Category Archives: Uncategorized

TACNY Junior Cafe Scientifique: “Searching For New Worlds”

Saturday – November 18, 9:30-11:00am

Please RSVP to jrcafe@tacny.org

Milton J Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology – Syracuse, NY


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Speaker: Maryame El Moutamid, Ph.D., Research Associate, Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, Carl Sagan Institute

Overview: In the last two decades, thousands of planets have been discovered outside our solar system. Some of them are potentially habitable, i.e. they orbit a region around their star where liquid water may be present on their surface, a necessary condition for life as we know it. Join me in reviewing the latest findings by scientists from around the world on exoplanets as we explore the path forward over the next decade in studying these worlds and searching for signs of life.

Biography: Maryame El Moutamid is a research associate at Cornell University. She is an expert in orbital dynamics and celestial mechanics, especially orbital resonances of satellites and exoplanets. Her current research concerns planetary ring dynamics and satellite orbital dynamics, and their connections with giant planet interior structure in the context of the Cassini/NASA mission. Maryame earned her Ph.D. in Astronomy, Astrophysics and Celestial Mechanics from PSL (Paris Sciences et Lettres) Research University and Paris Observatory in September 2013, and then moved to Cornell University. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, learning more about food from the world, and practicing Judo.

TACNY Junior Cafe Scientifique

TACNY Junior Cafe Scientifique, a program for middle-school students founded in 2005, features discussions about topics in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in an informal atmosphere and seeks to encourage students to consider careers in these areas. Students must be accompanied by an adult and can explore the MOST at no cost after the event.

Technology Alliance of Central New York

Founded in 1903 as the Technology Club of Syracuse, the nonprofit Technology Alliance of Central New York’s mission is to facilitate community awareness, appreciation, and education of technology; and to collaborate with like-minded organizations across Central New York.

For more information about TACNY, visit www.tacny.org.

International Observe The Moon Night, October 8th – A Joint CNYO, TACNY, And MOST Event

Greetings, fellow astrophiles!

2014august28_logo_finalWe’re now days away from the 2016 installment of International Observer the Moon Night (IOMN), and I’m very pleased to report that the session has become a joint effort between CNYO and TACNY, graciously hosted by Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology as part of a revamped “Sweet Lecture Series,” now to be known as “Sweet Science Series.” I, for one, am very happy that something akin to the good olde Cafe Scientifique Syracuse that used to be held downtown has returned to (nearly) the same location, and that the series has shifted to a greater community effort to educate on topics of scientific and engineering interest.

Interested parties can get a jump on the session’s focus by checking out CNYO’s brochure, A Guide For Lunar Observing. In the meantime, the official TACNY announcement is posted below – you can also register for the event on meetup.com.

Sweet Science Series

Join Us As We Celebrate NASA’s
International Observe The Moon Night

October 8, 7:00-9:00 pm
Milton J Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology (MOST)
500 S. Franklin Street, Syracuse

The Technology Alliance of Central New York (TACNY) has retooled our 103 year old Sweet Lecture Series! Now called the Sweet Science Series, the program is aimed at adults of all levels of technical understanding. Moving downtown to The MOST should make it easier to attend too! Future presentations will start earlier (5:30pm) too, with some time available to wander around the MOST, and be held the second Thursday of the month! If you have come before, check us out and tell us how you like the new format. If you’ve never been, now is the time to start participating!!

Damian Allis, director of CNY Observers and contributing astronomy writer for syracuse.com, will lead a discussion and observing session for NASA’s International Observe the Moon Night. The evening will start at 7 p.m. with snacks and the option to tour the MOST’s general exhibits for free. Attendees who wish to tour the museum’s new visiting exhibit, Nature’s Machines: Biomechanics, may pay a $5 per person surcharge. Dr. Allis will lead a discussion about the moon and night sky at 7:30 p.m., and everyone is invited outside at 8 p.m. to peer through telescopes and binoculars at the moon and stars (weather-permitting).

Dr. Allis is a Research Professor of Chemistry, Research Fellow with the Forensic and National Security Sciences Institute, bioinformaticist with AptaMatrix Inc., and High Performance Computing researcher, all at Syracuse University. He is a founding member and director of CNY Observers, monthly astronomy writer for syracuse.com and newyorkupstate.com, and a NASA Solar System Ambassador. More information about him can be found at his website.

Walk-ins are welcome, but we ask that people RSVP by replying to this message or emailing sweet.lecture@tacny.org by Oct. 6. Parking is available on the street and in the lot behind the MOST.

ABOUT SWEET SCIENCE SERIES

TACNY John Edson Sweet Lectures, a program founded in 1913, is now called the Sweet Science Series and features discussions about topics in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in an informal atmosphere for adults of all levels of technical understanding. A minimum of six free and open to the public presentations are held each year.

ABOUT TACNY

Founded in 1903 as the Technology Club of Syracuse, the nonprofit Technology Alliance of Central New York’s mission is to facilitate community awareness, appreciation, and education of technology; and to collaborate with like-minded organizations across Central New York.

Recent Product Announcements To CNYO – LVI Smartguider 2 Autoguider System, Night Sky Star Stensils™, And StarLog Telescope Observation Tracking System

Greetings fellow astrophiles,

The following emails and product information came to the CNYO inbox recently and are reproduced below as received. CNYO does not endorse any particular product or service, but is happy to provide a forum for astronomy-related merchandise and services. Members of the CNYO board will also consider reviewing products on a case-by-case basis (please contact info@cnyo.org for more information).

LVI Smartguider 2 Autoguider System

Click HERE For The Brochure (in PDF Format)

2015april1_lviThe LVI Smartguider 2 system is an all in one auto guiding package that is also capable of DSLR reflex control making it an excellent accessory if one of your members uses an iOptron Skyguider, or Skywatcher Star Adventure. Supporting ST4 compliant and non-ST4 compliant mounts the Smartguider 2 is a laptop free auto guider. This eliminates the need to carry and supply power to a laptop just for auto guiding if you use a DSLR for imaging. It will also work for anyone that does imaging with a telescope on a computerized mount. Supporting non-ST4 mounts like the Meade Autostar #497, Losmandy #492, Vixen Starbook, and Takahashi Temma systems.

I believe that this hobby is a great one, and if a product exist to help make it better and more enjoyable then I want to share it. I started Ontario Telescope and Accessories because of my love for the hobby, and I wanted to provide a new experience to my local market. LVI and OTA have partnered to bring the Smartguider 2 to North America and I am looking to share the information.

Additional information and accessories for the Smartguider 2 can be found at this link: www.ontariotelescope.com/LVI-Cameras_bymfg_20-0-1.html

If you or anyone in your club has any questions please feel free to contact me. Thank you for your time in reading my email, and clear sky’s!

Steve Mallia
Ontario Telescope and Accessories
www.ontariotelescope.com
1-905-487-6363

Night Sky Star Stensils™

The following email and brochures were sent courtesy of Dick Shimmin of Bridgeway, Inc., located in Galesburg, IL. For additional information (or to purchase), the product reviews on amazon.com may be useful.

Click HERE For The Product Announcement (in PDF Format)

Click HERE For The Product Brochure (in PDF Format)

2015april1_nightskiespictureThe Night Skies Star Stencils can create a relaxing and romantic display of a real night sky in any darkened room of anyone lured by the attraction to or are studying the night time sky, particularly those associated with CNY Observers. The Night Skies Star Stencils are available in two sizes featuring accurate and educational winter or summer night time displays over the Northern Hemisphere. Luminous paint and a corresponding star map are included with each Night Skies Star Stencils to enhance their educational value. The stencils can be used more than once and additional luminous paint is available. They can be purchased from many retailers who can be found by searching “Night Skies Star Stencils” on the Internet.

The Night Skies Star Stencils are a portion of the Ursa Major stencil selection produced by Bridgeway. Bridgeway, headquartered in Illinois, is a not-for-profit agency that provides an assortment of services to disabled people. Sales of its American made products help fund those programs.

* Night Sky Star Stencil™ transforms the ceiling of your darkened room into a dramatic replica of the real night sky while leaving the lighted room unchanged (no posters or noticeable markings).

* Dazzling and romantic. Guaranteed bedtime fun for everyone.

* Soothing and relaxing. Finally a simple cure for fear of the dark. The peaceful comfort of a starry night inspires a feeling of “connectedness” with the universe. Enhance your sense of peace with our new tape, Night Sounds™.

* Accurate and educational! Stars and constellations are in proper positions with accurate relative brightness. You also get a hand-held Star Map and Constellation Finder that shows the names and locations of hundred of stars–an entire hemisphere! In addition, the star map is an excellent take-along item anytime you’re star gazing outdoors.

* Easy! You simply affix the stencil to the ceiling or wall–the adhesive won’t stain or remove paint or wallpaper–and paint the stencil holes with the special glow-in-the-dark paint. Then you remove the stencil. Works on both smooth and textured ceilings!

* When you’re ready for the stars to shine, expose them to normal room light. Turn out the lights, and the stars glow and keep glowing for up to 30 minutes. They can be recharged indefinitely and are unnoticeable in lighted rooms or on light-colored surfaces. The 8-foot stencil takes one hour to apply; the 12-foot takes two hours. The stencil can be saved and reused.

* It’s all here! Your kit contains everything you need. The Night Sky Star Stencil (either 8- or 12- feet in diameter), adhesive, a special formula luminous paint, brush, and easy-to-follow instructions.

* No projectors, no batteries, no black lights…nothing to clutter the room.

* Completely safe non-toxic paint and adhesive (certified by O.S.H.A.).

* Available in winter or summer Northern Hemisphere sky, and 8- or 12-foot diameter. Choose one to fit your room.

StarLog – Telescope Observation Tracking System

The following email from Emerald Bay Software announces a new iPad app for keeping track of your observing sessions.

2015april1_StarLogMainMenuStarLog is the first app designed specifically for the iPad to log, track and analyze your celestial observations. It ties every observation to the current weather and equipment you are using. We partner with www.cleardarksky.com to provide the weather metrics, which include cloud cover, transparency, seeing and darkness for American timezones. With a pleasing night-vision mode, you can easily flip back and forth between StarLog and your other iPad apps that help you locate objects. StarLog is multi-user, multi-location, multi-timezone, fully documented, and your data can be backed up to iCloud or exported to CSV files.

Check it out!!! Visit our website Emerald Bay Software or lookup the app in the iTunes Store for more information.

CNYO Saw The March 20th Total Eclipse With Barlow Bob Shining Bright

Greetings fellow astrophiles!

It’s almost impossible in today’s super-connected world to not see astronomical events, even when they’re several time zones away. The March 20th total eclipse over the UK and Northern Europe was certainly evidence of that, with video, aerial video, and thousands and thousands of pictures taken (see the gallery on this eclipse’s wikipedia page for a nice summary).

As a fun aside, the visit summary for the last few weeks is shown below, courtesy of our WordPress Jetpack plug-in.

2015march23_eclipse_peak

As you can see, we’re usually in the 50’s and 60’s every day (mostly directed from search engines). On March 20th, we spiked like gamma ray burst, reaching 328 visitors. A noticeable bump that returned to normal on the 23rd.

2015march21_march20stats_detail

The large number of visitors (219) all seemed to favor a single page – the late, great Barlow Bob’s two articles on the benefits and use of the Sunspotter. I’ve no idea if the Sunspotter is a big hit in Europe or if people were simply searching frantically for anything solar safety and eclipse-related, but the numbers (for the 20th, anyway), don’t lie. It is my suspicion that many a google’er came across one article or another from Barlow Bob in their solar searches, and we’re happy to have a few of his articles hosted here for others to find as the upcoming eclipses occur.

2015march21_barlowbob

Barlow Bob as captured at NEAF. Image courtesy of stargeezerradio.com.

2015march21_11069934_907214125998103_6014315920335880905_nFrom the “I wouldn’t have ever thought of that” department, and as an even more fun aside, the following image came across my Facebook feed courtesy of Stephen W. Ramsden, the main man behind the great Charlie Bates Solar Astronomy Project. Someone outside of The Feathers Inn in Stocksfield, UK captured the image at right (click the image for a larger view) of the eclipse being projected through a pasta strainer. A capital(-saving) idea!

And to show the importance of search terms to google, the searches for “eclipse strainer” and “eclipse colander” produce some very different results favoring the “eclipse colander” (for the purpose highlighted here, anyway). The UK version of the Huffington Post even featured an article for the March eclipse on their site (Solar Eclipse 2015 Sees The Humble Colander Come Into Its Own).

I think the kids below explain the procedure simply enough. One can only assume that some seriously ornate eclipse observing will happen if the Moon ever finds itself between the Sun and Tuscany.

2015march21_colander

This all remarks back to a point we cannot stress enough – Solar observing is fun, but definitely not a game! Never-never-never stare directly at the Sun through any kind of magnifying optics! Don’t noodle around if you don’t have proper filters – solar projection is the way to go. Just as Bob Piekiel and Larry Slosberg demonstrate below.

Maybe, Maybe Not – Last Scheduled North Sportsman’s Club Session For 2014 – This Saturday, 15 November 2014

Greetings fellow astrophiles,

The weather for this weekend is predicted to include the first significant snowfall for CNY, meaning we’re not all that optimistic about announcing a session for this weekend. That said, this may be the last weekend where Moon and temperature are conducive for a deep sky observing session, so we are planning to attend the NSC this weekend if the weather is agreeable.

A view of the NSC facility from the observing grounds. Click for a larger view.

Keep track of the website and Facebook Page for updates, with final calls coming during Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

The NSC in google maps. Click to generate directions.

We hope you can join us!