Serving science and society since 1937. The National Capital
Astronomers (NCA) is a non-profit, membership supported, volunteer
run, public service corporation dedicated
to advancing space technology, astronomy, and related sciences
through information, participation, and inspiration, via research,
lectures and presentations, publications, expeditions, tours,
public interpretation, and education. NCA is the astronomy
affiliate of the Washington
Academy of Sciences. We are also members of the Astronomical League, in
fact NCA members helped form the Astronomical League a long time
ago.
NCA has for many years published a monthly newsletter called Star
Dust that is available for members. Besides announcement of
coming NCA meetings and a calendar of monthly events Star Dust
contains reviews of past meeting and articles on current
astronomical events.
NCA is a very unusual astronomy organization. All are welcome to
join. Everyone who looks up to the sky with wonder is an
astronomer and welcomed by NCA. You do not have to own a
telescope, but if you do own one that is fine, too. You do not
have to be deeply knowledgeable in astronomy , but if you are
knowledgeable in astronomy that is fine, too. You do not have to
have a degree, but if you do that is fine, too. WE ARE THE MOST
DIVERSE local ASTRONOMY CLUB anywhere. Come to our meetings and
you will find this out. WE REALLY MEAN THIS!
Our Meetings
Monthly Meetings with Educational Presentations are Free and
Open to the Public
NCA has regular monthly meetings September through June on the
second Saturday of the month.
Public transportation:Directions/maps
to the UM Observatory Inclement weather: In case of severe weather
(tornado/snow/impassable roads), a notice will be placed on the Observatory Website
on the day of the meeting. (Be sure to refresh/reload the page to
make sure you are seeing an updated page.)
Oct 12, 2013: Sarah E Brown (NCA), The Back
Door to Astronomy
Nov 09, 2013: Kent Wood (NRL), An All-Sky
Discovery Machine: A Gamma Ray Telescope and an Optical Survey
Telescope
Dec 14, 2013: Douglas P. Hamilton (UMd), The
Origin of Titan & Hyperion
Jan 11, 2014: Dan Lathrop (UMd), A Planetary
Dynamo in the Laboratory SPECIAL LOCATION: In a lab at the
University of Maryland.
Feb 08, 2014: Holly Gilbert (GSFC), Results
from the Solar Dynamics Observatory
Mar 08, 2014: Elizabeth Hays (GSFC), Cosmic
Ray Protons from Supernova Remnants
Apr 12, 2014: Henrique
Schmitt (NRL), Using
Optical Interferometry to Study the Structure of Stars, Active
Galactic Nuclei and Geostationary Satellites
May 10, 2014: Craig Markwardt (GSFC), What
NuSTAR Has Found So Far
Jun 14, 2014: Election, and Science Fair
winners speak.
Most meetings will be held at the University of Maryland
Astronomical Observatory in College Park, Maryland.
Using Optical
Interferometry to Study the Structure of
Stars, Active Galactic Nuclei and
Geostationary Satellites
Speaker: Henrique Schmitt Naval Research Laboratory
Abstract:
With a few
notable exceptions, resolving stars and their disks requires the
use of optical interferometry, and cannot be done with single
telescopes. I will present recent results on the structure of
stars, circumstellar disks and binaries, obtained with the Navy
Precision Optical Interferometer (NPOI) and other optical
interferometers.
I will also present results on the observations of the tori
around the nuclei of Active Galactic Nuclei.
I will discuss some of the current developments at the NPOI,
which include the commissioning of a 437 m baseline, and shorter
baselines, which will allow us to resolve stars as small as 0.2
milliarcseconds and do a detailed study of the structure of
large stars. As a final subject I will discuss the observations
of geostationary satellites, and the challenges involved in this
work.
Bio:
Henrique
Schmitt did his PhD, in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on issues related
to the Unified Model of Seyfert galaxies. During his PhD
Henrique spent 2 years as a graduate student at the Space
Telescope Science Institute. Upon concluding his PhD, Henrique
went back to STScI as a post-doc, followed by a Jansky
Fellowship at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. He is
currently an astronomer at the Remote Sensing Division of the
Naval Research Laboratory, working on optical interferometric
observations and imaging of stars and circumstellar disks with
the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer.
Join Us for Dinner Before the Meeting on April 12, 2014
Join our special guest and members for dinner at 5:30 p.m. "Golf Course
Restaurant" at the University of Maryland golf course
Universtiy Boulvard & Statium Drive, College Park, MD 20742.
Telescope-Making and Mirror-Grinding
Telescope-making and mirror-making classes with Guy Brandenburg
at the Chevy Chase Community Center, at the intersection of
McKinley Street and Connecticut Avenue, NW, a few blocks inside
the DC boundary, on the northeast corner of the
intersection, in the basement (wood shop), on Fridays, from
6:30 to 9:30 PM. For information visit Guy's
Website To contact Guy, use this phone #: 202-262-4274
or Email Guy.
Come See the Stars at Exploring the Sky 2014!
Exploring the Sky is an informal program that for
over sixty years has offered monthly opportunities for anyone in
the Washington area to see the stars and planets through
telescopes from a location within the District of Columbia.
Sessions are held in Rock Creek Park once each month on a Saturday
night from April through November, starting shortly after sunset.
We meet in the field just south of the intersection of Military
and Glover Roads NW, near the Nature Center. A parking lot is
located next to the field.
Beginners (including children) and experienced stargazers are all
welcome-and it's free!
Questions? Call the Nature center at (202) 895-6070 or check: Exploring
the Sky @ Rock Creek. Download the flier!
Date
Time
Targets of Interest
05 Apr
8:30pm
Winter constellations; Jupiter in Gemini
03 May
9:00pm
Saturn rising in the east; Astronomy Day 5/10
21 Jun
9:00pm
Solstice 6/21; possible meteors (June Boötids)
19 Jul
9:00pm
Summer Triangle; Mars has just passed Spica
23 Aug
8:30pm
Andromeda rising; Perseid meteor shower
20 Sep
8:00pm
Andromeda Galaxy rising; equinox 9/23
18 Oct
7:30pm
Possible meteor crash on Mars 10/19
01 Nov
7:00pm
Pleiades and winter constellations appear
Exploring the Sky is a presentation of the National Park Service
and National Capital Astronomers.
Star Parties
The Society of Amateur
Radio Astronomers (SARA) Annual Meeting and Technical
Conference: July 14-17, 2013 at the National Radio Astronomy
Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia.
uaqa: understanding articulation
quality assurance, home of the National Capital Astronomers, Inc
web page. Check out uaqa's web
publishing services and the other people and organizations using uaqa.com. uaqa also hosts Astrolabes.org and Mcstaffunion.org.
dedicated
to advancing space technology, astronomy, and related sciences
through information, participation, and inspiration, via research,
lectures and presentations, publications, expeditions, tours,
public interpretation, and education. NCA is the astronomy
affiliate of the Washington
Academy of Sciences. We are also members of the Astronomical League, in
fact NCA members helped form the Astronomical League a long time
ago. 
