Astronomy Cafe – Feb 7, 2022

Transcript video of meeting

• IAU Small Bodies Nomenclature – Chris Purse
  • Asteroid (10109) Sidhu – 1992  KQ – discovered by Eleanor F. Helin
  • Sid Sidhu was nominated by President Chris Purse back in 2018
  • Quite a few Victoria Centre members are already honoured, along with other RASC members 
  • Sid joined RASC in 1985
• The Transformative Journey of HD 93521 (Doug Gies, et. al) – Randy Enkin
  • Rapid rotating star between Leo Minor and Ursa Major
  • Blue star 40,000 times more luminous as the Sun, Spectral Type O
  • Only 5 million years old, and burning out rapidly
  • First spectra was published by Plaskett & Pearce in 1931
  • Actually 39 million years old, but nuclear clock was reset 5 million years ago
  • Discussion about black holes, stellar dust, and star formation and evolution
• Lunar Occultation – David Lee (david@victoria.rasc.ca) 
  • Zubelnelgenubi double star occulted by the Moon on Feb 22, 2022
  • Published times for various locations
  • Altitude of 20º and Azimuth 135-180º from Victoria
  • Prepare ahead of time
  • David can help anyone interested in observing or photographing this event
• Update on Victoria Centre Observatory – Reg Dunkley
  • 20″ Obsession Dob telescope – visual observing
    • Digital setting circles to be installed
  • 12″ Dob telescope – visual observing
  • Takahashi TOA – visual and photography configurations
  • 12.5″ OGS RC – photography with a new 61 Mpix cooled camera, filters LRGB & narrowband
    • First light of the Moon – photo taken last night
  • Paramount mount still needs some service, but it’s working
  • COVID-19 Regulations – 4 members at the VCO, and 2 more members at the Plaskett parking lot. Active Observers should attest to being fully vaccinated to President Randy Enkin (president@victoria.rasc.ca) and cc to Chris Purse (membership@victoria.rasc.ca)
  • Member-In-Charge (MIC) – 2 spaces available for new volunteers. Training will be provided.
• Update on James Webb Space Telescope – Chris Gainor
  • Last week, instruments turned on
  • First light on sensors
  • Calibrating the mirror segments is proceeding
• History of Hubble – Chris Gainor
  • Chris will be receiving copies of the book
  • Requests can be sent to the Hubble Information Center – info-center@hq.nasa.gov
• Observers Handbook 2022 – free one available from Joe Carr (web@victoria.rasc.ca) 
• SIGs – David Lee (david@victoria.rasc.ca) 
  • Makers SIG meeting online this Thursday
• Victoria Centre’s AGM – Feb 21, 2022 starting at 7:00PM PST
  • Speaker: The Life and Times of the Sky Quality Meter – Doug Welch, Dean of Graduate Studies, and on the CFHT and TMT boards
  • Need a quorum – proxies are good if you can’t attend – send to any member in good standing who will attend, or Barbara Lane secretary@victoria.rasc.ca