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Director: Rex Parker (609) 730-0670 drexparker@aol.com

ereal times id s
The Official Publication of the Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton
Treasurer: Ron Mittlestaedt (609) 771-6981 C8User@aol.com Secretary: Mark Jaworsky (609) 333-1130 MarkianSJ@comcast.net

Program Chairman: Mark Lopez (609) 393-2565 mal455@earthlink.net Editor: Victor Belanger (609) 448-8598 vic@apink.com

Assistant Director: John Miller (609) 252-1223 jcm726@earthlink.net

Volume 32

December 2003

Number 11

Next Meeting Don't miss the Dec. 9 AAAP meeting at Peyton Hall (8:00 PM). Our guest speaker will be Dr. Michael Mahoney of Princeton Univ., a full professor in the Dept of History with an impressive history of his own. Dr. Mahoney is a specialist in the development of science and math, and will discuss Christian Huygens and the advances he made involving time, clocks, math and the determination of longitude. Rocket Garden The recognition of the 40th anniversary of John Kennedy's assassination brought a wave of nostalgia across America this November. Among many great JFK speeches, one stands out to amateur astronomers (Sept 2, 1962 at Rice Univ in Houston): "...For the eyes of the world now look into space, to the moon and to the planets beyond. ...But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas? We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.... We have felt the ground shake and the air shattered by the testing of a Saturn C-1 booster rocket, many times as The Rocket Garden at KSC powerful as

From the Director

the Atlas which launched John Glenn...." It was my good fortune to be in Florida for a conference in midNovember, perfectly timed for adding a day trip to Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center. Several times tears blurred my vision as I wound through the Astronaut Hall of Fame, then on to the Rocket Garden, a guided tour of the clean room where the Intl. Space Station components are being readied for the next Shuttle launch, then on to Launch Pads 39A & B, and a final Saturn 5B and Apollo crescendo at the remarkable Saturn 5B exhibit . For many of us born before or during the "space race", this was the stuff of dreams made real, formative and sustaining. NASA blazed a trail upwards which led many of us to become scientists, engineers, technologists, programmers, and especially (and maybe most importantly!) amateur astronomers. That dream still marks a path in our lives, confirmed each time our telescopes are aimed, with every CCD frame, and each Messier seen and NGC found... with every person young or old to whom the night sky no longer seems empty, but rather, the garden of rockets. Observatory Rules for AAAP Members One of the benefits of AAAP membership is access to the Observatory at WC Park and its state-of-the art equipment. All members in good standing have this privilege, provided that a Keyholder is present, and that the observing program of the Keyholder(s) is respected. The AAAP Keyholders are accomplished amateur astronomers trained in the use of the (Director, continued on page 2)

Simpson Observatory (609) 737-2575


(Director, continued from page 1) facility and equipment, and are responsible for the equipment and for upholding our agreements with the State Park. This requires rigid gate locking/security procedures, and on non-public nights the gates must remain locked. Therefore members wishing to observe are urged to contact a Keyholder in advance to arrange for Park gate entry and exit. If you call the observatory after dark on a clear night hoping to gain access, please be respectful of the Keyholders' time limitations, and be aware that access may not necessarily be possible without advance notice, particularly if you are hoping to bring a guest. Finally, all members and Keyholders alike are urged to be accommodating and maintain appropriate decorum. Jan. 8 Board Meeting, and request for Nominations Chair The AAAP Board of Trustees will meet on Jan 8 (7:00 PM) at the Princeton Univ. Eng. Quad (4th floor, same location). Key topics include Succession Planning and the proposed change to an annualized dues/membership cycle. All interested members are welcome. Also please note that we are seeking a Nominations Chairperson to help us develop a slate for the next election in the spring. Please contact me or any Board member if you can help. Dark skies, and Happy Holidays!! Rex Parker

I started searching in the Aquila, Cygnus, and Segitta area for this is where Comet 2P/Encke would be found. I hit an object that I thought was comet Encke, but it turned out to be mag 8.8, NGC6802. On a little bit farther to the West the comet was found. I could barely make out a tail, but the nucleus was very bright. The next comet, Comet C/2002 T7 Linear in Perseus, at mag 9.4 would be more of a challenge. The only thing favorable about finding this comet was that it was situated right next to a mag 5.5 star. Finding the star in the finder scope was quite easy but I didn't realize the comet was so close to it. When switching to the 12.5" scope the comet looked more like a reflection of the 5.5 mag star on the optics. Comet Linear was still rather dim but visible. We continued observing objects like the Vail Nebula and closed after three hours of observing, high thin clouds had moved in. The skies in my opinion were about an 8 on a scale of 10 during the evening's observing. Ron Mittelstaedt

From the Treasurer:
The treasury balance is $xxxx.xx. There are 132 paid members. Michele, our publisher, will continue putting the dues renewal date on the upper right corner of each Sidereal Times address label. This is the date that your renewal membership is due with the AAAP. Those with club magazine subscriptions to Astronomy or Sky and Telescope or both would want their subscriptions renewed about three months prior to the date of your club renewal. Please act accordingly, for if you wait until your club dues are due to pay for your magazine subscription you may miss one or two issues. I am not going to send out renewal notices to members who get magazines; they get enough notices from their respective publishers. If I don't receive you renewal on the date indicated on your address label you will be dropped from the roster. If you are a keyholder, the respected observatory chairman will be notified and you will be asked to return the key. Note! The dues structure is a follows: $30 basic membership, $60 for membership and subscription to Astronomy magazine, $63* for membership and subscription to Sky and Telescope magazine, $93 if both magazines are desired with membership, *A recent Increase of Sky and Telescope magazine. If you have a Sky and Tel subscription please send the subscription notice and the postage paid envelope when renewing your membership. You may send the dues directly to me at: Ron Mittelstaedt-Treasurer, 149 Palmer Lane, Ewing, NJ 08618-3207 Ron Mittelstaedt

Observations
I was at the United Astronomy Clubs of NJ meeting on Sat Nov. 22. The meeting seems to drag on especially when the light pollution committee gives their report. There seems to be more and more bright lights shining in the valley below our observatory when the committee says progress is being made. Must be the cost of progress. After the meeting Ralph, Larry Smith and I went to our favorite dinner spot and returned around 6pm. There were already members of UACNJ setting up their equipment for the nights viewing. I set up the AAAP 12.5" Newtonian for the first glimpse of deep AAAP's Jenny Jump Observatory sky objects. The first object observed was M27, the Dumbbell Nebula.


AAAP Regular Meeting
November 11, 2003
Director Rex Parker. John introduced Program Chairman Mark Lopez who then introduced the guest Assistant Director John Miller opened the regular meeting of the AAAP at 8:00 PM due to the absence of speaker, photographer Jerry Lodriguss. The title of Mr. Lodriguss' talk was "Catching the Light-Techniques for Successful Astrophotography." The business meeting was opened at 9:05 PM. Twenty-six people stayed for the business meeting. John opened this part of the meeting by thanking everyone who came out for the Saturday clean up at the Simpson Observatory. He stated that the clean up was very successful and that a great deal of work was accomplished. John then asked Ron Mittlestaedt about the installation of the new telescope mount for the C-14. Ron stated that everything went well and that he would be going out to the observatory soon to polar-align the mount because it was out of alignment. John then inquired about training the membership on the use of the new mount. Ron said it would have to be aligned before anything could be done. Ron then announced that he ordered a new atomic clock for the observatory. John then asked if there was any more new business concerning the observatory. Gene Ramsey stated that he would be contacting Rex parker about winterizing the observatory because Rex has the equipment needed to clear the water lines. John also inquired as to the performance of the Radian eyepieces. Ron and Mark stated that they worked out well. It was then decided that these eyepieces should be kept and labeled as property of the AAAP. In other business, John acknowledged the members of the Willingboro Astronomy Club who attended the pre-meeting dinner and the meeting. John then asked about the 10- minute speakers for the beginning of future meetings. Mark Lopez stated that Mark Jaworsky planned to give a talk in December. Vic Belanger then inquired about the status of Princeton On-Line and Dan Benedict's website. It was decided to take up the matter at the next board meeting. Ron announced he would like to give a ten-minute talk on his barn door tracker if Mark Jaworsky isn't able to give one in December. Ron then informed the membership that the treasury has increased by $xxxx.xx due to the sale of the old mount. He announced that the total balance in the club's account was $xxxx.xx. Vic Belanger then announced that the deadline for the Sidereal Times would be November 28 and that there were no minutes published in the last edition. John then reminded the membership that the dates for the next Starquest were June 18-20, 2004 and that the press release for Starquest should be sent out soon. Louisa Lockette informed the membership that she would be taking care of this in the near future. John then announced that author H.W.G. Allen sent the club a copy of his new book for our review. John stated that he would mail it to librarian Pete Oppenheim. There being no more new business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:30 PM. Respectfully Submitted, Mark Lopez for Mark Jaworsky

Minutes of the

From The Program Chairman
Our talks usually deal with what is happening in the present and what is planned for the future as far as astronomy and cosmology is concerned. This month, we are going to travel in a different direction. We are going to look to the past and study a little history. December 's speaker is Dr. Michael S. Mahoney of Princeton University's Department of History. Dr. Mahoney is a Professor of History in the Program in History of Science. The title of his talk is "Christiaan Huygens: Clocking Longitude". The following information about Professor Mahoney and his talk on Christiaan Huygens was taken verbatim from the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab website. He was a guest speaker at the Science on Saturday lecture series in February 2002. Professor Mahoney's research has focused on the development of the mathematical sciences from Antiquity to 1700 and on the recent history of computing. He is the author of The Mathematical Career of Pierre de Fermat, 1601-1665 (2nd rev. ed. 1994); a series of monographs on the mathematics of Rene Descartes, Isaac Barrow, Christiaan Huygens, and Isaac Newton; and articles on the development of computer science and software engineering. Mahoney's teaching includes lecture courses on "The Origins of Modern Science, 1500-1700," "Technologies and Their Societies: Historical Perspectives," and The Emergence of Europe, 4001700." He has also taught a Freshman Seminar on "The World of the Computer." Professor Mahoney continues to research, write, and lecture on the history of science and computing. You can access his work and learn more about his research by visiting his website. (http://www.princeton.edu/~mike/) Christiaan Huygens (1629-95) devoted most of his scientific career to designing an accurate and dependable ship-borne clock for determining longitude at sea. His efforts to achieve both precision and reliability took him to the leading edge of the new science of mechanics initiated by Galileo. His work offers perhaps the earliest example of sustained interaction between physical theory and mechanical design. By addressing a series of problems that came to lie at the heart of classical mechanics, Huygens not only created a new science of timekeeping, but linked it to basic questions about the structure of the world. Thanks to PPPL for this information. I always look forward to our monthly meetings because they are a lot of fun and it is nice to get together with all of you. If you would like to share in the fun and enhance your AAAP meeting experience, join us for the premeeting dinner. I will be sending out the email notice soon. If you have never received a notice, please contact me. I can be reached at home at 609-393-2565 or by email at mal455@ earthlink.net. I look forward to seeing you all. Next month, our guest speaker will be Dr. Gillian Knapp pf Princeton University's Department of Astrophysical Sciences. The title of her talk will be, " Brown Dwarfs ­ How They Are Found And What Are Their Physical Properties." Mark Lopez Program Chairman

Deadline for the January `04 Issue December 30, 2003


AAAP Board of Trustees Meeting
June 12, 2003
Director Kirk Alexander called the meeting to order at 8:10 PM. Present, representing the Board of Trustees, were Director Kirk Alexander, Assistant Director John Miller, Program Chairman Mark Lopez, Treasurer Ron Mittlestaedt and Secretary Mark Jaworsky. Also present, representing the other standing committees and the general membership, were StarQuest Chairman Don Monticello, Public Outreach Manager Brian Van Liew, WC Observatory Chairman Rex Parker, Assistant WC Observatory Chairman Gene Ramsey, Sidereal Times Editor Vic Belanger and Membership Chairman Saul Moroz. StarQuest Chairman Don Monticello reported that 56 people have already signed up for StarQuest and that he is currently receiving registrations at a rate of 1 to 2 per day. So far 5 children have signed up. Discussion followed about when the caterers need to be given a final attendee count. Don said he would do this about a week before StarQuest. The draft agenda was then discussed: · · Friday night's observing session will feature Bill Murray's observing contest and Brian Van Liew will demonstrate "Video Imaging" Saturday' day session will feature a vendor "fair". Don reported that a couple of vendors exhibited some interest in showing their wares. Discussion followed as to the best location for this Upper or Lower Lodge. The consensus was that since most of the attendees tended to remain in the upper area that this should take place in the upper lodge. Saturday's day session will also feature a CCD demonstration by Bob Vanderbei and/or a laser collimation demonstration by Kirk Alexander. Saturday midday will have a solar viewing session, featuring white light solar and daytime planetary viewing by Mark Jaworsky with his Bausch & Lomb Criterion 4000 4" SCT, H and white light solar viewing by "Barlow" Bob Godfrey and his "Bob-O-Scope" a custom modified TeleView 102 refractor with Coronado filters and perhaps Ralph Marantino and his 6" Astrophysics and/or 4" Genesis refractors. The pool will be open on Saturday afternoon The UACNJ has asked to conduct their business meeting at StarQuest as they have in previous years. The Saturday afternoon speaker will be Craig Small from the Hayden Planetarium and City University of New York and his topic will be "Chasing Solar Eclipses Around the World" Saturday afternoon will also feature the UACNJ observatory tour. The Saturday Keynote address will be given by Bob Vanderbei of Princeton University and his topic will be "The Terrestrial Planet Finder Space Telescope and the Search for Earthlike Planets". This will be followed by the door prize drawing. Finally the Saturday night observing session will feature a continuation of feature Bill Murray's observing contest and Ron Mittlestaedt will demonstrate "use of a pocket PC with The SkyTM installed to control a telescope".

Minutes of the

children's drawing he has an Orion Fun Scope, a "Finger Boiler" Pen and an inflatable Mars Ball. For the adults there was The SkyTM Level 2 software, Stephen James O'Meara's book "The Caldwell Objects", the two volume set "Night Sky Observer 's Guide", a TeleVue 32 mm PlЖssl, a TeleVue 8 ­ 24 mm zoom and a Telrad. Kirk also offered to donate a couple of club/StarQuest Tshirts. Some discussion followed on whether this number of prizes was adequate. Rex Parker thought the number of prizes was a little light and Mark Jaworsky felt that a better "Grand" Prize should be found. Ron Mittlestaedt offered that may Star Parties are cutting back on door prizes. In the end Saul Moroz offered to see if he could obtain a pair of binoculars as a potential "Grand" Prize. Washington Crossing Observatory Chairman Rex Parker then suggested to develop a schedule to install the new mount at the Simpson Observatory. Assistant Chair Gene Ramsey felt that the main roof and leak should be fixed at the observatory prior to installation of the mount. Some discussion followed on the potential causes of the leak. Ron Mittlestaedt offered that the roof over the computer and bathrooms is a double roof and that the top where it meets the main movable roof was bent down to allow the roof flap to slide over the roof. This could be creating a channel for water to run underneath the flap. Gene offered to obtain bids and date availability from a few contractors for replacement of the roof. Rex will coordinate with the Park Ranger to allow access for the contractor and disposal of the old roofing materials. Discussion then proceeded about the mount installation schedule. Tentatively it was agreed that if the observatory roof was replaced by end of July then the mount could be installed in early August. Saul reported that the new owner of the old mount would like to see its operation, witness the deinstallation at the observatory and also have assistance from the AAAP when it is to be installed at the yet-to-be built observatory for the Somerset County 4-H Club. Rex will coordinate. Gene also reported the Park Ranger has arranged for mowing at the observatory, but that the grass next to the structure needs trimming. Kirk reported that he would donate his weed-whacker for this purpose. Rex then reported that the existing Naglers and Panoptics do not work very well in the refractor, being that most except the very high power ones are too heavy for the focuser. It was suggested that members bring theirs to try out and record their impressions in the logbook so that a consensus for new eyepieces could be suggested. It was reported that the Barry Malpas of UACNJ agreed to take possession of the old refractor mount. Gene offered to coordinate transport of this to Jenny Jump and to dispose of the broken chair at the observatory. Rex also proposed that public and member observing sessions be held at the observatory in conjunction with the upcoming Mars opposition in August. This needs to be coordinated with the new mount installation. It was proposed that the public sessions be held on regularly scheduled August 1st, 29th and September 5th public nights. Member scopes may be needed for the potential crowds. Program Chair Mark Lopez offered to announce these sessions via various newspaper and media outlets. I was also proposed that a member picnic and star party be held at the observatory on Satur(Board, continued on page 5)

· ·

· · · · ·

· ·

Discussion followed on the Door Prizes. Don reported that for the


(Board, continued from page 4) day evening August 23rd. Rex will coordinate with the Park Ranger to arrange use of the pavilion at the interpretive center. Sidereal Times editor Vic Belanger will include a flyer about the picnic in the mid-Summer issue. Sidereal Times Editor Vic Belanger reported that the submission deadline for the mid-Summer issue would be July 4th, 2003 due to his and Sidereal Times Publisher Michelle Novatski's vacation plans. Program Chairman Mark Lopez reported that the George School will send a $200 honorarium in appreciation for the Star Party the AAAP hosted for their science teacher at the observatory on June 5th. Mark also reported that Michelle Novatski has offered to assist him in arranging next year 's speaker program. Mark also reported that he is considering having the pre-meeting dinner attendees pay for their dinners item-for-item rather than a share of the total bill to make the expense more fair to the attendees who don't order large items or drinks. It was suggested that a specific limited menu selection for the dinners be coordinated with the Annex Restaurant. Mark will develop a policy for the fall program. The final item on the agenda was the announcement that director Kirk Alexander would be moving to Davis, CA at the end of July as he and his wife have both accepted positions at UC Davis. Kirk will be resigning his directorship effective at the end of July. Discussion about the succession followed. Don Monticello suggested that a special referendum occur at the September meeting electing a new Director. Mark Jaworsky pointed out that the bylaws state that the Board fills vacancies on the Board and that normally the Assistant Director assumes the role if the position of Director becomes vacant. Consensus was that Assistant Director John Miller 's responsibilities as Webmaster were too great to allot adequate time to fulfill both roles properly and that there was no one as of yet able to take over as Webmaster. The Board then decided to appoint Rex Parker, a past-Director of the AAAP, as Director with the proviso that a specific succession plan be developed for the following year. Gene Ramsey was then appointed Washington Crossing Observatory Chair to fill the vacancy left by Rex's appointment as Director all effective on Kirk's resignation. Outgoing Director Kirk Alexander will write an article for the Sidereal Times explaining the succession. The meeting was adjourned at 9:33 PM. Respectfully submitted, Markian S. Jaworsky, Secretary

be coordinated by Mark Lopez. The features Speaker will then present the Keynote Lecture followed by the regular business meeting. Rex also noted that the AAAP bylaws require quarterly board meetings and proposed a tentative schedule of October 9th, January 8th and April 8th at 7:30 PM. The meeting locations were not yet determined but were proposed somewhere on the Princeton University Campus. Program Chairman Mark Lopez then introduced the evening's featured speaker, Mr. Roger Gordon, an amateur astronomer with over 50 years of observing experience and author of the recent book Observing the Craters of Mars. Mr. Gordon presented a talk entitled "Observing Mars". The talk was well received. The business meeting was called to order at 9:44 PM. The Secretary Mark Jaworsky announced that the June general membership meeting minutes were published in Sidereal Times. The minutes were accepted as published. Mark also reported that the June board meeting minutes were not published. He said he will send them again to Vic along with tonight's minutes. Treasurer Ron Mittlestaedt reported a balance of $xxxx.xx. Ron also reported that the dues structure for Sky & Tel would reflect the subscription increase. The new rate for S&T will be $63. Ron also reported that Starquest produced total profits of $xxxx. Program Chairman Mark Lopez announced that the October speaker will be Dr. Bohdan Paczynski and he will speak on the All Sky Automated Survey and OGLE. Mark also announced that the November speaker would be Mark Karlowitz who will present on "Storms from the Sun". The Assistant Director was absent. Director Rex Parker announced that the next Board meeting would occur at 7:30PM on October 9th. Tentatively it will be in E415 of the Engineering Quadrangle. Sidereal Times Editor Vic Belanger reported that the Sidereal Times are now online as .pdf files. He also reported that submission deadline for the October issue would be October 3rd, 2003. Vic also reported that his Introductory Astronomy course would be at the observatory on the next four Friday's through October 3rd. He will call ahead to make sure it is manned. Membership Chairman Saul Moroz reported 124 members. Public Outreach chairman Brian Van Liew reported that the September 5th public Mars watch at the observatory drew a large number of public. Brian noted that 10 members brought their scopes. Gene Ramsey thanked Marion Palmer and Kevin Mooney for assisting at the Brielle House Girl Scout event that same evening. Michelle Novatski said that the club picnic drew 40 members and that 11 scopes were present. The club acknowledged Don and Anthony Monticello's efforts in organizing this year 's Starquest. Washington Crossing Observatory Chairman Gene Ramsey reported that the new roof was installed ay the observatory. He also said that it might need a gutter system. Gene reported that the chain was fixed but that the upper and drive sprockets needed adjustment/alignment. Gene and John Church will look into installing angle irons. Gene also reported that there is a pervasive (September, continued on page 6)

AAAP General Membership Meeting
September 9th, 2003
Director Rex Parker called the meeting to order at 8:00 PM. 56 club members, guests and general public were in attendance, 21 of which stayed for the business meeting. Rex introduced the meeting outline and explained some organizational changes and the initiative to get more members involved. He proposed that the meetings would begin with an Executive update, which will highlight the club goings on. This will be followed by a 10 minute members talk on astronomical experiences and will

Minutes of the


(September, continued from page 5) water leak under the roof flap over the computer room wall. Gene said he would present a plan to eliminate this and asked the board to authorize $100 for materials. Gene also reported that a work party would be scheduled in early November to install the new mount and to "winterize" the observatory. The meeting was adjourned at 10:24 PM. Respectfully submitted, Markian S. Jaworsky, Secretary

Rex also proposed to change the dues structure from every month to an annualized system. Discussion followed on what this would do to the subscription status and whether we should drop that part of the dues. Ron will look into whether S&T and Astronomy would go to an annualized system. Sidereal Times Editor Vic Belanger reported that the submission deadline for the November issue would be October 31st, 2003. The meeting was adjourned at 9:10 PM. Respectfully submitted, Markian S. Jaworsky, Secretary

AAAP Board of Trustees Meeting
October 9th, 2003
Director Rex Parker called the meeting to order at 7:40 PM. Present, representing the Board of Trustees, were Director Rex Parker, Assistant Director John Miller, Treasurer Ron Mittlestaedt and Secretary Mark Jaworsky. Also present, representing the other standing committees and the general membership, were StarQuest Chairman Don Monticello, WC Observatory Chairman Gene Ramsey, Sidereal Times Editor Vic Belanger, Public Outreach Manager Brian Van Liew, and Membership Chairman Saul Moroz. Washington Crossing Observatory Chairman Gene Ramsey reported that the two-step stool has been found. Gene also presented a plan to eliminate the pervasive water leak under the roof flap on the computer room wall. Gene suggested building a flap to divert the flow of runoff passed the "lip" of the second roof shingles. The board authorized an appropriation of $250 to purchase the materials to do this. Gene also reported that the east side of the observatory is becoming overgrown and that some of the saplings may be encroaching on the sightlines. Gene will ask for volunteers to help with the brush clearing and roof flap construction Discussion then proceeded about the mount installation schedule. Tentatively it was set for the November 1st work party. Some discussion followed as to the AAAPs obligation to the owner of the old mount and any glitches inherent in the software. It was decided that the mount is to be sold as is but that the AAAP will consult with buyer on any glitches that surface. Program Chairman Mark Lopez was absent. Programs are set through December. Don Monticello suggested that a meeting be dedicated to member presentations. Rex suggested reintroduction of the 10 minute member 's talk. Brian agreed to give a presentation on Video Astronomy at the October meeting and Mark J agreed to show his new telescope at the November meeting. Assistant Director and Webmaster John Miller requested a current email data base be created. Ron who has the current membership roll will send to John as an excel file. Don Monticello suggested adding a search engine capability to the web site. John said he would add a site map to the site. Director Rex Parker introduced his idea of a reinvigorated involvement of the AAAP membership into the club activities so that new membership can rise to leadership positions. As part of this Rex will introduce a 2-3 minute summary of club activities at the beginning of the general membership meetings and to rename the business portion of the meeting as the Club Activities meeting.

Minutes of the

AAAP General Membership Meeting
October 14th, 2003
Director Rex Parker called the meeting to order at 8:02 PM. 51 club members, guests and general public were in attendance, 21 of which stayed for the business meeting. Rex's club highlights were: 1) Observatory Public Nights would run though the end of October and 2) a work party to install the Paramount will occur on November 1st. Rex then introduced Brian Van Liew who gave a 10minute talk on webcam imaging. The talk was visually stunning and well received Program Chairman Mark Lopez then introduced the evening's featured speaker, Dr. Bohdan Paczynski, The Lyman Spitzer, Jr. Professor of Astrophysics at Princeton University. Dr. Paczynski presented a talk entitled "OGLE and the All-Sky Automated Survey". The talk was well received. The business meeting was called to order at 9:32 PM. The Secretary Mark Jaworsky announced that the September general membership meeting minutes and June meeting minutes were not published in Sidereal Times due to an email glitch. He said he would send all of them again to Vic along with tonight's minutes. Treasurer Ron Mittlestaedt reported a balance of $xxxx.xx. Program Chairman Mark Lopez announced that the November speaker Mark Harlowitz he will speak on the on "Storms from the Sun". Mark announced that Mark Jaworsky will give the 10 minute talk in November and that he is working on a "Member 's night" in the spring. The Assistant Director John Miller announced that he will add a sire map to the website. Sidereal Times Editor Vic Belanger reported that the Sidereal Times are now online as .pdf files. He also reported that submission deadline for the November issue would be October 31st, 2003. Vic also reported that his Introductory Astronomy course, which completed 12 years this year had 22 students, 8 or 9, that completed and 4 of whom joined the club. Membership Chairman Saul Moroz reported 134 members. The annualized vs. monthly dues structure was discussed. Some members felt that having reduced subscriptions was an important attribute. Ron said that he will cal S&T and Astronomy to see if we could transition to a once a year subscription structure. Public Outreach chairman Brian Van Liew reported that a few (October, continued on page 7)

Minutes of the


Barlow Bob's Corner
Photo of the Month And here is my pick of photos for this month. Rolando Chavez shot a sequence of the planet Jupiter showing its rotation by observing the Great Red Spot. Celestial Symbols Use a planisphere to create the sky, as it would appear at 8:00 PM, on December 25th. The large upright image of the Northern Cross, in Cygnus, appears on the western horizon. The M44 star cluster, in Cancer, appears on the eastern horizon. M44 is also called Praesepe, a Latin word meaning manger. In the northeast to eastern horizon, the following stars, of the winter hexagon: Capella, Pollux, Procyon, Sirius, Rigel and Aldeberan, could be connected, to form the points of the Star of David. If a crescent Moon appears in the sky at this time, you would have celestial symbols of, the Christian, Jewish and Muslim religions. On May first, around Easter and Passover, the Northern Cross, in Cygnus, rises on the northern horizon. The M44 star cluster, in Cancer and the stars of the winter hexagon, set on the western horizon. You may want to give this story to your clergy to be added to one of his sermons. Heaven And here's a cute story: (October, continued from page 6) groups were coming out to the Friday public night. Washington Crossing Observatory Chairman Gene Ramsey reported that Saul and Ron purchased two eyepieces, a 12 and an 18 mm Radian for the refractor. Gene also announced his proposal to build a flap to divert water away from the roof flap over the computer room wall. Saul has volunteered to assist Gene with the flap construction. Gene also announced that a work party would be scheduled on November 1st to install the new mount. Gene said he would come up with a checklist for winterizing the observatory. Gene also proposed that the saplings growing on the east side are beginning to creep in. He suggested topping or chopping them down. The meeting was adjourned at 10:10 PM. Respectfully submitted, Markian S. Jaworsky, Secretary

A little girl and her father walked in the evening. Fascinated, she looked up at the stars, but made no comment. Her father asked: "What are you thinking?" The little girl replied: "If the bottom of heaven is so beautiful, how wonderful the other side must be". --- From Guideposts May, 1964 Barlow Bob

take appropriate action. In Ron Mittlestaedt's column, "Observations," you will see a picture of our Jenny Jump observatory. This too is available for AAAP members to use. The 12.5 inch Newtonian, originally built by John Simpson back in the eighties, and is still a fine telescope. It was built with astrophotography in mind and was improved in the nineties with digital setting circles and computerized database. As with our other observatory, training is required before members are allowed to use it. Late on clear nights, the top of Jenny Jump mountain is still one of the darkest sites in NJ and offers the ability to sleep over in the bunk house rather than drive home tired. To have access to this fine dark site near Hope, NJ, members must also join the UACNJ (United Astronomy Clubs of NJ). For more information about this fantastic opportunity, contact Larry Smith our UACNJ representative, Saul Moroz the membership chairman, or Ron Mittlestaedt our Jenny Jump Observatory Chairman. Due to holiday schedule considerations, I have set Tuesday, December 30, as the deadline for the January issue of the Sidereal Times. Remember it is not just the Editor 's schedule that drives the deadline date, my schedule is in series with Michele's as Publisher and I believe it is helpful for all AAAP members to hear from us before the January meeting. Michele and I both thank you very much for your help and I'm sure I am also speaking for her in wishing everyone the very happiest of holiday seasons. Vic

From the Editor
You may have noticed that we've been a little tardy in publishing minutes of our General Membership and Board meetings since last June. Well now we are all caught up and they are in this issue. Since they were not published, they were not discussed at any of our subsequent meetings. But there are always opportunities to correct any errors so please read the minutes that are here and bring any necessary corrections to the attention of our Secretary, Mark Jaworsky, our Director, Rex Parker, or myself and we will


The best way to get to the observatory is to take Interstate 95 South towards Pennsylvania. Then take Scotch road at Exit 3 and proceed north (this amounts to right). Then, at the third traffic light take a left onto the Washington CrossingPennington road (County Route 546). Take this road to the first traffic light and take a right onto Trenton-Harbourton road (County Route 579). Take this road to the first driveway on the left, this is the Phillips Farm/Soccer Field entrance to the park. There is a series of three gates with club combination locks. If the gates are not open, you will need the lock combination to open the gate or be accompanied by a Keyholder member.

Amateur Astronomers' Association of Princeton PO Box 2017 Princeton, NJ 08543

December 2003

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