OTEvents February 2017

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Rain and late moonrise mar tonight's "Penumbral: Eclipse

by Jane Houston Jones

If it wasn't raining, an unspectacular lunar eclipse would be nearly over by the time the full moon rises at 5:32 p.m. tonight. I wrote a little "Ten Things to know about the Penumbral Lunar eclipse" article today. http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/2017/02/10/10-things-to-know-the-february-… <https://webmail.jpl.nasa.gov/owa/redir.aspx?C=hJ06W8fhgGGIwmpq46cN2jQFIEiqi…> If you use the platform Tumblr, NASA has a nice product about the eclipse here, and you don't have to be a Tumblr use to see it. http://nasa.tumblr.com/post/157061320334/subtle-lunar-eclipse <https://webmail.jpl.nasa.gov/owa/redir.aspx?C=rBy2H9omf2dAN486pO0nqzTGWS3EU…> Finally, I really like the Time and Date website eclipse graphics. https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2017-february-11 <https://webmail.jpl.nasa.gov/owa/redir.aspx?C=0K6xZpGe2cUCwBHrj-bdJdiKzJx1N…> Looks like our next Sidewalk Astronomy night will be March 4 and there will be an interesting celestial event. Around 19:09 PST on March 4, the almost-half Moon occults the red giant star Aldebaran. This might be a naked eye disappearance for the sharp-eyed. Everyone else should use binoculars or a small telescope. You CAN do this at home. If you can find the moon you have a chance to watch the moon pass in front of the star. The time is the exact time for La Canada Flintridge, so it will be a little different depending on where you are located. For those coming to the sidewalk maybe we'll have one of the telescopes with a videocamera attached and a monitor to view this special event, so more people can see it. Here is a nice writeup of who can see this event. The reappearance is on the lighted hemisphere around 20:27 PST and will require binoculars or telescope. The color difference between star and Moon will be striking. Thanks to Steve Edberg and Tom Traeger for the heads up! Jane -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones @otastro What's Up Feb? Use Venus and Mars to find the Zodiacal Light, plus two comets and the brightest asteroid. https://youtu.be/HT2htvbcmm8 New: Ten Things Blog https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/category/10things

7 years, 7 months

No sidewalk astronomy in Monrovia tonight

by Jane Houston Jones

No Sidewalk Astronomy tonight, darn it! We thought those clous would clear, but alas, it didn't happen. If we reschedule for this month it could be next Saturday night with a full moon, but the pretty planets Venus and Mars don't mind a little moonlight. In the meantime, here's my stargazing video for February in a couple new formats. JPL video http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/details.php?id=1457 NASA Instagram (60 second video) Part 1 https://www.instagram.com/p/BQA66FEFuoV/?taken-by=nasa and Part 2 https://www.instagram.com/p/BQA7PO6Fc9P/?taken-by=nasa Tumblr http://nasa.tumblr.com/post/156678946399/whats-up-for-february The RV park we are observing the 2017 solar eclipse from is full except for dry (aka tent) sites in a large area. We'll have a nice group of folks from our Sidewalk Astronomers mailing list and some of the astronomers too! Site Map http://www.idahodunesrv.com/map.php reservations: https://www.idahodunesrv.com/reservations.php?month=August+2017 I'll be putting together tips for viewing the eclipse, and for those staying here, tips to enjoy a beautiful partial solar eclipse! That's all for now! Jane -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones @otastro What's Up Feb? planets point to Zodiacal Light, 2 comets plus the brightest asteroid. https://youtu.be/HT2htvbcmm8 New: My Ten Things Blog https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/category/10things

7 years, 8 months

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OTEvents February 2017