These past couple of days the Santa Ana winds have brought us clear and
very dry skies, along with very temperatures from the downslope wind.
The good transparency has made for fabulous views just after sunset of
the thin crescent moon. If you looked on Wednesday, then Thursday, you
saw the moon creep closer to bright Venus in the western sky.
It's been a few months since we were able to set up telescopes on
Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena, our usual Friday night spot, but everything
is good for tonight.
We're going to try to set up at about 6:00; our two targets, the moon
and Venus, will be quickly sinking toward the western horizon. By 8:00
p.m. we're not likely to have a very good view, so it will be a short
night for us.
We'll be set up on the north side of Colorado Blvd. near Delacey,
somewhere in the two-block stretch between Fair Oaks and Pasadena Ave.
Tomorrow, Saturday, we'll have our regular Monrovia star party, again
featuring Venus and a slightly larger moon, starting at about 6:00 again.
If you can't join us, by all means look up to the west after sunset and
enjoy the great views of Venus and the crescent moon.
And one more time -- the Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers were very pleased
to be the subject of JPL's International Year of Astronomy video,
featured right here: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/index.cfm?id=804
Clear skies!
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
Twitter: http://twitter.com/mojo_la
I hesitate to compile local science-related lectures each month, because
there are dozens of them every month. But golly, there are so many
amazing lectures every month - by JPL, Caltech, MWOA, Carnegie
Observatories, local astronomy clubs, and more! If anyone wants to do
the research, and compile the info in a monthly email, I'd help you get
started, and authorize you to post the info to our 206-member list. We
don't post commercial or charity fund-raising type events - just free
and public science-related lectures or events.
In the next two weeks there are some notable lectures that I'll be
attending (or wishing I could attend) and I thought you'd enjoy knowing
about them.
First - this Sunday - Caltech Seismologist Kate Hutton, who is a member
of our own otastro email list will speak to MOWA (Mount Wilson
Observatory Association) on Sunday Jan 25 2:30 p.m. at Altadena Public
Library. Yes there will be refreshments, beginning at 2:00.Mojo and I
will be there. We feel bad, as sustaining MWOA members that we have
never gone to a MWOA meeting, we've even volunteered as docents, but
just can't afford the time to be more active in this very worthwhile
local observatory. http://www.mwoa.org/index.html We'll be there Sunday
to hear Kate! Jan 25 2 - 4 p.m. Altadena Public Library 600 E Mariposa
St, Altadena Kate is also a member of AAVSO - the American Association
of Variable Star Observers, and has attended our sidewalk astronomy
events. :-)
Next, MWOA newsletter editor Bob Ekland, author (and amateur astronomer)
of a fantastic astro poetry book called First Star I see Tonight
http://www.bobeklund.com/ sent me a note about an event on Monday the
26th. Don Benito Wilson: From Mountain Man to Mayor, Los Angeles. Nat B.
Read reveals the amazing tale of the “pioneer, beaver trapper and
trader, grizzly bear hunter, Indian fighter, justice of the peace,
farmer, rancher, politician, horticulturist, vintner, real estate
entrepreneur, and one of the great landholders in Southern California.”
He faced near death experiences with Indians, grizzlies, and a firing
squad. Mount Wilson was named after him. This is a story people of all
ages will want to hear! This joint presentation is sponsored by the
Altadena Historical Society and the Friends of the Altadena Library.
Monday, January 26th @ 7:30 pm, Altadena Community Center: 730 East
Altadena Drive.
Finally, Discover Magazine, National Science Foundation and Caltech's
Thirty Meter Telescope present Mysteries of the Cosmos. January 30 7
p.m. Beckman Auditorium, California Institute of Technology. RSVP to
cpe(a)caltech.edu. Leading experts including planet hunter Mike Brown of
Caltech and dark energy guru Saul Perlmutter of Lawrence Berkeley
Laboratory who will debate the most compelling issues in astronomy
today: How do Black Holes affect the evolution of the universe. This
event will be moderated by Bad Astronomy's Phil Plait - another friend
of ours, since we seem to be name dropping in this email. Although this
is our Pasadena Sidewalk astronomy night, I am checking to see if they'd
like a few telescopes out for this event. If not we'll probably be
nearby at our usual Colorado Blvd Sidewalk event.Or not!
Clear skies to you all. I just updated my Saturn Viewing in 2009 webpage
for JPL http://www.mwoa.org/index.html andjust looked on the JPL website
to see what was the hot news. Darn it if our Monrovia Sidewalk Astronomy
Night video isn't on the front page of JPL right now! Wow!
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ (shameless plug)
updates on local sidewalk astronomy events here: http://www.otastro.org/
dates here
--
Jane Houston Jones
Monrovia, CA
34.2048N 118.1732W, 637.0 feet
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
What's Up Podcast: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/podcasting/whatsup_index.html
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/janehoustonjones
Hi everyone!
Some of you were at our last Monrovia star party, which was filmed by a JPL
film crew. Just in time for the film award season (darn it, we missed the
Golden Globes I'm afraid) here it is!
It shows the joy of conducting a local star party, and I hope you enjoy it -
you might even see yourself in the video!
Its available in HD and Standard Definition, and there is a written
transcript too. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/index.cfm?id=804
Mojo put it on our Otastro website, too. http://www.otastro.org/
You Tube version: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=JPLnews&view=videos
NASAs International Year of Astronomy "Go Observe" sub-section for January
2009 is all about Venus, with lots of resources and good articles, including
my January What's Up podcast about Venus - a link on the right side bar.
You might enjoy reading the article about Venus or use some of the
educational materials. http://astronomy2009.nasa.gov/observe.htm
Next sidewalk events are Jan 30 Pasadena, January 31 Monrovia. Hope to see
you then! Weather permitting, of course! Happy new year to everyone and
happy birthday to Mojo January 18 (and happy anniversary Jane and Mojo
January 15)
--
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 SOC http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/Education/saturnobservation/ (new)
What's Up? http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/podcasting/whatsup_index.html
(new)
Monrovia is clouded over tonight. We'll have to try again on January 30
and 31 when we'll have a crescent moon in the sky. Stay tuned 'til then!
Cheers,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
