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Welcome to Houston Astronomical Society

Fostering the science and art of astronomy through programs that serve our membership and the community. Founded in 1955, Houston Astronomical Society is an active community of enthusiastic amateur and professional astronomers with over 70 years of history in the Houston area. Through education and outreach, our programs promote science literacy and astronomy awareness. We meet via Zoom the first Friday of each month for the General Membership Meeting and the first Thursday of the month for the Novice Meeting. Membership has a variety of benefits, including access to a secure dark site west of Houston, special interest groups that focus on particular areas of astronomy, an active community outreach program, and much more. Joining is simple.

by Jim King

We have evidence that Messier may have been in poor physical condition during his later life. In 1802, Herschel visited the 72 year-old Messier in Paris, writing in his diary that Messier had “complained of having suffered much from his accident of falling into an ice cellar – an accident that had occurred two decades earlier.  Messier had also lost his wife and suffered from failing eyesight.  Although he continued to make the occasional observations, the climb up the octagonal tower to his telescopes must have also become arduous to his weary bones, especially on cold, damp nights.

 

(I can relate)

***

(An important jargon jogger:  Messier uses the descriptive term “nebula” frequently since he was frequently using a 3.5 inch telescope which had difficulty resolving dim stars.  It appears that he thought “nebulae” were not gas clouds, but simply unresolved star clouds.  Therefore, in our descriptions, we must mentally separate Messier’s “nebulae” from the real thing.  He does differentiate nebulosity from luminosity.)

M2 Globular Cluster (2 easy) *

In the fall, the vast summer Milky Way slips slowly into the western horizon after sundown.  Hours will pass before mighty Orion and other bright winter constellations rise in the east.  Looking overhead, we now peer straight out of the galaxy – away from the crowded stellar cities of the Milky Way’s arms into the suburb of stars whose residents include some of the most inconspicuous constellations in the night sky; chief among them Aquarius, the Water Bearer.  It is largely indefinable, and its faint stars must compete with light pollution.  Nevertheless, Aquarius contains a secret treasure well worth hunting for   - the spectacular globular cluster M2. 

Jean-Domonique Maraldi (1709-1788) first spied this “nebulous star” from Paris on September 11, 1746, while searching for Cheseaux’s comet.  Maraldi called it “very singular” in that he could not resolve any star within it, nor within the entire telescopic field.

Messier independently chanced upon this object on September 11, 1760.  M2 is certainly a marvel.  This 175-light-year-wide swarm of 150,000 stars is replete with yellow and red giant stars about 13 billion years old.

Messier note: (Observed September 11, 1760) Nebula without a star in the head of Aquarius.  The center is bright, surround by circular luminosity; it resembles the beautiful nebula that lies between the bow and the head of Sagittarius. 

NGC note: Very remarkable globular cluster, bright, very large, gradually much brighter toward the middle, well resolved into extremely faint stars.

Data:     Messier 2 aka NGC 7089

                           Con: Aquarius                                             Mag: 6.5

                            RA: 21h33.5m                                             Dec: -00.49

                            Dist: 37,500 ly

M15 Globular Cluster (2 easy) *

Nearly the twin of M2 in Aquarius, this glittering gem in the winged horse Pegasus is one of six beautiful globular star clusters brighter than 7th magnitude that grace the northern sky.  The great Pegasus Cluster, M15, can be spotted without difficulty as a “fuzzy star” with the unaided eye, lying just 4 degrees northwest of the of the topaz 2nd magnitude star Epsilon Pegasi.

Messier notes: (Observed June 3, 1764) Nebula without a star between the head of Pegasus and that of Equuleus.  It is circular and the center is bright.

NGC notes:  Remarkable, globular cluster, very bright, very large, irregularly round, very suddenly much brighter in the middle, well resolved into very faint stars.

Data:     Messier 15 aka Great Pegasus Cluster aka NGC 7078

                           Con: Pegasus                                               Mag 6.3

                           RA: 21h30.0m                                             Dec: +12.10

                           Dist.: ~33,900 ly

M30 Globular Cluster (2 easy) *

M30 is a fairly large globular cluster with a few hundred thousand stars splashed across 90 light-years of space.  We see it whizzing away from us at 115 miles per second.  M30 is one of the Galaxy’s most extremely metal-poor globular star clusters, with each of its members, on average, containing about 1/186 as much metal per unit of hydrogen as the Sun.  The cluster has an integrated spectral type of F3 and an estimated age of 13 billion years. 

Shining at magnitude 6.9, the moderately condense glow is surprisingly obvious under a dark sky through 10 x 50 binoculars.  Visually compressed, M30 has a tiny core inside a 12’ globular haze, though only about half that size appears dominant through the telescope.  Despite the object’s brightness, low power does not resolve it at all.    

Messier notes: (Observed August 3, 1764) Nebula discovered below the tail of Capricornus, close to the sixth magnitude star Flamsteed 41.  It is difficult to see with a simple 3.5 foot refractor.  It is circular and does not include any stars.

NGC note: Remarkable, globular cluster, bright, large, little extended, gradually, pretty much brighter in the middle, stars from 12th to 16th magnitude.

Data:     Messier 30 aka NGC 7099

                           Con: Capricornus                                        Mag: 6.9

                           RA: 21h40.4m                                              Dec: -23.11

                           Dist: ~26,400ly

M72 Globular Cluster (3 detectible) *

M72 is Messier’s faintest globular.  At magnitude 9.2 and just 6’ in apparent diameter, this globular is easy to pass over.  Look for a 9th magnitude “double star” separated by 5’ – the eastern component is, in fact a star; the western component is M72.  Once found, use moderate magnification to enlarge the cluster’s disk.

One of the reasons M72 appears so feeble is its distance; the cluster lies about 55,000 light-years from the Sun and 42,000 light-years from the galactic center.  Yet, in true physical extent, it spreads across about 110 light-years of space.

Messier notes: (Observed October 4, 1780, sort of) Messier was unable to clearly identify this object.  His assistant M. Mechain spotted it on the night of August 29, 1780. 

NGC note: Globular, pretty bright and large, round, much compressed in the middle, well resolved.

Data:     Messier 72 aka NGC 6981

                           Con: Aquarius                                             Mag: 9.2

                           RA: 20h53.5m                                              Dec: -12.32

                           Dist: ~55,400 ly

***

* Sky Tools offers an observability scale of 1 – 6, with 1 being “Obvious” and 6 being “Very Challenging”.  The particular rating scale I use is based on a Celestron SCT 8 Evolution telescope at the HAS dark site on a moonless night.

Finito!

Ex astris, scientia, y’all!

Jim King

Field Trips and Observing Chair

Want more? Check out the HAS website under “Programs”/Messier Challenge/HAS 45

 

By: Steve Goldberg

Asterism: a grouping of stars that form a recognizable pattern.
Constellation: Cassiopeia
Right Ascension:  03h 27m 00.0s
Declination: +71° 50' 00"
Magnitude: 7 to 8
Size: 1.5 Degrees                            

This month’s Asterism is called Kimble’s Kite or the Kite Cluster. It is on the border of Cassiopeia and Camelopardalis.

To locate this grouping, use Delta δ and Epsilon ε CAS as pointers to Gamma γ CAM.

Here is a detailed finder chart with more stars between Cassiopeia and Camelopardalis.

 

 

 

 

Here is a picture showing the kite pattern. One corner is the star 15 CAS, also known as Kappa κ CAS.

Since the object is about 1.5 degrees across, use your lowest power eyepiece and also see if it is in your finder

Photo courtesy of “Ugly Hedgehog® - Photography Forum”, user Jimh123.

     

Novice Presentation - via Zoom

Event Date

            “Star and Galaxy Hopping.

           with Justin McCollum
 
Justin3.jpg

One of the key skills that a new astronomer needs to learn is how to navigate the night sky in order to find objects of interest. Long before the advent of GoTo technology, astronomers relied on good star charts and a technique called star hopping to get then where they wanted to go in the sky. At times, when brighter stars are not available, such as toward the Galactic poles where most galaxy clusters are found, it can become convenient to use known galaxies as signposts in the sky.

Justin will describe how star hopping and galaxy hopping is done, what to look for in a star chart, and other tools you can use to make your exploration of the night sky successful and enjoyable.

Speaker Bio: Justin McCollum is a long time member of HAS and is on the staff of Lamar University where he is the Physics Laboratory Coordinator.

To Register for Zoom Meeting: Since we're all practicing safe social distancing, we have decided to bring our speaker to you virtually through the Zoom online meeting platform! You must register for this presentation in order to attend. You may do so by using the link below: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMpc-qurjoiHtNczXhbUU6d9GYWXL9WjxhU

Please watch your email, as you should also receive an email inviting you attend. The email will include any up to date changes (if any) on meeting times etc. You may also register using the link in the email, however it is only necessary to register once.  

We'll have the online chat feature available to us during the talk, and once the presentation is over, we can open up the audio lines for more questions.  I'm excited that this we're able to get together in this fashion, and I hope you can join us then.  We hope to see you online with us on Thursday evening November 4th!

     

HAS Monthly Meeting - via Zoom

Event Date

 The Art of Visual Observing and Preserving your Observations

by Stephen Jones

Stephen Jones.jpg

Abstract –  One of the most frequently cited reasons many newcomers to astronomy give for wanting to get into astrophotography rather than visual observing is because they want to be able to show others what they looked at.  What many folks don't realize is that visual observations can be easily preserved as well, even without much artistic skill, with the right logging techniques.  Additionally, careful observation with the intent of making a good log can also improve your observational skills itself.  Stephen will discuss the fundamentals of making a good visual observation, and how to make a good record of your observations

Our Speaker – Stephen Jones  is HAS Vice President

When Stephen was six years old, his dad Stan Jones, gave him 60mm Tasco refractor and started trying to teach him to use it.  Having limited success, Stan looked for help and found HAS.  Stan’s efforts lead him to take up astronomy himself and acquire 10” Meade SCT. Stan was a regular out at the HAS Dark Site with Stephen enthusiastically along for the ride. 

Later in life, Stephen rekindled his interest in astronomy, and with a 6 inch dob from the HAS loaner program, then later a 10 inch dob and a 16 inch dob rebuilt using the mirrors from his dad’s scope, he completed the requirements for the Master Observer award. 

Stephen has also served three years as Field Trip and Observing chair of HAS, and conducts Novice Labs at the Dark Site, where he teaches the night sky and the basics of using a telescope to those new to astronomy

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Since we're still practicing safe social distancing, we will bring our September Speaker to you virtually through the Zoom online meeting platform! You must register for this presentation in order to attend. You may do so by using the link below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYqde2tpzwqGdcZJwZonWHMM974soy5KQk_

Please watch your email, as you should also receive an email inviting you attend. The email will include any up to date changes (if any) on meeting times etc. You may also register using the link in the email, however it is only necessary to register once.  

We'll have the online chat feature available to us during the talk, and once the presentation is over, we can open up the audio lines for more questions.  I'm excited that this we're able to get together in this fashion, and I hope you can join us then.  We hope to see you online with us on Friday evening November 5th!

Joe Khalaf

President

Houston Astronomical Society

     

VSIG meeting via Zoom

Event Date

Interested in visual observing?  Join the monthly Zoom meeting of the HAS Visual Special Interest Group (VSIG). Come to discuss your own observing projects, get advice from seasoned observers regarding visual observing, or just hang out and listen.  All knowledge and skill levels are welcome.  Zoom meeting info will be sent out via the VSIG email list server.  Just sent me an email at [email protected] to get on the list. Clear skies to you all!

-Stephen Jones – VSIG Moderator