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Journal of the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York June 2010 Volume 58 Number 6, ISSN 0146-7662

EYEPIECE
If Sir Martin was optimistic about finding Earth-like planets, he was far less sanguine about going to Mars. In a colloquy at a dinner following his speech, attended by four Nobelists, he said landing on Mars "will only happen when the cost comes down due to privatization, and it will only happen when the risk lessens. The first [voyagers] will be privately funded with one-way tickets. "If I were an American," he told dinner guests, "I wouldnt support a manned project at all. If we in Europe eschew manned missions for such efforts as robotics, we can surpass NASA with research results." In his speech, Sir Martin, president of the Royal Society, said he hopes some people living today will walk on Mars, but "well have to expect risk. No space environment is as clement as Antarctica or Mt. Everest." He also hopes that by centurys end, "the solar system will be explored in detail by a flotilla of spacecraft," but this gets more difficult with each gain in robotics. Sir Martin is known for his refutation of the steadystate theory in favor of the Big Bang. Noting the early universe wasnt completely smooth, and that the Big Bang and gravity produced the universe whose structures we know today, he listed prerequisites for a complex cosmos: gravity ("It has to be very weak, the weaker the better."), departures from thermodynamic equilibrium, matter/antimatter asymmetry, "non-trivial" chemistry (tuning between the nuclear and electromagnetic forces), at least one star and possibly a second generation of stars, a "tuned" cosmic-expansion rate and non-zero fluctuations in the early universe ("otherwise it would be just cold, empty hydrogen with no stars and no galaxies"). These conditions are all fulfilled in the early universe, Rees continued on page 9

Stay Tuned for Earth-Like Planets in 2-3 Years, Rees Predicts
By Dan Harrison
Earth-like planets will be detected in two or three years, renowned astrophysicist and cosmologist Sir Marin Rees told an audience at The Rockefeller University in Manhattan April 26. "But wed like to see planets themselves, not their shadows," Sir Martin, astronomer royal of the United Kingdom," said in an address entitled "From Big Bang to Biosphere." However, he added, "we still know too little to say if life is likely. "If Europa or Titan has simple life, it could indicate its widespread elsewhere. We dont know where to look for complicated life but its probably most likely on planets like Earth," Sir Martin observed. He mentioned the "Rare Earth Theory": Earth is special because of its size and location, the stability of its Sun, the size and position of Jupiter, the Suns location in the galaxy and when it formed, and the Moons size. "There's a question lead to complex life," Sir tect evidence of life. We ing for, and should use all of whether simple life could Martin said. "Maybe well dehave no idea what were lookpossible techniques.

"If there are any aliens, would we have a common culture? There would be the same atoms, eyes that see and the descent from the Big Bang. But there would be no scope for snappy repartee since communication would take decades. If were unique, wed be entitled to be less cosmically modest, and seed from us could expand life." Sir Martin said "There may be other cosmoses, but they may lack stars, chemistry and galaxies. Gravity may be an environmental accident with no set laws."


What's Up
By Tony Hoffman The Sky for June 2010
Mars Meets Regulus. At magnitude 1.2, Mars has faded significantly from its brilliance at last winters opposition, but its still a reasonably bright object in the evening sky. Around June 6, the red planet will pass 1 degree from Leos brightest star, Regulus. Planet and star are of similar brightness, but as for color, ruddy Mars stands in marked contrast to blue-white Regulus. Other Evening Worlds. Mars isnt the only planet to grace the evening sky this month. Lower in the west, Venus blazes at magnitude -4.0. Over the course of the month, it passes from Gemini through Cancer into western Leo. Higher in the sky, first-magnitude Saturn lies in Virgo, near the star Beta Virginis. Saturn is slowly drawing away from Earth (or rather, Earth is outlapping Saturn in our respective orbits), so the ringed planet appears smaller than in recent months. Its rings still appear almost edge-on, tilted less than 2 degrees to our line of sight. They will open wider in coming months. Morning Planets. Jupiter, rising at around 3 a.m., blazes at magnitude -2.4 in Pisces. This is a great time to see Uranus, as it lies within a degree of Jupiter in early June. On June 6, sixth-magnitude Uranus (comparable in brightness to Jupiters Galilean moons) lies less than half a degree north of Jupiter. Neptune, in neighboring Aquarius near the border with Capricornus, isnt so lucky. That eighth-magnitude world has no easy signposts pointing to it. It is, however, in very nearly the same position in the sky where it was when first sighted by Johann Galle in 1846. Early in the month, Mercury can be seen in the predawn sky, slowly brightening even as it slips into the solar glare. Demoted but Not Forgotten. Our tour of the visible this month wouldnt be complete without that Pluto, now officially a dwarf planet, reaches tion on June 25 in northern Sagittarius. Glowing ble 14th magnitude, Pluto requires a moderately telescope and a good star atlas to identify. worlds noting opposiat a feelarge

degrees from Uranus (see above); Moon lies near Jupiter. June 10 Moon lies near Mercury. June 12 New Moon at 7:15 a.m. June 15 Moon lies near Venus; Moon is at perigee, 227,380 miles from Earth, 10:59 a.m. June 17 Moon lies near Mars. June 18 Minor planet 1 Ceres at opposition. June 19 First-quarter Moon at 12:29 a.m.; Moon lies near Saturn. June 21 Summer Solstice at 7:28 a.m. June 25 Pluto at opposition. June 26 Full Moon at 7:30 a.m.; partial lunar eclipse.

Return to the High Line
By Joseph A. Fedrick
I attended the monthly meeting of The Observers group at club headquarters April 27 where president Rich Rosenberg used the French program Cartes Du Ciel to highlight celestial events this spring. The meeting was brought to an early close so we could go to the High Line, an elevated promenade park on part of an old railroad bed near on the lower west side with views overlooking parts of the Hudson River as well as clear views to the East. Venus was still visible in the west and dazzlingly brilliant while Mars appeared slightly west of due South. Orion was setting in the west. His belt was barely visible next to a building that partly obstructed the view of the hunter. Betelgeuse, the red giant star in the shoulder of Orion, seemed unusually bright. Two telescopes were set up at a location that had less than optimal views of the west because of the fierce cold wind that blew that night. The obstructed buildings at the location chosen for the scopes screened out some of the wind and allowed scopes to be steady and provide clear views of Saturn and the Moon. Saturn revealed its nearly edge-on rings, faint cloud belts and two moons through a 4-inch refractor, while the nearly full Moon revealed some craters near its rim. Im looking forward to a new season of observing, especially since Jupiter returns to the late evening sky late in the summer and fall.

June 4 Last-quarter Moon at 6:13 p.m. June 6 Mars lies 1 degree from Regulus; Jupiter lies 0.5
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Rosenberg Is Elected to Fifth Year as President of the AAA
By Dan Harrison
Richard Rosenberg was elected to a fifth year as president of the AAA May 19 by the board of directors, which met following the clubs annual meeting. Other officers were also re-elected: vice president Rik Davis, treasurer Thomas Haeberle, financial secretary Alice Barner, recording secretary Edward J. Fox and corresponding secretary Ron McCullough. Prior to the board meeting, the membership ratified nominating committee choices for the board of directors. Elected to three-year terms were Barner, Luis Marcelo Cabrera, Mary Carlson, Lynn Darsh, Edward J. Fox and Jason Kendall. Gerceida Jones was elected to the remaining year of the term of Shoba Bandi Rao, who resigned early this year and was replaced by Jones. In remarks to the membership on the state of the club, Rosenberg said "2010 has overall been quite a good year for the club. We increased our membership to 377 at the end of 2009 and hope to reach 400 this year." Of great importance, he noted, was the restoration of the clubs fall and spring classes, "which drew a large participation of both existing and new members. Shana Tribiano was a terrific instructor, teaching the autumn class, and joining Jason Kendall and me in the spring." Classes will resume in the fall. Rosenberg said he was "shocked when more than 30 attendees registered for the classes, almost evenly divided between members and those who mostly became members. Another major success, the president said, was newly launched observing at the High Line, led by Joe Delfausse. The elevated park near the waterfront just north of Greenwich Village draws a lot of people. "Look for us just below 14th Street every Tuesday through the fall." Rosenberg cited other organized observing: Kendalls weekly sessions at Inwood Hill Park and monthly at Fort Tryon Park, and monthly stargazing led by Bruce Kamiat and Davis at Carl Schurz Park in Manhattan, McCullough at Prospect Park and Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn, Art Kunhardt at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn and Joe DiNapoli at Great Kills on Staten Island. In addition, Davis leads monthly solar observing at Central Park. "Beginning June 12 well have dark-sky observing at North-South Lake in the Catskills monthly on Saturdays through October," Rosenberg said. "Look at a magnificent sky sadly unavailable to city dwellers. If youre staying in the city, join us on Thursday evenings in July and August for Movies With a View along the Brooklyn waterfront: observing plus a free movie. Schlepping isnt required since the Brooklyn Bridge Conservancy supplies scopes." Queens will soon be added to the AAA observing roster. The club has been invited to set up a lecture and observing session at Rego Park, Gerceida Jones is arranging an event in St. Albans and well be at the Queens Village Senior Center August 24. And theres a new location in Brooklyn, Fort Greene Park, where well be July 31 and September 11. After considerable effort, Rosenberg said, the telescope at the Solaria condominium in Riverdale is working. "We expect the condo to host open houses and show off the scope in the near future." DiNapoli, former president Michael OGara and John Swierzbin helped get the 8-inch LX-200 Meade scope up and running. In addition to his weekly observing sessions in Inwood Hill Park and monthly sessions at Fort Tryon Park, Kendall has become chair of the clubs seminar on recent advances in astronomy. When NYU is in session, the seminar meets there and is joined by NYU students. Similarly, the Observers Group accommodates students from Manhattan Community College at its meetings. Rosenberg noted that the Observers Group is the facetious answer to the question, "What do observers do Annual Meeting continued on page 16 The letter to members from president Richard Rosenberg will resume next month.
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How to Home in on the Best Targets for Astrophotography
By Dan Harrison
If there are, to put it mildly, a multitude of objects out there, how does one choose the 100 best targets for CCD astrophotography? Addressing the AAA May 7 at the AMNH on "Best Targets for Astrophotography and What They Reveal About Our Universe," radiologist Ruben Kier, who doubles as a talented astrophotographer, first paid tribute to the catalogs of Charles Messier, William Herschel, Sir Patrick Caldwell-Moore and Stephen OMeara. But they had defects as a list for astrophotographers. Comet-hunter Messier identified 109 objects that could be mistakenly identified as comets by other comet hunters. They werent all bright and beautiful the eyepiece. Herschels 2,477 objects included many too faint, and the Herschel 400, compiled 30 years ago, includes objects that would challenge observers with scopes six inches or larger. Half the objects in the 109-item 1995 Caldwell catalog, which excludes Messiers objects, are too low in the sky for northern observers. The 109-item OMeara list, aimed at filling gaps left by Messier and Caldwell, dips deep into the Southern Hemisphere. "All these catalogs emphasize visual appeal, not photographic appeal. While open clusters are much nicer visually, globular clusters have little variety and elliptical galaxies have no variety whatsoever. They look like cotton wool. In addition, many planetary nebulae are too small to show detail in amateur images, and many objects in general are too low for northern latitudes." Kier's criteria for the 100 best photography targets include: They must inspire the viewer. They must be bright enough to image with an amateur scope--an average CCD--in two hours. They must be large enough to show detail, five arc seconds or more in size. They must have declinations above 25 degrees. Ideally, you want to shoot objects at least 30 degrees above the horizon, since there is less light there and "pinpoint stars begin to shimmer." 100% clarity drops to 10% at 10 degrees. Additional criteria were: Among similar objects, is it among the easiest to image because of declination, size or brightness? And can the object be framed with a sec4

ond object to create a more dynamic image? On the latter, Kier proved photos with two objects, noting nebulae and nebulae, clusters and Framing creates a more dynamic shoot something off center without his point by showing that "you can match clusters, and galaxies. image, and you can losing balance."

Mix and match is the mantra since "You can take a nebula and frame it with an open cluster, or a galaxy with a nebula, or a galaxy with an open cluster. Placing images at an angle can create a greater dynamic." One-third of the top 100 images were captured from a light-polluted suburb at mag 3.5, and two-thirds from Hidden Lake Observatory in western Massachusetts, with "sweeping views over a secluded lake." He shot the 100 best targets using 180 and 300 mm. lenses, 600 and 1,000 mm. refractors, and a 2,000 mm. SCT telescope. The final 100 consisted of 39 galaxies (including 13 groups), 21 emission nebulae, 11 planetary nebulae, 9 open-star clusters, 7 globular clusters, 6 reflection nebulae, 4 supernova remnants and 3 Wolf-Rayet stars. Kier is the author of "The 100 Best Astrophotography Targets: A Monthly Guide for CCD Imaging with Amateur Telescopes" (Springer, $34.95). Kier described eight lessons astrophotography teaches us about astronomy. Hydrogen is everywhere; Halpha filters detect H-II regions across much of the sky. Dust spans interstellar space from stars that mature and die, can both reflect and block light, and also darken the central core of a nebula. The color of a cluster describes its age: Blue clusters are hundreds to thousands of times older than red clusters. There are only 300 or so WolfRayet stars in the Milky Way because they only survive about 100,000 years before they become Type 1b or 1c supernovae. Planetary nebulae last a mere thousand years; a planetary nebula is in Earths future. The expanding shock wave of a supernova compresses and excites interstellar gas. Galaxies are more diverse than Hubbles tuning-fork diagram; galaxies interact. And the Astrophotography continued on page 16


A Tour of Much of Our Planet from Low-Earth Orbit
By David Teich
It's the 10th anniversary of the Rose Center and the 75th anniversary of the Hayden Planetarium. In "The Earth Today" program May 4, part of a year-long commemoration, the Hayden showed off its most recent technology, a data set that integrates images, about a day old, from the Landsat 7, AQUA and TERRA satellites, and projects them through the dome's "Digital Universe" 3-D software. Dr. Carter Emmart, director of astrovisualization at the American Museum of Natural History, narrated the program to a musical score composed for the occasion by award-winning sound designer Jun Mizumachi. A giant Earth filled the dome, turning slowly. The International Space Station--a projected 3-D image of a detailed model, hovered, fixed in place, between the Earth and the audience. The effect is startling: It's as if the audience is floating a few hundred meters above the space station at 17,500 miles an hour as the world turns serenely far beneath. "I varied the altitude manually but the average was likely that of typical low-Earth orbit, which is a couple hundred miles off the surface," Emmart says. "The ISS orbits at ~250 miles and we were up close to the ISS when I started. We have that in an accurate orbit, so when we fly in tandem with it, we see the astronauts perspective faithfully recreated. Add in the daily images and we essentially recreate exactly what they see." We pulled away from the station and zoomed in. Africa lay below. "Here's Lake Victoria," called out Emmart. He poi out Somalia, Ethiopia, the Red Sea, the Nile, Cairo Alexandria. The cities were whitish smudges on a landscape. The Sinai, Israel, the Dead Sea, Turkey Greece--its economic collapse seeming trivial from up--rolled by. nted and dry and way We went Caspian Sea, followed by Emmart obse back in. A vast Asia came into view. The the Volga River and the Ural Sea glided by, the steppes of the Cossacks, from where, rved, Russia still launches its satellites.

He added Landsat imagery for a sharper view. All data were laid down in a patchwork of strips as various satellites made successive passes around the Earth. The resulting seams, mismatched clouds and occasional rectangles of missing data boosted the trips authenticity. Tibet was now below. The eastern Himalayas were frosted with glaciers. At this height, Everest looked like an easy climb. We got closer, and the atmosphere thickened toward the horizon, a novel feature requiring extraordinary graphic skill. The Brahmaputra River, Bhutan, Nepal, Malaysia, Sumatra, Java and Borneo, all came and went. Australia flattened out beneath us, red and dusty. We then crossed the Pacific. Mizumachiwas obviously inspired by all the natural sounds. His complex score, an engine-like pulsing overlaid with a sound like an eerie, ethereal wind, perfected our reverie. Night fell. The dark Pacific California and the splotches of dustrialized world. The Ameri Sun swung around. Here, high shone amid stars in a black sky. gave way to the coast of light pollution of the incan West glowed as the above the atmosphere, it

Dust storms made white eddies in the New Mexico desert. We took a closer look at a gray spiral off the Mississippi Delta: the BP Petroleum oil-spill disaster. Mexico and Peru passed beneath. Before we reached Tierra del Fuego, we closed in on Rondonia, a large settlement amid many deforested areas in the Amazon Rain Forest, whose dwindling untouched tracts stayed lush. As technology improves, Emmart believes, we can be inspired by a view of our planet that only a few space travelers have ever seen. Maybe then well better Emmart continued on page 6
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"When the astronauts started out," Emmart said, "they noted their home cities, regions and countries. But later, they simply saw Earth as the home of everybody." We pulled away until Earth was the size of a full Moon.


AMNH Plays Role in the Upcoming Webb Space Telescope
A wafer-thin titanium disk, nearly two inches in diameter and punctured with seven perfect holes, will launch into space with the James Webb Space Telescope in 2014. Called a non-redundant mask, this tool filters light coming from very bright objects like stars to dramatically improve a telescopes resolution for fainter objects. The tool was conceived at the AMNH. "We designed a non-redundant mask for the space telescope late in the Webb project, but it was accepted because it improved resolution by more than a factor of two and is so easy to implement," says Anand Sivaramakrishnan, chief instrumentation scientist in the museums astrophysics department. "This is not a new technique. It was invented for radio astronomy in the late 1950s and revised for ground-based astronomy in the late 1990s. But this is the first time it will be used in space." Sivaramakrishnan and his team designed nonredundant masks for ground-based scopes like Palomar. One such mask is assisting the museums Project 1640 to image exoplanets on Palomars 200-inch telescope. The mask is 50mm in diameter. Its seven holes are hexagonal in shape to maximize the amount of light passing through, but theyre also smaller than their corresponding mirror segments in order to correct for a potential misalignment of the telescopes mirror and the mask. The mask was designed so none of the telescopes supporting struts arch across holes. The new mask for the Webb telescope was designed using a simple concept. By punching holes in a metal plate that is placed in the path of the light, much of the light from a telescopes primary mirror can be obscured. The beams selected by the mask come through to formthe image, turning an imaging telescope into an interferometer, an instrument that spreads light into a complex fringe pattern that reveals the presence of close faint structures around a bright object. Non-redundant masks improve a conventional telescopes resolution by a factor of 2.44, so objects very close to each other can be resolved. In a ground-based telescope, the mask enables objects about 100 times fainter than a bright star to be resolved. But in space, a
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non-redundant mask thats part of an exceptionally stable space telescope should be able to detect objects 10,000 times fainter than the nearby bright object or star. Extrasolar planets can be directly imaged by the Webb, a large infrared telescope with a 6.5-meter primary mirror, successor to the Hubble. "Our initial observational targets will be protoplanets and Jupiter-like planets in the constellation Taurus and other nearly stellar nurseries," Sivaramakrishnan says. "But in addition to planets and faint companions, images obtained with the mask can reveal regions around supermassive black holes in the centers of galaxies as well as the host galaxies around quasars to see how these incredibly powerful sources affect their environments. The James Webb Space Telescope Aperture Masking group led by Sivaramakrishnan includes scientists from the University of Sydney, Cornell, the University of Montreal, the Subaru Telescope and the Space Telescope Science Institute. Barry McKernan and Saavik Ford, affiliated with the museum and at the City University of New York, broadened the scientific goals of the masking

Emmart continued from page 5 "appreciate what it is we have left of this home of ours, and hopefully before its too late for us." It's time to land, but not in New York City. Were off the east coast of South America. As we drop down, Emmart laid a zigzag line upon the Atlantic. Its the path of the schooner Anne, whose lone sailor, Reid Stowe, has spent more than 1,000 days on a three-year voyage analogous to an astronaut's journey to and from Mars. His girlfriend, Soanya Ahmed, got sick and left the boat on day 307. Turns out she was pregnant. We left real data-streaming behind as we landed on a mock-up of the Anne, tossing on a mock ocean. Right on time, the real Reid Stowe ocean and chats with Emmart as we li turning to New York City in mid-June, diet of dried fish and bean sprouts, and to spend another year out there. calls from midsten in. Hes reis healthy on his would be happy


Lee Baltin, 91, Was a Longtime Bulwark of the AAA
By Dan Harrison
Elias L. (Lee) Baltin, who died April 20 at 91 in Florida, was a bulwark of the AAA, serving as treasurer-- and as such, a member of the executive committee--and a member of the board of directors for many years. Baltin, a native of New York City, had a multiplicity of interests early, as evidenced by his three college degrees: a B. S. in chemical engineering from CCNY, in mechanical engineering from Stevens Institute and in meteorology from NYU. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, and "because of the great education received at CCNY, I was a tutor for other soldiers studying meteorology at NYU during the war." He separated from the service as a captain-meteorologist navigator, researching and developing an experimental network to locate distant storms by measuring ground waves caused by lightning strikes. After the war, Baltin began his career as an engineer, plant manager and business manager for the paper industry. Most of his career was at Kimberly-Clark Corp. In 1962, Baltin was one of a group of 12 skin divers who, with Dr. Lionel Walford, director of U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service, founded the American Littoral Society (ALS), which he served as treasurer. The societys mission is to empower people to care for Americas coasts. "When we restore habitat, our objective isnt only to replant dune grass or reseed an oyster bed, but to motivate people to invest ,,sweat equity into a piece of the coast, take ownership and become committed stewards." In 1985, the New York Aquarium mounted an expedition to Papua, New Guinea, to locate an extremely rare fish, the green lace scorpion fish. Baltin, an NYA board member, was part of the expedition. One fish was captured and transported to the aquarium. It was the only green lace scorpion fish in captivity in the world. In addition to the AAA and the ALS, Baltin was a member of the Southern Cross Astronomical Society and The Explorers Club. Baltin is survived by his wife of 36 years, Sylvia.

By Lynn Darsh
For many years, Lee Baltin was a friend of New Yorks amateur astronomers. As an avid observer, both solar and night-time, an astute participant in discussions at the advanced topics seminar, and a wise counselor and board member, he was an outstanding contributor and colleague. Lee was crisp with his words, opinionated in his pronouncements, always honest and willing to help. His financial acumen served the AAA well, and his spirited advice was always appreciated. I remember Lee with great affection and gratitude. One evening Lee, John Marshall, the AAA executive director at the time, and I got together for Chinese takeout. The conversation ranged widely from the AAA bylaws and finances to their experiences in the Second World War, and life. It was a lovely and productive evening. That was what working with Lee was always like--a pleasure and a privilege. Lynn Darsh was AAA president from 1992 to 2002.

By David Greenberg
Lee Baltin was an avid amateur astronomer who enjoyed both observing the heavens and discussing current astronomical theories. His favorite galaxy was, not surprisingly, the Milky Way, which a number of us viewed many times on the shores of Amagansett, Long Island. At one of these gatherings we witnessed the dust cloud formed by the impact of a comet on Jupiter. Lees interest in astronomy was probably stimulated by his service as an Army Air Force navigator in the Pacific during World War II. He recalled that in the cockpit, he had lots of time to observe the sky. And he knew the sky well. During observing sessions he located stars and constellations from nearly every area of the sky. A member of the AAA for more than 40 years, he contributed his time and energy to the organization and served on the board of directors for many years. Later, when he spent a majority of his time in Key Biscayne, Fla., he joined an amateur-astronomy group based at Florida Atlantic University. Baltin continued on page 11
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Keith Rowan, the Sparkplug for Urban Starfest, Dies at 49
Keith Rowan, who as an urban park ranger was the impetus for the launch of Urban Starfest, one of the AAAs most popular events, in 1994, died April 8 at 49. Rowan was extremely popular with AAA members, and many of those who were informed if his death were shocked and saddened. Rowan was a senior lab technician and adjunct instructor at the College of Staten Island, where he taught astronomy, physics and geology for 12 years. He is survived by his brother, Glenn, and his parents. Following are three reminiscences of Keith. tion mixed with the soul of a marketer, always ready to bring what he truly loved--astronomy--to the public. I'm saddened to think that I wont see his face or hear his voice again, but he will be remembered for the major contribution he made to the city he loved, and to the park he worked to make a better place, each and every time we have Starfest in Central Park. Michael O'Gara was AAA president from 2002 to 2006

By Michael O'Gara
I first met Keith Rowan in July 1994. He was manning a Meade 8-inch scope which belonged to the Central Park Rangers, who joined us in the Sheep Meadow for the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet crash into Jupiter. Keith was having a very busy night and had set his scope a bit off to the side from our line of telescopes. He was wearing his Park Ranger uniform, and I invited him to join us. For two nights, Keith and the Park Rangers did just that, thus inaugurating the first AAA-Central Park Ranger observing event. We showed thousands of people the impact marks left by the comet, and also celebrated the 25th anniversary of the first manned lunar landing. On the last evening, Keith suggested I meet him to discuss an idea he had for a large-scale observing event for the coming autumn. I didnt know whether this would become a huge bureaucratic exercise or not, but agreed to hear what he had in mind. We sat down on a park bench near Cedar Hill the following week. To my surprise and delight, Keiths idea was Starfest. He pointed out we knew how to run a star party and had the scopes, and he had all the necessary ducks in line to get permits and manpower from the Parks Department to pull it off. And pull it off we did. That first Starfest was a truly magical evening. The nicest touch--all Keith's doing-was lighting delicate Japanese candle-lanterns and placing them on the ground to create a pathway to the ellipse of telescopes in the Sheep Meadow. It was a lovely and artistically inspired choice, and it completely took me off guard. It was a side of Keith I didnt expect. But Keith could surprise you like that. One minute a streetwise man, gruff and ready for any type of rough and tumble, then someone who had a unique artistic apprecia8

By Irv Robbins
Keith loved astronomy and always talked with great enthusiasm about events in the field. He had the knack of presenting material in an informative, exciting style which kept his listeners in awe. He came to us as an astronomy specialist as well as the borough supervisor of the Urban Park Rangers on Staten Island in the NYC Parks Department. His accomplishments while at CSI were many. He established a visitors program at the observatory for elementary-school classes. He ran the public nights every Monday for many years, when many times a few hundred visitors would show up. During Comet Hale-Bopps passage, the most widely observed comet of the 20th century, a thousand folks a day came for over a month to see the comet. Keith led observing during these times. Keith built the award-winning observatory website. Its current visitor count is about 108,000. He participated in the asteroid tracking and hunting program at the observatory and was a co-author of a number of measurement reports sent to the Harvard Minor Planet Center of the International Astronomical Union for processing. Keith taught the stars and galaxies lecture and laboratory. He was rated extremely highly by his students and peers. He had a dynamic teaching style filled with unique wit. As our laboratory technician, in addition to ordering equipment and assisting the teacher of the labs, Keith contributed many ideas on how the laboratory exercises could be performed and improved. Irv Robbins, a professor at the College of Staten Island, is a former board member of the AAA Rowan continued on page 11


Brian Greene Kids Book Inspires Multi-Arts Presentation
By Alan Rude
Brian Greene, theoretical physicist and author ("The Elegant Universe," "The Fabric of the Cosmos") previewed the multi-arts presentation "Icarus at the Edge of Time," based on his 2008 childrens novel of the same name, at the Guggenheim Museum April 25 and 26. "Icarus" will be a feature presentation of the World Science Festival June 2-6 in New York, with Stephen Hawking attending. The production is a multi-arts effort combining the story with a libretto by David Henry Hwang ("M Butterfly"), music by minimalist composer Philip Glass and film production by Al Holmes and Al Taylor, known as AL & AL, of the U. K.--truly a formidable creative team. What was seen April 26 was a "work in progress." The aim of the festival, explained by actor-science enthusiast Alan Alda, is to reunite art and science, once part of the same discipline. "Icarus" will be shown at 6 p. m. June 6 at NYUs Skirball Center. Festival events will be held at multiple locations throughout the city. Alda delightfully hosted the program. Greene explained the relativistic framework behind the story. Hwang was also on stage and AL & AL participated by video conference. Glass was prevented from attending because of the effects of the Iceland volcano, the name of which Alda pronounced brilliantly, saying that was a greater challenge than relativity. Using the Icarus legend, Greene outlined the effect of extreme acceleration and extreme gravity on time, according to Einsteins general theory of relativity. Alda, playing the role of questioner/doubter, forced Greene to clarify Einsteins concepts. Greene described the warping of space and the gravity effect in the familiar examples of a flat rubber sheet and a boulder (Sun) and small marble (Earth). He also explained the slowing of time due to velocity, using the example of a moving vs. a stationary light-clock, where paths of the "ticking" photons in a moving clock are longer than those in a stationary clock. In the crucial issue of the effect of a black hole on time, Greene explained that the black holes supergravity warps space so severely that space cascades over the event horizon very much like a waterfall. An observer close to the event horizon would appear to be moving at high speed as space flows by him. Therefore, time slows down. This is what happened to Icarus. Rees continued from page 1 Sir Martin said, but the physics of the very early universe is not understood. The physics of the microscopic quantum flux is not experimentally tested. "The horizon takes us up to the Big Bang," he noted, "but beyond that is a question. It could go infinitely far. Furthermore, our Big Bang may not be the only one. There could be braneworlds, and our universe could be just one bubble in an infinite scenario. We would take this seriously if backed by inferences we can test." Sir Martin noted that general relativity and physics havent been melded. He said that ast can offer to science awareness of an immense and that expansion of the universe will continue quantum ronomers structure forever.

He asserted that "post-human" evolution could last as long as Darwinian evolution that led to the present, and occur faster. "This century may be the defining moment. Its the first where we have life in our hands. However, theres a 50% chance of some setback, such as nuclear war or a terrorist-sparked disaster." He concluded with a discussion of an Ouraborus, the ancient Greek and Egyptian image of a serpent eating its tail, as a metaphor to link the universe of very small particles with the very large cosmos. This image also appears in Sir Martins book "Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces That Shape the Universe." Sir Martin addressed the audience as winner of the 2009 Lewis Thomas Prize, which The Rockefeller University awards annually to "the rare individual who bridges the worlds of science and the humanities--whose voice and vision can tell us about sciences aesthetic and philosophical dimensions, providing not merely new information but cause for reflecting, even revelation." The first award went to Thomas (1913-93), the well-known physician, writer and educator.
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Review: Physics with a Sense of Humor
By Mary Carlson
Dave Goldberg and Jeff Bloomquist introduce us to the intrigue of modern physics in "A Users Guide to the Universe" (Wiley, $24.95). With a light touch, they guide us through a maze of cosmological laws and theories including the Big Bang, the expanding universe and why there are so many rules for different particles. Goldberg, an associate professor of physics at Drexel University and Bloomquist, an engineer at Boeing Aerospace, combine an irreverent approach to the subject with Nebbishtype cartoons (done by Bloomquist) to answer popular questions such as "Can I go back in time and buy Microsoft? "If we discover the Higgs, can physicists just call it a day?" and "How long does a proton last?" Opening salvos are aimed at Einsteins Theory of Special Relativity, starting off with E = M.Csquared. The speed of light, hereafter referred to as C, is presented as 186,000 miles per second. Mass to a physicist is "simply how hard it is to get something moving and how hard it is to stop it once its moving." Time going faster for the stationary observer than for the one moving is explained enlisting the help of two imaginary cosmic hobos, Rusty and Patches. Theyre both clocking light seconds of a laser beam. Rusty inside a speeding train fires the beam and time dilation rears its ugly head. Outside the train, stationary Patches observes and clocks the time. If the train were going at half the speed of light, for every second on Rustys clock, Patches would record 1.15 seconds. At 90% C, Rustys one second clocks in at 2.3 seconds on Patches timepiece and at 99% C, the ratio zooms to 1:7. Furthermore, once Rusty's train moves up from 50% the speed of light to 99% C, the authors calculate itll require more than six times as much work to get to the new speed. Every incremental increase in speed demands exponentially more work. Enter another principle. As a person travels away from Earth at nearly the speed of light, time does strange things. A two-year trek for the space traveler turns into 14 years for those back on Earth. Time and space, the authors remind us, are relative to the state of motion, and
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relativity is how space, time and matter interact. They point out that while classical mechanics deals with predictability and measurability, quantum mechanics doesnt. Its a more chaotic world, one of probabilities. Here were looking at the energies of particles in quantized states. And there are disagreements. Newton presented light as a combination of individual particles called photons, while Huygens argued that since it emanates from a single point, light behaves like a wave. Is there a compromise--light as a wave behaving like a particle? Enter an infamous pair, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, who pull us through Wheelers Delayed Choice Experiment. Here we see that a photons behavior is changed by altering parameters after the event. The implications are that our observations of a system can fundamentally change it and that an individual photon can behave like a particle or wave and switch between the two. In dealing with randomness, a case is presented for not trying to time the stock market by predicting random ups and downs. The authors cite a principle that since there are so many more ways for a system to be disordered than ordered, the natural outcome tends to greater and greater states of randomness. The book explains why the Large Hadron Collider wont create an end to everything: no major black holes in sight. As to black holes themselves, theyre touted as perilous points, gravity producers and time warpers, yet they might after all play a major role in time travel. The book strives to simplify answers to difficult questions and consoles us with the fact that as humans were simply not wired that well for statistical thinking. On the bright side, however, the authors feel we will last anywhere from 5,128 to 7.8 million years, give or take an eon or two. So, if youve never quite fully understood the hows and whys of certain revered physics principles, "A Users Guide" should shed some light. Its physics with a spoonful of sugar, informative and fun.


Constellation May be Dead, but Member's Video Lives On
AAA member Christopher Hedin has a video production company and produced a pilot show last year describing NASAs planned Constellation missions to the Moon, recently cancelled. But the video can be viewed, in high- or low definition, at http:// www.goafterearth.com/. "The episode, part of a series called AfterEarth, was created as a pilot show for a space-exploration themed series from my production company, Lowery Street Media," Hedin says. "We shot the program in January and February 2009, visiting the Johnson Space Center in Houston and NASA headquarters in Washington. We Baltin continued from page 7 Lee was a feisty individual. He liked to say, "I will not suffer fools." But he had a compassionate side and was very forward thinking. He maintained that everyone should work, but if one couldnt find a job, the government should provide one. In my experience, he was the first person to advocate universal health care. He was an environmentalist before it became popular. A member of the Explorers Club, he made the point of not subtracting anything from where he visited. He founded a chapter of the American Littoral Society in New Jersey dedicated to the preservation of beaches by combating soil erosion. As a scuba diver, hed observed coral formations and was concerned over potential destruction of coral reefs. David Greenberg is a former AAA board member. were shown the facilities, and interviewed engineers and program managers as they worked on the vehicles and systems intended to return man to the Moon by 2020. "The show never garnered enough interest, and we ended up shelving the project for a while. Now that Constellation has been scrapped by the new administration, there might be some more life in the show as a look back at ,,the program that almost was. I always enjoy passing the video around to people, as I believe everyone should have an interest in space exploration as its the next step in our evolution as a species and the byproducts of its technology affect everyone on the planet." practicality. His guidance during my first year at the helm was much appreciated. Michael O'Gara was AAA president from 2002 to 2006. Rowan continued from page 8

By Eileen Thomas
The Starfest idea actually came up one night at Wagner College. After several of us showed Jupiter and SL/9 to the public, we sat in the bleachers of the ball field chatting. Keith was hanging out with us. We showed Jupiter from July 18 through 22, 1994, and of course every night was different because of the impacts. Wed shown Jupiter the previous Saturday from Great Kills, but there was nothing amiss, so I wasnt expecting what we saw on those nights. Keith said, "Wouldn't it be great if we could do something like this from Central Park? Like a Woodstock for astronomers." I said yes. but I thought there was little chance of that happening. I knew Keith was the head of the Urban Park Rangers, but still... Much to my surprise, he pulled it off. I called him the next day to congratulate him. We drove into the park and parked close to where we set up scopes and yes, the lanterns lighting the path and literature that was given out, the soft space music, the talks, etc. were superbly done. Eileen Thomas is a former AAA board member.
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By Michael O'Gara
I think I first met Lee at solar observing on a Saturday in the spring. This was when solar observing was held at the south end of the Central Park Zoo. I liked him and thought he was a regular guy, generous with his knowledge about what we did that day. Lee was always like that, generous to a fault with his time and energy for the club. He guided us financially for many years and served our board as part of the executive committee. Lee was the person who convinced me I should run for president. There was something about Lee that always boiled down to common sense and


Briefs: Report Blasts Condition of NASA Research Labs
Many NASA research labs are old, and budget cuts have seriously jeopardized scientific research at the agency, according to a National Research Council report released last month. Bureaucratic changes mean staff running labs have to spend inordinate time asking for money while facilities disintegrate, the report declared, adding NASAs ability to support NASAs future goals is in serious jeopardy. The report recommends NASA shift its emphasis to upgrading facilities. It found NASA has systematically neglected research labs at six NASA centers. Reduction in funding of 48% for the aeronautics programs from 2005-2009 has significantly challenged NASAs ability to advance U.S. technological leadership in aeronautics. Approximately 20% of NASA facilities are dedicated to r&d. On average, theyre not state of the art, merely adequate to meet current needs. Over 80% of NASA facilities are more than 40 years old and need significant upgrades to preserve safety and continuity of operations for critical missions, the panel said. Water ice has been found on the surface of a nearby asteroid for the first time, a discovery that could help explain how Earth got its oceans. Asteroid 24 Themis, a large rock between Mars and Jupiter, is coated in a layer of frost. It also contains organic material, including some molecules that might be ingredients for life. But scientists havent found evidence for life. Asteroids in that region were thought to be too close to the Sun to contain surface water without it evaporating. Researchers measured characteristics of sunlight bouncing off 24 Themis and saw signatures of H2O coating most of the surface. Previously, hints of water were found in hydrated minerals, believed formed from reaction of water with rock. But this time researchers saw waters direct signature. An asteroid on the list of rocks that could endanger Earth was caught on camera as it zoomed by in April, and found to be larger than originally thought. The asteroid came within 1.5 million miles April 19. Its a half-lit rock flying through the solar system, about 1,300 feet in size, a quarter-mile long and twice as big as originally thought. Arecibo resolved features on the asteroid down to about 25 feet. On Nov. 8, 2011, the rock will complete another trip around the Sun and swing by Earth just inside the Moon's orbit, at a distance of 191,120 miles. Theres no risk of Earth impact.
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The universe might have originated from a black hole within another universe. The idea centers on how matter and energy falling into a black hole could in theory come out a "white hole" in another universe. In such a situation, the black hole and white hole are mouths of a wormhole. Some conjecture that when a black hole forms after collapse of a dying star, a universe is born at the same time from the white hole on the other side of the wormhole. If our universe was born from a black hole, it could help reveal what was before the Big Bang. Thousands of galaxies crowding an area on the sky roughly the size of the full Moon have been captured in a photo. The wide-field view reveals thousands of galaxies, including a large group belonging to massive galaxy cluster Abell 315. But as crowded as it may appear, these galaxies, like most clusters, are dominated by unseen dark matter. Dark matters gravitational pull on clusters helped researchers calculate Abell 315s mass. The galaxies span a vast range of distances. For those relatively close, its possible to distinguish their spiral arms or elliptical halos. These galaxies light has traveled for 8 billion years or more before reaching Earth. Abell 315 is a concentration of about 100 yellowish galaxies some 2 billion light-years away in Cetus. In these clusters, galaxies contribute 10% of the mass. Hot gas between galaxies is 10%. The remaining 80% is dark matter. Abell 315s mass exceeds 100,000 billion times the Suns. Tucked among the first images of the Sun from NASAs new Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is a stunning shot of a massive prominence lifting off the surface. These loops are magnetic fields full of hot gas trapped inside. SDO has also captured a massive eruption on the Suns surface that sent tons of plasma raining down. The aftermath of the April 19 eruption can be seen in video. Astronomers have seen eruptions like this before, but rarely so large and never in such fluid detail: 1 billion tons of magnetized plasma blasting into space while debris from the explosion falls back onto the surface. The puzzle of "coronal rain" is how slowly it seems to fall, but the rain appears to be buoyed by a cushion of hot gas. SDO could also take the coronal rains temperature. It turns out to be relatively cool: "only" about 107,000 degrees. When the rain falls, its supported, in Continued on page 13


Briefs: Amateurs Aid in Getting Data on Saturn Blizzard
Continued from page 12 part, by an underlying cushion of much hotter material with a temp between 1.8 million and 4 million degrees. Cassini has captured images of lightning on Saturn, allowing scientists to create the first movie of lightning on another planet. After waiting years for Saturn to dim enough for cameras to detect bursts of light, scientists could create the movie, complete with soundtrack of radio waves when lightning struck. Data suggest extremely powerful storms with lightning that flashes as brightly as Earths brightest bolts. But the storms occur much less frequently, with usually only one happening on Saturn at any given time, though it can last for months. Images show a cloud up to 1,900 miles across and regions lit by lightning some 190 miles in diameter. Scientists use the flashes width to gauge depth of lightning below the cloud tops. Cassini had had trouble seeing lightning because Saturns very bright and reflective. Sunlight shining off its rings made even the night side brighter than a full-Moon night on Earth. Equinox, the period around August 2009 when the Sun shone directly over Saturns equator, brought needed darkness. The Sun lit the rings edge-on only and left the bulk of the rings in shadow. A new study provides the latest round-up of the number of impact craters on Titan. Between 2004 and December 2007, Cassini surveyed 22% of Titans surface. Scientists found 49 impact craters. Other than the absence of surface liquid water, atmospheric conditions resemble what probably existed on early Earth. Like Earth, nitrogen makes up much of that thick, hazy atmosphere, with small amounts of methane. Methane exists as a liquid, gas and solid at Titans freezing temperatures, and scientists believe it could play the role water does on Earth. Theres strong evidence that most craters were created by impacts. Scientists identified five certain impact craters. The remaining 44 were classified as Class 2 (nearly certain impact craters) and Class 3 (probable impact craters). So far, Cassini images have revealed only about one-fifth of Titans surface, inadequate to make conclusions about potential for any life. Since Titan has very few impact craters, scientists predict it may be an active moon with a fresh surface. A massive blizzard on Saturn is so large and fierce it can be seen from Earth. Cassini is recording the most detailed data yet of storms on Saturn. But amateur astronomers have also participated. The storm dredged up much material from the deep atmosphere and covered an area at least five times larger than the biggest blizzard that hit Earth this year. Gathering data on Saturns storms is tricky since they can come and go in weeks, while Cassini observations must be locked in place months in advance. So NASA sometimes enlists the help of amateurs. The radio and plasma wave instrument pick up electrostatic discharges associated with storms, so scientists have been sending tips to amateurs, who can try to spy bright convective storm clouds. Amateurs Anthony Wesley, Trevor Barry and Christopher Go received a notice in February, and snapped dozens of pictures in several weeks. In late March, Wesley, based in Australia, sent scientists a picture of the storm. They also received a picture of the storm at its peak taken by Go, who lives in the Philippines. The composite infrared spectrometer happened to be targeting the storms latitude. Scientists knew there might be storms in that area, but were unsure when they might be active. Spectrometer data showed larger-than-expected amounts of phosphine, a gas typically found in Saturns deep atmosphere, an indicator that powerful currents were lifting material into the upper troposphere. An interstellar cloud of gas and dust in deep space has had its temperature mapped across all regions-a cosmic first--allowing scientists to pinpoint where baby stars are being born. The temperature of the cloud, CB244, was taken from its center to the edge, revealing two hotspots of star formation inside. These temps cant be measured from the ground because of the atmosphere. One star cradle inside the cloud has a temperature of minus 427. A nascent star with 1.6 times the mass of the Sun could be pinpointed. The other region, with a temp of minus 440, is so young that a star has yet to form. Instead, theres a collapsing core of gas and dust that will eventually become a hot star. This collapsing region contains three-seven times the Suns mass. This new map allowed astronomers to calculate the amount of matter inside the star-forming cloud. They calculated the cloud is 10-20 times the Suns mass, which means almost half its total mass is involved in forming the two Continued on page 14
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Continued from page 13 stars. Observations also showed the clouds temperature rises toward the outer edges, which reveals light from surrounding stars is heating up the clouds outer faces. A pair of rare medium-sized black holes was spotted near the center of a nearby galaxy, but they havent been swallowed by its supermassive black hole. Scientists arent sure how long these black holes will escape their larger cousin. For now, the duo provides more support to the idea of black holes neither very small nor very large. Astronomers discovered signs of the black holes inside galaxy M82, about 12 million light-years away. Observations came from two X-ray space scopes. This is the first time good evidence for two mid-sized black holes has been found in one galaxy. Their location near the center of the galaxy might provide clues about the origin of supermassive black holes in the centers of most galaxies. Some researchers think intermediate-mass black holes might form in star clusters and sink toward the center of galaxies, where they would eventually clump together to build supermassive black holes. M82 is the nearest place to us where conditions are similar to those in the early universe, with lots of stars forming. Astronomers have long known that light bouncing off man-made reflectors on the lunar surface is fainter than expected, and mysteriously dims even more when the Moon is full. Now they think lunar dust and solar heating may be the culprit. The evidence is on Earth. Only a fraction of the light beamed from a New Mexico telescope bounces off of old reflectors on the lunar surface and returns to the observatory. Near full Moon, the strength of the returning light decreases by a factor of 10. Hidden young stars in the Cats Paw Nebula are revealed in a spectacular new infrared image of the stellar nursery. The nebula, NGC 6334, is in Scorpius, towards the heart of the Milky Way, about 5,500 lightyears away. The nebula stretches across 50 light-years. In visible light, gas and dust are illuminated by hot young stars that create strange reddish shapes. The nebula is one of the most active nurseries of massive stars in our galaxy, with some nearly 10 times the mass of the Sun. The very wide field of view allowed the whole starforming region to be imaged in one shot with greater clarity. The image is filled with countless stars overlaid with dark dust seen in full for the first time. In many
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dusty areas, such as close to the center of the picture, features that appear orange are apparent, evidence of otherwise hidden active young stars and their jets. Hubble scientists celebrated the 20th anniversary of its launch with a stunning new photo of pillar-like mountains of dust in a well-known nebula. The photo shows just a small part of the Carina Nebula, one of the largest star-birth regions in our galaxy. It captures the top of a 3 light-year-tall pillar of gas and dust being eaten away by brilliant light from nearby bright stars. The pillar is also being pushed apart from within, as infant stars buried inside emit jets of gas streaming from the towering peaks. The scene is reminiscent of Hubbles 1995 "Pillars of Creation" photo, but more striking. A European-built spacecraft has used its solar wings as sails to skim through Venus atmosphere at its outermost border with space. Venus Express conducted five "aerodrag" maneuvers in April, which used the orbiter as a sensor capable of measuring atmospheric density 111 miles up. To do this, solar panels were rotated through five sets of orientations, which changed daily, to expose the wings to the faint wisps of Venus atmosphere. The solar-wing configuration generated a tiny amount of aerodynamic torque, or rotation, on the probe. This torque can be measured based on the amount of correction that must be applied by reaction wheels, which counter-rotate inside the craft to maintain its orientation in space. Those data reveal how thick Venus atmosphere is at the point the craft was during the maneuver. New pictures of Jupiter show a huge band of dark clouds that normally surrounds the planet has vanished. Jupiters appearance usually is dominated by two dark bands in its atmosphere, in the north and in the south, and the Giant Red Spot. All three were visible at the end of last year before Jupiter went behind the Sun. When it re-emerged last month, pictures from Australian amateur Anthony Wesley showed the southern cloud band had disappeared. The southern band went missing in the 1990s and in 1973, when NASA took its first close-up pictures of the planet. The disappearing band may be the result of changes in the color of the clouds that make it up. This theory says the band is obscured when whitish clouds form at its top, making it harder to see.


Events on the Horizon June 2010
M: members; P: open to the public; T: bring your telescopes, binoculars, etc.; C: cancelled if cloudy; HQ: at AAA headquarters, Downtown Community Center, 120 Warren St. AMNH: For ticket information, call (212) 769-5200 For directions to AAA observing events, check the club's website, www.aaa.org. Tuesdays June 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, dusk-10 p. m. Observing at the High Line, Manhattan, P, T, C South of 14th Street. Next dates: Tuesdays in July. Saturdays June 5, 12, 19, 26, 8 p. m. Observing at Inwood Hill Park, Manhattan, P, T, C Next dates: Saturdays in July. Tuesday, June 8, dusk-10 p. m. Observing at Cadman Plaza, Brooklyn, P, T, C Next date: July 13. Wednesday, June 9, 8:30-10 p. m. Observing at Fort Tryon Park near The Cloisters, Manhattan, P, T, C Next date: July 14. Thursday, June 10, 6:30-8:30 p. Recent Advances in Astronomy Pre-meeting dinner at 5:30 at Gee and Greenwich streets. Next date: m. Seminar, M, HQ Whiz Diner, Warren July 8 Friday, June 18, dusk-11 p. m. Observing at Carl Schurz Park, Manhattan, P, T, C Next date: July 23. Friday, June 18, 8-10 p. m. Observing at Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, P, T, C Model airplane flying field. Next date: September 17. Saturday, June 19, dusk Observing at Great Kills Gateway National Park, Staten Island, P, T, C Next date: July 17. Saturday, June 26, 10-noon. Solar Observing at Central Park, P, T, C At the Conservatory Waters. Next date: July 31. Tuesday, June 29, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Observers' Group, M, HQ Pre-meeting dinner at 5:30 at Gee Whiz Diner, Greenwich and Warren streets. Next date: July 27.

Saturday, June 12, dusk-wee hours Observing at North-South Lake, Greene County, M, T, C For directions, aaa.org or Rich Rosenberg at 718522-5014. Next date: July 10. Monday, June 14, 7:30 p. m. Hayden Planetarium lecture, P, AMNH James Kasting, geoscientist and distinguished professor at Penn State, will discuss "How to Build a Habitable Planet," the title of his book of the same name. Hell explain why Earth may not be unique in hosting life. Wednesday, June 16, 8-11 p. m. Observing at Prospect Park, Brooklyn, P, T, C Next date: July 21.

Corrections
Due to misinformation supplied Eyepiece, an item last month on Lee Baltins death said he was 90. He was 91. Due to an editing error, the date and location of the Isaac Asimov Debate were omitted from the lead story in the April issue. The event was held March 15 at the American Museum of Natural History. Last months lead story on neutrino telescopes failed to pinpoint the location for the Antares telescope. Its in the Mediterranean Sea off the French coast near the city of Toulon.
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Hawking on Alien Life
British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking says aliens are out there, but it could be too dangerous for humans to interact with extraterrestrial life. Hawking claims in a new documentary that intelligent alien life forms almost certainly exist, but warns communicating with them could be too risky. In an April lecture, he suggested that an alien visit probably wouldnt go well for Earthlings. Hawking said a visit by extraterrestrials would be like Columbus arriving in the Americas, "which didnt turn out very well for Native Americans." He speculates most extraterrestrial life will be similar to microbes or small animals, but adds advanced life forms may be "nomads, looking to conquer and colonize." Astrophotography continued from page 4 interactions make great astrophotographs, as well as large elliptical galaxies. "Interestingly, different people perceive different colors from the same object. This could be from the effects of light pollution. But with globular clusters, what you mostly see is red giants. If youre taking photos of something in the Milky Way, dust mutes colors."

Annual Meeting continued from page 3 when they are clouded out? And the clubs seminar is for members interested in the latest goings on. In general, Rosenberg said, more members are active in the clubs activities. One of the most popular, Urban Starfest, will probably take place September 11 or the backup date, October 16. "The state of the economy took a toll on our revenues this year," Rosenberg said "Donations were down as were our own investments." Haeberle reported that expenses stayed the same or increased. Lecture chair David Kraft said that most 2010-11 lecturers have been scheduled. They include Jay Pasachoff, Williams College, solar eclipses; Suzanne Young, University. of New Hampshire and NASA, Phoenix Mars Mission; Andrea Dupree, HarvardSmithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Kepler and/or Magellan Mission. Also, David Thompson, NASA, gammaray bursts; Neal Weiner, NYU, dark matter; Michael Tuts, Columbia University, particle physics; and Robert Nemiroff, Michigan Tech, the best astronomy pictures of the day in 2010, from the website of the same name.

Amateur Astronomers Association Gracie Station P. O. Box 383 New York, NY 10028

Forwarding and Address Correction Requested 16

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