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ISS Pass tonight (Saturday Aug 3), Sidewalk Aug 10th, Perseids Aug 12th

by Jane Houston Jones

Hi fellow star lovers! Tonight, there will be an ISS pass visible from the LA region. Step outside and look towards the NNW. It will only get to 41 degrees above the NE horizon (90 degrees is overhead), but still, it's fun to wave to the astronauts, and impress people with your cool forecasting skills. Plus the moon will be visible low in the western sky, and Saturn and brighter Jupiter are visible in the southern sky. You can't miss them, they are both very bright, and beige/butterscotch in color. Then next Saturday night is our monthly Sidewalk Astronomy night. We should have several telescopes next week, after everybody being scattered here and there last month. We'll get underway shortly before sunset at 7:45 p.m. Myrtle and Lime Street corner in Monrovia - same place for 15 years! Finally, the super convenient summer meteor shower, the Perseids, peak on August 12. he full moon is on Aug 15th, so even a day or two before the peak on the evening of the 11th, morning of the 12th would be fine, as there are several days of higher rates on either side of the peak. I think we will be heading someplace dark, without telescopes, and with meteor observing chairs and meteor counting tools (eyes, clipboard, pencil, clock, and coffee) Sunday night the 11th. The NASA What's Up video team will tell you about the Perseids here: https://youtu.be/k74kIAHS-ag I found this nifty moonrise/set - sunrise/set calendar, a good way to eyeball how many hours between moonset and sunrise. Aug 11/12 will provide several hours of darkish sky. https://bit.ly/2MHVsy6 That's all for this month (until something else interesting in the sky occurs) Jane ISS PASS Details: Time: Sat Aug 03 9:34 PM, Visible: 2 min, Max Height: 41°, Appears: 18° above NNW, Disappears: 41° above NE -- Jane Houston Jones, retired JPLer Twitter: @jhjones @otastro http://www.otastro.org/ Astronomy, travel, music, food, cats

6 years, 10 months

SpotTheStation tonight!

by Jane Houston Jones

Local night sky fans: tonight Weds July 27th, 8:56 p.m. I'm out of state, but have a look tonight and wave at the Space Station astronauts on this 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 week! Jane -------- Original Message -------- From: HQ-spotthestation(a)mail.nasa.gov Sent: July 17, 2019 8:57:15 AM PDT To: jane(a)whiteoaks.com Subject: SpotTheStation Time: Wed Jul 17 8:56 PM, Visible: 6 min, Max Height: 71°, Appears: 11° above SW, Disappears: 10° above NE -- From Jane, sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.

6 years, 10 months

Sidewalk Astronomy tonight

by Jane Houston Jones

From before sunset tonight (at 8:00 p.m.) to about 9:30 p.m. a few Sidewalk Astronomers will be at Myrtle and Lime streets in Monrovia. Some of us are on vacation or otherwise engaged this summer Saturday, but if you are out and about a few Astronomers should be there to show Jupiter, moon, possibly Saturn! Cheers! Jane and Mojo (not available tonight) -- From Jane, sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.

6 years, 11 months

Sidewalk Astronomy tonight - Monrovia Myrtle-Lime 8-10 p.m.

by Jane Houston Jones

We'll be out a little later tonight. Sunset isn't until 8 p.m. so that's when we'll start observing at our usual Myrtle and Lime corner in Monrovia CA. The moon is a few days from first quarter, so will appear as a chonky crescent tonight. We've just about lost views of Mars this apparition, you might glimpse it near the western horizon with unaided eye after sunset, but it will be too low to aim a telescope at from our corner. Jupiter is beginning its months-long reign as King of the planets in the night sky sky this month. Despite all the hype about Jupiter's brightness and closest approach (opposition) to the Earth in its orbit this week, this isn't the easiest time to view the planet early in the evening. Just like the full moon phase, Jupiter Opposition means Jupiter is "opposite" the sun, rising sunset *opposite* the sun and setting near sunrise. At 8 p.m. sunset tonight, Jupiter will only be a few degrees above the eastern horizon. It may clear the trees in Monrovia by 10 p.m. tonight but will be best to see around midnight for the next few weeks, when it reaches its highest altitude, which is only 30 degrees above the horizon. Each week it will reach this highest point a half hour earlier, so July and August will be prime viewing months. So tonight's view, when Jupiter will be lower in the sky won't provide awesome views. For awesomness, set your alarm, step outside between midnight and dawn over the next few months. With some moderate-sized binoculars and a steady view (use a fence or post to steady/balance the binos) aim at Jupiter and you should be able to see the Galilean moons! Hope to see some of you tonight! Jane Jane Houston Joneshttp://www.otastro.org/ <http://www.otastro.org/>

7 years

clouds and atmosphere = poor moon viewing, so we are cancelling

by Jane Houston Jones

Tonight should be our sidewalk night in Monrovia, but the clouds won't clear until 8 p.m. and there is a line of small but powerful thunderstorms between us and Antelope Valley. So we are cancelling tonight's sidewalk astronomy to protect our telescopes, and not disappointing our guests with poor views of the moon. Next dates are June 8 and 15. If, you happen to look up and see the moon from home or from your evening stroll tonight, you can use these links below to identify features with your unaided eye. The moon is at First Quarter tonight May 11, 2019 at 6:12 pm. You can find the phases of the moon every month in What's Up video from JPL now. And I've included the link to my very favorite moon map below. What's Up video ends with the month's moon phases - a great addition to the video! https://youtu.be/VoivZE4xLEw Time and date -- a calendar of lunar phases for the year, just select your location for precision: https://www.timeanddate.com/moon/phases/ --> Moon Map I love! The awesome Lunar and Planetary Sciences Lunar Landing Site Chart: https://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/mapcatalog/LandingSite/ Next sidewalk dates are June 8 and/or 15, weather permitting. Over and out! Jane and the sidewalk gang -- Jane Houston Jones, retired JPLer Twitter: @jhjones @otastro http://www.otastro.org/ Astronomy, travel, music, food, cats

7 years

ISS pass tonight, Sidewalk Astronomy Saturday (weather permitting.

by Jane Houston Jones

First, tonight, a nice high ISS pass! Time: Tue Apr 09 8:15 PM, Visible: 3 min, Max Height: 71°, Appears: 36° above WNW, Disappears: 19° above SE. Sign up for your own alerts at the NASA "Spot The Station" website https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/ Next, /NASA's What's Up podcast/ continues with a new team, but three of us Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers are credited in the April video with image contributions here: https://youtu.be/iZAKN8IiUdU Finally, Saturday night, some of us will be out with telescopes in Monrovia from sunset (7 p.m. DST) and for about 2 hours after that, so come on down to Library Park at the Myrtle and Lime corner. We'll be looking at the Moon and Mars, maybe the Pleiades or some other things not marred by light pollution. Watch /What's Up/ for some good viewing suggestions for the whole month, including how to find Polaris, the North Star! Hint: It is not bright, but is easy to find. -- Jane Houston Jones, retired JPLer Twitter: @jhjones @otastro http://www.otastro.org/ Astronomy, travel, music, food, cats

7 years, 2 months

Sidewalk Astronomy in Monrovia: On tonight

by Jane Houston Jones

Come out and join us tonight!!!!! Monrovia, Myrtlee and Lime Street corner after sunset which is 7 p.m. tonight. We'll be there for about 2 hours. Jane and the OTastro gang -- Jane Houston Jones, retired JPLer Twitter: @jhjones @otastro http://www.otastro.org/ Astronomy, travel, music, food, cats

7 years, 2 months

Short sidewalk astronomy night tonight!

by Jane Houston Jones

It's cold and windy, but 4 of us will be out early for sidewalk astronomy tonight. Myrtle and Lime, Monrovia. 6 p.m. till 7:30 p.m. No promises that we'll be out later. Jane -- From Jane, sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.

7 years, 3 months

Short sidewalk astronomy night tonight!

by Jane Houston Jones

7 years, 3 months

Pretty sun-lit clouds :-( Also ISS pass tonight!

by Jane Houston Jones

ISS Pass again tonight. Time: Sat Feb 09 6:53 PM, Visible: 5 min, Max Height: 48°, Appears: 10° above WNW, Disappears: 26° above SSE The forecast is partly cloudy, Gary just stepped out and sees increasing clouds and no visible moon. The temperatures are dropping, and none of the astronomers appear to be available tonight, so we won't be bringing telescopes out tonight for all those reasons. If you feel so inclined, and can see some patches of sky, step outside to see the ISS pass at 6:52 p.m. and look for the slim crescent moon. It's 22% illuminated, and sets at 10 p.m. We may try again next Saturday but some of us are not available then either. Hang in there for better weather and less busy volunteer astronomers. Jane -- Jane Houston Jones, JPL Retiree Astronomer, music lover, JPL retiree My Final What's Up Astronomy podcast #138: Dec 2018 Jane’s finale. An awesome comet https://go.nasa.gov/2DUnUsg All 138 What’s Ups since 2007: https://go.nasa.gov/2usaBaB

7 years, 3 months

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