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monthly notes of the astronomical society of southern africaeditorial boardmnassaproductioneditorial addresssubscriptionsadvertising ratescontributionsrecognitionMr Case Rijsdijk (Editor, MNASSA)Mr Auke Slotegraaf (Editor, Sky Guide Africa South)Mr Chrisan Helage (Webmaster)Prof MW Feast (Board Member, Univ. of Cape Town)Prof B Warner (Board Member, Univ. of Cape Town)Mr Case Rijsdijk (Editor, MNASSA)Dr Ian Glass (Assistant Editor)Mr Maciej Soltynski (Book Review Editor)Mr Willie Koorts (Layout Editor).MNASSA, PO Box 9, Observatory, 7935, South Africae-mail: mnassa@saao.ac.zawebpage: hp://mnassa.saao.ac.zaMNASSA Download Page: www.mnassa.org.zaFrom January 2011 MNASSA is available free of charge onthe Internet. Paid subscripons will no longer be available(see MNASSA, August 2010, p.113).Adversements may be placed in MNASSA at the followingrates per inseron: full page R400; half page R200; quarterpage R100; classified R2.00 per word. Enquiries andcopy should be sent to the editor at mnassa@saao.ac.za.MNASSA mainly serves the Southern African astronomicalcommunity, professional and amateur. Arcles and papersmay be submied by members of this community and bythose with strong Southern African connecons, or else thepapers should deal with maers of direct interest to thiscommunity. Due dates for contribuons are:Vol 72 Nos 3 & 4 (Apr 2012 issue), 01 Mar 2013Vol 72 Nos 5 & 6 (Jun 2013 issue), 01 May 2013Arcles in MNASSA appear in the NASA/ADS data system.Cover: Thackeray’s GlobulesThe red background glow is hydrogen gas which silhouees dark clouds of gas knownas ‘Thackeray’s Globules’. They were discovered by the South African astronomer ADThackeray in 1950 while director of the Radcliffe Observatory, Pretoria. This recentHubble image clearly shows two dense dust clouds overlapping, each more than onelight year across. Young hot stars are radiang intense UV light and it is likely that nofurther stars will be born here as this radiaon will prevent the clouds from collapsing toform any further new stars.

mnassaDear EditorIn a recent issue of MNAS-SA (Koorts 2012), WillieKoorts described the ESOsite tesng in South Africaand discussed two issues:The decision of ESO not tobuild in South Africa andthe astronomical seeing onthe high veld.In deciding where to locatean observatory, especiallyan internaonal one, a considerablenumber of factorsneed to be considered inaddion to the astronomicalquality of a site. Theseinclude: the quality of localindustry, infrastructureand technical skills; easeof access for observers (inthis case from Europe); thepresence of an establishedastronomical community;the polical stability andinternaonal acceptabilityof the host country; andcost. No doubt all theseMonthly Notes of the Astronomical Society of Southern AfricaVol 72 Nos 1 & 2 February 2013Letter to the editorfactors were weighed upby the ESO Council.In this connecon it isperhaps worth repeangsomething which I haverecorded elsewhere (Feast2002). In March 1963, Iwas told by Berl Lindblad,a key Swedish member ofESO (see e.g. fig 2 of Koorts2012) that it would be difficultif not impossible to getapproval for Sweden to beinvolved in building a majorobservatory in South Africaunder the prevailing apartheidpolical dispensaon.As Willie Koorts points out,the decision not to cometo South Africa was takenby ESO on 15 November1963. It thus seems ratherunlikely that ESO wouldhave built in South Africawhatever the results of theseeing survey has been.As regards a marked deterioraonof the seeingin the second half of thenight, this was apparentlya significant problem atthe Boyden Observatory(Bloemfontein) as notedby Bok who had experiencethere (see Koorts2012). In my experiencethis was not such a severeproblem at the RadcliffeObservatory, Pretoria.Presumably this can be, atleast partly, aributed tothe height of the observatoryabove the surroundingcountry which generallyplaced it well abovethe, frequently present,inversion layer.Yours SincerelyMichael FeastReferences:Feast M. W. 2002, in, Organizaonsand Strategiesin Astronomy III, Kluwer,Dordrecht, p.153Koorts W. 2012 MNASSA71, 248mnassa vol 72 nos 1 & 21february 2013

news notesLCOGTNewsIn his June 2012 survey oftelescopes at Sutherland(see MNASSA Vol. 71, Nos5 & 6, June 2012, p125),Willie Koorts menonedthree new domes belongingto the Las CumbresObservatory Global TelescopeNetwork (LCOGT)project. They just got onestep closer to reachingtheir goal with the three1-m telescopes achievingfirst light, paving the wayfor science operaons tostart soon.The Las Cumbres ObservatoryGlobal Telescope Network(LCOGT) is a privatelyowned non-profit observatorycommied to me domainastronomy (studies ofastronomical phenomenachanging with me) andpublic awareness of science.It was founded byWayne Rosing, a leadingengineer in the computerbusiness.The observatory is commiedto building telescopesall over the worldto enable uninterruptedobservaons of manytypes of object, includingthat of extra solarplanets, supernovae andthe opcal monitoringof other me-variablesources. The data will bestored and made availableon-line to all thoseinterested.2Across the globe, the LasCumbres Observatory hasseven sites with almost40 telescopes whoseapertures range from 0.4metres to 2 metres. Theyare equipped with imagingand spectroscopic instruments.All the telescopeswork remotely and robocally.The Observatoryheadquarters are locatedin Santa Barbara in theUnited States of America.At the South African AstronomicalObservatory inSutherland three 1-metretelescope buildings havebeen erected thus far. Thethree telescopes, first builtand tested at the company’sSanta Barbara headquarters,were delivered tothe SAAO in Sutherland onMonday, 18 February 2013.Their bases were installedearly the next morningaer which the telescopesstructures were assembled,the mirrors installed andmnassa vol 72 nos 1 & 2

saao newsThe 5-axis CNC milling machine.The cung tool comesdown from the grey turret atthe top while the part (a copperpiece in this photo) getsclamped to an assembly thatcan translate in X and Y androtate about two axes.tool, spinning part) andmills (fixed part, spinningtool), the CNC versions arehugely more versale andefficient due to computershandling the core businessof “removing excess material”.The steps that followuploading a 3D Computer-AidedDesign (CAD)file to a CNC machine arenon-trivial, parcularly asone has to simulate theenre tool-path to ensurethat no collisions could occurduring the machiningprocess. However, oncethat has been done – anynumber of such parts canbe produced withoutfurther investment, otherthan the operator havingto physically set up eachnew block of material. Thismakes CNC machines idealfor mass-producon environments,which, admittedly– the SAAO generallyis not. The sorts of partswe need tend to be complexand are oen unique.Even so, the remarkable“agility” of CNC machinescalls for fewer setups fora given part and allowsmore ambious designsto be manufactured. Furthermore,onboard metrologygear allows in situmeasurements to be madeduring machining. Thiseliminates wasted effort interms of removing the partto measure it with otherdevices and then havingto meculously set it upagain before being able toconnue.The ulity of the Workshop’soriginal two CNCmachines prompted theselecons made possibleby this latest funding5tranche. Top of the listwas a 5-axis CNC mill (sincethe addional axis vastlyincreases the machine’scapabilies), followedby a substanally largerCNC lathe. The other twomachines were chosen toprovide an enrely newcapability, namely ElectricalDischarge Machining(EDM). The EDM machinesare also of the CNCvariety, but rather than relyingon mechanical meansto shape parts, the SparkEroder and Wire Cuer doso using electrical energy.Both also have four axesand thus are extremelydexterous.Electrical Discharge MachiningprinciplesIn the EDM game, the tooland the work-piece act asfebruary 2013

electrodes and the two areimmersed in a bath of dielectricfluid which providesinsulaon. A large voltageis applied to the systemand the two electrodesare brought close to oneanother. At a given thresholdseparaon, the electricfield strength overwhelmsthe dielectric, causing electricalbreakdown withinthe fluid and this allows aspark to jump across thegap. The spark erodesboth the electrodes and soby using an appropriatelyshaped tool electrode,one can electrically “carveout” the desired shape inthe work-piece electrode.This process is also knownsaao newsas die-sinking. In the caseof the Wire Cuer, ~250micron thick wire is con-nuously spooled from alarge reel to serve as thetool electrode, rather thanthe shaped piece of copperthat is typically employedin the Spark Eroder. Inthe laer case, it may benecessary to replace orreshape the tool electrodeas it gets worn down, toensure that it connues tospark out the appropriateshape.EDM is a slow, repeveprocess as the gap betweenthe electrodes hasto be opened again aereach spark. This refreshesthe dielectric and flushesaway the fine parclesliberated by the spark.Increasing the current canspeed up the removal ofmaterial, but this producesa rougher finish. Also,one’s material selecon isof course limited to substancesthat can conductelectricity. The advantagesto this approach aresignificant though as theprocess allows for muchmore complex shapes tobe machined – includingsharp (e.g. 90°) cornersand deep pockets that convenonalcung tools cannotproduce. EDM is alsosafe to use on extremelydelicate parts such as(le) The CNC Spark Eroder. The blue turretholds the tool electrode and moves it upand down (in the Z-direcon). The blue doorseals the work volume that gets filled withdielectric fluid and the part gets clamped to6a plaorm that can move in the X and Ydirecons. The electrode can also be angledto allow side-sparking and the 4thaxis is provided by the ability to rotatethe tool electrode.(right) A variety of intricate copper parts (belongingto the detector system for one of theMeerKAT antennas) that were manufacturedin the Workshop.mnassa vol 72 nos 1 & 2

saao newsthin (sub-mm) flexures asthere is no physical contactbetween the tool and thepart. It works equally wellon hardened materialsthat would require specialheat treatment processesto allow convenonal machiningand then to relievethe mechanical stressesthat this introduces.External workUnl recently, the MechanicalWorkshop onlyserviced the needs of theObservatory – for projectsrelated to the small telescopesand to SALT. Theintroducon of this highlycomplementary set ofmachines will allow theproducon of extremelyspecialised parts, evenin large numbers. Thisprovides an excing opportunityfor the SAAO toparcipate in a broaderrange of scienfic endeavours,both in astronomyand beyond. The comple-on of a number of technicallychallenging contractsfor iThemba Labs over thepast few months offereda steep learning curve forCraig Sass and his teamand has resulted in a greatsymbiosis between twoThe Integraon Room side of the opcs lab during the removal ofthe old floor (le). This room now includes a new 1.6 ton overheadcrane with an electric hoist, an environmental chamber fortemperature-tesng equipment and a large removable hatch inthe wall shared with the Workshop to allow large instruments tobe moved in and out.Naonal Facilies. Interesngwork has also beendone to produce partsfor the MeerKAT detectorassemblies. This successbodes well for the SAAO’sfuture involvement inSouth Africa’s contribuonto the Square KilometreArray (SKA).Opcs Lab UpgradeAlthough this may seemlike a strange deviaonfrom the SAAO Workshop’stradional focus, taking onthese sorts of jobs is anexcellent way to honethe many skills requiredto use these machines totheir full potenal. This ofcourse will be crucial if theObservatory is to grow itscapacity to develop moreambious astronomicalinstrumentaon. In supportof this vision, the oldOpcs Lab next door tothe Mechanical Workshopwas also given a thoroughoverhaul. Ian Glass kindlyguided us through thedaunng process of sortingthrough every itemthat had made its way intothe lab over the past fewdecades. Having clearedout and then removedall of the less-than-idealwooden storage spaces,a 1.6 ton overhead cranewith an electric hoist was7february 2013

installed in the IntegraonRoom secon. Fresh paintwas applied throughoutand then the old, damagedfloor les were removedand replaced with a durable,easy-to-clean epoxyfloor. The required grindingof the surface beneaththe old les generated epicamounts of incredibly finedust that perfectly coatedevery conceivable surfacewithin the lab. This subsequentlyprovided manyhours of “team-building”for future lab users whospent a day washing andcleaning. Everything. Atthat point, the new furnitureand equipment couldat last be unpacked andinstalled in the completelytransformed space.saao newsProjects lined upThe new lab has beenused for various smallprojects already, but welook forward to the year’smain challenge, namelyaligning and integrangreplacement opcs for thecollimator of SALT’s RobertStobie Spectrograph(RSS). The RSS opcs havecaused their fair share ofmisery in the past andthis me we are determinedto deal with theissues ourselves, ratherthan sending the lensesback to California for furtherrepairs. This affordsthe Observatory a greatopportunity to developcapacity for handling largeopcal elements madeof challenging materialslike calcium fluoride andsodium chloride in our lab.Furthermore, all of the replacementopto-mechanicswill be manufactured inthe Mechanical Workshopusing the CNC machinesdescribed above.In the meanme, SALT’snew High ResoluonSpectrograph (HRS) is dueto be delivered around themiddle of the year and sothe Workshop is churningout parts for the Fibre InstrumentFeed (FIF). TheFIF, to be housed withinthe SALT payload, will providethe interface betweenthe focal plane and theopcal fibres that will feedthe instrument (which willbe situated in the spectrometerroom below thetelescope).Second in priority to theWorkshop’s current FIF8work is the manufacturingof parts for a majorupgrade to the SAAO1.9-m telescope’s CassegrainSpectrograph. Thisancient workhorse instrumentwill receive newcamera opcs, a new detectorand cryostat, variousnew mechanisms andthe soware will undergoa substanal overhaul toimprove the efficiency ofobserving and data reduc-on. The upgraded labfacilies will be essenalfor the alignment andintegraon of the opcsand the new hardwarebefore the instrument canbe returned to Sutherlandfor full on-sky commissioning.Other than the need formore staff to take fulladvantage of the newequipment, the SAAO’sInstrumentaon Divisionis superbly placed totackle excing challengesand grow from the experiences.We very much lookforward to working withthe SAAO’s new Director,Prof Ted Williams (a selfconfessedinstrumenta-on junkie!) to realize thispotenal.mnassa vol 72 nos 1 & 2

JohannesburgMoonwatchRecalledP E SpargoDepartment of Physics,University of Cape Town,Rondebosch 7701,South Africapeter@spargo.wcape.school.zaSouth Africa played avery important role at thedawn of the space-agebecause of its strategicposion on the globe,being the first land massover which satelliteslaunched from the US,would pass. It is thus logicalthat America investedin tracking staons here.One such method wascalled Moonwatch wherean “opcal fence” was setup, detecng the satelliteas it passed through it.However, this required alot of manpower, whichwas supplied by keen volunteerswho wanted to bepart of the space age. ProfPeter Spargo, then a WITSstudent, was the youngestmember of the JohannesburgMoonwatch andshares his memories ofthis experience here.satellite trackingThe Internaonal GeophysicalYear (IGY) – actuallyan eighteen-monthperiod, running from 1July 1957 to 31 September1958 – was a mostremarkable undertaking,involving thousands of scienstsfrom 67 countries(although, most notably,China did not parcipate inprotest at the inclusion ofTaiwan). Its purpose wasto undertake collaboraveresearch into eleven ofthe most important earthsciences: the aurora, cosmicrays, geomagnesm,gravity, ionospheric physics,the determinaon oflatude and longitude,meteorology, oceanography,seismology and solaracvity.9Source: Dirk J Vermeulen, 2006,Living Amongst the Stars at theJohannesburg ObservatoryArficial Earth SatellitesAmong the numerous researchacvies arising fromthe IGY unquesonably theone that most caught thepublic imaginaon was thatof the launching of arficialEarth satellites. The ideaitself was not new, havingbeen first proposed byNewton in his A Treaseof the System of the World,(1728), and kept alive aerthat by a number of writerssuch as Jules Verne,the great Russian rocketpioneer Konstann Tsiolkovskyand, most notably, theextraordinarily original andimaginave Brish scienceficon writer Arthur C Clarke,who predicted the role andimportance of satellites inglobal communicaon.february 2013

The Space RaceIn the United States discussionsrelang to Earthsatellites had gone on fromthe 1940’s involving boththe US Navy and Air Force– including a 1946 designfor “An ExperimentalWorld-Circling Spaceship”!Finally, on 29 July 1955 theWhite House announcedthe intenon of the UnitedStates to launch one ormore satellites by early1958 under the operaonaltle of Project Vanguard.Two days later the SovietUnion announced that itplanned to launch a satelliteby late 1957. Althoughthe Russian claim shouldhave served as a warningto the United States, itappears that few in the UStook seriously the Russianclaim of an intended firstjohannesburg moonwatch recalledlaunch – or even seemedaware of it – as the beliefon the part of the Americansof their scienfic andtechnical superiority wasoverwhelming.Tracking SatellitesIf Earth satellites were toserve any useful scienficpurpose, such as measuringthe density of theupper atmosphere or thestrength of the Earth’sgravitaonal field, it wasobvious that they neededto be tracked with careand their orbital elementsdetermined with as muchprecision as possible. Inorder to do this, threemethods were planned.First, using the 108 MHzradio signals which the USsatellites were planned toemit, and which would bereceived by a worldwide10network of ‘Minitrack’radio staons 1 . Secondlyusing complex, high-quality,professionally-managedSchmidt telescopes,widely known as “Baker-Nunn” cameras, 2 (see alsoMNASSA Vol 71 Nos 5 &6 June 2012). Or thirdly,using teams of amateurobservers equipped withspecial, relavely simpletelescopes. The laerEarly Baker-Nunn camera.Peter Smits1The Minitrack system, a worldwide network of radio-receiving stations operated by the NavalObservatory in Washington, was primarily intended to receive and record scientific information from USsatellites and not ‘track’ satellites in the usual sense of the word. It was not yet operational when Sputnikwas launched in October 1957. The South African Minitrack station, located in the grounds of the [then]South African Railways Training College at Esselen Park, was located a short distance to the west of thenow R21 between Johannesburg and Pretoria It became one of the most successful stations in the world.In 1960 it moved from Esselen Park to Hartbeesthoek.2Baker-Nunn ‘cameras’ (actually large, short-focus Schmidt telescopes designed to track fast-movingobjects and standing almost two metres high and weighing nearly a ton!) were located in Argentina,Australia, Japan and South Africa. In South Africa the ‘camera’ was located on a site adjoining the [then]South African Post Office’s Radio Transmission Station at Olifantsfontein, a few hundred metres to thewest of the now R21 between Johannesburg and Pretoria. It consisted of the temporary, virtually rooflessmetal building housing the large camera, two or three metal rondavels and a radio mast. The buildingswere set on a bare piece of flat veld and the bitter, windswept Highveld winter nights must have madeobserving a less than happy experience. (see also MNASSA Vol 71 Nos 5 & 6 June 2012)mnassa vol 72 nos 1 & 2

satellite trackingundertaking, officiallynamed Operaon Moonwatchbut usually referredto simply as ‘Moonwatch’,was organised and managedby the SmithsonianAstrophysical Observatory(SAO), located in Cambridge,Massachuses, thedirector of which was thewell-known astronomer DrFred Whipple. 3MoonwatchMoonwatch teams, usuallyconsisng of betweenten and twenty volunteers,many of whom wereexperienced amateur astronomers,were thereforeset up some me beforethe ancipated launchingof the first US satellitein early 1958. Althoughthe majority of these 150teams were based in theUnited States, others werein countries as widely distributedas Greece, Cuba,Zambia, India, Australia,Iran and South Africa. Inorder to assist Moonwatchteams in building the appropriatetelescopes, theJuly 1956 issue of Sky andTelescope included the firstof a series of supplements,“Bullen for Visual Observersof Satellites.”As South Africa wouldbe the first landmass tobe crossed by a satellitelaunched in a SE direconfrom Cape Canaveral, therole of Moonwatch in thiscountry was parcularlyimportant!Teams were soon establishedin Johannesburg(based at the Union Observatory[UO]), Pretoria(based at the RadcliffeObservatory) and CapeTown (based at the RoyalObservatory) 4 . The teamleaders were at the UO,Dr CN (‘Neil’) Williams(with UO astronomer ‘Joe’Churms as his deputy), atRadcliffe, Mr RF Smithand Dr DS Evans at theRoyal Observatory at theCape. (Later a team wasestablished at Bloemfontein,based at the BoydenObservatory under theleadership of Dr J Stock. Arequest to establish a similarteam in Port Elizabethhad to be turned downdue to a lack of funds.) Ageneral Satellite ManagementCommiee was alsoestablished. Componentsfor the small telescopesused inially were slow incoming from the US butthey eventually arrivedand the telescopes wereassembled by the teammembers.Call for volunteersAlthough at the me I wasan engineering studentat WITS, and hence livinga prey pressurisedlife, when a call went outto join the Johannesburgteam – I think through themedium of a local ASSA3For a detailed account of the whole Moonwatch operaon, see W Patrick McCray, 2008, Keep Watching theSkies – The Story of Operaon Moonwatch and the Dawn of the Space Age; Princeton and Oxford, PrincetonUniversity Press.4For a descripon of the South African Moonwatch operaon as a whole, see J Hers, Moonwatch in SouthAfrica 1957-1958. The only copy of this undated but crically important 13-page typed document that appearsto have survived in the public domain is that in the library of the SAAO, Cape Town. Appended is a seminalthree-page arcle by Dr Finsen entled ‘IGY REMINSCENCES.’ For a briefer account devoted largely to theoperaon of the Cape Town Moonwatch team, also see RF Hurly, ‘On the Role of Moonwatch’, 1964, MNASSA,23, 38-40.11february 2013

johannesburg moonwatch recalledNewsleer – I at once volunteered.At last I was trulypart of the great world ofscienfic research! I livedin Kensington, about 4 kmfrom the UO, but as observaonswere well outsidenormal working hours Icould almost always borrowmy Father’s 1948 ChevFleetmaster – although Ido recall on more than oneoccasion cycling to the UOalong the dark streets on achilly Highveld morning.SputnikWe met for training sessionson a Saturday aernoon.I recall one beingled by Joe Churms, wherean aendee argued veryvocally that the satellite’sorbit could not be independentof the Earth’srotaon but would surelyrotate with it. We waitedpaently for the first USsatellite to be launchedin early 1958. It thereforecame as a stunning surprise,not only to us butalso to both the UnitedStates and the world atlarge when we learned onSaturday, 5 October 1957that Russia had launchedits first satellite, Sputnik(“Fellow Traveller”). ASputnik,right.exploded viewshiny aluminium sphere 58cm in diameter and weighing84 kg, it was not instrumentedbut equipped witha radio transmier whichbroadcast a regular seriesof ‘beeps’ 1 / 3of a secondin length on frequenciesof 20 and 40 MHz. Circlingthe Earth every 96 minutesit had perigree and apogeedistances of 223 and 950km respecvely. (Thefirst US satellite, an 8 kgcylindrical object named‘Explorer 1’ although officiallydesignated as 1958α,was only launched on 31January 1958.)On reading of the launchingin that evening’s StarI at once ’phoned NeilWilliams, the leader of theJohannesburg Moonwatchteam, dropped what I wasdoing, and drove in hasteup to the Observatory. I12only remember two orthree people gatheringin the me service building,situated on the kopjeabove the main observatorybuildings, that evening. Ido recall most vividly howthrilled we all were to hearthe famous ‘beep-beepbeep’s’,which were faintbut unmistakeable.Tracking EquipmentAer early observaonswith the naked-eye or binocularswe began to usethe small 2-inch (50 mm)telescopes which weredesigned for this purposebut the components ofwhich were very slow inarriving from the US. Itturned out, however, thatthey were too small for thepurpose and were later replacedby the much moremnassa vol 72 nos 1 & 2

satellite trackingSchemac view of the original Moonwatch telescopes.Source: McCray, Keep Watching the Skiespowerful 5-inch (125 mm)apogee telescopes, whichwere used from then on.All observaons took placewith observers seated ina N-S line along the lawnwhich sloped down tothe north from the mainobservatory building. If Irecall correctly the smalltelescopes stood on tablesbut of course the muchheavier and more sophis-cated apogee telescopeshad to be firmly mountedon steel poles anchoredin concrete foundaons.Timing was provided usinga portable radio broadcastingthe ‘me pips’ emiedby staon WWV, located atthe Naval Observatory inWashington. I connuedas a regular member ofthe team unl the end ofSeptember 1958, whenthe looming final examsseverely restricted my‘free’ me. Although theIGY officially ended on31 September 1958, theJohannesburg team con-nued observing unl theend of December. Moonwatchhad cost manypeople much me but it isgrafying to note that theJohannesburg Moonwatchteam made a total of 467observaons (393 of Russiansatellites and 74 ofAmerican). In the sameperiod the Pretoria, CapeTown and Bloemfonteinteams made 195, 91 and52 observaons respec-vely (Hers, p.10).Coffee at the Finsen’sThe human atmosphere onthe Moonwatch team wasdelighul in every way and,as the youngest memberof the team, I was alwaysmade especially welcome.Dr and Mrs Finsen werewarm and gracious hostsand an evening’s observingoen ended with coffeein their home in the Observatorygrounds. ThereI would sit spellboundlistening to experiencedThe Cape Town Moonwatch team using the Apogee scopes.Source: Dirk J Vermeulen, 2006, Living Amongst the Stars13february 2013

johannesburg moonwatch recalledobservers, both amateurand professional, recountingnumerous storiesastronomical. I also recallDr Finsen showing me how,using his powerful Hallicraershort-wave radio,he could receive transmissionsfrom anywhere inthe world – an instrumentwith a receiving power Icould only dream of comparedto that of our Pyeradiogram at home!Keeping DiaryAt the beginning of mymatric year in 1954 I decidedto keep a detailedpage-a-day diary. This Iconnued without breakfor more than ten yearsand my diaries thereforecover the Moonwatchperiod.More than one writer onthe history of science hascommented on the factthat the overwhelmingmajority of scienfic paperslack a human dimension,being essenally dry,unemoonal accountsof results obtained andconclusions reached. Thehuman side rarely intrudesand the joy and excitement,as well of course as thefrustraons and setbacks,of the scienfic process arerarely recorded. Given this,hopefully it will be of someinterest to reproduce herea number of the diary entriesrelang to my parcipaonin Moonwatch.Some Diary ExtractsWednesday, 2 October 1957– “Aer dinner I went tothe first meeng of theArficial Earth SatelliteGroup “Moonwatch” atthe Union Observatory. Itwas very enjoyable.”Saturday, 5 October 1957– “I worked [on calculus]unl about 7.30 P.M., whenI fetched the paper off theverandah. Staggered by thenews of the Russian EarthSatellite. I rang Dr Williams& went up to the Observatory.We picked up the radiosignals from the satellite atabout 9.05 P.M. Today is abig day, but I am sorry theRussians got in first. I got tobed at about 1.30 A.M.”Monday, 7 October 1957– “This evening I eagerlyread all newspaper reportson the Satellite.”Wednesday 9 October1957 – “At about 5.3014P.M. I came home andthen went to the UnionObservatory. Here theEarth Satellite Team wasphotographed by “Life”Magazine photographers.We set up for an observa-on and at 7h 42m 52sthree of the team sightedthe Earth Satellite for afew seconds. Success!The RDM [Rand DailyMail] also took somephotographs. We all hadcoffee and Sandwichesat Dr Finsen’s house. Igot home at about 10.15P.M.”Thursday, 10 October 1957– “Aer dinner I droveover to the Union Observatory.We observedthe 7.42 transit of theRussian satellite “Sputnik”,but saw nothing dueto obscuring cloud.”Friday, 11 October 1957 – “ ...saw the Earth Satellite at7.42 P.M. It was eerie andbeauful to see it glidepast. I then went on tothe Observatory. Here Istayed unl about 11.30P.M. Dr Finsen took a finephotograph. I got to bedat about 12.45 A.M.”Saturday, 12 October 1957– “This aernoon I spentat the Observatory as-mnassa vol 72 nos 1 & 2

sembling telescopesfor the Moonwatch. Ihad a quick supper andreturned to the Observatory.We observed thesatellite at about 7.39P.M. Aerwards we allhad coffee at Dr Finsen’shouse. I got to bed atabout 12.00 P.M.”Saturday, 19 October 1957– “[During the aernoon]I went up to theObservatory, where the“Moonwatch” Team werephotographed by theAfrican Mirror.”Monday, 4 November 1957– “At 10 P.M. I listened tothe B.B.C. News. The Russianshave put up anothersatellite. I fear greatlythat their technologicallead is greater than weimagine.”Tuesday, 5 November 1957– “Aer lunch I listened tothe 1.15 P.M. B.B.C. News.The dog in the RussianSatellite is doing well.Two years ago I wouldnot have believed suchtechnological progresspossible but our science& technology is advancingin a logarithmic curveI think.”Saturday, 1 February 1958 –“I learned with sasfaconsatellite tracking[on the lunchme SABCNews] that the U.S.A.have launched an earthsatellite. May this markthe beginning of an era ofscienfic advance by theWest over the East.”Saturday, 1 February 1958– “I was awoken at about2.55 A.M. this morningby the harsh chaer ofmy alarm clock. Gengup I put some milk onthe stove to warm beforewashing and dressing. Idrank the milk, had half aslice of toast and drove upto the Observatory, arrivingat about 3.25 A.M. Itwas a cool, fresh morning,although sll quite dark.Our Satellite ObservingTeam was assembled inthe Leyden Building atthe Union Observatory.We began observing atabout 3.45 A.M. and finishedat about 4.30 A.M.We looked in vain for theSatellite, although its radiosignals were receivedat 108 Mc’s. I arrivedhome at about 5.00 A.M.and went to bed again.Geng up at about 9.30A.M. . . . “Tuesday, 4 March 1958 –“This evening aer dinnerI read the paper before15going up to the UnionObservatory where therewas a meeng of satelliteobservers. I got to bed atabout 11.30 P.M.”Wednesday, 26 March1958 – “This evening I …went up to the University.There I aended a lecturemeengof the Astr. Associaonof S.A. where DrRobert Cameron, of theU.S.A., spoke on “SatelliteTracking in S. A.” V. interesng.”Wednesday, 2 April 1958– “This evening aer dinnerI went up to the Observatory.There we hada “Moonwatch” sessionfor the American Satellite‘Gamma’, but withoutsuccess.”Sunday, 20 April 1958 – “Ile the house at about3.50 A.M. and droveup to the Observatory.There six of us, includingthe Union Astronomer,Dr Finsen, aemptedto make an observaonof the first Americansatellite: 1958α. However,due to inaccurateseng of the apogeetelescopes, we missedthe satellite. Six hour’scalculaons of Dr Finsenwere thus wasted.february 2013

johannesburg moonwatch recalledI came home at about5.30 A.M. and got backinto bed. I slept unlabout 9.00 A.M.”Thursday, 8 May 1958 – Thisevening aer dinner Iread the paper and wentup to the Observatory.There a team of Dr Finsen,(U.A.), Mr Botham, MrNel & myself observedthe American Satellite1958α. We all sighted it! Igot to bed at about 11.00P.M.”Saturday 17 May 1958 – “Ihad a quick supper andwent up to the Observatory.There Dr Finsen andmyself aempted to viewone of the American Satellites.However, clouddefeated us. He is a greatman, but oh so much ofan ‘old woman.’”Monday, 26 May 1958– “My alarm clock awakenedme at about 4.30A.M this morning aera few hours restlesssleep. Geng [up], Idressed and made somecocoa before taking theMorris and driving up tothe Observatory. Therefive of us, including DrFinsen, the Union Astronomer,aempted tosight Sputnik III, the thirdRussian earth satellite.We saw the rocket casingclearly at about 5.12A.M. but the satellite,due at about 5.58 A.M.,did not appear. I got tobed at about 6.15 A.M.Aer geng up at aboutseven o’clock …”Sunday, 1 June 1958 – “Atabout 9.20 A.M., I wentdown to the boom ofthe street. There Dr Williams,of the Moonwatch,called for me. We wentup to the Observatory,where we pickedup some more passengers,and then went outto the Satellite TrackingStaon at Olifantsfontein.2 This is run by theSmithsonian Instuon,employing a large Baker-Schmidt camera. On theway we stopped at the“Minitrack” Radio TrackingStaon at Esselen Park. 1Mr Cameron showed usaround at Olifantsfontein.Altogether a mostinteresng morning. Myadmiraon for Americansis growing.”Sunday, 27 July 1958 –“I wasawoken at about twentyto five this morning. Aftergeng up, I dressedand had some hot milk16and biscuits. I Le for theUnion Observatory soonaerwards, travelling bycar. There we aemptedthe visual observaon ofthe earth satellite ‘DeltaII’. We had a good view ofit at 5.09 A.M. I Read astronomicaljournals for awhile before aempngto see a further satelliteat 6.03 A.M. However,the approaching dawnruined this aempt.”Friday, 8 August 1958– “This evening I wentup to the Observatoryto look for the Satellite‘Epsilon’. However, due tocauses unknown, we didnot see it.”Tuesday, 26 August 1958– “This evening aer dinner… I went up to the U.Observatory at about 8P.M. to look for satellites.However, the moon wastoo bright.”Thursday, 4 September1958 – “This evening athalf past five I went tomy first cocktail party. Itwas in honour of Dr AllenHynek, an American‘Moonwatch’ Astronomer,& was held in the StaffCommon Room at ’varsity.I cannot say much for thisform of entertainment.”mnassa vol 72 nos 1 & 2

North Korea’sControversialSatelliteLaunchGreg RobertsAer several previousunsuccessful launchaempts, a new countryjust joined the ranks ofthe elite few that havemanaged to launchand orbit their ownsatellites. North Korea’srecent launch causedsome mild hysteria and isquite controversial, evendeemed illegal underinternaonal law! Thelaunch itself was quitetricky, requiring somecomplicated maneuverers,to avoid flying overpopulated landmass.Space authories andamateur satellite trackershave been following thesatellite with great interest,trying to establish if thepayload is operaonalor not, since it may bespinning out of control.As usual, Greg Robertswas well equipped andstrategically situatedto get the best data tounravel this puzzle.satellite trackingEarlier N. Korean LaunchesNorth Korea has beenpursuing a programof developing andlaunching their ownsatellites for at leastfourteen years, despiteintense opposion fromother countries suchas South Korea, Japanand the United Stateswho considered thisa veiled aempt atdeveloping long rangeballisc missiles capableof carrying a nuclearwarhead.North Korea callstheirsatellitesKWANGMYONGSONG(KMS), meaning “BrightStar” and regards it asan experimental satellite.KMS-1’s launch tookplace on 31 August 1998.17It was hailed as a successby North Korea despitethere being no evidenceof any object actuallyachieving orbit. A specialcommemorave stampwas even issued.The KMS- 2 launchaempt took place inApril 2009 and againwas hailed as a success.But once again noobject entered orbitdespite North Koreaplaying recordings ofsignals received fromthe “satellite” andagain issuing a specialcommemorave stamp.Their third aempt(KMS 3-1), on 13 April2012, was an obviousfailure when the first andsecond stages did notfebruary 2013

separate cleanly. Due tothe strict control of news,the North Korean publicbelieve that they havesatellites in orbit but nowestern tracking systemcould detect anythingin orbit. It was all afigment of imaginaonby the North Koreangovernment.Strong OpposionNorth Korea facesintense opposion totheir space programalthough they insist it isfor peaceful exploraon.Two resoluons adaptedby the United NaonsSecurity Council (UNSC)demanded that NorthKorea refrain from furtherlaunches using balliscmissiles. Resoluon1718 of 14 October 2006,north korea’s controversial satelliteCommemorave stamps for North Korea’slaunches of KMS-1 on 31 August 1998(le) and KMS-2 in April 2009 (above).levied sancons againstNorth Korea as a resultof their test of a nuclearweapon earlier thatmonth and demandedthat they cease tesngand development of itsballisc missile program.The second resoluon– UNSC Resoluon1874 of 12 June 2009– implemented furthersancons aer NorthKorea’s second test ofa nuclear weapon inMay 2009 and repeatedthe same restriconsas Resoluon 1718,including a demandfor North Korea notto conduct any launchusing ballisc missiletechnology.The posion adopted byNorth Korea is that it issimply exercisingits rights tothe peacefulexploraon ofouter spaceaccording toArcle I of the1967 Outer SpaceTreaty to whichNorth Korea isa party. Theimportant part ofthis document isthe clause “in accordancewith internaonal law”.This then means NorthKorea is in contravenonsince UNSC resoluonsare considered bindinginternaonal law oncountries that aremembers of the UnitedNaons – which includesNorth Korea.Since a rocket is a rocket,these resolutionseffectively mean thatNorth Korea cannotlaunch anything. Thedistinction betweena satellite launchingrocket and a purelyballistic missile comesinto effect once therocket leaves the launchpad and is decided bythe trajectory followedby the rocket.18mnassa vol 72 nos 1 & 2

Surveillance DecoysIn mid-November 2012 USreconnaissance satellitesspoed rocket componentsbeing transported fromthe North Korea missileproducon plant to thelaunch site. It thus came asno real surprise when on 1December 2012, NorthKorea announced it wouldmake a second aempt tolaunch its KMS 3-2 satelliteinto a polar orbit from itsSohae Launch Centre inCholson province using itsUNHA-3 (“Milky Way 3”)carrier rocket somemein the period 10 Decemberto 22 December. Therewas again intense foreignopposion.Western and South Koreanintelligence sources nowconcentrated on the launchsite to see what wouldhappen. It would appearthat North Korea ledthem on a “merry chase”with disinformaon. On8 December a train wasobserved carrying whatappeared to be missilecomponents to thelaunch site. Then on 9December North Koreaannounced that due toa technical glitch thesatellite trackinglaunch window was beingextended. Satellite imagesshowed part of the rocketbeing dismantled andthis convinced westernobservers that the launchhad been scrapped.Subsequent satellite spyphotos however showedall parts assembled on thelaunch pad and eighteenhours later the launchtook place. Apparently therocket was in the processof being disassembledduring a US spy satelliteoverfly and then beingre-assembled when nosatellites were around.An in-depth analysisby Marco Langbroek– a Dutch hobbyist satelliteobserver – clearly showedthat launch occurred atthe end of a one-hourgap during which therewas no coverage byany known American,Japanese, or commercialimaging satellites in lowearth orbit. A US militarysource is reported to havesaid that the US reliedtoo heavily on overheadsatellite imagery forwarnings about the launch.However the United Statesdoes have satellites in19high orbit and amateursatellite observers havepinpointed the locaonsof these satellites, some ofwhich are over Asia. Thesesatellites would have beenable to monitor the launchsite. The important issuein the case of North Koreais that the existence ofthese satellites is highlyclassified and very fewpeople have access to theinformaon from them. Sowhen the press clawed forinformaon on this launch,one got the impressionthat North Korea hadfooled everyone.Dodgy manoeuvresMost countries try toavoid flying launches overpopulated areas and othernaons. This obviouslylimits what orbits one canachieve from a parcularlaunch site. The originallaunch site used by NorthKorea on its east coastoverflew Japan. Thiscreated a lot of policalproblems, so a new site wasset up on the west coast toavoid flying over Japan.However North Koreawas sll blocked by China,Taiwan or the Philippinesfrom direct access to afebruary 2013

north korea’s controversial satellitesun-synchronous orbit,requiring an inclinaonof about 97.4° for theplanned 500 km altude.Despite this, launch tookplace on 12 Decemberat 00:49 UTC, headingsouthward.Bob Christy, a highly skilledhobbyist space analyst,provided extensive analysisof North Korea satelliteacvity on his excellentwebsite. He clearly showedthat in order to avoid flyingover the Philippines, NorthKorea solved the problemby launching the rocketin a direcon that kept itaway from other countriesduring the most dangerouspart of the launch phase.Aer separaon of thesecond stage, the thirdstage was turned beforeigning. This led to a newtrajectory that placed thesatellite in the correctorbital inclinaon toachieve a sun-synchronousorbit.There is no doubt that thisis quite an achievementThis diagram by Bob Christy shows how North Korea satellitedid a “dog-leg” around the Philippines and avoidedpassing over China and Taiwan (the red trajectory).20for a country that hasnever had a successfulspace launch before.Jonathan McDowellpointed out that yawingthe third stage requiredsomething like a changeof 50° in flight direconbefore ignion of the thirdstage. Without this, thepredicted impact zonesindicated the satellitewould have gone into a90° inclinaon orbit.The objects from thelaunch then flew on atrajectory that took themsouth past the Philippines,Western Australia andthe South Pole beforemoving northwards alongthe east coast of SouthAmerica, over the easternUnited States and overthe North Pole beforeheading southwards again.It was observed by NorthAmerican AerospaceDefence Command(NORAD), which maintains24/7/365 surveillance ofspace. They used radaras there was no opcalvisibility due to the objectsbeing in Earth’s shadow formost of its orbit. NORADstated that its missilewarning systems hadmnassa vol 72 nos 1 & 2

satellite trackingdetected a launch and thatthe rocket had apparentlyplaced an object in orbit.Less than three hoursaer launch, four objectswere catalogued from thelaunch. What is somewhatsurprising is that iniallythe rocket was mistakenfor the actual satellite. Thisis difficult to understand asthe rocket is considerablylarger and would havegiven a much larger radarreflecon.Inially there was verylile informaon availableand some of the popularpress arcles werehighly scepcal/cricalof what had been done.Statements such that thesatellite was tumblingwildly out of control,presented a hazard toother satellites, was abox wrapped in n foil,launched by a ricketyrocket, etc. were made.However, I felt that thesedid injusce to what Iconsidered was a majorachievement. Not onlyhad North Korea executeda complicated “dog leg”manoeuver, but it had alsoplaced the satellite in anear circular orbit.Mild HysteriaReading some of thepress arcles wrien, itwould appear there wasa case of mild hysteria.It reminded of the filmThe Right Stuff wheregovernment officialswere francally dashingdown corridors andwaving papers aerthe launch of Sputnik1. There was strongcondemnaon that itwas a ballisc missiletest and statementsthat the US was underthreat of nuclear aack.But was this a balliscmissile test? Thearguments against thisare adequately coveredin some of the referencesgiven, concluding thatit was certainly a spacelaunch and NOT a balliscmissile test.According to internaonallaw and the UNSCresoluons, the launchwas illegal. North Koreahowever did everything“by the book” inannouncing beforehandthe splashdown zonesfor the first two stagesand the payload shroudwhich corresponded to21a space launch trajectoryand not a ballisc missiletrajectory. The first stagewas indeed recoveredin the pre-announcedsplash zone by the SouthKorean Navy.What was put in orbit?North Korea has not saidmuch about this so thereis lile concrete evidenceas to what the satellite is.In April 2012, prior to thefailed launch of KMS 3-1,western journalists wereshown a model (?) ofthe KMS satellite. SinceNorth Korea referred tothe new launch as KMS3-2, it is logical to thinkthat what was shownmay have been the samesatellite. If this is thecase, the satellite is acube with 0.65m squaresides and about 1m long,weighing about 100 kg.The three sides shown tojournalists were coveredin solar cells (the fourthside was never shownbut probably idencal tothe three visible). Theyappeared to be hinged,which some think mightindicate that the solarpanels could be extendedin flight, but more likelyfebruary 2013

north korea’s controversial satellite(above) Close-up of top of the model shown inApril 2012. Note the use of “duct tape” and thered electrical connectors!(le) A “model” of the KMS satellite shown to westernpress in April 2012.are purely there to allowthe solar panels to bemoved out the way toallow technicians accessinto the spacecra body.The boom of the cubehad a circular adapterplate which was probablyused for aaching to thelaunch vehicle. There issome speculaon that itmay also have carried twoantennae at the boom.The more interesng bitsare on top of the cube andis presumably the side thatwould point earthward,once in orbit. This sidecarried sensors, camerasand perhaps as many as sixantennae and it is possibleto make reasonablyintelligent guesses as towhat is what.First there were four rodsvercal to the base plate,consisng of two pairsof differing lengths. Thelonger pair is apparentlyused for up-linkingcommands on around 400MHz, whilst the shorterpair are probably fortransmission at around470 MHz. There is also acylindrical housing whichmay the X-band downlink(around 9 GHz) for imagetransmission. The finalantenna is a small diskon a stalk which may be aGPS receiver. There alsoappears to be two sensors:One, about 10 cm wide,protruding upwards fromthe base plate, whichmay be a wide field videocamera with about 100m resoluon. The other,22lying horizontal on thetop base plate, could be ahorizon/sun or star sensor,so that the orientaonof the space cra couldbe maintained to ensurethat the camera pointscorrectly.Dead or Alive?Despite much monitoringof the frequency regionaround 470 MHz by manyamateurs, in parcularBob Christy in the UK andRobert Oler of Texas, noposive transmissionshave yet been received.This raises the quesonas to whether the satelliteis a dummy, or thetransmier(s) have failed …or acvity has sll to come.Presumably intelligenceorganisaons and amateurmnassa vol 72 nos 1 & 2

satellite trackingsatellite trackers in thevicinity of North Koreawould have looked fortransmissions on any of theancipated frequencies(up or downlinks) but sofar indicaons are thatnone have been received.The general consensus isthat the satellite has failed,probably during launch.However it is not unusualfor satellite acvity toonly occur some meaer launch, especially ifthe satellite is spinning orpossibly tumbling whichprevents communicaontaking place.Spinning out of Control?Shortly aer launch Iwas requested to try andobserve the four objectsidenfied from the launchin an aempt to determinewhat the objects were andwhether they had beencorrectly idenfied. Inaddion it was thoughtimportant to determinethe spin rate which mightindicate whether thesatellite was in a stableatude and also possiblywhether the satellite wasunder control. Due to thegeometry of the satellitesorbit and its proximityto Earth’s shadow therewas only a narrow strip inlatude in the southernhemisphere from which thesatellite could be opcallyobserved. I happened tobe the only recognisedopcal tracker, eitheramateur or otherwise,that could possibly obtainobservaons.Before launch NorthKorea stated that thesatellite was to be threeaxis stabilized, meaning itwould not have significantrotaon in any of the threeaxes of movement relaveto the earth. This is typicalof what is required for asatellite that needs to keepa camera poinng at theEarth and away from theSun. This can be achievedin several ways rangingfrom gyroscopes, reaconwheels to simpler wayssuch as gravity gradientbooms that use Earth’sgravity to orientate asatellite towards Earth.Visual TrackingMy first task was toobserve the four objects.This established that theobjects were correctlyidenfied. The rocketwas easily the brightestobject and relavelystable, rotang/tumblingvery slowly which is quitenormal so not muchaenon has been paidImage of KMS 3-2 satellite being tracked, extracted fromvideo taken 20 December 2012 at 19h 50m 25.1s UT.23february 2013

north korea’s controversial satelliteto it since the inialobservaons. Two of theobjects are small but quitedense. I was only ableto briefly observe one ofthem when it produced afew faint flashes – probablypart of the separaonmechanism. The othersmall object was not seenin three aempts so isobviously small, probablyidencal to the other smallobject.The satellite is of courseof main interest. Inialobservaons showed itwas tumbling/rotang atabout four revoluons perminute - this was basedon a brighsh flash beingproduced roughly every17 seconds, inially toabout magnitude +5 or +6.However as the satellitegot higher in elevaon, itbecame possible to seesmaller fluctuaons aboutevery 8 seconds or so withthe flashes now aboutmagnitude +7. As thesatellite passed culminaon(thus at minimum distancefrom the observer), itwas possible to see smallvariaons roughly every4 seconds or so, butmagnitude now around+7.5 or +8.Analysing the DataThis raised the queson;which is the true period ofthe satellite? I interpretedwhat I saw as a bright flashevery 17 seconds, to becoming from the sameitem that produced the ~8second flash. So the spinperiod was ~17 seconds.When I observed the ~4second period, I suspectI was seeing a refleconfrom each of the foursurfaces of the cube.Marco Langbroek did acareful analysis of one ofthe earlier video recordingsand derived a period ofabout 4.23 seconds. ThisLight curve of KMS 3-2 obtained by Marco Langbroek on 20 December 2012.24mnassa vol 72 nos 1 & 2

satellite trackinghas served as the baselinefor any further changes.It would thereforeappear that the satelliteis tumbling/rotang atabout four rotaons perminute. This is quitenormal for a satellite andit could take many weeksfor the stabilizaon systemto slow the satellite spinrate enough to acquiregravity lock and maintaina constant orientaonsuch as is required for thecamera to operate.Spinning Down?Consequently the satellitehas been observed ona fairly regular basisand aempts made todetermine whether thespin rate is changing. Inthe meanme, for someunknown reason, theflashing seems to havebecome less pronounced,usually around mag +7.5to +8, which makes it moredifficult to get an accuratespin rate. The data seemsto indicate that the spinrate is decreasing veryslowly. Whether this isdue to a system “acvely”decreasing the spin rate orjust simply gravity is notknown. Whilst mag +7.5or so is bright in terms ofsatellite magnitudes, itis not that easy to get anaccurate video recordwith exposures as short aspossible - typically 1/50thor /160th sec. The shorterthe exposure, the moreaccurate the period that canbe determined.Unfortunately suitableopcal visibility ceased atthe end of January 2013as the satellite moved intoEarth’s shadow aer whichit is only perhaps opcallytrackable from very highnorthern latudes. Butthere are no observers therewhich means the only otherpossible way to determine ifthe satellite is slowing downis maybe possible from theradar reflecon. The lastdetermined spin rate wasabout 4.6 seconds, possiblydecreasing very slowly.ConclusionThe situaon at themoment is that the satelliteappears dead and there isno evidence that it was everoperaonal. It is tumblingbut not at an excessiverate and this appears to beslowing down, but is goingto take a LONG me, if ever,to stop spinning.... so myguess is that the satellite iswell and truly dead.The United Naons SecurityCouncil unanimouslyadopted a resoluon on 22January 2013 condemningthe rocket launch andexpanded exisng UNsancons. They alsothreatened “significantacon” if North Koreastages a nuclear test. NorthKorea replied by sayingit planned to carry out athird nuclear test and morerocket launches aimed at its“arch enemy”, the UnitedStates, stang that “selingaccounts with the U.S needsto be done with force, notwith words”. No me framefor the nuclear test wasgiven but it is believed thatit could be soon.AcknowledgementsI would like to sincerelythank my colleagues forallowing me to freely usewhatever material they hadon their very informavewebsites or what theyhad published. I wouldhighly recommend thatpeople interested in moredetails visit the followingwebsites:25february 2013

north korea’s controversial satellitewww.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/12/launch/all“Almost Everything You’ve Heard About the North Korean Space Launch is Wrong” -Brian Weeden - Technical Advisor to Secure World Foundaon. A very comprehensivesummary of the enre event.hp://blogs.wsj.com/korearealme/2012/12/19/a-week-aer-launch-the lowdown-onnorth-koreas-satellitewhere Bob Christy gives the lowdown on what had happened.hp://sarackcam.blobspot.nlMarco Langbroek details the absence of spy coverage and possible North Korean spookson his weblog. He also gives a report on the opcal behaviour of the satellite and rocket,complete with videos from The author and analysis of the light curves. There is alsomuch other interesng material of interest to space enthusiasts.www.zarya.infoBob Christy’s comprehensive outstanding site, full of informaon on ALL satellite relatedacvity. To reach the material related to the North Korean launch go to www.zarya.info/Diaries/NKorea/Kwangmyongsong32.phpMake sure to also check out the various links in blue on the le hand side of the page.This site is the best one that I know of and I cannot recommend it highly enough.www.northkoreatech.org/2012/03/19/stamps-of-previous-satellite-launches/shows pictures of stamps of previous (failed) orbing missionswww.northkoreatech.org/2012/12/25/caught-on-video-north-koreas-satellite/shows several of the videos of the tracking of the satellite by the authorhp://38north.org/category/sat-analysis/Latest on acvies in North Koreawww.nymes.com/2012/12/18/world/asia/north-korean-satellite.html?_r=0“Astronomers say North Korean Satellite is most likely dead”www.planet4589.org/space/jsr/jsr.htmlJonathan McDowells reports on current satellite acvity. For back issues, go toplanet4589.org/space/jsr/back and for a report on the North Korean launch, downloadreport No 672.26mnassa vol 72 nos 1 & 2

UFObecomesIFOGreg RobertsDecember 2012 provedto be a franc periodwith some interesngspace acvies, includingthe predicted end of theworld on 21 December2012. A spectacular eventoccurred that gave rise tonumerous UFO reportsand terrified those thatbelieved Doomsday wasat hand.UFO or IFO?Despite what hundreds ofpeople, in parcular FlyingSaucer enthusiasts, wouldlike to believe that thespectacular event, widelysighted in the Westernand Southern Cape sky atabout 20:40 SAST on the11 December 2012, wasnothing more dramacthat the de-orbit burn ofthe Centaur rocket thathad just launched the thirdmission of the Orbital TestVehicle, also known asX-37B. An Unidenfiedsatellite trackingComposite of some of my CCD images, read boom rightto top le.Flying Object (UFO) thusbecame an IdenfiedFlying Object (IFO)!In gathering materialfor this arcle I did aninternet search and wasdismayed to discoverthat it would appear thatthe general public aresll unaware of the trueidenty of what they sawand it has gone down inUFOLOGY as a wellobserved UnidenfiedFlying Object sighng. Ithas even been quotedas the best UFO sighngof the month by oneUFO network. It is quiteeye-opening and mindboggling(!) to read someof the reports of peoplewho saw this and whatthey believed it was. Insome cases peoplewere convinced an alieninvasion was taking place,or that the end of theworld was nigh – especiallyif we recall that Earth waspredicted to end on the 21December 2012!Now I would like to keepan open mind about thesubject of UFOs. But aerseeing the garbage spewedforth on the Internet andthe refusal by some toaccept the explanaonof the true nature ofthe event, just proves tome once again that the27february 2013

vast majority of reportsof so called UFOs by themass public are hardlysuitable for any kind ofscienfic study. It actuallydestroys the case for theexistence of any suchphenomena. Of coursemaers are not helped bythe numerous programson television about UFOsand alien visits to Earth inthe distant past, fuellingthe ferle imaginaonof some people. So, forfuture UFOlogists who(hopefully) will refer toback-issues of MNASSAwhen invesgang reportsof strange lights in the sky,it is necessary to documentevents.Slightly off-topic, Iwas recently asked toinvesgate an old reportof what was possibly asatellite re-entry thathad been found in a UFOmagazine. Aer searchingthrough MNASSA, Ifound the original reportwhich proved it was indeeda satellite re-entry.Third OTV missionOn the 11 December 2012the United Launch Alliance(ULA) – which soundsufo becomes ifoLaunch of OTV-3 - photograph United States Air Force.like an alien alliance butcertainly not the case –launched the third missionof the Orbital Test Vehicle(known as OTV-3), alsoknown as the X-37B. Thisis a miniature unmanned“space shule” (full detailsof this vehicle will be foundin “Sleuthing the NewSpaceplane”, MNASSA Vol69, Nos 5&6, June 2010).As usual with the X-37B,being a classified mission,very lile informaon wasavailable before launch.The amateur trackinggroup’s orbital expert,Ted Molczan, esmateda probable orbit. As luckwould have it, it was topass over Cape Town35 to 40 minutes aerlaunch with excellentopcal visibility, beingshortly aer sunset andat a reasonable elevaon.On my Facebook page Igave details of the launch,giving details of when andwhere to look. This atleast educated some of theviewers to interpret whatthey were seeing.Surprise!Despite this I do not thinkanyone, including myself,were prepared for whatwe did see. My video- andCCD cameras were aimedat a predicted posion. Iwas busy watching thevideo monitor, whensuddenly, about a minutebefore the predicted me,a very bright light startedcrossing the field of view!Inially I thought it was28mnassa vol 72 nos 1 & 2

satellite trackingBrilliant light crossing fieldof view- inially mistakenfor aircra lights!an aircra flying overmy house (I could hearone at the me) as theyfrequently do, completewith flashing lights. Iactually swore at it!I connued waing for mysatellite aer the ‘nuisanceobject’ le the camerafield. Aer a coupleof seconds it suddenlydawned on me that thisspectacle might have beenthe satellite! I rapidlystepped the mount aheadto the next predicted pointand quickly caught up withthe objects. I now knewthat it was the satelliteand managed to follow thetwo visible objects unlthey disappeared behindsome local obstrucons.Fortunately my video- andCCD cameras had beenimaging the enre me.So, despite my rather haphazardtracking, I actuallyTwo views extracted from the video recording.managed to record someunusual footage whichcontained very useful data.Analysing the FootageExaminaon of the videorecording and the CCDimage slls, revealed twoobjects, each precededby a “light cone”. As thiswas a classified mission, noinformaon was availableas to the idenficaonof the individual objects.There was some inialconfusion as to which wasthe satellite and which wasthe rocket and why eachobject appeared to havea “cone” associated with it.Aer careful analysis of theposional observaonsfrom my footage, TedMolczan was able todetermine which was theCentaur rocket and whichwas OTV-3. His analysisin fact showed that theCentaur was decreasingheight above the earth,explaining the presence ofthe two retro-burn cones.It would appear that therewas in fact only one objectbeing acve. The Centaurrocket had in fact done twoburns in quick successionto de-orbit the rocket. Theleading cone was from thefirst burn and a short melater (by which methe rocket had fallenbehind the OTV3), did asecond burn. Hence theseparaon and appearanceof two cones were infact due to two spacedburns by the same object.Inially ULA had indicatedthat the Centaur wouldbe de-orbited roughly twohours aer launch andprovided the approximatearea over the IndianOcean where it wouldre-enter. This actuallyconfused amateur trackers– perhaps deliberatemis-informaon by ULA?– since it was quite difficultto find an orbit that would29february 2013

ufo becomes ifoImpact zone for the Centaur rocket - courtesy of hp://www.zarya.info/Diaries/US/OTV3Impact.phpmatch this impact zone.However, it now appearsthat the de-orbit was infact done during the firstorbit, just 35 minutes aerlaunch, which is what wasobserved over Cape Town.YouTube VideoAs menoned earlier thisevent was very widelyobserved – one reportas far away as Kimberley– and also quite wellphotographed by severalpeople. With the kindassistance of Willie Koorts,my video was edited intoa usable form, some of thephotographic slls addedand then all uploadedto YouTube (hp://youtu.be/b-VIwheIPPw).The video appears tohave been an instanthit, but unfortunately,in many cases, to thewrong people! The UFObelievers had a field day!One person extractedselected footage, ignoringthe text explaining what itwas, and presented it as agenuine UFO sighng. Thisgot Willie prey excitedand he complained aboutthis, both to YouTube andthe author of the “UFO”video document. AllWillie achieved was to beblocked from seeing anyof this author’s YouTubeposngs! Fortunately theJohannesburgPlanetariumused part ofthe originalvideo in theirD e c e m b e rC h r i s t m a ss h o w ,p r e s e n t i n gthe true facts.Hopefully thishas undone some of the“damage” caused by UFOfans.IFO IndeedAs is usually the casewith alleged UFOsighngs, there is mostlya raonal explanaongiven by equipped andknowledgeable observersaround the globe, therebyturning them into IFOs.If readers do observe“strange” lights in the nightsky, try and make yourobservaon as detailedas possible. Things likeme, compass direcon,direcon of movement,colour, angular distanceabove the horizon (a fistat arm’s length is about10°, and an open palmwith fingers spread, about20°), your geographicallocaon as accuractely aspossible, etc.Photograph of OTV3 moving from boom totop, obtained on 20 Dec. 2012 by the author.30mnassa vol 72 nos 1 & 2

colloquiaThese form an important part of aresearch facility, oen as a sort of prepublicaondiscussion or a discussionof an individual’s current research,and as such it is virtually impossibleto “publish” this material. Howeverby recording the topics discussedin the form below does indicate tothose, who are unable to aend, whatcurrent trends are and who has visitedto do research: it keeps everyone ‘inthe loop’ so to speak.Also included in this secon are thecolloquia/seminars at the SAAO,NASSP, UWC and the Astrophysics,Cosmology and Gravity Centre at UCT,ACGC. Also included are the SAAOAstro-coffees which are 15-20mininformal discussions on just aboutany topic including but not limited to:recent astro-ph papers, seminal/classicpublicaons, educaon/outreach ideasand iniaves, preliminary results,student progress reports, conference/workshop feedback and skills-transfer.EditorSAAOTitle: Nature or Nurture - Neutron Starsin Be/X-ray BinariesSpeaker: Prof Malcolm Coe (Universityof Southampton)Venue: SAAO AuditoriumDate: 13 December 2012Time: 11:00Astronomical ColloquiaAbstract: The populaon of Be/X-raybinaries in the Small Magellanic Cloudis proving a superb, homogeneoussample of this type of HMXBs. Theyare all at the same distance, the sameexncon and probably born aroundthe same me. As such we can use thissample of over 50 systems to exploreevoluon and accreon processes inthese systems. In parcular, recentresults we have just published in Naturesuggest the existence of two types ofneutron stars, possibly linked to thetwo proposed types of SN explosions.So is it birth, or the environment, that isimportant in dictang how they behavewhen they are grown up?Title: The IAU’s Commitment toEducaon, Development and PublicOutreachSpeaker: Sarah Reed (OAO) & KevinGovender (OAD)Venue: SAAO AuditoriumDate; 20 December 2012Time: 11:00Abstract: The IAU founded the Office ofAstronomy for Development (OAD) inMarch 2011. Recent developments havefurther shown the IAU’s commitment toeducaon and public outreach (EPO).Firstly, at the IAU General Assemblyin Beijing this summer, a restructuringof the organisaon was approved,in which ‘Educaon, Outreach andHeritage’ is listed as one of seven new‘Divisions’. Furthermore, in September31february 2013

colloquia2012, the IAU Office for AstronomyOutreach (OAO) was founded at theNaonal Astronomical Observatory ofJapan (NAOJ) in Tokyo, Japan, under theleadership of the IAU’s new AstronomyOutreach Coordinator, Sarah Reed. Inthis talk, Kevin Govender and SarahReed will briefly outline the historyand future plans of the OAD and OAO,respecvely, and how the offices fit intothe IAU’s organisaonal structure. Wewill then present how the OAD andOAO plan to work together and shareresources to support the missions ofboth global offices and ensure synergiesbetween them.Title: Unwinding the secrets of a dyingstarSpeaker: Shazrene Mohammed.Venue: 1896 BuildingDate: 17 January 2012Time: 11:00Abstract: The asymptoc giant branchstar R Sculptoris is surrounded by adetached shell of dust and gas. Theshell originates from a thermal pulseduring which the star had a briefperiod of increased mass loss. It hashitherto been impossible to constrainthe mescales and mass-loss properesduring and aer a thermal pulseparameters that determine the lifemeon the asymptoc giant branch andthe amount of material returned tothe interstellar medium. I will presentAtacama Large Millimeter/submillimeterArray (ALMA) CO observaons ofthe circumstellar envelope and shellaround R Sculptoris. These high angularresoluon observaons revealedthat the thin, clumpy shell contains aspiral structure. Spiral structures havebeen seen previously in the oulowsof evolved stars and are associatedwith binary systems. I will discussthe formaon of spiral sculptedoulows and how they can be usedto conclude (by combining the ALMAdata with hydrodynamic simulaons)that R Sculptoris is a binary system thatunderwent a thermal pulse ~1800 yearsago, lasng ~200 years.Title: Binarity and final stages ofmassive star stellar evoluon: the highspaal resoluon view in the infraredSpeaker: Olivier Chesneau (Observatoirede la Côte d’Azur)Venue: 1896 BuildingDate: 31 January 2012Time: 11:00Abstract: Progress in high angularresoluon techniques in the infrared(Adapve Opcs and OpcalInterferometry) provided a wealth ofnew observaons of the circumstellarenvironment of evolved stars in theirimmediate vicinity. I shall focus on thedetecon companions and examples ofthe deep influence of binarity on thefate of evolved stars. I shall presentstudies some spectral type thought tobe directly connected to binarity (B[e]supergiants and dusty Wolf-Rayet stars).I will also discuss the rapidly growingfield of intermediate luminositytransient phenomena.32mnassa vol 72 nos 1 & 2

Title: The Symbioc path to SNe IaSpeaker: Joanna Mikolajewska, N.Copernicus Astron. CenterVenue: SAAO AuditoriumDate: 14 FebruaryTime: 11:00Abstract: Symbioc stars are interacngbinaries in which the first-formed whitedwarf accretes and burns material froma red giant companion. I will presentphysical characteriscs of these objectsand discussing their possible link withprogenitors of type Ia supernovae.ACGCTitle: Lumps and bumps in the earlyuniverseSpeaker: Mustafa Amin, CambridgeVenue: M111, Maths Building, UCTDate: 22 January 2013Time: 13:00Abstract: Our understanding of theuniverse between the end of inflaonand producon of light elements isincomplete. How did inflaon end?What did the universe look like at theend of inflaon? In this talk, I will discussdifferent end of inflaon scenarios. Iwill concentrate on a parcular case:the fragmentaon of the inflaton intolocalized, long-lived excitaons of theinflaton field (oscillons), which can endup dominang the energy density ofthe universe. I will argue that oscillonscan be produced in a large class of wellmovatedinflaonary models thatare consistent with CMB anisotropymeasurements. I will discuss condionscolloquiafor their existence, emergenceand stability. Finally, I will discusstheorecal and possible observaonalconsequences of different end ofinflaon scenarios in general as wellas oscillons in parcular in the earlyuniverse.Title: Averaging the luminosity redshirelaon: from theory to observaons.Speaker: Giovanni MarozziVenue: M111, Maths Building UCT.Date: 5 February 2012Time: 13:00Abstract: I will show a general gaugeinvariant formalism for definingcosmological averages that are relevantfor observaons based on light-likesignals. Such averages involve either nullhypersurfaces corresponding to a familyof past light-cones or compact surfacesgiven by their intersecon with melikehypersurfaces. Aerwards, using suchformalism, together with adapted“geodesic light-cone” coordinates, I willshow as backreacon effect emerges inthe evaluaon of observables relatedto the luminosity distance-redshirelaon in an inhomogeneous Universe.To conclude, considering a realiscstochasc spectrum of inhomogeneiesof primordial (inflaonary) origin, I willshow the magnitude and behaviour ofsuch backreacon effects.NASSPTitle: Gravitaonal dynamics near theGalacc Centre.33february 2013

Speaker: Dr Jeandrew Brink.Venue : RW James Lecture Hall CDate : 13 Feb 2013Time : 13:00Abstract: There is substanal evidencefor the existence of a quiescent supermassiveblack hole at the rotaonalcentre of our Galaxy, denoted Sgr A*.The advent of the Square KilometreArray, and gravitaonal wave detectorssuch as LIGO and LISA will enable usto experimentally probe the strongfield region around Sgr A* with greaterprecision than ever before. With thisinformaon we should be able to testcertain fundamental theorems thatunderlie our understanding of GeneralRelavity such as the no-hair theorems.I discuss some of the theorecal andexperimental infrastructure requiredto make a conclusive test of the cosmiccensorship and causality conjectures onwhich these theorems are based. I alsosummarize a number of the experimentalchallenges that will need to be overcomebefore a conclusive measurement of thequadrupole moment of the black holecan be made.colloquia34mnassa vol 72 nos 1 & 2

deep-sky delightsHydra, the female WaterSnake, is the longest oftoday’s 88 known constellaons,stretching from theLibra up to the northernconstellaon Cancer – morethan 3% of the enre nightsky (see starmap). It is quitea challenge to deal with thisexpansive constellaon inone arcle, especially as itcontains exceponally magnificentobjects that makea visit to the constellaondecidedly worthwhile.Of course, what makesthe constellaon all themore interesng is the factthat it raises the queson,why the name – why afemale snake? Accordingto legend Hydra was themul-headed snake whichhad the ability to grow twonew heads for every onethat was cut off. The constellaonwas associatedwith the goddess Tiamatthe ruler of the seawaterwho according to legendHydra the multiheadedSerpentby Magda Streichermagdalena@mweb.co.zakills her offspring.Howeverslightlysoer on thetongue is theGerman nameW a s s e r s c h -lange.The northern part of theconstellaon is characterisedby the magnitude 3to 4 stars eta, sigma, delta,epsilon and zeta Hydrae,which could be seen asmaking up the head shapewith a sharp-pointed nose.The star Alphard, alsoknown as alpha Hydrae,could easily seen as a yellowwhitediamond hanging onher slender neck (remembershe is a woman). Some-me also referred to as theWater Snake’s heart line, it islocated 180 light years awayfrom us. The Arabic namefor this star is The SolitaryOne, referring to the lack ofbright stars in its vicinity.35The well-known opencluster NGC 2548, perhapsbeer known bythe name Messier 48, issituated due west of alphaHydrae right on theconstellaon Monocerosboundary. Caroline Herscheland Charles Messierindependently discoveredthis large, bright andloosely expanded clusterof around 50 stars displayingcircles, pairs andtriplets (see picture). Aprominent crooked stringof stars runs through thecluster in a north-southdirecon. Numerousoutliers mingle with thestar field, although themiddle area is slightlycondensed.february 2013Image source: Stellarium.org

hydra the multi-headed serpentFor the purpose of this ar-cle, however, it is best toconcentrate on the southernarea of Hydra. In themiddle area of the constellaonit is quite easy tolocate the very orange-redmagnitude 3.8 mu Hydraeand then to star-hop 1.8degrees south to the planetarynebula NGC 3242,also known as the Ghostof Jupiter. The outstanding,slightly oval nebuladisplays a so outer envelope,a noceable washedoutblue colour and aglimpse of the magnitude12 star towards the centre(see sketch). Through asomewhat larger amateurtelescope it appears mottledand resembles a humaneye, in contrast withthe inner dark envelopearound the star. A faintdarkish area can be seenin the southern secon,with a brighter northernside. William Herschel describedthis nebula as justa faint puall during observaonsin 1785. JenniKay noted a so, diffuseedge wrapped in mulpleso, layered shells witha strong response to theOIII filter.M48, also known as NGC2548 is a large, bright and looselyexpanded open cluster. Photo: Dale Liebenberg36Hydra is rich in galaxies,and a few interesngfacts are aached to severalof them, even thoughthrough amateur telescopesthey would prob-mnassa vol 72 nos 1 & 2

deep-sky delightsNGC 3242. Planetary Nebula in Hydra.ably appear to be merepatches of light.A very special galaxy is Arp252 (PGC 27928 and PGC27929), which is situated afew degrees west of NGC3242 and has also beenpopular known as theQueson Mark Galaxy. Itcan be seen as a pair ofinteracng spirals, whichthe Hubble deep picturereveals in a unique way.This special pair is situatedonly 1.2 degrees southeastfrom the galaxy NGC3028. The small spiral galaxyNGC 3109 is situatedabout 7.5 degrees furthersouth-west from Arp 252.Astronomers pointed KAT,the Karoo Array Telescope(picture), towards thisgalaxy, which allowedthem to see the HI radioemission and moving ofthe galaxy. Where the gasis moving towards us thefrequency of the spectralline is Doppler shiedupwards, whereas wherethe gas is moving away itis shied down. A few degreessouth-east the ghtknot of about a dozengalaxies also known asthe Hydra 1 Galaxy Clustershares a field of nearly 2degrees. However, the37february 2013

hydra the multi-headed serpentsouthern member in thisgroup, NGC 3314, has anice twist to it. The galaxyis also indicated bothas NGC 3314A and NGC3314B. Hubble picturesshow two galaxies appearingto be head on, whilethey are actually tensof millions of light yearsapart and it is only fromour perspecve that theyappear to line up. Furthersouth-east, on the borderwith the constellaon Antlia,the spiral galaxy NGC3393 contains a pair ofsuper-massive black holes.In the midst of the galaxycluster the magnitude 4.8lovely red colour star (HD92036) can serve as agood indicaon to locatethis group.So, as can be see, there isa lot more to discover andexplore, so next me whenyou try to only glimpsethese above-menonedgalaxies to remember theinteresng facts wovenaround them. Sadly, onlythe most beauful Hubblepictures show them in anythinglike their full glory.with magnitudes 4.8 and5.7, point the way 4.5 degreessouth to the asterismAlessi J11046-3157 – fivemagnitude 12 to 13 starsin a short string from northto south, with two fainterones topping the scale tothe west (see sketch). Notat all an easy task to findthis compact, faint andsmall asterism, but whenfound, it is nicely lied outagainst the star field. Howeverthe book star clusters(Archinal and Hynes)indicate a larger C-shapedgroup which may be partof this faint string.About 3 degrees south-eastis the galaxy NGC 3621,which in combinaon withfield stars displays a specialcharacter. The galaxy, lyingin an elongated north-westto south-east direcon,looks somewhat moled,gradually geng brightertowards a wide, densenucleus. The peripheryis shrouded in misness,with faint splinter stars embeddedon its northern sur-The lovely double star chi1&2 Hydrae, quite brightTHe Alessi J11046-3157 Asterism.38mnassa vol 72 nos 1 & 2

face. It has become a habitof mine to name an objectaccording to the very firstthought that strikes mewhen I look at an object.My notes indicate the “TheCrux Galaxy” for this oneguarded by a trapezium ofstars closely surroundingthe galaxy with a memorableimpression of the Cruxconstellaon.deep-sky delightsThe magnitude 2.9 stargamma Hydrae shines witha lemon-yellow colour andcould be seen as indicangthe last curve towards thetail-end of the constellaon.Hop 2.5 degreessouth-east to the variablestar R Hydrae, one of thebrightest long-periodvariables in the sky. It isan M-class Mira type starthat reaches a maximumNGC 3621or the CruxGalaxy. Pictureby DaleLiebenberg.there are faint clumpsof stars visible on thenorth-western edge. Theeastern side of the globularis slightly more edged,whereas the western partfilters out with faint startrails. But it is not at alleasy to resolve the cluster,except with higher magnificaon.The bright globular clusterNGC 4590, also known asMessier 68, can be foundabout halfway betweenbeta and gamma Hydrae.The globular cluster appearssomewhat oval in anorth-west to south-eastdirecon with an obscurecompressed core withfaint mist indicang a starrichcluster (see sketch). Isuspect that its apparentlyelongated shape might beaributed to the fact thatGlobular Cluster NGC 4590, also know as M68.39february 2013

hydra the multi-headed serpentof magnitude 3 and magnitude11 near its minimum.The reddish-orange colourstar (HD number 117287)with a period of 389 daysclassed with a spectral typeM6 – 9, and a parallaxesof 8.05 milli arc-secondaccording to ChristopherMiddleton.But the real show stopperin the Hydra constellaonis the magnificent galaxyNGC 5236, beer knownas Messier 83, discoveredby Nicolas Louis de Lacailleat the Cape of Good Hopein 1752. The galaxy is situatedbarely 30’ from thenorthern border with theconstellaon Centaurusand is also part of the Centaurusgalaxy group. It is alarge, bright, face-on galaxywith a so, flimsy edgequite outstanding againstthe star field. The brightnucleus is obvious, andwith careful observaon itdisplays a so halo arounda more bar-like east-westcore. Really high magnificaonthrough largeramateur telescopes willbring out the delicate armextensions which can beglimpsed curving out fromthe east end of the nucleusgoing south and the otherarm from the western endgoing north. Faint starspeek through the glow,with a few brighter onessighted just off the extremeeastern edge of the galaxy.Since 1923, more than ahandful of supernova explosionshave been foundin this galaxy.Never underesmate awoman, even if she is aconstellaon against thestarry skies – she will showyou a thing or two that areunbeatable!Object Type RA (J2000.0) Dec Mag. SizeNGC 2548 M 48Arp 252(PGC 27928/9)NGC 3109NGC 3242NGC 3314NGC 3390Alessi J11046-3157NGC 3621NGC 4590 M 68R HydraeNGC 5236 M 83Open ClusterGalaxyGalaxyGalaxyPlanetary NebulaGalaxyGalaxyAsterismGalaxyGlobular ClusterVariable starGalaxy08 h 13 m 809 44 809 44 910 03 110 24 810 37 210 48 111 04 611 18 312 39 513 29 713 37 6-05°48-19 43-19 43-26 10-18 38-27 41-31 33-31 58-32 49-26 46-23 17-29 535.81515.39.87.812.812.488.97.73-117.654’1.5’x0.4’0.9’x0.4’15’x2.9’16”1.5’x0.8’3.1’x0.7’3.3’9.8’x4.6’12’389.6 d15.5’x13.0’mnassa vol 72 nos 1 & 240february 2013

astronomical society of southern africaThe Astronomical Society of Southern Africa (ASSA) was formed in 1922 by the amalgamaon ofthe Cape Astronomical Associaon (founded 1912) and the Johannesburg Astronomical Associaon(founded 1918). It is a body consisng of both amateur and professional astronomers.Publicaons: The Society publishes its own electronic journal, the Monthly Notes of the AstronomicalSociety of Southern Africa (MNASSA) bimonthly and an annual printed Sky Guide Africa South.Membership: Membership of the Society is open to all. Potenal members should consult theSociety’s web page assa.saao.org.za for details. Joining is possible via one of the Local Centres or asa Country Member.Local Centres: Local Centres of the Society exist at Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Harare, Hermanus,Johannesburg, Pietermaritzburg (Natal Midlands Centre), Pretoria and Sedgefield district(Garden Route Centre). Membership of any of these Centres automacally confers membership ofthe Society.Sky & Telescope: Members may subscribe to Sky & Telescope at a significant discount (proof of Centremembership required) . Please contact membership secretary for details.Internet contact details: e-mail: assa@saao.ac.za homepage: hp://assa.saao.ac.zaCouncil (2012–2013)President Dr IS Glassisg@saao.ac.zaVice-president Prof MJH Hoffman HoffmaMJ@ufs.ac.zaMembership Secretary Pat Boothmembership@assa.saao.ac.zaHon. Treasurer Adv AJ Nelajnel@ajnel.co.zaHon. Secretary L Crosssecretary@assa.saao.ac.zaScholarships MG Soltynski Maciej@telkomsa.netMembers C Stewartmwgringa@mweb.co.zaG Elsgels@randwater.co.zaJ Smitjohanchsmit@gmailL Labuschagne xtrahand@iafrica.comJ Saundersshearwater@hermanus.co.zaL Govender lg.thirdrock@mweb.co.zaC Rijsdijkparcles@mweb.co.zaHon. Auditor RG Glass (Horwath Zeller Karro) Ronnie.Glass@horwath.co.zaDirectors of SeconsComet and Meteor Secon vacantCosmology Secon JFW de BruynDark-sky Secon J SmitDeep-sky Secon A SlotegraafDouble Star Secon D BlaneEducaon and PublicCL RijsdijkCommunicaon SeconHistorical Secon C de ConingOccultaon Secon B FraserSolar Secon vacantVariable Star Secon C Middleton,Tel. 033 396 3624 debruyn1@telkomsa.netTel. 011 790 4443 johans@pretoria-astronomy.co.zaTel. 074 100 7237 auke@psychohistorian.orgTel. 072 693 7704 theblanes@telkomsa.netTel. 044 877 1180 parcles@mweb.co.zaTel/Fax 021 423 4538 siriusa@absamail.co.zaTel. 016 366 0955 fraserb@intekom.co.zaTel. 082 920 3107 wbrooke@netacve.co.zaastronomical society of southern africa

mnassaMonthly Notes of the Astronomical Society of Southern AfricaVol 72 Nos 1 & 2 February 2013Letter to the editorMichael Feast.................................................................................................................... 1News NotesLCOGT News.............................................................................................................................. 2SAAO’s Mechanical Workshop and Optics Lab UpgradeLisa Crause.................................................................................................................................. 4Johannesburg Moonwatch RecalledPE Spargo.................................................................................................................................... 9North Korea’s controversial Satellite LaunchGreg Roberts..................................................................................................................... 17UFO becomes IFOGreg Roberts..................................................................................................................... 27Astronomical Colloquia....................................................................................................... 31Deep-sky DelightsHydra, the Multi-headed SerpentMagda Streicher................................................................................................................ 35Downloadable online from hp://www.mnassa.org.za