by K.E. Chilton, Hamilton Centre

For several years, the author has corresponded with Prof. J.M.L. da Silva of the State College of Parana, Curitiba, Brazil, about the variable star RX Lepporis. We agreed that certain of our visual observations were in doubt because of certain irregularities in the published magnitude sequence for stars on the comparison chart, AAVSO chart 050001 W Ori.

The date of this document is unknown.

THE OLDEST AMERICAN OBSERVATORY?

By
K.E. Chilton

In 1971, the planet Mars will attract considerable attention, from laymen and from astronomers. For, this is the year in which Mars reaches its minimum distance from the Earth, some 35 million miles on August 10. No doubt, the press will publish a full quota of stories about canals, life on Mars, and whether or not the two moons of Mars are, in fact, satellites put into orbit by a long vanished race. There will invariably be the usual rash of flying saucer tales as is customary in years of close approach.

Most text-books on Astronomy state that the sun is a middle-sized star. This may be true when one compares it to the relative sizes of super-giants and white dwarfs. But how does the sun compare with the majority of stars? To answer this, I decided to calculate the stellar luminosity function as well as I could, using only the limited facilities at my disposal, that is, a slide rule and the Observers' Handbook.

On the night of July 9,1972, I fell asleep in my tent under the starry skies of Les Méchins, Québec. Great expectations filled my soul, as,tomorrow, the shadow of the Moon would sweep down on me, creating a total solar eclipse. My plan was to provide television coverage, by means of video-tape, for the many people back home in Hamilton. Assured by my Technical Director, Al Bauld, that the equipment was in perfect order, slumber came easily.

The date of this document is unknown.

Observations of Asteroids

by K.E. Chilton

The observation of asteroids can be a very enjoyable and challenging occupation for an amateur astronomer. To find and follow these tiny bodies as they gracefully move across the background of stars is no mean achievement.

Published in the October 1970 National Newsletter. [PDF]

The Moon that Never Was (Maybe?)

After reading about the “Planet That Never Was” in the last issue of the NEWSLETTER, I thought that our readers might be interested in a satellite which was photographed 13 times near the turn of the century but has never been seen since. This was Themis, a supposed tenth moon of Saturn.

The Fixed (?) Stars

At a recent astronomical seminar, I was reminded by a speaker that our term, the “fixed stars” is not really correct. Stars do move across the sky, their motion being a combination of two measurable quantities, "radial velocity”, or motion in the line of sight, and "proper motion", motion across the line of sight. These motions are extremely slow, although they can be measured with accurate astronomical instruments. To the unaided eye, however, the stars appear to be stationary, unless studied over a lengthy period of time.

A science fiction story written by Ken Chilton, date unknown.