It doesn't appear the clouds are going to clear for tonight's first
quarter moon viewing in Monrovia, so this is the official cancellation.
And since next month's first quarter moon falls on the fourth of July
weekend we're cancelling those observing sessions, too. Monrovia has a
wonderful fourth of July celebration, so for those local to our town,
enjoy the fireworks and festivities along Myrtle Avenue on Saturday the
4th. And visit the new Monrovia Library at Myrtle between Palm and Lime
Street - it's spectacular!
Back to the moon - I just posted my very first astronomy article on my
blog. It's called "A day in the life of the moon" and it got me started
with astronomical writing , lunar observing and sketching nearly 20
years ago. It's here, along with some other musings and sketchings
http://jane.whiteoaks.com/
Jane, Mojo and the Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers
Jane Houston Jones
Monrovia, CA
Website: www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
My NASA JPL What's Up podcast: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup.cfm
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjoneshttp://twitter.com/CassiniSaturn
Blog: http://jane.whiteoaks.com/
This persistent marine layer makes it difficult to see the sky, even the
bright moon tonight. So we're going to call off sidewalk astronomy in
Pasadena tonight, and see if it's any better tomorrow in Monrovia.
Cheers,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
Twitter: http://twitter.com/mojo_la
Sorry everyone, I hit the send button too soon! I meant to communicate with
only our small group of telescope wranglers who do bring telescopes to
support non-profit or public events like this one, when time (and skies)
permits.
But since I accidentally sent it out to everyone on our event list, the
event I referred to is a wonderful play being offered this past weekend and
next weekend May 22, 23, and 24th at Caltech. Check it out if you have the
time!
Details:
The Theater Arts at Caltech (TACIT) presents five outdoor performances of
Bertolt Brecht¹s Life of Galileo on campus at Gates Annex Patio beginning
May 15.
Presented by Caltech Performing and Visual Arts, the event is priced at $18;
$9 for seniors and students; $5 for youth. Caltech, Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, and group discounts are available.
TACIT presents Brecht¹s Life of Galileo on May 15, 16, 17 and 22, 23, 24.
All performance times are at 8 p.m. except Sundays at 7 p.m. and the
exception of May 16, which features a special alumni performance beginning
at 6 p.m. TACIT¹s staging of Life of Galileo coincides with the
International Year of Astronomy and celebrates the 400th anniversary of the
discovery of the telescope.
http://pasadenanow.com/main/2009/05/12/caltech-presents-brian-brophy-directe
d-life-of-galileo/
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
Saturnobs http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/Education/saturnobservation/
NEW!!What's Up for May: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup.cfm
I had already replied that the logistics of setup (hauling telescope from parking on street to lawn, then move cars, then repeat to take down) was not good for us. And I thought I put them in touch with Vahrun at Caltech. Notice she says Mars is up. Eek! 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
Saturnobs http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/Education/saturnobservation/
NEW!!What's Up for May: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup.cfm
------ Forwarded Message
From: "Tanner, Angelle M" <angelle.m.tanner(a)jpl.nasa.gov>
Date: Sun, 17 May 2009 23:29:54 -0700
To: "Jones, Jane H" <jane.h.jones(a)jpl.nasa.gov>
Conversation: would like to book you and your telescopes
Subject: RE: would like to book you and your telescopes
Hey, do you think you and the others might be interested in setting up telescopes for
this weekend's Life of Galileo performance? We did not do the ren faire this weekend
so there was no time. We have performances on Fri, Sat and Sun at 8, 8, and 7pm.
Saturn is up and so is Mars.
Steven Collins (JPL) is the lead and he is amazing! Ya'll should at least come to the show.
Angelle
-----------------------------------------------------------
Angelle Tanner
SBAR/JPL
626-354-1296
-----------------------------------------------------------
Hi again Old Town Astronomy fans! Here is news about a really cool event -
and the Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers will be participating with our
telescopes! If you'd like to help out (by handing out bookmarks or aiming a
solar-safe telescope, or just hang out and learn what to say and do at a
large public astronomy event) email me by May 31 and I'll see if there is a
spot for you to help out. Thanks, Jane
PS I have this "press release" in a PDF format, which I can send to you for
community posting if you'd like.
PPS It's an IYA event, not a sidewalk astronomy event. I'm just working on
the JPL activities and the telescope activities, not the entire event.
(whew)
Public Celebration of IYA2009 in Pasadena on June 6
Contacts:
Douglas Isbell
U.S. Single-Point-of-Contact for IYA2009
Phone: 520-991-0380
Email: disbell(a)astronomy2009.us
Jake Noel-Storr
Rochester Institute of Technology
Phone: 585-475-2521
Email: jake(a)cis.rit.edu
USIYA09-04
May 12, 2009
Public Celebration of International Year of Astronomy 2009 in Pasadena on
June 6
The public is invited to a celebration of the International Year of
Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) on Saturday, June 6, from 4-8 p.m. at the
Pasadena (Calif.) Convention Center, followed by public stargazing with
small telescopes on the convention center plaza until 9:30 p.m.
A variety of fun, family oriented, hands-on activities and exhibit booths
will be provided, including solar observing and a 100-foot scale model
solar system, presented by organizations attending the subsequent summer
meeting of the American Astronomical Society, with special additions from
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Representatives from the popular
Astronomy Cast podcast and the Galaxy Zoo citizen-science project will be
among the exhibitors in the indoor “AstroZone.” Special indoor
presentations will be made using a portable planetarium and a digital data
immersion environment from the Rochester Institute of Technology.
For updates on exhibits and organizations at the event, visit the
AstroZone Web site at www.imascientist.org/astrozone. For more
information on the SCUBE digital immersion environment, see
insight.cis.rit.edu/SCUBE/.
“Pasadena and greater Los Angeles is one of the world’s leading centers of
astronomy, both historically and today,” said Douglas Isbell, the U.S.
single point of contact for IYA2009. “We look to this public event on
June 6 to help us get the second half of the International Year of
Astronomy off to a stellar start, as we anticipate the distribution of
many thousand copies of our new Galileoscope telescope kit around the
world, and several exciting citizen-science projects.”
Driving directions to the Pasadena Convention Center and information on
parking is available at the Web site pasadenacenter.com/-directions.html.
The outdoor astronomy activities and bazaar will be held in the central
plaza marked by a rose and purple background on the street map posted
there.
The telescope viewing, and some of the afternoon outdoor activities on
June 6 are weather dependent. The planet Saturn, in particular, will be
well positioned for viewing that evening. Small telescopes for public
viewing will be provided by members of the Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers
(www.otastro.org).
Commemorating 400 years since Galileo first used a telescope for
astronomical research, IYA2009 is designed to help the citizens of the
world to rediscover their place in the Universe through viewing the day-
and night-time skies, to appreciate the impact of astronomy and basic
sciences on our daily lives, and to better understand how scientific
knowledge can contribute to a more equitable and peaceful society.
Astronomers and educators in 140 countries aim to stimulate worldwide
interest in astronomy and science, especially among young people, under
the central IYA2009 theme‚"The Universe, Yours to Discover."
Major IYA2009 events to come include collaboration with the Year of
Science 2009 in July
(www.yearofscience2009.org/themes_astronomy/celebrate/), featuring a
public imaging contest using NASA’s MicroObservatory network, globally
connected star parties focused on observing the Moon on August 1 and
Jupiter (and its moons) on October 23-24, the Great World Wide Star Count
from October 9-23, and further expansion of the new Portal to the Universe
Web site (www.portaltotheuniverse.org).
To learn more about IYA2009, visit www.astronomy2009.org. Additional
information on the U.S. plans and programs for IYA can be found at
www.astronomy2009.us.
The U.S. IYA2009 program is supported by the National Science Foundation
and NASA, and by private donations. The American Astronomical Society is
the U.S. liaison to the IYA2009 program via the International Astronomical
Union. Key U.S. partners include the Astronomical Society of the Pacific,
the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center
for Astrophysics, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and the National Radio
Astronomy Observatory.
The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena manages JPL for NASA.
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
Saturnobs http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/Education/saturnobservation/
NEW!!What's Up for May: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup.cfm
I've been following Twitter and NASA TV at work watching the historic
"Grapple" of Hubble by shuttle STS-125, Atlantis this morning. It was very
exciting and so I thought I'd share it with you all.
For those of you not near your TV, computer, or don't follow NASA on
Twitter, here is a little diary of the past hour and a half.
Fr NASA 9:10 a.m. Pacific: To watch the shuttle capture Hubble at 12:56pm
ET and for the first views of the telescope in 7 years, go to:
www.nasa.gov/ntv
Fr NASA 9:10 a.m. Shuttle Atlantis performed a small mid-course correction
burn during approach to Hubble. Grapple is set to occur at about 12:54pm ET.
Fr NASA 9:10 a.m. Pacific Atlantis is now closing in at 1.2 feet/sec and is
just under 700 feet from Hubble.
Fr Spaceflight Now 9:30 a.m.: Atlantis is now 300 feet directly below
Hubble. http://tinyurl.com/o3urko
Fr NASA 9:30 a.m.The Hubble team at Hubble's control center is doing
commanding sequences to prepare it for Atlantis, which is about 250 ft
beneath Hubble.
NASA abt 9:30 a.m. Less than 24 minutes to grapple! Watch with Mission
Control as Atlantis lines up w/Hubble: www.nasa.gov/ntv DishNet Ch. 123
DirecTV Ch. 283
Fr NASA 9:40 a.m. To watch the shuttle capture Hubble at 12:56pm ET and for
the first views of the telescope in 7 years, go to: www.nasa.gov/ntv
Fr NASA 10:05 a.m. Atlantis now closes the final 100 feet, moving at a speed
of only a tenth of a ft/sec. The estimated time of grapple is 1:05pm ET.
Fr Spaceflightnow 10:09 a.m. Hubble coming into view of the camera mounted
at the end of the shuttle's robot arm as the shuttle inches closer.
http://tinyurl.com/o3urko
Fr SpaceflightNow 10:14 a.m. The shuttle's robot arm is now reaching out to
grab the telescope.
Fr NASA 10:15 a.m. The Hubble Space Telescope has been captured by space
shuttle Atlantis' robotic arm. It now will be moved into the shuttle's cargo
bay.
Fr alexismadrigal(Wired Science) 10:15 a.m. Hubble is the hottest tin can of
all time. http://twitpic.com/53ouw Look at her all lit up.
Spaceflightnow 10:45 a.m.Communications regained with Hubble. Everything
looks good for berthing the telescope in the cargo bay.
http://tinyurl.com/o3urko
Scifri (Science Friday) at 10:47 a.m. Atlantis crew has been given a 'go' to
start work on pulling Hubble into its berth in the shuttle bay.
PeterKingCBS 10:50 a.m. Atlantis astronaut Megan McArthur operating robot
arm to bring Hubble into shuttle's cargo bay for its makeover.
Gyeehill (JPL friend) at 10:50 a.m. Atlantis can see the Baja peninsula and
soon Southern Cal. (((( waving ))))) Hi! Astro_Mike !!!!!!!
Watch NASA TV on your computer:
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html?param=public
Watch NASA TV www.nasa.gov/ntv, DishNet Ch. 213, DirecTV Ch. 283
Now I'll return you to your regular programming. Hope you enjoy this
play-by-play. :-) Jane
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jhjones
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
Saturnobs http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/Education/saturnobservation/
NEW!!What's Up for May: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup.cfm
While there are partly cloudy spots around L.A. county, the Monrovia end
of the San Gabriel Valley seems to have a permanent knot of clouds
backed up against the mountains.
So with little chance of any sky, we're going to call off sidewalk
astronomy in Monrovia tonight.
We'll try again soon ...
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.orghttp://twitter.com/mojo_la
Jane and everyone at JPL are busily scurrying around getting everything
ready for the annual JPL Open House this weekend. She may have a
followup when she comes up for air! Meanwhile there's information at
JPL's web site:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/open-house.cfm
Jane will be with volunteers manning solar telescopes, and offering
views, if there is sun! Also look for your favorite Old Town Astronomers
in the Int'l Year of Astronomy film being shown in the auditorium.
They have huge crowds, and it's good to be there early if you can. I
don't think one day is much better than the other.
It's also our sidewalk astronomy weekend, Friday and Saturday. Right
now the weather forecast is not looking promising for either night, but
I'll send an update tomorrow.
Best regards,
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
Twitter: http://twitter.com/mojo_la
Last weekend was an adventurous one for several of us who spent two
nights in the Mojave National Preserve. While Friday was a bit harrowing
with high winds, Saturday was a great day for exploring the park, and
observing galaxies in the dark sky at night.
I have an article here about the trip:
http://mojo.whiteoaks.com/2009/04/26/snakes-tortoises-and-stars/
and a photo album with some cool tortoise video shot by Jane here:
http://photo.whiteoaks.com/2009-04-25-mojave/
We had such a good time that we're contemplating doing it again next
month. If you've never had much opportunity to get out from under the
L.A. light dome, you might consider joining us. From Monrovia it's
about 215 miles of easy drive.
If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, let me know as
soon as you can. The new moon weekend in May is May 23-24. If there
are enough interested parties, we can reserve the same group camping area.
I'll follow this message with information about this coming weekend.
Mojo
--
Morris Jones
Monrovia, CA
http://www.whiteoaks.com
Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org
Twitter: http://twitter.com/mojo_la
