MEETING NOTICE: On Thursday, April 10, 2008 there will be an annual field trip to the Cordell-Lorenz Observatory at The University of The South, Sewanee , TN. BAS car pools will depart from the Jones Observatory parking lot promptly at 6:00 P.M. EDT and return by 11:00 P.M. EDT . Dinner will be at Monteagle on the way. See inside for details

PROGRAM: Presented in the Astronomy Laboratory by Dr. Douglas Durig, with outside telescope viewing if weather permits.

 

The Barnard STAR is the official publication of the Barnard Astronomical Society.

Planned Activities to Enjoy The Wonders of Astronomy—

“Giving amateurs their due: The term ‘amateur' is often used negatively as a synonym for ‘unskilled.' Not here! In astronomy, the word remains true to its Latin root, amator, meaning ‘lover.' Amateur astronomers spend countless hours under the starry sky purely for the love of it. Many become as skilled at telescope observing or astrophotography as any professional—often more so.”

“The joy of astronomy comes from finding your way around the starry sky and understanding what you see.” –The Editors, SKY AND TELESCOPE MAGAZINE

 

Technical Areas of Specialization within BAS for Member Participation 

Large Aperture/Dark Sky/Deep Space Optical Astronomy
For more information, contact David Witt or Victor Rogers.

Astrophotography
For more information, contact David Hanon , Dr. Gary Caldwell, or Victor Rogers

Radio Astronomy
For more information, contact Bill and Melinda Lord, or Bill Seymour

 

MARCH REGULAR MEETING PROGRAM

A NASA Video titled, “STARGAZE—Hubble's View of The Universe” was shown. It lived up to its advance billing as ”…over an hour of the most incredible images from outer space that you will ever see.” Captions explaining the spectacular scenes and describing some of the research projects involving the Hubble Telescope accompanied the video.

However, in spite of careful advance planning by the projectionist, Dr. Gary Caldwell, there was a persistent problem with the sound quality of the presentation. This was apparently due to the channeling of a high powered audio file, designed for a large stereophonic sound system, into the small speaker system of a laptop computer and overloading it. We apologize to the audience for this distraction.

 

SPECIAL APRIL MEETING PROGRAM
(Note: There will not be a BAS meeting at the Jones Observatory during April.)

On Thursday, April 10, 2008 there will be an annual field trip to the Cordell-Lorenz Observatory at The University of The South, Sewanee , TN. BAS car pools will depart from the Jones Observatory parking lot promptly at 6:00 P.M. EDT and return by 11:00 P.M. EDT . Dinner will be at Monteagle on the way. The program will be presented in the Astronomy Laboratory by Dr. Douglas Durig, with outside telescope viewing if weather permits.

Don't miss this opportunity to learn about the activities of Dr. Durig, one of the world's foremost asteroid hunters with more than 200 “finds” to his credit. Just seeing his advanced equipment, fascinating techniques, and his reporting connections to the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge , MA (the world clearinghouse for asteroid discoveries) make this field trip well worth while.

Directions:

-Follow I-24 West to Exit 134 on top of Monteagle Mountain
(Sewanee-The University of The South).
McDonalds is at Exit and famous Smoke House Restaurant is one mile South on Rt. 41A.
-Follow Rt. 41A South for four miles to entrance to University of The South .
-Turn right and follow main street through campus. Physics/Astronomy Bldg with dome on top is ½ block past the first traffic light and next to famous landmark All Saints Chapel. Astronomy Laboratory is on top floor accessible by stairs and elevator.

 

LOOKING AHEAD

On Thursday, May 8, 2008 , the BAS meeting will be at The Jones Observatory. Dr. John Mannone, BAS Outreach Coordinator, and NASA Night Sky Network Solar System Ambassador will present the program. Topic to be announced.

 

UPCOMING STAR PARTIES FOR BAS MEMBER PARTICIPATION

-- Fall Creek Falls , Friday April 4th and Saturday April 5th. Contacts are Allen Ball at mistal@bellsouth.net; or Lloyd Watkins at watkinsslk@comcast.net; or visit CumberlandAstronomicalSociety.org.

--Boy Scout Camporee at Camp Columbus , April 11th or 12th. Contact BAS member David Witt for more information.

 

BREAKING NEWS ABOUT ASTRONOMY IN OUR CHATTANOOGA DAILY NEWSPAPER

Through its instantaneous connection with the New York Times news wire, the Chattanooga Times Free-Press is able to publish important articles about astronomy within 24 hours. Sometimes it is updating of old theories with new data, but in other cases, it is so fresh that months pass before the same news appears in the popular magazines, ASTRONOMY and SKY AND TELESCOPE. Examples of newspaper stories appearing in the last several weeks include: “Exploding Star Sets Distance Record for Object Viewable by Naked Eye”( 7.5 billion light years away as detected by NASA's Swift Satellite); “Universe is Indeed 13.73 Billion Years old (confirmed by two years of data just announced from the NASA Satellite Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe); “Scientists Redefine Solar System” (information presented by NASA scientists to American Association for The Advancement of Science last month); and ”Scientists Use Microlensing to Find 2 Planets.”

Also, coverage of eclipses, comets, manned and unmanned space flight, and other celestial events has generally been good in the Times Free-Press. If anyone needs a copy of notable local newspaper astronomy articles, contact BAS Secretary Bill Seymour who archives these items.

We are very fortunate to have this local daily coverage of space science for persons in the Chattanooga area who want to be well informed on the subject.

 

A STORY OF CONNECTIONS, COINCIDENCE, AND “EINSTEIN'S GREATEST BLUNDER”
HOW BAS MEMBERS RECENTLY INTERACTED WITH TWO WORLD-CLASS ASTRONOMERS

For the second time in less than six months, BAS members have had the opportunity to associate with internationally known leaders in astronomy in an interconnected and ongoing drama involving the Theory of General Relativity and current cosmological ideas about the expanding universe.

Last October, based on a junior high school friendship with BAS President Tom Adkins , we were able to have Dr. Harold McAlister, President of the Mt. Wilson Institute as our program speaker. Dr. McAlister manages the famous observatory located more than 5,000 feet up in the San Gabriel Mountains Northeast of Los Angeles where Edwin Hubble (1889-1953) used the 100 inch reflector to do his pioneering work in extra-galactic astronomy. Hubble provided the first evidence of the expansion of the universe.

Meanwhile, as a historical background for the next part of our story, it should be noted that Albert Einstein had published his General Theory of Relativity shortly after he received his doctorate in physics in 1905. This was prior to Hubble's discoveries, but interestingly one of the requirements of the initial mathematics in the General Theory was that the universe had to be either expanding or contracting. Since there was no evidence at the time that these events were occurring, Einstein felt compelled to put into his theory a Cosmological Constant to explain the static universe (he had done a bit of mathematical juggling, introducing a fresh term into the field equations of the General Theory, which represents a repulsive force contrary to ordinary gravitational attraction).

Then, in 1929 Hubble announced the expansion of the universe. All of a sudden, the Cosmological Constant was in trouble. Albert Einstein subsequently made many trips to the Mt. Wilson Observatory to confer with Edwin Hubble and authenticate Hubble's findings. This led to Einstein's repudiation of his Cosmological Constant as “his greatest blunder.”

But this intertwined story does not end there, as related by the second world-class astronomer who recently gave a presentation in front of BAS members. As things have turned out, due primarily to data obtained from the distant universe with the Hubble Space Telescope, Einstein may not have made a blunder at all!

In March, 2008, several BAS persons went to The University of The South at Sewanee where, as part of their Distinguished Lecture Series, Dr. Wendy Freedman of Pasadena , CA , Director of The Carnegie Observatories, gave a program titled, “The Runaway Universe.”

(The Carnegie Foundation has been funding astronomical research for more than 100 years; in fact, Edwin Hubble was using Carnegie telescopes at Mt. Wilson to make his famous discoveries. Carnegie Observatories presently manages the large Magellan telescope at Las Campanas, Chile , high in the Andes Mountains . Dr. Freedman is also Chair of The Board for the Giant Magellan Telescope, targeted for completion in 2013, which would be twice the size of anything now operating on earth or in space.)

In her Sewanee program with BAS members, Dr. Freedman pointed out that the Hubble Constant (a cosmological term based on the work of Edwin Hubble to measure the rate of expansion of the Universe) previously could not be precisely determined using ground based telescopes. It has only been in the last ten years, using observations from the Hubble Space Telescope (which has ten times the resolution of the largest ground based optical telescope) that cosmologists have come to the shocking conclusion that the universe is expanding at an incredible rate (“The Runaway Universe”). The cause is suspected to be a mysterious and very powerful Dark Energy, just recently theorized, which may oppose gravity.

Now the story takes its final turn and Einstein's thinking reenters the picture. According to Dr. Freedman, after Edwin Hubble at Mt. Wilson found that the universe is expanding and Einstein had to repudiate his term (Cosmological Constant), it may turn out that Einstein was correct after all; and, this mathematical expression is necessary within General Relativity to explain the action of Dark Energy.

Now, back down to earth! BAS members who attended these two fascinating programs from Dr. McAlister and Dr. Freedman indeed found those persons, in spite of their international credentials, to be personable and readily accessible for questions and interactions and discussions after the formal program ended.

BAS is very fortunate to have personal exposure to this caliber of speakers in the field of astronomy.

 

THE BASICS

There are approximately 7,000 professional astronomers, world-wide. Of these, about 3,000 reside in the United States .

(Source: Dr. Wendy Freedman, President of the Carnegie Observatories, Pasadena , CA )

 

BAS members and astronomy friends,

Here is advance notice of a star party that the Boy Scouts are requesting for this spring, in April 2008 at Camp Columbus . They will most likely ask for us to be there on Friday or Saturday night, April 11th or 12th. I will let everyone know later on when we have more details.

They usually have several hundred Boy Scouts at these Camporee events, so this is an opportunity to introduce a lot of young people to astronomy and the night sky. We gave them a very successful star party at their last Camp Columbus Camporee last winter, and it made a very good impression on them, and it is great that they want us back. I will send more details later on when they become available.

 

Help! A Black Hole Ate My Planet!

UH-OH, the mad scientists are at it again. In their determination to extract nature's secrets, physicists in America have built a machine so powerful it has raised fears that it might cause The

End of The World As We Know It.

"Big Bang machine could destroy Earth" ran the headline over a story in The Sunday Times last month. It claimed that our planet was in peril from a vast new American particle accelerator on Long Island , the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), which will collide pairs of gold nuclei at high energies. According to the article, RHIC could trigger a catastrophic event: the creation of a black hole or a ravenous "strangelet" that could swallow up our entire planet.

Within 24 hours, the laboratory issued a rebuttal: the risk of such a catastrophe was essentially zero. The Brookhaven National Laboratory that runs the collider had set up an international committee of experts to check out this terrifying possibility. But BNL director John Marburger, insisted that the risks had already been worked out. He formed the committee simply to say why they are so confident the Earth is safe, and put their arguments on the Web to be read by a relieved public.

Even so, many people will be stunned to learn that physicists felt worried enough even to mull over the possibility that a new machine might destroy us all. In fact, they've been fretting about it for over 50 years. The first physicist to cause such jitters was Edward Teller, the father of the hydrogen bomb. In July 1942. Such concerns abound the internet and are not likely to subside any time soon!

Good Seeing!

 

OFFICERS

President………………………………………...…. Tom Adkins
Vice-President…………………………………… Gary Caldwell
Secretary…………………………………....………Bill Seymour
Treasurer………………………………….…………. David Witt
STAR Editor…………………………….………….Steve Ramey
Webmaster………………………………...…………. Rod Ruch
Star Party Chairman………………………...……...Victor Rogers
Outreach Coordinator…………………....………...John Mannone

March Minutes

Vice-President Gary Caldwell called the meeting to order at 7:30 P.M. There were 15 members and nine visitors present.

Approval of February minutes was as read (with the exception that the election of officers is scheduled for the May meeting; see below).

Treasurer's Report

There was $781.18 in the bank account on March 1. This does not reflect the $150 check to the Regional Science and Engineering Fair.

Old Business

Damage to the front door of the observatory is to be reported to Jack Pitkin at UTC.

Dave Trayer, BAS member and retired professor at CSTCC, was a judge at the Science Fair for the Physics and Astronomy Section. He reported on the senior and junior division winners, who will receive BAS prize money. This was donated by Chattanooga native and BAS member Dr. Tom Murphy, now an astrophysicist at the University of California , San Diego .

New Business

Upcoming Star Parties were announced; April 4th and 5th at Fall Creek Falls State Park (concurrent with Smoky Mountain Star Party); April 11th and 12th is Boy Scout Jamboree at Camp Columbus .

The BAS Nominating Committee has proposed the following 2008 Slate of Officers;

President- Dr. Gary Caldwell
Vice-President- Bill Lord
Secretary- Bill Seymour
Treasurer- Melinda Lord
STAR Editor- Steve Ramey
Webmaster- Rod Ruch
Star Party Chair- Victor Rogers
Outreach Coordinator- Dr. John Mannone
Program Committee- Co-Chairs Dr. John Mannone and Bill Lord; Member-at-Large David Witt

In accordance with The BAS Constitution, Article IV. Section 1.C.2., a slate of candidates from the three person nominating committee, along with any nominations from the floor, shall be presented at the April meeting, published in the May Newsletter, and voted on at the May meeting.

Respectfully submitted.
Bill Seymour, Secretary

REMINDER - Your annual BAS dues of are now due on the anniversary of your membership in accordance with the adopted amendment to the by-laws. The due date appears below your name on the address on the front of this newsletter. If your expiration date says “Overdue” or if you don't agree with the date shown, contact David Witt to resolve discrepancies. The current dues rates are as follows: REGULAR $15.00, REGULAR ASSOCIATE $7.00, JUNIOR $8.00, JUNIOR ASSOCIATE $5.00. Your Sky & Telescope or Astronomy subscription will continue to be handled as in the past. When you receive your subscription reminder card, submit it to:

David Witt
4503 Cove Lane
Chattanooga , TN 37415-2306

Along with the group subscription rate of $32.95 for Sky and Telescope, or $34.00 for Astronomy. Note the increased rate for Astronomy. This was effective July 31, 2005

DEADLINE - All articles and other materials for publication in the next STAR are due no later than Wednesday, April 30th. The following media are acceptable: hard copy, disk (IBM), video tape (VHS), prints, or e-mail to bas@chattanooga.net or s tramey@catt.com and attach a file or mail to:

Steve Ramey
109 Sioux Trail
Ringgold GA 30736

PHOTOGRAPHS ARE ALSO ACCEPTABLE.

DIRECTIONS TO ORION ACRES

FROM NORTH HAMILTON COUNTY :

From 27 (corridor J) take hwy. 111 to Dunlap, continue through the Sequatchie Valley up the next mountain ( Cagle Mountain ). When you reach the summit about 5 miles turn LEFT onto hwy. 399 (sign reads 'to Savage Gulf State Park ' Stay on 399 until it ends, which will be in Grundy Co. Now make a LEFT onto hwy. 108 South. This goes thru Palmer TN. Continue on 108 up to a higher elevation. When this levels off, turn RIGHT onto Palmer Fire Tower Rd. This is a large open area with possibly trucks loaded with timber for the paper mills. Orion Acres will be on the RIGHT about 8 tenths mile.

 FROM INTERSTATE 24 (to Nashville ):

Go to the Dunlap/Whitwell exit (#155). This is hwy. 28. Exit right and keep on 28 for about 11 miles, passing Hardee's on your left. Continue through the stoplight and take the next LEFT on Hwy. 108 North. Continue another 11 or so miles. You will see ' Grundy County ' sign. Take the next left. This is Palmer Fire Tower Rd. Go 8 tenths of a mile and Orion Acres is on the RIGHT