OTEvents

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497 discussions

by Jane Houston Jones

Tonight our astronomers are spread among several events, out of town, or sick (me). Tonight is a make-up night for last Saturday's cloud-out, so if you are out and about in Monrovia stop by! Sunset is at 8:09 p.m. tonight, but since the moon will be visible before sunset, a few telescopes should be aiming at the moon beginning near 8 p.m. until about 9:30 p.m. Myrtle and Lime Street corner, Monrovia CA. On tap tonight ;-) will be Venus about 30 degrees above the Western horizon after sunset. The moon, which was so pretty last night to the right of Jupiter, appears slightly bigger, and to the left of Jupiter tonight in the Southern sky, shining at magnitude -2.3. Compare it yourself to Venus, which is magnitude -4 and to the moon, which is magnitude -11 tonight. You can see all three easily with no telescope required, from the brightest urban location! Saturn won't rise until about 8:30 tonight, and won't be visible above the Myrtle Street rooftop and trees until after we shut down. So, if you step out at home after 10:30 p.m you'll see Saturn to the Southeast (left of) Jupiter and the moon. It's a gorgeous lineup. Saturn's magnitude is 0! Here is a graph explaining stellar magnitudes if this is a new concept for you http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/what-is-stellar-magnitude In a few weeks, Mars will be brighter than Jupiter, making it the third brightest object (Moon/Venus/Mars/Jupiter for a few weeks on either side of its closest approach to Earth since 2003. Mars reaches closest approach July 31, and will be visible rising in the East around sunset late next month. You'll have to stay up a few extra hours to have a good view of Mars tonight and next month (try midnight to dawn). Some of us will be going out of town with our telescopes (Borrego Spring) for Mars Opposition July 27-28 so if you are interested in information send me a note! We'll just be informally setting up telescopes in the hotel parking lot probably. It will be hot during the day, comfortable by midnight, and we cannot predict the weather, or be able to give weather updates. We will be repeating our long drive to southern California in August 2003 when Mars was last this close to Earth. A few months later in 2003, we moved South and started the Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers! Viewing of Mars will be an after-midnight affair, and so it's not likely anyone will set up in Library Park, but there are events at Griffith Observatory. Bookmark the Night Sky Network, enter your location and find public events closer to you, plus any Mars Viewing events in late July! https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/clubs-and-events.cfm What's Up June is all about Saturn Oppositon, link is below, and July will published July 1, nd will be all about Mars. These are excellent times for amateur astronomy and planet viewing! -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones @otastro Jane's What's Up video episode #132:June 2018 Ringside Saturn, plus night-long planet parade https://go.nasa.gov/2H948ap New!Facebook Watch What’s Up video page https://www.facebook.com/NASAWhatsUp/

7 years, 7 months

Marine layer fog, so no sidewalk astronomy Saturday night

by Jane Houston Jones

We're in Vancouver BC but hear there is a thick marine layer covering our lower altitudes. Still clear up at Mt. Wilson, but I hear the level may rise above 5500 feet tonight. Thanks to Tim Thompson for that info. We'll try again in July, and let you all know if the dust storms on Mars will obscure the otherwise good views of the red planet closer to July month-end close approach, the closest since 2003 and the topic of What's Up July . Jane -- From Jane, sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.

7 years, 7 months

Clouds will cancel Sidewalk Astronomy tonight!

by Jane Houston Jones

Sorry about that. None of us have special cloud-piercing filters on our telescopes! Stay tuned for June! Jane -- From Jane, sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.

7 years, 8 months

Check status on Insight Launch at 4:05 am Pacific

by Jane Houston Jones

Mojo and I are in Lompoc, CA 11 miles from Vandenberg Air Force Base. If will be foggy here, but our plan is to drive up a grade to gain about 500 feet of elevation and be (hopefully) out of the fog. For those at home, look to the South. The Atlas V will arc pretty high, and should be visible in a clear sky. You'll need to check to see if the launch is on time, or within the 2 hour window. This is our recommend site for status and flight details, plus excellent commentary. https://spaceflightnow.com You'll need to set your alarm, check flight status, be looking south. Good luck, I'll post our success or not in about 8 hours. You can't miss seeing the moon between red Mars and golden Saturn in the southern sky, and with luck and dark skies, maybe an ETA Aquarid meteor at the same time!! Jane -- From Jane, sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.

7 years, 9 months

Saturday April 28: A different Sidewalk Astronomy opportunity

by Jane Houston Jones

For the past three years we've brought Sidewalk telescopes to the Gilb Museum of Arcadia History for their spring soiree. The museum is located at 300 W Huntington and the event hours are 6-9 p.m. Saturday April 28th. Sunset isn't until 7:30 p.m. but the moon is our only target and it will be a fine target before sunset. Wine and cheese, art exhibit, history and astronomy, plus music and henna artist. https://www.arcadiaca.gov/government/city-departments/museum If you want to join us to enjoy your local museum, the event is free and open to the public, so come on down! May 5 there will be a Vandenberg launch visible from San Luis Obispo to Mexico's Pacific coast! InSight, NASA's next lander on Mars will launch May 5 at 4:05 am (3 hour window), then several minutes later each day for about a month, if launch is no go on the 5th. Here is a great video from JPL showing the visibility from Santa Barbara, LA and San Diego, plus links to live coverage of the launch. https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/mission/timeline/launch/watch-in-person/ It will be just as nice from your back yard in Monrovia as long as you can see north to south 1/3 up from the horizon at 4 am! InSight will launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base Space Launch Complex-3 or SLC-3, and ride atop an Atlas V-401 rocket provided by United Launch Alliance. Mojo and I are heading to Lompoc to watch, but there are almost better chances to see it at home due to coastal fog on the central coast. Go Atlas V, Go Insight! -- Jane Houston Jones Solar System Public Engagement What's Up April: Moon,Mars,Saturn plus Lyrid meteors https://youtu.be/f2svvMGSwW8 NEW! FaceBook Watch What’s Up video page! https://www.facebook.com/NASAWhatsUp/

7 years, 9 months

Clouds! So no moon viewing tonight! :-(

by Jane Houston Jones

Our astronomer Gary provides this great (but unfortunate and untimely) weather report for tonight. It looks like the clouds will obscure the only object we could be looking at, plus it's hot and muggy, so we are voting to cancel tonight's event. "There’s a stationary high pressure region sitting off the coast and everything is rotating counter-clockwise about it. Today’s warm temps are pulling moisture out of the ocean and Gulf which is then moving North to our cooler air and condensing to form clouds. Forecast seems unlikely to clear but the forecast is also kind of hazy (if you’ll forgive the pun)! Gary -- Jane Houston Jones Solar System Public Engagement What's Up April: Moon,Mars,Saturn plus Lyrid meteors https://youtu.be/f2svvMGSwW8 NEW! FaceBook Watch What’s Up video page! https://www.facebook.com/NASAWhatsUp/

7 years, 9 months

Sidewalk Astronomy Saturday April 21

by Jane Houston Jones

There are a lot of astronomical events coming up! Saturday night we'll most likely be moving to another corner of Library Park because our corner will be used by a check-in booth for the Monrovia Wine Walk http://www.cityofmonrovia.org/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/4937/ The registrants will be collecting their tickets near our usual setup area and they've almost asked us to move (I called about it -- talked to two people about it, but the person who would call me back with a decision in an hour never did). I tried. So if you don't see telescopes on that busy corner, walk around the Library Park block. Primrose/Lime corner looks promising, we'll check it out tomorrow when the wine even gets started. We'll have a great moon view, and no planets Saturday night. But all this wind and cooler weather may mean an exceptional moon viewing night. If you are up early Saturday or Sunday morning, you might see some Lyrid Meteors, early am hours, and the moon will wash some out, but observing from home: just get to an area where the moon is blocked, and look up! What's Up April (linked in my signature line, has the info: May 5th: launch of a mission --> to Mars, InSight will be visible from Central California to Mexico. 4:05 a.m. on Cinco de Mayo with a launch window until June 8th. I talk about it in May What's Up video, because Mars and the moon will be visible in the sky at the exact time of the first launch opportunity on May 5th. How cool is that? To see an interplanetary launch from SoCal if you have a West and South unobstructed horizon). I worked on InSight for three years, and it is near and dear to my heart. :-) Next Mojave National Preserve star party the following weekend, May 12th. RSVP here as the free group campsite gets crowded. https://www.facebook.com/events/159520131414032/ I thing that's all for this month..... -- Jane Houston Jones Solar System Public Engagement What's Up April: Moon,Mars,Saturn plus Lyrid meteors https://youtu.be/f2svvMGSwW8 NEW! FaceBook Watch What’s Up video page! https://www.facebook.com/NASAWhatsUp/

7 years, 9 months

Sidewalk Astronomy cancelled tonight: Too many clouds, wind, cold, potential rain

by Jane Houston Jones

All of those things led to cancelling tonight's sidewalk astronomy in Monrovia. Sorry about that, everyone. Next dates will be April 21, and May 19 (option for the 26th too) Between now and those May Sidewalk dates, we have our twice-a-year Mojave National Preserve Star party! Look to to our emails/website or ask us if you have any questions. Oh, What's Up March video is linked below! -- only 9 more (from me) before I retire from JPL near year-end 2018! -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones @otastro What's Up March? Zodiacal Light,Sunset: Mercury+Venus, Midnight to predawn: Mars, Saturn, Jupiter https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/details.php?id=1522

7 years, 10 months

No astronomers tonight

by Morris Jones

It should be a clear cold night with a lovely moon, but all of our astronomers seem to be traveling or otherwise engaged this evening. If you're up very late, look for bright Jupiter in the south/southeast sky. Venus will be returning to the evening sky over the next few days, following the sun in the west. Cheers, Mojo -- Morris Jones Monrovia, CA http://bridgemojo.com http://mojo.whiteoaks.com

7 years, 11 months

Next Sidewalk Astronomy + January 31 lunar eclipse!

by Jane Houston Jones

Hi everyone. Our next sidewalk astronomy event will be January 27th followed by February 24th. Right now there are no evening planets to view in the evening sky so it will be a chance to focus on the moon (which I love showing more even that the planets). I always bring some excellent moon maps (but you have to ask for them) and the famous NASA moon lithograph, which are at all telescopes. Just a few days later on the morning of January 31st (unfortunately a work/school night) we will have a lunar eclipse.. My monthly What's Up video covers the eclipse. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/details.php?id=1517 In a nutshell: Eclipse starts 2:51 am. January 31st. Totality 4:51 am to 6:07 am. Moon sets 6:55 am before partial eclipse is complete from California. We will be able to see total phase lasting 1 hour 16 minutes, but it will be extremely low to the western horizon, so anyone with trees or mountains to their west will need to get to a flat area….. Then the moon sets before the end of the eclipse. Watch from 2:51 am until totality is underway about 5 am if you can. If not there will be images on our sidewalk astronomers facebook page (link below) afterwards. The earlier partial phase will be higher in the sky, so depending on your preference and Wednesday work schedule, try for part of it. No, we will not be at Library Park between 2 am and dawn, sorry! Find a good western horizon and enjoy!! As always, all our dates are on our : webpage http://www.otastro.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OTAstro/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/otastro Plus you can always ask a question by email sidewalk(a)otastro.org See you soon under the bright lights and moon in Monrovia!! Jane (and happy birthday Mojo January 18h, and our anniversary January 15th!) Jane -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones @otastro What's Up January: Quadrantids Jan 3-4, lunar eclipse Jan 30th, start watching Mars! https://youtu.be/Wogn2oDEDXs NEW! FB Watch adds What’s Up video! https://www.facebook.com/NASAWhatsUp/

8 years

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