Astral Projections Online October 2021
We will continue virtual meetings via Zoom during COVID. If you can’t participate because of issues with Zoom please contact us.
Club dues and membership. If you renew after March 31 you will be renewed as a new member.
Please check our Website for updated content at www.astra-nj.com
Club Presentations Wanted:
Anyone has 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, October meeting has been moved to a live meeting at Jakes Branch County Park just before the Star Party on Saturday, October 9, 2021
Jakes Branch Public Star Party - Saturday, October 9, 2021, at 7 PM
Island Beach State Park - Observe the Moon Night, October 16, 2021, at 7:30 PM
Jakes Branch Public Star Party - Saturday, November 13, 2021, 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 Fall/Winter 2021
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 four planned with the county parks.
Note: The County Park events below will require an entry fee.
Oct 21 - 6 to 7 PM - 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 PM - 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 PM - 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.
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.
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.
"The strongest affection and utmost zeal should, I think, promote the studies concerned with the most beautiful objects. This is the discipline that deals with the universe's divine revolutions, the stars' motions, sizes, distances, risings and settings . . . for what is more beautiful than heaven?"
- Nicolaus Copernicus, Astronomer
IBSP in September
September 3 - Reported by Rosemarie Spedaliere - Astra members under a cool clear night with balmy breezes coming off of the ocean. I had my Meade 8" LX200 with me. I mostly used my 20mm Erfle eyepiece to observe. I found an old observing list tucked in a book and used it to observe the following: Alberio (blue and gold double) I always use this to confirm alignment. It did not disappoint with color. Carbon stars SAO 21002 Cassiopeia and SAO 142985 Aquila both were a deep red and sharp. I went on to Rasalgethi in Hercules a very tight red/gold double.
I had to change to a 12mm eyepiece to split them as they are so close Saturn, Venus, Jupiter and Neptune put on their usual show. M27 Dumbell M17 Swan M13 Hercules cluster M6 Butterfly M15 Globular tight and sharp M57 Ring Nebula NGC 6826 PN NGC 7662 PN M31 Andromeda Galaxy could see the spiral arms extending out M32 companion galaxy NGC 7331 Unbarred spiral galaxy Pegasus H 3945 "Winter Alberio" Canis Majoris, Of course, the Milky Way was ablaze above our heads We packed it in around 11:15 PM after all we had to make it to the diner to compare observing notes.
September 4 - Reported by Rosemarie Spedaliere - Observing report 9/4/21 The skies were excellent and once again a light balmy breeze by the ocean. I used my 8" Meade LX200. Jim, Gloria, and Matthew observed with me and they also did some astrophotography. Using some of the suggestions from people on another site, I started off with the following: NGC 7160 Small open star cluster which is an asterism of an alligator in Cepheus NGC 457 The Dragonfly Cluster Cassiopeia NGC 6905 Blue Flash Nebula Dephinus NGC 6891 Planetary Nebula Delphinus M5 Globular Cluster Serpens NGC 6210 Turtle Planetary Nebula Hercules M92 Globular Cluster Hercules M 13 Globular Cluster Hercules NGC 6229 Globular Cluster Hercules Item of the night was NGC 7009 Saturn Nebula in Aquarius although NGC 6905 Blue Flash Nebula was a close second. We only stayed till 11 PM because wispy clouds rolled in that were not in the forecast. I can't believe we actually had 2 clear nights in a row without a moon! Keep looking up!
September 10 - Reported by Rosemarie Spedaliere - We have been having Zoom meetings during the Covid-19 confinement. A few of us have gotten together to observe since restrictions were lifted. Now we felt it was time to have an "in-person" meeting and what better way than to make it under the stars! There were a few brand new members and all of the members were very congenial and shared views through their telescopes or binoculars. It was so much fun I think we will do it again.
Jim Webster - In total, we had 20 members for this event.
Other event reports
Both the Astronomy with Binocular presentation at Cloverdale Farm County Park and Girls Scouts at IBSP for September were canceled. We will revisit a reschedule depending on when both locations find an available time.
Around the Web
Red and Rover by Brian Basset
Follow the adventures of 10-year-old Red, a boy who dreams of one day going into space with his dog.
The following posting is from cartoonistgroup.com
Brian Basset was born in Norwalk, Conn., in 1957 but grew up in the Washington, D.C. suburb of McLean, Va., where his father was a political cartoonist and his mother a mental health administrator.
Like millions of other kids in the 1960s, Brian could be found glued to the TV set, captivated by the early years of the space program and its goal of putting a man on the moon.
A big believer in space exploration, Basset was honored in 2004 with a one-man show of his Red and Rover space-themed strips at NASA's Washington, DC headquarters. He is the first and only comic strip cartoonist so recognized. On July 26, 2005, an original drawing by Basset commemorating America's return to flight lifted off launchpad 39B along with the crew of the space shuttle Discovery for a near-flawless 13-day mission. Red and Rover had finally gone into space.
Wikipedia Info about Bill Basset
Wikipedia Info about Red and Rover
Healthy Heavens: Dealing with Satellite Megaconstellations
By Leonard David - September 16, 2021 - Posted with permission.
A “Safeguarding the Astronomical Sky Foundation” has been established to preserve the astronomical sky by calling for a halt to further launches and deployment of mega-constellations.
According to those engaged in the effort, humankind stands at a precipice from which there will be no return.
“A Great 21st Century Space Rush is now underway by commercial enterprises and the military, fomented and enabled in the U.S. by the FCC [Federal Communications Commission] and other U.S. government agencies to grab, deploy, transform, and own the Heavens for private gain, defense, and weaponization.”
At issue for the Italy-based SAS Foundation: Over the next 10 years, 80,000+ non-stationary low orbit satellites will be launched and seamlessly integrated in terrestrial 4G/5G/6G+ industrial and military networks. Scores of new satellites are being launched every week from the U.S. and other countries.
Suing the FCC
It’s the SAS Foundation's view that ground-based astronomical observations will be severely damaged by the ongoing deployment of large fleets of satellites to ensure the functioning of future telecommunications technologies.
A legal action called “Healthy Heavens Trust Initiative” was begun a few months ago, which is currently suing the American FCC in American federal courts of justice – filed on August 13.
The SAS Foundation was established as a non-profit-making non-governmental organization (NGO)-type Association/Foundation, “to give a clear reference to all environmental protection associations, professional and amateur astronomical associations, individual astronomers and all astronomical bodies and societies.”
Not a distant threat
The SAS Foundation, together with the “Appeal by Astronomers” supports the Società Astronomica Italiana petition initiative against the night-sky light pollution.
Starlink satellites are visible in a mosaic of an astronomical image. Courtesy of NSF’s
National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory/NSF/AURA/CTIO/DELVE)
“Astronomers are extremely concerned by the possibility that Earth may be blanketed by tens of thousands of satellites, which will greatly outnumber the approximately 9,000 stars that are visible to the unaided human eye. This is not some distant threat. It’s already happening,” according to the Appeal by Astronomers.
After gathering more than 2,000 signatures of astronomers from more than 50 countries the Appeal is now ready to be used at the local level to increase awareness by governments and NGOs of some of the harms that will be caused by those satellites.
For more information, go to:
https://astronomersappeal.wordpress.com/safeguarding-the-astronomical-sky-foundation-sas-foundation/
Healthy Heavens Trust Initiative (HHTI) at:
https://healthyheavenstrust.org/
The Appeal by Astronomers at:
https://astronomersappeal.wordpress.com/safeguarding-the-astronomical-sky-foundation-sas-foundation/
About the Author - David Leonard
Leonard David is a space journalist, reporting on space activities for over 50 years.
Leonard is the author of the new book, Moon Rush: The New Space Race, published by National Geographic in May 2019.
Mr. David is also the author of Mars – Our Future on the Red Planet published by National Geographic in October 2016. The book is the companion volume to Mars – a National Geographic Channel television series in its second season from executive producers Brian Grazer and Ron Howard.
Leonard is co-author with Apollo 11’s Buzz Aldrin of Mission to Mars – My Vision for Space Exploration released in May 2013 and published by the National Geographic Society. A soft cover edition of the book with a new essay was released in May 2015.
For more on David Leonard Bio and his Website with articles going as far back as 2014 go to www.leonarddavid.com
This Month-Member Show and Tell
An Oldie but Goodie
By Gary Moshier
This issue of APO ASTRA Member Gary Moshier showcased his home-built six-inch reflector telescope.
When I was 13 years old I was sick in bed with the flu, or whatever kids got in those days. My dad felt sorry for me so he bought me a magazine called Mechanix Illustrated and this particular issue of MI contained an article titled "How to Build a Six-Inch Reflector Telescope." My dad and I had always talked about building a telescope together, and so this article became our instruction manual. The first thing we did was send away to Edmund Scientific in Barrington, New Jersey, to order a 6" Mirror Grinding Kit.
Gary at September 10, 2021, ASTRA Meeting & Star Party at Island Beach State Park.
Edmund began business as a war surplus house that sold lots of military optics, but soon became a great source of products for the Amateur Telescope Maker or ATMs as they were called. In addition to telescope parts and materials, they also manufactured a line of both reflecting and refracting telescopes that were fairly good quality but also a little on the pricey side. A 6" reflector with an equatorial mount sold for about $250, which in 1957 was a lot of money. That's why most amateur astronomers in those days built their own. Edmund also sold a variety of booklets to help ATMs build different types and sizes of telescopes. These publications were developed by one of their designers named Sam Brown. His designs were excellent and simple to build and his drawings and instructions were easy to follow and extremely informative.
The Mirror Grinding Kit included all the parts necessary to grind and polish the primary mirror including a 6" diameter x 1" thick Pyrex mirror blank, a plate glass "tool" blank, about 8 assorted abrasives in various sizes from coarse to fine, polishing rouge, and a pound of pitch to make the pitch lap for polishing. The kit cost $12, which even at that time seemed like a good price. We picked up an old grease barrel from a gas station down the block, filled it with sand, added a plywood top, and that became the mirror grinding stand. My job was to grind and polish the mirror. It took about 40 hours walking around that barrel, grinding and polishing to complete the mirror and then we sent it away to have it aluminized. We bought most of the other parts that made up the optical tube assembly from Edmund Scientific. We made the original alti-azimuth mount and tripod ourselves from 1-1/4" pipe fittings and maple for the legs (a year later my parents surprised me at Christmas with an Edmund Equatorial Mount).
Gary Polishing Mirror
Gary’s Telescope with its original mount.
My dad and I completed the scope in about eight months following the Mechanix Illustrated article rather closely, and as it turned out, the scope worked very well. The focal length was 50" making it an f - 8.3. With a 1" eyepiece you'd get 50 power and the moon would fit into the field of view rather nicely.
Mechanix Illustrated was a magazine that catered to do-it-yourselfers and had a monthly feature where they awarded 24-carat gold-plated hammers to readers who completed exceptional DIY-type projects. For the heck of it I sent in a write-up and a photo of our telescope project.
About four or five months later I was in the magazine store across the street from our house perusing the latest issue of MI and was flabbergasted to see a picture of my telescope on page 128. We had won the Golden Hammer Award! A few weeks later the actual hammer arrived in the mail along with a really nice certificate. I treasure that hammer to this day because it was such a great father-and-son project.
Golden Hammer Award
During eighth-grade and the first few years of high-school I used the telescope a lot. There were no "go-to" type instruments in those days so I became quite adept at "star-hopping" to find celestial objects. The seeing was not the best in Paterson, New Jersey, where I grew up, but the scope was so simple it was easy to throw it in the trunk and take it somewhere where the seeing was better or where there were folks interested in looking through it. Then came college, finding a job, raising a family and pursuing a career; so, astronomy took a back seat to these more important activities. But, if there was a new comet in the sky or a special celestial event of some kind, I would dust it off and bring it out into the back yard, and once again be amazed at what astronomy has to offer.
But then, about ten years ago I decided my astronomy days were over (Suzie and I had gotten into sailing and maintaining a 33' sailboat took a lot of my time) and thought it might be a good idea to fix up the old scope and give it to our son. I repainted the tube, polished the brass, cleaned all the optics and gave it to our son Jamie who set it up in his family room. And there it sat on display for the next several years. Jamie is an action-oriented type of guy (he races his 2005 Ford Mustang almost every week during the summer) and just never got into amateur astronomy.
And so, about five years ago, I reacquired the telescope and gave it another upgrade. I installed its third set of optics (GSO primary and secondary mirrors), replaced my old Ramsden and Kellner eyepieces with Orion Plossls and installed a 9x50mm right-angle finder telescope. This was around the time Suzie and I joined ASTRA and the telescope never worked better. Most people that look through it are impressed by its clear, sharp images and the quickness in setting it up (which only takes about 5 minutes).
Now, if I can only remember how to "star hop" once again, I will have it made. In the meantime, Suzie and I will continue to use this "Oldie but Goodie" at the ASTRA star parties and enjoy all the camaraderie and fun that this great club has to offer. — Gary Mosier
Outreach material below is distributed free for public outreach.
Let’s Explore Space - What’s in the Sky October 2021?
Messier 15 - Dense Globular Cluster
Distance to Earth: 32,620 light-years
Age: 12.01 billion years
Radius: 88 light-years
Coordinates: RA 21h 29m 58s | Dec +12° 10′ 1″
Apparent magnitude (V): 6.2
Constellation: Pegasus
Credits: apod.nasa.gov - Oct 17 2018
Bernhard Hubl (CEDIC)
Central European Deepsky Imaging Conference
Messier 15 or M15 (also known as NGC 7078) is a globular cluster in the constellation Pegasus. It was discovered by Jean-Dominique Maraldi in 1746 and included in Charles Messier's catalog of comet-like objects in 1764. At an estimated 12.5±1.3 billion years old, it is one of the oldest known globular clusters.
M15 is one of the most densely packed globulars known in the Milky Way. Its core has undergone a contraction known as "core-collapse" resulting in an enormous number of stars surrounding what may be a central black hole. It's also unusual in that it's one of only four known globulars (along with M22, NGC 6441, and Palomar 6) that contain a planetary nebula. The planetary is named Pease 1.
Approaching naked eye visibility under excellent conditions, M15 is easily seen with binoculars appearing as a mag. +6.2 "fuzzy star". A 100mm (4-inch) telescope at low power (40x) reveals a uniformly lit disk, while high powers (>100x) hint at a resolution of some of the outer stars. When viewed through a larger 200mm (8-inch) scope, M15 looks like a large bright diffuse ball of light with a dense compact center. Many stars are resolved in the outer halo, the brightest of which shines at mag. +12.6. Larger instruments do even better.
Image Source: Stellarium
Pease 1 is a planetary nebula located within the globular cluster M15 33,600 light years away in the constellation Pegasus. It was the first planetary nebula known to exist within a globular cluster when it was discovered in 1928 (for Francis G. Pease), and just four more have been found (in other clusters) since. At magnitude 15.5, it requires telescopes with an aperture of at least 300-millimetre (12 in) to be detected.
Article Source Material: Earthsky.org, freecharts.com, NASA APOD, messier.seds.org, Wikipedia
On the lighter side of astronomy …
ASTRA Member Astrophotos
Elephant Trunk - IC1396a
By Matthew Michota - Sept 14
The Elephant's Trunk Nebula is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust within the much larger ionized gas region IC 1396 located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light-years away from Earth. Wikipedia
Ioptron GEM45, Ioptron Skyguider Pro, Astrotech 102mm APO, William Optics Redcat51, Baader Neodymium Moon and skyglow, Optolong l Enhance. Each image is around 1-2 hours.
Heart Nebula - IC 1895
By Matthew Michota - Sept 14
The Heart Nebula, IC 1805, Sharpless 2-190, is some 7500 light-years away from Earth and is located in the Perseus Arm of the Galaxy in the constellation Cassiopeia. It was discovered by William Herschel on 3 November 1787. It is an emission nebula showing glowing ionized hydrogen gas and darker dust lanes. Wikipedia
Ioptron GEM45, Ioptron Skyguider Pro, Astrotech 102mm APO, William Optics Redcat51, Baader Neodymium Moon and skyglow, Optolong l Enhance. Each image is around 1-2 hours.
Bubble Nebula - NGC 7635
By Matthew Michota - Sept 14
NGC 7635, also known as the Bubble Nebula, Sharpless 162, or Caldwell 11, is an H II region emission nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia. It lies close to the direction of the open cluster Messier 52. The "bubble" is created by the stellar wind from a massive hot, 8.7 magnitude young central star, SAO 20575. Wikipedia
Ioptron GEM45, Ioptron Skyguider Pro, Astrotech 102mm APO, William Optics Redcat51, Baader Neodymium Moon and skyglow, Optolong l Enhance. Each image is around 1-2 hours.
Astronomy & Space Theme Music
In 1972 David Bowie wrote Space Oddity after seeing the 1968 movie A Space Odyssey. The song tells the story of Major Tom, a fictional astronaut who cuts off communication with Earth and floats into space.
For more go to songfacts.com
Just five days before The United States’ Apollo 11 mission would launch, Bowie, unleashed a missile of his own in the form of “Space Oddity” which could not have been better timed, a project that would help create the increased mystery around him that still lingers today, even after his sad passing in 2016. The Starman was still mainly an unknown quantity back in 1969.
“Space Oddity” was the first real brick that Bowie put down that created this enigma and larger-than-life persona beyond enticing. Through the Major Tom character that Bowie made for the track and one he would later revisit throughout his career, he had the perfect vehicle to tackle a new subject in a way that nobody else has done before. It was somewhat incomprehensible for pop musicians to be as forward-thinking as Bowie was in 1969, and the dark message of “Space Oddity” infuriated the BBC.
Instead of being a celebration of human advancement and how far we had come that a man could now step foot on the Moon, Bowie decided to explore the darker side of this achievement. Talk of the Moon Landings had been unavoidable ever since President John F Kennedy unveiled it in 1961. Weighing up his options, Bowie waited for the perfect moment to unleash his masterpiece.
For more go to faroutmagazine.co.uk
Chris Hadfield - Astronaut, Singer
Chris Austin Hadfield is a retired Canadian astronaut, engineer, science communicator, singer, and former fighter pilot. The first Canadian to walk in space, Hadfield has flown two Space Shuttle missions and served as commander of the International Space Station. The image is linked to his version of David Bowie's song Space Oddity.
In 2013, while on the International Space Station, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield recorded a cover of David Bowie's early career hit, Space Oddity.
It started as a little "family project", he told Lateline — something fun to do with his son, back on Earth, while he was aboard the International Space Station.
Four years later, the music video they created and released has been viewed more than 35 million times, and Hadfield, now retired, has become one of the best-loved figures in seven decades of space exploration.
He spoke to Lateline about the late pop star's reaction to his recording, what it takes to become an astronaut, and whether Australia needs to carve its own path in the space industry. David Bowie loved the recording.
For more go to the article on abc.net.au
Wiki on Chris Hadfield
Members Submitted Articles & Items
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Lunar Observing - By Vic Palmieri
The Moon is our closest celestial neighbor orbiting at an average distance of 238,900 miles. If you lived in ancient Greece the Moon would be known to you as Selene. An ancient astronomer in Babylon would know the Moon as Nanna. If you were a Native American Lenape the Full Moon would be Tukwsi Kishux. To modern-day deep sky observers and especially astrophotographers the Moon is our celestial streetlight. Back in the days of the Apollo missions, there was a great deal of attention paid to the Moon by both professional and amateur astronomers. The Moon can be a very interesting object to observe. Although Moon phases can be designated by percent of the surface illuminated there are subtle differences in the location and sweep of the area between light and dark for the identical phase: the terminator. Surface features not visible at one particular time can become observed at the next identical "phase" quite easily.
However, to spend telescope time looking at the Moon a good reference atlas is a must. I have several but the best by a large margin is "Atlas Of The Moon" by Antonin Rukl. Although it has been out of print for many years, used copies are still available at reasonable prices. Unused are pricey. Besides lunar maps, the "Atlas Of The Moon" provides information on lunar geology, formation of lunar features, space probe data as well as the Apollo landings, and much more.
Figure 1 shows the layout for lunar maps. Detailed drawings on the right and brief discussion of the feature and a short biography of the person to whom the feature is named on the left. "The Atlas Of The Moon" is well worth seeking out.
When I plan to spend some quiet time observing Selene the first thing I do is use low power to check the terminator's location. Then, using my atlas, I check the appropriate maps for possible observable features. Any interesting craters? How about crater chains (Catena)? Wrinkled ridges on the mare areas (Dorsa and Dorsum)? How about a lake, mountain, or mountains (Lacus and Mons, and Montes)? Even the Moon has marshes (Palus). How about a promontory (Promontorium)? And we still have rills, bays, and valleys to look for (Rima, Rimae, Sinus, and Vallis).
Lunar observing does take patience. You can look and look and not find what you are seeking then all of a sudden it pops into view. At the right solar illumination some mountains cast long shadows giving the impression of rough and jagged mountains. This phenomenon often occurs at the wall plain Plato. The shadows can almost reach across the floor of Plato. Also, isolated peaks whether they are the central mountains of a craters or any of the isolated peaks on the Moon's surface can appear as dazzling bright lights within the dark side of the terminator as their peaks catch the rising sun while what is below is still in darkness. This can also happen with crater walls catching the rising sun looking very bright.
My favorite Apollo missions were Apollo 8 and Apollo 15. Apollo 8 because it was only the third launch of a Saturn 5 and the first manned Apollo/Saturn flight and went to the Moon. Apollo 15 because it went to a very interesting and mountainous area of the Moon. It was the first mission to have the Lunar Rover. And it was the only Apollo mission to visit a rill.
Figure 2 is a closeup of the map area in Figure 1. Figure 2 indicates the Apollo 15 landing site and the rill. Rima Hadley. I have seen the rill as a silvery thread on nights of excellent seeing at the proper illumination with a 4" f10 refractor at 143x.
I hope everyone gives the Moon a chance. It is better than watching TV. And, please consider getting the "Atlas Of The Moon.”
— Vic Palmieri
What’s Up: October 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
Back to School with NASA
Launch Back to School with NASA!
As students across the country are saying goodbye to the summer and hello to a new school year, we’re gearing up to engage K-12 students in activities and challenges. Check out our many resources to inspire the next generation of explorers, and help educators and students stay involved in NASA’s missions.
Back to School
On Facebook: NASA STEM
Webpage: NASA STEM Engagement - For students and educators from K through 12 and Higher Education.
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!
Weird Ways to Observe the Moon
By David Prosper
International Observe the Moon Night is on October 16 this year– but you can observe the Moon whenever it's up, day or night! While binoculars and telescopes certainly reveal incredible details of our neighbor’s surface, bringing out dark seas, bright craters, and numerous odd fissures and cracks, these tools are not the only way to observe details about our Moon.
There are more ways to observe the Moon than you might expect, just using common household materials.
Put on a pair of sunglasses, especially polarized sunglasses! You may think this is a joke, but the point of polarized sunglasses is to dramatically reduce glare, and so they allow your eyes to pick out some lunar details! Surprisingly, wearing sunglasses even helps during daytime observations of the Moon.
Sun Funnels in action! Starting clockwise from the bottom left, a standalone Sun Funnel; attached to a small refractor to observe the transit of Mercury in 2019; attached to a large telescope in preparation for evening lunar observing; projection of the Moon on a funnel from a medium-size scope (5 inches).
One unlikely tool is the humble plastic bottle cap! John Goss from the Roanoke Valley Astronomical Society shared these directions on how to make your own bottle cap lunar viewer, which was suggested to him by Fred Schaaf many years ago as a way to also view the thin crescent of Venus when close to the Sun:
“The full Moon is very bright, so much that details are overwhelmed by the glare. Here is an easy way to see more! Start by drilling a 1/16-inch (1.5 mm) diameter hole in a plastic soft drink bottle cap. Make sure it is an unobstructed, round hole. Now, look through the hole at the bright Moon. The image brightness will be much dimmer than normal – over 90% dimmer – reducing or eliminating any lunar glare. The image should also be much sharper because the bottle cap blocks light from entering the outer portion of your pupil, where imperfections of the eye’s curving optical path likely lie.“ Many report seeing a startling amount of lunar detail!
You can project the Moon! Have you heard of a “Sun Funnel”? It’s a way to safely view the Sun by projecting the image from an eyepiece to fabric stretched across a funnel mounted on top. It’s easy to make at home, too – directions are here: bit.ly/sunfunnel. Depending on your equipment, a Sun Funnel can view the Moon as well as the Sun– a full Moon gives off more than enough light to project from even relatively small telescopes. Large telescopes will project the full Moon and its phases, with varying levels of detail; while not as crisp as direct eyepiece viewing, it’s still an impressive sight! You can also mount your smartphone or tablet to your eyepiece for a similar Moon-viewing experience, but the funnel doesn’t need batteries.
Of course, you can join folks in person or online for a celebration of our Moon on October 16, with International Observe the Moon Night – find details at moon.nasa.gov/observe. NASA has big plans for a return to the Moon with the Artemis program, and you can find the latest news on their upcoming lunar explorations at nasa.gov.
You can download and print NASA’s observer’s map of the Moon for International Observe the Moon Night! This map shows the view from the Northern Hemisphere on October 16 with the seas labeled, but you can download both this map and one of for Southern Hemisphere observers, at: bit.ly/moonmap2021 The maps contain multiple pages of observing tips, not just this one!
More on Earth’s Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. At about one-quarter the diameter of Earth, it is the largest natural satellite in the Solar System relative to the size of its planet, the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System overall, and is larger than any known dwarf planet. Wikipedia
View on Maps: google.com/maps/space/moon
Distance to Earth: 238,900 mi
Orbital period: 27 days
Gravity: 1.62 m/s²
Radius: 1,079.6 mi
Surface area: 3.793×107 km2; (0.074 of Earth's)
Surface pressure: 10−7 Pa (1 picobar) (day); 10−10 Pa (1 femtobar); (night);
ASTRA member photos of the Moon
By Elizabeth (Liz) Schultz - November 2016
These are about 5 years old (November 12, 2016). My husband, Ed, and I went up to Morris Canal Park (near the Colgate Clock, north of Liberty State Park) in Jersey City to capture the full moon rising over the NYC Skyline. There were a lot of people at Liberty State Park but we chose Morris Canal Park based on the app The Photographers Ephemeris which showed a better alignment of the moon and buildings. Moonrise was actually before sunset which allowed for some nice light on the buildings and less of a contrast between the buildings and the moon. The closer shot of the moon has sunset light coloring some wispy clouds behind the skyline.
Image 1: Canon EOS 40D camera; Tamron 16-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD lens at 63mm; ISO 400, f/11, 1/100 sec
Image 2: Canon EOS 40D camera; Tamron 16-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD lens at 100mm; ISO 400, f/8, 1/250 sec; Image 3: Canon EOS 40D camera; Canon EF 100-400mm f/4-5.6L IS USM lens at 400mm; ISO 400, f/8, 1/160 sec;
All images processed in Photoshop with Topaz Sharpen AI
By Jim Webster - August 7, 2019
Think the moon image below is one of my best. Was taken at the Lavallette Yacht Club Star Party. Dual scoped one for observation and the other for taking pictures on the same mount. Kids loved help taking the pictures and then checking the results, then comparing them on the observing telescope.
Williams Optics Z61 scope with the Canon Rebel T6s / ISO 200 / 1/160sec
Jim Webster - January 2019 Lunar Eclipse taken from home at Toms River, NJ
Image 1: Canon Rebel T6s / Tamron 18-270mm lens
Image 2: ISO 400 / 540mm / f: 6.3 / 6 sec - Canon Rebel T6s / Tamron 18-270mm lens with Pro-master 2x teleconverter on Skyguilder Pro Mount.
Image 3: ISO 100 / 540mm / f: 6.3 / 2 sec - Canon Rebel T6s / Tamron 18-270mm lens with Pro-master 2x teleconverter on Skyguilder Pro Mount.
Image 4: ISO 100 / 540mm / f: 6.3 / 1/125 sec - Canon Rebel T6s / Tamron 18-270mm lens with Pro-master 2x teleconverter on Skyguilder Pro Mount.
This video was distributed on Youtube 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!
Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission
Several months ago we had a presentation on Astroids and we touched on the DART mission related to hazardous asteroid defense and the steps being taken for it.
As a follow-up for our members, I am sharing a video link to a recent Night Sky Network presentation that has been distributed on YouTube. … NSN Webinar Series: Planetary Defense: Defending Earth from Hazardous Asteroids
This video presentation provides some background on potentially hazardous asteroids, recent Earth impacts, and NASA’s activities to help protect Earth from asteroids. It describes NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission as well as shares information on the European Space Agency’s (ESAs) Hera mission. DART will be the first demonstration of the kinetic impactor technique to change the motion of an asteroid in space.
For more on the DART mission visit NASA Website.
Tonight’s Sky: October
Crisp, clear October nights are full of celestial showpieces. Find Pegasus, the flying horse of Greek myth, to pinpoint dense globular star clusters and galaxies, and keep watching for space-based views of M15, NGC 7331, and the Andromeda Galaxy.
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.
Observing the Fall Sky
A free guide to observing the Fall Sky in the Northern Hemisphere, that may be interesting for you to explore. Celestron.com
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