OTEvents October 2008

otevents@otastro.org

3 participants
7 discussions

by Morris Jones

Vandenberg Air Force Base will be launching a Delta II rocket tonight carrying the COSMO-SkyMed 3 earth observation satellite. The Delta II rockets climb fairly slowly and fly towards the south, so if the sky is clear and the launch goes well, we could have quite a show in L.A. county. Launch time is tonight at 7:28:21 p.m. with a launch window of 1 second (!). So either it goes or it doesn't. I would watch for the next ten or fifteen minutes after launch time, looking more or less to the south west. Sunset is at about 6:07 p.m., so it's possible that the rocket will not be visible until it climbs out of earth's shadow into the sunlight. Or it may show a fairly bright exhaust plume during the ascent. It sounds to me like a potentially good show, worth looking for. Cheers, Mojo -- Morris Jones Monrovia, CA http://www.whiteoaks.com Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org Twitter: http://twitter.com/mojo_la

15 years, 11 months

Hubble Telescope pass tonight (Monday Oct 20)

by Jones, Jane H

I wouldn't normally post an announcement about when and where to look for the Hubble Telescope during its Southern California passes, since it's not as bright as the space station or shuttle, and therefore a challenge to see. But Hubble is in the news right now because it has a command and data computer glitch. A repair mission to the 18-year old telescope has been delayed until early 2009 to assess this new problem. The Hubble Telescope is visible in our skies tonight! I plan to give it a try from light polluted Monrovia. Sunset is at 6:11 p.m. At 6:45 p.m. Hubble rises above the WSW horizon, and reaches 10 degrees above the horizon at 6:48 p.m. Between 6:48 and 6:55 Hubble will slowly pass just above Venus, and then above Jupiter, and will disappear from our view when it enters the Earth's shadow in the ESE at 6:55 p.m.It will look like a faint slowly moving "star, much fainter than the larger the Space Station. The brightness magnitude is 2.7, which is near the brightness of the stars you'll see near Jupiter - the stars of Sagittarius. Venus and Jupiter are much much brighter. There are other good passes this week. You can find them, and customize Heaven's Above for your own location using the link below: Helpful websites: Heaven's Above (satellite pass information and charts customized to your location) http://www.heavens-above.com/ US Naval Observatory's Complete Sun and Moon Data for One Day (sunrise, set, moonrise, set) http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.php Hubble's Command and Data computer glitch http://hubblesite.org/command_and_data_computer_glitch/ 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

15 years, 11 months

What's Up for October? Lots!

by Jones, Jane H

Hi everyone, My October What's Up Podcast is all about Tricks and Treats. Tricky objects to spy in the morning sky, balanced by celestial treats just after sunset! You can find my What's Up podcasts in several convenient places: On You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO-SbkCMMi0 Subscribe and get them on itunes (for free, of course) http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/podcasting/whatsup_index.html And the podcasts are also on the JPL website, right on the main page today, along with exciting articles about Phoenix digging Mars, Cyclones at Saturn's poles, and Spitzer sneaks a peer at Comet Holmes! http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ Wow! I was blown away by each of these stories! We are really looking forward to trying a new partnership with Mojave National Preserve at their star party on October 25th. It's a bit of a drive, but the night sky from national parks, coupled by daytime exploration of park's nature and geology is a combo that just can't be beat. We'll be sure to snap some pix (maybe Mojo will even take some astro photos to show you all) and perhaps we'll be invited back for another event, and some of you will join us. http://www.npca.org/take_action/upcoming_events/celebrate-the-skies-of-mojav e.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

15 years, 11 months

Dark Sky Observing on October 25 at Mojave National Preserve

by Morris Jones

First, sorry about the general request for fliers for Saturday night. I didn't mean for that message to go to everyone on the big list! It's all taken care of. I do have more information to share on a special dark sky observing night at Mojave National Preserve. The Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers will be providing expertise and top-notch equipment, and invite you to join us in beautiful Mojave National Preserve on Saturday, October 25. Come with us out from under the L.A. light dome and discover or rediscover the night sky. The official even web page is here: http://www.npca.org/take_action/upcoming_events/celebrate-the-skies-of-moja… They offer "Cocktails and dinner to begin at 5:00 p.m. Astronomy presentation following dinner." Reservations are requested, by email to mcipra(a)npca.org. You can also telephone (760) 799-5911. Best regards, Mojo -- Morris Jones Monrovia, CA http://www.whiteoaks.com Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org Twitter: http://twitter.com/mojo_la

15 years, 12 months

literature for tomorrow

by Morris Jones

As I mentioned before, Jane and I are involved in a wedding tomorrow night, so we won't be joining you at Library Park. (In fact, if no one else is planning to be there, let me know so I can send a note to that effect. No obligations!) BUT if some of you ARE going to be there, I could put together a box of fliers and JPL handouts for you, and leave it by our doorstep. Let me know! And thank you! Cheers, Mojo -- Morris Jones Monrovia, CA http://www.whiteoaks.com Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org Twitter: http://twitter.com/mojo_la

15 years, 12 months

No sidewalk tonight, but tomorrow in Monrovia

by Morris Jones

Unfortunately tonight, work is going to keep Jane and me from setting up telescopes in Pasadena tonight. Saturday evening we hope to have clear skies and some great views of the Moon and Jupiter in Monrovia. For those interested in seeing some truly dark skies, we're working on a program for October 25th at the Mojave National Preserve. More details to come soon! Best regards, Mojo -- Morris Jones Monrovia, CA http://www.whiteoaks.com Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org Twitter: http://twitter.com/mojo_la

15 years, 12 months

Call for Lunar Images Supporting NASA's LCROSS Mission

by Jane Houston Jones

Hi Old Town Astronomers - I thought you all would find this interesting! Jane NASA Astronomer Diane Wooden is about to begin an observing session using the IRTF at Mauna Kea in support of next year's LCROSS lunar impactor mission. The phase and libration this Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (October 8-10) could be a good match for those of one of our favored impact scenarios next year. This will provide an opportunity for detailed planning and observations of potential target lunar terrain. Diane would like to supplement her observations with images of the lunar south polar region acquired with a range of amateur telescopes over the same evenings. Diane's observations will be in the IR, and amateur white-light observations could provide valuable additional data for these lighting conditions. Faustini crater, one of the potential impact sites will be on the limb on the night of Oct 10 UT (Oct 9 PDT). Comparison of IRTF and amateur observations now will also help determine how amateur observations can best be used during the impact and provide valuable information to participating amateurs in planning their imaging procedures for next year. Images from telescopes of all sizes are welcome. If you are able to participate and acquire images during these selected evenings, please send the following information to me at Brian.H.Day(a)nasa.gov: Name of observer Email address of observer Aperture of telescope Focal length of telescope Type of camera used Camera detector dimensions Exposure information Time and date of exposure Location from which exposure was taken Please do not send your actual image file along with this information! Once I receive the above information from you, I will contact you and work out a way to receive your file in a way that will not overwhelm our mail server here. A map of the extreme south polar region of the Moon can be found at: http://www.lpod.org/?m=20070512 Note that Faustini is labeled as R3 on these maps (next to the crater Amundsen). The crater Cabaeus is also of interest as a possible impact site. Three additional images identifying south polar features are included in this message. NASA's LCROSS mission is scheduled to fly in 2009. It is co-manifested with LRO; both missions will launch together aboard an Atlas V out of Cape Canaveral, Fla. LCROSS will use the Centaur upper stage of the launch vehicle as a kinetic impactor directed at 2.5 km/s into one of the permanently-shadowed craters at the Moon's pole. The LCROSS spacecraft will fly directly through the resulting plume of debris, analyzing it for signs of water ice that may have accumulated within the crater. The debris plume will also be studied by space-based assets (such as LRO, and HST), ground-based observatories, and amateur telescopes. Researchers believe that the LCROSS impact plume may well be observable in amateur telescopes, and that amateurs may be able to take on a valuable role in this exciting mission. Please share this information with your colleagues. I am looking forward to working with you as members of the amateur community become key participants in the LCROSS mission. --------- Any opinions expressed in this message are strictly my own and do not necessarily reflect those of NASA, its contracting agencies, or any other life form in the Universe. Please note my new email address Brian H. Day AETT Technical Lead LCROSS E/PO Lead Planners Collaborative Mailstop 226-4 NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000 (650) 604-2605 Brian.H.Day(a)nasa.gov -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA 34.2048N 118.1732W, 637.0 feet http://www.whiteoaks.com Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org

15 years, 12 months

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

OTEvents October 2008