From bhavner at earthlink.net Fri Jul 29 03:57:02 2005 From: bhavner at earthlink.net (Bob Havner) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:03 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Oct. 6th general meeting Message-ID: <000c022bce5e$ef7cdf40$4a8af7d1@havner> SJAA October General Meeting Oct. 6th 8:00 p.m. Houge Park Meeting Hall Speaker: Dr. Jeff Moore The SJAA is pleased to present Dr. Jeff Moore of the NASA Ames Research Center. Dr. Moore will be talking about the latest observations of Jupiter's moons Ganymede and Callisto. He will also discuss future Mars mission plans. Dr. Moore's research at Ames has primarily focused on Mars and the Outer Planet Satellites. He currently is involved with Mars research, and is a member of the Galileo Imaging Team. Bob Havner Vice-President San Jose Astronomical Assn. bhavner@earthlink.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.sjaa.net/pipermail/sjaa-announce/attachments/20961002/a248eb7f/attachment.html From bogus@does.not.exist.com Fri Jul 29 03:57:02 2005 From: bogus@does.not.exist.com () Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:03 2005 Subject: No subject Message-ID: 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 bogus@does.not.exist.com Fri Jul 29 03:57:02 2005 From: bogus@does.not.exist.com () Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:03 2005 Subject: No subject Message-ID: 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@best.com From bogus@does.not.exist.com Fri Jul 29 03:57:02 2005 From: bogus@does.not.exist.com () Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:03 2005 Subject: No subject Message-ID: 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 bogus@does.not.exist.com Fri Jul 29 03:57:02 2005 From: bogus@does.not.exist.com () Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:03 2005 Subject: No subject Message-ID: 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 Webpage: http://www.sjaa.net Email any comments, questions or flames to Koopm@best.com From bogus@does.not.exist.com Fri Jul 29 03:57:02 2005 From: bogus@does.not.exist.com () Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:03 2005 Subject: No subject Message-ID: 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 bogus@does.not.exist.com Fri Jul 29 03:57:02 2005 From: bogus@does.not.exist.com () Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:03 2005 Subject: No subject Message-ID: 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@best.com From bogus@does.not.exist.com Fri Jul 29 03:57:02 2005 From: bogus@does.not.exist.com () Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:03 2005 Subject: No subject Message-ID: According to several reports, another test of the National Missile Defense project will occur just after sundown on Friday. Brian Webb is reporting that the target vehicle launch from Vandenberg AFB should occur at the start of a four-hour window that begins at 6:00 PM. Sundown (at least, in San Diego) is at 5:57. This isn't ideal, since the sky here will not have darkened appreciably, but it should still make for a bright, backlit exhaust trail. At the very least, even if the launch isn't spectacular, the wind-blown exhaust trail could make for some interesting rainbow effects, assuming the sky is nice and clear. For more information, see http://home.earthlink.net/~kd6nrp/index.htm *********************** C) Beautiful Comet Ikeya-Zhang in Evening Skies Make sure to get a glimpse of this comet before it moves over to the morning skies. We saw it at the Houge Park Star Party last Friday and Bob Havner reports that it was showing very well at the school star party last night. For a quick description and finder charts see http://www.astronomy.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/000/791ffjnd.asp A few pictures here: http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/ Clear Skies, Mike Koop President SJAA Send any comments, questions, or flames to Koopm@best.com From bogus@does.not.exist.com Fri Jul 29 03:57:02 2005 From: bogus@does.not.exist.com () Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:04 2005 Subject: No subject Message-ID: 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 bogus@does.not.exist.com Fri Jul 29 03:57:02 2005 From: bogus@does.not.exist.com () Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:04 2005 Subject: No subject Message-ID: turn right at the first traffic light, onto White Oaks Road. At the first stop sign (another 0.2), turn left onto Twilight Drive. You will now be passing the park. Turn right at the first driveway, into the parking lot. For more about SJAA, questions on the auction, or to view preregistered auction items, visit our web site at http://www.sjaa.net or email auction@sjaa.net. From bogus@does.not.exist.com Fri Jul 29 03:57:02 2005 From: bogus@does.not.exist.com () Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:04 2005 Subject: No subject Message-ID: 2002 Saturday Sep.14 -- Almaden Lake regional Park 6099 Winfield Blvd., S.J. Contact: Ranger Roger Abe (abbey) Sset 7:17, start 7:30 65% moon sets 0:57 am We'll start early so as to show Venus and the moon. Then by 8:15 we can start looking for deep-sky objects. From Hwy.85, exit at Almaden Blvd. Go south. S ~0.9 mi. to Coleman Avenue. Light. Left. E 0.3 mi. to Winfield Blvd. Right. Light. You will be passing the park, on your right. S 0.25 mi to the park gate. Right. OLD SITE: Enter the park, make an immediate sharp right turn, then a left, through the old rope fence, to the setup area. This is next to the amphitheater and boat ramp. NEW SITE: Enter gate, turn left into the parking lot. The lot is split into two parallel parts. We set up in the part that is nearer the lake, at the northern end. This gets away from all but one of the streetlights. *********************************** D) The Lost Spacecraft Exhibit at Chabot Science Center Closes Sept 15 Last chance to see this! The Lost Spacecraft: Liberty Bell 7 Recovered See the actual spacecraft that Gus Grissom flew on which sank to the bottom of the ocean in 1961 and learn about its recovery 38 years later. Climb inside a capsule, watch rocket launches, experience centrifuge-training, pilot a remote-controlled vehicle, and learn about the history and technology of space flight. This interactive exhibition was developed and presented by Discovery Channel and produced by Clear Channel Entertainment-Exhibitions. Website: http://www.chabotspace.org/visit/exhibits.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@best.com From bogus@does.not.exist.com Fri Jul 29 03:57:02 2005 From: bogus@does.not.exist.com () Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:04 2005 Subject: No subject Message-ID: Go east 0.4 miles, 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 bogus@does.not.exist.com Fri Jul 29 03:57:02 2005 From: bogus@does.not.exist.com () Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:04 2005 Subject: No subject Message-ID: Go north, and turn right at the first traffic light, onto White Oaks Road. At the first stop sign, turn left onto Twilight Drive. You will now be passing the park. Turn right at the first driveway, into the parking lot. For more information on the SJAA, see our website at http://www.sjaa.net Mike Koop President, SJAA Email: koopm@best.com From robhawley at earthlink.net Sat Jul 2 15:47:47 2005 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:08 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] FW: Comet Temple 1 Magnitude (or lack thereof) Message-ID: <20050702224751.1F11F7CE8@mail.whiteoaks.com> FYI it was not visible from Houge with a 10" either visually or with CCD. We will be looking for it tonight at Coyote. Rob Hawley -----Original Message----- From: Kenneth Lum [mailto:lum40@comcast.net] Sent: Saturday, July 02, 2005 6:27 AM To: San Mateo County Astronomical Society Society; East Bay Astronomical Society; San Jose Astronomical Association Subject: Comet Temple 1 Folks, If you are planning on observing the NASA probe impact on this comet, you'll need a good sized telescope, dark skies, and probably imaging equipment as well. I managed to find the comet tonight from my driveway in Palo Alto, using a 7 inch AP refractor, but I had to use a CCD camera. It was simply not visible in the eyepiece. Here's a 30 second exposure: http://www.meier-phelps.com/images/tempel1.050701.224500.jpg William Phelps From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Mon Jul 11 16:32:03 2005 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:08 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: Cosmic Impacts night at NASA Ames on Saturday, July 16 Message-ID: <002f01c58670$beeba2e0$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> Hi Folks, Things are coming together very nicely for the Cosmic Impacts night at NASA Ames on Saturday, July 16 starting at 6:30. Scott Sandford will be presenting the latest findings on comets from the Stardust and Deep Impact missions. David Morrison will be presenting our efforts to identify asteroids whose orbits cross the Earth's. Rusty Schweikart will describe the B612 Foundation's plans to alter the orbit of an asteroid. There will be a demonstration of robotics technology, and a variety of exhibits and activities. A very important part of this event will be the star party. The Moon will be a bit past first quarter, so we will have a great opportunity to show the public some great examples of cosmic impact scars on the Moon. We have arranged for a much better venue for the telescopes this time. We will be inside the main gate along the long, grassy parade ground leading between the Visitor Center and the big hangar. We will have two roads crossing the parade ground closed off for telescope drop-off and setup. This location puts us right between the two speaking venues for the evening. We are expecting a big crowd that night, so we are arranging special parking for astronomers. I would like to get some kind of idea as to the number of astronomers and telescopes that we can expect. If you are planning to come (and I sure hope you are), please let me know at bhday@mail.arc.nasa.gov. That will help me reserve space for you, and let me get any updates to you. Looking forward to seeing you there! Brian Day Any opinions expressed in this message are strictly my own and do not necessarily reflect those of NASA, its contracting agencies, or any other life form in the Universe. Brian H. Day AETT Technical Lead Planners Collaborative Mailstop 226-4 NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000 (650) 604-2605 bhday@mail.arc.nasa.gov From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Tue Jul 12 20:42:35 2005 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:08 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: [AANC Contacts] Gravity Wave talk at Stanford University Wed. 7/13 Message-ID: <001b01c5875c$e8aa67f0$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> >From Kenneth Lum: Dear Friends: This is to let everyone interested know that there will be a presentation at Stanford University on Wed. 7/13 at 8:30PM by Dr. Robert Byer of the Applied Physics Dept. on Black Holes, Einstein, and Gravitational Waves as part of the International Year of Physics centennial celebration of Einstein's discovery of Special Relativity in 1905. The event will be held at the Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center, 326 Galvez Street, at the intersection of Campus Drive and Galvez. Parking in the evenings is free and is available along Galvez, or in the parking lot just beyond the Alumni Center on the right side of Galvez. Dr. Byer spoke to the PAS about this subject a few years ago as part of his involvement with the LIGO(Laser Interferometer Gravity Wave Observatory). For those of you who missed that talk and/or want an update, this will be a most excellent presentation. More on this at: http://continuingstudies.stanford.edu/course/EVT96.asp Ken L. From robhawley at earthlink.net Wed Jul 13 23:14:54 2005 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:08 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] July 15 SJAA Houge Park Star Party Message-ID: <20050714061458.A7F5F7B96@mail.whiteoaks.com> On Friday July 15th the SJAA will host its 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. The evening star party will start about 9:30 PM and last until midnight. Weather for Houge Park: http://www.sjaa.net/weather/sites.html#Houge-Park You can follow this link for a map of tonight's sky http://skymaps.com/skymaps/esmn0507.pdf. Phase of the Moon on 15 July: waxing gibbous with 62% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated. First quarter Moon on 14 July 2005 at 8:20 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time. Object visibility for 22:00:00 on Fri 15 Jul 2005 Sunset: 20:27 Twilight: 22:16 Darkness: 01:16 - 04:11 Twilight: 04:11 Sunrise: 05:59 Object Type Con Alt Az ------ ---- --- --- -- Alberio Star Cyg +51? 90? beta Lyrae Star Lyr +61? 87? Cr 399 Open Cluster Vul +48? 102? M 3 Globular Cluster CVn +54? 268? M 5 Globular Cluster Ser +51? 209? M 11 Open Cluster Sct +35? 135? M 13 Globular Cluster Her +87? 108? M 17 Bright Nebula Sgr +30? 148? M 51 Galaxy CVn +56? 301? M 53 Globular Cluster Com +43? 260? M 56 Globular Cluster Lyr +55? 89? M 57 Planetary Nebula Lyr +60? 87? M 81 Galaxy UMa +32? 335? M 82 Galaxy UMa +32? 336? M 92 Globular Cluster Her +79? 54? mu Cephei Star Cep +37? 39? NGC 6633 Open Cluster Oph +49? 131? NGC 6811 Open Cluster Cyg +54? 60? NGC 6910 Open Cluster Cyg +45? 67? xi Bootis Star Boo +62? 236? zeta Ursae Majoris Star UMa +54? 315? Detailed information on any of any of these objects may be obtained at http://www.ngcic.org/pubdb.htm And http://www.seds.org/messier/ Jupiter will visible tonight. For satellite predictions for the party see http://www.heavens-above.com/allsats.asp?lat=37.339&lng=-121.894&alt=0&loc=S an+Jose&TZ=PST&Date=38486.0625&Mag=3.5 Rob Hawley From robhawley at earthlink.net Wed Jul 13 23:21:15 2005 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:08 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] "A Sidewalk Astronomer" appearance by director Message-ID: <20050714062118.C558183DC@mail.whiteoaks.com> In an earlier mailing we announced the film on John Dobson. Members of SJAA are invited to a special guest appearance /Q&A sessions with the director, Jeffrey Jacobs for this Sunday, July 17th, at the 5:45pm and 7:30pm showings. If folks are interested then contact me off list. There will be a discount if 10 or more of us go. Rob Hawley ________________________________ -A Sidewalk Astronomer, is a fascinating documentary that follows John Dobson, inventor of the Dobsonian telescope and Bay Area native as he encourage us to think more about astronomy, cosmology and our surrounding universe. - It opens this Friday, July 15th 2005, at Camera 7, and special guest appearance /Q&A sessions have been scheduled with the director, Jeffrey Jacobs for this Sunday, July 17th, at the 5:45pm and 7:30pm showings. These special Q&As are free additions to our opening weekend lineup of the film, and we invite everyone at the SJAA to take advantage of our group discounts and come and see it with us! "A Sidewalk Astronomer" is an inspiring film about an inspired teacher. It should leave all viewers with an ounce of curiosity eager to hit the streets with Dobsonian telescopes of their own. --- Dana Stevens, The New York Times On any given night around the world, thousands of people peer into deep space because of John Dobson. An 89-year old with a white ponytail and a knack forcomedy, John Dobson revolutionized astronomy. Possessing a quicksilver wit, a gift for turning a phrase that makes scientific concepts accessible, and an energy that belies his nearly 90 cycles around the sun, Mr. Dobson is one of history's greatest popularizers of science,(Wall Street Journal 9/1/04). He is the inventor of the Dobsonian telescope mount, which changed the field of astronomy dramatically, making telescopes accessible to the public on every continent. A former Vedanta monk of the Ramakrishna Order, he is a co founder of Sidewalk Astronomers, an organization that encourages amateurs to share their telescopes and knowledge with others on busy city streets and in national parks. As John says, The Universe is bigger than the Earth; it's bigger than the solar system; it's bigger than our galaxy and we owe it to ourselves to notice it.The film follows John as he tours the country from the sidewalks of SanFrancisco to colleges, universities, astronomy clubs, star parties and to Stellafane, a convention of telescope makers in Vermont. It features sequences on sidewalk astronomy, telescope making, the Moon, Sun, major planets, galaxies, Big Bang Theory, and the nature of time and space. We also get to know John Dobson, a fascinating thinker, philosopher, teacher, and inventor who encourages us to think about the Universe. This astronomical and cosmological journey is illustrated with actual footage and photos of space shot from satellites and spacecraft as well as animation courtesy of NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Goddard Space Flight Center and the Hubble Space Telescope Institute. Screening Information: A Sidewalk Astronomer Showtimes 12:30-(Fri-Sun), 2:15, 4:05, 5:45, 7:30, 9:15 From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Fri Jul 15 15:03:02 2005 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:08 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] NASA Ames Family Night Saturday, July 16, Message-ID: <20050715220302.37153.qmail@web80109.mail.yahoo.com> NASA Ames Family Night Homes in on Comet Impacts Media Advisory: NASA Ames Research Center, located in California's Silicon Valley, will host 'Cosmic Impacts,' the second installment in its highly successful Family Night Education Series, on Saturday, July 16, 2005. The event features exhibits and hands-on activities for the entire family, presentations by NASA experts, and 'galaxy viewing' where the public can see the moon, planets and other celestial objects through a field of telescopes (weather permitting). Media representatives are invited to attend the event. 'Cosmic Impacts' is free and open to the public. The doors of the NASA Exploration Center open at 6:00 p.m. PDT and will remain open until 10:00 p.m. Telescope viewing will continue until 11:00 p.m. PDT. To reach NASA Ames, exit at Moffett Boulevard from U.S. Highway 101. Turn right over the overpass and follow the parking signs. Schedule of Events 6:00-10:00 p.m. PDT NASA Exploration Center Family exhibits and activities 7:00 p.m. PDT Scott Sandford, NASA research astrophysicist Presenting the latest images and results from the Deep Impact mission's July 4 rendezvous and impact with the comet Tempel 1. David Morrison, senior scientist, NASA Astrobiology Institute Presenting NASA's efforts to locate and identify near-Earth asteroids that could pose an impact hazard to the Earth. Rusty Schweickart, Apollo 9 astronaut Presenting the B612 Foundation's innovative and exciting plans to demonstrate how impact hazards to the Earth could be addressed by changing the orbit of an asteroid. 8:30-11:00 p.m. PDT Galaxy Viewing Join local amateur astronomers to view the impact craters on the moon and other celestial bodies. Ames Family Nights are sponsored by the NASA Ames Education Office and are designed to engage the community in scientific exploration and to inform the public about NASA research and technology. For more information visit: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/ For more information about the NASA Ames Education Office, visit: http://quest.nasa.gov -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.sjaa.net/pipermail/sjaa-announce/attachments/20050715/4420df8f/attachment.html From robhawley at earthlink.net Sat Jul 16 00:23:32 2005 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:08 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] CalStar registration is now open Message-ID: <20050716072336.4E1D81BBA@mail.whiteoaks.com> Registration is now open for the sixth edition of SJAA's dark sky star party CalStar. CalStar will be held at Lake San Antonio the nights of Thursday Sept 29 through Saturday Oct 1, 2005. This is a nice low key way to end the summer observing season; a reasonable sunset time, Catered dinners on Friday and Saturday, and some of the darkest skies in California. To register or for more information see the web page http://www.sjaa.net/calstar2005.html. Sponsored by the San Jose Astronomical Association Rob Hawley From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Sat Jul 16 11:02:07 2005 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:08 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Night Sky Network Teleconference Thursday 7/21 Message-ID: <002701c58a30$7b5553a0$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> Thursday July 21 the Night Sky Network will be hosting a teleconference featuring Dr. Michelle Thaller. To download the presentation log in at the NSN home page http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm User name: SJAA_CLUB Password: sjaansky All SJAA members are invited to participate in the program. Dr. Michelle Thaller, manager of the Spitzer Space Telescope education and public outreach program, is our guest speaker. Dr. Thaller will share the amazing discoveries of the Spitzer and will be available at the end of her talk to answer your questions. The teleconference is scheduled for Thursday, July 21st at 6 pm Pacific, 9 pm Eastern. To participate, just dial in anytime after 5:45 p.m. Pacific Time on Thursday, July 21st. Please call early for quickest connection. All your club members are welcome to join the telecon. Toll-free conference call line: 1-877-917-1549. An operator will answer and: - You will be asked for the passcode: NIGHT SKY NETWORK - You might be asked for the call leader: MICHAEL GREENE - You will be asked to give your NAME and the CLUB you belong to, and number of people listening with you. Dr. Thaller's PowerPoint presentation is available for download on the Night Sky Network under "ToolKit Downloads" in the "Tele-Conference" section. Look for the presentation titled "Spitzer Space Telescope - Dr. Michelle Thaller PowerPoint." Please note, this is a VERY LARGE FILE. An online HTML presentation TO BE POSTED BY JULY 19th will be available at: http://www.astrosociety.org/nsntelecon/jul21.htm A written transcript and MP3 version of the presentation will be posted in the "ToolKit Downloads" area within two weeks after the presentation. If you have any questions or are having any difficulties logging into the Night Sky Network, send an email to nightskyinfo@astrosociety.org From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Tue Jul 19 22:50:26 2005 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:08 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Vandenberg Launch Early Thursday Morning (7/21) Message-ID: <20050719234908.E93482@koopm.best.vwh.net> An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile is scheduled for launch from North Vandenberg Thursday morning (July 21) as part of a developmental test to demonstrate the ability to integrate a Safety Enhanced Re-entry Vehicle into the Minuteman III weapons system. The missile's single unarmed re-entry vehicle is expected to travel approximately 4,200 miles in about 30 minutes, hitting a pre-determined target at the Kwajalein Missile Range in the western chain of the Marshall Islands. The launch window is from 1:01 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. PDT. Usually, they launch these missiles right on time although the one a few months ago was delayed a half hour and the I think the last two have been scrubbed! http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20050428-0659-ca-missilelaunch.html SJAA member Jim Albers has generated a Finder/photo setup charts for the flight path as viewed from San Jose for a 1 AM or 2 AM PDT launch using Rob Matson's Skymap Program: 20 deg FOV shows launch area 60 deg FOV shows entire burn These plots should be good for the entire SF Bay area. 0030 for setup http://koopm.best.vwh.net/mm3_050721_0030_20.gif http://koopm.best.vwh.net/mm3_050721_0030_60.gif 0100 for launch window start http://koopm.best.vwh.net/mm3_050721_0100_20.gif http://koopm.best.vwh.net/mm3_050721_0100_60.gif 0200 for 1 hr into window. http://koopm.best.vwh.net/mm3_050721_0200_20.gif http://koopm.best.vwh.net/mm3_050721_0200_60.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. * Use binoculars. You should be able to see the staging. * I do not think this launch will make it up into daylight which lights up the exaust plume and allows us to see the ionized gases. I keep trying to get the AF to launch these things at twilight for Houge Park Star Party Friday's but only managed to convince them once. Check out Dean Sala's picture of that time: http://ephemeris.sjaa.net/0008/l.html Check out Rick Baldridge's picture of a typical Minuteman Launch: http://ephemeris.sjaa.net/0112/c.html Some Websites of Interest: The full Vandenberg AFB News Release: http://www.spacearchive.info/news-2005-07-19-vafb.htm Viewing tips from Brian Webb: http://www.spacearchive.info/vafbview.htm Upcoming Vandenberg Launch Schedule: http://www.spacearchive.info/vafbsked.htm Let me know if you have any luck. Clear Skies, Mike Koop President San Jose Astronomical Association From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Wed Jul 20 19:17:54 2005 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:08 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: [AANC Contacts] SFAA 2005 Speaker's Schedule Message-ID: <001101c58d9a$67886840$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> SFAA has some truly world-class astronomers on its speaker schedule for the last half of 2005. By no means should you miss these lectures! *San Francisco Amateur Astronomers Speaker Schedule, 2005* Meetings at the Randall Museum, 199 Museum Way, S.F. 7:30 pm Be sure to attend the fine talks scheduled for the balance of this year. *August 17th *. Our speaker will be *Janice Voss*, a veteran of five space flights, logging over 49 days in space. Currently at NASA Ames, she is the Science Director of the Kepler Spacecraft mission. She will share her fantastic images of Earth from space and her personal experiences with NASA as an astronaut. Bring the family to this one. *September 21st *. *Sun Kwok*, University of Calgary, will speak on planetary nebulae, or ?Cosmic Butterflies?. He is an investigator of sub-millimeter wave astronomy on the Odin Space Mission. He has also written two books on planetary nebulae: ?The Origins and Evolution of Planetary Nebulae? and ?Cosmic Butterflies? He also has written articles for Sky and Telescope and Astronomy magazine. Bring your books for signing. We are fortunate to have him speak to us while he is at NASA Ames this month. *October 19th * *Geoff Marcy* will talk to us about his Cal. Berkeley team?s experiences in the discovery of 107 of the 160 known Extra-Solar Planet, using the 120 inch Lick Observatory telescope and the 10 meter Keck Telescope in Hawaii. His topic is entitled ?The Hunt for Habitable Worlds?. SFAA is pleased he is taking time to be with us. *November 16th . Chris McKay* spoke to SFAA two years ago, to a large attendance and promised an exciting new talk, that he will announce to us soon. *December 21st *Member?s Night*. This is a special night to begin thinking about _now._ Plan to submit your work of Astronomy related Art, or Astronomical Photography, using any kind of camera. Consider giving a presentation at the meeting, or submit ideas for all the members to discuss. We will have a longer time for snacks and judging member?s works. Be sure to attend. To give a talk, contact Linda Mahan at doublestar@comcast.net *January 2006. Annual Awards Banquet Night*. You do not need to be a potential contest winner or incoming Officer or Board Member to come and enjoy this night. Many have been attending for years, and many more members will find a night with SFAA friends, good food and drink and time to talk together the perfect way to begin our Astronomical Year. If you have any comments or suggestions, contact Linda Mahan at doublestar@comcast.net Thank you. From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Wed Jul 20 19:18:47 2005 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:08 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: Night Sky Network Message: Reminder: Telecon Thursday! Message-ID: <002101c58d9a$8e897420$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> "Exploring the Invisible Universe with the Spitzer Space Telescope" Dr. Michelle Thaller, manager of the Spitzer Space Telescope education and public outreach program, is our guest speaker. Dr. Thaller will share the amazing discoveries of the Spitzer and will be available at the end of her talk to answer your questions. The teleconference is scheduled for Thursday, July 21st at 6 pm Pacific, 9 pm Eastern. To participate, just dial in anytime after 5:45 pm Pacific on Thursday, July 21st. Please call early for quickest connection. Toll-free conference call line: 1-877-917-1549. An operator will answer and: - You will be asked for the passcode: NIGHT SKY NETWORK - You might be asked for the call leader: MICHAEL GREENE - You will be asked to give your NAME and the CLUB you belong to, and number of people listening with you. All your club members are welcome to join the telecon. Dr. Thaller's PowerPoint presentation is available for download on the Night Sky Network under "ToolKit Downloads" in the "Tele-Conference" section. Please note: This is over 11 MB. Here is the direct link: http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/docs/ThallerNSN.ppt An online HTML presentation is available at: http://www.astrosociety.org/nsntelecon/jul21.htm A written transcript and MP3 version of the presentation will be posted in the "ToolKit Downloads" area within two weeks after the presentation. If you have any questions or are having any difficulties logging into the Night Sky Network, send an email to nightskyinfo@astrosociety.org Marni Berendsen Night Sky Network Administrator From ragarf at earthlink.net Thu Jul 21 02:09:28 2005 From: ragarf at earthlink.net (Bob Garfinkle) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:08 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Vandenberg Launch Early Thursday Morning (7/21) In-Reply-To: <20050719234908.E93482@koopm.best.vwh.net> Message-ID: Hi, I was able to observe much of the launch this morning from the intersection of Paseo Padre and Patterson Ranch Road (entrance road to Coyote Hill Park) in Fremont. Had some thick fog roll in just minutes before 1:00 am. Observed the missile from about 1:02 to slightly after 1:05. I could not see it naked-eye, so I watched the event through my 15x45 Canon EIS binoculars. Saw one of the stage separations. The missile was moving northwest, gaining apparent western separation distance from the full moon as it moved higher. Because I could not see the missile and the Moon in the same FOV or naked-eye, I could not make any separation distance estimates, but from my location, it looked like the distance was between 30 to 50 degrees (west of the Moon). The only "star" I could see was Jupiter and maybe one or two other bright ones, but the clouds and full moon prevented any celestial navigation. Not as spectacular as on cloud-free launches, but at least they launched it on time today. Take care. Robert A. Garfinkle, F.R.A.S. 32924 Monrovia Street Union City, CA 94587 USA E-mail: ragarf@earthlink.net -----Original Message----- From: sjaa-announce-bounces@sjaa.net [mailto:sjaa-announce-bounces@sjaa.net]On Behalf Of Michael Koop Sent: Tuesday, July 19, 2005 10:50 PM To: SJAA Announce List Subject: [SJAA-announce] Vandenberg Launch Early Thursday Morning (7/21) Note: replies go to chat@sjaa.net _______________________________________________ An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile is scheduled for launch from North Vandenberg Thursday morning (July 21) as part of a developmental test to demonstrate the ability to integrate a Safety Enhanced Re-entry Vehicle into the Minuteman III weapons system. The missile's single unarmed re-entry vehicle is expected to travel approximately 4,200 miles in about 30 minutes, hitting a pre-determined target at the Kwajalein Missile Range in the western chain of the Marshall Islands. The launch window is from 1:01 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. PDT. Usually, they launch these missiles right on time although the one a few months ago was delayed a half hour and the I think the last two have been scrubbed! http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20050428-0659-ca-missilelaunch.html SJAA member Jim Albers has generated a Finder/photo setup charts for the flight path as viewed from San Jose for a 1 AM or 2 AM PDT launch using Rob Matson's Skymap Program: 20 deg FOV shows launch area 60 deg FOV shows entire burn These plots should be good for the entire SF Bay area. 0030 for setup http://koopm.best.vwh.net/mm3_050721_0030_20.gif http://koopm.best.vwh.net/mm3_050721_0030_60.gif 0100 for launch window start http://koopm.best.vwh.net/mm3_050721_0100_20.gif http://koopm.best.vwh.net/mm3_050721_0100_60.gif 0200 for 1 hr into window. http://koopm.best.vwh.net/mm3_050721_0200_20.gif http://koopm.best.vwh.net/mm3_050721_0200_60.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. * Use binoculars. You should be able to see the staging. * I do not think this launch will make it up into daylight which lights up the exaust plume and allows us to see the ionized gases. I keep trying to get the AF to launch these things at twilight for Houge Park Star Party Friday's but only managed to convince them once. Check out Dean Sala's picture of that time: http://ephemeris.sjaa.net/0008/l.html Check out Rick Baldridge's picture of a typical Minuteman Launch: http://ephemeris.sjaa.net/0112/c.html Some Websites of Interest: The full Vandenberg AFB News Release: http://www.spacearchive.info/news-2005-07-19-vafb.htm Viewing tips from Brian Webb: http://www.spacearchive.info/vafbview.htm Upcoming Vandenberg Launch Schedule: http://www.spacearchive.info/vafbsked.htm Let me know if you have any luck. Clear Skies, Mike Koop President San Jose Astronomical Association _______________________________________________ SJAA-announce mailing list SJAA-announce@sjaa.net http://www.sjaa.net/mailman/listinfo/sjaa-announce From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Thu Jul 21 13:24:50 2005 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:08 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] General Meeting: Richard Crisp on NB Imaging (7/23) Message-ID: <20050721142409.D74757@koopm.best.vwh.net> SJAA General Meeting this Saturday, July 23rd starting at 8 PM. At the Hall in Houge Park The SJAA presents Richard Crisp Speaking on Emission Line Imaging of Nebulae We've all seen the famous Hubble "Pillars of Creation" image released some years back. Part of what gave that object its unique appearance was the use of [SII], Ha and [OIII] filters instead of the usual RGB. Astro Imaging using such emission line filters can offer several benefits to backyard/suburban imagers: reduction of light pollution effects (manmade or lunar), reveals structure otherwise difficult to see via color contrast, and offers a fresh new appearance to familiar objects. This talk will focus on an overview of the narrowband technique and with many images shown to illustrate the sort of results that can be obtained in your suburban backyard. Richard Crisp is a local San Francisco Bay Area astro imager who has concentrated on developing techniques for taking astronomical images using narrowband filters. Working as a technology development director for an innovative Silicon Valley intellectual property company, he spends his time off taking images from his suburban eastbay backyard and at Fremont Peak. Richard also enjoys designing and building equipment including a large aperture cassegrain telescope. His website, www.narrowbandimaging.com has many of his images and photos of various design projects. Richard bought his first telescope, a 10" Meade LX200 Schmidt Cassegrain from Scope City in November of 2000 and has been very active since that fateful day when Richard first met Sam. Being immediately disappointed that he could not see the beautiful objects in an eyepiece to the same level of detail he had seen in photos, he sought to engage them photographically. As he began reading how to do astrophotography, he learned about how CCD cameras have revolutionized astronomical imaging. Being a "techno-geek" by nature, that was all it took to plunge him deeply into the world of astroimaging. Richard has quickly become one of the premire astro imagers in the world having his images published in several books, magazines and NASA APOD pages. Weblinks: Richard Crisp's Website: http://www.narrowbandimaging.com/ Some Favorite Crisp APODs and other images: The Rosette http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050214.html The Lagoon http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030908.html The Electric Swan: http://www.narrowbandimaging.com/m17_ap180_6303_s2hao3_page.htm ********************************************************* 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 Questions? Comments? Flames? Email: koopm best com From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Wed Jul 27 20:09:59 2005 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:08 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: [AANC Contacts] AstroAlert: Possible Strong Sunspot Complexto Rotate into View Soon Message-ID: <003301c59321$d933c660$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> -------- Original Message -------- Subject: [FPOA-Members] FW: AstroAlert: Possible Strong Sunspot Complex to Rotate into View Soon Date: Tue, 26 Jul 2005 10:38:08 -0700 From: Dammann, Ron To: 'FPOA Members' ('FPOA Members') ================================================================= This Is SKY & TELESCOPE's AstroAlert for Sun-Earth Interactions ================================================================= 26 July 2005 Solar Terrestrial Dispatch www.spacew.com POSSIBLE STRONG SUNSPOT COMPLEX TO ROTATE INTO VIEW SOON Roughly two weeks ago, an active region known as Region 10786 (or simply Region 786) increased in complexity as it approached the western limb of the Sun. As it rotated out of view behind the western limb, it spawned a powerful X-class solar flare and a fast coronal mass ejection. The trajectory of the ejected mass took the bulk of the space weather disturbance away from the Earth. During the last two weeks, this active region has been rotating from the western limb, behind the sun and back toward the eastern limb. In the process, it has been blamed for producing numerous strong coronal mass ejections that originated from behind the Sun - supposedly related to energetic solar flare activity. Old Region 786 is due to return to the eastern solar limb and rotate back into view during the next 72 hours (it will be assigned a new number when it returns). There is excitement concerning its imminent return because of the potential volatility associated with this region. If the region retains its volatility, it has the potential to be the source of several additional major solar flares during the next two weeks. Approximately one week from now, it should be in a fairly good position for producing Earthward-directed coronal mass ejections. As a result, aurora observers should be aware of the increased risk for auroral activity (northern lights) during the next two weeks. Much more will be known once the sunspot complex rotates into view and presents itself for material scrutiny during the next 3 to 5 days. As the region rotates into view, solar observers should monitor the eastern limb for signs of activity. Volatile active regions are often associated with active prominences, strong surging and sometimes powerful sprays of mass outward. Such observations require hydrogen-alpha solar filters to be attached to telescopic equipment. For those who do not have such equipment, near-realtime views from various professional solar observatories can be seen on-line by visiting: www.spacew.com/sunnow. ** End of AstroAlert ** From robhawley at earthlink.net Wed Jul 27 20:38:30 2005 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:08 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Weekend SJAA Events Message-ID: <20050728033841.C1F8A7E47@mail.whiteoaks.com> This weekend we have SJAA Star Parties planned; Friday 9:00 Houge Park Star Party Saturday 9:00 Coyote Park Star Party ****Houge Park************ On Friday July 29th the SJAA will host its 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. The evening star party will start about 9:00 PM and last until midnight. Weather for Houge Park: http://www.sjaa.net/weather/sites.html#Houge-Park You can follow this link for a map of tonight's sky http://skymaps.com/skymaps/esmn0507.pdf. Phase of the Moon on 29 July: waning crescent with 33% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated. Last quarter Moon on 27 July 2005 at 8:19 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. Object visibility for 22:00:00 on Fri 29 Jul 2005 Sunset: 20:17 Twilight: 22:00 Darkness: 22:00 - 01:16 Twilight: 04:27 Sunrise: 06:10 Object Type Con Alt Az ------ ---- --- --- -- 1 Pegasi Dbl Star Peg +36? 91? 61 Cygni Dbl Star Cyg +47? 70? beta Cygni Dbl Star Cyg +62? 100? beta Lyrae Dbl Star Lyr +72? 96? Cr 399 Open Cluster Vul +59? 115? gamma Delphini Star Del +41? 101? M 3 Globular Cluster CVn +43? 276? M 5 Globular Cluster Ser +44? 227? M 11 Open Cluster Sct +42? 150? M 13 Globular Cluster Her +82? 267? M 17 Bright Nebula Sgr +35? 163? M 24 Open Cluster Sgr +33? 165? M 51 Galaxy CVn +47? 302? M 52 Open Cluster Cas +32? 34? M 53 Globular Cluster Com +32? 269? M 56 Globular Cluster Lyr +66? 99? M 57 Planetary Nebula Lyr +71? 97? M 92 Globular Cluster Her +84? 348? mu Cephei Star Cep +44? 41? NGC 6210 Planetary Nebula Her +74? 215? NGC 6543 Planetary Nebula Dra +60? 7? Cat's Eye Nebula NGC 6633 Open Cluster Oph +56? 151? NGC 6811 Open Cluster Cyg +64? 59? NGC 6826 Planetary Nebula Cyg +62? 51? NGC 6910 Open Cluster Cyg +55? 70? NGC 7027 Planetary Nebula Cyg +48? 65? xi Bootis Star Boo +52? 252? Y Canum Venaticorum Star CVn +39? 302? zeta Ursae Majoris Star UMa +46? 314? Detailed information on any of any of these objects may be obtained at http://www.ngcic.org/pubdb.htm And http://www.seds.org/messier/ Jupiter and Venus will visible tonight. For satellite predictions for the party see http://www.heavens-above.com/allsats.asp?lat=37.339&lng=-121.894&alt=0&loc=S an+Jose&TZ=PST&Date=38486.0625&Mag=3.5 **********Coyote Park Star Party************* On Saturday July 30 the SJAA will host its public observing session on the grounds at Coyote Park. Families are welcome to attend. Feel free to bring your scope and share views with others. The evening star party will start about 9:00 PM and last until midnight. Due to its close proximity to San Jose, Coyote park is the one of the most convenient summer observing sites in the area. It is a short 45 minute drive from Houge Park with only one twisty mountain road section. Coyote park is an ideal recreation area at the foothills of the Mount Hamilton Range and offers beautiful lake shore hikes, boating and barbecue pits, picnic tables and year round campsites. Through the efforts of SJAA/TAC member Denny Woolaghan, astronomical use of Coyote is free during the year. As part of that agreement, the SJAA and TAC have agreed to provide Star Party support for the Ranger Program during the summer. The SJAA is happy to have the opportunity to support the Park Rangers in their public program efforts by setting up our telescopes and sharing views with all those present from the campgrounds during these dedicated public observing nights. 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. In addition the park service has added us to the event calendar: http://www.parkhere.org/channel/0,4770,chid%253D16221%2526sid%253D12761,00.h tml To reach the park, take Highway 101 to Gilroy; Take the Leavesley Road exit; Follow Leavesley Road east 1.75 miles to New Avenue; turn left onto New Avenue and proceed north for .6 miles to Roop Road. Turn right onto Roop Road, which eventually turns into Gilroy Hot Springs Road. The park entrance is approximately 3 miles from New Avenue. Turn left onto Coyote Reservoir Road, the park visitor center/ranger station is about one mile from Roop Road. When you enter the park, tell the ranger you are there to support the star party. They will admit you free of charge. The park office phone number is (408) 842-7800. For a map of the Coyote Park area go to: http://www.parkhere.org/scc/assets/docs/330208Coyote%20Lake%20map.pdf Website for Park: http://www.parkhere.org/channel/0,4770,chid%253D16486%2526sid%253D12761,00.h tml Come on out and support the star party as your way of thanking the staff for making this great observing site available to us. Since this is a DARK site I suggest objects from the TAC Eye Candy list http://observers.org/observing/eyecandy/index.html Rob Hawley From robhawley at earthlink.net Thu Jul 28 07:41:37 2005 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Fri Jul 29 03:57:08 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Notice: All mail list archives are public Message-ID: <20050728144142.0B7B07E2C@mail.whiteoaks.com> This is to make sure everyone knows that the list archives are public. They are scanned by the web robots (e.g. Google). I just got my second request to delete private personal information was inappropriately put in mail list posts. I would have similar objections if information of my own was ever posted and would also demand its removal. Permanently removing information from the list archives is difficult and requires us to ask the site administrator to do it for us. In all future posts please remember that any information posted is public. Do not post to these mail lists if you object to your email address being public. Certainly do not post any information about 3rd parties including their address or phone number without the permission of the 3rd party. Many, including myself, would not give such permission. We do not publish nor is there anyway to discover list members. Thus merely receiving information from the lists is completely safe. Rob Hawley From pkohlmil at best.com Sat Jul 30 12:51:06 2005 From: pkohlmil at best.com (Paul Kohlmiller) Date: Sat Jul 30 12:51:12 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] August Ephemeris Now Online Message-ID: <003601c59540$066d7750$0300a8c0@eclipsys.lan> The online version of the August issue of the SJAA Ephemeris is now available at http://ephemeris.sjaa.net. Once again there are some extras in the HTML version. A new column provided by NASA is called "NASA Space Place". Look for this column every month online and often in the print version as well. In addition, there is an additional photo for Ernie Piini's column on a daytime sighting of Mercury. Paul and Mary Kohlmiller -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.sjaa.net/pipermail/sjaa-announce/attachments/20050730/92e02ee3/attachment.html