Jane and I are planning to set up telescopes in Old Town Pasadena this
evening, but right now the forecast is "mostly cloudy."
We'll take a look this evening, and watch for updates to the forecast
later this afternoon. As of Friday morning though, I would not plan a
special trip to Old Town Pasadena to see Saturn -- unless of course you
want to enjoy the excellent restaurants and shopping in the area. :)
If the weather changes, we'll have a full Moon to observe, and perhaps
some looks at Saturn after about 8:30 p.m.
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers http://www.otastro.org
Apologies for not posting our Monrovia outing last night, but we did
have it listed on our website. Regardless, I thought you'd all enjoy
this stargazing recap from last night. Take a look at the moon tonight
- Sunday night January 8th if you get a chance to stop out and look up.
You'll see Mars nearby just to the right of the moon as soon as it is
dark. Look at this writeup in sky and Telescope magazine's website for
more moon and Mars / moon and Saturin pairings this
month.http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance/article_110_1.asp
Jane
Last night, January 7, 2006 was our first southern California sidewalk
astronomy event of 2006. We set up in our usual spot in old town
Monrovia, CA at charming Library Park. Two young girls brought their
holiday telescope, an Orion Starblast, for first light.
I brought my own little Starblast, too, since I had invited them to the
star party. I asked them if they wanted to set up the telescope off the
main sidewalk where it was a little more secluded, and they said "no".
They wanted to share their views. While the first of 100 viewers stepped
up to the eyepieces of our two telescopes, the girls unwrapped their
present. First they removed the tissue paper protecting the tube during
shipping. Next I explained how the telescope worked and how it moved in
altitude and azimuth, and placed it on a sturdy ice chest, placed on top
of a not as sturdy plastic storage box for a little additional height --
not the most sturdy of mounts, but easier than bringing their back yard
picnic table out to the sidewalk Each girl comfortably swiveled and
tilted the tube in its mount.
Before we did anything like affix the supplied finder, we had a 25 power
first light view of the first quarter moon through the supplied
eyepiece. This is a low power view for those of you without a
telescope. it's a view similiar to a binocular view. After the oooohs
and ahhhhs subsided, we completed the first setup of the telescope. We
affixed and aligned the red dot finder. The girls were estatic as they
took turns sighting the moon and Mars through their own telescope and
through my matching green telescope. They spent the next 3 hours
running back and forth between the two little scopes and over to Mojos'
larger 14.5-inch f/4.8 Litebox reflector. Whenever someone walked by,
they became instant sidewalk astronomers, offering views to many people.
Mom got into the action too, calling people over to see the moon, Mars
and later, Saturn.
When mom took the girls for an ice cream break down the street, I
checked the collimation of the telescope. That's the optics alignment,
for those of you with quizzical looks. It was spot on right out of the
box. We waited for Saturn.
In-between looks at the moon and Mars, showing a Syrtis Major splotch
even at low power, the girls aimed at the bright stars of winter.
Yellow Capella, red Betelgeuse, and blue-white Rigel revealed their
twinkling wonder through the eyepiece. Both girls were Harry Potter
fans, so I pointed Bellatrix and Sirius, starry names of some of the
notable characters in the books.
There were quite a few dogs and their owners out walking last night, so
I pointed out Sirius, the dog star, and the constellations Canis Major
and Canis Minor. Lola the bulldog was more interested in cuddling and
slobbering, but the two border collies paid imaginary attention as I
showed them their celestial brothers.
Soon we spotted Saturn rising. It had cleared the lower downtown
buildings. We moved the Starblast down the street a bit for a look. The
first view, using the supplied 17mm Kellner eyepiece revealed a 25x
oval, but the girls were absolutely thrilled. The younger of the two
sisters wanted to use the 6mm eyepiece for a 75x (higher magnification)
view immediately. Soon Saturn's icy rings and even the great moon Titan
were revealed in their first telescope. Through the eyepiece of Mojo's
larger 'scope, the planet Saturn was brighter and more moons were
visible, including Iapetus, which is easy to spot right now. The girls
recorded their observations in their journal, and I suggested they
capture the stargazing information such as date, time, location,
telescope, eyepiece, and objects they viewed, and then write more about
their observation at home. They are interested in sketching the moon
too, which I personally love to do!
Soon it was time to pack up the telescopes and head for home. I recalled
my first view through my first telescope many years ago. It seems like
it was just yesterday, as I recall the first view so vividly. On
December 25th 1988, I aimed my homemade, and as yet unaluminized 10-inch
f/7 Dobsonian reflector, Stardust, at both the moon and Mars, and
recorded my first observation in my own star journal. It began, for me,
a wonderful journey into our solar system and beyond.
Jane
--
Jane Houston Jones
Monrovia, CA
34.2048N 118.1732W, 637.0 feet
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
Saturn hasn't quite reached opposition -- that time when it is directly
opposite the Sun in the night sky. That will come in late January.
When it does, as you might expect, Saturn rises at about the same time
as the Sun sets.
But right now Saturn rises around 8:00 p.m. a bit north of due east, and
is easily visible by 9:00. (Low eastern horizons are pretty rare around
here!) Each evening it will rise just a little earlier, as Earth
continues circling the Sun.
This weekend the waning Moon passes near Saturn in the sky from our
perspective on Earth, and it serves as a convenient guidepost to find
the beautiful ringed planet.
Here's a short feature from the JPL Saturn Cassini web site that
includes a chart for finding Saturn relative to the Moon over this
coming weekend:
<http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/image-details.cfm?imageID=1907>
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
Jane and I have a month full of travel and family plans that will keep
us away from the sidewalk, but there is some fun astronomy to be had.
Today an article about Jane and observing Mars appeared on the NASA web
site, and it has some great tips about how to find Mars in the sky over
the next couple of days. The Moon will be passing nearby and serve as a
nice signpost:
<http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/mars_mer_feature_20051209.h…>
In late January, Saturn will reach opposition and return to the evening
sky. We'll certainly be planning some outings for the occasion!
Have a great holiday season!
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
Norm wrote to ask:
> So, does anyone know what the planet is just below the moon tonight?
> It’s small but obvious.
That's Mars. Go have a look, it's a nice combination.
Tomorrow the Moon should be on the other side of Mars, below it in the
early evening.
They're in the west right now (early evening). If you turn almost all
the way around to your right and look to the southeast, you might still
be able to catch brilliant white Venus before it sets.
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
No telescope viewing of moon and Mars tonight in Pasadena after all.
The clouds did not dissipate. We arrived at 6:00 p.m. and found a
parking spot near Pasadena Avenue, but after an hour and a half of
looking up, walking and sipping a latte/extra foam we gave up and came
home. We saw the moon peek out just a few times, but never long enough
to actually set up the telescopes. Hopefully, Monrovia will be better
tomorrow night.
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
Jane and I plan to be on the sidewalks in Pasadena and Monrovia this
weekend, and it looks like the weather is cooperating -- for the most part!
This week our weather was influenced by a pesky system called a "cutoff
low" over the Pacific -- so-called because it is cut off from the jet
stream, and its motion is difficult to predict. As we saw in last
year's record rainy season, a cutoff low can sit stationary off the
coast for days sucking tropical moisture into the LA basin.
That low has now moved southeast over northern Mexico, which causes our
winds to shift to offshore. That should bring us drier desert air and
clearer skies for several days. Early next week they're forecasting
very warm temperatures with the expected Santa Ana wind conditions.
When that dry air flows down the mountain slopes into the basin, it
heats up and gives us those indian summer conditions in November.
Tonight the conditions are not perfect -- we're still sitting in some
cool moist air from this week's weather system. Here in the San Gabriel
Valley we have some lingering marine layer clouds. We'll be able to see
the Moon and Mars okay, but the early part of the evening we'll be
looking up through layers of air at very different temperatures and
moisture content. Each of those layer boundaries give a slight
refraction to the light passing through, and makes for a shimmery view
obscuring much of the subtle detail on difficult objects like Mars.
So the moral of my rambling story -- the best views for Mars will be
Saturday evening in Monrovia. Join us there at Myrtle & Lime in Library
Park, from 6:00 'til 9:00 p.m.
But even with less than perfect conditions, we'll be in Old Town
Pasadena this evening from about 6:30 'til 9:30, on Colorado Blvd. near
Delacey, somewhere on the two-block stretch from Fair Oaks to Pasadena Ave.
Hope to see you there!
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
Just a note to our fellow sidewalk astronomers on the list ...
Please let me know if you're planning to join us tonight in Monrovia!
You can help with or without a telescope, talking to visitors or helping
operate one of our telescopes. If you let me know you're coming, I'll
make a name badge for you.
Telescopes on tripods may be best set up in the park grass field along
Lime. It's important that we leave clearance on the sidewalk especially
near the handicap ramp and wheelchair turn-around areas.
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
Tonight's a big night! It's Mars closest approach, and we'll be out in
force in Old Town Monrovia tonight. Library Park, Myrtle & Lime, 9:00
p.m. 'til midnight.
If you haven't read the article in the Pasadena Star-News this morning,
Jane and I were featured on the front page in the Mars article:
<http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_3162189>
The weather forecast for tonight looks near perfect. Jane and I plan to
bring out our best Mars telescope tonight, a rare Astro-Physics 7.1-inch
refractor. Here are some pictures from a visit in April to Library Park
for this telescope: <http://www.otastro.org/2005-04-monrovia/>
If you're wondering about the later than usual hours for this occasion,
it's because the best viewing of the planet comes as it's highest in the
sky. If you're looking for the best view, plan to visit the telescope
as close to midnight as you can. Besides letting Mars get high in the
sky, the lines at the telescopes should be shortest then!
If you miss seeing Mars tonight, don't despair -- it won't be much
further away on our next trip to the sidewalks on November 11 and 12.
For the next couple of months, Mars will be close enough for interesting
looks.
In addition to November 11 and 12, Jane and I will be travelling to the
Borrego Springs Resort on Saturday November 5 in Anza Borrego State
Park, and plan to set up for Mars viewing right there at the lovely
desert resort.
Jane's Mars information page on the Mars opposition has more links,
pictures, and events: <http://www.otastro.org/Mars2005/>
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
The Old Town Astronomers are featured in an article in this week's
Pasadena Weekly: <http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/arspopuli/arspop.html>
They got it mostly right. :)
By the way, you might be interested in joining us to help show the Moon
and Venus at Wild Rose Elementary tonight, but not have a telescope to
bring. We plan to have a couple extra telescopes with us, and would be
glad to have you "person" one of them!
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
