The Celestial Observer June, 1999

Here's a Test. Is June the month when:

The days are longest, and nights are shortest ? or:

The month of the Summer Solstice, when nights are getting longer !

If you took the first, you're a pessimist. If the second, welcome to the optimist's club. If both, you are confused and should seek help.

There's a lot on our plate for the next couple of months. June itself is usually a slow month (too much daytime), but the passage of the solstice presages a pickup in activities. Read on for events past and present.

I'd like to thank all of you (and especially coordinator Dave Fournier ) for all the hard work associated with Astronomy Day. A run of bad luck with the weather limited the public's turnout, but club participation was very good. And Dave certainly deserves some special accolade for having put his alter-ego's picture on the pages of many North Shore newspapers.

I'm told that the Museum of Science venue was particularly active, with much interest in the SHARE system. And, that Barrie Sawyer got to take a nap during the planetarium show. Must have been a combination of late night observing and coffee deficiency.

Clear Skies,
John Gall, President

July Business Meeting Cancelled

This is nothing new, as we always take a break from our business meeting schedule for the month of July. Regular observing will continue at the regularly scheduled times and places. And yes, there will be a copy of the Celestial Observer sent out for July. Newsletter editors never get a break !

The Newsletter Editor

Salem State College

After another successful year, the Observatory is closed for the summer, and will reopen in the fall. A work weekend will becoming up in the near future. Stay tuned for details, and contact Ric Shanahan if you'd care to get involved.

In late breaking news, SSC contact Dr. Lorrie Comeford advises that the school has just hired a new physics professor with a background and interest in Astronomy. And that the observatory will be repainted this summer !

VMP

Thanks for all those who showed up for the work weekend. We touched up the hallway in front of the council on aging's area, and accomplished a number of other minor tasks. As always, our work was well appreciated.

We enjoy privileges at VMP that would be hard to duplicate anywhere else on the North Shore. Providing volunteer labor, and otherwise assisting the Park is but one of the several ways we support this fine venue. Please keep up the good work.

SHARE

Rob Nelson reports that several applications for further funding of this system are in the works . Hopefully he'll be able to report back some good news to us in the near future.

Club Goods/Assets

See Dennis Gudzevich for mugs, T shirts and related items. Quantity discounts are available for several items purchased at the same time.

A reminder that the club has number of telescopes and accessories available for loan to members. These range from a small, 4.5 inch reflector, to a large 6" long focus reflector. Mounts and eyepieces are also available. See any of the officers at the business meeting.

Bigger Scopes, Cheap !!!

Who doesn't want a bigger scope ? Jealous of those guys with monster dobs ? Wouldn't you like to trade your 8 inch scope for a 20 ? Better yet, wouldn't you like it if your scope was somehow flexible, so that for the investment of very little money it could perform like it was 6 times as big in area and still fit in the trunk of your car? If you are interested, please send $20 to "Big Scopes Cheap", 20 Princeton Ave, Beverly, MA, 01915. We will immediately send you valuable information that will tell you how this is possible. Performance guaranteed.

The above is an add I'm toying with placing on the internet. But, since you are all members of a select group of friends and compatriots, I'll let you in on the secret: Road Trips.

True ,true ! Moving from our relatively light polluted suburban skies with a limiting magnitude of around 4.5, to dark sky sites with limiting mags of 6.5, is much like making your 8" scope perform like a 20-incher that is stuck in the mag 4.5 skies. Those faint fuzzies, M65 and M66, that look like washed out cotton balls in my 8" scope at VMP become fiery glows when viewed at Stinson Lake, or Evans notch. How do you think that guy in Sky and Tel bagged all those Herschel objects with a 50 mm scope - special coating ? Nah, - he went to very dark skies.

Want a testimonial ? Talk to Blaine Bjornstead at the next meeting. Blaine's first journey north revealed not only spectacular skies, but also the camaraderie and friendship of our members.

You'll have several opportunities over the next couple of months to try out your "new" scope. First, in June there are two events planned: the first takes place the weekend of June 11/12 at Stinson Lake, NH. Barrie Sawyer is going up to help the owner, Mike Randall tear down a porch during the daytime. And at night, observe. Contact Barrie for the details. Bring a sawsall if you have one. The following weekend Dave Thomas will be camped out at Evans Notch, NH for fishing, observing and other pursuits. See David at the June Business meeting for more details.

There's no trip scheduled for July ( so far ), but if you can look ahead more than 6 weeks, remember that Stellafane will be held in the weekend of August 13 through 15. Registration forms have already been mailed out. And some have been mailed back in. We'll provide more details next month, but if you want to get on this quickly, please go to their website: www.stellafane.com

Finally, in September, Rob Nelson has set up the first annual "Height of Land Star Party and Moose Dodge". Scheduled for the weekend following Labor Day, this will be a trip to the Rangley, Maine area for camping and observing. Rob and Dave Thomas scouted this one out, and report superb horizon to horizon views. Plan on a four hour drive, probably leaving VMP around noon. Rob advises that travel in twilight and later is not advised, 'cause the moose come out in droves at that time. Sort of like mosquitoes, only much bigger. And, DEET doesn't work.

John Gall

Business Meeting Minutes for the May, 1999 Meeting of the NSAAC

The monthly business meeting was called to order at 8:23 PM. We welcomed three new members; Dick Gruen, John Walker, and Wyn Palmer. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and accepted with a minor correction. President John Gall clarified the procedure we will use to decide whether to continue our membership in ALCOR. We will vote on the issue at the next meeting. We agreed to hold a binocular mount building workshop at the next meeting. See below for details. John reminded everyone that we will not hold a business meeting in July. The Treasurer's report was read and accepted. Chris recommended and the members voted unanimously to deposit $1000.00 into the Land Fund from the General Fund. This brings the total in the land Fund to over $4400. John called for volunteers for an adhoc committee to investigate our criteria for a club owned observing site.

Ric Shanahan reminded us that observing session at Salem State College will end this month. Merrimack College continued its impressive string of cloudy nights this month.

The star party at VMP was a great success. There were eighteen scopes plus the SHARE system present. VMP collected $130. A possible road trip to Evans Notch was discussed. We will try to finalize plans for it at the next meeting.

Rob Nelson has been very busy sending out grant requests to various organizations. He has his eye on a multimedia projector, a laptop, additional carrying case, and an I3 eyepiece, (what, no built-in coffeemaker?).

Dave Thomas reported that no discount is available for bulk purchases of the "Night Sky Observer's Guide". This guide is reviewed in new issue of Sky Tel.

Finally, John got "Chernobyled" so there was no old business.

Barrie Sawyer
Secretary

Land Fund

As reported above, our land fund is now over $4,000. We are looking to have a "committee" work on the specifications for a site. We are not interested in buying land right now, and are not looking for leads. Indeed, even if someone gave us the land, we probably couldn't afford to use it. If you have an interest in these topics, please see me at the June business meeting.

John Gall

Directions to the NSAAC Observing Site

The NSAAC meets regularly on clear Friday nights in Groveland, MA at Veasey Memorial Park, 201 Washington Street. Observing begins around dusk throughout the year. If the sky is only marginally clear, members may not be present to observe on that night. Monthly business meetings are held on the first night Friday of the month at 8:00 p.m.

Getting to Veasey Memorial Park

From Interstate 95 north, take the Route 133 west (54B) exit, and follow it into Georgetown Center. Go straight through the light, now on Route 97n . Go about 1.5 miles and take a left onto Salem Street (Tea Garden Restaurant at this intersection). Stay on Salem Street and turn left onto Washington Street. VMP is a short distance down on the right

For more information about the club and its activities, call Dave Thomas, Membership Director at 978-388-2341 or contact John Gall, President, e-mail at M104@aol.com. Better yet, visit our Web Site at

http://www.nsaac.org.

Please support those who support us.

Star.net is our internet service provider, please look them up if you need internet service. Also, Brewster LaMacchia's company Jovian Systems is now hosting our internet e-mail service. We're not sure what Jovian system does, but Brewster says if you send him money, that's ok.

Additionally, the Phoenix Press in Groveland provides printing services for our monthly newsletter. Please consider them for any printing needs you may have.

Lastly, we'd like to make special note of those people who have made generous contributions in support of the SHARE program, including Lucent Technologies and that inestimable gentleman, Harry Chase at F. C. Meichsner Co, in Boston. If you need to equip a telephone company see Lucent. If you need a telescope, see Harry.

Astronomical League Membership

Our membership dues in the Astronomical League are fast approaching. With this in mind, we will vote on the issue of continued membership at the June business meeting. In the past, when we were much smaller, AL dues were but a small fraction of our expenses. Now that we are larger, and the AL has restructured their dues, it costs more.

We now pay a $10 per year "club" fee, along with $3 per member to cover The Reflector and other services offered by the League. At our present membership, that puts the bill in the $250 per year range, and is our second largest operating expense.

Given the relative size of this, the Board wasn't inclined to simply direct the Treasurer to pay the bill, without the affirmative vote of the membership. Please com e to the June meeting to act on this issue.

Night Sky Events for the Month of June

Day	Time (EDT)	
3	6 p.m.	The moon passes 0.7 degree north of Neptune
4	6 p.m.	The moon passes 0.5 degree north of Uranus
9	8 p.m.	The moon passes 4 degrees south of Jupiter
10	10 p.m.	The moon passes 3 degrees south of Saturn
11	8 a.m.	Venus is at greatest eastern elongation 
15	4 a.m.	The moon passes 4 degrees south of Mercury
16	11 p.m.	The moon passes 2 degrees south of Venus
18	7 a.m.	The moon passes 1.0 degree north of Regulus
21	2 p.m.	Mercury passes 5 degrees south of Pollux (evening)
	4 p.m.	Solstice (northern summer/southern winter begins)
22	4 p.m.	The moon passes 6 degrees north of Mars
28	7 p.m.	Mercury is at greatest eastern elongation
30	11 p.m.	The moon passes 0.6 degree north of Neptune

If you were one of the ones that indicated an interest in building a binocular mount in June, don't forget to bring your tripod and counterweight to the business meeting. And, if you have one, a small drill.

Expect to spend about an hour, possibly less putting these together. And, if we are lucky, we'll be able to use them that night !

John Gall