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Constellation of the Month: Lynx   (LINKS)
This constellation was covered  by Ron Zink. Not mapped or named until 1690, there was no mythology and as it turns out very little astronomy, at least for the amateur.  There is only one 3rd magnitude star and the only deep space objects are NGC2419, a very faint globular cluster at a distance of 200,000 light years  and NGC2683, a 10th magnitude spiral galaxy. Hevelius named the constellation, saying:  “you have to have the eyes of a lynx to find it.”
Of possible interest to amateurs was a list of objects Ron downloaded from the web which included 27 double stars.
Program: Telescope Pointing Aids 
This was a member effort with many points of view and lots of useful tips. The pointing aids included techniques as well as hardware.  The program began with members citing their preferred pointing aids and then developed into  meaningful dialogues on the pro and cons on this or that device.
Oddly enough the small finder scope did very poorly,  where as the Telrad fared very well. To organize this subject for discussion, I  divided  the pointing aids into the following  broad catagories. Finder Scopes, Non-magnifying devices, and Polar Alignment.
Finder Scopes The 6X30 finders, that are standard with  new telescopes, were thought by most members to be  optically inferior and usually too close to the main tube, to permit freedom of action.   To solve the latter problem, Don Surles had built a metal /PVC bracket that extends the distance of the finder from the main scope.
Many people use a combination of things. Tim Millegan will often start with a Telrad and when he gets anywhere near his target will switch to a short tube 80mm refractor with a star diagonal  that both corrects the image and gives him a 4-5 degree field. He can then go from there into a star hopping mode.    Don recommended a finder which  gave both the wide angle feature and the corrected image. It was one which he had  constructed from one half of a 7 X 50 pair of Binoculars.
Non-Magnifying Aids This group includes any lens free sighting device and could range from a simple peep sight
to the illuminated Telrad, Rigel and Daisy type.  All of these have the advantage over finder scopes in being free from image reversal. The Telrad is probably the most popular with its 3 reticle sizes and a dimmer rheostat and optional pulser for very faint targets. The Rigel is a smaller, lighter Telrad type, which was judged by those who had used it, as requiring adjustment
more frequently than the Telrad.  The Daisy Type was originally used as a sight on BB guns and had a very bright red light. A modified version  is now marketed by the scope makers (Orion’s EZ Finder).    The modified device projects a variable intensity red dot on the sky.
Polar Alignment  GO-TO , GPS and computer dependent systems were not included in this evaluation .
The most common method in this category is polar alignment with setting circles (those cute circular dials with the numbers).  For quick polar alignment, first set your  latitude.  With a compass, aim your polar axis tothe North   Many equatorial mounts like the Great Polaris have telescopes built in the RA axis to find Polaris.    The yoke mounted SCGs are a natural for polar alignment; set your  declination for 89.2^o (approx North Pole).  To get your alignment right on the button, use a correcting
template.  Templates are often provided to correct for the difference between Polaris  and the true north pole.  Once you are polar aligned, you simply adjust your setting circles to the coordinates of those objects you wish to find.
If you want the ring nebula (M57), set your R.A. to 18h 53m and declination to +33^o.
The Observer’s Handbook is a good source for these coordinates.

From the President’s Desk...
March 16, 2002
 We made IT happen!  IT was a success!  And we had fun doing IT!
Yes, the 2nd Mid-Atlantic Mirror Makers Weekend is now history.  We  made mirrors and prominence-viewing scopes,
hacked a few web  cameras, ate tons of good food, made some new friends and renewed some existing friendships.  We did it with an ease and air of   confidence that comes from experience.
Delmarva Star Gazers can be   proud of this event that brought 55-60 people together for a weekend of amateur astronomy and sharing of knowledge about our hobby.     Thanks to all who participated and contributed their time and  talents to make this weekend a huge success.  I feel very confident that there will be a repeat in 2003.
Making it happen... The people who make it happen are the key to  Delmarva Star Gazers' success.   Although volunteering one's time and expertise for a common goal can be difficult, it can also be very  rewarding.  Without the people who make it happen for Delmarva Star Gazers there would be no monthly meetings, no newsletter, no  website, no monthly observing, no Star Gaze I-VIII, no No Frills I-VII, no Mid Atlantic Mirror Makers Weekends, and no one bringing hands-on astronomy to children. We make things happen!  I am so proud of this organization and the people who have made AMATEUR ASTRONOMY happen for nine years.  Let's commit ourselves to another nine and  make each one better than the previous.
 The Future?  Well, it will be what we make of it.  Amateur astronomy is experiencing constant change and we should expand our knowledge of these changes so that we can embrace the opportunities for improvements as they become available and fit our needs.  There are opportunities for each of us to contribute to our organization.   Delmarva Star Gazers needs each
one of us to do our best for the hobby.
  What is our hobby about?  Certainly there is the equipment: scopes, binos, eyepieces, mounts, atlases, cameras, film, computers, and more new "just have to have stuff" coming every day.  There is the constantly changing sky: planets, the moon, comets, asteroids, nebulae, galaxies, weather events always changing.  There is the challenge of "rolling your own"; amateur
astronomers are scroungers and delight in making their own instruments to their specifications. There is a great satisfaction that comes from using a quality piece of equipment created from one's own ideas and handiwork.  Another element of amateur astronomy is the feeling of getting away from the day-to-day grind to look at the sky and hear Mother Nature's chorus of night
sounds.  All of this is important to amateur astronomy.  But the most important part is the camaraderie experienced in our meetings.  We are so fortunate to have attracted a population of folks who find it very easy to tolerate each other.  I think it has to do with the "amateur" status.  There are no levels of "rank" when we meet on the observing field.  We are all simply amateurs.  Each of us enjoys the company of our fellow amateurs and none of us is pushing a hidden agenda.  There are no hidden messages to be deciphered.  No one will receive a reprimand for asking a "long time" amateur a basic question.  There is no room for sarcasm in amateur astronomy.  We enjoy the company of each other and the challenge of improving our hobby.  We make our hobby enjoyable.
 Amateur astronomy is growing at a phenomenal rate today.  Delmarva Star Gazers are doing our share by promoting events where AA's can assemble and enjoy the company of each other.  Keep up the good work!
 Did you enjoy Winter?  I hope so because it is past and we now have a glorious Spring awaiting.
Along with flowers, warm temperatures, greening forests (watch the swamps; they green up first), freshly  plowed fields, newly mowed lawns, birds singing in the morning, and fast moving weather fronts comes the opportunity to observe the realm of springtime galaxies.  And, our Delmarva Stargaze VIII will commence April 10 at Tuckahoe State Park.  The event will run
from  Wednesday through Sunday morning.  Please put it on your schedule; there should be something for every amateur astronomer.
We have a visitor to our solar system neighborhood: Comet  Ilkeya-Zhang is ascending the westward sky after sunset.  It is a beautiful long-tailed naked eye comet.  A binocular easily shows detail in the long streaming dust and gas tails.  Look for an ephemeris on "spaceweather.com".  This comet will reach perihelion March 18 and will be visible for a couple of months.  But it will be at it's best around perihelion. Don't miss it!
So much for this month's comments; we have work to do.  Star Gaze VIII planning must have final touches.  See you at the Church or at Tuckahoe.  Get ready cause Spring is here and we are going star gazing.
Don...
 
The Editor’s Quadrant....
Improved Newsletter Images:  Keith Lohmeyer recently bought Adobe Acrobat to create PDF files for the Stargazer web page. The original intent here was to produce printable and downloadable documents for online users.  What we didn’t realize at the time was  that pdf documents can be printed electronically.  That is to say, we can completely avoid the scanning
copying stage which behaves as an analog process (copy of a copy) and degenerates the image quality. Particularly affected were small photo images with subtle gradations of tone such as Doug Miller’s Moondark. The March newsletter was the first issue printed electronically and I felt that the Moondark images were uncommonly good.
 
The Solar System in April
Mercury- will be visible as an evening star in April but not until  the end of the month.
Venus- will be visible low in the west as an evening star throughout April.
Mars-remains a magnitude 1.5 evening star throughout April in the west northwest.
Although Jupiter continues to lose  magnitude in April from -2.2 to -2.0, it is still high in the southern sky and second
only to Venus, as the brightest planet.
Saturn, although past its best, remains a spectacular sight in April shining high and bright in Taurus above and slightly to the left of Aldeberan.  Your April Skymap  shows the 10 p.m. position of  Mars, Saturn and Jupiter as they will appear during Star Gaze VIII.
Pluto, Uranus and Neptune  are out of  conjunction with the sun in April  but will be visible during the morning twilight for observing.     Clear Skies!,
Frank Sheldon  f.a.sheldon@att.net

Future Meetings...Future Meetings...The remaining meeting dates  for 2002 will be:
   April 02,  May 07 June 04 July 06 Picnic at Tuckahoe,  August 06 to be announced, September 03,  October 08, November 05,  and December  03
 The regular meeting format includes discussion of club activities, observing highlights and an advertised presentation. We solicit suggestions for topics and presenters.

Club Observing... Observing is (usually) scheduled for the Friday nearest the New  Moon to maximize the hours of  deepnight  without the moon in the sky.   Unless otherwise stated,  the observing site will be at the baseball field in the camping  area at Tuckahoe State Park. The remaining monthly observing days for the year 2002 will be:  Stargaze VIII April 10-14, May 10, June 07, July 12, August 9, September 9, No-Frills VII October 2-6, November 1, and December 6   The cloud or rain date for the monthly Friday observing will be the following Saturday, but don't trust the weather man!  Go outside and look for yourself or check the CNN weather link on our web page.   If  you still can't decide, Call Don Surles (302) 653-9445 or Lyle Jones (302) 736-9842.