Astronomical League News
Volume I Number 5
November 15, 2000

Top News:

>>> LEONID METEOR SHOWER APPROACHES.

Meteor showers are notoriously unpredictable. This year's Leonid shower is no exception. Dust particles from Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, following the orbit of the Comet, will intersect the Earth over the next few days. The velocity of the Earth in its orbit, the rotation of the Earth and the velocity of the meteors make them appear to come from the constellation Leo.

This shower is best observed in the morning sky. Look to the northeast any time after midnight. The Leonids will be best between the time Leo rises and the time the Moon rises. The best night will probably be Friday morning.

Links:
http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast10oct_1.htm
http://www.leonidstorm.com/
http://www.cnn.com/2000/TECH/space/11/14/leonids.preview/index.html
http://web99.arc.nasa.gov/~leonid/
http://sci.esa.int/
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast09nov_1.htm?list32432
http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast26oct_1.htm?list28681

>>> NEARBY NEUTRON STAR VIEWED BY HUBBLE.

Neutron star RX J185635-3754 is only 200 light years away and has been imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope. This object is zipping past our solar system and will never get closer than 170 light years. Even though this is very close from an astronomical viewpoint, it will take almost 11,000 year for the neutron star to travel only a single degree in our sky.

Links:
http://hubble.stsci.edu/news_.and._views/pr.cgi?2000+35
http://www.cnn.com/2000/TECH/space/11/09/hubble.neutron.star/index.html
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0011/10hubble/
>

>>> CYGNUS A BLACK HOLE BLOWS BUBBLE AT CENTER OF GALAXY.

Chandra X-Ray Observatory has taken some new images of the galaxy Cygnus A, a galaxy in the constellation Cygnus. The center of Cygnus A is believed to be a black hole that is blowing a huge bubble around the center of that galaxy. Hot gas escaping from the black hole pushes back the galactic gas forming a football-shaped cavity. The galactic gas piles up, forming a sphere 300,000 light years away from the black hole.

Links:
http://www1.msfc.nasa.gov/NEWSROOM/news/photos/2000/photos00-310.htm
http://www.cnn.com/2000/TECH/space/11/14/chandra.cygnus/index.html
http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/20001107/sp_chandra.html
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0011/08chandra/

>>> Upcoming Events:

Preview: ALCon 2001!

The Astronomical League's 2001 Convention will be held Wednesday, July 25, 2001 to Saturday, July 28, 2001 in Frederick, Maryland. Don't miss the exciting tours, speakers, astronomical vendors, and the League's annual awards banquet!

For Additional Information contact:
Frank Moon, ALCON 2001 Chair
E-mail: ALCON2001CHAIR@aol.com

ALCon 2001 Website:
http://alcon2001.homestead.com/alcon2001.html
 

>>> Celestial Happenings:

Nov. 16 (Thursday):
Moon passes through Beehive (Praesepe, M-44) open star cluster for the eastern and central U.S. For the western U.S., the Moon will be moving out of M-44 as it rises.

Nov. 17 (Friday):
Leonid Meteor Shower (see above).

Nov. 18 (Saturday):
Last Quarter Moon 09:24 a.m. CST (15:24 UT)

Nov. 19 (Sunday):
Saturn at opposition, magnitude -0.4, with rings tilted 23.6 degrees to our line of sight.

Nov. 22 (Wednesday):
Venus 1.3 degrees north of 2nd magnitude Sigma Sagittarii.

>>> Planet Situation Report:

Midnight: Saturn, Jupiter

Morning Twilight: Mercury, Mars

>>> This message is brought to you by Astronomical League Sales

Stop by the Astronomical League Sales Website at http://www.astronomicalleague.com to see David Levy’s 16-inch planisphere. Designed from the ground up by David Levy and Ken Graun, this is the large and easily read planisphere. Lots of useful information is on the back, including yearly meteor showers, planet facts, the Moon, and binocular objects. There are summer and winter sky tours on front. For northern latitudes 30° to 60° and made in the USA of 100% durable plastic. Ink cannot be scratched off. Great for the beginning astronomer, as well as the seasoned stargazer!

While you are there take a look at all the other goodies you can get directly from the Astronomical League!

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