Tonight we'll have a slender crescent moon, a slender crescent Venus,
and our last glance at Saturn until next year. Venus, Saturn, and Mars
are grouped nicely in the west at twilight, and set quickly.
We'll be at Myrtle & Lime in Old Town Monrovia, Library Park, from about
7:30 'til 9:00 tonight.
Cheers,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones, Monrovia, CA
http://bridgemojo.comhttp://otastro.orghttp://mojo.whiteoaks.com
Not everyone will be able to get to a dark sky or stay up late enough to see
the Perseid Meteor shower tonight, so I have a little warm-up act for you to
view.
In the hour after sunset the planets and moon make a beautiful diversion
and one you don't have to leave home to see. Tomorrow's view is pretty too,
with the moon, so check out the view on both nights.
Here's a little writeup about the planetary view with some fun graphics and
photos:
http://jane.whiteoaks.com/2010/08/10/a-warm-up-act-for-the-perseids/
It was fun to run the JPL Solar System Simulator and see the planets in
their orbits. Take it on a spin to see where the Voyagers are right now.
In case you are wondering, I'm heading out to Amboy Crater tonight with a
couple of the other Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers. Amboy Crater is just
south of Mojave National Preserve on US 40. It's the closest "darkest of the
dark spots" on the International Clear Sky Chart.
http://cleardarksky.com/csk/prov/California_map.html?Mn=eyepiece
If you decide to make the long drive (over 200 miles), you are welcome to
join us. We will be trying to preserve our dark adaption as best we can from
11pm until 4am, so be careful with your car lights, flashlights, cell
phones, Ipods, cameras and other bright things. Use them away from the
observers. :-) No telescope required, just a comfy chair and plenty of
water. The forcast low overnight will be in the high 80's. :-(
To follow the Perseids vicariously watch or comment on the JPL Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/#!/NASAJPL?ref=ts and /or watch any of these
Twitter hashtags: #perseids, #IMOmeteors #meteorwatch ;-)
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
What's Up For August? Perseids!
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-archive.cfm
This past weekend was "new moon" when we often take the opportunity to
get out from under the Los Angeles light dome and see the real night
sky. This weekend's was a fun observing trip for planets, lightning,
meteors, and a great night sky. I have pictures and an observing report
here:
http://mojo.whiteoaks.com/2010/08/09/sky-full-of-planets-and-lightning/
Next new moon weekend coincides with the Labor Day weekend, Sept. 3-6,
and we'll be joining the San Jose Astronomical Society in Yosemite
National Park at Glacier Point for three nights of great observing in
one of the best night skies on the planet.
We'll have sidewalk astronomy in Monrovia next weekend, and Pamela Park
the following weekend. More on that in a few days.
Jane will post some more about the Perseid meteor shower later this
week, and right now you can enjoy her What's Up podcast about the
Perseids here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxBc4dA37So
The meteor shower is ongoing with a peak Thursday night / Friday
morning, but good meteors all week.
Mojo
--
Morris Jones, Monrovia, CA
http://bridgemojo.comhttp://otastro.orghttp://mojo.whiteoaks.com
The Perseids will make summertime extra special this year because the moon
will not interfere with the meteor show. Plus, as a bonus, a trio of planets
plus the moon make a sunset appearance on the nights surrounding the peak of
the Perseids on August 12-13. Our solar system is on display 24-7!
This month's What's Up podcast features the Perseids, naturally! It has
some nice animation of the why and where of meteors, and talks about all the
upcoming comet and asteroid missions. It also touches on Mars in August, and
offers a good night to use that Mars hoax email to practice some critical
thinking skills. On August 12-14, the moon and Mars appear near one another
for all to see and compare.
On the Solar System Exploration website are all the many formats of the
video. Including some with captions - perfect to show on a screen in a busy
planetarium or museum without audio. I included some edible rocks and
asteroid recipes this month in the education section. I've also linked to
"the Fluxtimator" to see how many meteors you can see in your area.
What's Up Video and Blog page:
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-archive.cfm
Here is the JPL YouTube page with lots of other content:
http://www.youtube.com/user/JPLnews
For the past eight years, I've updated a Mars in August page, and this year
I use it as a great way to teach critical thinking to the public. If you're
interested, here it is: http://www.otastro.org/Mars2005/
Next month (September 2010) my video will be about the moon for
International Observe the Moon night. http://observethemoonnight.org/
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
What's Up For August? Perseids!
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-archive.cfm
