CIAS January 2015 News Letter

Happy New Year all

The next public meeting of the Cayman Islands Astronomical Society will be at Pedro St James Castle on Wednesday 21st of January starting at 6:30 PM weather permitting.
 

The meeting will be canceled if there is more than 50 percent cloud cover.
If in doubt ring me on 925 7657 and please remember to dip head lights on arrival
Im also asking for members to let me know if they will be coming or not as that will dictate the agenda of the evening and scopes involved.
The meeting is scheduled a little earlier than our "3 days after a new moon" rule as there are other events at the Castle that following weekend.

In the evening sky at the moment we have a lovely couple - Venus and Mercury just after sunset. The shear brightness of Venus is an easy guide to the fainter more elusive Mercury.Venus will be around for some months this Spring - so watch OUR space! As for other planets Mars isn't far away in the evening Western sky too. So that's three planets.Later on Jupiter rises at around 10 PM in the East - not a bad haul.

On this coming Friday evening 16th January there is a Iridium flare predicted at close to magnitude -8.1 That is really bright! The Flare will occur at around 18:41 PM and will be close to overhead (slightly to the NE)In fact looking at the predictions the closer you get to Spotts beach the brighter it will become.
Alternatively if you are at a barbeque or pool party this is a neat trick to pull off.

Finally don't forget Comet Lovejoy later on in the evening - not far from The familiar constellation of Orion. Although at magnitude +3.8 you will probably still need binoculars and it appears as a large "fuzzy ball".
Ive been following the comet for some nights now, becoming a regular part of my dogs last walk for the nightIt is a little further from Orion than you think but here's a link to a finder chart. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/observing-news/spot-comet-lovejoy-tonight-122920141/
If you are still struggling by the 17th you probably need new binoculars or worse new glassesIts then located not far from the Pleiades- to the Western side.
It will make a nice object to see at the public meeting too on the 21st

Clear Skies!
Chris

CIAS December News Letter: A Star in the East for Christmas

Meetings

The next  public meeting of the Cayman Islands Astronomical Society will be at St Pedros  Castle on Sunday 28^th of December starting at 6:30 PM – weather permitting. The meeting will be cancelled if there is more than 50 percent cloud cover .

 If in doubt ring me on 925 7657 Please remember to dip head lights on arrival

If anyone would like to help me set up that night please come along early at around 6 PM

On that night we will be treated to TWO passes of the International Space Station.(ISS)

The time will vary a little on the night due to the age of the predictions made at the time of writing (19^th Dec)  Worse- the ISS may have made a maneuver to correct its orbit too!

So add a few minutes leeway each way.

Date	Brightness	Start			Highest point			End			Pass type
	(mag)	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.
27 Dec	-3.0	19:18:34	10°	NNW	19:21:10	51°	NNW	19:21:10	51°	NNW	visible
28 Dec	-2.3	18:27:50	10°	NNW	18:30:40	27°	NE	18:33:30	10°	ESE	visible
28 Dec	0.1	20:05:58	10°	WSW	20:06:57	11°	WSW	20:07:55	10°	SW	visible

Im also at the Marriot on the Saturday evening 27^th – if anyone would like to help out please ring 925 7657 I will be there from 7:00 PM till 8:30PM. Theres’ a really good crossing of the ISS that night too.

Christmas and Telescopes

 It usual to mention that people buying telescopes  as Christmas presents this time of  the year should try and avoid those bargains as seen in “Cost-U-More” . If you need advice please contact me although I admit it’s a little late now if you have already bought something. This is a good article http://www.scopereviews.com/begin.html and I agree with two things – 1) don’t rush    and  2) even a cheap pair of binoculars is a good place to start. If you need some help in setting up let me or Bill know – phone numbers below

Events Next Year

In January starting on the 6^th of Jan and running for 8 weeks there will be a joint UCCI/CIAS course at the UCCI Observatory entitled “Astrophotography Essentials” The lion’s share of the course will be taught by Bill Hrudey and will be very modestly priced. Last we talked it was about 125 CI. Let me or Bill (whrudey@candw.ky) know if you are interested in coming and for further details.  You will need a camera (obviously) and ideally an SLR.  A T-adapter will also be needed – (we have some for Canon models only).You won’t necessarily need a telescope but you will have the opportunity to use different types on the course.

For the third year running we will be hopefully at the Cayman National Cultural Foundations “Red Sky At Night Festival” on February 28^th 2015 down Astronomical Avenue.

The CIAS will be involved in some capacity at the upcoming UCCIs “STEM CARIB 2015” conference too – Ill certainly list all the speakers attending next year – the conference always has a high level of Astronomy related topics. Dates are March 17-20. One key note speaker is Dr Hakeem Oluseyi

Events This Month

The Winter Solstice is on December 22^nd and is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. The evenings even here drawn in early although surprisingly to some the latest sunset occurs in late November!

Its sometimes really nice to spot something quite normal in the sky for this time of the year but the moment when its seen itself makes it very special. The run down (?!) into Christmas for some of us seems very frantic with far too many things to do against a running clock... and for the third visit to a supermarket in as many hours tonight (Friday 19th) it was wonderful to see Orion rising in the East as I  drove to Savannah. Do try and grab a few moments with the old fella!

Planet wise- below is a sky map for the ISS crossing at 18:27 on the 28^th of December

Venus and potentially Mercury will be visible in the West after sunset – Venus will become much more visible in the evening sky in the next few weeks

Jupiter is around too – but not really rising until around 10 :30 PM as a really  brilliant star in the East. Jupiter was known as Jove in Roman times and was a key deity – in fact king of all the gods.

I do like the idea of a star in the East this time of the year. The Internet is of course full of people trying to connect the name of Jove to Jehova too. Im not into that but what I will say is that Jupiter is quite a sight in the late evening and just maybe one of the many options we have for the  phenomenon once seen as The Star of Bethlehem. For example it would be a great star for navigation purposes

Whatever your religion have a great break and hopefully see some of your before the New Year.

Clear Skies!!

Chris Cooke 925 7657 cpcooke@aol.com

Chart below is for Sunday  28^th December 2014  Time (local) 18:27 ISS crossing – remember the times may be out by a few minutes. The Chart is taken form the website http://www.heavens-above.com/ with the site authors permission.

CIAS Newsletter November 2014

November Outreach

The last week  in November is going to be very busy dealing with a well above average number of requested for evening viewings  from Schools and Youth Clubs. Last count was  6 evenings!

With that in mind we have postponed the regular session at St Pedro's. Additionally there are a number of events going on at the Castle which has reduced our options too.

We will try and do something special in December with the new Telescope.

The New Telescope 

It arrived and was assembled single handed but it took a while, then collimated and then disassembled in my living room. It’s big !! I know that if we had gone for the 14inch that would have been too much. The telescope is an Orion  12 inch Dobsonian with a GOTO computer allowing objects to be selected and then tracked automatically

Much thanks to Kirks who kindly shipped it on to Cayman from Miami for the Society

"First Light"  Members Only Telescope Workshop Evening This Week Friday 14th 

The Next Society (members only) meeting will be held in my Strata’s Swimming pool area where I can at least suppress some of the lights and start up the new Telescope scope with  some comfort on home territory. Then we will see what we have bought!

As a thank you for all the hard work and support in fund raising for the new scope I will supply pizza - members can bring a bottle if they want. No smashing on the tube though!

I’ll be there from 5:30 PM onwards – and will start putting the Scope together around 6:00PM. If you want to give a hand or see how it all goes together come early! RSPV

Meteor Showers

There are two low number Meteor showers this month – there’s the North Taurids – which peaed on November the evening of the 11th to the 12^th  described as a “rambling sparse” shower with a maximum of 5 per hour – but they can produce (rarely) spectacular fireballs. Infact I did see one last night -(13th) at 10 PM 

 The second display this month is the Leonids on the evening of November the 17th - 18^th best seen after midnight and once the radiant in Leo has risen. (Max 10-15 per hour)  Again low numbers but who knows. 

In December we have the Geminids on the evening of the 13^th to the 14^th  .Remember the numbers quoted are for a theoretical maximum if the radiant is directly overhead. I have seen good numbers from this shower in previous years - certainly double figures at maximum with a maximum number quoted at 50 . Other members on Island have also reported good numbers here too

Planets

Planets visible in the evening are somewhat limited to Mars (see the diagram opposite) and with the new telescope perhaps we will see the somewhat neglected Ice Planets of Uranus and Neptune.

Mars is seen in the South West just after nightfall. The picture here shows its location near the Moon on the 25th and the 26th. 

 Mars telescopically is a tiny image and its getting smaller. It is almost with apology I keep saying – Mars is visible but telescopically its not very impressive. Here is the reason why.

 Earlier this year in April we had a closer look at Mars In Astronomy this special close approach happens at an alignment called  “Opposition”. This occurs every 780 days and is a combination of the Earth going around the Sun in 365 days and Mars going round the Sun 687 days. The net effect is that these special closes approaches really only occur every two years (approx)

The dates for this year and the next little opposition are as follows

Date                            Closest Approach (Million miles)

April 08 2014              57.4

May 22 2016               46.8

Jul 27 2018                  35.8

So in 2018 we should get a good viewing! So at the moment Mars can be seen in the evening sky but is a small object telescopically and will get smaller too. However apart from being a pretty star in the sky we can also use it as a marker to find other things. For example on December the 4^th Mars is very close to a Globular Cluster M75 (NGC 6864) a rather faint distant group of stars but on the 4^th relatively easy to find.

The diagram to the right  shows Mars at Opposition, In fact all of the outer planets play the same game. As we move further out in the solar system the actual movement of the other planets relative to the background constellations gets slower and slower- . Opposition for Jupiter for example occurs every 399 days as Jupiter orbits the sun every 11.86 years!

Jupiter is our next best visible planet – rising above the horizon just before midnight, By the end of November this will be nearer 10 PM . However the best time is in the early hours before dawn .Between Nov 10-15 in the pre dawn skies look for Jupiter near the Moon and the star Regulus in Leo the Lion. 

The star chart below is taken from Chris Pete’s excellent site “Heavens Above” for 29^th November at around 8 PM . The Summer Triangle will still be easily visible – If you are on Severn Mile Beach it appears as a nice back drop on the Western Sky – with Mars low on the horizon after Sunset. Look for Cassiopeia (The Inverted W – the Big Mac of the Skies)  . The square of Pegasus overhead and towards the East (not so good from Seven Mile beach) is Orion – telling us Winter is fast approaching.

Finally we are on Twitter – So every entry made from @kyastro appears on the Astronomy Society Facebook page. Ill be adding some hashtag sites but I suggest #caymanastro is a good place to start!

So if you are already twittering please follow us!

Also Face Book

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cayman-Islands-Astronomical-Society/176383499041399

Email

cpcooke@aol.com

Cell

9257657 

Clear Skies Everyone! 

The next "Star Watch" meeting of the Cayman Islands Astronomical Society will be on Sunday 26th of October

The next "Star Watch" meeting of the Cayman Islands Astronomical Society will be on Sunday 26th of October starting at 6:30 PM onwards at Pedro's Castle , Savannah.

All are welcome, but as usual if the evening is more than 50 percent cloudy the meeting will be canceled

Ring (not text) 925 7657 at 6:00 PM if in doubt. 

On arrival please dip headlights and do not park on the grass. If you are a large group please park outside and walk to the main lawn area.

There is no charge for the occasional visitor but donations or membership of the Society for a modest 25 CI is encouraged.

We are expecting a good crowd with interest from two youth clubs for that evening so can members confirm as much as possible their attendance for the evening 

Two items of news to briefly mention.

In the news for THIS Sunday night 19th October is Comet Siding Springs which has a close encounter with Mars. For those who happen to be ON Mars at  the moment (!!!) the comet will be spectacular - although from Earth is going to be pretty faint (large telescope required) but relatively easy to find as Mars is now setting in the West after Sunset.

I could write a book of famous people I almost met - but I did work briefly in my career with Rob McNaught who first spotted the comet at the Siding Springs Observatory. He has discovered over 80 comets over the years but suspect the dreaded  world-wide "Government Cutbacks" are affecting any future tally he will have! 

So after all these years we still have something in common

Also I'm not expecting this to arrive before THIS Sunday but the Societies new 12 inch telescope might just make it for the next Pedros' meeting.
Our existing  large Scope is now 9 years old and is in need of some maintenance. A 12 inch is a huge jump in size so we should see quite a bit more detail in astronomical objects 

When the scope arrives and is "tested"  (in Astronomical terms this is known as  "First Light")  I can see a Members Only meeting here with wine and pizza perhaps? 

I'm hoping we will then have a special observing session in town somewhere to say thank you to all the people who donated to the Society (and perhaps to raise some more ?)

Any ideas welcome

Clear Skies everyone

Special CIAS meeting/lecture next Wednesday 10th Sept UCCI Observatory starts 7:30 PM

Hi All .

Special CIAS meeting/lecture next Wednesday 10th Sept UCCI Observatory starts 7:30 PM

 

All welcome – Free Admission but spaces limited to 18 only so please confirm your attendance by email cpcooke@aol,com

 

Members of the Astronomy Society have preference but non members are also invited and will be given the opportunity to join the Astronomy Society

 

Ashvin is a local student who has just completed a UK degree in Astronomy

Regards Chris Cooke CIAS

 

 

Next Meeting at St Pedro’s Castle on Tuesday 26th August, starting at 7:30 PM

The next public meeting will be held at St Pedro’s Castle on Tuesday 26^th August, starting at 7:30 PM

As usual if the weather is cloudy (more than 50 percent cover) the meeting will be cancelled.  Remember too that the weather in George Town is not as good as in Savannah (!) so if in doubt phone 925 7657 at 7:15 PM  

As mentioned on Facebook this week the Perseid meteor shower was at its peak but very uch hindered by the Moon.  I do know one person who saw three meteors this year but he lives in England. Let me know if you saw any

The Chart below is taken from Chris Pete’s excellent site http://heavens-above.com/ and we are allowed to use the chart with his permission. It shows the night sky for the 24^th of August at around 8:30 PM

Notice in particular how close Mars and Saturn are – there’s been quite a picturesque game over the past months with the lineup of Saturn and Mars, along with the stars Spica (in the constellation of Virgo) and Antares (in Scorpius) .  On the 24^th of August Mars and Saturn are at their closest (3 and a half degrees apart). Look into the South West Sky to see them.

 Those who know their way a little around the stars should be able to identify Scorpius, (watch out for the cats eyes) , the famous “teapot” at the Centre of the Galaxy in Sagittarius and now almost overhead the “Summer Triangle” composed of the three bright stars Vega , Deneb and  Altair.  In particular I want you to look for Altair in the constellation of Aquilla the Eagle. It’s a long shot but on the 19^th of August at around 20:20 PM there’s an Iridium Flare. This satellite – Iridium 41 will reach a brightness of -5.0 which will (if it turns up ) be pretty bright!

We will review these constellations and their secrets at our meeting at St Pedros

Finally there’s a comet in the sky!  Needless to say it’s not well placed for us at our latitudes, unless you are late to bed or a nearly riser.  You will also need a good pair of binoculars. The Comet is called C2014 E2-Jacques and it’s currently moving through the constellation of Perseus – which as you can see on the chart above has not risen at that time.  In fact it’s not visible until well after midnight. By  the 22^nd though it should be found near the star Segin – one of the stars that makes the familiar “W” shape of Cassiopeia, and will be in the NW skies.  Id wait a few hours for Cassiopeia to climb out of the haze on the horizon. For those in the know it will be faint – predicted Mag +8

Good Luck and Clear Skies Everyone!

Chris Cooke 925 7657 

June/July meeting At St Pedros Monday 30th June 2014 - start 7:30 PM

As usual this time of the year in June the meeting may be canceled due to the weather. If the sky is more than 50 percent cloudy then its unlikely the meeting will go ahead. Please feel free to ring me (not text) at 7 PM on 925 7657  if in doubt.

We are expecting a good number tonight (see below) so please park outside the grounds and walk in as space is limited.

The meeting is open to the General Public but we will also be looking after the Sunrise Rotary Club this evening as well. They are kindly  making a donation of a modest 5 CI per person and for a special one-off evening I  will suggest non members  might like to make the same donation amount too 

All monies raised either by donations or membership fees goes towards refreshing the Society's telescopes and we are planning to replace our major "big" telescope soon.

The sky on the 30th Of June  at around 9 PM local time  has the constellation of Scorpius rising  in the SE - and the Southern Cross is now setting in the SW.  Ursa Major (The Big Dipper or The Plough) is favorably placed in the North West too.

The Planets Mars and Saturn will be easily identified .

 On the 30th June there  is also  a crossing of the International Space Station at round 8 PM.  Also hoping to be seen is  an impressive Iridium Flare  at around 20:45 PM. If you have not seen one of these then you are in for a treat . It is predicted to  reach a maximum brightness of -4.2, More precise timings will be given on the night . Thanks to Chris Pete for the Sky Map below and the satellite predictions - Visit http://heavens-above for more details

Clear Skies Everyone !
Chris