This is a reminder that it’s time to start thinking about what to bring to this quarter’s Pot Luck Dinner for the Charlie Elliott Chapter meeting. It starts at 4:00 p.m. at the Charlie Elliott Visitor’s Center, next week Saturday, March 28th. Everyone is welcome. Plan on being there for Fred Buls’ discussion on Radiometric Dating.

Jim Honeycutt is trying to add a special session to the program and we hope that he succeeds. As soon as this addition is confirmed we will make a special announcement. If the weather allows, share the views of the Universe after the meeting with the others at the observing field.

To get things started, just let me know what you plan to bring, desert, drinks, covered dish, etc) and I’ll add that to our menu and post it on the Charlie_Elliott_Chapter Yahoo group as I get your emails. Early next week, I will send out an email with the summery of the menu so far.

So far:
Sausage and Peppers – Theo and Romaine

So, give it some thought, post a message or email me, and we’ll add this to the list!

Clear Skies, and see you next week!
Theo Ramakers

This is a reminder, and follow up for the event at the Rock Eagle 4H Center in Eatonton next week Tuesday, February 10. If you live in the Charlie Elliott area and have the time to participate, it would be great if you could attend and bring your scope. Stephen Ramsden and myself will be there. Jon might have to drop some people off that night and probably cannot make it. If you live in, or on the other side of Atlanta, you rather might participate in an event closer to you like the Hopewell Middle school event a week later.

Otherwise, please let me know if you are coming, and looking forward seeing you there.
For directions see the announcement from last week on this page.

Clear skies,
Theo

Well the weather looks pretty good for tonight at Charlie Elliott. And in addition to great observing we should expect the following surprises: ISS at mag – 3.4 and Iridium 14 at mag -6.8

ISS Flyby
Appears 18h46m59s 0.7mag az:309.4° NW at the horizon, Culmination 18h51m59s -3.4mag az:226.1° SW h:56.6°, Disappears 18h56m57s -0.7mag az:142.5° SE horizon; distance: 430.1km height above Earth: 363.6km elevation of sun: -9°

Iridium 14 Satellite
At 19h28m43s a flare from MMA2 (Left antenna) Magnitude=-6.8mag location: Azimuth= 28.6° NNE altitude= 49.2° in constellation Camelopardalis. Height above Earth=713.1 km distance to satellite=907.9 km. Brightness estimate may be unreliable and flare time accurate to a few seconds.

Theo

It is cloudy again, but if it clears up for a few minutes tonight, you have the chance to see a hugh Iridium flare. Iridium 15 will flare with a magnitude -6.2 at 19:05:50 local time at azimuth=178.5° S, altitude= 34.7° in constellation Eridani. This information is for the Covington, Social Circle, Charlie Elliott area. For you living half way between Atlanta and CE, the flare will be at a magnitude of -1.1 and in Atlanta it will not flare at all
Clear Skies
Theo

This is a reminder for the Charlie Elliott Chapter meeting and observing for Saturday January 24 at 3:00pm at Charlie Elliott’s Visitors Center.

Have been outside and wondered why the night sky objects you wanted to observe were not as clear as you thought they would be? Join us and Dr. Chip West for his presentation on “Factors impacting visibility”.

Theo Ramakers

Those of you who helped make the Year 2000 Peach State Star Gaze the huge success it was surely remember our most gracious guest, Antonin Rukl, reknowned author of “Atlas of the Moon” and many other works.

Many of you also had a chance to meet his gracious wife, Sonja, who accompanied him here from Prague, Czech Republic.

I am sorry to pass along the latest e-mail I following e-mail I just received from “Tony”.

To:
Subject: [SPAM] bad news
Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2008 11:48:48 +0100

Dear Ken and family,

This is certainly the worst news I ever sent you from Prague. The day before yesterday, on Friday morning, my dear wife Sonja died after a short but very serious disease (thrombosis). It is hardly possible to express in words what we are feeling.

I apologize for beeing too short now, perhaps I will write more later.

Please, accept my cordial greetings and best wishes for the comming Christmas and the New Year 2009.

Yours, as ever,

Tony

—————————————————————————–
Antonín Rükl
Ruská 38
101 00 Praha 10
Czech Republic
arukl@noveradsl.cz

Those of you who who recall Mr. Rukl might want to express your own condolensces to him either by e-mail or regular mail.

– Kenpo

Charlie Elliott has send an invitation for all current CE volunteers to attend an appreciation luncheon on January 17, 2009 from 10:00am – 2:00pm at the Shepherd Conference room at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center. If you did volunteer in any of our activities with CE such as JAKES Day, Summer Camp, etc. bring your better half and enjoy the company of the staff and other volunteers at the wildlife center.

Please RSVP Linda May by January 6, 2009 at 770-784-3059, or via email. Click here to download the CE calendar for January 2009.

WEEKEND METEORS: Earth is entering a stream of debris from extinct comet 3200 Phaethon, and this is causing the annual Geminid meteor shower. The shower is expected to peak on Dec. 13th and 14th. Normally, as many as 100 meteors per hour shoot out of the constellation Gemini, but this year a bright Moon will interfere with the display, reducing hourly counts to only 20 or so. That’s could still be a nice show. For best results, watch the sky from 10 pm local time on Saturday night (Dec 13th) until dawn on Sunday morning (Dec. 14th).

BIGGEST FULL MOON OF THE YEAR: The Moon that’s causing trouble for the Geminid display happens to be biggest full Moon of 2008, as much as 14% wider and 30% brighter than lesser Moons we’ve been earlier this year. An astronomer would say this is a “perigee Moon” because it occurs at perigee, the side of the Moon’s elliptical orbit closest to Earth. Go outside tonight and take a look. The meteor rate may be low, but the lunar beauty index is off the charts.

IRIDIUM FLARES. Tomorrow night you also will be able to witness two very bright Iridium flares when you live in within 20 miles of Covington. Iridium 94 will flare with a magnitude of -5.6 at Azimuth=269.6° W altitude= 19.5° in constellation Ophiuchus at 17:33:50h and if this is too early to see, Iridium 29 will flare with Magnitude=-5.3mag at Azimuth=271.2° W and altitude= 16.6° in constellation Ophiuchus at 17:47:12h

If you have a few minutes step out and enjoy this.
Theo Ramakers

Check this out. There is an Iridium flare forecast of mag. -4.5 (for my location) tomorrow at 5:34pm at 211 degrees SSW and an altitude of 23 degrees in Sagitarius. (Iridium 30). This should come well within the field of view of Venus which is at -4.3. Jim Honeycutt gets the best view, the center line of the flare comes right over his house!

For me not as bright as the one from last week, but I guess this could be a nice pairing with Venus.
Theo Ramakers

A nice Iridium flare is forecasted for tonight from the CE area (Covington, Monroe, Mansfield, Social Circle). The right antena of Iridum 5 will reflect the sun at 7:16pm. The center of the flare is located just a little north of Covington and its brightness is forecasted at mag: -6.7 so it will be very bright.

The location of the flare is at 165.2° SSE altitude= 26.9° in constellation Sculptor..
If you have time, see if you can see it!

Clear skies,
Theo Ramakers