From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Fri Sep 10 15:19:15 2004 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:06 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Class and SP 2nite! Coyote 2morrow! KTEH! 2 Loaner Scopes! Message-ID: SJAA Events this Weekend and Next Week! A) Beginning Astro Class Tonight! Observing the Milky Way with Bob Havner B) Houge Park Star Party Tonight! (Friday, Sept 10th, 2004) C) Coyote Star Party Tomorrow, Saturday, September 11th D) Volunteer at the Great KTEH Auction, Wednesday September 15th E) Two Loaner Scopes Available ************************************************** A) Beginning Astro Class Tonight! Observing the Milky Way with Bob Havner What is that band of light high in the sky? What is the difference between Globular and Open Clusters? Where am I? (Often asked by Extraterrestrial visitors) The San Jose Astronomical Association Observational Astronomy Class is here to help you! This informal monthly series will teach basic astronomy, the constellations, the movement of the sky, and the use of the telescope. The class occurs every third quarter moon Houge Park Star Party Night until November. No Reservations needed and you can join the class at any time. The class is a free public service provided by the SJAA. Tonights class (Friday, September 10th) starts at 7:30 PM in the hall at Houge Park. Bob Havner is the Vice President of the SJAA and is a frequent volunteer at Lick Observatory. He also volunteers his time over at Toyon Elementary School with the Project Astro program. In this class you will learn about the Milky Way, the constellations along the Milky Way, deep sky in the Milky Way, and how to how to observe the Milky Way. Bob has some fantastic visual aids from the Night Sky Network which he will use to help explain our location in the Milky Way. The class finishes with a "Sky Tour" by SJAA President Mike Koop, pointing out how to find the constellations and planets. Weather permitting, after the class we will be pointing out the constellations, planets, and other deep sky wonders through telescopes at the Star Party. ************************************** B) Houge Park Star Party Tonight, Fri September 10th, 8:30 PM to 11:30 PM Tonight, the SJAA hosts public observing session on the grounds at Houge Park. Families are welcome to attend. Feel free to bring your scope and share views with others. We are in the usual summer pattern and expect good weather. Clear Sky Clock for San Jose: http://cleardarksky.com/c/SanJoseCAkey.html?1 NRL Monterey East Pacific & US West Coast Images http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/sat-bin/epac_westcoast.cgi Sunset: 7:22 PM PDT Civil Twilight: 7:48 PM PDT Nautical Twilight: 8:19 PM PDT Astronomical Twilight: 8:51 PM PDT Moonrise: 03:37 AM on 9/11/2004 10 Cool Things to Observe Tonight! 1) ISS Pass This will be a good one with the station brightening to -1 Magnitude! Starts: 20:27:02 10 SW Near Scorpius Mid: 20:29:59 66 SE Thru Aquila and by Cygnus Ends: 20:31:38 24 ENE Near Andromeda 2) M 8: Lagoon Nebula, 5200 LY away. 3) Albireo: Double star, mag. 3.1 and 5.1, 34" apart. 385 LY away, stars are 400 AU apart. 4) M 13: Globular Cluster, 23,000 LY, > 300,000 stars, 140 LY across. 5) M 27: A nebula, the Dumbbell Nebula.. About 900 LY away and 1.5 LY across. 6) M 11: Wild Duck Cluster. 6,000 LY away and 21 LY across. At least 600 stars 7) M 22: Globular cluster. About 10,000 LY away, with > 75,000 stars 8) Uranus: The 7th planet from the sun, 1.76 billion miles away. Green in color. Discovered in 1781. 9) Andromeda Galaxy: About 2.3 million LY away, 130,000 LY across. Contains 300 billion stars. 10) Double Cluster: 7200 LY away, 200 stars each. ************************************** C) Coyote Star Party Saturday, September 11th This Saturday, September 10th 2004, between 8:30 and 12:00 a.m. the San Jose Astronomical Association will be hosting the third of a series of public star parties at Coyote Park. The Star Party will be at the Lakeview Picnic Area which is located less than mile from the Ranger Station/Visitor Center, not at the usual boat ramp location. It is possible that the location may change to the boat ramp like last month, but we do expect to be in the picnic area. The rangers will let you know when you enter the park. Continuing with the Coyote Star Party tradition, we will be hosting a "Pot Luck BBQ". Pot luck begins at 6:45 p.m.- bring a main dish.... anything will do from KFC to sushi to crepe suzette to chef's salad to homemade Enchiladas to side dishes, just make it something you like! Bring enough to share. This is an informal pot-luck. Bring your own paper plates and utensils. We will have one of the BBQ pits fired up and ready at 6:30 PM. (Note we will have a grill just incase we are in High Fire Alert).We provide the flame, you provide the grillables. Coyote Star Party Details: Sunset: 7:21 PM PDT Civil Twilight: 7:47 PM PDT Nautical Twilight: 8:16 PM PDT Astronomical Twilight: 8:49 PM PDT Moonrise: 04:41 AM on 9/12/2004 For More Information and Directions: http://www.whiteoaks.com/pipermail/sjaa-announce/2004-July/000339.html ************************************** D) Volunteer at the Great KTEH Auction, Wednesday September 15th Back in August, 10 SJAA members provided telephone support during the pledge breaks at KTEH for Nova's The Elegant Universe. We helped the station raise over $13,000 that night. We had so much fun, we decided to do it again! On Wednesday, September 15th, the SJAA will be at The Great KTEH Auction. They are looking for help answering phones, entering bids into computers, setting up bid tables, and assisting at the warehouse for pickups. Our shift will be 8:15 PM to midnight. KTEH provides the training and food. You will be amazed how fast the time goes by! If you are interested in helping out, email Mike Koop at koopm best com or phone at (408)473-6315. Can not make it that night? Consider helping out on your own. Contact Pat Adams via email at padams KTEH org or phone at 408-795-5445 and let her know which shift you would like to take. Other Shifts Available: 9/16 Thursday Shift 1 5:15pm - 9:00 pm and Shift 2 8:15pm - midnight (Fine Wine Auction) 9/17 Friday Shift 1 5:15pm - 10pm and Shift 2 9:15pm - 1:00 a.m. (sports & pub night) 9/18 Saturday Shift 1 9:15pm - 1:00 a.m. (Everything Must Go) 9/19 Sunday Shift 1 5:15pm - 9:00 pm (Fine Art Auction) The SJAA Crew at KTEH in August http://ephemeris.sjaa.net/0409/KTEH_5.jpg The KTEH Great Auction Website (Now with Online Bidding!) http://www.kteh.org/great_auction.html ************************************** E) Two Loaner Scopes Available Scope #29, a Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain, 8 inch, set up for Astrophotography is available for immediate loan. Picture of scope #29 http://www.sjaa.net/loaners/SCOPE29A.GIF Scope #23, a classic Edmund 6 on an equatorial mount is also available for loan. Picture of scope #23 http://www.sjaa.net/loaners/SCOPE23B.GIF If you would like to borrow one of these scopes, please email Mike Koop at koopm best com or phone at 408-473-6315. You might be able to pick it up at Houge Tonight! ************************************** 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 Email any comments, questions, or flames to Koopm at best.com From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Mon Sep 13 14:54:55 2004 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:06 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] FW: AstroAlert: Aurora Watch is Active NOW - Watch for Activity TONIGHT (fwd) Message-ID: ================================================================= This Is SKY & TELESCOPE's AstroAlert for Sun-Earth Interactions ================================================================= A s t r o A l e r t Sun-Earth Alert Solar Terrestrial Dispatch http://www.spacew.com 13 September 2004 AURORA WATCH IS ACTIVE EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATLEY - 13 Sept The coronal mass ejection mentioned in the last AstroAlert was associated with a much higher velocity than solar radio observations suggested. The disturbance crossed the distance from the Sun to the Earth much faster than anticipated and impacted the Earth near 20:02 UTC on 13 September. The disturbance has the potential to produce periods of visible auroral activity across fairly wide-spread middle latitude regions during the next 12 to 24 hours. The middle latitude auroral activity watch has been engaged and is presently active. It will remain active through 18:00 UTC on 16 September, although the bulk of the strongest activity will occur within the next 12 to 18 hours. Interested observers should watch the night sky TONIGHT for signs of activity. A copy of the revised auroral activity watch for the middle latitudes is included below. MIDDLE LATITUDE AURORAL ACTIVITY WATCH Issued: 20:25 UTC, 13 September 2004 Solar Terrestrial Dispatch www.spacew.com VALID BEGINNING AT: EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY VALID UNTIL: 18:00 UTC (7 pm EDT) ON 16 SEPTEMBER PREDICTED IMPACT TIME OF DISTURBANCE: IN-PROGRESS ! HIGH RISK PERIOD: 14-15 SEPTEMBER MODERATE RISK PERIOD: 14 - 16 SEPTEMBER PREDICTED ACTIVITY INDICES: 35, 17, 15, 15 (13 - 16 SEPTEMBER) POTENTIAL MAGNITUDE OF MIDDLE LATITUDE AURORAL ACTIVITY: MODERATE POTENTIAL DURATION OF THIS ACTIVITY: MAIN BELT = 12 TO 18 HOURS MINOR BELT = 18 TO 24 HOURS ESTIMATED OPTIMUM OBSERVING CONDITIONS: NEAR LOCAL MIDNIGHT EXPECTED LUNAR INTERFERENCE: NONE OVERALL OPPORTUNITY FOR OBSERVATIONS FROM MIDDLE LATITUDES: FAIR TO GOOD AURORAL ACTIVITY *MAY* BE OBSERVED APPROXIMATELY NORTH OF A LINE FROM... NORTHERN OREGON TO SOUTHERN IDAHO TO WYOMING TO SOUTH DAKOTA TO ILLINOIS TO OHIO TO NORTHERN VIRGINIA TO MARYLAND. ACTIVITY *MAY* ALSO BE OBSERVED APPROXIMATELY NORTH OF A LINE FROM... ENGLAND TO NORTHERN BELGIUM TO NORTHERN GERMANY TO NORTHERN POLAND TO NORTHERN BELARUS TO NORTH-CENTRAL RUSSIA. ACTIVITY *MAY* ALSO BE OBSERVED APPROXIMATELY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM... NEW ZEALAND TO EXTREME SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA. SYNOPSIS... The aforementioned coronal mass ejection has arrived much earlier than predictions suggested. This is due to an unexpectedly high transit velocity. The velocity of the disturbance is almost twice what solar radio observations hinted at. The lack of SOHO data until just prior to the arrival of the disturbance did not impart sufficient time to adjust predictions prior to its arrival. The CME impacted the Earth's magnetosphere near 20:01 UTC on 13 September, increasing the solar wind velocity from a quiet value near 350 km/sec to values in excess of 550 km/sec. At the present time, the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) is oriented in a near-neutral configuration and might not contribute to significant intensification of auroral storm activity unless it rotates into a more favorable southward (negative) direction. The middle latitude auroral activity watch has been activated, effective immediately. The next 12 to 24 hours will be the most volatile period. This watch will remain valid through 18:00 UTC (2 pm EDT) on 16 September. It will then be allowed to expire. For updated information, visit: http://www.spacew.com/aurora/forum.html. For real-time plots of current activity, visit: http://www.spacew.com/plots.html or www.sec.noaa.gov. PLEASE REPORT OBSERVATIONS OF AURORAL ACTIVITY TO: http://www.spacew.com/submitsighting.html ** End of Astroalert ** ================================================================== AstroAlert is a free service of SKY & TELESCOPE, the Essential Magazine of Astronomy (http://SkyandTelescope.com/). This e-mail was sent to AstroAlert subscribers. If you feel you received it in error, or to unsubscribe from AstroAlert, please send a plain- text e-mail to majordomo@SkyandTelescope.com with the following line -- and nothing else -- in the body of the message: unsubscribe sun-earth e-mail@address.com replacing "e-mail@address.com" with your actual e-mail address. ================================================================== _______________________________________________ FPOA-Members mailing list FPOA-Members@fpoa.net http://www.fpoa.net/mailman/listinfo/fpoa-members From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Tue Sep 14 17:19:24 2004 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:07 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Vandenberg Launch Tonight, KTEH Auction Tomorrow Message-ID: A) Vandenberg Launch Early Wednesday Morning (Tonight!) B) Help support the Great KTEH Auction Wednesday Night (9/15) *********************************** A) Vandenberg Launch Early Wednesday Morning (Tonight!) An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile is scheduled for launch from North Vandenberg Wednesday morning [September 15] as part of the Force Development Evaluation Program. The six-hour launch window is from 1:01 to 7:01 a.m. The purpose of the launch is to verify the continued reliability and accuracy of the Minuteman III ICBM force. Usually, they launch these missiles right on time although the last one was delayed a half hour. SJAA member Jim Albers has generated the flight path as viewed from San Jose for a 1 AM or 1:30 AM PDT launch using Skymap: 1 AM Star Field: http://koopm.best.vwh.net/vand_mm3_040915_0100.gif 1:30 AM Star Field: http://koopm.best.vwh.net/vand_mm3_040915_0130.gif Jim's star fields make viewing the launch much easier but I still recommend determining the where to look before the launch using a compass. >From San Jose we need to look to the south - southeast at 158 degrees (use a map to determine the look angle for a different locations). Make sure to have visibility clear to the horizon to maximize your viewing time. I have to stand in the middle of the street looking between two of my neighbor's trees to see the polar launches but the ballistic tests are much easier to view. Let me know if you have any luck. The full Vandenberg AFB News Release: http://www.spacearchive.info/news-2004-09-13-vafb.htm Viewing tips from Brian Webb: http://www.spacearchive.info/vafbview.htm ***************************** B) Help support the Great KTEH Auction Wednesday Night (9/15) Back in August, 10 SJAA members provided telephone support during the pledge breaks at KTEH for Nova's The Elegant Universe. We helped the station raise over $13,000 that night. We had so much fun, we decided to do it again! On Wednesday, September 15th, the SJAA will be at The Great KTEH Auction. They are looking for help answering phones, entering bids into computers, setting up bid tables, and assisting at the warehouse for pickups. Our shift will be 8:15 PM to midnight. KTEH provides the training and food. You will be amazed how fast the time goes by! If you are interested in helping out, email Mike Koop at koopm best com or phone at (408)473-6315. We are still a few people short to get on air credit. Can not make it that night? Consider helping out on your own. Contact Pat Adams via email at padams KTEH org or phone at 408-795-5445 and let her know which shift you would like to take. Other Shifts Available: 9/16 Thursday Shift 1 5:15pm - 9:00 pm and Shift 2 8:15pm - midnight (Fine Wine Auction) 9/17 Friday Shift 1 5:15pm - 10pm and Shift 2 9:15pm - 1:00 a.m. (sports & pub night) 9/18 Saturday Shift 1 9:15pm - 1:00 a.m. (Everything Must Go) 9/19 Sunday Shift 1 5:15pm - 9:00 pm (Fine Art Auction) The SJAA Crew at KTEH in August http://ephemeris.sjaa.net/0409/KTEH_5.jpg The KTEH Great Auction Website (Now with Online Bidding!) http://www.kteh.org/great_auction.html **************** Clear Skies, Mike Koop President, SJAA Email any comments, questions, or flames to Koopm at best.com From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Fri Sep 17 20:57:18 2004 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:07 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: [AANC Contacts] Fw: John Dobson's fall classes in San Francisco Message-ID: <001f01c49d33$9787d150$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> TWO EXCITING CLASSES TAUGHT BY JOHN DOBSON Build a Telescope with John Dobson! Imagine if you had a chance to learn Morse code from Samuel Morse, or study Cartesian Geometry from Rene De Carte. Imagine how you'd feel if you had to tell your grandchildren that you had missed your chance to build your own diesel engine under the supervision of Rudoph Diesel. Well, don't miss your chance to . Make your own Dobsonian Telescope! Explore the Universe with John Dobson! How it got the way it is and how we got the way we are to wonder about it. His specialty is seeing the philosophical meaning behind quantum mechanics and relativity theory. What does Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle tell us about the nature of our universe? Hear his alternative view to the Big Bang cosmological model. Classes will be held at: Randall Museum 199 Museum Way San Francisco, CA 94114 ph: (415) 554-9600 starting Sept. 28 and 29. http://www.randallmuseum.org/content_images/FallFlyer04.pdf -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.sjaa.net/pipermail/sjaa-announce/attachments/20040917/217dfa85/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 89 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.sjaa.net/pipermail/sjaa-announce/attachments/20040917/217dfa85/attachment.gif -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 90 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.sjaa.net/pipermail/sjaa-announce/attachments/20040917/217dfa85/attachment-0001.gif From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Fri Sep 24 17:44:25 2004 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:07 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Astro Events this Weekend and Beyond! Message-ID: <20040924183907.S74082@koopm.best.vwh.net> A) Houge Park Star Party Tonight! Friday Sept. 24th 8 PM - 11 PM B) General Meeting Tomorrow! Slide and Equipment Night C) Sign Up for Calstar 2004! Oct. 14-17 at Lake San Antonio D) Sky and Telescope Store Discount! ****************************************** A) Houge Park Star Party Tonight! Friday Sept. 24th 8 PM-11 PM Looks like it is going to be a great night for astronomy! Families are welcome to attend. Feel free to bring your scope and share views with others. Clear Sky Clock for San Jose: http://cleardarksky.com/c/SanJoseCAkey.html?1 NRL Monterey East Pacific & US West Coast Images http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/sat-bin/epac_westcoast.cgi Astro Info for Houge Park Star Party, Friday September 24, 2004 Sunset: 7:00 PM PDT Civil twilight ends: 7:26 PM PDT Nautical twilight ends: 7:57 PM PDT Astronomical twilight ends: 8:27 PM PDT 10 Cool Things to Observe Tonight! 1) ISS Pass This one is low in the north Horizon and terminates in the earth shadow. Starts: 20:55:23 Alt: 10 deg NNW Look at the Horizon under Mizar Mid: 20:56:01 Alt: 13 deg N Under the Bowl of the Big Dipper Ends: 20:56:01 Alt: 13 deg N 2) 1st Quarter Moon 3) Watch the Moon approach Epsilon Capricorni, a 4.5 mag star with the minimum separation at 0.5 deg at midnight. 4) Albireo: Double star, mag. 3.1 and 5.1, 34" apart. 385 LY away, stars are 400 AU apart. 5) Gamma Delphni: the nose of the Dolphin, a double star. Appears Yellow and White at Mags 4.3 & 5.2, 100 ly Away 6) M 11: Wild Duck Cluster. 6,000 LY away and 21 LY across. At least 600 stars 7) M 22: Globular cluster. About 10,000 LY away, with > 75,000 stars 8) Uranus: The 7th planet from the sun, 1.76 billion miles away. Green in color. Discovered in 1781. 9) Andromeda Galaxy: About 2.3 million LY away, 130,000 LY across. Contains 300 billion stars. 10) Double Cluster: 7200 LY away, 200 stars each. ************************************** B) SJAA General Meeting: Slide and Equipment Night Saturday, September 25th starting 8 PM in the Hall at Houge Park It's time for everyone's favorite meeting, Member show and tell! Have you purchased a new telescope or astro accessory? We love to see it, hear how you made your decision to purchase it, and how it has improved your observing skills! Are you in the process of building a scope or astro toy but have run into a problem you have not solved yet? Bring it on by and tell us about it! Many of our members have run into similar problems. The person with the solution could be sitting right next to you! A slide projector will be available to show some of your latest astrophotography efforts. Please feel free to bring any pictures, even the less successful ones, so that we can all understand the patience and persistence that is required to get the outstanding images we take for granted in the astronomy magazines. Some of our members have been doing astrophotography for over twenty-five years and may offer a pointer or two that may help make your next photographic session more successful. We will have the computer projector there along with a slide projector. Let us know if there is anything else needed. Some things to look forward to: Rob Hawleys String Scope and his experiences with it on a Astro Trip to Costa Rica Astrophotography by Jeff Crilly The Genesis ReEntry as viewed from FISTA All are welcome to attend and present! Websites with past S&E Nites: http://www.sjaa.net/eph/9810g.html http://ephemeris.sjaa.net/9911/g.html http://ephemeris.sjaa.net/0011/i.html http://ephemeris.sjaa.net/0110/i.html http://ephemeris.sjaa.net/0311/c.html ******************************* C) Sign Up for Calstar 2004! Oct. 14-17 at Lake San Antonio CalStar (The California Star Party) will take place this year at Lake San Antonio from October 14 through 16, 2004. This is the fifth year for CalStar, and it has grown in popularity each year. The San Jose Astronomical Association (SJAA) is the host. CalStar is a casual star party, geared entirely at observing and imaging. It is a relaxed atmosphere, where the only real activities take place under starry skies. It is a great "end of season" way to get together with other amateur astronomers from around the state. Lake San Antonio is located approximately midpoint between Los Angeles and San Francisco, just west of highway 101, 30 miles north of Paso Robles. We expect a hundred or so telescopes to be set up, ranging from small Dobs to some seriously large aperture, to high end imaging equipment and state of the art solar scopes. There is always something interesting. Lake San Antonio is part of the Monterey County Park system, and charges an overnight camping fee of $20 per day per vehicle. We are getting a special discount of three nights for the price of two, so if you stay all three nights, the fee is $40. There are free showers available at a nearby campsite. This year we are once again arranging for catered BBQ dinners on Friday and Saturday nights. For $16 you can get a Tri tip or chicken BBQ dinner or $12 a veggietarian offer will be provided. Its a great meal to start an evening of observing with no food to haul in, cook, or clean up afterwards. Go to the CalStar web-page for more information and sign up as an attendee. http://www201.pair.com/resource/calstar/ If you have any questions, email Mark Wagner at mgw resource-intl com. See you there! ************************ D) Sky and Telescope Store Discount! Sky & Telescope is offering a 15 percent discount on items (including books) purchased directly from now until October 31. To order from the web go to skyandtelescope.com, place your order, then enter CLUB04H in the "promotional code" field and the discount should be automatically applied. By phone, call 800 253-0245 to place your order and mention promotional code CLUB04P (don't forget to pronounce the capital letters). One presumes the catalog and web prices to be the same, but I have not looked and do not know. This appears to apply to all club members, not just those who subscribe to Sky & Telescope. Website: http://skyandtelescope.com/shopatsky/product-index.asp ***************************** 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 Email any comments, questions, or flames to Koopm at best.com From pkohlmil at best.com Sun Sep 26 15:10:37 2004 From: pkohlmil at best.com (Paul Kohlmiller) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:07 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] October Issue of Ephemeris Now Online Message-ID: <002701c4a415$a6f29240$0500a8c0@eclipsys.lan> The October 2004 issue of the Ephemeris, newsletter of the San Jose Astronomical Association, is available online here: http://ephemeris.sjaa.net This issue features the inside story of Don Machholz's recent comet discovery. At the same web location you will find links to an index of past Ephemeris articles. Comments on the usefulness of the index are requested. Articles for the Ephemeris are welcome. Please send them by the 10th day of the previous month. Paul and Mary Kohlmiller -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.sjaa.net/pipermail/sjaa-announce/attachments/20040926/d3cab71f/attachment.html From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Sun Sep 26 17:11:12 2004 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:07 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: [AANC Contacts] Public Panel Discussion: Mingling Microbes Message-ID: <007401c4a426$7f9bb580$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> In the past year, two spacecraft landed on Mars to explore its surface. Early next year, another will descend to the surface of Saturn's moon, Titan. In years to come, more missions will follow, and some will carry humans. As we expand our presence on other planets, we must consider what we might bring with us that could threaten their ecosystems. And recently, a spacecraft containing solar wind samples crashed on Earth. Eventually, when we bring more samples-or astronauts-back to Earth, what dangers could they pose to our own planet? The Planetary Society Bay Area Volunteer Network presents MINGLING PLANETARY MICROBES: Protecting Alien Ecosystems. and Our Own --------------------------- SPEAKERS: -Margaret S. Race - Ecologist, Planetary Protection; SETI Institute and NASA -Christopher P. McKay - Planetary scientist, Space Science; NASA/Ames Research Center -Sandra M. Dawson - Risk Communication; NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory --------------------------- Wednesday, November 3, 2004, 7:00 pm Independence High School - C Villa 1776 Educational Park Drive, San Jose, CA 95112 Driving directions: http://ih.esuhsd.org/AreaMap.htm Campus Map: http://ih.esuhsd.org/campusmap.htm We will be in "C Villa". ----------------------- TICKETS - Advance orders by mail: $2.00. (At the door: $5.00) * Admission is free with purchase of a new membership in The Planetary Society * For an online printable order form, please visit http://tpsbavn.org/MinglingMicrobes.htm -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.sjaa.net/pipermail/sjaa-announce/attachments/20040926/7dd45490/attachment.html From jvn at svpal.org Wed Sep 29 12:34:54 2004 From: jvn at svpal.org (Jim Van Nuland) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:07 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Winter rules for Fremont Peak SP Message-ID: <415B0E5E.24B2@svpal.org> Hi, All, The attached was posted to the TAC list by Jamie Dillon. Short version: The Peak will be open to astronomers, but 2-day e-mail notice is required. Addresses below. If you give notice and change plans, that's okay; send an update to the rangers. Clear Skies! -- Jim Van Nuland, San Jose (California) Astronomical Association JVN's web site TACos, esp dyed-in-the-wool Peakistas, Access to Fremont Peak over the ensuing winter will be the same as now, only more so. Now pay attention. All the campgrounds are closing Nov, Dec, Jan. We will be the only nighttime users of the Peak. Rangers Brett Reid and Stuart Organo will be covering the park thru the winter, Stuart on weekends and Brett on weekdays. We are welcome. So Coulter will be wide open for southern sky observing. SW lot is open as ever for northern and eastern skies. Necessary courtesies won't change - write both Stuart and Brett two days at least ahead, with name, vehicle and plate. We need to do this for every single trip, every single observer. They _absolutely_ need to know who's coming, because they're keeping the Park open for astro use only in those three months. I'm repeating myself for deliberate emphasis. The FPOA area they're not as concerned about, because it's no longer their primary responsibility. But please do just cc them to be polite, when you arrange to use Ranger Row or the pads. This'll be a fun winter, with no headlights nor propane lamps in the Park. Last winter was luxurious, when the rain stopped! Cheers, DDK