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PazMiniBits FOR MARCH 2010 ------------------------- John Pazmino NYSkies Astronomy Inc www.nyskies.org nyskies@nyskies.org Introduction ---------- PazMiniBits welcomes news about home astronomy and other matters of concern to home astronomers in and near New York City. You may send PazMiniBits items to 'nyskies@nyskies.org', send them into the NYSkies Yahoogroup, or give them to me at a NYSkies or other astronomy event. NYSkies may check with other sources to fill in extra details. PazMiniBits composes your item as a short newsnote, capturing the critical details from your item. Frequently asked questions and explanation of PazMiniBits is at 'www.nyskies.org/pmb-faq.htm'. You may ask for previous PazMiniBits thru 'nyskies@nyskies.org' because only the current issue is in the website. It is replaced by next month's issue. Current news
----------
US Prez Obama on 2010 Feb 1 gave Congress proposed FY2011 budget.
For NASA he asks increase to ~$19 billion/yr thru 2015. Details in
rounded billions of dollars by fiscal year:
------------------------------------------------
|<--actual--->|<-proposed->|
--------------------+------+----- +------------+
item | 2009*| 2010 | 2011->2015 |
--------------------+------+------+------------+
Earth & climate sci | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.8-->2.3 |
Planetary science | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.5-->1.6 |
Astrophysics | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.1-->1.1 |
Heliophysics | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6-->0.8 |
Aeronautic R&D | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.2-->1.8 |
Space exploration | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.3-->5.2 |
Space Shuttle O&M | 3.0 | 3.1 | 1.0--> 0 |
Intl Space Sta O&M | 2.0 | 2.3 | 2.8-->3.2 |
spaceflight support | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.1-->0.9 |
Education | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1-->0.1 |
General operations | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.1-->3.5 |
Construct & repair | 0 | 0.4 | 0.4-->0.4 |
Inspector general | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1-->0.1 |
--------------------+------+------+------------+
total NASA | 18.8 | 18.8 | 19.0-->21.0|
--------------------+------+------+------------+
* FY2009 includes $1.0 billion from ARRA
----------------------------------------
Dr Marc Buie, SWRI, &a reported on 2010 Feb 4 that planet Pluto
has strong seasons. Its air and surface change color, texture, albedo,
density. They studied pix from ground and new ones form HST over 1988-
2003. Pluto image in HST is only a few pixels wide, composite built
from many dithered frames. Pluto seasons come from solar distance,
stil near perihelion, more than axis tilt.
NYSkies Astronomy Seminar on 2010 Feb 17 got notice that its
yearly lease for meeting at St Paul's Lutheran Ch can not be renewed
for 2010-11. NYSkiers rallied with many good leads, under inquiry as
at late Feb. Final Seminars at St Paul's are Mar 3 and 17.
NYSkies was invited to exhibit at Educator Evening, Hayden
Planetarium. Set for 2010 Feb 10, it was a resource fair for science
teachers, featuring short talks by Plm and Amer Musm Natl Hist crew,
current skyshow 'Journey to the stars', refreshments, exhibit booths.
About 400 New York area teachers signed up and were eager to attend.
At about 13:20 EST on Feb 9 the Plm cancelled the show under threat of
approaching blizzard and NYC declaration of school closing.
US Prez Obama on 2010 Feb 1 proposed several projects for NASA in
future years. Some are:
-------------------
* operate indefinitely most current spaceprobes
* continue missions such as Juno, GRAIL, NuSTAR, Mars2016, JWST
* new spaceprobes to various inner solar system targets
* expand climate and carbon monitoring projects
* retire Shuttle after finishing ISS by 1st Qtr 2011
* extend ISS service thru 2020 and maybe beyond
* field Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer at ISS
* promote and avail of private human & cargo spaceflight
* promote and fund private and other agency space capability
* R&D for new heavy-lift rocket & new propulsion systems
* repair and upgrade Kennedy Space Center & other NASA bases
* restart plutonium-238 production with US DOE
* R&D for new kind of radioisotope electric power generator
* cancel Ares rocket & Orion capsule program
* cancel Moon-Mars-Beyond program
---------------------------------
Dr John Mulchaey, Carnegie Instt, &a on 2010 Feb 4 showed 1st-ever
binary quasar in merging galaxies. It, SDSS J1254+0846, was suspected
in Sloan plates earlier. Team's new images and spectra from Baade-
Magellan Obsy, Las Campan~as, Chile, show quasars were in the two
galaxies and now are gravity-bound as a pair.
NYSkies Astronomy Seminar on 2010 Feb 3 & 17 was a two-part set on
'Stellar and galactic distances'. AUdience reviewed various methods of
getting distance to M100, M12, NGC6543, and SN1987A with lab exercise
books from ESA. Handouts were fact sheets on these targets, sample
pages from Tycho's 'De stella nova', photos of Crab Nebula expansion.
Update on retired NYC subway cars [PMB 10 Feb]. Reefing continues
as new R160 coaches are deployed. Barges left 207th St shop, where
retired cars are prepared:
---------------------------------------------
barge | lv 207 St | cars | new duty station
------+-------------+------+------------------
#1 | 14 Jan 2008 | 48 | Cape Henlopen, DE
#2 | 5 Mar 2008 | 53 | Cape Henlopen, DE
#3 | 28 Mar 2008 | 42 | Atlantic City, NJ
#4 | 4 May 2008 | 44 | Ocean City, MD
#5 | 11 Jun 2008 | 44 | Chincoteague, VA
#6 | 21 Jul 2008 | 44 | Myrtle Beach, SC
#7 | 26 Aug 2008 | 29 | Cape May, NJ
#7A | 8 Sep 2008 | 44 | Cape May, NJ
#8 | 6 Oct 2008 | 44 | Cape Henlopen, DE
#9 | 1 Nov 2008 | 44 | Jacksonville, FL
#10 | 21 Nov 2008 | 44 | Ocean City, MD
#11 | 7 Dec 2008 | 44 | Cape Henlopen, DE
#12 | 3 Jan 2009 | 44 | Cape Henlopen, DE
#13 | 27 Jan 2009 | 44 | Ocean City, MD
#14 | 14 Feb 2009 | 44 | Cape Henlopen, DE
#15 | 28 Feb 2009 | 44 | Cape Henlopen, DE
#16 | 29 Mar 2009 | 44 | Cape Henlopen, DE
#17 | 16 Apr 2009 | 44 | Chincoteague, VA
#18 | 18 May 2009 | 44 | Chincoteague, VA
#19 | 30 May 2009 | 39 | Cape Henlopen, DE
#20 | 13 Jun 2009 | 23 | Cape Henlopen, DE
#21 | 11 Jul 2009 | 44 | Savannah, GA
#22 | 8 Aug 2009 | 44 | Cape Henlopen, DE
#23 | 10 Sep 2009 | 44 | Cape Henlopen, DE
#24 | 26 Sep 2009 | 44 | Cape Henlopen, DE
#25 | 10 Oct 2009 | 44 | Cape Henlopen, DE
#26 | 7 Nov 2009 | 44 | Cape Henlopen, DE
#27 | 5 Dec 2009 | 44 | Savannah, GA
#28 | 27 Dec 2009 | 44 | St Catherind Is, GA
------------------------------------------------
The reefing project is winding down with only 1 or 2 more barges to
go. The R160 contract is finishing with 1,505 coaches received and
1,450 in service by 2010 mid Jan. The R160s now work routes E, F, J,
L, M, N, Q, W, Z. There are so few remaining older cars that the mix
of cars on a given line is by now stable.
Dr Rene Demets, ESA, on 2010 Feb 4 reported on Expose-E and
Expose-R bio units on ISS. They went to ISS in 2008 Feb by Shuttle
Atlantis. Expose-E came back in 2009 Sep by Shuttle Discovery. Expose-
R stays on ISS for a later retrieval. They had 664 kinds of low-level
organisms left out in open space. Many survived and then revived back
on Earth, best of all being Xanthoria elegans lichen.
Sky at Night, 2010 Mar, has several features for astronomers and
spacefarers. On the cover CD are computer simulations of three Shuttle
flights and a film float-thru of ISS. The text has four detail charts
for 30 DSOs for March viewing with binocular thru medium scopes.
GLOBE at Night monitoring of luminous graffiti runs 2010 Mar 3-16,
evening. Match personal view of Orion with standard charts and report
your results. Data collected worldwide for Natl Optcl Astro Obsy,
combined with satellite data. Details at 'www.nyskies.org/temp.htm'.
NYSkiers, 180 others, crammed into CUNY Grad Ctr on 2010 Feb 8 to
hear 'Did Homer describe an eclipse in 'the Odyssey'?'. Dr Marcello
Magnasco, Rockefeller U, discussed his recent study of the 1178BC A[r
16 solar eclipse in east Mediterranean Sea that could be seen after
Trojan Wars and inspired the Odyssey poem. He showed other astro
allusions in poem, when Odysseus travels to Ithaca, that may support
the eclipse idea.
Federal Executive board, Region II, on 2010 Feb 9 activated its
emergency procedures for coming major snow storm. It let federal
offices to close on the 10th with no charge of leave. Most
nonessential offices did close on Feb 10.
Update on S&T magazine [PMB 10 Feb] showing effects of Depression.
Paid circulation, lagging calendar by several months, dropped sharply
in 2009 Dec. S&T explained to NYSkies that issue closes 3, not 2,
months before cover date. 2010 Jan closed 2009 Oct. Earlier months are
adjusted from previous tables:
+----------+--------+-----+-----+ +--------+---------+---------+
| issue | close | pgs | adv | | issue | copies | sold |
+----------+--------+-----+-----+ +--------+---------+---------+
| 2007 Aug | 07 May | 104 | 114 | | 06 Dec | 151,204 | 86,437 |
| 2007 Sep | 07 Jun | 104 | 112 | | 07 Dec | 144,859 | 89.687 |
| 1007 Oct | 07 Jul | 114 | 110 | | 08 Dec | 142,362 | 86,656 |
| 2007 Nov | 07 Aug | 106 | 116 | | 09 Dec | 100.835 | 76,717 |
| 2007 Swx | 07 Sep | 114 | 116 | | |
| 2008 Jan | 07 Oct | 114 | 118 | | |
| 2008 Feb | 07 Nov | 106 | 118 | | |
| 2008 Mar | 08 Dec | 106 | 104 | | |
| 2008 Apr | 08 Jan | 98 | 118 | +--------+---------+---------+
| 2008 May | 08 Feb | 98 | 118 |
| 2008 Jun | 08 Mar | 98 | 118 | 'issue' is the cover month.
| 2008 Jul | 08 Apr | 106 | 110 | 'close' is month when issue is
| 2008 Aug | 08 May | 98 | 108 | sent out for printing
| 2008 Sep | 08 Jun | 98 | 110 | 'pgs' is page count, with covers
| 2008 Oct | 08 Jul | 98 | 96 | but not wraps and inserts
| 2008 Nov | 08 Aug | 106 | 98 | 'adv' count from "List of adver-
| 2008 Dec | 08 Sep | 114 | 102 | tisers' in each issue
| 2009 Jan | 08 Oct | 114 | 100 | 'copies' is 'Net press run' in
| 2009 Feb | 08 Nov | 98 | 96 | December issue
| 2009 Mar | 09 Dec | 90 | 96 | 'sold' is 'Total paid circula-
| 2009 Apr | 09 Jan | 88 | 84 | tion' in December issue
| 2009 May | 09 Feb | 84 | 84 |
| 2009 Jun | 09 Mar | 88 | 66 | The depression set in during
| 2009 Jul | 09 Apr | 88 | 70 | fall 2008 and worsened so far in
| 2009 Aug | 09 May | 88 | 66 | fall 2009.
| 2009 Sep | 09 Jun | 88 | 66 | S&T is only one of the many
| 2009 Oct | 09 Jul | 88 | 68 | astronomy businesses suffering
| 2009 Nov | 09 Aug | 88 | 68 | from the depression
| 2009 Dec | 09 Sep | 88 | 68 |
| 2010 Jan | 09 Oct | 88 | (no advertiser index)
| 2010 Feb | 09 Nov | 88 | 76 |
| 2010 Mar | 09 Dec | 88 | 64 |
| 2010 Apr | 10 Jan | 88 | 70 |
+----------+--------+-----+-----+
Earth Hour runs 2010 Mar 27 Sat 20:30-21:30 EDST to abate carbon-
based emissions. Carbon use includes electric made by fossil fuel and
local burning of gas/oil. Spinoff is temporary reduction of luminous
graffiti when most outdoor lights are turned off. NYSkies will examine
sky before, during, after Earth Hour as extension of GLOBE at Night.
Instructions at 'www.nyskies.org/temp.htm'.
NYC Dept of Ed on 2010 Feb 9 ~13:00 EST ordered schools closed for
Feb 10. It feared major disruptions from approaching snow storm with
predicted 1/2m fall on City. Closing tipped decision of Hayden Plm to
cancel Educator Evening, set for the 10th, a science resource show for
school teachers. NYSkies was one of its exhibitors.
Germany on 2010 Jan 27 aired concern about ESA's flat funding for
ISS. ESA holds funds in 2009-2011 at ~$500 million/yr and seeks cost
savings in ISS ops. Germany fears ESA may cut hours at ESA's ISS
ground base or limit ISS crew to only two ESA astronauts.
Human-made earthquake shaked central Connecticut on 2010 Feb 7
~11:30 EST. New electric power station was completely destroyed by a
gas explosion! $1 billion 620Mw Kleen Energy Systems facility in
Middletown CT was getting ready for 2010 summer service when leaking
natural gas ignited. Noise and tremblor were felt up to 50km away.
NASA on 2010 Feb 9 confirmed its new contract with Russia for 6
rides to (and from) ISS [PMB 09 Jun]. Russia sells 6 seats in 2012 and
2013 for $51 million each. It may cut back tourist rides, which cost
only $35 million/ride. Deal includes rescue/return service thru 2014
spring, when hopefully 1st US private capsules are flying.
NonIDed man, Oakland MI, scorched himself with homemade rocket on
2010 Jan 30 ~19:30EST. He staged a party at his house to show off his
device. He strapped on a rocket built from a car muffler stuffed with
gasoline and gunpowder to propel his sled. It exploded on his back.
severely burning him. Man was not IDed to block stunt exploitation.
ESA in 2010 Feb began studies to fly drone aircraft mixed with
regular human-piloted planes over Europe. Idea is to field various
surveying and monitoring planes that don't require humans onboard. The
main issues are air traffic control and collision avoidance when other
airplanes are nearby.
Dr Jeorg Froehbisch, Field Musm of Natl Hist, &a on 2010 Feb 7
describe work on Antarctic fossils. They suggest that 250 million YBP
Antarctica, then part of Pangea,saved some species when a global
catastrophe wiped out ~90% of Earth life, ending Permian era. They
studied fossils of Kombuisia antarctica, a cat-size mammal that laid
eggs and had no fur, found near McMurdu station. It vanished else
where with the extinction but survived at the South Pole.
Harold Egeln, Natl Space Soc-NYC Chap, on 2010 Feb 2 opened new
website 'Homeplanet report-NYC' to cover enviro and eco news in and
around NYC. Its first monthly issue includes Dr Hansen's global
warming theory, threats to NYC water reservoirs, Enchanted Rainbow
Forest in New Jersey, and links to his existing Astro-Gaia website.
'community-2.webtv.net/HalSpace2/HOMEPLANETREPORTNYC/index.html'.
Several spacefaring readers in 2010 Feb voiced shock and shame
that some ads in space litterature still present the Ares rocket as a
definite future project. Bear in mind that ads are written months
before they show up in publications. Those in the feb issues were
composed in 2009 Oct.Nov, long before NASA called off the project.
Annual Pi Day is on Mar 14 ONLY if the date is in month.day
format. Pi Day celebrates the number pi, 3.14159..., on '3.14', a
rough value for pi. Some maths fans celebrate Pi Day on Jul 22, '22/7'
in day/month style. They argue that this is a better value than 3.14.
Dr Barry Welsh, UC-Berkeley, &a on 2010 Feb 9 described their new
3D map of interstellar gas within 300pc of Sun. They plot absorption
densities of Ca-II and Na-I lines in spectra of 1,857 stars beyond
300pc. The Sun is in a zone of low density with trunks leading away
from it thru higher density gas.
NASA in 2010 Feb noted that it has ongoing contracts for residual
work on SHuttle and Orion projects. It will let them run out but not
issue new ones for further work. Shuttle winds down service and Orion,
with Ares, are cancelled. Final Shuttle flights are:
-------------------------------------------
launch date | flight | shuttle | remarks
------------+---------+-----------+--------
2010 Apr 5 | STS-131 | Discovery |
May 14 | STS-132 | Atlantis | final flight, retired
Jul 29 | STS-134 | Endeavour | final flight, retired
Sep 15 | STS-133 | Discovery | final flight, retired
----------------------------------------------------------
Grad student Greg Chen, U of Michigan, revealed new miniature
solar-powered sensing unit. It's 2.5x3.5x1mm and has an internal
battery for low light. It stays in sleep mode, wakes up every few
minutes to take readings, using only 1 nanowatt of power.
De Steve Squyres, Cornell U, on 2010 Jan 26 elaborated on rover
Spirit's new functions. It remains embedded in sand as a stationary
base [PMB 10 Feb]. Radio comms can monitor Mars rotation and
precession for clues to interior structure, examine the sulphates
found near it, collect weather data, do atmosphere studies. Spirit
must survive coming winter and revive in spring next year.
NYC on 2010 Feb 25 exceded 1 meter of total snowfall for 09-10
winter season. This continues trend that a large snow before winter
solstice foretells at least 1 meter for the whole season [PMB 10 Jan].
Snow in Feb broke three records:
----------------------------------------------------
record | amount | previous record
--------------------------+--------+------------------
max year monthly snowfall | 93.7cm | 77.5cm in 1896 Mar
max Feb monthly snowfall | 93.7cm | 70.9cm in 1934 Feb
max Feb 26th daily fall | 29.2cm | 21.3cm on 1991 Feb 26
-------------------------------------------------------------
Peculiarly dark night on 2010 Feb 20 over NYC. After clouds by
day, sky revealed 4-1/2 mag stars with large crescent Moon and
luminous graffiti on low haze! John Pazmino, NYSkies, took starfield
digital pictures showing Coma Berenices and stars to mag 5-1/2 in UMa,
Leo, CVn, Vir, LMi.
ConEd underground transformer caught fire and flared up on 2010
Feb 11 ~10:44 EST in Ladies's Mile MH. It scorched facade and blew out
windows of Crawford-Simpson Bdg, 641 6 Av at 20 St, and trashed stores
on 1st floor. No injuries but street was closed for hours during
cleanup. Site is ~1/2km SE of NYSkies Seminar hall.
African Burial Ground, Foley Sq MH, opened on 2010 Feb 27 within
adjacent Federal offices. It's free but visitors must pass security
within building. It offers exhibits of artifacts, books, papers, art
from colonial era of Afro-Americans in NYC. About 11,000 were buried
at outskirts of old New York on east side of Foley Sq.
NYPD on 2010 Feb 23 issued new regs for parades, eff Apr 1.
Parades may last no more than 5 hours and march new routes at least
25% shorter than current ones. Action comes form reduced police ranks
and increased duties for crime and terror control.
NASA in 2010 Feb showed evidence of gamma-ray bursts in
thunderstorms that could harm riders in nearby airplane. Fermi
Observatory is from time to time studies them during its routine work
with cosmic bursts. Terrestrial flares are of millisecond duration but
equal several hundred chest X-rays of radiation does on a human.
NYC TLC on 2010 Mar 3 begins new flat-rate taxi service. Cabs load
at 3 bases and drop off only in Park Av. Set for Feb 26, major snow
storm delayed start until Mar 3. Service runs Mon-Fri 06h-10h with no
return trips. Bases and drop offs are::
-----------------------------------------
base | fare | Park Av stops
------------------+-------+---------------
57 St/8 Av | $3.00 | 57 St -> 42 St
72 St/Columbus Av | $4.00 | 72 St -> 42 St
72 St/3 Av | $4.00 | 72 Sr -> 42 St
------------------------------------------
Frank & Ernest cartoon, 2010 Feb 21, has two astronomers in
mountain observatory drawing new constellations. One looking like
dollar sign is Big Tipper; flying swine, Pigasus; insect, Gemini
Cricket. Two on-site newscasters are impressed and praise them.
SpaceRef, 2010 Feb 15, has 'Some thoughts on the NASA vision' by
Jeff Volosin. He tars orthodox space agitation as dreams from 50-year-
old childhood and urges more rational mature exploration of space. In
general he favors US Prez Obama's NASA program.
Broadway-Nassau station, IND 8 Av, is CLOSED on weekends in 2010
Mar-Aug! Station connects with other lines. Riders walk along platform
to change lines. With station roped off for constructing Fulton St
Hub, riders must do on-street transfers.
Southampton township, LI, on 2009 Dec 26 enacted major curbs on
luminous graffiti. It bans excess wasteful new lighting and regulates
exiting luminous trespass, hazard, intrusion, nuisance. Town was
already easing toward starsafe lighting from general enviro ethic and
push to preserve natural night setting.
Dr Else Starkenberg &a, ESO, on 2010 Feb 18 showed newly found
primitive stars in nearby dwarf galaxies. Their mix there is about
that of such stars within Milky Way, supporting idea that MW was
formed by merging smaller galaxies. Primitive stars, with almost no
heavy elements at all, are the oldest stars. They were not detected
before because their spectra were too weak. Team used VLT to capture
clearer spectra.
New program for NASA issued by US Prez Obama on 2010 Feb 1 cleaved
space advocates in two! One camp wants more human-based space travel,
like the former Moon-Mars-Beyond plan. Other favors robot exploration
and commercial/private human trips.
Envisat satellite nearly collided with discarded China rocket on
2010 Jan 21. ESA warned craft operator to swerve, missing the space
junk by ~200m. Without diversion, miss was ~48m. A collision could
cause massive amount of fragments in low-Earth orbit.
NASA and US DOE would jointly resume Pu238 production [PMB 09 Nov]
under US Prez Obama's 2011 budget. NASA & DOE each put up initial $15
million in mid 2010. Full operation may be in 2017 at ~$150 million.
NASA & DOE share the Pu238 for space power packs and other national
needs. NASA also will work on more efficient nuclear power module to
burn less Pu238.
Iran on 2010 Feb 3 orbited Kavoshgar-3 satellite and showed mockup
of future new Simorgh rocket. Satellite carried a turtle, rat, and
worms for biological experiments. Rocket is 2-stage liquid-fuel
booster for 700kg payload in LEO. Critics claim Simorgh is disguised
weapon to attack Iraq, Russia, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, others.
Last update on 07 March 2010 Copyright 2007, NYSkies Astronomy Inc General inquiries: nyskies@nyskies.org |
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