SKY_July2014.pdf

Astronomy with a Plan

to discern contrast between regions of an otherwise fea-

tureless nebula. Likewise, planetary observers will have

more reasons to use color fi lters, which turn out to be very

useful once you try sketching fi ne details on the planets.

Have you been looking for an excuse to drop money on

one of those fancy fi lter slides? You may have found it!

Awards and Bragging Rights

Whether you know it or not, you’re probably already a

member of the Astronomical League (AL). Membership

in most local astronomy clubs includes automatic mem-

bership in the AL. Think of it as an organizational body

for astronomical societies across the U.S.

The AL has dozens of observing programs dedicated

to building structured observing practices and honing

observing skills. You’re free to participate in them when

you’re a dues-paying member of the AL or an affi liated

society. These observing programs vary in skill level from

beginner to advanced, and include projects and object

lists to suit a huge range of interests, as described on page

36. Completion of each program results in a certifi cate
    signed by the AL president suitable for framing, having
    your name listed in the awardees archive and published
    in The Refl ector (the League’s quarterly magazine), as well
    as a really snazzy lapel pin exclusive to recipients of that
    award. Collecting AL awards is a lot of fun, and serves a
    greater purpose of getting you out observing with greater
    frequency and honing your skills. It also fosters healthy,
    friendly competition within astronomy clubs.
    The Astronomical League’s variable-star observation
    program is even used for data gathering by the American
    Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO), which
    leads to the big one...

A Steppingstone to Citizen Science

Crowdsourcing is a modern buzzword frequently used in

venture capitalism and research. In a nutshell, it means

outsourcing a task to the willing masses. Crowdsourced

S&T associate editor Tony Flanders decided to make the best of his urban location by comparing the views of all the Messier objects

through two telescopes at diff erent levels of light pollution. This project led directly to his job at S&T. His logbook remains one of his

most precious resources when editing other observers’ articles. These sketches show three views of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31).

36 July 2014 sky & telescope

Want to know

how the famous

variable star

Delta Cephei

behaved in Janu-

ary 2000? This

light curve from

the American

Association of

Variable Star

Observers

represents the

combined data

from 21 dedi-

cated skywatch-

ers worldwide.

S&T

: TONY FLANDERS (3)

M31: City View M31: Suburban View M31: Rural View

Jan. 1,

2000

Jan. 8

Magnitude

4.4

4.2

4.0

3.8

3.6

3.4

3.2

Jan. 15 Jan. 22 Jan. 29

Light Curve for Delta Cephei

AAVSO