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Happy Thanksgiving - no sidewalk stargazing this weekend

by Jane Houston Jones

Hi everyone, our sidewalk astronomers are all visiting family (or working or traveling) this first quarter moon weekend, so we won't be setting up telescopes in Pasadena or Monrovia Friday or Saturday night. There is plenty to see if you step outside and look up! I've been exchanging emails with one of our loyal Monrovia/Duarte telescope viewers over the last week. Jack has been looking up, wondering the name of this star or that planet. It's been fun to exchange emails with him. We are so thankful for our Sidewalk Astronomy family, both those with and without telescopes. So, in lieu of telescopes on the sidewalk, and thanks to Jack's questions, here are some pointers to great views you can see tonight, and for the next month. In the evening sky, you can't miss Jupiter alongside (to the left of) bright red Aldebaran, the brightest star in the constellation Taurus the bull. Aldebaran is classified a K star -- an orange giant, and is one of the brightest stars in our sky. Look east to see them both, you can't miss Jupiter, and now you know something about that pretty star to the right of Jupiter! Now look above these two. Do you see the Pleiades star cluster? Jack asked me what the bright star an out-stretched hand away from Jupiter is called. To the left of Jupiter, is Capella, the brightest star in Auriga. It's a G stellar classification "yellow" star 10 times the diameter of our G classified Sun! But that's not the star Jack was viewing. He was noticing a brilliant white star rising above the building obscuring his eastern horizon, and to the right of and below Jupiter at about 10 p.m. I stepped out in my jammies at 10 p.m. to see. It was Rigel! The knee of the great constellation Orion was rising above my building obscuring eastern horizon, too. Rigel is the brightest star in the constellation Orion and the sixth brightest star in the sky! Through binoculars, you may see it's companion. Rigel is a blue-white Class B super-giant 117,000 times as luminous as our sun! Here's a star chart for 9:30 p.m. tonight - and the next month. http://img.whiteoaks.com/jane/Public/Starchart_11_22_930pm_east.jpg Now, if you are up before sunrise tomorrow morning, and have a clear view to the east, you'll see bright Venus, Saturn below, and Mercury, if you can see clear down to the southeast horizon. Here's a star chart for you morning stargazers: http://img.whiteoaks.com/jane/Public/Starchart_11_22_930pm_east.jpg I bet many of you know the little acronym for stellar classification OBAFGKM - or Oh, Be A Fine Girl/Guy, Kiss Me. If not, here's what those letters and colors mean: http://www.astronomygcse.co.uk/AstroGCSE/New%20Site/Topic%203/o_b_a_f_g_k_m… Our next sidewalk astro weekend will most likely be Dec 21/22, so we may run into the same travel/work/family comes first scenario with our telescope wranglers. If you wander down to our sidewalk corner at Myrtle and Lime streets over the next month, you'll see a whole bunch of new "stars" of many stellar classifications, draped on trees, and everywhere. If we miss next month too, we'll return once those artificial stars are put away for another year, and instead, I'll regale you with a bad poem, a new starchart, and wish you the most happiest winter solstice season. :-) Jane -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA What's Up Podcast for Sept: Observe and wink at the moon On Youtube:http://is.gd/kPUtSx Twitter:http://twitter.com/jhjones /CassiniSaturn /otastro My Blog:http://jane.whiteoaks.com/ Yosemite Videohttp://www.youtube.com/user/yosemitenationalpark?feature=watch

13 years, 2 months

Sidewalk Astro make-up session Saturday night

by Jane Houston Jones

Sorry about last week, clouds obscured the moon on our sidewalk astronomy night. We'll have a fabulous sky tomorrow night, however. That's Saturday the 27th if you want to view the moon with us from 6:30 - 8:30 or so. Myrtle and Lime Streets. Those Santa Ana winds scoured the sky - making perfect conditions for moon-watching. Since Halloween is nearly here, here is my annual Spooky Observing list. Those with telescopes can enjoy the observing tricks and treats. Those who observe from their armchair will enjoy a good read and some pretty images, I hope! http://jane.whiteoaks.com/2009/10/30/spooky-halloween-observing/ Check our website for viewing highlights, next event dates, and other starry goodness :-) http://www.otastro.org/ See some of you Saturday night (I hope) Jane -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA http://jane.whiteoaks.com/ http://twitter.com/jhjones What's Up for Oct video: View Vesta, Ceres, Orinids, Taurids http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-archive.cfm Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=JPLnews Yosemite Night Skies Video http://www.youtube.com/user/yosemitenationalpark?feature=watch

13 years, 3 months

Sidewalk Astronomy clouded out Saturday (tonight)

by Jane Houston Jones

The skies over Monrovia are covered with marine layer right now. The skies at Mount Wilson, on the other hand, are clear, sort of. Take a look at the Mt. Wilson 150-foot towercam, and you'll see clear skies at the peaks, but creeping marine layer almost reaching to the observatory. http://obs.astro.ucla.edu/towercam.htm#imagetop So, sadly, we're cancelling Sidewalk Astronomy tonight. Next Saturday night, is a not-quite-full-moon, and we'll tentatively reschedule for that night -- Saturday, October 27th, 6:30-9:00 p.m. This cloud layer will also wash out meteor watching overnight, too, most likely. The forecast calls for a slight chance of drizzle after 8 p.m. Some of our astronomers will be heading east to catch some shooting stars. If you are so inclined, take a look at all these astronomers maps - the Clear Sky charts, and head for an area not showing white in the hourly grids - those indicate cloud cover. http://cleardarksky.com/csk/prov/California_charts.html Finally, since it's an indoor-stargazing and meteor-gazing kind of night, here's a writeup about the huge meteor (probably a small asteroid, actually) that broke up over northern California last Wednesday night. There were reports from Long beach to Red Bluff, with a sonic boom and a terminal burst - like a roman candle as the meteor broke up into pieces. It broke up over Marin County, where I grew up! Dr. jenniskens is out looking for dark pieces this weekend. if you find one, take a picture and send it to him by email petrus.m.jenniskens <http://petrus.m.jenniskens>@ nasa.gov Over and out, Jane -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA What's Up Podcast for Sept: Observe and wink at the moon On Youtube: http://is.gd/kPUtSx Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones /CassiniSaturn /otastro My Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/ Yosemite Video http://www.youtube.com/user/yosemitenationalpark?feature=watch

13 years, 3 months

Cloudy in Monrovia

by Morris Jones

Monrovia has about 80% cloud coverage tonight. Jane and I are going to hang out at the corner anyway, for about an hour. If conditions look to improve, we might set up a telescope. Meanwhile, if you're somewhere where you can see the moon tonight, give it a wink! Mojo -- Morris Jones Monrovia, CA http://whiteoaks.com

13 years, 4 months

Sidewalk Astronomy, Dark Sky October trip, Shuttle flyover Friday

by Jane Houston Jones

This Saturday night is International Observe the Moon night -- a kind of an annual worldwide group hug -- around the moon! Saturday the 22nd 7:00 p.m. Myrtle and Lime Library Park corner. If the construction near the fallen tree on the corner blocks some of our area, we may move further down Lime Street but still within Library Park. Friday Night Pasadena, TBA Friday depending on work, shuttle flyover logistics. Other events on this map: We'll be distributing a moon viewing chart I made, and which you can see or download here if you won't be able to make it: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-view.cfm?WUID=1304 October 13 is the fall Mojave National Park Star party. Held in Black Canyon Group Campground near the middle of the park. *RSVP with David Lamfrom at dlamfrom(a)npca.org or 760-219-4916*. Allow time to arrive well before dark, bring something to share to the potluck at 6 p.m, breakfast on your own. Viewing begins at twilight. Details on this flyer: http://mojavepreserve.org/index.php/site/article/star_party_in_the_mjave_na… Park map w/directions http://www.nps.gov/moja/planyourvisit/directions.htm The Shuttle Endeavour begins its final flight from Kennedy Space Center Wednesday morning at 7:15 a.m. It will tour the space coast, land in TX near Johnson Space Center Wednesday, then take off for California on Thursday, arriving at Edwards/Dryden in the late afternoon/evening Thursday. Friday morning, it will take off, fly over Palmdale, Lancaster, Rosamond and Mojave before heading north to Sacramento. There, Endeavour will fly over the Capitol and turn to San Francisco, where those hoping to catch a glimpse of the shuttle are advised to watch from one of several Bay Area museums, including the Chabot Space and Science Center, the Exploratorium, the Bay Area Discovery Museum, the Lawrence Hall of Science and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Once the shuttle reaches the Los Angeles area about 10:30 a.m., the orbiter will be carried over landmarks including the Getty Center, the Griffith Observatory, Malibu and Disneyland before landing at Los Angeles International Airport. It will also fly over the California Science Center in Exposition Park, its new permanent home. (above details from LA Times blog, so more details about the LA portion of the trip) Plans can change, so I suggest you check the local news, the LA Times blog http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/ KPCC Blog http://www.scpr.org/blogs/news for latest southern Cal details Weds - Friday. Finally (whew) if you have not watched the Yosemite Nature Notes "Night Skies" video here it is, along with the others in the fabulous series. Over 100k views and counting - it's turned out to be quite popular! http://www.youtube.com/user/yosemitenationalpark?feature=watch (video 1 and 2 on the list are the same Night Sky video, different screen formats only) Have a great week and weekend, and hope to see you at one or the other of these astronomical places, Jane -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA http://jane.whiteoaks.com/ http://twitter.com/jhjones What's Up for Sept video: Int'l Observe-Wink at the Moon Night http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-archive.cfm Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=JPLnews Yosemite Night Skies Video http://www.youtube.com/user/yosemitenationalpark?feature=watch

13 years, 4 months

Tonight at 8:30 pm, Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers Honor Neil Armstrong

by Jane Houston Jones

We'll have a moment of silence, or rather, as Neil Armstrong's family has asked for, a wink at the moon ( #winkatthemoon twitter hashtag if you are on Twitter) moment at 8:30 p.m. tonight at Monrovia's Library Park. No telescope required if you are at home, but all the OTAstro telescopes will be aimed at the moon tonight at our usual once-a-month moon viewing night. If you can't make it out to our moon viewing event, join a local group, or look up from wherever you are. Gaze at the moon, zero in on the Sea of Tranquility even with your naked eyes and honor a true American hero, Neil Armstrong, who died today. (August 5, 1930 - August 25, 2011) Here is where to look: Green triangle, Apollo 11, halfway between center right edge and center of moon.) http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=804. I was in high school, on a family trip to Mexico on the day Neil Armstrong put the first footprint on the moon. I'll never forget it! Share your own stories with us tonight, or with your friends and family as you look up and wink at the moon. -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA What's Up Podcast for August: Mars as Curiosity lands, Perseids On Youtube: http://is.gd/kPUtSx Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones /CassiniSaturn /otastro My Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/

13 years, 5 months

Friday stargazing cancelled, Saturday on!

by Jane Houston Jones

Sorry stargazers, but Friday sidewalk astronomy in Pasadena is cancelled, but weather permitting, we'll be out in force in Monrovia Saturday night! See you then! -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA What's Up Podcast for August: Mars as Curiosity lands, Perseids On Youtube: http://is.gd/kPUtSx Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones /CassiniSaturn /otastro My Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/

13 years, 5 months

Sidewalk Astronomy this weekend!

by Jane Houston Jones

Here's what happened this month, and What's Up next :-) August: August 5th, while Mars shined in the western sky, NASA's Rover Curiosity landed on the red planet. All month long Mars, Saturn, Spica and the moon have been forming into geometric designs. On the 21st, a diamond with the moon below. On the 22nd, a straight line recalling a baseball diamond with the moon in left field, Mars at third base, Spica at home plate. Saturn just stole first base. We had an interesting planetary lineup on August 12, when the Earth plowed into the wide cometary debris cloud from comet Swift-Tuttle. You could have seen Perseids from July 17th through August 24th. We saw plenty on August 10th and 11th from the Glacier Point Star Party! Dozens of shooting stars well before midnight thrilled hundreds of park guests, when they weren't looking through telescopes. Then on the 13th, a daytime occultation of Venus by the foreground object, our moon. I watched from work, snapped a few naked eye pictures, here's my writeup http://jane.whiteoaks.com/2012/08/18/venus-kissed-the-moon-a-daytime-occult… . Sidewalk astronomy this weekend will probably just be the moon. With a chance at Mars and Saturn, trees and buildings notwithstanding. Aug 24th in Pasadena on Colorado Blvd between Pasadena and Fair Oaks Avenues, where ever we find parking. August 25th in Monrovia at Library Park. September 15 would be our dark sky getaway night this month - if you are interested (weather and heat depending) send me an email. We typically drive 150+ miles one way to Amboy Crater (south of Mojave National Preserve) to avoid light pollution. You won't believe the Milky Way from a dark site. This isn't a camping site, but a paved parking lot next to the crater, with pit toilets, picnoc tables and a great morning hike. If it's too hot we probably won't go. September: International Observe the Moon Night is our regular sidewalk Astronomy night event Saturday September 22nd, so join us as we join astronomers around the world sharing moon views! Friday the 21st is our Pasadena night. Other than that, planets at dawn - a gorgeous Moon and very close Jupiter on September 8th. Venus is lovely in the 3 hours before dawn. And another pretty evening conjunction will find Mars and the moon close together at Sunset on the 19. For those interested in buying a telescope, the annual Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show http://www.rtmcastronomyexpo.org/pats/index.php/ happens in Pasadena September 22 and 23. You can buy PATS tickets in person at the box office on the day of the event ($20) or in advance. You can also mail payment along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Call for details: (626) 449-7360. Heads up for October, our twice-a-year Mojave national Preserve Star Party is scheduled for October 12 and 13. Although the event is not on the MNP conservancy website the last two star parties info is there. The Star Party is Free, with free campsite, but you do need to RSVP to hold a campsite (it's a huge area at Black Canyon Group Campsite, with room for quite a few tents) RSVP with David Lamfrom at dlamfrom(a)npca.org or 760-219-4916 -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA http://jane.whiteoaks.com/ http://twitter.com/jhjones What's Up for August video: Mars as Curiosity lands, Perseids http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-archive.cfm Youtube:http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=JPLnews

13 years, 5 months

Sidewalk Astronomy this weekend!

by Jane Houston Jones

We should have great views of the moon this weekend and a pretty triangle comprised of Mars, Saturn and Spica about 30 degrees above the horizon. Tonight we'll be in Old Town Pasadena, somewhere between Fair Oaks and Pasadena Avenues - we set up where ever we find a parking spot. We'll be there from about 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 or maybe a little later. We don't make it to Pasadena as often as we'd like to so we are looking forward to tonight! Saturday night Myrtle and Lime Streets in Monrovia - our regular spot where we've been serving up views of the solar system once a month since early 2004. In a little more than a week, Mars gets another visitor. On Sunday night at 10:31 p.m. Pacific Time, the Mars Science Laboratory mission's rover named Curiosity lands on the red planet! Tonight at 8 p.m. the landing site will be right smack in the middle of the planet. We might be able to see the dark mark indicating Syrtis Major tonight, even tho' Mars is so very far away, over 150 million miles from Earth, and not much more than a smudge through the telescope. Nevertheless, we're looking right at Gale Crater, the soon-to-be home of Curiosity. If you are interested in following the mission and landing events here's a couple resources for you: My own Mars viewing tips pages with a downloadable flyer (at the bottom of the page) for your own viewing/sharing pleasure is online already. http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-view.cfm?WUID=1224 Our NASA Mars Curiosity Landing Toolkit, with videos, news, images, where to watch landing, etc is here: We update this page every day! http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/msl_landing.cfm And my August What's Up podcast about Mars and the Perseid meteor shower should be available next Wednesday (I hope) Speaking of the Perseids, Mojo and I will be with other members of the San Jose Astronomical Society at Glacier Point/Yosemite August 10 and 11. Each summer weekend (but not full moon weekends) thru Labor Day brings a different Northern CA astro club to Yosemite for free star parties. We kept our memberships in several of our Northern California clubs when we moved south in 2003, mostly so we could attend these events with our telescopes. It's a membership perk! Mojo will give his Milky Way talk both nights, and all the park visitors look through an array of 20+ telescopes, and have a guaranteed perfect Perseid viewing opportunity both nights, with the peak on Saturday night. If you come, bring layers, a blanket, and hydration for the altitude. Plan to stay until well past midnight sitting/lying on the granite steps at the amphitheatre to enjoy the Perseids with us. Finally, if you haven't seen Mojo's lovely astrophotography featured in my July 2012 What's Up video, here it is - it still July, after all. YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjCT53Lm1Kk Other formats and transcripts: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-view.cfm?WUID=1204 Hope to see you out under the clear skies tonight, or to encourage you to look up from your own location, or take your telescope out in your own neighborhood. The one and only Sidewalk Astronomers agenda is to share the skies through telescopes, with you. Jane -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA What's Up Podcast for July: Milky Way, Mars and Saturn On Youtube: http://is.gd/kPUtSx Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones /CassiniSaturn /otastro My Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/

13 years, 6 months

Relay for Life, Eclipses, Transit

by Jane Houston Jones

Tonight Mojo and I will be at Recreation Park for Monrovia's Relay for Life - our local annual American Cancer Society 24 hour walk-a-thon fundraiser. Others from our group will be at Myrtle and Lime from 8 - 9:30 tonight. Walk with us, or look up at the moon, Mars and Saturn as other walk tonight Saturday, June 2 at Monrovia's Relay for Life event at Monrovia Recreation Park, 620 South Shamrock Ave. Please join us (look for telescopes along the walk Saturday night from about 7:30-9:30p.m. as our community fights cancer. http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=entry&fr_id=36809 . It's a great night for stargazing tonight! In other news (sorry we haven't written much, both working super long hours for the last month) May 19 was our semi annual Mojave National Preserve Dark Sky Star party. It was great to see some of you from our list there! Mojo and I got up early Sunday and drove to Mesquite, NV to see the annular "ring of fire" eclipse of the sun and will get up at 3 am Monday morning June 4 for the partial lunar eclipse, weather permitting. Did you know eclipses of the sun and moon always come in groups. A solar eclipse is always accompanied by a lunar eclipse <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47648602/ns/technology_and_science-space/#>two weeks before or after it, since over those two weeks the moon travels halfway around in its orbit and is likely to form another almost straight line with the Earth and sun. If the solar eclipse is a "central" one --- that is, either total or annular --- the lunar eclipse is likely to be one where the moon will only partially interact with the shadow of the Earth. On June 5th 3 p.m. to sunset, witness a rare Transit of Venus - the next one will be in 2117, so don't miss it. Safe solar filters on your telescope, #14 welders glass or pinhole projection are required to view the sun. My podcast *should* be available Monday at the below websites - it's all about the transit, naturally! -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA http://jane.whiteoaks.com/ http://twitter.com/jhjones What's Up for May video: Sunspots and a solar eclipse http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-archive.cfm Youtube:http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=JPLnews

13 years, 8 months

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