From pkohlmil at best.com Sun Jan 1 16:30:52 2006 From: pkohlmil at best.com (Paul Kohlmiller) Date: Sun Jan 1 16:31:16 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] January SJAA Ephemeris Online Message-ID: <008201c60f33$cb0a81d0$0300a8c0@eclipsys.lan> The January 2006 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/20060101/02b06adb/attachment.html From robhawley at earthlink.net Thu Jan 5 09:14:43 2006 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Thu Jan 5 09:14:46 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Houge Park Star Party FridayJan 6 Message-ID: SJAA will host its public observing session at Houge Park from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Families are welcome to attend. Feel free to bring your scope and share views with others. Come see views of the Saturn, Mars, and Moon. 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. Rob Hawley From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Fri Jan 6 17:01:02 2006 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Fri Jan 6 17:01:10 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Meade Day @ Scope City, Sat. 1/21 Message-ID: <20060106175230.C86734@koopm.best.vwh.net> SCOPE CITY PROUDLY PRESENTS: MEADE DAY Saturday January 21, 2006 10 am to 6 pm Meet Meade's Representatives See Their Product Line For 2006 Meade Technicians Will Perform: Optical Cleaning, Mechanical & Optical Inspection On All Meade Telescopes For Free!! Special: Trade-In Offers Of Your Telescope For Any New Meade Telescope RAFFLE RAFFLE RAFFLE All proceeds shall be donated to local Astronomical Associations and clubs in Northern California If you have any questions, Please call Sam Sweiss 415-421-8800 or send Sam an email Sanfrancisco_ATA_scopecity.com See you there! Flyer: http://koopm.best.vwh.net/Scope_City_Meade_Day.pdf Scope City Website: http://www.scopecity.com Directions to SF Scope City: http://www.scopecity.com/showrooms.cfm#San%20Francisco Address: 350 Bay St. San Francisco, CA 94133 Tel: (415) 421-8800 Fax: (415) 421-8819 Hours: Monday - Friday 10am - 7pm Saturday 10am - 6pm Sunday (CLOSED) From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Mon Jan 9 15:50:16 2006 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Mon Jan 9 15:57:43 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fwd: [AANC Contacts] Pleiades Occultation this evening Message-ID: <20060109235016.5061.qmail@web80327.mail.yahoo.com> Should be great for viewing in the Bay Area. This message was forwarded from Shallowsky. Ken On behalf of Timothy J. Thompson JPL Center for Long Wavelength Astrophysics Voice: (818) 354-8698 FAX: 818 354-8895 4800 Oak Grove Drive; Pasadena, CA 91109-8099 Mail Stop 169-306 Timothy.J.Thompson@jpl.nasa.gov ------------- Begin Forwarded Message ------------- Date: Mon, 09 Jan 2006 05:15:00 -0500 From: David Dunham Subject: Americas Pleiades passage Mon. pm; 2006 IOTA predictions 1. Passage of the Moon across the Pleiades Monday evening, Jan. 9 On Monday evening, January 9, less than 24 hours from now, the 82% sunlit waxing gibbous Moon will pass over the Pleiades cluster for observers in North America and northern South America. The Moon will miss most of the bright stars for observers in Canada and the northwestern USA, but will occult Merope, Alcyone, Atlas, and/or Pleione for most of the southern and eastern USA and Mexico. Predictions for the occultations of these stars computed for hundreds of North American cities are on IOTA's Web site at http://www.lunar-occultations.com/iota or, directly, at http://www.lunar-occultations.com/iota/2006plnam/pleiadna.htm . In the Caribbean, Central America, and northern South America, other bright Pleiades stars will also be occulted; Spanish-language information and predictions for these events for the major cities in the region, set up by Claudio Martinez of the Occultation Section of LIADA (Liga Iberoamericana de Astronomia), are at http://www.espacioprofundo.com.ar/verarticulo/Ocultacion_por_la_Luna_de_las_Pleyades..html In the USA, the grazes of the bright stars will be on the Moon's sunlit limb and, at such a bright gibbous phase, will be unobservable. Some observers have predictions for the graze of Alcyone and Atlas, but even those bright stars will be overwhelmed by the bright side of the Moon. So observers in the USA will either have to be content with observing the numerous total occultations (several 8th to 6th-mag. stars will be occulted in addition to the "big 4") from any convenient location, or try to observe a graze of one of these fainter stars, which will be quite difficult due to proximity of sunlit features. In a notice I distributed last night to Mid-Atlantic observers, I mentioned a grazing occultation of ZC 564 that will occur about 60 miles south of Washington, DC. The latest Astro Meteo (Clear Sky Clock) forecast shows that it will be clear across most of Maryland, DC, and northern Virginia, but cloudy in a band just covering the ZC 564 path, and south of it. So I do not plan to undertake an expedition for that graze. Other areas that should have a clear, or mostly cloud-free, view of the Pleiades passage include WV, s.PA, NJ, NYC, Long Island, s. OH, s. IN, n. KY, e. MA, CT, RI, & s.e. NH in the northeastern USA, and all of the southwestern USA except California north of Napa Valley and Chico. ------------- End Forwarded Message ------------- _______________________________________________ Contacts mailing list Contacts@aanc-astronomy.org http://mail.aanc-astronomy.org/mailman/listinfo/contacts -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.sjaa.net/pipermail/sjaa-announce/attachments/20060109/5aa84a63/attachment.html From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Mon Jan 9 16:26:37 2006 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Mon Jan 9 16:26:48 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Solar Eclipse and Pi Day Celebration at the Exploratorium Message-ID: <20060109172133.S81122@koopm.best.vwh.net> Upcoming Events at the Exploratorium ************************************************* Total Solar Eclipse: Live from Turkey March 29, 2006 2am PST, 5am EST, 10am UT, 1pm in Turkey Totality at 2:55am PST www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse Exploratorium in San Francisco Open All Night, from 9pm on March 28 - 6am on March 29 For the fourth time, the Exploratorium will travel into the path of totality to bring the public this momentous event live, in real-time, via satellite and the Web. The Exploratorium will remain open the night of the eclipse, so museum visitors can also join together to participate in fun all-night events, camp out, and watch the webcast live. The program will be lively, informal, and educational, led by Exploratorium physicist Paul Doherty and NASA scientists. ******************************************** Pi Day Tuesday, March 14 3/14 1:59pm (It's also Einstein's birthday!) In an era when math and mathematicians have become sexy again, come to the Exploratorium and gather around the Pi Shrine to perform pi-related rites and eat ritual food - this year, pizza pie - in honor of this special number. Sing Pi Day songs, bead a pi string, and learn to toss pizza pie dough like a pro. It's all part of Pi Day celebrations, which culminate, appropriately enough, on March 14 at 1:59pm. That's the third month, the fourteenth day, at 1:59pm, corresponding to the first 6-digits of Pi. Pi Day is included in the price of admission to the Exploratorium. Go to: http://www.exploratorium.edu/pr/documents/06-3Pi.html To unsubscribe yourself from this mailing list, please send an e-mail to pubinfo@exploratorium.edu with the word "unsubscribe" in the body. ===== Raphael Rosen Public Information Office The Exploratorium 3601 Lyon St. San Francisco, CA 94123 www.exploratorium.edu From jvn at svpal.org Tue Jan 10 14:12:31 2006 From: jvn at svpal.org (Jim Van Nuland) Date: Tue Jan 10 14:14:39 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Volunteers sought to do Web analysis from home Message-ID: <43C4314F.8E5@svpal.org> Volunteers sought to do Web analysis from home With millions of dust particles headed our way from space, scientists could use a hand. Make that 60,000 hands, give or take a few. The full article will be available on the Web for a limited time: http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/13590441.htm (c) 2006 MercuryNews.com and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. -- Jim Van Nuland, San Jose (California) Astronomical Association JVN's web site From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Tue Jan 10 17:45:32 2006 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Tue Jan 10 17:45:42 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: [AANC Contacts] Academy of Sciences Unveils New Image of Orion Nebula and releases Sky Tour Podcast Message-ID: <003001c61650$b5fb0700$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> Subject: [AANC Contacts] Academy of Sciences Unveils New Image of Orion Nebula and releases Sky Tour Podcast On Wednesday, January 11 at 10 am at 875 Howard Street in San Francisco, witness the Unveiling Ceremony at the California Academy of Sciences when a new mural-sized image taken by NASA?s Hubble Space Telescope will be unveiled to the public. The stunning photograph of the famous Great Orion Nebula shows the turbulent star birth cloud in exquisite and unprecedented detail. The image will be unveiled by Bing Quock, the Acting Chairman of Morrison Planetarium. The 4-foot-by-4-foot picture, a seamless mosaic of 104 individual Hubble images, reveals a tapestry of star formation with details never before seen. It is among the largest and most magnificent images ever taken by the Hubble telescope. . In conjunction with the unveiling, the Academy will post a new Sky Tour Podcast on its website. Led by Bing Quock, the new Sky Tour will focus on celestial objects in the winter sky as seen from the continental United States, highlighting the Orion Nebula. Sky Tours, which are compatible with Apple iPods and other MP3 players, are intended for a general audience and last approximately 15 minutes. They can be downloaded free of charge at http://www.calacademy.org/planetarium. Additional information about the Hubble Space Telescope is available at http://hubblesite.org/. Admission to the Academy at 875 Howard Street is: $7 for adults; $4.50 for youth ages 12 to 17, Seniors ages 65+ and students with valid ID; $2 for children ages four to 11; and free for children ages three and younger. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. www.calacademy.org (415) 321-8000. The California Academy of Sciences, the fourth largest natural history museum in the United States, is home to Steinhart Aquarium, Morrison Planetarium and the Natural History Museum. The Academy is beginning an extensive rebuilding project in Golden Gate Park. Pritzker prize-winning architect Renzo Piano is designing the new Academy, which is expected to open in 2008. _______________________________________________ Contacts mailing list Contacts@aanc-astronomy.org http://mail.aanc-astronomy.org/mailman/listinfo/contacts From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Tue Jan 10 17:47:25 2006 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Tue Jan 10 17:47:30 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: [AANC Contacts] Public Star Party guide on AANC website Message-ID: <003d01c61650$f995d9e0$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> The board members of the AANC (Astronomical Association of Northern California) have discussed the issue of crowd safety at star parties at several board meetings. As part of this ongoing discussion, I have prepared a guide to planning and running public star partiel. It covers many aspects of planning and organizing a public star party, crowd safety being one of them. You can find it on the AANC website: http://www.aanc-astronomy.org/ArticlesForAANC/host-a-starparty.html I hope people find it useful and helpful. If you have suggestions to add to the guide, please send them to me! I'll try to incorporate them into future editions of the document. We are especially looking for ways to make public events safer, and pose less risk for the public and for the organizations sponsoring them. Of course your name will appear in the acknowledgements. Thanks, Michael Portuesi San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers http://www.sfsidewalkastronomers.org _______________________________________________ Contacts mailing list Contacts@aanc-astronomy.org http://mail.aanc-astronomy.org/mailman/listinfo/contacts From wb6yru at aenet.net Fri Jan 13 16:19:48 2006 From: wb6yru at aenet.net (Gary Mitchell) Date: Fri Jan 13 16:20:06 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Observer Handbooks at SJAA meeting Message-ID: <43C843A4.1090006@aenet.net> The SJAA still has several of the popular RASC 2006 Observer Handbooks left. (The calendars have sold out.) If you want one or know someone who does, they'll be available at the SJAA general meeting this Saturday. The club discount price is $17, (retail is $24.95). From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Sun Jan 15 18:41:19 2006 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Sun Jan 15 18:44:13 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: [AANC Contacts] Stardust Reentry News from Northern Californiaparticipants Message-ID: <003f01c61a46$b24de4c0$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jane Houston Jones" To: "AANC Contacts" Sent: Sunday, January 15, 2006 9:21 AM Subject: [AANC Contacts] Stardust Reentry News from Northern Californiaparticipants > Dr. Peter Jenniskens' Stardust SRC Reentry Campaign website has reported > successful first results from this mornings flight already: > http://reentry.arc.nasa.gov/index.html "All participating researchers > onboard NASA's DC-8 aircraft detected the bright fireball and obtained > data. The meteor was first blueish in color and then became a deep red. It > was bright, slow, and glorious, and it pulled a wake lasting tens of > seconds." > > Glennda Chui from the San Jose Mercury News was onboard the Observing > Campaign's DC-8, and has this report on the San Jose Mercury News website > this morning http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/13633634.htm > > Jim Albers' (LMCO) Stardust Rentry page, has dozens of visual sightings > (mostly from Northern California) and some photos taken from the ground. > http://dgilbert3.home.mindspring.com/stardust.htm > > Here is where to report your visual sightings, images or video if you > know anyone who had viewing luck this morning > http://reentry.arc.nasa.gov/registrationobservations.html > > Jane Houston Jones > Senior Outreach Specialist, Cassini Program > JPL - 4800 Oak Grove Drive, MS 230-205 > Pasadena, CA 91109 > Phone - 818-393-6435 > jane.h.jones@jpl.nasa.gov > http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov > > _______________________________________________ > Contacts mailing list > Contacts@aanc-astronomy.org > http://mail.aanc-astronomy.org/mailman/listinfo/contacts > From jvn at svpal.org Mon Jan 16 14:00:39 2006 From: jvn at svpal.org (Jim Van Nuland) Date: Mon Jan 16 14:19:07 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Volunteers Sought to Sift through Stardust Message-ID: <43CC1787.3BE3@svpal.org> >From SFGate.com: "Those Milky Way particles tantalize scientists from UC Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and elsewhere who are enlisting volunteer assistants to help spot them among an anticipated mountain of 1.5 million images, which will be posted online later this year. Anyone, regardless of age or nationality, can volunteer by signing on at . (Would-be volunteers must pass an online test of their ability to analyze the images.) " Denis Lefebvre -- Denis had posted this to the TAC list. Crosspost by JVN. From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Mon Jan 16 21:24:12 2006 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Mon Jan 16 21:24:25 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] The Stardust Recovery Message-ID: <20060116221734.H9069@koopm.best.vwh.net> Here is a great report from Ames Researcher Dr. Scott Stanford about the recovery of the capsule on the Utah dry lake. I was concerned after we had all that rain that the capsule might get contaminated, but it looks like there was not too much mud! http://www.nbc11.com/news/6157272/detail.html Also on the NBC11 site, is my view of the reentry thru the headset as told by the pool reporter, Garvin Thomas. http://cf.nbc11.com/bay/sh/videoplayer/video.cfm?id=6152158&owner=bay Enjoy. Mike From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Tue Jan 17 13:02:04 2006 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Tue Jan 17 13:02:19 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Beyond Pluto:The Discovery of the "10th Planet" Message-ID: <20060117114350.O73379@koopm.best.vwh.net> Event Announcement ================= On Wednesday, January 25th, 2006, 7 p.m. PST: The Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series presents A Second Century Lecture co-sponsored by the American Astronomical Society: Astronomer Michael Brown of Caltech will give a non-technical, illustrated talk on: Beyond Pluto: The Discovery of the "10th Planet" 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 and driving directions. In this rare Northern California appearance, Dr. Brown will discuss how he and his co-workers recently found an object larger than the planet Pluto and with an orbit at least twice as large. He will fill us in on the latest thoughts about whether this new object (and Pluto) are planets or not. And he will explain how astronomers are continuing to find larger (and smaller) bodies in the outskirts of our solar system. No background in science will be required to understand this talk. Dr. Brown, Professor of Planetary Astronomy at the California Institute of Technology, is co-discoverer of what some people are calling the "tenth planet" and also of the intriguing objects Quaoar, Orcus, and Sedna. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California, at Berkeley in 1994. He specializes in the discovery and analysis of the faintest and most distant parts of our solar system and says he spends most of his time "wondering where even bigger planets are hiding." Co-sponsored by: * NASA Ames Research Center * The Foothill College Astronomy Program * The SETI Institute * The Astronomical Society of the Pacific The Second Century Lectures celebrate the centennial of the American Astronomical Society, the main body of professional astronomers in the U.S. They feature talks by noted astronomers covering the most exciting new research about the universe. Weblinks: Michael Brown's Homepage: http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/ Wikipedia with an interesting Astro WWF Smackdown article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_E._Brown Earth & Sky Interview: http://www.earthsky.com/shows/astrophysics_interviews.php?id=44519 From robhawley at earthlink.net Thu Jan 19 08:12:23 2006 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Thu Jan 19 08:12:32 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Houge Park Star Party Friday Jan 20 & Beginners Dob Class Message-ID: SJAA will host its public observing session at Houge Park from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Families are welcome to attend. Feel free to bring your scope and share views with others. Come see views of the Saturn, Mars, and brighter deep sky objects. 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. This is the 3rd quarter party. I will be teaching the beginner's class on Dobs at 7:30. January 20 - Set up Issues All about Collimation Techniques Tools Hands on Practice Maintaining your Scope Cleaning the Optics February 17 - Using your scope Quick Polar Alignment Filters and how to best use them Star Charts - Paper and PC Planning your Evening Where to go Weather Object Catalogues Recommendation lists How to Find Stuff Keeping Records Rob Hawley From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Sun Jan 22 11:17:16 2006 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Sun Jan 22 11:17:33 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] NSN Telecon January 31st: "Assembling the Jig-saw Puzzle Picture of the Universe." Message-ID: <005601c61f88$75435c80$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> NSN Telecon January 31st: "Assembling the Jig-saw Puzzle Picture of the Universe." Mark your calendars for Tuesday, January 31, 2006, 6:00 pm Pacific (9:00 pm Eastern) for the next Night Sky Network Telecon. As a perfect compliment to our newest Toolkit "Telescopes: Eyes on the Universe", NASA's Dr. Jeff Rosendhal will be speaking on "Assembling the Jig-saw Puzzle Picture of the Universe." Former Education and Public Outreach Chief for NASA's Office of Space Science, Dr. Rosendhal is currently is working as the Deputy Director of Universities Space Research new Carl Sagan Center for Earth and Space Science Education. His knowledge and expertise will provide Night Sky Network members a rare chance to learn more about our most used tool: the telescope, as well as giving us the inside track on current and future missions. The companion PowerPoint to this teleconference is now available at: http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/docs/Telescopes_Rosendhal.ppt As an added bonus five NSN clubs that have members attending the January 31st telecon will receive a gorgeous 8x10 print of the most recently unveiled Orion Nebula image from the team at Hubble and signed by the principal investigator. A random drawing among those who are on the line will be held at the end of the telecon. Toll-free conference call line: 1-877-917-1549. Call anytime after 5:45 pm the evening of the telecon. 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. Username: SJAA_Club password: sjaansky Type in exactly as above Bob Havner From jvn at svpal.org Mon Jan 23 15:04:50 2006 From: jvn at svpal.org (Jim Van Nuland) Date: Mon Jan 23 15:09:23 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Solar Observers and Volunteers Needed at NASA Ames, Jan.30 - Feb.3 Message-ID: <43D56112.7DD9@svpal.org> Hi, All, Here's a special need for our skills and equipment. It was sent by Brian Day, past Vice-President of SJAA, now working for NASA/Ames. Yes, sometimes, lucky people get a dream job! Contact: Barbara Patterson , see below for specific help needed. Clear Skies! -- Jim Van Nuland, San Jose (California) Astronomical Association JVN's web site NASA Ames and the JASON Foundation are looking for volunteers to help with this year's JASON Expedition: Mysteries of Earth and Mars. The event is being held locally at NASA Ames on Jan 30 - Feb 3, 2006. Students from all around the Bay Area and beyond will be attending. We are especially looking for volunteers to bring solar telescopes (white light and H-alpha) for students to view the Sun between 10:00 and 1:00 each day. If you can participate on any of these days to help with solar viewing, or would like to volunteer to help with any of the other JASON activities at NASA Ames, please contact Barbara Patterson at either bpatterson@mail.arc.nasa.gov or at 650-604-0494. For more info on this year's Jason program, see below. ---------------------------------- This is the biggest NASA Education event of the year and we need your help! Please share this email with friends that may be interested. January 30 February 3, 2006 JASON Expedition: Mysteries of Earth and Mars The JASON Foundation for Education and NASA Ames Education presents JASON Expedition: Mysteries of Earth and Mars. Dr. Robert Ballard and a team of scientists will take middle-grade students and teachers on the trip of a lifetime -- to Mars! Working with renowned partner organizations such as NASA and National Geographic, as well as research and academic institutions around the world, students will conduct investigations and make discoveries that will help unravel the mysteries of deserts ecosystems on Earth and our red planet, Mars. This year, NASA Ames microbiologist, Linda Jahnke will be featured on the introduction DVD and the JASON broadcast as a Host Researcher. What are JASON Expeditions? Now in its 17th year, JASON Expeditions are a multi-disciplinary education program that sparks the imagination of students and enhances the classroom experience using standards based concepts and inquiry driven activities. Led by the world famous Oceanographer Dr. Robert Ballard (the discover of the Titanic) and a team of leading scientists, students and teachers have traveled from our polar regions, to red-hot volcanoes, the depths of the ocean, the bayous of Louisiana, and to the dense tropical rain forests. The program is named after the explorer-hero of Greek legend who led his Argonauts on a search for the Golden Fleece. JASON is a supplemental science program with interdisciplinary connections to math, science, social studies and language arts. We need over 150 volunteers to help at the broadcast and in JASON City! What is the JASON Broadcast? Live broadcasts will take students and teachers to extreme environments to share the latest data collected by NASA on Mars by Spirit and Opportunity. Dr. Robert Ballard, founder and chief scientist of the JASON Expedition, will host each of the hour- long broadcasts. Environmental research scientists and Argonaut students and teachers will be interviewed. This year, over 7,000 students and teachers will attend one of the 20 broadcasts during the week. Volunteers are needed to greet classes, confirm with teachers that they are in the right place and seat students in auditorium from 7:45 am to 1:15 p.m. What is JASON City? JASON City is an educational experience exclusive to NASA Ames at Moffett Field. School groups visit the City after their broadcast experience. JASON City will be held in Hangar N211 at NASA Ames and it will be filled with exciting interactive activities that support the educational theme of the JASON Expedition. Our partner organizations, listed below, will set up activities for the students ranging from live demonstrations, animal exhibits, robotic demonstrations, hands-on science and more. Volunteers are needed to support these activities from 9:00 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. The link below has a QuickTime movie of last year's expedition http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/projects/jason/xv1/activities.htm Once on the web site, click on Photo of JASON DW Broadcast and City. JASON City Participating organizations: NASA SOFIA Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge UC Santa Cruz-remote sensing NASA Ed Mars Puzzles Happy Hollow Zoo NASA Astrobiology-Microbial Mats Ames Robotics Team Ames Astrobiology Institute Santa Clara Water District Ames Education Technology Team & Apple Computer Bay Area Astronomy San Jose Beautiful (Earth Balloon) San Jose State University Geology Additional support needed in JASON City: Two volunteers per day to work at the Educational Table to assist teachers in completing the critical educational survey and distribute materials for their classrooms. This area also serves as a lost and found. One volunteer per day to greet each class as they enter the Hangar and give them a quick orientation. Need a commanding voice. Will help with other jobs as time permits. Training is provided for all positions. No experience is necessary. How You Can Help Last year, over 150 people supported the JASON Broadcast and City activities as volunteers. We are currently looking for adults (Must be US citizen) who enjoy working with 8 to 12 year old students, NASA staff and other community members. Volunteers from past years say it is one of the most fun and rewarding experiences they have had. Volunteer Appreciation In appreciation for the efforts made by our volunteers, we will have a JASON Volunteer Recognition Celebration in the Hangar at 2:30 p.m. February 3rd. There is always live music and great food. T-shirts, staff badges and a snack lunch will be provided. To participate in the JASON Expedition as a Team NASA Volunteer, please e-mail or phone with the following information: Name: _______________________________________________ Daytime Phone Number: _______________________________ Home Phone Number, if different: _______________________ Address (optional): ___________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Day/s available: ________________________________________ Please select your volunteer opportunity choice(s): Auditorium: _________________ JASON City: Activity_____________ Education Table _______________ Class Greeter _________________ Note: You may select a combination of volunteer positions. Not sure if you want to get involved? Just call me and I can tell you more about it on the phone. I look forward to hearing from you! Regards, Barbara Patterson Team NASA Volunteer Program Manager bpatterson@mail.arc.nasa.gov 650-604-0494 More about the Expedition Mysteries of Earth and Mars offers middle-grade students learning opportunities through a wide range of scientific exploration. Students will look at Mars analogs, or locations on Earth where environmental conditions, geologic features, or biologic attributes resemble in some way those thought to exist on Mars, now or at some point in its past. Studying sites such as these provides new insights into the nature and history of Mars, Earth and life itself. Deserts on Earth provide a particularly good point of comparison for scientists trying to learn more about the Martian landscape. Like Earth, Mars has seasons, weather, floodplains, polar ice caps, volcanoes, canyons, craters, and an atmosphere. Exciting recent findings hint at the presence of liquid water, either in Mars? ancient past or preserved in the subsurface today. Water is one of the key ingredients for life: students will examine the role that water plays in shaping life here on Earth and apply that knowledge to the search for life elsewhere in the solar system. Cutting edge research will be explored and technology that goes into a robotic mission to Mars; the efforts to one day send humans to Mars, and the people who are helping to make these dreams a reality. From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Wed Jan 25 12:55:01 2006 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Wed Jan 25 12:55:14 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Rocketman Author Lecture at Ames on 1/31 Message-ID: <20060125135344.W8636@koopm.best.vwh.net> "ROCKETMAN" AUTHOR NANCY CONRAD TO SPEAK AT NASA AMES Nancy Conrad, author of "Rocketman," and wife of late moon-walking astronaut Pete Conrad, will discuss his vision of moon-Mars exploration and how it dovetails with current space commercialization efforts during a free lecture next week at NASA Ames Research Center, located in California's Silicon Valley. Presented as part of the NASA Research Park Exploration Lecture Series and co-sponsored by the SETI Institute, the free talk entitled "Rocketman: Pete Conrad's Ride to the Moon, Mars and Beyond," will be presented on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2006, at 7 p.m. PST, in the Eagle Room of Bldg. 943 at NASA Ames. Replete with anecdotes about Pete Conrad's moon landing and space exploration in the 1960s and 1970s, Conrad's talk will include highlights of the Gemini-Apollo era, as well as today's plans to commercialize space. The talk is free and open to the public. Nancy Conrad has written for such publications as "One Giant Leap for Mankind," and she is co-founder of Space Available, a company creating virtual space adventures. She has served as director of communications for Universal SpaceNetworks, a space services company founded by her late husband, former astronaut Charles "Pete" Conrad, (Gemini V, Gemini XI, Apollo XII, Skylab 1). As the co-creator of the "Rendezvous in Space" exhibit at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, she helped design an interactive educational exhibit commemorating the history of manned space flight. She also serves on the board of trustees of SpaceWorld at NASA Ames and is the co-founder of the Community Emergency Healthcare Initiative, a non-profit foundation established in memory of her late husband and dedicated to impacting preventable injuries and deaths in emergency departments. To reach NASA Ames, take the Moffett Field exit off U.S. 101 and drive east toward the main gate. Before you reach the gate, turn right into the large parking lot near the NASA Exploration Center, the large white dome. Building 943 is located directly across the street from the dome. To receive notices about NASA lectures in the San Francisco Bay Area, send an e-mail with the word "subscribe" in the subject line to: NASA-lectures-request@lists.arc.nasa.gov. To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to the same address with "unsubscribe" in the subject line. From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Thu Jan 26 18:44:07 2006 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Thu Jan 26 18:44:27 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: HVAG schedule reminder Message-ID: <002101c622eb$8c7514a0$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> The Halls Valley Astronomical Group has scheduled starparties at Grant Park on the following dates: January 28th at Telescope Row February 25th at Telescope Row March 25th at Telescope Row April 29th at Halley Hill May 27th at Halley Hill June 24th at Halley Hill July 22nd at Halley Hill August 26th at Halley Hill September 23rd at Halley Hill October 21st at Halley Hill November 18th at Telescope Row December 16th at Telescope Row For additional information, including directions to the park, check our website: http://www.snap-design.com/HVAG From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Mon Jan 30 16:52:34 2006 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Mon Jan 30 16:52:46 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: Night Sky Network Message: January 31 Telecon Reminder Message-ID: <002b01c62600$a0579e30$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> The time is near! The January telecon is fast approaching and if you own a telescope or just wanted to learn more about them, this telecon is for you! Mark your calendar for Tuesday, January 31 at 6:00 pm Pacific (9:00 pm Eastern) Our speaker, Dr. Jeffrey Rosendhal, has been with NASA for 30 years, four years as the Education and Public Outreach Director for the Office of Space Science. He says he is recently retired, but he is serving as the Deputy Director of the Carl Sagan Center for Earth and Space Science Education with the Universities Space Research Association, as well as being a consultant on a number of planning committees for NASA. The companion PowerPoint to this teleconference is now available at: http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/docs/Telescopes_Rosendhal.ppt Telecon slides are also available at: http://www.astrosociety.org/nsntelecon/ As an added bonus five NSN clubs that have members attending the January 31st telecon will receive a gorgeous 8x10 print of the most recently unveiled Orion Nebula image from the team at Hubble and signed by the principal investigator. A random drawing among those who are on the line will be held at the end of the telecon. Toll-free conference call line: 1-877-917-1549. Call anytime after 5:45 pm the evening of the telecon. 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. To read the relate web article on this teleconference visit: http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/club/news-display.cfm?News_ID=131 Be sure to forward this notice to the rest of your club members - what astronomer would want to miss a chance to learn more about telescopes? Dawn Baird Night Sky Network Coordinator nightskyinfo@astrosociety.org From jvn at svpal.org Mon Jan 30 19:07:14 2006 From: jvn at svpal.org (Jim Van Nuland) Date: Mon Jan 30 19:11:01 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Call for scopes for Newark schools References: Message-ID: <43DED462.5963@svpal.org> Hi, All, This note is especially directed to SJAA members who live in the East Bay -- specifically, close to Newark -- and may be able to assist with star parties at eight Newark elementary schools. As you know, I co-ordinate star parties for schools in the greater San Jose Area. My team is quite busy, and we have conflicts on some of the Newark dates. And it's somewhat far for some us to go. For those of you that live in the East Bay, it's somewhat far for you to come to the San Jose area schools. Here's your chance to help, much closer to home. Please contact Tom directly, let him know which nights you'll be able to help. No need to contact me. Thanks much! Clear Skies (and calendars!) -- Jim Van Nuland, San Jose (California) Astronomical Association JVN's web site Tom Collett wrote: I'm posting this to invite you to bring your scope to one or all of the following star parties for Newark elementary schools. The SP is part of an event called family science night that happens annually at each of Newark's 8 elementary schools. These are VERY well attended. Last year we (I and my high school students) set up 4 or 5 scopes and a 12x65 binocular on a mount. Our lines were pretty long, so I'm hoping to get a few more astronomers out this year. I am sending student docents to all of them, and I or a colleague will cover most of them. Here are the dates: Thursday, February 23 -- Graham Tuesday, February 28 -- Lincoln Thursday, March 9 -- Milani Tuesday, March 14 -- Kennedy Thursday, March 16 -- Schilling Thursday, March 23 -- Musick Tuesday, March 28 -- Snow Thursday, March 30 -- Bunker The official time of the events is 7-8 pm, but our lines lasted to at least 8:30 pm last year. We plan to setup at 6:30 pm. If you are interested or have questions please let me know. Thanks, Tom Collett Astronomy Teacher Newark Memorial High School 510-818-4364 tcollett@nusd.k12.ca.us From pkohlmil at best.com Tue Jan 31 23:51:06 2006 From: pkohlmil at best.com (Paul Kohlmiller) Date: Tue Jan 31 23:51:28 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] February Ephemeris Online Message-ID: <003501c62704$44b3e2f0$0300a8c0@eclipsys.lan> The February Issue of the SJAA Ephemeris is now available at: http://ephemeris.sjaa.net/ Paul Kohlmiller -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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