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A.L. awards for young astronomers. Here are the specifications. George George Reynolds "Solar System Ambassador" for South Hampton Roads, Virginia Back Bay Amateur Astronomers (BBAA) http://www.backbayastro.org ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: dknabb01@... <dknabb01@...> To: Don 01 account <dknabb01@...> Sent: Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at 02:47:20 PM EST Subject: Astronomical League Youth Awards Greetings MERAL Presidents, ALCors, editors, officers, and others, Attached is a graphic put together by John Goss on the Astronomical League Youth Awards. The Astronomical League offers four Jack Horkheimer Awards that are open to young astronomers. The Horkheimer/Smith and Horkheimer/D’Auria Service Awards are open to League members under the age of 19 who engage in educational outreach and/or service to League Member Societies of the Astronomical League itself. Applicants for Horkheimer Service Awards are considered for both the Smith and the D’Auria awards. The Horkheimer/Smith winner receives a plaque, a $1,700. cash prize, and an expense-paid trip to the League’s annual convention. The Horkheimer/D’auria winner receives a plaque and a $1,000. cash prize. The Horkheimer/Parker Imaging Award is open to League members under the age of 19 who achieve excellence in astronomical imaging. The winner receives a plaque and a $1,000. cash prize. The Horheimer/O’Meara Journalism Award is open to League members between 8 and 14 years of age who are engaged in science-related writing. The winner receives a plaque and a $1,000. cash prize. Second and third place finishers receive $500. and $250. cash prizes, respectively. Here is a link to the Astronomical League website awards page: https://www.astroleague.org/astronomical-league-awards/ The deadline for the awards is March 31, so there is still time to submit for the awards. Please share this information with your club members and use it in your newsletter, website, and social media sites. Clear skies, Don Knabb MERAL Chair

I was researching another subject when I came across this photograph that really illustrated what you should expect to see when you visually observe Mars. Nothing like the moon of course and it really varies over apparitions. But I had a lot of questions as to what one should expect normally on a typical observation. This is a great example.

Forwarding A.L. materials for the month. George George Reynolds "Solar System Ambassador" for South Hampton Roads, Virginia Back Bay Amateur Astronomers (BBAA) http://www.backbayastro.org ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: "dknabb01@..." <dknabb01@...> To: Don 01 account <dknabb01@...> Sent: Saturday, February 15, 2025 at 02:50:13 PM EST Subject: FW: March sky materials from the AL Hi MERAL Presidents, ALCors, editors, officers, and others, I am forwarding you the March sky materials from John Goss of the Astronomical League. Please share these with your club members, use them in your newsletters and post them to your website and social media sites. Clear skies, Don Knabb MERAL Chair From: John Goss <goss.john@...> Sent: Friday, February 14, 2025 11:10 AM To: John Goss <goss.john@...> Subject: March sky materials from the AL Attached are the AL March sky materials. Clear skies, John Goss

Clouds prevailed all day Monday but by nightfall the skies cleared. I haven't used my 5" refractor in a while, so I thought I'd chase down some double stars. Without a doubt the most challenging was Sirius. The only way I could see the companion was using my occulting bar-modified Edmund RKE 12.5mm and a Tele Vue 5X Barlow lens. List: 25/02/10 Takahashi TSA-120 Venus (Planet in Pisces) Observed: Feb 10, 2025 at 7:34:11 PM Comment: Now at 30% illuminated, Venus exhibited quite a bit thinner crescent than a week ago. Location: Virginia Beach Moon 97% SQML 17.6 35° H 70% Equipment: 120mm F/7.5 Takahashi, 5mm Pentax Seeing: 9 Transparency: 9 35 Piscium (Variable Double Star in Pisces) Observed: Feb 10, 2025 at 7:38:09 PM Comment: Struve 12 11.5" Pretty pair of stars. The primary is blue-white, and the secondary is deep blue Location: Virginia Beach Moon 97% SQML 17.6 35° H 70% Equipment: 120mm F/7.5 Takahashi, 5mm Pentax Seeing: 7 Transparency: 9 34 Piscium (Variable Double Star in Pisces) Observed: Feb 10, 2025 at 7:39:27 PM Comment: Struve 5 7" Close pair with magnitude contrast. The primary is 5.4 magnitude and the secondary 9.5. Location: Virginia Beach Moon 97% SQML 17.6 35° H 79% Equipment: 120mm F/7.5 Takahashi, 5mm Pentax Seeing: 7 Transparency: 9 42 Piscium (Double Star in Pisces) Observed: Feb 10, 2025 at 7:40:42 PM Comment: Struve 27 30" Although widely separated I was not able to see the 11.5 magnitude secondary Location: Virginia Beach Moon 97% SQML 17.6 35° H 70% Equipment: 120mm F/7.5 Takahashi, 5mm Pentax Seeing: 7 Transparency: 9 HD 2714 (Double Star in Pisces) Observed: Feb 10, 2025 at 7:43:22 PM Comment: Struve 32 29" Although a wide pair, the primary is 6.8 magnitude, and the secondary is a faint 10.6 magnitude. Location: Virginia Beach Moon 97% SQML 17.6 35° H 70% Equipment: 120mm F/7.5 Takahashi, 5mm Pentax Seeing: 7 Transparency: 9 Iota Cancri (Variable Double Star in Cancer) Observed: Feb 10, 2025 at 7:56:14 PM Comment: Struve 1268 30" An absolutely gorgeous pair of stars, with colors much like Alberiro in the summer sky. The magnitude 4th primary is deep gold, and the 6th magnitude secondary is powder blue Location: Virginia Beach Moon 97% SQML 17.6 35° H 70% Equipment: 120mm F/7.5 Takahashi, 5mm Pentax Seeing: 7 Transparency: 9 HD 74348 (Double Star in Cancer) Observed: Feb 10, 2025 at 7:59:16 PM Comment: Struve 1166 23" A 9th magnitude primary and an even fainter 10th magnitude secondary Location: Virginia Beach Moon 97% SQML 17.6 35° H 70% Equipment: 120mm F/7.5 Takahashi, 5mm Pentax Seeing: 7 Transparency: 9 NGC 2301 (Open Cluster in Monoceros) Observed: Feb 10, 2025 at 8:07:02 PM Comment: Wonderfully rich, 6th magnitude open cluster of about 30 stars Location: Virginia Beach Moon 97% SQML 17.6 35° H 70% Equipment: 120mm F/7.5 Takahashi, 5mm Pentax Seeing: 7 Transparency: 9 SAO 114308 (Double Star in Monoceros) Observed: Feb 10, 2025 at 8:09:45 PM Comment: Nice triple star, but the third component is challenging at 11.5 magnitude especially on a nearly full moon night Location: Virginia Beach Moon 97% SQML 17.6 35° H 70% Equipment: 120mm F/7.5 Takahashi, 5mm Pentax Seeing: 7 Transparency: 9 Trapezium - Theta1 Ori (Variable Double Star in Orion) Observed: Feb 10, 2025 at 8:12:07 PM Comment: I was able to see the fifth Trapezium easily. The sixth was more challenging, but I was able to see it. Location: Virginia Beach Moon 97% SQML 17.6 35° H 70% Equipment: 120mm F/7.5 Takahashi, 5mm Pentax Seeing: 8 Transparency: 9 Sirius - Alpha CMa (Double Star in Canis Major) Observed: Feb 10, 2025 at 8:23:44 PM Comment: After multiple tries, I finally saw The Pup. The only way I was able to see it was using the 12.5mm Edmund RKE occulting bar eyepiece and a Tele Vue 5x Powermate Barlow at 350x. Since I don’t have a motor drive, I let Sirius drift towards the coating bar. When I failed to see it, I’d let it drift again, and then again, and then again. Finally I split it. The pair have been closing for the past few years, so it’s even more difficult now than just a few years ago. Location: Virginia Beach Moon 97

The Polynesians made astonishing trips across the Pacific to colonize a vast area of the globe across considerable distances of open water. How did they wayfind? By looking at the constellations in quite a different way than we do. Right now in the sky there are constellations that show you north and south lines. The Hawaiians looked at the sky in a wide perspective. Try it tonight. Attached is how to establish a North/South line with the current sky.

After pre-ordering the S50 after it was announced, a buddy in Ohio cajoled me into pre-ordering the S30. The S30 arrived about 10-11 days ago and I've had the opportunity to set-up both, side-by-side, on 3 nights running one with my iPad & the other with the iPh. I have my own very preliminary thoughts and I wonder if anyone else here has done the same preliminary comparison? S30: $350 S50: $499 + S30: more portable (tiny) + S30: Camera Sensor - lower noise, less imaging time per object + S30: Larger FOV - great for large DSOs + S30: quicker to do a mosaic +S30: Wide Angle lens makes it great for terrestrial imaging (wildlife, landscapes, city skylines ...) + S50: Camera Sensor - greater resolution = more detail (in side-by-side comparisons) + S50: 50mm vs 30mm aperture means more light gathering power Though I give more (+)s to the S30, the S50 (+)s IMO have greater weight than most of the S30 (+)s. I'm frankly undecided if I prefer one over the other but if you force me to choose, I'd probably lean S50. Very preliminary ... I figured that after playing with both, I'd decide to keep one & flip or gift the other. It's too soon, but given their cost vs. utility I just may keep both and eventually gift the S50 after [& assuming] the S50 is updated and/or offered in a larger aperture? For $350 or $499, you can't go wrong.