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by Jane Houston Jones

The streets around Library Park are closed to cars and parking for this weekend's Monrovia Days celebration, and there will be activities and booths in the park and on the adjacent streets around our Myrtle and Lime Street sidewalk astronomy corner. We'll reschedule Sidewalk Astronomy for next Saturday night, May 21 and share the light from the full moon, and Jupiter with you next week instead. To find out more about tonight's moon, here's a nice writeup about understanding the first quarter moon. Sidewalk astronomers typically pick the Saturday nearest the first quarter moon for their events. http://earthsky.org/moon-phases/first-quarter See you next weekend, and we are trying to reschedule the Mojave National Preserve star party, and we'll let you know when the date is finalized. -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones What's Up May 2016: Mercury transit, Mars closest approach https://youtu.be/TQ-qbykREXE

9 years

Mojave star party cancelled due to rain, What's Up otherwise

by Jane Houston Jones

Sadly, our Mojave National Star Party this weekend has to be cancelled. The weather prospects are this: our site appears to be right on the the southern edge of most of well known cloud and rain activity -- 20% chance of thunderstorms Saturday night. This chance of desert shower cells may creep up on us in the Mojave desert and we would not have the time to get all of our telescopes out of the rain. And tents would get it too. For those of us leaving our telescopes out and using our vehicle as a camper....well, not good (for the telescopes). 60% here in Monrovia right now and it is raining pretty hard. (10:30 p.m.) We have been studying the weather for 2 days and have sadly reached this decision with concurrence from the National Park. Saturday night WX: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45. West southwest wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Friday night, when we were planning on arriving: 50% read it for yourselves, tho we look at many weather data. http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=35.2378&lon=-115.4992#.Vywprj_… We'll work on a rescheduled date...maybe sooner than the fall. And we welcome people to join our Amboy Crater nights - cars OK, no camping spots on the lava, bhut overnight in cars/vans in parking lot OK. In other news, Monday is a transit of Mercury -- Mercury is passing across the sun as seen from Earth. Happens 12 times each century. The time is from sunrise, when the sun rises Mercury is already crossing the face of the sun. For us west-coasters, it will be visible from sunrise to 11:30 a.m. My video and blog here tell the story. Steve Edberg, another JPL colleague and well known amateur astronomer, scientist and teacher and I put together this blog <https://webmail.jpl.nasa.gov/owa/redir.aspx?REF=CrAHlsTqrONd0nk4dtbkIiq_lqp…>https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/2016/05/04/ten-facts-about-mercury-and-th… And my monthly podcast covers the transit (and Mars) this month: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ-qbykREXE I'll reach out personally to the people I know were planning on attending, and also to suggest some of our less-public dark sky events. You are all welcome to attend our not public events, mostly just a few telescopes, several doing astrophotography (aka no eyepiece view and no flashlights) but there are usually at least one or two telescopes available for viewing. Our site for these is Amboy crater, no campsites, a car park, toilets, and agreat 1 mile one way am hike to the crater -- Jane Houston Jones What's Up May 2016 podcast: Mercury transit, Mars closest approach https://youtu.be/TQ-qbykREXE

9 years, 1 month

ISS pass tonight - moon and Jupiter too!

by Jane Houston Jones

In addition to our telescopes at Myrtle&Lime Streets in Monrovia tonight, those local to LA will get to see the International Space Station pass over. Time: Sat Apr 16 8:43 PM, Visible: 3 min, Max Height: 46°, Appears: 16° above NNW, Disappears: 39° above ENE If you are not local to LA use Spot the Station to find out when and where to look: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/ Looking forward to seeing many of you (but not all 619 of you on this list) tonight!! Jane and the Sidewalk Astronomers -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones What's Up April 2016: Mercury, Mars, Jupiter + Lyrids https://youtu.be/af0zVX8nIBc

9 years, 1 month

Saturday Sidewalk Astronomy, two National Park dark sky events coming up

by Jane Houston Jones

Hello stargazers! Saturday April 16th your local Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers will be out in Monrovia, at the corner of Myrtle and Lime from 7p.m. to 9:30 p.m., or so. We'll be sharing views of the moon and Jupiter. The wind will mean the views will not be stellar (aka wobbly views), but the people and questions will be awesome, and the view OK. My April What's Up video is here - and although Mars is a treat, it's an after-midnight treat for early risers. https://youtu.be/MmTINt3vCSwna So join us tomorrow night! If you can't, our 15th Mojave National Preserve star party is May 7. The info is here, http://mojavepreserve.org/index.php/site/article/star_party_in_the_mojave_n… contact me to enquire about rideshareing. A few people are actively looking to share the cost and driving to Mojave National Preserve. Free campsite and entrance, but RSVP, as there are only so many campsites. Then in August - August 12/13 (Perseid Meteor shower weekend) Mojo and I and maybe a few other Old Town Astronomers will be sharing telescope views for the public at Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park. Getting there is on your own, but Bridalveil Campground is the closest Yosemite campground to Glacier Point. The astronomers from the San Jose Astro Club are on park service volunteer duty (we are members of that club), but every non-full-moon weekend from July 4 - Labor Day features a northern California Astronomy club free star party at Glacier Point. So make that part of your National Park Tour this summer! Two things the Sidewalk Astronomers are world famous for is astronomy on the sidewalk -- a la Myrtle and Lime Streets, and National Park Star Parties. We make it a point to do both every year. Our star parties are always free. No one should have to pay to see their universe. Join us in the park - Library Park and our favorite National Parks (Mojave National Preserve and Yosemite National Park), or at a local school or park. -- Jane Houston Jones What's Up March 2016: Jupiter, its moons, their shadows https://youtu.be/MmTINt3vCSw

9 years, 1 month

No Foolin' - ISS pass tonight 8:08 p.m. & Mojave and podcast news

by Jane Houston Jones

Hi astrofans Step outside tonight at 8:08 for a nice pass of the ISS 49° above the horizon at its highest! Get your own alerts here https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/ Thu Mar 31 8:08 PM, Visible: 6 min, Max Height: 49°, Appears: 10° above WSW, Disappears: 11° above NE My April Podcast appears today so it doesn't get mixed up in any April Fool spoofs. https://youtu.be/af0zVX8nIBc And our semi-annual Mojave National Preserve star party is May 7th. It is free, and the Black Canyon Group Campground is reserved for us for the 15th time courtesy of the Mojave National Preserve Conservancy and the National Preserve and the National Preserve. http://mojavepreserve.org/index.php/site/article/star_party_in_the_mojave_n… We'll turn our gaze (and our telescopes) away from the Milky Way and peer out at galaxies in May. We won't ignore the planets, either - it will be just a few weeks from Mars Opposition, and Mars has not appeared as large as it will be in May since 2005! Jupiter will also be putting on a great view, and we always keep a list of visible comets to show under the dark Mojave skies. It's osur favorite event, made even better by sharing with our friends like you. There are always a few people looking to share rides to the desert. I have one woman who would like to share the expense (and the driving) with another woman. Let me know if you are interested and I'll put you in contact with her. Any others - you can always post your intent on our OTAstro Facebook account. https://www.facebook.com/Old-Town-Sidewalk-Astronomers-1619991271586682/ or send me a private note. That's all for this month, literally! Jane -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones What's Up April: Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Lyrids! https://youtu.be/af0zVX8nIBc

9 years, 2 months

Sidewalk Astronomy in Monrovia

by Morris Jones

Tonight the public forecast calls for "partly cloudy," and the Clear Sky Chart suggests not entirely transparent skies, but steady seeing. I'm going to anticipate a good viewing evening from the corner of Myrtle & Lime and try setting up a telescope. Sunset is at 7:03, and we'll try to be there from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. We'll have a lovely gibbous moon, and Jupiter near opposition. With a good seeing forecast, I'm going to plan to bring out the giant 7-inch refractor -- a special treat. It should be pleasant weather, a little chilly, light winds. Best regards, Mojo -- Morris Jones Monrovia, CA http://whiteoaks.com

9 years, 2 months

No sky tonight ...

by Morris Jones

No sidewalk astronomy in Monrovia tonight. It's not raining, but it's very unsettled in advance of the next storm. Monrovia is pretty well clouded out right now. We may try again next weekend, and may try for a special event on a Monday evening soon. We'll let you know! Best regards, Mojo -- Morris Jones Monrovia, CA http://whiteoaks.com

9 years, 2 months

Jupiter season!

by Jane Houston Jones

March 8 is Jupiter Opposition - when Jupiter is on the opposite side of Earth from the sun, rising at sunset, setting at dawn and closest to Earth in its orbit. It will be a little brighter and a little closer to Earth before, during and after March 8. So don't worry if it is cloudy, you have several more months of excellent Jupiter viewing opportunities. The planet, with all its cloud patterns above and below the equator show well, even in the smallest telescope, and even with steady binoculars. The four Galilean moons Io, Europa, Callisto and Ganymede are also easy to see through steadily held binoculars, but much more easily seen in telescopes of all sizes -- except when they are passing behind the planet -- or in front. Near opposition, as a moon passes in front of Jupiter the sun, the moon's shadow appears against the clouds of Jupiter. Astrophotographers are capturing images showing the pearly spheres of Io and Europa and their shadows marching across the face of Jupiter all month long. There are 11 of these double shadow transits in March, and three of them are visible from the US. Unfortunately, they are all on Monday nights and end between 9:30 p.m. and 1:25 a.m. I doubt we'll get telescopes out after work, but we'll let you know if someone is available. In the meantime, make friends with that neighbor with a telescope! Dates and times March 15 02:22 UTC March 14 7:22 p.m. - 9:34 p.m. PDT (Pacific Daylight Time) March 22 04:23 UTC March 21 9:23 p.m. - 11:23 p.m. PDT March 29 07:00 UTC March 28, 12:00 a.m. - 1:25 a.m. PDT of the three, March 14/15 had the added bonus of volcanic Io overtaking Europa at the end of the transit. We animated both the shadow transits and a depiction of the view from above Jupiter and from Earth in my March What's Up Video https://youtu.be/MmTINt3vCSw If you have trouble with YouTube, here's the JPL version http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/details.php?id=1417 We're hoping to do sidewalk astronomy in Monrovia, weather and schedules permitting on either March 12 or 19th, maybe both. Jane and the Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones @NASAInSight What's Up March 2016: Jupiter, its moons, their shadows https://youtu.be/MmTINt3vCSw

9 years, 3 months

Sidewalk Astronomy tonight!

by Jane Houston Jones

We've been weathered out and also many of us have been unavailable more than usual lately. But tonight should be a great night for Sidewalk Astronomy. Several of our gang will be out in Monrovia at the Library Park corner of Myrtle and Lime Streets tonight from about 6:30 until about 9. I say about, because Mojo and I won't be there, and I haven't hear the start time from the group. Have a good tone, look up, and I'll see you next month, hopefully. I'm almost recovered from hip replacement surgery, but haven't handled the telescopes yet. Jane Oh, the morning planet lineup is still gorgeous. Look southeast to southwest - the lineup spans the sky just before dawn. Here's my video all about it! https://youtu.be/EOo_qBNWpbc -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones What's Up February 2016 video: Morning moon/planet meetups, a comet near Polaris, icy Uranus and icy Vesta meet near Valentine's Day. https://youtu.be/EOo_qBNWpbc

9 years, 3 months

NIce high ISS pass over LA area tonight, plus What's Up December!

by Jane Houston Jones

HI everyone, tonight, Saturday the 5th of December step out to see a nice high ISS pass (LA residents primarily). Here are the details: Time: Sat Dec 05 5:40 PM, Visible: 3 min, Max Height: 61°, Appears: 34° above WSW, Disappears: 19° above NE . You can get your own alerts by signing up here. http://spotthestation.nasa.gov/ Mojo and I took a walk last night (first longish walk on my 2-week new hip) and marvelled at Orion rising sideways in the eastern sky. Have a look! Also, I talk about preparing for Mars Opposition in 2016 in my December What's Up video. Although you need to get up and look low to the eastern horizon around 3am to See Mars rise this month, it's visible until dawn - very pretty right now between brighter Venus and Jupiter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv8hVvJlcJQ I talk a bit about the Geminids and Ursids here on our sidewalk astro page (scroll to upcoming events) http://www.otastro.org/ Finally, Dec 19 would be our next sidewalk astronomy night, but I'm not sure who will be in town with telescopes. We'll update closer to the date. Keep looking up! Jane -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA @jhjones What's Up December: Mars now, even better in 2016 https://youtu.be/hv8hVvJlcJQ

9 years, 6 months

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