August 2015 - OTEvents - Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers

Fwd: SpotTheStation
by Jane Houston Jones 21 Aug '15

21 Aug '15

Another nice ISS pass - not as high as Wednesday night, but still! Signed, Jane Mojo and Gary in Yosemite! -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: SpotTheStation Date: Fri, 21 Aug 2015 11:57:05 -0400 (EDT) From: HQ-spotthestation(a)mail.nasa.gov To: United-States-California-Monrovia-PM(a)lists.hq.nasa.gov Time: Fri Aug 21 8:41 PM, Visible: 3 min, Max Height: 47 degrees, Appears: W, Disappears: SSE

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Weekend Update!
by Jane Houston Jones 21 Aug '15

21 Aug '15

Jane, Mojo and Gary are heading to our annual Glacier Point star party Friday and Saturday nights. If you can't make it don't despair, it happens every summer - with different astronomy clubs each weekend during the summer (except full moon weekend) http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/programs.htm These are the free programs at Glacier Point. Meanwhile back in Monrovia, our intrepid team of sidewalk astronomers will be holding down the fort from sunset (a little before 8:00 p.m. until about 9:30 or 10:00 p.m. depending on the crowd Saturday night. Last night many of you got to see the International Space Station fly over southern California (including some of us at the Hollywood Bowl). If I don't remind you, or I forget, just sign up here and you will get an email alert in plenty of time to tell all your local friends and family when to look up and wave at the astronauts. http://spotthestation.nasa.gov/ What's Up August covers the Perseids (It was awesome from a dark sky where I went) and the chance to see all the planets (and planets that have been demoted like Pluto, Ceres, Vesta, Pallas and Juno this month. It has really pretty graphics for the armchair astronomer, too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-R1tk775PI Oh and a note from my work. I work on the InSight Mission, launching to Mars in March 2016 (from Vandenberg AFB, just 4 hours north of LA!!) and we just announced our Send your Name to Mars campaign, where your name will be embedded on a micro "Plaque" and affixed to the instrument deck of our spacecraft. So your name will be on Mars! Here's the info: http://mars.nasa.gov/participate/send-your-name/insight/ Jane -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones @NASAInSight WhatÕs Up for August? Perseids + 12 planets http://go.nasa.gov/1hcjVbZ

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Fwd: SpotTheStation
by Jane Houston Jones 20 Aug '15

20 Aug '15

Nice ISS pass tonite, LosAngelenos! -------- Original Message -------- From: HQ-spotthestation(a)mail.nasa.gov Sent: August 19, 2015 8:57:06 AM PDT To: United-States-California-Monrovia-PM(a)lists.hq.nasa.gov Subject: SpotTheStation Time: Wed Aug 19 8:51 PM, Visible: 3 min, Max Height: 58 degrees, Appears: NW, Disappears: E -- Jane Houston Jones (Mobile)

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Perseids tonight (and still decent rates for another week)
by Jane Houston Jones 12 Aug '15

12 Aug '15

Tonight is the peak of the famous Perseid Meteor shower, but the shower puts on a nice show from late September through August 24th, so don't despair if you can't be at a dark sight on a Wednesday night! If you want to see the most, get away from city lights, but if you can't get away tonight, just find the darkest place in your own yard or nearby, and face toward the darkest sky (or overhead). Time - the peak is 2 hours on either side of 1 a.m. Pacific - so from 11 p.m. - 3 a. m. is primo, but you should see some before 11, too. The radiant - Perseus, is in the NE sky beginning to rise after sunset, but it is not necessary to look NE - in fact if you look that way, you see meteors coming straight at you - meaning short streaks of light. Instead, look 90 degrees away and you'll see more meteors passing sideways -- with longer streaks -- flying past you instead of straight at you. (don't worry, by the time you see the streak of light, the meteoroid has burned up so nothing is really coming "at" you). Best Astronomy location in LA http://www.kcet.org/living/travel/socal_wanderer/night-sky/stargazing/8-pla… Next Sidewalk Astronomy is August 22 in Monrovia and August 21 and 22 in Glacier Point, Yosemite. Find out more about upcoming events on our website http://www.otastro.org/ Next Mojave Star Party is October 17th - details on the website above. My What's Up video about the Perseids https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-R1tk775PI Follow observers worldwide as they report their Perseid counts to the International Meteor Organization. That's what I'm going to be doing tonight! http://www.imo.net/live/perseids2015/ Where in the world are Perseid observers reporting from: http://www.imo.net/live/perseids2015/#observers Jane -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones @NASAInSight WhatÕs Up for August? Perseids + 12 planets http://go.nasa.gov/1hcjVbZ

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What's Up? ISS tonight (from LA), Perseids & 12 planets this month too!
by Jane Houston Jones 01 Aug '15

01 Aug '15

Hi everyone - would you guess that we have over 550 of you on our email list? That tops our former Sidewalk Astronomy list from the SF days by over a hundred . :-) Tonight, for those of us in the Los Angeles region, we have an outstanding ISS pass. The International Space Station makes a long high pass, visible with your unaided eyes. Sat Aug 01 8:37 PM, Visible: 6 min, Max Height: 81 degrees, Appears: SW, Disappears: NE Nearly overhead! Also, Here's my 98th What's Up video on the JPL website -http://go.nasa.gov/1hcjVbZ <http://go.nasa.gov/1hcjVbZ> This month, I talk about the Perseids and all 12 planets - (including former planets Pluto, Juno, Ceres, Vesta and Pallas -- which are all visible this month) You will need binoculars, luck, telescopes and an experienced planet hunter to see some of them, and it may be possible to see all twelve in one night -- a fun project for us amateur astronomers with telescopes. <http://go.nasa.gov/1hcjVbZ>Here's my last attempt - ten planets!!! http://jane.whiteoaks.com/2010/06/14/a-ten-planet-night/ August's Sidewalk Astronomy in Monrovia will be missing a few of us because Gary, Mojo and I will be bringing our telescopes to Yosemite's Glacier Point where we will participate in the annual free star party with the San Jose Astronomical Association on August 22nd. (Also August 21st). If you plan a Yosemite trip this month, Each weekend (except full moon) brings a different Northern California Astronomy club to Glacier Point. Here's the remaining programs for this year and the website with all the Free Astronomy programs http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/programs.htm August 7-8: Santa Cruz Astronomy Club (SCAC) August 14-15: Peninsula Astronomical Society August 21-22: San Jose Astronomical Association September 4-5: Sacramento Valley Astronomical Society (SVAS) Hope you see the ISS, Perseids and plenty of planets this month!! Jane -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones @NASAInsight What's Up? August - my 98th podcast! Perseids+12 planets http://go.nasa.gov/1hcjVbZ

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