M O U N T W I L S O N O B S E R V A T...

REFLECTIONS ~ FALL QUARTER / SEPTEMBER 2006MOUNT WILSON OBSERVATORY ASSOCIATION 11

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R E F L E C T I O N S

FFFFF A L LA L LA L LA L LA L L . Q UQ UQ UQ UQ U A RA RA RA RA R T E RT E RT E RT E RT E R ///// S E P T E M B E RS E P T E M B E RS E P T E M B E RS E P T E M B E RS E P T E M B E R ..... 2 0 0 62 0 0 62 0 0 62 0 0 62 0 0 6

Sunday, Sept. 24, 2:30 P.M.

MWOA Public Lecture

� Altadena Library, 600 E. Mariposa

St., Altadena. UCLA Prof. Edward L.

(Ned) Wright speaking on Observing

the Origin of the Universe. Refresh-

ments at 2:00 P.M.

CA

LE

ND

AR

I n t h i s i s s u e . . .MWOA Notes .............................................................. 2

Voyagers Sail On .......................................................... 3

CUREA 2006 ............................................................... 4

Photos of 1932 Lancaster, N.H., Eclipse Expedition ........ 6

Elsewhere .................................................................... 7

Saturdays, Sept. and Oct.

60-Inch Observing Nights

� MWOA Sustaining Members

only; September 23 and October

21. Call Don Nicholson at (310)

476-4413 to reserve. To become

a Sustaining Member, see page 2.

Tuesday, Oct. 3

MWOA Board Meeting

� For information, call Don

Nicholson at (310) 476-4413.

A B O U T T H E S P E A K E R

Edward L. (Ned) Wright received his A.B. and Ph.D.degrees from Harvard University in physics and astronomy,respectively. He has been at UCLA since 1981. He hasworked on the Cosmic Background Explorer project since1978 and has been a part of the Spitzer Space Telescopeproject since 1976. Professor Wright is also working onthe Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe.

Sunday, Oct. 22

MWOA Open House

� Mount Wilson. For time and

other details, see next newsletter

or www.mwoa.org after Oct. 3.

is the study of the large-scale properties of the

universe, endeavoring to understand the universe’s origin, evolution, and

ultimate fate. Today we can see remnants of the early universe’s hot,

dense matter as the now very cold (about 2.725 kelvins) cosmic

microwave background radiation — discovered serendipitously

in 1965 — which pervades the universe and is visible to microwave

detectors as a uniform glow across the entire sky. In 1992, the Cosmic

Background Explorer (COBE) observed minuscule fluctuations in the

temperature as a function of position in the sky. This was such a startling

finding that none other than Stephen Hawking pronounced it “the most

important discovery of the century, if not of all time.” COBE’s angular

resolution was limited to about 7 degrees, and the spacecraft was only able

to measure the anisotropy at large angular scales. In 2003, the Wilkinson

Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) gave cosmologists a crisp new view

of the temperature anisotropy. From the first-year data, researchers concluded

that the universe is 13.7 ± 0.2 billion years old and that its geometry is

Euclidean to within 2 percent. The data corroborated the standard “cold dark

matter” model of the universe, suggesting a composition of approximately

72 percent dark energy, 24 percent dark matter, and 4.4 percent ordinary

matter. WMAP continues to test the precept of the inflation model: that the

baby universe underwent a period of enormous growth at only 10–35 seconds

old, expanding by a factor of 1026 in a fraction of a second. WMAP’s high-

resolution measurements of the cosmic background radiation are contributing

to the realization of the new era of precision cosmology.

O B S E R V I N G T H E

O R I G I N UNIVERSE

O F T H E

oin us on SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, for a cosmological

update by UCLA professor EDWARD L. WRIGHT. If you

have wondered about the Big Bang, dark matter, how

small fluctuations in the early universe were imprinted

on space-time, and how recent discoveries have contrib-

uted to the remarkable synthesis of cosmological ideas

that have revolutionized our thinking, you will not want

to miss this fascinating discourse.

J

C osmo l og y

�


PAGE ONE BANNER PHOTOGRAPH

Edwin Hubble at the Newtonian focus

of the 100-inch Hooker telescope, circa

1922.

The Mount Wilson Observatory Asso-

ciation (MWOA) is a support group

made up of friends of the Mount Wilson

Observatory. MWOA is a nonprofit Cali-

fornia corporation, independent of the

Mount Wilson Observatory and the

Mount Wilson Institute, which operates

the Observatory. MWOA’s goals include

increased public awareness of the

Observatory’s unique history and con-

tinuing scientific contributions, as well

as improvement of the quality of public

access at Mount Wilson.

INFORMATION

Don Nicholson, President

(310) 476-4413

[email protected]

Or write to:

MWOA, P. O. Box 70076

Pasadena, CA 91117

MWOA WEBSITE

www.mwoa.org

MOUNT WILSON INSTITUTE WEBSITE

www.mtwilson.edu

A QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF MWOA

Executive Editor

Bob Eklund

[email protected]

Editor/Designer

Marilyn Morgan

[email protected]

For the use of historical photographs

of Mount Wilson, MWOA thanks the

Observatories of the Carnegie Institution

of Washington, the Huntington Library,

and Don Nicholson.

Reflections copyright © 2006, Mount Wilson

Observatory Association

A B O U T M W O A

A membership form maybe found on page 8.MWOA Member sh ip Bene fi t s

Associate, $20 — Includes newsletters (Reflections and OverView) plus participation inMWOA member events such as tours, star parties at Mount Wilson, and lectures.

Family, $30 — Permits family members in your household to participate in MWOAevents.

Sustaining, $100 — Includes all of the above, plus invitations to participate in specialevents, such as observing nights on the 60-inch telescope.

�

M W O A N O T E S

R E F L E C T I O N S

�

Obse rva to ry Open House O c tobe r 22 f o rM W O A M e m b e r s a n d T h e i r G u e s t s

On Sunday, October 22, MWOA members and their guestswill have the rare opportunity to go inside the major MountWilson Observatory facilities on a docent-led, in-depth tour.The Open House begins with an orientation talk at theAstronomical Museum (see our October newsletter for time).Following this, participants will be guided through thevarious facilities, including the 150-foot solar tower andthe famous 100-inch Hooker telescope. This program willconclude in time for participants to return home for dinner.A map and driving directions to Mount Wilson Observatorymay be found on page 8.

Lu Ra rog iew i c z Upda te

Lu’s round-the-country, year-long odyssey is progressing more or less on schedule. After reachingthe northwest corner of the United States last month, with a stop in Victoria, B.C., he followed theprevailing winds across the upper plains states and arrived in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, just in timefor the noon Yerkes Observatory tour on Labor Day Saturday. Richard Dreiser, a Yerkes staff memberwho conducts lectures and tours at the Observatory along with other duties (mostly related toeducation and public outreach), gave Lu a royal welcome and a special look at Yerkes’ “nooks andcrannies” after the public tour was over.

(Incidentally, Yerkes Observatory remains open pending resolution of the question of its possiblesale to a spa developer. Although Yerkes’ owner, the University of Chicago, announced earlier thisyear that it would be selling the Observatory property to the developer for approximately $10 mil-lion, the transaction is stalled until the Village of Williams Bay agrees to rezone the property to allowthe building of the spa as well as a number of planned condominiums and homes. To date, this hasnot happened.)

Lu’s next major stop will be a visit with CUREA founder Joe Snider in Maine around the beginningof October, when Joe will be sharing plenty of fall foliage and a bit of sailing on the Maine coast.Lu’s cell phone is usually turned on (626/796-2913) and he loves to hear from his MWOA buddies.

I s Yo u r M W O A M e m b e r s h i p E x p i r i n g ?

Please check the mailing label on this issue of Reflections to see when your MWOA membershipexpires. If your label says “2006/09,” your membership expires on September 30, 2006. Use therenewal form on page 8. Please renew promptly to assure continuing member benefits.


oyager 1 reached a distance of 100 astronomical units from theSun the other day — on Tuesday, August 15, 2006, at 2:13 P.M.Pacific time. Voyager 2, at about 80 AU, is about 6 years behindits sister ship.

Voyager 1 is cruising at about 61,000 km (38,000 mi) per hour,traveling nearly a million miles a day through the heliosheath,the boundary region at the edge of the solar system where theinterstellar wind meets the heliosphere. The heliosheath is theoutermost region of the heliosphere, a “bubble” formed by thesolar wind. (The heliosphere is not quite sphere-shaped, butrather windsock-shaped as it is formed by its motion throughthe interstellar medium.)

THROUGH THE TERMINATION SHOCK

When the solar wind, radiating outward in all directions, feelsthe effects of interstellar wind — the termination shock — thesolar wind’s supersonic speed drops abruptly. Voyager 1 passedthrough the termination shock in November 2003–December2004 and is now cruising in the heliosheath. The heliopause isthe boundary between the solar wind and the interstellar wind,where pressure causes the solar wind to turn back and flowdown the tail of the heliosphere. Once the Voyagers pass theheliopause, they will be in interstellar space.

Though models of the heliosphere have assumed that the distanceto the termination shock was the same in the northern and south-ern hemispheres, the Voyager team reported that the shock iscloser in the south than in the north. Voyager 1 is in the northernhemisphere of the windsock-shaped heliosphere, and Voyager 2 isin the southern hemisphere. Voyager 2 found that the shock isabout 9 AU closer to the Sun than it is in the north. The shockzone is fluid and ebbs and flows, “breathing” in and out as thesolar wind varies over the 11-year cycle of solar activity.

NEXT “STOP” — INTERSTELLAR SPACE

Voyager 1 found that the magnetic field in the heliosheath isbumpy, though the spacecraft is not being buffeted about as onemight expect from this description. Only the instruments can de-tect the bumps and “potholes.” When the Voyagers cross into in-terstellar space, though, the events should be dramatic. EdwardStone, project scientist on Voyager from the beginning of the mis-sion, said that “I expect that the contact between the solar windand the interstellar wind will be quite turbulent before Voyager

Voyagers Sail On T’S REALLY BEEN A WONDERFUL JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME, THERE’SNO QUESTION ABOUT THAT. AND HERE IT IS, ALMOST 30 YEARS AFTER

LAUNCH, AND WE’RE STILL ON THE FRONTIER OF DISCOVERY. —EDWARD STONE, VOYAGER PROJECT SCIENTIST

On their “Grand Tour” mission, the twin Voyagers visited Jupiter and Saturn

in 1979–1981, and Voyager 2 visited Uranus and Neptune in 1986 and

1989, respectively. In this schematic, Voyager 1’s path is taking the space-

craft above the ecliptic plane at an angle of about 35 degrees. Voyager 2

is diving below the ecliptic plane at an angle of about 48 degrees. In 1998,

Voyager 1 passed Pioneer 10’s record as the most distant human-made

object in space.

reaches steady interstellar conditions.” As Voyager 1 makes thecrossing, it will find an interstellar magnetic field that is stron-ger than the field in the heliosheath. That will be the indicator,Stone says, “that we’ve crossed into interstellar space.” It couldbe 10 years before Voyager 1 reaches that point.

THE LONGEST JOURNEY

Spacecraft electrical power is supplied by radioisotope thermo-electric generators that use a series of thermocouples to convertthe heat of the fuel source decay into electrical energy. TheVoyagers each had about 470 watts of 30-volt DC power atlaunch. As the electrical power slowly drops, onboard powerloads will be turned off and the data-gathering and operationalcapabilities of the spacecraft will be reduced. By about 2016, apower-sharing plan will limit the number of science instrumentsthat can be on at a given time. By 2020, it is anticipated that theVoyagers will no longer be able to power any single instrument,and the interstellar mission will come to an end.

Launched in 1977 and built to last 5 years, the Voyagers achievedall their prime mission objectives and more, with Voyager 2going on to visit the two outermost giant planets in 1986 and1989. In 2005, NASA put Voyager on the FY2006 budgetchopping block; mission operations were to be terminated in acost-cutting move prompted by the Moon–Mars initiative. Theinterstellar mission costs about $5 million per year and is oper-ated by a staff of 10 people (down from 300 during the “GrandTour” prime mission). The unsurpassed scientific return from theVoyagers, and the mission’s relatively low operating costs, appar-ently persuaded NASA to restore the funding for 2006.

— M. Morgan

NASA

TerminationShock

Heliosheath

Heliopause

I

VVVVV


he 17th annual session of CUREA — Con-sortium for Undergraduate Research andEducation in Astronomy — was marked byadvances in technology that have trulybrought Mount Wilson Observatory’s oldesttelescope into the 21st century. Studentsattending this year’s edition of the annualtwo-week educational program used theSnow Solar Telescope for research projectsthat the Observatory’s founder, GeorgeEllery Hale, could not have imagined whenhe brought the telescope from Yerkes Obser-vatory in 1904. Carried and pulled by ani-mals in 60 trips to the remote mountaintop,the Snow telescope made history then withits unprecedented array of instruments, in-cluding larger stationary spectrographs thancould be carried on even the world’s largesttelescope at that time. The largest of thosespectrographs was again the focus of solarprojects during CUREA, but with a decided-ly modern twist.

Thanks to the efforts of dedicated MountWilson volunteers, this year’s CUREA stu-dents had vastly improved methods forcollecting data using the venerable Snowtelescope. Where glass photographic plateswere once placed to record the solar spec-trum, a CCD camera donated by John Hootnow scans through the spectrum’s telltalelines. The CCD camera is carried by a stagebuilt by Bill Leflang, which allows precisepositioning. Software written by John Hootcontrols both devices, and also combinesand analyzes the resulting images in realtime.

The spectrograph’s original Littrow lens,which had been replaced long ago for aspecialized research project, was refitted byLarry Webster, chief solar observer at thenearby 150-foot solar tower telescope. Thespectrograph now yields a much brighterand sharper spectrum than has been seensince before CUREA began 16 years ago.The telescope itself (including mechanicsand electrical relays) and the wooden parts

C U R E A 2 0 0 6

MIKE SIMMONS

SOMETHING NEW UNDER THE SUN

T of its support structure were refurbishedlast year by volunteers Bill Leflang and KenEvans. In addition to enjoying the thrill ofusing a historic telescope once employed bythe greatest solar astronomers of the day, theSnow telescope’s users now obtain excitingresults well beyond the instrument’s capa-bilities even a few years ago, let alone dur-ing Hale’s time.

Stellar astronomy did not take a back seat,with two well-equipped, research-gradestellar telescopes available for CUREA’s use;and along with their daytime lectures thestudents also got a lesson in a time-honoredproblem in astronomy — sleep deprivation.

STUDENTS FROM ABROAD

Another hallmark of this year’s session wasits international nature, with students at-tending from Romania, Peru, and Iran aswell as the United States. (Ten students wereaccepted and started the session, but onehad to leave early due to a family emergen-cy.) Lisseth Gavilan from Peru, currently aphysics and astronomy major at CarletonCollege in Minnesota, teamed with DianaCosma from Romania, a physics major atCalifornia State University Bakersfield, ina real “first” for the Snow Telescope — ob-servations of solar oscillations. The field ofhelioseismology, in which oscillations in the

Sun’s atmosphere are studied and used toinfer conditions deep within the Sun andeven on its back side, began at Mount Wil-son with Robert Leighton’s 1960 discoveryof 5-minute oscillations on the Sun’s sur-face. The telescope Leighton used for thathistoric discovery, the 60-foot tower, standsalongside the Snow and is still used dailyfor helioseismology observations. Lissethand Diana opted to repeat Leighton’s obser-vation using the newly instrumented Snowtelescope — an observation that couldnot have been made with the Snow beforethis year. To the delight of the Snow’s dedi-cated volunteers and fans, the renovatedand refitted telescope proved up to the chal-lenge, clearly showing the Sun’s 5-minuteoscillation.

But more work was still to be done on theSnow’s new instrument package to get itready for the most precise measurements.Graham Stewart, a physics major at Pennsyl-vania State University, took on calibration ofthe new system as his research project. Gra-ham made careful measurements of thescanning stage’s motion across the spectrumso that future users could more precisely lo-cate and identify spectral lines. Jim Halden-wang and Monica Kishore, from ArizonaState University and Haverford College,Pennsylvania, respectively, used the Snowtelescope to measure limb darkening on theSun — the decline in the Sun’s brightnessnear its observable edge. Jim and Monicaalso measured pressure changes in the Sun’satmosphere between the limb and its center.This is indicated by the broadening of thesolar atmosphere’s spectral lines — an effectthat reveals the different depths within theSun where the observations are made.

PHOTOS: JOHN HOOT

Bill Leflang prepares the roll-off roof of the Ten-

nessee State University telescope enclosure. John

Hoot later installed his telescope with CCD for

CUREA student photometry projects.

�


NIGHTTIME ASTRONOMY

Other students turned to the dark side fortheir projects, using one or both of theavailable nighttime telescopes — a 16-inchMeade LX-200, fitted with a small stellarspectrograph; and an 8-inch Meade withCCD camera for photometry that wasloaned, installed, and operated by JohnHoot. Sona Hosseini, a recent astronomyMaster’s graduate from Zanjan Universityin Iran, produced a color-magnitude dia-gram for the bright globular cluster, M92.This diagram required measurements ofthe color and brightness in various spectralregions of many individual stars in the clus-ter. Sona was tutored by John Hoot in theuse of IRAF, a professional data analysispackage that includes (among many otherthings) tools for separating and examiningindividual stars in the crowded field of acluster image. Ryan Goodman of WhitmanCollege in Washington studied just one star— RS Ophiuchi, a rare type of recurringnova. RS Oph is actually more than onestar, however, as spectrographic observa-tions indicate that what we see is thecombined light of red giant and whitedwarf stars orbiting each other so closelythat their outer atmospheres interact. Ryanmade spectrographic and photometric ob-servations utilizing both of the nighttimetelescopes to look for rotation-related phe-nomena indicative of inconsistencies in thestars’ atmospheres. Paul Ricketts, a physicsmajor at the University of Utah, studiedrunaway stars. Using the spectrograph onthe 16-inch telescope, Paul measured theradial velocity — the speed of motion

toward or away from Earth — of high-velocity stars. Michelle Hartwell, a recentastrophysics graduate from the Universityof Wyoming, was the only student to studynebulae. Michelle recorded the spectra ofplanetary nebulae in order to compare theircharacteristics.

But the CUREA program included morethan just work for our out-of-town visitors.Field trips to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory,Caltech, and Palomar Observatory providedan inside look at some of Southern Califor-nia’s other famous scientific institutions.And on one free day in mid-session, stu-dents and instructors took time out to visitsome of Southern California’s more famoustourist attractions. On the mountain, too,it was not all work and no play — theschedule included inside tours of all theObservatory facilities, plus a couple nightsof recreational observing on the famous60-inch telescope.

Once again Paula Turner from KenyonCollege in Ohio served as CUREA Director.Other full-time instructors included solarphysicist Jim LoPresto from Edinboro Uni-versity in Pennsylvania, Karina Leppik fromOhio, and Mike Simmons of the MountWilson Observatory Association. Others lenta helping hand, and often much more. Inaddition to the above-mentioned volunteerswho renovated, enhanced, and operatedtelescopes, Tom Meneghini spent more timeon the mountain than off, operating boththe 16-inch and 60-inch telescopes for the

David Hale lectures on interferometry before taking

the students on an inside tour of the facility he

operates, the University of California’s Infrared

Stellar Interferometer (ISI). David was himself a

CUREA student before graduating and joining the

ISI team.

Jim Haldenwang and Monica Kishore present

the results of their research project. Jim and

Monica measured the pressure and temperature

of magnesium at various depths in the Sun’s

atmosphere.

(L to R) Instructor Karina Leppik and students

Michelle Hartwell and Ryan Goodman listen to

a project presentation on the last day of

CUREA 2006.

students. Dave Jurasevich, the MountainSuperintendent, was always around to besure everything ran smoothly. And ShelleyBonus (aka Janet Planet aka Space E. Tracy)managed the culinary duties, cookingsome fantastic meals and keeping the Gal-ley stocked for late-night snacks and earlymorning breakfasts.

A DEDICATED EFFORT

CUREA has come a long way since it waslaunched in 1990 by a small group of as-tronomers, led by Oberlin (Ohio) CollegeProfessor Emeritus Joseph Snider, whothought the Snow telescope just mighthave some life left in it. From its begin-nings with glass photographic plates to itspresent use with computer-controlledCCDs, the 103-year-old telescope has en-joyed a renaissance in service to education.The night side of CUREA has developed aswell, with students now enjoying the useof research-grade facilities. Unique amongeducational programs, CUREA has provenits value in 17 sessions. With the Observa-tory’s proposed expansion of educationand public outreach programs atop MountWilson, CUREA is expected to serve as amodel for programs to follow.

Mike Simmons is a MWOA Founding Member

and the Association’s first President. He is

currently MWOA Vice President and a member

of the Board of Trustees. He also serves as an

instructor with CUREA.


Fri.–Sun., Oct. 6–8 — Sixth annual Hands on theSun (HOTS) conference

For amateur solar observers. Presented by Coronado Instruments. IrvineValley College, 5500 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine. Fees: $99. Info:www.coronadofilters.com or (800) 626-3233, ext. 254.

Friday• Tour of Mt. Wilson Observatory; lectures by Don Nicholson and

David Levy• 7:30 P.M.: Opening talk by David Levy on “The New Age of

Observing, Bringing the Stars into Your Home”Saturday• Keynote speaker Ralph Choe of U. of Waterloo, Canada, on “These

Old Eyes — They Ain’t What They Used to Be!”• John Hoot of Software Systems Consulting on “Robotics”• “Hands-On Imaging and Processing” sessions• Fiesta at Meade ($35 for each additional guest)• Nighttime imaging and star party led by Scott Roberts of Meade

and John HootSunday• Breakfast at Meade Instruments• Tours of Meade and Coronado factories• Public solar outreach at Irvine Valley College• Show-and-tell

Fri.–Sat., Oct. 13–14 — Tenth annual StarryNights Festival

Presented by the Hi-Desert Nature Museum. Yucca Valley CommunityCenter Complex, 57090 Twentynine Palms Hwy., Yucca Valley. Free.Info: http://www.yucca-valley.org/departments/museumlecture.html or(760) 369-7212.

Friday• 7:00–10:00 P.M.: StarGazing at Machris Park (free shuttle from the

Museum)Saturday• 11:30 A.M.: WRAL annual meeting• 12:00 noon: Dennis Mammama on “Desert Skies: The Other Half

of Our Desert”• 1:00 P.M.: Dean Arvidson on “How Far the Stars?”• 2:00 P.M.: Alex McConahay on “Dark in the Desert — An Expedition

to the Egyptian Eclipse”• 3:00 P.M.: Gary Peterson on “The Geological Case for Life on Mars”• 4:00 P.M.: Andromeda Society raffle• 4:15 P.M.: David Levy on “Deep Sky Objects: The Best and the Bright-

est from Four Decades of Comet Hunting”• 5:00 P.M.: Twilight reception at the Hi-Desert Nature Museum• 7:00–10:00 P.M.: StarGazing at Machris Park (free shuttle from the

Museum)

Thu.–Sun., Oct. 19–22 — 2006 Nightfall

Autumn dark-sky observing session (sponsored by RTMC AstronomyExpo) at Palm Canyon Resort in Borrego Springs. Mike Unsold ofImagesPlus will hold workshops on his astro-imaging software. Camping($26/night) or lodging in nearby hotels (Palm Canyon Resort is full). Info:contact RTMC at www.rtmcastronomyexpo.org/nightfall.htm or (909)948-2205, or Palm Canyon Resort at (800) 242-0044.

Friday• 4:00–6:00 P.M.: Reception at the Hog Trough SaloonSaturday• 4:30 P.M.: RAS Potluck• 7:00 P.M.: Skytour by Dennis Mammana

THREE OUTSTANDING ASTRONOMY

CONFERENCES IN OCTOBER

$

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE 1932 LANCASTER,

N.H., ECLIPSE...

In the March 2006 Reflections, we showed two photographs of Mount Wilson

staff astronomers setting up equipment in preparation for the total solar eclipse

of August 1932 — which, it turned out, was clouded out at that location. Here

we present three more action shots of these pre-eclipse preparations — also

taken by Mount Wilson staff photographer Edison Hoge. They provide rare

candid portraiture of these men, all of them Mount Wilson legends.

MAKING A

LAST-MINUTE

ADJUSTMENT ON

THE EVE OF THE

ECLIPSE, Ellerman

— equally at home

with a telescope,

a camera, or a

screwdriver —

appears to be in

perfect control

of the situation.

Unfortunately,

the expedition

INTENSE CONCEN-

TRATION marks the

faces of Ferdinand

Ellerman (left) and

Walter Adams.

Ellerman (age 63)

joined George Ellery

Hale at Mount Wil-

son in 1904, as did

Adams. Syrian-born

Adams (55) became

the Observatory’s

second director

after Hale retired.

PREPARING TO

MOUNT

INSTRUMENTATION

at the Lancaster Fair

Grounds site are an

unidentified member

of the team (left,

wearing hat) and Seth

Nicholson. Nicholson

(40) was the discov-

erer of four Jovian

moons and was

also a leading solar

astronomer. Despite

the heat of the day (note the patches of sweat on the shirt of the man at left),

Nicholson is wearing a necktie — standard attire in all weather for astronomers

of the period.

members could not control the weather, which turned bad on the day of the

eclipse. On their perilous trip by van across the country, they had brought a

magnificent array of state-of-the-art instruments, including “apparatus for direct

photography, radiometric and photometric measurements of the corona, and

spectroscopic investigations of the corona and chromosphere.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF VIRGINIA HOGE


� Compiled by Laura Woodard Eklund

NON-MWOA EVENTS OF INTEREST TO ASTRONOMY LOVERSIN GREATER LOS ANGELES

Elsewhere

ELSEWHERE COPYRIGHT © 2006 LAURA WOODARD EKLUND

An expanded version of this column called “On the Event Horizon”can be found online at www.mwoa.org.

L E C T U R E S & P L A N E TA R I A

• Theodore von Kármán Lecture Series: Mike Brown of Caltech on “Beyond Pluto:The Discovery of 2003 UB313.“ Info: www.jpl.nasa.gov/events or (818) 354-0112. Choose one:—Thu., Sep. 14, 7:00 P.M. in von Kármán Auditorium, JPL (also Webcast). Free.—Fri., Sep. 15, 7:00 P.M. in Vosloh Forum, Pasadena City College. Parking $1.

• Fridays at Santa Monica College: “The Night Sky Show” at 7:00 P.M. in DrescherPlanetarium (223 Drescher Hall) followed by feature program at 8:00 P.M. Admis-sion: $4–$5 (or $7–$9 for both shows). Free parking. Info: http://www.smc.edu/planetarium/ or (310) 434-4223. Upcoming feature shows:—Sep. 15 & 22: “Getting There is Half the Fun (and Most of the Work)”—Sep. 29: Forest Fisher of JPL on “Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter: Aerobraking atMars”—Oct. 6, 13, and 20: “Wet and Wild Mars”

• Fri., Sep. 15, 7:30 P.M., monthly meeting of Ventura County Astronomical Soci-ety: Luiza Rebull on “Recent Observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope” inMulti-Purpose Room of Mesa Union School, 3901 N. Mesa School Road, Somis.Free. Info: www.vcas.org or (805) 520-9666.

• Wed., Sep. 20, 7:00 P.M., monthly meeting of San Diego Astronomy Association:Mark Lane on “Evolution of the Milky Way” at Mission Trails Regional Park Visitorand Interpretive Center. Free. Info: www.sdaa.org or (619) 645-8940.

• Alternate Fridays at Cal State Northridge: Autumn Sky Show at 7:30 P.M. fol-lowed by feature program at 8:30 P.M. in Donald E. Bianchi Planetarium adjacent toCitrus Hall. Telescope viewing follows. Tickets ($3–$8) available at Associated Stu-dents Box Office: (818) 677-2488 (M-F 10:00 A.M.–5:00 P.M.) or at the door ifspace permits. Parking is $4 in Lot G4 on Zelzah. Info: http://www.csun.edu/phys/announcements_and_planetarium/planetarium.html or (818] 677-5601. Upcomingfeature programs:—Sep. 22: Dave Senske of JPL on “Mars: The Adventure of Exploring the RedPlanet”—Oct. 6: Matt Ventimiglia of CSUN on “Astronomy in the Ancient Mediterranean:Chasing the Total Solar Eclipse of March 29, 2006”

• Sat., Sep. 23, 7:00–9:30 P.M.: Mountain Skies Astronomical Society public pro-gram on “Astronomy ABC’s” at MSAS Astronomy Village, Lake Arrowhead. Tick-ets: $5–$9. Info: www.mountain-skies.org or (909) 336-1699.

• Sun., Sep. 24, 6:30 P.M. (refreshments at 6:00 P.M.): “Categorically Not!”hosted by science writer K.C. Cole at Santa Monica Art Studios in a historic hangerat Santa Monica Airport (3026 Airport Ave.). Donation: $5. R.S.V.P. [email protected] or (310) 397-7449. Info: http://physics.usc.edu/catnot/. Speakers on the topic of “Apocalyse”:—Carolyn See on her apocalyptic novel There Will Never Be Another You

—Caltech astrophysicist Marc Kamionkowski on end times for Earth, the stars, andthe universe—Jonathan Kirsch on his new book, A History of the End of the World: How the

Most Controversial Book in the Bible Changed the Course of Western Civilization

• Alternate Wednesdays in summer, followed by telescope viewing: UCLA Plan-etarium and Telescope Show in Mathematical Sciences 8224. Free, but $8 to parkat UCLA. Info: www.astro.ucla.edu/planetarium or (310) 825-4434. Upcomingshows:—Sep. 27, 8:00 P.M., TBA—Oct. 4, 7:00 P.M., TBA

• Fri., Oct. 6, 7:30 P.M., monthly meeting of South Bay Astronomical Society(SBAS) in El Camino College Planetarium. Park in lot C on the south side of Manhat-tan Beach Boulevard at Lemoli, one light west of Crenshaw Boulevard in Torrance.Walk east to Planetarium. Free. Info: www.geocities.com/sbas_elcamino or (310)377-9834.

• Sat., Oct. 7, 7:30 P.M., monthly meeting of Riverside Astronomical Society: ChrisButler on “Our Little Corner of the Galaxy” in Cossentine Hall (which houses and islabeled “The World Museum of Natural History”), La Sierra University, Riverside.Free. Info: www.rivastro.org or (909) 342-2389.

• Mon., Oct. 9, 7:30 P.M., monthly meeting of Los Angeles Astronomical Society:MWOA Trustee Tim Thompson on “The Return of Spitzer” at Griffith ObservatorySatellite Facility (park in south end of Zoo parking lot in Griffith Park). Free. Info:www.laas.org or (213) 673-7355.

• Theodore von Kármán Lecture Series: Tim Drabach of JPL on “Looking for Life inAll the Strange Places, with All the Right Tools.” Info: www.jpl.nasa.gov/events or(818) 354-0112. Choose one:—Thu., Oct. 12, 7:00 P.M. in von Kármán Auditorium, JPL (also Webcast). Free.—Fri., Oct. 13, 7:00 P.M. in Vosloh Forum, Pasadena City College. Parking $1.

• Fri., Oct. 13, 7:30 P.M., monthly meeting of Santa Monica Amateur AstronomyClub at New Roads School, 3131 Olympic Blvd. (between Stewart Street on thewest and Centinela Avenue on the east). Go west on Olympic, turn right at the sec-ond entrance to New Roads School at the Herb Alpert Campus; meet in the Huertaroom in the green building. Free. Info: http://connect.to/smaac or (310) 495-7595.

• Fri., Oct. 13, 7:30 P.M., monthly meeting of Orange County Astronomers inHashinger Hall, Chapman University, Orange. Free. Info: www.OCAstronomers.orgor (714) 751-6867.

• Fri., Oct. 13, 7:30 P.M.: monthly meeting of Astronomical Society of the Desert:Allan Hwang on “Observatories of Mauna Kea” at Saint Margaret’s EpiscopalChurch on the west side of Highway 74 near Haystack Road (1.5 miles south ofHighway 111) in Palm Desert. Free. Info: www.astrorx.org.

• Fri., Oct. 13, 8:00 P.M., Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC) Astronomy Grouppresents “The Fall Sky” in LAVC Planetarium, 5800 Fulton Ave., Valley Glen. Tick-ets ($3–$5) on sale at 7:30 P.M. (no children under 8). Viewing through a 16-inchtelescope follows. Info: http://lavcag.ars-chemia.net/index.htm or (818) 947-2335.

S TA R PA R T I E S & T E L E S C O P E S ( w e a t h e r p e r m i t t i n g )

• Sat., Sep. 16, sunset: South Bay Astronomical Society hosts public star party atRidgecrest School, Northbay Road, Rancho Palos Verdes. Free. Info:www.geocities.com/sbas_elcamino or (310) 217-1512.

• Fri., Sep. 29, sunset–10:00 P.M.: star-gazing with the Riverside AstronomicalSociety at Barnes & Noble in the Tyler Galleria. Free. Info: www.rivastro.org or(909) 342-2389.

• Fri., Sep. 30, 2:00–10:00 P.M., Griffith Observatory star party at Garvey RanchPark Observatory, Orange Avenue, Monterey Park. Info: www.GriffithObs.org or(213) 664-1191.

C L A S S

• Tue., Sep 26–Dec. 12, 7:00–10:00 P.M., UCLA Extension class: AstronomyXL 5: ”Life in the Universe” taught by Kevin Grazier of JPL in 1234 Public PolicyBldg. Fee: $425 (4 units) plus $8/day to park. Info: uclaextension.org or phone(310) 825-9971.

Mount Wilson Observatory Association

P. O. Box 70076

Pasadena, CA 91117

F I R S T - C L A S S M A I L

� Observing the Origin of the Universe — Sunday, September 24

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O B S E R V A T O R Y O P E N T O V I S I T O R S

The Observatory grounds and Skyline Park are open to the public, including the

Astronomical Museum and the Visitor’s Gallery of the 100-inch telescope.

Hours are 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. seven days a week. A free self-guided tour

brochure is available at the museum.

F R E E W A L K I N G T O U R S , E V E R Y W E E K E N D

Docent-led tours start at 1:00 P.M. on Saturdays and Sundays at the Skyline Park

Pavilion and last about 2 hours. No reservations are needed.

D I R E C T I O N S T O M O U N T W I L S O N

From the 210 freeway, follow the Angeles Crest Highway (State Highway 2

north) out of La Cañada–Flintridge for 14 miles to Red Box–Mount Wilson

Road; turn right, and go another 5 miles to the Observatory gate, marked Sky-

line Park. Walk in on the Observatory access road (far left side of parking lot)

about 1/4 mile to the Observatory area. The Museum is opposite the 150-foot

solar tower. The U.S. Forest Service requires those parking within the Angeles

National Forest to carry a “Forest Adventure Pass.” It can be purchased for $5

(one day) or $30 (season) at Clear Creek Ranger Station or Red Box Ranger

Station, at the Shell Station at the foot of Angeles Crest Highway (open 24/7),

and at major sporting goods outlets such as Sports Chalet.

JOIN THE MOUNT WILSON OBSERVATORY ASSOCIATION

Has Your Membership Expired? Please check your mailing label! It shows the year and month your MWOA membership expires.

To Renew or Begin a New Membership —

Detach and mail this form with your check (payable to MWOA) in the amount for an Associate, Family, or Sustaining membership.

Name

Address (Street/City/State/Zip)

Type of Membership (check one) Associate ($20) Family ($30) Sustaining ($100)

Make your check payable to MWOA, and mail to MWOA, P. O. Box 70076, Pasadena, CA 91117.

Membership Benefits—see page 2

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