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Inside the ALPO
Feature Stories
ALPO Resources

Journal of the

Association of Lunar &

Planetary Observers

The Strolling Astronomer

Volume 53, Number 2, Spring 2011

Now in Portable Document Format (PDF) for

Macintosh and PC-compatible computers

Online and in COLOR at http://www.alpo-astronomy.org

While easy to miss at the very center of this

image by Alfons Diepvens of Balen, Belgium,

taken on March 7, 2011 at 23:05 UT, Comet

Elenin (C/2010 X1) may turn out to be

considerably more noteworthy as a good

binocular target in mid-August and naked-eye

object not long afterwards.The object was first

imaged on December 10, when discoverer

Leonid Elenin, an observer in Lyubertsy,

Russia, remotely acquired four 4-minute-long

images using an 18-inch (45-cm) telescope at

the ISON-NM observatory near Mayhill, New

Mexico. This image by Diepvens was obtained

with a 20-cm refractor and a Canon 7D digital

camera. This image was a 57 minute exposure

(Balen, Belgium)

ISSN-0039-2502

Inside this issue . . .

• All the latest on ALPO 2011 at Las Cruces (and your chance to meet our fearless founder, Walter

Haas)

• A look at how founding member Elmer Reese contributed to our understanding of the famous

Jupiter SEB

• Life on the Moon? Read what the greats had to say about it

• Apparition reports: Jupiter in 2008 . . . plus reports about your ALPO section activities and-

much, much more!

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The Strolling Astronomer

Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011 Page 1

Journal of the

Association of Lunar &

Planetary Observers

The Strolling Astronomer

Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011

This issue published in March 2011 for distribution in both portable

document format (pdf) and also hardcopy format.

This publication is the official journal of the Association of Lunar &

Planetary Observers (ALPO).

The purpose of this journal is to share observation reports, opinions,

and other news from ALPO members with other members and the

professional astronomical community.

ALPO hereby grants permission to educators, academic libraries and

the professional astronomical community to photocopy material for

educational or research purposes as required. There is no charge for

these uses provided that credit is given to The Strolling Astronomer,

the “JALPO” or the ALPO itself, as appropriate. All others must

request permission from the ALPO.

For membership or general information about the ALPO, contact:

Matthew Will

ALPO Membership Secretary/Treasurer

P.O. Box 13456

Springfield, Illinois 62791-3456

E-mail to: matt.will@alpo-astronomy.org

Visit the ALPO online at:

http://www.alpo-astronomy.org

In this issue . . .

Inside the ALPO

Point of View: Eclipse-chasing, anyone? ....................3

News of General Interest .......................................4

ALPO 2011 Updates ...............................................4

Worth Watching: Saturnian System Flyby...............5

New Lunar Observing Guide Soon

from ALPO Staffer................................................6

Venus Volcano Watch .............................................6

ALPO Interest Section Reports ..................................6

ALPO Observing Section Reports ..............................7

Feature Stories

(Book Review) “Carl Sagan: A Biography” ...............14

A Brief History of Life on the Moon .........................15

Jupiter’s Deepest Mystery:

The ALPO Connection .........................................22

Jupiter: Observations During the

2008 Apparition ....................................................28

ALPO Resources

Board of Directors ....................................................43

Publications Staff .....................................................43

Interest Sections ......................................................43

Observing Sections ..................................................43

ALPO Publications ...................................................44

ALPO Staff E-mail Directory .....................................45

Back Issues of The Strolling Astronomer .................47

Our Advertisers

Orion Telescopes & Binoculars ....... Inside Front Cover

ALPO 2011 Conference ad .........................................2

Catseye Collimation Systems/Catsperch

Observing Chairs.......................................................5

Announcing the ALPO Lapel Pin ................................6

Galileo’s Place .................................Inside Back Cover

Sky Publishing ..............................Outside Back Cover

Page 2 Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011

The Strolling Astronomer

ALPO 2011 Conference

Las Cruces, New Mexico

July 21- 23

For more information, go to http://www.morning-twilight.com/alpo

e-mail alpoconference@morning-twilight.com

Join your ALPO colleagues for a weekend of observational solar system astronomy and

planetary science at the prestigous New Mexico State University:

• Meet with Walter Haas, founder and director emeritus of our fine organization,

the Assn of Lunar & Planetary observers

• Paper / business sessions and lodging right on the NMSU campus

• Special tours to the Very Large Array radio observatory, National Solar Observatory,

Apache Point Observatories, New Mexico Museum of Space History, and

White Sands Missile Range

• Awards banquet Saturday night

The Strolling Astronomer

Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011 Page 3

Inside the ALPO

Member, section and activity news

Point of View

The Rewards /Uncertainty of

Meteor-Chasing

By Robert D. Lunsford, coordinator, ALPOMeteors Section

I feel it’s safe to say that most of us like fireworks and the brilliant

displays that can be seen in times of celebration. Nature itself

can produce some fine displays, most notably lightening and the

resulting thunder. I find myself attracted to a type of celestial

fireworks. Most of these are silent, but the resulting streaks of

light in the sky can often rival those made by man.

Of course I am talking about the phenomena of meteors and

meteor showers. The term “shower” is a misnomer, as even the

strongest of the annual meteor showers produce no more than a

trickle of meteors. Yet this trickle of meteors is fascinating to

watch as the observer does not know when or where in sky

these will occur. Nor do they know how bright or what color they

will possess. I feel this element of surprise adds to the

fascination of viewing meteors.

Every so often there is a prediction of a meteor storm. Now since

a shower of meteors gives you a trickle of activity, a storm will

actually provide a decent “drenching.” The actual definition of a

meteor storm is a display that will likely produce a rate of at least

1,000 meteors per hour at maximum activity. These are the

events that really get meteor observers excited. Like eclipse

chasers, they will travel to the ends of the Earth to be in the right

place at the right time to view such an event.

But unlike eclipse chasers, these folks are not guaranteed the

event will even occur! Fifty years ago, predictions of meteor

storms were based on the prior history of each shower. Even as

late as 1972, a few meteor storm chasers went to Japan to view

the October Draconid storm that failed to materialize.

More recently, predictions have been based on computer

simulations of particle motion in space. These simulations have

proved reliable, but not perfect. One factor that is still “a shot in

the dark” is the exact strength of each prediction. It is far easier

to predict the locations of particle concentrations in space

compared to their density. The potential meteor storm chaser

has to weigh these factors before setting off to exotic lands.

These events are among the rarest of celestial phenomena,

much rarer than the total solar eclipses or the appearance of

bright comets. Only four meteor storms occurred during the 20th

century. Rates in excess of 1,000/hr lasted less than 12 hours in

all four events combined. They are fantastic sights to behold,

with the entire sky filled with meteors, one after another.

(See Meteor-Chasing, page 4)

Association of Lunar &

Planetary Observers (ALPO)

Board of Directors

Executive Director (Chair); Richard W. Schmude, Jr.

Associate Director; Julius L. Benton, Jr.

Member of the Board; Sanjay Limaye

Member of the Board; Donald C. Parker

Member of the Board; Ken Poshedly

Member of the Board; Michael D. Reynolds

Member of the Board; John E. Westfall

Member of the Board & Secretary/Treasurer;

Matthew Will

Founder/Director Emeritus; Walter H. Haas

Publications

Editor & Publisher, Ken Poshedly

Primary Observing Section &

Interest Section Staff

(See full listing in ALPO Resources)

Lunar& Planetary Training Section:

Timothy J. Robertson

Solar Section: Kim Hay

Mercury Section: Frank Melillo

Venus Section: Julius L. Benton, Jr.

Mercury/Venus Transit Section: John E. Westfall

Lunar Section:

Lunar Transient Phenomena; Anthony Cook

Lunar Meteoritic Impact Search; Brian Cudnik

Lunar Topographical Studies &

Selected Areas Program; Wayne Bailey

Lunar Dome Survey; Marvin W. Huddleston

Mars Section: Roger Venable

Minor Planets Section: Frederick Pilcher

Jupiter Section: Richard W. Schmude, Jr.

Saturn Section: Julius L. Benton, Jr.

Remote Planets Section: Richard W. Schmude, Jr.

Comets Section: Gary Kronk

Meteors Section: Robert D. Lunsford

Meteorites Section: Dolores Hill

Computing Section: Larry Owens

Youth Section: Timothy J. Robertson

Historical Section: Richard Baum

Eclipse Section: Michael D. Reynolds

ALPO Website: Larry Owens

Page 4 Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011

The Strolling Astronomer

Inside the ALPO

Member, section and activity news

ALPO 2011 Updates

Arrangements for the 2011 annual

conference of the Assn of Lunar &

Planetary Observers are being finalized as

this issue of your Journal goes to press

(late-March).

The event will be held Thursday through

Saturday, July 21 - 23, on the campus of

New Mexico State University at Las

Cruces.

Here are the particulars at this time:

Registration - Individual (includes Friday

night dinner

• Before July 1: $65

• After July 1: $80

Registration - Individual plus family

member (includes Friday night dinner)

• Before July 1: $75

• After July 1: $95

Check payable to:

• “ASLC ALPO Conference”

Meeting/presentation venue:

• Room 201, Guthrie Hall, New Mexico

State University

Banquet:

• $30 per person (location to be

determined - check website for

updates and speaker)

Lodging:

• Dorm rooms at NMSU -- check

website for additional information

• Comfort Inn, 2585 South Valley Dr.,

Las Cruces, NM, US, 88005; phone:

(575) 527-2000; single queen-size

bed $69+tax or two queen-size beds

$74+tax; reservation phone number,

1-877-424-6423 (call after April 1,

2011)

Special tours (July 21 and July 22; note

(all venues may not be available, dates to

be determined. See website for current

details):

• Very Large Array

• National Solar Observatory

• Apache Point Observatories

• New Mexico Museum of Space

History

• White Sands Missile Range

Conference website:

•http://www.morning-twilight.com/alpo

Registration/questions e-mail:

alpoconference@morning-twilight.com

ALPO 2011 conference registrar:

• Robert Williams, 308 N. Mesquite St.

#3, Las Cruces, NM 88001

Registration packets will be sent out

shortly.

Second Call for Papers:

ALPO 2011

Participants are encouraged to submit

research papers, presentations, and

experience reports concerning Earth-

based observational astronomy of our

solar system for presentation at the event.

Topics

more in support of the publication are

welcome.

We congratulate veteran asteroid

lightcurve observer Robert Stephens,

winner of the American Astronomical

Society's 2010 Chambliss Amateur

Achievement Award, for his excellent

article in Sky And Telescope, Oct. 2010,

Vol. 120, pp 60-65. Here he describes

several important objectives in asteroid

lightcurve research. This is a "must read"

paper for anyone interested in what

amateurs are contributing to this subject.

Brian Warner has established for the

binary asteroid 2577 Litva the primary

rotation period 2.8129 hours, secondary

rotation period 5.6830 hours, and the

orbital period 35.88 hours. For binary

(8026) 1991 JA1 he has found a super

slow primary rotation period 373 hours

with short secondary period 2.2981

hours.

Lightcurves with derived rotation periods

are published for 165 other asteroids,

numbers 27, 103, 266, 287, 295, 296,

308, 326, 369, 370, 448, 500, 504, 573,

575, 605, 620, 664, 665, 672, 687, 762,

787, 822, 836, 850, 860, 869, 878, 884,

938, 996, 1018, 1027, 1142, 1146, 1158,

1162, 1164, 1211, 1258, 1260, 1282,

1373, 1375, 1453, 1469, 1521, 1600,

1619, 1625, 1643, 1659, 1685, 1719,

1730, 1834, 1987, 1996, 2074, 2105,

2189, 2261, 2287, 2375, 2501, 2639,

2642, 2650, 2860, 2961, 2983, 3076,

3145, 3285, 3387, 3431, 3447, 3560,

3695, 3774, 3833, 3870, 3991, 4029,

4116, 4223, 4391, 4440, 4483, 4674,

4786, 4928, 5175, 5325, 5333, 5452,

5968, 6087, 6139, 6163, 6170, 6244,

6265, 6838, 7087, 7173, 7741, 7816,

8523, 9297, 10091, 10179, 10936,

11058, 11277, 11424, 11549, 13009,

14691, 14790, 14815, 15822, 15964,

16525, 19261, 20037, 20038, 20453,

21688, 29729, 31956, 33203, 34817,

35404, 39087, 45436, 46559, 47081,

49574, 49675, 49678, 57219, 61907,

66146, 66193, 68350, 72693, 76864,

76929, 82060, 84944, 101769, 102063,

154029, 164400, 174633, 2006 WL15,

2009 EW, 2009 FD, 2009 NH, 2009

QH34, 2009 UD, 2009 WV51, 2010

EX11, 2010 GF7.

Some of these provide secure period

determinations, some only tentative ones.

Some are of asteroids with no previous

lightcurve photometry, others are of

asteroids with previous period

determinations which may be consistent

or inconsistent with the earlier values.

To repeat what was stated earlire in this

report, the Minor Planet Bulletin is a

refereed publication and that it is available

on line from http://

www.MinorPlanetObserver.com/astlc/

default.htm.

In addition, please visit the ALPO Minor

Planets Section online at http://www.alpo-

astronomy.org/minor.

Jupiter Section

Richard W. Schmude, Jr.,

Section Coordinator

schmude@gdn.edu

The South Equatorial Belt continues to grow.

In a February 8 image (System 2 longitude =

260° W) by Don Parker, the SEB has a wide

SEB zone, whereas in a February 8 image

(System 2 longitude = 31° W) by Damian

Peach, the SEB is complete but has a lot of

smaller white spots.

Oval BA has a reddish color also in Damian

Peach's February 8 image. The North

Equatorial Belt has several barges. Jupiter is a

few percent brighter than what it was during

1999-2009, due to the South Equatorial Belt

being fainter than normal. Jupiter is expected

to have normal brightness once the SEB

returns completely.

I hope to start working on the 2010-2011

Jupiter apparition report this summer. A

referee has already examined the 2008 Jupiter

report and the appropriate corrections have

been made. It should be published shortly. The

2009-2010 Jupiter report has been examined

by a referee as well and should also be

published shortly.

Visit the ALPO Jupiter Section online at http://

www.alpo-astronomy.org/jupiter

Galilean Satellite

Eclipse Timing Program

John Westfall,

Assistant Jupiter Section

Coordinator

johnwestfall@comcast.net

New and potential observers are invited to

participate in this worthwhile ALPO observing

program.

Contact John Westfall via regular mail at P.O.

Box 2447, Antioch, CA 94531-2447 USA or e-

mail to johnwestfall@

comcast.net to obtain an observer’s kit, also

available on the Jupiter Section page of the

ALPO website.

Saturn Section

Julius Benton,

Section Coordinator

jlbaina@msn.com

The table of geocentric phenomena for 2010-

11 apparition is presented here for the

convenience of observers.

The Strolling Astronomer

Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011 Page 13

Inside the ALPO

Member, section and activity news

Saturn appeared in mid-February at apparent

visual magnitude +0.6° and was well up in the

East after midnight. The planet's northern

hemisphere and north face of the rings are

becoming increasingly visible as the ring tilt

toward Earth increases throughout the next

several years, with regions south of the rings

becoming progressively less favorable to view.

Right now the rings are inclined about +10.6°

towards Earth and will reach as much as

+11.5° during the apparition.

With inclinations of the rings round +9.0°,

observers can still witness and digitally image

transits, shadow transits, occultations, and

eclipses of satellites lying near Saturn's

equatorial plane. Apertures great than about

20.3 cm (8.0 in.) will likely offer the best

opportunities for observing and imaging these

events, except perhaps in the case of Titan.

Those who can image and obtain precise

timings (UT) to the nearest second of ingress,

CM passage, and egress of a satellite or its

shadow across the globe of Saturn should send

their data to the ALPO Saturn Section as

quickly as possible. Notes should be made of

the belt or zone on the planet crossed by the

shadow or satellite, and visual numerical

relative intensity estimates of the satellite, its

shadow, and the belt or zone it is in front of is

important, as well as drawings of the

immediate area at a given time during the

event.

So far this apparition there have been over

300 visual observations and digital images

submitted. The real highlight of this apparition

has been the presence of a particularly

noticeable white spot in Saturn's North

Tropical Zone (NTrZ) that was first detected by

ALPO observers in early December 2010. The

apparent long-enduring NTrZ white spot has

brightened and undergone fairly rapid

evolution, becoming morphologically complex

with widening and considerable longitudinal

growth along the NTrZ, extending almost

halfway around the planet's globe.

It is thought that as the inclination of Saturn's

northern hemisphere toward the Sun

increases, with subsequently greater solar

insolation affecting these regions, conditions

are more favorable for activity to develop, such

as the NTrZ white spot currently being

observed. Only time will tell if further activity

emerges, but observers should definitely not

miss an opportunity to view or image the

continued development of the NTrZ white spot

over the coming months, especially with

opposition approaching in early April.

Comparing what can be seen visually with

various instruments with digital imaging results

is meaningful. Color filter techniques can be

used by visual observers to determine which

visual wavelengths produce the best views of

the NTrZ white features, and digital imaging at

visual, infrared, UV, and methane (CH4)

wavelength bands is particularly important.

The observation programs conducted by the

ALPO Saturn Section are listed on the Saturn

page of the ALPO website at http://www.alpo-

astronomy.org/ as well as in considerable detail

in the author’s book, Saturn and How to

Observe It, available from Springer,

Amazon.com, etc., or by writing to the ALPO

Saturn Section for further information.

Observers are urged to carry out digital

imaging of Saturn at the same time that others

are imaging or visually watching Saturn (i.e.,

simultaneous observations). Although regular

imaging of Saturn is extremely important and

ighly encouraged, far too many experienced

observers have neglected making visual

numerical relative intensity estimates, which

are badly needed for a continuing comparative

analysis of belt, zone, and ring component

brightness variations over time. So, this type of

visual work is strongly encouraged before or

after imaging the planet.

The ALPO Saturn Section appreciates the

dedicated work by so many observers who

regularly submit their reports and images.

Cassini mission scientists, as well as other

professional specialists, are continuing to

request drawings, digital images, and

supporting data from amateur observers

around the globe in an active Pro-Am

Beautiful digital image of the rapidly evolving NTrZ white spot feature taken on February 9,

2011, at 18:17UT by Christpoher Go of Cebu, Philippines using a 28.0 cm (11.0 in.) SCT in

visible light (RGB). Seeing = 7.5, Transparency = 4.0. Ring tilt is +10.0º. CMI = 84.2°,

CMII = 314.0°, CMIII = 34.7°. S is at the top of the image.

Geocentric Phenomena for the 2010-2011 Apparition of Saturn

in Universal Time (UT)

Conjunction 2010 Oct 01d

Opposition 2011 Apr 04d

Conjunction 2011 Oct 13d

Opposition Data:

Equatorial Diameter Globe 19.3 arc-seconds

Polar Diameter Globe 17.5 arc-seconds

Major Axis of Rings 43.8 arc-seconds

Minor Axis of Rings 6.6 arc-seconds

Visual Magnitude (mv) 0.4 mv (in Virgo)

B = +8.6º

Page 14 Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011

The Strolling Astronomer

Inside the ALPO

Member, section and activity news

cooperative effort.

Information on ALPO Saturn programs,

including observing forms and instructions,

can be found on the Saturn pages on the

official ALPO Website at www.alpo-

astronomy.org/saturn.

All are invited to also subscribe to the Saturn e-

mail discussion group at Saturn-

ALPO@yahoogroups.com

Remote Planets Section

Richard W. Schmude, Jr., Section Coordi-

nator

schmude@gdn.edu

Jim Fox has done an outstanding job of

measuring the brightness of Uranus and

Neptune from his new observatory in New

Mexico. He recorded 26 sets of blue (B) and

visual (V) magnitude measurements of Uranus

and 19 sets of Neptune form a total of 90

brightness measurements. Richard Schmude,

Jr., has also measured the brightness of

Uranus. Most of his measurements were made

in red (R) and infrared (I) filters.

Several other observers had also submitted

observations of the remote planets in 2010

and early 2011. If you have observations of

Uranus or Neptune, please send them to

Richard Schmude, Jr., as soon as possible. I

plan to complete the 2010-2011 apparition

report of Uranus and Neptune in this summer

(2011).

A reminder that the book Uranus, Neptune

and Pluto and How to Observe Them is now

available from Springer at www.springer.com/

astronomy/popular+astronomy/book/978-0-

387-76601-0 or elsewhere (such as

www.amazon.ca/Uranus-Neptune-Pluto-

Observe-Them/dp/0387766014) to order a

copy.

Visit the ALPO Remote Planets Section online

at http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/

remote.

Book Review: “Carl Sagan: A Biography”

Review by Robert A. Garfinkle, FRAS

ALPO Book Review Editor

ragarf@earthlink.net

Carl sagan: A Biography, by Ray Spangenburg and Kit Moser, 2009, published in New

York by Prometheus Books (ISBN 978-1-59102-658-7); 181 pages, paperback; list

price $16.98.

Carl Sagan was probably the most widely known American astronomer of the last

century, due in part to his books and as the host and star of the popular PBS

television series Cosmos. Freelance journalists Ray Spangenburg and Kit Moser

have packed a fascinating look at Sagan in this thin biography. Though a little on the

thin side for such an extraordinary scientist, exobiologist, teacher, astrophysicist,

and public figure, the authors have delivered enough concise information in this

book to give the reader a full understanding of what made Carl Sagan tick and why

the public embraced him. He made the technical and bewildering world of the whole

cosmos understandable by non-scientists.

The authors present the early years of Carl Edward Sagan’s life and the

backgrounds of his immigrant parents and grandparents. We learn about his school

years, and I found it fascinating that he entered the University of Chicago at the age

of only 16. Sagan was able to work summers for several prominent scientists, including Nobel laureates Herman Joseph

Muller (1952), physicist George Gamow (1957), chemist Melvin Calvin (1959), geneticist Joshua Lederberg, along with

planetary scientist Gerard Kuiper in 1956. Sagan built friendships easily and these people helped him to establish his place

among the best of American scientists.

I am somewhat dismayed at the lack of information about Sagan’s role in the development of the search for extraterrestrial life

in the chapter that covers this aspect of his career. That chapter seems to be devoted to the efforts of Frank Drake, while

Sagan is hardly mentioned.Bits and pieces of Sagan’s work in this area are mentioned in other parts of the book.

Overall, I enjoyed the brief look into the life and times of Carl Sagan and recommend it to anyone interested in him. I also

suggest that anyone interested in learning more about Sagan use this book as a primer, then consult any of the more detailed

Sagan biographies or read the more than 500 scientific papers that he published and his books.

The Strolling Astronomer

Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011 Page 15

By William M. Dembowski, FRAS,

Asistant Coordinator,

Lunar Topographical Studies/

dembowski@zone-vx.com

Introduction

Our Moon is virtually airless, waterless,

and its surface temperature varies from -

233° to +123° C (-387° to +253° F);

therefore, it is obviously impossible for

life to exist there. But things have not

always been that simple.

There have long been legends, myths,

and works of fiction that spoke of life on

the Moon; but what of scientific works?

What have men of science had to say

about this dead world?

Baron Franz Von

Gruithuisen

In 1824, Baron Franz von Gruithuisen,

a German physician and astronomer,

reported his discovery of “many distinct

evidences of lunar inhabitants, in

particular a colossal artificial structure

by the same.” The main wall of the

structure he called “Wallwerk” (6° N –

8° W) is approximately 5 miles long with

smaller walls branching off at 45° angles

(Figure 1). In addition, he observed a

roughly star-shaped structure near its

northwest wall which he postulated was

a temple built by the same lunar

inhabitants (the Selenites).

These features lie north of the crater

Schröter and south of Sinus Aestuum

and, based on their size, they should be

easily seen in modest telescopes when

the Moon is 8-1/2 and 23 days old.

However, many observers find it

difficult to separate them from the

jumbled terrain of the region (Figure

2).

Gruithuisen defended his belief in lunar

life by noting and confirming Johann

Schröter’s observation of an extension

of the Moon’s horns when in a crescent

phase. This “twilight” extension was

taken to prove that the Moon had an

appreciable atmosphere. Gruithuisen

attributed hints of brown and yellow

patches on the maria to the existence of

plant life and even believed that

meandering rilles were created by herds

of lunar animals. Smaller, straighter

rilles could, in his mind, only be roads.

“Such an extensive transportation

system” he wrote “could be completed

only with shrewd planning and

concerted effort, and would be

inconceivable without a

civilization of Selenites.”

At first Gruithuisen’s

“discoveries” were embraced

by many prominent

astronomers of the day. He

was offered — but declined

— professorships at several

universities, and in 1826 was

appointed Professor of

Astronomy at the University

of Munich. But eventually the

scientific community tired of

Gruithuisen’s “mad chatter”

and astronomy journals

refused to accept any more of

his submissions. Finally, in

1828, his announcement of

the discovery of another

“Wallwerk” went virtually

unnoticed.

Sir John Herschel

Although belief in

Gruithuisen’s Selenites

quickly subsided, the desire to

believe in lunar life did not. A

series of six articles in the

New York Sun newspaper in

August 1835 claimed to be

“great astronomical

discoveries lately made by Sir

John Herschel at the Cape of

Good Hope”. Herschel, it said, was

using a “telescope of vast dimensions

and an entirely new principle.” And that

his most stunning discovery was life on

the Moon.

Herschel was, in fact, making

astronomical observations in Africa at

the time, but had no connection with,

nor even knowledge of, the New York

Sun articles. They were a complete

hoax, probably perpetrated by a

Online Readers

Left-click your mouse on the e-mail address in blue text to contact the author of

this article, and selected references also in blue text at the end of this paper for

more information there.

Feature Story:

A Brief History of Life on the Moon

Figure 1. Baron von Gruithuisen’s drawing of his

Wallwerk.

Page 16 Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011

The Strolling Astronomer

Cambridge-educated journalist, Richard

Adams Locke, although the identity of

the author has never been absolutely

proven. I include reference to the

articles here because of the level of acceptance by what some have called a

“gullible generation”.

The articles, supposedly composed of

excerpts from The Edinburgh Journal of

Science (a non-existent publication),

began by describing herds of

quadrupeds similar to bison and goats.

Then came reports of bipedal beavers

which lived in huts and intelligent bat-

winged humans. Each installment was

more fanciful than the last, finally

culminating with accounts of superior,

angel-like creatures living near a

mysterious sapphire temple (Figure 3).

As farfetched as the reports were, they

were accepted as genuine because the

thought of the great Herschel lying was

even more ridiculous than the

discoveries themselves. Even a group of

prominent scientists at Yale University

breathlessly awaited each daily

installment, eager to learn what

Herschel had discovered next.

But the impossibility of a telescope

powerful enough to reveal individual

plants and animals on the Moon finally

became apparent; and the slow

communication networks of the day,

which had worked to the advantage of

the six-day hoax, eventually bridged the

time gap. Herschel denied everything in

the reports and the hoax fell apart. Even

so, the concept of lunar life would

survive.

William C. Pickering

By the end of the 19th century, a

majority of astronomers were convinced

that life on the Moon was impossible;

but William C. Pickering was not among

them. In the autumn of 1891, Pickering

announced his “discovery” of an

erupting geyser at the mouth of

SchrÖter’s Valley (Vallis SchrÖteri – 26°

N - 51° W; Figure 4). He described the

eruption as, “Dense clouds of white

vapor apparently arising from its bottom

and pouring over its southeastern wall

in the direction of Herodotus.”

Pickering proceeded to make a series of

drawings of the region and determined

that there were variations in the apparent

vapor column. He came to the following

conclusion: “The most marked of these

changes depend for their existence upon

the altitude of the Sun, for apparently no

volcanic activity whatever is exhibited

Figure 2. Vicinity of Wallwerk with crater Schröter near bottom of box. (Consolidated Lunar

Atlas, Lunar & Planetary Institute)

Figure 3. Lithograph of William Herschel’s supposed discoveries, New York Sun, August

1835.

The Strolling Astronomer

Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011 Page 17

until about one day after sunrise. The

activity then increases to maximum,

diminishes, and finally ceases a few days

after sunset.” This is, of course, precisely

what one would expect to see when

observing any amorphous patch of lunar

soil that is significantly brighter than its

surroundings. Pickering, however, offered

his finding as proof of the existence of

carbon dioxide and water vapor in the

lunar atmosphere.

Encouraged by this discovery, Pickering

turned to the “variable spots” and

“pseudo-shadows” he found on the floors

of several craters, most notably Alphonsus

(13° S - 3° W; Figure 5). These, too,

appeared to change in darkness and

shape which he considered to be the

growth patterns of “some form of organic

life resembling vegetation” sustained, of

course, by the carbon dioxide and water

vapor seeping from volcanic vents. He

surmised that his failure to find any dark

variable spots beyond the latitudes of 55°

N and 60° S was evidence that it was too

cold there for even the hardiest of

organisms.

These dark spots are now known to be

halos of volcanic ash surrounding

craterlets and pits on the crater floors. As

with Pickering’s vapor column, the

apparent variability of these features is

merely an illusion caused by the changing

angle of the sunlight as the lunar day

progresses.

In 1924, Pickering published his final

paper on the subject of lunar life. Still

fascinated with dark variable spots, he

conducted an intensive five-year study of

the crater Eratosthenes (15° N - 11° W).

He felt that the dark spots within

Eratosthenes (Figure 6) were not like

those in Alphonsus (Figure 5), but

instead moved about in a manner similar

to that of animal herds. Estimating their

speed to be only a few feet per minute, he

deduced that they could not be composed

of individual animals as large as bison and

would most likely be insects. William

Pickering died in 1938, never having

relinquishing his belief that life existed on

the Moon.

Bacteria On the Moon

It might be said that for a few days

between 1969 and 1972, there really was

life on the Moon as 12 Apollo astronauts

spent time on the lunar surface; but they

could not have survived without artificial

life support systems. Astronauts, in this

author’s opinion, do not qualify as lunar

life; not because they were of Earthly

origin but because of the aforementioned

need for life support systems. Humans,

however, were not the only Earth

creatures to visit the Moon. In April 1967,

an unmanned lunar lander, Surveyor 3,

touched down on the southern portion of

Oceanus Procellarum. Thirty-one months

later, Pete Conrad of the Apollo 12 crew

retrieved a camera from Surveyor 3

(Figure 7) and returned it to Earth.

Microscopic examination of the

polyurethane foam insulation covering the

circuit boards of the camera revealed the

presence of common bacteria,

Figure 4. Vallis Schröteri. (Consolidated Lunar Atlas, Lunar & Planetary Institute)

Figure 5. Dark spots within crater Alphonsus. (Consolidated Lunar Atlas, Lunar & Planetary

Institute)

Page 18 Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011

The Strolling Astronomer

Streptococcus mitis. One of the

construction crew probably had a cold

and sneezed near the camera. For nearly

three years, the microbes had been

exposed to the vacuum of space without

nutrients, water, or protection from

intense radiation; they were apparently

dead. Incredibly, a culture of the Surveyor

3 bacteria successfully reanimated the

microbes.

Does this mean that there might be lunar

bacteria living in the regolith? Hardly.

Many other types of bacteria, some

protozoa, and perhaps even more

complex organisms such as the tardigrade

could have survived the harsh

environment of the Moon, but only by

going into a state of suspended

animation. That is a far cry from living

and thriving under the same conditions.

Of all the necessities for life as we know it,

none is more critical than liquid water.

Even organisms found living in ice, rock,

or salt crystals on Earth are actually living

in thin layers of liquid water within those

substances. The thickness of such a water

layer need only be incredibly small; only

enough to cover a small bacterium, 0.3

m (0.0003 mm or 1/100000 in.) in

diameter. But, even at that remarkably

tiny scale, the Moon is devoid of liquid

water. And so, on this single factor alone,

even lunar bacterial life would be

impossible.

Some of the above stories don’t sound as

farfetched when they are viewed in the

light of the limited knowledge of their day.

And it makes one wonder how much our

presumptions about extra terrestrial life

are also being influenced by the limited

knowledge of our day.

References

Boese, Alex, 2008. “Great Moon Hoax

of 1835”, http://www.museumofhoaxes.

com/moonhoax.html

Dobbins, Thomas & Baum Richard,

“Observing a Fictional Moon”, Sky &

Telescope Magazine, June 1998.

Lunine, Jonathan, 2005. “Astrobiology:

A Multidisciplinary Approach”, Pearson

Education Inc.

MacRobert, Alan - “The Fabled City on

the Moon”, Sky & Telescope Magazine,

October 1992.

Moore, Patrick, 2001.“Patrick Moore on

the Moon”, Cassell & Co., 2001

Noever, David, 1998. “Earth Microbes

on the Moon”, http://science.nasa.gov/

science-news/science-at-nasa/1998/

ast01sep98_1/

Figure 6. Crater Eratosthenes. (Consolidated Lunar Atlas, Lunar & Planetary Institute)

Figure 7. Astronaut Pete Conrad and Surveyor 3 with Apollo 12 lunar lander in the

background. (NASA)

The Strolling Astronomer

Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011 Page 19

A.L.P.O. Lunar Section: Selected Areas Program

Albedo and Supporting Data for Lunar Drawings

Lunar Feature Observed : ______________________________

(use Drawing Outline Chart for making drawings and attach to this form)

Observer: _________________________________________________ Observing Station: ______________________________________________

Mailing Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

street city state zip

Telescope: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

instrument type aperture (cm.) focal ratio

Magnification(s): _____________X _____________X _____________X Filter(s): F1 ___________ F2 ___________

Seeing: __________________________ [A.L.P.O. Scale = 0.0 (worst) to 10.0 (perfect)]

Transparency: ______________________________ [Faintest star visible to unaided eye]

Date (UT): _____________________________ Time (UT): ______________ _______________

year month day start end

Colongitude: _____________________° _____________________°

start end

Albedo Data

(refer to Albedo Reference Chart which shows "Assigned Albedo Indices" for feature and attach to this form)

Assigned Albedo

Index

Albedo IL Albedo F1 Albedo F2 Assigned Albedo

Index

Albedo IL Albedo F1 Albedo F2

A J

B K

C L

D M

E N

F O

G P

H Q

I R

NOTES:

Page 20 Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011

The Strolling Astronomer

A.L.P.O. Lunar Selected Areas

Program

Theophilus Alphonsus Atlas

Tycho Copernicus

page 1 of 2

(IAU)

Aristarchus Plato

MN Q

The Strolling Astronomer

Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011 Page 21

Page 22 Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011

The Strolling Astronomer

By: Tom Dobbins

tomdobbins@gmail.com

The following article serves to

underscore the importance of amateur

contributions to astronomy and to

honor the memory of the late Elmer J.

Reese, a founding member of the ALPO

who headed the Jupiter Section at

various times.

The British physicist Sir Arthur

Eddington once remarked that

practically all of the matter in the

universe is tucked away and forever

hidden behind impenetrable barriers.

Eddington was thinking principally of

stars, which are only observed by the

light that emanates from the rarefied

layers of their outermost surfaces, but

the same insight applies to planets as

well.1 This is why astronomy is

essentially a theoretical science, for it is

only by theoretical means that the

structure and properties of the huge

invisible fraction of the matter in the

universe can be inferred from the

radiation that is emitted or reflected by

the miniscule portion that is accessible

to human eyes and instruments.

Astrophysicists estimate the depth of

Jupiter's hydrogen-rich atmosphere at

about 1,000 kilometers. At greater

depths, the crushing pressure of the

overlying atmosphere causes hydrogen

to behave more like a liquid than a gas.

The transition from highly compressed

gases to a deep, hot ocean must be

almost imperceptibly gradual. Another

change in phase occurs at a depth of

about 20,000 kilometers, where

pressures exceed 2 million atmospheres

and hydrogen is compressed to a

viscous, syrupy consistency, an exotic

state known as "metallic hydrogen."

This fluid, which would probably look

like mercury if we could see it, is a

conductor of electricity. The very center

of the planet is probably occupied by a

dense core of metal and silicate rock

All Readers

Your comments, questions, etc., about

this report are appreciated. Please

send them to: poshedly@

bellsouth.net for publication in the next

Journal.

Online Features

Left-click your mouse on:

•The e-mail address in blue text to con-

tact the author of this article.

•The references in blue text to jump to

source material or information about

that source material (Internet connec-

tion must be ON).

Feature Story: Jupiter

Jupiter’s Deepest Mystery: The ALPO Connection

Figure 1. Jupiter with and without SEB. Source: http://gizmodo.com/5537697/the-before-and-after-of-jupiters-belts

The Strolling Astronomer

Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011 Page 23

five to ten times more massive than the

Earth.

The telescopic observer sees only an

impenetrable canopy of clouds floating

in the uppermost layers of Jupiter's

atmosphere, a churning, roiling chaos

of alternating dark belts and bright

zones, where winds howl at half the

speed of sound. Despite being limited to

superficial views of this thin veneer of

gases and aerosols, one observer of the

planet did manage to piece together

intriguing evidence of mysterious

structures far below the visible clouds.

The tantalizing clues emerged from his

studies of the phenomenon known as a

"South Equatorial Belt Revival."

All of Jupiter's atmospheric belts vary in

hue and intensity, but these changes are

usually so subtle and gradual that they

escape the notice of casual observers.

The South Equatorial Belt is a notable

exception to this rule. Girdling Jupiter's

southern latitudes of 7 degrees to 20

degrees, the SEB is normally a

prominent reddish- or grayish-brown

feature that is often divided into discrete

northern and southern components (the

SEBn and SEBs) by a lighter zone (the

SEBZ). At irregular intervals, the SEB

fades over a period of several months,

often to the point that hardly a trace

remains to be seen. Following a virtual

absence of several months to as much

as two years, it is suddenly restored to

its former prominence by a dramatic

revival that is one of the most

spectacular phenomena visible through

a telescope.

The first well-recorded SEB revival

occurred in 1919, although astronomer

Thomas Hockey of the University of

Northern Iowa has amassed convincing

evidence that 19th century observers

witnessed the phenomenon in 1859,

1871, and 1882. 2 The restored SEB

remained in a "normal" state until 1928,

when a sequence of events eerily similar

to those of 1919 was repeated. Another

SEB revival occurred in 1937, followed

by a series of six events at three-year

intervals that began in 1943 and ended

in 1958. A closely spaced pair occurred

in 1962 and 1964, followed by a

second pair in 1971 and 1975. After a

long hiatus in the 1980s, two SEB

revivals occurred in the last decade of

the 20th century, one in 1990 and a

second in 1993. A fading of the SEB in

2007 seemed to end prematurely and

was not followed by a revival, but a

vigorous revival is currently underway

as this article goes to press.

Although the 15 SEB revivals observed

during the 20th century varied in vigor,

they all shared a common plot. The

harbinger of an SEB revival is the fading

of the SEB over a period of several

months as it is veiled by a thickening

deck of cirrus clouds composed of tiny

crystals of frozen ammonia. The SEBs

invariably all but disappears, but the

SEBn is usually more persistent,

growing narrower and losing its ruddy

tint to take on a steel grey hue. The

adjacent creamy Equatorial Zone often

develops a yellow or orange cast while

the Great Red Spot grows darker and

more prominent. These events

constitute the proverbial calm before the

storm.

Several months to as much as two years

after the SEB fades, an extremely dark

spot will suddenly appear near the

southern edge of the SEBn. On several

occasions observers have noticed a very

compact white spot with the

appearance of a brilliant pearl in the

precise location where the dark spot

materializes a few days later.

According to Augustin Sánchez-Lavega

of the University of the Basque Country

in Bilbao, Spain, a leading authority on

planetary atmospheres, these compact

white spots are intense convective

storms that generate turbulence that

propagates in a wave-like fashion along

the SEB, clearing the veil of ammonia

cirrus. 3

The dark material welling up from this

eruptive point source encounters a

tremendous gradient of opposing

currents in the Jovian atmosphere. The

winds along the northern edge of the

SEB in the South Equatorial Jet Stream

blow at over 90 meters per second (201

miles per hour) in the direction of

Jupiter's preceding limb, while the

prevailing winds along the southern

edge of the SEB in the SEBs Jet Stream

blow toward the planet's following (or

trailing) limb at speeds that can exceed

150 meters per second (336 miles per

hour). Subjected to this violent wind

shear, erupting material rapidly takes on

the form of an elongated filament or

streak that soon smears out into a

shallow, ever-lengthening letter "S."

For several weeks, additional dark spots

clustered around the site of the original

outbreak continue to tunnel through the

cloud canopy. Most SEB revivals feature

subsequent eruptions from secondary

or even tertiary sites. The exceptionally

vigorous 1975 revival featured an

unprecedented four discrete eruption

sites. Changes can unfold at such a

dizzying pace that even seasoned

observers find it difficult to recognize

individual markings on successive

nights.

Upwelling dark material spreads out at a

rate of several degrees of longitude per

day, principally in the direction of

decreasing longitude. After two to three

months, this "wave of darkening"

completely encircles Jupiter, restoring

the SEB to a feature that rivals or even

surpasses its northern counterpart in

prominence. As the SEB darkens, the

Great Red Spot fades as it is obscured

by a layer of haze until it is reduced to a

muted oval that is often surrounded by

a dark ring of SEB material.4

SEB revivals provide a glimpse of

violent upheavals deep in Jupiter's

interior, a realm that remains every bit

as mysterious today as the abyssal

depths of this planet's oceans were to

our forebears two centuries ago.

Surprisingly, the most profound insight

into the mechanism of SEB revivals is

not the brainchild of a theoretical

astrophysicist, but instead of an

amateur astronomer, Elmer J. Reese.

The story is a remarkable exception to

the role of the amateur in astronomical

research that had emerged by the

middle of the 20th century.

The Industrial Revolution had

engendered unprecedented wealth for

members of the middle and upper

classes in Europe and the United States,

who were suddenly able to convert

leisurely pursuits like science and travel

into full-time hobbies. Tension soon

arose between the academic

professionals and the amateur

dilettantes, who were often regarded as

little more than "butterfly collectors."

Reprimanding an African explorer

whose report contained speculations

about the origins of the geological

Page 24 Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011

The Strolling Astronomer

formations he had encountered in his

travels, one official of the Royal

Geographical Society wrote: "What you

can do is state accurately what you saw,

leaving it to the stay-at-home men of

science to collate the data of many

travelers in order to form a theory." 5

This remark certainly typified the

prevailing attitude in the astronomical

community by the middle of the 20th

century as well, although the African

explorer John Hanning Speke's

denunciation of geographers "who sit in

carpet slippers and criticize those who

labor in the field" 6 would no doubt

have resonated with amateur

astronomers of Elmer Reese's caliber.

The son of a Uniontown, Pennsylvania,

grocer, Reese was a founding member

of the Association of Lunar and

Planetary Observers in 1947. During

the heyday of amateur planetary studies

in the 1950s and early 1960s, he was a

prolific contributor of Jupiter

observations and occasionally served as

the organization's Jupiter Section

Recorder. ALPO founder and Director

Emeritus Walter Haas remembers Reese

as "modest and unassuming, but

arguably the most talented of the

thousands who have submitted

observations to the ALPO over the last

50 years, the very rare combination of a

doggedly persistent observer who not

only records his observations with great

accuracy and aesthetic appeal, but who

is also capable of gleaning original and

valuable inferences from the masses of

data that he accumulates." 7

Despite the fact that most of Reese's

observations were made with a humble

6-inch Newtonian reflector, his work

was of such high quality that he

eventually made the transition from

amateur to professional astronomer. In

1963, he was invited to join the staff of

the New Mexico State University

Observatory, where he played a pivotal

role in establishing the Planetary Patrol

and Study Project founded by another

amateur-turned-professional, Pluto

discoverer Clyde Tombaugh. Notable

among the project's many

accomplishments was the 1968

discovery by Reese and his colleagues

Bradford Smith and Gordon Solberg

that the Great Red Spot is a vortex that

rotates once every 6 days, a finding that

was confirmed by the Voyager space

probes 21 years later.8 Today the

NMSU archives include more than a

million photographs of the planets,

almost half of them of Jupiter.

Reese published his first musings on the

subject of SEB revivals in 1953. He

reasoned that because these

phenomena "invariably begin with the

sudden appearance of a small dark spot

near the latitude of the middle of the

South Equatorial Belt, we might infer

that material reaches the visible surface

from an eruption of some kind. Then it

is scattered longitudinally by prevailing

atmospheric winds." 9

Eruptions so localized and energetic

might not be from merely ephemeral

sources. To Reese, this line of inquiry

promised to reveal nothing less than the

rotation period of Jupiter's surface far

beneath the visible cloud canopy: "If the

source of these eruptions is fixed in

position on the solid core of the planet,

or is at a suitable depth for fluid friction

to be a dominating factor, the observed

longitudes of the initial outbreak should

fit a constant rotation period."10

In his classic tome The Planet Jupiter,

written at the very dawn of the Space

Age, Bertrand Peek explained Reese's

approach by means of a clever analogy:

Let us imagine for a moment the

Earth's atmosphere to be so opaque

that no terrestrial landmarks can be

seen by an observer on the Moon;

also that a volcano, by intermittent

eruptions, projects vast clouds of

dust into the upper atmosphere,

where the lunar observer can see

them and note their times of transit

across the central meridian [an

imaginary line running from one

pole of rotation through the center

of a planet's disc to the opposite

pole]. If now the earliest observa-

tions only of each new cloud are

reduced, its subsequent atmo-

spheric drift being irrelevant, a uni-

formly rotating system can be found

in which the derived longitudes are

constant, being that of the volcano,

and of which the period is equal to

the rotation period of the Earth.11

After a painstaking review of the

observational record, Reese proposed

that the eruptive dark spots that

signaled the onset of SEB revivals might

be attributable to a pair of "volcanoes"

located beneath the southern edge of

the SEBn at approximately the same

latitude but separated by 88 degrees of

longitude, both rotating about five

minutes slower than the features in the

overlying cloudscape.12 However,

Reese cautioned that the fit with the

observational data was less than

perfect. He added that it was difficult to

imagine why any volcano would

become active only when superficial

atmospheric features far above it

assume a particular aspect (like a faded

SEB), but he did propose a possible

explanation:

I suggest that continuous volcanic

activity maintained the dark aspect

of the SEB prior to 1918. Since the

volcanic vent was open during

those years, no unusually great

internal pressure could build up.

However, beginning around 1918,

the volcanic vent became sealed

from time to time. When this hap-

pened, the SEB would fade away

while internal pressure would

mount. When a certain critical pres-

sure was attained, an explosion

would reopen the vent and a distur-

bance in the SEB would be the visi-

ble result.13

In 1955, intermittent bursts of radio

waves generated deep in the interior of

Jupiter were detected that suggested a

rotation period for the planet's core of 9

hours 55 minutes 29.4 seconds. When

Reese turned his attention to the subject

of SEB revivals again in the early

1970s, he began by tentatively

assigning this radio-derived rotation

period to the sites of his volcanoes. This

time, three loci of activity began to

emerge from the data. When Reese

introduced a very slow drift

corresponding to a rotation period of 9

hours 55 minutes 30.1 seconds, the fit

with the observational data became

uncannily precise. Reese designated

these sites simple as sources A, B, and

Reese's hypothesis of permanent vents

beneath the SEB first demonstrated its

predictive power during the SEB revival

of 1975, when eruptions appeared

within 2 degrees of longitude of sources

A and C. The eruptions during the 1990

and 1993 revivals coincided closely with

Source B.14 Source A seems to be the

locus of the most vigorous revivals

The Strolling Astronomer

Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011 Page 25

(1919, 1928, 1971, and 1975), while

Source C is responsible for the weakest

episodes. Curiously, when SEB revivals

have featured multiple eruptions, the

successive outbreaks of spots have

occurred sequentially, first from Source

A, followed by Source B, and finally

from Source C.

Given our present knowledge of Jupiter's

internal structure, Reese's sources cannot

literally be volcanoes in any form

resembling the topographic features found

on the small, rocky planets. As early as

1957, Walter Haas cautioned that "the

term 'volcano' should probably not be

taken too literally here; we have in mind

sources of activity below the visible

surface of the Giant Planet and capable of

affecting the surface markings."15

According to John Rogers, the current

Director of the Jupiter Section of the

British Astronomical Association, these

features may be "long-lived circulations or

waves or even floating objects at a deep

level… Whatever the Reese sources may

be, the instability always breaks first over

them, just as clouds on Earth first form

over mountains."16

The author has a hunch that the most

inspired guess about nature of Reese's

"volcanoes" is a notion advanced decades

ago by Valdemar Axel Firsoff, a versatile

polymath who frequently championed

contrarian viewpoints. Rather than a

homogeneous "spinning ball of liquid

hydrogen," Firsoff suggested that Jupiter

may be a "world of worlds" dotted with

aggregations of material floating at

various levels depending on their density.

"The dense layer of stratified gas beneath

the convection zone," he speculated, "may

be full of solid and liquid bodies of

considerable size, forming as it were

minor tributary worlds of their own and

held together by the force of their own

gravitation."17

At a depth of about a thousand kilometers

beneath Jupiter's cloud tops, condensed

silicate minerals would float in the hot sea

of liquefied gases. The spectroscope has

revealed that cool red giant stars are

enveloped in a thick smoke of metal

silicates, oxides, carbides, nitrides, and

other refractory compounds that form an

opaque layer, doubly compressed by the

pressure of radiation from within and

gravitation from without. On Jupiter, aptly

characterized by Firsoff as a "potted star,"

he conjectured that "local hot spots (flares)

may form beneath the opaque envelope,

and occasionally break through in a great

eruption, vast amounts of incandescent

gas pouring out into the overlying cooler

regions. The erupting mass may be

compared to a laccolith [an intrusion of

magma between two layers of

sedimentary rock that forces the overlying

strata upward to form a characteristic

dome] and may eventually set into a kind

of floating island at a level corresponding

to its specific gravity."18

Our present knowledge of Jupiter's

interior does not permit more than

intuitive guesswork like Firsoff's. The

mechanism which causes SEB fadings

and revivals is still poorly understood. Will

future SEB revivals continue to emanate

from the sites of Reese's mysterious

"volcanoes"? Will the regular cycle of SEB

revivals at three-year intervals that

occurred between 1943 and 1958 prove

to be the norm or the exception?

It is also quite puzzling that the South

Equatorial Belt was subject to revivals

throughout the 20th century, but its

northern counterpart was not. Between

1893 and 1915, the North Equatorial Belt

(NEB) experienced gradual fadings and

sudden revivals at three-year intervals,

just like the SEB during the 1950s. By

poring over older sketches and verbal

descriptions of Jupiter, John Rogers has

uncovered evidence of earlier NEB

revivals in 1837, 1856, 1861, and

187219. These events all mimicked the

SEB phenomena that have been

occurring since 1919. The last NEB

revival occurred in 1915. What has

become of any vents beneath the NEB?

What caused the pattern of activity to

switch hemispheres? Will it switch

hemispheres again? It's a safe bet that

observations by amateur astronomers

following in the footsteps of Elmer Reese

will play a vital role in solving these

mysteries.

References Cited

1 Cited in R.A. Lyttleton, Mysteries of the

Solar System (Oxford: Clarendon Press,

1968), p. 45.

2 Thomas Hockey, Galileo’s Planet:

Observing Jupiter Before Photography

(Bristol: Institute of Physics Publishing,

1998), pp. 195-196.

3 Augustin Sánchez-Lavega to Donald

C. Parker, November 28, 2010.

Personal communication.

4 John Rogers, The Giant Planet

Jupiter, (Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press, 1995), p. 171.

5 Cited in David Grann, The Lost City of

Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the

Amazon (New York: Doubleday, 2009),

pp. 60-61.

6 Ibid.

7 Walter Haas to Thomas Dobbins,

August 25, 1999. Personal

communication.

8 E.J. Reese and B.A. Smith, “Evidence

of Vorticity in the Great Red Spot of

Jupiter” Icarus, 9, 1968. pp. 474-486.

9 Elmer J. Reese, “Observing Jupiter”

Sky & Telescope, August, 1962. pp.

70-74.

10 Ibid.

11 Bertrand M. Peek, The Planet Jupiter

(New York: Macmillan Company, 1958),

p. 222.

12 E.J. Reese, “A Possible Clue to the

Rotation Period of the Solid Nucleus of

Jupiter” Journal of the British

Astronomical Association, 63, 1953.

pp. 219-222.

13 Walter Haas, “A Note on the SEB

Disturbances of Jupiter” Journal of the

Association of Lunar and Planetary

Observers, 10, 9&10, 1956. pp. 114-

115.

14 E. Moreno, A. Molina, and J.L. Ortiz,

“The 1993 South Equatorial Belt Revival

and Other Features in the Jovian

Atmosphere: An Observational

Perspective” Astronomy and

Astrophysics, 327, 1997. pp. 1253-

1261.

15 Haas, Op. Cit.

16 Rogers, Op. Cit. p. 183.

17 V.A. Firsoff, Our Neighbour Worlds,

(New York: Philosophical Library, 1953),

p. 263.

18 V.A. Firsoff, The Solar Planets, (New

York: Crane, Russak & Company,

1977), pp. 162-163.

19 Rogers, Op. Cit. pp. 127-128.

Page 26 Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011

The Strolling Astronomer

ALPO Jupiter Section Observation Form No. _____

Notes

______________________________________________________________________________

No. Time (UT) S I (°) S II (°) S III (°) Remarks

Date (UT): _____________________________________

Time (UT): ____________________________________

CM I _____ CM II ____ CM III _______

Begin (UT): _____________ End (UT) ____________

Telescope: f/ ___ Size: __________ (in./cm.; RL/RR/SC)

Magnification: _______x ________x ________x

Filters: _________________________________(W / S)

Trnasparency (1 - 5): ____ (Clear / Hazy / Int. Clouds)

Seeing (1 - 10): _________ Antoniadi (I - V): _________

Name: _____________________________________

Address: _____________________________________

__________________________________________

City, State, ZIP: ______________________________

__________________________________________

Observing Site: ______________________________

__________________________________________

E-mail: _____________________________________

The Strolling Astronomer

Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011 Page 27

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Page 28 Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011

The Strolling Astronomer

By: Richard W. Schmude, Jr.,

coordinator, ALPO Jupiter Section

schmude@gdn.edu

Abstract

Drift rates of 110 different features in

over a dozen currents on Jupiter are

reported. Two small spots followed the

elusive S3TC jetstream and had an

average system II drift rate of -95.3°/30

days. Drift rates of other currents were

consistent with historical values. The

selected normalized magnitudes are:

B(1,0) = -8.53±0.03, V(1,0) = -

9.43±0.02, R(1,0) = -9.89±0.02 and

I(1,0) = -9.72±0.02. The purpose of this

paper is to present observed drift rates

and brightness measurements. Drift

rates were computed by measuring lon-

gitudes from images. An analysis of

multi-year trends in drift rates and

brightness will be carried out in a future

study.

Introduction

The characteristics of Jupiter for 2008 are

listed in Table 1. Abbreviations are used

throughout this report.

Two significant developments in 2008

were the darkening of the NTB and the

observation of the rarely observed S3TC

jetstream. In addition to this, four oval-

shaped features developed along the

northern edge of the STrZ. One of these

features (D1) was destroyed by the GRS

in mid-April. Rogers (2008a, 242-244)

gives an overview of the first half of the

2008 apparition. Rogers (2008b-g) has

also posted six Jupiter reports

summarizing major events that occurred

during the 2008 apparition at: http://

www.britastro.org/jupiter/

2008reports.htm.

The people who submitted observations,

images or measurements of Jupiter during

the 2008 apparition are listed in Table 2.

Belt and zone names and their

abbreviations are listed in Table 3.

This paper will follow certain conventions.

The planetographic latitude is always

used. “West” refers to the direction of

increasing longitude. Longitude is

designated with the Greek letter -,

followed by a subscript Roman numeral

that is the longitude system. For example,

-I = 54° means that the system I

longitude equals 54° W. The three

longitude systems are described in

(Rogers, 1995, 11; 2006, 334),

(Astronomical Almanac, 2003, L9). All

dates and times are in Universal Time

(UT). Belts and currents are abbreviated.

Unless stated otherwise, all data are based

on visible light images. All methane band

images were made in light with a

wavelength near 0.89 m. All currents,

except where noted, are named in

accordance with Rogers (1990, 88).

This paper includes Jupiter images

submitted by a number of observers.

All Readers

Your comments, questions, etc., about

this report are appreciated. Please

send them to: poshedly@

bellsouth.net for publication in the next

Journal.

Online Features

Left-click your mouse on:

•The author’s e-mail address in blue

text to contact the author of this article.

•The references in blue text to jump to

source material or information about

that source material (Internet connec-

tion must be ON).

Observing Scales

Standard ALPO Scale of Intensity:

• 0.0 = Completely black

• 10.0 = Very brightest features

• Intermediate values are assigned

along the scale to account for

observed intensity of features

ALPO Scale of Seeing Conditions:

• 0 = Worst

• 10 = Perfect

Scale of Transparency Conditions:

• Magnitude of the faintest star visible

near Jupiter when allowing for moon-

light and twilight

IAU directions are used in all instances

(so that Jupiter rotates from west to

east).

Table 1: Characteristics of the 2008 Apparition of Jupitera

First conjunction date 2007 Dec 23

Opposition date 2008 Jul 09

Second conjunction date 2009 Jan 24

Brightness at opposition (stellar magnitude) -2.7

Equatorial angular diameter at opposition 47.0 arc-seconds

Right Ascension at opposition 19h 16m

Declination at opposition 22.5º S

Planetocentric latitude of the Earth at opposition 1.7° S

Planetocentric latitude of the Sun at opposition 1.8° S

aData are from the Astronomical Almanac (2005, 2006, 2007)

Feature Story: Jupiter

Observations During the 2008 Apparition

The Strolling Astronomer

Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011 Page 29

Table 2: Contributors to the 2008 Jupiter Apparition Report.a, b, c

Name; Location

(Type of Observation) Name; Location

(Type of Observation)

P. Abel, UK (I) C. Hernandez, USA (D, DN) M. Phillips, USA (I)

M. Adachi, Japan (D) R. Hill, USA (I) J. Poupeau, France (I)

G. Adamoli, Italy (D, DN) C. Hsuan-Hsiao, Taiwan (I) D. Pretorius, Australia (I)

J. Adelaar; The Netherlands (I) I. Hwang, Korea (I) J.-P. Prost, France (I)

T. Akutsu; Philippines (I) Y. Iga, Japan (DN) Z. Pujic, Australia (I)

E. Allen, USA (I) T. Ikemura, Japan (I) D. Pye, Canada (I)

A. Alonso, Spain (I) M. Jacquesson (DN) K. Quin, USA (I)

V. Amadori, Italy (I) R. Jakiel, USA (I) T. Ramakers, USA (I)

K. Ando; Japan (I) S. Kanno, Japan (I) E. Rivera, USA (I)

T. Arakawa, Japan (I) M. Kardasis, Greece (I) S. Robbins, USA (D)

D. Arditti; UK (I) J. Kazanas, Australia (I) J. Rogers, UK (DN)

T. Ashcraft, USA (R) A. Kazemoto, Japan (I) C. Roussell, Canada (D, DN)

L. Azorin, Spain (I) B. Kendrick, USA (I) N. Ryan, UK (I)

G. Bailey, USA (I) T. Kumamori, Japan (I) J. Sabia, USA (I)

G. Bertrand; France (I) L. Lauri, Italy (D) T. Saitou, Japan (I)

K. Bhattacharya, UK (I) P. Lazzarotti, Italy (I) S. Saltamonti, Italy (I)

R. Bosman; The Netherlands (I) E. Lomeli, USA (I) M. Salway, Australia (I)

A. Carbognani, Italy (I) C. Lopez, Spain (I) J. Sanchez; Spain (I)

F. Carvalho; Brazil (I) O. Lopez (I) J. Sandel, USA (D, DN, TT)

P. Casquinha; Portugal (I) R. Mackintosh, Argentina (I) J. Sanford, USA (I)

C. Cellini, Italy (I) I. Marios-Strikis, Greece (D) G. Santacana, USA (D, I)

D. Chang; Hong Kong, China (I) M. Mattei, USA (I) R. Schmude, Jr.; USA (D, DN, PP)

G. Chester; USA (I) U. Maurer, Germany (I) J. Soldevilla, Spain (I)

A. Cidadao, Portugal (I) P. Maxson, USA (I) A. Sonka, Romania (I)

B. Colville, Canada (I) G. Medina, Spain (I) N. Sotera, Italy (I)

E. Crandall, USA (I) A. Medugno, Italy (I) S. Spampinato, Italy (I)

B. Cudnik, USA (D, DN) F. Melillo, USA (I) J. Sussenbach, The Netherlands (I)

V. da Silva, Jr., Brazil (I) T. Mishina, Japan (I) I. Takimoto, Japan (I)

M. Delcroix, France (I) I. Miyazaki, Japan (I) G. Tarsoudis, Greece (I)

X. Dupont, France (I) D. Moore, USA (I) A. Tasselli, UK (DN)

P. Edwards, UK (I) E. Morales, USA (I) R. Tatum, USA (I)

H. Einaga, Japan (I) R. Mykytyuki, Argentina (I) K. Tokujiro, Japan (I)

C. Fattinnanzi, Italy (I) K. Nakai (I) Y. Tomita, Japan (I)

J. Ferreira, USA (I) J. Nakamura, Japan (I) D. Tyler, UK (I)

H. Fukui, Japan (I) M. Neichi, Japan (I) T. Usude, Japan (I)

S. Ghomizadeh, Iran (I) D. Niechoy, Germany (D) M. Valimberti, Australia (I)

T. Ghouchkanlu, Iran (I) T. Nonoguchi, Japan (I) S. Walker, USA (I)

C. Go, Philippines (I) Y. Okamoto, Japan (D) R. Walls, USA (I)

G. Grassmann, Brazil (I) T. Olivetti, Thailand (I) J. Warren, USA (I)

B. Haberman, USA (I) L. Owens, USA (I) A. Wesley, Australia (I)

P. Haese, Australia (I) K. Ozaki, Japan (I) R. Wheeler (I)

T. Hansen, Germany (I) D. Parker, USA (I) B. Worsley, USA (I)

A. Hatanaka, Japan (I) D. Peach, Barbados and UK (I) M. Yamamoto, Japan (I)

T. Hayashi, Japan (I) C. Pellier, France (I) S. Yoneyama, Japan (I)

R. Heffner, Japan (I) J. Phillips, USA (I) K. Yunoki, Japan (I)

aType of observation: D = drawing, DN = descriptive notes, I = image, PP = photoelectric photometry,

R = radio studies and TT = transit times

bAll people who submitted images to http://www.arksky.org in the ALPO Jupiter archive and in the ALPO Japan

Latest website in the Jupiter archive are acknowledged in this table.

cThe writer would also like to acknowledge the Asociacion Amigos de la Astronomia for their contributions.

Page 30 Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011

The Strolling Astronomer

Disk Appearance

Cudnik, Roussell and the writer made

over 200 intensity estimates of Jupiter’s

features. These estimates were made

between January and December of 2008.

The average light intensities based on the

ALPO scale (10 = white and 0 = black)

are: SPR (6.1), STrZ (9.5), SEB (4.5), EZ

(8.6), EB (7.5), NEB (3.4), NTrZ (8.9),

NTB (6.1), NTZ (8.1), NNTB (6.2), GRS

(6.4) and NPR (6.1). The STrZ, EZ, NTrZ

and NTZ were much brighter in 2008

than in 2006-07. The NEB and SEB,

however, were a little darker in 2008 than

in the previous apparition (Schmude,

2010, 31).

The writer measured latitudes of Jovian

belts from images made in July 2008.

Latitudes were measured using the

procedure described in Peek (1981, 49).

Latitudes were measured from images in

each of the six 60°–longitude intervals

(system II) starting with the 0° to 60°

interval. Average latitudes were then

computed and are listed in Table 4 (visible

wavelengths) and Table 5 (methane-band

wavelength).

Figure 1 shows a selection of images

made of Jupiter. Figures 2 and 3 show

several graphs of the longitude versus

date for features on Jupiter during the

2008 apparition.

Tables 6 through 8 list the planetograhic

latitudes and drift rates of features on

Jupiter. Table 9 summarizes wind speeds

for over a dozen currents. Tables 10 and

11 summarize whole-disk photometric

magnitude measurements of Jupiter.

Most feature names in this report have a

letter followed by a number. Names follow

the convention described in Schmude

(2010, 33).

Region I: Great Red Spot

Images of the GRS are shown in Figures

1C and 1D. In methane band light (889

nm), the GRS appeared as a white oval

(Figure 1E). Cudnik described the GRS as

having a “brownish-salmon” color on July

4. Hernandez described the GRS as

having a “salmon-pink” color on August

3. Adamoli selected an orange-red color

for it based on several observations.

The system II drift rate of the GRS was

1.0°/30 days. This is lower than in the

previous apparition but is more consistent

with historical values (Peek, 1981, 144),

(Rogers, 1995, 192).

Between June 24 and July 24, 2008 the

average system II longitude of the GRS

was 125.8° ± 0.3°. This is 5.8° further

west than 13 months ago.

Region II: South Polar

Region to the South

Tropical Zone

The NPR and SPR had the same light

intensity (6.1) in 2008. The SPR had a

dark belt (the SPB). A similar belt was

observed in the previous apparition

(Schmude, 2010, 34). Latitudes for this

belt are listed in Table 4 and it is shown in

Figures 1C and 1D. The writer suspected

Table 3: Names and Abbreviations of Belts and Zones on Jupiter

Belt and Zone Name Abbreviation Belt and Zone Name Abbreviation

South Polar Region SPR North Equatorial Belt NEB

South Polar Belt SPB North Tropical Zone NTrZ

South Temperate Zone STZ North Temperate Belt NTB

South Tropical Zone STrZ North Temperate Zone NTZ

South Equatorial Belt SEB North North Temperate Belt NNTB

Equatorial Zone EZ North Polar Region NPR

Equatorial Band EB Great Red Spot GRS

Table 5: Planetographic Latitudes of Belts on Jupiter

(All Latitudes Based on Methane-Band Images Made at a Wavelength of 0.889 M

in July 2008)

Feature Latitude Feature

South Polar Cap --- 65.6° S ± 0.5°

South Equatorial Belt 21.1° S ± 1° 3.6° S ± 1°

North Equatorial Belt 7.9° N ± 1° 17.2° N ± 0.5°

North Temperate Belt 25.5° N ± 0.5° 30.6° N ± 0.5°

North North Temperate Belt 34.6° N ± 0.5° 37.8° N ± 0.5°

North Polar Cap 66.2° N ± 1° ---

Table 4: Planetographic Latitudes of Belts on Jupiter

(All Latitudes are Based on Images Made in Visible Wavelengths in July 2008)

Feature South Edge North Edge

South Polar Belt 69.0° S ± 1° 64.3° S ± 0.5°

South Equatorial Belt 23.5 ± 0.5° 7.5° S ± 0.5°

North Equatorial Belt 7.4° N ± 0.5° 16.7° N ± 0.5°

North Temperate Belt 23.3° N ± 0.5° 31.4° N ± 0.5°

North North Temperate Belt 35.5° N ± 0.5° 40.1° N ± 1°

The Strolling Astronomer

Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011 Page 31

a second polar belt at latitudes of between

78° S (south edge) to 74° S (north edge).

Parts of this belt are visible in Wesley’s

July 5, 2008, image along with

Christopher Go’s April 3 and 9 images; all

three images are on the ALPO Japan

Latest Website: http://alpo-j.asahikawa-

med.ac.jp/Latest/

Jupiter2008Apparition.htm.

Table 6: Planetographic Latitudes and Drift Rates of Features South of the Equatorial Zone; 2008 Jupiter

Feature Number

of Points Planetographic

Latitude

Drift Rate

Deg./30

days

System II

Feature Number

of Points Planetographic

Latitude

Drift Rate

Deg./30

days

System II

South Polar Current at 60° S (SPC at 60° S)

A1 76 60.1° S -4.5 A2 76 60.7° S -17.7

A4 20 60.5° S -11.9

Average 60.4°S -11.4

South South South South Temperate Current (S4TC)

A5 16 54.8° S -22.1

South South South Temperate Current (S3TC)

A3 62 51.6° S -18.5

South South South Temperate Current Jetstream (S3TC jetstream)

A12 544.8° S -93.0 A13 13 44.6 -97.7

Average 44.7°S -95.3

South South Temperate Current (SSTC)

B1 37 41.4° S -27.2 B2 52 42.1° S -28.3

B3 49 41.0° S -26.9 B4 53 41.7° S -27.7

B5 46 42.1° S -27.1 B6 61 41.9° S -29.4

B7 44 42.0° S -29.5 B8 31 40.0° S -26.9

B9 36 42.1° S -30.7 B10 43 41.1° S -25.0

B11 10 40.8° S -30.2

Average 41.5°S -28.1

South Temperate Current (STC)

C1 47 34.9° S -12.1 C2 7 30.3° S -18.9

C3 13 34.5° S -12.2 C4 13 34.4° S -11.7

C5 10 33.3° S -8.9 C6 9 30.3° S -15.2

C7 18 34.8° S -28.6 C8 23 31.6° S -15.3

C9 12 33.5° S -1.0 C10 8 32.5° S 0.5

BA 92 33.7° S -11.4

Average 33.1°S -12.3

South Tropical Current (STrC)

D1 16 23.1 30.9 D2 40 24.4 -8.2

D3 36 24.4 -11.5 D8 13 23.0 21.1

D9 6 24.0 9.2 D14 13 23.9 -8.8

GRS 103 23.3 1.0

Average 23.7°S 4.8

South Equatorial Belt Current barges (SEBC barges)

D4 6 17.7° S 6.9 D5 39 17.0° S 6.6

D7 816.5° S 6.4 D10 24 17.4° S 9.7

D11 7 17.1° S 12.2 D12 6 16.8° S 7.0

Average 17.1°S 8.1

South Equatorial Belt Current oval (SEBC oval)

D6 814.7° S -22.8

Page 32 Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011

The Strolling Astronomer

Figure 1: Images of Jupiter made in 2008. In all cases, south is at the top and the preceding limb is on the left. All images except where

noted were made in visible light. A: March 14 (17:55 UT) by Anthony Wesley, -I = 16°, -II = 179°; B: April 3 (21:18 UT) by Tomio Akutsu, -I

= 57°, -II = 66°; C: May 12 (10:18 UT) by Don Parker and Sean Walker, -I = 54°, -II = 129°; D: June 3 (8:55 UT) by Don Parker, -I = 239°,

-II = 147°; E: June 3 (8:36 UT) by Don Parker in methane band light, -I = 228°, -II = 135°; F: July 14 (18:48 UT) by Sadegh Ghomizadeh,

-I = 240°, -II = 192°; G: Aug. 4 (13:54 UT) by Christopher Go, -I = 139°, -II = 292°; H: Sept. 2 (23:59 UT) by Randy Tatum, -I = 48°, -II =

336°; I: Oct. 18 (10:34 UT) by Tomio Akutsu, -I = 334°, -II = 276°.

A B C

D E F

G H I

The Strolling Astronomer

Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011 Page 33

Three white ovals (A1, A2 and A4) were

near 60° S. These features followed the

SPC. The average system II drift rate for

this current is -11.4°/30 days. This is close

to the corresponding value for the SPC

(61° S) in the previous apparition

(Schmude, 2010, 35).

One dark bar (A5) at 54.8° S followed the

S4TC. This feature was about 14° long

between August 9 and September 17. Its

length increased to 23° by September 24.

The center of this feature had a system II

drift rate of -22.1°/30 days. A close

inspection of Figure 2A, however, shows

that the longitude of the center of A5 was

a bit further west than expected on

September 24. This may be due to the

westward expansion of A5 between

September 17 and 24. The drift rate of A5

is a bit more negative than the three

features at 55° S listed in Rogers (1995,

240).

The white oval (A3) in the S3TC oscillated

(see Figure 2A). The amplitude (defined

as half of the peak-to-peak change) was

about 7° in longitude and the period was

105 days. The average drift rate of A3 is -

18.5°/30 days. This rate is similar to the

average drift for the S3TC in the previous

apparition (Schmude, 2010, 35).

The two white ovals A12 and A13 were

only about one-fourth the area of the

white ovals in the SSTC. These two ovals

were just south of the SSTC at 44.7° S

and had an average system II drift rate of -

95.3°/30 days. Features A12 and A13 are

placed in a special S3TC Jetstream.

Rogers (2008g, 12) reports that four

features followed this current with an

average system II drift rate of -100°/30

days; this result is consistent with the

results in this paper.

The 11 white ovals (B1-B11) followed the

SSTC. The average system II drift rate of

these ovals is -28.1°/30 days. This value is

similar to what it was in the previous

apparition (Schmude 2010, 35). It is also

similar to historical values (Rogers, 1995,

238-239) for the SSTC.

Five white ovals (C1-C2, C5-C7) and five

dark spots (C3-C4, C8-C10) and Oval BA

followed the STC. The average system II

drift rate of these features is -12.3°/30

days. This is a bit more negative than the

corresponding value for the STC in the

previous apparition (-7.3°/30 days). Peek

reports a rotation rate of 9h 55m 20s for

this current which is consistent with a

system II drift rate of -15°/30 days. Rogers

(1995, 222) reports a similar drift rate for

the STC between 1900 and 1940. Hence,

the 2008 drift rate is close to historical

values.

There appears to have been three groups

of features in the latitude band

corresponding to the STrC in 2008. These

groups are based on drift rate. White ovals

D1, D8 and D9 were east of the GRS and

constitute the first group. White oval D14

and festoons D2 and D3 were all west of

the GRS and constitute the second group.

The third group is the GRS. The average

system II drift rate of the first, second and

third groups (in degrees per 30 days) are

20.4, -9.5 and 1.0, respectively. The GRS

is believed to affect the drift rates of the

other features. Essentially features east of

the GRS had more positive drift rates than

features west of this feature. The average

drift rate of all seven features (D1-D3, D8-

D9, D14 and the GRS) is 4.8°/30 days.

This rate is consistent with historical rates

(Rogers, 1995, 164-165) for the STrC.

Feature D2 is shown in Figure 1D as a

bump on the south edge of the SEB. This

same feature shows up in Figure 1E

(methane band image) as a small bright

spot. Rogers calls this spot the “Little Red

Spot”. He also describes its encounter

with the GRS (Rogers 2008e, 2; 2008f, 1).

Region III: South Equato-

rial Belt

Cudnik observed that the SEB had an

orange-brown color on July 4. Hernandez

reported that the SEB “appeared dark to

dusky” on August 3 and 9. Adamoli

reported a gray-brown color for the SEB

based on several observations. The

general appearance of the SEB is shown

in Figure 1.

Six dark spots or barges (D4-D5, D7,

D10-D12) were within the SEB. These

features followed the SEBC. Feature D10

is the small dark bar just right of the

central meridian in Figure 1G. The

average system II drift rate of these

features is 8.1°/30 days. Rogers (1995,

399) reports an average latitude of 16.7°

S for dark spots in the SEB(S) between

1979 and 1992. This latitude is similar to

those of the six barges in 2008.

One large white oval (D6) was near the

center of the SEB during early March. It

faded after March 18. Its system II drift

rate was -22.8°/30 days. This drift rate is

similar to spots in the middle of the SEB

as reported in Peek (1981, 111).

Table 7. Planetographic Latitudes and Drift Rates of Festoons in the North Equatorial Current (NEC; 2008 Apparition)

Feature Number

of Points Planetographic

Latitude

Drift rate

Deg./30 days

System I Feature Number

of Points Planetographic

Latitude

Drift rate

Deg./30 days

System I

E1 12 7.4 ° N 9.4 E2 13 7.4 ° N 1.1

E3 97.4 ° N -14.4 E4 87.4 ° N 4.1

E5 64 7.4 ° N 5.2 E6 60 7.4 ° N 7.5

E7 22 7.4 ° N 9.4 E8 97.4 ° N 11.1

E9 6 7.4 ° N 0.4 E10 12 7.4 ° N -2.4

E11 87.4 ° N 3.5 E14 19 7.4 ° N -8.6

E15 28 7.4 ° N -7.1 E17 9 7.4 ° N 2.9

E18 26 7.4 ° N 6.3

Average 7.4° N 1.9

Page 34 Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011

The Strolling Astronomer

Table 8: Planetographic Latitudes and Drift Rates of Features North of the Equatorial Zone; Jupiter 2008

Feature Number

of Points Planetographic

Latitude

Drift rate

Deg./30 days

System II Feature Number

of Points Planetographic

Latitude

Drift rate

Deg./30 days

System II

North Tropical Current barges (NTrC barges)

N1 416.2° N -7.8 N2 94 15.3° N 1.9

N3 55 15.1° N 2.0 N4 9 14.9° N -2.1

N5 106 15.7° N -2.9 N6 90 15.7° N 2.6

N7 36 17.2° N 8.1 N8 5 14.3° N -4.0

N9 21 15.2° N -1.7 N10 17 14.3° N -15.3

N11 29 14.4° N -10.3 N14 30 15.6° N 0.5

N20 713.9° N -6.1 N21 715.6° N -8.6

N22 56 15.0° N -10.3 N23 56 15.2° N -12.6

Average 15.2° N -4.2

North Tropical Current ovals (NTrC ovals)

N12 86 17.8° N 1.0 N13 69 17.5° N 2.2

N15 7 17.5° N 6.3 N16 7 17.9° N -4.9

N17 51 17.8° N -10.0 N18 12 17.4° N 9.6

N24 12 15.0° N 7.2

Average 17.3° N 1.62

North Tropical Current festoon (NTrC festoon)

N19 31 19.8° N -3.9

North Temperate Current (NTC)

F1 22 31.4° N 26.1 F2 17 31.7° N 25.4

F3 13 32.2° N 12.9 F4 5 31.6° N 29.0

F5 531.7° N 19.6 F6 830.6° N 28.6

F7 39 31.2° N 25.2

Average 31.5° N 23.8

North North Temperate Current B (NNTBs Jetstream)

H1 24 34.7° N -82.0 H2 19 34.9° N -83.5

H3 14 35.2° N -88.3

Average 39.4° N -84.6

North North Temperate Current (NNTC)

G1 82 40.9° N -0.8 G3 15 40.7° N -9.4

G4 90 40.7° N -5.6 G6 14 42.1° N -4.4

G9 53 41.3° N 0.9 G10 52 42.5° N -4.7

G11 12 39.2° N 10.8 G12 22 42.7° N 9.7

Average 41.3° N -0.4

North North North Temperate Current (N3TC)

G2 24 43.9° N -15.4 G5 11 44.5° N -21.6

G7 14 45.6° N -17.9 G8 11 45.4° N -23.4

G13 846.0° N -16.1 G14 54 46.0° N -17.7

G15 12 46.4° N -24.9 G16 9 45.7° N -19.5

Average 45.4° N -19.6

North North North North Temperate Current (N4TC)

I1 15 51.8° N 7.4 I3 34 51.3° N 8.2

Average 51.6° N 7.8

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Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011 Page 35

Region IV: Equatorial Zone

This area was brighter than in the

previous apparition. Adamoli reported a

yellow-white color for this area in 2008

based on several observations.

Hernandez reported that the EZ appeared

“shaded to bright” on August 3 and 9.

Fifteen festoons (E1-E11, E14-E15, E17-

E18) followed the NEC. The average

system I drift rate for these features is 1.9/

30 days. This is similar to the

corresponding rate in the previous

apparition (Schmude, 2010, 38).

Region V: North Equatorial

Belt

Adamoli reports that the NEB had a

brownish-red color. Hernandez described

the NEB as “dark” on August 3 and “dark

to dusky” on August 9. Cudnik reports

that the NEB had an orange-brown color

on July 4. The general appearance of the

NEB is shown in Figure 1.

The NEB had several rifts in it during

2008. Figures 1C and 1I show two of

these. These two rifts changed from one

day to the next and as a result, it was

difficult to measure drift rates. In Figure

2G, the writer plotted the system II

longitudes of the following end (E12) and

preceding end (E13) of a rift that

appeared in May and the following end

(E16) of a second rift that appeared in

August.

The NEB had up to 12 different barges.

Figures 1A, 1B, 1C and 1G show a few of

them. Barges N9 and N10 merged to

form Barge N21. Barges N11 and N20

merged to form Barge N22. Barges N14

and N21 merged to form Barge N23.

There may have been other merges as

well. The latitudes of the NEB barges

ranged from 13.9° N to 17.2° N. These

latitudes are consistent with historical

values (Rogers, 1995, 399). The average

system II drift rate of the NEB barges is -

4.2°/30 days. This rate is similar to barges

imaged in 1979 (Rogers, 1995, 121).

Seven white ovals (N12-N13, N15-N18,

N24) were at the southern edge of the

NEB. Figure 1C shows N12 near the

central meridian and N13 about 30° west

(or right) of the central meridian. These

features were often difficult to detect on

computer printouts, but were easier to

spot from a computer monitor. The

average latitude and system II drift rate for

these features are 17.3° N and 1.6°/30

days, respectively. These values are close

to those in the previous apparition

(Schmude, 2010, 40).

Table 9: Average Drift Rates, Rotation Periods and Wind Speedsa for Several Currents on Jupiter (2008 Apparition)

Current Feature(s) Drift Rate (degrees/30 days) Rotation

Rate

Wind

Speed

(m/s)

Sys. I Sys. II Sys. III

SPC at 60° S A1-A2, A4 217.5 -11.4 -3.4 9h 55m 25s 0.8 ± 0.4

S4TC A5 206.8 -22.1 -14.1 9h 55m 11s 4.1 ± 2b

S3TC A3 210.4 -18.5 -10.5 9h 55m 15s 3.3 ± 2b

S3TC jetstream A12-A13 133.6 -95.3 -87.3 9h 53m 31s 30.8 ± 0.5

SSTC B1-B11 200.8 -28.1 -20.1 9h 55m 02s 7.4 ± 0.2

STC C1-C10, Oval BA 216.6 -12.3 -4.3 9h 55m 24s 1.8 ± 0.4

STrC D1-D3, D8-D9, D14, GRS 233.7 4.8 12.8 9h 55m 47s -5.7 ± 1.0

SEBC barges D4-D5, D7, D10-D12 237.0 8.1 16.1 9h 55m 52s -7.4 ± 0.3

SEBC oval D6 206.1 -22.8 -14.8 9h 55m 10s 6.9 ± 2b

NEC E1-E11, E14-E15, E17-E18 1.9 -227.0 -219.0 9h 50m 27s 104.5 ± 0.3

NTrC barges N1-N11, N14, N20-N23 224.7 -4.2 3.8 9h 55m 35s -1.8 ± 0.3

NTrC ovals N12-N13, N15-N18, N24 230.5 1.6 9.6 9h 55m 43s -4.4 ± 0.5

NTrC festoon N19 225.0 -3.9 4.1 9h 55m 35s -1.9 ± 2b

NTC F1-F7 252.7 23.8 31.8 9h 56m 13s -13.3 ± 0.4

NNTBs

jetstream H1-H3 144.3 -84.6 -76.6 9h 53m 45s 30.8 ± 0.4

NNTC G1, G3-G4, G6, G9-G12 228.5 -0.4 7.6 9h 55m 40s -2.8 ± 0.4

N3TC G2, G5, G7-G8, G13-G16 209.3 -19.6 -11.6 9h 55m 14s 4.0 ± 0.2

N4TC I1, I3 236.7 7.8 15.8 9h 55m 51s -4.9 ± 0.2

aThe wind speed is the speed that a current moves with respect to the system III longitude; it is computed from the equation in

Table A1.2 (Rogers, 1995, 392).

bEstimated uncertainty cCirculating Current south end dCirculating Current north end

Page 36 Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011

The Strolling Astronomer

Figure 2: Drift rates for various features in Jupiter’ southern hemisphere and in the North Equatorial Belt Current during the 2008

apparition.

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Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011 Page 37

Region VI: North Tropical

Zone to the North Polar

Region

The general appearance of the NTB is

shown in Figure 1. The NTB was wide

and often appeared as a double belt

separated by a thin, white zone.

Hernandez reported that it was “dark to

dusky” and was “divided by a thin bright”

zone on August 9. On July 4, Cudnik

drew the NTB as two thin belts separated

by a thin and bright zone.

Seven features were tracked along the

northern edge of the north component of

the NTB. Four of these features (F1, F3-

F5) were north-pointing projections and

the other three (F2, F6-F7) were barges.

The average system II drift rate for these

seven features is 23.8°/30 days. This rate

is consistent with historical values of the

NTC (Peek, 1981, 84), (Rogers, 1995,

102-103).

Three small dark spots (H1-H3) followed

the NNTCs jetstream or the North North

Temperate Current B. The average

latitude and average system II drift rate for

these three features are 34.9° N and -

84.6°/30 days. These values are consistent

with those in the previous apparition

(Schmude, 2010, 40). They are also

consistent with the historical record (Peek,

1981, 78), (Rogers, 1995, 97).

Six white ovals G1, G3-G4, G6, G10,

G12), one red oval (G9) and one dark

oval (G11) followed the NNTC. The

average system II drift rate of the eight

features is -0.4°/30 days. This value is

somewhat different from the

corresponding value in the previous

apparition (Schmude, 2010). The average

drift rate in 2008, however, is close to

historical values (Rogers, 1995, 88-89).

Eight white ovals (G2, G5, G7-G8, G13-

G16) followed the N3TC. The average

system II drift rate of these ovals is -19.6°/

30 days. This rate is close to the historical

record (Rogers, 1995, 90).

Two white ovals (I1 and I3) followed the

N4TC. The average drift rate of these

ovals is 7.8°/30 days. This rate is close to

the rate in the previous apparition

(Schmude, 2010, 40) and is close to

values in previous years (Rogers, 1995,

90).

Wind Speeds

Table 9 summarizes wind speeds. The

wind speeds are with respect to the system

III longitude. They were computed in the

same way as in Rogers (1995, 392).

Uncertainties were computed in the same

way as in Schmude (2003, 50).

Satellite Observations

Ikemura imaged both Callisto and its

shadow transit Jupiter on July 19 at 14:55

UT. In this image, the shadow diameter

was about 25% larger than the diameter

of Callisto. The shadow also appeared a

bit darker than Callisto. Callisto appeared

much lighter when it was near Jupiter’s

edge.

Einaga captured an image of Ganymede

as it was transiting Jupiter on July 7. That

moon was darker than the SEB and NEB.

It was also darker than the dark spot C8.

In Yunoki’s July 14 image, Ganymede is

Table 10: Photometric Magnitude Measurements of Jupiter (2008 Apparition)

Date

(2008) Filter 

(deg.) Measured

Magnitude X(1,)Date

(2008) Filter a

(deg.) Measured

Magnitude X(1,)

Apr. 9.426 V 11.1 -2.21 -9.36 May 13.386 I 9.6 -2.79 -9.70

Apr. 14.400 V11.1 -2.23 -9.34 June 8.307 V6.2 -2.66 -9.41

Apr. 14.420 B 11.1 -1.35 -8.46 June 8.342 B 6.2 -1.78 -8.53

Apr. 16.399 R11.1 -2.77 -9.86 June 8.370 R6.2 -3.11 -9.86

Apr. 16.415 I 11.1 -2.62 -9.72 June 8.390 I 6.2 -2.90 -9.65

Apr. 22.361 R10.9 -2.78 -9.83 July 1.240 V1.7 -2.76 -9.44

Apr. 22.375 I 10.9 -2.64 -9.70 July 1.267 B 1.7 -1.85 -8.53

Apr. 22.390 V10.9 -2.28 -9.34 July 1.294 R1.7 -3.21 -9.89

Apr. 22.407 B 10.9 -1.34 -8.39 July 2.224 I 1.5 -3.06 -9.74

Apr. 30.358 R10.6 -2.78 -9.77 July 2.269 V1.5 -2.76 -9.43

Apr. 30.374 I 10.6 -2.67 -9.67 July 3.224 V 1.3 -2.76 -9.43

Apr. 30.388 V10.6 -2.30 -9.30 July 3.249 B1.3 -1.81 -8.48

Apr. 30.404 B 10.6 -1.39 -8.39 July 3.274 R 1.3 -3.20 -9.87

May 13.338 V9.6 -2.42 -9.33 July 3.299 I1.3 -3.05 -9.72

May 13.355 B 9.6 -1.54 -8.45 July 8.263 V 0.2 -2.73 -9.39

May 13.372 R9.6 -2.92 -9.82

Table 11: Photometric Constants of

Jupiter (2008 Apparition)

Filter X(1,0)

(magnitude/

degree)

B -8.53 ± 0.03 0.010 ± 0.006

V-9.43 ± 0.02 0.009 ± 0.003

R -9.89 ± 0.02 0.0006 ± 0.004

I-9.72 ± 0.02 -0.003 ± 0.004

Page 38 Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011

The Strolling Astronomer

Figure 3: Drift rates for various features in Jupiter’s northern hemisphere during the 2008 apparition.

The Strolling Astronomer

Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011 Page 39

about 20% smaller than its shadow.

Ganymede is darker than all features on

Jupiter except for areas pole ward of

about 60°. Ganymede had a grayish color

which was much different than the colors

of the SEB, NEB and NTB.

Photoelectric Photometry

The writer used an SSP-3 solid-state

photometer along with a 0.09 m (3.5

inch) Maksutov telescope and color filters

transformed to the Johnson B, V, R and I

system in making all photometric

magnitude measurements in Table 10.

The method and equipment are described

elsewhere (Schmude, 1992, 20; 2008,

161-167), (Optec, 1997, 1-26). All

measurements were corrected for both

atmospheric extinction and color

transformation in the same way as in Hall

and Genet (1988, 189-201). The

comparison star for all measurements was

Xi-2-Sagittarii. Its brightness values are

from (Irairte et al, 1965, 30).

Normalized magnitudes, X(1,), were

computed in the same way as in Schmude

and Lesser (2000, 68-69); X represents

the B, V, R or I filter. The X(1,) and 

values were fitted to linear equations

using a least squares routine (Schmude

and Lesser, 2000, 68-69). The resulting

solar phase angle coefficients cX and

normalized magnitudes X(1,0) are

summarized in Table 11. Uncertainties for

the values in Table 11 were computed in

the same way as in Schmude (1998, 178-

179).

The normalized magnitude or V(1,0)

value of Jupiter was -9.43 ± 0.02. This is

a bit brighter than the corresponding

value for the previous apparition

(Schmude, 2010, 42). Much of this

difference is believed to be due to the

brightening of the STrZ, EZ, NTrZ and

NTZ.

Acknowledgements

The writer is grateful to everyone who

submitted observations during the 2008

apparition including those people who

submitted images to the ALPO Japan

latest website (http://www.kk-system.co.jp/

Alpo/Latest/Jupiter.htm). He is also

grateful to Sue Gilpin for her assistance, to

Truman Boyle for his help and to Brian

Sherrod who maintains the website http://

www.arksky.org/.

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Hall, D. S. and Genet, R. M. “Photoelectric

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2008reports.htm, 2008g.

Schmude, R. W. Jr. (1992) “The 1991

Apparition of Uranus” Journal of the Assn.

of Lunar & Planetary Observers, Vol. 36,

No. 1 (March) pp. 20-22, 1992.

Schmude, R. W. Jr. (1998) “Photoelectric

Magnitudes of Saturn in 1996.” Georgia

Journal of Science, Vol. 56, No. 3, pp.

175-181, 1998.

Schmude, R. W. Jr. “Jupiter: A Report on

the 2001-02 Apparition.” Journal of the

Assn of Lunar & Planetary Observers, Vol.

45, No. 2 (Spring) pp. 41-62, 2003.

Schmude, R. W. Jr. The 2006-07

Apparition of Jupiter. Journal of the Assn

of Lunar & Planetary Observers, Vol. 52,

No. 4 (Autumn) pp. 29-44, 2010.

Schmude, R. W. Jr. “Uranus, Neptune and

Pluto and How to Observe Them” Springer

Science + Business Media, LLC: New

York, 2008b.

Schmude, R. W. Jr. and Lesser, H. (2000)

“Wideband Photometry of Jupiter: 1999-

2000.” Journal of the Assn of Lunar &

Planetary Observers, Vol. 42, No. 2, pp.

67-72.

Page 40 Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011

The Strolling Astronomer

ALPO Jupiter Section Observation Form No. _____

Notes

______________________________________________________________________________

No. Time (UT) S I (°) S II (°) S III (°) Remarks

Date (UT): _____________________________________

Time (UT): ____________________________________

CM I _____ CM II ____ CM III _______

Begin (UT): _____________ End (UT) ____________

Telescope: f/ ___ Size: __________ (in./cm.; RL/RR/SC)

Magnification: _______x ________x ________x

Filters: _________________________________(W / S)

Trnasparency (1 - 5): ____ (Clear / Hazy / Int. Clouds)

Seeing (1 - 10): _________ Antoniadi (I - V): _________

Name: _____________________________________

Address: _____________________________________

__________________________________________

City, State, ZIP: ______________________________

__________________________________________

Observing Site: ______________________________

__________________________________________

E-mail: _____________________________________

The Strolling Astronomer

Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011 Page 41



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Page 42 Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011

The Strolling Astronomer

ALPO Galilean Satellite Eclipse

Visual Timing Report Form

Event

Type

(a)

Predicted UT Observed

UT Time

(9d)

Telescope Data

(e)

Sky Conditions

(0-2 scale) (f)

Notes (g)

Date

(b)

Time

(cm) Mag. Seeing Transparency Field

Brightness

(a) 1 = Io, 2 = Europa, 3 = Ganymede, 4 = Callisto; D = Disappearance, R = Reappearance

(b) Month and Day

(d) Observed UT to 1 second; corrected to watch error if applicable; indicate in “Notes” if Observed UT date differs from Predicted UT date

(e) R = Refractor, N = Newtonian Reflector, C = Cassegrain Reflector, X = Compound/Catadioptric System; indicate in “Notes” if other type.

(f) These conditions, including field brightness (due to moonlight, twilight, etc.), should be described as they apply to the actual field of view,

rather than to general sky conditions. Use whole numbers only, as follows:

0 = Condition not perceptible; no effect on timing accuracy

1 = Condition perceptible; possible minor effect on timing accuracy

2 = Condition serious; definite effect on timing accuracy

(g) Include here such factors as wind, drifting cloud(s), satellite near Jupiter’s limb, moonlight interference, etc.

At the end of the apparition, return this form to:

John E. Westfall, ALPO Assistant Jupiter Coordinator, P.O. Box 2447, Antioch, CA 94531-2447 USA

E-mail to: johnwestfall@comcast.net

Describe your time source(s) and estimated accuracy Observer Name:

Apparition: 20_____-20_____

(

conjunction to conjunction)

The Strolling Astronomer

Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011 Page 43

ALPO Resources

People, publications, etc., to help our members

Board of Directors

http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/main/

board.html

• Executive Director; Richard W.

Schmude, Jr., 109 Tyus St., Barnesville,

GA 30204

• Associate Director; Julius L. Benton, Jr.,

Associates in Astronomy, P.O. Box

30545, Wilmington Island, Savannah,

GA 31410

• Member of the Board; Sanjay Limaye,

University of Wisconsin, Space Science

and Engineering Center, Atmospheric

Oceanic and Space Science Bldg. 1017,

1225 W. Dayton St., Madison, WI 53706

• Member of the Board; Donald C. Parker,

12911 Lerida Street, Coral Gables, FL

33156

• Member of the Board; Ken Poshedly,

1741 Bruckner Ct., Snellville, GA

30078-2784

• Member of the Board; Mike D.

Reynolds, Dean of Mathematics &

Natural Sciences, Florida State College,

3939 Roosevelt Blvd, F-112b,

Jacksonville, FL 32205

• Member of the Board; John E. Westfall,

P.O. Box 2447, Antioch, CA 94531-2447

• Member of the Board, Secretary/

Treasurer; Matthew Will, P.O. Box

13456, Springfield, IL 62791-3456

• Founder/Director Emeritus; Walter H.

Haas, 2225 Thomas Drive, Las Cruces,

NM 88001

***********************

Publications Staff

http://www.alpo-astronomy.org

Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

• Ken Poshedly (all papers, submissions,

etc); 1741 Bruckner Ct., Snellville, GA

30078-2784

Science / Peer Reviewers

• Klaus R. Brasch; 10915 Sage Rd,

Flagstaff, AZ, 86004

• Richard Jakiel; 8620 East Hickory Lane,

Lithia Springs, GA 30122

• Richard K. Ulrich, Professor, Dept. of

Chemical Engineering, 3202 Bell

Engineering Center, University of

Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701

• Roger J. Venable, MD, P.O. Box 117,

Chester, GA 31012

• John E. Westfall, P.O. Box 2447,

Antioch, CA 94531-2447

Book Review Editor

• Robert A. Garfinkle, F.R.A.S., 32924

Monrovia St., Union City, CA 94587-

5433

***********************

Interest Sections

Computing Section

http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/computing

• Coordinator; Larry Owens, 4225 Park

Brooke Trace, Alpharetta, GA 30022

Historical Section

http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/main/

hist.html

• Coordinator; Richard Baum, 25

Whitchurch Rd., Chester, CH3 5QA,

United Kingdom

• Assistant Coordinator; Thomas A.

Dobbins, 10029 Colonial Country Club

Blvd., Fort Myers, FL 33919

Lunar & Planetary Training

Section

http://www.alpo-astronomy/training

• Coordinator; Timothy J. Robertson, 195

Tierra Rejada Rd., #148, Simi Valley,

CA 93065

Website

http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/

• Webmaster; Larry Owens, 4225 Park

Brooke Trace, Alpharetta, GA 30022

• Assistant Webmaster; Jonathan D.

Slaton, P. O. Box 496, Mansfield, MO.

65704

Youth Section

http://www.cometman.net/youth

• Coordinator; Timothy J. Robertson,195

Tierra Rejada Rd., #148, Simi Valley,

CA 93065

***********************

Observing Sections

Solar Section

http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/solar

• Coordinator (including all submissions,

photo, sketches, filtergrams); Kim Hay,

76 Colebrook Rd, RR #1,Yarker, ON,

K0K 3N0 Canada

• Assistant Coordinator; Brad Timerson

(e-mail contact only; see listing in ALPO

Staff E-mail Directory on page 45)

• Assistant Coordinator & Archivist;

Jamey Jenkins, 308 West First Street,

Homer, Illinois 61849

• Scientific Advisor; Richard Hill, Lunar

and Planetary Laboratory, University of

Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721

Mercury Section

http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/Mercury

• Coordinator; Frank J. Melillo, 14 Glen-

Hollow Dr., E-#16, Holtsville, NY 11742

Venus Section

http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/venus

• Coordinator; Julius L. Benton, Jr.,

Associates in Astronomy, P.O. Box

30545, Wilmington Island, Savannah,

GA 31410

Mercury/Venus Transit Section

http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/transit

Coordinator; John E. Westfall, P.O. Box

2447, Antioch, CA 94531-2447

Lunar Section

Lunar Topographical Studies

Program

http://moon.scopesandscapes.com/alpo-

topo

Smart-Impact Webpage

http://www.zone-vx.com/alpo

-smartimpact.html

The Lunar Observer

http://moon.scopesandscapes.com/tlo.pdf

Lunar Selected Areas Program

http://moon.scopesandscapes.com/alpo-

sap.html

Banded Craters Program

http://moon.scopesandscapes.com/alpo-

bcp.htm

• Coordinator; Wayne Bailey, 17 Autumn

Lane, Sewell, NJ 08080

• Assistant Coordinator; William

Dembowski, 219 Old Bedford Pike,

Windber, PA 15963

Page 44 Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011

The Strolling Astronomer

ALPO Resources

People, publications, etc., to help our members

Lunar Meteoritic Impacts Search

Program

http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/lunar/

lunimpacts.htm

• Coordinator; Brian Cudnik, 11851 Leaf

Oak Drive, Houston, TX 77065

Lunar Transient Phenomena

http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/lunar/

LTP.html; also http://www.LTPresearch.org

• Coordinator; Dr. Anthony Charles Cook,

Institute of Mathematical and Physical

Sciences, University of Aberystwyth,

Penglais, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion.

SY23 3BZ, United Kingdom

• Assistant Coordinator; David O. Darling,

416 West Wilson St., Sun Prairie, WI

53590-2114

Lunar Dome Survey Program

• Coordinator; Marvin W. Huddleston,

2621 Spiceberry Lane, Mesquite, TX

75149

Mars Section

http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/Mars

• Coordinator; Roger J. Venable, MD,

3405 Woodstone Pl., Augusta, GA

30909-1844

• Assistant Coordinator (CCD/Video

imaging and specific correspondence

with CCD/Video imaging); Donald C.

Parker, 12911 Lerida Street, Coral

Gables, FL 33156

• Assistant Coordinator (photometry and

polarimetry); Richard W. Schmude, Jr.,

109 Tyus St., Barnesville, GA 30204

• Assistant Coordinator; Jim Melka,

14176 Trailtop Dr., Chesterfield, MO

63017

Minor Planets Section

http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/minor

• Coordinator; Frederick Pilcher, 4438

Organ Mesa Loop, Las Cruces, NM

88011

• Assistant Coordinator; Lawrence S.

Garrett, 206 River Road, Fairfax, VT

05454

• Scientific Advisor; Steve Larson, Lunar

& Planetary Lab, University of Arizona,

Tuscon, AZ 85721

Jupiter Section

http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/jupiter

• Coordinator (Section); Richard W.

Schmude Jr., 109 Tyus St., Barnesville,

GA 30204

• Assistant Coordinator (Section); Ed

Grafton, 15411 Greenleaf Lane,

Houston, TX 77062

• Assistant Coordinator & Scientific

Advisor; Sanjay Limaye, University of

Wisconsin, Space Science and

Engineering Center, Atmospheric

Oceanic and Space Science Bldg. 1017,

1225 W. Dayton St., Madison, WI 53706

• Assistant Coordinator, Transit Timings;

John McAnally, 2124 Wooded Acres,

Waco, TX 76710

• Assistant Coordinator, Newsletter; Craig

MacDougal, 821 Settlers Road, Tampa,

FL 33613

• Assistant Coordinator, Eclipses of

Galilean Satellites; John E. Westfall,

P.O. Box 2447, Antioch, CA 94531-2447

• Scientific Advisor; Prof. A. Sanchez-

Lavega, Dpto. Fisica Aplicada I, E.T.S.

Ingenieros, Alda. Urquijo

s/n, 48013, Bilbao, Spain

wupsalaa@bicc00.bi.ehu.es

Saturn Section

http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/saturn

• Coordinator; Julius L. Benton, Jr.,

Associates in Astronomy, P.O. Box

30545, Wilmington Island, Savannah,

GA 31410

Remote Planets Section

http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/remote

• Coordinator; Richard W. Schmude, Jr.,

109 Tyus St., Barnesville, GA 30204

Comets Section

http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/comet

• Coordinator; Gary Kronk, 132 Jessica

Dr, St. Jacob, IL 62281-1246

Meteors Section

http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/meteor

• Coordinator; Robert D. Lunsford, 1828

Cobblecreek St., Chula Vista, CA

91913-3917

• Assistant Coordinator; Robin Gray, P.O.

Box 547, Winnemuca, NV 89446

Meteorites Section

http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/meteorite

• Coordinator; Dolores Hill, Lunar and

Planetary Laboratory, University of

Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721

Eclipse Section

http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/eclipse

• Coordinator; Mike D. Reynolds, Dean of

Mathematics & Natural Sciences,

Florida State College, 3939 Roosevelt

Blvd, F-112b, Jacksonville, FL 32205

***********************

ALPO Publications

The Monograph Series

http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/publications/

Monographs page.html

ALPO monographs are publications that

we believe will appeal to our members,

but which are too lengthy for publication

in The Strolling Astronomer. All are

available online as a pdf files. NONE are

available any longer in hard copy for-

mat.

There is NO CHARGE for any of the

ALPO monographs.

•Monograph No. 1. Proceedings of the

43rd Convention of the Association of

Lunar and Planetary Observers. Las

Cruces, New Mexico, August 4-7, 1993.

77 pages. File size approx. 5.2

megabytes.

•Monograph No. 2. Proceedings of the

44th Convention of the Association of

Lunar and Planetary Observers.

Greenville, South Carolina, June 15-18,

1994. 52 pages. File size approx. 6.0

megabytes.

•Monograph No. 3. H.P. Wilkins 300-

inch Moon Map. 3rd Edition (1951).

Available as one comprehensive file

(approx. 48 megabytes) or five section

files (Part 1, 11.6 megabytes; Part 2,

11.7 megabytes; Part 3, 10.2

megabytes; Part 4, 7.8 megabytes; Part

5, 6.5 megabytes)

•Monograph No. 4. Proceedings of the

45th Convention of the Association of

Lunar and Planetary Observers.

Wichita, Kansas, August 1-5, 1995.127

pages. Hard copy $17 for the United

States, Canada, and Mexico; $26

elsewhere. File size approx. 2.6

megabytes.

The Strolling Astronomer

Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011 Page 45

ALPO Resources

People, publications, etc., to help our members

Bailey, W ....................wayne.bailey@alpo-astronomy.org

Benton, J.L. .......................................... jlbaina@msn.com

Benton, J.L. ..........................................jlbaina@gmail.com

Brasch, K.R. ...............................m_brasch@earthlink.net

Baum, R. .........................................richard@take27.co.uk

Cook, A............................ tony.cook@alpo-astronomy.org

Cudnik, B. .......................................cudnik@sbcglobal.net

Darling, D.O...................................DOD121252@aol.com

Dembowski, W..........................dembowski@zone-vx.com

Dobbins, Tom .............................. tomdobbins@gmail.com

Garfinkle, R.A. .................................. ragarf@earthlink.net

Garrett, L.S......................................atticaowl@yahoo.com

Grafton, E.............................................. ed@egrafton.com

Gray, R................................ sevenvalleysent@yahoo.com

Haas, W.H. ......................... haasw@haasw@agavue.com

Hay, K. ...........................................kim@starlightcascade.ca

Hill, D...............................................dhill@lpl.arizona.edu

Hill, R............................................... rhill@lpl.arizona.edu

Jakiel, R ............................................ rjakiel@earthlink.net

Jenkins, J..........................................jenkinsjl@yahoo.com

Kronk, G ................................. kronk@cometography.com

Larson, S. .................................... slarson@lpl.arizona.edu

Limaye, S. .................................... sanjayl@ssec.wisc.edu

Lunsford, R.D. ...............................lunro.imo.usa@cox.net

MacDougal, C.................................macdouc@verizon.net

McAnally, J.......................................CPAJohnM@aol.com

Melillo, F. ..............................................frankj12@aol.com

Melka, J............................................. jtmelka@yahoo.com

Owens, L. ...................... larry.owens@alpo-astronomy.org

Parker, D.C. .................................park3232@bellsouth.net

Pilcher, F.....................................................pilcher@ic.edu

Poshedly, K................. ken.poshedly@alpo-astronomy.org

Reynolds, M.........................................mreynold@fscj.edu

Robertson, T.J. ........................ cometman@cometman.net

Sanchez-Lavega, A.................wupsalaa@bicc00.bi.ehu.es

Schmude, R.W..................................... schmude@gdn.edu

Slaton, J.D. ............................................. jd@justfurfun.org

Timerson, B..............................btimerson@rochester.rr.com

Ulrich, R.K. ............................................ rulrich@uark.edu

Venable, R.J. ........................................ rjvmd@hughes.net

Westfall, J.E..............................johnwestfall@comcast.net

Will, M............................... matt.will@alpo-astronomy.org

ALPO Staff E-mail Directory

•Monograph No. 5. Astronomical and

Physical Observations of the Axis of

Rotation and the Topography of the

Planet Mars. First Memoir; 1877-1878.

By Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli,

translated by William Sheehan. 59

pages. Hard copy $10 for the United

States, Canada, and Mexico; $15

elsewhere. File size approx. 2.6

megabytes.

•Monograph No. 6. Proceedings of the

47th Convention of the Association of

Lunar and Planetary Observers,

Tucson, Arizona, October 19-21,

1996.20 pages. Hard copy $3 for the

United States, Canada, and Mexico; $4

elsewhere.File size approx. 2.6

megabytes.

•Monograph No. 7. Proceedings of the

48th Convention of the Association of

Lunar and Planetary Observers. Las

Cruces, New Mexico, June 25-29,

1997.76 pages. Hard copy $12 for the

United States, Canada, and Mexico; $16

elsewhere.File size approx. 2.6

megabytes.

•Monograph No. 8. Proceedings of the

49th Convention of the Association of

Lunar and Planetary Observers. Atlanta,

Georgia, July 9-11,1998.122 pages.

Hard copy $17 for the United States,

Canada, and Mexico; $26

elsewhere.File size approx. 2.6

megabytes.

•Monograph Number 9. Does Anything

Ever Happen on the Moon? By Walter

H. Haas. Reprint of 1942 article. 54

pages.Hard copy $6 for the United

States, Canada, and Mexico; $8

elsewhere.File size approx. 2.6

megabytes.

•Monograph Number 10. Observing

and Understanding Uranus, Neptune

and Pluto. By Richard W. Schmude, Jr.

31 pages. File size approx. 2.6

Online Readers

Items in blue text in the ALPO Staff E-mail Directory above are links to e-mail addresses. Left-click your

mouse on the names in blue text to open your own e-mail program with a blank e-mail preaddressed to

the person you chose. NOTE: Your Internet connection MUST be ON for this feature to work.

Page 46 Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011

The Strolling Astronomer

ALPO Resources

People, publications, etc., to help our members

megabytes.

•Monograph No. 11. The Charte des

Gebirge des Mondes (Chart of the

Mountains of the Moon) by J. F. Julius

Schmidt, this monograph edited by John

Westfall. Nine files including an

accompanying guidebook in German.

Note files sizes: Schmidt0001.pdf,

approx. 20.1 mb; Schmidt0204.pdf,

approx. 32.6 mb; Schmidt0507.pdf,

approx. 32.1 mb; Schmidt0810.pdf,

approx. 31.1 mb; Schmidt1113.pdf,

approx. 22.7 mb; Schmidt1416.pdf,

approx. 28.2 mb; Schmidt1719.pdf,

approx. 22.2 mb; Schmidt2022.pdf,

approx. 21.1 mb; Schmidt2325.pdf,

approx. 22.9 mb; SchmidtGuide.pdf,

approx. 10.2 mb

ALPO Observing Section

Publications

Order the following directly from the

appropriate ALPO section coordinators;

use the address in the listings pages

which appeared earlier in this booklet

unless another address is given.

•Solar: Totally revised Guidelines for the

Observation and Reporting of Solar

Phenomena, $10 USD; includes CD

with 100 page-manual in pdf with up-to-

date techniques, images, and links to

many solar references. Produced by

ALPO Solar Section Assistant

Coordinator and Archivist Jamey

Jenkins, this publication replaces

Observe and Understand the Sun and

its predecessor, The Association of

Lunar& Planetary Observer's Solar

Section Handbook for the White Light

Observation of Solar Phenomena, both

by the ALPO’s own Rik Hill. To order,

send check or US money order made

payable to Jamey Jenkins, 308 West

First Street, Homer, Illinois 61849; e-

mail to

jenkinsjl@yahoo.com

•Lunar & Planetary Training Section:

The Novice Observers Handbook $15.

An introductory text to the training

program. Includes directions for

recording lunar and planetary

observations, useful exercises for

determining observational parameters,

and observing forms. Available as pdf

file via e-mail or send check or money

order payable to Timothy J. Robertson,

195 Tierra Rejada Rd., #148, Simi

Valley, CA 93065; e-mail

cometman@cometman.net.

•Lunar (Bailey): (1) The ALPO Lunar

Selected Areas Program ($17.50).

Includes full set of observing forms for

the assigned or chosen lunar area or

feature, along with a copy of the Lunar

Selected Areas Program Manual. (2)

observing forms, free at http://

moon.scopesandscapes.com/alpo-

sap.html, or $10 for a packet of forms by

regular mail. Specify Lunar Forms.

NOTE: Observers who wish to make

copies of the observing forms may

instead send a SASE for a copy of

forms available for each program.

Authorization to duplicate forms is given

only for the purpose of recording and

submitting observations to the ALPO

lunar SAP section. Observers should

make copies using high-quality paper.

•Lunar: The Lunar Observer, official

newsletter of the ALPO Lunar Section,

published monthly. Free at http://

moon.scopesandscapes.com/tlo.pdf or

$1.25 per hard copy: send SASE with

payment (check or money order) to:

Wayne Bailey, 17 Autumn Lane, Sewell,

NJ 08080.

•Lunar (Jamieson): Lunar Observer's

Tool Kit, price $50, is a computer

program designed to aid lunar

observers at all levels to plan, make,

and record their observations. This

popular program was first written in

1985 for the Commodore 64 and ported

to DOS around 1990. Those familiar

with the old DOS version will find most

of the same tools in this new Windows

version, plus many new ones. A

complete list of these tools includes

Dome Table View and Maintenance,

Dome Observation Scheduling,

Archiving Your Dome Observations,

Lunar Feature Table View and

Maintenance, Schedule General Lunar

Observations, Lunar Heights and

Depths, Solar Altitude and Azimuth,

Lunar Ephemeris, Lunar Longitude and

Latitude to Xi and Eta, Lunar Xi and Eta

to Longitude and Latitude, Lunar Atlas

Referencing, JALPO and Selenology

Bibliography, Minimum System

Requirements, Lunar and Planetary

Links, and Lunar Observer's ToolKit

Help and Library. Some of the program's

options include predicting when a lunar

feature will be illuminated in a certain

way, what features from a collection of

features will be under a given range of

illumination, physical ephemeris

information, mountain height

computation, coordinate conversion,

and browsing of the software's included

database of over 6,000 lunar features.

Contact

harry@persoftware.com

•Venus (Benton): Introductory

information for observing Venus,

including observing forms, can be

downloaded for free as pdf files at http://

www.alpo-astronomy.org/venus. The

ALPO Venus Handbook with observing

forms included is available as the ALPO

Venus Kit for $17.50 U.S., and may be

obtained by sending a check or money

order made payable to “Julius L.

Benton” for delivery in approximately 7

to 10 days for U.S. mailings. The ALPO

Venus Handbook may also be obtained

for $10 as a pdf file by contacting the

ALPO Venus Section. All foreign orders

should include $5 additional for postage

and handling; p/h is included in price for

domestic orders. NOTE: Observers who

wish to make copies of the observing

forms may instead send a SASE for a

copy of forms available for each

program. Authorization to duplicate

forms is given only for the purpose of

recording and submitting observations

to the ALPO Venus section. Observers

should make copies using high-quality

paper.

•Mars: (1) ALPO Mars Observers

Handbook, send check or money order

for $15 per book (postage and handling

included) to Astronomical League

Sales, 9201 Ward Parkway, Suite 100,

Kansas City, MO 64114; phone 816-

DEEP-SKY (816-333-7759); e-mail

leaguesales@astroleague.org. (2)

Observing Forms; send SASE to obtain

one form for you to copy; otherwise

send $3.60 to obtain 25 copies (send

and make checks payable to “Deborah

Hines”, see address under “Mars

Section”).

•Jupiter: (1) Jupiter Observer’s

Handbook, $15 from the Astronomical

League Sales, 9201 Ward Parkway,

Suite 100, Kansas City, MO 64114;

phone 816-DEEP-SKY (816-333-7759);

The Strolling Astronomer

Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011 Page 47

ALPO Resources

People, publications, etc., to help our members

e-mail leaguesales@astroleague.org.

(2) Jupiter, the ALPO section newsletter,

available online only via the ALPO

website at http://mysite.verizon.net/

macdouc/alpo/jovenews.htm; (3) J-Net,

the ALPO Jupiter Section e-mail

network; send an e-mail message to

Craig MacDougal. (4) Timing the

Eclipses of Jupiter’s Galilean Satellites

free at http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/

jupiter/GaliInstr.pdf, report form online at

http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/jupiter/

GaliForm.pdf; send SASE to John

Westfall for observing kit and report

form via regular mail. (5) Jupiter

Observer’s Startup Kit, $3 from Richard

Schmude, Jupiter Section coordinator.

•Saturn (Benton): Introductory

information for observing Saturn,

including observing forms and

ephemerides, can be downloaded for

free as pdf files at http://www.alpo-

astronomy.org/saturn; or if printed

material is preferred, the ALPO Saturn

Kit (introductory brochure and a set of

observing forms) is available for $10

U.S. by sending a check or money order

made payable to “Julius L. Benton” for

delivery in approximately 7 to 10 days

for U.S. mailings. The former ALPO

Saturn Handbook was replaced in 2006

by Saturn and How to Observe It (by J.

Benton), and it can be obtained from

book sellers such as Amazon.com.

NOTE: Observers who wish to make

copies of the observing forms may

instead send a SASE for a copy of

forms available for each program.

Authorization to duplicate forms is given

only for the purpose of recording and

submitting observations to the ALPO

Saturn Section.

•Meteors: (1) The ALPO Guide to

Watching Meteors (pamphlet). $4 per

copy (includes postage & handling);

send check or money order to

Astronomical League Sales, 9201 Ward

Parkway, Suite 100, Kansas City, MO

64114; phone 816-DEEP-SKY (816-

333-7759); e-mail leaguesales@

astroleague.org. (2) The ALPO Meteors

Section Newsletter, free (except

postage), published quarterly (March,

June, September, and December).

Send check or money order for first

class postage to cover desired number

of issues to Robert D. Lunsford, 1828

Cobblecreek St., Chula Vista, CA

91913-3917.

•Minor Planets (Derald D. Nye): The

Minor Planet Bulletin. Published

quarterly; free at http://

www.minorplanetobserver.com/mpb/

default.htm. Paper copies available only

to libraries and special institutions at

$24 per year via regular mail in the U.S.,

Mexico and Canada, and $34 per year

elsewhere (airmail only). Send check or

money order payable to “Minor Planet

Bulletin”, c/o Derald D. Nye, 10385 East

Observatory Dr., Corona de Tucson, AZ

8564I-2309.

Other ALPO Publications

Checks must be in U.S. funds, payable

to an American bank with bank routing

number.

•An Introductory Bibliography for

Solar System Observers. No charge.

Four-page list of books and magazines

about Solar System objects and how to

observe them. The current edition was

updated in October 1998. Send self-

addressed stamped envelope with

request to current ALPO Membership

Secretary (Matt Will).

•ALPO Membership Directory.

Provided only to ALPO board and staff

members. Contact current ALPO

membership secretary/treasurer (Matt

Will).

Back Issues of

The Strolling Astronomer

• Download JALPO43-1 thru current

issue as pdf file from the ALPO website

at http://www.alpo-astronomy.org/djalpo

(free; most recent issues are password-

protected, contact ALPO membership

secretary Matt Will for password info).

Many of the hard-copy back issues

listed below are almost out of stock and

there is no guarantee of availability.

Issues will be sold on a first-come, first-

served basis. Back issues are $4 each,

and $5 for the current issue. We can

arrange discounts on orders of more

than $30. Order directly from and make

payment to “Walter H. Haas” (see

address under “Board of Directors,”):

$4 each:

Vol. 7 (1953), No.10

Vol. 8 (1954), Nos. 7-8

Vol. 11 (1957), Nos. 11-12

Vol. 21 (1968-69), Nos. 3-4 and 7-8

Vol. 23 (1971-72), Nos. 7-8 and 9-10

Vol. 25 (1974-76), Nos. 1-2, 3-4, and 11-12

Vol. 26 (1976-77), Nos. 3-4 and 11-12

Vol. 27 (1977-79), Nos. 3-4 and 7-8

Vol. 31 (1985-86), Nos. 9-10

Vol. 32 (1987-88), Nos. 11-12

Vol. 33 (1989), Nos. 7-9

Vol. 34 (1990), No. 2

Vol. 37 (1993-94), No. 1

Vol. 38 (1994-96), Nos. 1 and 3

Vol. 39 (1996-97), No. 1

Vol. 42 (2000-01), Nos. 1, 3 and 4

Vol. 43 (2001-02), Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Vol. 44 (2002), Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Vol. 45 (2003), Nos. 1, 2 and 3 (no issue 4)

Vol. 46 (2004), Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Vol. 47 (2005), Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Vol. 48 (2006), Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Vol. 49 (2007), Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Vol. 50 (2008), Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Vol. 51 (2009), Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Vol. 52 (2010), Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Vol. 53 (2011), No. 1

$5 each:

Vol. 53 (2011), No. 2 (current issue)

Page 48 Volume 53, No. 2, Spring 2011

The Strolling Astronomer

ALPO Resources

People, publications, etc., to help our members

THE ASSOCIATION

OF LUNAR & PLANETARY OBSERVERS (ALPO)

The Association of Lunar & Planetary Observers (ALPO) was founded by Walter H. Haas in 1947, and incorporated in

1990, as a medium for advancing and conducting astronomical work by both professional and amateur astronomers who

share an interest in Solar System observations. We welcome and provide services for all individuals interested in lunar and

planetary astronomy. For the novice observer, the ALPO is a place to learn and to enhance observational techniques. For

the advanced amateur astronomer, it is a place where one's work will count and be used for future research purposes. For

the professional astronomer, it is a resource where group studies or systematic observing patrols add to the advancement of

astronomy.

Our Association is an international group of students that study the Sun, Moon, planets, asteroids, meteors, meteorites and

comets. Our goals are to stimulate, coordinate, and generally promote the study of these bodies using methods and instru-

ments that are available within the communities of both amateur and professional astronomers. We hold a conference each

summer, usually in conjunction with other astronomical groups.

We have “sections” for the observation of all the types of bodies found in our Solar System. Section coordinators collect

and study submitted observations, correspond with observers, encourage beginners, and contribute reports to our quarterly

Journal at appropriate intervals. Each section coordinator can supply observing forms and other instructional material to

assist in your telescopic work. You are encouraged to correspond with the coordinators in whose projects you are interested.

Coordinators can be contacted either via e-mail (available on our website) or at their postal mail addresses listed in our

Journal. Members and all interested persons are encouraged to visit our website at http://www.alpo-astronomy.org. Our

activities are on a volunteer basis, and each member can do as much or as little as he or she wishes. Of course, the ALPO

gains in stature and in importance in proportion to how much and also how well each member contributes through his or

her participation.

Our work is coordinated by means of our periodical, The Strolling Astronomer, also called the Journal of the Assn. of

Lunar & Planetary Observers, which is published seasonally. Membership dues include a subscription to our Journal. Two

versions of our ALPO are distributed — a hardcopy (paper) version and an online (digital) version in “portable document

format” (pdf) at considerably reduced cost.

Subscription rates and terms are listed below (effective January 1, 2009).

We heartily invite you to join the ALPO and look forward to hearing from you.

• $US120 – Sponsoring Member level, 4 issues of the digital and paper Journal, all countries

• $US60 – Sustaining Member level, 4 issues of the digital and paper Journal, all countries

• $US54 – 8 issues of the paper Journal only, US, Mexico and Canada

• $US30 – 4 issues of the paper Journal only, US, Mexico and Canada

• $US68 – 8 issues of the paper Journal only, all other countries

• $US37 – 4 issues of the paper Journal only, all other countries

• $US20 – 8 issues of the digital Journal only, all countries, e-mail address required

• $US12 – 4 issues of the digital Journal only, all countries, e-mail address required

For your convenience, you may join online via the via the Internet or by completing the form at the bottom of this page.

To join or renew online, go to the ALPO membership web page hosted by Telescopes by Galileo at http://www.

galileosplace.com/ALPO/ Afterwards, e-mail the ALPO membership secretary at will008@attglobal.net with your name,

address, the type of membership and amount paid.

If using the form below, please make payment by check or money order, payable (through a U.S. bank and encoded with

U.S. standard banking numbers) to “ALPO” There is a 20-percent surcharge on all memberships obtained through subscrip-

tion agencies or which require an invoice. Send to: ALPO Membership Secretary, P.O. Box 13456, Springfield, Illinois

62791-3456 USA.

Please Print:

Name________________________________________________________________________________________

Street Address________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

City, State, ZIP _______________________________________________________________________________

E-mail Address________________________________________________________________________________

Phone Number________________________________________________________________________________

Please share your observing interests with the ALPO by entering the appropriate codes on the blank line below.

Interest_______________________________________________________________________________________

Interest Abbreviations

0 = Sun 1 = Mercury 2 = Venus 3 = Moon 4 = Mars 5 = Jupiter 6 = Saturn 7 = Uranus 8 = Neptune 9 = Pluto A = Asteroids C

= Comets D = CCD Imaging E = Eclipses & Transits H = History I = Instruments M = Meteors & Meteorites P = Photography R =

Radio Astronomy S = Computing & Astronomical Software T = Tutoring & Training Program (including Youth)

New App for

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SkyWeek is the new, interactive, mobile version of

Sky & Telescope magazine’s super-popular “This Week’s

Sky at a Glance” web page — a day-by-day calendar of

events to observe in the changing night sky. The S&T

SkyWeek application gives you access to the content

and interactive features described below from the date

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Let's Go Stargazing, your guide to getting started in

astronomy and getting the most from your telescope.

Messier and Caldwell Observation Cards, your guide to

ﬁ nding the night sky’s most spectacular sky clusters,

galaxies and nebulae.

Our Skygazer's Almanac, your guide to celestial events

for the next year.

HubbleSite Lite, an interactive site where you can

explore Hubble’s discoveries and learn more about

the telescope’s operations.

The Mercury Illusion

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Amateurs Restore

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Current Binocular Highlights

p. 58

T Test Report:

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p. 52

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Plans for the

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p. 22

The Next

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Astronomy:

Improve Your Imaging:

Demystifying Flat Fields

p. 72

THE E

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Inside Saturn’s Cassini Division p. 50

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