Hello Otastro
I know some of you stepped outside and looked up at 8:00 p.m. and were
hoping you would see the visible pass of the ISS over southern
California. Whether you did or didn't see it, here is my recap of the event.
At 8:00 p.m. Mojo and I turned our gaze outward :-) and stepped
outside. We walked a few yards to where we had a good view of the entire
sky. It was not yet dark, but we could see Jupiter and a few brighter
stars We kept looking towards Jupiter, and soon Mojo saw a "star"
moving up from Jupiter to overhead. 8:06:15 is when we first spotted
the Internatinal Space Station, aka the moving "star". We observed the
ISS for about 5 minutes , until 8:11:00 before it was below the horizon
in the NE.
I hope you saw it. If not, I hope my description was a good alternate
to the actual view. Now it is only 9 hours until a gorgeous view of the
moon, Venus, and maybe Mercury and Saturn are visble in dawn sky.
Jane (who recommends checking the morning planet view at 5:30 a.m.) is
now signing off at 8:30 p.m.
--
Jane Houston Jones
Monrovia, CA
34.2048N 118.1732W, 637.0 feet
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
Step outside tonight after sunset and you'll see brilliant Jupiter
hanging low in the western sky. If it happens to be a little after 8
p.m. you may spot the International Space Station from about 8:04 to
8:10 as it passes from SW (near Jupiter) to overhead to NE.
Step outside in the morning a little before dawn over the next few
days and you may see three additional planets -- Mercury, Venus and
Saturn -- plus a lovely crescent moon . Here is a little feature and
graphic I put together this week about observing the morning planets.
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/scitech/display.cfm?ST_ID=1329
Want to see the rest of the solar system? On Saturday (tomorrow, Aug
19th) at sunset until Sunday at dawn, we'll be at our current
favorite observing spot near the community of Desert Center
http://cleardarksky.com/c/DsrtCntrCAkey.html?1 Our favorite spot is
a bit of a trek --150 miles from our home in Monrovia -- but the
desert landscape is beautiful and the skies are nice and dark. You
can see pictures of the location here:
<http://www.otastro.org/2006-04-01-messier/> Our spot is on BLM land,
just two miles off I-10. But no water or toilets. We are bringing
both. :-)
Beginning at 7:30 p.m., we'll be on the lookout for Mars, which will
be a difficult target as it sets soon after sunset. Jupiter is next
and is easy to spot. Neptune, Uranus and Pluto will be our evening
targets. Then there will be many hours to enjoy the summer milky way,
or take a snooze and wake up before dawn to observe Mercury, Venus
and hopefully, Saturn. Did I leave one out? Earth! I think you all
can find that one.
If you are interested in joining us, send an email to
mojane(a)whiteoaks.com before 2 p.m. Saturday for a map and our cell
phone number to contact us on the way. We'll select some other dark
sky observing spots that are not such a long drive in the future, but
this spot has the sunset and sunrise horizons required to try a "9
Planet night". To read more about "what is a planet" read this
summary: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/features.cfm?feature=1151 The
definitions may be changing as soon as next week!
A note of caution: It will be hot (100's) during the day, cooling to
the high 70's after 10 p.m. We plan to stay all night, but we will
not set up a tent, and will probably leave at sunrise, before it gets
hot again. If you are interested in joining us for this nine planet
project, you should arrive no later than 7 p.m. We'll probably leave
Monrovia around 3:30 to 4 p.m. with a halfway stop in Banning for
Coffee and Subway sandwiches if you want to follow us. Bring your own
water, and we recommend some salty snacks or fitness beverages like
Gatorade to help with the heat.
Our next sidewalk astronomy dates will be Sept 1 Pasadena, September
2 Monrovia. We'll be viewing the moon and one planet: Jupiter.
Jane
--
Jane Houston Jones
Senior Outreach Specialist, Cassini Program
JPL - 4800 Oak Grove Drive, MS 230-205
Pasadena, CA 91109 818-393-6435
jane.h.jones(a)jpl.nasa.gov
Cassini Saturn Observation Campaign
http://soc.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm
I sent this out to my fellow NASA astronomy educators this morning
and thought our list would enjoy it too. Jane
I was at the Art Center College of Design's
http://www.artcenter.edu/accd/index.jsp open house last night
viewing (and using) my Cassini Colleague Dave Doody's Gravity Assist
Mechanical Simulator - (a work of art that does hands-on science),
and we stepped outside to view the ISS a little before 9 p.m.
We started looking near Jupiter - that bright thing in the
southwestern sky. At a few minutes later than scheduled (I think) -
maybe the clocks were off, I spied a little moving 'star" started
rising slowly near Jupiter. Over the course of about 5 minutes it
got higher and higher and brighter and brighter. There were clouds
or fog marring some of the starry signposts, and in fact I gave up
looking after a few minutes, and Dave started walking back inside.
Then I saw it and hollered, and Dave and others came back out. It was
soon as bright as Jupiter.
Meanwhile, Mojo was at a Baldwin Park school doing the same thing,
showing Jupiter and the International Space Station.
There is another ISS pass Friday night.....beginning 8:02 p.m.,
reaches 10 degrees of altitude at 8:04, reaches maximum altitude -
highest point is a whopping 83 degrees (90 degrees is straight
overhead) at 8:07, then drops below 10 degrees above the horizon at
8:10 p.m. That's a nice long pass.
http://www.heavens-above.com/PassDetails.asp?SatID=25544&lat=34.148&lng=-11…
Be sure to check out the ground track link, as ISS passes directly
over Pasadena both nights. And if greater LA is not your location,
you can create your own map from the home page link.
Are you wondering if you'll be able to see the ISS, despite some of
our pesky evening fog? If you can see bright Jupiter in the SW about
30 degrees above the horizon, then you should be able to see the ISS.
Use Jupiter as your reference point. The ISS will rise from the SW,
rise near Jupiter - which is about where I spotted it last night ,
tho' it was an hour later and an hour darker last night. It will
continue brightening and rising almost overhead, then start sinking
in altitude towards the NE. No telescope required, this is a view for
the unaided eye.
There are also locally visible passes on the 17th and 19th
http://www.heavens-above.com/PassSummary.asp?lat=34.148&lng=-118.144&alt=24…
but the altitude is quite low at maximum altitude, meaning that trees
and buildings may mar your view. Friday is the best next pass.
Next news will be about our next sidewalk dates and a pretty view in
the pre-dawn morning sky for you early risers - Mercury, Venus Moon
and Saturn on the eastern horizon.
--
Jane Houston Jones
Senior Outreach Specialist, Cassini Program
JPL - 4800 Oak Grove Drive, MS 230-205
Pasadena, CA 91109 818-393-6435
jane.h.jones(a)jpl.nasa.gov
Cassini Saturn Observation Campaign
http://soc.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm
