April 2016 - OTEvents - Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers

ISS pass tonight - moon and Jupiter too!
by Jane Houston Jones 16 Apr '16

16 Apr '16

In addition to our telescopes at Myrtle&Lime Streets in Monrovia tonight, those local to LA will get to see the International Space Station pass over. Time: Sat Apr 16 8:43 PM, Visible: 3 min, Max Height: 46°, Appears: 16° above NNW, Disappears: 39° above ENE If you are not local to LA use Spot the Station to find out when and where to look: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/ Looking forward to seeing many of you (but not all 619 of you on this list) tonight!! Jane and the Sidewalk Astronomers -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones What's Up April 2016: Mercury, Mars, Jupiter + Lyrids https://youtu.be/af0zVX8nIBc

1 0

Saturday Sidewalk Astronomy, two National Park dark sky events coming up
by Jane Houston Jones 16 Apr '16

16 Apr '16

Hello stargazers! Saturday April 16th your local Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers will be out in Monrovia, at the corner of Myrtle and Lime from 7p.m. to 9:30 p.m., or so. We'll be sharing views of the moon and Jupiter. The wind will mean the views will not be stellar (aka wobbly views), but the people and questions will be awesome, and the view OK. My April What's Up video is here - and although Mars is a treat, it's an after-midnight treat for early risers. https://youtu.be/MmTINt3vCSwna So join us tomorrow night! If you can't, our 15th Mojave National Preserve star party is May 7. The info is here, http://mojavepreserve.org/index.php/site/article/star_party_in_the_mojave_n… contact me to enquire about rideshareing. A few people are actively looking to share the cost and driving to Mojave National Preserve. Free campsite and entrance, but RSVP, as there are only so many campsites. Then in August - August 12/13 (Perseid Meteor shower weekend) Mojo and I and maybe a few other Old Town Astronomers will be sharing telescope views for the public at Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park. Getting there is on your own, but Bridalveil Campground is the closest Yosemite campground to Glacier Point. The astronomers from the San Jose Astro Club are on park service volunteer duty (we are members of that club), but every non-full-moon weekend from July 4 - Labor Day features a northern California Astronomy club free star party at Glacier Point. So make that part of your National Park Tour this summer! Two things the Sidewalk Astronomers are world famous for is astronomy on the sidewalk -- a la Myrtle and Lime Streets, and National Park Star Parties. We make it a point to do both every year. Our star parties are always free. No one should have to pay to see their universe. Join us in the park - Library Park and our favorite National Parks (Mojave National Preserve and Yosemite National Park), or at a local school or park. -- Jane Houston Jones What's Up March 2016: Jupiter, its moons, their shadows https://youtu.be/MmTINt3vCSw

1 0

No Foolin' - ISS pass tonight 8:08 p.m. & Mojave and podcast news
by Jane Houston Jones 01 Apr '16

01 Apr '16

Hi astrofans Step outside tonight at 8:08 for a nice pass of the ISS 49° above the horizon at its highest! Get your own alerts here https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/ Thu Mar 31 8:08 PM, Visible: 6 min, Max Height: 49°, Appears: 10° above WSW, Disappears: 11° above NE My April Podcast appears today so it doesn't get mixed up in any April Fool spoofs. https://youtu.be/af0zVX8nIBc And our semi-annual Mojave National Preserve star party is May 7th. It is free, and the Black Canyon Group Campground is reserved for us for the 15th time courtesy of the Mojave National Preserve Conservancy and the National Preserve and the National Preserve. http://mojavepreserve.org/index.php/site/article/star_party_in_the_mojave_n… We'll turn our gaze (and our telescopes) away from the Milky Way and peer out at galaxies in May. We won't ignore the planets, either - it will be just a few weeks from Mars Opposition, and Mars has not appeared as large as it will be in May since 2005! Jupiter will also be putting on a great view, and we always keep a list of visible comets to show under the dark Mojave skies. It's osur favorite event, made even better by sharing with our friends like you. There are always a few people looking to share rides to the desert. I have one woman who would like to share the expense (and the driving) with another woman. Let me know if you are interested and I'll put you in contact with her. Any others - you can always post your intent on our OTAstro Facebook account. https://www.facebook.com/Old-Town-Sidewalk-Astronomers-1619991271586682/ or send me a private note. That's all for this month, literally! Jane -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones What's Up April: Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Lyrids! https://youtu.be/af0zVX8nIBc

1 0