Today's Outdoor section of the L.A. Times features me in an inside
article titled "They're having a party, BYOT," from the June Yosemite
Glacier Point star party.
I haven't been able to see the issue yet, but the online edition has
some great photographs by Bryan Chan, the Times photographer who joined
us for the weekend. His photo library is attached online to an article
about John Dobson.
Here's BYOT:
<http://www.latimes.com/travel/outdoors/la-os-starside30aug30,1,4630350.stor…>
And the front of the Outdoor section online has "Heaven on Earth," Hugo
Martin's article about John Dobson:
<http://www.latimes.com/travel/outdoors/>
Off to the Oregon Star Party this week. Back next week with telescopes
for the first quarter Moon.
On the road,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
Here at JPL, phones are ringing off lots of different hooks with
members of the public asking about viewing Mars tomorrow night. I've
even received calls from scout leaders planning "Mars Spectacular"
viewing events. I wish there was a scout badge for critical
thinking. :-(
Some of you folks may be getting questions too, so I thought you
might like these sound bytes.
A misleading chain letter hoax has been going around since June 2005.
The subject line of the chain letter is often 'Mars Spectacular".
It's a recycled chain letter from 2003, but with the year omitted,
and additional misinformation added. The "date" of the special
viewing night, according to this email is tomorrow, August 27th.
August 27th was the date of Mars Opposition 2003. Some people read
chain letters, and without applying any critical thinking, assume
they must be true. Then they forward them to everyone they know, who
forward them.....on and on and on.
The email is recycled and refers to Mars at opposition August 27th
2003, 2 years ago.
Earth and Mars make a close approach every 2.2 years. Mars opposition
in 2005 is October 30, 2005.
NASA has this article about it: Beware the Mars Hoax
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/07jul_marshoax.htm
Sky and Telescope Magazine has this: Don't get snookered by Mars
Malarky.
http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/planets/article_1556_1.asp
2005 will be a spectacular year to view Mars at opposition, but not
this weekend. Mars will be a beautiful reddish "star" in the sky
early in the evening from late October 2005 through spring 2006.
Suggest that people contact a local science center or astronomy club
near that time for locations of Mars viewing events.
If people want to see Mars right now (and avoid embarrassment if they
planned an event Saturday night) they have to stay up late. Mars
rises in the east at about 11 p.m. and is high overhead at about 3
a.m. The last three mornings, Mars and the moon have been sharing the
sky, dancing together on the ecliptic plane of our solar system. Mars
is gorgeous in the western sky at dawn every morning.
There are two bright objects in the western sky right after the sun
sets right now. Some people may think one or the other is Mars.
They are not. Venus is the lower (and brighter) of the two and
Jupiter is higher and 6 times fainter. These are the planets to view
right now. Save Mars for later in the year.
I created a Mars 2005 page http://www.otastro.org/Mars2005/ As Mars
becomes visible earlier in the evening, we'll be planning more
viewing events, and updating this page.
Mojo and I are off the to the Oregon Star Party tomorrow morning.
http://www.oregonstarparty.org/2005activities.htm We'll be back
after labor day, and our next sidewalk dates are September 9th
Pasadena and September 10th Monrovia.
--
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
First quarter Moon this weekend!
There might be a chance for some Jupiter observing shortly after sunset
if we find a spot with a good southwest horizon, but mostly it's a Moon
weekend. Jupiter will be leaving the early evening skies quickly now.
Tonight (Friday August 12):
Old Town Pasadena, Colorado Blvd. near Delacey, 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Tomorrow (Saturday August 13):
Old Town Monrovia, Myrtle & Lime, 7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Sunset this evening is a 7:42 p.m. We can always see the Moon before
sunset, but it looks better after. :)
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
Hello astro people
I have quite an interesting job doing outreach for the Cassini
Mission, and I get the most interesting things in the mail. A few
weeks ago I received a music score and recording of a middle-school
band composition inspired by the Cassini mission to Saturn, called
"Cassini's Rings". I sent it out to everyone here at Cassini, and
they just went nuts over it.
One of my co-workers plays in the La Canada Community Band - he plays
the euphonium and sits in front of the tubas, but I digress. He asked
the composer for permission to premier it here on the west coast and
the community band is doing just that this weekend. I'll be happy to
pass on the conductors contact info once school is back in session
for any of you who might be interested in sharing it with your own
school bands. :-)
So here's the scoop:
Michael Oare, Director of Bands at Great Bridge Middle School in
Chesapeake, Virginia was inspired by the Cassini Mission to Saturn.
He created a composition for middle school band featuring a melody
based on the 7 major rings of Saturn: D, C, B (Bb), A, F, G and E .
Michael writes "The spacecraft studies Saturn, its moons, and its
famous rings. The major rings of Saturn are named, in order of their
discovery, for the first seven letters of the alphabet. The letters
(notes) D, C, B (Bb), A, F, G and E form the order of the rings based
on their respective distance from the planet, closest to farthest.
The melodic material in Cassini's Rings is based on this seven-tone
row."
My co-worker (and fellow amateur astronomer) Steve Edberg from JPL
arranged with the composer, Michael Oare, and conductor Sue Hamre of
the La Canada Community Band to present this piece on Sunday August
14th at La Canada's Memorial Park.
Where: Memorial Park is on the north side of Foothill in La Canada
two traffic signals west of Angeles Crest Highway
When: Sunday August 14th. The concert including this piece begins
at 5:00 p.m. This concert is part of the concert series held at
Memorial Park every summer Sunday.
What to bring: chairs or blanket and a picnic dinner.
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
It's time again for the annual August meteor shower, the Perseids. Jane
has written some good tips for observing the shower, and I've included
them on the Old Town Astronomers front page -- but the best rendition is
here on the San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers page:
<http://sfsidewalkastronomers.org/newsarticles/perseids>
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
