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moon-4671091_960_720.jpgWe've all heard it by now - the impact to our daily lives in dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic is unprecedented and historic in our lifetimes. The recent outbreak has altered life for much of the world, and as I type this letter, I am self-quarantining at home while recovering from a suspected case of COVID-19. Thankfully, I'm doing well and am on the road to recovery, and my symptoms are much more mild than what others are dealing with.

While this pandemic has brought unique challenges to the way we do even the most mundane tasks in our lives, we live in a unique period in time where we can be connected practically anyone we wish, even while practicing social distancing.  Technology allows us to conduct meetings, host video chats, and even collaborate on all sorts of things, without ever having to leave the comfort of our own homes.  Many of us are working from home and doing practically everything we could from the office, and, in many cases, are even more productive than when in the workplace.  But all of this is so that we can try to flatten the curve of infection, and the Houston Astronomical Society is doing its part to help out by canceling our in-person gatherings until further notice...

In the book “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”, it is stated that as part of his “Astronomy O.W.L.” (some sort of year-end wizarding final exam that is required to get an academic credential) he observed the planet Venus. The book states that the exam started at 11PM.  Of course in the real world, Venus does not stray far from the sun, and so cannot be seen much outside twilight, certainly not that late. Right? It’s a work of fiction and we should not expect there to be any correspondence with the real world, after all! There was even a letter to the editor complaining about this impossible scene published in Sky and Telescope that I remember reading. But then what is that bright object low in the West late at night this month? Just how late can Venus set?

You might think that each apparition of Venus in the morning or evening skies is unique, and searching for the latest Venus-set would require an exhaustive computer search. You’d be wrong. Over the span of decades of a human lifetime there are only 5 evening apparitions of Venus, and they repeat every 8 years like clockwork. This is a consequence of the orbital period of Venus, 224.70 days, and of Earth, 365.26 days. As you can easily verify with a calculator, 8 orbits of Earth is only about a day longer than 13 orbits of Venus. Thus every 8 Earth years Venus laps Earth 5 times, and the positions of the two planets nearly precisely repeat. If you have a good astronomy app on your phone or tablet (I use “Sky Safari”, but there are several to choose from), try looking up the position of Venus on April 3 at 9PM. You’ll find it passing through the conspicuous naked-eye star cluster called the Pleiades.  (Many members of the public are sure the Pleiades is the little dipper, but it’s not. To avoid confusion, I propose calling it the “micro dipper”!) Then try setting the time to 8 years into the future --- there it is again!

Figure: The position of Venus in the 
Pleaides star cluster at 9PM on 
April 3 in 2020, 2028, and 2036, showing
how the position of Venus in the sky 
(nearly) repeats every 8 years. This 
(public domain) photo of the Pleaides (the 
“micro dipper”) is from a 1912 popular 
astronomy book.

NSN.pngThis article is 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!

Hubble at 30: Three Decades of Cosmic Discovery

David Prosper

The Hubble Space Telescope celebrates its 30th birthday in orbit around Earth this month! It’s hard to believe how much this telescope has changed the face of astronomy in just three decades. It had a rough start -- an 8-foot mirror just slightly out of focus in the most famous case of spherical aberration of all time. But subsequent repairs and upgrades by space shuttle astronauts made Hubble a symbol of the ingenuity of human spaceflight and one of the most important scientific instruments ever created. Beginning as a twinkle in the eye of the late Nancy Grace Roman, the Hubble Space Telescope’s work over the past thirty years changed the way we view the universe, and more is yet to come!

Messier of the Month

April 2020

Jim King

This is the second installment of a series of columns primarily revolving around observing the Messier Catalogue.  The intent is to provide the reader a small sampling of the Messier objects that are most visible in the time frame the column is published.  Hence, these deep sky objects should be easily identifiable in and around the month of April.  Some months, like April, may have a special treat in addition to the Messier Objects.  Check the trailer.

 H.A.S. uses the e-mail account and physical address you used when you joined the club to send you info about upcoming events, send you dues reminders, and to mail your Astronomical League Reflector magazine. If you’re using a new e-mail account or if you’ve moved, you’ll want to update your member profile. Here’s how:

  • If you’ve forgotten the username or email address you used to log in, send an e-mail to membership@astronomyhouston.org with your current address and e-mail and I’ll set you up.
  • If you know your username or e-mail but have forgotten your password, request a new one by clicking the Forgot Password link. newPassword.JPG

 

 

 

  • If you’ve moved, or if the above steps aren’t working for you, please contact membership@astronomyhouston.org with your current e-mail address and physical mailing address, and I’ll update the membership database for you. You’ll receive club news to your new e-mail immediately. The Reflector magazine will arrive at the next full quarter after the change is made.
ADHD / TL;DR* VERSION:

* Too Long;Didn’t Read  

  1. Dark site open. Buildings closed
  2. Roof. Still broke but solution in progress. Thank you Kay!
  3. WiFi. Mo’ betta
  4. Road Lights. Out with the old, in with the new
  5. Dead tree. Down!
  6. ORVFD. Fundraiser for new fire station
  7. Volunteers. Yes, please
Bored With Being Stuck Inside and Nothing Else to Do Version

At lot has been happening at the Dark Site this past month. Unfortunately, not much dark sky observing because of the weather. That has not stopped people from asking if the dark site is still open or kept people from trying to take advantage of extra time off and breaks in the weather ...