
the constellation Delphinus I
have observed it many times
with my 15cm f8 Newtonian
reflector To my eye the primary
is yellow and the companion is
pale blue by comparison Some
see the companion as greenish
In reality the primary is a
yellow-white dwarf star (F7V)
and the secondary an orange
subgiant star (K1IV) Gamma is
located 101 light-years from us
Adding to the vista is the nearby
fainter pair Struve 2725 located
15‟ to the southwest and often
overlooked in favour of the more
dominant Gamma Struve 2725 is
located 125 light years from us
and has a different proper motion
to that of Gamma
A sketch of the pair can be found
at Astronomy Sketch of the Day -
httpwwwasodinfop=6351
I hope you can take the time to
enjoy this pair of pairs
(From page 12)
separation is about 3‟ NE of L145-14 but these
are about a magnitude fainter than the high-
proper-motion star ldquoPair 3rdquo is 55‟ S This wider
9698 pair points towards HIP 57451
References L145-141 Hoberg JB et al ldquoA new look at the local white dwarf
populationrdquo Astron J 135 1225 (2008)
Subasavage et al ldquoThe solar neighborhood XXI Parallax
results from the CTIOPI 09 M program 20 new members of
the 25 parsec white dwarf samplerdquo Astron J 137 4547
(2009)
Zakhozhaj VA ldquoCatalogue of nearest stars until 10pcrdquo
Vestnik Khar‟kovskogo Universiteta (VKha) 190 52
(1979)
Next in NSP 23
He2-68 on the Eastern Corner of Musca
Seeing DoubleDouble
Star RA Dec Mags PA Separation
Gamma Del 20 467 +16 07 43 52 266 9rdquo0
Struve 2725 20 462 +15 54 71 79 10 6rdquo1
UNIVERSE 14 Vol 60 4
Dear Members
Please be advised that a special general meeting of the Astronomical Society of NSW will be
held on Friday 11th November 2011 at the Epping Creative Centre commencing at 800pm
The purpose of the meeting is to vote on the Committee‟s nomination of
John Flavin for Life Membership
All members are encouraged to attend
Paul Hatchman President
Special General Meeting Friday 11
th
November 2011
Another School Year Over
Despite a lot of what could only
be described as inconsiderate
weather in the early part of the
year in the last month
members of the Society have
visited 3 schools to share the
night sky with students
18th August was Oakhill College
at Castle Hill It was a fairly cool
night with very clear skies and
not too bad seeing for suburban
Sydney Oakhill College is a
school that the Society has been
going to for many years This
year we had 9 members with 6
telescopes and 2 displays in
attendance Harry Roberts had
head science teacher Sandra
Woodward looking at spectra of
Antares whilst Karen
Whittingham was capturing the
spectra on a DMK 21 with
Harry‟s C8 Peter Kinna had his
Milky Way Galaxy model and
Crux distance and local solar
neighbourhood spectral
displays out and these always
get a large gathering to see
them Saturn was the champion
of the night
3rd September was an Open
Night at Tara Anglican School
for Girls at North Parramatta
Over the last 2-3 years the
ASNSW has had a very close
association with Tara and it was
a great pleasure to help them
out with their first open night
Once again the weather was
very kind to us with pretty good
skies despite a 4-5 day old
Moon The guest speaker on
the night was Professor Katherine
Blundell from Oxford University
and Project Leader of the Global
Jet Watch program of which Tara
is one of the participating schools
Students parents and teachers all
got to walk around the observing
field after the talk looking
through telescopes of varying
sizes and types at objects being
shown by members of ASNSW
Twelve members with telescopes
were on hand to help out with the
large crowd Member Karen
Whittingham had students taking
images of the Moon through her
10rdquo LX 200 with a DMK 21 camera
and then emailed the images out
to the students the following day
The evening ended inside the
Dome with ASNSW members
suggesting good objects to be
imaged with the 20rdquo RCOS
Barnard‟s Galaxy and the Bug
Nebula were amongst the objects
imaged
6th September saw the Society
doing a school night at
Abbotsleigh Ladies College
another school that has invited us
back year after year for the last
decade plus some The weather
forecast was looking a bit
foreboding the day before and we
were looking out the window all
day Tuesday to see if the clouds
had rolled in yet Luck was on our
side as we headed up the Pacific
Highway to Wahroonga and we
arrived and set up on the tennis
courts to a very clear night with
only ordinary seeing Saturn will
aways win a crowd even at low
altitude A quick walk around the
scopes to see what was on show
Member Jack Giles had a C11
with a CCD camera at Hyperstar
focus and was imaging M8 and
even though it was very near an
8 day old Moon he was still able
to capture the Hourglass Nebula
Gary Kopff had Neptune in the
18rdquo Obsession scope which was
a real treat for the students Most
humans never see Neptune in the
flesh Globular clusters open
clusters carbon stars and the
Moon all make for a good mix of
objects for the students and
teachers to look at and just as
the last students left the
observing area the sky
deteriorated and by the time
pack up was complete the sky
was gone
The following members have
helped out this year at schools
and I would like to thank them on
behalf of the Society Barry
Gerdes Mick McCullagh Chris
Douglass Harry Roberts Karen
Whittingham Peter Kinna and his
friend (sorry forgot your name)
Alex Comino George Comanos
Richard Jaworski Brett and
Francis White Mark Notary Jack
Giles Gary Kopff Dave Scott
Paddy DeKlerk John Flavin and
an unknown member who came
to Oakhill to help out
School nights will again be
happening next year
Come along have some fun
All the above people had a ball )
Cheers Don Whiteman
Ground-based Reports School Nights
UNIVERSE 15 Vol 60 4
ASNSW EVENTS
Meetings
Friday 7th October 2011 at 800pm
Observational astronomy from Tycho Brahe to
William Herschel
Geoff Smith Observations Officer ASNSW
Friday 14th October 2011 at 800pm
Making the Sky Dark
Dr Simon Ellis AAO
Friday 11th November 2011 at 800pm SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
to vote on Life Membership of John Flavin
Observing Sessions
Crago Observatory 22nd October 19th November
Wiruna 28th - 29th October 25th-26th November
SYDNEY
Astronomy Open Night
at Macquarie University NOTE CHANGE OF DATE
Saturday 29th October 2011
from 630pm to 10pm At 730pm hear Prof Andrew Melatos University of
Melbourne Neutron Stars Natures Most Extreme
Quantum Laboratories
Charges $5 ChildConc $12 Adult $27 Family
[invalid link deleted from sample issue] Please bring along a telescope to share to gain free
entry and join in the fun
Tuesday November 1st ndash 29th from 6pm to 8pm Exploring the Heavens
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash An Introduction to Astronomy Course
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
Thursday November 3rd ndash December 1st 6pm to 8pm Understanding Gravity
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash Learn the Fundamentals of Gravity
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
REGIONAL NSW
October 27th - 30th 2011 Sixth Annual IceInSpace Astro-Camp (IISAC)
Lostock Scout Camp in the Hunter Valley of NSW
Star Party organised by IceInSpace
For more information prices and registration visit
httpwwwiceinspacecomauiisachtml
October 8th - 9th 2011 from 9am ndash 4pm both days Parkes (The Dish) Telescope 50th Anniversary
Open Days
Free entry ndash telescope tours astronomer talks and
QampA sessions and a look behind the scenes at ASKAP ndash
loads of family activities for all
Saturday October 8th 2011 at 6pm Opera at the Dish
For more information check out
httpwwwparkesatnfcsiroaunews_events
opendays2011
October 14th - 28th 2011 The Great World Wide Star Count
Count the stars in Sagittarius
httpwwwwindows2universeorgcitizen_science
starcountconstellations_shhtml
Friday October 14th 2011 at 630pm Science in the Pub Is there anybody out there
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
ANU Astronomers Prof Charlie Lineweaver Dr Daniel
Bayliss and AAO astronomer Dr Simon O‟Toole will
light-heartedly discuss the search for ET Compered
by the ABC Western Plains Sally Bryant
Saturday October 15th 2011 from 10am to 4pm Siding Spring Open Day
Come and see behind the scenes at Australia‟s largest
professional Optical Observatory
Saturday October 15th 2011 Bok Lecture
Prof Mike Bessell ndash Free Astronomical Lecture in
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
For information on the above events contact Donna
Burton [details withheld from sample issue]
ACT
November 6th 2011 - 10am to 4pm Mt Stromlo Observatory Open Day
Contact Mt Stromlo Observatory 02 6125 0230
VICTORIA
October 19th 2011 630pm - 730pm Public Lecture ndash Into the Heart of a Globular Cluster
httpastronomyswineduauoutreach
topic=freelectures
October 28th - 31st 2011 VicSouth Desert Spring Star Party
More info httpvicsouthinfovicsouth2011htm
QUEENSLAND
October 3rd 2011 5pm ndash 6pm Innovation Annual Lecture Sleuthing for Exoplanets
httpwwwscienceuqeduauan-invitation-to-
innovation-annual-lecture
EVENT HORIZON WORLDWIDE ASTRONOMY DAY
Saturday 1st October 2011
UNIVERSE 8 Vol 60 4
by Gerard Keyzer
In episode two we left Edward Emerson Barnard
with his newly acquired 5-inch refractor as his
observing began in earnest Barnard was gifted
with incredible eyesight and a thoughtful
determined character and he spent the next few
years honing his observing skills while taking his
first tentative steps into the world of the
professional astronomer In his personal life he
was gaining yet more stability earning the respect
and admiration of Rhoda Calvert his colleague‟s
sister who was eventually to become his wife
Around this time Barnard took a long lease on a
nice house on the outskirts of Nashville While not
yet married to each other Rhoda began to help
Edward with the daily running of the household
and the care of his invalid mother As Rhoda was
fourteen years his senior many felt she set her cap
for him as a ldquolast chancerdquo to
avoid spinsterhood Possibly
but this sensitive young man
was mature beyond his years
and marrying on January
27th 1881 the pair became
devoted to each other in
every respect for the
remainder of their lives
It was at the house at 1919
Patterson Ave that Edward
was able to throw himself
into his observations
distanced from the continual
interruptions of casual
visitors to the telescope
Using a homemade light box
he would spend many hours
sketching and was soon
being published in technical journals such as the
English Mechanic The cloud bands and moons of
Jupiter the markings of the Martian surface the
rings of Saturn were all favourite targets His
Byrne refractor was of the finest calibre optically
showing the Galilean moons as distinct discs and
his observations of the Great Red Spot and
eruptions in the cloud bands were compared
favourably with those from Dearborn Observatory
done through an 185-inch refractor and measured
with a micrometer
My favourite story of Barnard‟s early observing
occurred at this time and is best told in his own
words Observing Jupiter at 2am he paused to rest
his eyes for a moment and was bdquohorrified to see two
glaring greenish-red balls of fire a few feet away in
the obscurity of the bushes Cold chills played up
and down my backbone and I was too frightened to
move These balls of fire came slowly toward me A
supernatural horror seemed to bind me to the spot
as a nightmare holds one in its pitiless grasp I
could not have moved if I had known the foul fiend
himself was behind those lights Just at the point
when I felt that I must collapse as the hateful lights
came close to me I felt the warm touch of the
tongue of some animal licking my cold hand and in
the obscurity I saw a great dog wagging his tail in a
friendly manner The relief was tremendous and a
warm flow of blood seemed to infuse my veins It
proved to be a great and fierce bulldog belonging
to my neighbour This dog had always looked so
savage with his cruel teeth that I had not
attempted to cultivate his friendship Why he had
not attacked me in the darkness and what made him
seek this friendship I do not know but from that
time on he was my good friend and made it a habit
to lie down near me every night I was out
observing His friendship was a blessing for I no
longer felt the nameless dread of the night with his
powerful form at my
feet‟ (Reprinted from ldquoThe
Immortal Fire Withinrdquo)
Barnard‟s natural reticence
and conservative nature
were to stand him in good
stead when popular interest
in Mars conjured up all sorts
of fanciful claims of canals
and civilizations He
preferred only to note and
comment on what he actually
observed not what he
ldquothoughtrdquo he saw At twenty-
two he already had an
aversion to ldquorashly drawn
conclusionsrdquo Barnard‟s
settled domestic situation
allowed him to progress his budding semi-
professional status Discovery of a comet brought
much kudos and during this period he was
awarded a cash prize of $200 called the Warner
prize The recognition amongst his peers was the
greater prize sought by Barnard His first comet
discovery was sadly not confirmed later analysis
showing that inferior equipment and delays by
those expected to confirm it led to it being ldquolostrdquo
This caused Barnard great embarrassment but he
would persevere in quest of the Warner prize
desirous of emulating the great comet seekers
Messier and Pons In the course of his comet
seeking he was to discover a new nebula
designated NGC 5584 one of twenty credited to
him during this period Remember most of the
famous Messier objects had been discovered
while searching for comets
On September 17th 1881 Barnard discovered his
first confirmed comet and silenced his critics with
the official designation of Comet Barnard or 1881
Edward Emerson BARNARD
1857-1923
Part Three
NGC 5584 in Virgo
UNIVERSE 9 Vol 60 4
VI With the first Warner prize cheque of $200
Edward and Rhoda bought a plot of land took a
mortgage and built a cottage where they lived
with Edward‟s mother Happy times followed
although they struggled for a living but the
remote location allowed Edward every possible
opportunity to continue with his comet-seeking
gaining the Warner prize again with 1882 III and
discovering a total of sixteen comets in the next
eleven years including the first photographic
discovery Other comets of the period were more
spectacular and created greater interest such as
Wells‟s Comet Swift‟s Comet Tebbutt‟s Comet
(discovered in Australia by JC Tebbutt in June
1881) and the Great Comet of 1882 Barnard‟s
observing diligence and skill were rewarded in
another way as he observed The Great Comet of
1882 Over the period of 22nd September to 14th
October he recorded this comet breaking first in
two then eventually into six or eight fragments
the discovery being confirmed by professionals
from around the globe Interestingly on the
morning of 13th October Barnard had ldquoforeseenrdquo
this occurrence in a dream of a sky filled with
comets He later said ldquo the association of this
dream with the reality has always seemed a
strange thing to merdquo
While less noteworthy for their appearance
Barnard‟s comet discoveries did bring him some
financial security through three Warner prizes
and more importantly they brought him the
official recognition of his peers opening the door
to the professional career he would now aspire to
Locally they brought him acclaim and a group of
prominent citizens resolved to build an
observatory for ldquothe young astronomer of
Nashvillerdquo He would not take the plan seriously
but when the architect‟s plan materialised along
with foundation stonework he rushed to his
benefactors Apologetically he refused their
generous offer because he felt he would be
obliged to remain in situ and not be free to move if
he was offered an official position He was soon to
be proven right
Stay tuned for Episode Four
Sources ndash Various Encyclopaedia Brittanica and Wiki
and ldquoThe Immortal Fire Withinrdquo by William Sheehan
Barnardrsquos skilful drawing of Halleyrsquos Comet
May 18th 1910 at Yerkes Observatory
Barnardrsquos photograph of Comet Swift 1892
Barnardrsquos photographs of Comet Brooks
October 1893 showing the comet
fragmenting
UNIVERSE 10 Vol 60 4
by Andrew James
Last issue featured the planetary nebula He2-73 This
month explores the surrounding region
The following objects can be found in a moderately
starry field using moderate to low power about 40‟ S
of the Crux-Musca border I originally centred on this
field in 20cm using the 26mm Plossel (78x with 32
arcmin field) deliberately just looking for the pair
COO 130 as mentioned in both AOST1amp2 Later I
investigated the other four objects nearby then
centring at the field‟s mid-position at 11h 504m
-65o 04‟ Here you can bdquohold‟ all in one field TZ Mus
IC 2966 He2-80 B2730 and my target pair
Furthermore half a field southwards using moderate
powers there are also two faint Cepheids - UU Mus
and TZ Mus (see descriptions below)
COO 130 HIP 57851 SAO 251617 HD 103079
(11519-6512) was discovered by SI Bailey in 1894
during routine observations to produce the extensive
Cordova Observatory (CD) star catalogue beginning
in the 1890s It is really surprising that neither John
Herschel nor HC Russell found this system in their
extensive double star surveys yet it is very remotely
possible that the star appeared single between 1835
and 1880 COO 130 lies almost 20‟ due east of He2-73
and the field is marked with three stars in a bent line
at the south-eastern edge of the field at low powers
These field stars have respective visual magnitudes
from south to north of 75 75 and 95 and form an
oddly-shaped triangular figure
COO 130 comprises 52v and 74v magnitude (497V
amp 725V) stars with 16 arcsec separation and position
angle of 159o as last measured by the Hipparcos
satellite in 1991 From the available data these stars
are very slowly diminishing in separation thus
making future amateur observations more difficult
Resolution is possible in 15cm telescopes but this
becomes much easier in 20cm AOST2 does claim this
is ldquo just possible rdquo in 75cm but my own four
different observations between 1978 and 1981 using
the 75cm f10 reflector and 108cm refractor could
not resolve the pair even with good seeing Using
20cm these stars are much easier to split and I saw
the colours as bluish and white or perhaps blue and
white which is about right when compared to the
given B4V spectral class for the primary
This same double star is featured in AOST2 as object
483 where a comment on
the connection of the
system states
ldquo the angle is slowly
increasing but separation
has not changed
Physical connection
between the stars seems
likelyrdquo
This is an example of a
bright prominent double
star that observers have
neglected likely just
because it is not among
either the prominent
Russell Herschel or
Dunlop pairs Equal
proper motions are -029
mas and -001 mas for the
RA and Dec
respectively
Selected Measures
PA Sep Year
162 21 1894
159 18 1940
159 16 1991
B 2730 (11478-6519) is a
faint pair within the same
field as the He2-73 some
126‟ SSE first discovered
by W H van den Bos
while presumably
measuring nearby COO
NSP 22 Part Two
Figure 1 Field Chart of He2-73 and Surrounding Objects
This shows the 1o x 1o field of He2-73 in Musca and surrounding objects in NSP 22
The figure also shows the nebula IC 2966 and the motion of the high-proper-motion
star L145-141 between 2010 AD and 3000 AD
UNIVERSE 11 Vol 60 4
130 This 95v and 115 magnitude bluish and
colourless pair is easily visible in dark skies using
either 105cm apertures or 75cm with some
diligence B 2730 was last measured in 1987 where
the separation was measured as 64 arcsec along the
easterly position angle of 104o
TX Mus (11471-6524) is another variable 75 SW
further on from B 2730 (above) This 124 mag RR
Lyrae variable of type ldquoABrdquo It is positioned some 3prime
N of 9th mag star PPM 778644 HD 102466 (11472-
6527) The small rise in brightness from 124 to 128
takes 2 hours 16 minutes being 20 (M-mD) of the
short 0473226 day period Discovery of this period
was is based on the Julian Date (JDE) of
2424260264+-0003 of 19th April 1925
This period was recently updated by German
astronomer Joachim Hubscher in the Information
Bulletin on Variable Star (IBVS) No 5802 on 25th
October 2007 He determines that the minima are
now set from the 10th June 2007 at 22h 00m 29s
UT (JDE 2454262417) Also below TX Mus is a
small 4‟ sized asterism of about twelve stars of
12th magnitude all shaped in an arc Little else is
known about this variable
UU Mus HIP 57884 (11523-
6524) (Appears on map U450) is
a 95 mag star some
120 (PA=160o) from COO 130
and both are shown in
Uranometria 20000 UU Mus
varies between 913-1028 over
1163641 days The rise of 115
magnitudes takes approximately
4305 days where the spectrum
changes from G0p to the hotter
F7 Epoch 2436208270 B-
V=0982 Plx=000285 plusmn 000127
TZ Mus (11509-6508) is fainter
than UU Muscae although it was
discovered first It lies some 69‟
NW through PA 306o from COO
130 Brightness varies between
1116V and 1212V (= 096) magnitude over the period of
4944885 days Epoch
242425937 This yellow-orange
star can be usefully checked
because the wide ldquoPair
1rdquo (11515-6504) to the NE of TZ
Mus is about 53‟ away The white 100 magnitude
star is PPM 778689 and I estimated the magnitudes as
10 and 115 separated by about 30 arcsec at PA 20o
No one so far has listed this faint pair in any of the
double star catalogues
IC 2966 VdBH 56 Bran 374 (11502-6452) (U450)
appears is a faint small 3 arcmin reflection bright
emission nebula that is sometimes referred just as
ldquonebulosity around a starrdquo In 20cm I spent some
time searching for this object in dark skies and
frankly returned without much success The stated
position is merely 202‟ NW at PA 333o of COO 130
and is shown in both Uranometria 20000 and Sky
Atlas 20000 It was discovered by RH Frost using a
24-inch refractor at the Arequipa station in the late
1890s (possibly 1898) and catalogued as Frost 791
(Ann Harv Coll Obs Vollx pp179 - 192 ldquoNebula
found by Photographyrdquo) Later the object was entered
into the Index Catalogue (1908) described as ldquopL
bMrdquo - pretty large bright in middle IC 2966 is really
much smaller than this description suggests and the
latest observations limit this size to 30 arcmin across
Classed as ldquo2 Irdquo in Sky Catalogue 20000 and classed
ldquo1rdquo - Bright (1 Brightest - 2 Faintest) of Intermediate
ldquoIrdquo photographic colour (scaled from Red-Grey-
Blue) they give the visual magnitude of the nebula as
1149v (109B) with the general spectral class of B05
Illuminating the nebulosity is the star PPM 778678
CSI -64-14771 (11507-6455) placed a further 24‟ E at
PA 114o of the central nebula position Given as 100
mag (PPM says 95) this star to my eyes appears
distinctly red in the telescope (Note Another star is
111 magnitude GSC 8981293 on the northern edge
the nebulas boundary) Data in the Tycho catalogue
from the Hipparcos satellite give a parallax of 890
mas and if this is the star brightening the nebula
then distance is roughly 110 pc According to Auke
Slotegraaf‟s ldquoDeep Sky Observer‟s Companionrdquo Van
den Bergh and Herbest noted that there is little
difference in the appearance in
either blue or red astronomical
plates - only that the maximum
diameter is 24 arcmin in red and
26 arcmin in blue
Looking at the object the
photographic images and the
data on this object it is possible
that the brightness of the
nebulosity has changed in the
last hundred years or so as most
stars that illuminate reflection
nebulae are more commonly
blue ie like the Pleiades It is
possible that significant
obscuration is being brought
into play here hiding much of
the nebulous light
BC Mus GSC 89812285 (11475
-6443) is merely 16‟ N from the
Centaurus Musca border This
121 mag semi-detached
eclipsing binary can be seen in a
moderate field with the PNe
He2-73 due south and at the
bottom of the field IC 2966 is on
the eastern edge of the same field with BC Mus
located on the NW edge [Actually 20‟ NE of IC 2966
or 26‟ NNW (PA 345o)] Alternatively use the bluish
70 mag HIP 57451 SAO 251582 HD 102370 BD-64
564 PPM 358966 (11466-6446) some 68‟ NE (PA 70o)
The target star is marked by a roughly 14‟ spaced
equilateral triangle of stars whose apex points due
south with the blue-coloured star to the east being
the variable
BC Mus varies between 122p and 145p over
3511171 days Based on the maximum on the 11th
March 1927 (JDE 2424951363) the ratio of the
primary eclipse to the period is 12 being some
042134052 days Seeing this deep 23 mag drop in
Figure 2 IC 2966 Nebula in Musca
Image size 125 x 125 from ALADIN
previewer (Red AAORDSS2 Blue SERI
DSS2 Green average Redblue image
modified by Silvering reducing
saturation) Note L145-141 HIP 57367 will
pass through this nebula in 2640AD
UNIVERSE 12 Vol 60 4
brightness for an eclipsing binary is unusual and to
catch the magnitude drop of the eclipse you will
certainly have to inspect the field several times
Incidentally about 10‟ to 15‟ NE from this triangle is a
small void almost empty of stars Also the
surrounding fields are scattered with many stars
below 10th magnitude
L145-141 GJ440 HIP 57367 WD1142-645 (11458-
6450) in north-western Musca is one of the closer
stars to the Sun Its main interest is due to the very
high proper motion which is
almost equal in prominence
with the far more famous
southern gem alpha
Centauri L145-141 in fact
has the 27th highest proper
motion known and is the most
southerly of the ldquoTop 100rdquo of
all the quickest moving stars
in the sky It is catalogued as
Gliese-Jones‟s GJ 440 or
alternatively W J Luyten‟s
designation of L145-141 This
faint 115v mag star is easily
found within a lovely starry
field [Note L145-141 in
Uranometria 20000 Chart
450 is shown as a tiny dot
above the ldquo(rdquo of the character
string printed on the chart It
is not the brighter star above
the ldquo(rdquo but the one left of it]
When centred on the nearby
7th mag HIP 57451 L145-141
lies 76‟ SW away along PA
234o almost mirroring the
position of BC Mus and HIP
57451 The actual star is the
southern of two 11th
magnitude stars separated by
13 arcmin Figure 1 shows the 1o field locating both
this star and the variable BC Mus
General proper motions were originally obtained for
this region in the late 1920s with the data published
in 1930 A little later the proximity of the star based
on the measured parallax of 0195 arcsec was found
to be 512pc or 167 ly This happens to be about
twice the current distance of Sirius Hipparcos later
improved the distance to the closer 4617(44) plusmn
0050pc or 1507 plusmn 016 ly from the huge parallax of
021640 plusmn 000211 arcsec making this the 37th closest
star to the Sun More recent observations by Henry T
J et al (1997) during the RECONS observation
program of nearby stars found a slightly improved
value of 021657 plusmn 000201 arcsec and this was
determined by the weighted means of both the
Hipparcos and Yale Parallax Catalog [Note These
data are also available from the ldquoAstronomisches
Rechen-Institutrdquo (AIR) in Heidelberg using the ARICNS
(ARI Data Base for Nearby Stars)]
From this distance the absolute magnitude (Mv) is
1318 being some nine magnitudes or 2100 times
less luminous than the Sun In 1986 the quoted 1144v
magnitude was found using UBV photometry but
more recent observations by Henry et al (1997) find
1150V with the B-V magnitude being the whitish
value of 0196
Observed proper motions for L145-141 have since
proven to be very rapid being similar in value to
alpha Centauri (See NSP 17) with the values in RA
+266517 plusmn 0198 mas and Dec -34683 plusmn 0191 mas
This is equivalent to 2665 arcsec per year or 1o every
1350 years The vector changes in RA by 4442‟ or
0074o and Dec by 0578‟ or 0009o each century
calculating the motion in PA terms as moving
towards PA 974o so that it is
travelling almost due east
Such strong easterly motion is
highly unusual as the majority
of these stars are going the
opposite way (ie directly
opposite even Alpha and
Proxima Centauri) There is
likely some significance in
this as to the origin of the star
that has caused this
prodigious velocity
Presently the proper motion
is towards the emission
nebula IC 2966 (11502-6452)
which it will reach in 2640
AD passing about 2‟ S from its
centre in 2670 AD Eventually
L145-141 will also pass close
to the position of the planetary
IC 4191 (13088-6739) (see
NSP 20) though by then the
PNe nebulosity may already
be totally gone
Spectral data reveal a stellar
white dwarf whose spectral
class was first tentatively
given by Zakhozhaj VA
(1979) as A8VII This was later
changed to ldquoDCrdquo indicating distinct lack of emission
lines or just showing a continuous spectrum This was
again updated to the more modern ldquoDQ6rdquo which
suggests the element carbon is present The ldquo6rdquo in
this instance gauges the surface temperature which
calculated by the equation 50400ldquoTrdquo is 8400K
making its nearest ldquosister starrdquo in temperature
Procyon B in Canis Minor The DQ6 classification is
also similar to the earlier A8 spectrum suggesting the
surface temperature is more like 8200K To date
only UV carbon lines have been detected An
estimated mass for L145-141 is about 05 solar masses
and size can be calculated as about 13000 km across
L145-141 is currently fourth closest of all the known
white dwarfs the first two of course being the
companions to Sirius and Procyon Although this star
is not some PNN it is likely that not too long ago at
least in astronomical terms this was once a PNe
central star The original nebulosity has vanished and
has now long since been forgotten
Two Pairs Near L145-141
In addition to the pair near TZ Mus there are two
more pairs in this field ldquoPair 2rdquo of similar PA and
(Continued bottom next page)
Figure 3 L145-141 HIP 57367 Image of
Surrounding Field and Observed Proper
Motion
HIP 57367 is moving across the field right to left
In 2011 the position is about half the
distance again between the 16 yr (1998-1982)
difference blue star to orange star in image
Image source and format details as for Figure 2
UNIVERSE 13 Vol 60 4
by Richard Jaworski
Welcome to the return of ldquoSeeing
Doublerdquo In this series of articles
I hope to introduce you to some
of the best visual double stars the
sky has to offer
Gamma Delphini (Struve 2727) is
in my list of the top 10 double
stars The star marks one corner
of the asterism ldquoJobs Coffinrdquo in
the constellation Delphinus I
have observed it many times
with my 15cm f8 Newtonian
reflector To my eye the primary
is yellow and the companion is
pale blue by comparison Some
see the companion as greenish
In reality the primary is a
yellow-white dwarf star (F7V)
and the secondary an orange
subgiant star (K1IV) Gamma is
located 101 light-years from us
Adding to the vista is the nearby
fainter pair Struve 2725 located
15‟ to the southwest and often
overlooked in favour of the more
dominant Gamma Struve 2725 is
located 125 light years from us
and has a different proper motion
to that of Gamma
A sketch of the pair can be found
at Astronomy Sketch of the Day -
httpwwwasodinfop=6351
I hope you can take the time to
enjoy this pair of pairs
(From page 12)
separation is about 3‟ NE of L145-14 but these
are about a magnitude fainter than the high-
proper-motion star ldquoPair 3rdquo is 55‟ S This wider
9698 pair points towards HIP 57451
References L145-141 Hoberg JB et al ldquoA new look at the local white dwarf
populationrdquo Astron J 135 1225 (2008)
Subasavage et al ldquoThe solar neighborhood XXI Parallax
results from the CTIOPI 09 M program 20 new members of
the 25 parsec white dwarf samplerdquo Astron J 137 4547
(2009)
Zakhozhaj VA ldquoCatalogue of nearest stars until 10pcrdquo
Vestnik Khar‟kovskogo Universiteta (VKha) 190 52
(1979)
Next in NSP 23
He2-68 on the Eastern Corner of Musca
Seeing DoubleDouble
Star RA Dec Mags PA Separation
Gamma Del 20 467 +16 07 43 52 266 9rdquo0
Struve 2725 20 462 +15 54 71 79 10 6rdquo1
UNIVERSE 14 Vol 60 4
Dear Members
Please be advised that a special general meeting of the Astronomical Society of NSW will be
held on Friday 11th November 2011 at the Epping Creative Centre commencing at 800pm
The purpose of the meeting is to vote on the Committee‟s nomination of
John Flavin for Life Membership
All members are encouraged to attend
Paul Hatchman President
Special General Meeting Friday 11
th
November 2011
Another School Year Over
Despite a lot of what could only
be described as inconsiderate
weather in the early part of the
year in the last month
members of the Society have
visited 3 schools to share the
night sky with students
18th August was Oakhill College
at Castle Hill It was a fairly cool
night with very clear skies and
not too bad seeing for suburban
Sydney Oakhill College is a
school that the Society has been
going to for many years This
year we had 9 members with 6
telescopes and 2 displays in
attendance Harry Roberts had
head science teacher Sandra
Woodward looking at spectra of
Antares whilst Karen
Whittingham was capturing the
spectra on a DMK 21 with
Harry‟s C8 Peter Kinna had his
Milky Way Galaxy model and
Crux distance and local solar
neighbourhood spectral
displays out and these always
get a large gathering to see
them Saturn was the champion
of the night
3rd September was an Open
Night at Tara Anglican School
for Girls at North Parramatta
Over the last 2-3 years the
ASNSW has had a very close
association with Tara and it was
a great pleasure to help them
out with their first open night
Once again the weather was
very kind to us with pretty good
skies despite a 4-5 day old
Moon The guest speaker on
the night was Professor Katherine
Blundell from Oxford University
and Project Leader of the Global
Jet Watch program of which Tara
is one of the participating schools
Students parents and teachers all
got to walk around the observing
field after the talk looking
through telescopes of varying
sizes and types at objects being
shown by members of ASNSW
Twelve members with telescopes
were on hand to help out with the
large crowd Member Karen
Whittingham had students taking
images of the Moon through her
10rdquo LX 200 with a DMK 21 camera
and then emailed the images out
to the students the following day
The evening ended inside the
Dome with ASNSW members
suggesting good objects to be
imaged with the 20rdquo RCOS
Barnard‟s Galaxy and the Bug
Nebula were amongst the objects
imaged
6th September saw the Society
doing a school night at
Abbotsleigh Ladies College
another school that has invited us
back year after year for the last
decade plus some The weather
forecast was looking a bit
foreboding the day before and we
were looking out the window all
day Tuesday to see if the clouds
had rolled in yet Luck was on our
side as we headed up the Pacific
Highway to Wahroonga and we
arrived and set up on the tennis
courts to a very clear night with
only ordinary seeing Saturn will
aways win a crowd even at low
altitude A quick walk around the
scopes to see what was on show
Member Jack Giles had a C11
with a CCD camera at Hyperstar
focus and was imaging M8 and
even though it was very near an
8 day old Moon he was still able
to capture the Hourglass Nebula
Gary Kopff had Neptune in the
18rdquo Obsession scope which was
a real treat for the students Most
humans never see Neptune in the
flesh Globular clusters open
clusters carbon stars and the
Moon all make for a good mix of
objects for the students and
teachers to look at and just as
the last students left the
observing area the sky
deteriorated and by the time
pack up was complete the sky
was gone
The following members have
helped out this year at schools
and I would like to thank them on
behalf of the Society Barry
Gerdes Mick McCullagh Chris
Douglass Harry Roberts Karen
Whittingham Peter Kinna and his
friend (sorry forgot your name)
Alex Comino George Comanos
Richard Jaworski Brett and
Francis White Mark Notary Jack
Giles Gary Kopff Dave Scott
Paddy DeKlerk John Flavin and
an unknown member who came
to Oakhill to help out
School nights will again be
happening next year
Come along have some fun
All the above people had a ball )
Cheers Don Whiteman
Ground-based Reports School Nights
UNIVERSE 15 Vol 60 4
ASNSW EVENTS
Meetings
Friday 7th October 2011 at 800pm
Observational astronomy from Tycho Brahe to
William Herschel
Geoff Smith Observations Officer ASNSW
Friday 14th October 2011 at 800pm
Making the Sky Dark
Dr Simon Ellis AAO
Friday 11th November 2011 at 800pm SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
to vote on Life Membership of John Flavin
Observing Sessions
Crago Observatory 22nd October 19th November
Wiruna 28th - 29th October 25th-26th November
SYDNEY
Astronomy Open Night
at Macquarie University NOTE CHANGE OF DATE
Saturday 29th October 2011
from 630pm to 10pm At 730pm hear Prof Andrew Melatos University of
Melbourne Neutron Stars Natures Most Extreme
Quantum Laboratories
Charges $5 ChildConc $12 Adult $27 Family
[invalid link deleted from sample issue] Please bring along a telescope to share to gain free
entry and join in the fun
Tuesday November 1st ndash 29th from 6pm to 8pm Exploring the Heavens
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash An Introduction to Astronomy Course
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
Thursday November 3rd ndash December 1st 6pm to 8pm Understanding Gravity
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash Learn the Fundamentals of Gravity
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
REGIONAL NSW
October 27th - 30th 2011 Sixth Annual IceInSpace Astro-Camp (IISAC)
Lostock Scout Camp in the Hunter Valley of NSW
Star Party organised by IceInSpace
For more information prices and registration visit
httpwwwiceinspacecomauiisachtml
October 8th - 9th 2011 from 9am ndash 4pm both days Parkes (The Dish) Telescope 50th Anniversary
Open Days
Free entry ndash telescope tours astronomer talks and
QampA sessions and a look behind the scenes at ASKAP ndash
loads of family activities for all
Saturday October 8th 2011 at 6pm Opera at the Dish
For more information check out
httpwwwparkesatnfcsiroaunews_events
opendays2011
October 14th - 28th 2011 The Great World Wide Star Count
Count the stars in Sagittarius
httpwwwwindows2universeorgcitizen_science
starcountconstellations_shhtml
Friday October 14th 2011 at 630pm Science in the Pub Is there anybody out there
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
ANU Astronomers Prof Charlie Lineweaver Dr Daniel
Bayliss and AAO astronomer Dr Simon O‟Toole will
light-heartedly discuss the search for ET Compered
by the ABC Western Plains Sally Bryant
Saturday October 15th 2011 from 10am to 4pm Siding Spring Open Day
Come and see behind the scenes at Australia‟s largest
professional Optical Observatory
Saturday October 15th 2011 Bok Lecture
Prof Mike Bessell ndash Free Astronomical Lecture in
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
For information on the above events contact Donna
Burton [details withheld from sample issue]
ACT
November 6th 2011 - 10am to 4pm Mt Stromlo Observatory Open Day
Contact Mt Stromlo Observatory 02 6125 0230
VICTORIA
October 19th 2011 630pm - 730pm Public Lecture ndash Into the Heart of a Globular Cluster
httpastronomyswineduauoutreach
topic=freelectures
October 28th - 31st 2011 VicSouth Desert Spring Star Party
More info httpvicsouthinfovicsouth2011htm
QUEENSLAND
October 3rd 2011 5pm ndash 6pm Innovation Annual Lecture Sleuthing for Exoplanets
httpwwwscienceuqeduauan-invitation-to-
innovation-annual-lecture
EVENT HORIZON WORLDWIDE ASTRONOMY DAY
Saturday 1st October 2011
UNIVERSE 9 Vol 60 4
VI With the first Warner prize cheque of $200
Edward and Rhoda bought a plot of land took a
mortgage and built a cottage where they lived
with Edward‟s mother Happy times followed
although they struggled for a living but the
remote location allowed Edward every possible
opportunity to continue with his comet-seeking
gaining the Warner prize again with 1882 III and
discovering a total of sixteen comets in the next
eleven years including the first photographic
discovery Other comets of the period were more
spectacular and created greater interest such as
Wells‟s Comet Swift‟s Comet Tebbutt‟s Comet
(discovered in Australia by JC Tebbutt in June
1881) and the Great Comet of 1882 Barnard‟s
observing diligence and skill were rewarded in
another way as he observed The Great Comet of
1882 Over the period of 22nd September to 14th
October he recorded this comet breaking first in
two then eventually into six or eight fragments
the discovery being confirmed by professionals
from around the globe Interestingly on the
morning of 13th October Barnard had ldquoforeseenrdquo
this occurrence in a dream of a sky filled with
comets He later said ldquo the association of this
dream with the reality has always seemed a
strange thing to merdquo
While less noteworthy for their appearance
Barnard‟s comet discoveries did bring him some
financial security through three Warner prizes
and more importantly they brought him the
official recognition of his peers opening the door
to the professional career he would now aspire to
Locally they brought him acclaim and a group of
prominent citizens resolved to build an
observatory for ldquothe young astronomer of
Nashvillerdquo He would not take the plan seriously
but when the architect‟s plan materialised along
with foundation stonework he rushed to his
benefactors Apologetically he refused their
generous offer because he felt he would be
obliged to remain in situ and not be free to move if
he was offered an official position He was soon to
be proven right
Stay tuned for Episode Four
Sources ndash Various Encyclopaedia Brittanica and Wiki
and ldquoThe Immortal Fire Withinrdquo by William Sheehan
Barnardrsquos skilful drawing of Halleyrsquos Comet
May 18th 1910 at Yerkes Observatory
Barnardrsquos photograph of Comet Swift 1892
Barnardrsquos photographs of Comet Brooks
October 1893 showing the comet
fragmenting
UNIVERSE 10 Vol 60 4
by Andrew James
Last issue featured the planetary nebula He2-73 This
month explores the surrounding region
The following objects can be found in a moderately
starry field using moderate to low power about 40‟ S
of the Crux-Musca border I originally centred on this
field in 20cm using the 26mm Plossel (78x with 32
arcmin field) deliberately just looking for the pair
COO 130 as mentioned in both AOST1amp2 Later I
investigated the other four objects nearby then
centring at the field‟s mid-position at 11h 504m
-65o 04‟ Here you can bdquohold‟ all in one field TZ Mus
IC 2966 He2-80 B2730 and my target pair
Furthermore half a field southwards using moderate
powers there are also two faint Cepheids - UU Mus
and TZ Mus (see descriptions below)
COO 130 HIP 57851 SAO 251617 HD 103079
(11519-6512) was discovered by SI Bailey in 1894
during routine observations to produce the extensive
Cordova Observatory (CD) star catalogue beginning
in the 1890s It is really surprising that neither John
Herschel nor HC Russell found this system in their
extensive double star surveys yet it is very remotely
possible that the star appeared single between 1835
and 1880 COO 130 lies almost 20‟ due east of He2-73
and the field is marked with three stars in a bent line
at the south-eastern edge of the field at low powers
These field stars have respective visual magnitudes
from south to north of 75 75 and 95 and form an
oddly-shaped triangular figure
COO 130 comprises 52v and 74v magnitude (497V
amp 725V) stars with 16 arcsec separation and position
angle of 159o as last measured by the Hipparcos
satellite in 1991 From the available data these stars
are very slowly diminishing in separation thus
making future amateur observations more difficult
Resolution is possible in 15cm telescopes but this
becomes much easier in 20cm AOST2 does claim this
is ldquo just possible rdquo in 75cm but my own four
different observations between 1978 and 1981 using
the 75cm f10 reflector and 108cm refractor could
not resolve the pair even with good seeing Using
20cm these stars are much easier to split and I saw
the colours as bluish and white or perhaps blue and
white which is about right when compared to the
given B4V spectral class for the primary
This same double star is featured in AOST2 as object
483 where a comment on
the connection of the
system states
ldquo the angle is slowly
increasing but separation
has not changed
Physical connection
between the stars seems
likelyrdquo
This is an example of a
bright prominent double
star that observers have
neglected likely just
because it is not among
either the prominent
Russell Herschel or
Dunlop pairs Equal
proper motions are -029
mas and -001 mas for the
RA and Dec
respectively
Selected Measures
PA Sep Year
162 21 1894
159 18 1940
159 16 1991
B 2730 (11478-6519) is a
faint pair within the same
field as the He2-73 some
126‟ SSE first discovered
by W H van den Bos
while presumably
measuring nearby COO
NSP 22 Part Two
Figure 1 Field Chart of He2-73 and Surrounding Objects
This shows the 1o x 1o field of He2-73 in Musca and surrounding objects in NSP 22
The figure also shows the nebula IC 2966 and the motion of the high-proper-motion
star L145-141 between 2010 AD and 3000 AD
UNIVERSE 11 Vol 60 4
130 This 95v and 115 magnitude bluish and
colourless pair is easily visible in dark skies using
either 105cm apertures or 75cm with some
diligence B 2730 was last measured in 1987 where
the separation was measured as 64 arcsec along the
easterly position angle of 104o
TX Mus (11471-6524) is another variable 75 SW
further on from B 2730 (above) This 124 mag RR
Lyrae variable of type ldquoABrdquo It is positioned some 3prime
N of 9th mag star PPM 778644 HD 102466 (11472-
6527) The small rise in brightness from 124 to 128
takes 2 hours 16 minutes being 20 (M-mD) of the
short 0473226 day period Discovery of this period
was is based on the Julian Date (JDE) of
2424260264+-0003 of 19th April 1925
This period was recently updated by German
astronomer Joachim Hubscher in the Information
Bulletin on Variable Star (IBVS) No 5802 on 25th
October 2007 He determines that the minima are
now set from the 10th June 2007 at 22h 00m 29s
UT (JDE 2454262417) Also below TX Mus is a
small 4‟ sized asterism of about twelve stars of
12th magnitude all shaped in an arc Little else is
known about this variable
UU Mus HIP 57884 (11523-
6524) (Appears on map U450) is
a 95 mag star some
120 (PA=160o) from COO 130
and both are shown in
Uranometria 20000 UU Mus
varies between 913-1028 over
1163641 days The rise of 115
magnitudes takes approximately
4305 days where the spectrum
changes from G0p to the hotter
F7 Epoch 2436208270 B-
V=0982 Plx=000285 plusmn 000127
TZ Mus (11509-6508) is fainter
than UU Muscae although it was
discovered first It lies some 69‟
NW through PA 306o from COO
130 Brightness varies between
1116V and 1212V (= 096) magnitude over the period of
4944885 days Epoch
242425937 This yellow-orange
star can be usefully checked
because the wide ldquoPair
1rdquo (11515-6504) to the NE of TZ
Mus is about 53‟ away The white 100 magnitude
star is PPM 778689 and I estimated the magnitudes as
10 and 115 separated by about 30 arcsec at PA 20o
No one so far has listed this faint pair in any of the
double star catalogues
IC 2966 VdBH 56 Bran 374 (11502-6452) (U450)
appears is a faint small 3 arcmin reflection bright
emission nebula that is sometimes referred just as
ldquonebulosity around a starrdquo In 20cm I spent some
time searching for this object in dark skies and
frankly returned without much success The stated
position is merely 202‟ NW at PA 333o of COO 130
and is shown in both Uranometria 20000 and Sky
Atlas 20000 It was discovered by RH Frost using a
24-inch refractor at the Arequipa station in the late
1890s (possibly 1898) and catalogued as Frost 791
(Ann Harv Coll Obs Vollx pp179 - 192 ldquoNebula
found by Photographyrdquo) Later the object was entered
into the Index Catalogue (1908) described as ldquopL
bMrdquo - pretty large bright in middle IC 2966 is really
much smaller than this description suggests and the
latest observations limit this size to 30 arcmin across
Classed as ldquo2 Irdquo in Sky Catalogue 20000 and classed
ldquo1rdquo - Bright (1 Brightest - 2 Faintest) of Intermediate
ldquoIrdquo photographic colour (scaled from Red-Grey-
Blue) they give the visual magnitude of the nebula as
1149v (109B) with the general spectral class of B05
Illuminating the nebulosity is the star PPM 778678
CSI -64-14771 (11507-6455) placed a further 24‟ E at
PA 114o of the central nebula position Given as 100
mag (PPM says 95) this star to my eyes appears
distinctly red in the telescope (Note Another star is
111 magnitude GSC 8981293 on the northern edge
the nebulas boundary) Data in the Tycho catalogue
from the Hipparcos satellite give a parallax of 890
mas and if this is the star brightening the nebula
then distance is roughly 110 pc According to Auke
Slotegraaf‟s ldquoDeep Sky Observer‟s Companionrdquo Van
den Bergh and Herbest noted that there is little
difference in the appearance in
either blue or red astronomical
plates - only that the maximum
diameter is 24 arcmin in red and
26 arcmin in blue
Looking at the object the
photographic images and the
data on this object it is possible
that the brightness of the
nebulosity has changed in the
last hundred years or so as most
stars that illuminate reflection
nebulae are more commonly
blue ie like the Pleiades It is
possible that significant
obscuration is being brought
into play here hiding much of
the nebulous light
BC Mus GSC 89812285 (11475
-6443) is merely 16‟ N from the
Centaurus Musca border This
121 mag semi-detached
eclipsing binary can be seen in a
moderate field with the PNe
He2-73 due south and at the
bottom of the field IC 2966 is on
the eastern edge of the same field with BC Mus
located on the NW edge [Actually 20‟ NE of IC 2966
or 26‟ NNW (PA 345o)] Alternatively use the bluish
70 mag HIP 57451 SAO 251582 HD 102370 BD-64
564 PPM 358966 (11466-6446) some 68‟ NE (PA 70o)
The target star is marked by a roughly 14‟ spaced
equilateral triangle of stars whose apex points due
south with the blue-coloured star to the east being
the variable
BC Mus varies between 122p and 145p over
3511171 days Based on the maximum on the 11th
March 1927 (JDE 2424951363) the ratio of the
primary eclipse to the period is 12 being some
042134052 days Seeing this deep 23 mag drop in
Figure 2 IC 2966 Nebula in Musca
Image size 125 x 125 from ALADIN
previewer (Red AAORDSS2 Blue SERI
DSS2 Green average Redblue image
modified by Silvering reducing
saturation) Note L145-141 HIP 57367 will
pass through this nebula in 2640AD
UNIVERSE 12 Vol 60 4
brightness for an eclipsing binary is unusual and to
catch the magnitude drop of the eclipse you will
certainly have to inspect the field several times
Incidentally about 10‟ to 15‟ NE from this triangle is a
small void almost empty of stars Also the
surrounding fields are scattered with many stars
below 10th magnitude
L145-141 GJ440 HIP 57367 WD1142-645 (11458-
6450) in north-western Musca is one of the closer
stars to the Sun Its main interest is due to the very
high proper motion which is
almost equal in prominence
with the far more famous
southern gem alpha
Centauri L145-141 in fact
has the 27th highest proper
motion known and is the most
southerly of the ldquoTop 100rdquo of
all the quickest moving stars
in the sky It is catalogued as
Gliese-Jones‟s GJ 440 or
alternatively W J Luyten‟s
designation of L145-141 This
faint 115v mag star is easily
found within a lovely starry
field [Note L145-141 in
Uranometria 20000 Chart
450 is shown as a tiny dot
above the ldquo(rdquo of the character
string printed on the chart It
is not the brighter star above
the ldquo(rdquo but the one left of it]
When centred on the nearby
7th mag HIP 57451 L145-141
lies 76‟ SW away along PA
234o almost mirroring the
position of BC Mus and HIP
57451 The actual star is the
southern of two 11th
magnitude stars separated by
13 arcmin Figure 1 shows the 1o field locating both
this star and the variable BC Mus
General proper motions were originally obtained for
this region in the late 1920s with the data published
in 1930 A little later the proximity of the star based
on the measured parallax of 0195 arcsec was found
to be 512pc or 167 ly This happens to be about
twice the current distance of Sirius Hipparcos later
improved the distance to the closer 4617(44) plusmn
0050pc or 1507 plusmn 016 ly from the huge parallax of
021640 plusmn 000211 arcsec making this the 37th closest
star to the Sun More recent observations by Henry T
J et al (1997) during the RECONS observation
program of nearby stars found a slightly improved
value of 021657 plusmn 000201 arcsec and this was
determined by the weighted means of both the
Hipparcos and Yale Parallax Catalog [Note These
data are also available from the ldquoAstronomisches
Rechen-Institutrdquo (AIR) in Heidelberg using the ARICNS
(ARI Data Base for Nearby Stars)]
From this distance the absolute magnitude (Mv) is
1318 being some nine magnitudes or 2100 times
less luminous than the Sun In 1986 the quoted 1144v
magnitude was found using UBV photometry but
more recent observations by Henry et al (1997) find
1150V with the B-V magnitude being the whitish
value of 0196
Observed proper motions for L145-141 have since
proven to be very rapid being similar in value to
alpha Centauri (See NSP 17) with the values in RA
+266517 plusmn 0198 mas and Dec -34683 plusmn 0191 mas
This is equivalent to 2665 arcsec per year or 1o every
1350 years The vector changes in RA by 4442‟ or
0074o and Dec by 0578‟ or 0009o each century
calculating the motion in PA terms as moving
towards PA 974o so that it is
travelling almost due east
Such strong easterly motion is
highly unusual as the majority
of these stars are going the
opposite way (ie directly
opposite even Alpha and
Proxima Centauri) There is
likely some significance in
this as to the origin of the star
that has caused this
prodigious velocity
Presently the proper motion
is towards the emission
nebula IC 2966 (11502-6452)
which it will reach in 2640
AD passing about 2‟ S from its
centre in 2670 AD Eventually
L145-141 will also pass close
to the position of the planetary
IC 4191 (13088-6739) (see
NSP 20) though by then the
PNe nebulosity may already
be totally gone
Spectral data reveal a stellar
white dwarf whose spectral
class was first tentatively
given by Zakhozhaj VA
(1979) as A8VII This was later
changed to ldquoDCrdquo indicating distinct lack of emission
lines or just showing a continuous spectrum This was
again updated to the more modern ldquoDQ6rdquo which
suggests the element carbon is present The ldquo6rdquo in
this instance gauges the surface temperature which
calculated by the equation 50400ldquoTrdquo is 8400K
making its nearest ldquosister starrdquo in temperature
Procyon B in Canis Minor The DQ6 classification is
also similar to the earlier A8 spectrum suggesting the
surface temperature is more like 8200K To date
only UV carbon lines have been detected An
estimated mass for L145-141 is about 05 solar masses
and size can be calculated as about 13000 km across
L145-141 is currently fourth closest of all the known
white dwarfs the first two of course being the
companions to Sirius and Procyon Although this star
is not some PNN it is likely that not too long ago at
least in astronomical terms this was once a PNe
central star The original nebulosity has vanished and
has now long since been forgotten
Two Pairs Near L145-141
In addition to the pair near TZ Mus there are two
more pairs in this field ldquoPair 2rdquo of similar PA and
(Continued bottom next page)
Figure 3 L145-141 HIP 57367 Image of
Surrounding Field and Observed Proper
Motion
HIP 57367 is moving across the field right to left
In 2011 the position is about half the
distance again between the 16 yr (1998-1982)
difference blue star to orange star in image
Image source and format details as for Figure 2
UNIVERSE 13 Vol 60 4
by Richard Jaworski
Welcome to the return of ldquoSeeing
Doublerdquo In this series of articles
I hope to introduce you to some
of the best visual double stars the
sky has to offer
Gamma Delphini (Struve 2727) is
in my list of the top 10 double
stars The star marks one corner
of the asterism ldquoJobs Coffinrdquo in
the constellation Delphinus I
have observed it many times
with my 15cm f8 Newtonian
reflector To my eye the primary
is yellow and the companion is
pale blue by comparison Some
see the companion as greenish
In reality the primary is a
yellow-white dwarf star (F7V)
and the secondary an orange
subgiant star (K1IV) Gamma is
located 101 light-years from us
Adding to the vista is the nearby
fainter pair Struve 2725 located
15‟ to the southwest and often
overlooked in favour of the more
dominant Gamma Struve 2725 is
located 125 light years from us
and has a different proper motion
to that of Gamma
A sketch of the pair can be found
at Astronomy Sketch of the Day -
httpwwwasodinfop=6351
I hope you can take the time to
enjoy this pair of pairs
(From page 12)
separation is about 3‟ NE of L145-14 but these
are about a magnitude fainter than the high-
proper-motion star ldquoPair 3rdquo is 55‟ S This wider
9698 pair points towards HIP 57451
References L145-141 Hoberg JB et al ldquoA new look at the local white dwarf
populationrdquo Astron J 135 1225 (2008)
Subasavage et al ldquoThe solar neighborhood XXI Parallax
results from the CTIOPI 09 M program 20 new members of
the 25 parsec white dwarf samplerdquo Astron J 137 4547
(2009)
Zakhozhaj VA ldquoCatalogue of nearest stars until 10pcrdquo
Vestnik Khar‟kovskogo Universiteta (VKha) 190 52
(1979)
Next in NSP 23
He2-68 on the Eastern Corner of Musca
Seeing DoubleDouble
Star RA Dec Mags PA Separation
Gamma Del 20 467 +16 07 43 52 266 9rdquo0
Struve 2725 20 462 +15 54 71 79 10 6rdquo1
UNIVERSE 14 Vol 60 4
Dear Members
Please be advised that a special general meeting of the Astronomical Society of NSW will be
held on Friday 11th November 2011 at the Epping Creative Centre commencing at 800pm
The purpose of the meeting is to vote on the Committee‟s nomination of
John Flavin for Life Membership
All members are encouraged to attend
Paul Hatchman President
Special General Meeting Friday 11
th
November 2011
Another School Year Over
Despite a lot of what could only
be described as inconsiderate
weather in the early part of the
year in the last month
members of the Society have
visited 3 schools to share the
night sky with students
18th August was Oakhill College
at Castle Hill It was a fairly cool
night with very clear skies and
not too bad seeing for suburban
Sydney Oakhill College is a
school that the Society has been
going to for many years This
year we had 9 members with 6
telescopes and 2 displays in
attendance Harry Roberts had
head science teacher Sandra
Woodward looking at spectra of
Antares whilst Karen
Whittingham was capturing the
spectra on a DMK 21 with
Harry‟s C8 Peter Kinna had his
Milky Way Galaxy model and
Crux distance and local solar
neighbourhood spectral
displays out and these always
get a large gathering to see
them Saturn was the champion
of the night
3rd September was an Open
Night at Tara Anglican School
for Girls at North Parramatta
Over the last 2-3 years the
ASNSW has had a very close
association with Tara and it was
a great pleasure to help them
out with their first open night
Once again the weather was
very kind to us with pretty good
skies despite a 4-5 day old
Moon The guest speaker on
the night was Professor Katherine
Blundell from Oxford University
and Project Leader of the Global
Jet Watch program of which Tara
is one of the participating schools
Students parents and teachers all
got to walk around the observing
field after the talk looking
through telescopes of varying
sizes and types at objects being
shown by members of ASNSW
Twelve members with telescopes
were on hand to help out with the
large crowd Member Karen
Whittingham had students taking
images of the Moon through her
10rdquo LX 200 with a DMK 21 camera
and then emailed the images out
to the students the following day
The evening ended inside the
Dome with ASNSW members
suggesting good objects to be
imaged with the 20rdquo RCOS
Barnard‟s Galaxy and the Bug
Nebula were amongst the objects
imaged
6th September saw the Society
doing a school night at
Abbotsleigh Ladies College
another school that has invited us
back year after year for the last
decade plus some The weather
forecast was looking a bit
foreboding the day before and we
were looking out the window all
day Tuesday to see if the clouds
had rolled in yet Luck was on our
side as we headed up the Pacific
Highway to Wahroonga and we
arrived and set up on the tennis
courts to a very clear night with
only ordinary seeing Saturn will
aways win a crowd even at low
altitude A quick walk around the
scopes to see what was on show
Member Jack Giles had a C11
with a CCD camera at Hyperstar
focus and was imaging M8 and
even though it was very near an
8 day old Moon he was still able
to capture the Hourglass Nebula
Gary Kopff had Neptune in the
18rdquo Obsession scope which was
a real treat for the students Most
humans never see Neptune in the
flesh Globular clusters open
clusters carbon stars and the
Moon all make for a good mix of
objects for the students and
teachers to look at and just as
the last students left the
observing area the sky
deteriorated and by the time
pack up was complete the sky
was gone
The following members have
helped out this year at schools
and I would like to thank them on
behalf of the Society Barry
Gerdes Mick McCullagh Chris
Douglass Harry Roberts Karen
Whittingham Peter Kinna and his
friend (sorry forgot your name)
Alex Comino George Comanos
Richard Jaworski Brett and
Francis White Mark Notary Jack
Giles Gary Kopff Dave Scott
Paddy DeKlerk John Flavin and
an unknown member who came
to Oakhill to help out
School nights will again be
happening next year
Come along have some fun
All the above people had a ball )
Cheers Don Whiteman
Ground-based Reports School Nights
UNIVERSE 15 Vol 60 4
ASNSW EVENTS
Meetings
Friday 7th October 2011 at 800pm
Observational astronomy from Tycho Brahe to
William Herschel
Geoff Smith Observations Officer ASNSW
Friday 14th October 2011 at 800pm
Making the Sky Dark
Dr Simon Ellis AAO
Friday 11th November 2011 at 800pm SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
to vote on Life Membership of John Flavin
Observing Sessions
Crago Observatory 22nd October 19th November
Wiruna 28th - 29th October 25th-26th November
SYDNEY
Astronomy Open Night
at Macquarie University NOTE CHANGE OF DATE
Saturday 29th October 2011
from 630pm to 10pm At 730pm hear Prof Andrew Melatos University of
Melbourne Neutron Stars Natures Most Extreme
Quantum Laboratories
Charges $5 ChildConc $12 Adult $27 Family
[invalid link deleted from sample issue] Please bring along a telescope to share to gain free
entry and join in the fun
Tuesday November 1st ndash 29th from 6pm to 8pm Exploring the Heavens
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash An Introduction to Astronomy Course
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
Thursday November 3rd ndash December 1st 6pm to 8pm Understanding Gravity
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash Learn the Fundamentals of Gravity
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
REGIONAL NSW
October 27th - 30th 2011 Sixth Annual IceInSpace Astro-Camp (IISAC)
Lostock Scout Camp in the Hunter Valley of NSW
Star Party organised by IceInSpace
For more information prices and registration visit
httpwwwiceinspacecomauiisachtml
October 8th - 9th 2011 from 9am ndash 4pm both days Parkes (The Dish) Telescope 50th Anniversary
Open Days
Free entry ndash telescope tours astronomer talks and
QampA sessions and a look behind the scenes at ASKAP ndash
loads of family activities for all
Saturday October 8th 2011 at 6pm Opera at the Dish
For more information check out
httpwwwparkesatnfcsiroaunews_events
opendays2011
October 14th - 28th 2011 The Great World Wide Star Count
Count the stars in Sagittarius
httpwwwwindows2universeorgcitizen_science
starcountconstellations_shhtml
Friday October 14th 2011 at 630pm Science in the Pub Is there anybody out there
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
ANU Astronomers Prof Charlie Lineweaver Dr Daniel
Bayliss and AAO astronomer Dr Simon O‟Toole will
light-heartedly discuss the search for ET Compered
by the ABC Western Plains Sally Bryant
Saturday October 15th 2011 from 10am to 4pm Siding Spring Open Day
Come and see behind the scenes at Australia‟s largest
professional Optical Observatory
Saturday October 15th 2011 Bok Lecture
Prof Mike Bessell ndash Free Astronomical Lecture in
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
For information on the above events contact Donna
Burton [details withheld from sample issue]
ACT
November 6th 2011 - 10am to 4pm Mt Stromlo Observatory Open Day
Contact Mt Stromlo Observatory 02 6125 0230
VICTORIA
October 19th 2011 630pm - 730pm Public Lecture ndash Into the Heart of a Globular Cluster
httpastronomyswineduauoutreach
topic=freelectures
October 28th - 31st 2011 VicSouth Desert Spring Star Party
More info httpvicsouthinfovicsouth2011htm
QUEENSLAND
October 3rd 2011 5pm ndash 6pm Innovation Annual Lecture Sleuthing for Exoplanets
httpwwwscienceuqeduauan-invitation-to-
innovation-annual-lecture
EVENT HORIZON WORLDWIDE ASTRONOMY DAY
Saturday 1st October 2011
UNIVERSE 10 Vol 60 4
by Andrew James
Last issue featured the planetary nebula He2-73 This
month explores the surrounding region
The following objects can be found in a moderately
starry field using moderate to low power about 40‟ S
of the Crux-Musca border I originally centred on this
field in 20cm using the 26mm Plossel (78x with 32
arcmin field) deliberately just looking for the pair
COO 130 as mentioned in both AOST1amp2 Later I
investigated the other four objects nearby then
centring at the field‟s mid-position at 11h 504m
-65o 04‟ Here you can bdquohold‟ all in one field TZ Mus
IC 2966 He2-80 B2730 and my target pair
Furthermore half a field southwards using moderate
powers there are also two faint Cepheids - UU Mus
and TZ Mus (see descriptions below)
COO 130 HIP 57851 SAO 251617 HD 103079
(11519-6512) was discovered by SI Bailey in 1894
during routine observations to produce the extensive
Cordova Observatory (CD) star catalogue beginning
in the 1890s It is really surprising that neither John
Herschel nor HC Russell found this system in their
extensive double star surveys yet it is very remotely
possible that the star appeared single between 1835
and 1880 COO 130 lies almost 20‟ due east of He2-73
and the field is marked with three stars in a bent line
at the south-eastern edge of the field at low powers
These field stars have respective visual magnitudes
from south to north of 75 75 and 95 and form an
oddly-shaped triangular figure
COO 130 comprises 52v and 74v magnitude (497V
amp 725V) stars with 16 arcsec separation and position
angle of 159o as last measured by the Hipparcos
satellite in 1991 From the available data these stars
are very slowly diminishing in separation thus
making future amateur observations more difficult
Resolution is possible in 15cm telescopes but this
becomes much easier in 20cm AOST2 does claim this
is ldquo just possible rdquo in 75cm but my own four
different observations between 1978 and 1981 using
the 75cm f10 reflector and 108cm refractor could
not resolve the pair even with good seeing Using
20cm these stars are much easier to split and I saw
the colours as bluish and white or perhaps blue and
white which is about right when compared to the
given B4V spectral class for the primary
This same double star is featured in AOST2 as object
483 where a comment on
the connection of the
system states
ldquo the angle is slowly
increasing but separation
has not changed
Physical connection
between the stars seems
likelyrdquo
This is an example of a
bright prominent double
star that observers have
neglected likely just
because it is not among
either the prominent
Russell Herschel or
Dunlop pairs Equal
proper motions are -029
mas and -001 mas for the
RA and Dec
respectively
Selected Measures
PA Sep Year
162 21 1894
159 18 1940
159 16 1991
B 2730 (11478-6519) is a
faint pair within the same
field as the He2-73 some
126‟ SSE first discovered
by W H van den Bos
while presumably
measuring nearby COO
NSP 22 Part Two
Figure 1 Field Chart of He2-73 and Surrounding Objects
This shows the 1o x 1o field of He2-73 in Musca and surrounding objects in NSP 22
The figure also shows the nebula IC 2966 and the motion of the high-proper-motion
star L145-141 between 2010 AD and 3000 AD
UNIVERSE 11 Vol 60 4
130 This 95v and 115 magnitude bluish and
colourless pair is easily visible in dark skies using
either 105cm apertures or 75cm with some
diligence B 2730 was last measured in 1987 where
the separation was measured as 64 arcsec along the
easterly position angle of 104o
TX Mus (11471-6524) is another variable 75 SW
further on from B 2730 (above) This 124 mag RR
Lyrae variable of type ldquoABrdquo It is positioned some 3prime
N of 9th mag star PPM 778644 HD 102466 (11472-
6527) The small rise in brightness from 124 to 128
takes 2 hours 16 minutes being 20 (M-mD) of the
short 0473226 day period Discovery of this period
was is based on the Julian Date (JDE) of
2424260264+-0003 of 19th April 1925
This period was recently updated by German
astronomer Joachim Hubscher in the Information
Bulletin on Variable Star (IBVS) No 5802 on 25th
October 2007 He determines that the minima are
now set from the 10th June 2007 at 22h 00m 29s
UT (JDE 2454262417) Also below TX Mus is a
small 4‟ sized asterism of about twelve stars of
12th magnitude all shaped in an arc Little else is
known about this variable
UU Mus HIP 57884 (11523-
6524) (Appears on map U450) is
a 95 mag star some
120 (PA=160o) from COO 130
and both are shown in
Uranometria 20000 UU Mus
varies between 913-1028 over
1163641 days The rise of 115
magnitudes takes approximately
4305 days where the spectrum
changes from G0p to the hotter
F7 Epoch 2436208270 B-
V=0982 Plx=000285 plusmn 000127
TZ Mus (11509-6508) is fainter
than UU Muscae although it was
discovered first It lies some 69‟
NW through PA 306o from COO
130 Brightness varies between
1116V and 1212V (= 096) magnitude over the period of
4944885 days Epoch
242425937 This yellow-orange
star can be usefully checked
because the wide ldquoPair
1rdquo (11515-6504) to the NE of TZ
Mus is about 53‟ away The white 100 magnitude
star is PPM 778689 and I estimated the magnitudes as
10 and 115 separated by about 30 arcsec at PA 20o
No one so far has listed this faint pair in any of the
double star catalogues
IC 2966 VdBH 56 Bran 374 (11502-6452) (U450)
appears is a faint small 3 arcmin reflection bright
emission nebula that is sometimes referred just as
ldquonebulosity around a starrdquo In 20cm I spent some
time searching for this object in dark skies and
frankly returned without much success The stated
position is merely 202‟ NW at PA 333o of COO 130
and is shown in both Uranometria 20000 and Sky
Atlas 20000 It was discovered by RH Frost using a
24-inch refractor at the Arequipa station in the late
1890s (possibly 1898) and catalogued as Frost 791
(Ann Harv Coll Obs Vollx pp179 - 192 ldquoNebula
found by Photographyrdquo) Later the object was entered
into the Index Catalogue (1908) described as ldquopL
bMrdquo - pretty large bright in middle IC 2966 is really
much smaller than this description suggests and the
latest observations limit this size to 30 arcmin across
Classed as ldquo2 Irdquo in Sky Catalogue 20000 and classed
ldquo1rdquo - Bright (1 Brightest - 2 Faintest) of Intermediate
ldquoIrdquo photographic colour (scaled from Red-Grey-
Blue) they give the visual magnitude of the nebula as
1149v (109B) with the general spectral class of B05
Illuminating the nebulosity is the star PPM 778678
CSI -64-14771 (11507-6455) placed a further 24‟ E at
PA 114o of the central nebula position Given as 100
mag (PPM says 95) this star to my eyes appears
distinctly red in the telescope (Note Another star is
111 magnitude GSC 8981293 on the northern edge
the nebulas boundary) Data in the Tycho catalogue
from the Hipparcos satellite give a parallax of 890
mas and if this is the star brightening the nebula
then distance is roughly 110 pc According to Auke
Slotegraaf‟s ldquoDeep Sky Observer‟s Companionrdquo Van
den Bergh and Herbest noted that there is little
difference in the appearance in
either blue or red astronomical
plates - only that the maximum
diameter is 24 arcmin in red and
26 arcmin in blue
Looking at the object the
photographic images and the
data on this object it is possible
that the brightness of the
nebulosity has changed in the
last hundred years or so as most
stars that illuminate reflection
nebulae are more commonly
blue ie like the Pleiades It is
possible that significant
obscuration is being brought
into play here hiding much of
the nebulous light
BC Mus GSC 89812285 (11475
-6443) is merely 16‟ N from the
Centaurus Musca border This
121 mag semi-detached
eclipsing binary can be seen in a
moderate field with the PNe
He2-73 due south and at the
bottom of the field IC 2966 is on
the eastern edge of the same field with BC Mus
located on the NW edge [Actually 20‟ NE of IC 2966
or 26‟ NNW (PA 345o)] Alternatively use the bluish
70 mag HIP 57451 SAO 251582 HD 102370 BD-64
564 PPM 358966 (11466-6446) some 68‟ NE (PA 70o)
The target star is marked by a roughly 14‟ spaced
equilateral triangle of stars whose apex points due
south with the blue-coloured star to the east being
the variable
BC Mus varies between 122p and 145p over
3511171 days Based on the maximum on the 11th
March 1927 (JDE 2424951363) the ratio of the
primary eclipse to the period is 12 being some
042134052 days Seeing this deep 23 mag drop in
Figure 2 IC 2966 Nebula in Musca
Image size 125 x 125 from ALADIN
previewer (Red AAORDSS2 Blue SERI
DSS2 Green average Redblue image
modified by Silvering reducing
saturation) Note L145-141 HIP 57367 will
pass through this nebula in 2640AD
UNIVERSE 12 Vol 60 4
brightness for an eclipsing binary is unusual and to
catch the magnitude drop of the eclipse you will
certainly have to inspect the field several times
Incidentally about 10‟ to 15‟ NE from this triangle is a
small void almost empty of stars Also the
surrounding fields are scattered with many stars
below 10th magnitude
L145-141 GJ440 HIP 57367 WD1142-645 (11458-
6450) in north-western Musca is one of the closer
stars to the Sun Its main interest is due to the very
high proper motion which is
almost equal in prominence
with the far more famous
southern gem alpha
Centauri L145-141 in fact
has the 27th highest proper
motion known and is the most
southerly of the ldquoTop 100rdquo of
all the quickest moving stars
in the sky It is catalogued as
Gliese-Jones‟s GJ 440 or
alternatively W J Luyten‟s
designation of L145-141 This
faint 115v mag star is easily
found within a lovely starry
field [Note L145-141 in
Uranometria 20000 Chart
450 is shown as a tiny dot
above the ldquo(rdquo of the character
string printed on the chart It
is not the brighter star above
the ldquo(rdquo but the one left of it]
When centred on the nearby
7th mag HIP 57451 L145-141
lies 76‟ SW away along PA
234o almost mirroring the
position of BC Mus and HIP
57451 The actual star is the
southern of two 11th
magnitude stars separated by
13 arcmin Figure 1 shows the 1o field locating both
this star and the variable BC Mus
General proper motions were originally obtained for
this region in the late 1920s with the data published
in 1930 A little later the proximity of the star based
on the measured parallax of 0195 arcsec was found
to be 512pc or 167 ly This happens to be about
twice the current distance of Sirius Hipparcos later
improved the distance to the closer 4617(44) plusmn
0050pc or 1507 plusmn 016 ly from the huge parallax of
021640 plusmn 000211 arcsec making this the 37th closest
star to the Sun More recent observations by Henry T
J et al (1997) during the RECONS observation
program of nearby stars found a slightly improved
value of 021657 plusmn 000201 arcsec and this was
determined by the weighted means of both the
Hipparcos and Yale Parallax Catalog [Note These
data are also available from the ldquoAstronomisches
Rechen-Institutrdquo (AIR) in Heidelberg using the ARICNS
(ARI Data Base for Nearby Stars)]
From this distance the absolute magnitude (Mv) is
1318 being some nine magnitudes or 2100 times
less luminous than the Sun In 1986 the quoted 1144v
magnitude was found using UBV photometry but
more recent observations by Henry et al (1997) find
1150V with the B-V magnitude being the whitish
value of 0196
Observed proper motions for L145-141 have since
proven to be very rapid being similar in value to
alpha Centauri (See NSP 17) with the values in RA
+266517 plusmn 0198 mas and Dec -34683 plusmn 0191 mas
This is equivalent to 2665 arcsec per year or 1o every
1350 years The vector changes in RA by 4442‟ or
0074o and Dec by 0578‟ or 0009o each century
calculating the motion in PA terms as moving
towards PA 974o so that it is
travelling almost due east
Such strong easterly motion is
highly unusual as the majority
of these stars are going the
opposite way (ie directly
opposite even Alpha and
Proxima Centauri) There is
likely some significance in
this as to the origin of the star
that has caused this
prodigious velocity
Presently the proper motion
is towards the emission
nebula IC 2966 (11502-6452)
which it will reach in 2640
AD passing about 2‟ S from its
centre in 2670 AD Eventually
L145-141 will also pass close
to the position of the planetary
IC 4191 (13088-6739) (see
NSP 20) though by then the
PNe nebulosity may already
be totally gone
Spectral data reveal a stellar
white dwarf whose spectral
class was first tentatively
given by Zakhozhaj VA
(1979) as A8VII This was later
changed to ldquoDCrdquo indicating distinct lack of emission
lines or just showing a continuous spectrum This was
again updated to the more modern ldquoDQ6rdquo which
suggests the element carbon is present The ldquo6rdquo in
this instance gauges the surface temperature which
calculated by the equation 50400ldquoTrdquo is 8400K
making its nearest ldquosister starrdquo in temperature
Procyon B in Canis Minor The DQ6 classification is
also similar to the earlier A8 spectrum suggesting the
surface temperature is more like 8200K To date
only UV carbon lines have been detected An
estimated mass for L145-141 is about 05 solar masses
and size can be calculated as about 13000 km across
L145-141 is currently fourth closest of all the known
white dwarfs the first two of course being the
companions to Sirius and Procyon Although this star
is not some PNN it is likely that not too long ago at
least in astronomical terms this was once a PNe
central star The original nebulosity has vanished and
has now long since been forgotten
Two Pairs Near L145-141
In addition to the pair near TZ Mus there are two
more pairs in this field ldquoPair 2rdquo of similar PA and
(Continued bottom next page)
Figure 3 L145-141 HIP 57367 Image of
Surrounding Field and Observed Proper
Motion
HIP 57367 is moving across the field right to left
In 2011 the position is about half the
distance again between the 16 yr (1998-1982)
difference blue star to orange star in image
Image source and format details as for Figure 2
UNIVERSE 13 Vol 60 4
by Richard Jaworski
Welcome to the return of ldquoSeeing
Doublerdquo In this series of articles
I hope to introduce you to some
of the best visual double stars the
sky has to offer
Gamma Delphini (Struve 2727) is
in my list of the top 10 double
stars The star marks one corner
of the asterism ldquoJobs Coffinrdquo in
the constellation Delphinus I
have observed it many times
with my 15cm f8 Newtonian
reflector To my eye the primary
is yellow and the companion is
pale blue by comparison Some
see the companion as greenish
In reality the primary is a
yellow-white dwarf star (F7V)
and the secondary an orange
subgiant star (K1IV) Gamma is
located 101 light-years from us
Adding to the vista is the nearby
fainter pair Struve 2725 located
15‟ to the southwest and often
overlooked in favour of the more
dominant Gamma Struve 2725 is
located 125 light years from us
and has a different proper motion
to that of Gamma
A sketch of the pair can be found
at Astronomy Sketch of the Day -
httpwwwasodinfop=6351
I hope you can take the time to
enjoy this pair of pairs
(From page 12)
separation is about 3‟ NE of L145-14 but these
are about a magnitude fainter than the high-
proper-motion star ldquoPair 3rdquo is 55‟ S This wider
9698 pair points towards HIP 57451
References L145-141 Hoberg JB et al ldquoA new look at the local white dwarf
populationrdquo Astron J 135 1225 (2008)
Subasavage et al ldquoThe solar neighborhood XXI Parallax
results from the CTIOPI 09 M program 20 new members of
the 25 parsec white dwarf samplerdquo Astron J 137 4547
(2009)
Zakhozhaj VA ldquoCatalogue of nearest stars until 10pcrdquo
Vestnik Khar‟kovskogo Universiteta (VKha) 190 52
(1979)
Next in NSP 23
He2-68 on the Eastern Corner of Musca
Seeing DoubleDouble
Star RA Dec Mags PA Separation
Gamma Del 20 467 +16 07 43 52 266 9rdquo0
Struve 2725 20 462 +15 54 71 79 10 6rdquo1
UNIVERSE 14 Vol 60 4
Dear Members
Please be advised that a special general meeting of the Astronomical Society of NSW will be
held on Friday 11th November 2011 at the Epping Creative Centre commencing at 800pm
The purpose of the meeting is to vote on the Committee‟s nomination of
John Flavin for Life Membership
All members are encouraged to attend
Paul Hatchman President
Special General Meeting Friday 11
th
November 2011
Another School Year Over
Despite a lot of what could only
be described as inconsiderate
weather in the early part of the
year in the last month
members of the Society have
visited 3 schools to share the
night sky with students
18th August was Oakhill College
at Castle Hill It was a fairly cool
night with very clear skies and
not too bad seeing for suburban
Sydney Oakhill College is a
school that the Society has been
going to for many years This
year we had 9 members with 6
telescopes and 2 displays in
attendance Harry Roberts had
head science teacher Sandra
Woodward looking at spectra of
Antares whilst Karen
Whittingham was capturing the
spectra on a DMK 21 with
Harry‟s C8 Peter Kinna had his
Milky Way Galaxy model and
Crux distance and local solar
neighbourhood spectral
displays out and these always
get a large gathering to see
them Saturn was the champion
of the night
3rd September was an Open
Night at Tara Anglican School
for Girls at North Parramatta
Over the last 2-3 years the
ASNSW has had a very close
association with Tara and it was
a great pleasure to help them
out with their first open night
Once again the weather was
very kind to us with pretty good
skies despite a 4-5 day old
Moon The guest speaker on
the night was Professor Katherine
Blundell from Oxford University
and Project Leader of the Global
Jet Watch program of which Tara
is one of the participating schools
Students parents and teachers all
got to walk around the observing
field after the talk looking
through telescopes of varying
sizes and types at objects being
shown by members of ASNSW
Twelve members with telescopes
were on hand to help out with the
large crowd Member Karen
Whittingham had students taking
images of the Moon through her
10rdquo LX 200 with a DMK 21 camera
and then emailed the images out
to the students the following day
The evening ended inside the
Dome with ASNSW members
suggesting good objects to be
imaged with the 20rdquo RCOS
Barnard‟s Galaxy and the Bug
Nebula were amongst the objects
imaged
6th September saw the Society
doing a school night at
Abbotsleigh Ladies College
another school that has invited us
back year after year for the last
decade plus some The weather
forecast was looking a bit
foreboding the day before and we
were looking out the window all
day Tuesday to see if the clouds
had rolled in yet Luck was on our
side as we headed up the Pacific
Highway to Wahroonga and we
arrived and set up on the tennis
courts to a very clear night with
only ordinary seeing Saturn will
aways win a crowd even at low
altitude A quick walk around the
scopes to see what was on show
Member Jack Giles had a C11
with a CCD camera at Hyperstar
focus and was imaging M8 and
even though it was very near an
8 day old Moon he was still able
to capture the Hourglass Nebula
Gary Kopff had Neptune in the
18rdquo Obsession scope which was
a real treat for the students Most
humans never see Neptune in the
flesh Globular clusters open
clusters carbon stars and the
Moon all make for a good mix of
objects for the students and
teachers to look at and just as
the last students left the
observing area the sky
deteriorated and by the time
pack up was complete the sky
was gone
The following members have
helped out this year at schools
and I would like to thank them on
behalf of the Society Barry
Gerdes Mick McCullagh Chris
Douglass Harry Roberts Karen
Whittingham Peter Kinna and his
friend (sorry forgot your name)
Alex Comino George Comanos
Richard Jaworski Brett and
Francis White Mark Notary Jack
Giles Gary Kopff Dave Scott
Paddy DeKlerk John Flavin and
an unknown member who came
to Oakhill to help out
School nights will again be
happening next year
Come along have some fun
All the above people had a ball )
Cheers Don Whiteman
Ground-based Reports School Nights
UNIVERSE 15 Vol 60 4
ASNSW EVENTS
Meetings
Friday 7th October 2011 at 800pm
Observational astronomy from Tycho Brahe to
William Herschel
Geoff Smith Observations Officer ASNSW
Friday 14th October 2011 at 800pm
Making the Sky Dark
Dr Simon Ellis AAO
Friday 11th November 2011 at 800pm SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
to vote on Life Membership of John Flavin
Observing Sessions
Crago Observatory 22nd October 19th November
Wiruna 28th - 29th October 25th-26th November
SYDNEY
Astronomy Open Night
at Macquarie University NOTE CHANGE OF DATE
Saturday 29th October 2011
from 630pm to 10pm At 730pm hear Prof Andrew Melatos University of
Melbourne Neutron Stars Natures Most Extreme
Quantum Laboratories
Charges $5 ChildConc $12 Adult $27 Family
[invalid link deleted from sample issue] Please bring along a telescope to share to gain free
entry and join in the fun
Tuesday November 1st ndash 29th from 6pm to 8pm Exploring the Heavens
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash An Introduction to Astronomy Course
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
Thursday November 3rd ndash December 1st 6pm to 8pm Understanding Gravity
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash Learn the Fundamentals of Gravity
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
REGIONAL NSW
October 27th - 30th 2011 Sixth Annual IceInSpace Astro-Camp (IISAC)
Lostock Scout Camp in the Hunter Valley of NSW
Star Party organised by IceInSpace
For more information prices and registration visit
httpwwwiceinspacecomauiisachtml
October 8th - 9th 2011 from 9am ndash 4pm both days Parkes (The Dish) Telescope 50th Anniversary
Open Days
Free entry ndash telescope tours astronomer talks and
QampA sessions and a look behind the scenes at ASKAP ndash
loads of family activities for all
Saturday October 8th 2011 at 6pm Opera at the Dish
For more information check out
httpwwwparkesatnfcsiroaunews_events
opendays2011
October 14th - 28th 2011 The Great World Wide Star Count
Count the stars in Sagittarius
httpwwwwindows2universeorgcitizen_science
starcountconstellations_shhtml
Friday October 14th 2011 at 630pm Science in the Pub Is there anybody out there
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
ANU Astronomers Prof Charlie Lineweaver Dr Daniel
Bayliss and AAO astronomer Dr Simon O‟Toole will
light-heartedly discuss the search for ET Compered
by the ABC Western Plains Sally Bryant
Saturday October 15th 2011 from 10am to 4pm Siding Spring Open Day
Come and see behind the scenes at Australia‟s largest
professional Optical Observatory
Saturday October 15th 2011 Bok Lecture
Prof Mike Bessell ndash Free Astronomical Lecture in
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
For information on the above events contact Donna
Burton [details withheld from sample issue]
ACT
November 6th 2011 - 10am to 4pm Mt Stromlo Observatory Open Day
Contact Mt Stromlo Observatory 02 6125 0230
VICTORIA
October 19th 2011 630pm - 730pm Public Lecture ndash Into the Heart of a Globular Cluster
httpastronomyswineduauoutreach
topic=freelectures
October 28th - 31st 2011 VicSouth Desert Spring Star Party
More info httpvicsouthinfovicsouth2011htm
QUEENSLAND
October 3rd 2011 5pm ndash 6pm Innovation Annual Lecture Sleuthing for Exoplanets
httpwwwscienceuqeduauan-invitation-to-
innovation-annual-lecture
EVENT HORIZON WORLDWIDE ASTRONOMY DAY
Saturday 1st October 2011
UNIVERSE 11 Vol 60 4
130 This 95v and 115 magnitude bluish and
colourless pair is easily visible in dark skies using
either 105cm apertures or 75cm with some
diligence B 2730 was last measured in 1987 where
the separation was measured as 64 arcsec along the
easterly position angle of 104o
TX Mus (11471-6524) is another variable 75 SW
further on from B 2730 (above) This 124 mag RR
Lyrae variable of type ldquoABrdquo It is positioned some 3prime
N of 9th mag star PPM 778644 HD 102466 (11472-
6527) The small rise in brightness from 124 to 128
takes 2 hours 16 minutes being 20 (M-mD) of the
short 0473226 day period Discovery of this period
was is based on the Julian Date (JDE) of
2424260264+-0003 of 19th April 1925
This period was recently updated by German
astronomer Joachim Hubscher in the Information
Bulletin on Variable Star (IBVS) No 5802 on 25th
October 2007 He determines that the minima are
now set from the 10th June 2007 at 22h 00m 29s
UT (JDE 2454262417) Also below TX Mus is a
small 4‟ sized asterism of about twelve stars of
12th magnitude all shaped in an arc Little else is
known about this variable
UU Mus HIP 57884 (11523-
6524) (Appears on map U450) is
a 95 mag star some
120 (PA=160o) from COO 130
and both are shown in
Uranometria 20000 UU Mus
varies between 913-1028 over
1163641 days The rise of 115
magnitudes takes approximately
4305 days where the spectrum
changes from G0p to the hotter
F7 Epoch 2436208270 B-
V=0982 Plx=000285 plusmn 000127
TZ Mus (11509-6508) is fainter
than UU Muscae although it was
discovered first It lies some 69‟
NW through PA 306o from COO
130 Brightness varies between
1116V and 1212V (= 096) magnitude over the period of
4944885 days Epoch
242425937 This yellow-orange
star can be usefully checked
because the wide ldquoPair
1rdquo (11515-6504) to the NE of TZ
Mus is about 53‟ away The white 100 magnitude
star is PPM 778689 and I estimated the magnitudes as
10 and 115 separated by about 30 arcsec at PA 20o
No one so far has listed this faint pair in any of the
double star catalogues
IC 2966 VdBH 56 Bran 374 (11502-6452) (U450)
appears is a faint small 3 arcmin reflection bright
emission nebula that is sometimes referred just as
ldquonebulosity around a starrdquo In 20cm I spent some
time searching for this object in dark skies and
frankly returned without much success The stated
position is merely 202‟ NW at PA 333o of COO 130
and is shown in both Uranometria 20000 and Sky
Atlas 20000 It was discovered by RH Frost using a
24-inch refractor at the Arequipa station in the late
1890s (possibly 1898) and catalogued as Frost 791
(Ann Harv Coll Obs Vollx pp179 - 192 ldquoNebula
found by Photographyrdquo) Later the object was entered
into the Index Catalogue (1908) described as ldquopL
bMrdquo - pretty large bright in middle IC 2966 is really
much smaller than this description suggests and the
latest observations limit this size to 30 arcmin across
Classed as ldquo2 Irdquo in Sky Catalogue 20000 and classed
ldquo1rdquo - Bright (1 Brightest - 2 Faintest) of Intermediate
ldquoIrdquo photographic colour (scaled from Red-Grey-
Blue) they give the visual magnitude of the nebula as
1149v (109B) with the general spectral class of B05
Illuminating the nebulosity is the star PPM 778678
CSI -64-14771 (11507-6455) placed a further 24‟ E at
PA 114o of the central nebula position Given as 100
mag (PPM says 95) this star to my eyes appears
distinctly red in the telescope (Note Another star is
111 magnitude GSC 8981293 on the northern edge
the nebulas boundary) Data in the Tycho catalogue
from the Hipparcos satellite give a parallax of 890
mas and if this is the star brightening the nebula
then distance is roughly 110 pc According to Auke
Slotegraaf‟s ldquoDeep Sky Observer‟s Companionrdquo Van
den Bergh and Herbest noted that there is little
difference in the appearance in
either blue or red astronomical
plates - only that the maximum
diameter is 24 arcmin in red and
26 arcmin in blue
Looking at the object the
photographic images and the
data on this object it is possible
that the brightness of the
nebulosity has changed in the
last hundred years or so as most
stars that illuminate reflection
nebulae are more commonly
blue ie like the Pleiades It is
possible that significant
obscuration is being brought
into play here hiding much of
the nebulous light
BC Mus GSC 89812285 (11475
-6443) is merely 16‟ N from the
Centaurus Musca border This
121 mag semi-detached
eclipsing binary can be seen in a
moderate field with the PNe
He2-73 due south and at the
bottom of the field IC 2966 is on
the eastern edge of the same field with BC Mus
located on the NW edge [Actually 20‟ NE of IC 2966
or 26‟ NNW (PA 345o)] Alternatively use the bluish
70 mag HIP 57451 SAO 251582 HD 102370 BD-64
564 PPM 358966 (11466-6446) some 68‟ NE (PA 70o)
The target star is marked by a roughly 14‟ spaced
equilateral triangle of stars whose apex points due
south with the blue-coloured star to the east being
the variable
BC Mus varies between 122p and 145p over
3511171 days Based on the maximum on the 11th
March 1927 (JDE 2424951363) the ratio of the
primary eclipse to the period is 12 being some
042134052 days Seeing this deep 23 mag drop in
Figure 2 IC 2966 Nebula in Musca
Image size 125 x 125 from ALADIN
previewer (Red AAORDSS2 Blue SERI
DSS2 Green average Redblue image
modified by Silvering reducing
saturation) Note L145-141 HIP 57367 will
pass through this nebula in 2640AD
UNIVERSE 12 Vol 60 4
brightness for an eclipsing binary is unusual and to
catch the magnitude drop of the eclipse you will
certainly have to inspect the field several times
Incidentally about 10‟ to 15‟ NE from this triangle is a
small void almost empty of stars Also the
surrounding fields are scattered with many stars
below 10th magnitude
L145-141 GJ440 HIP 57367 WD1142-645 (11458-
6450) in north-western Musca is one of the closer
stars to the Sun Its main interest is due to the very
high proper motion which is
almost equal in prominence
with the far more famous
southern gem alpha
Centauri L145-141 in fact
has the 27th highest proper
motion known and is the most
southerly of the ldquoTop 100rdquo of
all the quickest moving stars
in the sky It is catalogued as
Gliese-Jones‟s GJ 440 or
alternatively W J Luyten‟s
designation of L145-141 This
faint 115v mag star is easily
found within a lovely starry
field [Note L145-141 in
Uranometria 20000 Chart
450 is shown as a tiny dot
above the ldquo(rdquo of the character
string printed on the chart It
is not the brighter star above
the ldquo(rdquo but the one left of it]
When centred on the nearby
7th mag HIP 57451 L145-141
lies 76‟ SW away along PA
234o almost mirroring the
position of BC Mus and HIP
57451 The actual star is the
southern of two 11th
magnitude stars separated by
13 arcmin Figure 1 shows the 1o field locating both
this star and the variable BC Mus
General proper motions were originally obtained for
this region in the late 1920s with the data published
in 1930 A little later the proximity of the star based
on the measured parallax of 0195 arcsec was found
to be 512pc or 167 ly This happens to be about
twice the current distance of Sirius Hipparcos later
improved the distance to the closer 4617(44) plusmn
0050pc or 1507 plusmn 016 ly from the huge parallax of
021640 plusmn 000211 arcsec making this the 37th closest
star to the Sun More recent observations by Henry T
J et al (1997) during the RECONS observation
program of nearby stars found a slightly improved
value of 021657 plusmn 000201 arcsec and this was
determined by the weighted means of both the
Hipparcos and Yale Parallax Catalog [Note These
data are also available from the ldquoAstronomisches
Rechen-Institutrdquo (AIR) in Heidelberg using the ARICNS
(ARI Data Base for Nearby Stars)]
From this distance the absolute magnitude (Mv) is
1318 being some nine magnitudes or 2100 times
less luminous than the Sun In 1986 the quoted 1144v
magnitude was found using UBV photometry but
more recent observations by Henry et al (1997) find
1150V with the B-V magnitude being the whitish
value of 0196
Observed proper motions for L145-141 have since
proven to be very rapid being similar in value to
alpha Centauri (See NSP 17) with the values in RA
+266517 plusmn 0198 mas and Dec -34683 plusmn 0191 mas
This is equivalent to 2665 arcsec per year or 1o every
1350 years The vector changes in RA by 4442‟ or
0074o and Dec by 0578‟ or 0009o each century
calculating the motion in PA terms as moving
towards PA 974o so that it is
travelling almost due east
Such strong easterly motion is
highly unusual as the majority
of these stars are going the
opposite way (ie directly
opposite even Alpha and
Proxima Centauri) There is
likely some significance in
this as to the origin of the star
that has caused this
prodigious velocity
Presently the proper motion
is towards the emission
nebula IC 2966 (11502-6452)
which it will reach in 2640
AD passing about 2‟ S from its
centre in 2670 AD Eventually
L145-141 will also pass close
to the position of the planetary
IC 4191 (13088-6739) (see
NSP 20) though by then the
PNe nebulosity may already
be totally gone
Spectral data reveal a stellar
white dwarf whose spectral
class was first tentatively
given by Zakhozhaj VA
(1979) as A8VII This was later
changed to ldquoDCrdquo indicating distinct lack of emission
lines or just showing a continuous spectrum This was
again updated to the more modern ldquoDQ6rdquo which
suggests the element carbon is present The ldquo6rdquo in
this instance gauges the surface temperature which
calculated by the equation 50400ldquoTrdquo is 8400K
making its nearest ldquosister starrdquo in temperature
Procyon B in Canis Minor The DQ6 classification is
also similar to the earlier A8 spectrum suggesting the
surface temperature is more like 8200K To date
only UV carbon lines have been detected An
estimated mass for L145-141 is about 05 solar masses
and size can be calculated as about 13000 km across
L145-141 is currently fourth closest of all the known
white dwarfs the first two of course being the
companions to Sirius and Procyon Although this star
is not some PNN it is likely that not too long ago at
least in astronomical terms this was once a PNe
central star The original nebulosity has vanished and
has now long since been forgotten
Two Pairs Near L145-141
In addition to the pair near TZ Mus there are two
more pairs in this field ldquoPair 2rdquo of similar PA and
(Continued bottom next page)
Figure 3 L145-141 HIP 57367 Image of
Surrounding Field and Observed Proper
Motion
HIP 57367 is moving across the field right to left
In 2011 the position is about half the
distance again between the 16 yr (1998-1982)
difference blue star to orange star in image
Image source and format details as for Figure 2
UNIVERSE 13 Vol 60 4
by Richard Jaworski
Welcome to the return of ldquoSeeing
Doublerdquo In this series of articles
I hope to introduce you to some
of the best visual double stars the
sky has to offer
Gamma Delphini (Struve 2727) is
in my list of the top 10 double
stars The star marks one corner
of the asterism ldquoJobs Coffinrdquo in
the constellation Delphinus I
have observed it many times
with my 15cm f8 Newtonian
reflector To my eye the primary
is yellow and the companion is
pale blue by comparison Some
see the companion as greenish
In reality the primary is a
yellow-white dwarf star (F7V)
and the secondary an orange
subgiant star (K1IV) Gamma is
located 101 light-years from us
Adding to the vista is the nearby
fainter pair Struve 2725 located
15‟ to the southwest and often
overlooked in favour of the more
dominant Gamma Struve 2725 is
located 125 light years from us
and has a different proper motion
to that of Gamma
A sketch of the pair can be found
at Astronomy Sketch of the Day -
httpwwwasodinfop=6351
I hope you can take the time to
enjoy this pair of pairs
(From page 12)
separation is about 3‟ NE of L145-14 but these
are about a magnitude fainter than the high-
proper-motion star ldquoPair 3rdquo is 55‟ S This wider
9698 pair points towards HIP 57451
References L145-141 Hoberg JB et al ldquoA new look at the local white dwarf
populationrdquo Astron J 135 1225 (2008)
Subasavage et al ldquoThe solar neighborhood XXI Parallax
results from the CTIOPI 09 M program 20 new members of
the 25 parsec white dwarf samplerdquo Astron J 137 4547
(2009)
Zakhozhaj VA ldquoCatalogue of nearest stars until 10pcrdquo
Vestnik Khar‟kovskogo Universiteta (VKha) 190 52
(1979)
Next in NSP 23
He2-68 on the Eastern Corner of Musca
Seeing DoubleDouble
Star RA Dec Mags PA Separation
Gamma Del 20 467 +16 07 43 52 266 9rdquo0
Struve 2725 20 462 +15 54 71 79 10 6rdquo1
UNIVERSE 14 Vol 60 4
Dear Members
Please be advised that a special general meeting of the Astronomical Society of NSW will be
held on Friday 11th November 2011 at the Epping Creative Centre commencing at 800pm
The purpose of the meeting is to vote on the Committee‟s nomination of
John Flavin for Life Membership
All members are encouraged to attend
Paul Hatchman President
Special General Meeting Friday 11
th
November 2011
Another School Year Over
Despite a lot of what could only
be described as inconsiderate
weather in the early part of the
year in the last month
members of the Society have
visited 3 schools to share the
night sky with students
18th August was Oakhill College
at Castle Hill It was a fairly cool
night with very clear skies and
not too bad seeing for suburban
Sydney Oakhill College is a
school that the Society has been
going to for many years This
year we had 9 members with 6
telescopes and 2 displays in
attendance Harry Roberts had
head science teacher Sandra
Woodward looking at spectra of
Antares whilst Karen
Whittingham was capturing the
spectra on a DMK 21 with
Harry‟s C8 Peter Kinna had his
Milky Way Galaxy model and
Crux distance and local solar
neighbourhood spectral
displays out and these always
get a large gathering to see
them Saturn was the champion
of the night
3rd September was an Open
Night at Tara Anglican School
for Girls at North Parramatta
Over the last 2-3 years the
ASNSW has had a very close
association with Tara and it was
a great pleasure to help them
out with their first open night
Once again the weather was
very kind to us with pretty good
skies despite a 4-5 day old
Moon The guest speaker on
the night was Professor Katherine
Blundell from Oxford University
and Project Leader of the Global
Jet Watch program of which Tara
is one of the participating schools
Students parents and teachers all
got to walk around the observing
field after the talk looking
through telescopes of varying
sizes and types at objects being
shown by members of ASNSW
Twelve members with telescopes
were on hand to help out with the
large crowd Member Karen
Whittingham had students taking
images of the Moon through her
10rdquo LX 200 with a DMK 21 camera
and then emailed the images out
to the students the following day
The evening ended inside the
Dome with ASNSW members
suggesting good objects to be
imaged with the 20rdquo RCOS
Barnard‟s Galaxy and the Bug
Nebula were amongst the objects
imaged
6th September saw the Society
doing a school night at
Abbotsleigh Ladies College
another school that has invited us
back year after year for the last
decade plus some The weather
forecast was looking a bit
foreboding the day before and we
were looking out the window all
day Tuesday to see if the clouds
had rolled in yet Luck was on our
side as we headed up the Pacific
Highway to Wahroonga and we
arrived and set up on the tennis
courts to a very clear night with
only ordinary seeing Saturn will
aways win a crowd even at low
altitude A quick walk around the
scopes to see what was on show
Member Jack Giles had a C11
with a CCD camera at Hyperstar
focus and was imaging M8 and
even though it was very near an
8 day old Moon he was still able
to capture the Hourglass Nebula
Gary Kopff had Neptune in the
18rdquo Obsession scope which was
a real treat for the students Most
humans never see Neptune in the
flesh Globular clusters open
clusters carbon stars and the
Moon all make for a good mix of
objects for the students and
teachers to look at and just as
the last students left the
observing area the sky
deteriorated and by the time
pack up was complete the sky
was gone
The following members have
helped out this year at schools
and I would like to thank them on
behalf of the Society Barry
Gerdes Mick McCullagh Chris
Douglass Harry Roberts Karen
Whittingham Peter Kinna and his
friend (sorry forgot your name)
Alex Comino George Comanos
Richard Jaworski Brett and
Francis White Mark Notary Jack
Giles Gary Kopff Dave Scott
Paddy DeKlerk John Flavin and
an unknown member who came
to Oakhill to help out
School nights will again be
happening next year
Come along have some fun
All the above people had a ball )
Cheers Don Whiteman
Ground-based Reports School Nights
UNIVERSE 15 Vol 60 4
ASNSW EVENTS
Meetings
Friday 7th October 2011 at 800pm
Observational astronomy from Tycho Brahe to
William Herschel
Geoff Smith Observations Officer ASNSW
Friday 14th October 2011 at 800pm
Making the Sky Dark
Dr Simon Ellis AAO
Friday 11th November 2011 at 800pm SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
to vote on Life Membership of John Flavin
Observing Sessions
Crago Observatory 22nd October 19th November
Wiruna 28th - 29th October 25th-26th November
SYDNEY
Astronomy Open Night
at Macquarie University NOTE CHANGE OF DATE
Saturday 29th October 2011
from 630pm to 10pm At 730pm hear Prof Andrew Melatos University of
Melbourne Neutron Stars Natures Most Extreme
Quantum Laboratories
Charges $5 ChildConc $12 Adult $27 Family
[invalid link deleted from sample issue] Please bring along a telescope to share to gain free
entry and join in the fun
Tuesday November 1st ndash 29th from 6pm to 8pm Exploring the Heavens
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash An Introduction to Astronomy Course
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
Thursday November 3rd ndash December 1st 6pm to 8pm Understanding Gravity
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash Learn the Fundamentals of Gravity
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
REGIONAL NSW
October 27th - 30th 2011 Sixth Annual IceInSpace Astro-Camp (IISAC)
Lostock Scout Camp in the Hunter Valley of NSW
Star Party organised by IceInSpace
For more information prices and registration visit
httpwwwiceinspacecomauiisachtml
October 8th - 9th 2011 from 9am ndash 4pm both days Parkes (The Dish) Telescope 50th Anniversary
Open Days
Free entry ndash telescope tours astronomer talks and
QampA sessions and a look behind the scenes at ASKAP ndash
loads of family activities for all
Saturday October 8th 2011 at 6pm Opera at the Dish
For more information check out
httpwwwparkesatnfcsiroaunews_events
opendays2011
October 14th - 28th 2011 The Great World Wide Star Count
Count the stars in Sagittarius
httpwwwwindows2universeorgcitizen_science
starcountconstellations_shhtml
Friday October 14th 2011 at 630pm Science in the Pub Is there anybody out there
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
ANU Astronomers Prof Charlie Lineweaver Dr Daniel
Bayliss and AAO astronomer Dr Simon O‟Toole will
light-heartedly discuss the search for ET Compered
by the ABC Western Plains Sally Bryant
Saturday October 15th 2011 from 10am to 4pm Siding Spring Open Day
Come and see behind the scenes at Australia‟s largest
professional Optical Observatory
Saturday October 15th 2011 Bok Lecture
Prof Mike Bessell ndash Free Astronomical Lecture in
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
For information on the above events contact Donna
Burton [details withheld from sample issue]
ACT
November 6th 2011 - 10am to 4pm Mt Stromlo Observatory Open Day
Contact Mt Stromlo Observatory 02 6125 0230
VICTORIA
October 19th 2011 630pm - 730pm Public Lecture ndash Into the Heart of a Globular Cluster
httpastronomyswineduauoutreach
topic=freelectures
October 28th - 31st 2011 VicSouth Desert Spring Star Party
More info httpvicsouthinfovicsouth2011htm
QUEENSLAND
October 3rd 2011 5pm ndash 6pm Innovation Annual Lecture Sleuthing for Exoplanets
httpwwwscienceuqeduauan-invitation-to-
innovation-annual-lecture
EVENT HORIZON WORLDWIDE ASTRONOMY DAY
Saturday 1st October 2011
UNIVERSE 12 Vol 60 4
brightness for an eclipsing binary is unusual and to
catch the magnitude drop of the eclipse you will
certainly have to inspect the field several times
Incidentally about 10‟ to 15‟ NE from this triangle is a
small void almost empty of stars Also the
surrounding fields are scattered with many stars
below 10th magnitude
L145-141 GJ440 HIP 57367 WD1142-645 (11458-
6450) in north-western Musca is one of the closer
stars to the Sun Its main interest is due to the very
high proper motion which is
almost equal in prominence
with the far more famous
southern gem alpha
Centauri L145-141 in fact
has the 27th highest proper
motion known and is the most
southerly of the ldquoTop 100rdquo of
all the quickest moving stars
in the sky It is catalogued as
Gliese-Jones‟s GJ 440 or
alternatively W J Luyten‟s
designation of L145-141 This
faint 115v mag star is easily
found within a lovely starry
field [Note L145-141 in
Uranometria 20000 Chart
450 is shown as a tiny dot
above the ldquo(rdquo of the character
string printed on the chart It
is not the brighter star above
the ldquo(rdquo but the one left of it]
When centred on the nearby
7th mag HIP 57451 L145-141
lies 76‟ SW away along PA
234o almost mirroring the
position of BC Mus and HIP
57451 The actual star is the
southern of two 11th
magnitude stars separated by
13 arcmin Figure 1 shows the 1o field locating both
this star and the variable BC Mus
General proper motions were originally obtained for
this region in the late 1920s with the data published
in 1930 A little later the proximity of the star based
on the measured parallax of 0195 arcsec was found
to be 512pc or 167 ly This happens to be about
twice the current distance of Sirius Hipparcos later
improved the distance to the closer 4617(44) plusmn
0050pc or 1507 plusmn 016 ly from the huge parallax of
021640 plusmn 000211 arcsec making this the 37th closest
star to the Sun More recent observations by Henry T
J et al (1997) during the RECONS observation
program of nearby stars found a slightly improved
value of 021657 plusmn 000201 arcsec and this was
determined by the weighted means of both the
Hipparcos and Yale Parallax Catalog [Note These
data are also available from the ldquoAstronomisches
Rechen-Institutrdquo (AIR) in Heidelberg using the ARICNS
(ARI Data Base for Nearby Stars)]
From this distance the absolute magnitude (Mv) is
1318 being some nine magnitudes or 2100 times
less luminous than the Sun In 1986 the quoted 1144v
magnitude was found using UBV photometry but
more recent observations by Henry et al (1997) find
1150V with the B-V magnitude being the whitish
value of 0196
Observed proper motions for L145-141 have since
proven to be very rapid being similar in value to
alpha Centauri (See NSP 17) with the values in RA
+266517 plusmn 0198 mas and Dec -34683 plusmn 0191 mas
This is equivalent to 2665 arcsec per year or 1o every
1350 years The vector changes in RA by 4442‟ or
0074o and Dec by 0578‟ or 0009o each century
calculating the motion in PA terms as moving
towards PA 974o so that it is
travelling almost due east
Such strong easterly motion is
highly unusual as the majority
of these stars are going the
opposite way (ie directly
opposite even Alpha and
Proxima Centauri) There is
likely some significance in
this as to the origin of the star
that has caused this
prodigious velocity
Presently the proper motion
is towards the emission
nebula IC 2966 (11502-6452)
which it will reach in 2640
AD passing about 2‟ S from its
centre in 2670 AD Eventually
L145-141 will also pass close
to the position of the planetary
IC 4191 (13088-6739) (see
NSP 20) though by then the
PNe nebulosity may already
be totally gone
Spectral data reveal a stellar
white dwarf whose spectral
class was first tentatively
given by Zakhozhaj VA
(1979) as A8VII This was later
changed to ldquoDCrdquo indicating distinct lack of emission
lines or just showing a continuous spectrum This was
again updated to the more modern ldquoDQ6rdquo which
suggests the element carbon is present The ldquo6rdquo in
this instance gauges the surface temperature which
calculated by the equation 50400ldquoTrdquo is 8400K
making its nearest ldquosister starrdquo in temperature
Procyon B in Canis Minor The DQ6 classification is
also similar to the earlier A8 spectrum suggesting the
surface temperature is more like 8200K To date
only UV carbon lines have been detected An
estimated mass for L145-141 is about 05 solar masses
and size can be calculated as about 13000 km across
L145-141 is currently fourth closest of all the known
white dwarfs the first two of course being the
companions to Sirius and Procyon Although this star
is not some PNN it is likely that not too long ago at
least in astronomical terms this was once a PNe
central star The original nebulosity has vanished and
has now long since been forgotten
Two Pairs Near L145-141
In addition to the pair near TZ Mus there are two
more pairs in this field ldquoPair 2rdquo of similar PA and
(Continued bottom next page)
Figure 3 L145-141 HIP 57367 Image of
Surrounding Field and Observed Proper
Motion
HIP 57367 is moving across the field right to left
In 2011 the position is about half the
distance again between the 16 yr (1998-1982)
difference blue star to orange star in image
Image source and format details as for Figure 2
UNIVERSE 13 Vol 60 4
by Richard Jaworski
Welcome to the return of ldquoSeeing
Doublerdquo In this series of articles
I hope to introduce you to some
of the best visual double stars the
sky has to offer
Gamma Delphini (Struve 2727) is
in my list of the top 10 double
stars The star marks one corner
of the asterism ldquoJobs Coffinrdquo in
the constellation Delphinus I
have observed it many times
with my 15cm f8 Newtonian
reflector To my eye the primary
is yellow and the companion is
pale blue by comparison Some
see the companion as greenish
In reality the primary is a
yellow-white dwarf star (F7V)
and the secondary an orange
subgiant star (K1IV) Gamma is
located 101 light-years from us
Adding to the vista is the nearby
fainter pair Struve 2725 located
15‟ to the southwest and often
overlooked in favour of the more
dominant Gamma Struve 2725 is
located 125 light years from us
and has a different proper motion
to that of Gamma
A sketch of the pair can be found
at Astronomy Sketch of the Day -
httpwwwasodinfop=6351
I hope you can take the time to
enjoy this pair of pairs
(From page 12)
separation is about 3‟ NE of L145-14 but these
are about a magnitude fainter than the high-
proper-motion star ldquoPair 3rdquo is 55‟ S This wider
9698 pair points towards HIP 57451
References L145-141 Hoberg JB et al ldquoA new look at the local white dwarf
populationrdquo Astron J 135 1225 (2008)
Subasavage et al ldquoThe solar neighborhood XXI Parallax
results from the CTIOPI 09 M program 20 new members of
the 25 parsec white dwarf samplerdquo Astron J 137 4547
(2009)
Zakhozhaj VA ldquoCatalogue of nearest stars until 10pcrdquo
Vestnik Khar‟kovskogo Universiteta (VKha) 190 52
(1979)
Next in NSP 23
He2-68 on the Eastern Corner of Musca
Seeing DoubleDouble
Star RA Dec Mags PA Separation
Gamma Del 20 467 +16 07 43 52 266 9rdquo0
Struve 2725 20 462 +15 54 71 79 10 6rdquo1
UNIVERSE 14 Vol 60 4
Dear Members
Please be advised that a special general meeting of the Astronomical Society of NSW will be
held on Friday 11th November 2011 at the Epping Creative Centre commencing at 800pm
The purpose of the meeting is to vote on the Committee‟s nomination of
John Flavin for Life Membership
All members are encouraged to attend
Paul Hatchman President
Special General Meeting Friday 11
th
November 2011
Another School Year Over
Despite a lot of what could only
be described as inconsiderate
weather in the early part of the
year in the last month
members of the Society have
visited 3 schools to share the
night sky with students
18th August was Oakhill College
at Castle Hill It was a fairly cool
night with very clear skies and
not too bad seeing for suburban
Sydney Oakhill College is a
school that the Society has been
going to for many years This
year we had 9 members with 6
telescopes and 2 displays in
attendance Harry Roberts had
head science teacher Sandra
Woodward looking at spectra of
Antares whilst Karen
Whittingham was capturing the
spectra on a DMK 21 with
Harry‟s C8 Peter Kinna had his
Milky Way Galaxy model and
Crux distance and local solar
neighbourhood spectral
displays out and these always
get a large gathering to see
them Saturn was the champion
of the night
3rd September was an Open
Night at Tara Anglican School
for Girls at North Parramatta
Over the last 2-3 years the
ASNSW has had a very close
association with Tara and it was
a great pleasure to help them
out with their first open night
Once again the weather was
very kind to us with pretty good
skies despite a 4-5 day old
Moon The guest speaker on
the night was Professor Katherine
Blundell from Oxford University
and Project Leader of the Global
Jet Watch program of which Tara
is one of the participating schools
Students parents and teachers all
got to walk around the observing
field after the talk looking
through telescopes of varying
sizes and types at objects being
shown by members of ASNSW
Twelve members with telescopes
were on hand to help out with the
large crowd Member Karen
Whittingham had students taking
images of the Moon through her
10rdquo LX 200 with a DMK 21 camera
and then emailed the images out
to the students the following day
The evening ended inside the
Dome with ASNSW members
suggesting good objects to be
imaged with the 20rdquo RCOS
Barnard‟s Galaxy and the Bug
Nebula were amongst the objects
imaged
6th September saw the Society
doing a school night at
Abbotsleigh Ladies College
another school that has invited us
back year after year for the last
decade plus some The weather
forecast was looking a bit
foreboding the day before and we
were looking out the window all
day Tuesday to see if the clouds
had rolled in yet Luck was on our
side as we headed up the Pacific
Highway to Wahroonga and we
arrived and set up on the tennis
courts to a very clear night with
only ordinary seeing Saturn will
aways win a crowd even at low
altitude A quick walk around the
scopes to see what was on show
Member Jack Giles had a C11
with a CCD camera at Hyperstar
focus and was imaging M8 and
even though it was very near an
8 day old Moon he was still able
to capture the Hourglass Nebula
Gary Kopff had Neptune in the
18rdquo Obsession scope which was
a real treat for the students Most
humans never see Neptune in the
flesh Globular clusters open
clusters carbon stars and the
Moon all make for a good mix of
objects for the students and
teachers to look at and just as
the last students left the
observing area the sky
deteriorated and by the time
pack up was complete the sky
was gone
The following members have
helped out this year at schools
and I would like to thank them on
behalf of the Society Barry
Gerdes Mick McCullagh Chris
Douglass Harry Roberts Karen
Whittingham Peter Kinna and his
friend (sorry forgot your name)
Alex Comino George Comanos
Richard Jaworski Brett and
Francis White Mark Notary Jack
Giles Gary Kopff Dave Scott
Paddy DeKlerk John Flavin and
an unknown member who came
to Oakhill to help out
School nights will again be
happening next year
Come along have some fun
All the above people had a ball )
Cheers Don Whiteman
Ground-based Reports School Nights
UNIVERSE 15 Vol 60 4
ASNSW EVENTS
Meetings
Friday 7th October 2011 at 800pm
Observational astronomy from Tycho Brahe to
William Herschel
Geoff Smith Observations Officer ASNSW
Friday 14th October 2011 at 800pm
Making the Sky Dark
Dr Simon Ellis AAO
Friday 11th November 2011 at 800pm SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
to vote on Life Membership of John Flavin
Observing Sessions
Crago Observatory 22nd October 19th November
Wiruna 28th - 29th October 25th-26th November
SYDNEY
Astronomy Open Night
at Macquarie University NOTE CHANGE OF DATE
Saturday 29th October 2011
from 630pm to 10pm At 730pm hear Prof Andrew Melatos University of
Melbourne Neutron Stars Natures Most Extreme
Quantum Laboratories
Charges $5 ChildConc $12 Adult $27 Family
[invalid link deleted from sample issue] Please bring along a telescope to share to gain free
entry and join in the fun
Tuesday November 1st ndash 29th from 6pm to 8pm Exploring the Heavens
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash An Introduction to Astronomy Course
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
Thursday November 3rd ndash December 1st 6pm to 8pm Understanding Gravity
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash Learn the Fundamentals of Gravity
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
REGIONAL NSW
October 27th - 30th 2011 Sixth Annual IceInSpace Astro-Camp (IISAC)
Lostock Scout Camp in the Hunter Valley of NSW
Star Party organised by IceInSpace
For more information prices and registration visit
httpwwwiceinspacecomauiisachtml
October 8th - 9th 2011 from 9am ndash 4pm both days Parkes (The Dish) Telescope 50th Anniversary
Open Days
Free entry ndash telescope tours astronomer talks and
QampA sessions and a look behind the scenes at ASKAP ndash
loads of family activities for all
Saturday October 8th 2011 at 6pm Opera at the Dish
For more information check out
httpwwwparkesatnfcsiroaunews_events
opendays2011
October 14th - 28th 2011 The Great World Wide Star Count
Count the stars in Sagittarius
httpwwwwindows2universeorgcitizen_science
starcountconstellations_shhtml
Friday October 14th 2011 at 630pm Science in the Pub Is there anybody out there
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
ANU Astronomers Prof Charlie Lineweaver Dr Daniel
Bayliss and AAO astronomer Dr Simon O‟Toole will
light-heartedly discuss the search for ET Compered
by the ABC Western Plains Sally Bryant
Saturday October 15th 2011 from 10am to 4pm Siding Spring Open Day
Come and see behind the scenes at Australia‟s largest
professional Optical Observatory
Saturday October 15th 2011 Bok Lecture
Prof Mike Bessell ndash Free Astronomical Lecture in
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
For information on the above events contact Donna
Burton [details withheld from sample issue]
ACT
November 6th 2011 - 10am to 4pm Mt Stromlo Observatory Open Day
Contact Mt Stromlo Observatory 02 6125 0230
VICTORIA
October 19th 2011 630pm - 730pm Public Lecture ndash Into the Heart of a Globular Cluster
httpastronomyswineduauoutreach
topic=freelectures
October 28th - 31st 2011 VicSouth Desert Spring Star Party
More info httpvicsouthinfovicsouth2011htm
QUEENSLAND
October 3rd 2011 5pm ndash 6pm Innovation Annual Lecture Sleuthing for Exoplanets
httpwwwscienceuqeduauan-invitation-to-
innovation-annual-lecture
EVENT HORIZON WORLDWIDE ASTRONOMY DAY
Saturday 1st October 2011
UNIVERSE 13 Vol 60 4
by Richard Jaworski
Welcome to the return of ldquoSeeing
Doublerdquo In this series of articles
I hope to introduce you to some
of the best visual double stars the
sky has to offer
Gamma Delphini (Struve 2727) is
in my list of the top 10 double
stars The star marks one corner
of the asterism ldquoJobs Coffinrdquo in
the constellation Delphinus I
have observed it many times
with my 15cm f8 Newtonian
reflector To my eye the primary
is yellow and the companion is
pale blue by comparison Some
see the companion as greenish
In reality the primary is a
yellow-white dwarf star (F7V)
and the secondary an orange
subgiant star (K1IV) Gamma is
located 101 light-years from us
Adding to the vista is the nearby
fainter pair Struve 2725 located
15‟ to the southwest and often
overlooked in favour of the more
dominant Gamma Struve 2725 is
located 125 light years from us
and has a different proper motion
to that of Gamma
A sketch of the pair can be found
at Astronomy Sketch of the Day -
httpwwwasodinfop=6351
I hope you can take the time to
enjoy this pair of pairs
(From page 12)
separation is about 3‟ NE of L145-14 but these
are about a magnitude fainter than the high-
proper-motion star ldquoPair 3rdquo is 55‟ S This wider
9698 pair points towards HIP 57451
References L145-141 Hoberg JB et al ldquoA new look at the local white dwarf
populationrdquo Astron J 135 1225 (2008)
Subasavage et al ldquoThe solar neighborhood XXI Parallax
results from the CTIOPI 09 M program 20 new members of
the 25 parsec white dwarf samplerdquo Astron J 137 4547
(2009)
Zakhozhaj VA ldquoCatalogue of nearest stars until 10pcrdquo
Vestnik Khar‟kovskogo Universiteta (VKha) 190 52
(1979)
Next in NSP 23
He2-68 on the Eastern Corner of Musca
Seeing DoubleDouble
Star RA Dec Mags PA Separation
Gamma Del 20 467 +16 07 43 52 266 9rdquo0
Struve 2725 20 462 +15 54 71 79 10 6rdquo1
UNIVERSE 14 Vol 60 4
Dear Members
Please be advised that a special general meeting of the Astronomical Society of NSW will be
held on Friday 11th November 2011 at the Epping Creative Centre commencing at 800pm
The purpose of the meeting is to vote on the Committee‟s nomination of
John Flavin for Life Membership
All members are encouraged to attend
Paul Hatchman President
Special General Meeting Friday 11
th
November 2011
Another School Year Over
Despite a lot of what could only
be described as inconsiderate
weather in the early part of the
year in the last month
members of the Society have
visited 3 schools to share the
night sky with students
18th August was Oakhill College
at Castle Hill It was a fairly cool
night with very clear skies and
not too bad seeing for suburban
Sydney Oakhill College is a
school that the Society has been
going to for many years This
year we had 9 members with 6
telescopes and 2 displays in
attendance Harry Roberts had
head science teacher Sandra
Woodward looking at spectra of
Antares whilst Karen
Whittingham was capturing the
spectra on a DMK 21 with
Harry‟s C8 Peter Kinna had his
Milky Way Galaxy model and
Crux distance and local solar
neighbourhood spectral
displays out and these always
get a large gathering to see
them Saturn was the champion
of the night
3rd September was an Open
Night at Tara Anglican School
for Girls at North Parramatta
Over the last 2-3 years the
ASNSW has had a very close
association with Tara and it was
a great pleasure to help them
out with their first open night
Once again the weather was
very kind to us with pretty good
skies despite a 4-5 day old
Moon The guest speaker on
the night was Professor Katherine
Blundell from Oxford University
and Project Leader of the Global
Jet Watch program of which Tara
is one of the participating schools
Students parents and teachers all
got to walk around the observing
field after the talk looking
through telescopes of varying
sizes and types at objects being
shown by members of ASNSW
Twelve members with telescopes
were on hand to help out with the
large crowd Member Karen
Whittingham had students taking
images of the Moon through her
10rdquo LX 200 with a DMK 21 camera
and then emailed the images out
to the students the following day
The evening ended inside the
Dome with ASNSW members
suggesting good objects to be
imaged with the 20rdquo RCOS
Barnard‟s Galaxy and the Bug
Nebula were amongst the objects
imaged
6th September saw the Society
doing a school night at
Abbotsleigh Ladies College
another school that has invited us
back year after year for the last
decade plus some The weather
forecast was looking a bit
foreboding the day before and we
were looking out the window all
day Tuesday to see if the clouds
had rolled in yet Luck was on our
side as we headed up the Pacific
Highway to Wahroonga and we
arrived and set up on the tennis
courts to a very clear night with
only ordinary seeing Saturn will
aways win a crowd even at low
altitude A quick walk around the
scopes to see what was on show
Member Jack Giles had a C11
with a CCD camera at Hyperstar
focus and was imaging M8 and
even though it was very near an
8 day old Moon he was still able
to capture the Hourglass Nebula
Gary Kopff had Neptune in the
18rdquo Obsession scope which was
a real treat for the students Most
humans never see Neptune in the
flesh Globular clusters open
clusters carbon stars and the
Moon all make for a good mix of
objects for the students and
teachers to look at and just as
the last students left the
observing area the sky
deteriorated and by the time
pack up was complete the sky
was gone
The following members have
helped out this year at schools
and I would like to thank them on
behalf of the Society Barry
Gerdes Mick McCullagh Chris
Douglass Harry Roberts Karen
Whittingham Peter Kinna and his
friend (sorry forgot your name)
Alex Comino George Comanos
Richard Jaworski Brett and
Francis White Mark Notary Jack
Giles Gary Kopff Dave Scott
Paddy DeKlerk John Flavin and
an unknown member who came
to Oakhill to help out
School nights will again be
happening next year
Come along have some fun
All the above people had a ball )
Cheers Don Whiteman
Ground-based Reports School Nights
UNIVERSE 15 Vol 60 4
ASNSW EVENTS
Meetings
Friday 7th October 2011 at 800pm
Observational astronomy from Tycho Brahe to
William Herschel
Geoff Smith Observations Officer ASNSW
Friday 14th October 2011 at 800pm
Making the Sky Dark
Dr Simon Ellis AAO
Friday 11th November 2011 at 800pm SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
to vote on Life Membership of John Flavin
Observing Sessions
Crago Observatory 22nd October 19th November
Wiruna 28th - 29th October 25th-26th November
SYDNEY
Astronomy Open Night
at Macquarie University NOTE CHANGE OF DATE
Saturday 29th October 2011
from 630pm to 10pm At 730pm hear Prof Andrew Melatos University of
Melbourne Neutron Stars Natures Most Extreme
Quantum Laboratories
Charges $5 ChildConc $12 Adult $27 Family
[invalid link deleted from sample issue] Please bring along a telescope to share to gain free
entry and join in the fun
Tuesday November 1st ndash 29th from 6pm to 8pm Exploring the Heavens
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash An Introduction to Astronomy Course
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
Thursday November 3rd ndash December 1st 6pm to 8pm Understanding Gravity
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash Learn the Fundamentals of Gravity
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
REGIONAL NSW
October 27th - 30th 2011 Sixth Annual IceInSpace Astro-Camp (IISAC)
Lostock Scout Camp in the Hunter Valley of NSW
Star Party organised by IceInSpace
For more information prices and registration visit
httpwwwiceinspacecomauiisachtml
October 8th - 9th 2011 from 9am ndash 4pm both days Parkes (The Dish) Telescope 50th Anniversary
Open Days
Free entry ndash telescope tours astronomer talks and
QampA sessions and a look behind the scenes at ASKAP ndash
loads of family activities for all
Saturday October 8th 2011 at 6pm Opera at the Dish
For more information check out
httpwwwparkesatnfcsiroaunews_events
opendays2011
October 14th - 28th 2011 The Great World Wide Star Count
Count the stars in Sagittarius
httpwwwwindows2universeorgcitizen_science
starcountconstellations_shhtml
Friday October 14th 2011 at 630pm Science in the Pub Is there anybody out there
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
ANU Astronomers Prof Charlie Lineweaver Dr Daniel
Bayliss and AAO astronomer Dr Simon O‟Toole will
light-heartedly discuss the search for ET Compered
by the ABC Western Plains Sally Bryant
Saturday October 15th 2011 from 10am to 4pm Siding Spring Open Day
Come and see behind the scenes at Australia‟s largest
professional Optical Observatory
Saturday October 15th 2011 Bok Lecture
Prof Mike Bessell ndash Free Astronomical Lecture in
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
For information on the above events contact Donna
Burton [details withheld from sample issue]
ACT
November 6th 2011 - 10am to 4pm Mt Stromlo Observatory Open Day
Contact Mt Stromlo Observatory 02 6125 0230
VICTORIA
October 19th 2011 630pm - 730pm Public Lecture ndash Into the Heart of a Globular Cluster
httpastronomyswineduauoutreach
topic=freelectures
October 28th - 31st 2011 VicSouth Desert Spring Star Party
More info httpvicsouthinfovicsouth2011htm
QUEENSLAND
October 3rd 2011 5pm ndash 6pm Innovation Annual Lecture Sleuthing for Exoplanets
httpwwwscienceuqeduauan-invitation-to-
innovation-annual-lecture
EVENT HORIZON WORLDWIDE ASTRONOMY DAY
Saturday 1st October 2011
UNIVERSE 14 Vol 60 4
Dear Members
Please be advised that a special general meeting of the Astronomical Society of NSW will be
held on Friday 11th November 2011 at the Epping Creative Centre commencing at 800pm
The purpose of the meeting is to vote on the Committee‟s nomination of
John Flavin for Life Membership
All members are encouraged to attend
Paul Hatchman President
Special General Meeting Friday 11
th
November 2011
Another School Year Over
Despite a lot of what could only
be described as inconsiderate
weather in the early part of the
year in the last month
members of the Society have
visited 3 schools to share the
night sky with students
18th August was Oakhill College
at Castle Hill It was a fairly cool
night with very clear skies and
not too bad seeing for suburban
Sydney Oakhill College is a
school that the Society has been
going to for many years This
year we had 9 members with 6
telescopes and 2 displays in
attendance Harry Roberts had
head science teacher Sandra
Woodward looking at spectra of
Antares whilst Karen
Whittingham was capturing the
spectra on a DMK 21 with
Harry‟s C8 Peter Kinna had his
Milky Way Galaxy model and
Crux distance and local solar
neighbourhood spectral
displays out and these always
get a large gathering to see
them Saturn was the champion
of the night
3rd September was an Open
Night at Tara Anglican School
for Girls at North Parramatta
Over the last 2-3 years the
ASNSW has had a very close
association with Tara and it was
a great pleasure to help them
out with their first open night
Once again the weather was
very kind to us with pretty good
skies despite a 4-5 day old
Moon The guest speaker on
the night was Professor Katherine
Blundell from Oxford University
and Project Leader of the Global
Jet Watch program of which Tara
is one of the participating schools
Students parents and teachers all
got to walk around the observing
field after the talk looking
through telescopes of varying
sizes and types at objects being
shown by members of ASNSW
Twelve members with telescopes
were on hand to help out with the
large crowd Member Karen
Whittingham had students taking
images of the Moon through her
10rdquo LX 200 with a DMK 21 camera
and then emailed the images out
to the students the following day
The evening ended inside the
Dome with ASNSW members
suggesting good objects to be
imaged with the 20rdquo RCOS
Barnard‟s Galaxy and the Bug
Nebula were amongst the objects
imaged
6th September saw the Society
doing a school night at
Abbotsleigh Ladies College
another school that has invited us
back year after year for the last
decade plus some The weather
forecast was looking a bit
foreboding the day before and we
were looking out the window all
day Tuesday to see if the clouds
had rolled in yet Luck was on our
side as we headed up the Pacific
Highway to Wahroonga and we
arrived and set up on the tennis
courts to a very clear night with
only ordinary seeing Saturn will
aways win a crowd even at low
altitude A quick walk around the
scopes to see what was on show
Member Jack Giles had a C11
with a CCD camera at Hyperstar
focus and was imaging M8 and
even though it was very near an
8 day old Moon he was still able
to capture the Hourglass Nebula
Gary Kopff had Neptune in the
18rdquo Obsession scope which was
a real treat for the students Most
humans never see Neptune in the
flesh Globular clusters open
clusters carbon stars and the
Moon all make for a good mix of
objects for the students and
teachers to look at and just as
the last students left the
observing area the sky
deteriorated and by the time
pack up was complete the sky
was gone
The following members have
helped out this year at schools
and I would like to thank them on
behalf of the Society Barry
Gerdes Mick McCullagh Chris
Douglass Harry Roberts Karen
Whittingham Peter Kinna and his
friend (sorry forgot your name)
Alex Comino George Comanos
Richard Jaworski Brett and
Francis White Mark Notary Jack
Giles Gary Kopff Dave Scott
Paddy DeKlerk John Flavin and
an unknown member who came
to Oakhill to help out
School nights will again be
happening next year
Come along have some fun
All the above people had a ball )
Cheers Don Whiteman
Ground-based Reports School Nights
UNIVERSE 15 Vol 60 4
ASNSW EVENTS
Meetings
Friday 7th October 2011 at 800pm
Observational astronomy from Tycho Brahe to
William Herschel
Geoff Smith Observations Officer ASNSW
Friday 14th October 2011 at 800pm
Making the Sky Dark
Dr Simon Ellis AAO
Friday 11th November 2011 at 800pm SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
to vote on Life Membership of John Flavin
Observing Sessions
Crago Observatory 22nd October 19th November
Wiruna 28th - 29th October 25th-26th November
SYDNEY
Astronomy Open Night
at Macquarie University NOTE CHANGE OF DATE
Saturday 29th October 2011
from 630pm to 10pm At 730pm hear Prof Andrew Melatos University of
Melbourne Neutron Stars Natures Most Extreme
Quantum Laboratories
Charges $5 ChildConc $12 Adult $27 Family
[invalid link deleted from sample issue] Please bring along a telescope to share to gain free
entry and join in the fun
Tuesday November 1st ndash 29th from 6pm to 8pm Exploring the Heavens
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash An Introduction to Astronomy Course
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
Thursday November 3rd ndash December 1st 6pm to 8pm Understanding Gravity
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash Learn the Fundamentals of Gravity
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
REGIONAL NSW
October 27th - 30th 2011 Sixth Annual IceInSpace Astro-Camp (IISAC)
Lostock Scout Camp in the Hunter Valley of NSW
Star Party organised by IceInSpace
For more information prices and registration visit
httpwwwiceinspacecomauiisachtml
October 8th - 9th 2011 from 9am ndash 4pm both days Parkes (The Dish) Telescope 50th Anniversary
Open Days
Free entry ndash telescope tours astronomer talks and
QampA sessions and a look behind the scenes at ASKAP ndash
loads of family activities for all
Saturday October 8th 2011 at 6pm Opera at the Dish
For more information check out
httpwwwparkesatnfcsiroaunews_events
opendays2011
October 14th - 28th 2011 The Great World Wide Star Count
Count the stars in Sagittarius
httpwwwwindows2universeorgcitizen_science
starcountconstellations_shhtml
Friday October 14th 2011 at 630pm Science in the Pub Is there anybody out there
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
ANU Astronomers Prof Charlie Lineweaver Dr Daniel
Bayliss and AAO astronomer Dr Simon O‟Toole will
light-heartedly discuss the search for ET Compered
by the ABC Western Plains Sally Bryant
Saturday October 15th 2011 from 10am to 4pm Siding Spring Open Day
Come and see behind the scenes at Australia‟s largest
professional Optical Observatory
Saturday October 15th 2011 Bok Lecture
Prof Mike Bessell ndash Free Astronomical Lecture in
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
For information on the above events contact Donna
Burton [details withheld from sample issue]
ACT
November 6th 2011 - 10am to 4pm Mt Stromlo Observatory Open Day
Contact Mt Stromlo Observatory 02 6125 0230
VICTORIA
October 19th 2011 630pm - 730pm Public Lecture ndash Into the Heart of a Globular Cluster
httpastronomyswineduauoutreach
topic=freelectures
October 28th - 31st 2011 VicSouth Desert Spring Star Party
More info httpvicsouthinfovicsouth2011htm
QUEENSLAND
October 3rd 2011 5pm ndash 6pm Innovation Annual Lecture Sleuthing for Exoplanets
httpwwwscienceuqeduauan-invitation-to-
innovation-annual-lecture
EVENT HORIZON WORLDWIDE ASTRONOMY DAY
Saturday 1st October 2011
UNIVERSE 15 Vol 60 4
ASNSW EVENTS
Meetings
Friday 7th October 2011 at 800pm
Observational astronomy from Tycho Brahe to
William Herschel
Geoff Smith Observations Officer ASNSW
Friday 14th October 2011 at 800pm
Making the Sky Dark
Dr Simon Ellis AAO
Friday 11th November 2011 at 800pm SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
to vote on Life Membership of John Flavin
Observing Sessions
Crago Observatory 22nd October 19th November
Wiruna 28th - 29th October 25th-26th November
SYDNEY
Astronomy Open Night
at Macquarie University NOTE CHANGE OF DATE
Saturday 29th October 2011
from 630pm to 10pm At 730pm hear Prof Andrew Melatos University of
Melbourne Neutron Stars Natures Most Extreme
Quantum Laboratories
Charges $5 ChildConc $12 Adult $27 Family
[invalid link deleted from sample issue] Please bring along a telescope to share to gain free
entry and join in the fun
Tuesday November 1st ndash 29th from 6pm to 8pm Exploring the Heavens
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash An Introduction to Astronomy Course
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
Thursday November 3rd ndash December 1st 6pm to 8pm Understanding Gravity
Sydney Observatory Adult Astronomy Course
Dr Paul Payne ndash Learn the Fundamentals of Gravity
httpwwwsydneyobservatorycomaueducationadult
-astronomy-courses
REGIONAL NSW
October 27th - 30th 2011 Sixth Annual IceInSpace Astro-Camp (IISAC)
Lostock Scout Camp in the Hunter Valley of NSW
Star Party organised by IceInSpace
For more information prices and registration visit
httpwwwiceinspacecomauiisachtml
October 8th - 9th 2011 from 9am ndash 4pm both days Parkes (The Dish) Telescope 50th Anniversary
Open Days
Free entry ndash telescope tours astronomer talks and
QampA sessions and a look behind the scenes at ASKAP ndash
loads of family activities for all
Saturday October 8th 2011 at 6pm Opera at the Dish
For more information check out
httpwwwparkesatnfcsiroaunews_events
opendays2011
October 14th - 28th 2011 The Great World Wide Star Count
Count the stars in Sagittarius
httpwwwwindows2universeorgcitizen_science
starcountconstellations_shhtml
Friday October 14th 2011 at 630pm Science in the Pub Is there anybody out there
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
ANU Astronomers Prof Charlie Lineweaver Dr Daniel
Bayliss and AAO astronomer Dr Simon O‟Toole will
light-heartedly discuss the search for ET Compered
by the ABC Western Plains Sally Bryant
Saturday October 15th 2011 from 10am to 4pm Siding Spring Open Day
Come and see behind the scenes at Australia‟s largest
professional Optical Observatory
Saturday October 15th 2011 Bok Lecture
Prof Mike Bessell ndash Free Astronomical Lecture in
Coonabarabran Central West NSW
For information on the above events contact Donna
Burton [details withheld from sample issue]
ACT
November 6th 2011 - 10am to 4pm Mt Stromlo Observatory Open Day
Contact Mt Stromlo Observatory 02 6125 0230
VICTORIA
October 19th 2011 630pm - 730pm Public Lecture ndash Into the Heart of a Globular Cluster
httpastronomyswineduauoutreach
topic=freelectures
October 28th - 31st 2011 VicSouth Desert Spring Star Party
More info httpvicsouthinfovicsouth2011htm
QUEENSLAND
October 3rd 2011 5pm ndash 6pm Innovation Annual Lecture Sleuthing for Exoplanets
httpwwwscienceuqeduauan-invitation-to-
innovation-annual-lecture
EVENT HORIZON WORLDWIDE ASTRONOMY DAY
Saturday 1st October 2011