ALCOVE Database ®

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Who Am I?

Welcome to you all! On this page, we hope you will better understand who Haldun is, his interests and accomplishments in astronomy, what he likes to observe in the heavens and find out about what he calls "Standardized Observation Report Forms", to be used in recording your observation results. Enjoy!

 

Haldun's Astronomical Journey

I had been interested in science, in general, and astronomy, in particular, since a very early age. At the elementary school, I was always occupied carrying out science projects designed for the youngsters. I started reading about astronomy at age 9. I think one of the igniting sparks for my early interest in astronomy was an orrery that my school had for its geography and astronomy class. I still remember the first time I saw the orrery standing on a table and all the little balls slowly turning around the yellow/orange baseball-size sphere representing the Sun. Those were also the years of the US Apollo Moon program. All the kids were allowed to leave the school early to watch the live TV broadcasts from the Moon's surface. While US astronauts were jumping around on the dusty soil of our natural satellite, my mind was traveling light years away, too far from our little black-and-white TV screen. And I shouldn't deny the influence of the TV series Star Trek (The Original Series) had on me during its reruns in 1970s.

Finally, I remember trying to read some articles in the National Geographic Magazine (my father used to be a subscriber, which I carried on with his enthusiasm later) about the disappointing Comet Kohoutek (1973f - C/1973 E1) and searching the night sky to glimpse it, without any success. That was the comet which sparked my interest in these ghostly objects. Oddly, I don't have any recollection about hearing anything on the spectacular Comet West (C/1975 V1).

During the years, my involvement grew bigger and bigger. After witnessing the annular solar eclipse of April 26, 1976, I was determined to catch the umbra at a total solar eclipse (which was realized in August 1999). The first telescope I built was a galilean type refractor. It was made of used spectacle lenses, had 30 mm clear aperture (with a very bad chromatic aberration!) and gave a magnification of about 6. Next, I built a small refractor using a 40mm f/25 and then a 50mm f/20 objective lens in late 1970s. The 50mm refractor was in fact part of a telescope kit made in Germany and bought from a friend for about US$ 20! In the meantime, I discovered that the old pair of 8x30 army binoculars belonging to my maternal grandfather was giving excellent views of the stars when I looked through them at the constellation Orion in the 1978/79 winter season. I started  observing the heavens regularly on a hot summer night, by having a look through my 40mm to the Moon, on July 31, 1979. It was nearly at first quarter and I had drawn my first sketch of a celestial body!

Then followed observing the planets Venus, Jupiter and Saturn; viewing Uranus, Neptune and Mars came after that. To my utter astonishment, I could be able to glimpse Mercury only very recently, in 1998 from Quincy, MA.

On September 30, 1983, when I made my first variable star estimation (R Scuti at visual magnitude 6.1) I had already have built a steel tripod and aluminum fork mount for my 50mm refractor. Later, I published an article on "How to Build a Small Refractor at Home" in Tubitak's popular science magazine Bilim ve Teknik, based on the plans of this one. My first observations were sent to AFOEV, then the HAA - VSS, the AAVSO and the BAA - VSS, respectively. I am so much grateful to Mr. Emile Schweitzer of AFOEV and late Dr. Janet A. Mattei of the AAVSO in encouraging me in my early days of VSOing.

 

Finally, another dream come true (as of April 2002)! Our new car's vanity plate reads "R SCUTI"
 (were you expecting something else?).
 

During my first visit to France in 1980 (at the age of 17), I had bought several astronomical magazines and books. I consider this period as the starting point in establishing my current extensive personal library. The next year witnessed the publishing of my first translation of an astronomy article in a popular science magazine in Turkey (please see number 21 on my publication list below). In the summer of 1983, I started to write down a book about Halley's Comet upon the invitation of and together with Prof. I. Ethem Derman of the Ankara University Astronomy Department, who also encouraged my writing career about astronomy before. Our book (titled as "Our Guest for Every 76 Years: Halley's Comet") was published just before the comet was getting brighter in my small refractor in December 1985 (here is another link about our book; now you can read the entire book in Turkish at this link).

Thanks to the financial help of my father A. Fuat Menali, I ordered an 8" parabolic mirror and a corresponding diagonal from Meade Instruments Corp. in California in spring of 1984. The construction of the entirely-home-built-telescope-except-the-optics was completed in 1988. It started its life as a dobsonian which was transformed into a fork-mounted equatorial in the summer of 1990. On the night of November 23rd of the same year, I was most probably the happiest amateur all over the globe. Upon a call from late Dr. Mattei, I managed to observe (after waiting outside for hours for the sky to be cleared up!) the cataclysmic variable U Gem and reported my observation to Dr. Chris Mauche by calling him in California. He, in turn, informed me that they will start to monitor the star with the IUE (International Ultraviolet Explorer) satellite soon!

When this story of mine was published on another weekly popular science magazine (Cumhuriyet Bilim Teknik) next December, my fate had completely changed. After that time, I had attended several meetings as a guest speaker and made TV interviews on astronomy. During one of them I met my then future wife, Gamze. We married in fall of 1994 (when Leonids were at their peak activity!), after being the only Turkish amateur astronomers, together with our friends and Mr. Orhan Bursali, the editor of the popular science magazine Cumhuriyet Bilim Teknik, having witnessed the collision of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 to Jupiter in July of that year.

Having seen the great comets of 1996 and 1997, attended several astronomical meetings, awestruck under the millennium's last total solar eclipse, witnessed the '99, '00, '01 and '02 Leonids, overwhelmed by the awesome dark skies of Vermont at Stellafane, visited Mauna Kea Observatories on the Big Island of Hawai'i in 2002, viewed the transiting Venus in front of the Sun in 2004, and spent so many hours of observing under the skies together, we have been living happily ever after in Boston, MA since 1997.

In 2004, I celebrated a quarter of a century in astronomical observing! 25 years and counting .....!

 

Left: It's me (right), after setting up a SkyTent® with its founder and owner Mike Brooks at the NEAF 2000 in Suffern, NY. Unfortunately, SkyTent® has now gone out of business.
Right: At the gate of Stellafane 2000, at Breezy Hill, in Springfield, VT.

My Interests in Astronomy

As a beginner, I started by observing the Moon, its craters, mounts and mare like many newcomers to this endeavor. Then I shifted my interest to observing planets and sunspots. I have seen all of the planets except Pluto so far. I like visual observing of multiple star systems too.

My principal involvement, however, is in variable star and comet observing.

I have several sketches of deep-sky objects made at different times, with several telescopes.

I am equally interested in and occasionally observed meteors, lunar and solar eclipses and artificial satellites.

I took several pictures of star trails, planet conjunctions, star fields, lunar eclipses, comet Austin, comet Hale-Bopp, total solar eclipse of August 11, 1999, partial solar eclipse of December 25, 2000, total lunar eclipses of August 17, 1989, November 8, 2003 and October 27, 2004, and transit of Venus on June 8, 2004.

I am also interested in Amateur Telescope Making and the owner/moderator of a Turkish language discussion group about this subject since April 2006.

In short, my interests cover most of the fields in visual, and basic photographic, amateur astronomy.

 

My lovely wife, Gamze, chatting with E. Dorrit Hoffleit at the banquet of the
AAVSO 88th Annual Meeting in Hyannis, MA in November 1999.

 

My Accomplishments in Astronomy

* Co-author of a book on Halley's Comet, published in Turkish in Ankara, Turkey in 1985.
* Author of several articles popularizing astronomy (Tubitak Bilim ve Teknik, Cumhuriyet Bilim Teknik, EUAT Astronomi Magazin).
* Several public speeches on astronomical observations of amateurs and a research paper about Three Unnamed Fleming Variable Stars.
* Several TV interviews on amateur astronomy and how to observe the skies (1991 to 1994).
* Founding two local astronomy clubs (Bosphorus University Astronomy Club - 1983 and Istanbul Metropolitan Astronomers - 1991), unfortunately both of them discontinued now.
* Building my own 8" fork-mounted equatorial reflecting telescope.
* More than 7,500 hours of observations since 1979, most of the results being published either in print form or on the WWW.
* More than 6,000 published observations of variable stars since 1983.
* Synchronous observation of variable star U Gem for the IUE satellite on behalf of the AAVSO on November 23, 1990.
* Visual and photographic observations of 17 comets:
  

 

* Observation of the collision of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 to Jupiter in July 1994.
* In addition to regular observing of variable stars and comets, observations of the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Lunar and Solar eclipses, Sunspots, double and multiple stars, Deep-Sky Objects (nebulae, open clusters, globular clusters, galaxies), sporadic meteors and Leonids in 1999, 2000,  2001 and 2002.
* Astrophotography with a barn door camera mount I built myself.
* A very extensive private library consisting of hundreds of books, magazines, star atlases and charts, articles, pictures, posters, slides and software.
* One of the ten observers worldwide confirming the discovery of Nova Aquilae 1999 Number 2 on December 1.9792, 1999 at visual magnitude 5.1.
* Promoting Turkish amateur and professional astronomy by providing the list of Turkish astronomical links at Sky and Telescope's Clubs and Organizations page.
* One of the seven observers worldwide confirming the discovery of Nova Ophiuchi 2003 on July 18.0937, 2003 at visual magnitude 11.1.
* Observed the Transit of Venus on June 8, 2004 from Bakirkoy, Istanbul, Turkey.
* Together with several amateur colleagues from Turkey, established the ATM Turk Turkish language discussion group on Amateur Telescope Making and a Wiki-based ATM Website.

 

Member and/or observer of the following local/international astronomical associations:
o Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston, Inc., Westford, MA / member since February 2001
o American Association of Variable Star Observers, Cambridge, MA / member (sustaining) and observer since 1984
o Association Francaise des Observateurs d'Etoiles Variables, Strasbourg, France / observer since 1983, member since 2001
o British Astronomical Association, London, England / member since 1984 / observations of variable stars and comets
o Hungarian Astronomical Association / Variable Star Section, Budapest, Hungary / observer since 1984
o International Halley Watch, Pasadena, CA / observation of Halley's Comet in 1985/86
o Rockland Astronomy Club, Suffern, NY / member since April 2005

 

Astronomical conventions, meetings, gatherings and star parties attended:
* 1983 Professional Astronomers Convention in Istanbul, Turkey
* 1988 Association Francaise des Observateurs d'Etoiles Variables Annual Meeting in Strasbourg, France
* 1990 American Association of Variable Star Observers' First European Meeting in Brussels, Belgium
* 1990 Ankara University Astronomy Club Meeting in Turkey (guest speaker)
* 1991 Middle East Technical University Astronomy Club Meeting in Ankara, Turkey (guest speaker)
* 1992 Istanbul Metropolitan Astronomers' Meeting in Turkey (founder and meeting organizer)
* 1992 Istanbul Metropolitan Astronomers' Star Party in Istanbul, Turkey (organizer)
* 1992 Professional Astronomers Convention in Malatya, Turkey (presented the only amateur paper)
* 1996 American Association of Variable Star Observers' Annual Meeting in Cambridge, MA
* 1997 American Association of Variable Star Observers' Second European Meeting in Sion, Switzerland
* 1998 Astronomy Day at Museum of Science, Boston, MA
* 1998 Stellafane Amateur Telescope Makers' Convention in Springfield, VT
* 1998 American Association of Variable Star Observers' Annual Meeting in Cambridge, MA
* 1999 Astronomy Day at Museum of Science, Boston, MA
* 1999 Professional Astronomers Convention in Elazig, Turkey (research poster display)
* 1999 American Association of Variable Star Observers' Annual Meeting in Hyannis, Cape Cod, MA
* 2000 Astronomy Day at Museum of Science, Boston, MA
* 2000 North East Astronomy Forum and Telescope Show in Suffern, NY
* 2000 Stellafane Amateur Telescope Makers' Convention in Springfield, VT
* 2000 Arunah Hill Days in Cummington, MA
* 2000 The Starry Universe: The Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin Centenary Symposium in Cambridge, MA
* 2000 American Association of Variable Star Observers' Annual Meeting in Waltham, MA
* 2001 Lowell Astronomy Lectures at Museum of Science, Boston, MA
* 2001 Astronomy Day at Museum of Science, Boston, MA
* 2001 North East Astronomy Forum and Telescope Show in Suffern, NY
* 2001 Stellafane Amateur Telescope Makers' Convention in Springfield, VT
* 2001 American Association of Variable Star Observers' Annual Meeting in Somerville, MA
* 2002 Astronomy Day at Museum of Science, Boston, MA
* 2002 North East Astronomy Forum and Telescope Show in Suffern, NY
* 2002 American Association of Variable Star Observers' Spring Meeting in Kailua-Kona, Big Island, HI
* 2002 Stellafane Amateur Telescope Makers' Convention in Springfield, VT
* 2002 Lowell Astronomy Lectures at Museum of Science, Boston, MA
* 2002 American Association of Variable Star Observers' Annual Meeting in Cambridge/Somerville, MA
* 2003 Astronomy Day at Museum of Science, Boston, MA
* 2003 North East Astronomy Forum and Telescope Show in Suffern, NY
* 2003 Stellafane Amateur Telescope Makers' Convention in Springfield, VT
* 2003 Mars Watch at Turkey Hill, organized by the Trustees of Reservations, Hingham, MA (the article published in The Patriot Ledger on August 29, 2003 can be found at this link in MS Word format).
* 2003 Total Lunar Eclipse of Nov 8, 2003 with ATMoB members at Museum of Science, Boston, MA
* 2004 Lowell Astronomy Lectures at Museum of Science, Boston, MA
* 2004 Astronomy Day at the Clay Center for Science and Technology, Brookline, MA
* 2004 North East Astronomy Forum and Telescope Show in Suffern, NY
* 2004 AAVSO's Symposium on Mira Companions and Planets, Cambridge, MA
* 2004 Transit of Venus, observed under the auspices of the Istanbul Kültür Universitesi, Bakirkoy, Turkey
* 2004 Stellafane Amateur Telescope Makers' Convention in Springfield, VT
* 2004 American Association of Variable Star Observers' Annual Meeting and A Day to Honor Janet Akyüz Mattei at Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
* 2005 North East Astronomy Forum and Telescope Show in Suffern, NY
* 2005 Lowell Astronomy Lectures at Museum of Science, Boston, MA
* 2005 Amateur Astronomy Symposium, dedicated to the memory of Janet Akyüz Mattei, Istanbul Kültür Universitesi, Istanbul, Turkey (invited paper)
* 2005 AAVSO's Symposium on Cataclysmic Variables in the 21st Century, Cambridge, MA
* 2005 Stellafane Amateur Telescope Makers' Convention in Springfield, VT
* 2005 Astronomical Society of the Pacific's 117th Annual Meeting, Building Community: The Emerging EPO Profession, Tucson, AZ
* 2005 American Association of Variable Star Observers' Annual Meeting, Newton, MA
* 2006 Astronomy Day at the Clay Center for Science and Technology, Brookline, MA
* 2006 Stellafane Amateur Telescope Makers' Convention in Springfield, VT
 

Astronomical Observatories visited (years indicate first time visit):
In Turkey:
Istanbul University Observatory, Istanbul, 1981
Bosphorus University Kandilli Earthquake and Astronomical Research Center, Istanbul, 1983
Ankara University Observatory, Ankara, 1990
Middle East Technical University Observatory, Ankara, 1991
Inonu University Astronomical Observatory, Malatya, 1992
Turkish National Optical Astronomical Observatory, Antalya, 1997

In the US:
Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA, 1988
Boston Museum of Science Gilliland Observatory, Boston, MA, 1996
Stellafane Porter Turret Telescope, Springfield, VT, 1998
McGregor Observatory, Springfield, VT, 1998
MIT Haystack Observatory, Westford, MA, 2000
Mauna Kea Observatories, Big Island, HI, 2002
ATMoB Ed Knight Observatory, Westford, MA, 2003
Kitt Peak National Observatory, Tucson, AZ, 2005

Overseas:
Royal Observatory Greenwich, England, 1984
Urania Public Observatory, Hungary, 1987
Konkoly Observatory, Hungary, 1987
Strasbourg Astronomical Observatory, France, 1988
Paris-Meudon Observatory, France, 1989
Nancay Radio Observatory, France, 1989
Royal Observatory of Belgium, Belgium, 1990
Villebon-sur-Yvette Public Observatory, France, 1992
Francois Xavier-Bagnoud Observatory, Switzerland, 1997

 

A List of My Publications in Astronomy

1. "An Ottoman Astronomer: Takiyuddin and the Comet of 1577", an upcoming article to be published in a Turkish popular scientific journal.

2. Contributions of Amateurs to Astronomy, invited paper presented at the Amateur Astronomy Symposium dedicated to the memory of Janet Akyüz Mattei, Istanbul Kültür Universitesi, June 25-26, 2005. Full text to be posted soon!

3. "The Comet of 1577 and a Turkish-Ottoman Astronomer", International Comet Quarterly, January 2004, Vol. 26, No. 1, pages 3-7.

4. In the Footsteps of W.P. Fleming, AAVSO Newsletter No 24, October 2000.

5. Research and Observation Plan for Three Unnamed Fleming Variables, Poster Paper presented at the 11th Professional Astronomers Convention in Elazig, Turkey, August 7-10, 1999.

6. Festivities in the Sky: Hale-Bopp, Cumhuriyet Bilim Teknik, July 19, 1997.

7. Hale-Bopp: The Great Comet of 1997, EUAT Astronomi Magazin, October 1996.

8. Hale-Bopp: The Great Comet of 1997, Cumhuriyet Bilim Teknik, August 17, 1996.

9. An Eyecatching Comet: Hyakutake, EUAT Astronomi Magazin, May 1996.

10. Welcome Hyakutake, Cumhuriyet Bilim Teknik, April 13, 1996.

11. Jupiter Devored a Comet, Cumhuriyet Bilim Teknik, July 30, 1994.

12. Istanbul Metropolitan Astronomers at Work, Cumhuriyet Bilim Teknik, March 28, 1992.

13. Contribution of Amateurs to Astronomy, Cumhuriyet Bilim Teknik, December 22, 1990.

14. Our Guest for Every 76 Years: Halley's Comet, Ankara, Turkey, December 1985 (book co-authored with Prof. Ethem Derman).

15. Where and When Observe Halley’s Comet, Tubitak Bilim ve Teknik, November 1985 (with Prof. Ethem Derman).

16. How To Make A Telescope, Tubitak Bilim ve Teknik, December 1984.

17. Five Visitors to Halley’s Comet, Tubitak Bilim ve Teknik, June 1984 (with Prof. Ethem Derman).

18. Unexpected Visitors: The Comets, Tubitak Bilim ve Teknik, March 1984 (with Prof. Ethem Derman).

19. Is Anybody Out There?, Tubitak Bilim ve Teknik, July 1983 (translation from Discover).

20. Mankind Is Alone in the Universe, Tubitak Bilim ve Teknik, July 1983 (translation from Discover).

21. The Astonishing Astronomer: Halton C. Arp, Tubitak Bilim ve Teknik, November 1982 (translation from Science Digest).

 

Standardized Observation Report Forms

After having read an article in now-discontinued "Deep Sky" magazine (ceased publication in 1992) in early 1990s about how much information you can keep and how helpful could it be using an observation report form, I devised my own one as seen here. I use it for almost every observing session of mine, except for variable stars. For my comet observations I have another form, requiring to provide more information about the specific comet observed.

Note: To view and print the forms in one page, first click the right button of your mouse when you retrieve the form. Then chose "Save Image As" option to save it onto your hard disk in GIF format. You must be able to open the form using a picture viewer such as MS Photo Editor or Adobe Photoshop. Finally chose "Fit to Page" option when printing.

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Yon rising Moon that looks for us again —
How oft hereafter will she wax and wane;
How oft hereafter rising look for us
Through this same Garden—and for one in vain!
— Rubáiyát #100
Omar Khayyám (1048 - 1131 CE)
Persian Mathematician, Astronomer, Philosopher and Poet

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Website is prepared and maintained by Gamze & Haldun I. Menali.
Copyright © 1999-2006 by Gamze & Haldun I. Menali. All rights reserved.
Information contained herein could only be linked to your web page. Please do not copy and paste.
Unauthorized use of any information and data is a violation of both US and international copyright laws.

For your feedback and comments: menali@email.com

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