MEETING NOTICE :

The regular meeting of the BARNARD ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY will be held Thursday, September 13th at Jones Observatory on Brainerd Rd. Refreshments and social hour begin at 7:00 p.m. The business meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. followed by the program at 8:30.

PROGRAM:

"Rare Earth - Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe." Presented by BAS Member and former NASA Engineer Kevin Richardson.

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

Planned Activities to Enjoy
The Wonders of Astronomy—

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

AUGUST REGULAR MEETING PROGRAM

In his very interesting presentation, "Astronomy in Science Fiction", David Witt placed heavy emphasis on the category called Hard Science Fiction. This would be science fiction in which all activities are based on the so-called hard sciences, including chemistry, physics, biology, astronomy, geology , and mathematics as well as the technology growing out of those sciences. Such sciences, and consequently any science fiction based on them, assume the existence of an orderly universe whose laws are regular and discoverable.

A second major category, Soft Science Fiction, is based more on social sciences (sociology, psychology, anthropology, etc.) and aberrations in human behavior, most of which have not yet been fully accepted as rigorous or capable of prediction.

And, the third category touched on in the program is Science Fantasy: Under this heading would go those stories which are based on the proposition that natural laws out in the universe are different from those which we on this planet have derived from our current science. Science Fantasy is somewhat controversial and its connection with any of the earth-based sciences is minimal.

Since most science fiction plots occur in extraterrestrial locations, the generalization can be made that nearly every story is related to astronomy in some way. Furthermore, the main interest in science fiction always lies in the relationship among living beings, their technology, and the universe - often involving astronomical topics.

David Witt examined a broad range of science fiction authors, beginning with Jules Verne (20,000 Leagues Under The Sea; 1870) and ending with Carl Sagan's major science fiction endeavor (Contact; 1985). In between, many well-known authors and their works were discussed. Included were H.G. Wells, Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, and Isaac Asimov. A group of lesser known writers were also covered; among them were Frank Herbert (whose famous book, Dune, incorporates all three categories of science fiction); Larry Niven, Hal Clement, Ben Bova, Gregory Binford, Kim Stanley Robinson, Stephen Baxter, and Robert J. Sawyer.

Finally, David mentioned the way in which important astronomy/space technological advances in real life have often been preceded by their prominence in science fiction stories. Examples given were exploration of unknown worlds (Jules Verne); moon landings (Man in The Moon, 1901, H.G. Wells); exotic matter (Kip Thorne); geosynchronous orbits (Arthur C. Clarke); and robotic space vehicles (I, Robot, 1950; Isaac Asimov).

Thank you, David, for bringing this program to BAS.

SEPTEMBER REGULAR MEETING PROGRAM

On Thursday, September 13th, BAS member and former NASA Engineer Kevin Richardson will give a program titled, "Rare Earth - Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe."

(Note: The program originally scheduled, "The Cassisni-Huygens Mission to Titan" has been postponed until February. This was requested by the presenter, UTC senior Emily Hassler, to incorporate her current geology project which has implications for future unmanned solar system landings.)

New Meeting Format
7:00 P.M. Observatory opens for refreshments and social.
7:30 P.M. Begin business meeting.
8:10 P.M Break.
8:30 P.M. Program Begins.

LOOKING AHEAD

October Regular Meeting; Thursday, October 11th; BAS Joint Meeting with American Chemical Society at UTC University Center; Dr. Harold McAlister, Georgia State University and CEO of The Mt. Wilson Institute, will be the speaker.

November Regular Meeting; Thursday, November 8th; BAS Annual Field Trip to the Cordell-Lorenz Observatory at the University of The South, Sewanee, TN.

(Note: There will be no BAS Meetings at the Jones Observatory during October or November.)

BAS ENCOUNTER WITH COMET DUST

On Saturday night, August 11th, seven BAS members and three guests met at Orion Acres to view the annual Perseid Meteor Shower. Although the peak was not expected until the following night, some of the 20-25 meteor trails per hour were bright enough to bring "oohs" and "aahs" from the crowd. On this moonless night, good deep sky viewing with telescopes and binoculars was also accomplished. However, there was noticeable atmospheric turbulence in the "twinkle layer", which detracted from astrophotography.

Comet Swift-Tuttle, whose debris creates the Perseids, is the largest object known to make repeated passes near earth. Its nucleus is about six miles across. Perseid meteoroids - which is what they are called while they are in space - are fast. They enter Earth's atmosphere, and are then called meteors, at approximately 133,200 mph relative to the planet. Most are the size of sand grains; a few are as big as peas or marbles. Swift-Tuttle's orbit has been traced back nearly 2,000 years and is now thought to be the same comet that was observed in 188 A.D. and possibly even as early as 69 B.C. Swift-Tuttle is due back in 2126, and astronomers think it might become a spectacular naked-eye comet like Hale-Bopp. If historical information is correct, the 2126 appearance will mark the comet's third millennium of human observation, assuming someone is in fact around to see it. Comet Swift-Tuttle was last observed in 1992. Before that, it had last been seen in the year it was "discovered" by American astronomers Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle in 1862. (Abraham Lincoln was president.)

ANOTHER COLLEGE REQUESTS BAS HELP IN FIELD TRAINING OF ASTRONOMY STUDENTS

For the past year, BAS has been involved in a once-per-semester deep sky viewing session at Chickamauga Park with astronomy classes from UT-Chattanooga.

Now a request has been received from Dr. Matthew Krepps who teaches Astronomy at Lee University in Cleveland, TN. He is interested in bringing his students to Orion Acres during the current semester and possibly in subsequent school terms. This inquiry has been forwarded to Victor Rogers.

The reputation of Orion Acres as a superb dark sky site is spreading. This is still another opportunity to broaden the BAS outreach to the surrounding area.

 

The Blog That Wouldn't die!

Some of our readers who read science news on the net may have seen blogs reporting that Fermilab may have beaten the LHC to the Higgs Boson discovery? If true there could be egg on faces a plenty at CERN.

Popularly known as the God particle, the Higgs boson is the most sought-after particle in physics. It is believed to endow all other particles with mass and is the last undiscovered component of particle physicists' great theoretical framework – the Standard Model. It is not hard then to see why New Scientist magazine should have devoted a long news story and a leader article in its issue of 2 March to a possible sighting of the particle. And why other publications, including The Economist, should then have carried enthusiastic articles of their own on the subject.

The story was given extra spice because the supposed discovery took place at the aging Tevatron accelerator at Fermilab near Chicago, which is pulling out all the stops to find the Higgs before the much more powerful Large Hadron Collider (LHC) switches on at CERN in Geneva either this year or next. But many at Fermilab are unhappy. Although the putative sighting was officially reported at a scientific meeting by CDF, the 600-strong collaboration carrying out the Higgs search at the US facility, it only became known to the media when it was discussed in Web logs, or blogs, by individual members of the group.

Judged against the generally accepted standards within particle physics, the events seen at the Tevatron constituted very poor evidence for the Higgs, but that doubt was not made clear in the newspaper and magazine articles. So should physicists be more cautious about discussing science in blogs? You be the judge and next time do your homework!

Good Seeing

 

BAS WEB SITE
http://bas.chattanooga.net

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

August Minutes

The August meeting of The Barnard Astronomical Society was called to order by President Tom Adkins. There were twelve members and two visitors present.

The minutes of the July meeting were read and accepted as read.

Treasurer’s Report

David Witt reported $825.15 in the checking account.

Old Business

Tom Adkins will invite Dr. Harold McAlister from Georgia State University to be the speaker at the October joint meeting with the American Chemical Society.

New Business

Bill Seymour discussed the new Radio Astronomy Group being formed within BAS. The new IBT Radio Telescope on loan to BAS from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, WV will be used mainly as a teaching tool. BAS members and the general public will be educated about some of the misunderstandings regarding the electromagnetic spectrum. For example, the term "photon" is associated mainly with visible light, even by persons who have had considerable education in physical science. In reality, the photon is the agent of energy transfer across the entire spectrum, from radio waves to gamma rays. The spectrum is a continuous entity with the distinguishing characteristic being that wavelength and frequency are inversely proportional. The terms, "radio, visible, infrared, ultraviolet, visible, x, gamma" are man-made and arbitrary. Despite vast differences in their uses and means of production, these are all electromagnetic waves in a continuous spectrum and the boundaries are artificial.

In this regard, the radio telescope is then an "electronic thermometer", measuring the photon activity above absolute zero (Kelvin). We will have some interesting future IBT telescope demonstrations.

BAS radio astronomy will be part of the Tamke-Allen Observatory program, called TAOSON, under the direction of Dr. David Fields, the most prominent radio astronomer in East Tennessee. At the present time, an advanced TAOSON remote observatory, called a Gamma Site, is being constructed on the rural property of BAS members Bill and Melinda Lord near Cleveland, TN. Radio emissions from the Sun, the planet Jupiter, and sources deep within our Milky Way Galaxy will be monitored. Plans include an impressive collection of dish and long-wire antennas and advance electronic equipment.

We welcome BAS members to join in this activity. In the East Tennessee region, amateur astronomers usually have, at best, an average of only two or three good optical viewing nights per month. Radio astronomy, on the other hand, can be done at any hour of the day throughout the entire year.

Tom Adkins discussed the new Timothy Ferris PBS series about amateur astronomy, called "Seeing in the Dark." A teleconference is being held at 8:00 P.M. on Wednesday, August 22nd. Tom invited persons to his house to participate. The TV programs begin in September. Watch your PBS station listings. THIS SERIES OF PROGRAMS SHOULD REALLY GIVE AMATEUR ASTRONOMY A BOOST!

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, September 5th. The following media are acceptable: hard copy, disk (IBM), video tape (VHS), prints, or e-mail to bas@chattanooga.net or stramey@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