Saturday September 14 is Sidewalk Astronomer founder John Dobson's 98th
birthday! What better way to celebrate it than by taking our telescopes
to the sidewalk and sharing the views of the moon (and maybe a last
glimpse at Saturn for a while) with you!
Mojo and I will be going to a birthday party for John tomorrow
afternoon, so we'll be hapy to include your wishes if you have a message
for John :-)
Join us on the corner of Myrtle and Lime Streets from about 7 - 9 p.m.
tomorrow night.
Now for the links portion of my email :-)
We have had some fine bloggers at the telescopes with us recently.
Here is Elson Trinidad's blog about last month's Monrovia Sidewalk
Astronomy, with a detour to the dark sky for some Perseid perusing.
http://www.kcet.org/news/the_back_forty/commentary/concrete-and-chaparral/e…
And here is Chris Clarke's "8 best places to see the night sky in LA
County"
http://www.kcet.org/living/travel/socal_wanderer/night-sky/stargazing/8-pla…
If you enjoy the written word as I do, you'll enjoy these two fine
writers. :-)
And my 2013 "At A Glance" astro journal has just been updated for
September, clmplete with a link to my What's Up video for September - my
75th podcast in this series!
http://jane.whiteoaks.com/2013/01/07/whats-up-in-2013-at-a-glance/
See you Saturday, or if not, look up at the moon, and wish Sidewalk
Astronomer founder John Dobson a happy birthday!
--
Jane Houston Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://jane.whiteoaks.com/http://twitter.com/jhjones
What's Up For Sept? LADEE Night Launch, ISON Spotted
http://youtu.be/YMt5CIsr-D8
CometISON Toolkithttp://solarsystem.nasa.gov/ISON
The forecast is clear, and we should have lovely views of a crescent
moon, close to first quarter, and Saturn.
Jane won't be there this week -- she's winging her way to Glasgow,
Scotland, to attend an award ceremony for the Sir Arthur Clarke Awards.
She's nominated in the "International" category, and we're hoping for a
win, but the competition is stiff!
We'll be at Myrtle & Lime, Library Park, from 8:00 'til about 9:30.
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://whiteoaks.com
There may be thin clouds overhead, but a few of us will be out at Myrtle
and Lime Streets in Monrovia with telescopes tonight anyway. On tap will
be the moon for sure, Jupiter setting early and Saturn rising.
Last weekend 11 of our intrepid Sidewalk Astronomer family headed out to
Black Canyon Group Campground in Mojave National Preserve for the spring
version of our twice-a-year public dark sky star parties. A fabulous
time was had by all - there were about 70 people there and 7 telescopes
to look through. Here is a writeup from one of the many media there:
http://www.lacanadaonline.com/news/tn-vsl-0515-a-star-party-in-the-desert,0…
And here is my monthly video, all about spring constellations, and how
you can find them when they are close to the moon (like Leo and the moon
tonight!) Each of the constellations I cover this month yields
beautiful deep sky objects we love to observe in the dark skies of the
desert, with astrophotos contributed by Mojo. http://youtu.be/sqnHaIYn_tc
Our Otastro website has May viewing tips and the next star party dates
http://www.otastro.org/
Jane and the astro gang
--
Jane Houston Jones
Monrovia, CA
What's Up Podcast for May: Spring constellations
On Youtube: http://youtu.be/sqnHaIYn_tc
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones /CassiniSaturn /otastro
My Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/
Yosemite Star Party Video http://www.youtube.com/user/yosemitenationalpark?feature=watch
There will be telescopes out at the corner of Myrtle and Lime Streets
tonight from sundown until about 9-9:30 p.m. depending on the crowds and
the astronomers. So stop by for a great view of the moon, a last look
at Jupiter until late fall, and maybe a peek at Saturn rising above the
buildings. It should be a good night - the clear sky chart looks great!
http://cleardarksky.com/c/MnrviaCAkey.html?1
Mojo and I are in Florida visiting family. We're planning to be with
sidewalk astronomers here at Lakewood Ranch, near Sarasota, FL. But the
clear sky chart indicates otherwise tho' (all those white squares
indicate nothing but clouds and probably rain too)
http://cleardarksky.com/c/HRHObFLkey.html?1
Here's a monthly recap of astronomical doings all year.
http://jane.whiteoaks.com/2013/01/07/whats-up-in-2013-at-a-glance/
Here's our next dark sky public star party info. May 11 at Mojave
National Preserve, Black Canyon Campground. There is free camping but
RSPV is required as camping space is limited. RSVP with David Lamfrom at
dlamfrom(a)npca.org or 760-219-4916 More info here:
http://mojavepreserve.org/index.php/site/article/star_party_in_the_mojave_n…
And if you are contemplating a getaway to Yosemite this summer, nearly
every weekend (except full moon weekend) from July 4 through Labor Day
there is an astronomy club doing a public star party at Glacier Point
both Friday and Saturday nights -- as shown in this beautiful video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhgR3zVfo-0&feature=youtu.be. The
Northern California Astronomy Cubs choose their first, second and third
choices for a weekend slot in a lottery. The club we always go with was
granted August 22-23. Moon rises fairly early, so it is not the clubs
first choice. But there will be dark skies for a few hours, a gorgeous
view of Saturn, then moonrise near Half Dome through club members
telescopes.
Special announcement :-( Due to budget restrictions, plans for a JPL
Open House in spring 2013 have been suspended. If budget considerations
improve, JPL hopes to host an Open House at a future date, perhaps as
early as fall 2013. Please check back here for updates -->
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/open-house.cfm
--
Jane Houston Jones
Monrovia, CA
What's Up Podcast for April: Saturn's rings delight!
On Youtube: http://youtu.be/kdCYwyq3kes
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones /CassiniSaturn /otastro
My Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/
Yosemite Video http://www.youtube.com/user/yosemitenationalpark?feature=watch
We're going to have three telescopes set up tonight in old town
Monrovia, Library Park, at the corner of Myrtle & Lime, starting about
7:00 p.m.
The forecast is "mostly clear," and it looks like there might be a
little marine layer fog rolling in, but we're hoping for the best.
Jane and I are away from town this weekend, but wish them good luck! It
should be a good night for the moon and Jupiter.
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://whiteoaks.com
Some of us are available tonight and some next week to do some sidewalk
astronomy, so those of us available tonight will be at the corner of
Myrtle and Lime Streets in Monrovia's Library Park tonight from 7 p.m.
to about 9 p.m.
If you are out for a stroll, stop by. We'll be looking at Jupiter and
the moon through some marine layer haze, but if you are itching for some
telescope viewing (like I am) come on down.
Here is my first observation of Comet PanSTARRS - the current (barely)
naked eye visible comet low in the west.
http://jane.whiteoaks.com/2013/03/12/my-first-view-of-comet-panstarrs-31113/
About 25 minutes after sunset (at civil twilight) you may be able to
spot the comet if you have good low western horizon and know where to
look (not easy). It also helps to have a clear and dark sky (which we
don't tonight). It is only about 10 degrees above the horizon (90
degrees is overhead). One of us may try moving a small telescope down
Lime Street for a better view to the west, hoping for a little clearing
between buildings and trees. I won't promise a view of the comet, but
it is always fun to try! The window of viewing will be only from about
7:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. - probably even less time without a clear
horizon. There are not only trees and buildings in the way, but hazy
marine layer, too. I'll bring my binoculars and try to be optimistic. :-)
Meanwhile here are some images of the comet:
http://spaceweather.com/gallery/index.php?title=comet It's only been
visible in the Northern Hemisphere for less than a week, and hopefully,
it will still be around in April and May (though faint, and only visible
in a telescope). But I hear it may be breaking up according to some if
the imagers. Still, comets are so cool!
--
Jane Houston Jones
Monrovia, CA
What's Up Podcast for March: Comet PanSTARRS, how bright?
On Youtube:http://youtu.be/uEqt0yE6EG0
Twitter:http://twitter.com/jhjones /CassiniSaturn /otastro
My Blog:http://jane.whiteoaks.com/
Yosemite Videohttp://www.youtube.com/user/yosemitenationalpark?feature=watch
Have you looked up, scratched your head, and wondered where that
"bright" comet is hiding?
It's very challenging to see - and in binoculars it it is very small, as
you can see in my sketches linked below. The circles represent the
binocular field of view of either 5 or 7 degrees. The entire comet is
about 1/2 of a degree long. Tonight, the 1 day old moon can be used as
an arrow pointing to the comet, if you can find the slender Cheshire cat
smile of a moon, that is.
The moon will be found 5.6 degrees to the right of the comet tonight,
and 10 degrees above the comet tomorrow night.
Sunset tonight is at 6:57, and it will take about 25 minutes for the sun
to set down 6 degrees, to the time called civil twilight - Evening civil
twilight begins at sunset and ends when the geometric center of the sun
reaches 6° below the horizon. Start scanning the sky about 8-10 degrees
above the horizon at about 7:15, and keep looking until you either find
the comet, or you don't.
Here is my sketch of the comet from 25 miles up Angeles Crest (Chileo
turnout) just before the Caltrans yard last night. This is a good spot
facing west.
http://jane.whiteoaks.com/2013/03/12/my-first-view-of-comet-panstarrs-31113/
and here is our Comet PanSTARRS resource page, which includes a good map
and my "What's Up, PanSTARRS Edition" podcast.
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/scitech/display.cfm?ST_ID=2538
Happy comet hunting, everybody!
Jane
--
Jane Houston Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://jane.whiteoaks.com/http://twitter.com/jhjones
What's Up For March? Will Comet Pan-STARRS be bright?
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-archive.cfm
Youtube: http://bit.ly/14aXhTB
2013 At A Glance
http://jane.whiteoaks.com/2013/01/07/whats-up-in-2013-at-a-glance/
Mojo and I are going to our favorite observing location this afternoon,
Amboy Crater, to try and view comet PanSTARRS just after sunset at 5:57
p.m. From now through the end of March, the comet should be naked-eye
visible very low on the western horizon - low meaning about 10 degrees
above the unobstructed horizon for those at latitude 40 (we are at 34
degrees North latitude here in the LA area), so it will be even a few
degrees lower than that here throughout March. But it will be visible
in April and May (through a telescope) higher and fainter in the sky.
This month, use binoculars to scan the western horizon.
Ten degrees can be measured by holding your clenched fist at arms-length
distance, then with thumb-up, place the bottom of your fist on the
horizon. The top of your fist (put your thumb back down first) will be
ten degrees above the horizon. You'll see it's not very high. The
comet's tail will be like your thumb up - because the tail will be
pointing straight up. It's easy to see why -- comets tails point away
from the sun.
Any spot where you have an unobstructed view of the western horizon just
at sunset is where you should look. Here in LA, looking west on the
horizon generally means looking through a hazy (smoggy) or foggy layer
of our atmosphere. The viewing window is just about a half hour after
sunset right now - sunset until about 6:30 p.m. Longer window next week,
but still very low. Watch my video for tips.
Youtube: http://bit.ly/ZzW1bt
You are welcome to join us - sorry for the late notice, we were waiting
to see how the storm affected the deserts before deciding where and when
to go. Amboy, CA 92304 is an unincorporated town in San Bernardino
County, in California's Mojave Desert, west of Needles and east of
Ludlow on historic Route 66. It is roughly 60 miles northeast of
Twentynine Palms. Amboy Crater is a BLM landmark with a big parking lot.
It takes us about 3 hours (including a sandwich stop in Barstow) to
get there, and we'll arrive at about 4:30 p.m. to set up our equipment.
It will be cold and windy tonight, so we plan to observe for about 4
hours then drive back home. It is not a campsite, so no tents, but you
can sleep/rest in your car overnight and take a hike in the morning to
the volcanic crater. There are pit toilets in the parking lot.
We set up our two telescopes at the very end, next to the rest room.
http://photo.whiteoaks.com/2011-10-22-amboy/Site%20Pictures/index.html
If you do come, there are some universal courtesy tips to avoid blinding
the observers. The San Jose Astronomical Association has a great list
http://www.sjaa.net/etiquette.html
To this list, most important is to arrive before sunset. It is
virtually impossible to see the turnoff from Route 66 in the dark, and
you will miss the comet hunt unless your are all ready to look at
sunset. Park with your car lights pointed away from the telescopes
closer to the entrance end of the lot. Switch your car's interior lights
off if you can. We always bring some red carlight repair tape to place
over very small flashlights, leave those big flashlights at home, you
won't need them. No iPad, tablet, cell phones light near the (my)
telescopes, please. Just step away and face your light away from the
telescopes if you'd like to use them. They are fun to use, but will ruin
(this) observer's dark adaption. Bring a chair, layers, binoculars,
hydration. Oh there are trains with lights all night long, but I set up
away from that light. You'll love to hear them in the dark. :-)
Since this is short notice, you may want to consider joining us on May
11 at our campground star party at Mojave National Preserve instead.
Hopefully, the comet will still be visible. The light pollution rules
are a little more relaxed (except right near the telescopes) since it is
a public star party. Last fall's flyer is here with
directionshttp://mojavepreserve.org/index.php/site/article/star_party_in_th…
If you do see the comet from LA let us know! Your chances are good if
you can see the western horizon with no clouds or haze. Try with
binoculars. We'll share what we see, how hard it was, tips and tricks
tomorrow! Wish us luck!
Jane
--
Jane Houston Jones
Monrovia, CA
What's Up Video March 2013: Comet PanSTARRS
On Youtube: http://bit.ly/ZzW1bt
2013 Preview: http://bit.ly/13NrNHy
