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Constellation Story podcast and JPL annual open house this weekend

by Jones, Jane H (1862)

Last August, I sat in a huge tent in the middle of an Ontario (Canada) field waiting to give my talk at the annual Starfest star party. The speaker before me was playing a drum, and singing and telling star stores. The drummer was Wilfred Buck, a Cree First Nation Elder and Science Educator with the Manitoba First Nation Education Resource Center. Wilfred travels the length and breadth of the Canadian province of Manitoba presenting starlab planetarium shows to nearly 60 First Nation schools with 17,000 students. While he drummed, he sang songs and told star and constellation stories he gathered first-hand from Cree First Nation Elders. When it was dark, he took us out into the field and pointed out the constellations while he told even more star tales. :-) I was literally star-struck with his presentation and stargazing stories, and asked him for a copy of it. Over the months, we became friends, and I asked him if I could write up some of the stories and share them with others. He said yes, and then then invited me to the annual First Nation Science Fair in late March (it was awesome!!). Here is how I presented his stories on my blog last year. http://is.gd/b8Lps Recently, I asked him if I could do one of my monthly NASA podcasts about the Cree Constellation stories he shared at the August star partt and he said yes and reviewed my script. :-) So with the rich Cree constellation paintings as a base, Wilfred's stories as the glue, I added some ancient star charts and constellation stories from other cultures to make May's What's Up podcast. And here it is: The SSE version has related links - stories of the Night sky, including one video of Wilfred telling a big bear tale, so click through the links. http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-view.cfm?WUID=364 Youtube might be easier for some: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=JPLnews#g/u iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/nasacast-whats-up-video-podcasts/id252873 558 Please share with whoever you want. Oh, and this weekend is JPL Open House. On display will be Hubble's Wide-Field Planetary Camera 2 - the camera that saved Hubble! It was built at JPL and was in the Spacecraft Assembly Facility being built when I first visited JPL on a visitor tour over 20 years ago. I'll be in the Solar System exhibit area this year accessorized as Galileo, thanks to Caroline and Joan from our sidewalk astronomers club. I'll be holding a Galilean telescope replica and pointing to missions displays for future missions to the outer planets. Stop by and see me, and I'll also point you to the Cassini exhibit where one of our other sidewalk astronomers, Dr. Scott, will be stationed part of the weekend. :-) Get all the details here: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ Over and Out! 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 May - Constellation Stories http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-archive.cfm

16 years, 2 months

Mother's Day planets :-)

by Jane Houston Jones

Happy Mothers day everyone! For you early risers, at dawn on Sunday, May 9th--Mother's Day--the crescent Moon and Jupiter are getting together for a lovely conjunction. Only 5 degrees will separate the two bright celestial delights as they hang together in the sunrise-colored sky. Look for Jupiter below the moon - about the distance of your fist, held up to the sky. If you don't get up early, enjoy the planetary lineup tonight (or any night now). Bright Venus is lower and brighter, Saturn and Mars are higher - Mars is overhead slightly to the west. Wendy took her telescope out to the desert this week and shared views of Saturn with her archaeologists, geologist , botanist, biologist and other ologist staff at their retreat. Kudos to Wendy!!! She is an official Sidewalk Astronomer now, and I'll have to make her a nametag and let her borrow my big telescope now. :-) . Morning chart looking East http://science.nasa.gov/media/medialibrary/2010/05/06/skymap_morning.gif Evening chart looking West http://science.nasa.gov/media/medialibrary/2010/05/06/skymap_evening.gif Speaking of big telescopes, Mojo and I are all packed for a night of desert stargazing tonight out past Indio. It will be our first shirtsleeve weather night. It's short notice, but here are the directions - you can send us (mojane(a)whiteoaks.com) an email if you are planning to come out. Bring lots of water, gonna be hot out there!!! http://www.otastro.org/chuckwalla.html Next weekend, which is our usual new moon outing is also JPL Open House http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/open-house.cfm, so I am working all weekend and can't go play with the stars. :-( Come see me in the solar system exhibit. I will be cross dressing (as Galileo) with a replica of his telescope. Something like this http://photo.whiteoaks.com/2010-03-03-LPSC/slides/IMG_5668.html, but nicer thanks to my sidewalk buddy Caroline, who is helping with some 17th century accessories :-) -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA Website: www.whiteoaks.com Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org What's Up March 2010? Saturn & 21Lutetia! http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup.cfm What's Up Podcast on YouTube: http://bit.ly/bBUANa Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones http://twitter.com/CassiniSaturn Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/

16 years, 2 months

New telescope owners ...

by Morris Jones

We often get questions from fans who have a telescope in the closet and aren't sure how to use it. We had good luck in San Francisco offering a "New Telescope Owner's Clinic" before their monthly city star party. I'd like to do that in Monrovia this Saturday. The best time to get acquainted with your telescope is during the day. We can help set it up, align the finder, and collimate a dobsonian. We can help you learn how to find objects, choose an eyepiece, and practice observing things before it actually gets dark. What we can't do is align a computerized telescope based on alignment with bright stars. If you are interested in doing this, please send me a reply to this email, and plan to join me in Library Park at Myrtle and Lime at 6:00 on Saturday. Bring your telescope and any supplies, along with an owner's manual if you have one. We'll be able to observe the moon even during the daylight. I'll bring a tool box and maybe a solar telescope. If I don't hear from you, I won't make plans to be there 'til about sunset. Best regards, Mojo -- Morris Jones Monrovia, CA http://www.whiteoaks.com Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org Twitter: http://twitter.com/mojo_la

16 years, 2 months

Moon and planets this weekend

by Morris Jones

Weather looks good for sidewalk astronomy this weekend. We'll have a waxing gibbous moon, Saturn, and possibly a glimpse of Venus and Mars. We plan to be in Old Town Pasadena this evening (Friday), and Old Town Monrovia Saturday evening, 7:30 'til 9:30 p.m. In Pasadena, look for telescopes on Colorado Blvd., on the north side of the street, somewhere in the two-block stretch from Fair Oaks to Pasadena Ave. In Monrovia, we'll be on the corner of Myrtle and Lime, at Library Park. Saturn should be a treat, with the rings barely four degrees open right now. Venus is the brightest star in the west, following the sun into the horizon. It's in a gibbous phase right now, on the far side of the sun from earth. It will be fun to watch later in the year as it swings towards earth and changes to crescent phase. Mars continues moving further away from earth. While it's high in the sky, we don't expect to see more than a pumpkin-colored dot at this point. If you're up before dawn, as I usually am, look for bright Jupiter in the east, having risen just an hour or so before the sun. Mojo -- Morris Jones Monrovia, CA http://www.whiteoaks.com Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org Twitter: http://twitter.com/mojo_la

16 years, 2 months

Clouds in the desert/great free talk Weds nite

by Jane Houston Jones

Just as I hit the send button, we looked at the Clear Sky chart for our desert observing location, and it went from "Clear" to "Cloudy" . :-( http://cleardarksky.com/c/DsrtCntrCAkey.html?1 So anyone contemplating a trip to see the stars, let's try again another time. Mojo and I are still heading out to Joshua Tree National Park for wildflowers but might do our stargazing at Disneyland tonight instead. ;-) Do look up tonight! Venus, Moon, Saturn and Mars are waiting! In addition to sidewalk astronomy next weekend, here is a great free talk: "Quest for a living World" moderated by "Bad Astronomer" Phil Plait. It's free and open to the public starting at 7:30 at the Beckman Auditorium. Here's the link http://events.caltech.edu/events/event-7421.html Jane -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA Website: www.whiteoaks.com Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org What's Up March 2010? Saturn & 21Lutetia! http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup.cfm What's Up Podcast on YouTube: http://bit.ly/bBUANa Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones http://twitter.com/CassiniSaturn Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/

16 years, 3 months

Have you hugged a national park? It's National Park Week!

by Jane Houston Jones

Hi everyone, we're still up on cloud nine after last weekend's awesome star party at Mojave National Preserve! It was so great to see many of you over the weekend. There were at least 4 families from our astronomy list who joined us, in addition to the 4 families worth of astronomers. There were over 50 people there, and another 15 on Friday night for our first night impromptu star party. Many staff and friends of the Mojave National Preserve. http://www.preservethemojave.org/index.php Here is a set of pictures I took. Each of us took lots of pictures on the hikes, and Mojo has some spectacular panoramas that will make their way to a blog soon. I'm busy writing up a story about the Chuckwalla lizards of Amboy Cratrer and other tales myself. One park visit, so much to learn and share! http://photo.whiteoaks.com/2010-04-11-mojavejane/index.html. We're heading to our no-frills observing site off the I-10 Red Cloud Road between Chiriaco Summit and Desert Center in a few hours. But first we'll head up into Joshua Tree National Park from the south to check out the Colorado Desert wildflowers, and to hug one of our very favorite national parks. This week is National Park Week (in addition to Earth Week and National Astronomy Week) But this means there is free admission to every one of the nations National Parks April 17-25th. http://www.nationalparks.org/explore/?fa=national-park-week I hope you make it to one of our local parks this week! Find your closest ones on this link - there are 4 national parks within 100 miles of my zip code, and we're heading to one of them! Next weekend we'll be out on the sidewalks once again. We'll be in Pasadena Friday night and Monrovia Saturday night to share moon, Venus, Saturn and Mars (and maybe Mercury) with all of you who stop by! See you under the stars!! Jane -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA Website: www.whiteoaks.com Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org What's Up March 2010? Saturn & 21Lutetia! http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup.cfm What's Up Podcast on YouTube: http://bit.ly/bBUANa Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones http://twitter.com/CassiniSaturn Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/

16 years, 3 months

What's Up podcast for April: How to see the Space Station

by Jones, Jane H (1862)

What's Up for April? How and when to view the Space Station and more! JPL: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup.cfm YouTube http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=JPLnews#p/u/0/TfMiKZi0ba4 A lot of you know how to check for local ISS passes, or go out and watch the passes, but many don't know when and where to look, or what to expect you will see. This month's podcast explains how and what you will see. I hope you share this podcast with your friends, family and networks who may be unsure how to look, where to look, and when to look. It's a good-time topic this month, especially because there is a shuttle about to dock and then undock from the ISS. That means both the shuttle and station can be seen together in the sky by some lucky people, maybe you! :-) Speaking of this week, there is a very nice and high morning ISS pass tomorrow morning here in the LA area, about 5:25 with a bonus - fainter STS-131 passes nearby 4 minutes earlier. I attached those two charts (using the familiar Heavens Above website) for us locals. Others can follow the directions and find out when and where. :-) Jane PS: Final reminder about Mohave turtles and star party this weekend, weather permitting is here: http://www.preservethemojave.org/events.html 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 April - The International Space Station! http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-archive.cfm

16 years, 3 months

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

16 years, 3 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

16 years, 3 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

16 years, 4 months

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