Highlights of the January Sky

- - - 1st - - -

PM: A waxing crescent Moon is about 5° to the lower right of Venus in the southwest. Mars is 12° to Venus' upper left.

- - - 2nd - - - PM: The Moon is about 5° to the lower right of Mars and 7° to the upper left of Venus.

- - - 5th - - - First Quarter Moon 2:47 pm EST

- - - 8th - - - DAWN: Use binoculars to spot Mercury and Saturn 7° apart low in the southeast.

- - - 9th - - - PM: A waxing gibbous Moon is to the lower left of Aldebaran, the eye of Taurus, the Bull.

- - - 12th - - - Full Moon 6:34 am EST

- - - 14th - - - PM: The Moon is near Regulus, the brightest star in Leo.

- - - 19 - - - AM: The Moon, Jupiter, and Spica form a compact triangle. They’re highest in the south before dawn. Last Quarter Moon 2:13 pm EST

- - - 24th - - - DAWN: A thin crescent Moon is 3° to upper left of Saturn.

- - - 25th - - - DAWN: Use binoculars to spot a very thin crescent Moon low in the southeast. Mercury is 6° to the lower left.

- - - 28th - - - New Moon 7:07 pm EST

- - - 31st - - - DUSK: A waxing crescent Moon, Mars, and Venus form a triangle in the west-southwest.

General Meeting: Friday, January 13 @ 7:00 pm Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center - See Page 8 for Details

Board Meeting: Sunday, January 15 @ 5:00 pm

Sunnyside Church - 2800 Gull Road - All Members Welcome

Introduction to Amateur Astronomy Series Begins

Portage District Library - See Page 3 for Dates, Times & Topics

KAS

Inside the Newsletter. . . December Mee ng Minutes.............. p. 2

Board Mee ng Minutes..................... p. 3

Intro. to Amateur Astronomy.............p. 3

Observa ons of 2016......................... p. 4

NASA Space Place...............................p. 5

January Night Sky............................... p. 6

KAS Board & Announcements............p. 7

General Mee ng Preview.................. p. 8

January 2017

The KAS annual meeting, featuring our 18th Holiday Party, began at 6:30 pm EST on Friday, December 2, 2016. Attendance was very light this year with only about 30 members and guests in attendance at the Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center (KAMSC). Special thanks to James & Patricia Dyer, Rich Mather, and Don Stilwell for assisting Richard Bell and Jean DeMott with setup. Dinner was served at 6:45 pm. Our potluck hors d'oeuvre was as good as always, but desserts were as sparse as attendance. Our “hostess-with-the-mostess,” Jean DeMott, supplied the soft drinks and hot wassail again and did an exceptional job with the 80th anniversary table decorations. Thanks again, Jean! Once dinner was complete and everyone had a chance to relax and converse, we played four highly competitive rounds of BINGO. Here are the lucky winners:

Ruth Price - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story tickets Donated by the KAS

Dave Woolf – Planet Glass Set Donated by Matthew DePriest

Frank Severance (tie) – Sunbeam Panini Maker Donated by James & Patricia Dyer

Greg Sirna (tie) – Green Laser Pointer Donated by Rich Mather

Rich Mather – Exploring Moon Through Binoculars... Donated by Anonymous KAS Member

Remaining members and guests then reconvened in KAMSC’s presentation center for the Annual Meeting. Everyone enjoyed the 2016 Y ear-in-Review Slide Show painstakingly assembled by Richard Bell. Final nominations and elections for 2017 KAS board members were then held. All nominees ran unopposed, so members present at the

meeting unanimously voted to ignore Article 5 of the KAS Bylaws and forego voting by secret ballot. Please see page 7 for the list of 2017 KAS board members. Richard plugged the upcoming installment of his Introduction to Amateur Astronomy lecture series, which begins on January 21st (see page 3). We just received an additional $3,000 in donations toward the Robotic Telescope Project, which brings the total amount raised to over $120,000! Richard also asked for any ideas for guest speakers in 2017. Astronomy Day will be on April 29th. In addition to Fred Espenak and Jay Anderson, Richard announced that Dr. Tyler Nordgren has agreed to appear. Dr. Nordgren is the author of the book Sun Moon Earth. Don Stilwell gave the only observing report, but it was from back in October at the Kiwanis Youth Conservation Area. Before doing some naked eye and binocular observing with some Boy Scouts, hundreds of cranes flew in simultaneously and some were photographed passing in front of the Moon. Jack Price pointed out that the winter issue of The Reflector listed the KAS as receiving the “Quality Events Year After Year” award in the Astronomical League’s 2016 Astronomy Day Award. Jack also mentioned the recent loss of a Russian Soyuz rocket carrying a Progress capsule filled with supplies for the International Space Station. Buzz Aldrin also had to be medically evacuated to New Zealand during a recent trip to Antarctica. He made a full recovery! We then held the door prize drawings (donors are noted if known). Here are ALL the lucky winners (in order): Mike Sinclair (Jumbo Pocket Sky Atlas, donated by Sky & Telescope); Don Stilwell (LED Flashlight); Beverly Byle (Moon phase calendar, donated by Roger & Molly Williams); Rich Mather (Welcome to the Universe, donated by the KAS); Molly Williams (Glow-in-the-Dark Planets & Stars, donated by the KAS); Jim Dyer (Jumbo Pocket Sky Atlas, donated by Roger & Molly Williams); Ruth Price ($5 in cash!); Bob Havira (Night Sky playing cards, donated by Mike Sinclair); Roger Williams (Glow-in-the-Dark Stars, Moon & Planets, donated by the KAS); Scott Macfarlane (The Total Skywatcher’s Manual), Phyllis Lubbert (1-year subscription to Astronomy, donated by Kalmbach Publishing); Greg Sirna (Star Ware - 2nd Edition); Susan Sirna (Packing for Mars, donated by Scott Macfarlane); Mike Patton (KAS Embroidered Cap, donated by the KAS SkyShop); Susan Salamo (Red LED Shakelight); Matthew DePriest (Moon Phase calendar , donated by Roger & Molly Williams); Scott Macfarlane, Jr. (Bouncing Dreidel toy); Jack Price (Moon phase calendar, donated by Roger & Molly Williams); Jean DeMott (Backyard Stars Guide, donated by Mike Sinclair); Barb Havira (Hand-made Pendant, donated by Phyllis Lubbert); Gary Lubbert (Storage Case, donated by Jack Price); Patricia Dyer (LED Light, donated by Jack Price). The meeting concluded at about 9:35 pm. Thanks to all the volunteers that helped with clean-up and putting all the tables and chairs away.

Prime Focus Page 2

December Meeting Minutes

Mike Sinclair can stop whining now that he’s won a copy of Sky & Telescope’s Jumbo Pocket Sky Atlas.

January 2017 Prime Focus Page 3

In an update on Astronomy Day 2017, Richard noted that a planned shift from the original date could not work, so the date will remain at April 29th. The venue is still not decided, but the Fetzer Center is not available. Other possibilities (including KVCC) are being examined. Speakers confirmed for Astronomy day are Fred Espenak, Jay Anderson, and Tyler Nordgren. Finally, a very quick look was taken at the 2017 general meeting schedule so far. Dr. Kristina Lemmer from WMU has agreed to speak in February on CubeSats, while Dr. David Gerdes (UM) will speak in May. With the conclusion of regular business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:50 pm. The next meeting was set for January 15th, same time and place. Respectfully submitted by Roger Williams

The KAS Board met on December 11, 2016 at Sunnyside Church. President Richard Bell distributed copies of the agenda and called the meeting to order at 5:14 pm. Board members present were Mike Cook, Scott Macfarlane, Rich Mather, Jack Price, and Roger Williams. Board members Joe Comiskey and Don Stilwell remained at home because of the inclement weather. Rich presented the treasurer’s report. Most of the income since the last report came from dues payments, as well as Pfizer payments for employee volunteer work and matching gifts. Rich reported that $137 of eclipse shade sales had occurred so far, a small start on what we expect to do before August. Richard gave a quick summary of planned January events. The general meeting will feature a Great American Eclipse Seminar, aimed at informing viewers about good sites, equipment needed, and other information required for maximizing the chances of a good eclipse experience. Richard has also planned another round of his Introduction to Amateur Astronomy seminar at the Portage District Library. The initial meeting was moved back from January 14th to January 21st because of scheduling conflicts with the library facilities. In the area of New Business, Richard reported on an offer from Josh Dickey to sponsor KAS with a modest payment in return for placing a small ad in Prime Focus. The Board felt that this would be worthwhile, and Richard will pursue the idea. In Follow-up items, the Robotic Telescope Project was discussed. Successful routine operation of the telescope over the internet has not yet been accomplished. It may require members to visit the observatory again to work out the bugs. A trip to install the Takahashi telescope in March might be the best time to accomplish this work. The Robotic Telescope Committee will discuss this at their next meeting. In other Follow-up business, Rich reported that he and Don had confirmed that the club Nexstar 8 scope has a problem. Some more work was needed to determine whether the scope must be sent back for repairs. Regarding eclipse shades, Richard had not been able to get permission to use a figure he had hoped to put on an included postcard. He had improvised with a frame from a NASA.gov video, which is in the public domain. The Board approved of this result and authorized Richard to get the cards printed. Richard also discussed planned community 2017 solar eclipse talks to be offered to schools and community groups for a small fee. He advocated a mass mailing to get the word out. Mike mentioned that he had been wanting to make the same kind of public notification for the Library Telescope Program. Richard suggested that both could be done with the same mailing, and the Board agreed that this made sense. After a motion by Mike and a second by Rich, the Board voted unanimously to authorize Richard to spend the funds necessary for the mailing.

Introduction to

Amateur Astronomy The five-part lecture series that will help you become a star-hopping skymaster begins this month! Please register (if you haven’t done so already) to ensure we have enough materials for everyone. Here are the topics for January:

Part 1 — January 21st:

Our Place Among the Infinities For a long time, the stars were merely pinpoints of light on the black backdrop of the heavens. Before massive mountaintop telescopes came along, all we could observe were the Sun, Moon, planets, their satellites, and the occasional comet. Today we know that those pinpoints of light are distant suns and that we live in a remote corner of one galaxy amongst billions. For our first presentation, we'll travel through our solar system, explore the star clusters and nebulae of our Milky Way Galaxy, and the countless other galaxies in this vast, infinite universe.

Part 2 — January 28th:

Discovering the Night Sky Is that a bright star or a planet? Where's the constellation Orion? Your first task as an amateur astronomer is to learn your way around the night sky. Learn how to find any star or constellation in the night sky with the use of a simple star map. We'll also look at several of the best books geared toward the novice stargazer and the many sophisticated planetarium programs for your home computer.

Time: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Location: Portage District Library 300 Library Lane Portage, MI 49002 Please visit the Introduction to Amateur Astronomy web page for more information on the entire series.

January 2017

By most accounts 2016 was a rotten year. Kalamazoo itself suffered two major tragedies that made national headlines. The random shootings by an Uber driver left six people dead and two seriously injured on February 20th. On June 7th five bicyclists were killed and four others were seriously injured by an intoxicated motorist on North Westnedge Avenue, just a short distance away from the Kalamazoo Nature Center. There’s also been Brexit, the ongoing crisis in Syria, the Zika virus in Brazil, a string of notable celebrity deaths, the Orlando nightclub shooting, and a tumultuous presidential election. Oh, and let’s not forget, that 2016 was also the hottest year on record. There were some good moments in 2016. Despite fears of catastrophe in Rio, the 2016 Summer Olympic Games were a success. The USA brought home the most medals and Michael Phelps broke a 2,000-year-old Olympic record for the most gold medals won by an individual. The Chicago Cubs won the World Series for the first time since 1908. NASA’s Juno spacecraft became the second probe to enter orbit around Jupiter on July 4th, giving us our first good look at the giant planet’s north and south polar regions. Closer to home, the WMU Bronco football team had an undefeated season. And, last but not least, the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society successfully celebrated its 80th anniversary. Six KAS members spent the opening days of 2016 at Arizona Sky Village. We successfully installed the remote telescope in Piishii Observatory at the very end of 2015. (Installation of the telescope was described in detail in the March 2016 issue of Prime Focus.) Most problems encountered during installation were quickly overcome, with the exception of remote access to the roll-off roof system. That issue was finally resolved thanks to work by Jim Kurtz and Rich Mather. The next step is to use DC-3 Dreams’ Astronomer’s Control Panel to integrate the software that controls the Paramount, cameras, etc. If that’s not done in the very near future, then hopefully it’ll be accomplished when a group of KAS members return to Arizona in March

to install the Takahashi FSQ-106EDX refractor, all-sky camera, and more. This time, I really think we’ll be able to begin holding remote viewing sessions in the Fall of 2017. One of my goals for our 80th anniversary was to have top-notch general meeting guest speakers. Did I succeed? You be the judge. Only two KAS members gave presentations this year. I spoke on the Installation of the KAS Robotic Telescope on February 5th. Dr. Kirk Korista, giving his first KAS talk in five years, presented Quasars - From Mystery to Illumination on March 4th. “Mr. Eclipse” Fred Espenak (whose is an honorary KAS member) gave us a preview of The Great American Total Eclipse of 2017 via Skype on April 1st. If all goes well, you’ll get to meet him in person in 2017 (more on that in a moment). Professor Richard Bellon, from Michigan State University, told us about John Herschel, Charles Darwin & the "Mystery of Mysteries" on May 6th. Professor Sushil Atreya, from the University of Michigan, previewed Juno’s Exploration of Jupiter on June 3rd. Presentations in September and November were held in celebration of the KAS 80th anniversary and were made possible thanks to a grant from the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation. The September 9th general meeting was our most successful event of the year, with about 118 members and guests in attendance. Canadian amateur astronomer and astrophotographer Alan Dyer gave a fantastic talk on The Amazing Sky. Sky & Telescope Senior Editor J. Kelly Beatty presented Darkness in Distress on November 4th. Attendance was lower compared to Alan’s visit, but we actually received more publicity. Hopefully this raised some awareness for light pollution in West Michigan. Astronomy Day 2016 was again held at the Portage District Library on May 14th. The May date was the “official” day, but not my preference. This resulted in slightly lower attendance than 2015, but another overall successful effort. Our hands-on activities were very popular, but quite time consuming to prep. Over 70 people attended the keynote presentation by Cincinnati Observatory astronomer and PBS Star Gazers co-host Dean Regas. One of my goals for 2017 is to have the most successful Astronomy Day ever. The date will be April 29th, but the venue has yet to be determined. Three major keynote speakers (including Fred Espenak) have already agreed to appear. There were two personal highlights for me in 2016. First, the previously mentioned March 2016 issue of Prime Focus was the 200th issue I assembled. Secondly, Jean DeMott, Rich Mather, and I has about 5 clear nights at the 2016 Texas Star Party in early May. Finally, membership has rebounded after a slight dip in 2015. In fact, we tied the all-time high of 151 memberships! Let’s hope this continues. 2017 should be a banner year for the KAS with the build toward the Great American Eclipse on August 21st. I’m ready, at long last, to stand in the path of totality! How about you?

Prime Focus Page 4

Richard poses with his new Stellarvue 130mm refractor at the Public Observing Session on October 8, 2016.

January 2017

About 250 miles overhead, a satellite the size of a loaf of bread flies in orbit. It's one of hundreds of so-called CubeSats – spacecraft that come in relatively inexpensive and compact packages – that have launched over the years. So far, most CubeSats have been commercial satellites, student projects, or technology demonstrations. But this one, dubbed MinXSS ("minks") is NASA's first CubeSat with a bona fide science mission. Launched in December 2015, MinXSS has been observing the Sun in X-rays with unprecedented detail. Its goal is to better understand the physics behind phenomena like solar flares – eruptions on the Sun that produce dramatic bursts of energy and radiation. Much of the newly-released radiation from solar flares is concentrated in X-rays, and, in particular, the lower energy range called soft X-rays. But other spacecraft don't have the capability to measure this part of the Sun's spectrum at high resolution – which is where MinXSS, short for Miniature Solar X-ray Spectrometer, comes in. Using MinXSS to monitor how the soft X-ray spectrum changes over time, scientists can track changes in the composition in the Sun's corona, the hot outermost layer of the Sun. While the Sun's visible surface, the photosphere, is about 6000 Kelvin (10,000° Fahrenheit), areas of the corona reach tens of millions of degrees during a solar flare. But even without a flare, the corona smolders at a million

degrees – and no one knows why. One possibility is that many small nanoflares constantly heat the corona. Or, the heat may come from certain kinds of waves that propagate through the solar plasma. By looking at how the corona's composition changes, researchers can determine which mechanism is more important, says Tom Woods, a solar scientist at the University of Colorado at Boulder and principal investigator of MinXSS: "It's helping address this very long-term problem that's been around for 50 years: how is the corona heated to be so hot." The $1 million original mission has been gathering observations since June. The satellite will likely burn up in Earth's atmosphere in March. But the researchers have built a second one slated for launch in 2017. MinXSS-2 will watch long-term solar activity – related to the Sun's 11-year sunspot cycle – and how variability in the soft X-ray spectrum affects space weather, which can be a hazard for satellites. So the little-mission-that-could will continue – this time, flying at a higher, polar orbit for about five years. If you’d like to teach kids about where the Sun’s energy comes from, please visit the NASA Space Place:

http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/sun-heat/ This article is provided by NASA Space Place. With articles, activities, crafts, games, and lesson plans, NASA Space Place encourages everyone to get excited about science and technology. Visit spaceplace.nasa.gov to explore space and Earth science!

Prime Focus Page 5

Astronaut Tim Peake on board the International Space Station captured this image of a CubeSat deployment on May 16, 2016. The bottom-most CubeSat is the NASA-funded MinXSS CubeSat, which observes soft X-rays from the Sun — such X-rays can disturb the ionosphere and thereby hamper radio and GPS signals. (The second CubeSat is CADRE — short for CubeSat investigating Atmospheric Density Response to Extreme driving - built by the University of Michigan and funded by the National Science Foundation.) Credit: ESA/NASA

PhoneSat 2.5, developed at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California and launched in March 2014, uses commercially available smartphone technology to collect data on the long-term performance of consumer technologies used in spacecraft. Credit: NASA

Big Science in Small Packages by Marcus Woo

January Night Sky.......................

NORTH

EA

ST

WE

ST

V enus lingers around a waxing crescent Moon at the start of 2017.

On the evening of January 1st, look for the brilliant “evening star” about 5° to the 4-day old Moon’s lower right. The Moon moves between Venus and Mars on January 2nd, with Venus 7° to the lower right of the Moon, and red Mars 4.5° to the Moon’s upper left.

A waxing gibbous Moon will be to the upper right of orange-red Aldebaran, in Taurus, on the night January 8th and to the lower left of it on January 9th. The last quarter Moon, Jupiter, and Spica form a compact triangle in the morning sky on January 19th. They’ll all fit in the field-of-view of 7×50 binoculars.

A thin waning crescent Moon slides within 3° of Saturn at dawn on January 24th. Look low in the southeastern sky about an hour before sunrise. On the evening of January 31st, a waxing crescent Moon, Mars, and Venus form a triangle in the west-southwestern sky during twilight.

SOUTH

This star map is property of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society. However you may make as many copies as you wish free-of-charge, so long as it is for non-profit educational purposes and full credit is given to the KAS.

www.kasonline.org

Late December 10 pm

Early January 9 pm

Late January 8 pm

Early February 7 pm

This map represents the sky at the following local standard times:

PRESIDENT 

Richard S. Bell

VICE PRESIDENT 

Jack Price

TREASURER 

Rich Mather

SECRETARY/ALCOR 

Roger Williams

PUBLICITY MANAGER 

Lydia Hoff

MEMBERS‐AT‐LARGE 

Joe Comiskey 

Mike Cook

Sco  Macfarlane

Don S lwell

E‐MAIL a BOARD MEMBER 

January 2017 Page 7

On 21 August 2017, an eclipse of the Sun will occur across a 70‐mile‐wide path from Oregon to South Carolina, giving tens of millions of people a chance to see the greatest phenomena in Nature.

Eclipse shades will allow you to safely view this momentous event. Buy a pair for yourself, friends, family, co‐workers, etcetera! Hurry and order now before eclipse fever sweeps the na on!

Send your orders to: kas@kasonline.org

It’s been well over ten years since the KAS has offered a full line of clothing. We now have several items in stock and ready for purchase. These include:

Short‐sleeve T‐Shirts: $17.00 

Long‐sleeve T‐Shirts: $20.00 

Sweatshirts (unhooded): $17.00 

Sweatshirts (hooded): $22.00 

KAS Embroidered Caps: $15.00 

Full details, including sizes and colors, will be listed on our online store, The SkyShop, soon. Clothing will also be available to purchase at most general mee ngs.

Apparel Today! Get Your

S & T Subscription Discount  

One of the many benefits of KAS membership is a $10  discount on a one year subscrip on to the premiere astronomical magazine, Sky & Telescope. A regular one year subscrip on costs $42.95; you pay only $32.95. It’s like receiving two free issues!

To take advantage, bring a check (made payable to Sky Publishing) to the next general mee ng or contact KAS Treasurer Rich Mather for more informa on. First‐ me subscribers must pay through the KAS to receive the discount.

© January 2017, Stargazer Productions

Kalamazoo Astronomical Society c/o KAMSC 600 West Vine, Suite 400 Kalamazoo, MI 49008

STAMP

General Meeting Preview

The Great American Eclipse is only eight months away and there’s still much planning and preparation to be done. Do you have a destination in mind for August 21st? How are you going to observe and possibly capture images (or video) the eclipse? KAS members are encouraged to attend this seminar and share their plans and ideas. In case you haven’t yet made plans, we’ll cover several eclipse events along the path of totality and how to safely enjoy this momentous event. We’ll also go over the activities the KAS itself has planned leading up to Eclipse Day.

Friday, January 13 @ 7:00 pm Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center

600 West Vine, Suite 400 • Use Dutton St. Entrance

─ Dutton Entrance Locked by 7:10 pm ─