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by Jane Houston Jones

For those of you escaping the urban jungle this holiday weekend, pack a pair of binoculars and enjoy the glorious Milky Way after the sight of fireworks is over. A pretty march of the planets is underway too. Mars and Saturn are inching closer to one another (from out vantage point on Earth, that is) with Venus not too far away - all grouped in the western sky at sunset. The sky looked exactly like the images in this month's What's Up podcast at our recent desert outing. In fact, nearly all the astrophotos in July's podcast were taken on that June 12-13 night by Mojo from our dark sky astronomy location. Out next outing should be July 10. If you are interested in seeing an amazing summer sky through big and small telescopes, let me know. We haven't quite decided if and where we'll go, as the desert heats up in the summer, even at night! I have a new webpage for my What's Up podcast and occasional blog entries on our NASA Solar System Exploration website. Here's the new News and Events webpage, and from here you can get to this month's podcast and more. http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/index.cfm And join me and take a stroll through the new Solar System web content. My group at work has been developing, writing and coding it for a year now! There is great kids content! I double dog dare you to try these puzzles! http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/kids/puzzles.cfm YouTube version of the podcast is easier for some people so here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=JPLnews#g/u We'll keep you in the loop with regard to celestial happenings, and we both have some work travel this month. I get to go to Washington DC and be Galileo with my Galilean telescope replica. :-) -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA What's Up July 2010? Dark Nebulae! http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/index.cfm What's Up Podcast on YouTube: http://is.gd/c3r1i Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones http://twitter.com/CassiniSaturn http://twitter.com/otastro Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/

15 years, 8 months

Sidewalk astronomy Saturday in Monrovia

by Morris Jones

Hi all! Because of other commitments, we're not going to be able to set up in Pasadena tonight, but the weather looks good for tomorrow Saturday evening in Monrovia. We'll be at the corner of Myrtle & Lime from about 8:00 'til 10:00 p.m. We should have good views on tap of the moon and Saturn, with possibly some looks at Venus. If there are still some folks who want help setting up a new telescope, drop me a note. I'll be happy to meet you on the corner at about 6:30 while it's still daylight. On "new moon" weekends like last week, we frequently travel out to the Colorado Desert south of Joshua Tree. Jane and I both wrote some great reports on last week's observing. Jane had a "Ten Planet" observing night, while I captured some fun astrophotos: Jane's Ten Planet night: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/2010/06/14/a-ten-planet-night/ Mojo's pictures: http://mojo.whiteoaks.com/2010/06/13/observing-report-dark-desert-june-skie… Best regards, Mojo -- Morris Jones Monrovia, CA http://mojo.whiteoaks.com http://twitter.com/mojo_la Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org

15 years, 9 months

What's Up for June? A planetary necklace!

by Jane Houston Jones

If you were to pick a weekend for all-night stargazing, this weekend would an excellent choice! From dusk on Saturday all the way to dawn on Sunday you'll be treated to a starry necklace of planets, all strung out along the ecliptic plane of our solar system. By midnight or so the Milky Way will begin to span the sky, too! It will be possible to see all 8 planets, 10 if you count Ceres and Pluto (from a dark sky, that is). ;-) Planetary jewelry is topic of the June what's Up podcast, by the way, which you can download from the Solar System Exploration website, complete with additional links. http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-archive.cfm Also on the JPL website: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ and YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=JPLnews#g/u In addition to the great planet lineup, early risers will also see a comet, and an asteroid or minor planet, plus you can hunt for Pluto, now demoted to dwarf planet status, but still very special. To see the comet - Comet C/2009 R1 (McNaught) scan the NE sky with your binoculars 15 -20 degrees above the horizon - it will be near the brightest star of Perseus, Alpha Persei or Mirfak - ahhh, that was where the pretty Comet Holmes was just two years ago! It is on the edge of naked eye visibility, which is made difficult due to the low horizon + the nearness of dawn. Comet McNaught gets 1 degree lower every night after the 15th, until it is lost from our view as it reaches perihelion, or its closest approach to the sun on July 2nd. This weekend is the best and nearly the last time to see it. If you snooze through this one you will definitely lose! Minor planets? Dwarf planets? You betcha! Ceres and Pluto are to be found right smack in the thickest part of the summer Milky Way - in the "steam" rising from teapot-shaped Sagittarius constellation. Pluto skims the star cluster M24 and Ceres just stepped out of the Lagoon Nebula, M8. Both the "M's" are naked eye clumps in the Milky Way, and glorious in binoculars. Early morning just before looking for comet McNaught will be a fine time to hunt these two down from a dark sky with a good skychart or star tour guide. From the greater LA area you can still see the brighter planets and you can try for the comet. It doesn't rise until 2 am and the best time to see it will be when it is as high as it gets, just before the the crack of dawn. You need a pretty decent flat horizon (aka no mountains, hills, trees, buildings) to your Northeast. It will only be about 20 degrees above the horizon at its highest. You may see the comet, and some of the faint tail. You won't see the detail shown in astrophotos - those are time exposures, and our eyes don't have those settings, unfortunately. :-( Almost every month your Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers step away from the sidewalk, drive 150+ miles each way, take big and small telescopes out to some of Southern California's great dark sky locations. We are happy to take friends on star tours - but ask first as some of our locations only have room for a couple extra cars (also no trucks or RV's this weekend for example) You can enjoy the darker skies all summer long from many city, state and national parks with nothing more than a pair of binoculars! Pencil in these dates to check against your calendars - these are the dark sky weekends. The week before these is also decent. June 12, July 10, August 7th and September 4+11. September 4th some of us will be at Glacier Point in Yosemite serving up free public stargazing. Anyone in the park is welcome to attend and look through the San Jose Astronomical Association's member telescopes, if you are hiking in the day, bring layers for the night. Glacier Point has astronomy every weekend from July 4 - Labor Day, with different astronomy clubs from Northern California sponsoring each weekend, except for the full moon. Members bring telescopes, guests get looks all night long, weather and telescope operator endurance permitting, that is. That's all for this month, :-) Sky and Telescope comet charts http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/highlights/94277259.html Charts for Pluto, Neptune, Uranus - scroll to bottom http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance Ceres finder chart: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/highlights/94737944.html -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA My blog about Jupiter impacts: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/ My What's Up podcast June 2010: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup.cfm Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones http://twitter.com/CassiniSaturn

15 years, 9 months

New telescope owners (followup)

by Morris Jones

To follow up with Jane's post to the list, we'll be repeating the New Telescope Owner's clinic this Saturday in Monrovia, as described here: http://mail.otastro.org/pipermail/otevents/2010-April/000250.html If you're interested in attending, please drop me a note to reserve a spot. I try to keep it to one astronomer per new telescope, so we don't beat each other up. :) 6:00 p.m. Saturday, Library Park, Monrovia 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, 10 months

Herpetology meeting tonight at Eaton Canyon, sidewalk astronomy on the weekend

by Jane Houston Jones

Hi everyone! We've conducted a couple "Herping Star parties" with the SW Herpetology Society - both astronomers and herpetologists like new moon nights. :-) , I've attended one of their San Gabriel Valley chapter meetings at Eaton Canyon Nature Center at 1750 North Altadena Drive, Pasadena. I see they have a meeting tonight, and I plan on attending. :-) Might not be your cup of tea, but it's a fun nature hobby and I am learning a lot about lizards, tortoises and even snakes! The SGV Chapter is having a Herp Show-&-Tell for our May 20th meeting - meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. Bring your favorite, or your most interesting, herp and tell us what you have observed and learned about it. Please NO VENOMOUS in person, but photos are OK. Also, we have a few raffle items for tonight's meeting. Guests are welcome! BTW, here is my latest herpetology adventure - The Chuckwallas of Amboy Crater: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/ :-) Sidewalk astronomy this weekend - weather permitting, and it does look like weather will permit. :-) Moon, Saturn and Mars will be on view. Old Town Pasadena 7:30 - 9:30 - someplace on Colorado Blvd between Fair Oaks and Pasadena Avenues. Old Town Monrovia - 7:30 - 9:30 - Myrtle and Lime streets. Could be earlier if someone has signed up for telescope clinic - but I don't think anyone has....Two of the regulars, including me, will be at a Girl Scout star party Saturday night, but there will still be telescopes on our Monrovia corner. :-) That's all for now. Jane Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA Latest Blog: Some thoughts about Cancer http://is.gd/c0wVU What's Up May 2010? Constellation Stories http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup.cfm What's Up Podcast on YouTube: http://is.gd/c3r1i Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones http://twitter.com/CassiniSaturn Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/

15 years, 10 months

Constellation Story podcast and JPL annual open house this weekend

by Jones, Jane H (1862)

Last August, I sat in a huge tent in the middle of an Ontario (Canada) field waiting to give my talk at the annual Starfest star party. The speaker before me was playing a drum, and singing and telling star stores. The drummer was Wilfred Buck, a Cree First Nation Elder and Science Educator with the Manitoba First Nation Education Resource Center. Wilfred travels the length and breadth of the Canadian province of Manitoba presenting starlab planetarium shows to nearly 60 First Nation schools with 17,000 students. While he drummed, he sang songs and told star and constellation stories he gathered first-hand from Cree First Nation Elders. When it was dark, he took us out into the field and pointed out the constellations while he told even more star tales. :-) I was literally star-struck with his presentation and stargazing stories, and asked him for a copy of it. Over the months, we became friends, and I asked him if I could write up some of the stories and share them with others. He said yes, and then then invited me to the annual First Nation Science Fair in late March (it was awesome!!). Here is how I presented his stories on my blog last year. http://is.gd/b8Lps Recently, I asked him if I could do one of my monthly NASA podcasts about the Cree Constellation stories he shared at the August star partt and he said yes and reviewed my script. :-) So with the rich Cree constellation paintings as a base, Wilfred's stories as the glue, I added some ancient star charts and constellation stories from other cultures to make May's What's Up podcast. And here it is: The SSE version has related links - stories of the Night sky, including one video of Wilfred telling a big bear tale, so click through the links. http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-view.cfm?WUID=364 Youtube might be easier for some: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=JPLnews#g/u iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/nasacast-whats-up-video-podcasts/id252873 558 Please share with whoever you want. Oh, and this weekend is JPL Open House. On display will be Hubble's Wide-Field Planetary Camera 2 - the camera that saved Hubble! It was built at JPL and was in the Spacecraft Assembly Facility being built when I first visited JPL on a visitor tour over 20 years ago. I'll be in the Solar System exhibit area this year accessorized as Galileo, thanks to Caroline and Joan from our sidewalk astronomers club. I'll be holding a Galilean telescope replica and pointing to missions displays for future missions to the outer planets. Stop by and see me, and I'll also point you to the Cassini exhibit where one of our other sidewalk astronomers, Dr. Scott, will be stationed part of the weekend. :-) Get all the details here: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ Over and Out! 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 What's Up For May - Constellation Stories http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-archive.cfm

15 years, 10 months

Mother's Day planets :-)

by Jane Houston Jones

Happy Mothers day everyone! For you early risers, at dawn on Sunday, May 9th--Mother's Day--the crescent Moon and Jupiter are getting together for a lovely conjunction. Only 5 degrees will separate the two bright celestial delights as they hang together in the sunrise-colored sky. Look for Jupiter below the moon - about the distance of your fist, held up to the sky. If you don't get up early, enjoy the planetary lineup tonight (or any night now). Bright Venus is lower and brighter, Saturn and Mars are higher - Mars is overhead slightly to the west. Wendy took her telescope out to the desert this week and shared views of Saturn with her archaeologists, geologist , botanist, biologist and other ologist staff at their retreat. Kudos to Wendy!!! She is an official Sidewalk Astronomer now, and I'll have to make her a nametag and let her borrow my big telescope now. :-) . Morning chart looking East http://science.nasa.gov/media/medialibrary/2010/05/06/skymap_morning.gif Evening chart looking West http://science.nasa.gov/media/medialibrary/2010/05/06/skymap_evening.gif Speaking of big telescopes, Mojo and I are all packed for a night of desert stargazing tonight out past Indio. It will be our first shirtsleeve weather night. It's short notice, but here are the directions - you can send us (mojane(a)whiteoaks.com) an email if you are planning to come out. Bring lots of water, gonna be hot out there!!! http://www.otastro.org/chuckwalla.html Next weekend, which is our usual new moon outing is also JPL Open House http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/open-house.cfm, so I am working all weekend and can't go play with the stars. :-( Come see me in the solar system exhibit. I will be cross dressing (as Galileo) with a replica of his telescope. Something like this http://photo.whiteoaks.com/2010-03-03-LPSC/slides/IMG_5668.html, but nicer thanks to my sidewalk buddy Caroline, who is helping with some 17th century accessories :-) -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA Website: www.whiteoaks.com Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org What's Up March 2010? Saturn & 21Lutetia! http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup.cfm What's Up Podcast on YouTube: http://bit.ly/bBUANa Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones http://twitter.com/CassiniSaturn Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/

15 years, 10 months

New telescope owners ...

by Morris Jones

We often get questions from fans who have a telescope in the closet and aren't sure how to use it. We had good luck in San Francisco offering a "New Telescope Owner's Clinic" before their monthly city star party. I'd like to do that in Monrovia this Saturday. The best time to get acquainted with your telescope is during the day. We can help set it up, align the finder, and collimate a dobsonian. We can help you learn how to find objects, choose an eyepiece, and practice observing things before it actually gets dark. What we can't do is align a computerized telescope based on alignment with bright stars. If you are interested in doing this, please send me a reply to this email, and plan to join me in Library Park at Myrtle and Lime at 6:00 on Saturday. Bring your telescope and any supplies, along with an owner's manual if you have one. We'll be able to observe the moon even during the daylight. I'll bring a tool box and maybe a solar telescope. If I don't hear from you, I won't make plans to be there 'til about sunset. 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, 11 months

Moon and planets this weekend

by Morris Jones

Weather looks good for sidewalk astronomy this weekend. We'll have a waxing gibbous moon, Saturn, and possibly a glimpse of Venus and Mars. We plan to be in Old Town Pasadena this evening (Friday), and Old Town Monrovia Saturday evening, 7:30 'til 9:30 p.m. In Pasadena, look for telescopes on Colorado Blvd., on the north side of the street, somewhere in the two-block stretch from Fair Oaks to Pasadena Ave. In Monrovia, we'll be on the corner of Myrtle and Lime, at Library Park. Saturn should be a treat, with the rings barely four degrees open right now. Venus is the brightest star in the west, following the sun into the horizon. It's in a gibbous phase right now, on the far side of the sun from earth. It will be fun to watch later in the year as it swings towards earth and changes to crescent phase. Mars continues moving further away from earth. While it's high in the sky, we don't expect to see more than a pumpkin-colored dot at this point. If you're up before dawn, as I usually am, look for bright Jupiter in the east, having risen just an hour or so before the sun. 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

Clouds in the desert/great free talk Weds nite

by Jane Houston Jones

Just as I hit the send button, we looked at the Clear Sky chart for our desert observing location, and it went from "Clear" to "Cloudy" . :-( http://cleardarksky.com/c/DsrtCntrCAkey.html?1 So anyone contemplating a trip to see the stars, let's try again another time. Mojo and I are still heading out to Joshua Tree National Park for wildflowers but might do our stargazing at Disneyland tonight instead. ;-) Do look up tonight! Venus, Moon, Saturn and Mars are waiting! In addition to sidewalk astronomy next weekend, here is a great free talk: "Quest for a living World" moderated by "Bad Astronomer" Phil Plait. It's free and open to the public starting at 7:30 at the Beckman Auditorium. Here's the link http://events.caltech.edu/events/event-7421.html Jane -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA Website: www.whiteoaks.com Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org What's Up March 2010? Saturn & 21Lutetia! http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup.cfm What's Up Podcast on YouTube: http://bit.ly/bBUANa Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones http://twitter.com/CassiniSaturn Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/

15 years, 11 months

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