May Meeting notes
By Jerry Truitt
Delmarva Stargazers May 3rd meeting was called to order at 7:05 P.M. Our president Don Surles
was present but allowed vice president Jerry Truitt to run the meeting.
 There were no new members or guests present at this month’s meeting. However, Billy
Westergard was in attendance again this month. DAS is having a dinner meeting May 17th at Lamberti’s
Cucina restaurant. They are having a guest speaker, from the Goddard Space Flight Center, Dr. John Wood.
Billy invited all DMSG members to attend.
 The first presentation of the night was by Doug Norton on packing for a night’s observing. Doug Air
Force experience really shows as he went over how to organize your equipment so you make sure you don’t
forget something. He pointed out that in this area you need to be ready to go in a moments notice and there
is nothing more disappointing than arriving at the scene after scrambling to get there and finding you
missed picking up that dew heater or other vital piece of apparatus.
 Doug suggested that you organize your stuff so everything has a place and if it’s not in its place
there is an obvious hole or gap that jumps out at you. Doug noted when he was in the service they paint the
area where a tool should go yellow. That way you can tell in a glance that something is missing.
 Doug recently purchased a C4 Meade from some junk dealer. Wait? That wasn’t a junk dealer that
was Don’s, our president, basement.  His basement  just looks like some astronomical junkyard. Anyway,
Doug loved the scope but for some reason it wouldn’t stay collimated. He did some research and found that
the primary mirror was loose. He went though his procedure of disassembling and correcting this
problem. After correcting the mirror problem he wanted to get a really good collimation on the scope. He
used Polaris and provided pictures and a how to guide to collimate a Cassigrain scope using the star
method. Look for details of Doug’s procedure in this month’s newsletter.
 Jerry Truitt our Night Sky Network coordinator had just recently received a new kit from NASA, Our
Galaxy, Our Universe. Jerry went over the tools provided with the kit and the concepts the kit is used for
with the public. The focus of this kit is scale and distance, of our solar system, our galaxy and the universe
as a whole. It gives us some unique tools and techniques for demonstrating to the public how vast things
are in the astronomical sense.
 The kit also included a DVD on the Hubble Space Telescope. We watched about 15 minutes of the
DVD. I guess the disappointing thing to us astronomers was it had too much artist concepts and not
enough Hubble images. The crux of it was trying to get the public to understand how many great
discoveries the Hubble has made.
 It’s the time of year to nominate next year’s officers. As I think you all know Don has elected to not
run again. Keith Lohmeyer nominated Lyle for the office of president. Lyle accepted the nomination. All the
other officers from last year agreed to stay in office. No one else expressed an interest in holding an office.
Don said since everyone is unopposed there is no need for an election and the officers are as follows:
Lyle Jones                                        President
Jerry Truitt                                        VP
Paul Riley                                        Secretary
Kathy Sheldon                                  Treasurer
Leonard White                                  Aide-de-Camp
 We also had a discussion on the 4th of July picnic / business meeting held every year. Some
members noted that the 4th is a tough weekend and many can’t make it because we have it during the
holiday.
 Billy Westergard made a suggestion we combine with DAS and have a summer astronomical
picnic for both clubs.  So as it stands now we will be changing the date and place for the picnic business
meeting and will post when it is all set.
 There were a couple of members who said they were looking to get more involved, but could not
hold an office because of family commitments. I suggested they take the lead on some projects the club
has that need some leadership to get done.
Specifically I suggested we need someone to spear head the 22” mirror and telescope build. We also have
funds in our treasury that only needs somebody creative to come with a project.
 One of our members, Rick Barnes,  has been awarded a NASA scholarship to attend Delaware
Technical and Community Collage and take astronomy courses.

Collimation of Cassegrains
by Doug Norton
Collimation is simple in concept, but there are plenty of subtle touches you can learn to make collimation
easier. Collimation is important on any telescope, but it is particularly important on many Cassegrain
designs because mis-collimation causes poor resolution.

When Should I Collimate?

There are several signs that indicate a need for collimation:
1) Coma on star images. This is a tail of any kind on a star image. If stars aren't pin-point sharp, suspect
collimation.
2) Out-of-focus star images. Stars show a secondary shadow that isn't at the center of the out-of-focus
image.
3) When you are close to focus, you see several offset images of a planet, instead of one.

What Does Mis-Collimation Look Like?

The image at left shows what a mis-collimated scope will look like. The diffraction rings are not
concentric -- they are pinched or bunched up in one direction. You may also see some flaring or fuzziness
on the side away from the pinching. This is the typical starting point when a scope is only somewhat out of
collimation. For a very badly collimated scope, the diffraction rings may be very tightly bunched on one
side, and very broad on the other. In such a case, you simply need to make larger initial adjustments. The
diffraction rings may not be circular -- don't worry, that's normal. They will only start to look circular when
collimation is getting closer.

How do I Collimate?

The best way to collimate is on a star, at night. You will need reasonably steady seeing to do collimation.
You use the diffraction rings around a slightly out-of-focus star to perform collimation, and if the air is
turbulent, the diffraction rings will be so spread out that you won't be able to see them clearly.

What Tools Do I Need to Perform A Collimation?

Two or three eyepieces that offer a range of magnification from about 200x to 600x.   An Allen wrench or
screwdriver appropriate to the screws that you will use to set
collimation.  A flashlight in case you need to look closely at the collimation screws.
Collimation Guidelines
 Convention says always put the eyepiece directly into the visual back of the telescope. Never use
a diagonal. You want the straightest possible light path for collimation.  I disagree with this statement.
Suppose you get perfect collimation without your diagonal. Once you put the diagonal back in the light
path, any errors inherent with the diagonal will upset the collimation. Pinched mirror, misaligned mirror,
etc. I say collimate with whatever and however you normally observe.
 Star Diagonal (prism) vs. Mirror Diagonal? There isn’t much difference between the two unless
you buy the newest dielectric coated mirror diagonals.
 Make one adjustment at a time. When you make an adjustment, loosening one collimation screw
leaves the secondary dangling, and you will need to tighten the other two screws to take up the slack.
Setting Up For Collimation
 To start collimation, point your telescope at a moderately bright star. Polaris works for three
reasons. It doesn’t move, no drive corrector is required and it is always up.  Place a low power eyepiece in
the diagonal/visual back, and center the star in the field of view. Defocus the image slightly.   You will
collimate by making adjustments until the diffraction rings of the out-of-focus image are as perfectly
concentric as you can make them.
Collimation Check At Low Power

Start with low power.
Defocus your star slightly.
Center the out of focus star in the eyepiece field of view. (1)
Move the image in the direction of the offset. (2)
Adjust screws to bring image back to center. (3)
 
 

Evaluating The Adjustment:  Examine what has happened to the out-of-focus star image. You should see an
improvement in collimation (unless you made too large of an adjustment). The area of the pinch may be
less pinched, or the diffraction rings may be less oval. Flaring may be less, or may have disappeared. The
exact nature of the improvement varies with the type of scope and the amount of mis-collimation you
started with.  Repeat adjustment for opposite side of focus. (Inside or Outside focus)
These two sides should match. If not, adjust repeatedly until they do.
Evaluation Part 2:  Note whether the pinching has changed direction. This may affect your choice of which
screw to use for the next adjustment. If collimation looks perfect or very close to it, change to a higher
power eyepiece and continue until perfection is achieved, or whatever the seeing will allow. It is only
when you get to around a 600X eyepiece that you will get the kind of collimation that will knock your
socks off while viewing planetary detail on a still night.
Evaluation Part 3:  When you have gotten good collimation while slightly out of focus, you can improve it
further by collimating in focus. It takes really steady seeing and a high-power eyepiece to collimate in
focus. See Thierry Legault's web site for tips on in focus collimation ( http://legault.club.fr/collim.html).

Your final results will look like the image at left. A perfect star image with a concentric Airy disk.

Bill McKibben has receives   "Messier" Certificate

James T. Morgan
 It is with great pleasure that I announce that Bill McKibben has received a "Messier" certificate
for observing from the Astronomical League through the Delaware Astronomical Society.  This certificate
was awarded by Lynn King, Secretary of the Delaware Astronomical Society at the annual dinner meeting
held at Price's Corner.
 Bill has observed more than 70 of the Messier objects and joins more than 2,400 people who have
worked to achieve this honor.  Charles Messier compiled a list of 110 objects that have become one of the
great standards of observing by amateur astronomers.
 Those that are interested in working towards this goal should contact the author for help in
observing.  Regular observing is the best way to achieve this goal and there are several things that we
have that can help to achieve this.

Delaware Astronomical Society              "Astronomer of the Year"

Jerry Truitt
     In his modesty James left out that he was also honored as the Delaware Astronomical Society
"Astronomer of the Year".  This was given to James in recognition of the many hours he devotes to doing
public out reach events, serving with the Astronomical League and the program he set up for new
members to the DAS.  Congratulation from the Delmarva Stargazers to both James and Bill on their
accomplishments.

Comments from Don
Don Surles
Well, we survived another winter and spring is reluctantly becoming warmer each day.  The sun really does
feel good.  And it has been a very beautiful, if cool spring.
 I hope each of you has taken advantage of the recent spell of dry weather to observe the heavens.
Jupiter, Saturn, the moon, Leo, Virgo, Coma Berenices, Ursa Major, Bootes…this is the time to enjoy them at
their best.
 I have ventured out a couple of times; once with my 10” dob and again with the 17.5” (both on my
driveway).  Although the mind was willing, in both cases the body was not ready.  There is a lot of twisting,
bending, and scope moving involved and after a few minutes the effort surpassed my desire; so, I retreated
to my Lazyboy.  But, I am looking forward to the day when I can reassemble the 25” Obsession and really
see, and share with you, the Wonders of the Universe!
 You have elected a fine group of people to lead Delmarva Star Gazers for the coming year.  Lyle
Jones is our president, Jerry Truitt our vice president, Paul Riley is our secretary and has also assumed the
duties of assembling The Stargazer News, Kathy Sheldon will again handle the checkbook as she has done
for the entire life of DSG, and Leonard White remains our Aide De Camp.  Leonard has really pitched in to
help in all our programs.
 Congratulations to you for electing them and Congratulations to our new officers.  I know they will
improve DSG in the coming year and I look forward to working with them, and with you, to implement the
agenda DSG’ers choose.
 This is the time for you and I to convey our sincere thanks to Frank Sheldon for his many years of
editor for the Stargazer News.  Frank has done a wonderful job creating and improving the quality of our
newsletter each month.  We owe him for his devotion, talents, and perseverance to ensure the newsletter
was always in your hands prior to the monthly meeting.
 I want to say thanks to all Star Gazers who extended their best wishes for my recovery during the
recent bout with my heart.  The depth of DSG and the friendship we have for each other is truly amazing.
You ladies and gentlemen are a treasure and I want you to know this ol country boy from the cotton and
tobacco fields of North Carolina recognizes the value of your phone calls, emails, get well cards, prayers,
and well wishes.  You make me proud to be a member and past president of DSG!
 Next year will be the first time since DSG was created in 1993 that I will not be president of DSG.  I
have mixed feelings about stepping down but DSG deserves a president who can devote the time required
to be successful leader.  I am 100% sure that Lyle, the other officers, and us, will  together, improve the Star
Gazers in the coming months and years.  I am proud of our organization – I look forward to a new chapter in
its history.
 See you at the Church or at Tuckahoe.
  Don...

Presidential Notes
Lyle Jones
I would like to thank the Delmarva Stargazers for the opportunity to serve as you President and
thank Don for this leadership and guidance over the last thirteen years.   I have some big shoes to step into.
With new officers there will be change, hopefully the Stargazer will accept some change and let the
Officers know the ones that they cannot accept!  My goal is to move the President and Vice- president
positions into a three-year rotation.     The President will serve for three years - one as Vice-President, one
President and one as Past-President, which serves as advisor to the officers. At the end of the second year
in office, the Vice-President will become President. Thus only the Vice- President will be elected every two
years. The Secretary and Treasurer will also be elected very two years. In order to make this modification,
the By-Laws will need to be changed. Unfortunately, none of us are getting any younger and in order for the
Stargazers to continue to sustain itself, we need new faces with different ideas and perhaps with more
energy than some of us older farts.  I believe this By-law modification will give the consistency that the
Stargazers have chosen for the last thirteen years and push other club members into the leadership roles.

The officers will get together in early June to make plans for next year. We will have those plans in our July
and August Newsletter to be reviewed by the membership. This will allow the membership at large to
comments on our activities and plans.

 Summer soon will be here with some of my favorite skies.  I sure hope that the skies improve!  In July I am
looking forward to a week of observing those beautiful southern skies at Spruce Knob, WV. The sky seems
to be cloudy every time that I have the energy or time to observe. Work sure gets in the way of observing!

Be sure to mark your calendar for June 25 from 2 to 5 PM for our summer family picnic at Dover Park off
White Oak Road in Dover.
(http://www.cityofdover.com/information/parks/display/?park=1http://maps.yahoo.com/py/
maps.py?BFCat=&Pyt=Tmap&newFL=Use+Address+Below&addr=1210+White+Oak+Road&csz=Dover%2C+
DE+19901&Country=us&Get%A0Map=Get+Map) .

 This year we will share our picnic with the Delaware Astronomical Society.   We will supply hot dogs,
hamburgers, buns and drinks, and the plates and utensils. You will just need to bring your favorite dessert
or dish preferablility filled with food. Please call Lyle Jones (302-736-9842) to let us know if you and your
significant others are coming.   We will set up some solar viewing and see if we can arrange some
entertainment.

http://home.comcast.net/~dmiller5879/moondark/june05.html