Most of you who joined our mailing list became "accidental astronomers"
one evening when you stumbled across our telescopes on the sidewalks of
Monrovia or Pasadena. From the city, we love to show the Moon, Jupiter,
and Saturn. These are the night sky objects that are among the
brightest in the sky, and easily visible from any city sidewalk.
Many of you have expressed an interest in seeing more and learning your
way around the night sky. Maybe it was one of our stories of a night in
the desert with our big telescopes, viewing comets, nebulae, galaxies,
and star clusters. <http://www.otastro.org/2006-04-01-messier/> Maybe
you have a telescope of your own, but frequently find yourself lost in a
sky full of possibility, wondering where to go next.
Jane and I would love to be your host and tour guide for a night in the
Joshua Tree desert. We're planning an excursion to Joshua Tree National
Park on Saturday, April 29, and we'll be completely at your disposal for
a mini dark-sky star party. You can bring your own telescope if you
like, borrow one of ours, or just mooch views. There should be charts
and telescopes a-plenty for you to share.
It's a lovely time of year to wander through the massive galaxy fields
of the Spring sky. You can make a full evening of it, take a short nap,
and wake to wander through the Summer Milky Way in all its glory.
Frequently the most spectacular view is just a sky full of stars at a
place away from city lights. With warm clothes and a comfortable chair,
you can identify constellations, count meteors, and see orbiting
satellites pass overhead. With a pair of binoculars you can see star
clusters and cruise the Milky Way star clouds.
If you want help with your own telescope, we'll be available for the
hour before sunset to help out.
April 29 is the night of the Andromeda Society's monthly public star
party in Joshua Tree park, but what we're planning is not part of that
star party. We'd like to set up a little bit away from their group, but
haven't fully settled on where just yet. Our goal is simply to share
the night sky with those of you who have a burning curiosity about it,
and might have wanted a guide. We may caravan from a meeting spot, and
make our own star party.
The nearby towns of Joshua Tree and Yucca Valley have inexpensive hotel
rooms, and there is certainly camping to be found in the park. Jane and
I usually just nap in our van for a few hours.
If this sounds intriguing, put it on your calendar and let me know.
We'll do more planning as the day gets closer, and keep an eye out on
the weather.
Clear skies,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers http://www.otastro.org
Jane and I have had a great couple of weekend excursions away from the
L.A. light dome to visit with old friends in the sky. Just for fun, we
playful astronomers like to see how many objects from Charles Messier's
catalog of 110 deep sky objects we can observe in one evening.
Because of the Sun's position in the sky in March, it's possible with
practice and cooperation from the clouds to see "M" all between sunset
and dawn. Jane and I made two runs at it these past two weekends, and
here is Jane's story with some great desert pictures:
<http://www.otastro.org/2006-04-01-messier/>
We certainly haven't abandoned the sidewalks of Pasadena and Monrovia,
and this coming weekend we should have some great Moon and Saturn views
for accidental astronomers. If the clouds part on Friday and Saturday,
except to see us:
Friday, April 7, 7:00 p.m. 'til 10:00 p.m., Colorado Blvd. near Delacey,
Old Town Pasadena
Saturday, April 8, 7:00 p.m. 'til 9:30 p.m., Myrtle and Lime, Old Town
Monrovia
Given that we've (yawn) switched to Darkness Squandering Time, I don't
yet have a good handle on sunset times and such. But we'll be there
about sunset for a few hours. Close enough? :)
(Maybe it's the lack of sleep over the weekends ... !)
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers http://www.otastro.org
