At the January Meeting
Lyle Jones brought the meeting to order at 7:15 with about 20 members and guests attending.

New Members
Eric Barnes- Dover, DE;  John Brenner- Middletown, DE; David Corum- Silver Spring, MD;
William Piepol- Rockville, MD; David Wells- Newark DE

Outreach:
Shehan Audubon Sanctuary Originally scheduled for December  4 , the Under the Stars astronomy presentation has been rescheduled for this dark sky site near Easton, MD for Friday,  February 7th    The program starts at 7:00 p.m. with Stargazing activities and ends around 9:00 p.m. with drinking coffee and hot chocolate around a campfire.

3rd Saturday Morning Astronomy Breakfeast was held on January 25th and covered the solar system..
3rd Mid Atlantic Mirror Making Workshop February 28 through March 2

Constellation of the Month:   The constellation for January  was Perseus (PURR-see-us)  and was
presented by Gregory Lee.
In summertime, one of the nicest parts of the sky to look at is the area around Sagittarius.  That's where the Milky Way is the strongest and there are a lot of things to see in that area.  There is a spot just off the top of the teapot that's marked on the charts, where the center of the Milky Way exists.
In fact, there's a copy of the News Journal paper, with three astronomy articles, on onepage!  One of them tells about the black hole at the center of the Milky Way.  There's some new information that's come out about that.  But that's in the summertime, when the earth is on the nighttime side of the sun when we can see the Milky Way.
Six months later, where we are right now, the Earth has gone half way around the sun, so the night time sky faces the other side of thecosmos.  We are looking out the opposite side, away from Milky Way towards the edge.  One of the dim spiral arms of the Milky Way goes up through Cassiopeia and Perseus. It’s hard to see around here, even at Tuckahoe.  Difficult to see, but they refer to that Perseus arm as one of the major arms.  So in this direction, we are looking at the edge of the Milky Way.  On this chart, we have Saturn near the horn of Taurus, right near M1.  They say it would have been hard to see telescopically, because Saturn would have overpowered M1.
We are talking about Perseus tonight, but some of the old history and legends of  Perseus relate to other constellations that are in this same general vicinity.  Perseus was the great hero that saved the princess Andromeda, daughter of Queen /Cassiopeia and King Cepheus.  Andromeda was tied to a rock near the shore, as a sacrifice to a sea monster.  Perseus came by, riding Pegasus, drove off the sea monster and saved Andromeda.
 Another legend that Perseus is known for, is the battle with the Gorgon Medusa, who was the ugly one with the hair made of snakes.  Medusa was claimed to be so ugly that one look from her, would turn you to stone.
Perseus cut off her head and kept it in a bag.  When he met his enemies, he would take the head out and petrify them.  Perseus is not a real easy constellation to see.  Right now it's a neck-cracker, because it is going straight overhead.  Probably would have been a good constellation to do two months ago, when it was about half-way up to the zenith.  Learning to get around the night sky is different for everyone, and the way I learned was noting that the 'W' of Cassiopeia stood out very brightly and the Pleiades also stood out brightly.  Those became the landmarks, or skymarks thathelped me locate Perseus.  These two stars in Cassiopeia lead me towards the Pleiades, and towards this very shallow arc of stars.     From there, some of theinteresting things in Perseus, halfway to Cassiopeia is the famous double cluster.  I think the double cluster looks better through binoculars than through a telescope.  When you study the double cluster, you realize that it's actually two overlapping groups.  One has a little more reddish stars in it.  In the other, the stars seem a little more intense.  Actually those two groups are about 300LY
apart, one in the background, the other closer to us.      You guys with the 18 and 24-inch scopes can see the California nebula.   You also have M76, the mini dumbbell.  I've never been able to see a dumbbell shape to it, just a bar shape.  M34 an open cluster although it doesn’t stand out as much of a cluster.  Not one I would happen to notice just sweeping the area.
The thing most interesting to me in Perseus is the star Algol.  When I first got into stargazing, it was only to know where the constellations were, and to be able to recognize them.  But the more I get into learning these things, and seeing some of the things going on out there, the more I want to learn about each of the individual things.
There's an interesting story that goes along with Algol.  It is one of the variable stars.   It was known back in ancient times as a variable star.  It got it's name Algol  from the ghoul or the ghost. People realized that this star dims in brightness about every three days.  Most of the time Algol is a mag. 2.1.  If you get your timing just right, you can catch it at it's minimum of
3.4.   Back in the 1780's, a mathematician, John Goodrick  calculated the period at 2 days, 20 hr, 47 mins.  Now they have calculated it to 2 days 20 hrs 48 min 56 sec.  Because of the precise period, John figured that some dim object was making an eclipse of Algol.  The alignment of Earth with those two objects is almost 'in plane'.  From our viewpoint, the eclipse is about
70%.  Compared to the Sun, the primary star has 4 times the mass, 100 times brighter, and 3X the diameter.  The secondary star is about the same mass as the sun, maybe a little dimmer, and about ~3.5X the sun's diameter.  Halfway through the period, you get a slight dimming as the secondarystar goes behind the primary.   It takes about 10 hours to go through the eclipse, with 2 hours near the minimum.
Algol represents the eye in the severed head of Medusa. That eye in the snaky head, every now and then, winks at you.  It doesn't turn you to stone, but makes you feel what's going on out there.  Watching for Algol’s wink is one of the fun things I
enjoy in my stargazing.

Program:   Astronomy Magazines
An internet search revealed a plethora of astronomy magazines beyond Astronomy and Sky & Tel.
Below are examples of some of these.
Amateur Astronomy News for, by, and about amateur astronomers around the world!
The AstroGraph  Bi-monthly magazine devoted to astronomical photography
Astronomer  A British magazine for advanced amateur astronomers
Astronomy and Space General interest Astronomy club and magazine with a distinctly Irish flavour
Astronomy Digest A Free Monthly On-line magazine with current Astronomy News, Product Reviews and much more
Astronomy Magazine American astronomy magazine
Astronomy Now British astronomy magazine
ATM Journal The Amateur Telescope Making Journal
CCD Astronomy Devoted to the applications of digital imaging in astronomy.
Icarus  International Journal of Solar System Studies
Irish Astronomical Journal Independent journal of astronomy and astrophysics catering for both professionals and amateurs
Journal of The British Astronomical Association  founded in 1890. Look here for the track of the 1999 solar eclipse in Cornwall!
Meteorite! Magazine International Quarterly Magazine
MeteoriteTimes.Com MeteoriteTimes.com is a free monthly on-line magazine devoted to the enjoyment, education, and preservation of meteorites, tektites, and impact structures
Night Sky Observer news and articles for amateur astronomers and space buffs.
Observatory Techniques Magazine Subscription info and how to order back issues. Includes some links (down?)
The Reflector Quarterly newsletter of Astronomical League
Science Online Science Magazine
SkyNews contains star charts and maps, listings of Canadian astronomy clubs, photos, and more.
Sky & Telescope Monthly magazine containing sky maps, astrophotos, and observationtips for sky-gazers of all levels including excerpts from Sky & Telescope and CCD Astronomy magazines, tips for backyard stargazers, reviews of telescopes and accessories, a weekly astronomy news bulletin
StarDate online Non-technical, current, astronomy information, news, and photographs. Night sky maps and viewing tips. Daily StarDate radio scripts (English and Spanish)
Sterne und Weltraum Die Zeitshrift fur Astronomie (magazine for astronomy)
Zenit Het Nederlandse sterrenkunde-tijdschrift (The Dutch astronomy magazine)

From the President’s Desk....
January 18, 2003
This is the season for Orion watchers.  The great constellation is “on the meridian”just after sunset during late January and early February.  A word of caution: Observe now and observe often – the brilliance of Orion’s jewels will diminish as it heads westward during late winter and early spring.  Aperture and power complement Orion’s wonders; use your largest scope and increase the power to the max; you will not be disappointed with the Orion family.  But again, please do not postpone
your viewing – Orion diminishes rapidly over the next few weeks.
This year we will be offered another enticing object for extended viewing – our neighbor Mars. Currently, Mars is at +1.5 magnitude and its diameter is approximately 5 arc seconds.  By April it will be mag 0 (about the brightness of Saturn).  By mid June it will surpass Jupiter in brilliance and by late August it will be a –3 mag (almost as bright as Venus).  On August 20 it will be at opposition to the sun, i.e., rising at sunset, and by midnight it will be due south in the constellation Aquarius about 30 degrees (dec = -15 degrees) above the horizon shining at mag –2.8 and it’s diameter will be approximately 25 arc seconds.  Tune your scopes and get some sleep…this will be spectacular and will require some late night viewing due to the long daylight hours of summer.

Club news: We held our Saturday morning Astro Breakfast January 25.  Good food, good company, amateur astronomy…you can fill in the blanks. Upcoming events include the Shehan Audubon Star party, Easton, MD from 7:00-9:00 PM, Friday, February 7th.  Star Gazers and their families are invited to spend the night in the Sanctuary’s farmhouse and explore the Sanctuary inthe morning – sounds like a nice outing.
The Third Mid-Atlantic Mirror Makers Conference will be Feb 28 thru Mar 2 in the Mallard Lodge, Smyrna, DE.
This is a weekend that demonstrates the best of amateur astronomy.  Mirror Makers learn the “ART” of making high quality optical surfaces and take home a telescope mirror they can be proud of and pass on to their children and grandchildren.
Our Ninth Annual Delmarva Star Gaze will be held from Apr 30 – May 4 at Tuckahoe State Park.  This will also be our Tenth Anniversary, yes, Delmarva Star Gazers is actually ten years old.  Stay tuned for celebration plans.  Finally, we will round out the spring with our May 6 meeting and nominate officers for our eleventh year.  Also on May 6, we will offer assistance to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower Cruise.

So as time marches on from these cold days of winter we look forward to late February/early March observing nights when we hear the first spring peepers singing from their cold – but warming – swampy homes.  Remember as we say goodbye to the brilliance of winter skies and Orion that the dim spring constellations are ushered in by Leo and warmer nights.  This time of
change offers opportunities for some gorgeous sunsets and night sky weather patterns.  Sometimes our observing through telescopes is interrupted by fast moving fronts but when that happens you may want to put the scope in a safe and dry place, then sit back and observe Mother Nature’s awesome powers to change seasons.  Look for sundogs, sun pillars, moonbows, moondogs, rings,etc.  Atmospheric phenomena mean so much more when we understand how they are created and
the significance of them.  Go to www.meteros.de/indexe.htm for all you will need to understand Nature’s finest atmospheric phenomena.

As our organization closes in on the final days of our ninth year it is appropriate for us to look forward to the beginning of the next ten years.  It is difficult for me to imagine the possibilities for amateur astronomy during the next ten years – I look back on the developments of the past years and wonder what the future holds.
Outside of equipment, time, and funds I believe the most important challenge we face is the loss of our dark skies.  Increasing numbers of people bring roads.  Roads invite houses and houses give birth to shopping centers.  People, roads, houses, and
shopping centers - all bring lights.  And all leave their glow on the night sky.
Enuf for now – see you at the Church or Tuckahoe.  Keep your Naglers dry…
Don…

The Editor’s Quadrant....
The Solar System in December
Mercury- will be a morning star in early February just to the left of the teapot handle in Sagittarius very low in the southeast. Venus will also be a morning star in February, .  as will  Mars, just above Antares in Scorpius. Mars is still too dim and too small to show much detail.   Jupiter goes into opposition as February opens reaching a magnitude of -2.6 with a disk size of  45”.   “Savor”Jupiter’s surface, because this is as good as it gets.  Saturn is no slouch in February at magnitude 0.2 it has the advantage of culminating before 9 p.m.   Forget Uranus and Neptune in February since both are in conjunction with the Sun.  Pluto sits dimly in Ophiuchus above Mars.
Clear Skies!  Frank Sheldon  f.a.sheldon@att.net
 
  Club Activities..
Club Meetings- We meet in the First Presbyterian Church in Smyrna, DE   (653-8000) on the first
Tuesday of each month from 7-9 PM.  From US 13, turn west at Wendy's and go one stoplight on
Commerce Street; the church is on the right directly across from the Fire Hall.
Future Meetings...The remaining meeting dates for 2003 will be:
February 04, March 04, April 01, May 06, June 03, July 05 (Picnic at Tuckahoe),
August 05 (No meeting at church - schedule special event) September 02, October 07, November
04 and December 02 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
monthly observing site will be at the baseball field in the camping  area at Tuckahoe State Park.
The remaining observing days for the year 2003 will be:  January 31, February 28,
April 4,  April 30 - May 5 (Star Gaze IX), May 30,     June 27, July 25, August 1, August 29, September
24 - 28 (No-Frills VII) October 24, November 21, December 19.   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.