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Weather to cancel sidewalk astronomy this weekend

by Jane Houston Jones

Today's rain doesn't appear to be letting up tonight for our monthly sidewalk astronomy in Old town Pasadena, and the forecast for Saturday night has worsened. We'll make that call tomorrow, but I wouldn't plan an excursion for cloudy night moon and planet viewing. We'll post an announcement if we're going our tomorrow night. Leaning towards weathered out conditins/cancellation. So it's a weekend for armchair astronomy! Mojo and I have made weekend treks to two dark sky locations on the two past weekends. Mojo brings our Astro-Physics Traveler - a spectacular small telescope well suited to astrophotography out to the desert when we can get away, and are not doing National Park public viewing (which is most of the time). Read his last two weekend stories, and gaze at his pretty images here: http://mojo.whiteoaks.com/ I picked a few interesting visual targets to write about, and I hauled my huge 17.5 inch reflector out to the desert the last two weekends. I selected a few targets that NASA telescopes or astronomers have also studied to look at. http://jane.whiteoaks.com/ My monthly What's Up video is all about the upcoming Nov 25 launch of the Mars Science Laboratory, also known as the Curiosity rover, plus something about planetary magnetospheres. Here's the JPL Youtube link http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=JPLnews#grid/uploads There's also a good short video about the science planned for Tuesday's close flyby of Asteroid YU55 on that Youtube page, right above my video. Nasa will use Earth as a spacecraft to image this asteroid as it whizzes by, and will use the huge radio antennae out in the Mojave Desert at Goldstone to measure this thing. Usually we have to fly "to" the object to study it. This time the object comes "to" us - close enough to Earth to use our ground based telescopes, but far enough away not to worry about it any danger. Amateur astronomers wonder if YU55 can be seen in backyard telescopes. If your backyard is really dark, and you know exactly where to look, and you have charts to show where it will be, you might see it, and those lucky observers will see it move in the eyepiece view. This writer/amateur astronomer from Duluth MN has some excellent charts and a good explanation. http://astrobob.areavoices.com/2011/11/02/users-guide-to-monday-nights-aste… Jane (and the Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers) -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA What's Up Podcast-November 2011 Mars launch, Planetary magnetospheres NASA podcast: http://is.gd/bSXeAl Youtube site: http://is.gd/kPUtSx Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones /CassiniSaturn /otastro My Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/

14 years, 3 months

Int'l Observe the Moon Night -- pictures

by Morris Jones

Stephen Coleman was at our InOMN event last night with a camera and tripod. He took some great natural-light shots of the astronomers, telescopes, and accidental astronomers getting looks at the moon. http://photo.whiteoaks.com/2011-10-08-sidewalk-inomn/ We had about 150 visitors last night in old town Monrovia. Stephen, thanks so much for the great shots! Best regards, Mojo -- Morris Jones, Monrovia, CA http://whiteoaks.com

14 years, 4 months

Int'l Observe the Moon Night

by Morris Jones

Hi all, tonight is "International Observe the Moon Night" http://observethemoonnight.org/ The moon will be our only bright target this evening, but it should be a beautiful night for it. We plan to set up in Old Town Monrovia tonight at about sunset 6:30, and show the moon 'til 8:30 or 9 or so. We'll be at our usual spot at Myrtle & Lime in Library Park. Jupiter is nearing opposition, but doesn't reach opposition until October 29. It should be a great target for next month's sidewalk weekend. Best regards, Mojo -- Morris Jones, Monrovia, CA http://whiteoaks.com

14 years, 4 months

Fwd: Thank you

by Jane Houston Jones

One of the three civilian groups from our email list to show up at the Mojave event. :-) -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Thank you Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2011 13:04:15 -0700 (PDT) From: Zeynep Yeldan <zeynep_yeldan(a)yahoo.com> Reply-To: Zeynep Yeldan <zeynep_yeldan(a)yahoo.com> To: jane(a)whiteoaks.com <jane(a)whiteoaks.com> Hi Jane, We had a great weekend owing to all of you. Thank you so much. Hopefully we'll be able to make it to the next stargazing event too. There's too much I wouldn't want to miss again. Best, Z.

14 years, 4 months

Mount Wilson Institute talk Altadena Library tomorrow

by Jane Houston Jones

If I weren't heading to the Mojave National Preserve tomorrow for our annual fall star party there, I'd head over to the Altadena Library to hear Don Nicholson's free talk at 2:30 p.m. His talk is titled " Mount Wilson astronomers I have known; some of whom have known me". At 90 years old, Don has known a LOT of astronomers who worked at Mt. Wilson. The son of Dr. Seth B. Nicholson of the Mount Wilson Observatory, he has had a lifelong association with that Observatory. His present interests are the history of astronomy in the 20th century and the encouragement of public interest and participation in astronomy. Don spent much of his youth at the Observatory and met many of the legendary figures who worked there. He graduated from Pomona College with a major in physics and received a Masters Degree in meteorology from Caltech. After serving in the U.S. Army Air Force, he worked for Technicolor, Northrop, and The Aerospace Corporation, where he led the Optical Systems Department. Since retiring, he has been active in public outreach for astronomical organizations. The Altadena Public Library is located at 600 E. Mariposa Street in Altadena, two stop signs west of Lake Avenue at the corner of Mariposa and Santa Rosa Avenue ("Christmas Tree Lane"). Exit the 210 freeway at Lake Avenue in Pasadena and go about 2.5 miles north to Mariposa Street in Altadena. Turn left on Mariposa, go to the second stop sign, turn left on Santa Rosa, and turn into the parking lot at the first driveway on your right. The lecture is in the library's Community Room. This talk is sponsored by the Mount Wilson Institute. For more information, including how to become a member of Friends of Mount Wilson Observatory (FOMWO), see the Observatory's website www.mtwilson.edu or contact lecture coordinator Bob Eklund, beklund(a)sprynet.com, (310) 216-5947. -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA What's Up Podcast-Sept:Moon Past&Present: Apollo landing sites to Grail launch NASA podcast: http://is.gd/bSXeAl Youtube site: http://is.gd/kPUtSx Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones /CassiniSaturn /otastro My Blogs about Moon views,meteors,launches: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/

14 years, 4 months

No sky tonight ...

by Morris Jones

We had plans to set up telescopes for some lunar observing tonight in Monrovia, but they've been dashed by cloudy skies and a chance of thundershowers. Hopefully next month! Meanwhile we'll be hoping for clear skies and calm winds for September 24th dark sky observing in Mojave National Preserve. We'd love to have you visit out from under the L.A. light dome. Details are here: http://preservethemojave.org/ Best regards, Mojo -- Morris Jones, Monrovia, CA http://whiteoaks.com

14 years, 5 months

Observe the moon, dark sky outing, meteor watching

by Jane Houston Jones

Hi everyone, Mojo and I will make an impromptu, unscheduled sidewalk astronomy foray tomorrow night September 3rd at Myrtle and Lime Streets 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. This month the first quarter moon phase falls on Sunday the 4th, and so both flanking weekends offer some decent mooning —a slender crescent this weekend, and a big fat waxing gibbous phase next weekend. I'll be working at Kennedy Space Center next week for the launch of GRAIL – twin washing machine-sized spacecraft heading to our moon. They'll fly in formation very close to the moon's surface and measure the moon's gravity. And I'll be at a star party at Brevard Community College Observatory in Cocoa, FL next Friday night showing Grail's destination with the local astronomy club! :–) My monthly video is all about GRAIL and observing the moon. Next week, the days surrounding the September 8th launch will perfect nights to look at the moon and see where all 6 Apollo missions landed! Here's the link http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-view.cfm?WUID=944 and there is a great map of the landing sights on that page at the bottom. We'll hand out some charts on the sidewalk both weekends, too. Dark sky enthusiasts may want to join us in Mojave National Preserve on September 24th. The Milky Way is high overhead, spanning the sky from horizon to horizon. It's definitely worth the drive! The Mojave National Preserve Conservancy website still shows our spring stargazing info http://preservethemojave.org/ but just change the date to September 24th. Directions and RSVP contact are on the page, and they have not changed. There is limited room for RV's so I'd definitely call if you are bringing a large RV – there is plently of room for tents, but everyone should RSVP. You only need to tell me your coming if you bring telescopes, and want to share the cement pad. There's room for about 6 –8 telescopes Camping is free, courtesy of the MNPC, but you might want to consider joining the conservancy and helping protect this magnificent preserve. Last weekend we were at Yosemite's Glacier Point public star party and we shared milky way views (plus a comet, supernova and more) with 150 or so park visitors. A different astronomy club is up there at Glacier Point right now and tomorrow night, too, in case you are heading that way. What else? I received a lot of questions about the August Perseids from the media and enthusiasts alike. The full moon washed out the few meteors we could possibly see from the city, and the same will happen next year. So as a preemptive strike, I wrote up some tips in an article called Post-Perseid depression? More showers are on the way!http://jane.whiteoaks.com/2011/08/31/post-perseid-depression-more-showe… I'm close to hitting the send button on a moon observing article, too. It will appear as the top feature on my blog if I get it done this weekend. Mojo and I both wrote our adventures at Kennedy Space Center for the launch of Jupiter-bound Juno - apologies if I already shared that one. http://mojo.whiteoaks.com/2011/08/11/the-nasa-tweetup-to-launch-juno/ http://jane.whiteoaks.com/2011/08/14/mission-juno-launch-august-5-2011/ Until next month, over and out! -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA http://jane.whiteoaks.com/ http://twitter.com/jhjones What's Up For August? Jupiter and Juno http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-archive.cfm Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=JPLnews

14 years, 5 months

Jane's Launch experience

by Jane Houston Jones

I just returned from working at the launch of JPL's Juno spacecraft - now on its way to Jupiter on solar powered wings. Here's my story and pictures. I promise its not the same as Mojo's. We each saw the launch from different eyes ( though I totally love those rockets too - we have been watching United Launch Alliance's awesome launch videos with lovely music over and over all day long!) http://jane.whiteoaks.com/2011/08/14/mission-juno-launch-august-5-2011/ Those launch videos are here, by the way: http://www.youtube.com/user/UnitedLaunchAlliance (rocket on!) -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA My What's Up Podcast-July: Asteroids NASA podcast: http://is.gd/bSXeAl Youtube site: http://is.gd/kPUtSx Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones /CassiniSaturn /otastro My Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/

14 years, 6 months

Perseid meteor shower

by Morris Jones

You may have heard that the annual Perseid meteor shower peaks this weekend, right along with the full moon. Sigh! Sadly, the best time to look for meteors might have been last weekend, when the moon set about midnight. The Perseids have a very broad peak, so anytime a week before or after you're likely to see some Perseid meteors. Next weekend the moon will be rising at midnight, again bad timing. I'm often asked "where is the best place in Pasadena | Monrovia | Glendale | Los Angeles | my town to watch the meteor shower?" The answer is usually your own back yard. Any spot that is unobstructed by trees or buildings, and has no lights that you can see, is a fine spot to watch meteors. They are equally likely to appear in all directions, so any direction is fine as well. More will be seen closer to the horizon, where you're looking through more air, than looking straight up. The best time to look is after 1:00 a.m. and before dawn twilight, when your part of the earth is facing into the particle stream. The problem is that within Los Angeles county, you're not likely to see many meteors, indeed probably none. From a truly dark site on a moonless night, the Perseids sometimes have a rate approaching 100 meteors per hour, most of them faint streaks. From within L.A. county, with or without moon, the overall sky glow will wipe out 98 of those 100 meteors. You may catch a lucky bright one if you can watch for an hour. From a dark site with dry air, the moon will probably reduce the rate by half. The glow of the moon will wipe out the fainter meteors, which are the most numerous. Last year there was no moon for the Perseids, and Jane traveled to one of the darkest spots in the western U.S., Amboy Crater, about 200 miles from home in Monrovia. She had a great night of counting meteors, seeing a peak of 43 Perseids between 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. She wrote a great report of her session on her blog here: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/2010/10/26/the-perseids-from-amboy-crater/ I hope I didn't ruin your meteor watching plans, but this is one I'll sleep through. :) Best regards, Mojo -- Morris Jones, Monrovia, CA http://whiteoaks.com

14 years, 6 months

Sidewalk Astronomy this weekend - Moon and Saturn 2nite!

by Jones, Jane H (1862)

Be sure to take a look at the pretty triangle of first Quarter moon, Saturn to the upper right of the moon, and the bright star Spica to the upper left of the moon tonight. Tomorrow, the moon will be to the left of Spica. Even with your unaided eye, you'll see another star right next to Saturn. That's a pretty double star in Virgo named Porrima. Stay up past midnight and you can watch Jupiter rise. If you want to see the asteroid Vesta, you will have to wait until after midnight too, and you'll need a dark location with good southern horizons. I had a look at Vesta over the weekend. It just took binoculars and knowing where to look. You can see where to look ( in the low southern constellation Capricornus) in my July What's Up video. http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=JPLnews#grid/uploads (or if you are familiar with star charts, this one in Astronomy magazine is good: http://is.gd/jWxX1b) It will be a little brighter next month, but you'll still have to wait until nearly midnight or later for a good view of the constellation Capricornus. This is the weekend for our public star parties and we'll be showcasing the moon and Saturn. Your Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers will be taking telescopes out to Pasadena's Old Town area Friday night – right on Colorado Blvd between Fair Oaks and Pasadena Avenues. Some others of our group will be out at Duarte's Pamela Park ( 2236 Goodall Avenue, Duarte, CA ) Friday night from 8-10 p.m. Saturday night we'll be showing the same two objects at Monrovia's Library Park. This will be the last month for decent evening Saturn viewing until next year. Now, if you have a Harry Potter fan in the family, you might enjoy reading (or observing) all the astronomical Potter Objects. Sidewalk astronomers Caroline, Elizabeth, Catherine and I researched, field tested, and wrote a fun observing list a few years ago. I just dusted it off for the new movie coming out soon. I even added constellations for the Hogwarts houses: Gryffindor's Leo, Slytherin's Serpens (or Hydra, take your pick), Ravenclaw's Aquila, and Hufflepuffs … Badger? How about Vuplecula the fox, Lupus the wolf, or Lynx the Lynx as a badger constellation standin? http://is.gd/V51sxo Jane Houston Jones Senior Outreach Specialist, Cassini Program Phone 818-393-6435 What's Up For July? Asteroids http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-archive.cfm Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=JPLnews

14 years, 7 months

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