2012
Feb. 9 -- Canoas Elementary School      SSet 5:41, start 6:30
Thursday  880 Wren Drive, San Jose      93% moon rises 8:10 pm
          Contact: Sue Ernenwein, Home/School Assoc

  All grades invited, about 450 enrollment.

  The school is tucked into a small neighborhood (called
Birdland) between Hwy 85 and the northern part of Almaden
Expressway.  Follow the directions on your map and decide
which will work best for you. Be careful -- you can't
enter from the south side of the school (from Rubino Circle).

 From Hwy.87, exit at Curtner Ave. Lights. West.
 SW, W   0.4 mi. if coming from the north,
 SW  W   0.5 mi. if coming from the south,
                 continue to Almaden Road.  Light. Left.
 SSW     0.2 mi, to Almaden Expwy.  Lights. CROSS.
                 The road changes name to Ironwood Drive.
 ESE    >0.2 mi. to Nightingale Drive. SSign. Right.
 SE     <0.2 mi. to Kingfisher Drive. No sign. Right.
 SW     ~150 ft. to Bobolink Drive. No sign. Left.
 SE      0.1 mi. to Wren Drive. No sign. Right.
 W       0.1 mi. to end of road.

  After turning onto Wren, you'll see the school on the left.
At the end of Wren, make a half-left into a small parking lot.

  After turning into the parking lot, stay right, then turn
left, see gate ahead to be open/unlocked for us. Enter, bear
right along edge of pavement, to basketball courts. Set up
well south to avoid problem with big trees.

  If the grass is not wet, we may want to put some scopes
out there to get far enough from the trees, but we don't have
permission to drive onto the grass.

Curb blocks: no.  Al foil, maybe.
       ====================================================
2012
Feb.10 -- Rucker Elementary             SSet 5:40, start 6:30
Friday    325 Santa Clara Ave., Gilroy  86% Moon rises 9:19 pm
          but enter at 10800 4th Street
          Contact:  Marlene Manzo, 5th Grade GATE.
          Contact:  Mauricio Hernandez, SJAA and school parent

The entire school is invited.  Rucker houses a large GATE
program and is in a country setting, providing darker skies
than usual.

Note: There is construction around the school and Santa Clara
Avenue is temporarily closed.  It might reopen before Feb. 10.
Use 4th St. to reach the school.

Directions:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=218346941967958746999.0004b61b8ac974e6a45e4

Take 101 S towards Gilroy.  From 101 S, exit at Masten Avenue.
Stay right on the Masten Avenue ramp. At the top of the ramp,
turn right onto Masten and be ready to turn left almost
immediately at 6th St.  Careful with the incoming traffic
at Masten.

Now that you are on 6th St.:
S        0.2 mi. to Market St.  Right
W        0.1 mi. follow Market.  The road turns left and becomes 4th St.
S        0.1 mi. on 4th St.  The school gate will be on your left,
            just after the gravel parking lot and the private mobile
            home.  If you reach Santa Clara Ave, you went too far.

As you enter the school, a play structure will be ahead.  Turn
right before the structure and the familiar large play area will
be in front of you.  Set up between the basketball courts and
the grass area.

There are lights on every classroom door around this courtyard
that need to be turned off or covered.  There is a nasty flood
light high on the south side of this play area that will be
turned off (too high to reach with stepladder).

Curb blocks no, Al foil yes. 
       ====================================================
2012
Feb.13 -- Dove Hill Elementary          SSet 5:45, start 6:45
Monday    1460 Colt Way                 56%  moon rise 12:47 am.
          Contact: Lawralei Calio, PTA

  Expect about 100 students and families.

 From Hwy.101, exit at Capitol Expwy, go east.
 E.     ~0.4 mi. to Silver Creek Rd. (Light) Right.
 SE      0.3 mi. to Colt Way.        (Light) Right.  (New light!)
 SW      0.2 mi. to school on left.

  Enter the parking lot by the first driveway, then immediately look
for a blue cutout in the curb, on the left.  Go in and turn
half-left, then go between the buildings, to the rear, then turn
right and go nearly to the end of the buildings.

  Set up prior to the handball wall, in a line with the scopes on
the triple painted line, and the vehicles toward the houses (left).
Put the furthest scope about 10 paces before the end of the triple
line, so as to hide a nasty streetlight to the north-northeast.

Curb blocks no, Al foil, no.
       ====================================================
2012
Feb.15 -- Toyon Elementary              SSet 5:47, start 6:45
Wednesday 955 Bard Street, S.J.         31% moon rises 2:53 am
          Contact: Dianne Johnstone, Teacher

  Whole school invited.  Expect a big turnout!

 From Hwy.680, exit at Berryessa.    Go east.
 NE      0.1 mi. to Capitol Ave.    Light. Right.
 SE      0.3 mi. to Penitencia Creek Rd. 1st light. Left.
 NW      1.1 mi  to Bard St.         Right.

   The school is on the corner of Penitencia and Bard.  After
turn onto Bard, go past the school, then turn right into the
first gate.  Go to the far right corner of the lot, then
through a narrow space between buildings, and onto the
paved play area.  Set up along the school side.

BAD light on wall near entrance. Cover with Al foil and tape.

Curb blocks no. Al foil yes.
       ====================================================
2012
Feb.16 -- Valle Vista Elementary        SSet 5:48, start 6:45
Thursday  2400 Flint Ave, SJ            24% moon rises 3:47 am
          Brenda Serrano, PTA

 From Hwy.101, exit at Tully Road.  East.
 ENE    ~1.3 mi. to Capitol Expressway.  Light. CROSS. Continue.
 ENE     1.3 mi. more, to Flint Avenue.  Left.  Light.
 NNW    <0.1 mi., see school on right.

  If coming from the Cambrian area, consider taking Capitol Expwy
to Tully.  Turn right. Pick up above.


ENTRY from parking lot
  Pass the school, then opposite Floresta, look for a narrow
parking lot, parallel to the street.  Enter, then watch on the
right for a gate and ramp going up to the play area.  Set up
on the far side (away from parking lot) about 1/2 of the way from
the top of ramp to far end of the play area.  There is a nasty
homeowner light at the far corner.

ENTRY around the back
  At near corner of school, opposite Selva, just before a wide
walkway, look for a gate.  Enter, go to the far back through
another gate, then left and around the buildings.  This comes
to the basketball area. Set up on the right side, about 2/3 of
the way from building to the far end of the play area.  There
is a nasty homeowner light at the far corner.

  There are two small lights on a small building, and about 5
on the main school building.  Reachable with stepladder.

Curb blocks no  Al foil yes

---

Complete list of assignments, grouped by week. See the next section for available dates.

 
2012: 
 Feb.  9 -- Canoas Elementary, San Jose                 
 Feb. 10 -- Rucker Elementary, Gilroy                   
 Feb. 11 -- Holding, San Jose
 Feb. 13 -- Dove Hill Elementary, E San Jose            
 Feb. 15 -- Toyon Elementary, E San Jose                
 Feb. 16 -- Valle Vista Elementary, E San Jose          

 Feb. 23 -- Ramblewood Elementary, SE San Jose          
 Feb. 24 -- Holding, San Jose

 Feb. 28 -- Ryan Elementary, NE San Jose                
 Feb. 29 -- Baldwin Elementary, S San Jose              
 Mar.  1 -- Branham High, San Jose                      

 Mar. 17 -- Live Oak Academy at east foothills site     

 Mar. 23 -- Nordstrom Elementary, Morgan Hill           

 Mar. 26 -- Holding, San Jose
 Mar. 27 -- Vargas Elementary, Sunnyvale                
 Mar. 28 -- Laurelwood Elementary, E San Jose           
 Mar. 29 -- Holding, San Jose 

 Apr. 28 -- Holding, Fremont

 May  25 -- Holding, Sunnyvale (daytime) 

 June  1 -- Holding, Sunnyvale (daytime) 

---

Available and desirable dates     See the previous section for assigned dates.
Note: Many Friday nights are assigned to SJAA public star parties, so they are not available for schools.

Desirability is determined by the phase of the Moon. The moon is spectacular and well-liked, very desirable for a public event. Such dates are:

2012:
 March     31;
 April     25, 29-30;
 May       26-29.

Dates with no moon in the evening sky are more plentiful. There are many star clusters, colorful double stars, etc., so the sky is very rewarding. Consider:

2012:
 February  12, 14, 18;
 March     11-15, 18-22, 24-25;
 April      9-12, 14-23;
 May        8-10, 12-24.

Too much moon (over 75%) makes it difficult to show anything but a few bright objects, so we try to stay away from the nearly-full moon. It's a poor show, and not fair to the students (nor to the astronomers). But we could use them if nothing else is available, such as a make-up date for a rained-out evening.

2012:
 February   2, 5-8;
 March      3-9;
 April      1-6;
 May        1-4, 6-7, 30-31.

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Approximate starting times through the year:

   The earliest practical time is probably 6:30 pm, allowing parents to get home, eat, and get to school. That's as early as we prefer to start. But in late spring thru early fall, the sun sets rather late, and star parties must start late, too.

   DST ended on Nov.6, 2011, so the earliest start time dropped to 6:30 and will remain there for a few months.   By February 15 the sun sets later, and start time moves up to 6:45 pm; March 1, 7:00; March 10, 7:15.

   On March 11 2012 we will advance the clocks, and start time will jump to 8:15. By April 1, 8:30; April 14, 8:45; May 1, 9;00; May 15, 9:15; June 1, 9:30; June 15, 9:45; July 1, 9:45; July 15, 9:30; August 1, 9:15; August 15, 9:00; September 1, 8:45; September 15, 8:15; October 1, 7:45; October 15, 7:30; November 1, 7:15.

   And the cycle repeats.

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Last updated: 2012 February 2, 0118 pst.