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ITHI NEWSLETTER

The Arts Celebrate M I RA

Art and music paid tribute to science as thecountdown to the OOS dedication continues. TheMonterey County Symphony chose Mozart's 'lupiter'symphony (No.41 in C Major K.551 ) to open itsprogram for the concerts presented on M arch 25-27in King Hall, Sunset Center and Sherwood Hall. Thesymphony was dedicated to M IRA in honor ofccxrlpletion of the Oliver Observing Station.

The Monterey Peninsula Museum of Art has assembledthe works of six premiere astroartists in its exhibit,'spacescapes', which opened on March 10 and willclose April B. Friends of M IRA and museumassociation members attending the reception onMarch 9 to preview the show enjoyed ref reshmentsprovided by Mrs. Lytle Williams of the museum Boardof Trustees. Friends also heard exhibitor andastronomer Dr. Williarn K. Hartmann of the PlanetaryScience lnstitute in Tucson discuss the relationshipbetween art and astronomy in a public lecture onMarch 10 at MPC. He is co-author of The GrandTour: A Travelter's Cuide to the Solar$s[6frilGrmel -reffi Tbfr-iEl.rlil rffi6-e r--eE6i-eyBonestel l, the dean of astronomical artists, has beenpainting scientifically accurate spacescapes since theearly 1940's. He worked in Hollywood as a matteartist for such f i lms as 'When Worlds Collide' and'Destination Moon', which was shown at the museumon M arch 22. Such classics as The Conquest ofSpace and The Exploration gL Mars were illustratedby Bonestell in col Iaboration with Willy Ley andWerner von Braun.

The 96-year old Bonestell, who created a paintingdepicting the Whirlpool C alaxy especially for theexhibit, delighted the preview audience by hisattendance. The artist met in his hpnre with Dr.Hartmann and co-exhibitor Pamela Lee the followingday to discuss techniques arrd the subiects that haveins pi r ed th ei r wor k. Boneste I I 's wor k has beendescribed by Ley asr'the product of a poeticalmathematician with a paint brush.' When they werefirst published, his paintings were like spaceshipscarrying young imaginations to distant worlds. One

VOLUME VII NC 1 1984

'Asteroid and Satellite,'a painting by Dr. williamHartmann

stood on Titan and viewed Saturn, only partiallyilluminated by the Sun, appearing as a thin crescentard rings against the background of space. A journeyto the stars wits possible with his views of the doublestar systems of Beta Lyrae ard Epsilon Aurigae. Areader could hover above our M ilky Way Calaxy andview it f rom a distance of 300,000 light-|e?rs.Bonestell's paintings nurtured an excitement forspace that inspired not only many young astroartists,bun astronomers as well.

The work of author /illustrator of Universe: APictorial Atlas , Don Dixon, has appeared on severalffilf,iiFbv's book covers as well as in om[,Sky and Telescope and Smithsonian. His nuffiousfilm and television credits include background art for'Cosrnos' . Acryl ic artist R ick Sternbach is therecipient of two Hugo awards for Best ScienceFiction Artist and an Emmy award for his design workon 'Cosrnos'. The exhibit is rounded out by piecesf ronr Don Davis and Pamela Lee.

David Shonman is responsible for expanding MIRA'sded icat ion c elebrat ion to include communitypa rtic ipation through the arts. We are indebted tothe Monterey County Sympl'rony and the MontereyPeninsula Museum of Art for enhancing our dedicationseason.

PUBLISHED BY THE MONTEREY INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH IN ASTRONOMY, A NON-PROFIT CORPORATION9OO MAJOR SHERMAN LANEMONTEREY, CALIFORNIA 93940

MIRA at

The semiannual' American Astronomical Societymeetings are evolving into a sort of intellectualRenaissance Fai re. With as many as a dozen

conc urrent scientif ic sessions, NASA ard bookpublisher displays everywhere and many astronomers

hawking their research f ronr preassigned booths, one

is i'mmersed in the hubbub and excitement.

Three MIRA astronolmers, Drs. Cynthia lrvine, Nelson

lrvine and Bruce Weaver, attended the 'l63rd meetingof the American Astronomical Society held at theUniversity of Nevada at Las Vegas in early f anuary.T he I ru ines' presentat ion on the design and

construction of the Oliver Observing Station and

Weaver's on f irst generation M I RA telescopeinstrumentation were 'poster sessions.' This format,in which astronCIners receive several square metersof space in which to display recent research results,is gaining in popularity. Unlike oral papers, which

are alloted only ten minutes including questions and

answers, poster sessions give the audience access tolong and detailed discussions with the presenter.

ln the same session, Dr. Frank Melsheimer of DFM

Engineering, the designer and builder of M IRA's

telescope and a Friend of MIRA, discussed telescopecontrol and automat ion. M IRA's application ofmicroccrnputers in telescope and instrurnent cont rol

was noted in an invited lecture by 'Dr. Robert

Hiellming of the N ational Radio AstronomyObservatory. Many of the astronomers in attendanceexpressed enthusiasm abot* M IRA's success.

'Looking forward to seeing you in the iournalsr' was

one colleague's way of stating the often expressed

sentiment that our next goal should be producing high

quality prblished scientific results. We agree!

It cannot be claimed, however, that the AAS meetingwas devoted to MIRA. Typical of a winter meeting in

a temperate climate, the Las Vegas gathering was

well attended. Over 600 astronomers participated,presenting approximately 500 papers. Because of theincreasing diversity of astronomy, a great many

scientific sessions are scheduled at the same time.With so many simultaneous sessions, an individual can

see or hear only a small f raction of what is offered.Thts, one has to choose among norrnal galaxies, solar

flares, variable stars, interstellar matter, etc. ln

such an environment, what grabs the attention iS, toa degree, a matter of chance and opportunity. Two

of a number of subiects which enioyed specialprorninence are mentioned below.

The G ravitational Lens Phenomenon was f irst

observed in 1979. The latest discoveries were

announced at the LaS Vegas meeting, bringing thetotal known to f ive. Multiple images of a remoteguasar, which are produced by the gravitational field

the AAS

of an intervening massive galaxy, def ine the knowngravitational lenses. This general relativistic effectmay eventually prov ide .accurate distances to thelensed quasars and a gmd estimate of the size of theun iverse.

G amma- ray Bursters were found in satelliteobservations more than a decade ago. Burstsobserved since then number in the hundreds.Canma- ray bursters exhibit f lashes of garnma- rayradiation lasting as little as a few tenths of a secondup to about one minute, lt is believed that thesebu rsts are produced by nratter f alling onto thesurfaces of relatively nearby (within a few hundredpa rsecs ) neut ron sta rs . No opt ic al counterpa rts toany of these bursters have been identified withconfidence. But recently, examination of archivalsky photographs revealed a brief optical butburst atthe positions of a few of the best observed gamma-ray bu rsters. These opt ical bu rsts may be rathercommon (possibly hundreds per year) and at leastoccasionally are perceptible to the unaided eye.

- Dr. Nelson lrvine & Dr. Wm. Bruce Weaver

The picture at left shows the two images (A and B)

of the gravitationally lensed quasar 0957 +561 . ln thepicture at right, image B has been subtracted to showthe galaxy that acts as the gravitational lens. (fromobservations by Dr. Alan Stoc kton , lnstitute forAstronCImy, University of Hawaii )

The Space Shuttle - a 1984 Update

I n cont rast to the Apol lo space missions whic hventured 240,000 miles to the moon, the SpaceShutt le orbiters w'il I f ly no f urt her than 590 milesf rorrr Earth. According to lohn S, Latin of Rockwelllnternational, prime contractor for the orbiters, whopresented M IRA's public lecture An January 21 , theShuttle program is not about deep space exploration.'lts focus is on the Earthr' he said.

Some tasks can be done better in space than on Earthbecause space is a place with only microgravity.Projects have been suggested in meta llurgy, biologyand remote sensing. The orbiters will be an integralpa rt of space telescope programs, global positioningsatellites and permanent space platfc,rrns. While theSpace Shuttle is a less costly venture than theApol Io Moon proiect, M r. Latin characterized it as

'ten times more conple X.'

A Shuttle orbiter, each with a 100 f light lifetime, is

the size of a Boeing 737 or a DC9, but is closer to aspace vehicle than an airplane. On landing, itsdescent is krnwn as a ' high energy' approach. Acommercial flight landing in Monterey descends atthree to four degrees. The orbiters drop at 19 - 21

degrees. M r. Latin spoke about t he best krpwnproblem with the orbiters: the heat-absorbing tiles.The Columbia has 31,000 tiles and Challenger a few'less. Prior to his current assignment 'sellingShutt les,' M r. Latin directed post-f light tests on theorbiters to chec k the t iles for any rnovement f romthe ir pre-fl ight positions.

Is Science Worth the Money?

Yes! Harris Poll results released in December showoverwhelming enthusiasm among the publ ic forscience and its impact on their lives. Participantsbelieve that lasers, cotnputers and geneticengineering will improve the quality of their lives.

Closer to M IRA's interests, seventy percent of thosepolled thought that permanent space stations wouldbenef it t hem personally. Eighty-six percent of therespondents and seventy-f ive percent of corporateexecutives said corporat ions shou ld inc rease theirdonations to support basic research. Eighty-twopercent said that even if it brings no immediatebenefits, scientific research is an endeavor worths upport ing.

The Friends of M IRA certainly agree. Althoughastronomy produces no immediate tang ible results,the increasing understanding of the universe and ourplace in it bring a sense of excitement to oureveryday lives.

Col umbia launch at Kennedy Space Cente r ( NASAphoto)

The space program always sparks superlatives. TheShuttle has its share of amazing statistics. When therecoverable solid roc ket boosters ignite on lift -ott ,they burn with a flame 800 feet long. The mainengines of the orbiter draw their f uel f rorn tanks ofliquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen us ing 17 -inchdiameter pipes as fuel lines.

M r. Lat in was recently elected v ice president ofToastmasters lnternationa l. During the showing of a

morie of a Shuttle flight, he ably denronstrated hisspeaking talents when the sound failed and he had toad-lib the narration for the f irst ten minutes.

- Dennis Mar

I would like to become a Friend of M I RA andenclose my membership donation of $ .ln addition, I am making a specffi

Benef actorM IRA AssociateSustainingSponsorPat ronMemberStudent

M IRA welcomes corporate and business membe rs.Contribut ions are tax deductible.

Nu*"_,_Address

Phone zip

$5000.001000.00500.00100.0050.0030.0010.00

Next Lecture: Origin of the Universe

Our speaker for the April 28 public night lecture willbe past Friends of MIRA chairman, Dr. Kai Woehler.Kai gave a fascinating tal k in 1979 on the nature ofblack holes, but his current topic, The Origin of theUniverse, promises to be even more exciting. We willbe learn ing about the merger of the sciences ofparticle physics and cosmology and how' this combinedeffort is leading us to understand the f irst fractionsof a second in the lifetime of the Univers€.

Dr. Woehler recently returned f rom a sabbat ical atthe Max Planck lnstitute for Physics in Munich wherehe attended a summer school on particle physics andearly cosmology. 'lt was Iike a summer love atfairr'reca lled Kai about his retu rn to the I nstitute wherehe had studied twenty years earlier. Scientists fromall over the world attended the schml to share theirlatest ideas and results. Current measurements,which show a much longer lifetime for the protonthan predicted, mean that the fi rst C rand Unif iedTheories (C UTs), attempting to place the fourfundamental forces of the Universe into a single,coherent theory, are wrong. 'The f irst, simple CrandUnif ied T heory is dead,' said Kai. 'We sat aroundthe lunch table trying to see how to put the piecesback together and to start the construction of a newCUT.' He added that the only common language ofthe scientists was English, which, like Latin in themiddle ages, has beconre the universal scientificlanguage. On the bright side, the recent discovery ofthe prdicted'W'particle at a giant particleaccelerator in Europe substantiates a more modestpiece of the unification attempts.

Describing in the simplest form the behavior of theUniverse throug hout its life is the underlying aim ofphysics and astrophysics. Kai will bring us up to datewith the latest attempts to unify gravitional, nuclear,and electrical forces by studing the smallest andshortest Iived particles known to mdr. From this, weare able to deduce an incredibly detailed history ofthe f irst few seconds of the Universe, ten billionyears ago. See you there.

Spring Cleaning

Last fall, tr'tonterey Peninsula Volunteer Services(MPVS) gave MIRA funds to purchase a file cabinetfor the observatory's set of the Palomar Sky Surveycharts. Now we can do a good deed for MPVS. lfyou are spring cleaning and have saleable discardssuch as old clothing for adults or ch ildren,knickknack, or toys in good condition, take them tothe MPVS Thrift Shop. It is located at 755 Broadwayin Seaside. Don't forget to mention M IRA when youbring your things to them. Your donation will help inthree ways: you will have a neater closet, and youwill help both M IRA and MPVS.

M arch 10April B

April 24

April 2S

April 2S

May 26

May 29

lune 2

J une 16

fune 26

June 28

to

M I RA Calendar

Monterey Peninsula Museumof Art show, 'Spacescapes'

Amateur N4eeting, 7:30Hartnell Planetarium

Lecture by Dr. Kai WoehlerORIC IN OF THE UN IVERSE,B:0Q M PC Music Hall

Amateur Star Viewing, TBA

Amateur Star Viewing, TBA

Amateur Meeting, 7 3AHartnell Planetarium

Amateur Star Viewing, TBA

Oliver Observing StationDedicat ion

Amateur Meeting, 7:3OHartnell Planetarium

Amateur Star Viewing, TBA

[{ I RA Needs

Can you help MIRA? Below are listed iust a few ofthe many ways that you can help the observatory.

Foreign language Diclionaries g 60Recent additions to the Priscilla Bok L ibrary haveincluded a number of books and iournals in French,Cerman, and Russian. Dictionaries in theselanguages will assist the astronomers in using thesevolumes.

Bookends $1 00BokJi6Tary areMost of the iournals in the Priscilla

unbound. As such, they do not stand up on theshelves wit hout support. To keep the libraryorganized and neat, many bookends are needed.

Exhibit Room at Observatory $6500ffi new oE-servffiigned to ha6frIexhibitroorn where programs for school groups and visitorswill take place. Funds are needed for the interiorf inishing of this roorn.

Cbservatory Vehicle $1 3,000to go to Chews n@E-uring

winter months? The road is so rutted, bumpy andoften slippery that a vehicle with plenty of groundclearance is desirable. To carry astronomers andequipment , cdrgo space is needed as well.

New Board members outside the Estrada Adobe are,

from left, Bob Canon, Norrna Dunipace, Ed Howell,

Jon Raggett and Cecil Wahle. (photo by S. Weaver)

Observatory Construction Nears Completion

According to the contractor's report received in earlyFebruary, the Oliver Observing Station was then 95.6percent complete. BuI as with the closing stages ofmost projects, cCInpleting the f inal details and

correcting the inevitable oversights seem to takeforever. ' Details' such as power, lightn ing

protection, pdinting of the observing level, toll-offroof clamps and weather sealing, etC., must be

finished before the telescope can be installed.

An indication that the observatory is nea rlycompleted was a request fronr the plurnbing

cont ractor for water to test the plumbing system.The fact that the rain water collection system was

not installed unt il very recently, combined withunusually sparse mid-winter rains, required truckingin the water. The Cachagua Volunteer Fire

Depa rtment c arne to M I RA's aid in the pe rsons ofEmil Pozzi and David Simpson. On February lS theypumped 2000 gallons into one of the observatory'stan k.

The observatory constuction traffic has been veryhard on the MIRA road. Consequently, maior road

maintenanc€, primarily re-digging drainage ditches,was Carried out in early lanuary. M IRA astronCIners

Drs. Nelson I rv ine and Albert Merv ille, and

volunteers Cliff and Sophia Biscoff, Bill Denholm,

Luke Howe and Ceorge Niesen tackled and ccrrlpletedthe exceedingly arduous task. Their efforts werecompensated for, in part, by a beautiful day, a tourof the observatory and a grard view of the Sierrds.

Many thanks to the Cachagua Volunteers and our road

c rew!

lrlew Members Elected to Board of Directors

M IRA elected five new members to its Board ofDirectors this winter. All of the new Board members

are from the Monterey Peninsula. They are: Robert

Canon, Norma Dunipace, Edward Fkrwell, Jon Raggett,and Cecil Wahle. The MIRA Board is cornposed of 20

people including members of the local community,several astronomers, and members f rom the San

F rancisco ?r€il.

Each of the new Board members brings to M IRA

experience that will help the observatory grow in theyears ahead. Drafted out of retirement onto M IRA's

Boa rd, Bob Canon is a writer, former restaurant

owner, and one of the Monterey arears movers and

shakers. With an aptitude for numbers, considerable

backg,round in management, and an ability to get a

iob done on time, Norma Dunipace, who works for alocal consulting firm, will serve as M IRA's new

T reasurer. Ed Howell runs a cofflpany insuring

architects and engineers and brings to MIRA not onlyyears of experience and know- how, but plenty ofcreative thinking as well. lon Raggett grew up on

the Monterey Peninsula and is rrow a structuralengineer. He specializes in wind studies and has a

wind tunnet with all of the latest cottputer hardware

to run his tests. Cecil Wahle, who has served many

volunteer groups since she came to the Monterey

area, can often be found in he r bookstore on

Bonifacio Plaza.

The Board's current of f icers are: Ronald J.

Pasquinelli, Chairman of the Board; Sean Flavin,

Vice-Chairman; Cynthia E. lrvine, President;

Dorothy F. Newton, Secretary; and Nornra Dunipace,

T reasu r€r .

Three people completed their terms on the M IRA

Board of Directors. They are Dr. Barney Oliver, Dr.

Hazel Ross, and Peter Wright. All were valuable

Board members and provided M IRA with importantguidance during the past few years. We are verygrateful to each of them for the time and effort theyvotunteered to the Board of Directors.

Welconre to New Friends

Dr. Frederick ,. KahnMr. and Mrs. James CumminsKatherine CochranMr. and Mrs. W.f . Higgs

M rs. Einar N ilssonRonald S" HeismanMr. W.R. CarverAnthony TaorminaR. P. BeebeA., . ChurchillK ris F rancoMark Russak

Amateur Astronomy Notes

The Amateur Astronomy Club of the Friends of M IRA

has had several meetings and star parties so f ar thisyear and is going strong. Regular monthly meetingsare at the Hartnell Planetarium the last Tuesday ofthe month at 7:3O p.ffi. A wide range of topics arediscussed, f rmr general viewing tips to detailedtechnical topic s such as telescope design and

astrophotography. lf you have ideas for meetingtopics or would like to give a presentation at a

meeting, let Jim lnman know.

A rnonth ly news letter, T he !t I RA \l irror , is beingpublished by the club. lt contains the dates formeetings and star parties, provides a list of obiects toview each nronth and has art icles of interest toamateur astronomers. lf you wish to be on themailing list leave your name and address at the M IRA

of f ice, (408 )375-3220.

Dates for star parties planned for the remaining fi rsthalf of the year are: April 28, May 26, June 2 andjune 28. Locations will be announced in the Mirrorprior to the event. Hope to see you there!

-- f oanne Allen

Carmel Rotary Provides First Aid

ln a recent issue of the M IRA Newsletter the need

for a well equipped f irst aid kit for the newobservatory building w'as discussed. The Rotary Clubof Carmel-by-the-Sea has come to the rescue with a

grant to provide for f irst aid suppl ies. With the helpof Friends of M IRA who are members of the medicalprofession and the medical supply business, MIRA willsoon be able to cope with a range of emergencies atthe Oliver Observing Station. Thank you to theCarmel Rotary Club and the Friends of M lRA.

MONTEREY INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH IN ASTRONOMY9OO MAJOR SHERMAN LANE

MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA 93940

Bing Crosby Youth Fund Cives $1 OOO for Copier

ln the past, each time a MIRA astronomer needed tomake a copy for a finding chart or for a youngpeoples' tal k, a lot of time and energy was involved.Because there wasn't a copy machine at M lRA, thework had to be taken out of the office. We havedepended upon the generosity of friendly businesseswhich have al lowed us to use their equipment and

upon cornmercial copy shops.

The Bing Crosby Youth Fund has awarded M IRA a

$1 000 grant to assist in the pu rchase of a copier.This machine will be used in both our research and

dducat ional progratrts.

Several yea rs ?Bo, the C rosby Fund hel ped M IRA

obtain audio visual equipment ard slides. These havebeen used extensively rrot only for M IRA's lectureseries, but a lso for t he m any t al ks that have beengiven to local community and school groups.

A warm note of thanks to the Bing Crosby YouthFund !

MIRA's Photohistorian Chronicles the OOS

Ralph Meeker has been faithfully recording theconstruction of the Oliver Observing Station since itwas no more than a leveled piece of ground. He has

collected a la rge number of color and black and

white stills along with many feet of videotape. lnpursuit of his photographs, he has experienced beingmarooned for many hours by a disabled vehicle.

With the assistance of Peter Xifo, Ralph has createdand na rrated a f ive minute videotape presentation ofthe observatory construction. The f ilm is as much a

tribute to Ralph's dedication as it is to MIRA.

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 189

MONTEREY, CA 93940

Msn