Step outside tonight after sunset and you'll see brilliant Jupiter
hanging low in the western sky. If it happens to be a little after 8
p.m. you may spot the International Space Station from about 8:04 to
8:10 as it passes from SW (near Jupiter) to overhead to NE.
Step outside in the morning a little before dawn over the next few
days and you may see three additional planets -- Mercury, Venus and
Saturn -- plus a lovely crescent moon . Here is a little feature and
graphic I put together this week about observing the morning planets.
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/scitech/display.cfm?ST_ID=1329
Want to see the rest of the solar system? On Saturday (tomorrow, Aug
19th) at sunset until Sunday at dawn, we'll be at our current
favorite observing spot near the community of Desert Center
http://cleardarksky.com/c/DsrtCntrCAkey.html?1 Our favorite spot is
a bit of a trek --150 miles from our home in Monrovia -- but the
desert landscape is beautiful and the skies are nice and dark. You
can see pictures of the location here:
<http://www.otastro.org/2006-04-01-messier/> Our spot is on BLM land,
just two miles off I-10. But no water or toilets. We are bringing
both. :-)
Beginning at 7:30 p.m., we'll be on the lookout for Mars, which will
be a difficult target as it sets soon after sunset. Jupiter is next
and is easy to spot. Neptune, Uranus and Pluto will be our evening
targets. Then there will be many hours to enjoy the summer milky way,
or take a snooze and wake up before dawn to observe Mercury, Venus
and hopefully, Saturn. Did I leave one out? Earth! I think you all
can find that one.
If you are interested in joining us, send an email to
mojane(a)whiteoaks.com before 2 p.m. Saturday for a map and our cell
phone number to contact us on the way. We'll select some other dark
sky observing spots that are not such a long drive in the future, but
this spot has the sunset and sunrise horizons required to try a "9
Planet night". To read more about "what is a planet" read this
summary: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/features.cfm?feature=1151 The
definitions may be changing as soon as next week!
A note of caution: It will be hot (100's) during the day, cooling to
the high 70's after 10 p.m. We plan to stay all night, but we will
not set up a tent, and will probably leave at sunrise, before it gets
hot again. If you are interested in joining us for this nine planet
project, you should arrive no later than 7 p.m. We'll probably leave
Monrovia around 3:30 to 4 p.m. with a halfway stop in Banning for
Coffee and Subway sandwiches if you want to follow us. Bring your own
water, and we recommend some salty snacks or fitness beverages like
Gatorade to help with the heat.
Our next sidewalk astronomy dates will be Sept 1 Pasadena, September
2 Monrovia. We'll be viewing the moon and one planet: Jupiter.
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
Cassini Saturn Observation Campaign
http://soc.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm
I sent this out to my fellow NASA astronomy educators this morning
and thought our list would enjoy it too. Jane
I was at the Art Center College of Design's
http://www.artcenter.edu/accd/index.jsp open house last night
viewing (and using) my Cassini Colleague Dave Doody's Gravity Assist
Mechanical Simulator - (a work of art that does hands-on science),
and we stepped outside to view the ISS a little before 9 p.m.
We started looking near Jupiter - that bright thing in the
southwestern sky. At a few minutes later than scheduled (I think) -
maybe the clocks were off, I spied a little moving 'star" started
rising slowly near Jupiter. Over the course of about 5 minutes it
got higher and higher and brighter and brighter. There were clouds
or fog marring some of the starry signposts, and in fact I gave up
looking after a few minutes, and Dave started walking back inside.
Then I saw it and hollered, and Dave and others came back out. It was
soon as bright as Jupiter.
Meanwhile, Mojo was at a Baldwin Park school doing the same thing,
showing Jupiter and the International Space Station.
There is another ISS pass Friday night.....beginning 8:02 p.m.,
reaches 10 degrees of altitude at 8:04, reaches maximum altitude -
highest point is a whopping 83 degrees (90 degrees is straight
overhead) at 8:07, then drops below 10 degrees above the horizon at
8:10 p.m. That's a nice long pass.
http://www.heavens-above.com/PassDetails.asp?SatID=25544&lat=34.148&lng=-11…
Be sure to check out the ground track link, as ISS passes directly
over Pasadena both nights. And if greater LA is not your location,
you can create your own map from the home page link.
Are you wondering if you'll be able to see the ISS, despite some of
our pesky evening fog? If you can see bright Jupiter in the SW about
30 degrees above the horizon, then you should be able to see the ISS.
Use Jupiter as your reference point. The ISS will rise from the SW,
rise near Jupiter - which is about where I spotted it last night ,
tho' it was an hour later and an hour darker last night. It will
continue brightening and rising almost overhead, then start sinking
in altitude towards the NE. No telescope required, this is a view for
the unaided eye.
There are also locally visible passes on the 17th and 19th
http://www.heavens-above.com/PassSummary.asp?lat=34.148&lng=-118.144&alt=24…
but the altitude is quite low at maximum altitude, meaning that trees
and buildings may mar your view. Friday is the best next pass.
Next news will be about our next sidewalk dates and a pretty view in
the pre-dawn morning sky for you early risers - Mercury, Venus Moon
and Saturn on the eastern horizon.
--
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
Cassini Saturn Observation Campaign
http://soc.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm
Several things are drawing us to the sidewalk this weekend: There's a
nice gibbous Moon to observe, Jupiter is in a great location for
observing in the early evening, the weather is really good, and tonight
there's a great Space Station pass.
Jane and I will set up tonight (Friday) in Old Town Pasadena on Colorado
near Delacey to show the Moon and Jupiter from about 7:30 'til 10:00
p.m. As a special added attraction, there will be a pass of the
International Space Station with space shuttle Discovery attached,
visible from the sidewalk at 9:15 p.m.
Tomorrow (Saturday, July 8) we plan to set up on our favorite Monrovia
street corner, Myrtle & Lime at Library Park, from 7:30 'til 9:30.
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers http://www.otastro.org
We're often asked if you can see the space shuttle from here, wherever
"here" happens to be.
The answer is "Yes, you can," but you have to be looking at the right
time, in the right location.
The shuttle and space station are among the brightest objects in the sky
when they're passing over. When they do pass over, they're only visible
for three or four minutes at a time. They look like a very bright
moving star, and could be mistaken for an airplane, except they have no
blinking red beacons. Once you get familiar with observing satellites,
it becomes obvious that they're not following a path anything like an
airplane would.
So the key is knowing when. Timing is critical. In order to see the
shuttle or space station flying overhead, three things need to happen:
It needs to be passing over your area, it needs to be dark where you
are, and the satellite needs to be lit by the sun. That means it has to
pass within a couple hours of sunset or sunrise, where it will still be
high enough to be in sunlight while it's dark down on the ground.
A very popular web site will make those calculations for you and give
you predictions of when you might see the shuttle, International Space
Station, and hundreds of other objects that orbit the Earth:
<http://www.heavens-above.com/>
You have to tell it where you live (latitude and longitude, or city from
a database). Then it will tell you when you can see the ISS or shuttle
for the next ten days.
The best passes are ones that have a maximum altitude higher than 35
degrees. We have a couple of passes coming up that are close to that.
Thursday evening, 8:52 to 8:56 p.m. Look for it at its highest in the
northeast. If you face north, you'll see it passing from your left to
your right, at a maximum of 39 degrees high, very close to the North
Star and right through the summer triangle.
Friday evening, 9:15 'til 9:18 p.m. Face to the west, then south;
you'll see it pass from right to left. It'll pass very close to bright
Jupiter slightly west of south, and should be almost as bright as Jupiter.
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers http://www.otastro.org
It's sidewalk astronomy weekend again. We'll update our web page in
case of any change in weather or circumstances. The waxing crescent
moon and Jupiter will be our observing targets this month.
Friday, June 30, 7:30 p.m. 'til 10:00 p.m., Colorado near Delacey,
Old Town Pasadena
Saturday, July 1, 7:30 p.m. 'til 9:30 p.m., Myrtle & Lime, Monrovia.
There is a Monrovia Art Walk near Colorado and Myrtle 5:30 - 9:30 on
this same date, and again August 5 and September 2. I don't think
this will impact our Myrtle and Lime setup tho', it just offers more
interesting things to do.
From U of Illinois' Jim Kaler comes this lovely description of this
week's sky. You can find the whole text, updated every Friday, here
(scroll down past the interesting links for the text) :
http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/skylights.html
"Mars, closer and faster-moving than Saturn, has now pulled well to
the east of the ringed planet. Saturn, which now sets around 10:30
PM Daylight Time, will be gone from view toward the end of July.
Mars currently sets right after Saturn. Keeping better orbital pace
with Earth, however, the red
planet will be seen in bright twilight well into August. With these
planets slowly disappearing, the night sky then belongs to very
bright Jupiter, which hangs out in far western Libra about two-thirds
of the way from Spica in Virgo to Libra's Zubenelgenubi."
Hope to see some of you out this weekend! Jane and Mojo
--
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
Cassini Saturn Observation Campaign
http://soc.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm
In addition to the hot weather, there are clouds in both the desert and
mountain areas we are considering for a dark sky night tomorrow night.
Sometimes that happens. :-( Sorry Todd, Gary and Romain - we think it
will be a bad sky, not enough incentive to driving a long way.
So come over to our house this Saturday after 5 p.m. June 24 and let us
regale you with amusing anecdotes about our Grand Canyon trip, watch our
talks which we gave to the canyon visitors, and if it clears enough, see
Jupiter. Directions email or call 626-359-5323 for Monrovia directions.
This is a spur of the moment idea, so call so we can buy some BBQ
items. Bring something you like, only if you want to. We'll do the rest.
Family members including children are welcome. Oh, our trip to the Grand
Canyon this week (just got back yesterday, whew), are here
http://www.whiteoaks.com/mojo/2006-06-grand-canyon/
Jane and Mojo
--
Jane Houston Jones
Monrovia, CA
34.2048N 118.1732W, 637.0 feet
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
It's been cloudy, drizzly and foggy above the OTastrodome this week
and it looks like we're in for more June gloom this weekend, darn it.
But if it clears, you are in for a treat!
You all know how to find Saturn in the sky - we've been showing it
for months from the Monrovia and Pasadena sidewalks. Be sure to take
a look at Saturn over the next two weeks as faint Mars moves Eastward
(closer to Saturn) until the 17th of June. After that, Mars will be
to the upper right of Saturn.
I wrote this little feature for our NASA Solar System Exploration
website - it's about Mars and Saturn (and a few other objects).
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/scitech/display.cfm?ST_ID=1189
On June 19 we'll be presenting a star party at the Kaibab Lodge near
the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and on the 20th and 21st we'll be
attending the Grand Canyon Star Party. This annual event is great
fun, and if you plan a June vacation to the Grand Canyon, you are
welcome to share the views through a vast array of telescopes at
Yavapai Point on the South rim, and through a smaller number of
'scopes on the North rim. You can find the future dates well in
advance for vacation planning.
http://www.tucsonastronomy.org/gcsp.html
We're contemplating another desert/mountain dark starry sky excursion
on June 24th when we return from the Grand Canyon, so if this is
something you are interested in, drop us a note. We'll have a fellow
sidewalk astronomer from Hawaii visiting us for these excursions -
the fellow who made our lovely Litebox telescopes - which we almost
always have out on the sidewalks.
Our next sidewalk astronomy dates will be Friday June 30 in Pasadena
and July 1 in Monrovia, and we may repeat on July 7th and 8th.
Jane - about to present a foggy star and planet party at a Monrovia
elementary school.
--
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
Cassini Saturn Observation Campaign
http://soc.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm
It's a hot, still night in Monrovia -- a night to bring out your best
telescopes. If you're still reading email on Saturday evening, think
about dropping by Myrtle & Lime. Jane and I are bringing our big 7-inch
refractor with its superb optics. We're expecting more excellent
telescopes as well.
We'll have our last views of Saturn from the sidewalk for this year, as
well as views of Jupiter and a great first-quarter Moon.
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
Hi everyone, it's that time again - we'll have telescopes out at the
usual spots in Pasadena and Monrovia this weekend. But step out
tonight at sunset if you can for a gorgeous view of my favorite
planet, Saturn, near the equally gorgeous crescent moon. I hope to
see some of you on the weekend. After June, Saturn will not be
visible from our sidewalk events for quite a while, so get your
viewing in soon. Jane
For Wednesday March 31:
Look up in the western sky tonight after sunset and you'll have a
ring-side view of Saturn near the crescent moon. No telescope
required.This article shows a nice chart for tonight, but it is also
useful for the weekend viewing too, scroll down to the charts.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/30may_starsandplanets.htm?list55774
For the weekend:
This weekend, look up and view planets and the moon from your
backyard without a telescope. Mars and Saturn draw closer to each
other each night. These two planets are to the lower right of the
moon Friday the 2nd. Meanwhile near the horizon, try to spot Mercury
low in the west-northwest 5 degrees above the horizon after sunset.
If you don't see it, don't worry, it will be a little higher in June.
Meanwhile, Jupiter reigns all alone over the southern sky - you can't
miss it - it's the brightest "star" in the sky. Use this star chart
[link
http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance/article_110_1.asp ]
for guidance.
For telescope viewing this weekend, dust off that 'scope in the
closet for a tour of the solar system, or join one of these groups
for some moon and planet viewing.
Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers http://www.otastro.org/
Friday, June 2, 7:30 p.m. 'til 10:00 p.m., Colorado near Delacey -
Pasadena Ave., Old Town Pasadena
Saturday, June 3, 7:30 p.m. 'til 9:30 p.m., Myrtle & Lime,Old Town Monrovia
Griffith Park Observatory Satellite (telescopes courtesy of Los
Angeles Amateur Astronomers and LA Sidewalk Astronomers)
http://www.griffithobs.org/Special.html
Satuday June 3 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Mount Wilson Observatory Association lists events all over Southern
California, scroll down for "Star Parties and Telescopes" for more
viewing events: http://www.mwoa.org/events.htm
--
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
Cassini Saturn Observation Campaign
http://soc.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm
Jane and I are planning another trek to our favorite isolated desert
location for a night of deep sky observing this weekend, and you're
welcome to join us.
Our favorite spot is a bit of a trek -- 150 miles from our home in
Monrovia -- but the desert landscape is beautiful and the skies are nice
and dark. You can see pictures of the location here:
<http://www.otastro.org/2006-04-01-messier/>
If you've marveled at the night sky from a truly dark location, here's
your chance to visit with a knowledgeable tour guide. You can bring
your own telescope, borrow one of ours, or just "mooch photons." We'll
have charts and things to borrow as well.
If the weather looks good, Jane and I will depart Monrovia about 3:00
p.m. on Saturday to arrive well before sunset. You're welcome to join
us any time in the evening, and stay as long as you like. If you're
interested in some help with your own telescope, and want to join us,
it's best to try to arrive about 7:00 p.m. Telescope orientation is
best done before it starts getting dark.
May is probably my favorite month for deep sky observing. The giant
Virgo galaxy cluster is high in the sky, along with all the great Ursa
Major galaxies. After a short nap, the rich summer Milky Way is
available to wander in the quiet morning air.
If you'd like to join us, please send me a note and a way to get in
touch with you in case the weather turns sour. I'll send along
directions. Our spot is on BLM land, just two miles off I-10. Plenty
of room to camp, but no water or toilets.
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers http://www.otastro.org
