ORION Trapezium, October 2025, Vol. 51, Issue 10.

ORION | T apezium
Vol. 51, Issue 10 h ps://zenodo.o g/ eco ds/17316280 F i 10 Oc 2025
JD2460959
.
A Mon hly Publica ion o he ORION As onomical Socie y
This is an image o he plane Sa u n, showing i s moon Ti an and Ti an’s shadow as hey ansi ac oss he
plane . This image was cap u ed by John Cli a his home obse a o y 5.8 km ESE o TAO, ea ly on he
mo ning o 20 Sep 2025. Fo mo e de ails, see he As opho og aphy sec ion inside.
.
Table o Con en s
3
4
6
8
14
22
23
24
29
30
31
37
42
47
50
57
61
64
65
68
70
71
73
74
75
77
Ab ini io
Page Th ee As onomy: “The Sea ch o Alien Li e” ……..………..……………..………
Abou ORION and TRAPEZIUM ……..……….……………...…………...……................
Messages om ORION
P esiden ’s Message - Don Spong …………………………………….....….……..……..…
TAO Di ec o ’s Message / Obse a o y Way - Da id Fields .…………………....………
ORION Boa d Mee ings ElCan a i o - Rob Fowle ……………………………..…….…..
ORION Mon hly Mee ings
ORION Mon hly Mee ing Fo ma ….……………..……………….…….….……....………
ORION Mee ing 15 Oc 2025: As onomy a he Obed WSR - Joshua G ay …….……
ORION Las Mon h: G oundwa e T ace s - Ga e h Da ies …….…….……….....….…
E en s and Calenda s, Sky Maps and Occul a ions
S a , Moon, Come and Me eo gazing a TAO in 2025 ……….………..….…..….…....
TAO Public S a gazing: A No e Rega ding Scheduling and Access in 2025 ..…..…….
Public S a gazes in Oc & No 2025; TAOCalenda s…………….…...…………….…….
Public S a gaze o 20 Sep 2025 ………………………………………………………………
Occul a ion o TYC 2436-00120-1 by he as e oid 337 De osa - Richa d Pie y ……...
A Nigh in Cloudc o - Ted Ba nes………………………..…………..............................
The S a gazey E en s o Thu 02 Oc 2025 - Ted Ba nes …………………………………
Public S a gaze o 04 Oc 2025 ………………………………………………………………
The E ening Sky Map / Oc 2025 .…………………………….………….……..………......
As opho og aphy
Ti an and shadow ansi ing Sa u n - John Cli …………..……….…………….………
The Veil Nebulae - Don Spong …………………………………..…….…………….………
Appendices
As onume ology ……………………………………..…………………………………..……
The 80 B igh es S a s ………………………………….……………………………..………
No able S a -Pai Angles …………………………..…………………………….…..………
Exeun
Poe ica .………………………………………….…..………………….….……………..……
ORION and TAO Gene al In o ma ion (and links) ………………………………..……...
T apezium back issues online …………………………………….……….……..…...…..…
Fin du Jou nal …….…………………………………………………………………....……..
Page Th ee As onomy
The ORION As onomical Socie y
is a science and as onomy g oup ounded
in Ap il 1974 by scien is s om he
Uni ed S a es Depa men o Ene gy
acili ies a Oak Ridge, Tennessee. We
p ima ily se e he communi ies o Oak
Ridge and Knox ille and he coun ies o
Ande son, Knox, and Roane.
ORION’s mission is o suppo scien i ic
esea ch, eaching, and as onomical
ac i i ies in Eas Tennessee. We hold
mon hly public mee ings a he Oak Ridge
RSCC Campus, and a e ac i e a Tamke-
Allan Obse a o y (TAO), hos ing public
e en s, sha ing knowledge o he skies,
and helping o p o ide in ellec ually
s imula ing p og ams. ORION wo ks o
sha e he wonde s o he cosmos and he
cul u e o science.
ORION membe s include scien is s,
enginee s, echnicians, IT expe s, a is s,
s uden s, and o he s wi h a ied alen s
and expe ise. O e hal o ORION
membe s own elescopes, many a e
ama eu adio ope a o s, and some ha e
expe ise in as opho og aphy.
ORION has wo king ela ionships wi h
se e al o ganiza ions, including museums
and o he ama eu as onomy g oups.
Membe ship is open o indi iduals who
will ac i ely con ibu e hei ime and
ideas. The annual membe ship ee is $20,
and s uden discoun s a e a ailable. The e
is no cha ge o ou newsle e s and
publica ions, o o pa icipa ion in mos
ORION ac i i ies.
TRAPEZIUM is a mon hly pub-
lica ion o he ORION As onomical
Socie y. The issue da e is he F iday
p eceding he mon hly ORION mee ing,
chosen o p o ide imely in o ma ion
ega ding he planned P og am.
F om Ma ch 2025 we will be wo king
owa ds issuing a somewha sho e
e sion o he T apezium, which will
s ill include impo an in o ma ion
ega ding he mon hly ORION
p esen a ion, as well as da es and o he
in o ma ion ega ding Public S a gazes
and o he no able e en s ela ing o
ORION and TAO.
Rega ding he con en s o his e ised
T apezium, we ha e al eady concluded
ha some componen s, such as a
sepa a e As opho og aphy sec ion, a e
so impo an o a publica ion on
ama eu as onomy ha one eally
canno jus i y excluding hem.
ORION Boa d and O ice s:
P esiden : Don Spong
VP and P og am Chai : Da id Fields
Social Chai : Noah F e e
Sec e a y: Rob Fowle
T easu e : Bob Edwa ds
Edi o : Ted Ba nes
As o echnologis : Rob Sco
Videog aphe : Rob Fowle
Obed Si e Ou each: Joshua G ay.
4
Messages om ORION

We’ e ecen ly had some success ul s a gazing nigh s wi h a o able wea he
a Tamke-Allan (Sep embe 20, Oc obe 2 and 4). Thanks o he wea he gods
and all hose who pa icipa ed. The e’s been a lo o as onomy in he news
ecen ly ela ed o h ee come s: 3I/A las, C/2025 R2 (SWAN), and Lemmon
(C/2025 A6). 3I/A las, he in e s ella isi o , con inues o a ac a en ion
due o specula ion ha i migh be an alien p obe. This has been ueled by
Ab aham Loeb o Ha a d Uni e si y and collabo a o s a he Ini ia i e o
In e s ella S udies in he UK. They’ e w i en a pape on a Xi : 2507.12213
explo ing he anomalous pho ome ic and as ome ic cha ac e is ics o
3I/A las and hen going on o desc ibe he o bi al changes i could make while
passing behind he sun i i s in en ion we e o in e cep he Ea h (which
could come in la e No embe /ea ly Decembe ); so hold on o you ha s!
Howe e , in he conclusion hey w i e: “By a he mos likely ou come will be
ha 3I/ATLAS is a comple ely na u al in e s ella objec , p obably a come .” In
any e en he e will po en ially be some iewing oppo uni ies o 3I/ATLAS in
he ea ly mo ning hou s o ea ly No embe , bu i will be signi ican ly ain e
han C/2025 R2 (SWAN) (by 190 imes) o Lemmon (C/2025 A6) (by 120
imes).
In Oc obe he ull moon (known as he Ha es Moon) is Oc obe 6 and he
new moon is Oc obe 21. As men ioned abo e he e a e se e al come s
a ound. Lemmon (C/2025 A6) is isible cu en ly in he ea ly mo ning hou s,
and is well posi ioned high in he sky. I is app oaching a b igh ness le el soon
whe e i will be naked eye isible. C/2025 R2 (SWAN) is an e ening come , bu
is low in he sky (abou 17 deg ees abo e he ho izon). 3I/A las is dim and
abou o go behind he sun, bu he e may be be e oppo uni ies o image i
in No embe . Plane s ha a e cu en ly in good posi ion a e Sa u n, Nep une,
and U anus. Jupi e doesn’ show up un il a ound 1am. The e is a me eo
showe , he O ionids, coming up Oc obe 20, 21. Fo una ely, his is he same
ime as he new moon, so iewing condi ions should be ideal, wea he
pe mi ing. Some o he deep-sky objec s o in e es his mon h a e:
6
P esiden ’s Message (con .) - Don Spong
M57, he Ring Nebula in he cons ella ion Ly a, abou 2500 ly away; NGC
7000, he No h Ame ican Nebula in Cygnus, also abou 2500 ly away; NGC
2826, he Blinking Plane a y Nebula, also in Cygnus, abou 2000 ly away; NGC
7293, he Helix Nebula in Aqua ius, abou 650 ly away; he s a clus e M15 in
Pegasus, abou 35,700 ly away, M31, he And omeda galaxy, in And omeda,
and abou 2.2 Mly away; and NGC 7331, S ephan’s quin e , also in
And omeda, abou 50 Mly away.
7
P esiden ’s Message (con .)
8
Da id Fields Oc obe 2025
The pho o on he le shows ou new oad sign o Roane
S a e’s Tamke-Allan Obse a o y (TAO). T a eling Wes
on Caney C eek Road om Roane Coun y Pa k, he sign
appea s on he le jus a e c ossing Joine Hollow Road.
TAO o e s Public S a gazes o he communi y on he 1s and 3 d Sa u day o each mon h,
wea he pe mi ing. Ou usual schedule o he summe is o open a 8:30 pm and
con inue o nominally 10:30 pm -- la e when he sky and a endance encou age his.
Opening ime changes acco ding o he season, and a good guide is o a i e a he
obse a o y abou sunse , when wea he is encou aging. These S a gazes a e suppo ed
by local as onomy clubs, especially ORION membe s and iends, and bene i ou
s uden s and communi y. Ou TAO S a gazes a e usually well a ended, wi h a ull
class oom o isi o s o e ening as onomy lec u es.
TAO Public S a gazes and Special E en s
TAO Di ec o ’s Message / Obse a o y Way :
Wha a e ule s and Sky Rule s? Whe e do we ca y hem?
A ule is a ool o measu emen o
linea dis ance. Measu emen can be
a ool o unde s anding. We can
de ine a Sky Rule as a ool o
measu ing angula sepa a ion o
objec s in he sky. Le ’s explo e he
need, he his o y o celes ial angula
measu emen , and possible design o
a mode n Sky Rule .
In gene al, a ule is use ul only when i is in he hands o he use . Fo a hike wi h a
map, he ule is in his hand wi h his map and compass. Fo a designe o enginee , he
ule is on his desk. Fo a medical echnician, he same.
The ORION Sky Rule
This pho o shows a plas ic ule ha ORION ga e o RSCC s uden s and ORION
membe s a ew yea s ago, oge he wi h ano he o my a o i e as onomy ule s:
As onomy Rule s
Fo an as onome , he sky ule mus be close a hand – in his/he pocke , o hidden on a
e icle in his elescope eyepiece, o be pa o a compu e p og am. Once a elescope is
aligned wi h he sky he as onome may ely on he compu e o many hings, bu i
he e is no compu e , he as onome needs he Sky Rule in his pocke So, how may we
ob ain o design such a ule ? And how do we ge i in o he hands o ORION membe s
and TAO s uden s?
The Sky Rule should also p esen physical cons an s, show linea measu emen s (inches
and cm), be inexpensi e so we can gi e away as many as we like, iden i y ORION as a
esea ch-o ien ed g oup o en husias ic, ac -o ien ed as onome s, and deligh ORION
membe s and s uden s.
This was he challenge I posed o ou ORION boa d las Monday. We’ e s ill hinking
abou his, so le us know you sugges ions. Meanwhile, he e a e some backg ound
hough s.
Obse a o y Way (con .)
The ORION ule (abo e) ul illed se e al pu poses. I was a nice Ch is mas gi o
ORION membe s and s uden s, plus i in oduced s uden s in my As onomy classes o he
idea ha ‘measu emen s’ a e impo an . I also in oduced he me ic sys em. I was an
example o how ORION helps he college, in addi ional o helping he s uden s wi h
as onomy, and in oducing as onomy and he nigh sky a ou TAO s a gazes. I wished
many
S a da e: 2025.06.02
In a endance we e Don, Da id, Bob, A , Juan, Ke in and Noah (and Sunny).
We me ea ly a he lib a y o discuss he cu en and new display box.
Discussed mee ing again, omo ow (Tuesday). Da id sugges ed Wednesday
nigh 8:30pm as he nex F iendship S a gaze. Ke in sugges ed mee ing a TAO
o look a he Meade's encode . Noah sugges ed eaching ou o Ga e h Da is o
see i he has any po en ial acquain ances o ano he lec u e. Don asked abou
he new dome p ojec . Da id esponded wi h a ale o woe ega ding he Roane
pu chasing p ojec .
S a da e: 2025.06.09
In a endance we e Don, Da id, A and Rob (joined by John Ra he ). Da id
pu chased 2 coin cells o he Celes on CGM moun . He also pu chased a ew
e i e co es o supp ess noise om he powe supply. Ted exp essed an in e es
in ha ing help wi h his mon hs T apezium. Discussed he new op ical elescope
coming online in he A acama Dese . B ie ly men ioned he lib a y displays and
Oak Ridge s ee ligh ing. Noah men ioned ha Ga e h Da is can gi e he nex
lec u e.
S a da e: 2025.06.16
In a endance we e Don, Ke in, A and Rob. Rob showed his submission o he
AMSE pos e . Ke in & Don discussed PixInsigh . We con i med Ke in is
speaking his mon h. Ke in discussed he As onomical League and i 's a ious
p og ams, and con es s o a ious achie emen s.
S a da e: 2025.06.23
Due o c owding a he able, no no es we e aken. In a endance we e Don,
Da id, Ted, A , Ke in and Robe .
S a da e: 2025.06.30
In a endance we e Da id, Ted, A , Ke in, and Rob. Don sa in o a sho
while. Ted & Rob discussed esul s o he occul a ion ia a new p ocess. Ke in
p esen ed a new ORION Logo. Ke in announced he will be mo ing ou o he
immedia e a ea.
16
ORION Boa d Mee ings (con .)

S a da e: 2025.06.30
Da id p esen ed Ke in wi h a gi ORION T-Shi . Da id b ough up shop ype
measu emen s he in ends o do on he Meade. The g oup wen on discuss
a ious heo e ical opics. Men ion o 4 isi o s who showed up a TAO and new
membe Ke in Wilson Da id b ough up calenda access. Discussed p oblem
wi h o a ion o glow dome lid. Wa ch o mig a ion o wheel axels. One axel
mig a ed in and caused he lid o bind.
S a da e: 2025.07.07
In a endance we e Don, Ted, Da id, A , Rob and isi o John Ra he .
Con e sa ions opened wi h Ted discussing digi izing he occul a ion subs acking
p ojec . Da id discussed a ligh s ip p ojec and possible applica ion in he dome.
Ted collec ed in o o his mon h's T apezium. Da id discussed a endance a he
Sa July 5 Public S a Gaze, was 12, gi e o ake. Da id discussed he es ing we
did on he Meade and saw no alignmen e o s.
S a da e: 2025.07.14
In a endance we e Da id, Ted, A and Rob. Ted sha ed some ma hema ical
analysis o he ecen occul a ion da a. Da id b ough up po en ial da es o he
nex F iendship S a Gaze. We discussed he nex ORION lec u e and whe he
o zoom i o no . We discussed possibly ha ing a news ea u e a ORION
lec u es.
S a da e: 2025.07.21
In a endance we e Da id, Don, Ted, A , Rob... and gues John. Da e led he
discussion wi h Rob's absence. Da e men ioned ha Sa u day nigh ’s public s a
gaze was success ul, wi h a ound 8 isi o s. We discussed he ecen lec u e
and he unplanned mo e o he compu e class oom. The gene al consensus is
ha i wen well. Da e will be away on Augus 2nd, he nex s a gaze. Ted
b ough up de ails o pa icipa ion in he Tuesday nigh / Wednesday mo ning
occul a ion.
S a da e: 2025.07.28
In a endance we e Da id Fields, Ted Ba nes, A Alison and Rob Fowle We will
p obably ha e a public s a gaze a TAO on 8/2/2025, public o p i a e depending
on wea he and Noah's decision. 8/12/2025 Pe seid me eo showe a p obable
s a gaze. 17
ORION Boa d Mee ings (con .)
S a da e: 2025.07.28
Ou Lib a y display will expi e soon. Da id will inqui e i we can keep i ano he
mon h o i we need o clean i ou his mon h. I i has o come down, Ted & Rob
ha e ag eed o emo e he con en s.
S a da e: 2025.08.04
P esen we e Don, Ted, Rob, A and gues John Ra he . Ted sha ed his mos
ecen esul s and submission o IOTA ha we ha e been e-e alua ing. Don
won’ be p esen o he Augus ORION mee ing. We belie e John Cli is
Augus 's speake . We discussed a ious ligh ning phenomenon We also
discussed he Big Bang heo y and John Ra he 's book.
S a da e: 2025.08.11
P esen we e Don, Ted, Da id, A , Rob and gues s Richa d Pie y and John
Ra he . Ted epo ed on some o his ecen esul s wi h IOTA’s py hon sc ip s and
g aphing. Rob epo ed on isi ing Lily Blu 's S a Pa y a Wa bu g, whe e he
me Joshua, Ga e h and Owen. Don old us o a new 16 bi colo as o came a
he jus bough , a ZWO ASI2600MCP. John old us o an expe ience wi h a p o
elescope. Richa d jus bough a QHY174M-GPS came a o eco ding imed
as e oid occul a ions. We discussed wea he ega ding he Pe seid me eo /
s a gaze, 8:30pm Tuesday, bu he wea he is de e io a ing. The e is a possible
occul a ion on 8/23/25.
S a da e: 2025.08.18
In a endance we e Ted, Da id, A , Rob and gues s John Ra he and Richa d
Pie y. Da id spoke o Cou ney a AMSE abou ou ORION display. We ha e
been in i ed o keep i se up o a while longe . We discussed possibly acking
3I/ATLAS o ge a pic, ha ing an unscheduled obse a ion e ening.
S a Da e: 2025.08.25
In a endance we e Da e, Ted, Richa d and Rob. Ted sha ed he esul s o he
ecen as e oid occul a ion. Da id isi ed he K-25 in e p e i e cen e and
desc ibed he layou . He said hey a e in e es ed in us b inging a s a pa y o
ha loca ion. Da id no iced ha one o he new pads in collec ing wa e . Rob
sugges ed a modi ied a po -a-po y as a camou lage elescope co e . Calling i
"As o-Johnny: Smelling like Roses!" 18
ORION Boa d Mee ings (con .)
S a Da e: 2025.09.01
In a endance we e Da id Fields, Ted Ba nes, A Alison and Rob Fowle . And
isi o Da id All ed. Da id Fields ixed he in e ne wi h a TAO and ea ed
se e al an colonies. The skies we e good om 9pm o Midnigh . Discussed an
upcoming eclipse in Sydney Aus alia in 2 yea s. Ted spoke o he p og amme o
Occul Wa che [H is o Pa lo ] who helped him oubleshoo a bug. IOTA Annual
mee ing is nex week on zoom.
S a Da e: 2025.09.08
In a endance we e Da id Fields, Ted Ba nes, Rob Fowle , Don Spong, A Alison
and Richa d Pie y. We has a success ul Moon-gaze a TAO las nigh . Ted
discussed his occul a ion s udies. He was success ul wi h one las nigh Sunday
2025.09.07. Richa d a emp ed i oo bu has no analyzed his esul s ye . We
had a new gues las nigh , A ’s iend Dei d e Akin. She joined he as o-
luncheon as well.
S a Da e: 2025.09.15
In a endance we e Da id Fields, Ted Ba nes, Don Spong, Rob Fowle and
Richa d Pie y.
We discussed conce ns o e who is coo dina ing speake s going o wa d.
Ten a i ely, we belie e Ga e h Da ies is ou Sep embe speake .
We discussed news abou he cosmic in e lope 3I/A las and new spec al
da a.
19
ORION Boa d Mee ings (con .)
ORION Boa d Mee ing a he ElCan a i o Mexican Res au an , Oak Ridge, Mon 22 Sep 2025.
L o R: Ted Ba nes, Da id All ed, Da id Fields, Richa d Pie y, Rob Fowle , and Ga e h Da ies.
S a Da e: 2025.09.22
In a endance we e Da id Fields, Ted Ba nes, Robe Fowle , Richa d Pie y and
gues , Da id Al ed.
Ga e h Da is, A Allison, and Don Spong a i e la e .
Ted and Richa d discussed esul s o a ecen occul a ion.
Richa d caugh 2 new occul a ions ecen ly.
Da id exp essed conce ns o e he success o las Sa u day's S a gaze. He
el dis ac ed and so hough i did no go well. Bu se e al o us hough i
wen e y well.
Ga e h Discussed cosmic in e lope 3I/A las, and i s ail ha ing ecen ly
u ned g een.
Richa d Pie y con i med ha he ORION websi e is badly ou o da e.
To suppo Public S a gazes, Da id discussed ha ing eams o 2 o ope a e
he Meade.
Ga e h alked abou an as ophysicis , Da id Bu le , who has a You ube
channel.
S a Da e: 2025.09.29
In a endance we e Don, Ted, Da id, Richa d, A and Robe .
Ted old us abou his isi o New Mexico and he skies a Cloudc o .
Da id asked abou an abs ac o Oc obe ’s gues speake , Joshua om
OBED.
We discussed possibly mee ing a TAO on Wednesday o Thu sday.
S a Da e: 2025.10.06
In a endance we e Da id Fields, Don Spong, Ted Ba nes, Rob Fowle & A
Allison.
Da id sugges ed we c ea e some hing as a gi eaway o membe s and
s uden s. He sugges ed a plas ic ule o help people unde s and angles. He
also discussed making a cus om planisphe e.
We discussed using Nigh Sky Ne wo k o coe ce dues compliance. A ook
up he challenge o c ea ing a new gi eaway / p in p ojec .
Al hough his mon h’s speake is con i med, no de ails ha e been
communica ed.
E ymology needed o he exp essions “ca iewumpus” and “whackadoodle.”
ORION Boa d Mee ings (con .)
ORION Mon hly Mee ings

ORION Mon hly Mee ing Fo ma
Mee ing Venue: Ci y Room (A-111), jus inside he main en ance, Co ey/McNalley
Bldg., Oak Ridge Campus, Roane S a e Communi y College.
7:00 pm Eas e n, 3 d Wednesday o each mon h.
Ou mon hly mee ings (excep o Decembe , a dinne ) gene ally p oceed as ollows:
•Welcome
•Announcemen s
•In i ed P esen a ion and Discussion
•Awa ding o he Mug
•As opho og aphy / Special P esen a ions
The nominal s a ime is 7:00 pm Eas e n, on he 3 d Wednesday o he mon h.
The beginning o he mee ing will usually include announcemen s o gene al in e es .
Mee ings ypically con inue un il a ound 9:00 pm. Please plan o s ay un il he end.
Hope ully we will all enjoy he as opho og aphy and o he special opics discussed in
he la e pa o he mee ing.
Remo e Viewing: A li e Zoom session will usually be open du ing he ORION
Mon hly Mee ing, a he link:
h ps://us02web.zoom.us/j/88528735960?pwd=KzY4bnBHcjlhTzg3L3pOcjY0TFo UT09 o
h ps://bi .ly/42apGxX
Mee ing ID: 885 2873 5960 Passcode: 716689
22
23
O R I O N Oc obe 15 P o g a m
Ti le: As onomy a he Obed WSR
Speake : Joshua G ay
Pa k Range & Nigh Sky Coo dina o
Obed Wild & Scenic Ri e
Abs ac :
As a ull- ime ange wi h he Na ional Pa k Se ice, Josh wea s many ha s o
se e he public. Examples o he du ies he is in cha ge o include:
•Ope a es he isi o cen e in down own Wa bu g, TN, p o iding
in o ma ion o pa k isi o s 7 days a week.
•P o iding nigh sky p og ams and conduc ing mee ings/ esea ch wi h
Da k Sky In e na ional.
•Collabo a es wi h Big Sou h Fo k, Manha an P ojec , and F ozen Head
S a e Pa k ange s o es i als, p og ams, and o he e en s.
•Speaks o s uden s a Mo gan Coun y Schools o ca ee days, STEM
nigh s, and o he educa ional e en s.
When he's no a wo k, he likes o spend nigh s a home wi h his wi e Be gen,
and hei ambunc ious 10 mon h old dog, Je . He lo es o spend ime on
Wa s Ba Lake wi h his in-laws, and lo es wa ching hockey.
His alk will ocus on he educa ional oppo uni ies ha Obed is p o iding o
he public each and e e y mon h, especially highligh ing he a endance o
nigh sky p og ams. He will also gi e an upda e on he s a us o ge ing Big
Sou h Fo k ce i ied as a in e na ional nigh sky pa k, and he con inued
coope a ion wi h F ozen Head S a e Pa k and Picke C.C.C. Memo ial S a e
Pa k.
24
ORION Las Mon h – 17 Sep 2025
ORION P esiden Don Spong opens he 17 Sep 2025 ORION Mon hly Mee ing.
25
ORION Las Mon h (con .)
The Ligh es and Hea ies Elemen s and hei Iso opes as
Powe ul G oundwa e T ace s - Ga e h Da ies
Ou ea u ed speake o he ORION P esen a ion on 17 Sep 2025 was Ga e h
Da ies, who ea lie his yea (16 Ap ) had gi en an ORION p esen a ion on
“The Younge D yas Cold E en ” o 12.9 ky s BP, which has a possible
a ibu ion o a cosmic impac . Is his Sep 2025 p esen a ion Ga e h discussed
he his o y o and ecen esul s in using ace s o de e mine subsu ace wa e
low. The audience was clea ly en hused by his p esen a ion, which had
conside able ORNL ele ance, and was en e ained by he many su p ising
esul s e iewed in his alk.
The audience o Ga e h’s 17 Sep ORION P esen a ion.
TAO Calenda s
Jan-Jun 2025; Aug & Sep 2025
The p inciple public e en s o isi o s a TAO a e he Public
S a gazes, held a TAO du ing 2025 on he 1s and 3 d Sa u day o each
mon h. These a e lis ed in he “Public Fixed E en s” TAO Calenda
o six mon h pe iods, cu en ly Jul-Dec 2025. These appea on he page
ollowing.
Addi ional no able e en s will be included in mon hly “Special E en s”
TAOCalenda s. These include public e en s ha do no ha e a ixed
da e long in ad ance, such as he In e na ional F iendship S a gaze in
Oak Ridge, and special TAO e en s such as As e oid Occul a ions,
Me eo Showe s, Full Moon ises, Luna (and o he ) Eclipses, Come
Wa ches, and pe haps he occasional musical e en .
These “Special E en s” calenda s o he cu en and subsequen mon hs
appea a e he six-mon h “Public Fixed E en s” calenda .
The acili ies in he TAO buildings onsi e will be open o he public
du ing he “Public Fixed E en s,” and will also usually be a ailable
when TAO is open o he public o some o he “Special E en s.”
Please inqui e ega ding whe he TAO will be open o he public o
any “Special E en ” you may wish o a end, since some may be
es ic ed. We will o cou se always y o accommoda e en husias ic
isi o s.
We ecommend checking a TAO websi e such as h p://www.
oanes a e.edu/obs be o e isi ing, o con i m ha lis ed e en s will
p oceed as planned; wea he condi ions o example may equi e a
cancella ion o change o da e.
32

da e e en de ails s a end
Sa
04 Jan 2025 1s Sa S a gaze 7:00 pm 10:00 pm
Sa 18
Jan 2025 3 d Sa S a gaze 7:00 pm 10:00 pm
Sa 01
Feb 2025
1s Sa S a gaze 7:00 pm 10:00 pm
Sa 15 Feb 2025
3 d Sa S a gaze 7:00 pm 10:00 pm
Sa
01 Ma 2025 1s Sa S a gaze 7:00 pm 10:00 pm
Sa
15 Ma 2025 3 d Sa S a gaze 7:00 pm 10:00 pm
Sa
05 Ap 2025
1s Sa S a gaze 8:00 pm 11:00 pm
Sa
19 Ap 2025
3 d Sa S a gaze 8:00 pm 11:00 pm
Sa
03 May 2025
1s Sa S a gaze 8:00 pm 11:00 pm
Sa
17 May 2025
3 d Sa S a gaze 8:00 pm 11:00 pm
Sa
07 Jun 2025 1s Sa S a gaze 8:00 pm 11:00 pm
Sa
21 Jun 2025 3 d Sa S a gaze 8:00 pm 11:00 pm
TAOCalenda Public S a gaze Jan-Jun 2025
These 2025 TAO Public S a gaze e en s a e scheduled o ixed calenda
days du ing he weekend, which will hope ully p o e con enien o many
isi o s wi h amilies, especially hose b inging younge as onome s.
Cancella ions o en ake place in Win e and Sp ing, due o cold o icy
condi ions, o o e cas and ainy skies.
www. oanes a e.edu/obs www.ORIONinc.o g
. 07 Jun 2025
cancelled
cancelled
cancelled
cancelled
cancelled
cancelled
cancelled
cancelled
cancelled
da e e en de ails s a end
Sa
05 Jul 2025 1s Sa S a gaze 8:30 pm 11:30 pm
Sa
19 Jul 2025 3 d Sa S a gaze 8:30 pm 11:30 pm
Sa
02 Aug 2025
1s Sa S a gaze 8:30 pm 11:30 pm
Sa
16 Aug 2025
3 d Sa S a gaze 8:30 pm 11:30 pm
Sun
07 Sep 2025
“1s Sa ” S a gaze 8:00 pm 11:00 pm
Sa
20 Sep 2025 3 d Sa S a gaze 8:00 pm 11:00 pm
Sa
04 Oc 2025
1s Sa S a gaze 7:30 pm 10:00 pm
Sa
18 Oc 2025
3 d Sa S a gaze 7:30 pm 10:00 pm
Sa
01 No 2025
1s Sa S a gaze 7:00 pm 10:00 pm
Sa
15 No 2025
3 d Sa S a gaze 7:00 pm 10:00 pm
Sa
06 Dec 2025 1s Sa S a gaze 6:30 pm 10:00 pm
Sa
20 Dec 2025 3 d Sa S a gaze 6:30 pm 10:00 pm
These 2025 TAO Public S a gaze e en s a e scheduled o ixed calenda
days du ing he weekend, which will hope ully p o e con enien o many
isi o s wi h amilies, especially hose b inging younge as onome s.
Cancella ions o en ake place in Win e , due o cold o icy condi ions, o
o e cas and ainy skies.
www. oanes a e.edu/obs www.ORIONinc.o g
. 24 Jun 2025
TAOCalenda Public S a gaze Jul-Dec 2025
cancelled
cancelled
mo ed
www. oanes a e.edu/obs www.ORIONinc.o g
. 24 Jun 2025 (T apezium)
da e e en de ails s a end
Sa 04 Oc 2025
1s Sa Public S a gaze 7:30 pm 10:00 pm
Mon 06
Oc 2025
Full Moon
11:47 pm Eas e n
Sa
18 Oc 2025 3 d Sa Public S a gaze 7:30 pm 10:00 pm
Tue 21
Oc 2025 New Moon
08:25 am Eas e n
TAOCalenda Special E en s Oc 2025
www. oanes a e.edu/obs www.ORIONinc.o g
da e e en de ails s a end
Sa 01 No 2025
1s Sa Public S a gaze 7:00 pm 10:00 pm
Wed 05
No 2025
Full Moon
08:19 am Eas e n
Sa 15 No 2025
3 d Sa Public S a gaze 7:00 pm 10:00 pm
Thu 20
No 2025
New Moon
01:47 am Eas e n
TAOCalenda Special E en s No 2025
Public S a gaze o Sa 20 Sep 2025 - Ted Ba nes
The su p isingly da k sky a TAO as o 8:19 pm Eas e n, 20 Sep 2025.
Sunse 7:39 pm
Ci dusk 8:04 pm
As dusk 9:05 pm
Moon ise 6:10 am
Moonse 7:09 pm
Sa 20 Sep 2025
Moon illum. 2%
Waning C escen Moon.
No Moon isible du ing his e en .
A e some online discussion o he bes da e o
his e en i was inally decided ha he p edic ed
wea he o Sa 20 Sep had be e p ospec s han
Sun 21 Sep, so i was announced ha his Public
S a gaze would be on Sa 20 Sep, as planned.
TAO was scheduled o open a 8 pm. Due o some
ine icien planning I managed o a i e a he
TAO Ga e much ea lie , a ound 7:35 pm, and
se led in o a wai . Two ca s soon joined me in
he admissions queue, and I had a déjà u o
wai ing Two
wai ing o en e he Ri e side Mo ie Thea e in No h Kansas Ci y wi h my pa en s
a ound 1960. I was al eady e y da k as 8:00 pm app oached, pe haps he opening ime
a his ime o yea should ins ead be 7:30 pm, so any i s - ime isi o s would s and a
chance in hei i s encoun e wi h he TAO access oad.

On a i al a TAO I lea ned ha my o he ca -bound wai ees had been A Allison and
Don Spong, who soon began se ing up hei obse ing equipmen . Due o gene al
pe sonal exhaus ion and he s ess o planning a u u e aca ion, I had decided no o
b ing my elescope o his e en . Ins ead I hough I would jus b ing my camp chai , gi e
a sho as onomy alk o ou isi o s, and hen se le in o he lawn chai wi h binocula s.
Bo h o hese ac i i ies p o ed di icul ; I had upg aded my ecen occul a ions alk, bu
le ha e sion on a home compu e , and ailed o copy i on o he memo y s ick I
b ough . I had hoped as a backup o s o e i on a TAO compu e , bu AD ailed o connec ,
so ha didn’ happen; no upda ed alk. No p oblem, Da id and Don ga e alks. As o he
binocula s, I had le hem a home. So I admi ed he s a s om a lawn chai wi hou
op ical aid.
We had 8 isi o s, hese being ou wo SMAS colleagues, ou o Noah’s s uden s and
hei iends, one wi h a cha ming li le daugh e , and Robe Co liss, who was e y
exci ed abou a lyo e by he Chinese Space S a ion. Wi h mysel , Da id Fields, Don
Spong, Rob Fowle , A Allison and Bob Edwa ds ha makes 14. O 15, once you include
Sunny he As odog. A espec able g oup.
38
Public S a gaze o Sa 20 Sep 2025 (con .)
Don ( o eg ound, wi h a su p isingly in ense whi e ligh ) and A ,
se ing up on he No h and No heas pads espec i ely.
I had b ough my “Meade ki ” o use ul i ems o he Meade LX-200, and a e Rob
s a ed connec ing hings up I s opped by he glow dome o see i I could be o any
assis ance. Rob was jus s a ing o align he sys em, so by poin ing a ious lase s a ound
and playing wi h he HC (an ique hand con olle ) we managed o iden i y Nunki in he
eyepiece. Howe e all Rob eally wan ed was o show Sa u n o ou isi o s, so we nex
simply poin ed he OTA below he squa e o Pegasus and ound i . Sa u n p esen ed a
e y pleasing image, he ings s ill being e y na ow; one had he imp ession o a ain
ligh c eam colo ed disk wi h a spike h ough i . Ou isi o s all enjoyed i .
39
Public S a gaze o Sa 20 Sep 2025 (con .)
Abo e he glow dome one can easily dis inguish Sagi a ius (Sg )
and o he igh , Sco pius, ea u ing An a es. And some whi ls o cloud.
Sg
An a es
Nunki
Fo ou nex public image, since He cules was well placed high in he Wes , we decided
o show ou isi o s he amous Messie -lis ed globula clus e M13. A e checking
whe e i was in he “keys one,” aided by my Celes on SkyPo al app, Rob was able o
ind i ela i ely easily as a small g ey smudge. Imp o ed ocus u ned his in o a pa ch
wi h isible s a s. Since he isi o s we e s ill in he TAO lec u e oom we decided o
a ach a came a, one o my ZWO ASI294MCPs, and Rob cap u ed se e al s acks o his
beau i ul objec . As he lec u es we e jus inishing I encou aged ou isi o s o come ou
and see ou new as opho os o M13. They we e qui e in e es ed o see he compa ison
be ween he ain naked-eye objec in he eyepiece and he e y b igh image cap u ed
sho ly ea lie as a s ack, using Sha pCap. One o he Meade-LX200 s acked images o
M13 is shown below, a e pos p ocessing.
Public S a gaze o Sa 20 Sep 2025 (con .)
This image was aken using a ZWO ASI294MCP, and is a s ack o 6 ames a a gain o 520,
each ame jus o e 4 secs. The exposu e midpoin ime was 10:40:54 pm Eas e n. 40
Due o o he commi men s, Bob Edwa ds and A Allison bo h depa ed ea ly, a abou 10
pm. A e some ime spen cha ing, I depa ed abou midnigh , lea ing Rob, Da id and
Don s ill a TAO. I is easie o lea e when you ha e b ough li le equipmen , so his was
a ela i ely simple depa u e. Don had been wo king on images o he Veil Nebula; we
can see some o his wo k om his e ening in he As opho og aphy sec ion o he cu en
(Oc 2025) issue.
41
Public S a gaze o Sa 20 Sep 2025 (con .)
Don Spong encou ages he Moon o con inue ising.
Sie ske and I decided o go ou and sample he local skies. In Cloudc o i sel
he e we e high, b igh whi e s ee ligh s, and you could only see black sky
wi hou s a s be ween hem. We decided ha a d i e beyond he illage limi s
was app op ia e. A e some con usion we chose New Mexico S a e Rd. 130,
which con inued Sou h om Cloudc o , and descended in o a da k Na ional
Fo es wi h a ew open a eas along he sides o he oad. No expec ing
any hing especially no able, we d o e o abou 10 miles, and a ound 8:40 pm
I s opped a a pullo ha seemed o be se low be ween wo s eep cli s.
A e I s opped he ca Sie ske climbed ou o he passenge side, and I hea d a
so exclama ion. I climbed ou he d i e ’s side and looked up, le , igh , and
a ious di ec ions. The sky was in ense. Yes, I could see he Milky Way nea
Cassiopeia o my igh , bu ha band o g eyish ligh was b igh , and one
could easily see complica ed s uc u es and s a clouds comp ising he band. I
was oo much. I looked away and saw Boö es and Co ona Bo ealis, he la e a
ga ish ci cle o glowing whi e, c eam and eddish coals. Up again, and you
saw mo e o he Milky Way. Wi h silence, and maybe a hin o wind. And
some hing else, some hing wei d and unexpec ed.
I was e y ain a i s , and I hough I had imagined i , bu when I lis ened
e y ca e ully, I could epea edly hea a so inkle o music accompanying he
s a s. I seemed o d i in and ou , a s ange sci- i kind o melody, wi h an
e en ain e , somewha disco dan backg ound line. Was his eally my
imagina ion? Was someone in one o he sheds you could jus make ou in he
da kness ac oss he oad, agains he hillside, playing a li le hin o music o
celeb a e he nigh sky? Migh i e en be ano he as onome nea by wi h a
li le adio on o en e ainmen ?
I asked Sie ske i she had hea d he ain music. Yes, she said, she hea d i , bu
i wasn’ music. Wha she hea d was mo e o a ain , dis an , sc eaming. And
she was ge ing back in he ca , now! I eally didn’ need o hea ha , I was
enjoying he s a s so much, bu he “music” con inued, s ange and disco dan
and pe haps diso ien ed. I decided ha inside he ca was he be e place o
be, so I climbed back in and we d o e back owa ds Cloudc o .
A Nigh in Cloudc o (con .)
48

49
A Nigh in Cloudc o (con .)
Don Spong encou ages he Moon o con inue ising.
Sie ske said ha was he mos ema kable sky she had e e seen in he li e,
e en as a hike , wi h se e al yea s o expe ience wi h New Mexico. Pe haps
because we we e on a e y da k oad shielded by s eep cli s, and a an al i ude
o 8500 ? She also said ha she ecognized he s ange dis an “music” ha I
had in e p e ed as o he -wo ldly sci- i / UFO ype “Music om he Hea s o
Space,” and she looked o an example o his ain cacophony on he cell
phone. She had ecognized i as he c y o a moun ain lion. The locals know
no o encoun e moun ain lions. I did manage o cap u e one cellphone image,
o he No hwes , be o e ge ing back in o he ca . Tha image, enhanced, is a
bo om le ; some esidual wiligh is e iden . Aldeba an is a image bo om
le ; image cen e is in No he n Boö es, a ca. RA 14.5h, Dec +50oN.
The nex mo ning we me ou Real Es a e Agen in Alamogo do, and wi h he
assis ance we did isi he po en ial New Mexico obse a o y p ope y. The
house was e y beau i ul. The e we e complica ions, such as being 200 miles
om Albuque que, ha ing “jus ” Bo le 3 skies ( he same as he p e ious
nigh ), and mos o he su ounding 55 ac es being on a ious ex eme slopes.
The mos impo an complica ion was ha someone else had ecen ly made an
o e , so he p ope y was likely no longe a ailable. The ollowing day we
managed o isi Whi e Sands and he Ve y La ge A ay nea Soco o, and
lea ned ha “Pie Town,” Wes o he VLA, also had po en ial obse a o y
p ope ies a ailable, albei unde Bo le 1 skies. The sea ch con inues.
10:28 am, 26 Sep 2025. A po en ial obse a o y.
8:40 pm, 25 Sep 2025. 10 mi. S o Cloudc o .
The S a gazey E en s o Thu 02 Oc 2025 - Ted Ba nes
Don Spong se ing up on he No h pad while Noah’s Roane S a e As onomy class p epa e
a deba e ega ding he eali y o he Apollo moon landings. 7:17 pm Eas e n, 02 Oc 2025.
Sunse 7:20 pm
Ci dusk 7:45 pm
As dusk 8:45 pm
Moon ise 4:58 pm
Moonse * 3:26 am
* 03 Oc
Thu 02 Oc 2025
Moon illum. 74%
Waxing Gibbous Moon.
B igh Moon isible du ing his e en .
Many hings happened on his pleasan e ening,
so I will gi e a quick summa y ha will be
somewha un ai o all, especially since I don’
ecall exac ly how he o ganiza ion ook place. In
online discussions using Wha sApp I hink Noah
F e e had men ioned ha he would be going o
TAO ea ly on his e ening, as ea ly as 5 pm, since
he would be eaching a class o as onomy
s uden s and needed some ime o p epa e.
Coinciden ally some o us had no iced ha he e
was
was an a ac i e possibili y o obse e an occul a ion ha e ening, in ol ing he ou e
main bel as e oid 1298 Noc u na and an unusually b igh s a o g-magni ude 10.4 in he
cons ella ion Sagi a ius. O cou se his ime o yea obse ing any hing in Sagi a ius
would be an ea ly e ening e en , and he occul a ion would acco dingly be an ea ly one,
a 8:33 pm. One would ha e o a i e and se up ea ly, bu his could mesh wi h Noah’s
plan o open TAO ea ly, in he la e a e noon. I exp essed in e es online, as did Rob
Fowle and A Allison. Don Spong also s a ed ha he migh a i e o ake ad an age o
he oppo uni y o as opho og aphy. So, we had spon aneously o ganized an as onomy
e ening wi h a leas i e addi ional as onome s and Noah’s g oup o s uden s. Alles gu !
S a gazey E en s o Thu 02 Oc 2025 (con .)
My occul a ion se up, la gely comple e, s ill lacking some cables and he moni o . No e my
new sa e y de ice, a black ne bag o cap u e he gps came a should i s holding sc ews ail.
7:05 pm Eas e n, 02 Oc 2025.
Noah said ha he would be using he Meade LX-200 wi h he s uden s, so I b ough along
my Meade ki o help ou . Since Rob was acco dingly a ailable o help me wi h cap u ing
his ea ly occul a ion, he ode wi h me o con enience, and planned o sha e a ide back
ela i ely ea ly. On a i al soon a e 6 pm we began assembling my usual se up, and had
e e y hing eady o s a ealignmen a ound 7:25 pm. (See image below.) A mo e
equi es a change o si e loca ion coo dina es in CPWI, and usually a new alignmen . In
p inciple one can jus load an old se o alignmen s a s and esync, bu ha sho cu is
ypically p oblema ic. Tu ning CPWI and PHD2 on, I loaded an ea lie TAO alignmen
se , and a slew o Kochab showed i nea ly cen e ed in he guide scope. I u ned on
Sha pCap and cen e ed Kochab and hen Thuban, mos p omising, bu I when ied a slew
o nea by Alkaid i wasn’ e en in he guidescope’s ield. Also on he nega i e side, he
lase was al e na ely weak o ou , and Sha pCap’s pla e sol e ool ailed o sol e. Abou
8:00 pm Noah sen his a he la ge class o e o ou No heas pad o a quick cha abou
ou occul a ion plans. I handed ou some hand-d awn occul a ion local ield s a cha s I
had p epa ed o Don and Noah, who had said hey oo migh y o cap u e he occul a ion.
S a gazey E en s o Thu 02 Oc 2025 (con .)
A nea he glow dome, cap u ing deep-sky images wi h his Sees a S50.
Rob and I inished ou discussion wi h he s uden s a ound 8:11 pm, which le us wi h
only abou 20 minu es o align he elescope, ind he a ge s a , and p epa e o cap u e
he occul a ion. Well ha was he p oblem o cou se, his was an EARLY e en , and
success would equi e ha no hing go w ong. And he e I was s ill muddling wi h inding
Alkaid, a om Sagi a ius. So I d opped ha and ied a slew o Aldeba an, hal way o
Sg . I appea ed in he guidescope! I was alas also in he one TAO ee, d a , and he OTA
couldn’ see i clea ly. So I added i as bes I could, and slewed o Sabik, h Oph. No hing
appea ed. I kep ying o use Sha pCap’s pla e sol e ool, bu i epea edly ailed o
unc ion. Rob old me I had abou i e minu es emaining un il he 8:33 pm occul a ion. I
ied a slew o Kaus Bo ealis, he lynchpin in he Sg eapo , and a s a appea ed. No ime
o check any hing. I added i o he alignmen s a s and did a inal “Hail Ma y” slew o he
nominal coo dina es o he a ge s a , TYC 6859-00173-1, in NE Sg . God knows whe e
he OTA was ac ually poin ing by hen. Oh well, i ’s all good p ac ice. The ield didn’
look much like my s a cha , bu his was he bes I could do. Noah yelled om he glow
dome ha he would send his s uden s o e o wa ch he occul a ion, bu I yelled back ha
we don’ ha e i ( he a ge s a ). A olun ee ed o en e ain he s uden s. I se Sha pCap
o cap u e a 1000-exposu e SER mo ie o 200ms ames a he maximum QHY174MGPS
came a gain o 480, and a abou 8:33:00 pm I began cap u ing ames. Tha was i .
No hing mo e I could do.
S a gazey E en s o Thu 02 Oc 2025 (con .)
No long a e he e en , Don s olled by and old us he hough he had cap u ed he
occul a ion. He showed us some images on his able , wi h he s a being “ou ” in a leas
wo. I didn’ unde s and his since he said hey we e 200ms ames, bu ok, i he s a
wen ou , he mus ha e cap u ed i ! Good o him, bu pe sonally I was eeling
demo alized. Things I was mos unhappy abou included 1) my g een lase poin e , which
kep going ou whene e i was mos needed, 2) Sha pCap’s ailu e o pla e sol e, which I
REALLY needed, 3) my inabili y o align his sys em a a emo e loca ion wi h CPWI and
keep i aligned in u u e wi h he same s o ed se o alignmen s a s, 4) my PHD2 OTA
guiding sys em, which eally needs o be ecalib a ed, bu acco ding o he popup
ins uc ions ha should only be done when he guidescope is poin ed owa ds a sui able
loca ion in he sky, wha e e ha migh be. This lis could go on.
Anyway, a e he e en , wi h he ime p essu e o , I wen back o adding mo e s a s in
Sg o my se o alignmen s a s, epea edly elling he sys em o slew o he known
coo dina es o he a ge s a . S angely, i kep going o almos he same loca ion i had
used be o e; I ecognized ha ield by now. Migh I ha e acciden ally cap u ed he e en ,
despi e he chaos o he las ew minu es be o e he d eaded 8:33 pm?
When I compa ed he cha I d ew om The Sky X ( o a ed by p) wi h an image I had
cap u ed o wha migh be he a ge s a ’s ield, a e some compa ison I could see ha
he wo ields eally did coincide! (See nex page.) Thus he e was a good chance ha he
SER mo ie eally did cap u e he occul a ion!
One o he puzzles ha had h own me in ying o iden i y he a ge s a by compa ing
my cha (hand-d awn om The Sky X) o my came a images is e iden on he nex page.
The Sky X shows a mode a ely b igh s a o magni ude 12.2, labelled GSC 6859:772,
jus below he a ge s a . My cap u ed image shows no such s a . The Gaia da abase in
Aladin .12 shows a s a a his loca ion, Gaia EDR3 4078656701299780480, bu i is
much ain e , wi h a g-mag o only 15.4. Pe haps his is a long- e m a iable, o jus a
misiden i ied as e oid? In any case his appa en mis ake in he cha ( ollowing page, op)
is one eason I was unsu e abou whe he we had ac ually ound he co ec a ge s a ,
TYC 6859-00173-1.
53

S a gazey E en s o Thu 02 Oc 2025 (con .)
Showing ha he a ge s a cha ( op) and my elescope image (bo om) do coincide!
a ge s a
TYC 6859-00173-1
Cha : The Sky X ( o by p)
spu ious “s a ” in he cha ?
S a gazey E en s o Thu 02 Oc 2025 (con .)
Once i appea ed likely ha we eally HAD cap u ed he a ge s a in ou o iginal SER
mo ie o 8:33-35 pm, which had become e iden abou 10 pm, I el b a e enough o
sugges o Rob ha we ac ually wa ch he mo ie. No mally I p e e o ake he images
home and ca e ully iden i y each impo an ield; jumping o he ele an SER mo ie ile
immedia ely a TAO seemed like emp ing a e. Howe e Rob was all o i , and since I
had sugges ed i , we p e y much had no choice, i I was o a oid looking like a chicken.
So, I loaded he 1000-exposu e SER mo ie in o he SER playe and hi s a . The i s
(gps- imed) exposu e s a ed a 08:33:01.315 pm Eas e n, and he ames ad anced in
200ms s eps. The a ge s a was su p isingly b igh . When we eached abou 08:33:36 pm
THE STAR WENT OUT. I s ayed ou un il abou 08:33:39 pm. WE HAD CAPTURED
THE OCCULTATION! I le ou a numbe o undigni ied “yes!” noises, so much so ha
A yelled o e o ask i I was ok. Yes, Yes and Yes! We had cap u ed he occul a ion by
1298 Noc u na a e all!
A home on 3 Oc I used Pymo ie and PyOTE o analyze he e en in de ail. Wi h 1s
e o ba s, he PyOTE squa e well i has iden i ied Disappea ance and Reappea ance
imes (Eas e n) o D = 08:33:36.484(8) pm and R = 08:33:39.063(8) pm, gi ing a du a ion
o 2.58(1) secs. These obse a ions a e consis en wi h p edic ions, bu ha e much smalle
e o s, o abou a hund ed h o a second. The i ci es a magni ude d op o 5.2 +/- 0.7,
also consis en wi h expec a ions. A plo o my i ed occul a ion da a is shown below.
He e he uppe (pu ple) poin s a e
om a compa ison s a , he middle
(da k blue) poin s ha show he
occul a ion a e om he a ge s a ,
and he pale blue poin s a bo om
a e om an emp y “no s a ” ape u e
o he same size, as an indica ion o
he backg ound coun le el.
Wha is especially in e es ing is ha
Richa d Pie y also cap u ed his
e en a his home obse a o y RPO
in Powell, which is a conside able
dis ance om TAO. This will allow
some in e es ing u u e compa isons.
55
S a gazey E en s o Thu 02 Oc 2025 (con .)
The basic in o ma ion ex ac ed in a simple occul a ion a e he a ge s a ’s disappea ance
ime D, eappea ance ime R, and he du a ion o he e en , which is he di e ence R-D.
In Richa d’s case he alues de e mined by pymo ie and pyo e a 1s signi icance a e as
ollows:
D = UT 00:33:39.3537(39)
R = UT 00:33:42.0200(39)
Du = R-D = 2.6663(54) secs.
In compa ison a TAO I had
D = UT 00:33:36.4835(85)
R = UT 00:33:39.0633(85)
Du = R-D = 2.5798(121) secs.
The di e ence in du a ions,
DDu = 0.087(13) secs
is s a is ically signi ican , and is an obse a ion ha he shadow o he as e oid, and hence
he du a ion o he occul a ion, is longe nea he shadow midline. TAO was 8.5 km om
he cen e line, whe eas Richa d’s RPO was 6.1 km om he cen e line. Gi en an
es ima ed diame e o 40 km, and a p edic ed max du o 2.5 secs, i we assume a ci cula
shadow, he du a ion a RPO should be longe han he du a ion a TAO by 0.12 secs,
compa able o wha was obse ed. This is a i s s ep owa ds measu ing an as e oid’s
p o ile. Simila ly, he disappea ance a RPO was p edic ed o be abou 3 secs la e han a
TAO, and he ac ual di e ence was DD = 2.87(9) secs. F om he known shadow eloci y
we can in e ha Richa d’s si e RPO is oughly 43 km om TAO. An ac ual compa ison
o hese dis ances will be ollowed up in he nex issue.
56
Public S a gaze o 04 Oc 2025 - Ted Ba nes
The iew o he Wes , 7:47 pm Eas e n, 02 Oc 2025.
Sunse 7:18 pm
Ci dusk 7:44 pm
As dusk 8:43 pm
Moon ise 5:58 pm
Moonse * 5:46 am
* 05 Oc
Sa 04 Oc 2025
Moon illum. 91%
Waxing Gibbous Moon.
Nea ly Full Moon du ing his e en .
Al hough he wea he p edic ions sugges ed ha
he skies o his Sa nigh would no be he bes ,
and Sun migh be somewha be e , Da id decided
o p oceed as usual, and u ged he usual as o-
nomy ypes o a i e by 8:00 pm. I ac ually
a i ed somewha ea lie , abou 7:30 pm, wi hou
equipmen (I was s ill eco e ing om he 02 Oc
occul a ion), bu wi h Meade box in ow o help
wi h isi o s. Ini ially I only encoun e ed Rob, bu
soon Da id appea ed, as did Noah’s s uden Paige
and iend Aa on. as
and iend Aa on. A and Don also appea ed, wi h Jane Spong, as did Bob Edwa ds and
Robe Co liss, so we had an ample supply o as onome s as well as in e es ing
cha ac e s. G adually he numbe o isi o s inc eased, un il we had some hing like
en.hea ing hei s o ies
Ti an and shadow ansi ing Sa u n - John Cli
Despi e ques ionable wea he p edic ions, Noah F e e and John Cli decided o se up o plane a y imaging
o Ti an's eclipse o Sa u n a John's home on Sep embe 19, as i was he las chance o ca ch such an
alignmen un il he yea 2040. The pai we e ewa ded o hei pe sis ence as he clouds s a ed o clea a
a ound 02:45 on he 20 h. Despi e ma ginal anspa ency, Cli was able o cap u e he las pa o he
eclipse using he echnique o lucky imaging. Ou o abou 15,000 25ms ames acqui ed o each
b oadband il e ( ed, g een, and blue), he bes 15% we e chosen, s acked, de o a ed, and sha pened using
eely a ailable so wa e. Ti an is isible below and le o i s shadow on Sa u n's ou e mos cloud bands in
he p ocessed image. The echnique o lucky imaging o plane a y and luna as opho og aphy will be
co e ed in a u u e ORION semina .

Veil Nebulae - Don Spong
This mon h I’ e wo ked on imaging he Veil Nebulae in he cons ella ion Cygnus. Cygnus is
in a good posi ion di ec ly o e head om Augus h ough ea ly Oc obe . I had imaged hese
nebulas ea lie , bu wan ed o e isi hem wi h my new came a. The ollowing wo images
a e pa s o a la ge loop s uc u e in Cygnus and ideally, i ime we e a ailable, i would be
nice o assemble mosaics ha would pu all o hese pa s in o one in eg a ed image.
Howe e , I ha en’ had ime o do ha .
These nebulae we e c ea ed by he explosion o a s a abou 20 imes mo e massi e han ou
sun, 10,000 o 20,000 yea s ago. The image below is he Wes e n Veil Nebula, and he
ollowing is he Eas e n Veil Nebula. These we e aken on Sep embe 20 and 29 using my
Celes on Edge HD, ZWO AM5 moun , Hype s a a achmen , ZWO 2600 MCP o came a,
Williams Op ics guide scope, ZWO 220MM guide came a, An lia iband il e , all con olled
by my ZWO ASIAIR. A ound six y 60-second images we e s acked o o m hese images.
The Wes e n Veil Nebula
Veil Nebulae (con .)
The Eas e n Veil Nebula
67
Appendices
As onume ology - b
Some numbe s a e quo ed o se e al-digi accu acy whe e app op ia e.
Exac nume ical ela ionships a e indica ed as such.
1 ly = 1 ly (Julian) = exac ly 9 460 730 472 580. 8 km = 63 241. 077 084 … AU
c = speed o ligh = exac ly 299 792 458 m/s = exac ly  1 ly/y .
1 AU = exac ly 149 597 870. 7 km
1 pa sec (pc) = 3. 261 598 … ligh yea s (ly)
1 y (Julian) = exac ly 365.25 d = exac ly 31 557 600 s
1 d = exac ly 86 400 s
dis ance o a Cen A = 1.346(2) pc = 4.390(8) ly
dis ance o he cen e o he galaxy ~ 8 kpc ~ 25 kly (conside able unce ain y)
1 nm = 1 nanome e = 10-9 m exac ly
Ha wa eleng h = 656.2 nm
+ 0.5 change in magni ude = exac ly 101/5 x ain e = 1. 584 893 … x ain e
+ 1 change in magni ude = exac ly 102/5 x ain e = 2. 511 886 … x ain e
+ 2 change in magni ude = exac ly 104/5 x ain e = 6. 309 … x ain e
+ 2.5 change in mag = exac ly 101 x ain e = 10 x ain e
+ 3 change in mag = exac ly 106/5 x ain e = 15. 848 … x ain e
+ 4 change in mag = exac ly 108/5 x ain e = 39. 810 … x ain e
+ 5 change in mag = exac ly 102 x ain e = 100 x ain e
+ 6 change in mag = exac ly 1012/5x ain e = 251. 188 … x ain e
+ 7.5 change in mag = exac ly 103 x ain e = 1000 x ain e
+ 8 change in mag = exac ly 1016/5 x ain e = 1584. 893 … x ain e
+ 10 change in mag = exac ly 104 x ain e = 10 000 x ain e
+ 20 change in mag = exac ly 108 x ain e = 100 000 000 x ain e
B igh ness is p opo ional o 1 / dis ance2
10 x mo e dis an = exac ly 102 x ain e = + 5 change in magni ude
102 x mo e dis an = exac ly 104 x ain e = + 10 change in mag
103 x mo e dis an = exac ly 106 x ain e = + 15 change in mag
Absolu e magni ude Mabs is he b igh ness as seen om a dis ance o 10 pc.
Mabs (ou sun) = 4.83
17 h mag is abou 1 op ical pho on / cm2 s ( Ba nes’s ule  ). 68
As onume ology (con .)
Some numbe s a e quo ed o se e al-digi accu acy whe e app op ia e.
Exac nume ical ela ionships a e indica ed as such.
R.A. = RA = Righ Ascension = he angle a ound he celes ial pola axis,
usually quo ed in hou s, minu es, and seconds (h m s); analogous o longi ude.
Dec = Declina ion = he angle q abo e he celes ial equa o ,
usually quo ed in deg ees, minu es, and seconds ( ° ' " ); analogous o la i ude.
The RA ( ) and Dec (q) angles, oge he wi h a e e ence epoch such as J2000.0, speci y
an objec ’s di ec ion in he sky.
A uni leng h ec o (“uni ec o ”) h poin ing owa ds an objec in he sky (“on he
celes ial sphe e”) in e ms o RA ( ) and Dec (q) angles is gi en by
h = cos(q) cos( ) x + cos(q) sin( ) y + sin(q) z = C (c x + s y) + S z
The a c angle Q12 be ween any wo di ec ions in he sky h1 and h2 (o any wo s a s)
using he do p oduc o mula and some ob ious abb e ia ions, sa is ies
cos(Q12) = sin(q1)sin(q2) + cos(q1)cos(q2)cos( 1- 2) = S1S2 + C1C2c1-2
1 deg ee = p/180 adians = 1.745 10-2 adians
1 a cmin = p/10800 adians = 2.909 10-4 adians
1 a csec = 1 asec = p/648000 adians = 4.848 10-6 adians
1 mas = 10-3 asec = 4.848 10-9 adians
1 asec @ 1 km = 4.848 mm
1 asec @ 1 AU = 725.3 km
1 asec @ 1 pc = 1.0000 AU
1 mas @ 1 kpc = 1.0000 AU
Image scale [asec/px] = 206.3 * pixel size[mm] / ocal leng h [mm]
JD = Julian Da e (As onome ’s calenda ) = a simple coun o days s a ing a noon UT
on Monday 1 Jan 4713 BC. Tha da e and ime was he s a o Julian Day 0. The cu en
JD can be in e ed om he alue on he co e o he T apezium. 69

1 Si ius
02 Canopus
03 alpha Cen au i A
04 A c u us
05 Vega
06 Capella
07 Rigel
08 P ocyon
09 A chena
10 Be elgeuse
11 be a Cen au i
12 Al ai
13 alpha C ucis
14 Aldeba an
15 An a es
16 Spica
17 Pollux
18 Fomalhau
19 Deneb
20 Mimosa
21 Regulus
22 Adha a
23 Cas o
24 Shaula
25 Gac ux
26 Bella ix
27 Elna h
28 Miaplacidus
29 Alnilam
30 Rego
31 Alnai
32 Alni ak
33 Alio h
34 Dubhe
35 Mi ak
36 Wezen
37 Sa gas
38 Kaus Aus alis
39 A io
40 Alkaid
8.709 0.0054
309. 16.
4.395 0.0083
36.72 0.22
25.04 0.069
42.81 0.26
863. 78.
11.46 0.051
139.4 3.4
498. 63.
392. 24.
16.73 0.049
322. 16.
66.64 1.05
554. 94.
250. 13.
33.78 0.09
25.13 0.09
1410 200
279. 23.
79.30 0.67
405. 7.0
50.68 0.032
571.2 7.5
88.56 0.43
252.4 10.2
133.9 1.9
113.2 0.43
1980 540
1120 110
101.0 0.66
736. 106.
82.55 0.42
122.9 2.2
506. 13.
1610 300
300. 41.
143.3 1.5
605. 47.
103.9 0.79
41 Menkalinan
42 A ia
43 Alhena
44 Peacock
45 Alsephina
46 Mi zam
47 Pola is
48 Alpha d
49 Hamal
50 Diphda
51 Miza
52 Nunki
53 Menken
54 Alphe a z
55 Mi ach
56 Rasalhague
57 Algieba
58 Kochab
59 Saiph
60 Denebola
61 Algol
62 Tiaki
63 Muhli ain
64 Aspidiske
65 Suhail
66 Alphecca
67 Min aka
68 Sad
69 El anin
70 Scheda
71 Naos
72 Almach
73 Caph
74 Iza
75 alpha Lupi
76 epsilon Cen au i
77 Dschubba
78 La awag
79 e a Cen au i
80 Me ak
81.1 0.46
390.6 7.0
109.3 8.2
178.8 5.1
80.6 0.78
492.7 16.4
432.6 6.3
180.3 1.8
65.8 0.33
96.3 0.46
81.1 0.93
227.8 4.6
58.8 0.21
97.0 1.01
197.4 6.7
48.6 0.77
130.1 2.7
130.9 0.63
974. 37.
35.9 0.21
89.9 3.47
177.0 4.0
130.2 1.5
765.6 18.0
544.5 10.0
77.2 1.79
692.5 85.
1830 270
154.3 0.7
231.5 8.2
1080 40
393.0 49.
54.7 0.35
235.9 8.4
464.6 11.
427.5 27.
491.2 66.
63.7 0.27
305.7 6.0
84.5 2.5
The 80 b igh es s a s (c/o Wikipedia), and hei dis ances om Ea h in ligh
yea s, wi h e o s ( om Gaia da a, o Simbad i needed as an al e na i e).
The 80 B igh es S a s
71
Scheda Caph 5 -0.085 1.7
Be elgeuse Alni ak 10 0.017 0.17
Capella Cas o 30 -0.023 0.077
P ocyon Mi zam 30 -0.094 0.31
Elna h Alnilam 30 -0.096 0.32
Alphe a z Caph 30 0.060 0.20
Aldeba an Pollux 45 0.013 0.029
Be elgeuse Algol 50 -0.033 0.066
Alni ak Naos 50 -0.049 0.098
Pollux Alio h 60 0.065 0.11
Gac ux Alpha d 60 -0.001 0.002
Regulus Bella ix 70 -0.030 0.043
Si ius Mi ak 80 -0.094 0.12
alpha_Cen au i Regulus 90 0.057 0.063
Vega Denebola 90 -0.065 0.072
Fomalhau Caph 90 0.006 0.007
Deneb Alnilam 120 0.059 0.049
Menken Min aka 120 0.000 0.000
Si ius Alphecca 135 -0.089 0.066
Aldeba an An a es 170 -0.021 0.012
No able s a pai s ( om he se o he 80 b igh es s a s lis ed abo e)
ha a e close o a mul iple o 5o sepa a ion. The angles a e in deg ees.
No able S a -Pai Angles
Q Dq de ec (%)
72
Exeun
Poe ica
Con ibu ed by he Edi o .
Wha he B i ish had o say abou hei geog aphy du ing he Da k Ages:
The Land o B i ain
The island o B i ain lies i ually a he end o he wo ld, owa ds he wes and
no h-wes . Poised in he di ine scales ha (we a e old) weigh he whole Ea h, i
s e ches om he sou h-wes owa ds he no he n pole. I has a leng h o eigh
hund ed miles, a wid h o wo hund ed: lea ing ou o accoun he a ious la ge
headlands ha ju ou be ween he cu ing ocean bays. I is o i ied on all sides by
a as and mo e o less unc ossable ing o sea, apa om he s ai s on he sou h
whe e one can c oss o Belgic Gaul; bu i has he bene i o es ua ies o a numbe
o s eams, and especially wo splendid i e s, he Thames and he Se e n, a ms o
he sea along which luxu ies om o e seas used o be b ough by ship. I is
o namen ed wi h wen y-eigh ci ies and a numbe o cas les, and well equipped
wi h o i ica ions - walls, cas ella ed owe s, ga es and houses, whose s u dily buil
oo s ea ed menacingly skywa d. Like a chosen b ide a ayed in a a ie y o
jewelle y, he island is deco a ed wi h wide plains and ag eeably se hills, excellen
o igo ous ag icul u e, and moun ains especially sui ed o a ying he pas u e o
animals. Flowe s o a ying hues unde oo make hem a deligh ul pic u e. To
wa e i , he island has clea oun ains, whose cons an low d i es be o e i
pebbles whi e as snow, and b illian i e s ha glide wi h gen le mu mu ,
gua an eeing swee sleep o hose who lie on hei banks, and lakes lowing o e
wi h a cold ush o li ing wa e .
Gildas, “De Excidio B i onum”
ca. 540 A.D.