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Team members as well as one of the leaders from MIT or Williams will be relating their individual occultation experiences.

STAR FIELDS
Newsletter of the Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston Including the Bond Astronomical Club Established in 1934 In the Interest of Telescope Making & Using Vol. 21, No. 10 November 2009

Please join us for a pre-meeting dinner discussion at Changsho, 1712 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA at 6:00pm before the meeting.

President's Message...
Pro-Am? Most people hear the expression and think of golf tournaments. In our astronomy neck of the woods, it means a collaboration between amateur and professional astronomers. Dr. James Elliot, last June's guest speaker, talked on the occultation of Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs). He discussed how information is gathered during a KBO occultation and what can be learn about KBOs from the resulting data. The talk ended with a request for ATMoB members to assist him in an upcoming observation run that required the volunteers to travel across the globe to operate telescopes and record information of an upcoming KBO occultation. If you you've read the subject of this month's meeting, then you know that November meeting speakers will be ATMoB members who volunteered to support Dr. Elliot's project. There aren't many fields of sciences that encourage such proam collaborations. Fortunately, astronomy is a field in which help from amateurs is actually encouraged. Keep in mind that a new class of galaxies was discovered by a school teacher using internet resources to data mine various images of galaxies. Most recently, an amateur planetary imager in Australia discovered another impact on Jupiter. While most of the work provided by amateur astronomers is lower in profile and rarely makes headline news, it is still both important and rewarding. We're fortunate in that our location allows us direct access to the professional astronomers with whom we can set-up working relationships so from time-to-time we can partake in opportunities such as the KBO occultation. A few of our members worked as Teaching Assistants at the Harvard College Observatory, CFA's Clark refractor for public nights and even have started a second career as an astronomer at the Maria Mitchell Observatory. The American Association of Variable Star Observers (www.aavso.org ) is right here in Cambridge, MA and will take your variable star observations (it's easy) and provide them to many professional astronomers. In addition, you can join the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO), Society for Astronomical Sciences (www.socastrosci.org) and a number of other astronomy based organizations with similar goals. So the opportunities are there, jump-in, help out and have some fun! Clear Skies, - Steve ~ Stephen Beckwith, President ~

This Month's Meeting...
Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 8:00 PM Phillips Auditorium Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Parking at CfA is allowed for duration of meeting The Occulation of Kuiper Belt Object 55636

In October, ATMoB members Gary Jacobson, Bernie Volz, John Briggs, Paul Valleli and Bruce Berger traveled to different parts of the globe in hopes of being part of the first team to capture the occultation of a distant star by a Kuiper Belt Object. This was part of a program of the MIT-Williams Occultation Consortium that is co-chaired by James Elliot of MIT and Jay Pasachoff of Williams College. The teams were outfitted with the latest CCD cameras, GPS receivers and laptops. This system, dubbed PICO, for Portable Instrument for Capturing Occultations, fits into a ruggedized carry-on case suitable for travel almost anywhere on the globe. Leading the teams were Dr. Michael Person and Matthew Lockhart at MIT's Planetary Astronomy Lab. Telescope sizes ranged in size from a borrowed 8" SCT (with an interesting story behind it) in Australia to a 1.5-meter Ritchey-ChrИtien high in the mountains of the Mexican Baja.


October Meeting Minutes . . .

To determine the time for an event, 24 of the brightest stars were selected and their altitudes above the horizon would be used to calculate the "clock time". Using these clock stars you can calculate what time it is to within 10 seconds. One of Tycho Brahe's books had a description of the Triquetrum that Copernicus used in his research. Using Brahe's description, Cross was able to build a reproduction. The vertical post stands 8.5 feet tall and the measuring arm is at least 6 feet long. The entire assembly is made out of pear wood and weighs over 300 pounds. He only brought the measuring arm to the meeting and it was passed around the audience. For 17 stars and Mars. He to within years, Cross was able to find and measure the clock plotted out the movements of Jupiter, Venus and found that star or planet positions could be measured 3 minutes of arc.

(L-R) Jay Cross and his Triquetrum Measuring Arm. Images by Al Takeda

The October meeting of the Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston featured Jay Cross presenting State of the Art Astronomy Circa 1540. Cross wanted to pick a date before the book Torinensis De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, Libri VI (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Orbs) by Nicolaus Copernicus was published (1543). Before this book most people thought that "the Earth was at the center and the sun and the planets and the stars were all going around." Even with this view of the heavens they were able to guess pretty accurately, within a tiny fraction of a degree, where the planets should be. Cross wanted to know how they were able to predict planetary locations and how pre-telescopic astronomers measured them. The first step was to research all of the instruments available at the time. He discovered the astrolabe but judged that it would not accurately measure the time. The cross-staff was another instrument and it was used to measure the distance between various objects. Cross determined that "the primary instrument that was being used, by most of the astronomers from Hipparchus all the way up to Copernicus was an instrument that is called a Triquetrum or Parallactic Ruler." The Triquetrum assembly is based upon an isosceles triangle. The upright post has a plumb bob within its structure to allow the user to keep that post vertical through an adjustable stand. A second graduated equal length beam is attached to the top of the vertical post and is allowed to pivot in altitude and azimuth. This second post has sighting slits which is used to observe your astronomical object. A third beam with graduated markings is also attached to the vertical post to form the base of the triangle. To set up the Triquetrum the upright post has to be made absolutely vertical using the plumb-bob. The observer would then look through the sighting slits at the star under study and a reading was made from the "base" beam. This reading measured the chord of the vertical angle and with a "table of chords" you can tell how far away the star or "wanderer" (planet) is from the zenith.
The parallactic instrument from Tycho's observatory as illustrated in his AstronomiФ instauratФ mechanica (Wandesburg, 1598)

The Secretary's report was given by Al Takeda. The Membership Secretary was absent from the October meeting. President Steve Beckwith reminded the membership that over a hundred people have not renewed their memberships and that the deadline has passed. The Treasurer was also absent and the report was given by Steve Beckwith. Steve Beckwith gave the Observing Committee report. John Maher is currently presenting the DVD Cosmology course on Friday nights at the ATMoB Clubhouse. Steve Clougherty gave the Clubhouse report. Two work sessions will be held in October. The first will be held on the 3rd and the second on Halloween (Oct 31st). If members are available on those days please stop by the Clubhouse and give us a hand. For a detailed account read this month's Clubhouse report. Eileen Myers announced that she had some club historical information packets available for any interested members. Steve Beckwith then asked the membership to congratulate Eileen for arranging the 75th Anniversary Picnic.

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Howard LeVaux showed the group his 35mm slides (Fuji Velvia, ISO 50) of the 2009 China solar eclipse in Hangzhou. Howard's photography setup included a 4-inch refractor (FL= 822mm), a 70mm Teleview refractor and a 200mm camera lens. He noted that the eclipse seemed "awfully dark" due to the high clouds and he could not see much of the corona. Howard also showed a few photos of previous eclipses from Bolivia (1994) and Aruba (1998). John Small reported that the Belmont Light Department has installed 30 LED streetlights along Concord Ave. The lights appear to be a blue/white type which according to Mario Motta is the worst kind of glare. Haldun Menali mentioned Telescope has an article about Turkey. Halden participated assistance the Turkish members in 7 days. that the November Sky & the 2nd telescope workshop in in this event and with his produced a hundred telescopes

Clubhouse Report . . .
September 2009 During the last work session which took place at the ATMoB clubhouse in Westford on Saturday, Oct. 10th, the weather cooperated and a good deal of work was accomplished. Volunteers tackled the staining of the West side of the clubhouse primarily on the second story. Another group stained the Ed Knight roll off roof observatory completing the entire structure, including the roof! We will ask for volunteers at the Oct. 31st work session to continue with the clubhouse staining and hopefully the 17" shed will be included. This will be our last opportunity for painting and staining for this year. The snow fence will be erected during the next session as well. The lawn was mowed around the clubhouse including a good portion of the observing field. The weed whacker was used to trim grass and weeds around the observing pads and observatories. Volunteers will be called upon to finish mowing during the next work session since this will be the last opportunity to complete this work for the current calendar year. We would like to call upon members to help out with tree trimming and brush hauling around the perimeter of the observing field on Oct. 31st. Work continued in the new near-barn workshop including relocating several pieces of equipment from the old workshop. This project will continue throughout the upcoming winter season. Lunch was provided for all who volunteered. Thanks to all who volunteered on Oct. 10th. A list will be published in next month's STAR FIELDS for all of you who have given your time for the two work sessions in October. ~ Clubhouse Committee ~ ~ John Reed, Steve Clougherty and Dave Prowten ~

Bruce Tinkler noted that the Boston Parents Magazine featured an article called "Great Places to Stargaze". It mentions the Center for Astrophysics, the Clay Center and other clubs and organizations including our own. Bruce has a number of images in the magazine featuring the Clay Center and one image with Al Takeda demonstrating his solar telescope on Astronomy Day. Vladimir Vudler showed us a high efficiency; water cooled 100 Watt equivalent LED lamp that only uses 10 Watts of power. October Announcements: LCROSS probe will impact the Moon on Friday, October 2, at 7:30 EDT. The Clay Center is also an official observation site for this event. Orionid meteor shower between October 17th ­ 25th (peaking on the 21st). Telecon: The Birth of Stars and Planets (October 27th) Dick Koolish announced that the Photographic Historical Society of New England will be putting on a camera show on the weekend of Oct 24/25. October Star Parties: Annual Plaistow Star Party - Oct 9, postponed Lexington Christian Academy Star Party ­ Oct. 23 Star Party for Families of Military Sevice Men and Women Oct. 24, postponed Country Day School Star Party ­ Oct. 23 New Announcements: Leonid Meteor Shower ­ Peaks on the evening of Nov. 17 Star Parties: Annual Acton Town-wide Star Party ­ Nov. 13 Swallow Union Elementary School ­ Nov. 17 ~ Al Takeda, Secretary ~ 3

Painting the Ed Knight Observatory. (L-R) Chuck Evans, John Maher, Eileen Myers, Jun-ichi Sano, Mike Hill and Dave Prowten. Image by Al Takeda.


Clubhouse Saturday Schedule Nov Nov Nov Nov Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec 7 14 21 28 5 12 19 26 31 Al Takeda Bill Toomey Shilpa Lawande Nitin Sonawane Bernie Kosicki Tom Wolf Glenn Meurer John Panaswich Dave Prowten, John Reed-Work Party Steve Mock Rich Nugent John Small Art Swedlow John Maher George Paquin New Year's Party

As project manager I've put in countless hours over the past few months to bring this project to fruition but I could not have done it without support from the Executive Board, and several people who made valuable contributions of machined custom parts and their expertise. My thanks and yours should go Mike Hill, John Blomquist and Alan Sliski for their skill in the machine shop and to John Maher and John Reed for asking the important questions that will make this new tool easier for all to use. As of the end in the Knight alignment and complete these Update: The observatory computer had a bad power supply and was replaced. The operating system, The Sky 6 and CCD Soft software were reloaded. The mount was polar aligned but due to a loose interface plate another polar alignment will have to be performed. The Declination worm gear was pinned to prevent it from slipping. The new metal dew shield has been installed on the C-14. Two of the Kendrick heater strips that had broken wires have been repaired. Condensation is forming on the C-14 corrector plate when it is covered by a closed plastic cover. Attempts to prevent dew from forming are an ongoing project. Producing an C-14 telescope is misalignment. A control was need properly. all-sky T-Point model to accurately point the proceeding slowly because of the above polar software patch for the CCDSoft camera ed to allow the SBIG ST-7 camera to work of September Observatory the pointing important last the mount and scope are installed and work continues on polar correction maps. We hope to steps in a couple of weeks.

C-14 Paramount Mount Upgrade . . .

The Paramount has been upgraded with a new control system from Software Bisque. The MKS4000 system uses the same control boards and servo motors as the Paramount ME, so we know it is reliable and thoroughly field tested by hundreds or thousands of users. Our friends Steve and Tom Bisque have been very generous in their support of ATMoB in the past, and that generosity has been magnified a hundredfold with an 80% discount on the MKS4000. Please mention your gratitude to them whenever possible Editor's Note: The mount required an extensive rework to allow the attachment of the new right ascension and declination drive motor/encoders.

Balancing the scope is still an issue. The Paramount system can be used by experienced users but its pointing accuracy needs to be improved. Editor's Note: Images in this article are courtesy of Bruce Berger. ~Submitted by Bruce Berger~

Carlise Star Party Thank You! . . .
I just wanted to thank you for helping us organize last Friday night. We had a great turn out. Everyone is so nice and helpful with the kids and adults, showing them all the "cool" stuff in the sky! One person actually gave out bookmarks and information sheets about what we could see! It truly is an amazing group! Thanks to everyone involved! Holly A. Hamilton Mansfield :) Director of Recreation Town of Carlisle

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Membership Report . . .
Membership as of 10//29/2009 - 365 members. Membership renewals were due by September 1st, 2009. Please remit you membership payment ASAP to avoid Astronomy and Sky & Telescope subscription delays. You can re-new on-line or down load the renewal form from the website and send it to Tom McDonagh. Payments can be made with PAYAL through the ATMoB website renewal system, or by mailing a check. Navigate using the following link after logging in to renew your membership today!
http://www.atmob.org/members/person.php?frid=renewals ,

Sky Object of the Month . . .
November 2009 Persei (Algol, the "Demon Star")

then click on the red renewal tab to renew online! Please contact the Membership Secretary if you have any problems logging into the ATMoB website or navigating through the renewal process, at Membership@ATMoB.org. New members in 2009 are not September 2010. Members that fail to will be dropped as a member. Please the club at President@ATMoB.org if paying the dues. required to renew till renew by December 1st contact the President of you are having trouble

The Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston, Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization. Donations are gladly accepted and are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. While the deadline for 2009 charitable donations is almost here, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to the club when planning for 2010 and beyond. All members are encouraged to seek out and welcome our new members: Jacob Chambers John Hatfield Welcome! membership@atmob.org ~ Tom McDonagh ­ Membership Secretary ~

Are you ready for the eclipse of November 13th? I'm not talking about the sun or moon. I'm referring instead to an eclipse of the fascinating star Persei (Algol). Algol is arguably the best-known example of an eclipsing binary. Every 2.867 days like clockwork, Algol dims from magnitude 2.1 to 3.4. The entire fade-away and return to normal brightness takes about 10 hours. Algol's variability was first described by Italian astronomer Geminiano Montanari in 1667. However, its Arabic name (from Al Ra's al Ghul "The Demon's Head") suggests that Algol's odd behavior was noted centuries earlier. Algol is comprised of a bright B8 main-sequence star orbited so closely by a fainter K-type subgiant that the two appear as a single star. Because their orbital plane is nearly edge-on to our line-of-sight, the faint member periodically passes in front of the primary, the eclipse causing a temporary dimming of the system's light. There are two windows of opportunity for viewing an Algol eclipse. First, you'll need an evening from mid autumn to late winter when Perseus is well-placed in the sky. Next (unless you're a night owl who doesn't mind being out during the wee hours of evening) you'll want an eclipse that begins after sunset and winds down around midnight.

Thoreau on Astronomy . .

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Now a man will eat his heart, if ever, now while the earth is bare, barren and cheerless, and we have the coldness of winter without the variety of ice and snow; but methinks the variety and compensation are in the stars now. How bright they are now by contrast with the dark earth! The days are short enough now. The sun is already setting before I have reached the ordinary limit of my walk, but the 21st of next month the day will be shorter still by about twenty-five minutes. In December there will be less light than in any month in the year. Journal 28 Nov 1853 ~ Submitted by Tom Calderwood ~

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According to the RASC Observer's Handbook 2009, a favorable Algol eclipse will occur on Friday, November 13th, with mid-eclipse predicted for 8:21 pm, EST. Although the complete event takes about ten hours, most of the action can be seen within a 6-hour span. Starting about 3 hours before mideclipse (around 5:20 pm, or as soon as darkness permits), record your initial magnitude estimate. Use the accompanying chart, which shows the magnitudes of nearby comparison stars (to the nearest tenth, with decimals omitted). Continue at 15minute intervals until Algol has returned to its original brightness. Special equipment won't be necessary ­ Algol is readily visible to the unaided eye. One hint: go outside an evening or two before the eclipse to identify Algol and its comparison stars. You'll avoid a lot of confusion and wasted time on eclipse night. Observing an eclipse of Algol is a great group project for an astronomy club. I took part in one a few years ago with members of the Boston ATMs. Between estimates we had time to conduct regular skygazing through our telescopes ­ a combination which made for a fun and fast-paced evening. Should clouds prevail on the 13th, you can scout out future Algol eclipses by consulting the Observer's Handbook or a current issue of Sky and Telescope. Observing and recording an eclipse of Algol should be on every backyard astronomer's "todo" list. Your comments on this column are welcome. E-mail me at gchaple@hotmail.com. . ~ Submitted by Glenn Chaple ~

(L-R) Paul Cicchetti, John Reed, John Maher and Paul Valleli

Thank you to Paul Cicchetti for allowing us all to look at the sun through his solar scope. John Maher also observed the sun with his Coronado PST solar scope. Phil Levine set up his 10" reflector and nice binos with a mount. Phil Rounseville set up his solar filtered scope and folks were excited with the view. Thank you to all the folks who set up scopes in the hopes of even semi-clear night skies. Although it did not rain, the clouds made observing even the Moon and Jupiter difficult. Thank you to the ISS for that 2 minute bright pass directly over the observing field. Thank you to Nina Craven for running the kids activities. Thank you to Marsha Bowman for her assistance. Thank you to Bill Toomey for leading the outdoor up-the-hill walking tour of the Haystack facility. Thank you to Bruce Tinkler for bringing and demonstrating radio astronomy

Anniversary Picnic Thank You . . .

(L-R) Paul Valleli and Dave Prowten

What a fine day we had for the Annual Picnic and 75th Anniversary of ATMoB (including the 80th Anniversary of the Bond Club). Estimates are that well over 100 attended. The temperature was perfect - a beautiful Autumn day. The following list of thank yous will give you an idea of what the day was like:

Thank you to Nina Craven for helping the kids to assemble Galileo-style refracting telescopes. Thank you to John Reed for bringing a small tripod to mount the scopes on. There was certainly delight in the eyes of at least one youngster when she saw the Moon through her new telescope.

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Thank you to John Maher for giving tours of the Ed Knight observatory and tours of the clubhouse.

Thank you Nina Craven for ordering the 75th Anniversary ATMoB balloons, and also for the 80th Anniversary Bond Club balloons, wherever they are after their long flight high up into the sky! Thank you to Eileen Myers for preparing and to John Blomquist, Barbara Bosworth, Nina Craven, John Maher and Eileen Myers for assembling the handouts on the club's history. A few packets were distributed at the October club meeting. Thank you to Vladimir Vudler for bringing that sci fi movie to relax with late in the evening after all clean up was completed. The door to the clubhouse was finally locked at 2:30 AM. Thank you to the coordinators Eileen Myers, Al Takeda, John Reed, Sai Vallabha and Art Swedlow. A good time was had by all! ~ Submitted by Eileen Myers ~

Thank you to Al Takeda who put together a marvelous slide show with selections of his own photos of recent club activities, photos from Club Historian Anna Hillier, slides archived in the clubhouse office, and photos from Paul Valleli. Thank you to Ken Launie for bringing his slides of the early days of the clubhouse taken in the 1980's and narrating as they were projected on the screen. Thank you to Paul Valleli who showed images from his website's archive of ATMoB events and for his narration. Thank you to Mario Motta who agreed to be the back-up presentation MC. Thank you to Anna Hillier for all of her many years of dedication to the club in maintaining the club's history, and for researching and putting it all together in a wonderful book. Thank you to Paul Valleli for keeping the club history too. Thank you to food and supplies shoppers John Reed, Eileen Myers and Nina Craven. Thank you to the set-up and break-down volunteers, to those who put up the tents and those who took them down, those who brought tables and chairs outside and those who brought them back inside, those who set up activities, membership tables and food tables, and those who cleaned up at the end of the day: Bruce Berger, Marsha Bowman, Paul Cicchetti, Nina Craven, Carl Hein, Julie Kaufmann, Philip Levine, John Maher, Eileen Myers, John Reed, Art Swedlow, Al Takeda and Sai Vallabha. I know there were more ­ everyone pitched in to help! Thank you to Chefs Eric Johansson, Art Swedlow and Sai Vallabha for cooking all those hamburgers, kielbasa and hot dogs. Thank you to EVERYONE who brought such delicious food. We have many great chefs and bakers in the club!

Calendars for Sale . . .
I still have a few Astronomy Deep Space Mysteries 2010 Calendars available for sale. They list for $12.95 (see http://www.kalmbachstore.com/68158.html) but the club sells them for $8 (this includes a small profit to the club ­ so you not only get a great buy, but you help support the club as well). It is greatly appreciated if you have exact change available. Or, you can write a check (made payable to the ATMoB). Sorry, but I will only sell them at the monthly meetings, first come, first served. ~ Submitted by Bernie Volz ~

Corrections The person looking through the reproduction Galileo Scope in October's newsletter is Dwight Lanpher, board member of the Island Astronomy Institute. Marcia Bartusiak's name was misspelled in the September and October Newsletters. ALPO's website is now http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/. ********************************* December Star Fields DEADLINE Wednesday, November 25th Email articles to Al Takeda at secretary@atmob.org ********************************

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POSTMASTER NOTE: First Class Postage Mailed Nov 4th, 2009 Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston, Inc. c/o Tom McDonagh, Membership Secretary 48 Mohawk Drive Acton, MA 01720 FIRST CLASS

EXECUTIVE BOARD 2009-2010
PRESIDENT: president@atmob.org VICE PRES: SECRETARY: MEMBERSHIP: Stephen Beckwith Bernie Kosicki Al Takeda Tom McDonagh (978) 779-5227 (978) 263-2812 (508) 494-7877 (617) 966-5221 (978) 290-2802 (978) 649-7157 (781) 862-8040 (978) 283-0862 (603) 968-3062 (978) 456-3937 (781) 861-8031 (781) 784-3024 (978) 369-1596 (978) 779-5227 (978) 568-1253

How to Find Us... Web Page www.atmob.org
MEETINGS: Held the second Thursday of each month (September to July) at 8:00PM in the Phillips Auditorium, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden St., Cambridge MA. For INCLEMENT WEATHER CANCELLATION listen to WBZ (1030 AM) CLUBHOUSE: Latitude 42 36.5' N Longitude 71 29.8' W The Tom Britton Clubhouse is open every Saturday from 7 p.m. to late evening. It is the white farmhouse on the grounds of MIT's Haystack Observatory in Westford, MA. Take Rt. 3 North from Rt. 128 or Rt. 495 to Exit 33 and proceed West on Rt. 40 for five miles. Turn right at the MIT Lincoln Lab, Haystack Observatory at the Groton town line. Proceed to the farmhouse on left side of the road. Clubhouse attendance varies with the weather. It is wise to call in advance: (978) 692-8708. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TREASURER: Nanette Benoit MEMBERS AT LARGE: Chuck Evans Bruce Tinkler PAST PRESIDENTS: 2006-08 2005-06 2002-04 CLUBHOUSE : Virginia Renehan Bernie Volz Eileen Myers COMMITTEES John Reed Steve Clougherty David Prowten Stephen Beckwith John Maher

Heads Up For The Month . . .
To calculate Eastern Standard Time (EST) from Universal Time (UT) subtract 5 from UT. Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Nov Dec 6 9 12 16 17 24 2 Moon is 0.9 degrees North of M35 (Gemini) Last Quarter Moon North Taurid Meteor Shower peaks New Moon Leonid Meteor Shower peaks First Quarter Moon Full Moon

OBSERVING:

----------OBSERVING AND PUBLIC OUTREACH STAR PARTY COORDINATOR: Virginia Renehan starparty@atmob.org