www.bintel.com.au

Published monthly byThe Binocular and Telescope Shop55 York Street, Sydney NSW 2000

NOVEMBER 2004 * Volume 233 www.bintel.com.au

Published monthly since 1985 byThe Binocular and Telescope Shop55 York Street, Sydney NSW 2000

Cooking the chooks with Mel .......2The Moon and Ramadan .............2Star Map for November ...............3Mick ‘n Don ..................................4

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TWENTY YEARS AND COUNTINGTWENTY YEARS AND COUNTINGTWENTY YEARS AND COUNTINGTWENTY YEARS AND COUNTINGTWENTY YEARS AND COUNTINGTHE BINOCULAR AND TELESCOPE SHOPTHE BINOCULAR AND TELESCOPE SHOPTHE BINOCULAR AND TELESCOPE SHOPTHE BINOCULAR AND TELESCOPE SHOPTHE BINOCULAR AND TELESCOPE SHOP

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LOOKS BACK AND ALSO LOOKS FORWARD.LOOKS BACK AND ALSO LOOKS FORWARD.LOOKS BACK AND ALSO LOOKS FORWARD.LOOKS BACK AND ALSO LOOKS FORWARD.LOOKS BACK AND ALSO LOOKS FORWARD.

MACQUARIEUNIVERSITYOPEN NIGHT

Twenty years ago this montha very nervous couple, Mike and LilySmith opened the door of their newstore ‘The Binocular and TelescopeShop’ in the Hunter Connection nearWynyard Station, Sydney. The storewas all of four metres by four metres.At the end of that nerve-wrackingfirst day Mike closed the door,having made two sales; a pair ofbinoculars for forty nine dollars anda small magnifier for two dollars fiftycents.

Lily soon joinedfull-time and over thenext two orthree years theb u s i n e s sadvanced steadily.In mid-1985 at Lily’ssuggestion a photo-copied informationsheet was produced forcustomers demanding informationabout Halleys Comet. Thisdeveloped slowly into a double-sidednewsletter with the very originalname ‘Night Sky’. It has beenproduced every month since then.The edition you’re reading now is#233 in that series.

Despite warnings thatamateur astronomers would notspend much for telescope equipment,a decision was made to import highquality astronomical products. Anapproach was made to Tele Vue inearly 1987. Australians took toNagler eyepieces with enthusiasm. Aclose friendship with Al and JudiNagler developed and has continued,and we promote Tele Vue productsenthusiastically to this day.

Ninteen eighty eight provedto be an interesting year. Localamateur astronomers David Reidyand Ken Wallace wrote a book “TheSouthern Sky” which wassuccessfully launched with a wine

and cheeseevening at the B& T Shop. Itactually reachedthe Australianbest-seller list fora heady fewweeks!

Easter saw theNational Australian Convention ofAmateur Astronomers in Sydney.The Binocular and Telescope Shopwas the sole sponsor. We alsoarranged and sponsored a visit toSydney by John Dobson. He spoketo a spellbound crowd of twohundred and fifty amateurastronomers. Dobsonian telescopesproliferated in Australia as a result.

About the same time the firstissue of Southern Astronomymagazine appeared. This eventuallymorphed into Sky & Space in 1992.

In 1994 Don Whitemanbegan working part-time at BinTel.

Within months he was full-time on the staff. The year 1996 wasa busy time for The Binocular andTelescope Shop. Celestron TelescopeCompany offered us a dealership andin 1996 we sent Don Whiteman tothe USA for service training inCelestron’s factory.

By the end of 1996 we werebursting at the seams. We looked forand found larger premises in YorkStreet just two hundred metres fromthe original store. This gave us moreroom for a service area as well asmaking it comfortable for staff andcustomers.During thistime MichaelC h a y t o rbegan to visitthe store as au n i v e r s i t ystudent.

Left: In 1984 Mike Smithwaiting for customers onthe store’s opening day.Right: The new store todaywith Don Whiteman, LilySmith, Michael Chaytorand Mike Smith on right.Below left: The enigmaticJohn Dobson in Sydneywith Mike Smith.Below right: Al Nagler,eyepiece magician visitsSydney for the secondtime.

In 2000 Michael joined us,bringing his retail and scientificbackground. He, along with Don hasbeen trained at Meade Instrumentsin California to service theincreasingly sophisticated,computer-controlled telescopes weare now selling.

As the mix of products in thestore has expanded to includesoftware, astronomy books andincreasingly advanceded telescopesand accessories we have also addedan internet-based section based atwww.bintelshop.com.au. This hasproved to be successful and isespecially appreciated by countryand interstae customers.

We look forward to meetingold customers and greeting newcustomers in Sydney and aroundAustralia as we expand our servicesin the next twenty years.

Saturday 23 October saw eagercrowds streaming into theUniversity’s grounds at 6.30pmfor a taste of astronomy.Amateur telescopes were set upin the grounds and a lecture onradio astronomy was heldindoors, along with retaildisplays of equipment. Deskswere manned byrepresentatives of astronomyclubs from the Sydney area.

I was a little surprised by the letterswe received regarding last month’sissue of Night Sky. Neither madeany snide reference to the obvioustypos in that issue. For my past sinsI have a typo gremlin who inserts theoccasional nonsense after the spellhas been checked. I have tried tomollify the little blighter but, as mostof the newsletter is done at night orin the early dawn hours, he beats mewhen I’m looking the other way.

However, the letters, bothprinted on Page 2, caused me toconsider whether I’d stepped outsidethe boundary. On reflection I guessI should say what I think and hangthe consequences. So no, I don’tthink ‘creationism’ is a science andtherefore the terms ‘creation science’and ‘creation scientist’ areoxymorons. I have the same sort ofdifficulty with people who ‘predictthe future’, especially those who doit for cash. As writer Trisha so aptlyput it “this woman isn’t predictingthe future, she is predicting thepresent.” It’s fairly easy to say thatit will bucket down rain in northQueensland in December.... it doesthat every year. I’d like to see one ofthese prognosticators pick andpublish the winning January Lottoticket numbers in December.

The Astronomical Society of NSWheld their fiftieth Anniversary dinnerat the end of October. Several of theoriginal members were present! Nota bad effort. The dinner was held atthe historic John TebbuttObservatory near Windsor. Memberspresent at the dinner were given amedallion to remember the event. Anice touch! One of the hardest-working members, Janet Saw leftwith a happy smile. She won themajor ‘door prize’ a thousand dollarsworth of French perfume andcosmetics!

With Summer arriving and daylightsaving upon us, amateur astronomershave lost an hour or so of ‘observingtime’ according to one pundit heardat tthe Macquarie Open Night. “Thesun goes down an hour later so wehave to wait longer for the sky to getdark.” he moaned. I suppose he alsocomplains about the curtains fadingmore rapidly because of the extrasunlight. (I thought that onlyhappened in Queensland.)

Spare a thought fora s t r o n o m e r swho go toAntarctica inDecember. Thesky just doesn’tget dark. Youcan’t see the starsfor months.

The audience streams in for the lecture Joe Ricci (left) fields questions at the B & T stand. Dr. Alan Vaughan at the University’s display

The Binocular and Telescope Shop, 55 York Street, Sydney. Tel: 02 9262 1344 web: www.bintel.com.auNovember 2004 * Volume 233 * Page 2

WE TRY COOKING CHOOKS WITH MEL.WE TRY COOKING CHOOKS WITH MEL.WE TRY COOKING CHOOKS WITH MEL.WE TRY COOKING CHOOKS WITH MEL.WE TRY COOKING CHOOKS WITH MEL.PHOENIX, IT’S A MAGIC FIRE BIRDPHOENIX, IT’S A MAGIC FIRE BIRDPHOENIX, IT’S A MAGIC FIRE BIRDPHOENIX, IT’S A MAGIC FIRE BIRDPHOENIX, IT’S A MAGIC FIRE BIRD

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RAMADANThe Moon’s influence on religion

High in thesouthern sky duringspring sits thec o n s t e l l a t i o nPhoenix.It is easy to find asthe bright starAchernar inn e i g h b o u r i n gEridanus is close by.Phoenix was formedby the Dutchnavigators PieterDirkszoon Keyserand Frederick deHoutman in about1595 and added tothe southern Bayerconstellations around1603. For the earlyArab astrologers, theconstellation formed a boat, mooredon the banks of Eridanus (the river).The Phoenix is a mythical bird,which regularly consumes itself infire but then rises, reborn again fromthe ashes, and is associated withimmortality and the secrets ofalchemy. Phoenixes have gainedpopularity in recent times with fansof the Harry Potter books andmovies. Some Arabs saw it as AlZaurak, a boat of sorts, whilst othersdescribed it as an ostrich or as partof the nearby river Al Nahr. To us it’sthe Phoenix.

Most of the objects inPhoenix are interesting double starsas the constellation contains noclusters or nebulae. There is howeverone reasonably bright galaxy that isworth a look.

Alpha (α) Phoenicis –(Ankaa) is a magnitude 2.4 orangegiant star, that lies 77 light yearsaway. It’s name – Ankaa hasuncertain origins.

Beta (β) Phoenicis wasdiscovered by R.P. Sellers in 1891.It appears as a yellow star to thenaked eye but in reality it is a doublewith the stars having magnitudes 4.0and 4.2. The separation between thetwo stars slowly increased during thebeginning of the 1900s, and the starscould be clearly divided in atelescope with an aperture of 15cmin 1960.

Dear Night Sky,I am writing to you about thepredictions made by “Mrs Phipps-Earl” printed in October’s issue.This lady needs to get a life. Where Ilive in NW Qld we have very littlerain then heatwaves, fires, storms andfloods every summer. (somesummers we get very little rain.)This woman isn’t predicting thefuture, she is predicting the present.And I’m sure everyone knows(unless you have been in anothergalaxy) Labor didn’t win theelection. Trisha, NW Queensland.

So that readers can judge forthemselves I list the appropriatewebsite so that people don’t think Imade up Mrs Phipps-Earl’s crazypredictions by myself. Ed.http://www.globalpsychics.com/lp/Predictions/phipps_earl.htm

The Editor,Having just read the article (AmateurStronomers X-Rated on Internet),Iam disappointed to see creationistsbeing described as “[taking] up armsagainst science.” I can understand‘flat-earthers’ being described assuch, but the possibility of creationhas not been disproven. Thescientific method requires theories tobe disproven before they arediscarded, and the rejection ofplausible theories for reasonsunrelated to science is simply notlogical.I am deeply saddened that you, andothers would belittle creationists insuch a way. Would you regard, forexample, Dr. Raymond Damadian(inventor of MRI technology) as aman who is “[taking] up arms againstscience”? I do hope that you re-assessyour position on this issue. I am notasking you to agree with ‘creationscientists’, only that you give themthe respect and consideration youwould give to any other scientifictheorist.Yours etc Rachel Gambling

I was waiting for the ‘flatearthers’ to object to being lumpedwith creationists, but noneresponded. Maybe the flat earththeory has disappeared now that itis shown to be unscientific. I supposeI should ‘define the term’creationism before making furthercomment.Theistic creationism in its strictestform supposes that a god created theuniverse in six days as described inthe Bible. This is not scientific.Deistic evolutionism suggests that agod created the Universe around 15billion years ago and let nature takeits course, more or less. NaturalisticCreationism includes suggestions ofextraterrestrial intervention. DeisticEvolutionism is as near as I can getto putting creationism and sciencetogether in the same sentence withoutembarrassment.The closer we get to a rational,scientific understanding of ourglorious universe the further awaywe get from a belief in ‘six daycreation’. Dr. Raymond Damadian’sinvolvement with MRI technologydoes not make his views oncreationism any more profound thanhis views on, for instance, gaymarriage. Mike Smith

Currently the stars are tooclose for separation by small scopesand an aperture of at least 20cm isrequired to divide them. They lieabout 185 light years away.

Gamma (γ) Phoenicis is amagnitude 3.4 orange giant star, thatlies 234 light years away.

Zeta (ζ) Phoenicis is acomplex multiple and variable star,consisting of 2 main white stars. Thebrighter is an eclipsing binary and anAlgol type star that varies betweenmagnitudes 3.9 and 4.4 every 1.67days. The combined mass of theeclipsing pair is about 6.5 times thatof our Sun. There are two othercompanion stars to this binary, an 8thmagnitude star that should be visiblein medium aperture telescopes and aclose 7th magnitude companion thatcan only be revealed in large aperturetelescopes. The system lies about 280light years away.

NGC 625 is a reasonablybright, elongated haze. It has abrighter central axis and is an edge-on irregular galaxy. Although it hasa magnitude of 12.3, NGC 625 has ahigh surface brightness and thus isclearly visible in telescopes with anaperture of 15cm or greater. Thisgalaxy is about 12 million light yearsaway.

This Spring take time andcheck out some interesting andvariable stars, plus a nice galaxy.

To Orion’s left we can see theHyades, a ‘V’ shaped group of starsin Taurus with Aldebaran, the eye ofthe bull glaring dully red. Further tothe left, (and you’ll need a steady eyeif you’re near city lights) you shouldbe able to see a faint, irregular patchof light, glittering faintly at the limitof perception. This is the Pleiades,‘the seven sisters’. Most people cansee about five stars. Binoculars willshow forty or fifty, while telescopesshow a sprinkling of over a hundredcold, white stars. Photographs detecta faint misty swirl of dust and gassurrounding these stars like a veil.This is a star nursery. Young, white-hot stars have been born in the lastfive million years and are burningaway the detrius surrounding them.Next month we’ll examine theeastern sky’s delights in greaterdetail. In the meantime, take thebinoculars out, dust off the telescope,dress warmly, stay up late and ‘carpenoctem!’ ... seize the night!

Above Orion we’ll see Rigeland Saiph, representing his legs. Inthe central area of Orion is his belt(the base of the saucepan) and to theright is Orion’s sword (the handle ofthe pot). It’s in the handle that we’llsee one of the great beauties of thesky- the Great Nebula, M42. Evenbinoculars show this as a misty patch.Telescopes reveal the full glory of theswirls of gas, littered with youngstars. Faint and tenuous in smalltelescopes, voluptuous and bold inlarge reflectors.

For a dash of brilliance afterthe misty nebulosity of Orion lookto the right for the cold, hardbrightness of Sirius ‘the dog star’.Sirius has a companion star, a whitedwarf, much fainter and currentlyimpossible to see. The companionorbits Sirius every fifty years andwon’t be visible to us for anothertwenty years or so. Even then a largetelescope, shielded from Sirius’ glarewill be needed to see the companion.

We know that Summer is wellon the way when we chance to lookat the Eastern sky and see Orionrising majestically above the Pacific.The asterism, known as ‘thesaucepan’ to some, the ‘shoppingtrolley’ or even as ‘the Victalawnmower’ is the central part of thisancient constellation.

As seen in the NorthernHemisphere, this constellationrepresents the hunter Orion with hishunting dogs Canis Major and CanisMinor. Variously shown with a raisedclub or with a bow and arrows, Orionrises in the East as Scorpius the crabscuttles away from view down belowthe western horizon. In the SouthernHemisphere we see Orion upsidedown. Locate orange Betelgeuse,Orion’s shoulder and look up to theleft for Bellatrix, his left shoulder.Between these bright stars is a faintgroup of three that represents thehead of the hunter. “All brawn andno brains.” said one commentator.

Above: The eastern sky late in theevening this month. The ‘saucepan’ iseasy to find, as is the ‘V’ shape of theHyades and the irregular cluster of thePleiades.Below: The ‘Great Nebula’photographed in all its glory.

It should come as no surprisethat many religions around the worlduse astronomical events to time theirimportant events. The Moon iscommonly a marker for thebeginning and end of special timesfor Christians and Muslims. TheEgyptians used the rising of stars toherald the beginning of seasons.Most peoples have regarded comets,meteors and especially eclipses withawe and occasionally dismay.

The Muslim religion’s bestknown observance is related to theMoon. Ramadan, a period of fastingand contemplation begins and endswith the ninth month of the Muslimcalendar.

During this month practisingMuslims spend more time incontemplation and worship, with lessemphasis on the concerns of theirdaily lives and work. Strict restraintsare put in place to ensure thatreligious observance is made easier.Muslims do not eat or drink duringdaylight hours. Smoking and sexualrelations are also forbidden duringfasting hours. After sunset a mealcalled the ‘iftar’ follows prayers.After the meal is eaten it is customaryto visit friends and relations. Fastingbegins again in the dawn when one“can plainly distinguish a whitethread from a black thread by thedaylight.”

The good that is acquiredthrough this abstemious month canbe undone by five things - the tellingof a lie, slander, denouncing a personbehind their back, making a falseoath, by greed or by covetousness.These are particularly wrong andhateful during Ramadan. GoodMuslims will spend many hours atthe mosque in prayer.

The evening of the 27th dayof the lunar month of Ramadan isespecially celebrated as Muslimsbelieved that on this nightMuhammad first received therevelation of the Koran.

The fast ends on the first dayof the next month, which is calledShawwal. The timing of this momentis of great importance. Two ‘justwitnesses’ must verify that they haveseen the first thin arc of sunlightstriking the New Moon. If it cannotbe seen the fast will end on thethirtieth day after the start of theprevious month. Strict observers willallow only a visual sighting of theMoon. Some scholars allow forsighting by telescope or binoculars.

This month, according tocomputer simulations, the NewMoon should be visible on theevening of the 14th. The Moon willbe one degree above the planetMercury, low in the Western eveningsky, one hour after sunset. At thissighting begins a three day holidaycalled Id-al-Fitr (the Feast of FastBreaking). Gifts are exchanged,friends and family gather to pray incongregation and for large meals. Insome cities fairs are held to celebratethe end of the Fast of Ramadan.

ι

The Binocular and Telescope Shop, 55 York Street, Sydney. Tel: 02 9262 1344 web: www.bintel.com.auNovember 2004 * Volume 233 * Page 3

The Moon’s appearance for themonth of November is shown thusly:

5th Moon at Apogee

6th Last Quarter

13th New Moon

15th Perigee

19th First Quarter

27th Full Moon

Ramadan is the ninth month of theMuslim calendar during which timepractising Muslims do not eat duringdaylight hours. Christians observeLent, a similar period of restraint.

Saturn rises just aftermidnight. Look for itaround 3am in the North

East above twins Castor and Pollux.

.Uranus is in Aquariushigh in the western sky.Difficult to find.

Neptune is in the West.Visually appears as afaint blue-green dot in

telescopes. Sets just after midnight.

Pluto is very happy withthe Greens results at the

polls last month. More Greens meansmore trees to pee on, he hopes.(except in Tasmania, NSW, Qld, Vic,SA and WA. Dunno about NT andNorfolk Island.) You can’t have it all.

Mercury is in theevening sky setting an

hour after the Sun. Find it!

Venus rises around 4am.and is the brightestobject in the pre-dawn

eastern sky below Jupiter.

Mars is too low in theeastern dawn sky to beseen easily. Patience!

Wait till Christmas for better views.

Jupiter is much moreeasily seen than lastmonth, especially asbrighter Venus is now

below the giant planet to point theway to see it. Rises just before 4amso it’s ‘an early riser’ object.

The Tarantula Nebula can befound high in the South-East thismonth. Look for the faint glow of theMagellanic Galaxy. (see monthlymap) The irregular, slightly brighterarea at the lower right of the LMGwill resolve itself into the Tarantula,a huge emission nebula with hotyoung stars scattered throughout.

Early-evening mid November 2004

you can now shop on-line at www.bintelshop.com.au for astronomical telescopes

Meteors are the objects of interest ...for more reasons than one. Theymake a fine sight as they streakacross the sky. This month thepossibilities are the Leonids (about10 to 20 per hour) We live in hopethat they could really put on a burstbut it’s not likely. Anyway, 4am inthe North East is the venue.

The Taurids are more likely to puton a show as they arte slow, brightand pretty. Look between thePleiades and the Hyades in the NorthEast late at night. Best dates arebetween the 10th and the 13th of themonth.

Comet Linear (K4) should be visibleto seasoned observers in Hydra andthen Centaurus. Brightness estimatesput it at about magnitude 8 which isfairly faint.

The Binocular and Telescope Shop, 55 York Street, Sydney. Tel: 02 9262 1344 web: www.bintel.com.au

Night Sky is published monthly byThe Binocular and Telescope Shop Pty Ltd

55 York Street, Sydney NSW 2000.Tel: (02) 9262 1344 Fax: (02) 9262 1884

Mike Smith Editor.Contributions are welcome.

Printed by Omega Creative Communications4 Campbell Street, Artarmon NSW 2064.

This newsletter is available at The Binocular andTelescope Shop and at many astronomical societymeetings and astronomy centres around Australia.Night Sky is delivered monthly to any address in

Australia for $12.00 per year.

November 2004 * Volume 233 * Page 4

Bouncy Spring Quiz

QUIZWHERE IS THIS STRANGE PAGAN TEMPLE?

Macarthur Astronomical Society Inc: NSW☎ (02) 4627 1424 Ian Cook.skyview@zipworld.com.au.Sutherland Astronomical Society Inc: NSW☎ (02)9832 4082 Brett McMillan.www.sasi.net.auNorthern Sydney Astronomical Society Inc:☎ David (02) 9876 6750 www.nsas.ozau.netBritish Astronomical Association (NSW)☎ 9398 9705 E. Cocking www.baansw.asn.auThe Astronomical Society of NSW.☎ (02) 4572 1568. Adrian Saw. www.asnsw.comThe Western Sydney Amateur Astro Group Inc☎ Dave Gault (02) 4754 4351www4.tpgi.com.au/users/wsaagThe Hawkesbury Astronomical Society: NSW☎ (02) 4572 1568 Adrian Saw .The Wollongong Astronomy Club. NSW☎ (02) 4261 9369 Paul BrownThe Illawarra Astronomical Society: NSW☎ (02) 4276 3199 Peter McKinnonShoalhaven Astronomers: South Coast NSW☎ (02) 4423 2255 Jack Apfelbaum www.shoal.net.au~astronomy/index.htmlThe Astronomical Society of the Hunter: NSW☎ (02) 4937 4664 Col Mayburycolmay@kooee.com.auNewcastle Astronomical Society: NSW☎ (02) 4950 0725 Allan Meehanwww.nas.org.auCentral West Astronomical Society, NSWAlex Abbey: abbeys@hn.ozemail.com.au.Port Macquarie Astronomical Association NSW☎ (02) 6583 1933 Jim Daniels.Grafton Astronomical Society, NSW☎ (02) 6642 4130 Jeff AshendenBallaarat Astronomical Society: Vic☎ (03) 5332 7526 John Hastie http://observatory.ballarat.netBendigo District Astronomical SocietyPO Box 164 Bendigo Vic 3552 . Barry McPheeAstronomical Society of Victoria Inc☎ (03) 9888 7130. Linda Mockridgewww.asv.org.auLatrobe Valley Astronomical Society Vic☎ (03) 5174 6453 home.vicnet.net.au/~lvasAstronomical Society of Geelong, Vic☎ 0407 345 070 Frank Baker for details.http://members.optushome.com.au/asogMornington Peninsula Astronomical Society,☎ 0419 253 252 Richard Pollard for details.Astronomical Society of Melbourne, Vic.☎ 0412 - 318 125 Chris Ellisngc4755@i.net.au Canberra Astronomical Society: ACT☎ (02) 6288 7394 Diane Purcell.Brisbane Astronomical Society: Qld☎ (07) 3321 8511 Darryl Mitchellwww.bas.asn.auwww.ozemail.com.au/~nwilliams/basSouthern Astronomical Society:Qld☎ (07)5537 3852 Kevin Dixon.www.sas.org.auAstronomical Association of Queensland, Qld☎ Peter Hall (07) 3378 1173 www.aaq.org.auSouth East Queensland Astronomical Society,☎ (07) 3844 7904 Dave Larkin.www.powerup.com.au/~mcerlean/index.htmlIngham Amateur Astronomers Club☎ (07) 4776 5773 Tracey Castles.Bundaberg Astronomical Soc. Qld☎ (07) 4159 7232 www.interwox.com.auRedlands Astronomical Society Qld☎ (07) 3822 5545 Ross SpenceBundy Skywatchers (South-Central Qld)☎ (07) 4159 9674 Karlene GalwayAstronomical Society of South Australia, SA☎ (08) 8338 1231 Tony Beresford.www.assa.org.auAstronomical Society of Tasmania, Tas☎ (03) 6244 3476 Laurie Priest.www.ast.n3.netAstronomical Society of Alice Springs N.T.☎ (08) 8952 9817 Annette GreenDarwin Astronomy Group NT☎ (08) 8945 9450 Phillip SmithGove Amateur Astronomers, NT ☎ 0417 601 490 Ian Maclean for information.Astronomical Society of Western Australia, WA(now incorporating Murdoch AstronomicalSociety) http://aswa.info☎ (08) 9299 6347 Val Semmler.Astronomical Society of The South-West, W.A. ☎ (08) 9721 1586 Phil Smith.

His Intrinsic Immenseness nowpresents his Bouncy Spring Quiz. Getto it quizaholics and Googleantics!(1) In what direction does a transittelescope move?(2) Where is the largest knowncaldera?(3) Who or what was the Leviathanof Parsontown?(4) Who discovered the dwarfcompanion of Sirius?(5) What part of Africa is recordedas a constellation?(6) What is the cosmologicalprinciple?(7) What metal does flint glasscontain?(8) Where did the largest knownstone meteorite fall?(9) Seth Nicholson discovered whichmoon?(10) What type of asteroids are brightand often slightly red?(11) What was the diameter ofNewton's first telescope?(12) Which constellation liesbetween Cygnus and Andromeda?(13) Vulpecula contains whichobject you might see in agymnasium?(14) Who invented the Coudetelescope?(15) How much moon rock didastronauts bring back from theMoon?(16) Which ancient described a'nebula following the sting of thescorpion?(17) In which year was the SOHOspacecraft launched?(18) Name an object in space thatrelates to a young frog.(19) What is a TLP(20) Where would you find theHirayama family if not in Japan?Answers please! Use a SearchEngine.... deduct two points! Send adonation to His Honorific Holeyness’Home for Wayward Blondes and addtwo points. Send your entry (plusdonation in brown paper bag) to:Prof. H.E. Nervo Shatterini c/-BINTEL, 55 York Street, Sydney2000 or by email to:info@bintel.com.auRemember, deduct points forGoogling or for Yahooing.

Hey Don,why d’you reckon

the Moon hassuch an odd

cycle’.

If you’d like your Society included, pleasecontact Mike Smith at (02) 9262 1344 ormike@bintel.com.au with information. We’llput your details in the above list.

Smuggled out of a nearby Pacific-rim country at great personal risk to the reporter these shocking photographs show theconstruction of a weird temple to the Sun. Close examination of the images shows that the edifice is constructed largely offlat metal sheets fixed to wooden frames. This could indicate that the builders wish to have a portable structure or thatthere are no cement factories in the island in question. Anyone with knowledge of the structures is asked to contact us.Most far-fetched or unlikely answer will win the writer a free copy of Astronomy 2005. Send answers to Prof. Shatterini.

AND WHO ARE THESE STRANGE PAGANS?

SkyWatchobservatory

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Tel: 9262 1344 Fax: 02 9262 1884or on the net at www.bintelshop.com.au

WHAT’S NEWWHAT’S NEWWHAT’S NEWWHAT’S NEWWHAT’S NEW

I’d like termeet this

Chancebloke

some day.

Mick, that opens up acan o’ worms.

Some say blindchance, some

say it’s byprecise design

an’ some sayit’s the laws o’

nature.

Why so?

Rob Young, Secretary for the Merimbula Chapter of the CanberraAstronomical Society, has advised us that they have a group of over twentykeen amateur astronomers meeting monthly to discuss things astronomical.The meetings are held at the local Bowling Club on the second Thursday ofeach month. Observing nights are held on a property about five kilometresout of town, away from the bright lights of the Merimbulean metropolis.

The ‘holder of the knowledge’ is local octogenarian and surveyor DonMore who chairs meetings and generally keeps the younger and more unrulymembers in line. Although the members as yet have only a limited number ofsmaller telescopes they are eyeing off the new 14” Meade LX200 GPS inpossession of the parennt chapter in Canberra. (there’s zero chance ofliberating that particular telescope, fellers!)

Anybody desirous of joining this happy band on the South Coast coulddo worse than contacting Rob Young at 62 Monaro Street, Merimbula 2548or by phoning him at decent hours on 02 6495 1561 .

The bestephemeris in Australia isnow available. QuasarPublishing has releasedthe 2005 version of itsmost useful work.Ken Wallace told us thatthey have packed moreinformation into thisyear’s book but havekept the weight belowthe magic 500gm weightto avoid outlandishpostal charges.Highly detailed seasonalmaps are included alongwith the usual featuresthat have made thisproduct so successful.

planet positionsall sky maps

the Sunthe MoonEclipses

OccultationsMeteorsComets

AsteroidsMessier Objects

CoursesObservatories

MEADE’S LXD 75computer-controlled scopes

are available in stock!LXD75 6” Schmidt NewtonianLXD75 8” Schmidt NewtonianLXD75 Schmidt CassegrainLXD75 5” and 6” refractors

He must be a very busyman.He’sbeen

blamedfer anawfullot ofvery

interestin’stuff.