General Interest

(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 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 &…

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…

There has been a lot of discussion in the news regarding green laser pointers.  The great concern recently has been that a terrorist might attempt to cause aircraft to crash by spotting one with a laser.  This seemed ridiculous to me for a number of reasons, but because laser pointers are so commonly used by the amateur astronomy community (including myself), I wanted to understand the facts better.  The following is what I found.