Perth Observatory Summer 2020 Newsletter

PERTHÂ OBSERVATORY NEWSLETTER SUMMER/AUTUMN - 2020

SIGNS OF LIFE ON SATURN'S MOONS

FAREWELL TO OUR CHAIRPERSON

WHAT'S UP IN THE SKY IN 2020

CALLING ALL STAR WARS & STAR TREK FANS!

A VIEW THROUGH THE EYEPIECE Words by Diana Rosman

After four years managing the Perth Observatory at Bickley, there are reminders everywhere of what we've achieved.

The refurbished theatre, the 14 inch Meade telescope, the 30-inch Obsession in its Sirius Dome, the Amphitheatre delineating the edges of the back lawn, and much more.

Our Lotterywest-funded projects are well ahead of schedule, the restored Benson and Kullberg clocks tick away in the museum, over 10,000 glass plates are now digitised, and oral histories have been collected from 27 former staff and associates.

At the east of the administration building a covered BBQ and seating area is under construction, and on the hilltop, at the edge of the observing area is Worl Wangkiny - a striking art installation and new space for Aboriginal story-telling and culture.

It is gratifying to see growing numbers of volunteers in their signature blue shirts presenting in a range of onsite and off-site events. They work as Gatekeepers to greet visitors; translate d scan, record, and file documents; as well as maintaining the grounds, buildings, domes and equipment.

As I end my tenure as POVG Chair, I say thanks all our supporters, volunteers, employees, and especially my committee and subcommittee colleagues who have helped

With more than 140 members now, POVG is a major contributor in the

guide tough decisions this year.

Astronomy community in WA. We have grown in number and diversity, and welcomed our ninth intake of 20 new “vollies” in September.

Our new Management Committee, elected at the AGM in November, will be chaired by Dr Colin Armstrong, who brings a

With the busy summer season in full swing, we're rewarded by the enthusiasm of visitors from near and far, all curious to experience the southern night sky and learn more about astronomy. Repeat visits and

wealth of experience and enthusiasm to this role. Colin is supported by Bevan Harris as Deputy, Paul Jones as Secretary and Ken Stranger as Treasurer.

recommendations keep us enthused too, as we live with the commitment to maintain and grow a not-for-profit living museum of science and technology.

The 2020 committee combines youth and experience with Steve Ewing, Chris Coulstock and Geoff Scott returning from the 2019 committee, and Dr Jan Baldwin, Zoe Fraussen, and

Our busy program of diverse astronomy experiences is well

Paul Wadham joining the group for the first time.

subscribed and has been rewarded with prizes, awards and acknowledgments. The quest to secure optimal operational funding to underpin this huge effort from our voluntary workforce has been less successful.

I hope you enjoy reading our news articles about Saturn, What’s Happening in the Sky, and an Ode to our new Volunteers. Your support over the past four years has been invaluable, and I’m sure will continue as we move into a new

Financially, winter 2019 was especially difficult, but vollies opted to do more, work harder and increase the capacity of events to raise the

phase of management at the iconic Perth Observatory in Bickley.

funds to pay for utilities, repairs, and salaries of our skeleton team of operational support staff.

Diana Rosman POVG Chairperson May 2015 to November 2019

Letter from the Editor As the dry and hot season of Birak makes way for the hottest part of the year in Bunuru, Perth Observatory acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land we are based on, the Whadjuk people of the Noongar nation.

We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and emerging.

Perth Observatory recognises the unique contribution the Whadjuk people have made and continue to make to our culture and in our community.

Hi. I'm James, but please call me Jay. I'll be your editor here this evening. Please let me know if you need anything.

Since I was a child, I have loved to write and tell stories. I had a head full of big ideas, and a burning desire to write them all down. Not much has changed. It makes a certain sense that I'd end up editing this newsletter when I joined as a Trainee Telescope Operator last year.

16" Telescope to the Stars May, 2019

I've had a passion for space ever since my Dad showed me the moon through a telescope in our suburban back garden.

I could hardly believe what I saw was real, and I kept asking him "Daddy, what is that?"

In this newsletter, we bid a fond farewell to our previous chair Diane Rosman, welcome Dr Colin Armstrong as the new chair, look forward to some exciting events at the observatory, search for life on Saturn's moons, take a roadtrip into country WA with Matt Woods, and a whole heap more.

He reminded me I was 35, and should know better than to ask silly questions.

We encourage our readers to email us any questions or comments.

As the newly-appointed editor of the Perth Observatory newsletter, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to our previous

Our next issue will have 'Letters To the Editor' and we will publish your comments/questions.

editor, Myra Peggy Rose Glanford, without whose hard work this newsletter could not have happened.

We would love to hear from you, please email us at:

newsletter@povg.org

Without sounding like an Oscar's acceptance speech, there are many other people who deserve my thanks, including Michelle Ashley-Emile, Julie Matthews, Diana Rosman and

Thank you so much for all the support you have shown the Observatory and the newsletter, we need the support of the public to keep everything going.

Matt Woods.

CONTACT US

EDITORIAL

CONTRIBUTORS

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Perth Observatory

James Chesters

Michelle Ashley-Emile

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Editor-in-Chief

Eta Carina

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337 Walnut Road 6076 Bickley, WA (08) 9293 8255 newsletter@povg.org www.perthobservatory.com.au

James Chesters Myra Peggy Rose Glanford Zal Kanga-Parabia Julie Matthews Diana Rosman Matt Woods

NIGHT TOURS ARE HERE Join us at Perth Observatory for a Night Sky Tour.

Experience our amazing night sky through our wide range of telescopes at our viewing nights.

Our Volunteers will take you on a grand tour of the Southern Hemisphere’s sky with a wide range of targets including Nebulas, planets, dying stars, and enormous star clusters.

You will also be able to browse our museum and see historical instruments, our meteorite exhibit, astrophotographs and artwork.

Come and admire the beauty of the Atlas Coelestis, the first Star Atlas ever printed in 1729 from the work of John Flamsteed, the First Astronomer Royal at the Greenwich Observatory in Great Britain.

Adult: $45.00 Concession: $30.00 Child: $20.00 Tours Start:

8:30pm

AIBARAP-AGNAK LAZ :EGAMI

BOOK A TOUR TODAY

THE PERTH OBSERVATORY

UPCOMING EVENTS ADVENTURE

ABSEILING

VALENTINE’S NIGHT TOUR How would you like to spend an unforgettable night with a special someone on Valentine's Day night?

Book a Valentine's Day tour and experience the romance of Australia's night sky with your partner as you look through our full range of telescopes. Stargazing doesn't get much more intimate than this.

Our dedicated Volunteers will take you on a grand tour of the Southern Hemisphere's sky. Together, you will take in a wide range of targets, including beautiful nebulas, shining stars, and enormous star clusters that rival only your love in size.

Need a thrill in your life? Join Perth

A Valentine's Day night sky tour is also a unique chance to earn some serious brownie

Observatory and Spacechameleon

points with your loved one.

Adventure Co to abseil our historic Lowell Telescope Dome.

You will also be able to quietly browse our museum together, and see historical instruments, our meteorite exhibit, as well as stunning astrophotographs and artwork.

A family-friendly event, each participant gets three abseils

What's more, you can join hands and admire the breathtaking beauty of the Atlas

through the dome's trap door,

Coelestis, the first Star Atlas ever printed in 1729 from the work of John Flamsteed,

descending the full 12m in a

the original Astronomer Royal at the Greenwich Observatory in Great Britain.

controlled free-fall to the ground.

book your tickets now!

You can also pretend to be Tom Cruise and abseil upside down if you choose.

Spacechameleon Adventure Co caters for beginners as well as adrenaline junkies, and the event will go ahead rain or shine.

Prices $35 per adult for 3 abseils $30 per concession for 3 abseils $25 per child for 3 abseils (Ages 5 to 17)

Date: Sunday, February 2 Times 11:30 am to 2:00 pm

Price: $50 Adults $35 Concession

2:30 pm to 5:00 pm

$25 Children (Ages 5 to 17)

(Doors open at 11:00 am)

Location: Perth Observatory Date: Friday, February 14 Time: 8:30pm Gates open 7:00pm

Get your tickets TODAY!

THE PERTH OBSERVATORY

UPCOMING EVENTS ADVENTURE

THE 2020 SUMMER LECTURE

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS! Pictured: Dr Katarina Miljkovic | Image Credit: Curtin University

This year's Summer Lecture is on Friday March 6, and we’re thrilled to have Curtin University’s planetary scientist Dr Katarina Miljkovic as our speaker.

Dr Miljkovic will present a talk on her work with NASA’s Mars InSight Mission (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport).

InSight landed on Mars at the end of 2018 at Elysium Planitia, and since has been tirelessly revealing what lies under the red planet’s surface so that we can understand the evolution of Mars and other rocky planets in our inner solar system.

Come early and enjoy a dinner on our back lawn in a lovely bush setting. There will be a coffee and food van on the night, or you’re more than welcome to bring a rug and a picnic.

Please Note: The summer lecture will still go ahead rain, hail, or Martian invasion. If, on the day, there is a good chance of rain, the summer lecture will be moved to Lesmurdie High School (View Map), and we’ll inform you via email and a phone call.

Price $25 for Adults $15 Concession/Children (Ages 5 to 17)

Location: Perth Observatory Date: Friday, March 6 Time: 8:00pm (Doors open at: 6:00pm)

THE PERTH OBSERVATORY

UPCOMING EVENTS

STAR NAVIGATOR TALK West Australian Opera and Perth Observatory are proud to partner for a bespoke event that will delight both opera-lovers and astronomers alike.

On the 250th Anniversary of his voyage, join us under the stars to discover who Captain James Cook really was, how HMB Endeavour sailed, the importance of the transit, and hear of his encounter with Tupaia, the star navigator.

This performance is a perfect introduction to West Australian Opera’s world premiere opera concert Star Navigator, composed

by Tim Finn, and a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the meeting of master mariners, Cook and Tupaia.

You’ll also have the opportunity to enjoy the Perth Observatory Museum and participate in looking through our telescopes.

Come early with a blanket, chair and a picnic, and have dinner on our back lawn around a lovely bush setting as the sun sets slowly in the west.

Booking includes: Access to Perth Observatory Museum Presentation by Arthur Harvey on Cook and the transit of Venus and encounter with Tupaia.

One object telescope viewing

Please Note: There are no tickets sent out for this event. We will have a booking sheet for the event and the bus, so come up on the night, and the host/bus driver will ask you for the name on the booking, and mark you off on the booking sheet.

Price $45 per person + $22 per person for the bus

Location : Perth Observatory Date : Thursday, March 5 Time : 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm (Doors

open at: 6:00 pm)

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS!

THE PERTH OBSERVATORY

UPCOMING EVENTS

Astrofest is back in 2020 with an astronomically awesome event the whole family will enjoy!

Taking place at Curtin Stadium on Saturday the 29th February this astronomy festival of epic proportions will be an engaging celebration of Australian science. As well as optical and radio telescopes observing throughout the day and night, Astrofest will feature a myriad of interesting, engaging and exciting indoor and outdoor activities for the whole family.

There will also be many different telescopes to try out, or you can bring your own for some expert advice in getting the most out of it. Bring an early supper and make yourself comfortable in the picnic area.

FREE REGISTRATION Please note:

children under the age of 13 should be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times while attending Astrofest.

Location: Curtin Stadium, Curtin Date:Â Saturday, February 29 Time: 5:30pm

Uni, Bentley

THE PERTH OBSERVATORY

UPCOMING EVENTS

STAR TREK FIRST CONTACT NIGHT TOUR This April 5, put on your Star Fleet uniform, grab your Tricorder, set phasers to fun, and chart a course for Perth Observatory.

Join us to celebrate the first contact with the Vulcans on Star Trek Day!

Our telescope operators will show you many stunning objects that are in Federation space, and a massive nebula in the Orion Syndicate’s territory.

Experience our home planet's amazing night sky through our wide range of telescopes at the observatory.

Observatory Volunteers will take you on a grand tour of the Southern Hemisphere’s sky with a wide range of targets including distant nebulas, gas giant planets, dying stars, and enormous star clusters.

In the event you discover an alien civilisation, please remember the Prime Directive.

We'll have prizes for the best adult and child costumes. So please come along to this first Star Trek Day event at the Perth Observatory in your favourite Star Trek gear. There could even be a Star Trek character on-site, you never can tell!

Price Adult: $50.00 Concession: $35.00 Child (Ages 5 to 17): $25.00

Location: Perth Observatory Date: Sunday, April 5 Time: 7:30pm (Gates open 7:00

Get your tickets here!

pm)

THE PERTH OBSERVATORY

UPCOMING EVENTS

EXCLUSIVE STAR WARS NIGHT TOUR This May the 4th, dust off your Jedi robes, clip on your lightsaber, and make the jump into hyperspace to Perth Observatory to celebrate Star Wars Day.

Experience our amazing night sky through our wide range of telescopes at the observatory. Our Jedi council of telescope operators will show you stunning objects, whether it's a planet the Death Star could destroy, a massive nebula to launch an attack from, or a galaxy far, far away.

We have prizes for the best adult and child costumes, so come along to our Star Wars Day event at the Perth Observatory in your favourite intergalactic gear -- just don't be a scruffy nerfherder. There could even be a Star Wars character on site, you never can tell! And May the Fourth be with you.

Price Adult: $50.00 Concession: $35.00 Child (Ages 5 to 17): $25.00

No Droids Allowed Location: Perth Observatory Date: Monday, May 4 Time: 7:30pm (Gates open 7:00

pm)

Get your tickets here!

Are not rays of light very small bodies emitted from shining substances?

Issac Newton mathematician - physicist astronomer

“Being in the Right Place at the Right Time, with Diana Rosman” Words by Julie Mathews I was very excited to sit down for a chat with Diana Rosman, our now recently-retired Chairperson, at the Perth Observatory Volunteer Group.

But how do I do justice to someone so greatly admired and respected by all in a short article? Diana is an inspiration to everyone, with her warm heart, beauty, kindness, modesty, willingness to listen, and relatability and of course her very keen intelligence and management skills.

As another of my idols says, “Let’s start at the very beginning …”

Diana was born in Western Australia to a family that traces its roots all the way back to the convict days. Her Great Grandfather was the Mayor of Albany, and her family was heavily involved in aviation.

Does the name of Brearley ring a bell?

In 1921, Sir Norman Brearley won the Geraldton to Derby airmail service contract, and quickly became a part of Australian Aviation history.

Sir Norman expanded the run to the Perth-Adelaide route, and eventually sold his airline to a group which would become Australian National Airways, the precursor to Ansett Airlines.

His full story is easily found on the web, so it’s not hard to trace that side of the family tree.

Pictured: Sir Norman Brearley, aviator

Diana studied Mathematics and Psychology at the University of Western Australia and went on to a career in Public Health. “I’ve been really lucky to have been in the right place at the right time,” she says.

“When I was in my second year at UWA my boyfriend, Kevin, who was doing a PhD in Physics, saw a sign on the window at the Computing Centre in the Physics Department. They were looking for a student to work in the holidays on the Busselton Health Study.

He said he thought I should apply; I got the job and went on to work with some very interesting people on the nowfamous longitudinal health study after I graduated.”

Diana was also fascinated by the power of computers, and enrolled in part time study, moving on to work at the growing WA Institute of Technology, (now Curtin), as a Systems Programmer in 1974.

Pictured: Diana and her husband, Kevin, in 1969

Diana and Kevin married in 1969, and had two daughters - Johanna and Danielle.

These days, Johanna is an Academic Researcher in Oceanography, and lives in the US with her partner, Jim, and son Asher. Danielle is now an Engineer and qualified architect, and lives with her partner, Ronan, next door to Diana, in Kalamunda.

Kevin, a trained high school teacher, managed to extend his “study leave” to do a PhD at UWA and then persuaded the Education Department that he could “pay back” his teaching bursary as a Lecturer at WAIT.

There he not only taught Applied Physics but also Astronomy, and over the decades that followed Diana would sometimes join him at the summer lectures at the Perth Observatory in Bickley.

In that era, WAIT employees were actively discouraged from doing research, so instead Kevin took up residence in the Bentley “isotope lab” on weekends.

It was through Kevin’s research into the origin of meteorites and isotopes of rare elements (and, later, lead isotopes to trace environmental pollution) that the young family was given the chance to travel – first to Washington DC, then to Belgium, and on to Cal Tech in Pasadena, California.

“I went to Washington DC with my husband for a year," Diana says, "and I was lucky to work at the National Bureau of Standards on a project measuring the response time on the ARPANET - a forerunner to the internet.”

Diana’s eldest daughter, Johanna was then less than a year old at the time, but Diana skilfully managed to “exchange” child care duties with another NBS family.

After lots of interesting part time and contract projects in computing at the WA Regional Computing Centre at UWA during the 1980s, Diana accepted a contract with the newly formed Road Safety research group in 1989.

Staying there for 10 years, Diana gained her Masters with a study of Road Crash Recidivism.

“Whenever someone would complain about speed cameras, as just “revenue raising” I’d quietly say – actually those guys are paying for my research”.

Eventually, Diana became known for finding and negotiating access to data for lots of different research projects. “In 2000, I got my first permanent job – it was with the Department of Health, building the Data Linkage System which is now internationally recognised.

"I stayed there for 15 years. Again, I was in the right place at the right time. Collaboration with Universities was encouraged and funds were available.” Diana’s role included proof of concept research projects, developing protocols for preserving privacy, “joining” data from a wide range of administrative and clinical records, and explaining the benefits of research to state and federal government and members of the public.

Pictured: Diana Rosman, Department of Health, 2014

Tragically,

Diana’s husband, Kevin, passed away in 2009, not long after he retired from Curtin.

Work for Diana was still absorbing, but despite her many travelling “escapes”, she was still eagerly looking for something more to keep herself motivated.

Diana sent a speculative letter to the Perth Observatory asking if she could volunteer, but the Director sent a polite reply saying they didn’t need anyone at that stage.

Not one to be easily deterred, Diana sent an application to the Volunteering WA website, registering her interest in anything related to Science, and then went travelling again.

A year later Diana received an email from Greg Lowe, Astronomical Officer at the Perth Observatory.

“Greg asked me if I was related to Kevin, whom he knew from his Astronomy classes at Curtin. He also said I should apply for the next intake of volunteers,” Diana says.

In 2012, Perth Observatory’s Arthur Harvey and Greg Lowe interviewed Diana, and she was offered a hallowed place as a trainee. She was in the right place at the right time again.

“I went to the first few meetings, and I thought ‘What have I got myself into?’” Diana says.

The group was very serious, there was lots of technical jargon, and everyone was both really knowledgeable and committed.

Over the first viewing season, Diana was away was quite a bit, and she had fallen behind the other trainees when she got back.

Nonetheless, she says, over winter “I just kept coming to the meetings and the next viewing season, Greg and Terry and others threw me in the deep end. What a feeling of achievement, even to find the moon with the Celestron 14 – that is now the retired 1970s orange icon.

At the end of 2014, Diana had finished work in Puerto Rico and was thinking about all the things she could do in retirement.”

“I read all the emails about the Observatory closing and POVG having a chance to pick up the pieces. I sent a letter to the POVG Committee, offering to help out when I got back, and then I worked with Roger and the Transform Committee to develop the terms of the agreement with the Department of Parks & Wildlife.”

in May 2015, Roger was unable to continue as Chairperson, so Val MacDuff called Diana and persuaded her to take on the role.

Diana says: ”As with lots of things I’ve done, I guess the timing was right! I was available, I lived close by, and several experienced people were willing to help.”

“The first three months were quite stressful. There was so much involved, and in hindsight, I must admit it was a bit overwhelming.

”It was great that Rob and Brenda agreed to stay on through DPAW and that we found Cathy to come on board as Operations Manager.”

Pictured: Geoff Scott, Diana Rosman, John Tuffin, and Bevan Harris with the 2017 WA Community Volunteer Organisation Award.

Q&A with Diana Rosman What is your favourite thing to do at the Observatory?

“I’m lucky to be chair as I see more of what‘s going on in all the different areas. My favourite thing still, though, is be at one of our Night Sky Tours on a clear and balmy summer evening – it’s just magic.”

What do you see in the future for the Observatory?

“There are so many great ideas still to be implemented. I would love to see us fulfil all of these, but we need to make sure it’s still fun to be here, to build our volunteer base and grow this organisation without being too bureaucratic.”

Do you have any advice for new volunteers?

"I nearly gave up in my first few months as a volunteer, so please stick with it! What you get is excellent training and fulfilment – in proportional to what you put into it. A quote I like to borrow from Ray Martin “…… just have a go.”

On behalf of all of us at the Perth Observatory Volunteer Group, thank you so much Diana for the time and commitment you have given to the group.

2020 addition: We are all sad that Diana decided not to continue as Chair for 2020.

Diana has given a huge amount of hours and expertise over the years in the role and can now take the time to relax and enjoy her grandchildren.

Diana will continue as a volunteer, and I’m sure we will all enjoy seeing her at various events and Night Sky Tours. Thank you Diana, see you on a Night Sky Tour!

We also take this opportunity to warmly welcome Dr Colin Armstrong as the new chair of Perth Observatory Volunteer Group. Bringing with him a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to this role, it is a pleasure to have Dr Armstrong lead us as we explore strange new worlds, and boldly go where no one has gone before.

A Warm Welcome to Our Newest Batch of Observatory Volunteers!

In September, we welcomed twenty-two new fresh faced volunteers to our wonderful group at Perth Observatory.Â

Our volunteers have finished their four weeks of Introductory Training, and have jumped straight into learning all the ins-and-outs of Telescope Operating, Heritage, Gate-keeping, Till Operating, and School Day Tours. It's a lot of work, but all so rewarding.

Make sure you say hi to the new faces when you are with us on your next tour!

Thank you to Geoff Scott for the wonderful photographs, and all the Volunteers who helped, and are still continue to help, with training.Â

It takes many hands to run the Observatory!

Training on the Meade LX200-ACF 14" with Arthur Harvey

If you would like to become a volunteer at Perth Observatory, click on the yellow person and add your details to our volunteer application form.

Our next intake is coming soon in 2020, so don't miss out!

WHAT'S UP IN THE SKY January Venus is

viewable in the early evening and throughout January and will move from the Capricornus (The Sea-

goat) Constellation to the Aquarius (The Water Bearer) Constellation. It’ll set at the beginning of the month at 21:36 (AWST) and by the end of the month at 21:18 (AWST).

Mars

is viewable in the early morning. The planet starts January in the Libra (The Scales) Constellation as in

an orange dot and rising at 02:26 (AWST) and will move through the constellation of Scorpius (The Scorpion) and into the Ophiuchus (The Serpent-bearer) by the end of the month where the planet will set at 01:44 (AWST).

Jupiter is

found in the Sagittarius (The Archer) Constellation in our early morning sky this month. Jupiter

appears from the Sun’s glare halfway through the month and rises at 03:31 (AWST) by the end of January.

Saturn can also be found in the Sagittarius (The Archer) Constellation in our early morning sky this month.

Saturn

will appear from the Sun’s glare in the last week of January, rising at 04:25 (AWST) by the end of

month.

Uranus will

be viewable in the evening in between the Constellations of Pisces (The Fish), Cetus (The Sea

Dragon) and Aries (The Ram). At the start of January, the planet will set around 01:11 (AWST), and by the end of the month, it’ll set around 23:08 (AWST).

Neptune,

the last planet in our Solar System is also viewable in the evening and is viewable in the Aquarius

(The Water Bearer) Constellation. At the start of January, the planet sets around 23:02 (AWST) and by the end of the month it’ll set around 21:06 (AWST).

Venus and Neptune on the 15/01/20 at

Uranus on the 15/01/20 at

Mars and Jupiter on 15/01/20

20:30.

20:30.

at 04:30.

Image Credit: Stellarium

Image Credit: Stellarium

Image Credit: Stellarium

Alignments, Conjunctions & Occultations Conjunctions involve objects in the Solar System, and more distant objects, such as a star. It’s an apparent phenomenon caused by the observer’s perspective where multiple objects that aren’t close together appear close in the sky.

In an occultation, an object passes across the line of sight between an observer and another object. A solar eclipse is an occultation of the Sun by the Moon.

21/01/20 – Alignment of The Moon, Mars and Antares 23/01/20 – Occultation of The Moon and Jupiter

Astronomical Events: Earth At The Perihelion The Earth was at its closest point to the Sun (at the perihelion), about two weeks after the December Solstice at 15:47 pm (AWST) on Sunday January 5.

On the day, Earth was 147,091,144 km away from the Sun, this occurs because the Earth’s orbit is elliptical.

Approximately every 100,000 years, Earth’s orbital path changes from being nearly circular to elliptical. This is due to the gravitational influences of other planetary objects, particularly the Moon.

The difference of the Earth’s orbital path from a perfect circle is known as its eccentricity.

The word Perihelion comes from ancient Greek, where peri means close and helios means the Sun.

Penumbral Lunar Eclipse On Saturday January 11, a Penumbral Lunar Eclipse occurred. This is where the Sun, Earth, and the Moon are imperfectly aligned, and the Moon passes within Earth’s outer shadow (Called the Penumbra).

Most penumbral lunar eclipses cannot be easily distinguished from a usual Full Moon as at the maximum phase of the eclipse you’ll see the Moon turn a shade darker.

This was the first of four Penumbral Lunar Eclipse for 2020, with Perth in position to see three of them. The best place to see this eclipse is in Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. The eclipse starts in Perth at 01:07 (AWST), with the maximum phase occurring at 03:10 am (AWST) and the eclipse finishing at 05:12.

The Moon's location at the time of

Penumbral Lunar Eclipse diagram.

Penumbral Lunar Eclipse viewing map.

maximum phase.

Image Credit: timeanddate.com

Image Credit: timeanddate.com

Image Copyright: Stellarium

Object Of The Month: Orion Nebula The Orion Nebula is a diffuse nebula situated north of Orion’s Belt (In the southern hemisphere) in the constellation of Orion.

One of the brightest nebulae in our skies, Orion is visible to the naked eye. Messier 42, as it’s also called, is located 1,344 light-years away from our Solar System, and is an estimated 24 light-years across.

The nebula has revealed much about the process of how stars and planetary systems are formed from collapsing clouds of gas and dust.

WHAT'S UP IN THE SKY February Venus is

viewable in the early evening, and through February will move from the constellation of Aquarius

(The Water Bearer) to the Pisces (The Fish) Constellation. It’ll set at the beginning of the month at 21:17 (AWST) and by the end of the month at 20:48 (AWST).

Mars

is viewable in the early morning. The planet starts February in the Libra (The Scales) Constellation as

an orange dot and, rising at 01:42 (AWST), will move through the Ophiuchus (The Serpent-bearer) Constellation and into the constellation of Sagittarius (The Archer) by the end of the month where the planet will set at 01:13 (AWST).

Jupiter is

found in the Sagittarius (The Archer) Constellation in our early morning sky this month. Jupiter will

rise at the beginning of February at 03:28 and, by the end of February, will rise at 03:31 (AWST).

Saturn can

also be found in the Sagittarius (The Archer) Constellation in our early morning sky this month. At

the beginning of the month, Saturn will rise at 04:22, then rising at 02:46 (AWST) by the end of February.

Uranus will

be viewable in the evening in between the Constellations of Pisces (The Fish), Cetus (The Sea

Dragon) and Aries (The Ram). At the start of February, the planet will set around 23:05 (AWST), and by the end of the month, it’ll set around 21:18 (AWST).

Venus and Uranus on the 15/02/20 at 20:30 Image Credit: Stellarium

Mars, Jupiter and Saturn on the 15/02/20 at 04:00 Image Credit: Stellarium

The Tarantula Nebula

The Alpha Centaurids Meteor Shower The first meteor shower of the year for the Southern hemisphere is upon us. While the Alpha Centaurids is relatively minor, it’s an excellent excuse to get outside with a chair and a beer or a Milo and watch the sky.

Observers in 1974 and 1980 reported seeing up to 30 meteors per hour, but rates for this meteor shower have been slowly falling, across the Southern Hemisphere. You should expect to see approximately six meteors per hour in the hour before dawn, and around two per hour before then. It may be worse this year because the Moon is close to its Full Moon phase.

The Alpha Centaurids produce meteors of swift streaks, due to the meteors travelling at about 56 km/sec, so don’t expect to see fireballs.

M. Buhagiar (Western Australia) first observed The Alpha Centaurids between 1969 and 1980 and listed the shower in his “Southern Hemisphere Meteor Stream List” of 1980.

During 1979, members of the Western Australian Meteor Section (WAMS) also observed the meteor shower between February 2 and February 18, with the peak on February 7.

The Alpha Centaurids Meteor Shower radiant point. Image Credit: Stellarium

There is some thought that the Alpha Centaurids may have been detected by radar at the Adelaide Observatory in 1969's shower when G. Gartrell and W. G. Elford detected two meteors in the vicinity of The Pointers, while operating the radar system between the February 10 and February 17.

The meteor shower is active from January 28 through to February 21, with the peak on February 7 and February 8. It's best to go outside from 00:30 onwards (although around 4 am is best) and look towards The Pointers, below The Southern Cross is the radiant point for the shower. There is a Full Moon during the peak night, so some of the fainter Meteor fireball. Image credit: Austin Human

meteors won’t be visible.

Object Of The Month: The Tarantula Nebula The Tarantula Nebula is an Emission Nebula, found in one of our galaxy's satellite galaxies, the Large Magellanic Cloud. The nebula is approximately 160,000 light-years away from our Solar System and is 300 light-years across.

An extremely luminous object, the Tarantula Nebula's luminosity is so great that if it were as close to Earth as the Orion Nebula, the Tarantula Nebula would cast shadows and take up 20% of the horizon.

In one the most active starburst region known in the Local Group of galaxies, the Tarantula Nebula resides on the leading edge of the Large Magellanic Cloud where ram pressure is stripping, and the compression of the interstellar medium likely resulting from this is at a maximum.

Tarantula Nebula on 15/02/20 at 21:00 Image Credit: Stellarium

NGC 2070 Tarantula Nebula Image Credit & Copyright: Peter Ward (Barden Ridge Observatory)

Volunteer of the Year Awards!

Pictured: Perth Observatory volunteer Dick Alderson is awarded the Parks & Wildlife Service Long Service Award, commemorating 20 years of volunteering! A well deserved award.

Pictured: School Day Tours Coordinator, Dr Chris Coulstock is awarded the Parks & Wildlife Service Outstanding Service award. Dr Coulstock has been a volunteer with Perth Observatory since 2008. Congratulations!

STAR ADOPTION TOURS Our star adoption program provides a unique way to remember or recognise someone important, through the timeless gift of adopting a star. Our ancestors have been naming stars since time began, now it's your turn.

All available stars in the program are between the magnitudes -1 and 4.9 (visible to the naked eye) or 5.0 and 7.9 (visible in binoculars) and are all in the Southern Hemisphere -- so you don't have to travel to see them!

T

he individual star adoption package includes: A certificate (suitable for framing) with star name and coordinates, and the duration and purpose of the adoption.

Private star viewing night for the recipient and three guests within 12 months that include several other seasonal objects, scheduled when your chosen star is available at a suitable time for viewing A planisphere (a device to show what constellations and stars are in the sky at any time) Star charts and coordinates for locating the star in the night sky, as well as instruction on how to use these at the star viewing night

Please note:

Perth Observatory’s Star Adoption program doesn’t offer international naming rights to the star as there are no internationally

recognised naming rights for stars.

The Perth Observatory Volunteer Group Inc runs the program, and all income goes towards the Observatory’s not-for-profit, public outreach program.

adopt a star for someone now!

Photo Credit: Matt Woods

Signs of Life on Saturn's Moons Saturn is, without a doubt, one of the most recognisable and popular planets that visitors experience at Perth Observatory on one of our Night Sky Tours.

Often drawing gasps of amazement at its appearance, the famous ringed gas giant and some of Saturn's many moons are clearly visible through a telescope, but it's almost always a surprise to see it so clear and recognisable.

Ask almost any observatory visitor what Saturn is known for and they will correctly tell you: rings. Made of ice, rock and dust, there are more rings than astronomers have been able to count so far. But where did they come from? A long time ago, the rings were probably once a moon that was violently torn apart by Saturn’s gravity. Probably not fun for anyone involved.

Saturn is also famous for its moons. Until recently, we would tell visitors to the observatory that Saturn had over 60 moons – even that seemed like a lot. Have you tried to list them all? Unlike our own, they aren't all called "moon" so it's no easy task. And it just got a whole lot harder. A recent announcement from the Carnegie Institute for Science confirmed a further 20 moons. This gives Saturn 82 moons, more than even Jupiter which has only 79.

According to Carnegie, each of the newly discovered moons is about five kilometres in diameter – pretty big, but absolutely paling in significance next to Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, which is a monstrous 5,149 kilometres.

Titan is remarkable as it is also a potential home of extraterrestrial life. Chris McKay, of NASA Ames Research Center, in his paper Have we discovered evidence for life on Titan? says it is possible that a “new type of liquid-methane based life form” could be behind some interesting atmospheric results on the moon.

The science goes that if life was present on the moon then it would be consuming atmospheric hydrogen in large enough quantities to have a noticeable effect – such an effect has been recorded. One doesn't mean the other, however, and it's noted there could be other, less exciting, explanations that don't include aliens. But we're still hoping for aliens.

Saturn’s moons seem to have almost cornered the market in potential homes for extraterrestrial life. Enceladus, the planet's sixth-largest moon, has a liquid water ocean beneath an icy crust, and it's been suggested that the eruption of the moon’s ice volcanoes mix together some of the different elements.

In 2018, the Cassini orbiter found simple organic compounds in the violently ejecting jets of water vapour, molecular hydrogen, salt crystals, and ice particles – not dissimilar to the Murchison meteorite that crashed into Victoria way back in the 1980s.

It might not sound all that exciting to you and me, but since all known life is based on organic compounds and water, and these have been found in some meteorites as well as the geysers of Enceladus, it makes the moon a focus for attention. Strange creatures are found deep in the oceans on Earth, it's not so crazy there could be life on Enceladus.

Not to be outdone by some gas giant’s moons, life on Mars is back in the news. In October, former NASA scientist Gilbert V Levin made headlines when he went public with an article in Scientific American titled I’m Convinced We Found Evidence of Life on Mars in the 1970s.

Levin says NASA dismissed experimental findings that suggested there might be microbial life on the red planet, and hasn’t run a similar experiment since. Microbial life on Mars could threaten the lives of astronauts visiting our celestial neighbour, Levin says, and could even be a threat to all life on Earth. Let's hope he's mistaken.

Still, the chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one…

Words by James Chesters

ON THE ROAD AGAIN JUST CAN'T WAIT TO GET ON THE ROAD AGAIN In late 2019, Perth Observatory volunteers have travelled out to the country for several offsite events. It’s always great to visit country towns around WA, as we get to see how great our state is, and people are often pleased to see us.

Carnarvon In July, our volunteer John Ford and I hit the road, travelling to Carnarvon to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing at the Carnarvon space and technology museum by putting on a telescope night with other members of the Astronomy WA community.

MC for the night was former news presenter Greg Pearce, and former members of the tracking station and their families who had come back to Carnarvon to celebrate this momentous occasion. It was great to talk to everyone about all the good old days when they were helping NASA communicate back and forth with the Gemini Apollo and Skylab missions.

The night sky was incredible, and we even managed to live stream the moon rising through a telescope so everyone at the event could see our beautiful moon.

Thanks to all the team for inviting us up! If you are travelling north, and going through Carnarvon, it’s a place to stop and learn about how vital Australia was to NASA’s Space Program in the 60s and 70s.

Southern Cross In August, volunteer Roger Groom and I travelled out to Southern Cross to run a telescope viewing and an Astrophotography workshop at the Southern Cross District High School.

It was a great night, with the kids enjoying seeing the planets and star clusters. After the telescope viewing finished, some of the adults stayed back to learn about Astrophotography. The images from the night are breathtaking. One person in particular had just bought a new camera for the workshop got some spectacular shots of the Milky Way’s Sagittarius on her first attempt at astrophotography.

Mount Magnet In September Volunteers Geoff Scott, Ted Williamson and Matt Woods joined members from the Astronomical Group of Western Australia (AGWA) and International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) and drove up to Mount Magnet for the Astro Rocks Festival (September 20 to 22.)

The Astrofest part of the festival was on Friday night, and it was a great success with a lot of people attending. We started with solar filters on the telescopes so we could show the people the sun safely as it set and once it was dark and some of the clouds had moved away, we started showing people the awesome southern sky.

During the day on Friday, we joined ICRAR members on the tourist route around Mt Magnet and saw some fantastic scenery.

If you’re into Astrophotography, these spots will provide incredible views for nightscape photos, including the Granites, the Amphitheatre, and the Lennonville Townsite.

On Saturday night, we joined AGWA members driving 12 km east of Mount Magnet. Following tyre tracks for about a kilometre, we came out onto a beautiful flood plain. For six hours, we were stunned by the clear dark skies, revealing zodiacal light from dust and ice in the plane of the ecliptic (the imaginary plane containing the Earth’s orbit around the sun) reflecting sunlight and the Milky Way’s glorious Sagittarius arm. It was also humbling to be able to see objects in great detail that we can’t see in Perth due to light pollution.

This year’s Astro Rocks Festival will be on September 18 - 20, and we hope to see you there.

Words and Photo by Matt Woods

Observatory Crossword No.2

By Eta Carina

Across 1 Stall the note in the pigpen (6) 5 Dishes made from whisked cream with current, cherry and strawberry tops(8) 9 The way of the new moon (8) 10 Imagine! Weird without a sign from heaven (6) 11 Start over with the footwear (6) 12 Referring to the plane where you would encounter 10 (8) 14 Son, true siblings joined together become stars (5,7) 17 Peculiar! Some of the 14 forewarned the Scottish king maybe (5,7) 20 Bless me! A crazy bunch (8) 22 A fallen woman away from home (6) 23 Oddly fail before joining as army chief. What a catastrophe! (6) 24 Adjusted southern alien (3) 25 I'm powerful? Absolutely not! (8) 26 Repositories for Havana's remains? (8) 27 Renounce waste (6)

CLICK HERE - Printer Friendly Down 2 Provision for Holiday's stooge (6) 3 Excited consumerists almost get a wrong impression (11) 4 Steel vice cracked options (9) 5 Country dweller, from metropolis we hear, adheres to Buddhist thought (7) 6 Fixed gear linked to my driving license, for example (5) 7 Unspeaking procreator (3) 8 Mythical hybrids confuse Etruscan (8) 13 Last star out may be obscured by this atmospheric phenomenon (11) 15 Like the Antarctic - drug covered (3-6) 16 Shower before son expires upset (8) 18 Breeds small quiet English crushed ice Samoyed head (7) 19 Pick up nurseryman with no den (6) 21 Local life story. Thanks! (5) 24 Adjusted southern alien (3)

Picture Perfect Astrophotography Workshops with Roger Groom Perth Observatory volunteer Roger Groom is a wonderful Astrophotographer, and so it's always a special treat when we can have Roger run Astrophotography Workshops at Perth Observatory for us.

Over the last six months, we've had some inspiring workshops, with a lot of the people attending these workshops coming back to do more -- which is a testament to Roger's talent and hard work.

In April, straight after we got back into the main building after our renovations, we ran an Image Processing for Beginners workshop.

In the weeks that followed, we also ran Intermediate and Advanced image processing workshops -- all so that Perth's budding astrophotographers could learn how to draw out fantastic detail in their images.

Taking the opportunity while Jupiter and Saturn were quite high in the night sky in August and September, we ran two Photographing Gas Giants workshops. This photography technique is trickier than you might think, as both Jupiter and Saturn rotate very quickly on their axes.

With this in mind, it's better to record video with a camera connected to a camera, than it is to take a series of shots. You then stack the individual frames in the video using special software to get the very best images. Also in September, we ran the Spring into Milky Way Photography Workshops, running the workshop across two nights.

On the first night, we went through best practices for taking shots of the Milky Way and followed up on the second night with putting into practice. Our budding astrophotographers combined their skills with the theory they had learnt the night before. It was great to be out taking shots with participants, and there were some impressive shots captured on the night.

In October, we ran the Nightscapes Workshop where people were able to use the lovely bush setting the Observatory and our telescope domes as scenery for, they nightscapes shots. In November, we ran the last Astrophotography Workshop for 2019, focusing on Lunar Photography. This gave attendees the knowledge to help them to take fantastic photos of our Moon.

To everyone who came on our workshops in 2019: Congratulations, you are taking your first steps into a much larger world, and we hope you enjoy your new hobby. Please continue to share your shots with us, so we can see how good you are getting -- and keep an eye on our Facebook page and our website in 2020 for more of our Astrophotography Workshops so you can secure your place early and not miss out.

Words and Photos by Matt Woods

GET YOUR OWN CUDDLY EARTH FROM OUR ASTROSHOP As seen on the ISS

Solution to Observatory Crossword No. 1