From robhawley at earthlink.net Wed Jul 4 18:06:09 2007 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Wed Jul 4 18:06:06 2007 Subject: [SJAA-announce] SJAA Class and Star Party Friday July 6 Message-ID: <017201c7bea0$acf17aa0$0400a8c0@robathome> **********************Beginner's Astronomy Class************************* The Beginner's astronomy class will be held Friday night at Houge Park beginning at 7:30 PM. I don't have a specific topic beyond the general tour of the sky. If anyone has questions please email off list and I can prepare a presentation to answer your questions. **********************Houge Park Star Party****************************** The 3rd quarter star party will begin at 9:30 PM and last until Midnight. Jupiter will be the principle planet tonight, although views of Saturn and Venus will be possible at the beginning of the event. The summer Milky Way will be in the sky tonight. That mean show piece objects such as M 13, the ring nebula, the Swan, and other globular clusters. All of these objects are easily visible under Houge skies. Rob Hawley From robhawley at earthlink.net Sat Jul 7 09:32:32 2007 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Sat Jul 7 09:32:46 2007 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Found at Houge=>Folding chair Message-ID: <002d01c7c0b4$6cfbb530$0400a8c0@robathome> Someone who set up near Gary last night left a folding chair. I have it. Please contact me off line. Rob Hawley From robhawley at earthlink.net Sat Jul 7 10:48:00 2007 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Sat Jul 7 10:48:03 2007 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Position at Orion Store In Cupertino Message-ID: <003901c7c0be$f6db87d0$0400a8c0@robathome> Rob Hawley ________________________________________ From: mailman-bounces@whiteoaks.com [mailto:mailman-bounces@whiteoaks.com] On Behalf Of Karen Sabin Sent: Saturday, July 07, 2007 9:44 AM To: president@sjaa.net Subject: position For Rob Hawley: Hi Rob, not sure if you are the right person to contact, and unfortunately I don't remember who I spoke with once before, but my name is Karen Sabin and I am the Human Resources Manager at Orion Telescopes and Binoculars. We have a position open at Orion that I thought might be of interest to some of your members. I wasn't sure if there was a way to notify your members about this? It's a Retail Store Associate position, part-time, working at our Cupertino store. It would involve weekends, but just be about 12-15 hours/week. Could you please let me know if there is any interest from your members on this, or the best way to let others in the astronomy industry know about this? We are hoping to get someone with a little bit of astronomy knowledge or knowledge about telescopes, and also someone with a bit of retail experience as well. Let me know your thoughts. And here is to a summer of clear dark skies! Sincerely, Karen Sabin From jvn at svpal.org Sat Jul 7 20:27:04 2007 From: jvn at svpal.org (Jim Van Nuland) Date: Sat Jul 7 20:30:57 2007 Subject: [SJAA-announce] CORRECTION to SJAA's July general meeting date References: Message-ID: <46905988.1183@svpal.org> Jim McClure wrote: > Is the July SJAA general meeting really on July 30th, as stated in the > activities calendar? That's on a Monday. NO, it's on July 28, a Saturday as usual. The Hotline and full-year 2007 web pages have the correct date. I notice that the previous month's general meeting was on June 30, so I can speculate that it was a typing error. I've made that sort of error. In any case, on June 11 while on vacation, I examined the pre-production Ephemeris, and failed to catch it. My apologies for that! No excuses; I should have been more careful. Vacation or no, I had access to the web pages and even had the paper calendar with me. I hope our speaker has the correct date! Again, my apologies! Clear Skies (and calendars!) -- Jim Van Nuland, San Jose (California) Astronomical Association JVN's web site From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Sun Jul 8 16:40:36 2007 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Sun Jul 8 16:41:01 2007 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: [AANC Contacts] Film by Timothy Ferris Message-ID: <003101c7c1b9$6373ea40$0202a8c0@Turtlerock> Subject: [AANC Contacts] Film by Timothy Ferris SEEING IN THE DARK: A film by Timothy Ferris America's Writer Laureate of astronomy invites millions of viewers to enjoy the wonders of the night sky in a spectacular HDTV special on PBS Stargazing is the subject of Seeing in the Dark, a 60-minute, state-of-the-art, high-definition (HDTV) documentary by Timothy Ferris that premieres September 19, 2007 at 8:00 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). The film, Ferris's third, is based on his book, Seeing in the Dark (2002), named by The New York Times as one of the 10 best books of the year. "Seeing in the Dark is meant to alter, inspire and illuminate the lives of millions," said Ferris. "It introduces viewers to the rewards of first-person, hands-on astronomy - from kids learning the constellations to amateur astronomers doing professional-grade research in discovering planets and exploding stars. I hope it will encourage many viewers to make casual stargazing part of their lives, and a few to get into serious amateur astronomy." To capture the beauty and wonder of the night sky, Ferris assembled a world-class team including Hollywood cinematographer Francis Kenny, veteran BBC natural history director Nigel Ashcroft, the celebrated astronomical special-effects artist Don Davis, sound designer Kate Hopkins (Planet Earth), and three-time Academy Award? winner Walter Murch, who did the digital surround-sound mix. The film features memorable deep-space images by some of the world's most respected astrophotographers, among them Robert Gendler, Jack Newton and Akira Fujii, and an original musical score by Mark Knopfler and Guy Fletcher of Dire Straits fame. Like the book, the film is in part a personal account of Ferris' life-long devotion to stargazing, beginning with his introduction to the night sky as teenager in Florida in the '50s. "Back then we had big skies and small telescopes," Ferris says in the film. "We couldn't observe much beyond the Moon, the planets, and a few bright star clusters, but we had a lot of fun, and we came to cherish the telescope as an instrument of deliverance, the keys to a vast and spectacular kingdom." The film interweaves themes of music, the stars, and the stark contrast between the brief span of human lifetimes and the vastness of the cosmos, where a backyard stargazer equipped with nothing more than binoculars can see light older than the human species. Ferris describes it as "in part an ongoing dialog, down through the generations, about discovering the beauty of nature of the largest scale and learning more about our place in it all." On location at the annual Stellafane telescope-makers gathering in Vermont, where parents for generations have been teaching their children the stars, Ferris notes that "Stellafane retains an egalitarian quality of seemingly ordinary people making extraordinary things to put themselves and their neighbors in touch with the great beyond." The film features amateur astronomers ranging from casual stargazers to those who have made important scientific discoveries. Among them: * Former Minnesota Vikings running back great Robert Smith, who today conducts tours of the night sky for high schoolers in Miami, Florida. Says Smith, "I like looking at the galaxies, imagining something or someone being in those galaxies, hundreds of millions of years from now, seeing youS millions of years after you're gone. Things like that just kind of blow my mind." * Barbara Wilson, a onetime Houston housewife who got a telescope after her children were born and turned out to be one of the most sharp-eyed visual observers on Earth. In the film she remarks on "the grandeur, the absolute grandeur of getting out under a dark sky and seeing the Milky Way arch from one horizon to the other," and says, "I can't imagine anybody not being totally awed by that kind of a sight." * Steven James O'Meara, who taught himself astronomy as a boy and was given keys to Harvard College Observatory when he was 14 years old. There he observed spokes on Saturn's rings years before they were photographed by the Voyager space probe. * Ron Bissinger, who discovered a planet passing in front of a star 150 light years from Earth - using a telescope in the backyard observatory he built himself. * Rob Gendler, who took deep-space photographs from the driveway of his home in suburban Connecticut that rival and sometimes surpass the work of professional astronomers on the ground and the Hubble Space Telescope in orbit. Says Gendler, "From an ordinary place you can image distant worlds 30, 40, 50 million light years away in really a matter of a few minutes. That's what keeps me going in astrophotography, the anticipation of that fresh sense of discovery that comes with every image." The film reports that, thanks to three technological innovations - inexpensive telescopes, sensitive digital cameras, and the Internet - amateur astronomers today find themselves in command of more light-gathering power than that of the legendary 200-inch Hale telescope at Palomar when it opened the universe to human eyes a half century ago. Says Ferris, "Hundreds of thousands of casual stargazers are getting in touch with the night sky by using inexpensive computer-controlled telescopes, downloading star charts from the Internet, and having observations made for them on professional telescopes through Internet time-sharing programs and educational projects." The Seeing in the Dark Web site (pbs.org/seeinginthedark, to go online this August) will enable viewers to print star charts for their time and location, view video tips on how to get the most out of stargazing, learn more about the people and concepts in the film, and find local star parties where they can look through amateur astronomers' telescopes free of charge. A Seeing in the Dark robotic telescope, located at a high-altitude site in New Mexico, is planned and will enable students to image star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies for themselves. Ferris sees his film as both a cinematic experience and an incitement to learn. "Astronomy, with its spectacular visual qualities and its relevance to enduring questions about the origin and evolution of the universe, has long been a gateway to science," he says. "Our film is meant to be a timeless introduction to stargazing." Seeing in the Dark was produced, written and narrated by Timothy Ferris. The senior production team includes Director Nigel Ashcroft; Director of Photography Francis Kenny, A.S.C.; Editor Lisa Day, A.C.E.; Production Designer Cal Zecca; Special Effects, Don Davis; Sound Design, Kate Hopkins; Sound Mix, Walter Murch, C.A.S.; Music and Original Score by Mark Knopfler and Guy Fletcher; and Executive Producers, Timothy Ferris and Cal Zecca. Seeing in the Dark was made possible by a grant from the National Science Foundation and with support from the Public Broadcasting Service. Gail Rubin grpr@flash.net 505-265-7215 # # # _______________________________________________ Contacts mailing list Contacts@aanc-astronomy.org http://mail.aanc-astronomy.org/mailman/listinfo/contacts From epoch at majornet.com Sun Jul 8 18:05:02 2007 From: epoch at majornet.com (epoch@majornet.com) Date: Sun Jul 8 19:09:27 2007 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Kingsley Wightman: 1916-2007 Message-ID: <20070708180502.A4269228@resin11.mta.everyone.net> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sjaa.net/pipermail/sjaa-announce/attachments/20070708/a515cc00/attachment.html From robhawley at earthlink.net Sun Jul 8 19:12:38 2007 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Sun Jul 8 19:12:36 2007 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Message from Denni on Wightman Message-ID: <009c01c7c1ce$a12811d0$0400a8c0@robathome> Denni's original message was not structured properly for the mail list. Here is her announcement Hi all, Many of you have probably heard that Kingsley Wightman passed away from natural causes at the age of 91 in the early morning of Thursday, July 5. I'm sure many of you will want to attend his memorial service at Chabot on Friday, July 20 (Space Day), at 6 pm in the Wightman Observatory Plaza. There will also be a church service that day. Please go to the chabot website www.chabotspace.com for further details. He was a mentor to us all, and in many ways, responsible for us being the people we are today. He was the person at Chabot Observatory who didn't hesitate to hand the keys over to a bunch of teenagers, simply telling us, "Don't get me in trouble." He didn't bat an eye at some of the antics we pulled, perhaps knowing it was better for us to be playing practical jokes on each other there than being unleased on an unsuspecting public outside the observatory fence. I hope we did you proud, Mr. Wightman. Denni Medlock 530-336-6493 Rob Hawley From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Fri Jul 13 19:35:09 2007 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Fri Jul 13 19:35:13 2007 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: Night Sky Network Message: Dawn Mission Telecon: PowerPoint Now Available Message-ID: <001401c7c5bf$99831ac0$0202a8c0@Turtlerock> Subject: Night Sky Network Message: Dawn Mission Telecon: PowerPoint Now Available > Hello Night Sky Network, > > Join us this Wednesday, July 18th as Dr. Lucy McFadden tells us all about > the exciting Dawn mission. Dawn will attempt to answer some of the biggest > questions about the formation of the solar system and Dr. McFadden will be > here to answer our questions. Just this week, Dawn was rescheduled to > launch in September. Find out the effects that this will have on the > mission and what scientists are working on now to prepare. Learn about the > two largest bodies in the asteroid belt, more about ion thrust engines, > and how Dawn will travel faster than any other spacecraft. > >>>To download the PowerPoint, just log on to the Night Sky Network Member >>>website and open the main article about the Telecon. > http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/ > >>>To join the Teleconference on Wednesday, July 18th at 6:00 pm PDT (9:00 >>>pm Eastern) > "The Dawn Mission: Exploring the Asteroid Frontier" by Dr. Lucy McFadden > > Toll-free conference call line: 1-800-779-8164. 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. > > If you have any questions or are having any difficulties logging into the > Night Sky Network, send an email to nightskyinfo@astrosociety.org > >>>We are also proud to announce the winners of the Quarterly Prize of a >>>Solarscope. Let's give a big hand to the following clubs for their >>>dedication to sharing astronomy with the public. Remember to keep an eye >>>out for the next member article all about their outreach events: > >> Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh >> Amateur Observers' Society of NY >> The Catawba Valley Astronomy Club >> Central Montana Astronomy Society >> Naperville Astronomical Association > > Congratulations to these five outstanding clubs. We will see everyone at > the Telecon! > > Marni Berendsen and Vivian White > Night Sky Network Administrators > Astronomical Society of the Pacific > (415) 337-1100 > Night Sky Network: http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/ From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Mon Jul 16 18:57:21 2007 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Mon Jul 16 18:57:25 2007 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw:Dawn Mission Telecon: PowerPoint Now Available (and SJAA login info) Message-ID: <003e01c7c815$d0f230b0$0202a8c0@Turtlerock> My previous posting had the link to the NSN home page:http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/ Any SJAA member can access any telecon powerpoint (and many other features) by using the login: Username: SJAA_Club password: sjaansky >>To download the PowerPoint for Dr. Lucy McFadden's talk, go to: http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/docs/McFaddenPPT.ppt >>To join the Teleconference on Wednesday, July 18th at 6:00 pm PDT (9:00 pm >>Eastern) "The Dawn Mission: Exploring the Asteroid Frontier" by Dr. Lucy McFadden Toll-free conference call line: 1-800-779-8164. Call anytime after 5:45 pm the evening of the telecon. An operator will answer and: - You will be asked for the passcode: NIGHT SKY NETWORK - You might be asked for the call leader: MICHAEL GREENE - You will be asked to give your NAME and the CLUB you belong to, and number of people listening with you. If you have any questions or are having any difficulties logging into the Night Sky Network, send an email to nightskyinfo@astrosociety.org From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Mon Jul 16 19:03:13 2007 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Mon Jul 16 19:03:17 2007 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: [AANC Contacts] Mt Tam Astronomy Program with Dr. Joseph HennawiJULY 21 Message-ID: <006a01c7c816$a2799060$0202a8c0@Turtlerock> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kenneth Frank" To: "AANC Contacts" Sent: Monday, July 16, 2007 7:34 AM Subject: [AANC Contacts] Mt Tam Astronomy Program with Dr. Joseph HennawiJULY 21 This from Tinka Ross of the MTIA: The next MT TAM ASTRONOMY PROGRAM will be held SATURDAY, JULY 21, 8:30 in the MOUNTAIN THEATRE on Mt Tamalpais Dr. Joseph F. Hennawi of UC Berkeley will discuss "Weighing the Dark Matter in the Universe with Gravitation Lenses" . Dr. Hennawi will give a description of the mysterious problem of Dark Matter in the Universe which has confounded astronomers and physicists for nearly half a century, and explain recent progress on understanding it based on one of the predictions of Einstein's theory of general relativity. Carpool with your friends, bring flashlights and dress warmly. It can be cold sitting on rocks! All programs are free, and we encourage you to bring students and family members of all ages. Telescope viewing from the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers will follow the program, weather permitting, until about 11:00pm in the Rock Springs Parking Lot. If the weather is questionable on the day of the program, call the hotline at 415-455-5370 after 3:00pm. Usually the program goes even if sky conditions don?t allow observing. When the fog comes in we are usually above it and enjoy darker skies as it blocks out the lights of the San Francisco Bay Area. Programs sponsored by your State Park and organized by the Mount Tamalpais Interpretive Association, with viewing conducted by the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers. Check our website www.mttam.net for further information. Thank you for sharing this information. _______________________________________________ Contacts mailing list Contacts@aanc-astronomy.org http://mail.aanc-astronomy.org/mailman/listinfo/contacts From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Mon Jul 16 19:04:50 2007 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Mon Jul 16 19:04:52 2007 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: [AANC Contacts] Mark Your Calendar: 20th Annual FPOA Star-B -Que & Perseids Coming August 11th! Message-ID: <007b01c7c816$dc305820$0202a8c0@Turtlerock> Subject: [AANC Contacts] Mark Your Calendar: 20th Annual FPOA Star-B -Que & Perseids Coming August 11th! This, from Doug Brown: The 20th annual FPOA Star-B-Que and Annual Meeting will be held on Saturday, August 11, 2007, at the observatory and adjacent picnic area. The picnic portion of the event will begin approximately 5:00 PM, and the, raffle, astronomy trivia quiz, and Astronomical-Gastronomical contest will be held subsequently. The FPOA Annual Meeting, election of board members, and ratification of changes to the Purpose section of our bylaws will also occur during the Star-B-Que. If you are interested in becoming a board member, please let one of the present board members know, and we shall put you on the ballot. The FPOA is always looking for new board members to bring new ideas and thoughts about how to more effectively accomplish our mission. Our guest speaker, Dr. Raja Thakurta, UCO/Lick Obs, will present "Journey Back to the Big Bang", an illustrated journey through the Universe, which uses some of the latest astronomical images and most realistic and current computer animations to review key concepts and observational findings in modern cosmology. If you are planning to attend the Star-B-Que, PLEASE RSVP to (831) 623-2465 or e-mail info@fpoa.net. If you have any questions about the Star-B-Que, please feel free to contact any FPOA Board Member. As a special treat this year, we've arranged for the Perseid meteor shower to peak later that night, with no interference from the moon. More information and flier can be found our web site or at http://fpoa.net/Star-B-Q%202007.pdf Doug Brown, President FPOA _______________________________________________ FPOA-Members mailing list FPOA-Members@fpoa.net http://www.fpoa.net/mailman/listinfo/fpoa-members _______________________________________________ Contacts mailing list Contacts@aanc-astronomy.org http://mail.aanc-astronomy.org/mailman/listinfo/contacts From jvn at svpal.org Tue Jul 17 14:11:39 2007 From: jvn at svpal.org (Jim Van Nuland) Date: Tue Jul 17 14:15:20 2007 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Call for telescopes, Friday Aug.10 Message-ID: <469D308B.6965@svpal.org> Call for telescopes, Friday Aug.10 The art park Villa Montalvo in Saratoga has requested astronomers and telescopes for the evening of August 10, a Friday, from sunset to approximately midnight, or as late as you care to stay. Despite the rather high east and west horizons, there have been favorable reports from astronomers as well as the visitors and staff. There is a long grassy area facing south-southwest, so the Milky Way will be well-placed nearly overhead for most of the evening. Jupiter will be lower but visible much of the evening. The sky is quite dark for a city site, as Saratoga has no street lights. The major drawback is that vehicles must be parked about 500 feet away from the setup area. That's half the distance at Glacier Point but without the hills. Let me know as soon as possible, if you will likely be able to help out on Aug.10. I can supply detailed driving directions. Thanks 2^20th. Clear Skies! -- Jim Van Nuland, San Jose (California) Astronomical Association JVN's web site From robhawley at earthlink.net Tue Jul 17 15:46:39 2007 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Tue Jul 17 15:46:19 2007 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Website Maintenance is under way Message-ID: <00e101c7c8c4$56f795c0$0400a8c0@robathome> SJAA is moving its website to BlueHost.com. In theory, users should not see any disruption in service. This may affect the website, mail lists, and/or any @sjaa.net email address. In case Murphy strikes, please try again at a later time. Rob Hawley From robhawley at earthlink.net Tue Jul 17 16:43:23 2007 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Tue Jul 17 16:43:04 2007 Subject: [SJAA-announce] SJAA Events this weekend Message-ID: <00f201c7c8cc$44292820$0400a8c0@robathome> Jul.20 - Friday - Public observing session on the grounds at Houge Park, with Jupiter and the show objects of the summer sky. The 33% moon sets at 11:41 pm. Star party hours: 9:30 until midnight. Jul.21 - Saturday - Public star party at Coyote Lake County Park. Sunset is at 8:23 pm, and the first-quarter moon sets at 12:04 am. Potluck BBQ will be available with the fire started about 7 PM. For direction please consult http://www.sjaa.net/directions.html or http://69.89.31.94/~sjaanet/directions.html Rob Hawley From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Wed Jul 18 19:39:41 2007 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Wed Jul 18 19:39:52 2007 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: Special NASA Event July 20, 2007 Message-ID: <005401c7c9ae$0f356b00$0202a8c0@Turtlerock> Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 10:39 AM Subject: Special NASA Event July 20, 2007 Live from Haughton Crater video conference July 20, 2007 July 20th marks the anniversary human's first footsteps on another celestial body - this is the date that Neil Armstrong first stepped onto the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. In honor of these historic first footsteps, NASA is instituting an annual "First Footsteps" celebration. As part of the agency-wide events, NASA Ames Research Center invites members of the public to attend a live video conference with a panel of NASA researchers currently working in the Haughton Crater on Devon Island in Canada. The video conference will take place at the NASA Ames Exploration Center from 9:30-11:00 a.m. on Friday, July 20. Audience members will have an opportunity to hear what NASA is doing in Haughton Crater to prepare for our next footsteps off of Earth, and to ask questions of: Dr. Pete Worden (Director, NASA Ames) about lunar exploration; Dr. Chris McKay (Space Science Division, NASA Ames) about the value of analog site testing; Matt Deans (Intelligent Robotics Group, NASA Ames) about Ames' K10 robot site survey, and; Pascal Lee (SETI Institute) about other tests being conducted, including the "stranded astronaut" walk-back experiment. WHAT: Opportunity to hear what NASA is doing in the Haughton Crater and to ask NASA scientists about the field tests they are conducting in robotics, space biology, and astronaut activities. WHEN: 9:30-11:00 a.m. Pacific on Friday, July 20, 2007. WHERE: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Exploration Center, located at the main gate, Moffett Field. To reach NASA Ames, take U.S. Highway 101 to the Moffett Field, NASA Parkway exit and drive east on Moffett Boulevard towards the main gate and bear right into the parking lot. The Exploration Center is located in the large white dome. ABOUT HAUGHTON CRATER: Haughton Crater, Devon Island, Canada is a large impact structure that serves as a terrestrial analog for Mars and the Moon. The rocky polar desert, geologic features and biological attributes of the site offer a unique setting for science, developing new technologies, strategies, humans factors experience, and field-based experience key to planning the future space exploration by humans and robots. For more information, including the team's blog about the project, visit: http://haughton2007.arc.nasa.gov http://marsonearth.org The NASA Exploration Center is open to the public free of charge. For information about the Exploration Center, please visit: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/home/exploration.html To learn about other events hosted by NASA Ames, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/events/index.html From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Wed Jul 18 19:40:29 2007 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Wed Jul 18 19:40:32 2007 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: Night Sky Network Message: Telecon Update Message-ID: <005901c7c9ae$2c1dee40$0202a8c0@Turtlerock> Hello Night Sky Network, The last email sent about the Dawn Mission Telecon didn't have a direct link to the PowerPoint. Here is all the information you need to join us for the telecon with Dr. Lucy McFadden this Wednesday, July 18th. To download the PowerPoint, you may click here: http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/docs/McFaddenPPT.ppt >(note that this PowerPoint is 8.1 MB) You may also view it online, if you prefer. Simply go to the website: http://www.astrosociety.org/nsntelecon/ >*Note also that slides 28 and 34 refer you to additional animations. You >may want to have these prepared and available to view the evening of the >telecon. To join the Teleconference on Wednesday, July 18th at 6:00 pm PDT (9:00 pm Eastern) "The Dawn Mission: Exploring the Asteroid Frontier" by Dr. Lucy McFadden Toll-free conference call line: 1-800-779-8164. Call anytime after 5:45 pm the evening of the telecon. An operator will answer and: - You will be asked for the passcode: NIGHT SKY NETWORK - You might be asked for the call leader: MICHAEL GREENE - You will be asked to give your NAME and the CLUB you belong to, and number of people listening with you. If you have any questions or are having any difficulties logging into the Night Sky Network, send an email to nightskyinfo@astrosociety.org We look forward to seeing you at the Telecon! Marni Berendsen and Vivian White Night Sky Network Administrators Astronomical Society of the Pacific (415) 337-1100 Night Sky Network: http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/ From bhavner at sbcglobal.net Thu Jul 19 19:36:06 2007 From: bhavner at sbcglobal.net (Bob & Brenda Havner) Date: Thu Jul 19 19:36:14 2007 Subject: [SJAA-announce] Fw: [AANC Contacts] Saturn Turns 60 Message-ID: <005d01c7ca76$b9af8cf0$0202a8c0@Turtlerock> Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2007 8:55 AM Subject: [AANC Contacts] Saturn Turns 60 Since I'm part of the Saturn observing campaign, I thought you'd like to know. Ken Frank Saturn Turns 60 July 19, 2007 Scientists have recently discovered that the planet Saturn is turning 60 ?not years, but moons. "We detected the 60th moon orbiting Saturn using the Cassini spacecraft's powerful wide-angle camera," said Carl Murray, a Cassini imaging team scientist from Queen Mary, University of London. "I was looking at images of the region near the Saturnian moons Methone and Pallene and something caught my eye." The newly discovered moon first appeared as a very faint dot in a series of images Cassini took of the Saturnian ring system on May 30 of this year. After the initial detection, Murray and fellow Cassini imaging scientists played interplanetary detective, searching for clues of the new moon in the voluminous library of Cassini images to date. The Cassini imaging team's legwork paid off. They were able to locate numerous additional detections, spanning from June 2004 to June 2007. "With these new data sets we were able to establish a good orbit for the new moon,? said Murray. "Knowing where the moons are at all times is important to the Cassini mission for several reasons." One of the most important reasons for Cassini to chronicle these previously unknown space rocks is so the spacecraft itself does not run into them. Another reason is each discovery helps provide a better understanding about how Saturn's ring system and all its billions upon billions of parts work and interact together. Finally, a discovery of a moon is important because with this new knowledge, the Cassini mission planners and science team can plan to perform science experiments during future observations if and when the opportunity presents itself. What of this new, 60th discovered moon of Saturn? Cassini scientists believe "Frank" (the working name for the moon until another, perhaps, more appropriate one is found) is about 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) wide and, like so many of its neighbors, is made mostly of ice and rock. The moon's location in the Saturnian sky is between the orbits of Methone and Pallene. It is the fifth moon discovered by the Cassini imaging team. "When the Cassini mission launched back in 1997, we knew of only 18 moons orbiting Saturn," said Murray. "Now, between Earth-based telescopes and Cassini we have more than tripled that number ? and each and every new discovery adds another piece to the puzzle and becomes another new world to explore." Murray and his colleagues may get the chance to explore Saturn's 60th moon. The Cassini spacecraft's trajectory will put it within 7,300 miles (11,700 kilometers) in December of 2009. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Cassini- Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. _______________________________________________ Contacts mailing list Contacts@aanc-astronomy.org http://mail.aanc-astronomy.org/mailman/listinfo/contacts