Weekend Update!

Jane, Mojo and Gary are heading to our annual Glacier Point star party Friday and Saturday nights. If you can't make it don't despair, it happens every summer - with different astronomy clubs each weekend during the summer (except full moon weekend) http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/programs.htm These are the free programs at Glacier Point. Meanwhile back in Monrovia, our intrepid team of sidewalk astronomers will be holding down the fort from sunset (a little before 8:00 p.m. until about 9:30 or 10:00 p.m. depending on the crowd Saturday night. Last night many of you got to see the International Space Station fly over southern California (including some of us at the Hollywood Bowl). If I don't remind you, or I forget, just sign up here and you will get an email alert in plenty of time to tell all your local friends and family when to look up and wave at the astronauts. http://spotthestation.nasa.gov/ What's Up August covers the Perseids (It was awesome from a dark sky where I went) and the chance to see all the planets (and planets that have been demoted like Pluto, Ceres, Vesta, Pallas and Juno this month. It has really pretty graphics for the armchair astronomer, too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-R1tk775PI Oh and a note from my work. I work on the InSight Mission, launching to Mars in March 2016 (from Vandenberg AFB, just 4 hours north of LA!!) and we just announced our Send your Name to Mars campaign, where your name will be embedded on a micro "Plaque" and affixed to the instrument deck of our spacecraft. So your name will be on Mars! Here's the info: http://mars.nasa.gov/participate/send-your-name/insight/ Jane -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones @NASAInSight WhatÕs Up for August? Perseids + 12 planets http://go.nasa.gov/1hcjVbZ