New Members
Dawn De Jong, Dover, DE
Max Jewell, Salisbury, MD
Thomas L Puma, Parksley, VA
Stephen Shearer, Wilmington, DE
Outreach:
Shehan Audubon Sanctuary  The Under the Stars astronomy presentation has been postponed again  to sometime in March; stay tuned.

3rd Mid Atlantic Mirror Making Workshop
February 28 through March 2, 2003

Constellation of the Month   The constellation for February  was Auriga (o-RYE-gah) aka the Charioteer.  It was presented by new member Rick Barnes. Rick’s interest in stargazing began years ago when he was a boating enthusiast on Long Island sound. Because of this, his initial stargazing involved naked-eye stars without benefit of a telescope.
When observing meteor showers while boating out on the bay in the fall, he would notice this beautiful yellow star in the northeast.
It quickly became his favorite star. He later learned that this star was Capella, the alpha star in Auriga. According to Rick’s 1928 Handbook, it was the third brightest star in the sky. Capella is the latin name she-goat. The star was described by Ptolemy and other early observers as a red star but that could be a subjective thing rather than the star having changed.
In the mythology, Capella represents the she-goat and the she-goat’s 2 kids are represented by the triangular asterisms just below Capella. Rick concluded describing 3 messier objects in Auriga; all open clusters: M36, M37, and M38.
Although Rick has telescopes, he likes fast wide angle types for his stargazing. He usually doesn’t observe doubles, variables or galaxies.

Program:   Astronomy Websites
An internet search for astronomy websites yielded even more hits than our search for astronomy magazines; probably over a thousand! To winnow these down to a useable  number , I decided, to start with the astro related sites, already listed  on our club website, and then to add more if I needed them. Many of club page links might take you to another link on the clubpage.  Here are the links currently listed on our club webpage:

  General Information
 The Astronomy Net -Articles, forums, and other amateur astronomy stuff
Astronomy Picture of the Day -from  NASA.
Hubble Space Telescope -info, images  and updates.
Skymaps.com -FREE monthly skymap download.
Cosmology Tutorial -by Ned Wright
Izzy's Skylog -celestial sky calendar and  other info
Astro Mart -online astronomy classified  ads
Astroweb -Large links database
The Messier Online Catalog -from SEDS
The Nine Planets -by Bill Arnett
Inconstant Moon -nightly moon tour with maps, images and explanations
List of Planetarium Software from SEDS
The Telescope Review Website -by Ed Ting
sci.astro.amateur archives -from Google (was Deja News)
Amateur astronomy pages from the UK   -from Anthony and Christopher Seal
Two Micron All Sky Survey -from UMass and Caltech

Beginner Information
Astronomy In Your Hands -beginner activities including a downloadable planisphere
Telrad Messier Sky Maps -from John Small or download the complete set Here
Beginners Page -from the ROSE CITY ASTRONOMERS.
Astronomy Basics -from SKY & TELESCOPE.
For the beginning astronomer -from ASTRONOMY magazine
Constellations
88 Constellations -from AAAA
The Constellations -from the Peoria Astronomical Soc.
The Constellations and their Stars -by Chris Dolan
The Shape Of Our Night Sky -  Starshine.com

Space Information
NASA -News, Images and planetary  probe descriptions
HEASARC Division of NASA which observes and archives high energy events from UV to Gamma rays.
Amazing Space Hubble Space Telescope science institute
Clark Lindsey's Space Links -best space link collection
Heavens Above-find satellites visible from your hometown
SETI@home -your chance to help find ETs

Here are some other interesting sites
 http://zebu.uoregon.edu/textbook/se.html  College text on Stellar Evolution
 http://www.physics.gmu.edu/classinfo/astr103/ Cosmology class from George Mason University
http://www.spaceweather.com/  Site of Tony Phillips with links to NASA
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/ Solar and Heliospheric Observatory features sunspots, comets and space weather
http://sec.noaa.gov/pmap/index.html   Studies Aurora
http://www.stargazing.net/astropc/ This Swiss Atlas and Star chart is the largest,  the best and it’s FREE
http://www.allthesky.com/index.html  Site of Sven Kohle & Till Credner literallly of all phenonona which occur in the sky
http://www.cvc.org/astronomy/freeware.htm  This is a download site  which contains one of my favorite astro  programs which is free  HR Calc v2 which allows you create your own stars and view them on the Hertzsprung Russell diagram. By entering the Spectral class and brightness you can get the surface temperature, the size (in solar radiai ) and ultimately the weight in solar masses.
Another free download is found at
http://www.cpac.orguk/  The program is called the planets:The Planets vers 2.02  This not only shows the positions and motion of all the planets but plots  4 moons of Jupiter and 8 moons of Saturn.
Another program on the cvc site while not downloadable is very useful.
http://www.fourmilab.ch/yoursky/   When you type in latitude and longitude and the local time this program shows all the visible stars and planets. A horizon can be added which allows to pan around the azimuth. This all must be done on the site.

From the President’s Desk....
Feb 16, 2003
The Big Snow!  Yes, this is the weekend for the BIG Snow.  By the time you read this we will be approaching March and much warmer weather.  The Daytona 500 will be history and baseball’s spring training will be in full swing.  Some of us may be preparing our garden.  So allow me to remind you of the weather for the weekend of Feb 14-16.   First, we had 6-10” of snow on the ground from earlier snowstorms.  The night of Feb 14-15 it snowed another 3”.  And this morning (Sunday) I moved 3” of new powder off my walks with a forecast of up to 20” before it ends Monday morning.  It’s snowing approx 3-5” per hour as I write.  So, with weather like this I am sure every Star Gazer is looking forward to a meltdown and some 50-70 degree weather.
Doug Norton, Terry Young, and I met with a photographer from the Baltimore Sun Feb 8th, at Tuckahoe for some pics to support a Sun story on local amateur astronomy activities.  We were the first to put tracks in the snow past the gate!  It was cold, clear, and of course very snow covered.  The Belt of Venus was beautiful as night approached.  A 1st quarter moon lighted the skies and snow – what a beautiful night!  But it was cold and we decided to leave shortly after the photo session was completed.  Stay tuned for the story.  Oh, the little frogs did not sing (they were just too cold and snow covered) and as I
left the Park a radio station from Baltimore presented “War of the Worlds”!

There is another story in the news this weekend.  Pending war…and “peace” protests against war.  Let’s hope for history to take the proper course with the middle-east and North Korea.  These times will be the source of many future history lectures and theses.   As I watched the peace demonstrations Saturday it became apparent to me that today’s world is connected in a way that did not exist a few years ago.  The demonstrations were well coordinated and involved millions of people in 600 cities worldwide.  This was a global demonstration – the people we saw yesterday are like the “surf” that washes up on
the beach.  I could not help but think about the oceans of people that were represented by the few millions making it to the shores of demonstration.  Our USA government decisions will be affected by that global response.  We will feel that influence in future programs affecting our planet.  I realized the larger story is not the snowstorm or Iraq or North Korea – they are just temporary blips and will become part of history.  But the coordinated global response to an unpopular USA lead venture is a show of influence and force that will only increase in the coming years.  Stay tuned…this muscle will be flexed and exploited.

Back to star gazing…There must be some very lonely stars waiting for us to point our scopes toward them – do you suppose they are saving up starlight just for us!  Imagine a period of months when no one looked at Hollywood!   When it does clear and when the nights do get warm again the baseball field at Tuckahoe will be filled with stargazers suffering from cabin fever and lack of star shine.  It’s only a month until Spring and the vernal equinox.  Hang tuff – better days are coming.
By the time you get this our Third Mid-Atlantic Mirror Making weekend will be in progress.  It takes place Feb 28-March 2 at the Mallard Lodge east of Smyrna – out in the marshes.  It is a very interesting weekend where we share, learn, eat, and make memories.

A young man named Ted Nichols who is working with NASA and the mission to Pluto will present his thoughts and other relevant information on Friday night.  I hope you have made plans to attend.  Other Club events include the Ninth Annual Delmarva Star gaze April 30-May 3.  A special event is planned for the Star Gaze.  We have access to the tour
boat at the St. Michael’s Maritime Museum and will offer a 2-3 hour star cruise for 25-30 folks.  See your registration form for information and signup to come aboard.
Another event that has to be firmed up is our 10th Anniversary celebration.  So far, we have suggestions for a free star party, a picnic, and a star cruise – your additional suggestions are welcome.  And maybe we can combine several into a multi-event
celebration.
Is there a piece of equipment you would like to have access to but cannot justify the purchase?  Would you like to construct a special telescope or accessory but do not have the technical expertise to successfully complete the project?  Would you like to observe at a different location but don’t want to make the trip alone?  Do you have some equipment, knowledge or expertise you would like to share?  These are the areas where an amateur astronomy organization can be of exceptional value – it’s why we have Delmarva Star Gazers.  Please take a few moments to contemplate the questions above.  We, all of us,
together, can help with any or all of your needs.
 
Club leadership…most of your officers and the folks who make DSG function are the same people who began doing so 5 to 10 years ago.  There is always room for ambitious, aka, willing people to share the responsibilities and rewards of making DSG the best amateur astronomy organization.  Please consider taking the responsibility for one or more functions of our organizations and improving the results.  We can grow and improve – your imagination and energy will catalyze others’
potential and the net result will be tremendous improvements that can be traced to your involvement.  A word of warning – many people do not become involved for fear of failure.  This is volunteer work.  The only failure you will encounter is your failure to become involved.  And we don’t necessarily have to be working on a mission to Mars…tiny steps are ok as long as we are making progress.  A friend of mine used the statement “Continuous improvement is better than postponed perfection”;  think about it!
See you at the 3rd Annual Mirror Making Weekend, the Church, or Tuckahoe. Stay safe and remember our forces overseas.
Don…

 The Editor’s Quadrant....
The Solar System in December 
Mercury- will be a morning star in March, but it rises  ever closer to sunrise as the month progresses, so the viewing will be poor. Venus will also be a morning star in March and although bright, will be low in the ESE sky.  Mars, still another morning star will only improve in March.  It increases in magnitude from +1 to + 0.5  with the disc size increasing by almost 10%   Jupiter  although getting slightly fainter in March, is still the best game in town..  Saturn continues to be great in the March evening sky, rising ever earlier.  Uranus although not visible as March opens, can be seen at the end of the month near
Venus.  Neptune  will probably be too low and dim to see well in the March dawn.  Pluto still sits dimly in Ophiuchus.

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:
 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:  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.