From robhawley at earthlink.net Wed Aug 2 20:09:14 2006 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Wed Aug 2 20:09:30 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] CalStar registrations to start early Message-ID: <00f501c6b6aa$338c8320$0300a8c0@robathome> I have decided to enable registrations for CalStar effective August 9 instead of waiting to the 20th as originally published. This will give everyone (especially those who decide to pay for meals via checks) more time to complete the registration. Since we have never restricted the number of people attending CalStar I don't see any fairness issue here. Please pass the word to others. Rob Hawley From robhawley at earthlink.net Wed Aug 2 21:07:48 2006 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Wed Aug 2 21:07:59 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Houge Park Star Party Friday Aug 4 Message-ID: <00fd01c6b6b2$61dec0a0$0300a8c0@robathome> *************Friday August 4 SJAA Houge Park Star Party*************** On Friday June 30 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 Directions to Houge Park www.sjaa.net/gotstars You can follow this link for a map of tonight's sky http://skymaps.com/skymaps/tesmn0608.pdf. Object visibility for 22:00:00 on Fri 04 Aug 2006 Sunset: 20:10 Twilight: 21:50 Darkness: 01:42 - 04:34 Twilight: 04:34 Sunrise: 06:14 Object Type Con Alt Az ------ ---- --- --- -- 1 Pegasi Star Peg +41? 95? 24 Comae Berenices Star Com +20? 278? 61 Cygni Star Cyg +51? 72? beta Cygni Star Cyg +67? 106? beta Lyrae Star Lyr +77? 102? Cr 399 Open Cluster Vul +63? 122? epsilon1 Lyr Star Lyr +79? 73? eta Cassiopeiae Star Cas +24? 34? gamma Delphini Star Del +45? 106? M 4 Globular Cluster Sco +23? 200? M 5 Globular Cluster Ser +41? 233? M 6 Open Cluster Sco +21? 182? M 8 Bright Nebula Sgr +28? 176? M 11 Open Cluster Sct +44? 158? M 13 Globular Cluster Her +77? 272? M 15 Globular Cluster Peg +35? 102? M 17 Bright Nebula Sgr +36? 170? M 22 Globular Cluster Sgr +28? 167? M 27 Planetary Nebula Vul +58? 108? M 53 Globular Cluster Com +28? 273? M 56 Globular Cluster Lyr +70? 104? M 57 Planetary Nebula Lyr +76? 102? M 80 Globular Cluster Sco +26? 203? M 92 Globular Cluster Her +82? 318? mu Cephei Star Cep +47? 40? NGC 6543 Planetary Nebula Dra +61? 2? NGC 6811 Open Cluster Cyg +68? 57? NGC 6826 Planetary Nebula Cyg +65? 48? NGC 6910 Open Cluster Cyg +60? 71? NGC 6995 Bright Nebula Cyg +51? 84? NGC 7027 Planetary Nebula Cyg +52? 66? NGC 7662 Planetary Nebula And +28? 56? T Lyr Star Lyr +81? 88? xi Bootis Star Boo +48? 257? Y Canum Venaticorum Star CVn +35? 304? zeta Ursae Majoris Star UMa +43? 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/ 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=38934.0625&Mag=3.5 There are no Iridum flares predicted for Los Gatos Rob Hawley From robhawley at earthlink.net Thu Aug 3 07:03:15 2006 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Thu Aug 3 07:03:26 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Resend: Houge Park Star Party Friday Aug 4 Message-ID: <001201c6b705$9119e270$0300a8c0@robathome> *************Friday August 4 SJAA Houge Park Star Party*************** On Friday June 30 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 Directions to Houge Park www.sjaa.net/gotstars You can follow this link for a map of tonight's sky http://skymaps.com/skymaps/tesmn0608.pdf. Object visibility for 22:00:00 on Fri 04 Aug 2006 Sunset: 20:10 Twilight: 21:50 Darkness: 01:42 - 04:34 Twilight: 04:34 Sunrise: 06:14 Object Type Con Alt Az ------ ---- --- --- -- 1 Pegasi Star Peg +41? 95? 24 Comae Berenices Star Com +20? 278? 61 Cygni Star Cyg +51? 72? beta Cygni Star Cyg +67? 106? beta Lyrae Star Lyr +77? 102? Cr 399 Open Cluster Vul +63? 122? epsilon1 Lyr Star Lyr +79? 73? eta Cassiopeiae Star Cas +24? 34? gamma Delphini Star Del +45? 106? M 4 Globular Cluster Sco +23? 200? M 5 Globular Cluster Ser +41? 233? M 6 Open Cluster Sco +21? 182? M 8 Bright Nebula Sgr +28? 176? M 11 Open Cluster Sct +44? 158? M 13 Globular Cluster Her +77? 272? M 15 Globular Cluster Peg +35? 102? M 17 Bright Nebula Sgr +36? 170? M 22 Globular Cluster Sgr +28? 167? M 27 Planetary Nebula Vul +58? 108? M 53 Globular Cluster Com +28? 273? M 56 Globular Cluster Lyr +70? 104? M 57 Planetary Nebula Lyr +76? 102? M 80 Globular Cluster Sco +26? 203? M 92 Globular Cluster Her +82? 318? mu Cephei Star Cep +47? 40? NGC 6543 Planetary Nebula Dra +61? 2? NGC 6811 Open Cluster Cyg +68? 57? NGC 6826 Planetary Nebula Cyg +65? 48? NGC 6910 Open Cluster Cyg +60? 71? NGC 6995 Bright Nebula Cyg +51? 84? NGC 7027 Planetary Nebula Cyg +52? 66? NGC 7662 Planetary Nebula And +28? 56? T Lyr Star Lyr +81? 88? xi Bootis Star Boo +48? 257? Y Canum Venaticorum Star CVn +35? 304? zeta Ursae Majoris Star UMa +43? 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/ 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=38934.0625&Mag=3.5 There are no Iridum flares predicted for Los Gatos Rob Hawley From robhawley at earthlink.net Thu Aug 3 07:03:39 2006 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Thu Aug 3 07:03:47 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Resend: CalStar registrations to start early Message-ID: <001301c6b705$9f279a10$0300a8c0@robathome> I have decided to enable registrations for CalStar effective August 9 instead of waiting to the 20th as originally published. This will give everyone (especially those who decide to pay for meals via checks) more time to complete the registration. Since we have never restricted the number of people attending CalStar I don't see any fairness issue here. Please pass the word to others. Rob Hawley From jvn at svpal.org Thu Aug 3 23:59:16 2006 From: jvn at svpal.org (Jim Van Nuland) Date: Fri Aug 4 01:08:49 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] ARTICLE: ASTRONOMY magazine renewal time Message-ID: <44D2F044.770F@svpal.org> ASTRONOMY magazine renewal time It's time to renew our group subscription to Astronomy magazine. The rate for 2007 is still $34, or $60 for two years. Please send a check payable to Jim Van Nuland, 3509 Calico Ave., San Jose CA 95124. Subscribers: if I have your e-mail address (from the SJAA roster), you should have gotten a note with particulars of your subscription. If you subscribe independently, and your subscription ends during 2007, you may convert to the group rate. Send a check and the renewal card or a mailing label to Jim, and you'll be added to the group for an additional 12/24 months. If you do not subscribe and wish to do so, send the $34/60 and your subscription will begin with the January 2007 issue. I will hold your checks until late September, when the renewal package must be sent in. So don't worry that your check doesn't clear promptly. Any questions? Call Jim at 408.371.1307, from 10 am to 10 pm, or e-mail to . PLEASE NOTE: this applies to Astronomy magazine, not Sky & Telescope! The latter subscription is paid to the treasurer as part of your SJAA dues. Good Reading! -- Jim Van Nuland, San Jose (California) Astronomical Association JVN's web site From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Tue Aug 8 19:12:11 2006 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Tue Aug 8 19:12:27 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: [AANC Contacts] Morrison Planetarium Dean Lecture Series, Two Occultations & Chi Cygni brightening Message-ID: <004701c6bb59$39d10180$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kenneth Frank" To: "AANC Contacts" Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2006 7:14 AM Subject: [AANC Contacts] Morrison Planetarium Dean Lecture Series, Two Occultations & Chi Cygni brightening Monday, 11 September 2006 ?Exploration of a New World? Dr. Charles Wood, Wheeling Jesuit University & Titan Radar Mapper Team Member Titan is the largest piece of unexplored real estate in the solar system. It is bigger than the planet Mercury and has a dense atmosphere. The Cassini radar instrument is discovering volcanoes, river channels and dunes - features that make Titan the most Earth- like object in the solar system. The program begins at 7:30 pm in Kanbar Hall at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California Street (at Presidio Ave.). Tickets are $4 and are available in advance or at the door. Parking is available across the street in the UCSF Laurel Heights campus parking lot for $1.25 per night. Parking in the JCC garage is $1.25 per half-hour. The #1 California, #3 Jackson, #4 Sutter, and #43 Masonic MUNI lines stop directly in front of the building. The #38 Geary and #24 Divisadero buses stop only a few blocks away. If you would like to be on the Dean Series e-mail list to get advance notice of future lectures, as well as any changes, send an e-mail to deanseries@calacademy.org. Your e-mail address will not be used for any other purpose. ____________________ Katie J. Berryhill Lecturer Coordinator, Benjamin Dean Lecture Series Morrison Planetarium California Academy of Sciences 875 Howard Street San Francisco, CA 94103 (707) 745-9059 (Home office) kberryhill@calacademy.org ******************************************************* This is an early notice of two very good (but early morning) occultations coming our way. Sunday morning, August 27, ~5:30 a.m. PDT The asteroid Delia will occult a magnitude 6.9 star on a transcontinental path from SE Canada to the SF Bay area, including Minnesota, Reno and Sacramento. There is always uncertainty in predicted asteroid path locations, but at the moment it seems that the path will favor the northern portion of the Bay Area. In any event, it will be useful for many to observe from their homes, and for some to travel. Expect more information after there is a path update. If there is a possibility that you will be able to observe ? mobile or from a fixed location ? please respond so that a reasonable attempt can be made to distribute observers across the path. Thursday morning, Sept 14, ~6:05 a.m. PDT The magnitude 1.7 star El Nath (beta Tauri) will be occulted by the northern limit of the moon on a path across northern San Jose and the central valley south of Manteca. The 49% waning moon will be very high to the southeast. We hope to get a large number of observers in San Jose. (Mission College and the Great Mall are both in the path.) With such a bright star, this graze can be observed successfully with small telescopes, or even binoculars. It would be appreciated if those who might be able to participate would reply to this message, as that will aid in planning for a suitable number of observing sites. These occultations involve unusually bright stars, so mark your calendars. Details will be supplied later. Walt Morgan wvmorgan13@sbcglobal.net ************************************************************ If you go out and observe Cygnus tonight, you will find an extra star in the neck of the swan. The Mira type variable, Chi Cygni, has brightened to naked eye visibility. As of last night I estimated the magnitude of Chi to be around +3.8 or +3.9. This makes Chi brighter than Eta Cygni (Chi did appear brighter than Eta last night.) just to the left of Chi. Back in late June I noted Chi at about +6.5 magnitude. Chi is expected to peak sometime around August 14. Hopefully, it will get brighter still. The all time maximum brightness for Chi is magnitude +3.3. By late October I expect Chi to be difficult to see in a pair of 7x50 binocs, when it dims to magnitude +7 or +8. Pat Donnelly KUNGFUGINA@aol.com _______________________________________________ Contacts mailing list Contacts@aanc-astronomy.org http://mail.aanc-astronomy.org/mailman/listinfo/contacts -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.10.7/411 - Release Date: 8/7/2006 From robhawley at earthlink.net Wed Aug 9 09:15:20 2006 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Wed Aug 9 09:15:32 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Registration for CalStar 2006 is open Message-ID: <000a01c6bbcf$03311310$0300a8c0@robathome> Registration is now open You may now register and order meals for the SJAA CalStar star party at www.sjaa.net/calstar Food Once again Valley Catering will be selling meals on Friday and Saturday night. All Thursday night guests must bring their own food. All Meals must be ordered in advance and prepaid at the time of registration. As a part of the reservation process you will be given an opportunity to either pay for the meals using PayPal or will get a form that you can send to SJAA along with a check. Note that a small handling fee will be charged for the PayPal transactions. Meals are ordered when SJAA receives the money not when the reservation is made. If you are using PayPal for registration then you can reserve a meal until 10AM Wednesday Sept 20. If you decide to mail a check then it must be in the SJAA mailbox by the same time. Payments received after that time cannot be accepted. I will confirm all reservations via email. For more information see http://www.sjaa.net/calstar/#food First Time Visitors to CalStar The website provides a Photo Tour of the CalStar site to acquaint yourself with the layout http://www.sjaa.net/calstar/tour/CalStar-Tour.html First Time Attending a Multi-Day Star Party? Never attended a multi-day star party before? You might find this interesting http://www.sjaa.net/calstar/tour/Suggestions-for-First-Time-Visitors.html Descriptions of CalStar Zones The CalStar site enables us to apply different rules to different portions of the site. You can have as casual or hard core observing experience as you like. See http://www.sjaa.net/calstar/tour/CalStar_Areas.html for more details Questions? Please send questions to calstar@sjaa.net or put [CalStar] in the subject line if you send email directly to the sending address. That will insure my spam protection does not eat your message. Rob Hawley -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.sjaa.net/pipermail/sjaa-announce/attachments/20060809/e95bbced/attachment.html From jvn at svpal.org Wed Aug 9 14:55:52 2006 From: jvn at svpal.org (Jim Van Nuland) Date: Wed Aug 9 14:56:28 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Telescope for sale References: <44AD8235.2112@svpal.org> Message-ID: <44DA59E8.2233@svpal.org> Hi, All, I'm posting for Edie and Dan Stokes, who do not have e-mail access. They have added a solar filter to the package. FOR SALE: Celestron C-5, excellent condition, great optics, Table plus tripod, 9-volt drive, solar filter, eyepieces, $550 all. Call 831-751-9704, Salinas, CA. -- Jim Van Nuland, San Jose (California) Astronomical Association JVN's web site From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Sat Aug 12 15:15:09 2006 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Sat Aug 12 15:15:26 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] General Meeting Tonight Message-ID: <20060812160204.B42581@koopm.best.vwh.net> SJAA General Meeting Saturday Aug. 12, 2006 8:00 pm Houge Park Meeting Hall The San Jose Astronomical Association presents Timothy Thompson of JPL Speaking on Science & Images from the Spitzer Space Telescope The infrared Spitzer Space Telescope, launched in August 2003, is the last of NASAs Great Observatories. Tim will briefly describe the telescope & its instruments, and why we want to do infrared astronomy. Then he will review the images and science that have come from the Spitzer Space Telescope in its first 3 years of operation. Timothy has been on the board of directors of the Mt. Wilson Observatory Association for about 22 years. He is President Emeritus of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, and a veteran of 17 years on the LAAS board of directors. He has an MS degree in physics from Cal State L.A., and has been in the science division at JPL for 25 years. Currently he works in the Center for Long Wavelength Astrophysics, analyzing images from the Spitzer Space Telescope. He is developing techniques for enhancing the resolution of images from the IRAC & MIPS instruments on Spitzer. His research interests also include creating chemical and radiative transfer models of the outer planet atmospheres, and studying the Jovian plasma environment. Websites: Spitzer Space Telescope: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/ Tim's Astroweb Page: http://www.tim-thompson.com/astro.html ************************************************* Directions to Houge Park: Houge Park is in San Jose, near Campbell and Los Gatos. >From Hwy.17, take the Camden Avenue exit. Go east 4/10 mile, and turn right at the light, onto Bascom Avenue. At the next light, turn left onto Woodard Road. At the first stop sign, turn right onto Twilight Drive. Go three blocks, cross Sunrise Drive, then turn left into the park. >From Hwy.85, take the Bascom Avenue exit. Go north 0.2 miles, and turn right at the first traffic light, onto White Oaks Road. Run another 0.2 miles to the first stop sign, then turn left onto Twilight Drive. You will now be passing the park. Turn right at the first driveway, into the parking lot. See Map at http://www.sjaa.net/img/houge.jpg *********************************** Clear Skies, Mike Koop President, SJAA Email any comments, questions, or flames to Koopm at best.com From robhawley at earthlink.net Wed Aug 16 18:14:08 2006 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Wed Aug 16 18:13:55 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Friday Houge Park and Beginning Astro Class Message-ID: <007a01c6c19a$70e55580$0500a8c0@robathome> There will be two events at Houge on Friday For directions to either event (and to see our full schedule) please see www.sjaa.net/gotstars ******************Beginning Astro Class********** Mike Koop will teach the class on telescope types this Friday at 7:30 PM. ******************Houge Star Party***************** Observe the brighter deep sky objects and Jupiter through our telescopes at Houge Park (White Oaks Drive and Twilight Drive, San Jose) from 9:00 PM to midnight. Families are welcome. Rob Hawley From robhawley at earthlink.net Wed Aug 16 18:16:51 2006 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Wed Aug 16 18:16:38 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Saturday August 19 Coyote Lake County Park Star Party Message-ID: <007c01c6c19a$d1fed120$0500a8c0@robathome> Saturday August 19 Coyote Lake County Park The star party will be at the boat dock at Coyote Lake County Park near Gilroy from 8:30 PM to midnight. Take 101 south to Leavesley Ave and follow the signs to the main entrance. Families are welcome. There is a $5 fee to enter the park (waived for those with telescopes). There will be a potluck BBQ at about 7:30 PM. Detailed directions are at www.sjaa.net/gotstars Rob Hawley From robhawley at earthlink.net Fri Aug 18 12:01:28 2006 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Fri Aug 18 12:01:32 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Ephemeris Mail Test (Part 2) Message-ID: <002f01c6c2f8$b626c570$0500a8c0@robathome> Do not reply using the reply button on your mail program. Instead forward your response to membership@sjaa.net. The September Ephemeris was mailed this morning. We are continuing our test of changes to the Ephemeris mailing process. Those with a discerning eye will notice that fold in the Ephemeris is now at the bottom of the page. One key part of this test is to see when the newsletter arrives in various cities. We are particularly interested in Los Gatos (95032), Sunnyvale/Mountain View(940xx), Santa Jose (95124), and the Peninsula (Palo Alto and north). Others can reply, but this sample will be the most representative. If your copy has barcodes printed in the lower right hand corner please let me know regardless of where you live. That is one of the things we hope happens this time. Thank you in advance for your assistance. Depending on the pattern of deliveries we will either lock this in as our new mailing process or test a more sophisticated process. Again if you could let me know by forwarding a copy of this message I would appreciate it. Rob Hawley From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Sat Aug 19 12:50:04 2006 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Sat Aug 19 12:50:14 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: Night Sky Network Message: Treasure Hunting in August Message-ID: <001001c6c3c8$ab5333b0$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2006 10:29 PM Subject: Night Sky Network Message: Treasure Hunting in August August 2006 - Night Sky Network Newsletter The Night Sky Network has plenty of golden opportunities for it's members! Revealed in this issue... * "Mr. Eclipse" Fred Espenak speaks to NSN members in September * Shadows & Silhouettes Toolkit Ships in September! * Dr. Geoff Marcy's "Habitable Worlds" Secret Revealed! * 4,000 events and climbing: now you can share your event logs with the world! * The Night Sky Network is growing * Moon Globes in October > "Mr. Eclipse" Fred Espenak speaks to NSN members in September Just in time to get your group primed for the November Mercury Transit the Night Sky Network will host a telecon on Wednesday, September 27th featuring Fred Espenak, widely known to the amateur astronomy community as "Mr. Eclipse". This telecon will discuss our latest toolkit "Shadows and Silhouettes" (shipping out to all qualifying clubs early in September!), planet-finding using transits and our upcoming celestial event, the November Mercury transit. Are you planning an outreach event for the Mercury Transit? Log on and discuss it on the Night Sky Network Discussion Board! > Shadows & Silhouettes Toolkit Ships in September! CLUB COORDINATORS: Be sure to check that your shipping address is up-to-date: Log into the Night Sky Network, click on "Edit Club Info". The Shadows & Silhouettes ToolKit covers the topics of phases, eclipses, and transits and features NASA's Kepler Mission. The Kepler Mission, due for launch in 2008, is NASA's first mission dedicated to detecting transits of Earth-size planets in the habitable zones of Sun-like stars. ALL QUALIFYING CLUBS WILL RECEIVE THIS TOOLKIT: Any club that has logged at least two events since receiving their last ToolKit will receive Shadows & Silhouettes by September 22nd. Just in time for the Mercury Transit in November, this ToolKit provides activities to make the Transit come alive and spark imaginations about faraway worlds possibly like our own. The ToolKit also provides hands-on explanations to prepare for the lunar eclipse next March. Accompanied by activities to demonstrate moon phases and why eclipses don't happen every month, the ToolKit can be used at almost any star party. What are the clubs who tested the ToolKit saying? Astronomical Society of Kansas City: The materials covering moon phases and solar and lunar eclipses are some of the best and easiest ways to demonstrate these events that I have ever encountered. Amateur Astronomers, Inc. The materials in the ToolKit really drive home some of the concepts we are all aware of but have some difficulty explaining: in particular, the demo showing why we don't get a total solar eclipse every month. Astronomical Society of Northern New England The PowerPoint about Sun-like Stars will amaze even the astronomy experts in your club! This toolkit may be your most used toolkit. Darien O'Brien Astronomy Club The ToolKit?s focus is on many of the concepts and recent/forthcoming astronomical events that are at the forefront of astronomical research. > * Dr. Geoff Marcy's "Habitable Worlds" Secret Revealed! Did you miss our last telecon? If you did you will want to be sure to log on and hear for yourself the amazing revelation that was uncovered when a Night Sky Network member asked just the right question! To read the transcript from this teleconference log in to the Night Sky Network member page at: http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/docs/newhabitworldstranscript.rtf Or hear the words from Dr. Marcy's lips by downloading the MP3 at: http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/docs/SEARCHFORHABITABLEWORLDS.mp3 The URL for the companion PowerPoint for Dr. Marcy's talk is at: http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/docs/marcy_nsn.ppt And remember, you heard it here on the Night Sky Network first! > 4,000 events and climbing: now you can share your event logs with the > world! The members of the Night Sky Network have had a stellar summer pushing our numbers well past 4,000 events held. Now your favorite event can get the recognition it deserves! The new Night Sky Network webpage will now allow Club Coordinators to designate up to up to four outreach events as "Sample Events" for your club. >From the "Stars in the Network" list or from the "Find Clubs" page, a member of the public selecting your club can read about featured events your club has held. You choose which events you want featured (with final approval by an NSN Administrator). Visit the following link to see an example of what the "Sample Event" feature looks like for the Highlander Astronomical Society. http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/event-view.cfm?Club_ID=754 Think of this as an advertisement for the type of events you hold. How do you designate a Sample Event? After you log into the Network, read the FAQ under the topic "Event Logging", which can be found here: http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/club/faq.cfm#q6_20 Start sharing your events today! > The Night Sky Network is growing! Since the Night Sky Network topped 3,000 events in February of this year 21 new clubs have joined the Night Sky Network. Welcome to all of our new Network members! Astronomical Society of Rowan County of Mooresville, NC Bucks-Mont Astronomical Association of Chalfont, PA Charlie Elliott Chapter of the Atlanta Astronomy Club of Alpharetta, GA Civil Air Patrol Myrtle Beach MER-SC-084 of Surfside Beach, SC Decatur Area Astronomy Club of Cerro Gordo, IL H. J. Fowler Observatory of Oakland, ME Highlander Astronomical Society of Incline Village, NV Junior Astronomy Club of Connecticut of East Haven ,CT Magic Valley Astronomical Society of Kimberly, ID Mayfield High School Astronomy Club of Mayfield Village, OH Oak Ridge Isochronous Observation Network, Inc. of Oak Ridge, TN Ohio State University Astronomical Society of Columbus, OH Olympus Mons of Arlington, TX Robert Ferguson Observatory of Glen Ellen, CA Smoky Mountain Astronomical Society of Knoxville, TN StarForge: Space and Astronomy Club of Sacramento, CA The Albuquerque Astronomical Society of Albuquerque, NM The Quahadi Society, Inc. of Quanah, TX Tri-State Astronomers of Hagerstown, MD United Astronomy Clubs of New Jersey of Hope, NJ Winter Haven Astronomy Club of Winter Haven, FL > Moon Globes in October The Fall Quarterly Drawing prize will be held in October and features the ever-handy Moon Globe. All events logged from July 1, 2006 through midnight September 30, 2006 count in the drawing to be held October 5th. Each qualifying event your club logs counts as a "ticket" in the drawing. The more Night Sky Network events your club holds and reports, the more chances your club has to win! For questions about logging and approving events, see the FAQ's on the Participants' site after you log in: http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/login.cfm. Gifts are provided by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. The Night Sky Network is all about uncovering the mysteries of the Universe: whether that is helping astronomy clubs share their knowledge of the Universe with others or by giving our members the latest scoop on what is happening in astronomy today! Log on today to see what secrets you may uncover on our discussion boards, in an event log or in a telecon transcript! Clear Skies! Marni Berendsen & Dawn Baird Astronomical Society of the Pacific nightskyinfo@astrosociety.org -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.11.2/422 - Release Date: 8/17/2006 From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Sun Aug 20 16:41:40 2006 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Sun Aug 20 17:54:37 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: LICK 2006: Music of the Spheres Concerts (September 15 and September 16) Message-ID: <001e01c6c4b2$30ca60b0$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> Friday, September 15 and Saturday, September 16 are the last two evenings for this summer's Music of the Spheres concerts at Lick Observatory. Tickets are still available. http://www.ucolick.org/public/music.html September 15 (Friday) Great Guitars: Daniel Roest & Muriel Anderson: Classical guitarist Daniel Roest opens for prolific songwriter and vocalist Muriel Anderson. A highly skilled instrumentalist, Muriel is the first woman to win the National Fingerpicking Guitar Championship. She performs folk, classical, bluegrass, and international music on nylon, steel-string, and harp-guitars. With sense of humor and a contagious joy of music, she charms audiences worldwide. Her recordings have also "circled the globe" entertaining Space Shuttle astronauts. "Black Holes: Hearts of Darkness" Speaker: Alex Filippenko Doors open: 7:00 pm Concert starts: 7:30 pm September 16 (Saturday) Great Guitars: Daniel Roest & Peppino D'Agostino: Classical guitarist Daniel Roest opens for Peppino D'Agostino, a world-class solo fingerstyle guitarist and composer. A charismatic entertainer, Peppino plays steel string guitar with dazzling virtuosity. His repertoire includes contemporary acoustic, classical, open tuning, and percussive music with influences as diverse as Paco de Lucia's flamenco and the Beatles' pop sensibility. Peppino has produced eleven CDs and has collaborated and performed with various rock and jazz icons. "New Worlds, Yellowstone, and Life in the Universe" Speaker: Geoff Marcy Doors open: 7:00 pm Concert starts: 7:30 pm Come up and enjoy a concert, pick up a wine glass or coffee mug, attend a science lecture, view through the 36" refractor, go outside to enjoy the view and look through the telescopes brought up by our volunteers. If you do purchase tickets, consider coming up early and enjoy your dinner on the mountain top! Also even though it might be 90 degrees or warmer in the valley, you just never know what the temperature will be on the mountain top -- bring a sweater, jacket, or sweatshirt just in case! And a full tank of gas! (there is no public gas station on Mt Hamilton). Please forward this email to anyone you might think would be interested! Thanks! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.sjaa.net/pipermail/sjaa-announce/attachments/20060820/c59895a1/attachment.html From robhawley at earthlink.net Mon Aug 21 02:21:35 2006 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Mon Aug 21 02:21:33 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Reminder: August 25/26/27 Dark Sky Party at Willow Springs Message-ID: <00e801c6c503$339cb6c0$0500a8c0@robathome> Rob Hawley _____ From: craig@funastro.com [mailto:craig@funastro.com] Sent: Sunday, August 20, 2006 8:55 PM To: sjaa-announce@sjaa.net Subject: Reminder: August 25/26/27 Dark Sky Party at Willow Springs Just a reminder, we still have plenty of room for more people to join our upcoming 3 day stay party. /Craig ---ORIGINAL INVITE FOLLOWS--- Join the San Jose Astronomy Association and Bob Ayers on Friday, Saturday and Sunday August 25/26/27 for more deep sky observing. Once again, we hope to accomodate all who wish to attend thanks to some of the extra space that our friend Rob "weed eater" Hawley valiantly carved out for us last time. PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED so please send an email to craig@funastro.com so we know how many are coming. We need to know so we can prepare the site and, if necessary, encourage car-pooling. In your email please also let us know: -What nights you plan to attend -Whether you plan to stay overnight each night -What kind of telescope you'll be bringing so we can be sure you are in a good area (e.g. dobs need flatness) -Whether you will be doing any imaging -If you need room for a tent The site? Bob's 40-acres of ridgetop land in "Willow Springs" southeast of Hollister at 3000 feet in the Diablo Range, two hours drive from San Jose. How dark is it? The light pollution maps say it's a full magnitude darker than Fremont Peak: http://www.sjaa.net/ws/light-pollution-map.html If the weather-pattern is normal, it will stay warm at the site all night and the seeing will be very good after 10 pm or so. The SJAA will provide a rented toilet at the site (a $5 donation is suggested to help cover the $160 cost). We invite you to camp overnight (we certainly plan to do this). There is no running water or other amenities at the site so be sure to bring your own. The terrain at the site is pleasant during the day and early evening, although summertime temperatures can be hot. Consider arriving early enough to walk around and enjoy the scenery: http://www.sjaa.net/ws/ridge_panorama.jpg Craig Scull on behalf of the SJAA, Bob Ayers and Rob Hawley -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.sjaa.net/pipermail/sjaa-announce/attachments/20060821/6c89d091/attachment.html From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Mon Aug 21 16:20:12 2006 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Mon Aug 21 16:20:21 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: [AANC Contacts] Mt Tam Astronomy Program 8/26 Message-ID: <001401c6c578$5b2470a0$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> Mt Tam Enthusiasts - It's time for another gathering on The Mountain to learn about and enjoy doing some astronomy. Saturday evening, 8/26, at 8:30pm in the Mountain Theatre on Mt Tam John Dillon, of the Randall Museum and the San Francisco Astronomers, will take us back a few thousand years to ancient Greece where the pinnacle of science was an amazingly sophisticated understanding of the heavens. Come and join us for a fascinating look at astronomy?s ancient roots. This program (like ALL our programs!) is FREE and open to the general public. We encourage you to bring family members and students. Dress warmly and bring a red-filtered flashlight. Please car pool if at all possible. Nights lately have been clear and transparent, and with a little luck we will have a wonderful time looking through the telescopes following the talk. See you there! Thanks for sharing this information with others. PS: I hate to even suggest it, but should the weather be questionable you can call the hotline 415-455-5370 after 4:00pm on the program day for an update. Note that the message is only changed if there is a change in the program. _______________________________________________ Contacts mailing list Contacts@aanc-astronomy.org http://mail.aanc-astronomy.org/mailman/listinfo/contacts From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Tue Aug 22 08:03:21 2006 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Tue Aug 22 08:04:02 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Star-B-Que this Weekend, Aug. 26th at FPOA Message-ID: <20060822090147.J25461@koopm.best.vwh.net> On Saturday, August 26, 2006, the Fremont Peak Observatory Association (FPOA) will be celebrating it 20th anniversary. Because the idea for the FPOA was born at the SJAA with many cross memberships, Pat Donnelly has extended a formal invitation to all SJAA members to attend the FPOA 20th Anniversary Party (Star-B-Que) at the observatory in Fremont Peak State Park. The festivities start at 4 PM. The FPOA will be providing Hambugers, Hot Dogs, and Drinks. Participants are encouraged to bring side-dishes, salads, or deserts. Try to think up an Astronomical Theme for your dish and enter it into the Astronomical Gastronomical Contest and maybe you'll win a prize. Previous winners have included a Black-Hole Cheesecake, dobsonian telescope gingerbread cookies, and an anatomically correct Io Pizza. Entries will be judged based on culinary ingenuity, looks and astronomical relevance! Please enter by 4:45 p.m. Entries arriving late may be consumed without judging. Maybe this year we will see the return of Rich's Big Bang Chili! See all your friends from the bay area's many astronomy clubs, in our own version of Stellafane! As in the past, there will be a fundraising raffle for the observatory, plus Pat's famous trivia contest. There will be activities for the whole family! As twilight falls, Dr. Joseph Hennawi of UC Berkeley will give a talk on "Weighing the Dark Matter in the Universe with Gravitational Lensing". Once it gets dark enough, the 30 Challenger Telescope will be open for viewing or set up your own scope along Coulter Row or in the Southwest parking lot. This is a celebration not to be missed! Please RSVP by Wednesday at 6 PM to info@fpoa.net with your name and the number of people attending. GETTING THERE: Fremont Peak is due east of Monterey Bay. It is about hour and 20 minutes from San Jose. Take US 101 south from San Jose to Hwy. 156 (about 10 mi south of Gilroy). Go east on 156 to the new traffic signal as you pass San Juan Bautista. Turn right and watch for the Fremont Peak State Park signs. After going 0.3 miles you will jog left then immediately right and a sign will tell you that you are on County Rd. G1. It is 11 miles to the park. When you get to the park, make sure to pay the $4.00 day use fee at the phone parking lot to the self serve "Iron Ranger" or friendly park staff who may be collecting the fee. Overnight camping is still available at the Oak Point camping area. Pat's Invite: http://ephemeris.sjaa.net/0608/i.html Past Star-B-Que Reports: http://ephemeris.sjaa.net/9908/b.html http://observers.org/reports/98.08.22.3.html http://ephemeris.sjaa.net/0009/c.html http://www.aanc-astronomy.org/starbq.html Fremont Peak State Park Website and Camping Reservations: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=564 FPOA Website: http://www.fpoa.net/ Clear Skies, Mike Koop President San Jose Astronomical Association From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Wed Aug 23 19:27:51 2006 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Wed Aug 23 19:28:08 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] =?iso-8859-1?q?Stargazing_Nights_at_the_Rancho_C?= =?iso-8859-1?q?a=F1ada_?= Message-ID: <001401c6c724$e6472490$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> Open Space Authority will be hosting Stargazing Nights at the Rancho Ca?ada Del Oro Open Space Preserve. The preserve is located in the western foothills of Santa Clara County (just south of Calero County Park.) The upcoming Stargazing Night will take place on Saturday August 26 (7:30pm meeting time), Our staff will be on hand to direct parking and set-up. We do hope to attract both experienced astronomy buffs who are interested in sharing their knowledge, as well as novices who are just becoming interested in the night skies. Rancho Canada del Oro >From 101 South or 85 South Take the Bernal Road exit and go Right/West. Turn left on Santa Teresa Blvd. Turn right on Bailey Ave. Turn left on McKean Rd. Turn right onto Casa Loma Road. Follow Casa Loma Road to the OSA staging area. Info can be found at: http://www.openspaceauthority.org/Hikes_and_Activities/Hikes_and_Activities_main.htm . Bob Havner From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Fri Aug 25 19:39:14 2006 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Fri Aug 25 19:39:30 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: HVAG schedule reminder Message-ID: <002001c6c8b8$d2be6ab0$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> The Halls Valley Astronomical Group has scheduled starparties at Grant Park on the following dates: 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.hallsvalley.org/ From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Thu Aug 31 17:04:00 2006 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Thu Aug 31 17:04:12 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: [AANC Contacts] (no subject) Message-ID: <003701c6cd5a$21223b00$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> SMART-1 impact: last call for ground based observations If you are a professional or amateur astronomer and want to contribute to the final phase of the SMART-1 mission, join ESA on the impact ground observation campaign. Like most of its lunar predecessors, SMART-1 will conclude its scientific observations of the Moon through a small impact on the lunar surface. This is planned to take place in the lunar Lake of Excellence, located at mid-southern latitudes. A trim manoeuvre at the end of July has determined that the impact will most likely occur on 3 September 2006 at 07:41 CEST (05:41 UT), or at 02:36 CEST (00:36 UT) on the previous orbit due to uncertainties in the detailed knowledge of the lunar topography. If impacting on 3 Sept at 07:41 CEST, SMART-1 will touch the Moon at the lunar coordinates 36.44? South and 46.25? West. If impacting on 3 September at 02:36 CEST the lunar coordinates will be 36.4? South and 43.5? West. The Lake of Excellence is very interesting from the scientific point of view ? it is a volcanic plain area surrounded by highlands, but also characterised by ground mineral heterogeneities. ?We call for ground-based observations mostly to study impact physics, the release of spacecraft volatiles, and the lofted soil mineralogy,? says Bernard Foing , SMART-1 Project Scientist at ESA. ?We look for fast imaging of the impact and of the associated ejected material, and for spectroscopic analysis, for example to find hints about the mineralogy of the impact area.? ?Even if the impact at 2 kilometres per second is of modest energy, the plume might be observable if it reaches sunlight, with an amateur telescope or binoculars,? continues Foing. ?For sites not covering the time of impact, we ask for context observations before and after impact to look for the ejecta blanket?. A number of worldwide observatories have already confirmed their participation to the campaign. They include the network of VLBI Very Long Baseline Interferometry and radio observatories, the South African Large Telescope SALT, the Calar Alto observatory in Andalucia, Spain, the ESA OGS Optical Ground Station at Tenerife, Spain, the CEA Cariri observatory in Brazil, the Argentina National Telescope, the Florida Tech Robotic telescopes, NASA IRTF and Japanese telescopes at Hawaii, as well as a number of professional and amateur astronomy telescopes around the world, and the ODIN observatory from space. ESA invites the scientific community and amateur astronomers to join in the observation campaign. For more information follow this link. For more information Bernard Foing, ESA SMART-1 Project Scientist Email: Bernard.Foing @ esa.int -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ 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/20060831/b715e3c4/attachment.html From robhawley at earthlink.net Thu Aug 31 21:01:54 2006 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Thu Aug 31 21:02:04 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Friday Houge Park Star Party Message-ID: <00a001c6cd7b$5d57bb60$0500a8c0@robathome> Sep. 1 - Friday - Public observing session on the grounds at Houge Park. Bright Jupiter is featured, along with the 64% moon, which sets at 12:25 am. Star party hours: 8:30 pm to 11:30 pm. Rob Hawley