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STAR FIELDS
Newsletter of the Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston Including the Bond Astronomical Club Established in 1934 In the Interest of Telescope Making & Using Vol. 26, No. 9 October 2014

Dr. Fritschel is a physicist and a Senior Research Scientist at M.I.T., in the Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research. He has spent much of his career working on a project aimed at building new instruments to detect gravitational waves that are emitted by astrophysical objects in the nearby universe. He studied physics and engineering in college, and then worked for a couple of years doing laser development in an industrial R&D lab before going to graduate school in physics. After gaining a PhD he did a postdoctoral stint in France, and then returned to M.I.T. Please join us for a pre-meeting dinner discussion at Changsho, 1712 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA at 6:00pm before the meeting.

President's Message . . .
During last month's meeting, we held our "ATMoB Direction Checkpoint Workshop". This workshop was designed to determine whether or not our collective energy goes into the right activities. Should there be different areas added to our focus? Should our public outreach change in some ways? I would like to give a hearty thanks to those who attended! It was a spirited and lively session, with a lot of good ideas generated. There will be behind-the-scenes follow-up to seek "owners" for the various new ideas, and to solicit more information on prioritization. Among the ideas generated were: Create a new web site (which will be undertaken as a separate initiative). Implement social tools like Facebook and Twitter. Find a location to do more outreach in the form of "open" star parties, unlike the very directed and specific ones we are restricted to at the Clubhouse location. Set up some "Solar Star Parties". Hold a series of CCD imaging classes. Similarly, do some additional training/classes on how to collect imaging data. See if we can integrate usage of the 9" scope at the CfA into our monthly meetings. Think about doing some light pollution education and outreach. Reach out to related but tangential groups to solicit members. Do an electronic "push" of notices of astronomical events Reach out to people who have scopes, but do not know how to use them. Create an "organization of organizations" to better liaise with other astronomy clubs. Create brochures to be available during our meetings and star parties. Develop a standard telescope specification that people can use to take some of the design work out of the process of building your first scope. Folks, on the whole, want to do *more* of: Star Parties. "Outreach educational lectures" to organizations.

This Month's Meeting . . .
Thursday, October 9th, 2014 at 8:00 PM Phillips Auditorium Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Parking at the CfA is allowed for the duration of the meeting

LIGO - Hanford, Washington. Image courtesy of LIGO Laboratory

LIGO and Gravitational Waves & Detection
Gravitational waves are among the most interesting predictions of Einstein's theory of general relativity. These ripples in the curvature of space-time are emitted by various types of astrophysical bodies, particularly compact objects moving at high velocities. Almost a century after Einstein first predicted gravitational waves, we are on the brink of directly detecting them for the first time. Gravitational-wave astrophysics promises to become a radically new way of exploring the universe. Dr. Peter Fritschel will discuss the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO), the world's leading project to build and operate gravitational wave detectors. He'll describe LIGO's principles of operation, design, current status and plans for observation.

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CCD imaging. Mirror/telescope and instrumentation making. There wasn't anything identified that members wanted to do "less" of. Look for future information being disseminated and advice sought via our "Announce" mailing list. ~ Neil Fleming ­ President ~

Glenn Chaple discussed the program to give names to newly discovered planets (exoplanets) around stars other than the Sun. Old Business: None New Business: None An ATMoB Direction Workshop to discuss ideas for current and potential future activities was conducted by President Neil Fleming. The results of the discussion are presented below as numbered paragraphs. These notes were compiled from notes furnished by Neil. CURRENT ACTIVITIES Demographic, Kids Star parties: Should we do more? Need handouts, indoor "StarLab" Lead Person, Virginia; Notes Astronomy Day CfA in October Clay Center Harvard Summer Solstice Cambridge Science Festival Demographic: All Monthly meetings: Webcast the meeting and/or archive? Hands-on talks? "Meetup" Lead Person, President (Neil): Mirror/telescope making: Should we do? Yes Also Instrumentation: Monthly Newsletter Lead Person, Al Takeda: Saturday night at the Clubhouse: We also get a lot of mentoring Advertise a "clinic" Educational courses: Lead Person, John Maher Annual club picnic: New Year's Eve party Other events twice a Year Work Parties Outreach; Educational Lectures Should we do? Yes Notes (Mario): Identify topics and possible owners/speakers (speakers bureau) 2

September Meeting Minutes . . .

President Neil Fleming *

Minutes of ATMoB meeting held September 11, 2014. Meeting held in Phillips Auditorium, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Neil Fleming, President: called the meeting to order at 8:00 PM. No verbal Secretary's Report of the July meeting was given. The minutes were written by Eileen Myers and are on the club's website and in the September newsletter. Secretary Sidney Johnston wishes to thank Eileen for her excellent minutes and for covering for him in his absence. Eileen Myers gave the Treasurer's report. Tom McDonagh gave the Membership Committee Report. Glenn Chaple gave the Observing Committee Report. Steve Clougherty gave the Clubhouse Report. Announcements: Mario Motta mentioned that the Dark Sky Bill died in the Massachusetts Legislature's Ways and Means Committee. Eileen mentioned that the ATMoB Club Picnic would be held on the following Saturday.


Publicize Web site: Gallery Reminder tools for events Swap area? Eclipse trips Should we do? Yes Imaging (CCD) Should we do? Yes More Imaging in light polluted locales Processing courses, How to do image acquisition How to do science (photometry, astrometry, exoplanet research): Citizen science/research Variable stars Occultations Exoplanet Research Support open houses (Harvard) General observing Project Astro/Schools Technical consulting on telescopes Field trips Mailing lists/discussion groups Specialized observing Variable stars, occultations Double stars Spectroscopy Solar Astronomy calendar, almanac Magazine discounts Astronomy calendar RASC handbook (almanac) Awards program Lead Person, Glenn Chaple Messier marathon Annually, semi-annually, quarterly Lead Person, Glenn Chaple Telescope lending Book Lending The meeting was adjourned by President Neil Fleming at 10:00 PM. NEW ACTIVITIES To be decided. Should we do? 3 ~ Sidney Johnston, Secretary ~ Social tools Facebook site Twitter? Lead Person/s; Dave Stanley, John Harrington; Access to the 9" scope at the CfA Observing at the end of standard monthly meetings? John S. and Dick K. have keys. There is an on-line list for reservations. Lead Persons, John Sheff / Dick Koolish; Light pollution education/outreach Lead Person, Mario Motta Solar star parties "General/Open" star parties Team up with Halibut (GAAC) Northshore club, Arlington Astronomy Nights at Robbins Farm Park, Mass. Audubon, Drumlin Farm Wachusset, Greenspace at Clinton, MA Lead Person, Dick Koolish Partner with other groups Artisan's Asylum Make Magazine: Modernize "How to Understand Optics", by Sam Brown, "How to make a telescope" Create a digital version? Liaise more with other astronomy clubs Share our newsletters, share theirs. Star party assistance Refer folks to other local astro clubs Participate in science fairs Offer prizes Push notices of astronomical events Lead Person, Eric Johansson Reach out to people with scopes but don't know how to use them Craigs list Towns' Listserves Public service announcements through cable channels Classic media: town papers Create an "organization of organizations" group for coordination among astronomy clubs of the Boston Area At least create better contacts and liaise on activities.


Clubhouse Report . . .

Following the picnic, the scheduled furnace inspection was performed by Healey Oil, and at the procedure's end the visual internal inspection found a major crack in the burn chamber. The Clubhouse Committee is assisting the Exec. Board in discussions with the oil company to repair the furnace. Lunch was provided by our intrepid team of Sai V., Eileen M., Chef Eric J., Cheryl R., Sue M., Leanne M. and several others were pressed into service. Several items were added to augment our normal dogs & burgers menu. Those included chicken, salad, beans and concluding with a cold watermelon for dessert. Phil R. and Brian L. took over clubhouse duty as evening fell. Clouds prevented observing (scopes were set up).

Alan Sliski working on the ATMoB Research and Imaging Observatory circuits *

SEPTEMBER 2014 A pre-picnic work session was held on Saturday, September 6th starting at 10 am. Thanks to 23 members who donated their time: John Blomquist, Bruce Berger, Paul Cicchetti, Paul Coultemanche, Nina Craven, Jim Gettys, Charlie Gettys, Joe Henry, Eric Johansson, Ben Kleschinsky, Bernie Kosicki, Penny Lucinion, John Maher, Sue Mallen, Leanne McDonald, Eileen Myers, Dave Prowten, Cheryl Rayner, John Reed, Alan Sliski, Al Takeda, Bill Toomey and Sai Vallabha. The weather was clear and 92 degrees F. It was a very warm day. The lawn was cut by John B. and several folks worked to get the weed cutters operating to complete the insect mitigation. Push mowers finished the sloped areas. Later, all visible poison ivy leaves were saturated with Roundup Brush Killer to eradicate all dangers. The last damaged electrical box was replaced with new box and couplers by Joe H. and Penny L. Also, protector panels made out of plywood were cut and installed by Paul C. around two new outlet boxes to protect them from impact damage. In front of the porch, the shrubs were trimmed, weeds pulled and debris removed. The trellis was level checked, removed, painted white and reinstalled. During the next work party we will refurbish the remaining trellis and tackle the painting of the railings and porch supports. Further work on the bulkhead outlet did not correct its puzzling condition. For the present, the old working configuration was reinstated. The bulkhead doors were repainted with a new paint to test its durability. And since the weather was too hot to paint the rear house wall, that job was completed by Dave P. during the week before the picnic. Work continued in the ATMoB Research and Imaging Observatory (ARIO); new motors were installed while wiring work continued by the team of Alan S., Jim G., Charlie G., Bill T., Paul C., Bruce B and others. The Chase hutch, Clamshell and Knight Observatories were spruced up for the picnic. While the weather did not indicate summer's end, our oil tank needed filling while prices were lower. 4

Further work was accomplished by the picnic committee members before and after the picnic held on September 13th. A report on this effort is included in this edition of Star Fields. It was a great picnic in spite of the rain. A big THANK YOU! The next work party will take place on Saturday October 11th, starting at 10am. Getting ready for winter weather will be in the background, as we tend to fall cleanup chores. Come on out and join in as we tackle the new challenges. ~ Clubhouse Committee Directors ~ ~ John Reed, Steve Clougherty and Dave Prowten ~ Clubhouse Saturday Schedule October 11 Nina Craven and Rich Burrier WORK PARTY # 10 October 18 Bruce Berger Mike Hill October 25 Neil Fleming Bill Toomey November 1 John Panaswich Dave Siegrist November 8 Henry Hopkinson and John Small WORK PARTY # 11 November 15 Bill Robinson N & S Sonawane November 22 George Paquin Dave Prowten November 29 Art Swedlow Sai Vallabha

Picnic Thank You . . .

John Reed samples a chicken leg. *


The Picnic Committee thanks the participants of all ages who talked, walked, ate, sang, played musical instruments, made planetariums, made telescopes, drew geometric designs, and basically had a real good time despite the rain, at the ATMoB Clubhouse on Saturday, September 13 at the 2014 Annual Picnic. Highlights

Tony Costanzo and sing along. Photo by Eileen Myers.

Joining in or listening in to the chorus of 10 or more singers accompanying the guitar. What fun that was, especially with young Ben Kleschinsky feeding us the words and leading us with his strong, talented voice.
(L-R) Eileen Myers and Penny Lucinian *

Enjoying the day laughing with friends. Thanks go out to the Picnic Committee for their hard work: Marsha Bowman, Steve Clougherty, Eric Johansson, Sidney Johnston, Julie Kaufmann, Penny Lucinian, Sue Mallen, Eileen Myers, David Prowten, Cheryl Rayner, John and Monique Reed, Al Takeda and Sai Vallabha. Thanks go out to Steve C. for his donation to the club of a sturdy tent for craft activities. 344 days to go (give or take a day) until the 2015 Picnic!

Eating our fill from so many tasty main dishes available in the outside food tent and the varied appetizers and attentiondrawing desserts in the Clubhouse, and listening to the wonderful stories behind the making or selection of each and every dish.

Julie Kaufmann (center) at the Projects Table. *

Watching folks walk up-the-hill despite the challenge of the soon-to-arrive rain. Leader Bill Toomey was absolutely resplendent in his long, black mackintosh raincoat. Julie Kaufmann and Cheryl Rayner working diligently and patiently with all young attendees, skillfully encouraging and helping them to make planetariums and telescopes. Tony Costanzo and his nimble fingers playing his wonderfulsounding guitar, as did Sue Mallen and Marsha Bowman.

Setting up the Food Tent. (L ­ R) Cheryl Rayner, Sue Mallen, Al Takeda, Eileen Myers, Eric Johansson and Penny Lucinian. Photo by Sai Vallabha.

~ Submitted by Eileen Myers ~

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Membership Report . . .

Messier 30, photo by Mario Motta, MD Tom McDonagh (4th from left) in the Clamshell Obs., holding an impromptu New Member Night at the Clubhouse. Photo by Gary Phillips (Rt/bottom).

Membership count as of September 23, 2014 is at 207 individuals. Please welcome our newest and returning members: Frank Zeven, Sal LaRicca , Robert Lembree, Roman Rasenas, James Barron, Steve Simon, John Gianforte and Michael Jasper. The membership renewal period ended September 1st. Please renew today, time is running out! Many members' subscriptions to S&T and Astronomy magazine are tied to their last renewal date. You can avoid interruption of subscription delivery by renewing now! Instructions for renewing are outlined in the August Star Fields Newsletter. New members on record in 2014 are not required to renew at this time. Our communication lifeline includes the ATMOB-Announce and ATMOB-Discuss mailing lists as well as our fantastic newsletter. Please refer to these tools for up to date information on club openings, events and interesting astronomy related discussions. Contact me with questions regarding accessing these options at: membership@atmob.org. The Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston, Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization. Donations are gladly accepted and are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. Consider making a tax-deductible contribution to the club during your estate and tax planning this year. Many companies make matching contributions at an employee's request. It is a simple way to make your donation go twice as far. ~ Tom McDonagh ­ Membership Secretary ~

During October, Ophiuchus, Scorpius, and Sagittarius depart the evening sky, taking with them their ample cargo of globular star clusters. A few stragglers remain accessible to backyard telescopes ­ among them, Messier 30 in Capricorn. M30 was discovered by Messier in 1764. He described it as a round nebula, containing no stars. Its stellar nature fell to the watchful eye of William Herschel, who resolved M30 twenty years later. Recently, I observed M30 from a suburban location on an evening when the naked eye limit was about 5th magnitude. It was readily visible through 10 X 50 binoculars, appearing as an out-of-focus 7th magnitude star just a half degree west of the 5.5 magnitude star 41 Capricorni. A 4-inch f/10 reflector at 120X didn't resolve any stars, but it did reveal M30's highly concentrated nucleus. In my 10-inch f/5 reflector at 208X, the outer parts of M30 were resolved. The cluster spanned some 5-6 arc-minutes and seemed elongated in an east-west direction. Two stellar streams radiated outward towards the north. M30 lies about 27,000 light-years from earth. It harbors several hundred thousand stars and has an estimated diameter of 90 lightyears.

Sky Object of the Month . . .
October 2014 Messier 30 ­ Globular Cluster in Capricornus

freestarcharts.com

~ Glenn Chaple ­ Observing Committee and VP ~

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Surplus Telescopes . . .
These telescopes are available for a limited time for members at no cost (one only per member). First reply gets it. Contact: Bernie Kosicki pastpresidents@atmob.org or Tom McDonagh membership@atmob.org

A47. Homemade Reflector. 150 mm, f/8 Editor: Images in this article by Bernie Kosicki. ~ Submitted by Bernie Kosicki ~

A18. Quality Optical Support Systems Refractor; 50 mm, f/12

Mario images Asteroid (133537) Mariomotta . . .
On September 23, 2014, Mario Motta, using his 32-inch relay telescope, imaged the asteroid named after him. The photo is a single, 10 minute, unfiltered image. It has a very inclined, 3.2 year orbit. The asteroid is currently in the constellation of Aries and is at magnitude 19.75. It will be at opposition in December. Details at http://archive.is/dYXmx .

A25. Saturn Refractor. 60 mm, f/15

Image by Mario Motta

~ Submitted by Mario Motta ~
Editor: * Photos by Al Takeda unless otherwise noted.

************************************** November Star Fields DEADLINE Sunday, October 26th Email articles to Al Takeda at newsletter@atmob.org A13. Celestron Maksutov. 200 mm, f/10 Articles from members are always welcome. ************************************** 7


POSTMASTER NOTE: First Class Postage Mailed October 6, 2014 Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston, Inc. c/o Tom McDonagh, Membership Secretary 48 Mohawk Drive Acton, MA 01720 FIRST CLASS

EXECUTIVE BOARD 2014-2015
PRESIDENT: VICE PRES: SECRETARY: MEMBERSHIP: TREASURER: Neil Fleming Glenn Chaple Sidney Johnston Tom McDonagh Eileen Myers president@atmob.org (978) (978) (617) (978) 597-8465 505-9169 966-5221 456-3937

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

MEMBERS AT LARGE: Bruce Tinkler Al Takeda PAST PRESIDENTS: 2012 ­ 14 2010 - 12 2006 - 08 COMMITTEES CLUBHOUSE : Mike Hill Bernie Kosicki Virginia Renehan John Reed Steve Clougherty David Prowten Bruce Berger Al Takeda

(781) 862-8040 (508) 494-7877 (508) 485-0230 (978) 263-2812 (978) 283-0862 (781) 861-8031 (781) 784-3024 (978) 369-1596 (978) 387-4189 newsletter@atmob.org

OBSERVING: NEWSLETTER

Heads Up For The Month . . .
To calculate Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) from Universal Time (UT) subtract 4 from UT. Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Nov Nov Nov 8 15 21 23 31 1 2 6 Full Moon, Total Lunar Eclipse, Draconid Meteor Shower Last Quarter Moon (Moonrise at midnight) Orionid meteors peak New Moon, Partial Solar Eclipse First Quarter Moon (Moonset at midnight) Venus at greatest western elongation (morning) Daylight Saving Time Ends Full Moon

----------PUBLIC OUTREACH STAR PARTY COORDINATOR: Virginia Renehan

starparty@atmob.org