(This article originally appeared in a 1990’s STAR newsletter.) Clyde Tombaugh’s Pluto By Sean League At four o’clock on 18 February 1930 an unbelievable amount of patience and effort paid off. A new planet was discovered. The planet, Pluto, was at last discovered by Clyde Tombaugh. Clyde Tombaugh was born on 4 February 1906 on a farm near Streator, Illinois. He had four brothers and sisters, all of which were younger. Clyde and his family often visited his Uncle Lee…
(This article originally appeared in the fourth quarter 1990 STAR Newsletter. Also references to BC and AD changed to the modern versions BCE/CE) Origin of Julian Days by David Williams One of the most ancient uses of astronomy was timekeeping. In every civilization, the motions of the Moon and Earth were used to calculate the time and the date. In ancient Greece, each community kept a separate calendar, and all were based on the lunar cycle. The earliest Roman calendars…
(This article originally appeared in the Q4 1988 STAR news letter.) Timing Occultations By Mark Lang Observing an occultation is both exciting and scientifically valuable. I would like to get more RAC members active in observing occultations, so hopefully this article will show those who haven’t tried one how easy it can be. Weather permitting, observers can time several more occultations this year. The most common type of occultation is a total lunar occultation. The Moon, in it’s eastward motion…
(This article originally appeared in the Q3 1987 star news letter) The Great Attractor by David Moore In the early part of this century, V. M. Slipher and later Edwin P. Hubble measured displacements of spectral lines in the light from other galaxies. Such shifts reflect the Doppler effect: the change in the wavelength of radiation or sound that results from motion of the source with respect to the observer. Most of the galaxies showed a red shift, meaning that…
(This aritcle originally appeared in the Q2 1987 STAR news letter) WHERE IS THE EYEPIECE ON A RADIO TELESCOPE? Radio Astronomy is the study of extraterrestrial radio signals reaching Earth. It is similar to optical astronomy in that both involve the study of electromagnetic energy. While optical astronomy deals with very short wavelengths of fractions of an inch, radio astronomy deals with wavelengths that may be 10 feet! The major instrument in the science of radio astronomy is the radio…
(This article originally appeared in the Q1 1987 STAR Newsletter and was written by Jerry Watson) WHICH WAY IS NORTH? Finding Directions in Your Telescope When making observations of double stars, especially newly found ones, I like to estimate the position angle (PA). A more formal definition of PA will be given shortly, but you are essentially determining the direction of the fainter member (B) relative to the brighter star (A). Is B south, north-northeast, etc.,of the primary A? To…
(This article originally appeared in the Q2 1985 STAR Newsletter and was written by Bob Thornburg. Incidentally, the Jordan Lake experience is why RAC does not post directions to our observing site.) Halley’s Comet Experience On Friday January 10, we had a public observing night for Halley’s Comet. The weather started out as a good clear night. This event was heavily publicized on radio and television, so we expected up to 1,000 people might attend. We were all shocked to…
This article originally appeared in the second quarter 1985 STAR Newsletter and described RAC’s Astronomy Days in 1985. This was done at Crabtree Valley Mall, unlike today’s venue at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. This shows how far we have come in the last 20 years and how, even though some things are the same, a lot has changed. However, it’s still interesting to occasionally look back. Enthusiasm turned Astronomy “day” into “days” which were celebrated April 27th &…
A nice crowd showed up for a public observing session on the soccer field at North Cary Park on Saturday April 4 from 8:30 to 11:00. The main objects shown were the Moon and Saturn because high clouds plagued us almost the whole observing session. Fittingly, the skies cleared after the observing session was over. Many guests asked about the large ice crystal halo around the Moon. Over the two and a half hour event, I would estimate that there were around 300…
First Quarter 2009 Meeting Summaries By Mark Lang Jan. 9 – Regular meeting with Ian Hewitt in charge. Tonight’s meeting was a member slide show. To start off, Ian showed us some of his Mars and Saturn images taken recently. Mark Lang followed by showing his astrophotography which consisted many times of objects which move like comets, asteroids, and Barnard’s star’s motion over the last three years. He also showed some lunar eclipse shots and shots taken with his “barn…
The February meeting for the Raleigh Astronomy Club was held on Friday, February 13th at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. We had great presentation from Johnny Horne, Photo Editor for the Fayetteville News and Observer, entitled Earth and Sky. Johnny talked about some of his terrific astrophotos and how he planned and used natural features to improve the images. You can read more about Johnny and his activities at his blog at http://blogs.fayobserver.com/backyarduniverse.
On January 24 and 25th The Raleigh Astronomy Club and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences hosted the 18th Astronomy Days event in downtown Raleigh. Over 14,500 people participated in this free weekend event. It features exhibits and presentations from local astronomy clubs, NASA, the Museum, and mayn other organizations. This year’s them was the international year of astronomy. The Raleigh Astronomy Club would like to sincerely thank every individual and every organization who attended or volunteered for the Astronomy…
The January 9th meeting had a great turnout and featured presentations from the RAC Imaging Subgroup. This is a special interest group with the Raleigh Astronomy Club that focuses on astrophotography and imaging. It is open to any member of RAC and has been holding meetings for almost a year. They have discussions on everything from getting starting in astrophotography to advanced techniques and even conduct field sessions. Steve Izzo leads the group and introduced the session. Ian Hewitt, Mark Lang, Joe…
Raleigh Astronomy Club 2008 Meeting Summaries By Mark Lang Jan. 11, 2008 – RACOBS was clouded out, so an indoor meeting was held. A 20 minute long NASA video called “The Saturn Essays” was shown. It included many stunning photos accompanied by music. See: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/cassini-essay-4/index-flash.html. After the video, a discussion was held about the 2008 Astronomy Days. Jan. 25, 2008 – Regular meeting night, but a special Astronomy Days presentation was given in the main museum auditorium. Ian Hewitt ran…
First Year in Amateur Astronomy (early spring 2007-2008) So, I’ve been at it for more than year now, and what I have seen and learned is astounding. From a historical account I have always been interested in the cosmos since I was a single digit old, and took the boyhood dream of wanting to become an astronaut. Now, I may be no astronaut but I do have a decent income. It then hit me in the head, “Why don’t I…
