HI everyone,
We've updated the Old Town Astronomers website to include all the
summer National Park astronomy events we'll be attending. During the
summer months "Have Telescope, Will Travel" becomes our motto.
We'll be hauling 4 Dobsonian telescopes and John Dobson and Barry
Peckham from Hawaii to the Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon in June. In
July and August we'll join our fellow members of the the San Jose and
San Francisco astronomy clubs at the Glacier Point Star Parties in
Yosemite.These free public astronomy events are held every year for
guests at the national parks. Read all about it here:
http://www.otastro.org/
And on Saturday night May 19, we'll be showing a slender crescent
moon near Venus, and Saturn from 7:30 to 9:30 at Myrtle and Lime
Streets in Monrovia, CA. We'll hit the Pasadena sidewalk Friday May
25, when there is more moon to show.
Saturday the 19th is also the first International sidewalk Astronomy
Day. Even if you don't join us in Monrovia, why not look up at moon,
Venus and Saturn. Or show these solar system wonders to your
neighbors . No telescope is needed, but if you have one, why not
place it out on your own sidewalk and share the views? Here's where
all the international sidewalk astronomy night events are being held.
http://www.sidewalkastronomynight.com/
Finally, last month a reporter from American Public Radio's "Weekend
America" interviewed sidewalk astronomers in both northern and
southern California for this week's 2-hour show. It airs locally on
Saturday, May 19 on KPCC 89.3 FM from 1-3 p.m. If local for you is
someplace other than KPCC, you can look at the station list here:
http://weekendamerica.publicradio.org/about/list.php (it's on Sirius
and XM satellite too) ! Listen live on Saturday http://www.scpr.org/,
or you can subscribe to the podcast for convenient listening later.
We don't know how long the segment is, what or who is included, or
during which hour of the show the Sidewalk Astronomer segment will
air. http://weekendamerica.publicradio.org/collections/podcast/
See some of you at JPL Open House this weekend? 9-5 Saturday and
Sunday. Look for me in the big Cassini Mission tent, right next to
the full size Voyager model. :-) http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/pso/oh.cfm
--
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
The JPL website has a lot of fascinating stories for you astro folks right now!
There's one story about new evidence of ancient volcanic explosions
on Mars and another about the molten core of Mercury. Ice on Mars?
Read all about it! There are also details about JPL Open House and,
drumroll please......What's Up for May, my new monthly podcast!
You can get to the 2 minute podcast from the JPL main page:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/http://education.jpl.nasa.gov/ The JPL education page has the video,
and tools for amateur astronomers, such as sky charts you can
download, links to amateur astronomy networks, and this is where the
What's Ups will be archived. This month we feature the Dawn mission's
Amateur Observer Program, since I talk about observing the asteroid
Vesta - that's where the Dawn Mission will be heading later this
summer.
For those of you with iPods you can subscribe to the NASA Jet
Propulsion Laboratory video and audio podcasts (podcasts are free and
on iTunes under science podcasts) and have "What's Up" and other JPL
podcasts downloaded automatically every month when you sync your
iPod. Of course you can watch them on your computer too!
Our next sidewalk dates will be May 18 and 19. May 19 is also JPL
open house. Se you then! 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
