OTEvents

otevents@otastro.org

498 discussions

ISS Pass tonight, Sidewalk Astronomy Saturday, Geminids too!

by Jane Houston Jones

ISS Pass: Time: Fri Dec 14 5:33 PM, Visible: 6 min, Max Height: 50°, Appears: 10° above WNW, Disappears: 11° above SSE Sidewalk Astronomy Myrtle and Lime Monrovia Saturday, sunset for 2+ hours, weather permitting. It looks like clear skies for Saturday night. Look up, if you can see the moon, then walk on down! There will be at least three telescopes out and Mojo and I are out of town. Geminids peak today (actually best from dark sky both Friday and Saturday mornings) so good luck! Here's a great page written by our friend from the 1999-2002 Leonid Storm observing campaign, Bob Lundsford: https://www.imo.net/viewing-the-geminid-meteor-shower-in-2018/ You will see how the rates have picked up from the 12th to the 14th, and rtes will still be nice and bright tomorrow morning, and then will start to decrease. https://www.imo.net/members/imo_live_shower?shower=GEM&year=2018 Lunar Eclipse Jan 20 -- from about 6:36 p.m. to 11:48 pm Pacific Time with total eclipse at 9:12 p.m. There will probably be some astronomers on hand at Library Park -- I'll let you know next month. But lunar eclipses are great to view with the unaided eye, so you can enjoy them at home, too. Jan 21, 2019 at 02:36:29 UTC is the time in UTC so you can calculate the time in your own time zone. Or use this handy drop down menu: https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/los-angeles?iso=20190121 Finally some of you have asked if just because we are retiring from our day jobs (me this month, Mojo in March) will we also be retiring from sidewalk astronomy or moving way. The answers are no and no. We love our Old Town Sidewalk Astronomy family, our growing telescope yielding group and our many astro-fans who join us for viewing events, or read my emails. Happy star-trails everybody! The last "What's Up" video from me is here https://go.nasa.gov/2DUnUsg, but the show will go on with a new voice in January. The amazing Henry Kline will continue to produce the show from the JPL TV studio, so I'll keep sharing it with you! Jane -- Jane Houston Jones, JPL Retiree Astronomer, music lover, JPL retiree My Final What's Up Astronomy podcast #138: Dec 2018 Jane’s finale. An awesome comethttps://go.nasa.gov/2DUnUsg All 138 What’s Ups since 2007:https://go.nasa.gov/2usaBaB

7 years, 2 months

Fwd: SpotTheStation

by Jane Houston Jones

Again tonight! Spot the International Space Station 6:04 p.m. Pacific. Get your own customized email alerts by signing up here https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/ Happy Saturday, everybody! Jane -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: SpotTheStation Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2018 09:57:24 -0500 (EST) From: HQ-spotthestation(a)mail.nasa.gov To: jane(a)whiteoaks.com Time: Fri Nov 23 6:04 PM, Visible: 2 min, Max Height: 68°, Appears: 29° above WSW, Disappears: 43° above NNE

7 years, 3 months

ISS pass tonight 6:04 p.m. and January eclipse correction

by Jane Houston Jones

Tonight from our LA area: Time: Fri Nov 23 6:04 PM, Visible: 2 min, Max Height: 68°, Appears: 29° above WSW, Disappears: 43° above NNE. That's in one hour! Sorry for the short notice. All you have to do is step outside, look above the horizon facing West-SouthWest. It will be visible about 1/3 of the way from horizon to overhead, and will dissappear 2 minutes later in the NNE. Also my last email mentioned the total eclipse in January 2019 with a correct link, but it is a total *LUNAR *eclipse, not solar, as I wrote. Thanks to those who caught my boo boo! Again, here's the January 20 Total Lunar Eclipse info for LA. https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/los-angeles, tho' it will be visible across the US as shown here on this map. https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2019-january-21 Keep looking up! Jane -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones @otastro What's Up #137: Nov 2018 Planets, asteroid, comet, Leonids https://go.nasa.gov/2zlrCaF All 137 What’s Ups since 2007: https://go.nasa.gov/2usaBaB

7 years, 3 months

Cloudy tonight, cancelling Sidewalk Astronomy

by Jane Houston Jones

Hi everyone! The forecast is not very promising for tonight, with both poor transparency and possible clouds, so we are cancelling sidewalk astronomy. Looking at last night and the fog this morning, it looks like a repeat of the same (according to astronomer Gary). Our next scheduled sidewalk nights are December 15th and Jan 12th. We'll also have an added event January 20th -- A Sunday night, when a total solar eclipse will be visible for much of the US. The eclipse begins at 6:36 p.m., reaches maximum at 9:12 p.m., and ends at 11:48 p.m. We'll be on the sidewalk in Monrovia at least until maximum, then you can finish watching from your own place. Here are the details. https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/los-angeles?iso=20190121 Tonight/tomorrow morning is the peak of the Leonid Meteor Shower, if it is clear where you are before dawn tomorrow and you are in a dark spot, you might see some, tho the rates will be poor. Next month, the Geminids will put on an impressive show on December 13th and 14th. December’s Gemind meteors peak on the morning of the 14^th at 12h 30m Universal Time, (or 7:30 a.m. Eastern Standard time, 4:30 am Pacific Standard time) and are active from December 4th through the 17th.The peak lasts for a full 24 hours, meaning meteor watchers around the globe will get to see this spectacle. If you can see the familiar winter constellations Orion and Gemini in the sky you'll see some Geminids. 120 meteors per hour may be seen from a very dark sky location during the peak, but only after the first quarter Moon sets around midnight your local time. Definitely check it out if you can! That last paragraph is a "preview" of "What's Up" for December, which will go live December 1st (or probably the 30th of November). That will be my last project before I retire from JPL on December 3rd! I'm definitely not retiring from the Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers or from sending out these emails to you. I look forward to many more star-filled nights, and sunny solar viewing days sharing our skies with you! Jane -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones @otastro What's Up Podcast #137: Nov 2018 Planets, asteroid, comet, Leonids https://go.nasa.gov/2zlrCaF All 137 What’s Ups since 2007: https://go.nasa.gov/2usaBaB Retiring Nov 30, 2018 to stargaze, play bridge, travel, more

7 years, 3 months

Rain tonight mars both moon and Space Station

by Jane Houston Jones

We had hoped for a potential sidewalk astronomy night tonight in Monrovia, but both the weather and also power outages in Old Town will keep our telescopes safely stored inside. Next Saturday some of us are going to be at Huntington Library and Gardens Family event: Astronomy Adventure Night (sorry event is sold out) but there will be at least one astronomer in Monrovia. We'll update if that is cancelled next week. Tonight, if you do have somewhat clear skies, look for the International Space Station from your own location in southern California: Time: Sat Oct 13 6:41 PM, Visible: 6 min, Max Height: 61°, Appears: 10° above NW, Disappears: 10° above ESE Get your own alerts for your own location here, as we don't always post them. https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/ Over and out! Jane -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones @otastro My What's Up Oct2018 podcast: Intl #observethemoon Night https://go.nasa.gov/2xTdVjc

7 years, 4 months

SpotTheStation 7:56pm tonight and Mojave Star Party will be rescheduled

by Jane Houston Jones

Our semi annual star party will need to be rescheduled. Ill let you know the new date as soon as I know. In the meantime, look up tonight for the pretty planet and moon lineup!! Jane -------- Original Message -------- From: HQ-spotthestation(a)mail.nasa.gov Sent: September 21, 2018 7:57:12 AM PDT To: jane(a)whiteoaks.com Subject: SpotTheStation Time: Fri Sep 21 7:56 PM, Visible: 5 min, Max Height: 89°, Appears: 10° above SW, Disappears: 23° above NE -- From Jane, sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.

7 years, 5 months

Fwd: Forward of moderated message

by Jane Houston Jones

I replied that we didn't know yet about the road situation after the flooding. Jane No need to admin approve this email. I answered it already. jane -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: Forward of moderated message Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2018 08:11:19 -0700 From: otevents-bounces(a)otastro.org To: jane(a)whiteoaks.com

7 years, 5 months

Sidewalk Astronomy tonight!

by Jane Houston Jones

We are all scattered far and wide today - Vandenberg launch, dark sky camping/observing, but at least two of us will be at Myrtle and Lime Streets 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Join us for a pretty crescent moon and all those pretty planets! You can sign up for your own launch alerts from Vandenberg. Not all are visible from home, but some are -- the ones getting into polar orbit like this morning's IceSat2! http://www.spacearchive.info/newsletter.htm Jane and Mojo -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones @otastro Jane's What's Up video episode #134: Sept 2018 - Milky Way Road Trip https://go.nasa.gov/2N4tuNV New! FB Watch What’s Up video page https://www.facebook.com/NASAWhatsUp/

7 years, 5 months

Sidewalk Astronomy tonight, and a few upcoming events

by Jane Houston Jones

Sidewalk Astronomy tonight will get underway at about 7:30 p.m. same place -- Myrtle and Lime Street corner, Monrovia early birds should get a view of Venus, followed by great views of Jupiter, Saturn and probably Mars by 9 p.m. We'll probably shut down at 9:30 p.m. Coming up after that will be probably Sidewalk Astronomy on September 15th and/or 22nd, our annual star party at Descanso Gardens on August 29th, and our annual star party at Huntington Library on October 20th. You'll find out about those events if you are members of those gardens. I don't think they are open to the non-member public, but you could always check. I haven't heard yet if our October 6th Mojave Star Party date has been approved, or of flooding damage from rains a month ago will cancel or postpone that event. That's all for this week! Jane -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones @otastro Jane's What's Up video episode #134: August 2018 - Perseids! https://go.nasa.gov/2IjBkNh New! FB Watch What’s Up video page https://www.facebook.com/NASAWhatsUp/

7 years, 6 months

8:26 pm - another ISS pass tonight, Perseids are peaking too!

by Jane Houston Jones

There was a great ISS pass Tuesday night -- we watched it from the Hollywood Bowl at intermission of Star Wars: A New Hope, in concert with LA Phil orchestration, and the film on the big screen. Folks at the "bowl" tonight will see the same show, including A New Pass! Time: Fri Aug 10 8:26 PM, Visible: 4 min, Max Height: 82°, Appears: 36° above NW, Disappears: 13° above SE. To get your own email or text alerts of passes over your location just sign up here https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/ Now about the Perseids. The rates have been increasing day by day, just as predicted. You can see the last few years Perseids rates in my August what's Up video. https://www.facebook.com/NASAWhatsUp/ or at the other usual places. The Perseids, in a nutshell are visible at rates over 20 per hour for a couple weeks. The "peak" where the rates go up to 50-60 per hour (fewer seen from areas with light pollution, smoke, or clouds) and more -- up to maybe 70 per hour -- from the very darkest locations. Sunday night is the "peak" bur Friday, Saturday and Monday nights should also be well above the 20 visible per hour last night. This great chart shows the work of "citizen scientists" who go out and rigorously count meteors around the world. Bookmark and check back if this interests you. http://www.imo.net/members/imo_live_shower?shower=PER&yea=2018 The citizen scientists use a standard set of tools: Eyes, comfy chair, pencil, clipboard, tape recorder sometimes, timepiece that doesn't emit light to keep track of timed observing intervals, some star charts to measure your own visual acuity and sky darkness -- to see how many stars you can see in a triangle of fairly bright stars -- you might only see the three bright anchor stars from the city, you may see 5 to 30 from a dark site. With all these tools, even an observation from light polluted LA county (my driveway) matters, and the fact that I may only see a few per hour, in miserable light pollution, is calculated and part of the data. If this interests you, I'll be happy to drag some of you out to Amboy crater or another dark location of my choosing to count meteors and submit your data. It's geeky science fun! Here are a few additional sites with Perseid info. NASA's ScienceCasts video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=3sIEVwF5O8g Solar System Exploration's Ten Things: How to Photograph a Meteor Shower: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/510/10-things-how-to-photograph-a-meteor-… Jane's "Perseids from Amboy Crater" (sort of a tutorial to Citizen Science) http://jane.whiteoaks.com/2010/10/26/the-perseids-from-amboy-crater/ Oh, Sidewalk Astronomy Monrovia August 18th, weather and schedules permitting. -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones @otastro Jane's What's Up video episode #133: August 2018 - Perseids! https://go.nasa.gov/2IjBkNh New! FB Watch What’s Up video page https://www.facebook.com/NASAWhatsUp/ -- From Jane, sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.

7 years, 7 months

← Newer
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
...
50
Older →

Jump to page:

2026

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

OTEvents