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Dark sky star party April 10, Mojave National Preserve

by Morris Jones

Many of you who have enjoyed visiting our telescopes in the city wonder what it would be like away from the city. Folks who grow up and live in Los Angeles rarely get to see a true dark sky. We love to have people join us for dark sky excursions, but our favorite location in the Colorado Desert south of Joshua Tree could be considered "inhospitable" by many. In less than two weeks, on April 10, we'll be having a dark sky event with the Mojave National Preserve Conservancy. Free camping will be available at the Black Canyon Group Campground, and the MNPC is planning to provide drinks and light refreshments. Mojave National Preserve is a beautiful place with fabulous dark skies. We'll be bringing our biggest and best telescopes to introduce you to the galaxy clusters of spring in the early evening, and the Milky Way towards midnight. You can enjoy great desert walks during the day, and starry skies through the night. The event is listed here at the Mojave National Preserve web site: http://www.preservethemojave.org/events.html On the site you'll see a link to Mike Cipra to RSVP if you'd like to attend: mcipra(a)npca.org There's also a link to my blog about a previous trip to MNP last year with a group of herpetologists: http://mojo.whiteoaks.com/2009/04/26/snakes-tortoises-and-stars/ The location is about 200 miles from our home in Monrovia, and is an easy drive on good roads for the whole distance. The weather is quite variable, and as always, if it's cloudy or too windy we won't be able to set up telescopes. The odds are pretty good to have clear dark skies. Be sure to bring warm clothing for the evening in several layers. We always travel with hats and gloves even for mid-spring observing. Mojo -- Morris Jones Monrovia, CA http://www.whiteoaks.com Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org Twitter: http://twitter.com/mojo_la

15 years, 7 months

Sidewalk Astronomy this weekend

by Morris Jones

It looks like we'll have clear skies tonight and tomorrow. We plan to have telescopes in Old Town Pasadena tonight, and Old Town Monrovia Saturday night. We'll have three targets: In the early evening the gibbous moon will be out and Mars will be almost overhead. A little later in the evening Saturn will be low in the east. The air is not forecast to be very steady tonight, so we're not likely to see much detail on Mars as it gets further away. We'll certainly give it a shot though. Look for us from about 7:00 'til 9:00 on both evenings. Friday night on Colorado Blvd. near Delacey, wherever we find parking; Saturday night in Monrovia at Library Park, on the corner of Lime and Myrtle. Cheers, Mojo -- Morris Jones Monrovia, CA http://www.whiteoaks.com Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org Twitter: http://twitter.com/mojo_la

15 years, 7 months

It's Saturn time!

by Jones, Jane H (1862)

Hi everyone, My favorite planet is daring you to step outside and look at it this month! It's easy to see from the city from now through July. In a dark sky, and through a telescope you'll see subtle cloud bands of custard, butterscotch and hazelnut crème, and the wafer-thin ring bisects the planet, allowing you to see its oblateness this month. What a tasty treat for your eyes! So it should come as no surprise that the topic of my monthly podcast for March 2010 is Saturn. But I also share the podcast with a challenging object, the 13th magnitude (nearly as faint as Pluto) asteroid 21 Lutetia, which is halfway between Saturn on the horizon and Mars (nearly overheard and the color of a blood orange). Here are several podcast viewing options: Many formats, educational activities to compliment the podcast, plus archives of all 33 podcasts back to April 2007 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-view.cfm?WUID=324 YouTube, favorite viewing method of my parents :-) http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=JPLnews#p/u/1/1dIe5_SvToE NASA podcast page, easy RSS feed, Itunes http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/podcasting/whatsup_index.html We'll be showing off the lord of the rings April 2-3 in Monrovia and Monrovia hopefully, after many rained out sidewalk astronomy nights. For those interested in a getaway, we'll be heading to the desert Saturday the 13th, weather permitting, undecided where, probably here: http://www.otastro.org/chuckwalla.html for those who can drive 300 miles round trip to see a planet. :-) The last 2 miles are a rutted dirt road not suitable for large trucks and campers, and there are no facilities and it's not that good for camping, but we love it. For a little longer drive but a nature bonus, you can also join us April 10 at Mojave National Preserve for a star party hosted by the Mojave National Preserve Conservancy at Black Canyon Group Campground. In addition to Saturn, it's spring galaxy season! You will need to RSVP (but there is no cost or anything) on the announcement page http://www.preservethemojave.org/events.html. There are plenty of closer-to-home spots to view Saturn than where we like to go, beside the sidewalks of Pasadena and Monrovia. Many of the local astronomy clubs have property or events. Pomona Valley, Riverside, Orange and Ventura counties, Yucca Valley, and many points S and E plus the Los Angeles amateur astronomers all hold viewing events each month. Griffith Observatory would be an excellent spot, with star parties every month too, usually on the same nights as our sidewalk astronomy. We all love to share the best moon view on the same nights, and this month Saturn and Mars make it a bonus! Here's looking at you, Saturn! 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 March - Saturn Opposition, asteroid 21 Lutetia! http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-archive.cfm

15 years, 7 months

Snakebit for sidewalk astronomy

by Morris Jones

No offense to snakes ... :) Both Friday and Saturday look, as my grandpa used to say, "'pert near" impossible for sidewalk astronomy this weekend. Clouds, rain, and telescopes don't work well together. I'll update the list if anything changes. It sure would be good to get in a little observing while Mars is still high and bright. Maybe an opportunity will come up. Best regards, Mojo -- Morris Jones Monrovia, CA http://www.whiteoaks.com Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org Twitter: http://twitter.com/mojo_la

15 years, 8 months

April 9-10 Mojave National Preserve Star party

by Jones, Jane H (1862)

Join the Sidewalk Astronomers for a Spring Star Party at Black Canyon Equestrian and Group Campground in Mojave national Preserve April 10th (some of the astronomers will arrive on the 9th for a shorter informal star party that night). There is a small 10 x 20 ft level cement pad for the telescopes, with room for perhaps 6-8 telescopes, so let me know if you are not one of the usual astronomers but plan to bring one - it will be first come, first setup on the pad, but lots of room next to your tent for setup. There is room for about 30 people camping (10-15 tents), with nearby first come first serve spaces at Hole in the wall campground. The spring sky is magnificent in a dark sky and Mojave National Preserve offers one of the very best and darkest (and closest to us) sites in the United States! Mars and Saturn bookend the beautiful constellation Leo the lion, while dozens of spring galaxies are easy to find in the dark velvet skies. The faint winter spiral arm of our Milky Way galaxy will glimmer like a gossamer veil of stardust in the western sky after dark. Mercury and Venus will be visible low on the western horizon just after sunset, too. And to the south, naturalists will enjoy identifying the constellations Corvus the crow and Hydra the snake. For pictures, stories and desert tortoise videos from last years event: http://mojo.whiteoaks.com/2009/04/26/snakes-tortoises-and-stars/- end blurb The SW Herpetologists will on hand too, for night and day forays to see Chuckwallas, and other reptiles, if you are interested in that. There is room for RV's in the parking lot, pit toilets and even running water near the covered picnic table pavilion for dishwashing. We have established a relationship with the Mojave National Preserve park staff, the brand new Mojave Preserve Conservancy, and the National Park Conservation Association and there will be a great pot luck Saturday night all with these folks. (join these groups and help preserve this preserve. :-) I have it on good authority that this should be a great time of year to see the desert tortoises and high desert wildflowers and blooming cacti. :-) Link http://www.nps.gov/moja/index.htm (click on map and campgrounds for more info and details.) This is a 200+ mile one way drive from near Monrovia. But the stars (and tortoises) are well with the journey. ;-) This weekend we're all scattering here and there for star gazing and so there is no "official" dark sky star party. If you crave a dark sky - we typically travel at least 100-150 miles one way to get out of the light dome of LA: Yucca Valley Andromeda Society Feb 13, Mar 13 Joshua Tree Lake/Campground at 2601 Sunfair Rd. about four miles north of the airport. Borrego Springs Feb 13, Mar 13 sponsored by ABDNHA Church Lane 1-760-767-3098 for directions 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 February - 400th Anniv of Galilean Moon discovery http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-archive.cfm

15 years, 8 months

What's Up February: Galileo's 400th anniv of Jupiter moons discovery

by Jane Houston Jones

Hi Old Town Astronomer astro enthusiasts! My NASA JPL¹s What¹s Up February Podcast: Jupiter¹s Moons + Education activities and a flyer are available here: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-view.cfm?WUID=304 A few months ago I was researching images of the Crab nebula and its creation in the supernova of 1054 for my November 2009 podcast. I played around with some starcharting software to see if I could recreate the view seen from the famous rock painting at Chaco Canyon - of a starburst and a crescent moon. By golly, the same shaped crescent moon appeared on my computer screen next to the supernova remnant! I included those charts in that November podcast! http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-view.cfm?WUID=244 For February 2010, I wanted to talk a bit about the discovery of the 4 Galilean moons. Using the same software (SkyMap Pro) I typed in January 7th 1610 and up popped a view of Jupiter near the constellation Orion, just as Galileo described in his letters. I felt a direct connection with the sky happenings of 400 years ago in Padua when I looked at those charts! I was totally surprised to compare Galileo's drawing showing 3 moons on his first night's sketch January 7, 1610 with my computer generated skychart. The planet and moons lined up exactly like his historic drawing! But the big surprise (for me) was that one of those moons in Galileo's drawing was actually a tight pairing of Io and Europa! Galileo's telescope could not split these two tiny objects. Sorry for the ramble. Galileo continued his Jupiter series of observations through March 2, 1610. 400 years ago today Galileo was out sketching Jupiter once again. On that night of February 5th, 1610, he saw all four of the Galilean moons, two on each side of Jupiter. Wow! You can download or view some educational materials about Jupiter, plus a 2-page flyer on the NASA Solar System Exploration website archive page along with the podcast here: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-view.cfm?WUID=304 Youtube format here http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=JPLnews#g/u The January 2010 What's Up topic was Mars Opposition and is still valuable this month. It shows when and where to see the Spirit, Opportunity and Phoenix sides of Mars with some February dates. :-) March's podcast will be about Saturn Opposition and a bit about Rosetta and visible asteroids. :-) Carpe Noctum! Jane -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA Website: www.whiteoaks.com Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org What's Up January 2010? Mars Opposition! http://is.gd/6krYj What's Up Podcast on YouTube: http://is.gd/6WE77 Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones http://twitter.com/CassiniSaturn Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/

15 years, 8 months

It's a wonderful night for a moondance!

by Jane Houston Jones

Tonight through Saturday night watch the gorgeous full moon rise. That bright orange object just to the left of the full moon tomorrow night (Friday the 29th) is Mars! If you have a look tonight you'll see the moon rises first, and Mars will appear to the lower left of the Moon. It is a wonderful weekend for a moondance! This is Mars' closest approach to Earth week! And you don't need a telescope to see the spectacle. Hopefully, we'll have clear skies. If so, just step outside and wave to the rover Opportunity when you look at Mars. Her side of Mars is facing Earth over the next two weeks. The rover Spirit, and HER side of Mars will be facing Earth towards the end of February.:-) I've updated my annual Mars Opposition webpage, and it is chock full-o-planetary goodness. Good Mars viewing information that is. :-) Here's the link: http://www.otastro.org/Mars2005/ Here's just one tidbit: *January 2010:* The diameter of Mars this year is a little smaller than it was last opposition in December 2007. It is at opposition on January 29th, and reaches its closest approach to Earth a few days earlier. View Mars all night, from sunset to dawn by month end, but your best views will be when Mars is higher in the sky, from several hours after sunset until after midnight. The (hours from) full moon rises 7 degrees below Mars on Friday night January 29th, offering a pretty side-by-side comparison until dawn. Mars won't be this big or bright again until 2014. Remember how the *moon and Mars* look side-by side this month. Then, in August, when that dopey Mars Hoax email comes back to haunt us, you can tell everyone you saw Mars in January 2010 when it was closest to Earth and it was definitely not as big as the moon. :-) In other news, if you are on Facebook, you can join JPL's "Friday Night with the Moon and Mars" viewing event. No, you don't have to go anyplace or do anything, it's just a fun "awareness" webpage for people to get all excited about Mars viewing. I hope some people will share their views and observations, tho'. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=455652415787&index=1 <https://ums.jpl.nasa.gov/owa/redir.aspx?C=a3cf8ac2513d460185ba7c9612e86b96&…> Finally, some of you have asked how Mojo is doing after his prostate cancer surgery last week. You can read more about it on his blog if you are interested. :-) http://mojo.whiteoaks.com/ He's doing really well, but it will keep us off the sidewalk for a little while. Jane -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA Website: www.whiteoaks.com Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org What's Up January 2010? Mars Opposition! http://is.gd/6krYj What's Up Podcast on YouTube: http://is.gd/6WE77 Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones http://twitter.com/CassiniSaturn Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/

15 years, 9 months

ISS pass 2nite, Galileo Blog, look at Jupiter!

by Jane Houston Jones

Hi everyone, it seems like we haven't sent many email updates lately. Our team has been out on the sidewalk with telescopes, tho' and we look forward to more sidewalk astronomy in 2010! Mars Opposition is coming up at the end of January - that is when Mars is as big and as close as it will get this time around the sun. (Hint - it will not be that big and not that close, but is still awesome to view!) In the meantime, tonight there is a ISS pass at 5:25 pm tonight (that's the LA area Pacific time zone) from the WSW going to the NE. It will reach an altitude of 46 degrees above the horizon (halfway to overhead). Note where in the sky Jupiter is at the time - it is in the SW, and the ISS will be to the west of Jupiter. Click on today's date on this link for a star chart. http://is.gd/5SAXO And speaking of Jupiter, 400 years ago tonight, Galileo looked up in the sky near the constellation Orion and aimed his telescope at Jupiter. Jupiter was known to the ancients as a wandering star, but when Galileo aimed his small telescope at it, he saw not only the known "starry wanderer" but 3, then a few days later, 4 little objects orbiting the planet! That discovery changed history, and certainly is the beginning of the age of modern astronomy. go out and even with binoculars you may be able to see the little moons - 2 on either side of the planet. I should thank Galileo by looking up at Jupiter tonight. Because of his observation, 400 years later I get to write blogs about Jupiter and Tweet about Saturn in my job!! And speaking of my job, here is my special JPL blog entry for today - it's on the JPL website. http://blogs.jpl.nasa.gov/?p=61 And then, after you look at the ISS look to the southwest at Jupiter, and tip your glass of Chianti to Galileo. With binoculars, you may see the 4 little moons - two on each side of Jupiter tonight. You'll be recreating a view that startled and amazed Galileo 400 years ago tonight! Clear skies to everyone in 2010! PS my solstice blog, and Clarissa our cat's own blog are here if you need some silly reading material: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/2009/12/02/twas-the-night-before-solstice/ -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA Websites: http:www.whiteoaks.com Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org My NASA JPL What's Up podcast: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup.cfm Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones http://twitter.com/CassiniSaturn Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/

15 years, 9 months

Monrovia sidewalk astronomy clouded out this evening

by Gary Spiers

Astronomers joke about a 'new equipment' curse - it is frequently cloudy after an astronomer gets new equipment. Looking at the cloud forecast for this evening and the next week there must be new astronomy equipment in the Pasadena/Monrovia area:) The weather for sidewalk astronomy at the corner of Myrtle and Lime in Monrovia this evening is not looking very promising. There is the possibility that the clouds will clear but it is slim. If you happen to be in the area and the skies have cleared feel free to drop by as some of us are planning to be there if it clears sufficiently in advance but please, do not make a special trip just for Sidewalk Astronomy this evening. We have been thinking about holding a set up clinic/workshop for people that may have received telescopes over Christmas. This would be held at a date in the near future, clouds permitting. It would start in the afternoon as daylight is easier to point out equipment features and then move into the early evening for some observing practice. If you are interested please let us know by sending an email to sidewalk(a)otastro.org and include the make and model of telescope. Wishing you a Happy New Year Gary -- Gary Spiers Pasadena, CA http://lambert-drive.smugmug.com Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers http://www.otastro.org

15 years, 10 months

What's Up for December? the Orion Nebula!

by Jane Houston Jones

My last What's Up podcast of 2009's International Year of Astronomy features The Orion Nebula. It takes the listener/viewer from Galileo's sketch of the Trapezium stars 400 years ago, on to Christian Huygens' first detailed sketch of the nebula itself and on to studies by the Hubble Telescope. You can find it here on the Solar System Exploration archive page, along with all the rest of the podcasts. http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-archive.cfm On the JPLnews Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=JPLnews#g/u On the NASA podcast page: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/podcasting/whatsup_index.html Each month in 2009 the podcast series explores the first observation of a celestial object honoring the IYA 9International Year of Astronomy) 400 years of telescopic observations theme. Here is a brief recap [from each written transcript] of the podcast series. The animations in each podcast show and explain these first observations, telling a great story spanning from the present back to prehistoric times! If you'd like any of the components (artwork, old sketches, current images, etc.) just let me know! It's been a really fun and educational project. As I did the research each month, I learned something new about these objects that I never knew before! January 2009 - Four hundred years ago, Galileo first observed the phases of Venus through a telescope. The prevailing belief was that the sun and planets revolved around the Earth. The phases looked similar to what he saw on Earth's Moon each month. February 2009 - Galileo's famous observations of the moon from 1609 were the first to be published and publicized in 1610. [good lunar phase animation] March 2009 - When Galileo aimed his telescopes at Saturn in 1610 he wasn't sure what he was seeing. He thought the rings were "handles" or large moons on either side of the planet. A few years later in 1612, he was astounded that the "handles" he previously observed had disappeared! And in 1616, the handles were back, but they looked different. This time he saw two half-circles on either side of the round globe of Saturn. April 2009 - In 1845, Ireland's Third Earl of Ross, William Parsons, used his huge telescope at Birr Castle in the center of Ireland to observe and sketch the spiral structure of the Whirlpool Galaxy. May 2009 - Galileo and Englishman Thomas Harriott both observed the sun and sunspots in 1610, but they weren't the first. Chinese and Korean astronomers wrote about sunspots almost three thousand years ago. John of Worcester, who was an English monk, made the earliest existing drawing of sunspots in 1128. June 2009 - It's [the Hercules Cluster] called M-13 because this object is the 13th of Charles Messier's 1764 catalog of celestial objects. But he wasn't the discoverer of this cluster! M-13 was discovered half a century earlier by Edmund Halley. July 2009 - The Milky Way - Ptolemy had identified the six brightest stars in the Pleiades, but Galileo saw 36 stars through his telescope. Through the next two centuries, astronomers used bigger and bigger telescopes to study and map the Milky Way galaxy. August 2009 - Have you ever wondered what makes these cosmic fireworks? Meteor showers are just the debris of a passing comet or sometimes the debris from a fragmented asteroid. [good meteor viewing animation] September - Jupiter also has four large satellites, three of which are larger than our own moon. These four moons were discovered by Galileo 400 years ago. You can see them yourself with a small telescope or even binoculars, and watch them move around the planet just as Galileo did! October 2009 - Astronomers have observed the Andromeda galaxy for over a thousand years. Persian astronomer Al-Sufi was the first to record and sketch his observations of what he called "the little cloud". In 964 he published this observation and many others in his "Book of Fixed Stars". Simon Marius first viewed the galaxy through a telescope in 1612. November 2009 - In 1758, Charles Messier was scanning the skies for comet Halley. He noticed a whitish light, shaped like the flame of a candle in the constellation Taurus. M1, the Crab nebula became the first entry in his catalogue of 110 comet-like objects. 700 years earlier, a "guest star" was visible in the summer sky of 1054. Ancient astronomers in both the old and new worlds documented a new bright star in the daytime sky. It was a supernova in the constellation Taurus and was visible with the unaided eye for nearly two years. December 2009 - This is the final month of International Year of Astronomy. But that shouldn't stop you from looking up next year. This month's target is in one of the most-recognizable constellations: Orion. January 2010 will be all about Mars opposition, first observations and the spacecraft studying this fascinating world! Here's to looking at What’s Up in 2010! Jane -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA Websites: http:www.whiteoaks.com Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org My NASA JPL What's Up podcast: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup.cfm Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones http://twitter.com/CassiniSaturn Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/

15 years, 10 months

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