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
May 20 and 21 are the dates of JPL's annual Open House - a fun and
educational weekend for kids of all ages. Our JPL website has a
sneak preview of what you can expect to see and do this weekend.
here's that link http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/
If you do decide to come, be prepared to walk a lot and expect large
crowds - we counted 20,000 people per day last year. Early mornings
are less crowded. As you enter the main entrance, the first thing
you'll see is the Cassini Huygens display and behind it, a half scale
model of the spacecraft. That's where I'll be most of both days.
Surrounding the spacecraft will be a bunch of half scale Cassini
mission folks (including me) to demonstrate the i size of the
spacecraft, Full sized counterparts will be on hand to take you on a
spacecraft tour. :-)
The Mars Exploration exhibits are the most popular (and therefore
most crowded) venue, so you might want to do that first, if you get
there in the morning. But even if there are long lines, there is
interesting material to see and read along the way. There will be
several movies, including the story of the Cassini Mission to see
when you want to get out of the sun for a while. There will be Solar
Telescopes for safe solar viewing, weather permitting.
There will be an education office and an employment office where you
can get a lot of information and even apply for a job! Many of the
coolest buildings, such as the Spacecraft Assembly Facility ,
Spacecraft Fabrication Facility, and the building where I work, the
Space Flight Operations Facility will be open. Kids love to become
"Martian roadkill", after our Mars rovers roll over them - that's in
the Mars area. Don't worry, it's a mini rover, and the kids recover
immediately. :-)
Wear comfortable walking shoes, and you may want to check on the
weather (there looks like a chance of rain according to the forecast
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/index.php?wfo=lox&zone=caz047&fire=c….
I was about to suggest sunscreen, water and hats , but with this
forecast, just dress accordingly. There are lots of indoor events and
large tented areas, in case of rain. No backpacks or coolers are
allowed, but lots of fun, plenty of handouts and activities are
encouraged. food, drink , NASA and JPL items are available for sale
too.
Hope to see you this weekend. As a telescope reminder, we'll be at
our usual Pasadena/Monrovia sidewalk astronomy locations on June 2
and 3, have a special stargazing campout night at a Monrovia
elementary school on the 9th. And on May 27th - that's the Memorial
Day weekend, we are tentatively planning another dark sky adventure
to the desert, depending on interest, weather and our schedules.
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
Most of LA county is in the clear, but there seems to be a cloud island
covering the eastern half of the San Gabriel Valley today. It doesn't
look good for sidewalk astronomy in Monrovia this evening.
Jane and I will visit the corner to take a look, and likely hang around
Monrovia for some dinner.
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
It's Jupiter opposition this week, which means Jupiter joins Saturn as
part of our evening sky. At opposition, Jupiter rises at about sunset,
which is about 7:30 tonight. An hour later, it should be high enough to
view. Before then we'll have a nice first-quarter Moon, and Saturn as
soon as it's dark enough to find it (probably about 7:50 p.m.).
The only unknown right now is the weather. The forecast is for typical
"May Gray" marine-layer fog. It might close in before Jupiter is
available for viewing.
In any case, Jane and I will be in Old Town Pasadena this evening
(Friday) from about 7:30 'til 10 p.m., or until the low clouds and fog
wipe out the sky. We'll be on Colorado Blvd., somewhere on the two
blocks between Fair Oaks and Pasadena Avenues.
Saturday evening we plan a repeat performance in Monrovia at Myrtle and
Lime, from about 7:00 'til 9:30 p.m.
Hope to see you!
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers http://www.otastro.org
Most of you who joined our mailing list became "accidental astronomers"
one evening when you stumbled across our telescopes on the sidewalks of
Monrovia or Pasadena. From the city, we love to show the Moon, Jupiter,
and Saturn. These are the night sky objects that are among the
brightest in the sky, and easily visible from any city sidewalk.
Many of you have expressed an interest in seeing more and learning your
way around the night sky. Maybe it was one of our stories of a night in
the desert with our big telescopes, viewing comets, nebulae, galaxies,
and star clusters. <http://www.otastro.org/2006-04-01-messier/> Maybe
you have a telescope of your own, but frequently find yourself lost in a
sky full of possibility, wondering where to go next.
Jane and I would love to be your host and tour guide for a night in the
Joshua Tree desert. We're planning an excursion to Joshua Tree National
Park on Saturday, April 29, and we'll be completely at your disposal for
a mini dark-sky star party. You can bring your own telescope if you
like, borrow one of ours, or just mooch views. There should be charts
and telescopes a-plenty for you to share.
It's a lovely time of year to wander through the massive galaxy fields
of the Spring sky. You can make a full evening of it, take a short nap,
and wake to wander through the Summer Milky Way in all its glory.
Frequently the most spectacular view is just a sky full of stars at a
place away from city lights. With warm clothes and a comfortable chair,
you can identify constellations, count meteors, and see orbiting
satellites pass overhead. With a pair of binoculars you can see star
clusters and cruise the Milky Way star clouds.
If you want help with your own telescope, we'll be available for the
hour before sunset to help out.
April 29 is the night of the Andromeda Society's monthly public star
party in Joshua Tree park, but what we're planning is not part of that
star party. We'd like to set up a little bit away from their group, but
haven't fully settled on where just yet. Our goal is simply to share
the night sky with those of you who have a burning curiosity about it,
and might have wanted a guide. We may caravan from a meeting spot, and
make our own star party.
The nearby towns of Joshua Tree and Yucca Valley have inexpensive hotel
rooms, and there is certainly camping to be found in the park. Jane and
I usually just nap in our van for a few hours.
If this sounds intriguing, put it on your calendar and let me know.
We'll do more planning as the day gets closer, and keep an eye out on
the weather.
Clear skies,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers http://www.otastro.org
Jane and I have had a great couple of weekend excursions away from the
L.A. light dome to visit with old friends in the sky. Just for fun, we
playful astronomers like to see how many objects from Charles Messier's
catalog of 110 deep sky objects we can observe in one evening.
Because of the Sun's position in the sky in March, it's possible with
practice and cooperation from the clouds to see "M" all between sunset
and dawn. Jane and I made two runs at it these past two weekends, and
here is Jane's story with some great desert pictures:
<http://www.otastro.org/2006-04-01-messier/>
We certainly haven't abandoned the sidewalks of Pasadena and Monrovia,
and this coming weekend we should have some great Moon and Saturn views
for accidental astronomers. If the clouds part on Friday and Saturday,
except to see us:
Friday, April 7, 7:00 p.m. 'til 10:00 p.m., Colorado Blvd. near Delacey,
Old Town Pasadena
Saturday, April 8, 7:00 p.m. 'til 9:30 p.m., Myrtle and Lime, Old Town
Monrovia
Given that we've (yawn) switched to Darkness Squandering Time, I don't
yet have a good handle on sunset times and such. But we'll be there
about sunset for a few hours. Close enough? :)
(Maybe it's the lack of sleep over the weekends ... !)
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers http://www.otastro.org
Just in case anyone was planning to head to the desert tonight for
stargazing, the forecast is very poor for clear skies. We might visit
the picnic area, but it doesn't look like there will be much astronomy
taking place.
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
Normally Jane and I set up telescopes on the city sidewalk to introduce
"accidental astronomers" to the Moon and planets. We also like to
escape the city's light dome for a night with the beautiful deep sky
objects that can't be seen under city lights.
Excursions away from the city are most worthwhile when there's no bright
Moon in the sky, so we usually pick the weekend closest to New Moon.
This weekend on Saturday, February 25, we'll visit Joshua Tree National
Park with the Andromeda Society of Yucca Valley for their monthly star
party under dark skies. Imagine a sky filled with about 1,700 stars,
instead of the 20 or so you usually see from L.A.!
Early in the evening we'll have great views of the winter sky and Milky
Way, full of star clusters and nebulae. Later in the evening our planet
will spin toward the spring sky, and we'll be able to look toward
galactic north into the giant Virgo cluster of galaxies. You'll also
see meteors and earth-orbiting satellites crossing overhead.
From a dark location, you can see enough stars to see the shapes of the
constellations and easily imagine the figures for which they're named.
It's better than the best planetarium show you'll ever see!
But it is colder. If you come along, be sure to dress in lots of layers
and bring lots of water or sports drinks to stay hydrated. You also
might want to bring along a comfortable chair and a pair of binoculars
for cruising through the Milky Way and counting meteors.
The star party officially starts near sunset at 5:30 p.m. at the Hidden
Valley Picnic Area of Joshua Tree National Park.
If you are planning to come, let us know so we can be sure to connect.
The star party is sponsored by the Andromeda Society of Yucca Valley:
<http://www.andromedasociety.org/>
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers http://www.otastro.org
Hi everyone, I thought you'd enjoy this feature about observing
Saturn, the moon and the Beehive cluster. There's a nice pairing of
the cluster and Saturn from now through June, with a nearly full
moon above, next to and below Saturn.
Over the past weekend, we showed this starry view, along with Saturn
and the moon, to about 500 people through 6 telescopes in Monrovia.
We all had a great time, despite partial clouds.
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/scitech/display.cfm?ST_ID=990
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 have a request from a parent at Marengo Elementary School, whose
students are studying the Moon now, for a small telescope party on
Sunday evening in South Pasadena. Is there anyone on the list who would
like to visit with a telescope? Unfortunately Jane and I are out of
town this weekend.
If you're available, drop me a note and I'll put you in touch.
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers http://www.otastro.org
