Astral Projections Online January 2022
We will be returning to the Planetarium for in-person meetings starting in January 2022. Wearing masks inside will be required by the college and subject to change as COVID rules change.
Club dues and membership. We are now collecting dues/membership for 2022. If you renew after March 31 you will be renewed as a new member. Please mail it to the address on the form or bring it to club meetings. We will not collect dues during star parties. Forms can be found on our website Membership Info at bottom of the webpage.
Check our Website for updated content at www.astra-nj.com
Club Presentations Wanted:
Does anyone have any astronomy items of interest to share with the membership?
Please let us know at Club Contacts.
ASTRAL PROJECTIONS ONLINE (APO for short) is an email-linked publication for members only. If you exit APO to the club website or other resources you will need to use the emailed link again to get back to it. If you wish to retain a copy please bookmark or refer back to the email. We will make all efforts to post by the first week of the month.
Submissions Welcome: Members are invited to submit articles, photos, news, or stories for inclusion with Astral Projections Online. Please contact the ASTRA Webmaster.
Event Calendar
ASTRA’s next meeting - The January 2022 meeting will be Friday, January 14, 2022, at 7 PM EST. This will be an in-person meeting at the Planetarium and virtual for those that would prefer to remain remote.
Cloverdale Public Star Party - Saturday, March 5, 2022, at 6:30 PM
Jakes Branch Public Star Party - Saturday, March 12, 2022, at 6:30 PM
EVENT Cancellations: Members will receive email notification of an event cancellation, or call the ASTRA Hotline: 609-971-3331
Upcoming County Park Presentations 2022
Public Outreach, if any member wishes to support ASTRA outreach efforts with the public, please let John, Ro, or Jim know of any interest. Currently, we have two events planned with the county parks.
Note: The County Park events below will require an entry fee and registration.
January 25 - 6 to 7 PM - Cloverdale Farm County Park: Milkyway Photography and Beyond
Description: Join us as Jim Webster from the Astronomical Society of the Toms River Area discusses how to capture the beauty of the night sky and the Milkyway galaxy through photography.
March 8 - 6 to 7 PM - Prominent Women Figures in Space & Astronomy
Description: Join Rosemarie Spedaliere of the Astronomical Society of Toms River Area. You will be introduced to some of these women and how their small steps for man, have left one giant leap for all humankind.
Website Updates …
Please visit our club website. We continue to have additional updates, if there is some content that would be useful to members please let us know.
"I am just learning to notice the different colors of the stars, and already begin to have a new enjoyment."
- Maria Mitchell, Astronomer
ASTRA Meeting - December 10
ASTRA Membership meeting for December opened with a review of the new club officer lineup for 2022. Jim Webster will be our club President in 2022. Vinny Illuzzi will assume the Vice President role and Rosemarie Spedaliere will continue as Treasurer. John Endreson did a great job as President and I know the membership would like to thank him for all he has done.
We briefly reviewed our return to the Planetarium in January and we will need to follow the rules as set by the college. Mask will be required for inside functions. We recently did a test at the Planetarium to continue with using the Zoom set up in the meeting room for those that will still prefer to be remote due to COVID concerns. This also offers us the possibility of having remote presentors even when things go back to normal. That said, I know many of our members would prefer the in-person meetings and look forward to this first one in such a long time.
Jim Webster provided a presentation of some events for December to close out the year. We opened with a discussion on the Comet Leonard and where it would be in the night sky. We’ve already had some member images for this and you can find them here in APO in the Members Photo section. C/2021 A1 (Leonard) is a long-period comet discovered by Greg Leonard at the Mount Lemmon Observatory on 3 January 2021.
Always a favorite among the annual meteor showers the Geminids Meteor Shower had some clear skies on the night of Monday, December 13 into Tuesday, December 14.
The Geminids are a reliable shower for those who watch around 2 a.m. local time from a dark sky location.
Some of our members posting on Facebook reported that some were observed and did not disappoint. The waxing gibbous moon was not a problem.
The comet called 3200 Phaethon is the parent body of the Geminids meteor shower.
The James Webb Space telescope (JWST) launch has now been rescheduled for December 22, 2021.
JWST project started in 1996, it is currently the largest and most powerful space science telescope ever built.
It is the successor to both the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes. It was built to complement and further the discoveries of both and other NASA missions.
It is the successor to both the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes. It was built to complement and further the discoveries of both and other NASA missions.
The primary mirror of the JWST, the Optical Telescope Element (OTE), consists of 18 hexagonal mirror segments made of gold-plated beryllium which combine to create a 6.6 m (21 ft) diameter mirror—considerably larger than Hubble's 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) mirror.
The metal Beryllium was chosen for a number of reasons including weight, but also for its low-temperature coefficient of thermal expansion compared to glass.
Unlike the Hubble telescope, which observes in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared (0.1 to 1 μm) spectra, the JWST will observe in a lower frequency range, from long-wavelength visible light through mid-infrared (0.6 to 28.3-μm), which will allow it to observe high redshift objects that are too old and too distant for Hubble to observe.
There will be a follow-up article on the James Webb launch in this edition of APO.
APO Editor Note: Due to some unforeseen copyright issues the club's YouTube video of our December meeting and my move to Holiday City is currently on hold.
Since our last club meeting, the James Webb Space Telescope had successfully launched early Christmas morning. You can track its progress on the jwst.nasa.gov webpage timeline display.
Article from Scientific American “What is a Lagrange Point?”
Other Event Reports
None for December.
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year
Around the Web
APO EDITOR: Reposted from Facebook with permission from Pranvera Hyseni.
NASA - Astronomy Picture of the Day
This Month-Member Show and Tell
For the first Show and Tell article of APO for January 2022, ASTRA Member Ron Bernknopf provided to us his imaging telescope setup he uses for many of the images that are posted in APO.
His setup consists of:
6'“ Celestron Reflector on a Celestron AVX Mount. Guiding from a 50mm guide scope utilizing the ZWO ASI120MM guide camera. Images are collected using a Cannon Rebel T6 with images sent to and controlled with the ZWO ASIAIR Pro. All are sent to a USB 3.0 Hub and a WIFI Range Extender that increases how far you can be from the rig.
The WIFI Range Extender allows him to work the telescope, image all while relaxing inside the house while watching football. Now that is some awesome multitasking.
The Advanced VX is the smallest of Celestron’s German equatorial mounts with a payload of 30 pounds. The AVX provides many of the features found on Celestron’s most sophisticated German equatorial mounts at an extremely affordable price. The Advanced VX 6” (150mm) Newtonian telescope is an excellent entry- to mid-level setup that can grow with you. The Newtonian optical design is excellent for visual observing and offers you the largest aperture for the price. The parabolic primary mirror minimizes spherical aberration to produce a sharper image near the edge of the field of view. The Advanced VX mount is designed to provide superior performance for smaller telescopes while taking advantage of Celestron’s most advanced technologies: All-Star Polar Alignment, Celestron PWI telescope control software, SkyAlign, and permanently programmable periodic error correction (PPEC).
Links to manuals and videos for each item are linked below:
6'“ Celestron Reflector
Celestron AVX Mount & Celestron YouTube video, YouTube video from AstroBlender
ZWO ASI-120MM guide camera
Canon Rebel T6
ZWO ASIAIR Pro controller YouTube video from Peter Zelinka
Atolla Four Port USB 3.0 Hub
TP-Link WIFI Range Extender
Outreach material below is distributed free for public outreach.
Let’s Explore Space - What’s in the Sky January 2022?
Barnard’s Loop
Catalog designation Sh 2-276, is an emission nebula in the constellation of Orion. It is part of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex which also contains the dark Horsehead and bright Orion nebulae M42. The loop takes the form of a large arc centered approximately on the Orion Nebula. The stars within the Orion Nebula are believed to be responsible for ionizing the loop.
It was named after the pioneering astrophotographer E. E. Barnard who photographed it and published a description in 1894.
Magnitude: 5
Age: 3.002 million years
Distance: either 518 or 1434 ly
Coordinates: RA 5h 27m 30s | Dec -3° 58′ 0″
Constellation: Orion
Apparent magnitude (V): 5
Apparent dimensions (V): 10°
Credits: Wikipedia
The loop extends over about 600 arcminutes as seen from Earth, covering much of Orion. It is well seen in long-exposure photographs, although observers under very dark skies may be able to see it with the naked eye.
It is thought that Barnard’s Loop originated in a supernova explosion about 2 million years ago, which may have also created several known runaway stars, including AE Aurigae, Mu Columbae, and 53 Arietis. These stars are believed to have been part of a multiple star system in which one component exploded as a supernova.
As you can see below the Constellation Orion is a busy region of space. An excellent area for both the observer and astrophotographer. A good location for beginners and experts.
Credit and additional information: APOD
For more on Barnard’s Loop visit EarthSky.Org and Messier.seds.org.
On the lighter side of astronomy …
ASTRA Member Astrophotos
North America Nebula - NGC 7000
By Ron Bernknoph - Nov 29
This is "most" of the very large North America Nebula. It's in the constellation Cygnus that is located almost 2600 light-years away. I'm not sure what the line is going through the image.
Rosette Nebula - Caldwell 49
By Matthew Michota - Nov 30
The Rosette Nebula sits about 5000 light-years away in the constellation Monoceros and is about 130 light-years across. Got this from the park near my house. Fun Fact: it's the state astronomical object of Oklahoma because that's a thing.
Astrotech 4" Apochromat, Asi2600mc pro
Ioptron GEM45 mount
L-Enhance dual narrowband filter
40x180s lights w/ calibration frames
Comet Leonard and M3
By Matthew Michota - Dec 4
Comet Leonard passing M3 star cluster made for a great imaging opportunity, images like this are rare. Congrats go to Matthew for its capture.
Astrotech 102mm APOA, si2600mc pro
GEM45 mount, 20x120s & Darks bias
M81 Bode’s and M82 Cigar Galaxies
By Matthew Michota - Dec 4
A pair of galaxies in the constellation Ursa Major. With the above Comet Leonard with M3 image, it made for a very late night.
Astrotech 102mm APO, Asi2600mc pro
Gem45 mount
90x120s lights, Darks and bias frames
Comet Leonard
By Ron Bernknoph - Dec 7
Comet C/2021 A1 (Leonard). This fast-moving comet won't be seen again and has taken over 35,000 years to get here. I took 40 images and it just about moved off-screen while doing the shots. I woke up at 4:15 am to capture this in the eastern sky. The captured image was 10x 90 seconds.
The Crab Nebula By Ron Bernknoph - Dec 12
I do this one a few times a year. This is Messier 1 (The Crab Nebula) in the constellation Taurus. This is a remnant of a massive supernova recorded by Chinese astronomers in 1054 AD. This is 2 hours of data. Nice detail in this one even with the 1/2 full Moon.
APO Editor Note: Congrats to ASTRA Member Ron Bernknoph. On December 13 his image of the Crab Nebula was awarded "Astrophotography Photo of the Day" by theskysearchers . com website.
https://theskysearchers.com/.../12-13-2021-tss...
Orion Nebula
By Ron Bernknoph - Dec 13
My 1st attempt on the Orion Nebula this year. I merged the center with a less bright image to bring out more detail in the heart of the nebula because it is so bright it is very hard to shoot the trapezium and have it show in images. (I usually shoot at ISO 1600. The center was shot at ISO 100 then merged). This is located as the center "star" of Orion's knife off the belt.
The Moon
By Ron Bernknoph - Dec 14
I haven't imaged the Moon in a long time. Tonight, I took out my ETX-90EC and had a go at it. I think it came out nice. This is 64 stacked images using Registax software.
Horsehead and Flame Nebula
By Ron Bernknoph - Dec 27
Located in Orion close to Alnitak (the left most of the 3 stars in Orion's belt). These 2 Nebulae are about 1500 light-years away.
This is a 30x 5 minutes image.
Celestron AVX / 6" Newtonian combo.
Canon T6 DSLR w/ L eNhance Filter.
Orion and Running Man Nebula
By Matthew Michota - Dec 27
Messier 42, The Great Orion Nebula, and SH2-279 the Running man nebula. Astrophotographers see it all the time, but for others, it's a big emission nebula and stellar nursery in the "sword" of Orion, just under Orion's Belt. It's about 1344 light-years away and about 24 light-years or 140 trillion miles across, it is visible to the naked eye and even small telescopes and binoculars reveal detail.
Observatories, Parks and More
APO Editor Note: We’ll be sharing articles of observatories and parks that have some interesting history, public access, and more each month in APO starting this month with January 2022.
Daniel Schanck Observatory
The Daniel S. Schanck Observatory is a historical astronomical observatory on the Queens Campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and is tied for the seventh oldest observatory in the US alongside the Vassar College Observatory.
The two-story observatory was designed by architect Willard Smith. The cornerstone of the Observatory was placed in 1865 and construction was completed in 1866. It was named after New York City businessman Daniel S. Schanck, who donated a large portion of the funds to construct and equip the observatory.
Outfitted with telescopes, clocks, and other scientific equipment donated to Rutgers, the Schanck Observatory served as the university's first building of science and was used to provide instruction to its students from the mid-nineteenth through the late-twentieth centuries.
Was registered on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It was last used by the faculty to teach astronomy in 1979. The building was renovated in 2016 through a joint project of The Cap & Skull Society, an honors and service organization at Rutgers, and the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences, and is jointly managed by them.
The centerpiece of the observatory, a 150-mm (6-inch) equatorial refractor telescope manufactured by Georges Prin of Paris and donated to Rutgers College by John Wyckoff Mettler in 1929. Restored to operation during 2016-2018 through the efforts of Rutgers alumni, friends of the university, and Rutgers' Department of Physics and Astronomy. Since the completion of the renovation, alumni and volunteers have hosted daytime guided tours of the historic observatory and vintage telescope on special occasions, such as Rutgers Day.
Resource Information: Wikipedia.org, Facebook, Google Map
Astronomers Christmas
Some holiday images from the members of ASTRA.
Astronomy & Space Theme Music
Paul Weller explained: "It's about someone leaving a dying planet. I love the image of the last verse: 'My mood gets lifted with the gravity's pull/Looks like I'm smiling but I'm dying too.' It's just about us mirroring our surroundings."
Paul Weller is an English singer-songwriter and musician. The song Andromeda from his 2010 album “Wake Up The Nation” was inspired by both Broadcast an electronica music group and David Bowie.
For more go to songfacts.com
Members Submitted Articles & Items
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Comet Leonard C/2021 A1
By Jim Webster
While all the focus comet wise has been with 67P these last few weeks, the next one will be taking over the interest of many of us very soon for a short time.
It is anticipated that Comet C/2021 A1 will be brightening enough to be viewable to the naked eye, worst case by binoculars.
Checking for the best possible days for viewing it appears December 6 to December 8 will be most favorable. Look eastward towards the constellation Bootes starting from 3 AM to roughly 5:30 AM EST. May be good enough on one of these days for the membership to meet at Seaside and observe this event together.
For more on Comet C/2021 A1 check out the following links: theskylive.com
How To Use A Barlow Lens
Video submitted by Rosemarie Spedaliere
ASTRA Member & Treasurer Rosemarie Spedaliere recently shared to the club's Facebook page a YouTube video on how to use a Barlow Lens. Very rarely have I seen them used during star parties and this is an interesting topic.
Astronomical Barlow lenses are rated for the amount of magnification they induce. Most commonly, Barlow lenses are 2x or 3x, but adjustable Barlows are also available. The power of an adjustable Barlow lens is changed by adding an extension tube between the Barlow and the eyepiece to increase the magnification.
The amount of magnification is one more than the distance between the Barlow lens and the eyepiece lens when the distance is measured in units of the focal length of the Barlow lens. A standard Barlow lens is housed in a tube that is one Barlow focal-length long so that a focusing lens inserted into the end of the tube will be separated from the Barlow lens at the other end by one Barlow focal-length, and hence produce a 2x magnification over and above what the eyepiece would have produced alone.
Celestron video on Barlow Lens.
If the length of a standard 2x Barlow lens tube is doubled, then the lenses are separated by 2 Barlow focal lengths and it becomes a 3x Barlow. Similarly, if the tube length is tripled, then the lenses are separated by 3 Barlow focal lengths and it becomes a 4x Barlow, and so on.
A common misconception is that higher magnification equates to a higher-quality image. However, in practice, the quality of the image generally depends on the quality of the optics (lenses) and viewing conditions, not on magnification.
Resource for this article: Wikipedia
APO Editor Note: This month's vendor tutorial article at the close of this month’s APO will have further information on the Barlow Lens.
What’s Up: January 2022
Sky Watching Tips from NASA
Provided by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
For more go to NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory webpage: What’s Up: Skywatching Tips From NASA
This article and images are distributed by NASA Night Sky Network
The Night Sky Network program supports astronomy clubs across the USA dedicated to astronomy outreach.
Visit nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov to find local clubs, events, and more!
Hunting the Hunter: Observing Orion
By David Prosper
If you are outside on a clear January night, it’s hard not to notice one distinctive star pattern above all: Orion! While we’ve covered Orion in earlier articles, we’ve never discussed observing the constellation as a whole. Perhaps you’ve received a new telescope, camera, or binoculars, and are eager to test it out. Orion, being large, prominent, and full of interesting, bright objects, is a perfect constellation to test out your new equipment and practice your observing skills - for beginners and seasoned stargazers alike.
Northern Hemisphere observers can find Orion during January evenings in the east/southeast skies. Can you spot the Orion nebula with your naked eye, in Orion’s sword? How does it look via binoculars or a telescope? What other details can you discern? Please note that some deep sky objects aren’t listed here for clarity’s sake. For example, M43, a nebula located directly above M42 and separated by a dark dust lane, is not shown. Orion’s Belt and Sword are crowded, since they star-forming regions! You can read more in our November 2019 article Orion: Window Into a Stellar Nursery, at bit.ly/orionlight .
Image created with assistance from Stellarium.
In Greek mythology, Orion is a strong hunter, with numerous legends about his adventures. Being such a striking group of stars, cultures from all around the world have many myths about this star pattern. There are so many that we can’t list them all here, but you can find a wonderful interactive chart detailing many cultures’ legends on the Figures in the Sky website at figuresinthesky.visualcinnamon.com .
What sights can you see in Orion? Look above the variable orange-red supergiant ”shoulder star” Betelgeuse to find the stars making up Orion’s “club,” then move across from Betelgeuse towards the bright star Bellatrix (Orion’s other “shoulder”) and the stars of his bow and arrow - both essential tools for the Hunter. Many interesting sights lie near Orion’s “belt” and “sword.” Orion’s belt is made up of three bright giant stars forming an evenly spaced line: Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. Move from the belt stars towards the stars Rigel and Saiph (Orion’s “feet” or “knees”) to arrive at Orion’s distinctive Sword, parts of which may appear fuzzy to your unaided eyes. Binoculars reveal that fuzz to be the famed Orion Nebula (M42), perched right next to the star Hatysa! Diving in deeper with a telescope will show star clusters and more cloud detail around the Nebula, and additional magnification brings out further detail inside the nebula itself, including the “baby stars” of the Trapezium and the next-door neighbor nebula M43. Want to dive deeper? Dark skies and a telescope will help to bring out the reflection nebula M78, the Flame Nebula (NGC 2024), along with many star clusters and traces of dark nebula throughout the constellation. Very careful observers under dark clear skies may be able to spot the dark nebula known as the Horsehead, tracing an equine outline below both the Belt and the Flame Nebula. Warning: the Horsehead can be a difficult challenge for many stargazers, but very rewarding.
The inset image is the “first light” photo from the Zwicky Transient Facility, a large survey telescope designed to detect changes in the entire night sky by detecting “transient objects” like comets, supernovae, gamma ray bursts, and asteroids. For many astronomers, amateur and pro alike, Orion is often the “first light” constellation of choice for new equipment!
Image Credit: Caltech Optical Observatories
This is just a taste of the riches found within Orion’s star fields and dust clouds; you can study Orion for a lifetime and never feel done with your observations. To be fair, that applies for the sky as a whole, but Orion has a special place for many. New telescopes often focus on one of Orion’s treasures for their first test images. You can discover more of NASA’s research into Orion’s stars - as well as the rest of the cosmos - online at nasa.gov.
You can find a printer-ready version of this article on our Night Sky Notes resource page every month, free to share with your club newsletter, website, or even local paper!
More from Night Sky Network
The Night Sky Network program supports astronomy clubs across the USA dedicated to astronomy outreach.
Visit nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov to find local clubs, events, and more!
The following article is portions of prior NSN articles.
So why do we put telescopes in space?
We put telescopes in orbit to get above the interference of our atmosphere, which absorbs many wavelengths of light. Infrared space telescopes, such as Spitzer and the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope, detect longer wavelengths of light that allow them to see through the dust clouds in Orion, revealing hidden stars and cloud structures. It’s similar to the infrared goggles firefighters wear to see through smoke from burning buildings and wildfires.
The Orion Nebula is a small window into a vastly larger area of star formation centered around the constellation of Orion itself. NASA’s Great Observatories, space telescopes like Hubble, Spitzer, Compton, and Chandra, studied this area in wavelengths we can’t see with our earthbound eyes, revealing the entire constellation alight with star birth, not just the comparatively tiny area of the nebula. Why then can we only see the nebula? M42 contains hot young stars whose stellar winds blew away their cocoons of gas after their “birth,” the moment when they begin to fuse hydrogen into helium. Those gas clouds, which block visible light, were cleared away just enough to give us a peek inside at these young stars. The rest of the complex remains hidden to human eyes, but not too advanced space-based telescopes.
Additional article from NASA.Gov
YouTube video from Interesting Engineering.
Tonight’s Sky: January
Northern hemisphere features beautiful views of Capella, a pair of giant yellow stars; Aldebaran, a red giant star; and two-star clusters—the Hyades and the Pleiades. Keep watching for the awe-inspiring space-based views of the Crab Nebula, the remains of a star that exploded as a supernova.
Other Calendar Items of Interest
APO Editor’s Note:
Removed previous months “What’s Up” and “Tonight’s Sky” since APO links to prior months postings of APO.
Added Skymaps.com “The Evening Sky Map” and will be posted with each new issue of APO.
Skymaps.com - The Evening Sky Map - Select the current month and download the Northern Edition.
Submissions Welcome
Members are invited to submit articles, photos, news, or stories for inclusion with Astral Projections Online. Please contact the ASTRA Webmaster.