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494 discussions

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.

6 years, 11 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/

6 years, 11 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/

6 years, 11 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/

6 years, 12 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

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, 1 month

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/

7 years, 2 months

Tonight’s Sidewalk Astronomy Cancelled

by Gary Spiers

Today’s clouds have stubbornly refused to clear out and tonight’s Sidewalk astronomy is cancelled. We hope you all had a chance to see the SpaceX launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenburg Air Force Base last night. Spectacularly illuminated by the just set sun those lucky enough to look had a grand stand view of the separation of the first and second stages and then witness the second stage carrying the 10 Iridium Next satellites to a successful orbit insertion while the first stage returned to Earth ‘landing’ on the Pacific Ocean. I’ve posted a photo of the first and second stage separation evens on our Sidewalk Astronomers Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/OTAstro/posts/1944561659129640 We look forward to seeing you all in the New Year and keep looking up - you never know what you might otherwise be missing! Gary Spiers

7 years, 3 months

Re: Could be a good rocket show tonight

by Morris Jones

7 years, 3 months

Could be a good rocket show tonight

by Morris Jones

Tonight there is a scheduled launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg that has the potential for an impressive show in the evening sky. Here is an excerpt from the Launch Alert email list: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- FRIDAY LAUNCH VISIBILITY Friday evening's launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg AFB appears to be on schedule. The vehicle is slated to lift off from south base at 17:27:23 PST and carry several Iridium NEXT commercial communications satellites into orbit. Following liftoff, the vehicle will climb vertically for several before it begins a gradual turn and heads south. The rocket's bright flame should be visible over a wide area. However, since this launch occurs 30 minutes after Vandenberg AFB sunset, it could be impressive beginning at T+ 2 minutes 12 seconds when simulations show the exhaust plume will be illuminated at high altitude by the sun. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- If the launch happens on time, at 5:27 p.m., it should appear as a remarkable exhaust plume in the general direction of south west. Best regards, Mojo -- Morris Jones Monrovia, CA BridgeMojo <https://bridgemojo.com> Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers <http://otastro.org> Mojo's Blog <http://mojo.whiteoaks.com>

7 years, 3 months

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