From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Fri Apr 2 14:57:22 2004 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:06 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY! SJAA Auction (4/4) Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20040402144338.03eedcf0@koopm.best.vwh.net> A) Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY! SJAA Astronomical Auction B) Volunteers needed in support of Auction C) Directions to Houge Park ****************************************************************** A) Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY! SJAA Astronomical Auction It's spring, and time for the annual migration of astronomical paraphernalia from one garage to another! On Sunday, April 4, 2004, an astronomical auction and swap meet will be conducted at Houge Park in San Jose, sponsored by the San Jose Astronomical Association. The SJAA Auction is a great opportunity for beginners to purchase their first telescope at a great price! Experienced observers often find equipment they need for their next observing project, from OIII filters to finders to star charts. All kinds of interesting items are found in the auction. We will have the auction first, followed by a swap, to allow people some additional haggling time for those items that were optimistically priced by the seller in the auction, or to sell those odds and ends items which were better off being in a swap. It is an even year, so Kevin Medlock will be our auctioneer. Those who have observed his performance in previous auctions have learned to appreciate his skillful evaluation of classical astronomical items on the spot. Great entertainment for all! Doors open at 12:00 p.m. (or only slightly before) to register material for the auction, and view the auction material. The club reserves the right to accept only appropriate material for the auction so that the auction will run smoothly. The auction will begin at 1 p.m., and will run as long as needed. Seller may specify a minimum bid, which if not met, will return the item back to the seller with no commission applied. After the auction, buyers and sellers settle up using one check to (or from) SJAA and claim their items. Seller pays 10% commission, with a cap of $50 for any one item. We do not handle charge cards. There is no fee for bidder cards. Some Great Items have already been registered for the Auction: 1) James Turley of Sky Image Lab has donated some prints including one of these: http://www.skyimagelab.com/ultra-deep-field.html 2) John Gleason has donated a "Astro Photo Surprise" Guaranteed to be a top quality image from John's personal collection. See some of his work here: http://www.celestialimage.com/index2.html 3) A Starlight Xpress MX-516 CCD camera, in the original box and never used in the field with USB adapter, Starting Bid: $500 See link below for more information: http://www.starlight-xpress.co.uk/mx5.htm See the auction preview site for more items as they become registered! http://www.sjaa.net/auction04.html After the auction, material for the swap meet will be allowed into the hall, about 3 p.m. or perhaps earlier. Sellers are encouraged to bring items that would interest the astronomical audience such as astronomical, science, computer, or tech items. The SJAA reserves the right to turn away inappropriate items for the swap. Joe Sunseri of Earth and Sky Adventure Products will be there with many fine new and used items. At the swap, each buyer pays the seller. Sellers are to keep track of their sales and pay a 10% commission for the auction. There are no table fees. Since SJAA is a 501(c)(3)educational organization, all commissions from the auction and the swap are tax-deductible For more information, see the article in the March Ephemeris at http://ephemeris.sjaa.net/0403/f.html or email me at koopm _at_ best.com if you have any additional questions (put SJAA Auction Question as the Subject) ********************************* B) Volunteers needed in support of Auction Don't have anything to buy or sell? We could use a few volunteers to help set up, work the auction desk, and other tasks starting at 11AM. You can still fully participate even if you volunteer. Please contact me at koopm _at_ best.com if you are interested. ******************************* C) 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, San Jose Astronomical Association From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Sun Apr 4 00:36:38 2004 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:06 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Bring a chair for the Auction! Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20040404002150.034092b0@koopm.best.vwh.net> A final reminder about the auction tomorrow at Houge Park. We got a large donation of material from Scope City. Checkout the auction page to see what has been preregistered. http://www.sjaa.net/auction04.html The Material Check In and preview is at 12 PM PDT ( Don't forget to forward your clock an hour) The Auction will start at 1 PM PDT with the swap starting somewhere about 3 PM. Volunteers should show up at 11:15. I have just returned from Houge Park after setting up, and we are short on chairs. If you can easily bring a chair for yourself and an additional one, please do so. Thanks! Trade On, Mike Koop From Gigawatt6 at aol.com Mon Apr 5 08:16:02 2004 From: Gigawatt6 at aol.com (Gigawatt6@aol.com) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:06 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Re: SJAA-announce Digest, Vol 15, Issue 2 Message-ID: <116.30dc76b4.2da2d232@aol.com> Did not receive this until 4/4/ 12:00pm -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.sjaa.net/pipermail/sjaa-announce/attachments/20040405/c7d3045b/attachment.html From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Wed Apr 7 15:42:14 2004 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:06 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] BE A VISITING ASTRONOMER AT YOUR LOCAL SCHOOL Message-ID: Date: Wed, 07 Apr 2004 10:10:16 -0700 From: Kristin Nelson BE A VISITING ASTRONOMER IN YOUR LOCAL SCHOOL Get Free Training and Materials with Project ASTRO 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 (and sharpening your teaching or communication skills in the process.) Through Project ASTRO, you will be paired in a one-on-one partnership with a Bay Area teacher at a school near you. Together, astronomer and teacher partners attend a free two-day summer training workshop where they learn effective hands-on astronomy activities and receive a copy of Project ASTRO's rich curriculum resource book, "The Universe at Your Fingertips", materials to lead hands-on activities, invitations to additional workshops, and access to the Project ASTRO lending library. The project emphasizes ongoing partnerships, not just one-time class visits. During the school year, astronomers make at least four visits to their adopted classroom at mutually convenient times. The program has been operating for 10 years in the Bay Area, and previous participants often report that it has been one of the most satisfying volunteer endeavors they have undertaken. Graduate students and advanced undergraduate students majoring in astronomy are also encouraged to apply. Astronomer applications are now being accepted for the 2004 - 2005 school year. The deadline is May 7. Space is limited to 30 partnerships. All participants must attend a hands-on training workshop, which will be held August 6 & 7, 2004, at the San Mateo County Office of Education in Redwood City. Astronomer application forms are available from: http://www.astrosociety.org/baprojectastro.html or from... Kristin Nelson, Project ASTRO, A.S.P. 390 Ashton Avenue San Francisco, CA 94112; Tel. 415-337-1100 ext. 101; E-mail: knelson@astrosociety.org (Project ASTRO, a program of the nonprofit Astronomical Society of the Pacific, began with support from the National Science Foundation and the NASA Office of Space Science. It has now expanded to 12 other sites around the country and has trained over 1,300 astronomer-teacher partnerships.) Kristin Nelson Bay Area Project ASTRO Coordinator & Family ASTRO Coordinator & Night Sky Network Administrator 390 Ashton Ave. San Francisco, CA 94112 415.337.1100 ext 101 415.337.5205 fax www.astrosociety.org/education _______________________________________________ Contacts mailing list Contacts@aanc-astronomy.org http://mail.aanc-astronomy.org/mailman/listinfo/contacts From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Fri Apr 9 18:27:33 2004 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (bhavner) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:06 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Planet Quest Message-ID: <001401c41e9a$ff765b00$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> SAN JOSE ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION CHOSEN BY NASA TO DO PUBLIC OUTREACH The SJAA, has been selected by NASA to be a member of the Night Sky Network, a nationwide coalition of amateur astronomy societies committed to sharing their time, their telescopes, and their enthusiasm for astronomy with their local communities. We recently received our Outreach Toolkit from NASA. Entitled "PlanetQuest", the kit is designed to help amateur astronomers answer questions about how scientists hope to find Earth-like planets circling other stars. Club members can use the Outreach Toolkit at public astronomy nights, during classroom visits, at youth group events, and at other public events catering to students of all ages. "NASA is very excited to be working closely with the amateur astronomy community," said Michael Greene, head of public engagement for NASA's Navigator Program based at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "Amateur astronomers want more people to look at the sky and understand astronomy, and so do we. We have a strong commitment to inspiring the next generation of explorers. Lending support to the energy that the amateur astronomy community brings to students and the public will allow NASA to reach many more people." For more information go to http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov. Any member interested in the kit can contact me at bhavner@sbcglobal.net I will have the kit available at the next meeting (May 1st) for inspection. Bob Havner The Night Sky Network is sponsored and supported by JPL's PlanetQuest public engagement program. PlanetQuest is a part of JPL's Navigator Program, which encompasses several of NASA's extra-solar planet-finding missions, including the Keck Interferometer, the Space Interferometry Mission (SIM), the Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF), the Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI), and the Michelson Science Center (MSC). From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Tue Apr 13 20:47:25 2004 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:06 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Upcoming talk by the director of the Vatican Observatory Message-ID: ============================================== THE DANCE OF THE FERTILE UNIVERSE: CHANCE AND DESTINY EMBRACE The universe is full of a vast variety of objects: atoms, galaxies, frogs, humans. What is the best scientific understanding of how they came to be? How do they relate to one another? If we order them from the simplest (quarks, protons) to the most complex (the human brain), is there a unified explanation of their coming to be? A tentative answer is found in their emergence as chance and destiny danced away in a fertile expanding universe. Dr. George V. Coyne, S.J. Director of the Vatican Observatory Saturday, April 24, 2004, 7:30 pm Our Lady of the Rosary Church Hall, 3233 Cowper Street, Palo Alto. Dr Coyne is the Director of the Vatican Observatory , one of the oldest astronomical research institutions in the world. He has held this position since 1978. He is also an adjunct professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona. His research interests include polarimetric studies of various subjects including the interstellar medium, stars with extended atmospheres and Seyfert galaxies. He has a PhD in astronomy from Georgetown University. He is a Jesuit and has a licentiate in sacred theology. He is an active member of the International Astronomical Union, the American Astronomical Society, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the American Physical Society and the Optical Society of America. His honors include the naming of a comet after him by its discoverers. For additional information please contact Rich Friedrich at rich_friedrich@yahoo.com __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - File online by April 15th http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Wed Apr 14 17:55:25 2004 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (bhavner) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:06 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] HVAG Schedule Message-ID: <001001c42284$56e19bb0$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> The Halls Valley Astronomical Group has scheduled starparties at Grant Park on the following dates: April 17th - Telescope Row May 15th - Halley Hill Observatory June 19th - Halley Hill Observatory July 17th - Halley Hill Observatory August 14th - Halley Hill Observatory September 4th - Halley Hill Observatory October 16th - Halley Hill Observatory November 13th - Telescope Row December 11th - Telescope Row For additional information, including directions to the park, check our website: http://www.snap-design.com/HVAG From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Fri Apr 16 17:17:10 2004 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (bhavner) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:06 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: Night Sky Network Message: Meet Dr. Fischer on Tuesday Call-in Info Message-ID: <003b01c42411$535a3040$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> Meet Dr. Debra Fischer on Tuesday, April 20th, 4 p.m. Pacific Time. Get some extra background on planet-finding for your Astronomy Day activities! Any of your club members may call in to join the telephone conference with Dr. Fischer. You may call in anytime after 3:45 Pacific Time. We encourage you to call in early to avoid waiting to be connected to the conference. Call Toll Free Number: 1-888-396-9185 anytime after 3:45 Pacific Time 4/20/2004 You will be asked for the passcode: FISCHER NIGHT SKY NETWORK You will be asked for the call leader: MICHAEL GREENE You will be asked to give your NAME and the CLUB you belong to. You will also want to download the PowerPoint presentation (it is 5 MB, so download it well before the conference) from the Kit Downloads area of the Night Sky Network or go to http://www.astrosociety.org/jpl/index.htm to view the slides online (no animations, though). Log into the Night Sky Network and read the Feature News article for more details. We look forward to meeting you at the first exclusive Night Sky Network telephone conference! * Be sure to check the Discussion Board "Announcements" forum too! Marni Berendsen Night Sky Network Administrator nightskyinfo@astrosociety.org From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Fri Apr 16 17:21:37 2004 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (bhavner) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:06 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] National Dark Sky Week Message-ID: <004101c42411$f2e0f6d0$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> National Dark Sky Week When: April 19th to April 26th 10pm to 12am (Eastern and Mountain Time) 9pm to 11pm (Central and Pacific Time) Why: NDSW was founded to reduce light pollution and to connect with the night sky. It encourages us to use better lighting systems so that they emit only a small amount of light up into the atmosphere. How: It is easy to help. Turn off any unnecessary lights and see the greatest show the universe has to offer. If you would like to help more, tell a friend so that everyone can step back and realize the wonder that our universe holds. The Goal: a.. Light pollution will be reduced, allowing us to see the night sky in greater detail. b.. We will be encouraged to use better light fixtures and have 52 National Dark-Sky Weeks a year. c.. We will all gain a greater interest in astronomy and reclaim our dark skies that we lost through poor methods of lighting. More information: http://www.nationaldarkskyweek.htmlplanet.com/ From pkohlmil at best.com Sun Apr 18 20:48:14 2004 From: pkohlmil at best.com (Paul Kohlmiller) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:06 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] May 2004 Ephemeris available online Message-ID: <056401c425c1$259fc500$0200a8c0@eclipsys.lan> The May 2004 issue of the SJAA Ephemeris, newsletter of the San Jose Astronomical Association, is available online here: http://ephemeris.sjaa.net In addition to the usual articles available in PDF or HTML format, we also have a bonus edition which contains all of the usual information plus additional pictures and information. This special edition is at http://ephemeris.sjaa.net/0405/EphMay04A.pdf Paul and Mary Kohlmiller -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.sjaa.net/pipermail/sjaa-announce/attachments/20040418/2863ce25/attachment.html From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Fri Apr 23 17:27:52 2004 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:06 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Houge Park Tonight Message-ID: The SJAA got a mention in the SJ Mercury News Astronomy Day Article as part of the byline for Astronomy Day Activities. See http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/8500844.htm?1c (to see the byline, search astronomy and get a free user name and password if you have not done so) So, we expect a few more customers than usual. Sunset: 7:50 PDT Civil Twilight: 8:18 PM PDT Nautical Twilight: 8:51 PM PDT Astronomical Twilight: 9:26 PM PDT A small 20% moon sets 00:14 Public Time listed as: 9:00 to midnight. Hope to see you there! Mike From jvn at svpal.org Sat Apr 24 01:49:16 2004 From: jvn at svpal.org (Jim Van Nuland) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:06 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] UCSC public lecture References: <200404232037.i3NKbtc24057@tardis.ucolick.org> Message-ID: <408A2A0C.63AC@svpal.org> Graeme Smith of Lick Observatory sent this over -- The UCSC Astronomy and Astrophysics Department and the University of California Observatories/ Lick Observatory present the fourth Halliday Lecture... Professor Geoffrey W. Marcy, Extrasolar Planet Discoverer, speaking on Extrasolar Planets and the Prospects for Life in the Universe Geoffrey W. Marcy is a Professor of Astronomy at the University of California at Berkeley. Prof. Marcy's research has focused on the detection and characterization of planets around stars other than the Sun. His team has found more than 70 planets using telescopes of the Lick Observatory and the Keck Observatory. These discoveries include the first extrasolar multiple-planet system as well as planets with masses similar to Saturn. Prof. Marcy is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences from which he received the Henry Draper Medal. He was named Discovery Magazine's Space Scientist of the Year in 2003, and has received other awards including the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement and the Carl Sagan Award. Over 110 planets have been discovered around nearby stars in the past decade.. These new worlds display a diversity of characteristics and environments far beyond our expectations. Their unexpected properties, and the latest discoveries in biology here on Earth, cast a new light on the prospects for both primitive and intelligent life in the universe. Venue: Classroom Unit 2 University of California at Santa Cruz 8 pm, Wednesday, 19 May 2004 open to the public - no charge Presented as part of the Halliday Lecture Series, made possible by a private gift to UCSC by John Halliday to promote public awareness and appreciation for astronomy and astrophysics. From Gigawatt6 at aol.com Sat Apr 24 15:49:07 2004 From: Gigawatt6 at aol.com (Gigawatt6@aol.com) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:06 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Always a day late Message-ID: I seem to have a time distortion on my e-mail. Your e-mail header "4/24/2004 12:00:23 PM Pacific Daylight Time. I seem to get notices after the event for what ever the reason. Thanks Dan -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.sjaa.net/pipermail/sjaa-announce/attachments/20040424/1ca03df4/attachment.html From mojo at whiteoaks.com Sat Apr 24 16:50:10 2004 From: mojo at whiteoaks.com (Morris Jones) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:06 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Always a day late In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Note that if you sign up for the list and request "send list messages batched in a daily digest" this is what happens. I'll change the list settings so that option is no longer available. Mojo -- Morris Jones <*> Monrovia, CA mojo@whiteoaks.com http://www.whiteoaks.com -------------- next part -------------- I seem to have a time distortion on my e-mail. Your e-mail header "4/24/2004 12:00:23 PM Pacific Daylight Time. I seem to get notices after the event for what ever the reason. Thanks Dan -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.sjaa.net/pipermail/sjaa-announce/attachments/20040424/32dbf665/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ SJAA-announce mailing list SJAA-announce@sjaa.net http://www.sjaa.net/mailman/listinfo/sjaa-announce From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Tue Apr 27 18:29:01 2004 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:06 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Lick Summer Programs Message-ID: <001101c42cc0$2f5c0800$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> Lick Observatory Summer Program tickets are now available. (Concert tickets now, Summer Visitor tickets between May 4th and 15th) UCO/LICK OBSERVATORY PRESENTS 2004 SUMMER VISITORS PROGRAM For a limited number of summer evenings, Lick Observatory offers public viewing through both the 36-inch refracting telescope and 40-inch reflecting telescope. Each evening features two speakers, who present programs even if clouds or fog prohibit viewing. July 9 & 10 Aug 6 & 7 Sept 10 &11 THE MUSIC OF THE SPHERES 2004 A BENEFIT CONCERT SERIES Lick Observatory presents a summer concert series which benefits the Lick Observatory Visitors Program. Seating begins one half hour before the concert. Talks by our famous research astronomers begin right after the music. Weather permitting, viewing through the 36-inch telescope follows. Amateur astronomer volunteers provide additional outside viewing and informal talks. Attendance not advisable for children under ten years old. June 25 &26 July 23 & 24 Aug 27 & 28 Details and tickets information available at: http://mtham.ucolick.org/public/programs/ Bob Havner From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Fri Apr 30 20:02:41 2004 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:06 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] May General Meeting Saturday Message-ID: <000701c42f28$c4d139e0$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> Ken Croswell will be the guest speaker at the May 1st SJAA general meeting at Houge Park at 8 p.m.. Ken Croswell is an astronomer and author living in Berkeley. He has written six books on the subject of astronomy (see below). He will be speaking about his latest work, Magnificent Mars. Using the very best full-color images, from the Hubble Space Telescope, Viking, Pathfinder, Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, and other spacecraft, Ken tells a tail of the red planet's geology, topography, and surface. See stunning images of ancient rivers and floods, triggering speculation that a warm, wet Mars may have given rise to life that survives to this day. Ken will have copies of all his books available for sale and autograph at the end of the meeting. The Alchemy of the Heavens : $27. Planet Quest : $27. Magnificent Universe : $65. See the Stars (especially for kids): $18. The Universe at Midnight : $29. Magnificent Mars: $65 For more info about Ken Croswell visit his URL: http://KenCroswell.com. Bob Havner