FROM THE PRESIDENT Bill Hanagan

Speakers & Subjects: Mike Cimorosi: Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence-SETI & OSETI;and Dave Sewell & Terry Lisanski: Eyepieces “Inside and Out”

at the Mt. Cuba Astronomical Observatory

Next Meeting – November 16th, 2010 at 8:00 PM~ Two Exciting Mini-Talks ~

An astronomy club exists first, last, and always topromote the astronomy related activities of its members.When the astronomy activities of the members are properlysupported, education takes place almost automatically anda sense of camaraderie results quite naturally. In the DAS, there is a significant level of activity andinterest in three major astronomy related activities: visualobserving (VO), astrophotography (AP) (or astro-imaging orsimply “imaging”), and amateur telescope making (ATM).For the time being, I’m going to leave amateur telescopemaking out of the discussion and concentrate only on howwe can best support visual observing and astro-imaging. I’ve proposed some strategic equipment objects forthe club that would change the way our club supports visualobserving and take the first step toward introducing supportfor astro-imaging. Those objectives are as follows.

Strategic Objective #1: Improve the quality andportability of the 17.5” Dob and make that ourflagship instrument for visual observing.Strategic Objective #2: Make astro-imaging theofficial priority of the Sawin observatory and makethe Sawin pier mounted telescope our flagshipinstrument for astro-imaging.

I’d like to explain the rationale behind these objectives. Almost 50 years ago, our club built the Sawin obser-vatory and equipped it with a 12.5” equatorially mountedtelescope. Dark skies, lack of light trespass from neighbors,and a very large aperture for its time undoubtedly made theSawin observatory an excellent facility for visual observingwhen it was first commissioned. Half a century later, light pollution produced by theexplosive growth of New Castle County grays out the MilkyWay over the Sawin, even when the sky is exceptionallytransparent. Light pollution blots out countless deep sky

Vol. 55, No. 9, November, 2010

objects which were once visible from this site and has alsoreduced the visibility of faint details in the deep sky objectswe can still see. Besides light pollution, the Sawin also suffers from asevere light trespass problem that makes it almost impos-sible for visual observers to achieve or maintain dark adapta-tion, especially in the winter months. A couple of ourneighbors in the Deer Valley development to the south of theSawin light their yards, driveways, and even trees ratherindiscriminately, casting light in all directions and directlyilluminating the Sawin observatory itself. We’ve plantedsome Leyland Cypress as a hedge against this light tres-pass and MCAO has planted some other shrubs, but it willbe a few years before these plants grow tall enough to blockthe current sources of light. Representatives of MCAO havespoken with the residents of Deer Valley on our behalf, butthis has had no apparent impact. Telescope technology has also blossomed over thelast 50 years, leaving our 12.5” modest and outdated by com-parison to modern telescopes made for serious visual observers. Today, our club members meet for visual observing at anumber of sites other than the Sawin observatory, including ourElk River dark sky site, the home of our Spring and Fall MessierHalf-Marathons; Tuckahoe State Park, the site of the DelmarvaStargazer’s Spring and Fall star parties; Spruce Knob andGreen Bank in WV, the homes of the Almost Heaven star partyand the Star Quest star party; Cherry Springs State Park in PA,home of the Cherry Springs and Black Forest star parties; andat the Mason-Dixon star party held in Lancaster county, PA.And, you may recall that for many years, the DAS held starparties at Nottingham State Park in PA under the supervision ofRalph Denlinger and Tom DeMott. Several of our clubs most dedicated visual observershave told me that they don’t see much point in attending starparties at the Sawin observatory. (Continued on Page 2)

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“PUBLIC NIGHTS” at the Mt. CUBA OBSERVATORY...

Date Host Title of Presentation Nov 22 Bill Sharp “TBD”Dec. 13 Judy Provencal “Music of the Stars”

The Mt. CubaObservatory PublicNights continue yearround! In addition tolearning about manyaspects of the heavens,you’ll have a chance to

MCAO PUBLIC NIGHTS Greg Weaver

FROM THE PRESIDENT (Continued from Page 1)

pick up a schedule when you next come to a meeting or getthe latest updated version off the website at: http://MountCuba.org. Programs are presented on Mondaynights at 8pm. Please check the website for programsplanned, full details and updates.

The schedule at the time of FOCUS’ publicationappears below.

Indeed, there are several DAS members who regularly attendregional star parties who have not been to a DAS star partyat the Sawin observatory in several years. The point of allthis is that experienced observers in the DAS are quiteliterally moving away from using the Sawin for visual observing. To better support visual observing in the DAS, Ibelieve we should acquire or build a large aperture truss tubeDobsonian that can easily be moved to a remote site by anyone of MANY DAS members. The key here is that a lot ofpeople need to be able to move the telescope with relativeease without requiring the entire storage area of a giganticSUV or a large truck. An 18”-20” truss tube Dob representsa good balance between aperture, portability, and cost andwould be an excellent candidate. There are many examplesof telescopes this size being carried in small Subaru wagonsand similar or greater cargo capacity. Unfortunately, theclub currently can’t afford to buy such a telescope outright.However, our funds are sufficient to begin work upgrading ouroptically challenged Coulter 17.5” monolithic tube Dob withan aim toward eventually converting it to a truss tube Dob.That, of course, is Strategic Objective #1 above. After nearly 50 years, it’s time to adapt to thechanges that have taken place in the world and change theway we support and promote visual observing. With visual observing moving away from the Sawin12.5”, what should we do with the Sawin observatory? Asluck would have it, we already have a very good use for itthat has not been supported well up to now: astro-imaging. While astro-imagers would prefer darker skies, theyare not affected nearly as severely by light pollution as visualobservers. In imaging, the background created by lightpollution can be readily subtracted from digital imagesleaving a noise remnant but achieving good visual contrast inthe image to be displayed. In visual observing, there is noway to subtract the light pollution background before the

image reaches your eye. The daunting logistics of setting up, aligning, andtearing down a portable telescope and computer every nightmake an observatory an extremely valuable asset for astro-imaging. Further, a 12.5” telescope is as large as mostastro-imagers ever need. Many fine photos can be madewith telescopes having even smaller apertures provided themount and auxiliary equipment is up to snuff and the tele-scope has a low focal ratio. That covers Strategic Objective #2. Regardless of observing conditions, any DAS tele-scope in the Sawin observatory would naturally be able tomount an eyepiece for casual visual observing anytimesomeone is not using the telescope for imaging. However,most visual observers will certainly gravitate toward a highquality telescope of larger aperture that is optimized for visualobserving. You see this time and again at regional starparties; lines always form behind the biggest and besttelescope on the field because a larger aperture truly doesrule in visual observing. Finally, I’d like to remind all of you to keep thinkingabout how YOU can contribute to the DAS or how you canmake the DAS a better astronomy club. While we’ve hadsome volunteers step forward, and we’ve received somedonations, more volunteers and donations are needed. Atthis point, we still have openings for mini-talks in June to fillout our Main Meeting schedule. There are also a number ofprojects that could all use some extra help. Further, a goodidea of your own is always welcome, provided you’re willingto lead the charge! A club works best when essentially all of its able-bodied members pitch in and help out in whatever way theycan. If you haven’t found a way to contribute to the DAS, callme at 302-239-0949. I’m sure we can come up with some-thing that you can do to help the DAS that also suits yourparticular interests.

visit and view our all-digital full-dome planetarium. You can

Observing with the Delaware Astronomical Society...

The Comet Hartley and half of the Double Cluster -Photo taken at the recent Delmarva StarGazersFall “No Frills” Star PartyCredit: Photo by DAS Member Kent Blackwell.

The DAS astrophotography special interest group (DASAP SIG) meets on Friday nights at 7:30pm every other month at Mt.Cuba regardless of weather. The SIG also meets for photo shootsscheduled on 1-2 day notice to synchronize with the weather.

The monthly meetings are informal and typicallyinclude the presentation of astrophotos taken by the membersalong with an extended question and answer period. Objectscommonly photographed include constellations, auroras, lunareclipses, and planetary photos, as well as a wide variety of deep-sky objects such as nebulae, galaxies, star clusters, etc. Thetopics discussed cover the entire gamut of astrophotography,from how to get started with a minimum of equipment, to polaraligning your telescope, all of the way to the fine points of usingauto-guiders and post-processing digital images.

You can get started in astrophotography with justyour current camera mounted on a tripod or a motorizedtelescope by taking wide field photographs of meteor showers,conjunctions, constellations, and star trails. As you move toprogressively fainter and smaller subjects, you’ll need betterequipment. Joining the AP SIG is a great way to learn whatequipment you’ll need and what works well before you spendyour money. If you are interested in joining the AP SIG, justemail your name, address, and phone number to me athanaganw?comcast?net (using “@” and “.” in place of ? and ?).

The DAS Amateur Telescope Making (ATM) SpecialInterest Group (SIG ) meets on evenings and weekendsaccording to the availability of the members and the particu-lar projects that are underway. Currently the ATM SIG has amedium Dob building program under way. The general rangeof activities of the ATM SIG includes all manner of telescopemaking, mirror making, and the making of accessories for

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DAS Special Interest Groups for Photography and Telescope Construction...DAS ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP Bill Hanagan

DAS AMATEUR TELESCOPE MAKING SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP Bill Hanagan

telescopes and observing.Anyone interested in joining the ATM SIG should

email their name, address, and phone number to me athanaganw?comcast?net (using “@” and “.” in place of ? and?). Meeting dates are announced primarily by email, so ifyou are interested in telescope making, be sure to letme know!

The DAS also maintains a club observatory on thegrounds of the Mt. Cuba Astronomical Observatory. TheSawin Observatory houses the club’s permanently mounted12.5" reflecting telescope and a 17.5" Coulter Odyssey 2Dobsonian telescope. They are for the use of club membersonce they are trained and checked-out in a simple operatingprocedure. Members who are interested in becoming keyholders of the Sawin Observatory should contact me at 239-1844 to arrange for training in the use of the facility.

One of the best advantages of being a member ofthe Delaware Astronomical Society is that all members havethe privilege of being trained to use and then borrow equip-ment owned by the club for personal use. Currently, wehave two scopes available for loan: a Celestron 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain, and a 6" Orion Sky-Quest XT6 Dobsonianreflector. The loan is for at least a month. If you’re interestedin checking out either of these scopes, contact Tom Sidowskiat 239-1844.

LOANER TELESCOPES and SAWIN OBSERVATORY REMINDER Tom Sidowski

As always, please consider submitting one or moreof your favorite astrophotos for publication in the FOCUS. Arecent photo is not required. You can email your photo(s) as.jpg files to our FOCUS editor, Joe Neuberger at his addressat jrneuberger@gmail.com. Please include a text file brieflydescribing how you made each photo (in Microsoft Wordformat) along with any by-lines or captions you would like Joeto use. If you would like, you can write a more in-depthdiscussion to go with your photos. Joe can make a master-ful layout, but if you would like to suggest a layout of yourown you can insert copies of your photos into the Worddocument to give him an idea what you would like to see.Either way, don’t forget to attach a high resolution .jpg file toyour email for each photo. Joe has done a great job improv-ing the look of the FOCUS and adding relevant links to takeadvantage of the fact that the FOCUS is now on-line, but likeall newsletter editors, he needs as much material as he canget from club members.

we want to use YOURS...not Hubble’s!!PLEASE email to FOCUS editor JRNeuberger@gmail.com.

FOCUS uses plenty of photosNEW On Friday, October 22 the AP SIG met at the SawinObservatory. The original plan for the meeting was to use theSawin’s 12.5” Newtonian to image Jupiter, but the seeingconditions were not good enough to make planetary imagingworthwhile. However, the sky was clear and AP SIG memberRob Lancaster brought an equatorial mount that he recentlypurchased at the Delmarva Stargaze. So, the group spent theevening discussing and testing various aspects of thismount’s operation as well as other aspects of astrophotography.

The next AP SIG meeting is Flex-Scheduled for

either November 19 or 20 at 7:30 P.M. at Mount Cuba. We’llhave our usual Q&A and presentation of astro-photos at theNovember meeting. And, if the weather and the seeing arefavorable, we’ll take another crack at planetary imagingusing the Sawin 12.5”.

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NEW

DAS FORUM / E-MAIL SITE ON YAHOO Don Shedrick

This is a restricted e-mail service for use byDAS members for DAS purposes. To use this site,go to http://groups.yahoo.com; search for DelawareAstronomical Society; and click on the link that comesup. To join, you must have a Yahoo ID and password;if you don’t, you can register at this time by followingYahoo’s instructions. You will then be allowed to “Jointhe group” upon clicking in that box. You must thenregister for the DAS group and add your profile byclicking on “add new profile” and completing the form.

When adding or editing your profile, you will needto enter your actual name in the “Real Name” box so youcan be identified as a DAS member so Don Shedrickcan approve your application to join the DAS group, andeveryone will know to whom they are communicating.

Finally, specify your desired email address fordelivery of messages. Note: you may choose to nothave your name and email address displayed to anyoneother than DAS members who are members of theYahoo DAS email group.

For more detailed instructions, go to the DASwebsite under DAS Resource Links.

LIBRARY NEWS Glenn Bentley

MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS Bill McKibbonSKY & TELESCOPE will be processed by the

club for the first subscription year only. The publishershould then send renewal notices directly to thesubscriber at the club rate of $32.95. The subscribercan then pay the publisher directly.

NOTE: If you receive a renewal notice for anamount other than $32.95, check to see if there areany special offers included in the rate. Also check therenewal date printed on the magazine address label.These ‘special offers’ are likely to occur severalmonths prior to the renewal date. However, if you areapproaching your renewal date and have not receivedthe correct renewal notice, contact me and I willprocess the renewal through the club.

ASTRONOMY will continue to be processedby the club for all subscription years.

Please see the renewal form at the end of theFOCUS for additional renewal information.

MEMBERSHIP EXPIRATION NOTICES Bill McKibben

If you receive the FOCUS by email, you will benotified of your membership renewal by email. If youreceive the FOCUS in the mail and the mailing labelon the envelope containing your FOCUS is markedwith red marker, your membership is expiring or hasexpired. Please see the renewal form at the end ofthe FOCUS for additional renewal information. Alsosee the “Magazine Subscriptions” section in theFOCUS for information about subscription renewal.

For all those now using the Mt. Cuba LendingLibrary a hardy thanks. Please remember that thelending period is two months. If you’d like to keep thebook longer, please re-sign the log sheet.

MT. CUBA LENDING LIBRARY Paul Stratton

I invite the membership to drop by the libraryafter the November meeting to review our astronomi-cal offerings.

ASTRONOMICAL LEAGUE MEMBERSHIPDAS members have the opportunity to become

members in the Astronomical League at the dis-counted rate of $7.50 per year. Benefits include theReflector (a quarterly newsletter), observing programs,awards, discounts on books and educational materi-als. For questions on joining the Astronomical League,contact Lynn King at meetings, call 302-764-8816 oremail KLynnKing@verizon.net.

The PRESIDENT’S DAS BOARDMEETING AGENDA

7:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 16, 2010 In the Classroom at the Mt. Cuba Observatory

1) Screaming and other unruly behavior in boardmeetings;

2) DAS Strategic Equipment Improvement Goals;

3) Planning for our Christmas Party;

Come and Participate - ALL are WELCOME!

The Planet Mars - Photo takenNovember 20, 2005 .Credit: Photo by DAS Member Bill Hanagan

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ASTRO-PHOTO of the

MONTH

ThisThis photo was

taken by Rob at therecent DelmarvaStarGazers’ Fall

“No Frills” Star Party. Itis a 334 sec. exposure

taken with a Canon XSiDSLR camera with a

270 mm lens on aMeade LXD55 Mount.

Back in September, several people had items to present on the topic of “What We Did Last Summer”, but there wasnot enough time at the September meeting to cover them all. If you had something to present but didn’t get the chance, letme know and we’ll try to work it into one of our future meetings.

November 16: Two Mini-Talks: 1) Search for Extra-terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) and Optical SETI (OSETI) by MikeCimorosi, and 2) Eyepieces “Inside and Out” by Dave Sewell and Terry Lisanski.

December 21: The DAS Christmas Party

January 18: The Sun by Jack Fisher

February 15: Two Mini-Talks: 1) NASA Solar Missions by Bill McKibben, and 2) Greenwich Observatory by Jim Buckley

March 15: Two Mini-Talks: 1) Auroras by Rob Lancaster, 2) DAS Loaner Scopes by Tom Sidowski,

April 19: Two Mini-Talks: 1) Selecting a Secondary Mirror for Your Newtonian Telescope by Bill Hanagan and2) Deep Sky Quasars, Super-Novas, and Related Phenomena by Bill McKibben

May 17: Dinner Meeting: Open

June 21: Open

Regular Features: Greg Lee will once again give us a regular briefing on “What’s Up in the Sky.”

DAS Main Meeting Topics and Speakers for 2010-2011 Bill Hanagan

ThePleiades

Photo by DAS MemberRob Lancaster

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The DAS held the second Messier Half-Marathon of the year at Gus Swartout’s cabin on the Elk River south of Newark,which is the same site we used for the Messier Half-Marathon last March. Although the weather earlier in the day was dominated by puffy gray clouds and a blustery wind, the sky cleared andthe wind died down to a gentle breeze about an hour before sunset, giving us great weather for a star party. The transparencywas generally very good, but thin clouds occasionally appeared a couple of times that directed our attention to other areas ofthe sky. Seeing was average, but we had no difficulty making out the Great Red Spot (GRS) on Jupiter as well as several of itssmaller cloud bands. With the South Equatorial Belt nearly invisible, the GRS, which is currently dark and full, appearsstrangely out of place. The sky is considerably darker at the Elk River site than at the Sawin observatory and the Milky Way is readily visible,even when the transparency is less than ideal. This makes the Elk River site more suitable not only for hunting Messierobjects, but also for finding and observing fainter deep sky objects. While the group observed many Messier objects throughout the evening, we also took the opportunity to observe a fewNGC objects, including the Veil Nebula, which is a supernova remnant with two major branches, western and eastern(NGC6960 and NGC6962). This is a relatively faint nebula that’s best viewed through either an OIII filter or a nebula filter thatpasses the OIII emission lines at 495.9 nm and 500.7 nm. Flash photography is strictly out of the question during a star party due to the need to preserve dark adaptation, so Idecided to take some “old-fashioned” photos for the FOCUS using time exposures of several seconds with a DSLR mounted ona tripod. By “painting” the foreground scene with a wide beam deep-red flashlight, it was possible to obtain photos withoutdestroying anyone’s dark adaptation. If displayed in color, these photos end up very red, but thanks to the flexibility of digitalimages it wasn’t too difficult to convert them to monochrome (aka black & white), as seen here.

The October 29 Messier Half-Marathon MSP Text & Photos by Bill Hanagan

The photo at left shows Greg Lee working on thesetup of his newly acquired 15” Discovery Dob, which herecently acquired second hand from “Skies Unlimited” nearPottstown. The tube on this telescope comes apart in themiddle to make it easier to transport than a monolithic tubeDob. Though Greg was looking to buy a truss tube Dob thatbreaks down into even smaller and lighter parts, he con-cluded that he could get this telescope into his vehicle and itwas a deal he couldn’t pass up. Greg owns a very large oldstation wagon which is big enough to carry all of the largepieces of this 15” telescope.

In the photo at right, Bill McKibben shares the viewthrough his 16” Meade “monolithic tube” Dobsonian with guestRobert Werkman of the Chesmont Astronomical Society (CAS).The clouds appearing in the sky were virtually invisible to thenaked eye, but the 20 second exposure time of this photomakes them appear unusually bright. Of course, Meade and other major manufacturersstopped making Dobsonians of this size with monolithictubes many years ago when truss (Continued on next page)

The Flame Nebula -Credi: Photo by DAS Member Rick Davis

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MSP Potential Dates - Print, Clip, & Hang in a Prominant Place! - Then JOIN US!

PotentialMSP Dates Special Topics and Notes Tentative Location

Last DAS Member Star Party (MSP) of the Year Bill Hanagan

Greg Lee is the MSP supervisor for the final MSP cycle of the year, whose potential dates are December 3, 4, 10,and 11(L). Greg will choose the location of the star party and inform everyone via the DAS Yahoo group email, as usual. OnDecember 11, the moon will be nearly 6 days old and 35% illuminated. It won’t set until 10:40 P.M. That makes thisparticular date good for early lunar observing, but not as good for deep sky observing until after 10 P.M.

Notes on the Member Star Parties (MSPs):For each MSP cycle there are usually four potential dates designated in advance, but which of these is used for the

event is “flex-scheduled” according to the weather using the DAS Yahoo Group email system.Please be sure to mark your calendars with the potential MSP dates that appear above! Obviously, you need to

keep as many of these dates open as possible so when a GO announcement is made you’re in a position to attend the DASMember Star Party regardless of which date the weather favors!

Finally, I’d like to remind you that you need to be signed up for the DAS Yahoo Group to receive the schedulingannouncements for and directions to the MSPs. A full description of the MSP program appears on the DAS website at http://delastro.org and in the December 2009 issue of the FOCUS.

Messier (Continued from preceeding page) tube Dobs took over the market, but the old monolithic tube Dobs still show up onthe used market from time to time and Bill picked this one up a couple of years back. To transport this telescope to star parties, Bill ordinarily enlists the help of someone with a vehicle that has a largecargo capacity because the telescope’s tube and base don’t fit easily into his pickup truck. Bill recently devised a way toget both the tube and the base into a single pickup truck, but it leaves the back end of the truck open with the telescopebase hanging out. Bill says he doesn’t feel this arrangement is secure enough to go very far, but he lives only a shortdistance from the Elk River site. Like Greg, Bill has been looking for a truss-tube Dob to take to star parties and may havesome news to share about an intended acquisition along these lines in the near future.

In the photo at left, Gus Swartout (right) stands with several of his neighbors infront of his 10” Meade SCT for a 5 second exposure, much as the subjects of earlyAmbrotypes once posed for several seconds in bright sunlight. These neighbors were morethan happy to turn off their outside lights and were thrilled at the opportunity to see Jupiterthrough a telescope. In this photo, below at right Lionel Sandell (standing) shares the view through his 5”Stallanvue refractor with Pete Heusman (at eyepiece).

In all,about 12 peopleattended theevent. Shortlyafter midnight,the group tooka snack breakin the kitchenof Gus’s “cabin”and posed forthe photo atfar left beforeheading backoutside for

some lunar observing. From left to right, Bill McKibben andGreg Lee are seated in the front. Standing behind them (l to r)are Bill Hanagan, Gus Swartout, Lionel Sandell, RobertWerkman, Pete Huesmann, and Fred DeLucia. Thanks go out to Gus Swartout, who acted not only

as the MSP supervisor for this event, but also as the host. If not for Gus’s astute call on the weather, we might have misseda great night of camaraderie and observing.

2010 DAS Member Star Party Potential Dates, Topics & Locations

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spout toward the sun. During solar storms, the equatorialanomaly can intensify and shape-shift, bending GPS signalsin unexpected ways and making normal radio communica-tions impossible.

”International cooperation is essential for keepingtrack of the equatorial anomaly,” he adds. “No single countrycan do it alone.”

It’s no coincidence that the inaugural meeting of theISWI is being held in Egypt, an equatorial country. Of 30nations sending representatives to the ISWI, more than two-thirds are clustered around the magnetic equator. This couldlead to a revolution in studies of low-latitude space weather.

There is much to do beyond the equator, too. Duringthe meeting, researchers and students will learn how theycan set up monitoring stations for cosmic rays, groundcurrents, magnetic storms, and auroras. There’s a phenom-enon for every latitude and level of expertise.

“We are offering a whole buffet of research opportuni-ties,” says Davila.

Researchers who miss the first meeting will getmany more chances. The International Space WeatherInitiative is an ongoing program with get-togethers planned onan annual basis at different spots around the world. The nextmeeting will be held in Nigeria in November 2011.

No country is too remote, too small, or too poor toparticipate. Indeed, notes Davila, “the smallest most out ofthe way places are often where data are needed most.Everyone is invited.”

Interested? Details and contact information may befound at the ISWI home page: http://iswi-secretariat.org/

Nov. 8, 2010: Prompted by a recent increase in solaractivity, more than a hundred researchers and governmentofficials converged on Helwan, Egypt, to discuss a matter ofglobal importance: storms from the sun. The “First Work-shop of the International Space Weather Initiative (ISWI)”mets Nov. 6th through 10th and was convened by the UnitedNations, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency(JAXA).

“Strong solar storms can knock out power, disablesatellites, and scramble GPS,” says meeting organizer andISWI executive director Joe Davila of NASA’s GoddardSpace Flight Center. “This meeting will help us prepare forthe next big event.”

A key problem organizers hope to solve is a gap—many gaps, actually—in storm coverage around our planet.When a big storm is underway, waves of ionization ripplethrough Earth’s upper atmosphere, electric currents flowthrough the topsoil, and the whole planet’s magnetic fieldbegins to shake.

“These are global phenomena,” says Davila, “so weneed to be able to monitor them all around the world.”

A map of ISWI-brokered space weather monitoring stations. Interested people should visit the ISWIhome page to learn more about available projects and how to become involved.

Industrialized countries tendto have an abundance of monitoringstations. They can keep track of localmagnetism, ground currents, and ion-ization, and provide the data to research-ers. Developing countries are wherethe gaps are, particularly at low latitudesaround Earth’s magnetic equator.

Although space weather isusually associated with Earth’s polarregions—think, “Northern Lights”—theequator can be just as interesting. Forexample, there is a phenomenon inEarth’s upper atmosphere called the“equatorial anomaly.” It is, essentially,a fountain of ionization that circles theglobe once a day, always keeping its

More Information:Click for First Workshop of the International Space Weather Initiative (ISWI)— workshop home page. The ISWI got its start in 2008 after the UnitedNations concluded the 2007 International Heliophysical Year (IHY). The goalof IHY was to raise global awareness of heliophysics, the emergingscience of space weather, and to make cross-disciplinary connectionsamong researchers. Hundreds of seminars, conferences, and classroomvisits in dozens of countries during IHY 2007 laid the groundwork for theongoing initiative. NASA, JAXA and the UN are primary sponsors.

Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA

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EarthObservatory

Global Viewof Fine Aerosol Particles

PM2.5 (ug/m3)

0 10 100

Download large image (3 MB, PNG)-- acquired January 1, 2001 - December 31, 2006

Of all the pollution that fills our lungs on any given day,the most dangerous is the small stuff. Aerosol particle pollution--airborne solid particles and liquid droplets--comes in a range ofsizes. Particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers pose the greatestrisk to human health because they are small enough to bebreathed deep into the lungs and, in some cases, enter the bloodstream. These fine particles, about 30 times smaller than thewidth of a human hair, are also a major cause of poor visibility.

This map provides an estimate of the averagedistribution of fine particles near ground-level throughout theworld. The highest concentrations of fine particles, called PM(particulate matter) 2.5, hover over highly industrialized areasin eastern Asia. The high concentrations over northern Africaand the Middle East are likely fine dust from the deserts. TheWorld Health Organization’s Air Quality Guidelines recom-mend that concentrations of particulate pollution should notexceed 10 micrograms per cubic meter. When comparedwith global population, the map reveals that 80 percent of theworld’s people live in areas that exceed that value.

The map was compiled from satellite measure-ments (acquired between 2001 and 2006) and from modeldata. Both the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer(MISR) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradio-meter (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite measure particlepollution (aerosols). The GEOS-Chem model was used tohelp researchers determine how much of the satellite-measured pollution was at ground level, where it poses athreat to human health.

Particle pollution comes from a variety of sources,as detailed in the Earth Observatory’s new fact sheet,

Aerosols: Tiny Particle, Big Impact. The following isan excerpt.

The bulk of aerosols—about 90 percent by mass—havenatural origins. Volcanoes, for example, eject huge columns ofash into the air, as well as sulfur dioxide and other gases,yielding sulfates. Forest fires send partially burned organiccarbon aloft. Certain plants produce gases that react withother substances in the air to yield aerosols, such as the“smoke” in the Great Smoky Mountains of the United States. Sea salt and dust are two of the most abundant aerosols,as sandstorms whip small pieces of mineral dust from desertsinto the atmosphere and wind-driven spray from ocean wavesflings sea salt aloft. Both tend to be larger particles than theirhuman-made counterparts.

The remaining 10 percent of aerosols are consideredanthropogenic, or human-made, and they come from a varietyof sources. Though less abundant than natural forms,anthropogenic aerosols can dominate the air downwind ofurban and industrial areas.

Automobiles, incinerators, smelters, and power plants areprolific producers of sulfates, nitrates, black carbon, and otherparticles. Deforestation, overgrazing, drought, and excessiveirrigation can alter the land surface, increasing the rate atwhich dust aerosols enter the atmosphere. Even indoors,cigarettes, cooking stoves, fireplaces, and candles aresources of aerosols.

To read more, please click Aerosols: Tiny Particles, Big Impact.

NASA map by Robert Simmon, based on data from the Multi-angle ImagingSpectroRadiometer (MISR) and the Moderate Resolution ImagingSpectroradiometer (MODIS) on Terra and on the GEOS-Chem model.Caption by Holli Riebeek and Adam Voiland. Instrument: Terra - MISR

Click to Subscribe to the Earth Observatory

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