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June 2018

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Sidewalk Astronomy tonight
by Jane Houston Jones 23 Jun '18

23 Jun '18

Tonight our astronomers are spread among several events, out of town, or sick (me). Tonight is a make-up night for last Saturday's cloud-out, so if you are out and about in Monrovia stop by! Sunset is at 8:09 p.m. tonight, but since the moon will be visible before sunset, a few telescopes should be aiming at the moon beginning near 8 p.m. until about 9:30 p.m. Myrtle and Lime Street corner, Monrovia CA. On tap tonight ;-) will be Venus about 30 degrees above the Western horizon after sunset. The moon, which was so pretty last night to the right of Jupiter, appears slightly bigger, and to the left of Jupiter tonight in the Southern sky, shining at magnitude -2.3. Compare it yourself to Venus, which is magnitude -4 and to the moon, which is magnitude -11 tonight. You can see all three easily with no telescope required, from the brightest urban location! Saturn won't rise until about 8:30 tonight, and won't be visible above the Myrtle Street rooftop and trees until after we shut down. So, if you step out at home after 10:30 p.m you'll see Saturn to the Southeast (left of) Jupiter and the moon. It's a gorgeous lineup. Saturn's magnitude is 0! Here is a graph explaining stellar magnitudes if this is a new concept for you http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/what-is-stellar-magnitude In a few weeks, Mars will be brighter than Jupiter, making it the third brightest object (Moon/Venus/Mars/Jupiter for a few weeks on either side of its closest approach to Earth since 2003. Mars reaches closest approach July 31, and will be visible rising in the East around sunset late next month. You'll have to stay up a few extra hours to have a good view of Mars tonight and next month (try midnight to dawn). Some of us will be going out of town with our telescopes (Borrego Spring) for Mars Opposition July 27-28 so if you are interested in information send me a note! We'll just be informally setting up telescopes in the hotel parking lot probably. It will be hot during the day, comfortable by midnight, and we cannot predict the weather, or be able to give weather updates. We will be repeating our long drive to southern California in August 2003 when Mars was last this close to Earth. A few months later in 2003, we moved South and started the Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers! Viewing of Mars will be an after-midnight affair, and so it's not likely anyone will set up in Library Park, but there are events at Griffith Observatory. Bookmark the Night Sky Network, enter your location and find public events closer to you, plus any Mars Viewing events in late July! https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/clubs-and-events.cfm What's Up June is all about Saturn Oppositon, link is below, and July will published July 1, nd will be all about Mars. These are excellent times for amateur astronomy and planet viewing! -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones @otastro Jane's What's Up video episode #132:June 2018 Ringside Saturn, plus night-long planet parade https://go.nasa.gov/2H948ap New!Facebook Watch What’s Up video page https://www.facebook.com/NASAWhatsUp/

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Marine layer fog, so no sidewalk astronomy Saturday night
by Jane Houston Jones 16 Jun '18

16 Jun '18

We're in Vancouver BC but hear there is a thick marine layer covering our lower altitudes. Still clear up at Mt. Wilson, but I hear the level may rise above 5500 feet tonight. Thanks to Tim Thompson for that info. We'll try again in July, and let you all know if the dust storms on Mars will obscure the otherwise good views of the red planet closer to July month-end close approach, the closest since 2003 and the topic of What's Up July . Jane -- From Jane, sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.

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