From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Wed Oct 4 17:19:55 2006 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Wed Oct 4 17:20:13 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: Free evening lecture at NASA Ames on Oct. 25, 2006 Message-ID: <003201c6e813$fc7b00a0$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> Free evening lecture at NASA Ames on Oct. 25, 2006 Subject: Free evening lecture at NASA Ames on Oct. 25, 2006 Greetings from NASA Ames! The NASA Research Park Exploration Lecture Series is presenting 'The View From the Center of the Universe' on October 25, 2006. Cosmologist Dr. Joel R. Primack and writer/philosopher Nancy Ellen Abrams will discuss recent advances in astronomy, show spectacular new videos, and frame a compelling new theory for understanding the universe and our role in it. Book-signing opportunity after the lecture. Wednesday October 25, 2006 7-9 p.m. NASA Ames Research Center, Bldg. 943, Eagle Room Co-sponsored by SETI Institute. For directions or to read more about the authors, please visit: www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.sjaa.net/pipermail/sjaa-announce/attachments/20061004/cfa4dcb2/attachment.html From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Fri Oct 6 13:57:52 2006 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Fri Oct 6 13:58:10 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] SJAA General Meeting this Sat: Why are there Stars? Message-ID: <20061006144204.T5835@koopm.best.vwh.net> The San Jose Astronomical Association Presents Dr. Steven Stahler of U. C. Berkeley Speaking on Why Are There Stars? Saturday, October 7th starting 8 PM in the Hall at Houge Park Free and Open to the Public! On a clear night, the sky is filled with countless stars. These objects must be the natural outcome of processes that occur all the time, throughout our Galaxy and others. Indeed, images taken with radio and infrared telescopes show us new stars forming relatively nearby. The progenitor objects are large clouds permeating interstellar space. These clouds undergo gravitational collapse to form primitive stars, which then evolve to become mature objects like our own Sun. A large body of research, mostly undertaken within the past few decades, has led to a good understanding of the basic evolutionary process. Nevertheless, deep mysteries remain in this active and exciting field. Our speaker Dr. Steven Stahler is an astrophysicist at U. C. Berkeley. Raised in Maryland, he attended graduate school at Berkeley in physics. He was a professor at MIT before returning to the Bay Area in 1992. His research centers on the problem of star formation, and he recently coauthored the first comprehensive textbook in the field (The Formation of Stars, Stahler & Palla, Wiley-VCH, 2004). Trained as a theoretical physicist, Steve especially delights in the esthetic aspect of his research, which he tries to convey in his numerous public talks. Steves Home Page with Papers!: http://astro.berkeley.edu/~stahler/index.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 Questions? Comments? Flames? Email: koopm best com From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Fri Oct 13 16:16:21 2006 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Fri Oct 13 16:24:21 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Class Tonight: Satellite Observing and Star Party Message-ID: <20061013171040.K72790@koopm.best.vwh.net> The San Jose Astronomical Association Presents Tonight: A) Beginning Astronomy Class: Observing Satellites and Rocket Launches with Jim Albers B) Houge Park Star Party Friday, Oct 13th Weather Permitting, 7:30 pm until 10:30 pm. ************************************************************** A) Beginning Astronomy Class: Observing Satellites and Rocket Launches with Jim Albers Tonights(Friday, Oct. 13th) class starts at 7:30 PM in the hall at Houge Park.. Tonight, Jim Albers will be going over the basics of Observing Satellites and Rocket Launches. Jim often posts to the SJAA when such events are visible from the bay area and takes pictures of the rocket launches from Vandenburg. The class finishes with a "Sky Tour" by SJAA President Mike Koop, pointing out how to find the constellations and planets. Weather permitting, after the class we will be pointing out the constellations, in addition to viewing the moon, planets and other deep sky wonders through telescopes. The class is part of a informal monthly series which teaches the basics of observational astronomy, the constellations, the movement of the sky, and the use of the telescope. It occurs every third quarter moon Houge Park Star Party Night through out the year. The class is a free public service provided by the SJAA. The class will be held regardless of the weather. ************************************************************** B) Houge Park Star Party Friday, Oct 13th Weather Permitting, 7:30 pm until 10:30 pm. Also tonight, the SJAA hosts its in town 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. With any luck, the clouds will hold off. Weather Info: Clear Sky Clock for San Jose: http://cleardarksky.com/c/SanJoseCAkey.html?1 NRL Monterey East Pacific & US West Coast Images http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/sat-bin/epac_westcoast.cgi Rob's Weather Page http://www.sjaa.net/weather/ Top 10 Things to view tonight: 1) Comet Swan: In Canes Venatici at Mag 5.2 to 6.0. Look at 8 PM. Can we see it from Houge? Finder Chart: http://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/2006M4/2006M4.html Heavens Above for Houge Park, Click on Comet Swan http://www.heavens-above.com/main.asp?lat=37.25746&lng=-121.94131&loc=Houge+Park%2C+San+Jose%2C+CA&TZ=PST 2) The Blue Snowball: a planetary nebula in Andromeda 2200 ly away. 3) Cr399: The Coathanger. Not a true star cluster since its stars are 218 to 1140 ly away. 4) Gamma Arietis: The star Mesarthim, which consists of two Blue-White Stars at Mag 4.7, 7.8 separation 5) Gamma Delphni: the nose of the Dolphin, a double star. Appears Yellow and White at Mags 4.3 & 5.2, 100 ly Away 6) M 11: Wild Duck Cluster. 6,000 LY away and 21 LY across. At least 600 stars 7) M 15: Globular cluster. About 33,600 LY away. Densest of all GC. Black hole in the center? 8) Uranus: The 7th planet from the sun, 1.76 billion miles away. Green in color. Discovered in 1781. 9) Andromeda Galaxy: About 2.3 million LY away, 130,000 LY across. Contains 300 billion stars. 10) Double Cluster: 7200 LY away, 200 stars each. Astro Info: Sunset: 6:33 PM Civil twilight ends: 6:59 PM Nautical twilight ends: 7:29 PM Astronomical twilight ends: 8:00 PM ************************************************************* Directions to Houge Park: Houge Park is in San Jose, near Campbell and Los Gatos. >From Hwy.17, take the Camden Avenue exit. Go east 4/10 mile, and turn right at the light, onto Bascom Avenue. At the next light, turn left onto Woodard Road. At the first stop sign, turn right onto Twilight Drive. Go three blocks, cross Sunrise Drive, then turn left into the park. >From Hwy.85, take the Bascom Avenue exit. Go north 0.2 miles, and turn right at the first traffic light, onto White Oaks Road. Run another 0.2 miles to the first stop sign, then turn left onto Twilight Drive. You will now be passing the park. Turn right at the first driveway, into the parking lot. See Map at http://www.sjaa.net/img/houge.jpg *********************************** Clear Skies, Mike Koop President, SJAA Questions? Comments? Flames? Email: koopm best com From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Fri Oct 13 18:00:32 2006 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Fri Oct 13 18:00:45 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: [AANC Contacts] Dr. Ken Croswell at PAS tonight & Java job offerfor Kepler Mission Message-ID: <003301c6ef2c$26ed8e60$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> Sorry for the late notice. I received this today. From: Kenneth Lum The New Solar System Our next PAS General Meeting will be tomorrow, Friday, October 13 at 7:30PM in our usual meeting place in Rm. 5001, Bldg. 5000 near parking lot #5. Please note that we will be returning to our original later starting time. Our speaker will be Dr. Ken Croswell of Berkeley who will give a presentation on the recent new discoveries that have changed our view of Solar System. In this talk, Dr. Croswell will be our guide to both the familiar and the newly discovered objects in our Solar System and what they tell us about its origin and evolution. In particular, Dr. Croswell will base his discussion on his new book "Ten Planets" which include the first inclusion in a book of the recently discovered Kuiper Belt object, 2003 UB 313, now know as Eris for the Greek Goddess of Discord and its moon, Dysnomia. In this talk, Dr. Croswell will also comment on the recent decision of the International Astronomical Union to redefine what a planet is with the specific effect this has had on the planet status of Pluto and the controversy that has ensued. So please join us for what should be a most interesting and stimulating discussion of the current status of our understanding of the objects that orbit the Sun. Dr. Croswell received his Ph.D. in astronomy from Harvard University and is currently a writer on astronomical topics. His books include "Alchemy of the Heavens", "Planet Quest". ?Magnificent Universe?, ?The Universe at Midnight?, and "Magnificent Mars". "Ten Planets" is his most recent book. Don't forget that parking is $2.00. The machines will accept both dollar bills as well as coins. Hope to see you all there! Ken L. Contacts mailing list Contacts@aanc-astronomy.org http://mail.aanc-astronomy.org/mailman/listinfo/contacts From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Sat Oct 14 10:37:37 2006 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Sat Oct 14 10:37:42 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: [AANC Contacts] November 8 Mercury Transit - send in your events Message-ID: <001a01c6efb7$7192fd70$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> I'm volunteering to put together an itemized list of the events local groups are sponsoring for the November 8 Mercury Transit. I'm trying to get the attention of David Perlman at the Chronicle, so it would be good to have this information in one packet to give to him. I can also make it available on the AANC website for other folks to give to their media contacts. Please send me all the particulars of your event: When Where Description of activities, such as guest speakers Who's invited, if not everyone Any fees or donations requested Special instructions, such as parking, or directions to reach the event Link to web page with details I'll compile these and make them available to all. Michael Portuesi San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers info@sfsidewalkastronomers.org http://sfsidewalkastronomers.org _______________________________________________ Contacts mailing list Contacts@aanc-astronomy.org http://mail.aanc-astronomy.org/mailman/listinfo/contacts From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Wed Oct 18 09:17:23 2006 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Wed Oct 18 09:55:43 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Planet hunters wanted to help astronomers in the search for new worlds Message-ID: <20061018161723.17106.qmail@web82702.mail.mud.yahoo.com> UCSC astronomers are seeking the public?s help to find and understand planets outside our solar system. But you don?t need an advanced degree or even a telescope to participate?just a computer, access to the Internet, and an interest in astronomy. The project, called Systemic, enlists volunteers to help astronomers better understand what kinds of planetary systems inhabit our galaxy, the Milky Way, and whether systems like our solar system are common. Astronomers have already found nearly 200 extrasolar planets orbiting other stars. But according to Gregory Laughlin, associate professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UCSC, the types of planetary systems astronomers are finding may not represent the full range of what is out there. The technique most often used to find extrasolar planets relies on measuring slight wobbles in a star?s motion caused by the gravitational tug of an orbiting planet. This technique favors configurations in which the orbiting planet is not only large, like Jupiter, but also close to the star. As a result, so-called ?hot Jupiters? are overrepresented in the current census of extrasolar planets. Other potential biases arise from factors that limit how observations are made. Astronomers are often limited to blocks of telescope time lasting only a few days, which means they cannot observe prospective planetary systems as often as they would like. The limited geographic locations of telescopes also limit what parts of the sky astronomers can observe. As a result of these kinds of restrictions, some planetary systems are studied more than others, and so the current data on extrasolar planets does not yet fully reflect what is really out there. To get a better handle on these problems, Laughlin and his collaborators launched the Systemic project, in which public participation will help create a virtual database of extrasolar planetary systems. The project involves a sophisticated simulation of the search for planets. The researchers created a data set of 100,000 stars, complete with many diverse planetary systems. Participants can analyze this virtual galaxy with software available on the project web site. Using the software, volunteers can analyze the data for a target star, varying planetary properties like mass, orbital shape, and period to find a configuration that best fits the data. The web site includes a tutorial on the software, called the Systemic Console, as well as a blog, which Laughlin updates regularly. Full article at: http://currents.ucsc.edu/06-07/10-16/systemic.asp Systemic web site: http://oklo.org/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.sjaa.net/pipermail/sjaa-announce/attachments/20061018/1c6f288e/attachment.html From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Thu Oct 19 15:28:19 2006 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Thu Oct 19 15:28:29 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: [AANC Contacts] Transit of Mercury webcast from Kitt Peak Message-ID: <001c01c6f3cd$e1932540$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> If our weather fails locally, or for school classroom activity, here's a backup link for the ExplOratorium webcast: www.exploratorium.edu/transit Live@Exploratorium Webcast from Kitt Peak November 8 at 11am PST in the Museum and Online www.exploratorium.edu/transit On November 8, 2006, Mercury will slowly slide across the face of the sun during an event known as a transit. A transit of Mercury is relatively rare -- there are only about a dozen in a century. The Exploratorium's Live@ crew will be at the Kitt Peak National Optical Astronomy Observatories, and, with the Kitt Peak staff, will webcast the transit -- a live five-hour telescope-only feed beginning at 11:00 am PST. Go to www.exploratorium.edu/transit. The transit will take place from 11:12am PST until 4:10pm PST and will be visible from the Pacific, the Americas, eastern Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, although some locations will not be able to see the entire transit. Because of Mercury's diminutive size, the transit cannot be seen with the unaided eye, but it can be viewed with a telescope (with the proper filter) or with a homemade optical projector. Here at the Exploratorium, the public can view the transit in our webcast studio where staff physicist Paul Doherty will speak at 11am. This event is free with admission to the Exploratorium. -------- Raphael Rosen Public Information Department The Exploratorium 3601 Lyon St. San Francisco, CA 94123 www.exploratorium.edu Phone Contact: Leslie Patterson / (415) 561-0377 _______________________________________________ Contacts mailing list Contacts@aanc-astronomy.org http://mail.aanc-astronomy.org/mailman/listinfo/contacts From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Thu Oct 19 19:23:45 2006 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Thu Oct 19 19:24:02 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Lecture by Dwarf Planet Discoverer on 10/25 Message-ID: <20061019201612.S74882@koopm.best.vwh.net> Stanford Universitys Astronomy Program presents the 25th Annual Bunyan Lecture with Dr. Michael Brown of Caltech Speaking on Pluto, Eris and the Dwarf Planets of the Solar System Free and Open to the Public 7:30pm Wednesday, October 25, 2006 Kresge Auditorium on the Stanford Campus Dr. Michael Brown is an associate professor of planetary astronomy at Caltech. He earned his B.A. in physics from Princeton University and did his graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley where he earned an M.Sc and a Ph.D in astronomy. He and his colleagues have discovered a number of trans-Neptunian objects including 90377 Sedna,90482 Orcus, and 2003 UB313, the first TNO larger than Pluto to be discovered. Come hear his opinion on what is a planet! Bunyan Lecture Flyer http://www.stanford.edu/dept/physics/events/bunyan2006.pdf Dr. Michael Brown's Home page: http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/ Background Info via Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_E._Brown Kresge Auditorium 555 NATHAN ABBOTT WAY, Stanford, CA Link to Map: http://www.stanford.edu/hpcgi/map/index.pl?q=KRESGE%20AUDITORIUM Park in the Visitors Lot next to the Tresidder Union (Marked L-39 in the link above) Parking in all Green P lots is free after 4 PM. Written Directions to Tresidder Parking Lot: http://www.law.stanford.edu/directions/%23driving_directions/ http://www.baychi.org/calendar/20041012/directions/ From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Sun Oct 22 14:05:24 2006 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Sun Oct 22 14:05:52 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Ephemeris Mail Test #3 Message-ID: <20061022150247.D60054@koopm.best.vwh.net> Do not reply using the reply button on your mail program. Instead forward your response to membership at sjaa.net. The November Ephemeris was mailed on Friday Morning, 10/20. We are continuing our test of changes to the Ephemeris mailing process. This months experiment is sealing the newsletter with a sticker on top. IT WORKED! I got my Ephemeris the earliest ever, only 10 hours later. I also saw Barcodes added to the bottom of the newsletter, confirming that the newsletter can now use some of the post office automation equipment. The big question is did this help in the bulk mail black holes. 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 newsletter was damaged in anyway, let us know that also. 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 us know by forwarding a copy of this message with when you received your November newsletter I would appreciate it. Mike Koop President SJAA From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Wed Oct 25 17:11:02 2006 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Wed Oct 25 17:11:43 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Stanford University's Bunyan Lecture TODAY, 7:30pm Kresge Auditorium Message-ID: <20061025180949.R2163@koopm.best.vwh.net> Stanford University's Astronomy Program is happy to extend to you all and invitation to our 25th Annual Bunyan Lecture TODAY at 7:30pm at Kresge Auditorium--its free and open to the public. Have you heard that Pluto is no longer our 9th planet and was reclassified as a dwarf planet? Did you hear that Eris took its place? Does it make you wonder, "What is a Planet anyway"? Our speaker will be Dr. Michael Brown and he knows the answers! We hope to see you there. Where is Kresge Auditorium located? http://campus-map.stanford.edu/index.cfm?ID=02-060 Where is parking for the auditorium? above link is searchable so you can zoom in/out and see parking areas What time do you recommend getting there? 7pm Here is some background about Dr. Brown: For the past seven years we've been scanning the skies for planets beyond Pluto. In 2005, after a search of about half of the sky and the discovery of dozens of objects almost the size of Pluto, we finally found Eris, the first object larger than Pluto, and the first that might have been called a new planet. In addition to a new avalanche of scientific questions, this discovery drives home the need to answer a question that astronomers have been unwilling to answer for years: "What is a planet?" I'll discuss the story of the discovery and try to give a perspective on why the question of planethood is difficult and why the new class of dwarf planets was created to describe all of these objects. Biography Mike Brown is a Professor of Planetary Astronomy at the California Institute of Technology where he teaches classes from introductory geology to the formation of the solar system. He is a native of Huntsville, Alabama, where he grew up listening to the tests of the Saturn rockets preparing to go to the moon, and he received his undergraduate degree in physics from Princeton University and his Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of California at Berkeley. He and his research group spend their time searching for and studying the most distant objects in the solar system and drinking coffee. Bunyan Lecture Flyer http://www.stanford.edu/dept/physics/events/bunyan2006.pdf Dr. Michael Browns Home page: http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/ Background Info via Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_E._Brown Kresge Auditorium 555 NATHAN ABBOTT WAY, Stanford, CA Link to Map: http://www.stanford.edu/hpcgi/map/index.pl?q=KRESGE%20AUDITORIUM Park in the Visitors Lot next to the Tresidder Union (Marked L-39 in the link above) Parking in all Green P lots is free after 4 PM. Written Directions to Tresidder Parking Lot: http://www.law.stanford.edu/directions/%23driving_directions/ http://www.baychi.org/calendar/20041012/directions/ From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Thu Oct 26 17:35:00 2006 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Thu Oct 26 17:35:20 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: [AANC Contacts] Talk on Pluto at Foothill College Nov. 8th Message-ID: <002701c6f95f$bd6351d0$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> Event Announcement ================= Wednesday, Nov. 8th, 2006, 7 pm: Astronomer Dale Cruikshank of NASA's Ames Research Center will give a non-technical, illustrated talk on: "The Planet Pluto: Maligned but Not Forgotten" as part of the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures 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. No background in science will be required for this talk. Although Pluto is only one of many worlds beyond Neptune that are now recognized as dwarf planets, it is the one we know best. And to generations of Americans who in their youth learned about Pluto's discovery by a Kansas farm boy in 1930, it is perhaps the one that is most loved. With a thin atmosphere, a layer of smog, three moons, and a patchy surface made of many kinds of ice, Pluto is the gateway to the vast outer fringe of the Solar System, where trillions of lumps of ice, rock, and organic chemicals orbit the Sun in a permanent deep freeze. Recognizing Pluto's importance to our understanding of the outer regions of the Solar System, NASA launched the New Horizons spacecraft in January, 2006. Streaking outward at nearly 70,000 miles per hour, New Horizons will reach Pluto in July 2015. The knowledge gained from this first close-up inspection of Pluto and its moons will expand our understanding of all the dwarf planets beyond Neptune. This new understanding will be all the more important as the completion of new and powerful survey telescopes begins to accelerate the discovery of new objects out there. Dr. Cruikshank is one of the world's foremost authorities on the outer solar system. He and his colleagues discovered the ices that make up Pluto's surface and evaporate to form its thin atmosphere. As a former amateur astronomer, he has a knack for explaining scientific ideas in simple, direct language. The lecture is co-sponsored by: * NASA Ames Research Center * The Foothill College Astronomy Program * The SETI Institute * The Astronomical Society of the Pacific. ================================ Andrew Fraknoi, Chair, Astronomy Program Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Rd., Los Altos Hills, CA 94022, USA E-mail: fraknoiandrew@fhda.edu ================================ _______________________________________________ Contacts mailing list Contacts@aanc-astronomy.org http://mail.aanc-astronomy.org/mailman/listinfo/contacts From wb6yru at aenet.net Fri Oct 27 00:46:54 2006 From: wb6yru at aenet.net (Gary Mitchell) Date: Fri Oct 27 00:44:00 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Observer's Handbook and calendars Message-ID: <4541B96E.6090707@aenet.net> The SJAA has just received its order of the popular RASC Observer's Handbook and astronomy calendars. They'll be available at the SJAA swap meet on Nov. 5 and at the club meetings until they're gone. Our cost has not gone up, so the SJAA's price will remain the same this year. The books are $17 and the calendars are $10. (Retail is $25.95 and $13.95 respectively.) What little proceeds we make goes towards the SJAA telescope loaner program. Gary Mitchell SJAA treasurer From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Fri Oct 27 14:21:02 2006 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Fri Oct 27 14:21:21 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Houge Park Star Party Tonight! Message-ID: <20061027151830.K3304@koopm.best.vwh.net> Houge Park Star Party Friday, Oct 27th, 7:30 pm until 10:30 pm. Tonight, the SJAA hosts its in town 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. Our school star party team will be supporting an event down in Morgan Hill and some of our other members are helping out at a project astro class in Portola Valley, so please bring your scopes to help out! Top 10 Things to view tonight: 1) 1st Quarter Moon 2) Comet Swan: In Hercules, close to M13 at Mag 4.2 to 5.0. There are reports that the comet has broken up and brightened significantly. Great in Binos or a scope! Finder Chart: http://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/2006M4/2006M4.html Heavens Above for Houge Park, Click on Comet Swan http://www.heavens-above.com/main.asp?lat=37.25746&lng=-121.94131&loc=Houge+Park%2C+San+Jose%2C+CA&TZ=PST 3) Mu Cephei: Herschels Garnet Star. One of the reddest stars and a variable star. 4) Cr399: The Coathanger. Not a true star cluster since its stars are 218 to 1140 ly away. 5) Gamma Arietis: The star Mesarthim, which consists of two Blue-White Stars at Mag 4.7, 7.8 separation 6) M 11: Wild Duck Cluster. 6,000 LY away and 21 LY across. At least 600 stars 7) M 15: Globular cluster. About 33,600 LY away. Densest of all GC. Black hole in the center? 8) Uranus: The 7th planet from the sun, 1.76 billion miles away. Green in color. Discovered in 1781. 9) Andromeda Galaxy: About 2.3 million LY away, 130,000 LY across. Contains 300 billion stars. 10) Double Cluster: 7200 LY away, 200 stars each. Astro Info: Sunset: 6:15 PM Civil twilight ends: 6:42 PM Nautical twilight ends: 7:12 PM Astronomical twilight ends: 7:43 PM Moon Sets: Sets: 10:09 PM, 29% Illuminated ************************************************************* Directions to Houge Park: Houge Park is in San Jose, near Campbell and Los Gatos. >From Hwy.17, take the Camden Avenue exit. Go east 4/10 mile, and turn right at the light, onto Bascom Avenue. At the next light, turn left onto Woodard Road. At the first stop sign, turn right onto Twilight Drive. Go three blocks, cross Sunrise Drive, then turn left into the park. >From Hwy.85, take the Bascom Avenue exit. Go north 0.2 miles, and turn right at the first traffic light, onto White Oaks Road. Run another 0.2 miles to the first stop sign, then turn left onto Twilight Drive. You will now be passing the park. Turn right at the first driveway, into the parking lot. See Map at http://www.sjaa.net/img/houge.jpg *********************************** Clear Skies, Mike Koop President, SJAA Questions? Comments? Flames? Email: koopm best com From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Mon Oct 30 18:53:17 2006 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Mon Oct 30 18:53:29 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: Talk on Pluto at Foothill College Nov. 8th Message-ID: <003b01c6fc97$b82fa7f0$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> Event Announcement ================= Wednesday, Nov. 8th, 2006, 7 pm: Astronomer Dale Cruikshank of NASA's Ames Research Center will give a non-technical, illustrated talk on: "The Planet Pluto: Maligned but Not Forgotten" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- as part of the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures 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. No background in science will be required for this talk. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Although Pluto is only one of many worlds beyond Neptune that are now recognized as dwarf planets, it is the one we know best. And to generations of Americans who in their youth learned about Pluto's discovery by a Kansas farm boy in 1930, it is perhaps the one that is most loved. With a thin atmosphere, a layer of smog, three moons, and a patchy surface made of many kinds of ice, Pluto is the gateway to the vast outer fringe of the Solar System, where trillions of lumps of ice, rock, and organic chemicals orbit the Sun in a permanent deep freeze. Recognizing Pluto's importance to our understanding of the outer regions of the Solar System, NASA launched the New Horizons spacecraft in January, 2006. Streaking outward at nearly 70,000 miles per hour, New Horizons will reach Pluto in July 2015. The knowledge gained from this first close-up inspection of Pluto and its moons will expand our understanding of all the dwarf planets beyond Neptune. This new understanding will be all the more important as the completion of new and powerful survey telescopes begins to accelerate the discovery of new objects out there. Dr. Cruikshank is one of the world's foremost authorities on the outer solar system. He and his colleagues discovered the ices that make up Pluto's surface and evaporate to form its thin atmosphere. As a former amateur astronomer, he has a knack for explaining scientific ideas in simple, direct language. The lecture is co-sponsored by: * NASA Ames Research Center * The Foothill College Astronomy Program * The SETI Institute * The Astronomical Society of the Pacific. From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Mon Oct 30 18:55:49 2006 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Mon Oct 30 18:55:57 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: Announcement: May 17th Astronomy Lecture: Giant Cosmic Explosions Message-ID: <004001c6fc98$12bf6700$60d9fea9@Turtlerock> Event Announcement ================= Wednesday, May 17th, 2006, 7 pm: Astronomer Joshua Bloom of the University of California, Berkeley will give a non-technical, illustrated talk on: Giant Cosmic Explosions: The Gamma-ray Burst Boom -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- as part of the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures 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. No background in science will be required for this talk. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Bloom will discuss the brightest explosions in the universe, which were discovered accidentally by spy satellites in the 1960's. Called Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRB's), these explosions involve mind-boggling amounts of energy. New satellites in orbit around the Earth are allowing scientists to monitor these sudden bursts and to watch the afterglow that follows the explosions. Dr. Bloom will recount the history of how astronomers have been learning about these bursts and their connections with the deaths of stars and the births of black holes. He will also discuss new research about a kind of GRB's that results when two star corpses collide. Dr. Bloom is assistant professor at UC Berkeley, having joined the faculty in 2005. He has been working on various aspects of the GRB mystery since 1994. He has an undergraduate degree from Harvard, a masters degree from Cambridge University, and a PhD from Caltech. His other research areas include exploding stars and black holes. Co-sponsored by: * NASA Ames Research Center * The Foothill College Astronomy Program * The SETI Institute * The Astronomical Society of the Pacific. From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Tue Oct 31 07:54:01 2006 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Tue Oct 31 07:54:26 2006 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fall Astro Swap this Sunday! (11/5) Message-ID: <20061031084504.G21464@koopm.best.vwh.net> The San Jose Astronomical Association Fall Astronomical Swap Meet will be conducted at Houge Park in San Jose, Sunday November 5th, 2006 at 1 p.m. to about 3 p.m. Telescopes, eyepieces, mountings, mirrors, lenses, clock drives, books, camera equipment, star charts, finders, tubes, diagonals, photographs, space art everything you need to make your hobby more enjoyable. You name it, it's likely to be there! Check your garage and closets for anything astronomical you would like to sell. Anyone can buy and sell! It's fun and easy! This is the sixth year for the fall swap, which is a follow on to the spring auction that has been run for twenty-six years. There is no auction, just the swap sale. Get your holiday shopping done early this year! Joe Sunseri of Earth and Sky Adventure Products with many fine new and used items. The club will also have the RASC Observer Handbooks and Calendars for sale. Check the swap web site as sellers inform us about what they are bringing! Doors open at 12:00 pm to set up tables and bring in material for sale. Selling will begin at 1 pm, and will run as long as needed (probably 3 pm). Each buyer pays the seller. In the past the SJAA charged a 10% commission on all sales. It was brought to our attention that this might prevent your payment from being completely tax deductible and possibly could complicate things for the club. So, payments to the club are now voluntary donations and thus are definitely tax deductible. In order to make things easier, sellers have an option: continue with the 10% donation (its a donation now, not a commission), or if you wish just make it a flat donation for the table-$10 or $20 is recommended, depending on how much stuff you have and its value. Obviously this has to be on the honor system, or conscious system as the case may be. Just keep in mind this event is a needed fund raiser for the club, so please be generous. Please bring items that would interest the astronomical audience such as astronomical, science, or tech items. The SJAA reserves the right to turn away inappropriate items for the swap. Do you have a large item to sell such as a telescope? Please email swap at sjaa.net with a description and a photo of the item or a link to your own website for some pre-swap publicity. Let us know what you are bringing before 5 PM on Saturday (11/4) and we will add it to the website. Have only one item to sell, such as a book or eyepiece? A consignment table for people to drop off up to 4 items will be available so that they can shop at the swap and not be hindered by selling an item. Please fill out the handy Form available off the website before attending the swap and well enter the item number when you arrive. Part of running a successful swap is to make sure that there are people who are new to astronomy in attendance. We can use your help to make this so! Please pass the word-especially to those who are new to astronomy. Thanks for your assistance! The Swap Website: http://www.sjaa.net/swap06/swap06.htm *********************************************************** Directions to Houge Park: Houge Park is in San Jose, near Campbell and Los Gatos. >From Hwy.17, take the Camden Avenue exit. Go east 4/10 mile, and turn right at the light, onto Bascom Avenue. At the next light, turn left onto Woodard Road. At the first stop sign, turn right onto Twilight Drive. Go three blocks, cross Sunrise Drive, then turn left into the park. >From Hwy.85, take the Bascom Avenue exit. Go north 0.2 miles, and turn right at the first traffic light, onto White Oaks Road. Run another 0.2 miles to the first stop sign, then turn left onto Twilight Drive. You will now be passing the park. Turn right at the first driveway, into the parking lot. See Map at http://www.sjaa.net/img/houge.jpg *********************************** Clear Skies, Mike Koop President, SJAA Questions? Comments? Flames? Email: koopm best com