OBSERVEROBSERVER

College of San Mateo Astronomy Program Newsletter Spring 2009

Looking Up Professor Mohsen Janatpour

Astronomy Program at the College of San Mateo is expanding on several fronts. Our students are now imaging celestial bodies remotely, from Tzec Maun observatory in New Mexico. We have added three new Light curve of variable star BL Cam -Prof. Stanford sections to our program for Fall ‘09 to better accommodate our students and the public. Two of our new sections will be taught at the Coastside to better serve the Half Moon Bay students and community. We are in the process of writing two new 200-level courses in astronomy, Astroimaging, and Cosmology, which we hope to offer in the Spring 2010 semester. p. 2 ______________________________________________________________________________________

SMCAS/Astronomy Day

On April 4, San Mateo County Astronomical Society (SMCAS) and CSM are proud

to host “Astronomy Family Fun Day” here on campus. (see below) Expert SMCAS members share their knowledge of astronomy with children and adults.

In addition, Professor Stanford will present planetarium shows with stars, stories, constellations, and all dome videos on our 40” planetarium dome. Later, we’ll go to the

rooftop observatory to look thru telescopes. We’ll see the first quarter moon, Saturn, star clusters, and listen to great Jazz on campus station KCSM with our monthly “Jazz Under The Stars” party. p .2

CSM/SMCAS Community SMCAS President Ed Pieret

I’d like to invite everyone to “Astronomy Family Fun Day” from 4 -11:00 pm on CSM campus, Saturday

April 4. Enjoy planetarium shows, demonstrations, displays and evening observing.

You are also invited to SMCAS meetings at the Planetarium on first Fridays featuring speakers from the leading edge of space sciences. We’d also love to share the night sky with you at Star Parties held twice a month at Crestview Park in San Carlos. For details and directions: www.smcas.com .

We invite you to become a member of SMCAS. Membership includes your immediate family and entitles you to substantial discounts on astronomical equipment and publications. Members can also borrow SMCAS telescopes and equipment. Visit the membership tab on www.smcas.com

Inside…

• “Symvisio” •Photo Gallery •Astronomy Family Fun Day -SMCAS • Astronomy News

“Symvisio” Art Lecture

Associated Students and CSM Math/Science

Division presents Prof. Mohsen Janatpour’s lecture and art exhibition: “Unity-in-Variety Principle in Art & Science.” The lecture will be Friday April 3, 2009 at 7:30 pm in College of San Mateo Main Theater. Admission is free and a reception follows.

Prof. Janatpour during last year’s lecture. -Drumheller “Unity is the holy grail to both art and science. In this 22nd presentation of Art and Science I will discuss the experiential roots of this principle and how it has guided both artists and scientists in advancing their respective fields. Symvisio, which is the visual equivalent of symphony, is a direct application of this principle; Symvisio is to visual art as symphony is to music. I’m planning to complete my Symvisio VIII and unveil it during this presentation.”

To complete the evening, telescopes will be set up in front of the theater courtesy of San Mateo County Astronomical Society and CSM Astronomy department. With help from the experts, you will be treated to the spectacular views of Saturn with its majestic ring system and other celestial beauties. MJ For more info. call 650-574-6272 or visit www.mohsensart.com

Astronomy Day from p. 1 2009 is the “International Year of Astronomy,” celebrating 400 years since Galileo first turned his telescope to the night sky. He discovered craters on the moon, the rings of Saturn, and more. We’ll rediscover all these during “Astronomy Family Fun Day” April 4. Also check out our Live Webcam schedule to see the sun, moon and Saturn, live from our observatory, to your home! See you on campus April 4.

Looking Up from p.1

Our state of the art observatory is now equipped with spectroscopy and photometry instruments. With these instruments, our students have been graphing the light curve of intrinsic variable stars, as well as eclipsing binaries, in order to determine their period. They will be analyzing the spectrum of stars to determine their spectral type as part of their laboratory work. Our one of a kind observatory, among the community colleges, has been noted by professional researchers in the field and we have been asked to team up with them to do research at the frontiers of astronomy. They have seen what we are capable of and like it. Stay tuned for more details on this. We also want to especially thank two local CSM astronomy program supporters: Dr. Ken Lum, who’s 130mm AP refractor is on long term loan to CSM, and will be used by students to do photometry. And Mike Kran of Hands on Universe, and International Astronomical Search Collaboration, who donated ACP, a program which will soon give students remote operation of Dr. Lum’s refractor ! Thanks ! Last but not least, our students will soon be part of an international team to search for asteroids. CSM Observatory is really looking up! -Mohsen

Photo Gallery

Our telescopes reach to the Milky Way galaxy and beyond, to gather the light of stars, nebulae, galaxies and Messier objects.

As seen here, students are also imaging thru LRGB filters, to bring the night sky to life in full color. Visit our web page for more images. http://collegeofsanmateo.edu/astronomy/astrophotos.asp M1 Crab Nebula – Student David Faleschini

M82 Cigar Galaxy - 20” RCOS telescope Dumbbell Nebula M27 - Student Alessio Sangalli Horsehead Nebula -140mm refractor

NEWS NOTES Professor Darryl Stanford

Comet Lulin- Don’t miss your chance to view a distant denizen of the Oort Cloud, that cloud of comets and other debris, 50,000 astronomical units from the sun. This comet is probably making its first appearance to the inner solar system. It got as close as 38 million miles from Earth on February 24 and is now heading back out to deep space, never to return for millions of years. At closest approach, astronomers estimated that Comet Lulin was spewing 800 gallons of water each second. Dubbed the green comet, because of its poisonous cyanogen and diatomic carbon atmosphere, Comet Lulin is a fuzzy patch of light near Regulus, the brightest star in Leo. With binoculars, Comet Lulin resembles a fuzzy star.

When satellites collide- On February 10, the unbelievable happened. Two satellites collided 491 miles above Siberia, the first time that this has ever occurred. The satellites involved were the Kosmos 2251 and the Iridium 33. Both satellites were shattered, but Kosmos 2251 was broken into twice as many pieces as Iridium 33. According to Daniel Deak of Canada, the Kosmos fragments range in altitude from 227 km to 1690 km, while those from the Iridium satellite occupy a band between 525 km and 1265 km. NASA says that the Hubble Space Telescope is somewhat at risk, since it orbits 75 miles below where the collision occurred.

Mars Rover still going strong- After more than 1800 Martian days or sols, 20 times longer than it was expected to survive, Mars Spirit rover has driven down a low plateau, called Home Plate. It spent 2008 on a north-facing slope on the edge of Home Plate, tilting its solar panels toward the sun for maximum solar output. Spirit was 30 cm or 1 foot into its drive on January 31, when its right front wheel hit a submerged rock, stopping the drive. This wheel no longer turns, so controllers had to send signals to Spirit for its next drive in a slightly different direction, to get around the pesky rock.

Did You Know ? • Some stars are 600,000 times brighter than our sun ! • NASA was established back in 1958. • Saturn is so buoyant, it would float in water.

CSM CSM OBSERVEROBSERVER Sky Sites & Events

Web Sites On Campus

•SMCAS http://www.smcas.com/ San Mateo County Astronomical Society Star parties, astronomy events & activities

•SMCAS monthly meetings –bldg. 36 General meeting and guest speaker. First Fridays, 7:30-10 PM in bldg. 36 www.smcas.com

•CSM Astronomy Program

www.collegeofsanmateo.edu/astronomy/ Updates & Information on all events

•“Symvisio VIII” “Unity-in-Variety Principle” Art Lecture & Exhibit by Prof. Janatpour CSM Theatre April 3, 7:30 pm Reception follows http://www.mohsensart.com/

•International Year of Astronomy

http://astronomy2009.us/ Global celebration of astronomy

•CSM Planetarium Shows free Second Friday of every month 7:30 & 8:20 pm Prof. Stanford presents “The Sky Tonight”

http://www.collegeofsanmateo.edu/astronomy/

CSM Observer • College of San Mateo Astronomy Program Newsletter • drumhellerd@smccd.edu

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