From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Tue Oct 4 19:47:04 2005 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Tue Oct 4 19:47:23 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Upcomming Lectures of interest Message-ID: <009501c5c957$1255ae70$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series- Wednesday, October 5 Upcoming Lecture 10/7: Is there life out there? - Mt Tam Astronomy Program October 8 Benjamin Dean Lecture Series In Astronomy ? October 10 >> Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series -Wednesday, October 5, 2005, 7 >> pm: Astronomer Cynthia Phillips will give a non-technical, illustrated talk on: Jupiter's Tantalizing Moon: Water (and Life?) Under the Ice of Europa in the Smithwick Theater, Foothill College, El Monte Road and Freeway 280, in Los Altos Hills, California. Free and open to the public. Parking on campus costs $2. Call the series hot-line at 650-949-7888 for more information. Ever since robot spacecraft have been exploring the Jupiter system, one moon has especially captured the interest of astronomers. Although Europa's surface is cold and frozen, there is evidence that, under the ice, it has an ocean of warmer, liquid water. In her talk, Dr. Phillips will explore Europa's geology, focusing on the prospects for water and the Possibilities of life in that deep alien ocean. No background in science will be required for this talk, which will Interest both fans of astronomy and the search for life. Dr. Phillips is a Principal Investigator for a number of Projects investigating Europa and Mars at the SETI Institute. She specializes in the geology of planetary surfaces and the search for life in the solar system. She worked with the Galileo spacecraft imaging team to help design observations of Europa and other moons of Jupiter. She is co-author of "The Everything Astronomy Book" and "The Everything Einstein Book," both published by Adams Media. Co-sponsored by: * NASA Ames Research Center * The Foothill College Astronomy Program * The SETI Institute * The Astronomical Society of the Pacific --------------------------------------------------------------------- >> Upcoming Lecture 10/7: Is there life out there? - On Friday, October 7 at 8 p.m in UC Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall there will be a Free Lecture entitled "Other Worlds: From Imagination to Image, The Great Challenge of Building Supertelescopes in Search of Extraterrestrial Life." Three of the most innovative scientists in astronomy and astrophysics will discuss how new space and ground-based exploration technologies are expanding the vision of modern science and of our place in the universe. The lecture will include presentations from: ? Geoffrey Marcy (session chair), professor of astronomy at UC Berkeley ? Reinhard Genzel, scientific director at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics ? Antoine Labeyrie, astronomer at the Observatory of Calern. The lecturers will describe how optical/infrared interferometers* and very large telescopes of the next generation are helping scientists to search for and image "Earth-like" planets several tens of light-years away, investigate the environment of black holes and cores of galaxies, and explore regions where new planets might be formed. This very special free event also honors the 90th birthday of UC Berkeley faculty member Charles Townes, who received the Nobel Prize in 1964 for his work on laser technology. Early arrival is recommended - space is limited at the event. For more information: www.otherworldslecture.org Or, send email to: info@otherworlds.org ----------------------------------------------------------------------- >> Mt Tam Astronomy Program October 8 Last July 4th NASA crash-landed a spacecraft on Comet Tempel 1. What have we learned about these cosmic snowballs from the Deep Impact Mission? Project Manager Rick Grammier from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena will share the latest findings at the Mt Tam Astronomy Program at 7:30pm on Saturday, October 8 in the Mountain Theatre. This is the final program of the year and will be co-sponsored by The Planetary Society. The event is free and open to the general public. Weather permitting, the talk will be followed by telescope viewing in the Rock Spring Parking Lot with the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers. Students and youths are encouraged to attend. Dress warmly and bring a flashlight. Please car pool if possible. If the weather is questionable call the hot line 415-455-5370 before heading up the mountain. -------------------------------------------------------------------- >>Benjamin Dean Lecture Series In Astronomy - 10 October ?SETI: Pulling Signals Out of Cosmic Noise? SETI could succeed tomorrow, or it may be an endeavor for multiple generations. Recent workshops have laid out a roadmap for the next few decades. Three different approaches were identified: continue and expand the radio search; begin searches for very fast optical and infrared pulses from a million stars; eventually build an omni-directional sky survey array capable of detecting strong, transient, radio signals from billions of stars. Dr. Jill Tarter, Director, Center for SETI Research The program begins at 7:30 pm in Kanbar Hall at the Jewish community center of San Francisco, 3200 California Street. Tickets are $4 at the door or by mail. Bob Havner From robhawley at earthlink.net Thu Oct 6 08:59:17 2005 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Thu Oct 6 09:00:37 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Friday Houge Park Star Party Message-ID: Friday October 7 Houge Park 1st Quarter Star Party SJAA will host its public observing session at Houge Park from 7:30 PM to 10:30PM. Families are welcome to attend. Feel free to bring your scope and share views with others. Come see views of the moon. Free. For more information and directions see www.sjaa.net/gotstars Rob Hawley From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Thu Oct 6 10:13:36 2005 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Thu Oct 6 10:13:51 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Webcast on Mars Exploration Rover Mission Message-ID: <20051006110933.H12676@koopm.best.vwh.net> Subject: University of Texas - Webcast on Mars Exploration Rover Mission A member of the NASA Mars Exploration Rover Mission Team, Dr. John Grotzinger from the California Institute of Technology, is giving a lecture on "The 2004 Mars Exploration Rover Mission: Evidence for Water and Prospects for Life" on Thursday, October 13, 2005. We would like to invite members of your organization and/or visitors of your website to view our Live Webcast of the lecture, October 13, 2005 at 7 pm CST. If possible, you can post a link to this event on your website or forward the information to your members who may be very interested in this lecture. Our webcasts are very high quality, and viewers can submit questions to the speaker through our website. The webcasting software we use requires viewers to download a small plugin, but it is very simple and quick to install. A link to the details of the lecture and the webcast could be found at: http://www.esi.utexas.edu/outreach/ols/lectures/Grotzinger/grotzinger.html?pid=astgrp A suitable website link could read "The 2004 Mars Exploration Rover Mission: Live Webcast on Oct. 13 at 7 PM CST". Please let me know if you will consider sending this information to your members and/or posting this information on your website. Thank you! Thanks for your time, Brian Zavala Environmental Science Institute The University of Texas at Austin brian.zavala@mail.utexas.edu 1-512-471-5847 From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Sun Oct 9 16:39:29 2005 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Sun Oct 9 16:39:52 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: [AANC Contacts] University of Texas - Webcast on Mars ExplorationRover Mission Message-ID: <003f01c5cd2a$b1dc4310$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> This might be interesting. A member of the NASA Mars Exploration Rover Mission Team, Dr. John Grotzinger from the California Institute of Technology, is giving a lecture on "The 2004 Mars Exploration Rover Mission: Evidence for Water and Prospects for Life" on Thursday, October 13, 2005. We would like to invite members of your organization and/or visitors of your website to view our Live Webcast of the lecture, October 13, 2005 at 7 pm CST. If possible, you can post a link to this event on your website or forward the information to your members who may be very interested in this lecture. Our webcasts are very high quality, and viewers can submit questions to the speaker through our website. The webcasting software we use requires viewers to download a small plugin, but it is very simple and quick to install. A link to the details of the lecture and the webcast could be found at: http://www.esi.utexas.edu/outreach/ols/lectures/Grotzinger/grotzinger.html?pid=astgrp A suitable website link could read "The 2004 Mars Exploration Rover Mission: Live Webcast on Oct. 13 at 7 PM CST". Please let me know if you will consider sending this information to your members and/or posting this information on your website. Thank you! Thanks for your time, Brian Zavala Environmental Science Institute The University of Texas at Austin brian.zavala@mail.utexas.edu 1-512-471-5847 _______________________________________________ Contacts mailing list Contacts@aanc-astronomy.org http://mail.aanc-astronomy.org/mailman/listinfo/contacts From robhawley at earthlink.net Wed Oct 12 14:54:13 2005 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Wed Oct 12 14:54:30 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Oct 15 SJAA General Meeting - Deep Impact Message-ID: Saturday October 15 Houge Park SJAA General Meeting Diane Wooden of NASA will tell about Deep Impact -- the spacecraft that impacted a comet. 8:00 PM. Free What are comets? What are they made of, and how are they structured? People have long been amazed, mystified, inspired, and even terrified by comets. Scientifically, they are interesting in their own right, but also because they are time capsules dating back to the formation of the solar system. They are deep freezers containing some of the ice and dust present at the formation of the giant planets. On July 4, 2005 (Universal Time), the impactor from the Deep Impact spacecraft smashed at high speed into Comet Tempel 1, an event monitored by the main spacecraft, and by astronomers on Earth. What has been learned from these observations of the comet and the material blasted out of it? We will learn about this from our October 15 speaker, Dr. Diane Wooden, who is an astrophysicist at NASA Ames Research Center. Dr. Wooden received her Ph.D. in astronomy and astrophysics from UC Santa Cruz in 1979, and has worked at Ames Research Center since 1983. She studies the origins and evolution of cosmic dust, and has been involved with the Deep Impact mission. Rob Hawley From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Thu Oct 20 18:11:40 2005 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Thu Oct 20 18:11:53 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: [AANC Contacts] Celestial Triple Feature Message-ID: <000801c5d5dc$651714a0$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> This is a repeat for those on the Chat List (Sorry) Celestial Triple Feature On Saturday, November 19, 2005, the El Campanil Theatre in Antioch presents a three-part astronomy evening: a film, a personal appearance by John Dobson, and telescopic viewing of the sky itself. A Sidewalk Astronomer A Sidewalk Astronomer is a documentary film featuring John Dobson, the one-time Vedanta monk who revolutionized amateur astronomy, whose invention, the now ubiquitous "Dobsonian" telescope, brought hands-on telescopic observing to multitudes around the world. Not one to be content with past accomplishments, the 90-year-old Dobson now devotes himself to bringing astronomy to the public by personal appearances and through the organization he founded in 1968, the "San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers", a community-service group that has multiplied worldwide and now is simply known as the Sidewalk Astronomers. The Sidewalk-Astronomer movement now has brought telescopic vistas to the eyes of millions at locations ranging from light-polluted urban street corners to the dark skies of isolated national parks. Produced and directed by Jeffrey Fox Jacobs, this 78-minute independent film will have its first Eastbay showing at 7:00 PM on Saturday night, November 19, 2005, at the historic El Campanil theatre in downtown Antioch. John Dobson In Person Immediately following the showing of A Sidewalk Astronomer, John Dobson will appear personally on the theater's stage, describing his life and his multifaceted interests and activities, and to answer questions from, and interact with, the audience. You can expect entertainment and enlightenment; the New York Times review of his film described John as "spreading his gospel of curiosity about the stars" and having "a gift for explaining scientific concepts in the form of wry one-liners." Telescopic Skygazing Continuing the evening's theme, at about 9:30 PM, just after the film showing and John's appearance, you can move outdoors to a site by the theater to enjoy telescopic viewing of the heavens yourself. One target will be the planet Mars, now high in our sky and particularly close to the Earth; when viewed with a 100-power telescope it will appear as large as the Full Moon. As a matter of fact, the rugged face of the Moon itself, four days past full, will be rising in the eastern sky. And there will be plenty of farther objects to be viewed: double stars, clusters of stars and even galaxies. (This portion of the evening will of course be dependent on the weather.) The telescopes you will look through are kindly provided by Mount Diablo Astronomical Society. If you are turned on to astronomy, remember that a similar group of amateur astronomers is likely to be near you. The El Campanil Theatre On November 1, 1928, the El Campanil Theatre opened in the city of Antioch. With its Spanish Colonial/Gothic style, at the time it was called "the most pretentious building in Contra Costa County." Featuring both movies and vaudeville, the theatre closed to the public in the 1950s. However, the El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation was formed in 2001, and purchased the theatre in 2003, converting the building to a 700-seat community performing-arts venue, restoring and preserving the original exterior and interior design. The El Campanil is located in the historic Rivertown Business District of Antioch, at 602 W. Second Street. To reach the theatre take State Highway 4 to the "A" Street exit in Antioch, then turn off (left if you're going east, right if you are headed west). Follow "A" Street north toward the San Joaquin River. Once you pass Wilbur Avenue "A" Street curves to the left along the waterfront and turns into Second Street, now heading west. The El Campanil is located at the corner of Second and "G" Streets. Public parking is located a few yards past the theater, with lots on both the right and left sides of Second Street. You may purchase tickets next to the theatre, at 604 W. Second Street, starting at 6 PM. Tickets are $5.00 per person, and $4.00 for seniors over 60. _______________________________________________ Contacts mailing list Contacts@aanc-astronomy.org http://mail.aanc-astronomy.org/mailman/listinfo/contacts From robhawley at earthlink.net Thu Oct 27 08:12:28 2005 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Thu Oct 27 08:12:49 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Friday - SJAA Star Party and Astro Class Message-ID: SJAA will host its public observing session at Houge Park from 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM. Families are welcome to attend. Feel free to bring your scope and share views with others. Come see views of the brighter dark sky objects and Mars. There will also be a talk on beginning astronomy at 7:30 PM. Free. ****Beginning Astronomy Class********* This will be held in the hall at Houge Park on Friday at 7:30 PM. The main topic is TBD, but we will also cover what is visible in tonight's sky. ****Houge Park Star Party************ On Friday 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 run from 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM. Weather for Houge Park: http://www.sjaa.net/weather/sites.html#Houge-Park Note that SJAA will only automatically cancel the star party if rain is hitting the ground. You can follow this link for a map of tonight's sky http://skymaps.com/skymaps/esmn0510.pdf. Phase of the Moon on 28 October: waning crescent with 17% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated. Moonset 4:19 p.m. Last quarter Moon on 24 October 2005 at 6:17 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. Object visibility for 21:00:00 on Fri 28 Oct 2005 Sunset: 18:13 Twilight: 19:41 Darkness: 19:41 - 04:06 Twilight: 06:01 Sunrise: 07:29 Object Type Con Alt Az ------ ---- --- --- -- 1 Pegasi Star Peg +68? 221? 61 Cygni Star Cyg +75? 281? beta Cygni Star Cyg +53? 268? beta Lyrae Star Lyr +47? 281? Cr 399 Open Cluster Vul +48? 259? epsilon1 Lyr Star Lyr +48? 291? eta Cassiopeiae Star Cas +59? 37? eta Persei Star Per +43? 44? gamma Andromedae Star And +48? 65? gamma Delphini Star Del +60? 231? IC 4665 Open Cluster Oph +20? 262? IC 4756 Open Cluster Ser +30? 252? lambda Arietis Star Ari +42? 91? M 2 Globular Cluster Aqr +50? 199? M 11 Open Cluster Sct +24? 240? M 13 Globular Cluster Her +24? 298? M 15 Globular Cluster Peg +62? 209? M 27 Planetary Nebula Vul +56? 255? M 31 Galaxy And +63? 71? M 34 Open Cluster Per +41? 62? M 45 Bright Nebula Tau +21? 75? M 52 Open Cluster Cas +64? 17? M 56 Globular Cluster Lyr +51? 274? M 57 Planetary Nebula Lyr +48? 280? M 92 Globular Cluster Her +33? 302? M 103 Open Cluster Cas +52? 36? Mel 20 Open Cluster Per +36? 52? mu Cephei Star Cep +68? 347? NGC 129 Open Cluster Cas +59? 31? NGC 457 Open Cluster Cas +55? 39? NGC 654 Open Cluster Cas +51? 35? NGC 752 Open Cluster And +48? 72? NGC 869 Open Cluster Per +47? 43? NGC 884 Open Cluster Per +46? 43? NGC 957 Open Cluster Per +45? 42? NGC 1342 Open Cluster Per +30? 64? NGC 1528 Open Cluster Per +29? 46? NGC 6543 Planetary Nebula Dra +43? 330? NGC 6633 Open Cluster Oph +29? 255? NGC 6811 Open Cluster Cyg +58? 300? NGC 6826 Planetary Nebula Cyg +59? 308? NGC 6910 Open Cluster Cyg +67? 288? NGC 6995 Bright Nebula Cyg +71? 257? NGC 7027 Planetary Nebula Cyg +75? 295? NGC 7662 Planetary Nebula And +77? 62? T Lyr Star Lyr +45? 288? 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/ Mars will be at 25 degrees in the east 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=38654.0625&Mag=3.5 Rob Hawley From pkohlmil at best.com Mon Oct 31 00:23:26 2005 From: pkohlmil at best.com (Paul Kohlmiller) Date: Mon Oct 31 00:23:53 2005 Subject: [SJAA-announce] November Ephemeris Online Message-ID: <000e01c5ddf4$5f8de2a0$0400a8c0@eclipsys.lan> The November issue of the SJAA Ephemeris is now available online. See http://ephemeris.sjaa.net. Paul and Mary Kohlmiller -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.sjaa.net/pipermail/sjaa-announce/attachments/20051031/6491060e/attachment.html