Jane and I became familiar with the Pomona Valley Amateur Astronomers a
few months ago when she spoke to them on the Cassini mission. It's a
great club, and a great location, especially if you're more in the
direction of Pomona than Pasadena.
Tonight I'm going to give the talk that I gave last year in Ireland at
the Whirlpool Star Party in Birr. It's a brief travelogue of the
Sidewalk Astronomers' summer excursions to the great national parks of
the western U.S., along with the talk I've given at the parks on the
vanishing Milky Way, titled "You Are Here." I'll add some photos from
our visit to Bryce Canyon park this summer as well.
If you're interested in attending, the club web site is here,
<http://www.pvaa.us/> and directions to the 7:30 p.m. meeting are here
<http://www.pvaa.us/maps/meet.html>
Late tonight, or actually early tomorrow morning, scientists are
forecasting a rare return of the Aurigid meteor shower. Jane sent some
information about it in an earlier message.
While I'm giving my talk this evening, she will be at NASA Ames in
Northern California, installing equipment on a small Gulfstream business
jet, and preparing with a group of researchers to document the meteor
shower at an altitude of 50,000 feet. It should be quite a story.
I currently plan to observe the shower from home near Sawpit Wash in
Monrovia in a comfortable chair. :)
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
Here is another reason to wake up early on Saturday morning - a rare
meteor shower! Bright shooting stars should be visible even with a
big old bright moon, and our city light pollution. Look to the East
and Northeast.
"Some time in the 40 years or so around 4 A.D., comet Kiess (C/1911
N1) passed by the Sun, ejecting a cloud of dust particles. The comet
returned in 1911, after completing one orbit. The dust particles were
pushed by the Sun's light into slightly wider orbits and have been
returning ever since, forming a thin ongoing stream of dust that
usually passes just outside Earth's orbit. On occasion, the combined
gravity of the solar system's planets moves this dust trail into
Earth's path. Earth encountered this 2000-year-old dust in 1935,
1986, and 1994, causing a meteor shower known as the Aurigids."
http://aurigids.seti.org/
Best viewing direction:
Best viewing: Keep Moon out of field of view (best to block behind
obstruction such as telephone pole, then watch whole sky), avoid city
haze that scatters moonlight
Best direction: East and Northeast
Best time: Start one hour before peak, then see the rate of meteors
increase and decrease while Earth travels through the shower
When:
Date: 2007 September 1
Peak time: about 11:33 +/- 20 minutes UT (= 04:33 a.m. Pacific
Daylight Savings Time).
Duration: about 1.5-hour
Width: 25 minutes above half the peak rate
What:
Peak rate: ZHR (Zenithal Hourly Rate) = 200 per hour (10-minute interval)
Meteor brightness: mostly -3 to +3 magnitude
Shower radiant: constellation Auriga (Radiant at RA = 92, Decl. = +39)
Entry speed: Vinf = 67 km/s
Where:
Visible from: California, Oregon, Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico [see flux
applet for visibility from your location]
Moon:
4 days past Full Moon, high in the sky
Important because:
Once in a lifetime crossing of the dust trail of a known long period
comet (comet Kiess).
Public interest:
When you make a wish, consider that each meteoroid was released at
some unknown moment during the period 36 B.C. - A.D. 45.
Links: NASA Ames News Release:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2007/07_59AR.html
--
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 SOC http://soc.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm
What's Up? http://education.jpl.nasa.gov/amateurastronomy/index.html
Here are the timings for tonight's total lunar eclipse.
A lunar eclipse happens when the moon passes directly behind the Earth
relative to the sun, and the moon passes through the Earth's shadow.
Mid eclipse is a 3:37 a.m. That's when the moon will be its darkest,
usually a deep red. Some light reaches the moon by refracting through
the Earth's atmosphere to give it that dull red glow.
Before the total eclipse begins, you'll see the shadow moving onto the
moon for about an hour. After it's over, again you'll see the shadow
moving off the moon.
I'm hoping to see all three parts of the eclipse. I love seeing the
moon partially in the Earth's shadow.
Here are the timings for each phase:
1:51 a.m. Partial eclipse beings
2:52 a.m. Total eclipse beings
4:22 a.m. Total eclipse ends
5:24 a.m. Partial eclipse ends
Set your clocks! No optical aid required. Just enjoy seeing the moon
go through those fascinating changes tonight.
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers http://www.otastro.org
The weather forecast for tonight has been deteriorating steadily, with
lots of cloud cover expected. We'll have a "look see" at about 7:00 at
our street corner, but if it doesn't look promising, we'll indulge in
some alternative activities. :)
Cheers,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
Hi all, the weather looks excellent for astronomy tonight in Pasadena.
Jane and I will set up in Old Town Pasadena on Colorado Blvd., somewhere
near Delacey. We look for a parking spot on the north side of the
street somewhere in the two-block stretch between Fair Oaks and Pasadena
Av. We'll plan to be there from about 7:30 'til 10.
We'll have a large gibbous moon tonight, and a good look at Jupiter.
Tonight at 7:55 the International Space Station will fly almost directly
overhead, visible from anywhere in L.A. county. Look for it like a
bright slowly moving star, beginning in the northwest, and passing to
the southeast. It'll be brighter than any other stars, and it won't
have blinking lights like an airplane. It takes about five minutes for
it to cross the sky.
Tomorrow (Saturday) we'll set up in Monrovia at the corner of Myrtle and
Lime, from about 7:30 'til 10, with a slightly bigger moon.
Later we'll update you on the total lunar eclipse visible early Tuesday
morning!
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
From the newsletter for Weekend America, on public radio, it looks like
they'll be doing a rebroadcast of their story from May 19 that featured
Jane, Mojo, and John Dobson. The program airs locally on KPCC 89.3 on
Saturday from 1:00 p.m. 'til 3:00 p.m.
But you can hear the story as it aired on May 19 here:
<http://photo.whiteoaks.com/2007-05-19-weekend-america/sidewalkastro.mp3>
This weekend Jane, Mojo, and Gary and his family are off to do "Stars
over Yosemite" at Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park. Dave, Todd,
and Carolyn are planning to be in Monrovia at Myrtle and Lime Saturday
night. Drop by and say hello! We should have a great crescent moon,
and nice Jupiter this weekend. Maybe we'll have some visitors who hear
the Weekend America story. :)
We'll be doing more sidewalk astronomy next weekend with a big gibbous
moon. And Jane or I will update you on the total lunar eclipse visible
from here in the early morning sky on Tuesday morning, August 28.
Clear skies,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
Hello to all our OTAstro list!
My August What's Up is Up on the JPL and NASA websites. It's about
the Perseid Meteor Shower mostly, and is aimed at the general public
- with some good easy to understand graphics aimed at the general
public.
Here is the place where they are archived permanently (this is the
link to bookmark), on the JPL Education page
http://education.jpl.nasa.gov/amateurastronomy/index.html This link
includes video formats that are useful for astronomy clubs,
classrooms, museums and planetariums, plus this month I added links
to some lunar and meteor educational material - these are aimed at
grades 4-12.
The best time to view the Perseids will be Monday morning before
dawn, but that's not really convenient for most people. Saturday
night/Sunday Morning will yield many meteors especially after 2 a.m.
, with horizon skimming meteors at midnight, before Perseus rises
very high above the horizon. If you go someplace dark, you'll see
more than you will in the LA Basin, and if you can't get away, just
put some space between you and the light sources - a side of a house
or trees can help some. You will see them everywhere, but if you
mentally trace the shooting stars to their "source" you'll be looking
in the direction of Perseus, in the NE Sky.
Local dark sky spots will be up I-5 at the Templin Highway turnoff,
Mt. Pinos - on Frazier Peak, and up towards Mt. Wilson - but there is
still a lot of LA glow up here. The Desert East of us affords darker
and drier skies.
The Andromeda Society of Yucca Valley hosts a monthly star party at
Joshua Tree National Park's Hidden Valley picnic area Saturday Aug 11
- http://www.andromedasociety.org/
The Pomona Valley Amateur Astronomers will be at JTNP's cottonwood
Springs campground Aug 11. Later on in August, Mojo speaks to the
club's general meeting at Harvey Mudd College on the 31st.
http://www.pvaa.us/calendarpage.asp
The Peninsula Astronomy club of Northern California will be up at
Glacier Point at Yosemite this weekend - if you could possibly get
up there, it's magical for meteors. Mojo and I will be there the
following weekend with one of our Northern California Astronomy clubs
- the San Jose Astronomical Association. Most weekends, some club is
hosting free star parties for the public at Glacier Point.
http://www.aanc-astronomy.org/yosemite.html
If you observe the Perseids and would like to contribute your
observations, here's an ongoing meteor observing program you might be
interested in: http://aurigids.seti.org/ . I'll be participating in
this airborne mission observing the Perseids and Aurigids with the
same group Mojo and I have worked with for almost 10 years counting
the exciting meteor showers.
Oh, and since we'll be at Yosemite on our usual sidewalk astronomy
weekend of the 17th 18th August, check the OTAstro website
http://www.otastro.org/ for dates and details. I think our usual
group will be in Monrovia without us on Saturday the 18th, but
probably not in Pasadena on the 17th.
Jane and Mojo
--
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 SOC http://soc.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm
What's Up? http://education.jpl.nasa.gov/amateurastronomy/index.html
