The M.A.S. Newsletter 23

The next meeting will be held on Friday 28th January at 7:30 pm at the Saint Esprit Collège, Quatre Bornes. This will be a general observation night...

The annual general meeting, will be due on Friday 25th of February 2000 at 7:30 pm at the Saint Esprit College, Quatre Bornes.

Reading and approval of previous AGM minutes.
Matters araising.
President's address.
Treasurer's report.
Committee members for 2000.
A.O.B.

Members wishing to from part of the committee should send their letters to reach the Secretary not later than Wednesday the 23rd of February. We hope to see you for this important meeting.

Schedule for the year 2000
28th Jan	General Observation Night
25th Feb	Annual General Meeting
31st Mar	Slide Show: The Planets
28th Apr	Observation of Virgo Cluster
26th May	Visit to Bras d'Eau Radio Telescope
30th Jun	Slide Show: Deep Sky
28th Jul	Observation of Vesta
25th Aug	Observation of Uranus at opposition
29th Sep	Observation of the Milky Way
27th Oct	Slide Show: Cosmology
24th Nov	Saturn and Jupiter at opposition
29th Dec

On the 30th of January, the two gas giants Jupiter and Saturn are visible high above the western horizon at sunset (setting at 23:06 and 23:52 respectively). Closer to the horizon, Mars is now in the constellation of Aquarius and sets at 21:08 on the 25th.

Sources familiar with the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) project say that a gyro failure on the telescope last month forced NASA to study whether the orbiting observatory should be brought down now before another gyro failure renders the telescope uncontrollable.

One of the three gyroscopes on CGRO failed on December 9. The failure itself had little impact on the observatory's operations, as the other two gyros provide enough information to continue scientific operations.

However, sources say that a second gyro failure would not only prevent further scientific operations, it would cause the telescope to lose overall attitude control, leading to an eventual uncontrolled reentry.

Galileo project scientists said Monday, January 10 that shifts in the magnetic field of Europa measured during Galileo's flyby of the moon are consistent with the existence of a layer of electrically-conducting liquid water beneath the moon's surface.

The Galileo data identified the source of the electrical currents as the upper 100 km of the moon, well within past estimates for the thickness of Europa's icy crust.

The Hubble Space Telescope began science observations late in the evening of Monday, January 10, nearly two months after the telescope stopped science work when a fourth gyro on the spacecraft failed, and a little other two weeks after astronauts completed repairs and upgraded to the orbiting observatory.

Since last month's repair mission, the telescope has been undergoing a set of tests and calibrations known as Servicing Mission Orbital Verification (SMOV). SMOV work will continue for several weeks after the beginning of science observations, centering around tests of the long-term stability of a Fine Guidance Sensor replaced during the shuttle mission.