The Moon is back in the evening sky, and the Santa Ana winds are making
the sky very clear for us!
Having a good clear sky tonight is a good thing, because this time of
year, the first quarter Moon is in the part of the ecliptic that's
furthest to the south. Tonight's Moon will never get any higher than 28
degrees above the southern horizon, and that happens at 5:20 p.m.!
After that, it's all downhill.
We plan to be out in Old Town Pasadena tonight, on Colorado Blvd.,
somewhere between Fair Oaks and Pasadena Ave. Let's say about 6:30 p.m.
'til 9:00 p.m. Because of the Moon's low altitude in the sky, it's a
little hard to predict when it will disappear below the buildings.
But if it does, it'll leave more time for a cocktail later. :)
We'll be back tomorrow night in Monrovia, at Myrtle and Lime, with a
slightly larger, slightly higher Moon, 6:30 'til 9:00 at least.
Meanwhile, if you're interested in our vacation pictures and trip report
from Ireland and the U.K., just click here!
<http://photo.whiteoaks.com/2006-10-uk/>
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers http://www.otastro.org
If you've ever wondered what it would be like to be out under a truly
dark sky with some knowledgeable observers, this Saturday night is your
chance.
The weather forecasts look perfect for a comfortable night of observing
from our favorite remote desert location, about 155 miles east from
Monrovia on I-10.
It will just be a few of us. If you'd like to come, you're free to
arrive whenever you like, and leave whenever you like. You'll want to
bring food and lots of water, something to sit on, and clothing layers
for when the air turns chilly. Jane and I will have a camp toilet
available. Certainly bring binoculars and a telescope if you have one!
Sunset will at 6:00 p.m. Jane and I will plan to arrive at about 5:00
p.m. It's a great spot for a light picnic dinner. You can pitch a tent
if you like; Jane and I usually doze in the car for a few hours. It's
especially fun to rise well before sunrise and enjoy the still air of
the morning sky.
I allow about two and a half hours for travel from Monrovia. Traffic is
sometimes a little heavy on the afternoon trip on either 10 or 60.
If you'd like to attend (Dan Gollnick and Tom Traeger, I've already
heard from you), please send a reply to this note, and I'll follow up
with specific directions. It would be good to provide me with a cell
phone number or other contact in case the weather turns inclement.
(Right now the only threat would be high winds.)
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers http://www.otastro.org
This weekend features an annual event that Jane and I have enjoyed, the
Starry Nights Festival held in Yucca Valley.
The event features talks at the Hi-Desert Nature Museum on astronomy
topics, and David Levy will be the featured speaker on Saturday afternoon.
Then they offer telescope viewing under the very dark skies of Yucca
Valley through the Andromeda Society's member's telescopes at Machris
Park. The museum will offer free shuttle buses to the park from the
museum in Yucca Valley. On our previous visit to this event, the big
floodlights of the park were off, there was plenty of dim red light to
see by, and society volunteers were serving hot cocoa.
All the information, including a program and map, is here at the Town of
Yucca Valley's web site:
<http://yucca-valley.org/departments/museumlecture.html>
Jane and I will be there Saturday afternoon, and Saturday evening at the
star party with our big dobsonian reflectors.
Next weekend, October 21, we're also planning a dark sky night just for
our friends and fans of the Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers, in the
beautiful remote Colorado Desert south of Joshua Tree. I'll send
another note with more information about that soon.
With the giant planets gone from the evening sky for the rest of the
year, it's a great time to soak up the faint deep sky objects from our
beautiful desert locations!
Cheers,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers http://www.otastro.org
