- OTEvents - Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers

Fwd: SpotTheStation
by Jane Houston Jones 26 Jul '17

26 Jul '17

Another one 8:19 pm tonight. Will try from Hollywood bowl in 10 mins. -------- Original Message -------- From: HQ-spotthestation(a)mail.nasa.gov Sent: July 25, 2017 8:57:22 AM PDT To: jane(a)whiteoaks.com Subject: SpotTheStation Time: Tue Jul 25 8:19 PM, Visible: 5 min, Max Height: 87°, Appears: 30° above SW, Disappears: 10° above NE -- From Jane, sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.

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Good ISS pass tonight, Sidewalk Astro next Saturday, Eclipse news
by Jane Houston Jones 23 Jul '17

23 Jul '17

Hi everyone WE have an excellent ISS pass tonight: Sat Jul 22 9:18 PM, Visible: 6 min, Max Height: 66°, Appears: 11° above SW, Disappears: 11° above NE We'll have a few telescopes out in Monrovia Saturday night the 29th, and I'll be bringing some Safe Eclipse glasses to hand out. Only two per family, and if you need more you can probably buy them -- Google" Safe Eclipse Glasses", and you'll find them running $1 or $2 per pair. Free shipping on Amazon Prime. The NASA Eclipse page has a couple features I really like: This downloadable page has State Maps, an eclipse safety sheet, and the map of the US. https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/downloadables And here is a training doc for our volunteers around the country, and it is a great primer. https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/2017EclipseAcrossAmericanP… My July podcast is all about the moon phases, how they relate to eclipses, a little about the eclipse, and end-of month meteor showers! https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/details.php?id=1478 For August'd video, rather than talk about the eclipse, I have "Do-It-Yourself" eclipse science observations for the whole family, including a journal or notebook to make recordings. I will make one this week to show at the sidewalk next week, and bring all the experiments. Most are geared for totality, but not all of them. Feel free to ask, and I'll send you the script ahead of time, so you can make your own journals. It's now less than one month to the total solar eclipse along a narrow band about 70 miles wide spanning the nation from Oregon to South Carolina. Some of your intrepid sidewalk astronomers will be traveling to the centerline in Oregon or Utah (several of us from our astronomers and our mailing list will be in St. Anthony UT along the path of totality) or visiting lucky family or friends elsewhere, and some will not. There will be another US Total Solar Eclipse in 2024, and there are eclipses between now and then for the intrepid eclipse chaser who like travel adventures. OUr group will have the journals, and the activities, and we'll share the results when we return! See you next week I hope! Jane -- Jane Houston Jones Solar System Public Engagement What's Up July? Pre-eclipse prep: let's talk moon phases! https://youtu.be/jz9J_ADW5R4

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Good ISS pass tonight for SoCal plus Eclipse 101
by Jane Houston Jones 10 Jun '17

10 Jun '17

The ISS pass will only last a minute, but near big dipper (if June Gloom clears) Also, whether you are traveling to see the total solar eclipse on August 21, or observing the partial solar eclipse here is southern California (or elsewhere for your far flung members of our 815-member email list), here is a great tutorial to maximize your enjoyment and understanding of eclipses. We are using this to train subject matter experts who may want to help local events around the country. https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/2017EclipseAcrossAmericanP… And here are a nice Eclipse Fact Sheet (English/Spanish) plus other free downloadables*: ***https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/downloadables* * -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: SpotTheStation Date: Sat, 10 Jun 2017 12:57:16 -0400 (EDT) From: HQ-spotthestation(a)mail.nasa.gov To: jane(a)whiteoaks.com Time: Sat Jun 10 9:58 PM, Visible: 1 min, Max Height: 76°, Appears: 29° above NW, Disappears: 76° above WNW

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Sidewalk Astronomy in Monrovia Saturday night
by Jane Houston Jones 03 Jun '17

03 Jun '17

Join us Saturday night June 3. Library Park,Monrovia 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. We think the June gloom will clear, and nearly all of the Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers will be out Saturday, so stop by and say hello! We love doing this. Free stargazing in our favorite spot. The moon and Jupiter will make a great appearance this week. Jane -- Jane Houston Jones Solar System Public Engagement What's Up June? planet party comps betw Saturn & Jupiter https://go.nasa.gov/2stZAVs

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Fwd: SpotTheStation
by Jane Houston Jones 24 May '17

24 May '17

9:24 pm -------- Original Message -------- From: HQ-spotthestation(a)mail.nasa.gov Sent: May 23, 2017 9:57:13 AM PDT To: jane(a)whiteoaks.com Subject: SpotTheStation Time: Tue May 23 9:24 PM, Visible: 6 min, Max Height: 83°, Appears: 10° above SW, Disappears: 10° above NE -- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.

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Sidewalk astronomy tonight
by Morris Jones 29 Apr '17

29 Apr '17

It'll be hot and clear tonight in Monrovia. Sunset is about 7:30. We'll be showing views of the crescent moon and Jupiter from the corner of Myrtle & Lime tonight from about 7:30 - 9:30. Cheers, Mojo -- Morris Jones Monrovia, CA http://mojo.whiteoaks.com

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ISS Passes, nice planet viewing, too!
by Jane Houston Jones 12 Apr '17

12 Apr '17

Tonight (Wednesday) Greater LA folks will have a nice view of the International Space Station passing over. If you are outside of southern Cal, you can sign up to get your own zip code based alerts here https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/. Here is a good chart and explanation what and when you see the pass, and defines all the pertinent terms: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/message_example.cfm#AstronomicalHorizon Tonight: : Wed Apr 12 9:07 PM, Visible: 2 min, Max Height: 43°, Appears: 16° above NW, Disappears: 43° above N April 14: 8:58 PM, Visible: 3 minutes, Max Height 48°, appears 10° above WNW , Disappears 47° SSW BEST!! April 15: 8:06 PM, Visible 6 minutes!!, Max Height 72°, appears 10°NW, Disappears 14° SE April 17: 7:58 PM, Visible 6 minutes also, Max Height 36, appears 10° above WNW, Disappears 10° SSE Telescope and Bino owners, have a look at Jupiter (after sunset in East) and Saturn (after midnight to dawn in South) this month. Saturn near the moon mornings of April 14-17. You definitely would see some Lyrids if you were to be outside in fairly dark area on the morning hours of April 22nd. Info on that is in this month's What's Up video here! https://go.nasa.gov/2oFUfJz <https://t.co/eYRbZMh8W0> Over and out! Jane -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones @otastro What's Up April? Jupiter Opposition, Lyrid Meteors go.nasa.gov/2oFUfJz

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Sidewalk Astronomy tonight features the moon.
by Jane Houston Jones 01 Apr '17

01 Apr '17

We have a clear night for moon viewing tonight, so join us at our usual spot at the corner of Myrtle and Lime Streets in Monrovia Saturday night from 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. for some great views of the moon. Home armchair astronomers can step outside after 9 p.m. (better later) to see Jupiter, or Jupiter and moons (binoculars) rising in the east. Jupiter reaches opposition in a wee, meaning it is opposite the sun in the sky, highest at midnight, but visible all night long. More about Opposition in my monthly video linked below in my signature line. If you want more planets, both Saturn and Jupiter are visible if you want to set your alarm or wake up early in the morning, and you'll find Saturn below and east of Jupiter. After that, it's time to step away from the light pollution and join us at our 16th twice-a-year free star party in the Mojave National Preserve. Our fall star party was a big success and you can see for yourself in this national park video: https://vimeo.com/199881467 Our Spring event is May 27th, Join us May 27th Black Canyon Group Campsite, Mojave National Preserve, RSVP dlamfrom(a)npca.org - so we know how many campers will be there. There is an adjacent area for campers, and kids and dogs are welcome. There is a nice flyer on our OTastro website, in the upper right event box. http://www.otastro.org/ Jane and the sidewalk astronomers -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones @otastro What's Up April? Jupiter Opposition and the Lyrid Meteor Shower https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/details.php?id=1463

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Sidewalk Astronomy clouded out again
by Morris Jones 04 Mar '17

04 Mar '17

This would have been our evening to set up telescopes in Monrovia at Myrtle & Lime in Library Park. But it seems we'll be dealing with clouds and a rainy Sunday again. If you're reading this somewhere with clear sky, there's a treat that doesn't require a telescope. The moon will cross in front of one of the brightest stars in the sky, Aldebaran, tonight. It's an early evening event, with disappearance expected at 7:08 p.m. in Los Angeles, and reappearance at 8:27 p.m. We won't get to see the event tonight from Monrovia, but there's a great description and graphics in Jane's "What's Up" podcast for March. Find it here on the JPL web site: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/details.php?id=1460 Sky and Telescope also has a good article for astronomy enthusiasts here: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/aldebaran-occultation-march-4-2017/ For the next week or two, enjoy bright Venus in the western sky. If you have a chance to observe Venus with binoculars or a small telescope, you'll be able to see it shrink into a narrower crescent, all while getting larger and wider as it swings towards the earth. Inferior conjunction happens on March 25, and not many days after that it will become the "morning star" instead of the "evening star." Best regards, Mojo -- Morris Jones Monrovia, CA http://mojo.whiteoaks.com

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Rain and late moonrise mar tonight's "Penumbral: Eclipse
by Jane Houston Jones 11 Feb '17

11 Feb '17

If it wasn't raining, an unspectacular lunar eclipse would be nearly over by the time the full moon rises at 5:32 p.m. tonight. I wrote a little "Ten Things to know about the Penumbral Lunar eclipse" article today. http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/2017/02/10/10-things-to-know-the-february-… <https://webmail.jpl.nasa.gov/owa/redir.aspx?C=hJ06W8fhgGGIwmpq46cN2jQFIEiqi…> If you use the platform Tumblr, NASA has a nice product about the eclipse here, and you don't have to be a Tumblr use to see it. http://nasa.tumblr.com/post/157061320334/subtle-lunar-eclipse <https://webmail.jpl.nasa.gov/owa/redir.aspx?C=rBy2H9omf2dAN486pO0nqzTGWS3EU…> Finally, I really like the Time and Date website eclipse graphics. https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2017-february-11 <https://webmail.jpl.nasa.gov/owa/redir.aspx?C=0K6xZpGe2cUCwBHrj-bdJdiKzJx1N…> Looks like our next Sidewalk Astronomy night will be March 4 and there will be an interesting celestial event. Around 19:09 PST on March 4, the almost-half Moon occults the red giant star Aldebaran. This might be a naked eye disappearance for the sharp-eyed. Everyone else should use binoculars or a small telescope. You CAN do this at home. If you can find the moon you have a chance to watch the moon pass in front of the star. The time is the exact time for La Canada Flintridge, so it will be a little different depending on where you are located. For those coming to the sidewalk maybe we'll have one of the telescopes with a videocamera attached and a monitor to view this special event, so more people can see it. Here is a nice writeup of who can see this event. The reappearance is on the lighted hemisphere around 20:27 PST and will require binoculars or telescope. The color difference between star and Moon will be striking. Thanks to Steve Edberg and Tom Traeger for the heads up! Jane -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones @otastro What's Up Feb? Use Venus and Mars to find the Zodiacal Light, plus two comets and the brightest asteroid. https://youtu.be/HT2htvbcmm8 New: Ten Things Blog https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/category/10things

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