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by Jane Houston Jones

We'll have a couple telescopes out tonight in Monrovia from 6:30 - 8:30 or so. On display will be the 13-day moon (nearly full) and Jupiter. Stop by if you're in the neighborhood. Also, we now have a date for our twice-annual Mojave National Preserve Star party - May 6. Though this flyer is for last fall's event, you can get a feel for the event, and can RSVP if you'd like to attend. Free camping, bring something for saturday night potluck. You might want a chair to sit in and gaze at the night sky. http://mojavepreserve.org/index.php/site/article/star_party_in_the_mjave_na… Free camping, unlimited stargazing, Comet Pan-STARRS (our March comet) should still be visible. Weather permitting, Mojo and I are planning dark sky observing outings to Amboy Crater March 9 and April 6. Amboy Crater is not a campsite - it's a large parking lot, and we usually snooze in our car a little after observing, and sometimes take a hike to the crater in the morning. If you are interesting in joining us, sent me an email! Jane 2013 What's Up - at a glance http://jane.whiteoaks.com/2013/01/07/whats-up-in-2013-at-a-glance/ -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA What's Up Podcast for February: Asteroid flyby, comet & planet previews. On Youtube:http://bit.ly/WM4Ka4 Twitter:http://twitter.com/jhjones,CassiniSaturn,NASAInSight,otastro My Blog:http://jane.whiteoaks.com/

13 years, 1 month

Things to do on a rainy Sidewalk Astronomy weekend

by Jane Houston Jones

Sorry we have to cancel sidewalk astronomy this weekend. Clouds, rain or both don't mix well with telescopes. Luckily we've been able to work in 4 (or more) school/public star parties over the last 2 weeks or so. Two of them had a Disney connection. First, the Sidewalk Astronomers and the Los Angeles Astronomical Society were invited to set up telescopes on the sidewalk outside Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles on the 10th, 11th and 12th of January. http://twitpic.com/burd6f The concert? Gustav Holtz's The Planets, Opus 32, naturally! Then on the 22nd, Mojo set up our big refractor telescope outside his Disney Grand Central Creative Campus office in Glendale. http://twitpic.com/bxgwt3 We dodged clouds but moon and Jupiter popped out every now and then. In between, we had successful school star parties at Andres Duarte Elementary and Hamilton Elementary in Pasadena. This time of the year is perfect for school star parties since it gets dark by 6 p.m. A note to teachers thinking of asking us to bring telescopes - ask several months in advance, and let us recommend the date to maximize the chance of seeing something :-) We are planning a Mojave National Preserve spring star party, but I have not heard a final date. I put in for March 9, or April 6 or May 11. I'll let you know which date is - those from our email list who have attended can vouch for the fun and fabulous skies! Mojo and I will likely head to Amboy Crater on the other two dates, and you are free to join us - it is a large parking lot, not a campsite, tho. So what's Up? January has been spectacular for the doorstep astronomer - all you had to do is step outside and see planets and moon pairings at dawn and in the evening. Our friend Jack learned a good tip -- hold on to something sturdy when looking straight overhead at the moon and Jupiter! My January podcast is all about those pairings, and is linked to my blog below. And February's podcast will be about a near-Earth asteroid on the 15th (won't be visible easily, and only through telescopes), Mercury as high as it gets on the 16th, Mercury moon and Mars near one another from the 6-11th) and moon and Jupiter on the 18. And some other stuff. :-) I sat down and mapped out monthly What's Up in 2013 previews to offer a tantalizing peek into the future. It's right here on my blog post, which I'll be updating as we learn more about the two potentially great comets in 2013 - one in March and one in December! http://jane.whiteoaks.com/ Our next astro dates, weather permitting, will be Feb 9 (potential dark sky trip, weather and schedules permitting) Feb 15 Pasadena, and 16th Monrovia. Take care, everybody! -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA What's Up Podcast for January: Close Encounters (planets & moon) On Youtube:http://is.gd/kPUtSx Twitter:http://twitter.com/jhjones /CassiniSaturn /otastro My Blog:http://jane.whiteoaks.com/

13 years, 2 months

Morning sky planet viewing chart

by Jane Houston Jones

Oops - the morning planet viewing chart mentioned in my previous email is here: http://img.whiteoaks.com/jane/Public/Starchart_11_23_630am_east.jpg And my November What's Up podcast is here (and in my signature line) http://youtu.be/J7kJx0OLAmM -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA What's Up Podcast for November: Jupiter all night long! On Youtube: http://is.gd/kPUtSx Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones /CassiniSaturn /otastro My Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/

13 years, 4 months

Happy Thanksgiving - no sidewalk stargazing this weekend

by Jane Houston Jones

Hi everyone, our sidewalk astronomers are all visiting family (or working or traveling) this first quarter moon weekend, so we won't be setting up telescopes in Pasadena or Monrovia Friday or Saturday night. There is plenty to see if you step outside and look up! I've been exchanging emails with one of our loyal Monrovia/Duarte telescope viewers over the last week. Jack has been looking up, wondering the name of this star or that planet. It's been fun to exchange emails with him. We are so thankful for our Sidewalk Astronomy family, both those with and without telescopes. So, in lieu of telescopes on the sidewalk, and thanks to Jack's questions, here are some pointers to great views you can see tonight, and for the next month. In the evening sky, you can't miss Jupiter alongside (to the left of) bright red Aldebaran, the brightest star in the constellation Taurus the bull. Aldebaran is classified a K star -- an orange giant, and is one of the brightest stars in our sky. Look east to see them both, you can't miss Jupiter, and now you know something about that pretty star to the right of Jupiter! Now look above these two. Do you see the Pleiades star cluster? Jack asked me what the bright star an out-stretched hand away from Jupiter is called. To the left of Jupiter, is Capella, the brightest star in Auriga. It's a G stellar classification "yellow" star 10 times the diameter of our G classified Sun! But that's not the star Jack was viewing. He was noticing a brilliant white star rising above the building obscuring his eastern horizon, and to the right of and below Jupiter at about 10 p.m. I stepped out in my jammies at 10 p.m. to see. It was Rigel! The knee of the great constellation Orion was rising above my building obscuring eastern horizon, too. Rigel is the brightest star in the constellation Orion and the sixth brightest star in the sky! Through binoculars, you may see it's companion. Rigel is a blue-white Class B super-giant 117,000 times as luminous as our sun! Here's a star chart for 9:30 p.m. tonight - and the next month. http://img.whiteoaks.com/jane/Public/Starchart_11_22_930pm_east.jpg Now, if you are up before sunrise tomorrow morning, and have a clear view to the east, you'll see bright Venus, Saturn below, and Mercury, if you can see clear down to the southeast horizon. Here's a star chart for you morning stargazers: http://img.whiteoaks.com/jane/Public/Starchart_11_22_930pm_east.jpg I bet many of you know the little acronym for stellar classification OBAFGKM - or Oh, Be A Fine Girl/Guy, Kiss Me. If not, here's what those letters and colors mean: http://www.astronomygcse.co.uk/AstroGCSE/New%20Site/Topic%203/o_b_a_f_g_k_m… Our next sidewalk astro weekend will most likely be Dec 21/22, so we may run into the same travel/work/family comes first scenario with our telescope wranglers. If you wander down to our sidewalk corner at Myrtle and Lime streets over the next month, you'll see a whole bunch of new "stars" of many stellar classifications, draped on trees, and everywhere. If we miss next month too, we'll return once those artificial stars are put away for another year, and instead, I'll regale you with a bad poem, a new starchart, and wish you the most happiest winter solstice season. :-) Jane -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA What's Up Podcast for Sept: Observe and wink at the moon On Youtube:http://is.gd/kPUtSx Twitter:http://twitter.com/jhjones /CassiniSaturn /otastro My Blog:http://jane.whiteoaks.com/ Yosemite Videohttp://www.youtube.com/user/yosemitenationalpark?feature=watch

13 years, 4 months

Sidewalk Astro make-up session Saturday night

by Jane Houston Jones

Sorry about last week, clouds obscured the moon on our sidewalk astronomy night. We'll have a fabulous sky tomorrow night, however. That's Saturday the 27th if you want to view the moon with us from 6:30 - 8:30 or so. Myrtle and Lime Streets. Those Santa Ana winds scoured the sky - making perfect conditions for moon-watching. Since Halloween is nearly here, here is my annual Spooky Observing list. Those with telescopes can enjoy the observing tricks and treats. Those who observe from their armchair will enjoy a good read and some pretty images, I hope! http://jane.whiteoaks.com/2009/10/30/spooky-halloween-observing/ Check our website for viewing highlights, next event dates, and other starry goodness :-) http://www.otastro.org/ See some of you Saturday night (I hope) Jane -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA http://jane.whiteoaks.com/ http://twitter.com/jhjones What's Up for Oct video: View Vesta, Ceres, Orinids, Taurids http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-archive.cfm Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=JPLnews Yosemite Night Skies Video http://www.youtube.com/user/yosemitenationalpark?feature=watch

13 years, 5 months

Sidewalk Astronomy clouded out Saturday (tonight)

by Jane Houston Jones

The skies over Monrovia are covered with marine layer right now. The skies at Mount Wilson, on the other hand, are clear, sort of. Take a look at the Mt. Wilson 150-foot towercam, and you'll see clear skies at the peaks, but creeping marine layer almost reaching to the observatory. http://obs.astro.ucla.edu/towercam.htm#imagetop So, sadly, we're cancelling Sidewalk Astronomy tonight. Next Saturday night, is a not-quite-full-moon, and we'll tentatively reschedule for that night -- Saturday, October 27th, 6:30-9:00 p.m. This cloud layer will also wash out meteor watching overnight, too, most likely. The forecast calls for a slight chance of drizzle after 8 p.m. Some of our astronomers will be heading east to catch some shooting stars. If you are so inclined, take a look at all these astronomers maps - the Clear Sky charts, and head for an area not showing white in the hourly grids - those indicate cloud cover. http://cleardarksky.com/csk/prov/California_charts.html Finally, since it's an indoor-stargazing and meteor-gazing kind of night, here's a writeup about the huge meteor (probably a small asteroid, actually) that broke up over northern California last Wednesday night. There were reports from Long beach to Red Bluff, with a sonic boom and a terminal burst - like a roman candle as the meteor broke up into pieces. It broke up over Marin County, where I grew up! Dr. jenniskens is out looking for dark pieces this weekend. if you find one, take a picture and send it to him by email petrus.m.jenniskens <http://petrus.m.jenniskens>@ nasa.gov Over and out, Jane -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA What's Up Podcast for Sept: Observe and wink at the moon On Youtube: http://is.gd/kPUtSx Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones /CassiniSaturn /otastro My Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/ Yosemite Video http://www.youtube.com/user/yosemitenationalpark?feature=watch

13 years, 5 months

Cloudy in Monrovia

by Morris Jones

Monrovia has about 80% cloud coverage tonight. Jane and I are going to hang out at the corner anyway, for about an hour. If conditions look to improve, we might set up a telescope. Meanwhile, if you're somewhere where you can see the moon tonight, give it a wink! Mojo -- Morris Jones Monrovia, CA http://whiteoaks.com

13 years, 6 months

Sidewalk Astronomy, Dark Sky October trip, Shuttle flyover Friday

by Jane Houston Jones

This Saturday night is International Observe the Moon night -- a kind of an annual worldwide group hug -- around the moon! Saturday the 22nd 7:00 p.m. Myrtle and Lime Library Park corner. If the construction near the fallen tree on the corner blocks some of our area, we may move further down Lime Street but still within Library Park. Friday Night Pasadena, TBA Friday depending on work, shuttle flyover logistics. Other events on this map: We'll be distributing a moon viewing chart I made, and which you can see or download here if you won't be able to make it: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-view.cfm?WUID=1304 October 13 is the fall Mojave National Park Star party. Held in Black Canyon Group Campground near the middle of the park. *RSVP with David Lamfrom at dlamfrom(a)npca.org or 760-219-4916*. Allow time to arrive well before dark, bring something to share to the potluck at 6 p.m, breakfast on your own. Viewing begins at twilight. Details on this flyer: http://mojavepreserve.org/index.php/site/article/star_party_in_the_mjave_na… Park map w/directions http://www.nps.gov/moja/planyourvisit/directions.htm The Shuttle Endeavour begins its final flight from Kennedy Space Center Wednesday morning at 7:15 a.m. It will tour the space coast, land in TX near Johnson Space Center Wednesday, then take off for California on Thursday, arriving at Edwards/Dryden in the late afternoon/evening Thursday. Friday morning, it will take off, fly over Palmdale, Lancaster, Rosamond and Mojave before heading north to Sacramento. There, Endeavour will fly over the Capitol and turn to San Francisco, where those hoping to catch a glimpse of the shuttle are advised to watch from one of several Bay Area museums, including the Chabot Space and Science Center, the Exploratorium, the Bay Area Discovery Museum, the Lawrence Hall of Science and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Once the shuttle reaches the Los Angeles area about 10:30 a.m., the orbiter will be carried over landmarks including the Getty Center, the Griffith Observatory, Malibu and Disneyland before landing at Los Angeles International Airport. It will also fly over the California Science Center in Exposition Park, its new permanent home. (above details from LA Times blog, so more details about the LA portion of the trip) Plans can change, so I suggest you check the local news, the LA Times blog http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/ KPCC Blog http://www.scpr.org/blogs/news for latest southern Cal details Weds - Friday. Finally (whew) if you have not watched the Yosemite Nature Notes "Night Skies" video here it is, along with the others in the fabulous series. Over 100k views and counting - it's turned out to be quite popular! http://www.youtube.com/user/yosemitenationalpark?feature=watch (video 1 and 2 on the list are the same Night Sky video, different screen formats only) Have a great week and weekend, and hope to see you at one or the other of these astronomical places, Jane -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA http://jane.whiteoaks.com/ http://twitter.com/jhjones What's Up for Sept video: Int'l Observe-Wink at the Moon Night http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-archive.cfm Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=JPLnews Yosemite Night Skies Video http://www.youtube.com/user/yosemitenationalpark?feature=watch

13 years, 6 months

Tonight at 8:30 pm, Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers Honor Neil Armstrong

by Jane Houston Jones

We'll have a moment of silence, or rather, as Neil Armstrong's family has asked for, a wink at the moon ( #winkatthemoon twitter hashtag if you are on Twitter) moment at 8:30 p.m. tonight at Monrovia's Library Park. No telescope required if you are at home, but all the OTAstro telescopes will be aimed at the moon tonight at our usual once-a-month moon viewing night. If you can't make it out to our moon viewing event, join a local group, or look up from wherever you are. Gaze at the moon, zero in on the Sea of Tranquility even with your naked eyes and honor a true American hero, Neil Armstrong, who died today. (August 5, 1930 - August 25, 2011) Here is where to look: Green triangle, Apollo 11, halfway between center right edge and center of moon.) http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=804. I was in high school, on a family trip to Mexico on the day Neil Armstrong put the first footprint on the moon. I'll never forget it! Share your own stories with us tonight, or with your friends and family as you look up and wink at the moon. -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA What's Up Podcast for August: Mars as Curiosity lands, Perseids On Youtube: http://is.gd/kPUtSx Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones /CassiniSaturn /otastro My Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/

13 years, 7 months

Friday stargazing cancelled, Saturday on!

by Jane Houston Jones

Sorry stargazers, but Friday sidewalk astronomy in Pasadena is cancelled, but weather permitting, we'll be out in force in Monrovia Saturday night! See you then! -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA What's Up Podcast for August: Mars as Curiosity lands, Perseids On Youtube: http://is.gd/kPUtSx Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones /CassiniSaturn /otastro My Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/

13 years, 7 months

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