Mojo is calling our astronomers were planning to attend tonight to tell
them it's not worth the drive. There is an unstable air mass, 20%
chance of passing showers, so we are cancelling Saturday night
stargazing tonight. By the way, the Los Angeles Astronomical
Association also cancelled their events tonight just now - that's partly
what made do the same - that, and a look out the window!
--
Jane Houston Jones
Monrovia, CA
My What's Up Podcast for April: Saturn
NASA podcast: http://1.usa.gov/ggypW3
Youtube site: http://bit.ly/hXVHK7
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones /CassiniSaturn /otastro
My Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/
If you look at the sky from Monrovia right now, you'll see thick heavy
clouds snuggling up to the the San Gabriel Mountains, with a few shafts
of sunlight piercing through. But the conditions should turn from poor
to below average by 8 p.m. - that means partly cloudy with
wobbly views through the telescope.
That being said, if you are nearby and want to see the moon, and
possibly a poor view of Saturn, come on down to Library Park - we should
be there from 8- nearly 10 p.m., unless it continues to be completely
cloudy. Even a poor view of Saturn (from the eyes of this jaded
long-time telescope wrangler) is still better than no view of the ringed
beauty.
We'll be showing Saturn for many months now, as it gets higher in the
sky, so there will be more chances to see Saturn. A couple dark sky
public events coming up will feature Saturn in a dark sky location.
Join us (you'll have to RSVP for a camp site) at Mojave National
Preserve on the evening of April 23. I know the 24th is Easter, but you
can go on a desert tortoise photo hike, and maybe see some jackrabbits
and spring blossoms on Sunday instead. :-) Maps, directions, and
information about Mojave National Preserve will be found soon (not yet
unfortunately) at the Conservancy's website
http://www.preservethemojave.org/events.html. You need to contact David
Lamfrom to RSVP for a campsite or ask questions at dlamfrom(a)npca.org
<mailto:dlamfrom@npca.org> . The event is free, but it is being
sponsored by the Mojave National Preserve Conservancy, and they will
welcome your membership! Bring a potluck item, there will be a group
potluck dinner before stargazing on Saturday night. If you plan to
bring a telescope, you can let me know, but be sure to RSVP for a
campsite with David too.
Then in August, Mojo and I and other members of the San Jose
Astronomical Society will be bringing telescopes to share with the
public at Glacier Point, Yosemite. Only members of this club can bring
telescopes, but all visitors to the National Park can partake of the
views. Our weekend is August 26-27, 2011, but there is a different
Northern California Astronomy club presenting weekend star parties at
Glacier Point every weekend from July 4th to labor day, excepting full
moon weekends, and subject to snow clearing the roads. So if your
visiting the park this summer, check it out!
Finally, check out my April podcast - it features Saturn this month :-)
There are stunning views of Saturn in the video!
YouTubehttp://www.youtube.com/profile?user=JPLnews#p/u/1/pBUkTMk-Icw
More formats and educational links:
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-view.cfm?WUID=804
--
Jane Houston Jones
Monrovia, CA
My What's Up Podcast for April: Saturn
NASA podcast: http://1.usa.gov/ggypW3
Youtube site: http://bit.ly/hXVHK7
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones /CassiniSaturn /otastro
My Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/
