From bhavner at earthlink.net Sun May 4 00:14:23 2003 From: bhavner at earthlink.net (Bob Havner) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:05 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Project Astro Message-ID: <000f01c3120c$cb5d4220$5709b73f@default> Project ASTRO is looking for amateur or professional astronomers who would like to work with teachers and students in 4th - 9th grade classrooms. This is a great opportunity to help kids learn science, sharing your love of astronomy with the most enthusiastic audience you can find. I am finishing my second year with my Project ASTRO class. It has been a great time and a wonderful experience for me. Astronomer applications are now being accepted for the 2003 - 2004 school year. The deadline is May 9. Space is limited to 25 partnerships. All participants must attend a hands-on training workshop, which will be held August 15 & 16, 2003, at the San Mateo County Office of Education in Redwood City. More information and astronomer application forms are available from: Kristin Nelson, Project ASTRO, Tel. 415-337-1100 ext. 101; E-mail: astro@astrosociety.org Forms can also be downloaded from: http://www.astrosociety.org/education/astro/bayarea/volunteer.html Bob Havner From bhavner at earthlink.net Mon May 5 19:47:46 2003 From: bhavner at earthlink.net (Bob Havner) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:05 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: [AANC Contacts] AANC Astronomy Day website updated Message-ID: <001101c31379$e14d0e80$ce08b73f@default> The AANC Astronomy Day page has been updated (again) with more events people have submitted, plus a few events I located on various club websites. You might want to keep it handy in case you get Astronomy Day questions from the public or your own members. You'll see it on the front page of the AANC website: http://www.aanc-astronomy.org/ Some of the AANC member astronomy businesses have let me know they have good deals... Astronomical Society of the Pacific catalogue - ASP members get a discount, too! http://www.astrosociety.org/ Earth and Sky Adventure Products - Excellent Santa Rosa astro source http://www.astrosales.com/ Orion Telescopes and Binoculars - local store in Cupertino and Watsonville + Astronomy week sales start today May 5: http://www.telescope.com/ Scope City - local store is at 350 Bay Street SF 94133, or call (415) 421-8800. Ask for Sam, and he'll treat you like family. http://www.scopecity.com/ AANC Northern California Astronomy Resource guide has a great list of astronomy businesses, plus all the clubs, science centers, planetaria, and observatories. http://www.aanc-astronomy.org/aanc-resourceguide.html Jane -- Jane Houston Jones San Rafael, CA jane@whiteoaks.com http://www.whiteoaks.com From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Fri May 9 17:22:59 2003 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:05 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Houge SP Tonight, ATM Tomorrow, Lunar Eclipse Next Week Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20030509171240.02f78cf0@koopm.best.vwh.net> A) Houge Park Star Party Tonight (Friday, May 9th) 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM B) Telescope Making Class Tomorrow (Saturday, May 10th, 7:30 PM) C) Lunar Eclipse Party, Thursday May 15th at Houge Park. ************************************************* A) Houge Park Star Party Tonight (Friday, May 9th) 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM While the clear sky clock shows we might be clouded out at the beginning of the night, it should be clearing later and there should be holes between the clouds for a while before that. We will be joined tonight by the students of Branham High School, so bring your scope on out. We also have quite a few loaner scopes being transferred tonight. What to look for tonight: 1) The 1st Quarter Moon! 2) Eclipse of Eta Leonis at 9:44 PM by the moon (Courtesy of http://www.calsky.com ) Immersion of SAO 98955 ETA LEONIS, 3.6mag PA=104.6, h=60.1 (dark limb) 3) Saturn (sets at 11:01:06 PM, but look ASAP before it gets into the muck!) 4) Jupiter 5) Io Occultation with Jupiter at 11:39:42 PM 6) Gamma Leonis: The star Algieba in Leo, two nice yellow stars (Mag 2.2 and 3.5) with 4.4" separation 7) Delta Corvi: The double star Algorah, 3.0 primary and a 9.2 secondary star. 24.2" separation. Reported by Herschel to have a yellow and lilac hue. 8) M3: Beautiful Globular Cluster in Canes Venatici, 33,900 LY away, Rich in variable stars. 9) M13: The great globular cluster in Hercules 23,000 LY, > 300,000 stars, 140 LY across. First recorded by Edmund Halley. 10) A -8 Iridium Flare at 22:08:59 AZ: 73 Alt: 39 Close to Delta Bootes Come on out and enjoy the fun. Sunset: 8:04 PM Civil Twilight: 8:33 PM Nautical Twilight: 9:08 PM Astronomical Twilight: 9:45 PM Moonset: 3:06 AM Sat ************************************************* B) Telescope Making Class Tomorrow (Saturday, May 10th, 7:30 PM) Under the instruction of Dwight Elvey and Ralph Seguin, the SJAA continues to host a mirror making class in the hall at Houge Park. The class format is casual, with Dwight, Ralph, and other mirror makers offering advice on grinding and polishing a mirror as you work on it in the class. A Foucault tester will be available to help determine the figure of your mirror along with some advice on how to correct it. The class will meet twice monthly based on the Houge Park star party schedule. The class meets at 7:30 p.m., either on Saturday after a first quarter star party (except when a general meeting is scheduled!) or Thursday before a third quarter star party. Feel free to drop in and see what mirror making is all about! Next ATM (Amateur Telescope Making)classes for the first half of 2003: Thursday: May 22, Jun 19 Saturday: Jun 7 ************************************************* C) Lunar Eclipse Party, Thursday May 15th at Houge Park. By popular demand we will be hosting a Lunar Eclipse Party at Houge Park beginning at Sunset. This is not a favored eclipse for us on the west coast of the US. The moon rises in mid eclipse and will be close to the horizon as totality ends. Jim Van Nuland notes the following details on the Eclipse: Times below are all PM, PDT. Times are rigorous. Elevation and azimuth from Skyglobe, good to +-1 degree. Item time elev azimuth Begin penumbral ph 6:05 -22 Begin eclipse 7:03 -11 Moonrise 8:03 114 (east-southeast) Sunset 8:09 295 Begin totality 8:14 +1 115 Civil twilight 8:39 Middle Eclipse 8:40 +5 119 End totality 9:06 +10 123 Nautical twilight 9:14 Astronomical twilight End eclipse 10:17 +20 136 End penumbral ph 11:15 +26 149 I expect we'll see the moon by 8:40, based on a similar "stealth" lunar eclipse several years ago, when we spotted the moon at about 4 degrees up. Since the moon is bright (or in the city), astronomical twilight is not relevant. Penumbral phase is not visible to the ordinary eye; I give it only for completeness. Horizons at Houge are 4 degrees at best, and that only for a small portion of the sidewalk near the tennis courts. There are probably better spots here and there deeper in the park. I did not try the tennis or basketball courts. I found nothing along Twilight Drive, as the trees have grown since Paul Barton and I watched a low eclipse from there. You might want to bring binoculars and move around the park to find a view as the moon rises above the Diablo range. It will not be visible from our usual sidewalk spot until about 9 PM. Since this is after work for most people, we will have a "bring your own food and drink" bar-b-que (we supply the Flame, you bring the food). Please bring a dessert, salad or your favorite dish you would like to share. Contact me at koopm AT best.com if you plan to cook so we knows how many briquettes to prepare. Come out to the park and enjoy the eclipse with your fellow members! Check the website (http://www.sjaa.net) later this week for an animation of the event which I showed at last Beginning Astronomy Class. *********************************** Clear Skies, Mike Koop President, SJAA Send Questions, flames or comments to koopm AT best.com From bhavner at earthlink.net Mon May 12 09:16:20 2003 From: bhavner at earthlink.net (Bob Havner) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:05 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Lick Observatory Summer programs Message-ID: <002301c318a1$d478e580$6fd2fc9e@default> Tickets for the Lick Observatory Summer Programs are going to be available starting tomorrow, May 13th. The two programs are The Summer Visitors Program and The Music of the Spheres. Lick Observatory Summer Visitors Program is an opportunity for the public to view the heavens through two Lick telescopes. On six Friday and Saturday nights, a limited number of ticket-holders will enjoy a lecture by an astronomer followed by telescope viewing. Tickets are "by lottery". For tickets and more info: http://www.ucolick.org/public/sumvispro.html Music of the Spheres is a series of summer concerts followed by talks given by Lick Observatory astronomers and (weather permitting) viewing through a Lick telescope. Performances are held at Lick Observatory in the Great Hall of the Main Building, and the proceeds of the concerts benefit Lick Observatory?s Visitors Program. Tickets are first come first served. Information, including tickets, performers, and speakers can be found at: http://www.ucolick.org/public/music.html Bob Havner bhavner@earthlink.net From mojo at whiteoaks.com Mon May 12 12:17:28 2003 From: mojo at whiteoaks.com (Morris Jones) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:05 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Last call for June Ephemeris Message-ID: Jane and I are putting together the June issue of the SJAA Ephemeris over the next day. Here's your last chance to get something of interest (articles, announcements, photos) into that issue. Wednesday will be too late. Such things should be directed to ephemeris@sjaa.net (not as a reply to this message!). Points to keep in mind: . Don't send us a note saying "Please put something in the Ephemeris about [...]". Write what you want to see and we'll print it; we're not inclined to write it for you. . Send all articles and announcements as plain ASCII text. No word processor documents. . Photos require captions, and photos of people should have names. Send us the highest resolution photo you have available. . Send all articles and announcements by email to ephemeris@sjaa.net Mojo -- Morris Jones <*> San Rafael, CA mojo@whiteoaks.com http://www.whiteoaks.com From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Thu May 15 13:16:03 2003 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:05 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Lunar Eclipse Party Tonight at Houge! Message-ID: By popular demand we will be hosting a Lunar Eclipse Party at Houge Park beginning at Sunset. This is not a favored eclipse for us on the west coast of the US. The moon rises in mid eclipse and will be close to the horizon as totality ends. Since this is after work for most people, we will have a "bring your own food and drink" bar-b-que (we supply the Flame, you bring the food). Please bring a dessert, salad or your favorite dish you would like to share. Contact me at koopm AT best.com if you plan to cook so we know how many briquettes to prepare. Ill be starting the BBQ at 6:45 PM. Jim Van Nuland noted that he expects we'll see the moon by 8:40, based on a similar "stealth" lunar eclipse several years ago, when he spotted the moon at about 4 degrees up. Since the moon is bright (or in the city), and in the opposite side of the sky, astronomical twilight is not relevant. Horizons at Houge are 4 degrees at best, and that only for a small portion of the sidewalk near the tennis courts. There are probably better spots here and there deeper in the park. Jim found nothing along Twilight Drive, as the trees have grown since Paul Barton and Jim watched a low eclipse from there. You might want to bring binoculars and move around the park to find a view as the moon rises above the Diablo range. It will not be visible from our usual sidewalk spot until about 9 PM. Also, bring polarized filters, glasses, and eyepieces to experiment if you can pick up the moon earlier. Local Circumstances Calculated from the USNO site: Total Eclipse of the Mooon from HOUGE PARK W121 Deg 56 Min, N37 Deg 15 Min Zone: 7h West of Greenwich Moon's Azimuth Altitude h m o o Moonrise 20:03 113.6 ---- Sunset 20:09 Moon enters totality 20:13.7 115.2 1.4 Civil twilight 20:39 Middle of eclipse 20:40.1 119.3 5.6 Moon leaves totality 21:06.4 123.6 9.8 Nautical twilight 21:14 Astronomical twilight 21:53 Moon leaves umbra 22:17.4 136.6 20.0 Moon leaves penumbra 23:14.8 149.0 26.5 Moonset 06:21 243.7 ---- Also note that The Friends of Houge Park will be meeting in Building 1 starting at 6:30 PM. Feel free to attend if you are interested. I am expecting a large crowd for the Star Party since it was mentioned in the SJ Mercury today. Clear Skies, Mike Koop President, SJAA Some good websites: ********************************* Astronomy Magizines Website: http://list.astronomy.com/UM/T.asp?A5.52.48.15.102668 ********************************* I created a little movie of the eclipse from 8 to 11:30 from Houge using Starry Night. I had to move the apple tree and change the horizon to level to see the moon coming up. Youll need Quicktime to view this: http://koopm.best.vwh.net/LunarEclipse_May_15_2003_from_Houge.mov ********************************* Sky and Telescope eclipse info: http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/eclipses/article_923_1.asp ********************************* Mr. Eclipse, Fred Espanek's Eclipse page: http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/extra/TLE2003May15.html From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Fri May 16 14:27:56 2003 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:05 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] GM Sat Nite: What your Astronomy Book won't Tell you! Message-ID: The San Jose Astronomical Association General Meeting Presents Norm Sperling Speaking on What Your Astronomy Book Wont Tell You Tomorrow, Saturday May 17th starting at 8PM in Houge Park Building 1 Norm Sperling has taught thousands of introductory astronomy students what their textbooks won't tell them. Some didn't get it. He's carefully probed the reasons why, and puts the best, student-proven ways to master astronomy into his new book, What Your Astronomy Textbook Won't Tell You. Outdated viewpoints? Reset your mindset to the latest issues. The debate about whether Pluto is a planet isn't about Pluto; experts no longer agree on what "planet" means. Too sure of things? Learn which Unknowns still stump astronomers. What's inside stars? Whats a magnetic field? Do you like a good detective story? Find out how the Northern Lights confounded evidence for the Loch Ness Monster. Want fresh ideas and new angles? Find out why galaxies pictured in textbooks and magazines are NOT typical. And enter a contest to make selections fairer. Want to dodge a scam? Find out why you should beware of buying a star. Too serious? Chortle at student boners...which point out mistakes to wisely avoid. Join us for an entertaining evening with an insiders view on Everything in the Universe! As always, all meetings are free and open to the public. Norm will have copies of his book for sale for $27. Autographing: free! About Norm Sperling: He earned his master's degree in History of Science from the University of California, Berkeley. He began selling astronomical goods in 1973, focusing on back issues of Sky & Telescope. Norm co-designed the popular Astroscan telescope for Edmund Scientific Company. He produced "The Stars Above" bowl-shaped starfinder for Spherical concepts, Inc. He created the Catalog of North American Planetaria (CATNAP) for the International Planetarium Society, which later editors expanded into the world-wide Planetarium Directory. He named his own company "Everything in the Universe" in 1977, when he sold one-of- a-kind copper printing plates. Those came from Sky & Telescope, where he was an editor from 1976 to 1981. Management didn't want them sold under a staff-member's name. Other editors made fun of his "Own a Piece of Sky & Telescope" ad, though it worked quite well. When S&T's old clunky refrigerator died, Norm declined an opportunity to sell it under the same headline. At S&T, he wrote a series of articles that expanded "Astronomy Day" from a few scattered sites to a coherent international program. He bought the AstroMurals poster company (which was founded in 1945) in 1982, and moved to California. Norm edited and published two widely-appreciated books which are now permanently sold out: David Levy's second book, The Universe for Children, and John Dobson's How and Why to Make a User-Friendly Sidewalk Telescope. Before opening this World Wide Web site, Norm issued several mail-order catalogs, and set up sales booths at assorted meetings. Norm has been science editor for AltaVista , and a planetarium director. He lectured for many years at Morrison Planetarium in San Francisco. He has published more than 100 articles. He provides \\cohe link\\ expert astronomical testimony in court trials. He teaches astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley, Fall Freshman Program. He has taught astronomy, physics, and history of science at Sonoma State University, and Merritt College. Sperling received the Western Amateur Astronomers' 1992 National Service Award, a "Special" (combined professional, amateur, and company) Award from the Astronomical Association of Northern California in 1989, and was named a "Fellow" of the International Planetarium Society in its first induction, 1986. He is active in many organizations. He is long-time vice chair of the Bay Area Skeptics . He is host and co-founder of the Northern California Historical Astronomy Luncheon and Discussion Association (NCHALADA), appreciated both for the breadth and depth of points that participants bring up, and for its general good humor. He is historian of the Pacific Planetarium Association. He lives in San Mateo, California, with his boys Lumin and Mason. They all root for the Oakland Athletics. The boys play baseball in the San Mateo National Little League, and with MLB Showdown cards, and with the latest Backyard Baseball CD. Website: http://www.everythingintheuniv.com/new_books.htm#textalternative Directions to Houge Park: Houge Park is in San Jose, near Campbell and Los Gatos. >>From Hwy.17, take the Camden Avenue exit. Go east 4/10 mile, and turn right at the light, onto Bascom Avenue. At the next light, turn left onto Woodard Road. At the first stop sign, turn right onto Twilight Drive. Go three blocks, cross Sunrise Drive, then turn left into the park. >>From Hwy.85, take the Bascom Avenue exit. Go north 0.2 miles, and turn right at the first traffic light, onto White Oaks Road. Run another 0.2 miles to the first stop sign, then turn left onto Twilight Drive. You will now be passing the park. Turn right at the first driveway, into the parking lot. See Map at http://www.sjaa.net/img/houge.jpg Clear Skies, Mike Koop President, SJAA From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Mon May 19 16:02:25 2003 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:05 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Introducing Asteroid Janemojo Message-ID: An asteroid was just named for the San Jose Astronomical Association Co-Editors and Astronomical Dynamos, Jane Houston Jones and Morris Jones. The following citation was published in a recent Minor Planet Circular issued on May 2, 2003 (22338) Janemojo = 1992 LE Discovered 1992 June 3 by Carolyn S. Shoemaker and David H. Levy at Palomar. Named in honor of Jane Houston Jones (b.1952) and Morris Jones (b.1957), who are, first and foremost, sidewalk astronomers in San Francisco, helping the general public enjoy the beauties of the heavens. They are co-editors of the San Jose Astronomy Club's newsletter, write articles for Sky and Telescope magazine, and run the AANC's website. Citation by Don Stone. There is more information on this asteroid on their website at http://www.whiteoaks.com/Janemojo.html The website has links to ephemeris information and various plots of Janemojos path through the solar system, along with a copy of the circular and a congratulatory letter from Carolyn S. Shoemaker. The certificates were presented before Jane's Talk to the Eastbay Astronomical Society on "Observing with Caroline Herschel and Friends" up at the Chabot SSC. We look forward to hearing Jane's presentation to the SJAA this October. Maybe they will bring the certificates to show. Congratulations! Mike Koop President, SJAA From bhavner at earthlink.net Thu May 22 21:45:03 2003 From: bhavner at earthlink.net (Bob Havner) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:05 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: [AANC Contacts] ANNOUNCING: ASP Astronomy Concepts Survey! Message-ID: <002801c320e6$15188040$7ed0fc9e@default> Calling all Amateur Astronomers! Take this opportunity to complete the new Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) survey and have a chance to win a $100 gift certificate to the ASP Catalog! You will be assisting ASP in developing training and materials for amateur astronomers to help the public understand concepts of astronomy. In addition, the survey is collecting your experiences with any astronomy misconceptions you have come across in your encounters with the public. Click on this link to access the survey: http://fs8.formsite.com/astrosociety/AstroSurvey/index.html Or from the ASP web site: http://www.astrosociety.org/ As an added bonus, if 15 or more of your club members respond to the survey, you will receive a copy of your club's responses (no names or other identifiers will be included). This could help in planning programs for your club and can serve as a topic of discussion at a club meeting. Just have your members put your club's full name on the form where they enter their name for the drawing. We're expecting to close the survey by the end of August or September and will distribute club responses within six to eight weeks after that. To find out more about the survey and to access it, click on this link: http://fs8.formsite.com/astrosociety/AstroSurvey/index.html Thank you for your participation and your contribution to research in amateur astronomy outreach! Marni Berendsen Education Project Coordinator Astronomical Society of the Pacific and Member of Mount Diablo Astronomical Society -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ Contacts mailing list Contacts@aanc-astronomy.org http://mail.aanc-astronomy.org/mailman/listinfo/contacts -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.sjaa.net/pipermail/sjaa-announce/attachments/20030522/6d445b9d/attachment.html From bhavner at earthlink.net Thu May 22 21:58:14 2003 From: bhavner at earthlink.net (Bob Havner) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:05 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Women in Science: No Limits lecture series Message-ID: <004301c320e7$ebb5cbc0$7ed0fc9e@default> NASA ASTRONAUT TO SPEAK AT WOMEN?S LECTURE SERIES ON JUNE 11 NASA astronaut Dr. Ellen Ochoa will give a free public lecture entitled ?NASA and Space: An Astronaut?s Perspective? on June 11 at 7 p.m. (PDT) at Flint Center in Cupertino, Calif. Ochoa?s talk, part of the ?Women in Science: No Limits lecture series, is sponsored by NASA Ames Research Center, De Anza College and the National Center for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (WiSTEM). Ochoa will show videos of recent missions into space and explore the challenges and rewards of being a NASA astronaut. A veteran of four space flights, Ochoa has logged over 978 hours in space. She was a mission specialist on STS-56 (1993), was the Payload Commander on STS-66 (1994) and was a mission specialist and flight engineer on STS-96 (1999) and STS-110 (2002). On STS-110, Ochoa was one of the astronauts who operated the International Space Station's (ISS) robotic arm, helping to install a part on the Space Station and to maneuver crew members during three of the mission's four spacewalks. The lecture is open to adults, young people and students -- of all ages. The lecture moderator will be Santa Clara County Supervisor Blanca Alvarado. There will be time at the end of the talk for questions from the audience. To reach Flint Center, which is located on the campus of De Anza College in Cupertino, take the Steven's Creek Blvd. exit off Highway 85. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please bring eight quarters for parking. For further information about the series, call (408) 864-8816 or go to: www.flintcenter.com or http://amesnews.arc.nasa.gov Bob Havner bhavner@earthlink.net From bhavner at earthlink.net Thu May 22 22:55:57 2003 From: bhavner at earthlink.net (Bob Havner) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:05 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Beginners Astronomy Class and 3rd Quarter Moon Star Party Message-ID: <00ae01c320ef$fb9626e0$7ed0fc9e@default> Beginners Astronomy Class and 3rd Quarter Moon Star Party Houge Park Friday Night May 23, 2003 Class starts at 7:30 Star Party after 9:00 The cold cloudy nights of spring are now behind us and tonight looks to be a very good night to come and join us at Houge Park for some education, and of course, Astronomy! What?s Up in the sky for June followed by: ?Where Are We Searching for Other Planets?? It?s all about size! To better understand where we are searching for other planets, we will begin by scaling down the size of our Galaxy to something we can all see here on Earth. Then we will calculate the proportional volume filled by all the stars in the Galaxy and mentally construct a model of how all those stars fit into our Galaxy, the Milky Way. Finally we will identify our search area, the portion of stars we are currently searching for other Planets. This will be an easy to follow explanation of the enormity of our galaxy, our place in it, and some of the challenges we will encounter as we try to explore it. See you tonight! Bob Havner bhavner@earthlink.net