Moon and Planets this weekend

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