- OTEvents - Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers

No sidewalk astronomy in Monrovia tonight
by Jane Houston Jones 05 Feb '17

05 Feb '17

No Sidewalk Astronomy tonight, darn it! We thought those clous would clear, but alas, it didn't happen. If we reschedule for this month it could be next Saturday night with a full moon, but the pretty planets Venus and Mars don't mind a little moonlight. In the meantime, here's my stargazing video for February in a couple new formats. JPL video http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/details.php?id=1457 NASA Instagram (60 second video) Part 1 https://www.instagram.com/p/BQA66FEFuoV/?taken-by=nasa and Part 2 https://www.instagram.com/p/BQA7PO6Fc9P/?taken-by=nasa Tumblr http://nasa.tumblr.com/post/156678946399/whats-up-for-february The RV park we are observing the 2017 solar eclipse from is full except for dry (aka tent) sites in a large area. We'll have a nice group of folks from our Sidewalk Astronomers mailing list and some of the astronomers too! Site Map http://www.idahodunesrv.com/map.php reservations: https://www.idahodunesrv.com/reservations.php?month=August+2017 I'll be putting together tips for viewing the eclipse, and for those staying here, tips to enjoy a beautiful partial solar eclipse! That's all for now! Jane -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones @otastro What's Up Feb? planets point to Zodiacal Light, 2 comets plus the brightest asteroid. https://youtu.be/HT2htvbcmm8 New: My Ten Things Blog https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/category/10things

1 0

Western sky tonight and tomorrow
by Morris Jones 30 Jan '17

30 Jan '17

1 0

Sidewalk Astronomy cancelled tonight
by Jane Houston Jones 07 Jan '17

07 Jan '17

We are cancelling Sidewalk Astronomy in Monrovia tonight. If you do get a clearing, here is a star chart for 5:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time tonight.https://goo.gl/ROgrsB You could break out the binoculars and try looking at Venus and Mars and the moon. Between the two planets is fainter Neptune. If you can see below Venus you canalso try for Comet 45P for about an hour after sunset, depending on your location andif you have a flat SW horizon. Neptune is blue, comet is needle-shaped with the tail pointing up as it is being blown by the solar wind! We'll have news about our next Mojave National Preserve Star Party (possibly April or May), next sidewalk astronomy night, future Huntington Garden star party, and the Solar Eclipse next time. We now have about 4 folks from our sidewalk Astronomy family joining us at the Idaho Dunes RV Park. Toggle between the map, and the reservations pages https://www.idahodunesrv.com/map.php and https://www.idahodunesrv.com/reservations.php?month=August+2017 We are in spaces 50-56, and you can several nearby spaces available. Speaking of the Eclipse, NASA's Lunar Reconaissance Orbiter LRO https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/nasa-moon-data-provides-more-accu… My two astro products (for my work at JPL) are What's Up and a new thing called Ten Things. It's a list of ten interesting things happening in the solar system each week. I sneak in a stargazing "thing" almost every week, and this one features all the 2017 Meteor showers, so it's a useful bookmark. :-) What's Up January video: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/2017/01/03/whats-up-january-2016 Ten Things http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/category/10things 2017 Meteor Showers: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/2016/12/12/10-things-december-12 Jane -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones @otastro What's Up Jan? Comet, moon, Venus, Mars and Quadrantids ring in the new year! https://youtu.be/e1QyhUqv1yE New: My Ten Things Blog https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/category/10things

1 0

Sidewalk Astronomy cancelled tonight
by Jane Houston Jones 11 Dec '16

11 Dec '16

It's cloudy with a chance of rain tonight, so we're cancelling Monrovia Sidewalk Astronomy. In the meantime, check out my monthly video about the December night sky here: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/2016/12/01/whats-up-december-2016 And here's my new blog called Ten Things, where I select ten "need to know" Solar System stories, people or images that caught my attention this week. It's not a new blog, but I am the current author :-) https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/category/10things -- JJane Houston Jones @jhjones @otastro What's Up Dec? NYE Comet, Mars/Neptune https://youtu.be/8rS1zU2zB34 New: TenThings Bloghttps://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/category/10things

1 0

Nice ISS pass tonight!! SpotTheStation
by Jane Houston Jones 29 Nov '16

29 Nov '16

-------- Original Message -------- From: HQ-spotthestation(a)mail.nasa.gov Sent: November 29, 2016 9:57:21 AM EST To: jane(a)whiteoaks.com Subject: SpotTheStation Time: Tue Nov 29 6:04 PM, Visible: 3 min, Max Height: 88°, Appears: 19° above SW, Disappears: 47° above NE -- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.

1 0

Sidewalk Astronomy tonight is cancelled, also supermoon demystified
by Jane Houston Jones 13 Nov '16

13 Nov '16

Hi everyone and welcome new members from the Mojave National Preserve star party last weekend! We are already setting up the spring date which we'll announce once its finalized. There were over 50 tents, over 120 attendees, a couple dozen attendees were urban youth, visiting MNP and camping out for probably the first time looking through about 10 telescopes! Article and photos http://www.mojavepreserve.org/news/2016/11/7/promoting-the-preserve We were expecting a lot of questions about the "Supermoon" at the telescopes tonight, but it's super cloudy, so we are cancelling our sidewalk astronomy -- we usually hold it near the first quarter moon Saturday night, but we did Mojave non that night this month since the campground was available. Both Sunday and Monday night will be about equally good to measure the "full " or what we astronomers call a "perigee" moon, so look in binos In a nutshell a supermoon new or full moon which occurs with the Moon at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit. Dubbed so by an astrologer in 2011. Because the Moon's orbit is an ellipse instead of a circle, its distance from Earth varies during the month from about 225,800 miles (363,400 km) at perigee, or closest approach, to 252,000 miles (405,550 km) at apogee or furthest distance in the elliptical orbit. Changing the distance causes the Moon's size and brightness to change as well. A perigee moon is on average 7% bigger and 16% brighter than an average full Moon, but during an unusually close perigee (the supermoon moon), the full Moon can be 12–14% larger than a full Moon at apogee (farthest) and 30% brighter. There are nice graphics and explanations here --> http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/see-the-biggest-supermoon-in-68-ye… If it is clear tomorrow, the full moon rises at 4:38 p.m. here in California. The moon turns precisely full on November 14, 2016 at 1352 UTC <http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/universal-time>. meaning the moon will reach the crest of its full phase on November 14 at 1352 UTC <http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/universal-time>. That translates to 9:52 a.m. AST, 8:52 a.m. EST, 7:52 a.m. CST, 6:52 a.m. MST, 5:52 a.m. PST. The moon will reach perigee – the moon’s closest point to Earth for this month – within an one and one-half hours of that time. This EarthSky article gives a lot of other great information and graphics! http://earthsky.org/?p=190918 There are 4-6 supermoons every year, so have a look, and do what I am going to do -- make a moon measuring device and start comparing! All you need is an index card shown in the Sky and Telescope magazine article above, with some 5 mm to 10 mm slots cut unto it. 6mm is close to 1/4 inch, fyi. Hold your moon measurer straight out, aim at the moon, and see which slot matches the moon's diameter, write down the date, repeat next full moon. You can also hold your index finger out stretched, and see that it covers both regular full moons, closest perigee moons, as well as farthest away moons. :-) Some astronomers hate the name Supermoon, but if it raises awareness, I'm good with it. :-) Jane Houston Jones @jhjones What's Up November 2016: Venus, Jupiter and Saturn + more meteor showers https://youtu.be/aj7hDvy9bgI

1 0

Chinese space station Weds not Tues night
by Jane Houston Jones 02 Nov '16

02 Nov '16

Although my JPL astro guy sent out the announcement that the Chinese Space Station Pass is Tuesday -- aka TONIGHT, Heavens Above - our source says it is Wednesday Nov 2. Look tonight to verify? And have a nice look at a very thin crescent moon and Venus/Saturn. And try again tomorrow night, which is what we think is the correct date. Jane -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones What's Up Sept 2016: African Eclipse, metoers, planet pairs https://youtu.be/n_2rgiyJ5Pg

1 0

Pretty planet/moon pairup tonight, Chinese Space Station visible, and reminders
by Jane Houston Jones 01 Nov '16

01 Nov '16

Hi everyone, my What's Up November video is out, and there is a pretty lineup of moon and planets the next 3 nights, so I thought I'd send out an additional reminder to step out and look up! From November 1^st to 3^rd , catch gibbous Venus (phase visible in telescopes, may look "oval" in binos, the crescent moon, and ringed Saturn together in the southwest sky just after sunset.The prettiest triangle of the three is Thursday night, so go out and practice just after sunset. Then also tonight, there'sa very good pass of the Chinese Space Station just after 7:00 PM for SoCal. This is probably the last real opportunity to see Tiangong 2 while the Chinese astronauts are still onboard. Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong are half way through their month-long flight. The station reaches 10 degrees above WSW horizon 7:06:53 p.m. (Very near the moon/Venus/Saturn trio) Maximum altitude 67 degrees NNW at 7:09:57 at magnitude 1.2, brighter than the most of the stars it passes until it disappears into Earth's shadow near fainter Cassiopeia stars. Let me know if you see it!! There are also some famous meteor showers -- famous from past outbursts, but rates will be lower due to bright moons nearby, but still any chance to see a Taurid on the 12th, a Leonid on the 17th or an Orionid on the 28th, is worth it if you are awake and the sky is clear on or near the peak nights! Mojave National Preserve Star Party is this weekend! RSVP here on the Facebook Event - or ask me for phone/email to RSVP https://www.facebook.com/events/310376066006443/ Eclipse info - no new news, but some of your fellow members of this email list have reserved two of the camper sites next to us in St. Anthony ID, and there are plenty more sites available. Info was on the last email. And the Idaho Museum in Idaho Falls will have some cool exhibits (and speakers :-) the day before the eclipse) It's gonna be epic!! Jane What's Up JPL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/details.php?id=1448 What's Up Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj7hDvy9bgI What's Up Tumblr http://nasa.tumblr.com/post/152612101714/whats-up-for-november-2016 -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones @otastro What's Up Nov? Venus sunset,Jupiter dawn, Saturn, Meteors https://youtu.be/aj7hDvy9bgI

1 0

Eclipse 2017 tips + another ISS pass tonight!
by Jane Houston Jones 21 Oct '16

21 Oct '16

ISS Pass (from LA area): Time: Fri Oct 21 6:31 PM, Visible: 6 min, Max Height: 58°, Appears: 10° above NW, Disappears: 12° above SSE- Get your own alerts for your location here --> https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/ The August 21 2017 total Solar Eclipse is only ten months away! It will be visible in the US from Oregon to South Carolina -- in a thin path only about 60 miles wide. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/sun/2017eclipse If you are wondering where to go to see it, scroll down to "Find Your Spot" on the toolkit link above -- and click on the Google Interactive Map to see the eclipse path, anywhere you click, you'll get the time and totality length. In the west, totality can be seen only in a narrow path through Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming. The maximum totality (minutes and seconds) reaches 2 minutes 40 seconds near St. Louis, less in the west and east of maximum. Here are some examples of totality length near the centerline in the western states: 1 minute 55 seconds in Salem -- Bend, Corvallis and Portland all will have a partial eclipse. In Wyoming, Casper has 2 minutes 25 seconds, In Idaho, Rexburg gets 2 minutes 17 seconds of totality, while Idaho Falls, 29 miles south gets only 1 minute 41 seconds. Many hotels along the centerline are completely booked already. We wanted to drive with our telescopes for dark sky observing at night, and so we'd have flexibility to dodge clouds on the day or day before the eclipse, and rented a trailer. We found an RV park just 12 miles north of Rexburg ID, very close to the centerline. Our location will see 2 minutes 3 seconds of totality. This RV park still had lots of spaces available (and restroom/showers and a store) http://www.idahodunesrv.com/ <UrlBlockedError.aspx> The rates for "Special Events" like 4th of July, Labor Day and eclipses increase double (to $70 per night) for our large space https://www.idahodunesrv.com/reservations.php On this map is the campground layout https://www.idahodunesrv.com/map.php <UrlBlockedError.aspx> We rented the end space in the end row, space 56 on the map above for 4 nights August 19-22. We plan to join the Idaho Falls Astronomy Club at one or more of their dark sky star parties in the evenings before the eclipse, or possibly even set up in the RV space and share views with other campers, if the lights aren't too bad. There will also be livestreamed events of the eclipse for the armchair sun worshipers, more on that as time nears. And here's what the partial solar eclipse will look like here in the LA area. https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/los-angeles?iso=20170821 Jane -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones What's Up podcast August 2016: Perseids and Planets https://youtu.be/0vE5Jr6HttU http://nasa.tumblr.com/post/148352903509/whats-up-for-august-2016

1 0

2 events tonight - ISS pass and a star grazes by the moon!
by Jane Houston Jones 18 Oct '16

18 Oct '16

A really nice ISS pass everyone!! Time: Tue Oct 18 7:32 PM, Visible: 4 min, Max Height: 79°, Appears: 10° above NW, Disappears: 45° above SE Later..... at 10:25 p.m. a lunar grazing occultation! *Who:* Magnificent red Aldebaran, the "eye" of Taurus the bull appears to approach the moon's sunlit side, close to the north pole. Soon the star will be easy to see as it moves onto the dark side of the moon. If Aldebaran was placed where the sun is now, its surface would extend almost to the orbit of Mercury. It's also about 153 times brighter than the sun. Good image here: http://occultations.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/MoonViewWithCaption.j… *What:* A lunar occultation occurs when the Moon, moving along its orbital path, passes in front of a star or other celestial object, as seen by an observer (normally on the Earth). A grazing lunar occultation occurs when one of the two edges of the moon parallel to its orbital path appears to just touch or graze the object as the moon goes by. When this happens, a properly positioned observer will see the grazed object disappear and reappear, possibly several times, as mountains and valleys on the edge of the moon pass in front of it. *Where:* Along a very thin line from Los Angeles, through Denver, Sioux Falls, Minneapolis! http://occultations.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/20161019_AldebaranGra… *When:* Greater Los Angeles area 10:25 - 10:29 p.m. http://occultations.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CA_LA_6.jpeg Super detailed maps (Monrovia on the Centerline) http://occultations.org/aldebaran/2016october/ That's all for now! Jane -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones @otastro What's Up Oct? Moon phases, Astronomy Day, Meteors, Saturn! https://youtu.be/TwLaBKi3LaY

1 0