Astral Projections Online June 2021
ASTRA held its virtual club meeting on May 14, 2021. We will continue the virtual meetings via Zoom during COVID. If you can’t participate because of issues with Zoom please contact us.
Club dues and 2021 membership. Returning members should have renewed by now. If you renew after March 31 you will be renewed as a new member. NOTE: Those members that paid for 2020 will be carried over to 2021 and should have already been notified.
Please check our Website for updated content at www.astra-nj.com
Club Presentations Wanted:
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 virtual meeting is on Friday, June 11, 2021, at 7 PM.
Please note at this time future in-person events will be canceled for the duration of the Coronavirus / COVID-19. *** May 23, 2021 update: As the rules for COVID start to loosen up, please check back with the club Facebook, and Webpage. Please check your emails for updates.
EVENT Cancellations: Members will receive email notification of an event cancellation, or call the ASTRA Hotline: 609-971-3331
First event since the start of COVID:
Partial Solar Eclipse on June 10 at sunrise. We will meet at 5 AM EST at Lafayette Ave boardwalk, just south of the Sawmill in Seaside Park. More information in APO below.
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.
"Do not look at stars as bright spots only. Try to take in the vastness of the universe."
- Maria Mitchell, Astronomer
Robert J. Novins Planetarium Announcement
The Novins Planetarium is pleased to announce that they will begin a phased reopening of in-person events beginning this June.
To show our appreciation for their support of ASTRA please visit the planetarium website and purchase some show tickets.
ASTRA Club Meetings: We will be reviewing with the Planetarium staff our ability to hold in-person club meetings again and will update the membership as soon as we can. Until then, club meetings will continue to be held virtually via Zoom.
June 1, 2021 - Orion Announces Acquisition of MEADE Instruments
For more information go to Orion Telescope & Binoculars website.
Our May virtual club meeting on May 14 had a low turnout as it was competing with a great weekend for getting out and enjoying the weather along with the easing of some of the COVID restrictions. We had a show & tell event for the membership this month along with a discussion of the upcoming Solar Eclipse and the club’s Island Beach State Park Permit. We also highlighted some upcoming county park presentations for the fall. Hopefully, by then all COVID restrictions will be removed.
Sunrise Solar Eclipse - June 10
We discussed at our virtual club meeting on May 14 the first solar eclipse viewable from North America since 2017, it will be viewable along the Jersey Shore early Thursday morning on June 10. Make sure your alarm clock is properly set so you won't miss it.
The image is an extraction from Stellarium.
For our area, the sunrise on June 10 will be at 5:27 AM. We should have good viewing for almost two hours starting from then. The Eclipse should already be in progress as the sun comes up.
We are planning on meeting at Lafayette Ave boardwalk, just south of the Sawmill in Seaside Park. Recommend getting there no later than 5 AM EST. We will have some solar eyewear if you do not have them already.
For more on the eclipse for our area check out timeanddate.com
We are planning on meeting at Lafayette Ave boardwalk, just south of the Sawmill in Seaside Park at 5 AM EST … Image from Google Maps
The partial solar eclipse will look like a crescent sun or “Sunrise Scimitar” will be at the start of sunrise at 5:24 AM. Sunrise coinciding with the peak of a solar eclipse is a rather rare occurrence; for our area. This has happened only twice in the last 150 years: in Sept. 1875 and October 1959.
As always with a solar eclipse, proper precautions are needed. Sky & Telescope has provided helpful advice on the safest methods to watch a partial solar eclipse. You can review that information here: https://tinyurl.com/y2xpjdxd
For more reading on eye safety, check out this article from the Solar Eclipse Across America website.
Did you know
A solar eclipse always occurs about two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse.
Usually, there are two eclipses in a row, but other times, there are three during the same eclipse season.
Check out all the upcoming eclipses for the next ten years at timeanddate.com.
Little Known Facts About Solar Eclipses
The longest duration for a total solar eclipse is 7.5 minutes.
A total solar eclipse is not noticeable until the Sun is more than 90 percent covered by the Moon. At 99 percent coverage, daytime lighting resembles local twilight.
Eclipse shadows travel at 1,100 miles per hour at the equator and up to 5,000 miles per hour near the poles.
The width of the path of totality is at most 167 miles wide.
The maximum number of solar eclipses (partial, annular, or total) is 5 per year.
There are at least 2 solar eclipses per year somewhere on the Earth.
Only partial solar eclipses can be observed from the North and South Poles.
For more check out NASA - Eclipse 99 - Amazing Facts
Club Show and Tell for ASTRA May 2021 virtual meeting with Rosemarie Spedaliere and Jim Webster.
We opened our meeting with a review of the upcoming solar eclipse on June 10 as described above article Sunrise Solar Eclipse - June 10. The timing of this fit right into Rosemarie Spedaliere presenting to the membership the solar binoculars she recently purchased.
EclipSmart from Celestron.
EcipseSmart is a 10x42 Solar Binoculars sold by Celestron and is one of two models they have available. The other is a smaller 10x25. Whether for observing the upcoming solar eclipse or for everyday solar viewing, these Celestron binoculars are for you. View distinct solar details with the Celestron EclipSmart 10x42 Solar Binoculars.
Multi-coated optics enable high-contrast images for displaying more solar wonders. Images viewed through these binoculars feature natural color representation for seeing the Sun's characteristics as they actually exist.
Image and item can be found at B&H.
Celestron EclipSmart 10x42 Solar Binoculars also offer an amply sized field of view to allow for the viewing of the entire image of the solar disk. The non-detachable dual-lens glass solar filters fully meet ISO safety standards for solar observing when used in accordance with included instructions. Celestron has also provided a video on Safety Tips. While it is dated for the 2017 Eclipse rules of viewing are the same. Check out Celestron’s video on YouTube.
What are the ISO Safety standards? In short, they are a set of safety rules that manufactures would need to follow to meet the required safety standards as set by ISO.ORG. If they meeting them they will then have the ISO label on the product.
How do you know if your eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers are truly safe? To know that they meet the ISO 12312-2 (sometimes written as ISO 12312-2:2015) international safety standard, look for the ISO label and standard printed on the glasses or other equivalent device. Filters that are ISO 12312-2 compliant not only reduce visible sunlight to safe and comfortable levels but also block solar UV and IR radiation.
Image and more information can be found at eclipse.aas.org.
Next up in our Show & Tell was Jim Webster with more information on the Allsky Camera.
What is an Allsky Camera?
It’s a specialized camera used in meteorology and astronomy for capturing a photograph of the entire sky. Sometimes referred to as Whole Sky Camera.
It is possible to assess, in real-time, the night sky quality, and to record fast phenomena such as meteors and fireballs or slower objects such as satellites, rockets, and aurora.
Jim’s particular camera is built to work either by WIFI via a Rasberry Pie 4 mini-computer or direct cable from the camera to a laptop.
Some History:
One of the early cameras for whole sky observing was Mueller’s whole sky camera from 1905 and was first reported in the 1915 issue of Monthly Weather Review and can be found on Wikipedia.
The images to the right are from the Boyden Observatory and Naval Hill Planetarium, South Africa.
Theodore Houck and his advisor Dr. Arthur Code from the University of Wisconsin arrived in 1953. They came to Boyden Observatory to set up a special wide-angle camera that could photograph the entire sky in one photo. The camera itself is located at the apex of the tripod and is looking down at the spherical mirror, giving it a field of view of up to 150 degrees. One of their photographs, taken in infrared light, showed the structure and center of the Milky Way in a way never before seen. Their photograph was widely reproduced. Photos Elske Smith.
Boyden Observatory and Naval Hill Planetarium
Other uses:
The hemispherical lens was originally designed by Robin Hill (1924) to view the entire sky for meteorological studies of cloud formation. Hemispherical photography, also known as canopy photography, is a technique to estimate solar radiation and characterize plant canopy geometry using photographs taken looking upward through an extreme wide-angle lens or a fisheye lens (Rich 1990).
Image from Wikipedia.
Hemispherical photograph with a sun-path overlay from a closed canopy reach of San Francisquito Creek, San Francisco Peninsula, California, used for studies of steelhead trout habitat. Whole sky cameras can be used to derive cloud base height and cloud base motion and were first used this way in 1896.
The design image below was made by Jim Webster when there was no clear design document to be found. It was shared with Allsky Optics for their use and also shared with the Allsky Facebook group.
The above is a simplified block diagram that shows the device can be used with either WIFI and the Raspberry Pi computer or direct cable from the camera to an available laptop. Currently, Jim is using an astrophotography program called Sharpcap 3.1 for testing.
The video samples within the presentation did not transfer well to the Zoom recording so some are listed below.
Skylapser videos on YouTube: Video 1 May 9, 2021 … Video 2 Aug 10-11, 2020 Perseids Meteor Shower.
Lightning storm with Milkyway on Big Island in Hawaii from IfA Maui on YouTube Nov 4, 2013.
The simplest setup for an Allsky camera is CMOS or CCD camera and lens on a tripod. This would require it being connected to a laptop to make the camera work as well as record the data.
Most Astrophotographers would have the camera already. What is needed is a camera lens that can provide a large field of view.
Everything from our presentation and mentioned here can be found at Allskyoptics.com
We wrapped up the Allsky presentation with the Radio Astronomy and Allsky Camera proposal to work the two together and see if we can capture the audible radio transit of meteor showers and the visual from the Allsky. Some of the members with radio were interested and Jim will get them as much information as he can to make this work.
The image to the right is from one such effort and can be found on YouTube. It was NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day on March 15, 2021.
Credit goes to Thomas Ashcraft of the Radio Fireball Observatory in New Mexico and can be found on the attached YouTube link. This YouTube video is much longer than what we had for our presentation.
For more on our club presentation for May can be found at our club YouTube link.
This Month-Member Show and Tell
New APO Feature - This Month-Member Show and Tell will feature one members astronomy gear each month.
Say hello to my little friend. Club President John Endreson has a new telescope and it’s big. Why go small when you can go big.
John recently added to his family of telescopes a Meade LX200R 16” SCT, a monster size telescope. So it was only logical to get a monster size mount to handle its size, an iOptron CEM-120.
The telescope's first light came on May 11 and wasn’t an easy feat as the total weight is at 287 lbs. John purchased a trio of casters from Home Depot to make the move from his garage to outside.
His first deep-sky object viewed was M3 a globular cluster in the constellation of Canes Venatici.
Now that COVID rules are easing and we’re able to get back out for star parties I am sure we will all waiting to experience a view of objects in this telescope. Wishing John the best of luck with it.
Below are the specifications for the Meade LX200R 16” OTA and iOptron CEM120 Mount.
Outreach material below is distributed free for public outreach.
Upcoming County Park Presentations Fall/Winter 2021
Public Outreach Presentations are being planned. 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 four planned with the county parks. The dates and times below are being planned now, so it is possible for some changes. The descriptions below will be posted in the county park Fall/Winter catalog. As the COVID restrictions are starting to loosen up the prospect of large turnouts is possible, so any support would be appreciated.
Note: The County Park events below will require an entry fee.
·Sept 14 – 8 to 9:30 - Cloverdale: Astronomy with Binoculars
Description: Ever wonder what it takes to get started stargazing? Join Jim Webster from the Astronomical Society of the Toms River Area and learn about binoculars that can take your night viewing to a whole new level without a telescope.
·Oct 21 - Jakes Branch: Light Pollution
Description: Light pollution and its impact. Join Jim Webster from Astronomical Society of the Toms River Area and International Darksky Association Advocate to learn about the impact of light pollution on stargazing, nature, and yourself.
·Nov 9 – 6 to 7:30 - Catus Island: Beginner Astronomy.
Description: Ever wonder what it takes to get started stargazing? Join Jim Webster from the Astronomical Society of the Toms River Area and learn about telescopes that can take your night viewing to a whole new level.
·Nov 16 – 6 to 7:30 - Catus Island: Milkyway Photography and Beyond
Description: A beginner-level discussion on Milkyway Photography and what is needed with Jim Webster from the Astronomical Society of the Toms River Area.
Let’s Explore Space - What’s in the Sky June 2021?
New APO Feature - Let’s Explore Space will feature an object each month.
M101 - The Pinwheel Galaxy
CONSTELLATION: Ursa Major
DISTANCE: 25 million light-years
MAGNITUDE: 7.9
APPARENT DIAMETER: 26’ x 26’ * Depending on the resource used, this measurement can be different.
Credits: Hubble Image: NASA, ESA, K. Kuntz (JHU), F. Bresolin (University of Hawaii), J. Trauger (Jet Propulsion Lab), J. Mould (NOAO), Y.-H. Chu (University of Illinois, Urbana) and STScI; CFHT Image: Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope/J.-C. Cuillandre/Coelum; NOAO Image: G. Jacoby, B. Bohannan, M. Hanna/NOAO/AURA/NSF
Pierre Méchain, one of Charles Messier’s colleagues, discovered the Pinwheel galaxy in 1781.
We may be coming to the end of galaxy season, but there are still a few gems to enjoy before summer begins. M101, the Pinwheel Galaxy. Despite its brightness, the galaxy has a large apparent diameter, making this a challenging target for both binoculars and small telescopes.
However, a medium-sized scope averted vision, and a magnification of 70x or more will show two faint spiral arms curling clockwise about the core. The brighter of the two originate from the southeastern side of the core, with a fainter arm originating from the west. Larger scopes may also reveal some texture within the arms.
Locating the part of the sky where M101 is positioned is easy since it's close to the handle of the bowl that forms the Plough or Big Dipper asterism of Ursa Major. The Pinwheel galaxy is located at one corner of an equatorial triangle formed with the second magnitude stars Mizar (ζ UMa - mag. +2.2) and Alkaid (η UMa - mag. +1.8). M101 is 5.5 degrees east of Mizar (the celebrated naked eye double star) and 5.5 degrees northeast of Alkaid.
On the lighter side of astronomy …
APO Editor’s home demonstration of the upcoming Solar Eclipse.
The Far Side of Astronomy … http://earthstar.htmlplanet.com/farside_art.htm
ASTRA Member Astrophotos
Congratulations to ASTRA Member Ron Bernknopf.
Dumbell Nebula (M27)
By Ron Bernknopf - May 10
Astrophotography Photo of the Day
TSS Astrophotography Photo of the Day for May 10. Ron is showing us why it's a good idea to keep your old data. As technology improves and your processing skills develop, it's nice to have some old data to play with.
I originally shot this image (Messier 27) the "Dumbbell Nebula", in November. I didn't like the processing job I did at the time (that's why you keep old data!). These were 50x 90 seconds using my 6" Reflector/AVX combo and Canon T6 DSLR. Stacked in DSS and processed in Gimp.
Theskysearchers.com link to Ron’s image can be found here. TSS Astrophotography Photo of the Day
Members Telescope for Sale Meade 12'“ LX200 - Asking $2200.00
Includes:
Meade Large tripod and custom mounting plate
Meade Superwedge
Meade 8x50 optical finder
Meade Electric Focuser
Meade 2” diagonal mirror
Meade Autostar hand controller, V4.2g
Telrad with dew shield
Bahtinov mask
Petersen Engineering add-ons:
EZ-Focus
EZ-Grip handles
EZ-DEC Clutch
Eye Opener II, 2” Visual Back
3” Dovetail Rails top and bottom
Counterweights
Kendrick Dew Strap for 12” scope
Kydex dew shield
Thermal Wrap cover
This scope has been very well maintained, has always had excellent go-to locating sky objects, and has very little mirror flop. According to Meade Customer Service, this is one of the last scopes (S/N 06917) of this type that was manufactured in the U.S. I am the original and only owner.
John Deriso
olgazer@cgullz.com
Please note: ASTRA is not responsible for the sale of the member items and is only listed as a courtesy. All responsibility for the sale of listed items is the responsibility of the seller only.
Members Submitted Articles & Items
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Chris Savia submitted the Out of This Word Records image.
This chart illustrates comparisons among the distances driven by various wheeled vehicles on the surface of Earth's moon and Mars sent up over the years up to Feb 13, 2019.
As of February 22, 2021 publishing, the Perseverance Rover is set to break many records and may establish some new ones. For more on this, you can check them out on the Guinness Worlds Records website.
The image source is from NASA.
Chris Savia submitted an article from Space.Com. Surprise meteor shower! Finlay-id shooting stars will appear for the first time in 2021. Listed as a possible one-time event, the never-before-seen meteor shower may be viewable from Earth’s southernmost region. For more on this go to Space.com.
Image source is from Jim Webster in 2018.
Jim Webster submitted the following on TESS. NASA is asking citizen scientist to help hunt exoplanets in the vast trove of images gathered by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). You can find more on this article by Eric Betz at Astronomy.com.
NASA TESS image from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/CI Lab as posted on Astronomy.com.
What’s Up: April 2021
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!
Astrophotography With Your Smartphone
David Prosper
Have you ever wanted to take nighttime photos like you’ve seen online, with the Milky Way stretched across the sky, a blood-red Moon during a total eclipse, or a colorful nebula? Many astrophotos take hours of time, expensive equipment, and travel, which can intimidate beginners to astrophotography. However, anyone with a camera can take astrophotos; even if you have a just smartphone, you can do astrophotography. Seriously!
Don’t expect Hubble-level images starting out! However, you can take surprisingly impressive shots by practicing several basic techniques: steadiness, locked focus, long exposure, and processing. First, steady your smartphone to keep your subjects sharp. This is especially important in low-light conditions. A small tripod is ideal, but an improvised stand, like a rock or block of wood, works in a pinch.
A small tripod for a smartphone. They are relatively inexpensive – the author found this at a local dollar store!
Most camera apps offer timer options to delay taking a photo by a few seconds, which reduces the vibration of your fingers when taking a shot. Next, lock your focus. Smartphones use autofocus, which is not ideal for low-light photos, especially if the camera readjusts focus mid-session.
Tap the phone’s screen to focus on a distant bright star or streetlight, then check for options to fine-tune and lock it. Adjusting your camera’s exposure time is also essential. The longer your camera is open, the more light it gathers - essential for low-light astrophotography. Start by setting your exposure time to a few seconds. With those options set, take a test photo of your target! If your phone’s camera app doesn’t offer these options, you can download apps that do. While some phones offer an “astrophotography” setting, this is still rare as of 2021. Finally, process your photos using an app on your phone or computer to bring out additional detail! Post-processing is the secret of all astrophotography.
The Moon is large and bright, making it a great target for beginners. The author took both of these photos using an iPhone 6s. The crescent moon at sunset (left) was taken with a phone propped on the roof rack of a car; the closeup shot of lunar craters (right) was taken through the eyepiece of a friend’s Celestron C8 telescope.
You now have your own first astrophotos! Wondering what you can do next? Practice: take lots of photos using different settings, especially before deciding on any equipment upgrades. Luckily, there are many amazing resources for budding astrophotographers. NASA has a free eBook with extensive tips for smartphone astrophotography at bit.ly/smartastrophoto, and you can also join the Smartphone Astrophotography project at bit.ly/smartphoneastroproject. Members of astronomy clubs often offer tips or even lessons on astrophotography; you can find a club near you by searching the “Clubs and Events” map on the Night Sky Network’s website at nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov. May you have clear skies!
More on Cell Phone Astrophotography
Andrew Symes article appeared on petapixel.com on Feb 20, 2015 …
I’m often asked how I am able to take high-quality images of the solar system using my iPhone. In short, the quality of today’s smartphone cameras makes it possible to take very respectable images of the Moon and planets through a telescope with your phone – but it takes some work.
While the end results may not match those taken with webcam or DSLR equipment, smartphone astrophotography can be a good starting point for budding astrophotographers. It can also be a useful alternative for experienced astronomers who wish to capture an image quickly with little equipment.
For more Andrew Symes and his article, check out PetaPixel.com.
Chris Vaughan wrote an article for Space.com on June 17, 2016 …
Just about everyone has a camera in their pocket these days, so why not use it to capture some celestial views? In this edition of mobile astronomy, we'll look at how you can take photographs of celestial bodies using the camera on your smartphone or tablet. These images certainly will not rival those from the Hubble Space Telescope, of course, or even an expert's photo taken with a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera, but you'll have a wonderful memento to show your friends and share on social media.
For more go to space.com
The cell phone images below were taken by ASTRA member Sam Granovsky with his iPhone 7 Plus with NightCap app was used for Milkyway and Star Cluster photos. NightCap will help by unlocking the full potential of your iPhone or iPad’s camera. Saturn and Jupiter were taken with the default camera app. Other than the Milkyway photo the others were taken with Celestron 8SE with the Celestron 8-24 zoom eyepiece.
Addition cellphone photos below of the moon were taken by ASTRA members Rosemarie Spediere and Jim Webster.
Contributing Non-Member images:
A Starry Night was taken from the backyard with a Galaxy S9+. I think it was a few 30s exposures stacked with Sequator. The photo was taken by, Timothy Fukuyama. Space Operations Office 1st Space Brigade, US Army.
Comet Lovejoy Q2 was taken with a Meade LX200-8 and Sony a6000 at Calamus Iowa.
By Grant Harkness of the Wilton Observatory.
Tonight’s Sky: June
Though the nights are shorter in June, they are filled with fine sights. Look for the Hercules constellation, which will lead you to a globular star cluster with hundreds of thousands of densely packed stars. You can also spot Draco the dragon, which will point you to the Cat’s Eye Nebula. Keep watching for space-based views of globular star clusters and the nebula.
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.
Orion Telescopes & Binoculars
A series of articles and videos from telescopes to phone apps and more.
How to use a Telescope: First-Time Telescope User’s Guide for Beginners.
Submissions Welcome
Members are invited to submit articles, photos, news, or stories for inclusion with Astral Projections Online. Please contact the ASTRA Webmaster.