Hi everyone! This Saturday, September 18th will be our regular Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers viewing event in Monrovia, but it is also International Observe the Moon Night, and there will be many lunar viewing events around the world. Ours, at Library Park, corner of Myrtle and Lime in Monrovia will go from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. To see where other events are happening, check this map: http://observethemoonnight.org/ or look at this list: http://observethemoonnight.org/getInvolved/eDescriptions.cfm We will have a few special handouts - a gorgeous lunar map made just for this night and some little red flashlights. I don't have a lot of the flashlights (combo keychain, flashlight and whistle) , so they will be distributed to the first 75 or so attendees. When they are gone, they are gone. ;-) There are other events that day and night which our little band of sidewalk astronomers will be supporting. Some of us will be at Griffith Observatory for their all-day and night event, which also serves as a 95th birthday party for Sidewalk Astronomers founder John Dobson. Mojo and I will be there in the afternoon for the cake and candles. John and friends will build a 12-inch sidewalk telescope in the daytime and use it in the evening to view the moon. If you want to go to that event I wouldn't blame you, and won't be mad or anything. ;-) There are events at Monrovia High School, the Huntington Library, and the aforementioned Griffith Park event - all for your viewing pleasure. Attend one or many! Or host your own event at home or on your sidewalk. I will bring my beloved homemade 10-inch Dobsonian telescope Saturday night. I made it in John's telescope making class in 1988, and it gives gorgeous moon views. John taught the class and was old back then! :-) Today, September 14th is John's actual 95th birthday. Happy birthday John! Thanks, for igniting a fire within me, and starting me on the path to become an astronomy educator and public service science advocate. It's all John's fault! :-) ********** Here's the volunteer opportunity I put in the subject line. If you have questions, please contact the DPS volunteer coordinator, Dr. Bidushi Bhattacharya (bhattach@ipac.caltech.edu) Dear Amateur Astronomer, The upcoming Division of Planetary Sciences (DPS) Meeting, American Astronomical Society, is in need of volunteers. We need individuals to support various tasks in the DPS cyber cafe, press office, speaker ready room, and at the registration desk. The meeting will be held in Pasadena, October 3-8, 2010 at the Pasadena Convention Center. Volunteers will have their meeting registration fees waived if they work a minimum of 16 hours. You will also receive a free t-shirt, making you part of a select and fashionable group!! This is a good opportunity to learn more about solar system (and exoplanet) astronomy at a professional meeting, become familiar with recent research results, and network with potential advisors/employers. Full details regarding the conference, including a list of talks and posters, can be found at: http://dps.aas.org/meetings/2010/index.shtml The volunteer form can be accessed at: http://aas.org/meetings/dps/volunteerform If you have questions, please contact the DPS volunteer coordinator, Dr. Bidushi Bhattacharya (bhattach@ipac.caltech.edu) -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA http://jane.whiteoaks.com/ http://twitter.com/jhjones What's Up for September? Observe the Moon Night http://sse.jpl.nasa.gov/news/index.cfm